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Staff Selections: 2005 The Year in Review

Andrew

Kung Fu Hustle
  1. Kung Fu Hustle An exhaustively inventive slapstick masterpiece.
  2. The Sea Inside An amazing yet difficult story, brought to the screen with great beauty and sensitivity.
  3. The Twilight Samurai A perfectly-measured Samurai drama that tributes Japanese as well as masculine ideals.
  4. Before SunsetStands alone well enough, but to be treasured as the second half of a larger story.
  5. Old Boy An unforgettable revenge tale from cinema’s cutting-edge.
  6. Downfall Hitler’s downfall is straightforward enough, but it’s incredibly vivid and enthralling.
  7. Wet Hot American Summer A shamefully unsung teen satire that got the early 80s just right, only funnier.
  8. Sideways The best film Woody Allen never made.
  9. Ivan’s xtc. With no budget and an over-familiar milieu, nothing prepared me for its power.
  10. Team America - World Police Genius in concept and execution, though a little restraint would have made it even better.

Honourable mentions: The Aviator, Hotel Rwanda, In My Father’s Den, The Incredibles, James’ Journey to Jerusalem, Ong-Bak, Osama, Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith, Triplets of Belleville, Vera Drake, plus a whole slate of documentaries…

Mike

Memories of Murder
  1. Memories of Murder Visually haunting, layered tale of police dysfunction in 80s Korea - gains especially from a little background knowledge.
  2. Primer A genuine head-scratcher about low-budget time travel ­ will warp your sense of reality even as you try to unravel the storyline!
  3. Sideways Vintage comedy of manners, resonant with wit and genuine affection for its lovelorn, hopelessly analytical characters.
  4. The Wire (TV Series) Anchored to a convincing backdrop of a complex and lethal urban reality, this is the best of recent US TV crime drama.
  5. Charisma Rather indescribable horror-drama-comedy that looks at the creeping terrors of toxic ecology and environmentalism.
  6. Metallica ­ Some Kind of Monster A heady backstage glimpse into the heavy metal outfit - band dynamics and the clash of egos are unflinchingly documented.
  7. The Nest Little-known French action film is a splendidly drawn-out siege scenario ­ up there with the best of the nail-biters.
  8. The Mark of Cain Distressing documentation of the ‘gulags’ of contemporary Russia and the beautiful and disappearing art of convict tattooing.
  9. Spartan David Mamet’s response to the ‘War on Terror’ is a cryptic tale of political malfeasance and clashing ‘codes of honour’.
  10. Swing More fresh tunes from the Romany musical culture of dir. Tony Gatlif, this time sharing virtuoso jazz guitarwork.

Bubbling under: I.M.Pei, Barking Dogs Never Bite, Blerta - The Return Trip…, The Weeping Camel, The Triplets of Belleville, The Snow Walker, Japón

Campbell

Head-On
  1. Head On This German-Turkish reworking of a doomed romance fairy tale packs a considerable emotional wallop.
  2. Memories of Murder An alarmingly black, tough Korean police procedural.
  3. The Wire (TV Series) The year’s best TV series on DVD; immaculately sustained and detailed
  4. Zatoichi Takeshi Kitano’s samurai remake is an unexpectedly charming and entertaining treat.
  5. Paranoia Agent A tough, smart and above all surpassingly strange and original anime series.
  6. Kaikohe Demolition A NZ doco that’s rich, funny, full of uniquely NZ characters, and without a jot of condescension.
  7. Firefly I have no idea why a series this good (and enjoyable!) would be cancelled.
  8. The Manchurian Candidate A surprisingly rewarding update of the conspiracy thriller genre, expertly fitted to the modern political climate.
  9. Fighter Terrific doco following two old codgers as they bicker their way through reliving their WW2 past.
  10. One Missed Call Takashi Miike’s underrated J-horror; mostly a sly satire, but with an extremely typically bonkers last 30m.

Also Running: No Direction Home, Collateral, Malefique, Long Way Round (TV Series).

