My Top 10 Movies of 2006
Filed under: Awards, Hold the 'Fone
Well, another year is in the can folks, and what do we movie lovers have to show for it? Actually, we have a lot. 2006 has seen it's highs (Martin Scorsese gives us his best flick since 'Goodfellas'; a "racist" Kazakh reporter draws the fury of thousands, bags Pamela Anderson -- literally -- and scores box office gold) -- and its lows (Sidney Lumet's 'Find Me Guilty' is guilty ... of sucking; all couples who go see 'Date Movie' together break up within two weeks). I was lucky enough to see a whole lot of good flicks and only a moderate level of what we experts like to call crap. Below, I present my picks for the Top 10 Movies of 2006.* My fellow Moviefone editors will be posting their own lists later this week, so remember to check back for those. Happy Holidays!
10. Children of Men
Director Alfonso Cuaron follows up his masterful 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' adaptation with a film about a war-torn future world in which women no longer bear children. Not surprisingly, the flick is bleak and most certainly not for kids. But its hopeful message is more powerful than a hormonal teenaged wizard hopped up on gillyweed.
9. The Descent
This lean, mean thriller about six sexy female spelunkers battling bloodthirsty cave mutants avoids all the classic horror-film pitfalls: lame plot twists, gratuitous shower scenes (OK, I secretly approve of these) and a silly hook-wielding killer. Plus, it oozes with a certain quality lacking from so many horror pics these days: actual horror.
8. Stranger Than Fiction
Will Ferrell tones down his shtick and reaps the benefits in this funny and poignant tale about an IRS agent who awakes one day to find that his life is being narrated by an author bent on killing him. The cornerstone of the movie -- the budding romance between Ferrell and the baker (Maggie Gyllenhaal) he's auditing -- is so sweet you'll want to start dating a baker just so you can bring her "flours."
7. Apocalypto
Say what you will about Mel Gibson, but the guy took a cast of mostly Yucatec-speaking non-actors and a topic (the downfall of the Mayan civilization) that isn't exactly hot-button and made a two-and-a-half-hour film that's gorgeous, captivating, unique, supremely violent and, frankly, awesome.
6. Casino Royale
Finally, a James Bond flick where 007 is a real guy who bleeds when the bad guys cut him, scars when the love of his life hurts him and wins the day with brut force and smarts rather than gadgets. It sounds like blasphemy, but Daniel Craig might be the best Bond ever. Yes, even better than George Lazenby.
5. Thank You for Smoking
Writer-director Jason Reitman has done something awe-inspiring with his adaptation of Christopher Buckley's satiric novel: He's made the smug, self-righteous chief lobbyist for Big Tobacco into a -- wait for it -- sympathetic character. For this, he owes no small debt to Aaron Eckhart, who imbues said lobbyist with equal parts piss, vinegar and vulnerability. Sounds gross, but it goes down smooth.
4. Borat
Despite offending just about every ethnic, religious, political and gender group known to man, woman or goat, Sacha Baron Cohen's improvisational road-trip comedy was a runaway hit and hands-down the funniest flick of the year. By the time the credits roll, you'll want to make sexytime with this moviefilm. Niiice.
3. Little Miss Sunshine
Dysfunctional family dramedies have become something of a cliché these days (damn you, 'Family Stone,' for being the nail in the coffin!), but the yellow-VW-van-driving Hoovers somehow managed to weasel their way into my heart nonetheless. Every performance -- from Steve Carell's gay, suicidal Proust scholar to Alan Arkin's drug-snorting, curse-spewing grandpa with a heart of gold to Paul Dano's mute, Nietzsche-loving pilot wannabe -- deserves an award. And, more importantly, despite their Grand-Canyon-deep flaws, each character is, at his core, good and intensely likeable. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll go wild for the film's finale, set to none other than Rick James' 'Superfreak' -- because they're the Hoovers, bitch!
