Time to resurrect this post again. We’re closing in on the year’s mid-point. What have you seen that’s worth remembering when the Faith and Film Critics Circle cast their votes for the best of 2005?
Can you think of any suggestions we’ve missed that we should consider?
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The Faith and Film Critics Circle (FFCC)- more than a dozen Christian film critics taking films seriously as works of art – are already busy suggesting and considering films for next year’s FFCC Awards. From time to time, I’ll post the growing list here.
At this stage, here are films that have been nominated. The cool thing about the FFCC awards … YOU are welcome to suggest films for their consideration in these categories as well. So email me at overstreet@lookingcloser.org, or just leave a comment here, and I’ll amend the list as the year goes on. In January 2006, the FFCC critics will vote, narrowing the lists to a few nominees each, and then vote again for a winner.
The FFCC’s home, where last year’s winners are posted, is at The Matthews House Project.
MOST SIGNIFICANT EXPLORATION OF SPIRITUAL ISSUES
Born into Brothels
Millions
The Merchant of Venice
The Ballad of Jack and Rose
The Woodsman
Crash
Land of Plenty
The World
Munich
Cache
Broken Flowers
Grizzly Man
Last Days
Loggerheads
A History of Violence
The Constant Gardener
Match Point
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Junebug
2046
Oliver Twist
Duma
The White Diamond
BEST NARRATIVE FILM
The Merchant of Venice
Dear Frankie
Crash
Brothers
Howl’s Moving Castle
Kung Fu Hustle
Tony Takitani
2046
Batman Begins
Broken Flowers
2046
Dear Wendy
Eros
Happy Endings
Last Days
A History of Violence
The Squid and the Whale
Screen Door Jesus
The Constant Gardener
Match Point
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Cache
Munich
Junebug
Oliver Twist
Duma
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Born into Brothels
Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Murderball
Mad Hot Ballroom
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
March of the Penguins
Grizzly Man
The White Diamond
39 Pounds of Love
Rize
BEST ACTOR
Bill Murray – Broken Flowers
Yûya Yagira (Akira) – Nobody Knows
Samuel Jackson – Coach Carter
Dennis Quaid – In Good Company
Daniel Day-Lewis – The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Anthony Lapaglia – Winter Solstice
Kevin Bacon – The Woodsman
Russell Crowe – Cinderella Man
Ulrich Thomsen – Brothers
Tony Leung – 2046
Peter Mullan – On A Clear Day
Viggo Mortensen – A History of Violence
Joaquin Phoenix – Walk the Line
Jeff Daniels – The Squid and the Whale
Philip Seymore Hoffman – Capote
Terrence Howard – Hustle and Flow
Ralph Fiennes – The Constant Gardener
Bruno Ganz – Downfall
David Strathairn – Good Night, and Good Luck
Ben Kingsley – Oliver Twist
Eric Bana – Munich
Heath Ledger – Brokeback Mountain
BEST ACTRESS
Emily Mortimer – Dear Frankie
Joan Allen – The Upside of Anger
Zhang Ziyi – 2046
Sarah Paulson – Swimmers
Reese Witherspoon – Walk the Line
Rachel Weisz – The Constant Gardener
BEST CHILD ACTOR (12 or under)
Alexander Nathan Etel – Millions
Hannah Pilkes – The Woodsman
Dakota Fanning – War of the Worlds
Yûya Yagira (Akira) – Nobody Knows
Georgie Henley – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Skandar Keynes – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Barney Clark – Oliver Twist
Alex Michaeltos – Duma
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Al Pacino – Merchant of Venice
Jeremy Irons – Merchant of Venice
Kevin Costner – The Upside of Anger
Paul Giamatti – Cinderella Man
Ian McDiarmid – Star Wars, Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith
Nikolaj Lie Kaas – Brothers
Liam Neeson – Batman Begins
Tom Wilkinson – Batman Begins
Mickey Rourke – Sin City
Tom Wilkinson – The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Ed Harris – A History of Violence
William Hurt – A History of Violence
Brendan Gleeson – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Frank Langella – Good Night, and Good Luck
Clifton Collins, Jr. – Capote
Geoffrey Rush – Munich
Ciarin Hinds – Munich
Matthieu Kassovitz – Munich
Eamonn Walker – Duma
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Faye Wong – 2046
Catherine Keener – The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Thandie Newton – Crash
Qiu Yuen – Kung Fu Hustle
