The Best of 2006

I know, I know. Here we are half-way through 2007, and now I'm doing a best of 2006 list. I'd like to say that it was because I wanted to see other movies on DVD from last year that I hadn't seen yet. Or, that I wanted to let the movies marinade in the juices in my head before I made my final decisions, but, honestly, I've just been lazy, procrastinating for months before now.

I know its early yet this year, and that most of the good movies have not been released yet, but 2007 has a long way to go before it will compare to last year. 2006 was a very good year for movies. When creating my Top Ten there were many tough decisions to be made. Therefore, there were a number of very quality selections that will be disappointed to not be able to end up on Nick's Top Ten, the most prestigious of movie lists. However, I could not take any more than 10. Those are my rules, and they are set in stone.

By now, the reader will be anxious to know what my criterion were when making my selections. Let me assure you they are long and complicated, much too complicated for the average reader, let alone movie-goer understand, so I will save you the enormous exposition that it would require to do so. Instead I will finally give you all what you have been waiting for; my list. So, without further ado, here, in descending order, are the Ten Best movies of 2006, as selected by me.

10. The Queen
9. The New World
8. Letters From Iwo Jima
7. Children of Men
6. Apacolypto
5. The Departed
4. The Prestige
3. Pan's Labyrinth
2. Little Miss Sunshine
1. United 93

Comments:
1, 2, & 3 - United 93, Little Miss Sunshine, Pan's Labyrinth

The top 3 movies were all extremely worthy of being selected as the year's best movie, and in other years "Sunshine" and "Pan" would easily be number one. Each movie was very different in purpose and tone. United 93 was one of the most immediate and terrifyingly realistic movies ever made. (see my previous review) Its purpose was clearly not to entertain, but to enlighten the viewer to the heroism of the passangers of the doomed flight on September 11th. The director, Paul Greengrass, pulled off a feat of magnificent proportions, and probably should have won best director, if it were not for the sentimental pull for Scorsese to win his 1st. "Little Miss Sunshine" on the other hand was made to simply entertain, and it did that superbly. It is an independant comedic masterpiece, small in scale, but big in laughs, and balanced nicely with touching realism. As different as those two are from eachother, "Pan's Labyrinth" is that much different from either of them. I am planning on reviewing this movie soon, but am having trouble deciding from what angle to take on it, because there is so much going on cinematically and thematically. It is a fantasy fairy-tale, and the fairy-tale aspects of it are magical, beautiful, and terrifying. It is an adolescent coming of age movie. It is a rousing tale of the oppressed fighting to the end against evil tyranny. And it is also a war movie, brutal and bloody. The wonder of it is how the director Guillermo del Torro is able to blend it into one seemless whole. It is a haunting movie that will leave an indellible print in your mind.

4 - The Prestige
"The Prestige" at number 4 might be a suprise, but it is the kind of movie that I love. A time shifting complicated plot the leads to one of the best suprise endings since "The Sixth Sense." It rewards the viewer on multiple views as the plot uncovers clues and hints that could not have been picked up on the first view.

5. The Departed
Scorsese at his best ( actually, 3rd or 4th best, which is still pretty damn good). I enjoyed his previous movie, "The Aviator" but it was great seeing Scorsese get back to the vulgar streets. A crime plot where rats are infiltrating the Irish Mob of Boston, while the Irish Mob has an inside guy within the inner sanctums of the Police. Awesome performances all around, I mean who was the best? Nicholson, yes. DiCaprio, oh yeah him too. Mark Wahlber, beleive it or not, yes. Matt Damon, excellent, the list goes on and on. Directed with style and passion by one of the greats at the top of his game.

6. Apocalypto
Say what ever you want about Mel Gibson. He can make some fucking kick-ass movies. This is a historical epic, yes, but really is simply a big, exciting, bloody, fun, exhilirating action movie which happens to be set in Ancient Maya.

7. Children of Men
A dark look at the future of mankind. In the not-so distant future the world has pretty much dissintigrated into a bleak place. The world is hopeless, literally, as mankind has been unable to procreate for the last eighteen years. Until there is a glimmer of hope. A glimmer that many different people want to get there hands on. There are many great aspects of this movie, but what really stands out is the cinematography. The movie is full of long, single take shots, that must have taken meticulous preperation to pull off. There are two scenes in particular which are simply jaw-dropping. The first is when the car of the protagonists are being chased down by a gang of ruffians. The point of view for the entire scene is shot the entire time from within the car, swirling around from the front to the back to the front again, with no cuts. It actually seems physically impossible to shoot this scene, but it is obviously not. (And you can tell there are no special effects or camera tricks). The second is a very long tracking shot that follows Clive Owen as he walks his way through the decrepit refuge camp turned battle field. The scene lasts at least 10 minutes without one cut or wash. Nothing but the camera following along, simple enough, yeah right. When watching this scene think about the coordination and timing that it must taken to get all the parts in the exact right place at the exact right time, and then think about the work it would have taken to re-shoot this scene had something gone wrong.

8. Letters From Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwoods second movie about the World War II battle. This companion piece to "Flags of Our Fathers" tells the story of the Japanese soldiers defending the island. A point of view not often shown in American movies. The better of the two, however, both were very good and while not as good, stand up with Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers. Had I put both movies together it, as I've seen done by less prominant reviewers (Peter Travers) than myself, it may have moved up a spot or two. But they were released seperately and are technically different movies.

9. New World
This is a movie that came and went with little fanfare released really early last year. This was only director Terrence Malicks fourth feature film, yet he is not new on the scene, his first feature being 1973's "Badlands." This movie tells the story of Jamestown, America's first successful Brititsh Colony, and specifically the legend of John Smith and Pocohantis. It is more like poetry than moviemaking, taking its time to meander through the forrests of pre-colonization Virginia. This is not a movie for all viewers. Malick does not direct for the masses, and his methods require patience. If you saw his last movie, "The Thin Red Line," which I thought was excellent, you should know the style to expect. However if you do remain patient and let yourself get immersed in the beauty of the film it will mesmerize and greatly reward your patience.

10. The Queen
A fictionalized account of the weeks after Princess Diana's death as experienced by the Queen Elizabeth. It is anchored by the undeniably perfect performance of Hellen Mirren as the Queen, for which she rightly won the best actress award.