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List added by AFIoscar on 3 June 2008 11:10
AFI AWARDS FOR MOTION PICTURES 2005 |
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 1396  7.3  7.8 BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is one of the great love stories in American film. The revolutionary subject matter paints a portrait of passion, longing and loss against the sweeping backdrop of the changing American West. The film is a triumph of acting--Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal bring power and poignancy to two people caught in an emotional maelstrom, without the means to understand their feelings, or the words to express them. The film is a tragic meditation on loneliness, and yet a powerful celebration of friendship and love beyond our control.
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661 7 7.6 CAPOTE is a vividly detailed portrait of an elusive American literary icon at a turning point in his life. Philip Seymour Hoffman inhabits Truman Capote in a performance that captures every nuance of one of the 20th Century's most flamboyant and intriguing characters--layering wit, pain, love and ambition in a crucible of creative and ethical choice. The filmmakers tell this revealing story with economy and power showing how the writer achieved everything he ever wanted and lost his soul.
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1384 7.5 8 CRASH is a cinematic fantasia on the duality of man--exploring with astonishing candor how we are divided and tormented by race. There is a sublime poetry to the film that emerges from the union of words and images, using the automobile as a metaphor for how we both distance and touch each other, sometimes violently. The film is distinguished by its extraordinary writing and an acting ensemble that fires on all pistons.
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1391 6.8 7.5 THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN will make you laugh--and there is no greater gift in the world today. This entertaining film probes the universal fears of sex, intimacy and chest hair, and follows in the tradition of classic American comedies; it is character-driven, sincere and insightful and will have audiences reexamining their own hang-ups--with a smile. The film also introduces the world to a new leading man of laughter--Steve Carell.
AFIoscar's rating:
563 7.2 7.7 GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK is a refreshingly spare reflection on a controversial and difficult time in the 1950s and, at the same time, an explosive examination of the current American news landscape. Brilliantly choreographed and co-written by director George Clooney, the film illuminates the burden of courage in a free press at odds with both its government and its corporate parent. Clooney's ingenious use of archival footage adds to the great sense of fear and incredulity that these events took place in America. The film's greatest contribution may be to remind audiences that "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."
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724 7.1 7.6 A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE is a powerful insight into America's obsession with violence and how it relates to the roles we play, the disguises we choose and the truth in those choices. With surprises at every turn, the film turns classic movie elements on their head and asks us to look at genre from a new perspective. Sexy and bloody, alluring and revolting, the film's delicate balancing act is artfully captured in each suspense-filled shot by David Cronenberg and his gifted creative ensemble.
AFIoscar's rating:
1677 6.5 7.6 KING KONG is why we go to the movies. It's a love story. It's funny. And it's also a chest-thumping, larger-than-life, thrill-a-minute adventure tale that knows no equal in its use of digital effects to tell a story. And though Peter Jackson continues to awe audiences with his imaginative use of new technologies, it is his great love and respect for the original film that both preserves and expands upon the themes that have made it a classic. In that sense, KING KONG is not only a valentine to American film history--it is American film history.
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936 7.1 7.8 MUNICH reminds us how lucky we are to live in the time when Steven Spielberg is making movies. This is another landmark contribution to American film from one of its master storytellers. The movie asks difficult questions about the moral complexities of vengeance--and who, ultimately, stands proud in the name of family and home. Great movies stir great debate, and that Spielberg would embrace such a controversial subject and present it as a prayer for peace is as brave and bold a move as we would expect from one of this country's great artists.
AFIoscar's rating:
225 7 7.6 THE SQUID AND THE WHALE is a funny film about pain--the deep, aching pain of a family dissolved. It is rare for a film to be comedic and heartbreaking beyond cliches, but the film's standout performances capture the characters with such truth that one cannot help but feel that we've lived with them--and lost them. Made for relatively little money, the movie also reflects the great spectrum of budgets in American film and reminds us that a personal vision, great heart and the commitment of a talented creative ensemble are priceless.
AFIoscar's rating:
563 6.5 7.1 SYRIANA is a complex and intelligent political thriller that demands its audience become an active participant, compelling us to think--and to think globally. In a year when the United States' reliance on oil bubbled up and over the headlines, Stephen Gaghan and his creative ensemble have masterfully woven together a number of plotlines that could each have been a film in itself. The result is a masterwork of storytelling, where each scene leaves your heart racing and your mind engaged.
