Top 5 of Everything 2005

Politics & Pop Culture

2005's Top 5 Chicago Scandals
Rigged City Hall hiring for political favors
Chicago Water Department's involvement in Colombian heroin ring
George Ryan's drama-ridden corruption trial
The Millennium Park Grill's inside investor perks and free city favors
Google's lack of search results for: "Chicago Scandals in 2005."
--J.C. Geiger

2005's Top 5 Things to Ban in 2006
Fire
Meat
Cockroaches
Education
Uninformed Slippery-Slope Arguments
--Emerson Dameron

2005's Top 5 Surprises
White Sox winning the World Series
Bush admitting no WMDs in Iraq
A German Pope
Bono as Person of the Year
No wardrobe malfunctions
--Dennis Polkow

Film

2005's Top 5 Domestic Films
"A History of Violence, " David Cronenberg
"The Squid and the Whale," Noah Baumbach
"Brokeback Mountain," Ang Lee
"The Constant Gardener," Fernando Meirelles
"The New World," Terrence Malick
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Foreign Films
"Kings and Queen," Arnaud Desplechin
"The Holy Girl," Lucretia Martel
"The Beat That My Heart Skipped," Jacques Audiard
"Head-On," Fatih Akin
"Saraband," Ingmar Bergman
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Documentaries
"Darwin's Nightmare," Hubert Sauper
"Grizzly Man," Werner Herzog
"3 Rooms of Melancholia," Pirjo Honkaalo
"The White Diamond," Werner Herzog
"Gunner Palace," Michael Tucker
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Films
"Good Night, and Good Luck," George Clooney
"The Constant Gardener," Fernando Meirelles
"Brokeback Mountain," Ang Lee
"Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," Shane Black
"The Squid and the Whale," Noah Baumbach
--Tom Lynch

2005's Top 5 Films for Cinematography
"2046," Christopher Doyle, Kwan Pun-leung, Lai Yiu-fai
"The Constant Gardener," César Charlone
"The New World," Emmanuel Lubezki
"Kings and Queen," Eric Gautier
"Last Days," Harris Savides
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Male Performances in Film
Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain"
Jeff Daniels, "The Squid and the Whale"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"
Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk the Line"
Yuya Yagira, "Nobody Knows"
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Female Performances in Film
Emmanuelle Devos, "Kings and Queen"
Q'orianka Kilcher, "The New World"
Sibel Kekilli, "Head-On"
Joan Allen, "The Upside of Anger"
Keira Knightley, "Pride & Prejudice"
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Male Supporting Performances in Film
Frank Langella, "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Matthieu Amalric, "Munich"
William Hurt, "A History of Violence"
Ray Wise, "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Werner Herzog, "Grizzly Man"
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Female Supporting Performances in Film
Amy Adams, "Junebug"
Maria Bello, "A History of Violence"
Ziyi Zhang, "2046"
Michelle Williams, "Brokeback Mountain"
Sarah Silverman, "The Aristocrats"
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Overlooked Films
"Funny Ha Ha," Andrew Bujalski
"The Ice Harvest," Harold Ramis
"Look at Me," Agnès Jaoui'
"Junebug," Phil Morrison
"Duma," Carroll Ballard
--Ray Pride

2005's Top 5 Performances in Film
Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain"
Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"
Jeff Daniels, "The Squid and the Whale"
Robert Downey, Jr., "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"
Jeffrey Wright, "Broken Flowers"
--Tom Lynch

Music

2005's Top 5 Albums
The Mountain Goats, "The Sunset Tree" (4AD)
M83, "Before the Dawn Heals Us" (Mute U.S.)
The Decemberists, "Picaresque" (Kill Rock Stars)
Sigur Ros, "Takk..." (Geffen Records)
Sufjan Stevens, "Illinois" (Asthmatic Kitty)
--Tom Lynch

