2005: Critical Prejudice

Niche releases with fans anxious to see a particular book, filmmaker or hyped-up new face are nothing new. There are so many of these special films in 2005 that I can’t fit them into a Top 10. So here are 11 films with extra geek love in 2005. Alphabetically…

Geek Power Player: Batman
Batman played real = Best Batman film ever.
Bonus points for the classy all-star cast.

Geek Power Players: Wallace & Gromit


Oscar winning short film icons Wallace & Gromit made their feature film debut. Pure, delicious “cheese.”




Geek Power Player: Douglas Adams’ Novel
A mixed bag of a movie, but fans have been waiting for this movie for so long it deserves a mention.

Geek Power Player: Peter Jackson
Anything after directing LORD OF THE RINGS is just a victory lap. Jackson used his prior success to bring his other dream project to life.

Geek Power Player: Shane Black
LETHAL WEAPON writer Shane Black left Hollywood for 10 years and returned with heaping scoops of everything we love about movies in general and Shane Black movies in particular.

Geek Power Player: Stephen ChowA master of imaginative special effects, Chow concocted this looney tunes-style blend of kung-fu comedy that’s truly unlike anything that’s ever been seen before.

Geek Power Players: George A. Romero and his zombie friends
The man who invented the genre returns after 12 years to deliver his latest social comment on zombies and the inventive carnage that happens when he films them.





OLDBOY



Geek Power Player: Park Chanwook (or Chan Wook-Park)
The most original revenge scenario in recent years, with a blazing lead performance, an already classic scene involving live squid and a payoff that rivals SE7EN for emotional scars.

Geek Power Players: Joss Whedon, “Firefly” and its cast
Longtime television cult hero Whedon took control of his “cancelled too soon” television show and directed the most epic two-hour television finale ever.

Geek Power Player: The Graphic Novel, Frank Miller, Rodriguez, Tarantino and the cast

My #1 choice as far as pedigree goes. Many cult icons came together to do justice to highly-acclaimed source material. Nobody screwed it up. A huge comeback for Mickey Rourke.


Geek Power Players: George Lucas, Darth Vader
It contained the battle we’ve all been waiting for and effectively bridged the two trilogies together. Most people didn’t seem to mind that the dialogue, story and acting were as bad as ever.