Like last year, I have again compiled my top ten movies of last year. Like before, the only movies that can be included in the running are those that had their theatrical screening in 2005 and that I saw them in 2005.

1. The Island

2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

3. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

4. Masahista

5. The Phantom of the Opera

6. War of the Worlds

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

8. Waiting…

9. The Legend of Zorro

10. Flightplan

Ok, so it’s obvious that I didn’t get to see a lot of movies last year. From my records, I only saw 26 movies compared to more than 40 in 2004. Most of these movies I have reacted on this blog before so I’ll just talk about the ones I haven’t reviewed before.

Masahista

Masahista is one of a few digital indie films I saw last year, one other being Maximo Oliveros. This film about a male masseur won the Golden Leopard award in the Video category during last year’s Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.

I liked the non-linear plot of the story and how the screenplay artfully juxtaposed scenes between the masseur job of Iliac (played by Coco Martin) and the preparations for the funeral of his dead father in Pampanga. The film is what I call a slice-of-life movie since there is not much climax and the film ended almost abruptly.

One particular beautiful scene is when their town’s Christmas lantern entry to the Pampanga lantern festival was lit for the first time and everyone in the town rushed to the plaza to watch the beautiful light patterns of the parol.

The Phantom

The Phantom of the Opera is the only musical I saw last year. And I haven’t seen/read the story before so watching the movie is a novelty for me. I very much liked the songs in the movie and now I’m really looking forward to seeing Rent. (Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes….) Update: I have seen the film adaptation of Rent and it has earned the #1 spot on my 2006 list.

The production quality of the movie is top-notch and the three protagonists did their parts well. I especially liked Emmy Rossum, who played Christine; I think she filled in the shoes left by Sarah Brightman quite well.

Flightplan

Good story and also brilliant acting by Ms. Jody Foster. I haven’t seen Panic Room so I can’t comment and compare. While the premise of the plot is very, very stupid (if you’ve seen the movie, you know what I mean), I still liked the edge-of-the-seat factor the movie brings in. You’ll still keep on guessing up until the moment the answer to the movie’s question is revealed.