Bronnie

Lightning in a Bottle
  1. Lightning in a Bottle A foot-stompingly, thigh-slappingly good concert from the cream of the crop.
  2. The End of Suburbia We all need to hear it, we all need to act on it. Death to SUVs!
  3. The Mayor of Sunset Strip A sweet sad portrayal of a radio DJ who championed the careers of musos for three decades.
  4. The Corporation The scary dark reality behind the slick exterior of industry.
  5. Born into Brothels An insight into the huge latent and wasted talent of the oppressed.
  6. Before Sunset That rare sequel that’s better than the original…
  7. Kaikohe Demolition A warm portrayal of a small town who deal with poverty with initiative, humour and heart.
  8. Exils A couple’s passionate journey to their roots in Algeria, with music as the international language.
  9. Team America - World Police Anything that takes the piss out of the American administration’s warped view of itself in ok by me.
  10. Birth A subtle, intense drama about the power of lost love, and the vulnerability of the spirit and sanity.

Highly commended: No Direction Home, Vera Drake, Mickeybo and Me, Steamboy, Sideways, The Motorcycle Diaries, Ray, Osama, Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, Downfall.

Ian

In My Father’s Den
  1. In My Father’s Den
  2. Before Sunset
  3. The Motorcycle Diaries
  4. Closer
  5. Million Dollar Baby
  6. Hotel Rwanda
  7. The Corporation
  8. I Heart Huckabees
  9. War of the Worlds
  10. The Aviator

Almost made it: Batman Begins, Capturing the Friedmans, Easy, Kung-Fu Hustle, The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Dave

Team America - World Police
  1. Team America - World Police The thinking man’s ‘Pearl Harbor'! Quite possibly Matt Damon’s finest role.
  2. The Ramones - End of the Century Two thumbs up for not having Bono prattle on about how the Ramones inspired U2, etc. etc.
  3. Old Boy Gotta ‘larf’ really, and The Friedmans thought they had problems!
  4. Evil School bully drama that hit me like a thwack in the face.
  5. Made in Sheffield No footage of Cab Voltaire, but plenty to keep post-punkers satisfied.
  6. The Corporation I never like Nike anyway, but Coca Cola? Deprive me of my Colour 150, and my food acid 338, why don’t you?
  7. The Machinist At last, skinny people have a say! Worth the price of admission to see Hollywood’s latest dieting technique.
  8. Mayor of the Sunset Strip Music doco #3 - you can take the boy out of the record store, but blah blah. Is this guy for real? John Peel meets Napoleon Dynamite.
  9. Bloody Sunday Thank God - an Irish film without a tin whistle (and no U2)!
  10. Sin City A tad violent perhaps but this is a comic book adaptation that works!

Squeezed out: Dallas (TV Series), Punk Attitude, Napoleon Dynamite, Freeze Frame, Tale of Two Sisters, Capturing the Friedmans, The Mark of Cain.

Melissa

End of Suburbia
  1. The End of Suburbia Everyone should be forced to watch this extremely relevant documentary!
  2. The Corporation For the same reasons, everyone should be forced to watch this one too…
  3. The Twilight Samurai A Japanese samurai film like no other, well worth the watch.
  4. Kung Fu Hustle Stephen Chow delivers another ingenious and energetic comedy.
  5. Napoleon Dynamite A fresh comedy that's, like, GOSH, so worth watching.
  6. Metallica ­ Some Kind of Monster Brilliantly made, hilarious doco about the extremely odd members of Metallica.
  7. Team America - World Police Marionette comedy with more than a hint of anti-patriotism.
  8. The Machinist Superb thriller with a magnificent Christian Bale performance.
  9. Memories of Murder Beautifully shot and highly entertaining Korean thriller.
  10. Bad Education Lush, colourful and stunningly acted Almodovar film.

Second 11: Azumi, Capturing the Friedmans, Guerilla - The Taking of Patty Hearst, Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, Old Boy, The Return, Shaun of the Dead, Sin City, The Yes Men, Zatoichi.

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