2. Pan's Labyrinth
Fantasy and reality -- harsh reality, actually -- collide in director Guillermo del Toro's captivating yarn about a 10-year-old named Ophelia (the brilliant Ivana Baquero) who, at the behest of a faun named Pan, undertakes a harrowing quest to protect her family at the tail end of the Spanish Civil War. I'd say it's a fairy tale for adults, but not too many fairy tales feature a peasant being bludgeoned to death with a wine bottle. Still, it's beautiful, hopeful and more heartbreaking than anything I've seen in a long, long while. If you don't cry at the end, you have no heart in your hollow tin chest.
1. The Departed
Martin Scorsese's blood-soaked, cuss-filled urban morality tale about two undercover moles on opposite sides of the law (one a cop infiltrating the mob, the other a mobster posing as a cop) boasts a pitch-perfect script, some of the best actors in the biz (DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Wahlberg, Baldwin) at the very top of their game and an ending so powerful it'll knock the wind out of you like a Louisville Slugger to the nards.
Honorable Mentions
Babel
Brick
Half Nelson
The Illusionist
Inside Man
The Last Kiss
The Prestige
Slither
Superman Returns
United 93
*Note: A few films that might have made this list were left off because I was not able to see them in time. These include, but are not limited to, 'Dreamgirls,' 'Notes on a Scandal' and 'Letters From Iwo Jima.'
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-19-2006 @ 8:56PM
dh said...
um where is dreamgirls??
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12-19-2006 @ 10:08PM
Alan Bayles said...
I find it hard to believe that Blood Diamond did not make your top 10.
The movie while a bit predictable was an exciting and emotional trip through a real piece of our world, largely ignored.It accomplished in a brilliant way what few films accomplish, good acting, and the illumination of an issue of social and political importance.That the film's impact can be actually felt in our nation's fine jewelry stores
is a statement to where it should be ranked.
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12-20-2006 @ 11:00AM
Urban Mama said...
Some of us were waiting on tenterhooks to see whether "Little Miss Sunshine" would be No. 1. I'm pleasantly surprised that "Pan's Labyrinth" edged it out, as did "The Departed." Now the question is, how many of you will NOT have "The Departed" as No. 1?
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2-28-2007 @ 4:54PM
Justin Shim said...
Did you not watch Fateless or The Queen? Both were terrific art house films and Helen Mirren deserves the Best Actress Oscar. Fateless was simply a gorgeous, unforgettable Holocaust memoir.
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12-22-2006 @ 1:16AM
al sikazii said...
huh
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12-21-2006 @ 5:47PM
Matt Knudsen said...
I think that list has a lot of good points. "Thank You For Smoking", "Pan's Labyrinth" in particular, but what is everyone's obsession with "Little Miss Sunshine." I would put almost every single one of your honorable mentions on a top ten list before it. "Little Miss Sunshine" is a re-hashed "National Lampoon's Vacation", but it isn't near as funny, well written, and really with less heart. Nothing about that movie is new or original. I can give it credit as a cute, mildly heartwarming movie, but anything more would make me lose credibility as a movie fan and aspiring credit. That ending has been done a thousand times, and couldn't be more cliche. I love Rick James, but come on. I was embarassed for myself and everyone in the theater during that ending. Remember "About a Boy", "Napolean Dynamite", "The Full Monty"? All of those movies used that very similar ending much more succesfully.
"Little Miss Sunshine" had all of the opporunities to be great. Develop the relationship between Arkin and Kinnear, which was the most compelling and powerful part of the movie. Even as brief as it was, that . Alan Arkin was the only stand-out part in that very overrated movie, and was completely under utilized. Really, the only exceptional part about the movie was its soundtrack. Anything beyond that I just can not accept. To leave "Babel", "The Illusionist", "Little Children", or "Half Nelson" off of a top 10 list for "Little Miss Sunshine" is irresponsible and just plain confusing.
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12-22-2006 @ 10:15AM
Jack said...
