AND THE TOMATO GOES TO…

Last year, The Incredibles went up against such notable contenders as Spider-Man 2 and The Aviator, emerging as the winner of the Golden Tomato Award for the best-reviewed film in wide release. Likewise, Sideways had serious arthouse competition in such films as Before Sunset and Million Dollar Baby before it triumphed as 2004’s best-reviewed film in limited release.

This year, the Golden Tomato entries include heavy hitters from a wide range of genres: quad rugby players square off against cute and cuddly penguins, while two established franchise juggernauts — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Star Wars Episode III — duke it out. Throw in a crusading 1950s news reporter, a dysfunctional and disintegrating family unit, a pioneer of the “New Journalism” literary movement, and a real-life corporate scandal, and you’ve got a serious scrum. Who will be left standing when the bell tolls? Read on for the results.

Best Wide Release

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 101615%
Critics Consensus: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a subtly touching and wonderfully eccentric adventure featuring Wallace and Gromit.
Synopsis: The plucky characters from a series of animated shorts, Wallace (Peter Sallis) and his dog, Gromit, make their feature debut... [More]
Starring: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay
Directed By: Nick Park, Steve Box

Best Limited Release

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 101452%
Critics Consensus: A passionate and concise cinematic civics lesson, Good Night, And Good Luck has plenty to say about today's political and cultural climate, and its ensemble cast is stellar.
Synopsis: When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow... [More]
Starring: David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels
Directed By: George Clooney

User

#1

King Kong (2005)
84%

#1
Adjusted Score: 94159%
Critics Consensus: Featuring state-of-the-art special effects, terrific performances, and a majestic sense of spectacle, Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong is a potent epic that's faithful to the spirit of the 1933 original.
Synopsis: Peter Jackson's expansive remake of the 1933 classic follows director Carl Denham (Jack Black) and his crew on a journey... [More]
Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Andy Serkis
Directed By: Peter Jackson

Moldy

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 5038%
Critics Consensus: Inept on almost every level, Alone in the Dark may not work as a thriller, but it's good for some head-slapping, incredulous laughter.
Synopsis: When the investigations of supernatural detective Edward Carnby (Christian Slater) lead him to uncover a long-lost tribe called the Abskani,... [More]
Starring: Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff, Frank C. Turner
Directed By: Uwe Boll

Best Action/Adventure

#1

Batman Begins (2005)
85%

#1
Adjusted Score: 96117%
Critics Consensus: Brooding and dark, but also exciting and smart, Batman Begins is a film that understands the essence of one of the definitive superheroes.
Synopsis: A young Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels to the Far East, where he's trained in the martial arts by Henri... [More]
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Best Animation

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 101615%
Critics Consensus: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a subtly touching and wonderfully eccentric adventure featuring Wallace and Gromit.
Synopsis: The plucky characters from a series of animated shorts, Wallace (Peter Sallis) and his dog, Gromit, make their feature debut... [More]
Starring: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Peter Kay
Directed By: Nick Park, Steve Box

Best Comedy

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 91745%
Critics Consensus: Steve Carell's first star turn scores big with a tender treatment of its titular underdog, using raunchy but realistically funny comedy to connect with adult audiences.
Synopsis: Andy Stitzer is an amiable single guy who works at a big-box store; living alone, 40-year-old Andy spends his free... [More]
Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco
Directed By: Judd Apatow

Best Documentary

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 100537%
Critics Consensus: Only the most hardened soul won't be moved by this heartwarming doc.
Synopsis: At the end of each Antarctic summer, the emperor penguins of the South Pole journey to their traditional breeding grounds... [More]
Starring: Morgan Freeman
Directed By: Luc Jacquet

Best Drama

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 101452%
Critics Consensus: A passionate and concise cinematic civics lesson, Good Night, And Good Luck has plenty to say about today's political and cultural climate, and its ensemble cast is stellar.
Synopsis: When Senator Joseph McCarthy begins his foolhardy campaign to root out Communists in America, CBS News impresario Edward R. Murrow... [More]
Starring: David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels
Directed By: George Clooney

Best Foreign

#1

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
91%

#1
Adjusted Score: 97154%
Critics Consensus: Kung Fu Hustle blends special effects, martial arts, and the Looney Toons to hilarious effect.
Synopsis: When the hapless Sing and his dim-witted pal Bone try to scam the residents of Pig Sty Alley into thinking... [More]
Starring: Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Siu-Lung Leung
Directed By: Stephen Chow

Best Horror

#1

Land of the Dead (2005)
74%

#1
Adjusted Score: 80490%
Critics Consensus: George A. Romero's latest entry in his much-vaunted Dead series is not as fresh as his genre-inventing original, Night of the Living Dead. But Land of the Dead does deliver on the gore and zombies-feasting-on-flesh action.
Synopsis: In a world where zombies form the majority of the population, the remaining humans build a feudal society away from... [More]
Starring: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento, Robert Joy
Directed By: George A. Romero

Best Kids/Family

#1

Millions (2004)
88%

#1
Adjusted Score: 92993%
Critics Consensus: A charming children fable even adults can enjoy.
Synopsis: When 9-year-old Damian (Alex Etel) finds a bag of money in his back yard, he and his brother Anthony (Lewis... [More]
Starring: Alex Etel, Lewis Owen McGibbon, James Nesbitt, Daisy Donovan
Directed By: Danny Boyle

Best Romance

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 97493%
Critics Consensus: A beautiful, epic Western, Brokeback Mountain's love story is imbued with heartbreaking universality thanks to moving performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Synopsis: In 1963, rodeo cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and ranch hand Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) are hired by rancher... [More]
Starring: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris
Directed By: Ang Lee

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 97660%
Critics Consensus: The main characters are maturing, and the filmmakers are likewise improving on their craft; vibrant special effects and assured performances add up to what is the most complex yet of the Harry Potter films.
Synopsis: The fourth movie in the Harry Potter franchise sees Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) returning for his fourth year at Hogwarts School... [More]
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrane
Directed By: Mike Newell

Best Thriller

#1
#1
Adjusted Score: 96036%
Critics Consensus: A History of Violence raises compelling and thoughtful questions about the nature of violence, while representing a return to form for director David Cronenberg in one of his more uncharacteristic pieces.
Synopsis: When a pair of petty criminals attempt to rob his small-town diner, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) quickly and easily kills... [More]
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes
Directed By: David Cronenberg