2005's Top 5 Dance Singles
Sia, "Breathe Me" (Go Beat)
LCD Soundsystem, "Tribulations" (Capitol)
Lady Sovereign, "Random" (Chocolate Industries)
Death From Above 1979, "Black History Month" (Alan Braxe and Fred Falke Remix) (Vice)
Royksopp, "Only this Moment" (Astralwerks)
--Melissa Lane

2005's Top 5 Club Albums
LCD Soundsystem, "LCD Soundsystem" (Capitol)
Various Artists, "Run the Road" (Vice/Atlantic)
The Juan Maclean, "Less Than Human" (DFA)
Annie, "Anniemal" (Big Beat)
Audion, "Suckfish" (Spectral Sound)
--Melissa Lane

2005's Top 5 Albums
Placido Domingo, Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" (EMI Classics)
Jimmy Smith, "Retrospective" (Blue Note)
Cecilia Bartoli, "Opera Prohibta" (Decca)
Paul McCartney, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" (Capital)
Amadou & Mariam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch)
--Dennis Polkow

2005's Top 5 Local Albums
New Black, "Time Attack" (Thick Records)
J+J+J, "They Hump While We Go Nuts" (Johann's Face)
The Notes and Scratches, "uh-oh" (Tense Forms)
The Dials, "Flex Time" (Latest Flame)
Pelican, "Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw" (Hydrahead Records)
--Tom Lynch

2005's Top 5 Overlooked Albums
Great Lake Swimmers, "Great Lake Swimmers" (Misra Records)
Mice Parade, "Bem-Vinda Vontade" (Bubble Core)
Headphones, "Headphones" (Suicide Sqeeze)
Shout Out Louds, "Howl Howl Gaff Gaff" (Capitol)
Say Hi to Your Mom, "Ferocious Mopes" (Euphobia Records)
--Tom Lynch

2005's Top 5 Shows
Smoking Popes at Metro
Sufjan Stevens at Metro
Sigur Ros at Chicago Theatre
Sleater-Kinney/Dead Meadow at Riviera Theater
The Dials at Empty Bottle
--Tom Lynch

2005's Top 5 "Not So Rock" Albums
Gorillaz, "Demon Days" (Virgin)
Prefuse 73, "Surrounded by Silence" (Warp)
Various Artists, "Run the Road" (Vice)
Boards of Canada, "Campfire Headphase" (Warp)
Lady Sovereign, "Vertically Challenged" (Chocolate Industries)
--Brad Knutson

2005's Top 5 Chillout Albums
Bliss, "Quiet Letters" (Quango)
Brazilian Girls, "Brazilian Girls" (Verve)
Nouvelle Vague, "Nouvelle Vague" (Luaka Bop)
Various Artists, "Best of Claude Challe" (Chall'o Music)
Lux, "Northern Lights" (Tundra)
--Lorenzo De Jesus Martínez

2005's Top 5 Dance Rock Albums
Various Artists, "DFA Albums Holiday Mix" (DFA)
Various Artists, "Twisted: Indie Dance Floorfillers For A Twisted Generation" (Universal)
The Bravery, "The Bravery" (Island)
The Juan Maclean, "Less Than Human" (DFA)
Who Made Who, "Who Made Who" (Gomma)
--Lorenzo De Jesus Martínez

2005's Top 5 Electro/IDM Albums
Various Artists, "Channel Four Compilation" (Output)
Jackson and His Computer Band, "Smash" (Warp)
A.D.U.L.T., "Gimme Trouble" (Thrill Jockey)
Gavin Keitel, "Electric" (E.Q. Studio)
Boards Of Canada, "The Campfire Headphase" (Warp)
--Lorenzo De Jesus Martínez

2005's Top 5 Techno Albums
Miss Kittin, "Mixing Me" (Astralwerks)
Dave Clarke, "World Service 2" (Resist)
Black Strobe, "The Other Side: Paris" (Breakbeat Science)
Adam Beyer, "Fabric 22" (Fabric)
Joey Beltram, "Joey Beltram" (Trax)
--Lorenzo De Jesus Martínez

