Year's best defy labels, exceed expectations

1/20/05


Despite disappointing box office revenues for most of the year, 2005's cinematic finale provided impressive and inspiring steps from daring filmmakers asking tough questions. That's a lot of vague adjectives that don't really mean anything because most of the year's top films are hard to categorize and describe. They're not your average popcorn-munching, building-exploding flicks to which the masses flock.

"Good Night, and Good Luck," which once on DVD will sit on a shelf next to this journalism nerd's copy of "All the President's Men," is perched high on most critics' Top 10 lists for good reason. George Clooney's ode to his journalist father, Nick, is a simple yet pitch-perfect depiction of CBS anchor Edward R. Murrow's battle with Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Communist scare of the 1950s.

Clooney won the Freedom Award at the 11th annual Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 9 for "for illuminating our shared values of freedom, tolerance and democracy." In his acceptance speech, Clooney shared his award with other filmmakers in the room, noting that the spirit of freedom is alive in the year's top films.

"When I look at 'Munich,' at 'Crash,' at 'The Constant Gardener,' we are taking chances, and we are succeeding. This is a great night for the freedom of filmmaking," he said.

Whether in response to current societal trends or political battles, filmmakers are bringing stories of freedom to life, whether freedom from oppression, fear, addictions or prejudice, and the ultimate question of how far one should go to obtain and/or maintain freedom.

Though some provide more questions than answers, such as Steven Spielberg's harrowing "Munich," they refuse to take the easy way out by settling for fundamentalist answers. I was not only entertained or challenged by these films, but also left the theatre appreciating the experience and the artists' messages, which doesn't happen often.

Here are my choices for the Academy Awards Best Picture category if I ran the show:

"Brokeback Mountain"
Expanded from Annie Proulx's short story and directed by Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain has been unfortunately and unfairly labeled as the "gay cowboy movie" since its inception as a screenplay. The story, however, defies labels and forces viewers to question their own beliefs and feelings, whether they're comfortable with it or agree with it or not. The affair between two ranch hands (Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) is heartbreaking. After its recent win at The Golden Globes, Brokeback should and most likely will take home the Oscar.

"The Constant Gardener"
Not only is "Gardener" a mystery and thriller, it's a call to social justice and activism on behalf of the victims depicted: Africans taken advantage of by big pharmaceutical companies and those daring enough to expose them. Ralph Fiennes is so brilliant he almost goes unnoticed, becoming his compliant character so completely you forget he's acting.

"Good Night, and Good Luck"
Clooney brilliantly took a backseat role in this newsroom drama, letting veteran character actor David Strathairn embody Murrow. Shot in black and white, staged on only a few sets all indoors, rated PG and at a length of 93 minutes, Clooney captures the intensity of the time period and the importance of Murrow's words with old-fashioned flair.

"Munich"
When I think of Spielberg, I think of Happy Spielberg, as in the director of "E.T." or the "Indiana Jones" trilogy. I seem to forget that this is also the filmmaker who brought us "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan," easily two of the best WWII films. "Munich" runs along those themes in its depiction of the events surrounding the 1972 Olympics in Munich when 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by a Palestinian extremist group known as Black September. The Israelis retaliate, answering violence with violence. One of the most haunting and disturbing films I've seen.

"Walk the Line"
Winner of The Golden Globe for best picture musical or comedy, neither of which it really is, James Mangold's biopic of country legend Johnny Cash presents a raw look at the singer and his various addictions and struggles, as well as his ultimate redemption. And, unlike most of the above-mentioned films, it won't leave you depressed. Joaquin Phoenix's transformation to Cash can only be rivaled by Philip Seymour Hoffman's impressive transformation to Truman Capote in "Capote," another excellent film. Both won Golden Globes for their roles, but I believe the Oscar will end up with Hoffman.