Best and Worst Movies of 2006
I didn’t see many of the critically acclaimed, award show circuit films of 2006, so my top 10 list has a distinct middle-brow to upper-middle brow flavor to it. Looking over my picks, it seems that this year, I was particularly enthralled by movies that dealt with manly themes – loyalty (The Departed, The Good Shepherd), love (Borat), deception (Inside Man, The Matador, Miami Vice), the id (The Proposition, Casino Royale), and heroism (The Great Yokai War). Volver looks a little out of place amongst these swaggering works, but a wind-swept, voluptuous heroine will always score big in my book.
Top 10 Best Movies:
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The Departed: Fun, fun, fun. Granted, you’ll want to ban the Boston accent after you leave the theater, but with this film, Marty (we’re old friends) has breathed new life into the gangster thriller. Will someone please find a decent role for Vera Farmiga? I’ve been terrified for her since she appeared on the cover of the New York Times Magazine, hailed as the new Meryl Streep. We all remember what happened to Gretchen Mol after the Vanity Fair cover…
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Casino Royale: All hail the blonde Bond. This was a joyride, start to finish. The only thing I’d criticize is the way Bond gets all puppy dog for his main girl, Vesper Lynd. His infatuation is embarrassingly tweeny.
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The Good Shepherd: Matt Damon is terrific as a bloodless American spymaster in the early days of the Cold War. A great spy film. Wish I could explain why this film didn’t clean up during awards season.
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The Great Yokai War: A mind-bending and poignant fantasy from Japan’s Takashi Miike. A boy is chosen to lead traditional Japanese spirits against the forces of rampant industrialization. See this.
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Volver: An overly reductionist view of Almodovar might take issue with his portrayal of victims of childhood sexual abuse – when life gives you lemons… But you forgive him. This film, like his others, is beautiful to look at, and a celebration of the rich, European-style life that seems like a forgotten dream today.
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Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazahkstan: Lives up to the hype, for the most part. Cohen is at his best when he highlights American prejudices and ignorance. I think he’s weakest doing simple pratfalls.
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Miami Vice:
Surprised to see this on my top 10 list? Deal with it. Michael Mann is at the top of his game and paints the lives of high level drug dealers in gritty digital tones. True, the script has some hall-of-fame awful lines and the cast includes Jamie Foxx (the most unworthy “best actor” in history), but don’t tell me that after you’ve seen this movie, you won’t be itching to hop a speedboat to Cuba for a night of salsa dancing and mojitos. -
The Proposition: Astonishing and brutal western, set in 19th century Australia. It’s Unforgiven meets Apocalypse Now, with a hummable score by rocker Nick Cave.
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Inside Man: A tight, well-acted heist thriller. Denzel Washington and Clive Owen are standouts. Jodie Foster is just there.
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The Matador: Hilarious. Even though the hitman as protagonist thing is starting to get a little old, I felt a freshness about this film that kept me in it from start to finish. Pierce Brosnan should do more comedies.
Top 10 Worst movies:
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Bloodrayne: The worst movie I have ever seen in my entire life. I don’t know what gangster put a gun to the heads of Sir Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, and Michelle Rodriguez, to force them to appear in this mess of a movie, but more power to him.
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X-Men III: The Last Stand: Bret Ratner kills a better than average comic book adaptation franchise.
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Ultraviolet: Milla Jovovich fights the powers that be in future world… again.
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The Devil Wears Prada: Insanely overrated movie. Meryl is only so-so.
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Click: Another It’s a Wonderful Life retread that starts out harmless enough, but spirals out of control towards the end. Academy Award nomination for makeup – for a fat suit!? Come on now!
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The Illusionist: Insanely overrated movie. Promises a big surprise and delivers… nada.
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Nacho Libre: Unispired follow-up to Napoleon Dynamite. Yawn.
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Superman Returns: Bryan Singer was the best hope to revive this storied franchise, but he failed miserably. Brendan Routh and Kevin Spacey cannot hope to fill the shoes of Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman, and Kate Bosworth should have been the last actress on the list to play
Lois Lane. The entire production was grim and overcast in a way that made me yearn for the 70’s, bad hair be damned.
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For Your Consideration: Christopher Guest’s incomparable troupe finally shoots and misses. Unfunny is the kindest adjective I can think of for this film.
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A Prairie Home Companion: Sad, sad exit for the master, Robert Altman, who must now be forever linked to Lindsay Lohan.