2005's Top 5 House Albums
DJ Sneak, "House of Om" (Om)
Derrick Carter and Luke Solomon, "A Classic Decade--10 Years of The Classic Music Company" (Classic)
Jay-J, "Connected" (Defected)
Armando, "Armando" (Trax)
Various Artists, "Acid: Can You Jack?" (Chicago Acid & Experimental House 1985-1995) (SoulJazz)
--Lorenzo De Jesus Martínez

2005's Top 5 Minimal Albums
Various Artists, "Spectral Sound Volume 1" (Spectral)
Richie Hawtin, "De9: Transitions" (NovaMute)
The Orb, "Okie Dokie It's the Orb On Kompkat" (Kompakt)
Various Artists, "Minimize to Maximize" (Minus)
Ivan Smagghe, "Fabric 23" (Fabric)
--Lorenzo De Jesus Martínez

2005's Top 5 Top Rock Albums
Spoon, "Gimme Fiction" (Merge)
Wilco, "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago" (Nonesuch)
Wolf Parade, "Apologies to Queen Mary" (Subpop)
Sigur Ros, "Takk..." (Geffen)
Depeche Mode, "Playing the Angel" (Mute)
--Lorenzo De Jesus Martínez

2005's Top 5 Albums Featuring or Curated by Alan Bishop
Sun City Girls, "Uncle Jim's Stars of Greenwich Meantime" (BVF)
Various Artists, "Choubi! Choubi!: Folk and Pop Music of Iraq" (Sublime Frequencies)
Alvarius B, "Blood Operatives of the Barium Sunset" (Abduction)
Ennio Morricone, "Crime and Dissonance" (Ipecac)
Sun City Girls, "Montreal Pop" (Abduction)
--Emerson Dameron

2005's Top 5 Classical Concerts
Cecila Bartoli (Orchestra Hall)
Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony with James Conlon and the Chicago Symphony (Ravinia)
James Levine and the Chicago Symphony (Orchestra Hall)
Beaux Arts Trio (Ravinia)
Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony (Grant Park)
--Dennis Polkow


Books

2005's Top 5 Books
"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," Jonathan Safran Foer (Houghton Miflin)
"No Country for Old Men," Cormac McCarthy (Knopf)
"The Town That Forgot How to Breathe," Kenneth J. Harvey (St. Martin's Press)
"Goodbye, Goodness," Sam Brumbaugh (Open City Books)
"Faith for Beginners," Aaron Hamburger (Random House)
--Tom Lynch

2005's Top 5 Nonfiction Books
"Oh the Glory of It All," Sean Wilsey (Penguin Press)
"The Disappointment Artist," Jonathan Lethem (Doubleday)
"Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife," Mary Roach (W.W. Norton)
"The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Industry," Legs McNeil, Jennifer Osborne (Regan Books)
"Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession," Marc Romano (Broadway)
--Tom Lynch

2005's Top 5 Books by Local Authors
"The Three Incestuous Sisters: An Illustrated Novel," Audrey Niffenegger (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.)
"All This Heavenly Glory," Elizabeth Crane (Little, Brown)
"Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything," Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner (William Morrow)
"The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury," Sam Weller (William Morrow)
"Bluebirds Used to Croon in the Choir," Joe Meno (Triquarterly)
--Tom Lynch


Art & Museums

2005's Top 5 Photography Shows
Christopher Schneberger, Flatfile Galleries
Agustin V. Casasola, La Llorona Art Gallery
Mark Klett, DePaul University Art Gallery
Paul Clark, Bell Studio
Andre Kertesz, Stephen Daiter Gallery
--Michael Weinstein

2005's Top 5 Gallery Shows
"Tragic Beauty," Open End Gallery
Jim Dine, Richard Gray Gallery
Burtonwood/Holmes, gescheidle gallery
Christopher Schneberger, Flatfile Galleries
Philip von Zweck, Gallery 400
--Michael Workman

