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Quick Picks - Year 1980

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Brothers Grimm, The

PG-13 | 2005 | Matt Damon, Heath Ledger | Critics: 6-5-3-2-4

Brothers Will and Jake Grimm are a couple of travelling con-artists who investigate the disappearance of two girls. While trying to solve the mystery, they encounter an evil sorceress.

Cave, The

PG-13 | 2005 | Cole Hauser, Morris Chestnut | Critics: 5-2

Deep-sea divers trapped in a cave are preyed upon by vicious creatures out for blood.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

PG | 2005 | Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore | Critics: 7-5

A young boy wins a candy bar contest and takes a guided tour of Willy Wonka's giant chocolate factory in this adaptation of Roald Dahl's tale.

Because of an earlier cry-wolf situation, the denizens of Oakey Oaks have labeled Chicken Little a bit of an alarmist. All that old resentment disappears when the little guy scores a winning run in a championship game and becomes the toast of the town. When he again thinks the sky is falling, he's loath to tell anyone, even though, this time, the sky really is falling. Now he must figure out a way to save the world and his rep.

Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

PG | 2005 | Georgie Henley, William Moseley | Critics: 8-7-8-6

During World War II, the four Pevensie children are sent to a country home so that they'll be safe from foreign attack. Once there, they discover a magic wardrobe that is really a portal to the mystical land of Narnia, where a war between good and evil is underway. Based on a series of novels by CS Lewis.

Cinderella Man

PG-13 | 2005 | Russell Crowe, Rene Zellweger | Critics: 9-9-5-4-8

Set during the Depression, this is the story of boxer Jim Braddock, an American folk hero who went a memorable 15 rounds in a 1935 fight with heavyweight champ Max Baer.

Confession

Not Rated | 2005 | Chris Pine, Cameron Daddo | Critics: 7

A priest learns the secrets of an unsolved murder and must decide whether to stay silent or betray his priesthood.

Corpse Bride

PG | 2005 | Voices of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter | Critics: 8-7-8-7

After a man jokingly puts a wedding ring on the finger of a skeleton, he gets more than he bargained for a dead woman appears to him as a ghost and claims she's his legal bride.

Dark Water

PG-13 | 2005 | Jennifer Connelly, Ariel Gade | Critics: 8-7-4-9-5

A single mother and her daughter move into a run-down apartment building that is haunted by the ghost of a former resident. Based on the Japanese cult horror film.

Dear Frankie

PG-13 | 2005 | Emily Mortimer, Jack McElhone | Critics: 9-8-6-6

A loving mother makes up fairy stories for her deaf son about his long, lost dad. In truth, the guy left them high and dry and hasn't been heard from since. Lovely and sentimental.

Dreamer

PG | 2005 | Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning | Critics: 8-7-8-5

A broken-down horse trainer and a broken-down horse are both given a second chance for success when the daughter of the trainer makes it her mission to mend both man and nag and send them off to the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Duma

PG | 2005 | Alexander Michaletos, Hope Davis | Critics: 8-8

Xan, a young boy growing up in the wilds Africa, finds an orphaned cheetah cub that he turns into a pet and names Duma. After a tragic occurrence befalls Xan and his parents, Xan finds himself living in the city with Duma. Realising he must return the cheetah to his natural habitat, Xan sets off on the adventure of a lifetime.

Exorcism of Emily Rose, The

PG-13 | 2005 | Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson | Critics: 8-5-4-5-5

A lawyer takes on a negligent-homicide case involving a priest who performed an exorcism on a young woman. This resulted in the woman's death, and now the priest who performed it is in prison.

First Descent

PG-13 | 2005 | Documentary | Critics: 5

Snapshot: A look at snowboarding and some of those who participate in the sport.

Flightplan

PG-13 | 2005 | Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard | Critics: 9-5-6-6

An emotionally devastated widow and her daughter embark on a transatlantic flight from Berlin to New York. When the girl vanishes without a trace, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never on board which results in paranoia and doubt among the passengers and crew of the plane.

Game of their Lives

PG | 2005 | Gerard Butler, Wes Bentley | Critics: 4-3-5-4

In 1950, in the small Brazilian town of Belo Horizonte, the US soccer team a ragtag group of part-time players won an exciting match against the favoured-to-win British team, which included some of the world's greatest players. Even the New York Times refused to print the score, calling it some kind of hoax.

Good Night and Good Luck

PG | 2005 | David Strathairn, George Clooney | Critics: 10-8

Set during the early days of broadcast TV in the 1950s, CBS anchorman Edward R. Murrow's conflicts with Senator Joseph McCarthy and his communist witch-hunts. The feud culminated when the politician accused the newsman of being a communist himself.

Great Raid, The

R | 2005 | Joseph Fiennes, James Franco | Critics: 7-8-7-5-6

500 American POWs have been entrapped in a Japanese prison camp for three years. Beginning to give up hope they will ever be rescued, they are saved by a group of Rangers in a daring rescue mission.

Greatest Game Ever Played, The

PG | 2005 | Shia LaBeouf, Stephen Dillane | Critics: 8-9-9-5

True story about an underprivileged caddy, Francis Ouimet, who beat the odds to play at the 1913 US Open golf championship and eventually defeated the reigning champion, Harry Vardon.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

PG-13 | 2005 | Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint | Critics: 9-8-8-7

In his fourth year at Hogwarts, clever, resourceful Harry Potter is selected to take part in the Triwizard Tournament, competing against other young wizards from all over Europe. Things begin to look suspiciuos, however, when Lord Voldemort shows his face again, and soon it's not just a question of Harry taking home the winner's cup—he must fight for his life as well.

Have No Fear : The Life of Pope John Paul II

G | 2005 | Thomas Kretschmann | Critics: 7-5-8-9-9

The life story of this Pope whose love for the Church and people captured the world. A must see.

Herbie: Fully Loaded

G | 2005 | Lindsay Lohan, Breckin Meyer

The free-wheelin' Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own is back. This time, the famed VW and its owner try to become NASCAR racers.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The

PG | 2005 | Martin Freeman, Mos Def | Critics: 8-4-7-5-6

Based on Douglas Adams' cult novel, this remake of the quirky BBC TV series chronicles the adventures of an average bloke in outer space.

Howl’s Moving Castle

PG | 2005 | Voice of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale | Critics: 7-10-9-10-7

Sophie, a teenager who works in a hat shop, is whisked away to a fantastic land by a handsome wizard named Howl. But a mean witch turns her into a 90-year-old woman. Now Sophie must drag her old bones all over the place to try and find an antidote.

John Paul II

NR-TV | 2005 | CBS miniseries | Critics: 7

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A tick on the bottom right corner indicates a superior work -- although this is obviously a matter of taste. To give another quality benchmark for films, we have surveyed some leading critics and recorded their views, on a scale of 1 (poor) to 10 (outstanding).