Deacons for Defense (2005)

1965. Not long after passage of the Civil Rights Act. To the African-American citizens of Bogalusa, LA, however, it is "business as usual"; they are still treated like third-class citizens, their fundamental rights as human beings persistently trampled by the white power structure, in general, and the local branch of the KKK, in particular. Like many of the local black men, war veteran Marcus works in the town's mill for meager wages, and must endure the ongoing humiliation meted out by his white supervisors. But when he is beaten up by the police for the "outrage" of trying to defend his own daughter, Marcus is pushed too far. Encouraged by an idealistic white Northerner, Marcus organizes the Deacons, an all-black defense group dedicated to patrolling the black section of town and protecting its residents from the more violent aspects of "white backlash." 

Director: Bill Duke
Writers: Michael D'Antonio (story) and Richard Wesley (teleplay)
Stars: Forest Whitaker, Chris Britton and Jonathan Silverman
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335034/

Wolf Creek (2005)

Ben, Lizzie, and Kristy are three friends who, after a night of celebratory drinking, hit the road for a trip to Wolf Creek National Park, where they plan to spend a week hiking and surfing. The three friends are happy to be spending time together, especially after Ben makes the happy discovery that Lizzie is as infatuated with him as he is with her. However, after a long day on foot, Ben, Lizzie, and Kristy make the unpleasant discovery that their car's battery is dead, leaving them stuck in the middle of nowhere. Help arrives in the form of Mick, a burly but good-natured outdoorsman who happens upon them; Mick tells them that he can fix their car, and offers to give them a ride to his place down the road. Grateful but a bit nervous around the gregarious stranger, Ben, Lizzie, and Kristy offer Mick a wealth of thanks for his help, and give him some money for his troubles before they fall asleep around the campfire. The next morning, the travelers find themselves bound, gagged, drugged, and separated from one another, and they realize Mick is not the good Samaritan they imagined. 

Director: Greg Mclean
Writer: Greg Mclean
Stars: Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416315/

Boogeyman (2005)

Followed by Boogeyman 2 (2007). Every culture has one - the horrible monster fueling young children's nightmares. But for Tim, the Boogeyman still lives in his memories as a creature that devoured his father 16 years earlier. Is the Boogeyman real? Or did Tim make him up to explain why his father abandoned his family? The answer lies hidden behind every dark corner and half-opened closet of his childhood home - a place he must return to and face the chilling unanswered question does the Boogeyman really exist?

Director: Stephen Kay
Writers: Eric Kripke
Stars: Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel and Lucy Lawless
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0357507/

The Call of Cthulhu (2005)

A dying professor leaves his great-nephew a collection of documents pertaining to the Cthulhu Cult. The nephew begins to learn why the study of the cult so fascinated his grandfather. Bit-by-bit he begins piecing together the dread implications of his grandfather's inquiries, and soon he takes on investigating the Cthulhu cult as a crusade of his own. As he pieces together the dreadful and disturbing reality of the situation, his own sanity begins to crumble. In the end, he passes the torch to his psychiatrist, who in turn hears Cthulhu's call.

Director: Andrew Leman
Writers: H.P. Lovecraft (short story) and Sean Branney (screenplay)
Stars: Matt Foyer, John Bolen and Ralph Lucas
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478988/

Æon Flux (2005)

400 years in the future, set in the year 2415, Aeon Flux is a mysterious assassin. Four centuries after a virus nearly annihilated the human race, leaving only five million survivors in a utopian city called Bregna. Aeon is struggling to destroy the Goodchild regime led by its namesake, Trevor Goodchild, the ruler of Bregna and a descendant of the man who found a cure for the deadly virus. As instructed by the Handler, Aeon is assigned to assassinate Goodchild, but there are deeper secrets to be discovered, and conspiracies to be foiled.

