My 2005 Movie List

I have always enjoyed the theater experience. Certainly, my DVD and VHS collections attest to the fact that I enjoy watching movies at home as well. But, there is just something about sitting in a room full of strangers, eating expensive styrofoam-tasting popcorn and sipping a too-large soda, while staring at a big screen that makes the phrase "suspend disbelief" very powerful. I honestly believe that some films are best viewed on the Big Screen. Titanic was one of these. All three Lord of the Rings films are perfect examples. Brokeback Mountain, although it will probably carry the same emotional impact on the small screen, certainly benefits from having the Wyoming landscapes cast upon a large canvass.

For no particular reason, 2005 became a year of theater-renewal for me. I saw more movies in public last year than I had for decades. Part of that was because I had movie-watching companions, although I attended many viewings all by myself. I think primarily it was just that I gained the awareness that I enjoy the theater. And so, taken from the Oscar-voting list of films released in 2005, here's my list of Movies I Watched (in theaters) in 2005:

Constantine (I will pretty much always show up for a comic-book based flick)
Sin City (Ditto)
The Amityville Horror (Mostly, I just went to see Ryan Reynolds)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (I anticipated this one for MONTHS.)
Revenge of the Sith (I caught this one at a midnight first showing in an almost carnival, people-dressed-in-costume atmosphere. Big Fun.)
Madagascar (This was better than I thought it would be. Penguins rule.)
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Eh. S'alright.)
Batman Begins (Phenomenal. Best. Batman. Flick. Ever.)
Bewitched (I was a huge fan of Samantha in the day. This sucked.)
Fantastic Four (I developed a new appreciation for Chris Evans and got to see Michael Chiklis shirtless, so it had some good points. I hope the sequel is better.)
Charliee and the Chocolate Factory (I appreciated that this was more like the Charlie books.)
Serenity (See my review here.)
Corpse Bride (I wanted this to be Nightmare Before Christmas. Instead, I sat through the whole thing thinking, "Serenity is playing just down the hall.")
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (I loves me some W&G)
Jarhead (Beauty, thy name is Jake.)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (I've never missed a Harry Potter opening weekend.)
Walk the Line (Excellent. Just excellent.)
Rent (Me, love musicals? Hell yeah.)
Syriana (Intelligent and important)
King Kong (Another Big Peter Jackson film. I dug it, but not as much as I'd hoped.)
Brokeback Mountain (I can't say enough. See below.)
Wedding Crashers (Fun, mindless entertainment. And Vince looked cute.)

My favorites above are in green boldface.

I missed the following in theaters, but either already saw them on DVD or plan to:
White Noise (bought it)
Inside Deep Throat (bought it)
Crash
House of Wax
Monster-in-Law
Revenge of the Sith
Herbie: Fully Loaded (I loved the old Disney Herbie movies)
Valiant
Capote
Good Night and Good Luck
Munich
Cinderella Man
The Constant Gardener
The 40 Year Old Virgin
Transporter 2

Now, I wonder what 2006 will bring?