THE MOVIE THING: This blog doesn't run an annual countdown of the year's best films, on the grounds that I never manage to see all the movies I'm interested in before the year is over. That's especially true in 2005: Once you've got a baby, it's a lot harder to make it to the theater, or anywhere else for that matter. (Of the pictures I did manage to see, my favorite is either The Curse of the Were-Rabbit or The Dying Gaul.)As a substitute, the tradition at The Perpetual Three-Dot Column is to list my favorite movies of 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and on backwards until we all get bored. And so, without further ado: the top ten movies...of 1995:1. SafeWritten and directed by Todd HaynesHaynes made several exceptional movies before stumbling with the middlebrow Far from Heaven (which, naturally, became his biggest hit). This one's a parable about an egoless person who consumes her life rather than living it, even -- or especially -- when she turns her back on "consumerism."2. SmokeDirected by Wayne WangWritten by Paul AusterA loving ode to coincidence.3. TrainspottingDirected by Danny BoyleWritten by John Hodge, from a novel by Irvine WelshA sad, hilarious, disgusting, and inspiring movie about drug abuse. Refreshingly, it never condescends to its characters: There's no question that these are individuals making choices, not zombies possessed by a disease.4. Twelve MonkeysDirected by Terry GilliamWritten by David and Janet Peoples, from a story by Chris MarkerThat shot of a giraffe galloping through the city is one of my favorite moments in any film.5. MabarosiDirected by Hirokazu Kore-edaWritten by Yoshihisa Ogita, from a novel by Teru MiyamotoOzu lives!6. The Secret of Roan InishWritten and directed by John Sayles, from a book by Rosalie K. FryAside from Limbo, which doesn't entirely fit the mold anyway, I'm not a big fan of Sayles' big-canvas movies -- those labored flicks where he tries to create a politically engaged portrait of an entire community but ends up producing a clockwork-powered speechmaking machine instead. But his small movies can be wonderful, especially this eerie and endearing fantasy.7. Toy StoryDirected by John LasseterWritten by Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, and Alec Sokolow, from a story by Lasseter, Stanton, Pete Docter, and Joe Ranft"One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and suddenly you find yourself sucking down Darjeeling with Marie Antoinette...and her little sister."8. The City of Lost ChildrenDirected by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre JeunetWritten by Caro, Jeunet, Gilles Adrien, and Guillaume LaurantIf Twelve Monkeys was 1995's best semi-surrealist science-fiction saga, then this is the movie for viewers who prefer their surrealism without a "semi" prefixed. Jeunet went on to make Amelie, while Caro seems to have disappeared from the face of the Earth. Anyone know what he's up to these days?9. Shanghai TriadDirected by Zhang YimouWritten by Bi Feiyu, from a novel by Li XiaoA lush, hypnotic gangster movie. Like Miller's Crossing on opium.10. Funny BonesDirected by Peter ChelsomWritten by Chelsom and Peter FlanneryFellini in Blackpool.Honorable mentions:11. Get Shorty (Barry Sonnenfeld)12. La Ceremonie (Claude Chabrol)13. Tierra (Julio Medem)14. Casino (Martin Scorsese)15. The Drivetime (Antero Alli)16. A Close Shave (Nick Park)17. Underground (Emir Kusturica)18. Clueless (Amy Heckerling)19. Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood Madam (Nick Broomfield)20. Exotica (Atom Egoyan) posted by Jesse 4:38 PM . . .