The Best and Worst of 2006
It’s never too late for yet another top 10 list of the year. Well, that’s not entirely true but with the Oscars behind us, I thought I would submit my two-month late list because I think I am on the verge of being fired from the site. Here’s the list and my thoughts on a few other movies. This list is in no way a reflection of this site, its owners, its fans or any children in the world.
BEST OF THE YEAR
10. Little Children – One of the great dramas of the year with a haunting performance by Jackie Earle Haley. We get to see plenty of Kate Winslet and that’s always a good thing. A movie I would call 2006’s version of American Beauty.
9. Borat – Without a doubt the funniest movie of the year and one of the funniest movies to hit theatres in many years. Sacha Baron Cohen took the world by storm and made a movie that is sure to offend and probably give many people nightmares.
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – Jack Sparrow makes a triumphant return to the big screen in a sequel that did not disappoint. The movie ended with a cliffhanger that reminded many of The Empire Strikes Back. It left me chomping at the bit for At Worlds End.
7. Shut Up & Sing – Saw this movie at the Toronto International Film Festival in a packed house that included The Dixie Chicks and about 500 of their fans so there is a chance it made the movie feel a lot better than it actually was but I still loved it. I have a newfound respect for the gals after seeing their movie. I still can’t believe it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.
6. Babel – This was my pick for the movie that would win the Oscar for Best Picture. Superb performances, outstanding directing, compelling story. One of the best movies to star Brad Pitt and he was barely in the movie!
5. Children of Men – I’m quite surprised it hasn’t received more accolades in terms of the major awards. Michael Caine certainly deserved some award consideration. The big chase scene in Children of Men was one of the great movie moments of 2006.
4. Blood Diamond – Intense, dramatic, depressing. I hope after seeing this movie people realize what goes on in this world so they can look pretty.
3. The Prestige – There’s mystery, there’s drama, there’s suspense, there’s magic. The Prestige has everything you could ask for and so much more. An absolute delight from the opening scene to the final credits.
2. United 93 – Without a doubt the most important movie to hit the theatres in 2006. It’s important for us to know that in all the travesty of September 11th there were heroes. Many of them we will never really know. Paul Greengrass does a good job of making sure we don’t forget.
1. Apocalypto – I was surprised how much I enjoyed Apocalypto. To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing a movie with subtitles and not a word of English. It just seemed like to much work for me plus I was tired. But Apocalypto is one heck of a rollercoaster from beginning to end. It establishes Mel Gibson as one of the finest filmmakers in the world today. I’m convinced if he wasn’t a drunk hate-monger that this movie would have garnered many Oscar nominations. It should be interesting to see where Mel’s career goes from here. It’s almost sad in a way because his talent may be second to none.
Highly Recommended (in no particular order):
Grandma’s Boy (surprisingly funny), Mission: Impossible 3, V For Vendetta, Click, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Little Miss Sunshine, Man of the Year, The Holiday, Night at the Museum, Dreamgirls, Harsh Times, Casino Royale, The Pursuit of Happyness, The Illusionist
Best Animated Movies of the Year:
1. Over the Hedge – Funny, charming, an all around good time.
2. Cars – See above.
3. Flushed Away – Loved the frogs and the singing slugs.
WORST OF THE YEAR
I usually try to avoid totally ripping apart a movie. It has to be a complete disaster for me to make a really bad comment about it but here’s a handful that I would not suggest my worst enemy watch.
Freedomland – One of the most boring movies of the entire year.
American Dreamz – I usually have a little faith in any movie starring Hugh Grant but the movie came close to reminding me that he has an affiniy for crack whores.
Nacho Libre – Yet another comedy with perhaps one or two laughs.
RV – Not even Robin Williams could make all the fart and poop jokes funny.
Clerks 2 – If you like seeing people have sex with donkeys then this is the movie for you.
Crank – A movie with no likeable characters and not much else going for it.
The Wicker Man – A wierd movie with some intensity but the payoff at the end is one of the worst in the history of movies.
The Black Dahlia – Based on an real-life unsolved murder, I think if investigators watched this movie they would arrest the people who made it.
All The King’s Men – The biggest ensemble cast of the year star in one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Little Man – Hands down the worst movie of 2006 and a leading candidate for the worst movie of the century.
Other Disappointments: Miami Vice, The Sentinel, Poseidon, The Da Vinci Code, The Omen, Superman Returns
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