Top Things of 2005
So, it’s 2006 now and time to reflect on things that happened in the past year. Nah don’t worry - there is no philosophy or politics or anything involved here. Just personal opinions and top lists of fun stuff 
The list started getting pretty big so I decided to split it into 2 parts. The first part covers movies and video games. The second part? Wait and watch.
Top 5 Movies:
Let’s start with the top 5 movies of 2005. I have compiled this list from like 10 or so movies that I saw this year.
5. Sin City
Why? Because it was such a cool movie. Fancy action, fantastic use of black & white with the occasional splash of color, Quentin Tarantino on the team, an ensemble star cast…need I say more?
4. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Undoubtedly one of the year’s funniest movies - it ended up being the sleeper hit of the year. Steve Carrell plays a 40-year-old still to have experienced sex. The movie follows him as his friends try desparately to get him laid. While certainly not a family film, it is definitely worth watching!
3. Batman Begins
The Dark Knight returns in a new avatar with Christian Bale essaying the role once played by the likes of George Clooney and Micheal Keaton. Chris Nolan did a brilliant job with this one and finally made a Batman movie that understood the famous DC character. Sequels are expected and I can hardly wait!
2. Serenity
If you have no idea what this movie is/was about, then you ought to watch the canceled TV show, Firefly. An awesome entertainer, this movie was a great fun. Decent acting, a good plot, and excellent dialogues make this one a must-watch! Unfortunately, the box-office collections did not meet expectations and we might not see the sequels that were initially planned as a trilogy. I say this one was a better space movie than Star Wars Episode III.
1. King Kong
One of the last big blockbusters of the year, King Kong was clearly the longest, and the best (as far as I am concerned). Peter Jackson always wanted to do a remake of the classic 1930s monster movie and now we know why. He infuses the movie with the same epic feeling as the Lord of the Rings and conjures up a thrilling entertainer. The movie is funny, tragic, and great. The Kong is truly King.
Special Mention: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
No George Lucas. No. You cannot recapture the glory of episodes 4, 5, and 6. Even though this one was by far the best prequel, it still can’t match up to 4, 5, and 6. Hayden Christensen was such a disaster. Again.
Other Notable Mentions:
Syriana - A good, serious movie about oil in the Middle-East. George Clooney does well as a bearded CIA agent.
A History of Violence - Watch Viggo Mortensen blow open a guy’s nose with a few quick jabs in this movie about a man with a violent past that he desparately wants to keep under wraps.
War of the Worlds - The second Tom Cruise-Steven Speilberg pairing comes good once again with this adaption of H.G. Wells’ classic book about Martians taking over the Earth and mankind fighting back for its survival.
And now, moving on to the best games of 2005. This part is limited by the fact that I am a PC Gamer. But what the hell…here goes nothing.
Top Game:
F.E.A.R. - Without a shadow of doubt F.E.A.R. was the best game on the PC. If Half Life 2 was the best game of last year, F.E.A.R. takes the crown this year. With Serious Sam II and Quake 4 sandwiching F.E.A.R., it still managed to come out on top. Excellent graphics, great graphics and an engrossing storyline make this a mind-blowing experience. I can say that this is one of the best FPSes I have ever played. If there is any flaw, it lies in the high system requirements. Otherwise, this game is nearly perfect.
Most Fun Game:
Unreal Tournament 2004 - Fortunately, this game did not come out in 2005 else I would have had a hard time choosing the top game. Nevertheless, this is the game that I played the most and had most fun with. Playing over the LAN was great and the sheer variety of game types will blow you away. If you haven’t played it yet, I suggest you give it a try and call a LAN Party!
Most Promising Demo:
Serious Sam II was one of the few games that I could only manage to play the demo of. The demo itself was seriously nice as it gave you a feel for what the full game would be like. SS goes back to the old school run n’ gun style of gameplay and does it well. Fancy, over-the-top weapons, pretty graphics, and the Sam’s frequent banter make the game seem interesting. Judging by the press reviews, SS2 was just above average. But I had a blast playing the demo!! King Kong and NFS: MW ran SS2 close.
Others:
Need For Speed: Most Wanted - Almost won the top honors. Not a bad game by any means - just not good enough for F.E.A.R. Nevertheless, one of the best NFS games ever.
Mario Kart DS - whoever thought racing around with Mario & Co. in funny little cars could be so much fun? I was pleasantly surprised when I played the game on my roommate’s DS. It’s oober fun to play and has variety. And I can vouch for the fact that this game is highly addictive especially since you can now go online using an optional WiFi accessory.
FarCry - I know that this is not a 2005 game. But I started playing it recently and it is amazing! I can’t believe what I missed out in 2004.
To Be Continued….
