TPJ’s LEAST Favorite Flicks Of 2005

Moviegoers were, for the most part, lucky in the year 2005. There were more good movies than bad ones. However, when the movies were bad – they were awful. The only thing I could do, as a film critic, was write a review capable of sparing at least one person the unpleasant experience of seeing them

Unfortunately, we do not always know when a movie is going to be a waste of our time. Sometimes, a movie that looks terrible can turn out to be terrific. Conversely, movies that look great may end being a complete and utter bomb. Ten movies are always worse than the rest, though. These are The Popcorn Journal’s LEAST Favorite Flicks Of 2005.

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TPJ’s Favorite Flicks Of 2005

The year 2005 was a fantastic year for film critics like me. There were a lot of terrific movies in theatres. Last year, I was able to develop a list of the five flicks that stood out above the rest. This year, though, I have opted to extend that list to ten. I thought that this would be a simple task but I soon discovered that there were more than just ten great movies in 2005.

Keeping with the rules, though, I have limited my list to ten, moving wonderful films like “Crash,” “Serenity,” and “Zathura” over to the side to make room for the ten motion pictures that blew me away. These are The Popcorn Journal’s Favorite Flicks Of 2005.

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The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada

“The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada” made me angry. My anger was not a result of the content, despite a myriad of creepy scenes featuring a corpse. Instead, the thing that earned my vexation was the nonlinear format of the first forty-five minutes of the film.

Furthermore, the reason I was so annoyed was the fact that the following hour and ten minutes were strangely compelling. So much so that I felt cheated out of the exposition.

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Match Point

Woody Allen has had a string of unsuccessful feature films as of late. For the sake of his career, Allen is certainly lucky that his newest flick “Match Point” is really good.

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The Matador

“The Matador” has one funny scene in it. The scene lasts about forty-five seconds and takes place during the first forty-five seconds of the motion picture. Had I known what the rest of the flick was like, I would have left forty-five seconds into the movie. At least then my opinion of the film would still be positive.

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Hoodwinked

It is a wonder why anyone would try to make the story of “Little Red Riding Hood” into a whodunit. It does, after all, make a great more deal of sense to utilize a story that lends itself to said format – say “The Three Little Pigs.”

My best guess for a reason the screenwriters decided to use that fairy tale for the computer animated “Hoodwinked” is that it allowed for a bit more creative license.

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Capote

“Capote” is highly overrated. The storyline is slow, the plot is boring, and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s voice is scathingly irritating. Some may argue that Hoffman did a spot-on imitation of Truman Capote’s voice, but that does not mean I have to like it.

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The Squid & The Whale

Each of the fabulous actors in “The Squid & The Whale” are interesting, sympathetic, and multi-faceted. Unfortunately, the movie itself is not.

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Mrs. Henderson Presents

Judi Dench is a great actress but even she can’t save “Mrs. Henderson Presents.”

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Rumor Has It

Forget what you have heard about “Rumor Has It.” It is all gossip and hearsay. The only true rumor about the movie is that it is a complete waste of time.

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The Producers

“The Producers” feels like an old movie. It is stagy in every sense of the word. In the case of “The Producers,” said trait is both its greatest strength and its most tragic weakness.

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Wolf Creek

I am often asked what my favorite genre of movies is and my immediate reply is horror. Movies like “Jeepers Creepers” and “Wrong Turn” give me the biggest thrills that I could ever ask for. That is why I am so disappointed when a horror flick turns out to be a real stinker.

Such is the case with the horror import from Australia “Wolf Creek."

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Munich

“Munich” looks beautiful, is absolutely thrilling, and is extremely thought-provoking, but it is not the best movie of the year.

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Memoirs Of A Geisha

“Memoirs Of A Geisha” is the big screen equivalent of Cinderella’s glass slippers. The movie looks really pretty and gives off a certain magic aura but after a while of stationary glitter, there’s nothing left but a pumpkin.

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Casanova

...blends comedy and romance very elegantly.


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One of my favorite movies of all time is “Chocolat,” directed by Lasse Halstrom. The magic of that modern fairy tale has really influenced my cinematic taste. I have been looking forward to Halstrom’s newest film, “Casanova,” for quite some time.

It was worth the wait.

“Casanova” stars Heath Ledger of “Brokeback Mountain” as the title character, the legendary lover of women. Being backed into a corner, Casanova must marry and settle down with a virgin – and not just any virgin. Casanova must wed Victoria the Venetian Virgin.

This does not stop Casanova from looking elsewhere for adventures in love... (Read More)

The Ringer

...play(s) it safe.


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You would think that a movie about a man that poses as a mentally challenged person in order to win the Special Olympics would be relatively offensive. In that same respect, you would also think the same movie would be hysterically funny.

“The Ringer,” which features that very plot, has neither trait.

“The Ringer” stars Johnny Knoxville as Steve, a kind-hearted individual that often allows other people to walk all over him. One day, Steve gets promoted to a manager of the company that he works for and gets the order to fire the janitor, Stavi. Steve feels bad for... (Read More)

Fun With Dick & Jane

...a laugh riot.


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Yes Billy, Jim Carrey still has it.

In “Fun With Dick And Jane,” Jim Carrey stars as Dick, a successful executive with a loving wife named Jane, played by Tea Leoni. Dick and Jane suddenly fall on hard times when Dick’s company gets caught in a scandal and Dick ends up unemployed. Together, the married couple struggle to provide for each other and their young son.

At first, Dick rides out the rough patch, applying to only vice president positions. When this plan proves futile, Dick and Jane look for lesser work in retail, medical testing, and even along side... (Read More)

Cheaper By The Dozen 2

...better because of the writers.


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The 2003 family comedy “Cheaper By The Dozen” was a boring piece of forgettable rubbish. The flick was fortunate that it was released during the holidays, though, a time when parents look for movies that they can see with their children.

Lucky for the cast, the movie made enough money at the box office to warrant a sequel. Lucky for moviegoers, the sequel is actually, dare I say it, decent entertainment.

“Cheaper By The Dozen 2” stars, once again, Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt as Tom and Kate Baker, respectively, parents of twelve kids, all varying in age. This time... (Read More)

Brokeback Mountain

...heartbreaking, romantic, and outstandingly original.


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Not only is “Brokeback Mountain” one of the most controversial movies of the year but it is also one of the best.

“Brokeback Mountain” stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar, respectively, cowboys that spend one lonely summer working together on a mountain. A romance develops between them that is expressed both emotionally and physically.

At the end of the summer, they part ways and find wives and children but are unable to completely move on from their common relationship. Jack eventually contacts Ennis and the two meet once again, rekindling their romance in... (Read More)