2004 may have been the Year of the Foxx (Jamie, that is) but 2005 has certainly turned out to be a breakout year for Terrence Howard. The versatile thespian received rave reviews for his powerful performances in a half-dozen feature films, most notably, Crash, Hustle & Flow, Animal and Four Brothers.
He also appeared in Get Rich or Die Tryin’ and The Salon, and a couple of made-for-TV movies, Lackawanna Blues and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Just like Jamie, he has a shot at landing Oscar nominations in both the lead (for Hustle & Flow) and supporting (for Crash) actor categories.
But Terrence wasn’t the only brother or sister in the industry to distinguish him or herself, so for better or worse. So without further ado, in the interest of celebrating excellence and of eradicating mediocrity in movies, permit me to present Blacktrospective 2005, an annual report card which shines a light on black overachievement and underachievement in cinema.
Best Black Films of 2005
1. Crash
2. Coach Carter
3. Hustle & Flow
4. Hitch
5. The Gospel
6. Four Brothers
7. G
8. The Reception
9. Guess Who
10. In the Mix
Documentaries
1. The Vanishing Black Male
2. Calypso Dreams
3. The Untold Story of Emmett Till
4. Emmanuel’s Gift
5. After Innocence
6. Darwin’s Nightmare
7. Aristide and the Endless Revolution
8. Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death
9. Mad Hot Ballroom
10. The Swenkas
Best Actors
1. Terrence Howard (Crash, Animal, Hustle & Flow, Four Brothers)
2. Samuel L. Jackson (Coach Carter)
3. Clifton Powell (The Gospel)
4. Will Smith (Hitch)
5. Ving Rhames (Animal)
6. Larenz Tate (Crash)
7. Blair Underwood (G)
8. Boris Kodjoe (The Gospel)
9. Ludacris (Crash)
10. Bernie Mac (Guess Who)
Best Actresses
1. Thandie Newton (Crash)
2. Wanda Sykes (Monster-in-Law)
3. Taraji Henson (Hustle & Flow, Four Brothers, Animal)
4. Paula Jai Parker (Hustle & Flow, Animal)
5. Tamyra Gray (The Gospel)
6. Zoe Saldana (Guess Who)
7. Nona Gaye (The Gospel)
8. Wendy Raquel Robinson (Rebound)
9. Dianne Reeves (Good Night, and Good Luck)
10. Gabrielle Union (The Honeymooners)
Best Directors
1. Hisani Dubose (The Vanishing Black Male)
2. Thomas Carter (Coach Carter)
3. Keith Beauchamp (The Untold Story of Emmett Till)
4. Rob Hardy (The Gospel)
5. John Singleton (Four Brothers)
6. Christopher Scott Cherot (G)
7. Kevin Rodney Sullivan (Guess Who)
8. Angela Robinson (Herbie: Fully Loaded)
9. Tim Story (Fantastic Four)
10. Billie Woodruff (Beauty Shop)
Worst Movies
1. Get Rich or Die Tryin’
2. Roll Bounce
3. The Man
4. King’s Ransom
5. Death of a Dynasty
Worst Actors
1. 50 Cent (Get Rich or Die Tryin’)
2. The Rock (Be Cool)
3. Bow Wow (Roll Bounce)
4. Ice Cube (xXx 2, Are We There Yet)
5. Chris Rock (The Longest Yard)
Worst Actresses
1. Tyler Perry (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
2. Regina Hall (Miss Congeniality 2, King’s Ransom)
3. Rosario Dawson (Sin City)
4. Nia Long (Are We There Yet)
5. Kimberly Elise (Diary of a Mad Black Woman)
Note: Thanks to fellow film critic Wilson Morales of BlackFilm.com for his very valuable assistance in researching this article, although all the lists strictly reflect the opinion of Kam Williams.