I’m finally back in the office after a two week vacation and while wondering if we can impose some kind of cap on the number of releases Ryan Adams can make in one calendar year I thought I would share my favorite films of the year just past.

I’ve always been a big movie buff but I have scaled back my watching in the last few years (having 3 kids will do that). So my number of movies seen this year is not quite as extensive as years past.
I decided to go with the same format as the Academy Awards since I am such a fan. I have seen every best picture winner and all but the first two best actor winners. In addition, I have seen every best picture nominee dating back to 1995. (Alas, that string may be broken this year. I just don’t think I can force myself to see that “Brokeback Mountain.” I’m all for tolerance but I don’t have to watch it, you know?)
Anyway, here we go:

10. Coach Carter–I’m a sucker for a sports flick based on true life events. A sports flick about a coach who values academics over winning? Priceless
9. Flightplan–Yeah, I know. You could fly a plan through the plot holes but it was pure fun. And Tracy and I got to go see it together. These movies are few and far between.
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory–I ask all the time why Hollywood insists on remakes. Here is the answer: they just might make it better than the original. “Charlie” does just that. It’s better than “Willy Wonka.” Period. Johnny Depp channels Michael Jackson here.
7. War of the Worlds–You know the plot: Xenu attacks the planet Earth. Oh wait, that’s Scientology. Despite Tom Cruise, this was a great film.
6. A History of Violence–A chance heroic encounter leads to a past buried finding its way back. This movie will bug you. In a good way, of course.
5. Munich–Important for the questions it raises on terrorism and the efficacy of responding to terrorism.
4. Syriana–10 minutes into this film I wished I had read a synopsis first. 30 minutes in I was so lost I couldn’t tell you what was going in. One hour in I wanted to leave. 90 minutes in I was hooked. At the conclusion I was breathless. Now, three weeks later I still am not through wrestling with this one. I need to see it again.
3. King Kong–Remember what I said about remakes? I’ve seen the king and his name is Peter Jackson.
2. Good Night, and Good Luck–This movie is NOT propaganda but a thoughtful look on the cost of hysteria and paranoia in a world of uncertainty. Lessons abound for us today. Dissent is not disloyalty but needed when emotion runs unchecked.
1. Crash–To me, the mark of a great film is when it changes you. Crash was a visceral gut-punch of a movie that left me questioning my own prejudices and attitudes. It is the best film of the year and multiple acting nominations are deserved including nods for Sandra Bullock and Matt Dillon.