TOP 10 2006

[modage]

1. THE DEPARTED
The best time I had at the theatre all year.  While it will never be Goodfellas, (if that film was an A+, this probably registers about a B), it delivered the goods more than any Scorsese film has in a decade.  With a smart funny script, an all star cast, and Scorsese to pull it all together it was everything I want when I go to the movies.

2. THE FOUNTAIN
Probably the film I had been looking forward to the longest wasnt anything like I had imagined it but still a completely satisfying experience.  I can see why it was hated and ignored, but I think that will only help it as time goes on to become an underappreciated classic.

3. CHILDREN OF MEN
After the lame trailer I was completely taken by surprise by how wonderful it was.  From the opening minutes the film had me completely in its grip and it never let go.  Incredible, ballsy filmmaking.  I LOVED this movie. 

4. BRICK
The first surprise of the year this modern noir was my favorite film through most of the year.  If this doesnt become a Donnie Darko sized cult hit on DVD it'll be a shame, but regardless Rian Johnson is a director I will be eagerly anticipating his next film.

5. THE PRESTIGE
Like The Departed, I thought this was a great movie.  Great actors having fun in a smart script with a great director making something a little different and completely entertaining.  Every night at the movies should be this good.



6. BORAT
The funniest movie I can remember seeing in a long long time, this film completely deserves the hype.  A totally successful adaptation of a TV character that succeeds in all the ways in which Da Ali G Movie failed in bringing Sasha Baron Cohens genius to the screen.

7. MONSTER HOUSE
The best animated movie I saw all year (sorry Pixar).  This movie is not for young kids, its scary, it depicts characters drinking alcohol, dealing with puberty, and all the things that have been whitewashed out of kids movies since the 80's.

8. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
While I still can't believe how highly this ended up on my list, I think that is due to the films charms.  Yes its Sundance 101, but it works.

9. BABEL
Though Amores Perros is still my favorite of his films I really liked what Inarritu does here. By dealing with similar themes even he admits to making the same movie 3 times, I think they work together nicely as a thematic trilogy.

10. INLAND EMPIRE
My most anticipated film at the beginning of the year and the best theatre EXPERIENCE I had in '07.  Having my mind blown at the New York Film Festival with David Lynch in attendance for the US Premiere screening of the film.  While I'm going to need a few more viewings to truly get inside the film, I imagine in a few years I will either be embarrased at how high I ranked it or (more probably) how low.



11. PANS LABYRINTH
The most violent film in recent memory, which would seem at odds with its fantasy roots, but thats what makes it so interesting.  This dark fable is probably my favorite Del Toro film, and I plan on seeing this again tomorrow night.

12. VOLVER
This is the film that started to turn me around on Almodovar.  I think Almodovar is probably one of the worlds greatest filmmakers who has never made a great film.  But Penelope Cruz is infinitely watchable here and is just so much fun the whole thing almost feels like fluff (but has subtitles so you don't feel guilty).

13. CASINO ROYALE
I had written off James Bond a few years ago around the time Denise Richards was Dr. Christmas Jones.  Even with the recasting and promise of a grittier Bond I still wasn't completely sold.  But the film delivers, thanks to the casting of Craig and a return to Bond's roots it's a great new beginning to a character I thought I wasn't interested in anymore.

14. SUPERMAN RETURNS
I think this film came with a little disappointment (as most superhero films do for me), but despite its missteps Brandon Routh as Superman is perfect.  I can't wait to see Singer get another chance at this and I can only imagine that he will improve on this film just as X2 did to the first X-Men.

15. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III
A kickass summer movie.  While I think Abrams almost needed more screentime to develop some of the storylines in this film, (that might've unfolded more naturally over a season of say, Alias), it offers a glimpse at what he's going to be capable of in film. 

16. Marie Antoinette
17. United 93
18. Inside Man
19. Little Children
20. V For Vendetta

NOTABLE: Art School Confidential, The Black Dahlia, Blood Diamond, The Break-Up, Cars, The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, Fast Food Nation, For Your Consideration, Fur, The Good German, Hard Candy, The Hills Have Eyes, Hostel,  Letters From Iwo Jima, Miami Vice, The Notorious Bettie Page, Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer, The Proposition, A Scanner Darkly, The Science Of Sleep, Scoop, Stranger Than Fiction, Thank You For Smoking, Tideland

[Astrostic]

1. INLAND EMPIRE - Was Disappointed the the first time I saw it, despite thinking it was one of the best films I'd seen this year.  I saw it again 2 months later and it tore me up with how good it was.  The last 45 minutes of this film is my favorite 45 minute stretch of any of David Lynch's films.