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Happy Endings
Lisa Kudrow – Happy Endings
Maria Bello – A History of Violence
Laura Linney – The Squid and the Whale
Catherine Keener – Capote
Michelle Williams – Brokeback Mountain
Anne Hathaway – Brokeback Mountain
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Nobody Knows
Crash
Batman Begins
Kung Fu Hustle
2046
Serenity
Broken Flowers
Happy Endings
A History of Violence
The Squid and the Whale
Munich
Oliver Twist
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frank Cottrell Boyce – Millions
Rebecca Miller – The Ballad of Jack and Rose
Andrea Gibb – Dear Frankie
Paul Haggis & Bobby Morescu – Crash
Susanne Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen – Brothers
Kung Fu Hustle
Christopher Nolan and David Goyer – Batman Begins
Jim Jarmusch – Broken Flowers
Miranda July – Me You and Everyone We Know
Noah Baumbach – The Squid and the Whale
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Christopher Nolan and David Goyer – Batman Begins
Jun Ichikawa and Haruki Murakami – Tony Takitani
Tony Kushner – Munich
Ronald Harwood – Oliver Twist
A History of Violence –
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anthony Dod Mantle – Millions
? – Somersault
Christopher Doyle – 2046
Laurent Chalet and Jérôme Maison – March of the Penguins
Harry Savides – Last Days
Jean-Marie Dreujou – Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Rodrigo Prieto – Brokeback Mountain
Janusz Kaminski – Munich
Werner Herzog – The White Diamond
Pawel Edelman – Oliver Twist
Werner Maritz – Duma
BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle – Millions
Michael Radford – Merchant of Venice
Shona Auerbach – Dear Frankie
Susanne Bier – Brothers
Jun Ichikawa – Tony Takitani
Wong Kar Wai – 2046
Jim Jarmusch – Broken Flowers
Claire Denis – L’Intrus
Sokurov – The Sun
Gus Van Sant – Last Days
Werner Herzog – Grizzly Man
Werner Herzog – The White Diamond
David Cronenberg – A History of Violence
Noah Baumbach – The Squid and the Whale
Kirk Davis – Screen Door Jesus
Steven Spielberg – Munich
George Clooney – Good Night, and Good Luck
Paul Haggis – Crash
Roman Polanski – Oliver Twist
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alex Heffs – Dear Frankie
Mark Isham – Crash
Kung Fu Hustle
Patrick Doyle – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Elizabethtown – Nancy Wilson
John Williams – Munich
John Williams – Memoirs of a Geisha
BEST FILM FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Millions
Madagascar
Howl’s Moving Castle
March of the Penguins
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Duma
MOST SIGNIFICANT NON-2005 RELEASE OF THE YEAR
(Theatrical re-releases, revivals, big screen special editions)
The Passenger
Elevator to the Gallows
BEST FILM WE OVERLOOKED LAST YEAR (due to poor distribution, late opening)
In Good Company
The Merchant of Venice
The Woodsman
Since Otar Left
your going to pick up my suggestions from Crash and Brothers from the other list on this?
Done.
Since I saw Hotel Rwanda late, does that exclude it from any nominating categories?
I would humbly submit Crash for best film for exploring spiritual issues–it’s a better film looked at spiritually, than narratively.
I humbly submit Mad Hot Ballroom for best Documentary.
Regarding the lack of Actress/Supporting actresses, I would submit Thandie Newton from Crash (Supporting) and Qiu Yuen from Kung Fu Hustle (the landlady). I hadn’t seen “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”, but I would suspect that every up and comer there would qualify. Perhaps Amber Tamblyn would get nom’d for that, recognizing her contributions to JoA…
I would also submit Mickey Rourke for (gulp) Sin City (supporting Actor).
For Best Child Actor, knowing your limitations here, I had not seen Dear Frankie, but perhaps the kid in there is alright. I would think Makenzie Vega from Sin City would qualify. Perhaps some of the kids in Born Into Brothels, or Mad Hot Ballroom (ok, docs don’t count).
Best Adapted Screenplay: Um… Merchant of Venice??
Being that my favorite film this year is Kung Fu Hustle, (and not as a mere guilty pleasure thankyouverymuch), I wouldn’t mind seeing nominations for Best Narrative, Ensemble Cast, Original Screenplay, Director, Score, and “Film-we-overlooked.” Because of its genre, it is likely to be overlooked, but I would hope not.
