GRIZZLY MAN (US, Werner Herzog)
2005 didn't unleash many films that knocked me out of my seat, though I did see a lot of high-quality productions. But Grizzly Man, a bizarre, multi-layered documentary about an arrogant weirdo (Timothy Treadwell) who decided to "save" the grizzlies in Alaska and wound up getting killed by one, is a fantastic film, a meditation on hubris, man vs. nature, and other "Herzogian" themes.

THE NEW WORLD (US, Terrence Malick)
If you stop reading this list after these two films, you will know what in my opinion are the only truly great pictures of the year. Reclusive director Malick returns for his fourth feature in four decades, a poetic look at the life of Pocahontas, her love affair with John Smith, and the results - good and ill - of her decision to save the fledgling Jamestown colony in Virginia. A beautiful, graceful, heartbreaking film.

ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW (US, Miranda July)
I don't know if it's a dull year for foreign cinema or if U.S. distributors ignored the more interesting offerings, but there are almost no films made from outside the U.S. on my list for 2005. Anyway, Miranda July's unique comedy/drama about a pair of lonely oddballs and the people around them is the best independent American fiction film of 2005; Her point of view is one I haven't seen anywhere else.

2046 (Hong Kong/France, Wong Kar Wai)
I have a feeling that 2046, which disappointed the many film critics who adore Wong Kar Wai (perhaps expectations were too high after his brilliant In the Mood for Love?), will win its fans later, when it can be accepted on its own ambitious terms. Its story is so complex that at first it just seems confused. But the film is full of intriguing ideas, wonderful performances and gorgeous cinematography.

BATMAN BEGINS (US, Christopher Nolan)
I never thought I'd be including a Hollywood blockbuster on my "ten great films" list, but I was surprised at the quality and artistry of Nolan's take on the Batman genre. Other than the stiff Katie Holmes, the (mostly British) cast is terrific, and the story shows strong craftsmanship. Who'd have known that you could do something exciting and new with Batman? I'm looking forward to Nolan's sequel.

OLDBOY (South Korea, Chan-wook Park)
The most disturbing film I saw in 2005 was Park's full-throttle revenge drama about a man who decides to find and kill whoever kept him in a private prison for fifteen years. Though the violence is mostly muted, there is great mental cruelty forced upon its characters and, by extension, its audience. But for those who won't get too sickened by its shocking plot twists, it's one to catch.

PARADISE NOW (France/Palestine, Hany Abu-Assad)
Very moving low-key drama about two directionless Palestinian friends who are recruited as suicide bombers hints at the true causes of Middle East unrest. It suggests that economics, not religious fanaticism (these guys barely seem religious at all), is what really drives the terrorist rationale: a sense of anger and hopelessness that any group of have-nots can identify with.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (US, Ang Lee)
Here's where my list gets boring. It would be kind of cool if I actually didn't like this film, since practically every reviewer on earth has crowned this the best picture of 2005. But what's not to like? It's honest, emotional, and exceptionally well-made. There is literally nothing I can find fault with. Heath Ledger's performance as a closeted gay cowboy is particularly good.

CAPOTE (US, Bennett Miller)
Another obvious choice is this flawless biopic. However, I would like to pay my respects to the film's unjustly ignored costar, Clifton Collins Jr., as Perry Smith, the infamous murderer whom Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) befriends, and maybe falls a little in love with, even as he exploits him for his "non-fiction novel" In Cold Blood. Collins is every bit as good as Hoffman is.

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. (US, George Clooney)
The last of my "obvious" selections, Good Night, and Good Luck is the natural bookend to Capote. Both are intimate, literate dramas about notable mid-20th-century figures on their eve of greatness (in this case, Edward R. Murrow, played by a pitch-perfect David Straithairn), filmed with impressive period detail and respect for their audience's intelligence.