Director: Karyn Kusama
Writers: Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi
Stars: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand and Sophie Okonedo
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402022/

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

 

Arthur Dent is a very ordinary man who is having a truly unusual day -- after discovering that one of his best friends, Ford Prefect, is actually an alien, Ford tells him that the planet Earth is going to be destroyed so that otherworldly forces can make room for construction of a hyperspace bypass. Since Arthur accidentally saved Ford's life years ago, Ford does him a favor -- he first gets him a ride on a spaceship passing by, and then presents him with a guidebook that will tell a beginner everything he needs to know as he hitchhikes through outer space. Along the way, Arthur encounters such interstellar notables as sleazy Galaxy president Zaphod Beebelbrox, the girl of his dreams Tricia McMillan, perpetually glum robot Marvin, interplanetary construction magnate Slartibartfast, and cult leader Humma Kavula.

Director: Garth Jennings
Writers: Douglas Adams
Stars: Martin Freeman, Mos Def and Sam Rockwell
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371724/

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005)

Follows Oldboy (2003). After thirteen and half years in prison for kidnapping and murdering the boy Park Won-mo, Geum-ja Lee is released and tries to fix her life. She finds a job in a bakery; she orders the manufacturing of a special weapon; she reunites with her daughter, who was adopted by an Australian family; and she plots revenge against the real killer of Won-mo, the English teacher Mr. Baek. With the support of former inmates from prison, Geum-ja seeks an unattained redemption with her vengeance.

Director: Chan-wook Park
Writers: Chan-wook Park and Seo-Gyeong Jeong
Stars: Yeong-ae Lee, Min-sik Choi and Tony Barry
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451094/

The Proposition (2005)

Charlie Burns is a criminal living in the outback. He and his two brothers, Arthur and Mikey, are on the run from the law for rape and murder. Arthur is a violent and dangerous sociopath with a much longer rap sheet than his siblings and a reputation for hiding out in villages so lawless the police are afraid to visit them, while Mikey is a much younger and more impressionable chap.The authorities capture Charlie and Mikey after a bloody shootout, and the brothers are handed over to Capt. Stanley, a British lawman sent to Australia to help bring order to the colonies. Stanley proposes a deal to Charlie, explaining that it's Arthur he really wants, and that he's willing to spare the childlike and terrified Mikey if Charlie can find Arthur and murder him. Charlie, realizing that this is his only hope to save his simpleton younger brother, agrees and sets out to find and execute his other brother, who he believes has gone too far into the world of crime. As Charlie scours the backwaters of Australia, he encounters Jellon Lamb, an educated yet thoroughly menacing bounty hunter. Meanwhile, Stanley struggles to bring a European sense of civility to the rough and tumble land he now calls home, while his wife Martha becomes the focus of the lustful appetites of the men in town.

Director: John Hillcoat
Writer: Nick Cave
Stars: Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce and Emily Watson
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0421238/

The Jacket (2005)

In 1991, Jack Starks was an American soldier serving in the Persian Gulf when he was shot in the head; pronounced dead by a field surgeon, Starks somehow returned to life, though with no small number of psychological problems to show for his troubles. A year later, Starks is walking through the snowy Vermont wilderness when he discovers a woman whose truck has broken down. Starks tries to help her and her young daughter, and later flags down a car for a ride into town; however, the car is being driven by a criminal on the run, and not long after the car is cornered by police, Starks' memory goes blank. When he comes to, Jack is accused of killing a patrolman in the violent standoff that followed. Declared insane in his murder trial, Starks is sentenced to a mental institution run by Dr. Becker. As Starks suffers frequent beatings and long spells in a frozen locker, his mind drifts from his harrowing past into the future, where he visits the young girl he tried to help.

Director: John Maybury
Writers: Tom Bleecker and Marc Rocco
Stars: Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley and Kris Kristofferson
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366627/

The Devil's Rejects (2005)

Follows House of 1000 Corpses (2003). The tribe of violent lunatics and decidedly valueless family members of the original film, who have come to be known as the "Devil's Rejects." After learning of the extended family's horrific attacks, a SWAT team is sent to take them into custody; all but their crazed Mama escape. In addition to creating a full-fledged media circus, this sends the sociopath housemates, Otis and Baby, on the run, and they initiate a deadly road trip. Meanwhile, Mama has to deal with the violent Sheriff Wydell, who is seeking revenge for the death of his brother, Deputy George Wydell.

