Best of 2005: Videos
December 2005

These are the best movies, of any year, that I watched during 2005. In no particular order.

Birth
I missed the boat on seeing this in the theater in 2004, and I’m a little bummed, as it would have been wonderful there. This is that movie where some 10-year-old shows up claiming to be the reincarnation of Nicole Kidman’s dead husband, but you just have to ignore the silliness of the premise [and leave any expectation of a decent explanation], because that is not the point. The emotional reality here is the point, and that is deep and extremely moving. This film also features wonderful cinematography, an amazing score, and great performances all around, though none better than Nicole Kidman’s, who should have gotten an Oscar—if anyone saw or understood the movie.

Brain Damage
A wonderfully perverse tale about a boy taken over by an alien worm that feeds him a euphoric drug so long as he allows the worm to eat people’s brains. Dude, it’s obviously about a man discovering the pleasure and danger of his penis, the several unexpected attractions it seems to have, and the power it has over him when he doesn’t give it its way. Also includes one of the most notoriously shocking and bizarre sequences ever as well as wonderful hallucinations. It’s got it all!

Cannibal Apocalypse
Fans of zombie movies should check out this one for something a little different: like a zombie movie, bitten characters start hungering for human flesh. What’s different is that here the characters are alive. Features John Saxon at the zenith of his hotness and an amazing shootout in a resale store, this movie is on here because it really stayed with me throughout the year.

God Told Me To
This one features a fascinating story: a highly religious cop investigates a series of murders committed by different people, all of whom claim that “God told them to” kill. But that wouldn’t be enough if it didn’t have really tight, interesting direction throughout as well. Things go from strange to totally wacky in this one, but you definitely won’t forget it. Plus it stars Tony Lo Bianco from one of my favorite films of all time, The Honeymoon Killers.

I Walked With a Zombie
It was a toss-up between this one and another Val Lewton fave, Curse of the Cat People, but ultimately I settled on this one for its exciting and genuine exoticism, the disturbing sexual subtext of its story, the glorious photography, the wonderful setpieces, the thick atmosphere… this movie’s got it all. Plus it’s short, which always helps. This [and Curse] shot into my top 10 favorite movies of all time almost right away. You should totally watch them both.

Gate of Flesh
One of those random things I saw reviewed somewhere and said “Okay, why not?” this turned out to be a very entertaining and effective movie that has really stayed with me since I watched it. Following the lives of four prostitutes in post-war Tokyo, each in color-coded dresses, this movie is entertaining, psychologically moving, beautifully shot, and carefully written, casting the situation of the prostitutes as a version of post-war Japan under the control of the United States.

Grey Gardens
This completely fascinating documentary records the lives of a mother and daughter who live in a dilapidated house out in the Hamptons. Distant relatives of Jackie O, they were abandoned by the husband, and simply couldn’t adapt to handling anything by themselves. The house is in absolute disrepair, and the daughter is flat-out insane. They bicker, the daughter shows off her “costumes,” you tour the house and see their lives… and it is completely riveting.

Gymkata
Perhaps the most ludicrous movie concept I have ever seen executed, this one stars Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas as a gymnast trained to fuse his gymnastic abilities with the martial arts in order to become an unstoppable fighting machine. He is sent into a non-existent country to compete in “the game” and request that the Khan [not THAT Khan] let the United States install the first part of the “Star Wars” strategic defense initiative there. An interesting true fact is that we DID install part of the Star Wars initiative there… and it still works about as well as the rest of the program.

The Legend of Leigh Bowery
A documentary about Leigh Bowery [subject of the hideous Broadway debacle Taboo]. It’s almost impossible to define what Bowery does—is it fashion? Performance art? Drag?—but what’s absolutely certain is that it is some form of art. Interesting relationships are well laid-out, and several provocative issues are raised. Disturbing and fascinating, this should be seen by anyone interested in performance art or drag. If you saw Taboo on Broadway, be assured that NOTHING about what was truly interesting about Bowery made it into that show.

Raising Cain
I have watched more than my share of De Palma this year, and this is the one I choose, because regardless of how silly and incomprehensible the story is, De Palma’s technique, expertly executed suspense sequences, and favorite thematic themes are all well in place here, making this movie very unsatisfying on a plot level, but a total blast for those who love De Palma doing what he’s best at. If you like De Palma’s technique for its own merits, this movie is like a feast.

Bad movies | Gay movies | Movie reviews | Video reviews | Video guide