The MRFH 2005 Revue

Ah, 2005. It’s ironic that a year which brought two of the best comic book movies to date is also one I find myself struggling to recall. But I think it’s also indicative of an obvious truth — there just weren’t that many great movies this year.

Oh, there were some good ones, don’t get me wrong. Sin City blew me away the first time through its sheer stylishness and energy, and then after reading some of the comics and seeing it again, amazed me with its faithfulness to the source material. Batman Begins deviated further from things but in the service of telling a good story, one that has, as advertised, resurrected the franchise from the dank depths of Schumacherville. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had great dragons, still annoyed me a bit with what they cut out, but considering how much longer the book is than Azkaban, is much more forgivable. And Wedding Crashers was definitely my summer movie, that one you know is just going to be this year’s popular guy comedians running wild with flatulence and sex jokes, but that’s okay because it’s exactly what you’re there for.

So sure, there were a few high points over the past 12 months. Yet at the same time, in looking over the movies I watched in theaters, there are far too many I just think back on with a half-smile, shrug, and then put out of my mind… and in a year that saw the final Star Wars movie ever to be released in theaters, that just shouldn’t be. In Good Company, actually one of the better films I saw this year, had some things to say about the corporate world but was otherwise fairly standard stuff. (Though who could forget Scarlett Johansson’s skirt… rowr!) Revenge of the Sith itself, as all of our reviews seemed to agree, was an improvement on the last two but still left us pining for the original trilogy like a whiny farmboy for his sister. Fantastic Four would probably have been considered a good little comic book movie in years past, but after the last few summers… well, I think it says a lot that what I remember most about that film was the joke about Jessica Alba’s breasts (36C!). And Lord, don’t even get me started on that bastion of predictability, Just Like Heaven, because God does not authorize other bands to cover Cure songs, mmmkay?

In fact, as a whole, I was far more impressed by the movies I saw and reviewed on tape and DVD this year — I may not have loved them all, but there were some definite gems to be found. James Bond week finally gave me an excuse to see Thunderball, which made me feel like I was watching two movies at once — the original, plus Austin Powers with a better-looking actor photostopped in and a couple of the jokes removed. Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed forced me to finally buckle down and give some serious consideration to the mechanics of werewolf copulation, and I took my first steps of atonement for geeking up this site so much by examining the best sports moments in cinema. Yet for all that Sin City and Batman Begins did in service of the comic book movie, and for all that Fantastic Four had at least some good performances, I also made myself confront the unholy end of the spectrum with the honestly, truly dreadful Howard the Duck. Brrrrrrr… I won’t even bother with any lame “fowl” jokes, just stay far, far away if you value your sanity.

And maybe part of it’s just me; after all, 2005 was the year that finally saw me abandon my wild, hedonistic ways and pledge to stop seeing most other women by proposing to my girlfriend of two years. (Yes of course she said yes, and no, tequila was not involved.) As a result, the past few months have been a blur of moving in together and wedding preparations, to the point where I honestly can’t believe it’s 2006 already… I swear we just didn’t have an autumn this year. So while for some, 2005 will be remembered for its major events — Justin and Caramel’s Star Wars-themed wedding (and may I say, awesome stormtrooper costumes, guys!), Shalen and Nancy’s admittance into the hallowed ranks of Mutantdom (the branding was all Sue’s idea, I swear), Lissa’s frenzied delivery of a new mini-mutant right on Kyle’s desk in MRFH headquarters — for me it was a year of transition, of preparing for an even more eventful year to come. And in the end, maybe that’s just why I don’t find myself quite as excited by 2005, looking back on it with objective eyes. I mean yeah, some cool stuff happened, and sure, I’ll look back on it fondly a few years down the line… but it ain’t got nothin’ on 2006. Believe it, gang.