The Top 10 Best(and Worst) Films of 2006

The Top 10 Best(and Worst) Films of 2006

Alright all. It's the moment that we've all been waiting for, as I finally announce the best and the worst of 2006. It was a rather difficult decision, and quite a number of things had to get sacrificed. 2006 was a fine year for film, and it shows in the way that my list ends up showcasing and honoring films from all throughout the year instead of just the last few weeks-although there are plenty of last minute additions that ended up ruining my first draft that I made before Christmas. Before I get into the best, I'll (dis)honor some of 2006's more weaker efforts-the bottom of the barrel, and the complete trash.

The Worst Films of 2006

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
2. Little Man
3. The Return
4. The Oh in Ohio
5. Bobby
6. The Grudge 2
7. Date Movie
8. Big Momma's House 2
9. Fast Food Nation
10. Running with Scissors

The Best Films of 2006

10. Stranger Than Fiction-Directed by Marc Forester

It may have seemed to come and gone, but "Stranger Than Fiction" is one of the more original and delightful films to come out this year. Will Ferrell was pretty much perfect in his second low-key role of the role(the first being the mediocre "Winter Passing) and he's as good at not being an idiot as he is being one. "Stranger Than Fiction" takes a premise that could have easily been screwed up in the hands of a less filmmaker, and it also has a premise that could have been taken advantage of through comedy alone. A character in a book is real, but can still hear the voice of the writer narrating his entire life, in a nutshell. The script takes a very dark turn, though, and focuses on comedy throughout the beginning, and then posing some interesting questions about art, literature, and their place in society. This is a film that may not seem to be, but is, worthy of much conversation afterwards, and should at least be honored at the Oscars for an Original Screenplay nomination. This comedy strangely moved me towards the ending, and I feel that this is the perfect place to start my list. This is also the first time I ever put a movie on my list that rated a ***1/2, but I still wanted to honor it for sure.

9. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu-Directed by Cristi Puiu

Now this is the one that I expect will have some people scratching their heads. What is this? "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" was an under seen little Romanian film from April, charting the final day of the title character-a man in his sixties or seventies who is sent from hospital to hospital on a night where he is not feeling well at all. No doctor will treat him, and they don't find him important enough to operate on. As Lazarescu falls slowly into oblivion, the only person that bothers to help him is his nurse, who does what she can to get him the proper medical care he needs. "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" is a dark dark dark dark comedy, and also a commentary on the medical care system in Romania-and it seems like one hell of a horror story. At a two hour and sixty minute run time, and a pace as slow as a turtle, this is a film for the patient, but a very rewarding one. You care for Lazarescu by the end of the film, and what may or may not be the end of his life. After seeing this earlier in the year I envisioned this as something that should be showered with awards, but instead it's showered with the sounds of crickets whenever I mention it. It's on DVD right now, and I suggest you scope it out somehow.

8.A Prairie Home Companion-Directed by Robert Altman

Little did we know last June that "A Prairie Home Companion," a joyous and uplifting film all about death, would in fact be Robert Altman's swan song. After seeing this last June I said it was the best film of the year at the time(and then I saw 7 more that were better). I was glad that Altman returned to the portions of his films that made him famous-giant ensemble casts, overlapping dialogues, musical performance's. In a way I enjoyed this a little better than "Nashville," only because the music here never grew tedious. I enjoyed every single performance, and it added that Garrision Keiller is a great host. By the end, I had tears in my eyes-I was so happy to be watching it and I didn't want it to end. Not only is this a celebration of life and death, but also the career of Robert Altman. A great film and a fitting end to a very long and filling career.

7.The Last King of Scotland-Directed by Kevin MacDonald

Go home DiCaprio(although I'll talk about you a little later). Try again Peter O'Toole(although you were wonderful in Venus). This year, as far as actors are concerned, it's all about Forest Whitaker, who played the frightening and yet charming Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." Amin seduced a nation into thinking that he would bring back Uganda to its people with his wit and charming good nature. And then in the end, his paranoia and insane way of thinking led to the murder of hundreds and thousands of people. Told through the main character of his physician, Nicolas Garrigan, "The Last King of Scotland" begins as if it were a light hearted comedy/drama-there's even a little romance thrown in, but it soon turns into one of the most intense and dramatic stories of the year. It's difficult to watch at times, but has such a power that just sucks you in. If Whitaker looses the coveted statue this year, then it is a sin. And Paul Giamatti knows exactly what I'm talking about.

6.Pan's Labyrinth-Directed by Guillermo del Toro

The last film I saw in 2006, "Pan's Labyrinth" is a fantasy masterpiece. "Pan's Labyrinth' is a modern day fairy tale, and between this and Terry Gilliam's brilliant "Tideland," this is the victor story of innocence. "Pan's Labyrinth" is a dark dark fairy tale, one of the darkest films I've seen, about a young girl who is brought into a fantasy world where a faun gives her three tasks to see if she is the ancient princess of this fantasy world. At the same time, she is under the rule of her stepfather, the one of the cruelest men in any film this year or any, who kills people and then asks questions. This is visual masterpiece, and is good old fashioned great storytelling. Not for the faint of heart, but if you refuse to see this on the big screen then you are depriving yourself of one of the most rewarding fantasy films ever.

