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I happened to read through some of my old year-end reviews a few days ago, and I noticed that I've often tried to justify why my choices are more obscure than you'll find in other lists. Rather than trot out those old arguments one more time, I'm going to hope that you're already walking with me on that road away from the multiplex and into more adventurous territory. And if you haven't broken out of the mundane, here are some films to look for when you're scanning through your video store or Netflix. As always, the criteria are that a movie had to play in Chicago in 2005 and I had to see it for the first time.

1. The films of Yasujiro Ozu
Last January and February, the Gene Siskel Film Center presented 25 films by the great Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu, and the experience of seeing even 15 of those will rank as one of the great moviegoing experiences of my life. Most of them were brilliant on their own, but they gained even more by seeing them all together. Watching Ozu's stable of actors (especially Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara) return again and again was akin to sitting down with old friends, and the director's graceful compositions and deeply empathic approach to narrative and character was like balm for the soul. Trying to describe Ozu in a sentence or two is impossible, but maybe one word will do--transcendent.

2. Best of Youth
This six-hour Italian film was the best new movie I saw last year. A family epic like _The Godfather_, but one that substitutes history and politics for gangsters and godfathers. Not that _Best of Youth_ is dull or pedantic. It's instead a vibrant tale of two brothers, a story that finds a beautiful balance between the personal and political, recognizing how the latter influences the former but never assuming that the grand gesture is more important than the small kiss.

3. Grizzly Man
Director Werner Herzog has always been fascinated by men just on the verge of madness who forsake civilization and try to carve out their own existence. It's no surprise then that he would be fascinated by the story of Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived among the grizzly bears of Alaska for thirteen summers before he was killed by one of "his" bears. Herzog skillfully combines interviews with people who knew Treadwell and Treadwell's own video footage to create an amazing portrait. But what elevates this movie into the sublime is Herzog's rigorous and exceedingly thoughtful narration in which he ponders, analyzes, and even argues with Treadwell about the nature of nature and the limits of our own knowledge.

4. The Devil's Miner
I caught this documentary of a 14-year-old Bolivian boy who supports his family by working in the precarious silver mines at last fall's Chicago International Film Festival. Not only is it a compelling story but the movie thoughtfully explores the larger issues of ethnicity, religion, and globalization. And unlike so many contemporary documentaries, this one is beautifully shot with spectacular footage from deep inside the mine and a powerful sense of the mountain landscape. It's simply a great film and, fortunately, Chicagoans get another chance to catch it when Doc Films screens it on Feb. 27.

5. The World
The latest film by director Jia Zhangke, _The World_ is set in a bizarre theme park in Beijing where Chinese citizens "visit" replicas of famous landmarks. The setting makes for some scintillating commentary on the nature of globalization and nationalism, but Jia also captures that restless feeling of being in your twenties. Like all great foreign films, it is an absolutely necessary window onto a part of the world that we know little about and a timely reminder of why we must broaden our horizons.

6. Be with Me
One of those quiet films I like so much, this little movie from Singapore was another favorite from the Chicago Film Festival. It's based on the autobiography of an older deaf-and-blind woman (who plays herself in the film), and director Eric Khoo surrounds her with a series of marvelous fictional characters, each one searching for or pining after true love. His formal rigor (spectacularly beautiful widescreen compositions and patient editing) mixes with a deeply emotional storyline for a powerhouse of a climax.

7. Pride and Prejudice
The real surprise of 2005. I don't usually like costume dramas or literary adaptations, so my expectations were low. But this is so delightful, so well made, and with such a great lead performance from Keira Knightley that any reservations I had just melted away. I've had the pleasure of recommending this to numerous folk, and every one has liked it just as much as I have.

8. Good Night, and Good Luck
Some movies are great because they're timeless and speak to the human condition. _Good Night, and Good Luck_ is great because it's timely and proclaims what this country needs to hear right now.  

9. Edvard Munch
Way back in January, the Gene Siskel Film Center showed this striking bio-pic about the artist Edvard Munch. Director Peter Watkins is known for his unorthodox documentaries, and this one explores Munch's childhood and adolescence while never simplifying the man's artistry. The finest cinematic portrait of a painter I've seen.

10. Touch the Sound / Jazz on a Summer Day
A tie for tenth between two music movies, one new and one old. _Touch the Sound_ is a wonderful follow-up to Thomas Riedelsheimer's _Rivers and Tides_ that focuses on a musician who's mostly deaf and plays by sensing vibrations and rhythm. _Jazz on a Summer Day_ is a remarkable documentary of a day at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. The film's ability to capture the feel of that day is magnificent, as are the performances by such luminaries as Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, and the great Mahalia Jackson. Her rendition of "The Lord's Prayer," which closes the film, is one for the ages.

For those who want to compare my list with other critics' top10s, here are my ten best films released theatrically in 2005: 1. Best of Youth, 2. Grizzly Man, 3. The World, 4. Pride and Prejudice, 5. Good Night, and Good Luck, 6. Touch the Sound, 7. The Edukators, 8. Cache, 9. King Kong, 10. Hitch.

Other highly worthy movies of 2005 include: Brothers, Cinderella Man, Crash, Hustle and Flow, Innocence, Last Days, Machuca, Millions, Paradise Now, Saraband, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Syriana, and The Weather Man.