2. The Departed - I don't think I have to describe to most people why this is so good, so I won't bother repeating what everyone else has said.

3. Syndromes and a Century - I went to this hoping it would match Tropical Malady.  It equals it in its what-the-hell splitting of the film in halves, but surpassed it in everything else.  Whether it deals with memory, or perception, or reincarnation I am not completely sure, but the shot that happens 5 minutes before the end of the film, the one that drew applause from my screening's audience (not a big applause, but probably about 10 people clapped, and I heard others take a deep breath as if they were holding it for the entire length of it), sealed the deal on this beautiful film.

4. Children of Men - I actually ruined this by not seeing it first in a theatre, as a friend of mine downloaded it and we watched it on her computer.  While I liked it, When I saw it at a theatre I was scared at how real this film felt to me.  While everyone goes on about the tracking shots, I'm a bigger fan of the single take of the delivery, even knowing it used CGI.

5. A Prairie Home Companion - Watching this recently knowing that it was Altman's last film broke my heart but made me incredibly satisfied.

6. The Proposition - Feels like Terrence Malick made a western. I love the music, too.

7. The Fountain - This disappointed the hell out of me but I still loved it.  But I'm still not sure if I'm forcing myself to like it or I genuinely do.  Either way, I can watch it over and over again and not be bored.

8. Southland Tales - I saw this at Cannes and I have no idea as to why EVERYBODY hates it.  I didn't think it was too long, I thought it was funny, I thought it was scary.  I guess I didn't take it as seriously as everyone who gets caught up on the fact that none of what happens in the film can actually happen by 2008, or that The Rock gives a stiff performance, or that the effects weren't finished.  I like donnie darko less and less everytime I see it, but I don't see that happening with this.  It is so layered that I think it will be a while before I grasp everything.  Kelly borrowed a lot from Lynch in the movie, and that alone makes it worth seeing.

9. The Host - I saw this in a theatre packed with Koreans and everyone had a blast.  Might be my favorite theatre experience of the year, but I have it so low because I can't really remember much from it other than the monster.

10. Volver - I laughed a lot, and I'm a sucker for the cheesy soap-opera-ness of Almodovar's films.

Most Disappointing:

1. Pan's Labyrinth - saw it at Cannes and I'm surprised at the hype it has generated. I thought the villain of the film was one-dimensional, I didn't get creeped out in the parts where I felt like it wanted me to be creeped out, and I didn't like the ending.
2. Shortbus - another sex film that feels like the explicit sex was the main point.
3. Brick - I hated it in every way.  I wanted to strangle everyone who had a part in it.  I seem to be the only one who feels this way.
4. Little Miss Sunshine - Very blah.  I kind of enjoyed it until the boy found out he was color blind
5. Babel - I don't know why I was disappointed so much with this as I have only like Amores Perros of Inarritu's 3 films and I also didn't like Three Burials, but I was.

[last days of gerry the elephant]

1. L'Enfant

2. The Prestige

3. The Science of Sleep

4. The Fountain

5. Manderlay

6. A Scanner Darkly

7. Art School Confidential

8. Volver

9. The Departed

10. Marie Antoinette

[nix]

1. Children of Men

2. Half Nelson

3. Brick

4. Little Children

5. The Fountain

6. United 93

7. Babel

8. Borat

9. The Departed

10. Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

11. Stranger Than Fiction

12. The Science of Sleep

yet to see:

Volver, Perfume, the Queen, Thank You For Smoking, Prairie Home, Pan's Labyrinth, Notes on a Scandal, Inland Empire, Flags/Letters

[polkablues]

There are still so many movies I need to see that I haven't yet, but I doubt any of them would break through my...

TOP THREE OF 2006 (I only had a top 2 last year, so this year must have been 150% the year that 2005 was)

#1
Children of Men

I don't consider it hyperbole to call this one of the best films I've ever seen.  The sheer breadth of artistry behind every aspect of this movie completely overwhelms any other movie made this year, and the utter sincerity with which Alfonso Cuaron delivers this story makes it a gut-wrenching experience to watch.  Clive Owen furthers lays claim to filling the cinematic void left by Marcello Mastroianni (which Russell Crowe no longer seems intent on filling).  And the camera... oh, the art that brilliant technicians can make when they care enough to try.

#2
Brick

In the hands of 99% of filmmakers, this movie would have been one big gimmicky mess.  Fortunately, Rian Johnson proves himself to be the other 1%, and his debut is the most exhilarating example of what's good about independent film since Joe Carnahan hit us with Narc.  In terms of modern noir, Brick's only peer is Chinatown, another film that turned the genre upside down and shook it until gold came out.  And in terms of leading performances this year, Clive Owen's only peer is Joseph Gordon Levitt, whose Brendan is an astonishing creation... a character both specific and universal, iconic and realistic, a hero and an anti-hero simultaneously.  And beyond that, I could get hypnotised just listening to Nora Zehetner's voice.