5.The Departed-Directed by Martin Scorsese

Extremely entertaining, paced like no other film this year, and powerhouse performances make "The Departed" thrilling. But to be honest, I'm not obsessed with this like others were. I can't exactly put it on the ballot for Best Picture of year, but if Scorsese does win Best Director, I'll be glad to see that he gets it for something well worth it-giving it to him for "Gangs of New York" or "The Aviator" would have been a waste compared to "Goodfellas," "Taxi Driver," or "Raging Bull." Leo DiCaprio was very good here, which is a surprise considering he's not my favorite actor in the world, and Jack Nicholson is obviously having a ball and turning in a great performance, which makes it win-win.

4.Babel-Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

The third in the trilogy by Inarritu connecting various characters to one seemingly innocent situation. In this case he observes how a gunshot in Morroco could affect people as far as Japan. While the story in Japan may not be the perfect fit to the situation, and how it connects is fairly silly and not as fitting as it could be, the entire film is emotional brilliant. Brad Pitt gets to show a wide range of emotions here, and the beautiful beautiful beautiful Cate Blanchett, even though she spends most of the film moaning on the ground, was great in the first in a grand trilogy of performances. This film hooked me in from the very first shot, and is one of the few times where handheld camera work is actually effective. And even if you don't like the film, I can't understand anybody who is not affected by the story of the nanny of the two kids she is trying to guard. The best of the four, by far!

3. Little Miss Sunshine-Directed by Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Faris

Thanks to a booking at the theatre I work at, I was able to see "Little Miss Sunshine" eight times(a personal best), only paying to see it twice, and each time was as rewarding as the next. This is a perfect film about winning, loosing, and how those are not the only two things in this world-as we follow the Hoover family on their quest to the title beauty pageant in their broken down VW bus. It's funny, endearing, powerful, and a constant joy to watch. The final scenes will leave even the coldest heart smiling, and the very last shot never fails to brighten up my day-even just thinking about it. There is also fine fine acting from every single member involved, especially Alan Arkin(who reminds me of my dad almost every day) and Abagnail Breslin, who is a perfect balance between very mature and yet carrying the innocence of a child.

2.Children of Men-Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Remember those last minute additions I mentioned in the introduction. Well, "Children of Men" is one of them. This was an intense, bleak, dark look into the near future, only twenty years from now, where woman are infertile, and the human race is slowly killing each other. Clive Owen becomes involved with an organization trying to save a girl who is actually pregnant, and could be the miracle the world needs. Cuaron's direction is flawless, and he sometimes does one take scenes that last for minutes at a time-but mammoth one shots-with explosions, and chases, and gunfights. Some of it was incredible to watch, and it's film making at its finest. By the first twenty minutes your already sucked into this destroyed world of England, and you even may shed a few tears this early on. "Children of Men" will likely be ignored, but if you want to see some of the finest directing/visual work this year, I recommend seeing this on the big screen. This film grabbed me right from the first second.

1.Little Children-Directed by Todd Field

I believe that Kate Winslet is the most beautiful actress around right now, and it also helps that she is extremely talented. Here in "Little Children" she is able to show a number of different emotions-from excited, to vulnerable, to passionate, to fearing for the life of her and what matters most to her-something that Helen Mirran couldn't do in "The Queen." I think Winslet should finally win the Oscar. That being said, the rest of "Little Children" is incredible too-another dark look into the world of suburbia. Every single main character in this film is an adult, but their actions are so childlike that they are worse than their children that play in the community pool and sandbox everyday. And during some of their most vulnerable moments, the sound of train whistles are heard in the background, as if trying to entice them to get away from this life. The last twenty minutes are some of the most frightening minutes I've spent in a movie theater, as I approached the edge of my seat, wanting the film to end to see what happens, but at the same time never wanting the experience to finish. And what happened to all the acclaim for Jackie Earle Haley. They were saying he could get a supporting acting nod, and I never heard of that again. He sure does deserve it.

There are no characters to really root for here. They all do their good and their bad. Even Ronald, the sex offender, shows signs of being human, but he completely erases it with some of the acts that he does. But he is trying. Over the last few years I have come into the practice of observing characters instead of always trying to relate to them, or finding too much to hate. Some of my favorite characters in the last few years of film are those that do some of the most wretched things. Things that you don’t think you can forgive them for. Well, maybe they don’t want you too. "Little Children" is about looking for a life better than the one you have, but at the same time it is about keeping and accepting the life that was given to you. To ignore the various train whistles that call out to us in the midst of a crisis. To try and make life work without succumbing to the temptation of the first thing that falls in your lap, and most of all to abide by the rules of life, which never seem to change from being a kid. Instead, they just get a little more mature, but the meaning never ceases.

Here's to 2007. . .