Simply the best films of 2005

The year provided us a quantity of quality even though many of the movies didn't draw crowds.

Tom Long / Detroit News Film Critic

There were a lot of good films in 2005, but not a lot of people saw them.

Most years, I have to scramble to come up with enough movies for a top 10 list. This year, I could have done a top 20 without much sweat. Unfortunately, only one of my choices (the big ape) is likely to make Hollywood much money this year. A few others did OK, while others were barely blips on the public consciousness. Oh, well.

The only reason for top 10 lists is to offer a glimpse at a critic's taste. The readers can use that glimpse to decide whether they agree with said taste or think the guy is an idiot. Either way, they serve a function and hopefully stimulate discourse on the art of film and what it means in our lives. And to me, that's the whole point.

Good luck to us all in 2006.

1. "The Squid and the Whale" -- A great ensemble cast led by Jeff Daniels as a would-be intellectual who is cluelessly and selfishly navigating his way through a divorce. Darkly funny with a constant undercurrent of hard truth. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach.

2. "King Kong"-- As sheer spectacle, this film has no topper. Peter Jackson serves notice that movies can still have an overwhelming power, taking his time at first and then pounding the audience with sensory overload. It's flawed, but it was so huge it didn't matter.

3. "Hustle & Flow"-- Never has the transcendent process of making art been presented better. Juxtaposed against a sweaty, gritty Memphis background of pimps and whores, "Hustle" has just enough humor and danger to keep things interesting. An electric film.

4. "Cinderella Man"-- An old-fashioned, inspirational film shot with a fine sense of period by Ron Howard, this true story of a Depression-era boxer who works his way to the top overcame any sense of corn with its sureness of moral purpose.

5. "Me and You and Everyone We Know"-- Writer-director-star Miranda July was endlessly inventive in this offbeat film (sort of) about a shoe salesman and the aspiring performance artist who might love him. Small lives rendered large, complex and beautiful.

6. "Syriana"-- This daring look at the politics and repercussions of the oil business from writer-director Stephen Gaghan is as satisfying as it is challenging, with a fine performance by George Clooney as a CIA agent grasping for meaning.

7. "Capote"-- Philip Seymour Hoffman brings the flamboyant and ultimately tortured writer to life in a film that sees him crossing ethical lines in order to get the story for his true crime novel "In Cold Blood."

8. "Millions"-- Director Danny Boyle shows his flair for presenting both visual brilliance and everyday life in this holiday film about a young boy who discovers bundles of cash, talks with saints and pines for his dead mother.

9. "Kung Fu Hustle"-- Invention, thy name is Stephen Chow. The Chinese writer-director-star shows endless energy in this wild martial arts epic that's part Looney Tunes, part gangster flick and fully genius. He breaks all the rules and wins.

10. "Serenity"-- In 200 years, writer-director Joss Whedon will be known as this era's Shakespeare. Well, maybe. All I know is I've seen this sci-fi Western seven times since it came out in September. Smart, fast and funny with surprising depth, this movie's a firecracker that just keeps popping.

Also well worth mentioning "Crash" "Pride and Prejudice" "Dear Frankie" "Oldboy" "The Devil's Rejects" "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" "Forty Shades of Blue" "In Her Shoes" "Good Night, and Good Luck" "Brokeback Mountain" "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" "A History of Violence" "Proof" "The Ballad of Jack and Rose" "The Upside of Anger" "The Jacket" and, of course, "Transporter 2."