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Description
Distinguished AFI Juries Select Ten Most Outstanding Motion Pictures of the Year which are: BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN CAPOTE CRASH THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE KING KONG MUNICH THE SQUID AND THE WHALE SYRIANA MOMENTS OF SIGNIFICANCE: 2005 MARKED BY CONTINUING CONSOLIDATION And then there were six. The film community continues to consolidate as both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, a force in American entertainment since 1924 and, in many regards, a symbol for the golden age of Hollywood, and DreamWorks, the youngest film and television studio, were bought by larger corporations. Both MGM and DreamWorks were founded by movie mavericks--from Louis B. Mayer to Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, & David Geffen--and AFI hopes that this trend for consolidation will respect the rich history that marks our cultural legacy and encourage the creative spirit that drives the art form. MOVIES AND TELEVISION PICTURE A POST 9/11 WORLD 2005 marked a fully found artistic reaction to 9/11 and the new realities created in its wake. Art not only has the ability to expose the complexities of the changed world we live in, but also to provide a unifying voice for a country trying to heal while still in conflict. On television, shows like 24, SLEEPER CELL, RESCUE 9/11 and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA all dramatize terrorism, heroism and the struggle to find a common ground. In theatres, the movies explored these themes in ways that effected audiences physically, intellectually and emotionally: Steven Spielberg's WAR OF THE WORLDS viscerally moved and terrified audiences with invaders from another world. George Clooney's GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK celebrated the challenge and bravery of independent journalists. THE MARCH OF THE PENGUINS, a French documentary that chronicled the journey of emperor penguins in Antarctica, proved the surprise hit of the year for its universal message--the need to be part of a community that cares for each other. THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE IN CRISIS At the dawn of American film, there was magic in the moviegoing experience. Strangers came together in the dark and were awed by images of light and a story well told. Over the first century of American film, great strides were made in this collective experience--ongoing technological leaps in sound, color and projection. But in 2005, it became apparent that a steady downward trend in the experience was a harsh reality, and, in fact, that moviegoing might be at risk. The reasons for this are vast and varied, including: the dramatically increased competition for leisure time from other entertainments that can be delivered on-demand; the improvement of home entertainment technologies; the rise in video games, where an immersive experience is also interactive; the increased availability of motion pictures via illegal downloads or bootleg DVDs. The coming years will bring new technologies to movie theatres, and AFI hopes that all parties will come together--distributors, exhibitors and patrons--to appreciate the value of the communal experience... at a theatre near you. TV BREAKS OUT OF THE BOX The exodus became official in 2005 as television content migrated to multiple screen platforms. Most notably: Apple Computer introduced a new video iPod in concert with a content distribution deal with ABC that made LOST and DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES available for download. Later, NBC Universal announced a deal to deliver more than 300 episodes from prime time, cable, late-night and classic TV shows via iPod. Twentieth Century Fox premiered a serial drama created specifically for cellular phones based on its television drama 24. The 24 one-minute long "mobisodes"--short for "mobile episode"--are based on the series. Time Warner and AOL announced the creation of a new broadband network--named In2TV--that allows on-demand access to thousands of episodes of classic television shows via the Internet. In the wake of the popularity of digital video recorders, these technological breakthroughs meet the consumers' needs for content on demand, but also move the receipt of visual storytelling more dramatically toward an isolated experience, to the point where watercooler phenomena may soon be a term of the past. TELEVISION AND HURRICANE KATRINA/DISASTER Hurricane Katrina decimated America's Gulf Coast, and television brought images of American suffering to the world--images that revealed the existence of an underclass not often seen on television and exposed the world's most powerful country in a deeply sad and unfavorable light. In the days that followed, television was not a complacent reporter, but an active participant in the rescue and clean up. When it appeared that local, state and national governments could not respond in a timely manner to the needs of those in trouble, television put a spotlight on the contradictions between what officials were reporting and the images viewers' were seeing in their living rooms. Reminiscent of television's coverage of the 1968 Democratic Convention, this forged a new relationship between television and its audience. The coverage of the hurricane also brought to light the limitations of the medium, where misinformation is embraced as truth and the rush to judgment is fueled by images and words out of context. Ultimately, the coverage was a testimony to the power of television, to bring us together as a nation, ask difficult questions and offer solutions. CONVERGENCE COMES OF AGE America OnLine's exclusive on-line coverage of the multi-city Live 8 concert proved a seismic moment in global access to live events, a role that has evolved from radio to television and, now, to the Internet. Over five million viewers logged on to the AOL Live 8 site, drawing a larger audience than MTV and ABC's primetime highlights special, which averaged 2.9 millions viewers. Additionally, in the following week, there were over 25 million on-demand plays of different performances from the concert. The event has demonstrated how the Internet allows a breadth and depth of coverage not possible through traditional television broadcasting. On the day of the concert, fans could switch between events, see live updates, access full artist information, and share views with fellow fans. After the event, audiences could relive it on demand--watching what they want, when they want it. Technically, it's of note that AOL provided the largest number of simultaneous video streams in the history of the Internet without a single break, instilling a level of trust in the consumer that is essential in the migration from one technology to another. CRITERIA AFI Moments of Significance may include accomplishments of considerable merit; influences with either a positive or negative impression; trends, either new or re-emerging; anniversaries or memorials of special note; and/or movements in new technologies, education, preservation, government or other areas that impact the art of the moving image. WHAT IS AFI AWARDS? America's cultural legacy resonates around the world through movies and television. When placed in an historical context, these stories archive a complex, rich, visual record of our modern civilization. AFI was created to protect and preserve the legacy of the moving image art form so that future generations will have a greater understanding and appreciation for the proud heritage reflected in the realities of a new modern day. Each year, AFI AWARDS honors excellence in the moving image arts within the context of a year in review. This is the next chapter in AFI's national mandate - specifically, the creation of an annual almanac that records and preserves the evolution of the moving image arts in the 21st century. AFI AWARDS adds a volume to the history of American film and television each year by documenting the collective opinion of the moving image communities, recognizing the year's significant moments and honoring the individuals and creative ensembles who have created the year's outstanding achievements.
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