Best film of the year -- United 93. Other top ten picks: Apocalypto, The Nativity Story, The Queen, Blood Diamond, Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, Pursuit of Happyness and The Good Shepard.
Honorable mentions: Casino Royale, Rocky Balbao, Little Children, Fateless, Inside Man, Borat, Pan's Labyrinth, Thank You for Smoking, Little Miss Sunshine.
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12-22-2006 @ 2:18PM
Cinema de Merde said...
Too bad everyone hated The Black Dahlia so much... it is definitely my fave film of the year. People found it just boring because it was so hard to follow, and just gave up. This seemed like an exceptionally weak year for movies. Some were better than others, but none of them seemed really, objectively great. Good thing I keep my focus on bad movies, where the real action is. The Departed... snnnnoooree
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12-22-2006 @ 4:40PM
John Ast said...
The best film of the year by far is Apocalypto. Edge of your seat stimulus from start to finish. Mel Gibson's tales into the dark side of human nature are mind-bending!
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12-24-2006 @ 9:37PM
ed murphy said...
best movies of 2006
1. World Trade Center
2. The Departed
3. United 93
4. Bobby
5. Little Miss Sunshine
6. Clerks 2
7. Devil Wears Prada
8. V for Vendetta
9. Nororious Betty Page
10. The Da Vinci Code
Please, end all the hype of Dreamgirls, it is a musical and should be treated as such, They have awards called The Tony's it has already won. Please stop making musicals into movies, Chicago sucked and so will Dreamgirls...how can u compare a musical to a movie masterpiece like World Trade Center, The Departed and United 93.
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12-27-2006 @ 10:42PM
Elle angel said...
Oh come on now. Some of those films were documentaries with just the right spice to get them out of that category. The Descent I thought was an ok horror flick since there hasn't been many made lately. What happened to Psychological thrillers like Psycho which I remember vividly but have completely forgot about Jaws. I want a movie that doesn't make me think-just enjoy and laugh.I don' want to see my problems on the big screen.
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12-27-2006 @ 10:56PM
Andrew said...
I was disappointed to see that "Akeelah and the Bee" was left off the list. It's a great inspiring family movie and by movies end you're practically cheering. Sadly it was released 1 month before the summer blockbusters such as Pirates of the Carribean and didnt get the fanfare it deserved.
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12-27-2006 @ 11:22PM
Ian Adams said...
As being the top movie go-er in my small town, and must say that i have seen next to all the movies this year. And that i would agree with almost every movie up there. Except for Casino Royal, and The Descent; Personaly, I thought that Casino Royal was an OK 007 flick (since we have been waiting for one for the last ten years) Daniel Craig Was better then Pierce Brosman any day. Then, I am not a fan of "Horror" Movies. I say this because most of all the crappy movies are remakes and sequalls and horror movies. This is because we have no more ideas!So I went to see the descent with my GF because thats all the other kids are into these days. I asked her what she thought about "The Royal Tennanbaums" (Greatest Flick Ever Made!!!!! Wes Anderson Rocks With All His Movies) and she tells me "I dont know WHO that is" the stupid slut. Its allright, i broke up with her. So, The Descent, farfetched, is the one word i would use. I am scared when a movie shows me somethin that i do a lot of and twist it to the point of terror. Jaws? Every one swims! So how many women rock climb?i dont rock climb, my friends dont rock climb, i have no idea who rock climbs?! And Pans Labyrenth should be moved down, not off the list, but down to like 8. And move up Stanger then Fiction, Children of Men, and Thank You For Smoking.
Oh, and p.s, Matt Knudsen who made that call on Little Miss Sunshine? BURN you S.O.B LMS was the best comedy made this year, but its close to Borat, i must say.
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12-27-2006 @ 11:39PM
LYNDA QUADE said...
BLOOD DIAMOND was a very good movie about an important issue. It had no sex or nudity but told an intersting story.
HAPPY FEET was delightful. My grandchildren and will spontaneously ask, "Do you have "happy feet"? ...and then shuffle our feet and laugh.