–Nick
“Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room”…a definite candidate for best documentary and perhaps even best exploration of spiritual issues
I’ll just say watch for Tony Takitani, the first feature film adapted from the work of Haruki Murakami. The film was actually made last year in Japan but has been shown this year at Sundance and S.I.F.F. Hopefully it’ll get a general release soon.
I’m prepared to say this movie is as good as anything I’ve seen in the past five years. It deals with the always-relevant theme of isolation, and the sort of despair it conveys in this modern setting seems deeply spiritual. The film also deals with the issue of rampant consumerism. I’d nominate this film for best narrative film, director, actor, actress, supporting actor (can I nominate the narrator?), cinematography, & adapted screenplay. You can hear more on my blog (or on the IMDb where I’ve posted the only user review so far).
Millions, Millions, Millions! I just saw it recently, thanks to reading about it on your blog Jeffrey – and great review of yours at CT too. That movie rocks. It should sweep. -Mike
Folks, if you’re nominating, PLEASE include the names of the people you’re nominating. Don’t just say “cinematography” or “screenplay.” That’ll make this list much easier to manage.
Best original screenplay: Miranda July for Me You and Everyone We Know.
Best Cinematography: Laurent Chalet and Jérôme Maison (House and House?) for The March of the Penguins
Another for cinematography: Jean-Marie Dreujou for Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Best actor, Bill Murray.
Really, any film he’s done within the last five years. But, for this year, I guess I’ll have to limit it to Broken Flowers.
Didn’t care for the movie as much, of course.
How about “The Constant Gardner”. I’d give this film a “very good” as far as thriller, but an “excellent” for a love story as the film grapples with issues of doubt and faithfulness.
Male Performance: Ralph Fiennes
Terrence Howard for “Hustle and Flow”
Female Performance: Rachel Weisz
When this photo first downloaded, I was all: “Is that Chris Elliot?”
Good review. Cronenberg films are excellent but disturbing. I’ve only seen one in the theater (Dead Ringer) and that was enough for me. It’s a bummer because I love Viggo Mortenson and Ed Harris.
For best score: Elizabethtown (and I’m talking about the score, not the soundtrack.)tmal
Best actor: Philip Seymore Hoffman – Capote
Best supporting actor: Clifton Collins, Jr. – Capote
Best supporting actress: Catherine Keener – Capote
Best supporting actor: Frank Langella – Good Night, and Good Luck
Best Director: George Clooney – Good Night, and Good Luck
Best Film: Screen Door Jesus
Best Director: Kirk Davis
Best child actor: Freddie Highmore for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” The “Harry Potter” kids are too old, aren’t they?
Here are our top films for 2005 so far:
Coach Carter (4 Stars – 2005)
Gospel, The (4 Stars – 2005)
Millions (4 Stars – 2005)
North Country (4 Stars – 2005)
just a note to let you know that the score for Elizabethtown was done by Nancy Wilson.
Exploration of Spiritual Issue: Munich
Best Narrative Film: Munich
Best Score: John Williams (does he get automatic nominations?) for Munich
I’d like to suggest two very small films that alot of folks didn’t see:
Junebug
and
Land of Plenty by Wim Wenders
Both for exploring spiritual issues (as well as other issues)
39 Pounds of Love for Best Documentary
Ooops! forgot a couple–
Best Doc: Rize
Best Actor–David S. in Good Night and Good Luck
Best non-release–Laundry and Tosca by Laurellee Farrer
Two exceptionally fine films were overlooked this year due to poor distribution and some egregiously misguided reviews. Thanks for giving them the consideration they deserve!
Most Significant Exploration of Spiritual Ideas—Oliver Twist, Duma
Best Narrative Film—Oliver Twist, Duma
Best Actor—Ben Kingsley (Oliver Twist)
Best Child Actor—Barney Clark (Oliver Twist), Alex Michaeltos (Duma)
Best Supporting Actor—Eamonn Walker (Duma)
Best Ensemble—Oliver Twist
Best Adapted Screenplay—Ronald Harwood (Oliver Twist)
Best Cinematography—Pawel Edelman (Oliver Twist), Werner Maritz (Duma)
Best Director—Roman Polanski (Oliver Twist), Carroll Ballard (Duma)
Best Original Score—Rachel Portman (Oliver Twist)
Best Film for the Whole Family—Duma
Most Significant Non-2005 Release of the Year—The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni), Elevator to the Gallows (Louis Malle)
Another Original Score nomination for John Williams – Memoirs of a Geisha (it doesn’t hurt that it’s performed by Yo-Yo Ma and Yitzak Perlman)