It’s been a tough year for Hollywood, and even a casual observer of box office trends couldn’t escape the front-page news that the slump, marked both by declining revenues and audience attendance, continues for the third straight year.

Daily Variety, the mightiest of all trade publications, reported that total ticket sales for 2005 tallied just $8.75 billion, down from 2004’s receipts of $9.2 billion, a drop of 5 percent. Audience attendance also fell, down 11 percent from 1.48 billion in 2004 to 1.32 billion in 2005.

But what is to blame? Exhibitors are quick to point their fingers at the ever shrinking window between a film’s theatrical release and its appearance on home video, now roughly only four months. Studios point the finger right back at the exhibitors, blaming soaring ticket and concession prices and poor audience behavior for keeping more and more seats empty.

Or maybe it’s the movies themselves. Could it be an overabundance of mediocre to downright awful films that sent viewers elsewhere? Possibly. A year that offers up both “Alone in the Dark” (curse you, Uwe Boll!) and a “Deuce Bigalow” sequel is probably not destined to break any records, but are movies getting worse?

In the spirit of the New Year, I will not answer that last question, choosing instead to focus on the positive. In no particular order, here are my five favorite films from 2005.

• Crash: If I had to pick a “best movie of the year,” which thankfully I do not, this would be it. Written by first-time director Paul Haggis, the film may not have all the answers to the problems of racism in America - a problem the film is quick to point out belongs to every ethnic group equally - but finally acknowledges the problem and starts a useful dialogue about it. The ensemble cast, which included Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, Ryan Phillippe and Ludacris, was absolutely brilliant. Everyone should see this picture.

• Serenity: “Revenge of the Sith” may have raked in more money than the film inspired by Joss Whedon’s failed television show, but if there is one movie that restored my faith in science fiction, it’s “Serenity.” Intelligently written and wonderfully acted, it’s everything “Star Wars” was 30 years ago with none of what it is today. That’ll make sense if you think about it long enough.

• Batman Begins: Joel Schumacher nearly destroyed the Caped Crusader with the two films under his direction, but Christopher Nolan (“Memento”) saved him. “Batman Begins” starts from scratch, and spends the entire first half establishing why a billionaire playboy would want to fight crime in a black rubber suit. This naturally makes the saving-the-world hi-jinks at the end of the film make a lot more sense. More, please!

• King Kong: Despite the somewhat self-indulgent runtime of three hours, most of Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” flies by, and more importantly, it gives you a reason to care about the plight of a giant monkey. More than just fantastic entertainment, this “Kong” has heart to spare.

• Sin City: With a narrative about as inventive as any other film noir, “Sin City” pumps new blood into the genre - by the gallon - with its revolutionary comic-book-brought-to-life visual style. Robert Rodriguez even resigned from the Directors’ Guild of America so writer Frank Miller could share his directing credit. Look for the sequel in the coming year.

Several other films might have made this list, but as in years past, I’ve limited myself to those exhibited theatrically in Billings. Films like “Munich” and “Brokeback Mountain” would likely have been included, but I suppose they’ll have to wait until 2006, where they won’t be considered on next year’s list. It’s all terribly unfair, but Happy New Year, anyway.