The sheer joy lingers on. This movie also addressed an important issue of global warming and taking care of our planet.
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12-28-2006 @ 12:18AM
Steve Wincott said...
The Prestige was without a doubt the best film for 2006.
Good story and excellent acting, pleasure to watch. (It felt like the picture was over in minutes, this is the sign of a good picture.)
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12-28-2006 @ 1:04AM
nick said...
What in the world is Brick doing on everyones list. That movie was the biggest piece of trash I have ever seen. Kids trying to act like bad guys and all the make believe language...pure barf material. Plot? Forget it. Actors? My kids can do better. This movie makes a spot on my ten worse of all time.
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12-28-2006 @ 2:05AM
Mike Thorneburg said...
Anyone who lists among their favorite films of 2006 such sophomoric, inane, frat house flotsom as "Borat", "Beerfest", "Awesome" or anything with Dave Chapelle should be considered seriously suspect as a credible source of accurate film criticism. Further, no pathetically predictable C grade slash and stab like "Slither" or "Descent" deserves more than a passing brush off as niche market filler. Any critic depraved and sick enough to even ADMIT to having seen "Saw" or "Hostel" should, at the least, have his union card revoked or, preferably, be shown exactly what having your arm removed by a deranged psychopath with a skill saw while you wretch about screaming in agony feels like. I suppose a critic who lives in an urban area large enough to host the numerous little art films that show up on this list can take pleasure in his assumed superior knowledge of and exposure to a more abundant basket of cultural accoutrements than the rest of us cave dwellers for most of us are not aware films such as "Aurora Borealis", "Sherrybaby" and "Brick" even exist, not to mention that we might be intelligent or refined enough to enjoy them. Indies and art house films appear on a best-of list at the peril of critics who wish to inform the public rather than promote themselves. The same is true for agenda-laden docu-dramas and provocative political propaganda like "Shut Up and Sing", "Jesus Camp" and "The Ground Truth". Casual movie goers inexplicably associate the political nature of any documentary with any critic that views it favorably as if they were one and the same. Documentaries, by their very nature, shouldn't need to be reviewed because the focus is (or should be) an examination of FACTS and the impact these FACTS have on those involved. Viewed solely on their content, they should be compared with similar efforts, completely differentiated from films offering only entertainment value. Al Gore's latest foray into the new age enviro-fantasy category, for example, is bereft with non-scientific science, highly questionable "experts" and virtually NO evidence to support his doomsday predictions beyond the anecdotal. Hardly worthy of being called accurate, documented "truth", inconvenient or otherwise. That such fare appears on best-of lists is not surprising, critics are terrified of appearing too deeply submerged in populist content. Better to suffer through an evening of meaningless piffle in the pursuit of that perfect critic's image than admit you actually despise the crap you're supposed to like. That said, a couple of decent movies have been mentioned. "Little Miss Sunshine" was good, as was "Pursuit of Happyness", "The Good Shepard", and "We Are Marshall".
Then there are those obvious blockbusters, "Casino Royale" (even though I don't care for this new, very coarse and impolite Bond), "Superman Returns" and "Dead Man's Chest" which should be included on every critic's list of faves. Should you find your local reviewer has panned these, find a new reviewer, that is, if you REALLY think you need the guidance.
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12-28-2006 @ 9:36AM
Mary Lou Alvadj said...
I loved the movie "Invincible" and thought it should at least receive honorable mention. It made me feel good. I thought "Queen" except for Helen Mirren was okay. Casting was terrible except for the queen and Phillip. The Queen Mother and Prince Charles were defintely poorly cast and detracted from the film.
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12-28-2006 @ 12:42PM
rich said...
anytime you add will ferrell to a top ten list other than
stupid comedy, you lose any credibility as a critic
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12-28-2006 @ 5:04PM
Jackie said...
I can't believe dumb movies like Borat,and those Jackass movies made anykind of list! Where has the mentality of the brain gone?
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