There's a matter-of-factness about David Strathairn's performance that's as refreshing as it is stern.  As TV journalist Edward R. Murrow, leading the fight against red-baiting Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the actor embodies calm, diplomatic might in a very familiar battle against media manipulation.  It's a dream showcase for an actor who supremely fits the role.

After writing the screenplay for last year's Best Picture-winning "Million Dollar Baby," Haggis scored again with this thought-provoking exploration of race issues in L.A.  Twisted but revealing, it deserves to be seen and discussed for a long time.

After a mostly disappointing decade, Woody Allen returned with one the sharpest thrillers in years -- and the film most unlike the rest in his canon.  It explores the role of fate and luck in determining our places in life, and does an exhilarating job of mounting suspense.

The repressed love between gay ranch hands in 1963 Wyoming is every bit as universal as the straight romances of a million other movies.  That it's written, scored, photographed, and acted this superbly makes it that much more monumental.

The German master took the tapes of Timothy Treadwell, reconnected with his old friends and acquaintances, and fashioned them into the year's best film.  His indelible stamp is all over this terrific work of non-fiction that shamefully went ignored by Oscar.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fairly (and tautly) explored in Steven Spielberg's second success of the year, following "War of the Worlds."  In "Munich," he gets right to the heart of the neverending cycle of terrorism and violence that still consumes us today.

One of the less-heralded auteurs of recent years, Cronenberg showed that he's still in top form with this spare, jolting thriller about revenge.  He also culls edgy, excellent performances from his entire mesmeric cast.

Ledger gives a career-transforming performance in Ang Lee's drama as Ennis Del Mar, a man so unfamiliar with the feelings stirred up by his fellow ranch hand that he ends up denying himself true love for the duration of his frustrating, empty life.

Bana went from a bad performance in a bad film ("The Hulk") to a good performance in a bad film ("Troy") to a good performance in a good film ("Munich").  But it's more than good -- it's a startling evocation of the perils of revenge...and paranoia.

I've always hated the phrase "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," so I refuse to call Hoffman's work "perfect mimicry" or "impersonation."  He really does become Truman Capote, nailing the voice, mannerisms, and heartbreak of the doomed writer.

Since leaving "My So-Called Life" in 1995, Danes hadn't really impressed me as a film actress.  But now she stuns in film after film (including genre work like "T3" and this year's own "Family Stone") with her brittle beauty and determined will.

Joan Allen channelled her always-endearing repression (see: "Pleasantville," "Nixon," et al) into this story of a frazzled mom coming to terms with the end of a marriage and the dawn of middle age.  A winning turn by one of our most underrated actresses.

The film is an overcooked mish-mash, but that's no fault of Clarkson's:  As the wife of a posh studio exec who suspects her husband's having an affair with a man, the actress gets a chance to bare her teeth in a performance full of cynicism and volatility.

Although he doesn't make his appearance until the pic's final third, you don't dare take your eyes off the screen when he's there.  With a spot-on cameo in "Syriana" as well this year, Hurt is doing just fine playing second banana in provocative indies.

Gruff voice, noirish down-on-his-luck character, wicked "comeback."   Out of the many odd characters in this comic book pastiche, Rourke fares the best simply because he invests a lived-in quality that suits the role -- and film -- extremely well.

George Clooney gained the weight, but Siddig turned in the most full-bodied performance.  As the "good prince" whose plans for reformation are thwarted by an oil-hungry CIA, Siddig gets deep in the heart of our current quagmire in the Middle East.

It was also the year of the Gyllenhaal.  Jake put in two worthy efforts ("Jarhead," "Brokeback Mountain"), but Maggie is deserving of identical acclaim.  In "Happy Endings," her bawdy Jude, a free spirit who bounces from band to bar to bedroom with equal aplomb, is a vibrant creation that nearly leaps off the screen.  She's simply mesmerizing in 2005's top female performance.

Maria Bello runs away with the movie as a wife determined to hold her family together at all costs.  She's equal parts anger, guile, strength, and passion.  As great as the film is on its own terms, it would collapse without Bello's evocative presence.

Small role, effective presence.  After her breakthrough turn in "Being John Malkovich," Keener stumbled a bit in a few strange projects.  This classy actress found her footing again in "Capote," and also did ace work in "The Interpreter" and "40-Year-Old Virgin."

My, how quickly Linney has risen to the ranks of Actresses Who Rarely Give a Bad Performance (see: Patricia Clarkson, Catherine Keener).  Her acerbic bite balances this odd retro-memoir, and serves as an eminently entertaining foil to a terrific Jeff Daniels.

Haggis and Moresco attempt a high-wire juggling act and, miraculously, pull it off.  With intertwining characters, stories, and motivations, their powerful words are the foundation for one of 2005's strongest dramas.

Jarmusch unravels his offbeat tale of self-discovery in chapters, with Bill Murray (as the ironically named Don Johnston) going on a fact-finding mission with four women from another era in his life.   Their tales are all bizarrely humorous in that Jarmuschian way.

"Happy Endings" received way lass acclaim than 1998's "The Opposite of Sex," but Roos' wit and offbeat charm are nonetheless still present.  If anything, his characters have matured and developed deeper souls.

Annie Proulx's short story arrives vibrantly on the big screen thanks to this spare, emotional script.  The feelings of loss and regret between Jack and Ennis are always palpable, their frustration always clear.

Movies about writers aren't always an invigorating experience, but "Capote" surely is.  Futterman really gets inside Truman Capote's head and lays bare his reasons for befriending a savage killer:   The recognition that would ultimately destroy him.

The twists and turns of this revenge tale always keep you guessing, and that's quite an accomplishment in this trailer-spoils-all era.   Every situation and circumstance feels anxious and authentic, another rare feat for a thriller these days.