Movies of 2005

This is Ebert's List of the Best of 2005. Over the course of the past year, I have managed to see quite a few of them. Some, after waiting patiently for my turn to check them out at the library, other after hazarding clambouring over bodies of children dressed as witches and wizards on the day the latest Harry Potter was released.
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The Upside of Anger was really well-written (despite reviewers upset with the trick ending). While Kevin Costner totally hammed in this one, Joan Allen was fantastic as a middle-aged alcoholic whose husband has abruptly left her. All the daughters did a great job showing different ways in which they handled the situation. There was the detached, intellectual elder daughter; the rebellious second daughter doing everything contrary to what the eldest did; the third daughter who was generally confused and became ill; while the youngest who resented being treated as a baby.
Of late, I have been well-trained (by guess who?) to appreciate and enjoy Ms. Austen's opus mirabilis - Pride and Prejudice and thus have seen most recent TV and film versions/remakes of it including the forgettable Bride and Prejudice. The latest Pride and Prejudice is a pretty decent remake with good casting choices, except for Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) who was just too wooden. Really, Colin Firth has no modern equal in playing the restrained passion and wounded pride of Mr. Darcy. Brenda Blethyn (Secret and Lies), has delivered as always and Donald Sutherland's portrayal of Mr. Bennet has been unjustly overlooked. I still can't I get enough of Ms. Knightley's lovely smile and apparently the Academy cannot either. I wouldn't give her the Oscar, yet. However, the movie was completely massacred by a quite unecessary last scene with Lizzie and Darcy muttering absolute nonsense.
Another outstanding movie of the year was Millions from the director of Trainspotting - Danny Boyle and was delightful except for the soppy, syrupy 5 minutes at the end. Little Alex Ethel is irrestibly cute in a way that girls won't be able to resist and his older brother Anthony played by Lewis McGibbon is cute in a way that guys will not fail to appreciate. These were great movies with a little soppiness on part of the director that lead to sloppiness in editing at the very end. Great movies, just avoid the last five minutes.