quote:

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10. CHILDREN OF MEN by Alfonso Cuaron

Cuaron has created a completely fleshed-out futuristic world with a level of skill and efficiency not commonly found outside of movies by Lucas and Spielberg. If the film took place in a contemporary setting, it would be a great achievement in realism. The fact that it takes place in a fictional time makes it even more impressive.

9. ROCKY BALBOA by Sylvester Stallone

This is undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the year. The “Rocky” sequels have been nothing but a series of missed opportunities. Instead of putting character first, Stallone became trapped by his own formula and created one contrived scenario after another to get Rocky back in the ring. This movie follows that formula but is structured in a way that gives the story top priority and treats the fight as almost an afterthought. Not surprisingly, this makes the fight way more effective by giving the audience a reason to actually care about it.

8. BABEL by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

“Babel” is a much more ambitious yet refined picture than the other two films in Inarritu’s trilogy, “Amores Perros” and “21 Grams.” The movie tells four stories which are tied together loosely by plot but strongly by theme to show that the largest problem with global communication is the fact that nobody listens. It’s unapologetically bold in every way, from its casting to its editing. Not only one of the most complex films of the year, but also one of the most skillfully constructed.

7. THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED by Kirby Dick

In this documentary, Dick reveals that the Motion Picture Association of America is even more evil than it appears to be. It’s very informative and loads of fun as the filmmaker infiltrates the all-powerful cultish entity and uses its ridiculous system to his advantage.

6. THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE by Mary Harron

More than anything else, this movie captures the spirit of the real-life Page’s persona. It’s shameless fun from beginning to end. Gretchen Mol returns from the dead with a performance which makes us wonder where she’s been all these years.

5. THE DEPARTED by Martin Scorsese

While not nearly as good as Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s “Infernal Affairs,” “The Departed” is a satisfying remake. Most of the changes are ill-conceived, but the premise is bulletproof and the performances given by the huge cast of stars are riveting.

4. SUPERMAN RETURNS by Bryan Singer

A character as iconic as Superman deserves a movie like “Superman Returns.” It’s a nice throwback to the blockbuster films of the Seventies; as epic as Richard Donner’s 1978 movie, but without the ham and cheese. Singer makes an interesting choice in assuming that the audience is intimately familiar with the mythology. This allows him to skip the origin and tell a story which, ultimately, is far more interesting.

3. CASINO ROYALE by Martin Campbell

Whether or not Daniel Craig is the best James Bond of all-time can be debated, but “Casino Royale” is certainly the best Bond film ever made. The series gets a much needed reboot with this surprisingly faithful adaptation of Ian Fleming’s brilliant novel. Where it deviates, the groundwork is laid for the mythology which hopefully will be built on in future installments.

2. CLERKS II by Kevin Smith

Smith, who has yet to make a bad movie, revisits his original characters to give us his most mature film to date. Instead of retreading old territory with another typical day-in-the-life comedy, Smith picks up the story ten years down the road at a pivotal moment in the lives of Dante and Randal. It’s a fascinating allegory for the director’s own career, and a poignant look at two beloved characters.

1. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III by J.J. Abrams

Where the first film in the series focused on a plot so complex that explaining it left no time for action, and the second film focused on so much action that the story was written around the set pieces, “Mission: Impossible III” is the best of both worlds, giving us the most compelling story thus far along with the most visceral action the franchise has seen. The movie also works on a few meta-textual levels. In an era where most franchises use sequels as a way of advancing a much larger story, the “Mission: Impossible” series presents variations on a theme, with each installment showcasing the unique talent of a different filmmaker. The result is a very interesting study of what the director’s influence is on the making of a movie. Similarly, “Mission: Impossible III” acts as a companion piece to Abrams’ TV spy series, “Alias.” There are a surprising number of parallels between the two works, and where they differ speaks to the strengths and weaknesses of the two media they represent. “Alias” is much more character-driven, while “Mission: Impossible III” offers a much larger scope.

So there’s 2006 in a nutshell. What’s to look forward to in 2007? One word. “Grindhouse.”

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quote: Mark Lensenmayer

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Most Engrossing and Unnerving DVD: Hard Candy

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I worked on that! (The DVD supplements, not the film.)
 

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Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 01-13-2007, 06:15 AM:
 
1. A Good Year
2. The Devil Wears Prada
3. Mission Impossible 3
4. Casino Royale
5. SAW III
6. Pirates Of The Carribean 2
7. The Pursuit Of Happyness

Demetris
 

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Posted by Brian Tristam Williams (Member # 1235) on 01-23-2007, 07:43 AM:
 
The Queen, Little Miss Sunshine, The Devil Wears Prada

I reckon Oscar for Ms. Mirren, fo'sho'
 

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Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 01-23-2007, 12:23 PM:
 
Worked this out at the weekend. Bear in mind different release dates for UK.