#3
The Fountain

Destined to be misunderstood and underappreciated for about twenty years, at which time everyone will start claiming that they always knew it was a great film, The Fountain is a film that almost asphyxiates under the weight of its own ambition.  And it would, if it were made by less talented people, with less strength of conviction, and with a lesser understanding of the power of the cinematic image.  Hugh Jackman gives the sort of performance you almost never see by male movie stars; the commitment to the emotion of the story goes so far above and beyond what we're used to seeing that it almost becomes uncomfortable to watch, as though we're not seeing a performance, but actual grief projected twenty feet tall.  All the "science fiction" labels and Zardoz comparisons miss one huge thing about this movie: that this is a very simple story, about love and loss.  Not about the past and future, but about the present.  Not about immortality, but about mortality. 


So that's the three.  I noticed a theme as I was writing, that all of these movies are linked by the strength of their male leads.  I'm not sure what that says about this year (or about me), but I really can't even think of a female performance this year that grabbed me and shouted, "THIS IS GREAT ACTING!" the way that the blokes did.  Not enough Jennifer Connelly around, is my guess.

For the sake of completeness, here's a few (painfully mainstream) honorable mentions:
The Prestige
The Departed
Mission: Impossible 3
Talladega Nights
Superman Returns

[Derek237]

1. The Departed



2. Volver



3. Little Miss Sunshine



4. Marie Antoinette



5. The Queen



6. A Prairie Home Companion



7. Hard Candy



8. The Last King of Scotland



9. Art School Confidential




10. United 93

[socketlevel]

3. Brick - I hated it in every way.  I wanted to strangle everyone who had a part in it.  I seem to be the only one who feels this way.

I'm with ya 110%

[Gamblour.]

1. The Fountain
I went through Movie City News and their big chart and found only two critics who put this film in their top ten. The one I most agreed with, who also didn't have some reason coping with flaws, said this film and Inland Empire are the top 2 films because they completely change the rules of filmmaking. I haven't seen Inland Empire, but The Fountain most certainly forced me to reconsider how I look at every film from now on. It is the acme of ambition, and I don't think I can truly love another film if it didn't try this hard. By that, I mean the obvious passion, emotion, thought, and love poured into every aspect of the film. These people worked fucking hard, and the film provides one of the most emotionally powerful and gut-wrenching experiences I've had in a theater. Also, the score always sucks me back into the dark of the theater, and the book is just beautiful. Hugh Jackman's performance is absolute genius.


2. The Last King of Scotland
Had no idea this film would be so powerful, and what the fuck, Gillian Anderson is in it? Anyhow, James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker give some of the best performances of the year. McAvoy is charming, almost snakelike, and the movie never treats him like he's making the "right" decisions. Whitaker's character and the ultimate summary of his character are just plain chilling and an interesting window into madness and even the human condition.


3. The Departed
I left this film dizzy. Scorsese gives us a fucking solid movie with probably the most solid cast of the whole year. Watching all these pros go at it was a total blast, and the film goes so fast, Thelma Schoonmaker is clearly one of the greatest editors of all time. And that loud Irish punk song was cool.


4. Babel
I think Inarritu has finally found a way to balance his complex narratives in a way that doesn't make you wonder if it would have worked better another way. And the best female performances of the year from Adriana Barazza and Rinko Kikuchi. The last shot, the music, the film is fucking well made and really does have a clue as to what it wants to say, something that 21 Grams might have had and Amores Perros, I can't even remember.


5. Little Children
You know, this film has stuck with me, and I'm not sure why. I thought In the Bedroom was absolutely incredible, but this film didn't blow me away...at first. It's portrait of these people and their dreams and fears, it's all very nuanced and sad. But at the same time strangely hilarious. It's kind of a bizarre film, in the most normal of ways. Kate Winslet's performance is another favorite of mine.


6. Little Miss Sunshine
The idea of a film by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Ferris had me very excited, as they were one of my favorite music video directors as a kid. Their film is probably the best, and sweetest, comedy of the year, in that it's not afraid to be sad too. This characteristic is something that I've been drawn to in the comedies of John Hughes, whom I couldn't avoid over the holidays, and that was great. Anyway, the film was funny, I saw it twice, but I don't remember it too fondly, which might mean it wasn't as great as I thought. Still, I would watch it again, and Paul Dano was great.


7. The Science of Sleep
What can I say, I really liked the whimsy involved, plus Gael Garcia Bernal, plus I fell asleep and my dreams started playing with the facts of the film. Very interesting experience that benefited the film.


