Man Push Cart

Release Year: 2005

Director: Ramin Bahrani

Review: There is such a thing as too minimalist, and unfortunately 'Man Push Cart' falls into  this category.  What kind of person works in these tiny carts where I get my morning bagel?  On the surface its an interesting premise, about a former pop star in Pakistan who has fallen on tough times in New York City as a push cart vendor.  The movie just doesn't do much.  Every time it starts to go somewhere interesting, it reins itself in and just sits there, defunct of any life.  There seemed to be a perfectly good story just out of reach and I felt cheated that director Ramin Bahrani withheld it.
Rating: 2/5

Lady Vengeance (Chinjeolhan geumjassi)

Release Year: 2005

Director: Park Chan-wook

Review: The final film in Park Chan-wook's 'Vengeance Trilogy', and probably the most straightforward revenge fantasy of the set.  Lee Geum-ja(Lee Young Ae) has just been released from prison and is on a mission to exact revenge on the person who put her there.  The subject matter is very similar to the first film in the trilogy, 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance', and even borrows exact lines from it.  'Lady Vengeance' is executed much better however, and has a more satisfying revenge arch then the previous film.  

In his third film on the subject, Chan-wook has mastered the pacing and delivery of a revenge thriller and 'Lady Vengeance' is nearly flawless from a technical stand point.  Lee Young Ae plays the part of Geum-ja perfectly, capturing the tortured soul and exuding the anguish within, becoming an almost revenge zombie without losing the human soul at her core.  Geum-ja harbors as much guilt as she does vengeance, something that wasn't explored fully in the previous films.  It pains her when she is called 'kindhearted' because she knows the sins of her past as well as the hatred in her heart.  The target of the hatred is completely detestable, and is worthy of wrath that she seeks to inflict upon him.  By making him so loathsome Chan-wook allows the audience to be engulfed in the revenge fantasy and revel in the pursuit of his demise.  All this culminates in yet another brilliant climax by Chan-wook, which is so satisfying that it heightens everything that leads up to it.  As with all Chan-wook films, the film is full of beautiful imagery and is expertly framed.  The use of color is particularly striking.  White is used frequently to convey purity, and innocence, while red is used to convey sin and hatred.  Geum-ja wears red eye shadow because she is tired of people telling her that she looks kind.  The film even has an alternate version where as the movie progresses the color slowly fades until, by the end, it is completely in black and white.  It is tough to find holes in this very tight revenge fantasy and there is little reason to look, letting Chan-wook take you on an emotional journey is exhilarating.
Rating: 5/5

The Up Series

Release Year: 1964-2005
Review: A documentary following the lives of fourteen children from Britain coming from various walks of life in attempt to measure the impact of social class on their lives. The series starts introducing the kids at the age of seven, and revisits them every seven years for updates on their lives. The series is a fascinating, voyeuristic, view on how average people live, work and age. It is engrossing to be able to watch the lives of these people unfold. Expectations from the childhood are either realized or go tragically awry. The every day struggles that face everyone, such as the struggle to find steady work, marriage problems, and raising a family are all explored in the film simply by taking a look into these people's lives. The 'Up Series' is an important documentary which sheds light on human growth, the impact of class background and a slew of other human behavioral issues. Besides its importance, the documentary is also sheer entertainment. Once you watch one you will want to watch the entire series out of curiosity. The participants are all unique and interesting in their own way, its hard not to have a favorite. This is a monumental documentary and should be required viewing as so much can be learned about life from it.
Rating: 5/5

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Release Year: 2005
Review: The fourth film in the series, and the best up until this point. The young actors, who marred the previous chapters so much with their poor acting, are starting to come around. They've developed their talent and feel comfortable with their characters, allowing the director to put more focus on them, creating richer scenes. Normally, I take issue with the amount of material they leave out of the films, but this time around they managed to compress the essence of the book very well into an entertaining movie, despite axing a few of my favorite characters completely. My biggest problem with the translation from the page to the screen in this case is the way that Professor Dumbledore is played. In the books he is always very calm and put together, but in this film he is played very angry and frantic which was distracting in every scene he was in. This film does take a much more ominous tone and is full of dark imagery and themes which seem to only make this into a more compelling movie. The film succeeds at capturing the magic of the books and transitioning them into a movie, and is without a doubt an improvement on the franchise.
Rating: 4/5

Bewitched

Release Year: 2005
Review: Overall the movie is entertaining. It is full of flaws, and a bit overdone, but it is an enjoyable movie. The most irritating part of the entire movie is Nicole Kidman as Samantha. She plays the part too dumb and her voice quickly got on my nerves. The entire movie could probably benefit from being recast. Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur was probably the best cast role in the entire film, capturing the character perfectly. While I applaud them for trying to do something different with a remake, they ultimately fail to present anything lasting.
Rating: 3/5

Fantastic Four

Release Year: 2005
Review: The movie isn't as "fantastic" as it could be. It has many flaws including poor dialog and a pretty thin plot. Overall the movie does it's job of being entertaining. The special effects are amazing and after all, it's a superhero movie, it doesn't have to be perfect.
Rating: 3/5

Zathura

Release Year: 2005

Review: Zathura succeeds at being a visual enjoyable film, however I found it hard to care about any of the characters in the movie. I wanted all them to be blasted by the Zorgans just to have them stop whining. Maybe this movie works better if you are 8, but for me the characters ruin the film.

Rating: 2/5

The Ringer

Release Year: 2005
Review: If you don't go into this movie expecting much you won't be disappointed. It isn't the worst movie of the year but it certainly is forgettable. They did manage to tip-toe around the subject of mental illness fairly well and succeeded at making a mostly PC movie. The movie has a good sentiment somewhere buried in its awful storyline and corny dialog. The movie is not overly touching or particularly funny. The movie will keep your attention and may provide a few laughs but that is about it.
Rating: 3/5

McLibel

Release Year: 2005

Review: In the UK there is a special type of lawsuit called libel, where a company or individual essentially sues for an apology. This documentary follows the struggle of a pair who refused to offer that apology and stand up to one of the largest companies in the world; McDonald's. The way the film strings along the audience and unfolds the case really makes you feel for the duo and the enormity of the suit they are taking on. Regardless of any bias and whether or not McDonald's is an evil corporation, this documentary succeeds in telling a bigger story. The story of a pair who stood up for what they believed in, despite being just a small voice, and who at least put a major dent in a gigantic corporation. It will inspire anyone who watches it to get involved in causes and that you can make a difference so long as you don't give in.

Rating: 4/5

Night Watch

Release Year: 2005
Review: Night Watch is the first in the Russian blockbuster vampire trilogy (followed by Day Watch[2007] and Twilight Watch[2009]). The film creates a rich sci-fi world of Light versus Dark. Although it looks beautiful, the film may suffer at times for perhaps being over stylized. The plot and feel had a very Matrix-esque aura about it. I'm not a fan of the vampire thrillers so I had problems with the story, but it is a solid film which I would feel comfortable recommended to someone who was a fan of the genre. It certainly is better than most of the recent vampire flicks that have come out State side in recent memory and its unfortunate its been over looked by so many.
Rating: 3/5