by Patrick Kennedy
1. Million Dollar Baby
Harrowing drama is easy to come by. But as Hollywood veteran and new found directing sensation Clint Eastwood curtly remarks early in Million Dollar Baby, "tough ain't enough." It's pretty clear that Eastwood, whose latest picture supplements dignified tragedy with a pensive, touching undercurrent, has taken that saying to heart as a director. Million Dollar Baby is the spare tale of three unlike souls - a cautious gym owner (Eastwood), a talented female fighter (Hilary Swank), and a well-meaning retired boxer (Morgan Freeman) - who find in one another an invigorating hope. With each actor at top form, this fine cast exhibits a closeness that may well be genuine, a connection so deep that when the plot takes a sharp turn for the worse, you feel their collective agony. In the most unassuming manner, the intimate, strangely magnificent scenes of Million Dollar Baby reveal Eastwood's true brilliance.
2. Sideways
A careful blend of zany buddy comedy and quiet insight, Alexander Payne's California wine country odyssey runs like a piece from Woody Allen's golden days. In this film, the young writer and director has turned his attentions to an oddball pair of former college roommates and longtime friends, angst-ridden oenophile Miles (Paul Giamatti) and philandering TV actor Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) celebrating their last ounces of bachelorhood.
Sideways is a film to be savored, but not to be taken lightly. Behind the clever timing and slapstick delights, Payne works in a sophisticated empathy for his characters and a profound belief in personal connection. Everything about Sideways makes for a sublime journey into the joy, tension and unpredictability of friendship.
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
With films such as Being John Malkovich, Human Nature and Adaptation to his credit, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman is infamous for haywire story lines. His recent collaboration with director Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, does revisit the absurdities of Kaufman's talent. It is also the most coherent thing he has produced, a unique romance of straightforward emotions and unexpected sensitivity.
The audience follows the lives of reserved Joel (Jim Carrey) and lively, magnetic Clementine (Kate Winslet) set on erasing all memories of one another through a kindly doctor's (Tom Wilkinson) groundbreaking treatment. Enjoying Eternal Sunshine's wit is easy. But it is easier to appreciate the uncanny chemistry between Joel and Clementine that, even as they try to forget one another, reminds us of love's earthy, delicate wonder.
4. Collateral
Just sit back and hang on for an adrenaline-crazy rush through the L.A. nightscape, the hotbed of neon-lighted iniquity where director Michael Mann's demonstration of the perfect thriller takes place. It's trendy, powerfully rendered exterior houses revealing conflicts between duty, honesty and opportunity, backed by knockout performances. Jamie Foxx, in a nice prelude to his astounding turn in Ray, is a gregarious cabbie enlisted by a hitman - a vicious, no-nonsense Tom Cruise - to drive him from murder to murder. The two bring out the cosmopolitan chaos of Collateral's mean streets, envisioned with their own brutal vitality. Finally, we have proof that a full-blooded action piece, when executed with a harsh complexity, can emerge as a notable film.
5. Kinsey
Of all the year's biopics, this eerily masterful portrait of the man who fathered America's sexual revolution boasts the weightiest intellectual and dramatic impact. Though more conservative crowds may hate its hero, Kinsey, at once smartly scientific and openly humorous, never really hides its admiration of its subject. Liam Neeson, in the title role, plays the Indiana University biologist as a lovable nerd. Surprisingly vulnerable, his Alfred C. Kinsey is a man simultaneously burdened and energized by his genius, inspired firmly but softly by his wife, Clara (Laura Linney). Kinsey captures, with great confidence, the battle between public and private doubt and academic determination that often accompanies the search for enlightenment.
By D. Bernie
1. Napolean Dynamite
Napoleon Dynamite was 2004's best comedy. John Heder plays the title character for eighty hilarious minutes, infusing his over-the-top performance with perfect dry wit. The directing is on point, and the editing adds to the film as well. The result is a short film that is everything a movie experience should be. Most comedies try to do too much - Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a good example - and end up losing the audience. Napoleon is straight to the point in every way. The characters are well developed and complex, yet easy to identify with. Napoleon Dynamite is a great choice. I give it a 90 out of a possible 100.
2. Ray
The best drama of the year was Ray, and Jamie Foxx is a shoe-in for best actor of the year. It is eerie how well Foxx portrays Ray Charles. The soundtrack is also one of the best all year. The directing is good, but perhaps a bit simple-sometimes you wish some things weren't so overstated, especially in the flashbacks, but all in all it is quite a film. Ray manages to capture both the celebrity and humanity of Ray Charles, weaving historical events and the civil rights movement into a beautiful rags-to-riches story and the American Dream. I give Ray a 91 out of a possible 100.
3. Hero
The best foreign film was Hero. Starring Jet Li, the film is set in China during a period of unrest and war; a time for a hero. Hero's cinematography is absolutely breathtaking, with fight scenes that are both elaborate and exotic. Warriors' strengths are attuned to nature much like in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The biggest difference between Hero and last year's other notable films is the way the director tells multiple stories on top of one another, hiding the big finish. I give Hero an 87 out of a possible 100, and add a word of caution: do not watch the trailer-watching the trailer actually ruins the ending of the movie.
4. The Ladykillers
In The Ladykillers, Tom Hanks gives one of his rare comedic performances. His role as Professor G.H. Dorr is nothing short of awesome: ridiculous and witty, the professor is a character to say the least. The film is very well directed and the cinematography is brilliant. The film is one of the few aesthetically pleasing comedies I have ever seen. Although I almost never like remakes, this film is worth watching, though so is the original from 1955. I suppose Marlon Wayans is annoying, but not enough to affect the film. I give The Ladykillers an 84 out of a possible 100, but only because the bar is set extremely high by the original version.
5. Kill Bill Volume 2
With Tarantino directing, how can you go wrong? Picking up where 2003's Vol. 1 left off, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 continues the search for the murderous Bill, inserting down-to-earth scenes between Uma Thurman and her blood thirsty adversaries and somehow making it convincing. This allows for the audience to open up and identify with characters while they engage in ridiculous acts of violence and vengeance. Uma Thurman is brilliant as always, adding the perfect amount of charm to her role as a bloodthirsty bride. The cinematography is great. My only problem is Daryl Hannah. She is pretty bad, perhaps making Uma Thurman's performance appear that much better. Still, I give Kill Bill: Vol. 2 an 87 out of a possible 100. It's a wonderful ride.
