the 40-year-old virgin is hilarious. you guys need to see it if you haven't. i really laughed a lot all through the movie. speaking of movies, as the year comes to a close, i'd like to look back on my personal top ten movies of the year. i didn't see a lot of the movies that were big hits with the critics: syriana, munich, brokeback mountain, etc. i refused to see a lot of the movies that were big hits with audiences: dukes of hazzard, duece bigalow: european gigalo, fantastic four, etc. also, there may be some movies that slipped my mind. but anyway, here's my list:
10) star wars: episode III- revenge of the sith (george lucas): a beginning and an end. bittersweet. bitter because they are so far from the originals. sweet because they evoke the awesomness of the orignals. the moment that did it for me was a quiet one between yoda and chewbacca somewhere in the middle of the movie. that these two characters of the franchise actually met kinda brought it together for me. i'm not sure how. also, to see the birth of vader has been every star wars fan's dream.
9) the assasination of richard nixon (niels mueller): sean penn is one of the greatest actors around. this movie was a great treat just to see a master at work. he creates such an interesting character, that you just start watching him as if you were watching a friend of a friend, sizing him up, figuring him out. before you know it, the movie has run its course, and your left wondering about that odd little man that the credits say was played by sean penn.
8) four brothers (john singleton): known for his commentary on the black community with films such as boyz 'n the hood and baby boy, john singleton pays tribute to older westerns and detective stories with this whodunit. Four deliquents raised by a foster mother come to detroit after she is killed to attend her funeral and take revenge. tough actions lead to tough consequences, but all's well that ends well.
7) march of the penquins (luc jacquet): morgan freeman narrates the migration of penquins as they mate and raise baby penquins to live the harsh life of the cold artic. how could you not want to see this movie? although it may be a bit on the lines of "television nature show", watching those oval black figures march across a white canvass in order to continue the life of their species put me in a somewhat tranquill state.
6) murderball (henry alex rubin and dana adam shapiro): quadriplegics playing full contact rugby. how could you not want to see this movie? these guys are cool, have girlfriends and tattoos, compete for gold medals, and play a contact sport in wheelchairs. as cool as this sound, it's exactly what you get. plus, the bits of saddness that come with the territory.
5) batman begins (christopher nolan): i want to see a batman movie that doesn't care much for batman. i want a campy, dark, comedy that satires everything about the dark knight. maybe john waters could direct it. my reason for wanting this is because i know that adam west was the first batman, not michael keaton. since joel schumacher took over the batman franchise from tim burton, folks have wanted a good batman movie. with batman begins, they have the best thus far. going with the dark tragedy instead of the dark comedy i secretly long for, nolan made an absorbing and admirable comic book movie. being a bit of a comic book nerd myself, it's usually boring for me to sit through the "orgin" portion of the super hero's story, be it that i already know bruce wayne's parents where killed. but this movie kept me intrigued through out. holy wide screen batman!
4) sin city (robert rodriguez and frank miller): it's the classic film noir stylized into an absurd comic book exageration. when frank miller first created the graphic novel he must've been seeing how seedy and gritty he could go. some of the things that are happening are just sick, but it's all done so entertainingly. robert rodriguez is the director that got me really interested in film. he's just a normal guy who is amazing in that he does stuff like this quicker and cheaper than any other filmmaker by using simple corner-cutting techniques. he's one of the main guys steering cinema into a digital age. look at the faces of the actors in the move (the actresses too; i know it's hard, but look at their faces... their faces!). everybody just looks interesting. you want to follow their stories. and the stories are bizzare. and it all comes together in one of the most fascinating movies of the year.
3) crash (paul haggis): this was a great movie, but i doubt i watch it many times. it was off-putting to me in some aspects, and one scene early in the movie between some cops and a black couple is just hard for me to put up with. But this is an important movie on race relations in america. it caught on too. a lot of folks saw it. although it didn't actually offer solutions, i'm sure most people left the theater with more respect for each other. i don't know what it is about paul haggis. when i go to the theater to see a movie, i always feel awkward when the credits come up and i have to stumble out in the dark after having been involved with fictional characters and such. but with this movie and clint eastwood's million dollar baby, which haggis wrote the screenplay for, my mind is too busy for me too feel awkward. i sympathized a little more with the struggles minorities face after seeing this movie. some of the best movies may be a little difficult to watch.
2) the 40-year-old virgin (judd apatow): i did not expect this movie to be this enjoyable. i expected some comedy goodness on the level of anchorman, but this movie had a lot of truth and heart. it wasn't so much about him being a virgin as it was him going from having no friends to being sociable and enjoying the companionship of good buddies and eventually, a woman. it also showed that no matter how experieced you are, love can be as simple or as complicated as it wants to be. i'll never hear the name "kelly clarkson" again without thinking about steve carell's hairy chest.
1) king kong (peter jackson): wow! what fun! a pure escapist film. simply thrilling, and what thrills did it have to offer! being familiar with the original and knowing it as a movie classic may have helped me appreciate this remake more. i loved the nostalgic feel of the innocent and adventurous 1930s. i loved the beauty of some of the shots in the movie. the skull islanders offered some of the best scares of the year. the action in the movie was the type of play you come up with as a kid. king kong has a fight with what? three t-rexes?! and what a fight! it was all tied up nicely with the "beauty killed the beast" theme that worked better even than in the original. it's number one because it reminded me of how fun the movies could be.
well, thats my list. like i say, i probably forgot a few good ones, and i'm certain there are some good ones i just didn't get around to seeing. most of the movies i watch are old ones that i've read about as being classics. i didn't include them cause, even though i saw them in 2005, they weren't 2005 movies. these ten i saw either at the theater or rented them soon after they were released on video. so there you go. debate and analyze and form your own ten. | 
