Sadly, I’m a poor struggling grad student, so I don’t get to the theater as often as I’d like. Of the 58 movies I’ve seen this year, only 17 were on the big screen. Lucky for me, most of those are on this list. As I’ve not seen nearly as many films as my fellow reviewers, I feel my list maybe a little limited in scope. But I saw a lot of crap this year and I am proud to present these 19 amazing movies from 2006.
Some films are meaningful but one can’t quite classify them on a list for some reason. Guilty pleasures, emotional wrenches and films that are warranting special mention deserve special recognition in any film awards ceremony. Major Film Festivals give films that deserve attention but didn’t qualify for any rewards a “Jury Prize,” and as such these are the films that deserve one for 2006.
It’s hard when reviewing documentaries. Fiction films can be judged on many levels: the acting, the camera work, the sets and costumes, the script. But none of that can be applied to the documentary. So how can you review and rate a film like this? One must look at the subject at hand and see how well the filmmakers present the information, the true story they wanted to tell. I think there are two outstanding documentaries that warrant special acknowledgment.
An Inconvenient Truth – Brought to us by the man who should have been or President. Al Gore presents in a very straightforward and even entertaining way (using a clip from Futurama to explain the greenhouse effect) the ever-growing dangers to our environment and what we as individuals can do to make an actual change. To think it’s likely that part of Antarctica could break of and melt raising sea levels 20 ft across the globe is more frightening than anything Hollywood could but in a horror film. This movie more than any other is one that everyone should watch.
The Devil & Daniel Johnston – Like most people, I didn’t know who Daniel Johnston was before watching this movie about his life. Johnston’s a tragic tale and whether you like his music or not, this film will not disappoint anyone.
Tenacious D in “The Pick Of Destiny” – I’ve been a D fan for along time. When the film came out I was surprised how many people had never even heard of the TV show. P.O.D. certainly is a movie for the fans. I laughed my ass off, this movie was everything I could have hoped for from Cage and Jables.
Borat – The surprise hit of the summer was Borat. Again, I’ve been a huge Ali G fan for a while and was disappointed with the Ali G movie so I had reservations going into Borat. As anyone who’s seen the movie there was no need to worry at all. This movie is nearly non-stop hilarity from beginning to end.
Snakes On A Plane – The guilty pleasure film of the year awards goes to SOAP! Man, this movie was everything you wanted it to be and more. It was funny, it was scary, it was intense, it was over the top, and it was completely aware of the kind of movie it was and didn’t try to be anything else. Sam Jackson is my hero!
Clerks II – Kevin Smith has had a huge impact on my life. He’s the reason I’m in film school so I’ll go see any Smith movie. He’s only disappointed me once, but we don’t need to talk about that movie. Clerks II is by no means Smith’s best film, but it certainly is a nice addition to is resume and Smith fans everywhere should rejoice it’s existence. It’s like Smith too all the dirty jokes he left out of Jersey Girl and shoved them in here making it the raunchiest film he’s made yet.
Stranger Than Fiction/Talladega Nights: The Story Of Ricky Bobby – These two Will Farrell films are great for very different reasons. We love Will Farrell because he’s a wacky crazy over the top kind of guy and Talladega Nights, while not as good as Anchorman, is a fantastic exploration of how far Farrell is willing to go for a laugh. On the other end of the humor spectrum we have Stranger Than Fiction. This is a great movie because it shows that Farrell can get good laughs with out running around naked. He reels in all his craziness and pulls off subtle like the pro he is. These two movies are great because the show the amazing range that Farrell has as an actor.
Brick – This is a movie most people either love or hate. Yes it’s a gimmick: a classic Film Noir story set in a high school. Either you buy into it or you don’t. If you do buy into it, like I did, than you are in for a treat. This is one of the best scripts of the year and is really well acted by the young cast.
10. The Oh In Ohio – This comedy just kind of slipped through the Silver Screen cracks and hopefully will find a life on DVD. Parker Posey plays a woman who’s never had an orgasm and Paul Rudd plays her husband who’s been trying for ten years. They and Danny DeVito are all at the top of their game here. If you love these actors, you will love this movie.
9. The Proposition – This “western” set in the Australian Outback, penned by Nick Cave, is a phenomenal modern example of the genre. Guy Pearce plays outlaw Charlie Burns. He is captured and given a proposition. Find and kill his older brother Arthur or his younger brother dies. What really makes this film great, besides the fine script and the stellar acting is how we are made to empathize with both sides of the law. Usually in a western we either side with the lawman or the outlaw, however in this movie both are humanized allowing us to see both sides.
8. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days – A lot of foreign films get looked over by the American audience and this is one of them. This movie about an anti-Nazi group in Germany during WWII is a hard-hitting drama that will open yours eyes to they other’s thought during that time. It’s not a happy movie and it doesn’t have a happy Hollywood ending but it’s a movie worth taking the time to see.
7. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – Very few sequels are as good or even better than the original; Dead Man’s Chest is one of those. It’s bigger, it’s louder, it’s more over the top, it’s everything you could hope the Pirates franchise could grow into, and it even leaves you wanting to see the third one. And Johnny Depp is marvelous as always.
6. Little Miss Sunshine – Rarely does a film like this come along. The characters are as real and flawed as anyone you might know in real life. And the acting across the board in this film is brilliant. It’s that perfect blend of laugh out loud comedic moments filled with heartbreaking moments of tragedy and every character is likeable and relatable.
5. A Scanner Darkly – Philip K. Dick’s books have been made into films many times, usually to a bad result. However, Richard Linklater has given this story life in a way no other filmmaker could. The technology of rotoscoping has improved ten fold since Waking Life and this film looks great. And Keanu’s acting is even good!
4. The Science Of Sleep – Michel Gondry’s films have such a unique look that you can pick out one of his movies after only a minute of film. The Science Of Sleep incorporates all of Gondry’s quirks and ideas and brings them beautifully to life.
3. The Last King Of Scotland – This movie jumps to the number three slot for many reasons, but the best reason is two words: Forrest Whitaker. Whitaker is one of those astounding actors that seems to get lost in the shuffle. That can’t happen anymore. This is hands down the best acting of the year and is worth watching for that alone. I’ve very excited for his Golden Globe nomination!
2. The Prestige – If any movie was going to challenge The Departed for the number one slot, it is The Prestige. Christopher Nolan has proved once again that he is a director to watch. He revitalized the Batman franchise with Batman Begins and now he’s made a movie about magicians interesting. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are amazing to watch in this movie. And Davie Bowie has a very memorable cameo as Nikolas Tesla.
1. The Departed – This is the best of the best, the creme de la creme! This is Scorsese, one of the greatest directors of our time, at the top of his game. The acting on everyon’s part is the best that you could imagine but Mark Walberg takes the cake. He steals ever scene he’s in. This is just about as perfect as movies get.