8. Children of Men
Technically amazing, but that took me out of it a lot of the time. Clive Owen was fine, but opted for the "no expression = acting" paradigm. Visually stunning, emotionally almost-eviscerating.


9. Tie: United 93 and World Trade Center
These were both great takes on events that bring death and humanity front and center and both films made me reconsider my notions of mortality in different ways. Very powerful, both.

10. Could be The Queen, but then I haven't seen Volver, Perfume, The Good German/Shepherd, or Pan's.

[Mikey B]

1. Inland Empire
2. Children of Men/Pans Labyrinth/Babel
3. The Departed
4. Little Miss Sunshine
5. A Praire Home Companion
6. Hard Candy
7. Brick
8. The Fountain
9. A Scanner Darkly
10. Mission Impossible 3/Borat/The Prestige/Art School Confidential/Thank You For Smoking
Still haven't seen United 93, Marie Antoinette, The Science of Sleep, The Queen, Little Children, Stranger Than Fiction, Perfume and Volver

[Sunrise]

I started ranking the 2006 films I've seen, but it quickly proved maddening. As a result, the following ten films are those that I woke up thinking about the next morning, and the morning after that...

Borat
Children of Men
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
The Departed
L'Enfant
Fast Food Nation
The Fountain
Pan's Labyrinth
United 93
When the Levees Broke

Still thinking about, but not as often: Brick, Letters from Iwo Jima, Miami Vice, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, A Scanner Darkly

Will never think about again: V for Vendetta, Little Miss Sunshine

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

Top Eight

8 - Casino Royale
7 - Little Miss Sunshine
6 - Children of Men
5 - The Black Dahlia
4 - Borat
3 - The Departed
2 - Brick
1 - The Fountain

[w/o horse]

Inland Empire.
L'Enfant.
Half Nelson.
Little Miss Sunshine.
Volver.
Pan's Labyrinth.
Time to Leave.
Shortbus.
United 93.
The Science of Sleep.

Half Nelson doesn't get its credit.  It doesn't.  I haven't seen The Last King of Scotland.  I should.

[Kal]

I have not seen The Queen, The Fountain (unforgivable but true), and Half Nelson. I have to see also Pan's Labyrinth, which I have the screener in my house so I will watch this week.

This is my list, as of today

1. The Departed: I was waiting for this since I heard about the remake. It was everything I hoped for and more.
2. Borat: Big fan of Cohen for a long time. Funniest movie in a long time.
3. Superman Returns: Just cause its Superman, and Singer did not dissapoint me.
4. The Last King of Scotland: Great performances and I always have a lot of interest in movies like this.
5. Rocky Balboa: The original is one of my top favorite movies ever, and Stalone did a great job closing the books on this one. It was very special, as I was not alive or was too young when all the others came out to actually be interested.
6. Stranger Than Fiction: Funny, well done, entertaining, Will Ferrel.
7. Dreamgirls: I was not excited, but left the theatre very impressed. I also got the soundtrack.
8. Blood Diamond: Another excellent performance by Leo, and a very good and interesting film.
9. United 93: Kicks Oliver's ass any day of the week.
10. The Pursuit of Happyness: Amazing Will Smith performance, and the film kept me interested and entertained. Great story.

Honorable mentions: Thank you for smoking, Mission Impossible 3, Casino Royale, The Prestige

[JG]

still have to see the death of mr. lazarescu, old joy, the proposition, syndromes and a century, eastwood's movies, shortbus.. all of which i think i'll like. 

1.  INLAND EMPIRE
2.  Army of Shadows
3.  L'Enfant
4.  Half Nelson
5.  Children of Men
6.  Volver
7.  Marie Antoinette
8.  Old Joy
9.  Science of Sleep
10.  Little Children


pretty good:  fountain, block party, el laberinto del fauno, scanner darkly, (edit, 2/07) death of mr. lazarescu, brick
way overrated:  little miss sunshine, departed, babel

EDIT i hate having any of those top three over each other, lists officially suck. 

EDIT 2 (april 07) - added the fantastic marie antoinette

EDIT 3 (june 07) - added old joy, moved brick to "pretty good"

[modage]

2.  Army of Shadows

i realize all the snobby critics are doing this but its absolute bullshit.  this is a 60's film, regardless of its US release/re-release, it's absolutely not eligible.  oh yeah, The Beatles Love album came out last year, thats my number 1 album of 2006.  if you really couldnt find 10 films from last year that you liked enough to constitute a Top 10 list, and had to pick a film released almost 40 years ago then you suck.  sorry JG, not directed at you, just a general rant i've been thinking about since i started reading that.