10. Snakes On A Plane; just stupid and entertaining fun.

9. The Wind That Shakes The Barley; very interesting period drama, best leave the politics aside. Did it do well in the States? It got a bit bogged down in controversy here, unavoidable really.

8. Munich; suprised at this one, good performances and I got really into the plot, a good mix of action and drama.

7. The Departed; really well done with excellent Jack Nicholson (where was his Oscar nomination?) supporting, violence and strong language handled well.

6. Brick; good plot, good acting, very slick and entertaining film. Liked the cinematography, kind of washed out look to it.

5. Hidden (Caché); very thought-provoking, good performances from leads. Some fantastic shots rich with meaning.

4. Tsotsi; an eye-opener, really well shot with some fantastic acting, really suprised me just how good this was.

2= Borat; haven't laughed all the way through a film ever.

2= Casino Royale; Great action film, guns girls and more.

1. Brokeback Mountain; First film I saw in 2006, and the best. Beautifully shot and fantastic performances from the entire cast, and the plot was detailed yet managed to take in a near-epic love story. The film actually managed to get beyond the fact that it was about gay people which was one area it could have fallen. Definitely a breakthrough for Hollywood. Have to say though I came out the cinema glad I'm not gay.

Also worth a mention were The Queen, Rize, Little Miss Sunshine, Junebug and Syriana. Jarhead was decent as well. Better year than I thought it would be looking back.
 

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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 01-23-2007, 08:31 PM:
 
It shocks me to say that a Will Ferrell movie was my favorite of the year, but "Stranger than Fiction" was it.

Others from 2006 (wide release) that have stuck with me

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Match Point
Cars
Inside Man

Biggest disappointments:

Nacho Libre
Art School Confidential
Little Miss Sunshine
 

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Posted by Patrick McDonough (Member # 1363) on 01-24-2007, 07:21 PM:
 
I would say my favorite would be The Departed.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-25-2007, 04:14 AM:
 
Good movies I saw in no particular order:
The Departed
Cars
Devil Wears Prada
Mission Impossible 3 (the only one I liked)
Snakes on a Plane
Over the Hedge

Damn movies suck these days.
 

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Posted by Paul Gordon (Member # 3320) on 01-25-2007, 06:58 AM:
 
In no real order...

Children of Men... the best i've seen in years!
The Departed.....poor Leo
Borat.....laughs all around
Little Children.....it just looks so good
Trailer Park Boys: the Movie....what can I say eh
Brick...great updated noir
District 13....killer action/stunts
A Scanner Darkly....Phillip K, and rotoscoping
Little Miss Sunshine...more laughs
Munich....just well made
Short Bus....SEX

I'm not sure why everyone has Cars on their list! I thought it was the worse Pixar film to date.
 

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Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 01-25-2007, 07:13 AM:
 
Here are mine, in no particular order. If I have time, I may edit the post and actually explain why:

- Funny Ha Ha
- Chumscrubber
- Edmond
- Pretty Persuasion
- Hidden (Cache)
- 19 Months
- The Squid and the Whale
- P.S.
- Prime
- American Dreamz
- Match Point

Remember that these are movies that were released at the cinema or on DVD in 2006 in Australia. Not ideal, but that's all I have to go on, being from there and all.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-25-2007, 01:03 PM:
 
I liked:

The Devil Wears Prada
Cars
Eight Below
Hoodwinked

I was totally unprepared for "Prada." I thought sure I would hate it, but agreed to watch it with my wife. We both thought it was great.

Eight Below - a little cheesy, but well-made and it did very well for us, which always makes me like a movie better.

Hoodwinked - inventive, fast-moving and the funniest of all the animated films last year.

Cars - So-so story, but redeemed by the great animation.

quote: Brad Miller

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Damn movies suck these days.

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quote:

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Our top grossing Disney film that year [1986] was the live-action 101 Dalmatians with Glenn Close.

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• Cars
• The Prestige
• Borat
• Little Miss Sunshine

quote: Jonathan M. Crist

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I seem to recall running Crocodile Dundee for nearly 3 months in the fall of 1986(when you could still get a long run out of a picture)

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Similarly I recall " The Gods Must be Crazy" running for over 12 months at the Cinema Paradisio" in Perth in 1984, was the best thing that ever happened to that cinema .

We ran it at the drive in in 86 and still drew a good crowd. I guess sometimes the simple things are often the best.

My favorites for 2006

walk the line
Ice age 2
cars
superman
casino royal

worst was lady in the water (went to sleep while previewing it )
 

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Posted by Jason Winn (Member # 3568) on 02-01-2007, 10:46 PM:
 
These are my favorite movies from 2006, in no particular order:

Hostel
V for Vendetta
Inside Man
Mission:Impossible 3
X-men: The Last Stand
Superman Returns
Saw III
Borat
Casino Royale

I would have to say that my #1 favorite movie of 2006 would be Casino Royale! Bad ass fuckin' movie!!!
 

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