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My Year End Top Ten

Mostly to keep straight in my own head all of the movies I've seen this year, I've put together a top ten list. There are some notable movies I haven't seen (Me and You and Everyone We Know, Brokeback Mountain) that can't make the list because I haven't seen 'em. So that caveat aside, here I go:

1. Junebug
This movie, although seemingly edited by the ghost of Berthold Brecht, is otherwise a warm, inviting, funny and moving slice of life. Each scene goes places I never dreamed but places that seem altogether perfect. It's the kind of underdog that is destined never to win anything, but you can't help rooting for anyway.
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2. Sin City
Hard-boiled and beautiful to look at; more than the effects of Narnia or even King Kong, this movie broke new ground in digital storytelling.
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3. Syriana
What can I say? This movie was right up my alley. Perhaps because I have seen it so recently, when the glow wears off it will fall down on the list. But right now, I'm still enamored of the jigsawpuzzleness of the whole shebang.
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4. A History of Violence
A simple but not simplistic drama with several strong scenes and personalities. It made a strong impression.
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5. 2046
A hypnotic, perhaps sleep-inducing cinematic experience. I came into it not a fan of the two previous episodes in the suppressed desire trilogy, In the Mood for Love and Days of Being Wild. Nonetheless, this strange postmodern tone poem on the fragility of love captivated me and gave me newfound respect for the aesthetic of Wong Kar-wai. This movie is pure arthouse and not for all tastes. Ye have been warned.
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6. King Kong
With action sequences that go from the ridiculous to the sublime, this big big movie is one thrill ride that will stick with me. I like popcorn movies, and King Kong is as pop and as corny as they come.
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7. Good Night and Good Luck
A handsome, gutsy movie that hits the zeitgeist on the head and, along with Syriana, puts George Clooney's mug squarely in the firmament.

8. Jarhead
Not as good as Three Kings but still worthy of the war-movie hall of fame, this disjointed memoir has many excellent scenes and a few great ones. The directing, acting and writing will hold up on DVD, but Roger Deakins' monumental cinematography demands to be seen on the big screen.
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9. Murderball
A documentary about the sport of quadraplegic rugby might not seem to be everyone's cup of tea, but this movie has it all: sports rivalry, crazy characters, a love story, father-son bonding. The broadest appeal since March of the Penguins.
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10. Crash
Early-in-the-year releases tend to get lost in the shuffle, but if my memory of Crash serves me, I found this movie to be the best kind of message movie: one that has a candy coating of entertainment disguising the message. More schematic and pre-arranged than the sprawling Syriana, Crash nonetheless has a few scenes of authentic humanity and several of powerful drama. A screenwriter's film (writer/director Haggis wrote Million Dollar Baby) -- which I'm a sucker for.
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Hall of Shame
Red Eye, Fantastic Four, Bewitched

About J. Ott

John Ott is a writer, filmmaker and futurist. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.