2005's Top 5 Museum Shows
"Universal Experience: Art, Life and the Tourist's Eye," Museum of Contemporary Art
Ruth Duckworth, Chicago Cultural Center
"Tropicalia," Museum of Contemporary Art
"Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art"--Smart Museum of Art
Inigo Manglano Ovalle, Art Institute of Chicago
--Michael Workman

2005's Top 5 Museum Shows
"Bodyworlds" (Museum of Science & Industry)
"Lost Spacecraft: Liberty Bell 7 Recovered" (Adler Planetarium)
"Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmarte" (Art Institute)
"Pompeii: Stories From an Eruption (Field Museum)
"Hero, Hawk and Open Hand" (Art Institute)
--Dennis Polkow

2005's Top 5 Alt-Space/Emerging Shows
Von Kommanivanh, Walsh Gallery
I Am/You Are, You Are Beautiful, Foundation Gallery/Open End
Chicago Art Department
BMOMA #2, Bridgeport Museum of Modern Art
Paul Nudd, Butcher Shop/Dogmatic
--Michael Workman

2005's Top 5 Curators
Francesco Bonami, Museum of Contemporary Art
Stephanie Smith, Smart Museum of Art
Hamza Walker, Rennaissance Society
Lorelei Stewart, Gallery 400
Allison Stites, ATC Gallery
--Michael Workman

2005's Top 5 Art Spots on the Internet
Bad at Sports, http://badatsports.libsyn.com
Artletter, www.artletter.com
Iconoduel, www.iconoduel.org
Art or Idiocy?, http://artoridiocy.blogspot.com
Othergroup, www.othergroup.net
--Michael Workman


Stage

2005's Top 5 Stage Productions
"Dollhouse" (The Goodman)
"The Cabinet" (Redmoon)
"Death of a Salesman" (The Hypocrites)
"Red Light Winter" (Steppenwolf Garage)
"Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)" (Dog & Pony)
--Nina Metz

2005's Top 5 Plays
"The Cabinet," (Redmoon)
"Amerikafka," (Trap Door)
"Mabou Mines Dollhouse," (Court/MCA)
"The Glory of Living," (Profiles)
"The Pain and the Itch," (Steppenwolf)
--John Beer

2005's Top 5 Performance Pieces
"When Will the September Roses Bloom?" (Goat Island)
"Corpus Delicti," (Local Infinities)
"L'air Lair," (Chremos Rosenthal)
"Musicircus," (MCA)
"Match of the Day," (Industry of the Ordinary)
--John Beer

2005's Top 5 Musical Theater Productions
"Man of La Mancha" (Court Theater)
"Oliver!" (Marriott)
"Carnival" (Light Opera Works)
"The Fantasticks" (No Exit Café)
"Anyone Can Whistle" (Ravinia)
--Dennis Polkow

2005's Top 5 Opera Productions
Wagner's "Ring" Cycle (Lyric Opera)
"Fidelio" (Lyric Opera)
"The Merry Widow" (Light Opera Works)
"Marriage of Figaro" (Chicago Opera Theater)
"Mikado version 2.005" (Pheasant Run)
--Dennis Polkow

2005's Top 5 Shows That Deserved More Hype
"To the Green Fields Beyond" (Writers')
"The Last Two Minutes of the Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen" (Neo-Futurists)
"Band Geeks: A Halftime Musical" (Single Box Turn)
"Daredevils" (Neo-Futurists)
"Gagarin Way" (A Red Orchid)
--Nina Metz

2005's Top 5 Clunkers
"Sweet Charity" (Broadway in Chicago)
"Bark!" (Chicago Center for Performing Arts)
"Lost Land" (Steppenwolf)
"From Nothing" (Redmoon)
"Patriots" (Neo-Futurists)
--Nina Metz

2005's Top 5 Site-Specific Shows
"Danny and the Deep Blue Sea" (Slimtack)
"Bottle Can Draft" (Sandbox)
"Psycho-So-Matic" (Walkabout)
"Dirty Water" (Wicked Good)
"Oompahpah" (Redmoon)
--Nina Metz

(2005-12-27)

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