My favorite movies of 2005

Here's my countdown list of my five favorite movies of last year...read it and weep:

5. "A History of Violence" - Interesting flick. Aragorn seems to be just as good at killing here as he was in "Lord of the Rings"...although automatic weapons DO make it easier. Ed Harris and Maria Bello (who's a good actor and yet again had trouble with her clothes staying on) co-star, but William Hurt had an awful turn as a mob boss. The movie was good enough to survive it.

4. "Good Night and Good Luck" - I doubt that George Clooney chose to do this political history right now by coincidence. David Strathairn was the perfect choice for Edward R. Murrow, and the stellar supporting cast rounded out this movie. Some of the actual footage of McCarthy's witch hunt could have been cut down a bit, but overall it worked to good effect. Patricia Clarkson is good in anything she does, even small supporting roles.

3. "Walk The Line" - Wah-keen Feenicks (my spelling) and Reese('s a cute piece) Witherspoon both turned in Golden Globe-winning performances. Mr. Phoenix (my spelling again) only whispered a couple times in the movie, so I was actually able to understand him. And who knew he could sing? Then again, Johnny Cash is probably the easiest singer to imitate.

2. "The Constant Gardener" - Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz starred in this wonderful movie. Troubling and sad, yes, but ultimately hopeful. It contained perhaps the best movei line of the year, when Fiennes objected to taking Weisz to Africa on the grounds that they don't know each other very well, and she replies "You can learn me." That was a nice bit of dialogue there.

And my favorite of the year:

1. "Junebug" - Possibly the most underrated movie of the year. Amy Adams, Embeth Davidtz and Alessandro Nivola have a wonderful chemistry in this study of Southern manners and mannerisms. Even through the sad parts, I didn't want this one to end.

(Hoo boy, after reading the above paragraph, I feel just like Robert De Niro did when he said in "Analyze This", "...slap a pair of tits on me and I'm a woman!")

And here's a guilty pleasure:

"Just Friends" - Ryan Reynolds ("Van Wilder" himself...don't worry, the "fat" makeup is gone 10 minutes in) and Amy Smart in a wacky Roger Kumble ("Cruel Intentions", "The Sweetest Thing") directed comedy. Anna Faris KILLED as the ditzy, clueless pop star. Any time she was on the screen, I was laughing.

And little things were funny, like a huge bouncer throwing Reynolds out of a bar in a heap and yelling, "...and STAY out", and then muttering "I always wanted to say that" had me guffawing.

OK, maybe it's not that funny in print. Go watch it.

That's my list. Any comments?