Mayday! Mayday! Danger Will Robinson!

All right! Who is doing the stylesheet for Ain't It Cool News? Ray Charles? Putting green, red and orange links all over does not make it easier to find. Especially the orange one on top of a purple background. Ugh! Not a good thing, gang. The thing was fugly enough to begin with but this is just over the top.

movZilla's Top Films of the Year

Well, it's traditional, but I'm not going to do it in the strictly traditional manner. I'm not doing "10" because to be frank I don't think I watched 10 movies in theaters this year and on DVD it all starts to blur. So, this list is my favorites films that were in theatrical release this last calendar year.

Let's just get right to it.

Secondhand Lions
This bittersweet tale of a boy and his two curmudgeonly uncles is a personal favorite of mine. It covers a lot of territory about growing up and growing old, and the performances are just about the best they can possibly be. Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, and Haley Joel Osmont were all a major hit at my house.

Holes
Another film that is written off by too many as a "kid flick", but was great fare for old and young alike. Stanley Yelnats and the gang are off on an adventure to discover the past and win their freedom in a great adaptation of a very popular children's book.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The first big splash in a year of swashing and buckling. Orlando Bloom still has those big brown eyes and a very nice riposte. Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow is strange and wonderful. And no one chews the bad guy's scenery like Geoffrey Rush. Heck, even the digital skeleton monkey gave a great performance.

Spirited Away
Hideo Miyazaki is a master of his craft, and is only getting better with age. Chihiro's journey from snivelling little brat to a self-possessed young woman is a unique take on the coming of age story. The film is striking in its realism and it's fantastic creativity all at the same time. Oh, and while you're at it, get the other films Studio Ghibli released in America - "Kiki's Delivery Service", "My Neighbor Totoro", and especially "Castle in the Sky" are great films.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Another seaborne epic, but from from a darker and more realistic side. You are taken back to the claustrophobic feel and drunken heave of life aboard a ship-of-the-line at the turn of the 19th century. The acting was excellent - Russell Crowe doesn't just walk the quarterdeck, he strides it with a spring in his step and a predatory gleam in his eye. The design of the ships and everything in them is precise and detailed and gives you a great feel for the life. I can't say it was overly true to the book (it has pieces of at least four of the books in it that I could tell), but it was a great distillation of the story. It will be interesting to see where they take it from here.

Finding Nemo
What's to be said about this film that hasn't been said before? Probably nothing but that doesn't make it any less true. A great film. The graphics were an achievement, just as we've come to expect from Pixar. It wouldn't have mattered what medium you made this film in, though. The story was engrossing and the acting was truly inspired. Some people would say I probably have serious thrill issues, but this is an awesome film.

X2: X-men United
Brian Singer's usual tightly packed thrill-ride we expected. We got that. But we also got some glimpses into the people behind that "Wow!" and got to start exploring the deeper foundations of one of the most important issues of our times. X-men is a many things to many people, and this movie managed to touch on enough of all of them that people of all kinds found something to connect with. Well done, and we'll be waiting for the next installment.

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Finally King! Go me! ;)
Seriously, this film and it's companions taken together are a true masterwork. I don't know exactly how all the circumstances came together to bring this to life, but I am awfully grateful that it did. I first found out about these films over seven years ago, and I can honestly say that this was worth the wait. Now I'm doing an impatient potty dance for the special edition DVD. Then we can sit down and truly see the whole thing from beginning to end.