Director: Rob Zombie
Writers: Rob Zombie
Stars: Sid Haig, Sheri Moon Zombie and Bill Moseley
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395584/

The Constant Gardener (2005)

In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle, will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.

Director: Fernando Meirelles
Writers: Jeffrey Caine (screenplay) and John le Carré (novel)
Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz and Danny Huston
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387131/

The Notorious Bettie Page (2005)

In 1955, Bettie Page waits to testify before a Senate subcommittee investigating the effects of pornographic material on American adolescents and juveniles. In flashbacks, we see her childhood in Tennessee, a brief marriage, a gang rape, and her going to New York City in 1949. There she takes acting lessons, models for photos, and acts in short films for adults, earning the nickname, "The Pin-Up Queen of the Universe." We see her relationship with merchants Irving and Paula Klaw, photographers John Willie and Bunny Yeager, boyfriends, and the public. Through it all, she is wholesome, sporting, and forthright - Eve before the fall.

Director: Mary Harron
Writers: Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner
Stars: Gretchen Mol, Lili Taylor and Chris Bauer
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404802/

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

In the early 1950's, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear-monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.

Director: George Clooney
Writers: George Clooney and Grant Heslov
Stars: David Strathairn, George Clooney and Patricia Clarkson
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433383/

Feast (2005)

Followed by Feast II: Sloppy Seconds (2008). In a remote bar, costumers are advised by a newcomer to seal the place since hungry monsters will attack them in a couple of minutes. The man is immediately devoured and the clients organize a strategy to defend the place under siege of deadly creatures.

Director: John Gulager
Writers: Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton
Stars: Navi Rawat, Krista Allen and Balthazar Getty
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0426459/

Beowulf & Grendel (2005)

In an adventure imbrued with blood and tragedy, the legendary Norseman Beowulf must command an army across the seas of ancient Northern Europe to conquer the evil troll Grendel. Anticipating his epic crusade against the wrathful monster, the warrior must arbitrate his emanating notoriety and his relationship with the enchanting Selma amid a time of barbaric turmoil and transformation with the emergence of the Christian faith.

Director: Sturla Gunnarsson
Writers: Andrew Rai Berzins
Stars: Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgård and Sarah Polley
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402057/

Serenity (2005)

Follows Firefly TV series (2002). In the future, when a passenger with a deadly secret. Six rebels on the run. An assassin in pursuit. When the renegade crew of Serenity agrees to hide a fugitive on their ship, they find themselves in an awesome action-packed battle between the relentless military might of a totalitarian regime who will destroy anything - or anyone - to get the girl back and the bloodthirsty creatures who roam the uncharted areas of space. But, the greatest danger of all may be on their ship. From the mind of Joss Whedon, comes a new edge-of-your-seat adventure loaded with explosive battles, gripping special effects and fantastic new worlds.

Director: Joss Whedon
Writer: Joss Whedon
Stars: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres and Chiwetel Ejiofor
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379786/

Die You Zombie Bastards! (2005)

Thrill to the mayhem that ensues when ever-lovable serial killer Red Toole sets off on a globe-trotting quest in search of his missing wife, the lovely Violet -- caught in the clutches of the evil Baron Nefarious who, of course, plans to conquer the world (or something) by turning everyone into mindless zombie slaves! See! A serial-killer superhero with a cape made of human flesh! Hear! Legendary one-man band & rockabilly pioneer Hasil Adkins! Smell! Scalding, molten cheese disfiguring pert young bodies! Hear! An exclusive and eclectic rock 'n' roll soundtrack!

Director: Caleb Emerson
Writers: Caleb Emerson and Haig Demarjian
Stars: Tim Gerstmar, Geoff Mosher and Pippi Zornoza
More info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349349/