Took me a while to catch up with the flicks I wanted to, though there are others I still haven’t seen (Sideways, e.g.).
Still, here’s what I deemed the best of last year:
- Million Dollar Baby — I’m an unabashed partisan for Eastwood the director. Sure, he’s made bad movies, but who hasn’t. This is one of, if not the, very best movies he has made. Screw the controversy, it’s a solid story, well-told.
- The Incredibles — Quite apart from the James Bond and Fantastic Four references, this was just a crackerjack movie about serious issues. And did I mention funny? Best superhero movie ever, just barely beating out
- Spider-Man 2 — I don’t care if the rest of the movie had been directed by Ed Wood, the El Train sequence alone gets this onto my Best of Year list. Not just the fight, but the aftermath. “Don’t worry, Spider-Man, we won’t tell!” Brought tears to my eyes.
- Kung Fu Hustle — a 2005 release for most of you, just take my word for this: go. Unadulterated cinematic joy!
- Kill Bill, Volume 2 — Scoff all you like, this was a damned good movie. The two volumes together ended up being better than the (early draft) script I read, which was a light entertainment. These films are anything but light in their theme. Damn.