Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

I turned to the bf about halfway through Hustle & Flow and asked him, "When did this turn into one of the year's best movies?" Yes, Terence Howard gives a supernova of a performance (and deserves his Oscar nod), but this film is much more. Each performance is nearly as note-perfect as acting gets, and the location filming and music (by Al Kapone and Three 6 Mafia, real Memphis hip hop) are smokin'. This is undoubtedly one of 2005's finest, and the energy of Craig Brewer's writing and direction (this is his second film) reminds me of John Singleton's debut, Boyz N The Hood - so it's not surprising that Singleton's one of the film's producers. Brewer's a talent to watch, and Hustle & Flow is a film to watch, and cherish.

Top 10 films of 2005:
01 Brokeback Mountain
02 Capote
03 Hustle & Flow
04 Mysterious Skin
05 A History of Violence
06 Crash
07 Murderball
08 Sin City
09 Proof
10 Batman Begins
close: good night, and good luck., Rent, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe