Club 50 Wrap-Up: 2005

Years Completed:
1989 | 1995 | 2001 | 2003 | 2005 | 2007 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

One of the fun things to track with my Club 50 project* is how Hollywood became so sequel-obsessed. I know the 'why' of it all (the internet changed the ways people consume movies, less risk, higher profits, international markets, etc.). 'How' is a little different. After all, you can't have sequels without movies first. 2005 is an interesting year to help explain that. You see, there were only 6 sequels in the top 50 that year. Only two were big hits (Revenge of the Sith, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). The rest were modest at best (The Ring Two, Be Cool, etc.). One look at the list though, and no one is thinking it was a terribly original year. By my count, there were five overt attempts at starting a new franchise, four comic book adaptations, and twleve that were either remakes or adaptations of already known properties. In some cases, movies were all three (Batman Begins). Some worked out better (Chronicles of Narnia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, King Kong) than others (Sahara, Herbie: Fully Loaded).

*It's a shame I never found a better name for this.

The next most notable trend I noticed for 2005 is how simple a demarcation it is for phases in comedy movies. You see, the early 2000s were notable for the Frat Pack. That's the crew that included Vince Vaughn, the Wilson brothers, Will Ferrell, and Ben Stiller. Movies like Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch, and most notably Old School dominated the comedy scene. It reached its peak with Wedding Crashers in 2005. A month later marked the start of the Apatow era of comedies with The 40 Year Old Virgin. That has dominated things ever since with people like Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd and writer/directors like Nicholas Stoller and of course Judd Apatow. Obviously, it wasn't a complete shift. Anchorman in 2004 was virtually a joint effort by the two camps and movies like Tropic Thunder and The Break-Up still managed to find success, but summer 2005 is the best transition point I can find.

With all the franchises and remakes, not to mention it being a weak group of contenders, there wasn't much room for 2005's Oscar hopefuls. Only two of the best picture nominees made it into the top 50 (Brokeback Mountain, Crash), and in Crash's case, it was just barely (#49).

Finally, a quick shout out to Rachel McAdams who had a hell of a year. She had three different movies come out that year, three completely different types of movies (Wedding Crashers, Red Eye, The Family Stone) and they all broke the top 50. Sure, I could find a trend like that for someone every year, but 1) I'm not looking that hard and 2) I like McAdams, so I'm bringing her up.

To wind down each year as I complete them, I'm going to hand out a few superlatives or anecdotal awards to highlight some of the highs and lows of the year's top 50 box office earners.

First Seen: The Amityville Horror (2005)

I kept seeing mediocre horror movies that winter and spring (I think I also saw Hide n' Seek too). I'm not sure why.

Last Seen: Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Haven't I lamented over my lack of love for Aardaman Animations enough by now? (Also see this & this)

Happiest Surprise: The 40-Year-Old Virgin

It's only fitting that this be between the two big comedies of that year: Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Thanks to Old School, I could see Wedding Crashers coming, even if I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. I had no idea The 40-Year-Old Virgin would be that good. Steve Carrell was an unproven lead. Paul Rudd was that guy I liked in Clueless a decade ago. Judd Apatow was a writer/producer that I knew from a couple failed (but great) TV shows. It turns out that all that just equals funny.

Biggest Disappointment: Chicken Little

I could've picked The Ring Two here for being such a let down from the first movie. That was pretty expected though. Chicken Little is the poster child for Disney's lull in the naughts. At 81 minutes long it's already twice as long as it should be. While I like Zach Braff more than most, his Chicken Little mostly annoyed me. I expect so much more from Disney Animation.

Looked Better Then: Crash

It won the Oscar for best picture. Obviously someone thought highly of it. I always hated the movie. These days, the best I hear about the movie is a non-committal "I don't know. I kind of liked it."

Looks Better Now: Batman Begins

Christopher Nolan and more specifically his Dark Knight trilogy have only grown in esteem since this movie. I briefly considered putting Brokeback Mountain here instead due to its resiliency, but it looked pretty good in 2005 too, so it doesn't apply here. Granted, it's not like Batman Begins was without its fans back then either.

Favorite: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

I don't have it in me to pick anything else. I saw the movie maybe a dozen times in theaters after all. It's a deeply flawed movie, but one with the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan and the epic brawl in the Senate between Yoda and Palpatine. I'm definitely still on a high from The Force Awakens by picking this. I'm ok with that. Beside, I said "favorite", not "best".

2nd Favorite: The 40-Year-Old Virgin

How do you beat the waxing scene?
Answer: You don't. They sealed that with two words: Kelly Clarkson*.

*She's so nice.

3rd Favorite: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It was hard to pick a 3rd movie. There was no obvious choice. This is as good a place as any to put perhaps my favorite of the Harry Potter movies. Or maybe it was my favorite of the books. Who know? It's a fun movie. The Tri Wizard Tournament was entertaining.

Honorable Mention:

Wedding Crashers

A solidly funny movie start to finish with an excellent cast.

Batman Begins

The Batman movie we badly needed after Batman & Robin nearly killed the box office appeal.

War of the Worlds

Part Close Encounteres. Part Saving Private Ryan. This is one of Stephen Spielberg's most overlooked movies.

Brokeback Mountain

Perhaps the high point of Heath Leger's too short, nearly perfect career.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Further proof that any idea, no matter how simple or contrived can be good with a playful script and the right casting.

Sin City

I'm not sure if that style will ever be replicated with the same effectiveness. Just look at The Spirit.

Bewitched

I was pretty prepared to hate this movie The light, Norah Ephron script makes it too charming to hate.

Least Favorite: Fun with Dick and Jane

Look, Crash frustrates the hell out of me. Herbie: Fully Loaded was miscalculated on just about every level. If I'm looking for a movie that I'll never see again, I have to go with Fun with Dick and Jane. I didn't find it funny or even watchable. Part my dislike has to do with a pet peeve of mine. I get tired of lazy "businesses are evil" stories. Find any new angle for that, please.