Top Movies of 2006

[Petros]

Well as inspired by a friend of mine, he's written his own list, but I want to see what you think of mine. And I want your own opinions on the movies of 2006 too.

Here's My Top Five Movies of 2006 for you.

5. Borat: Cultural Learnings of American for Make Benefit of Glorius Nation of Kasahkstan

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Borat was one of the most inappropriate, anti-semetic, racist and down right politically incorrect films I've ever seen in my entire life. Sascha Baron Cohen, who rose to fame playing the legendary "Ali G" figure, developed a movie on that character and proceeded to do the same with his later equally successful character of Borat. The film reminded me why I used to watch him every time he was on Channel Five at 11pm.

4. Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest

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Whilst many people did not like the new Pirate's of the Carribean movie in comparison with the previous, I thought it was very entertaining and original in it's presentation. Johnny Depp never failed to suprise me throughout the movie and the ending is brilliant. Can't wait for the next one. Obviously the movie itself got a big boost from the gorgeous beauty from my side of the pond, Kiera Knightley, in my opinion is the second most beautiful girl in the world. (The first is someone I met on holiday called Grace :D )

3. The Last King of Scotland

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Holy shitballs! Forrest Whittaker blew me away in this movie. This is a massive contender for the Oscar race and I will be shocked if it doesn't win best picture. A gripping story with some real depth to it. Awesome acting, brilliant directing. This is a must see.

2. Superman Returns

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WOW! This movie seriously blew me away when I saw it. Okay, I loved it even more the second time because I wasn't drunk when I saw it the second time around and remembered more of it. But this movie was action-packed, gripping, emotional and made me remember why I loved that man in blue tights since I was a little kid. Brandon Routh did a superb job as Superman and really filled the boots of Christopher Reeve well, Kate Bosworth didn't exactly do too bad either, she brought a new quality to Lois Lane too. "The World Doesn't Need a Saviour and Neither do I!" And of course, the what I think should be Best Supporting Actor winner, Kevin Spacey, as Lex Luthor. What a performance, he was funny, creepy, menacing, evil and a bastard! Truley the greatest criminal mind of our time. Superman is back and it is great! Watch out for Superman: Man of Steel in 2009 people.

1. Rocky Balboa

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The Greatest Underdog Story Of Our Time Is Back For One Final Round!

Simply put, one of the greatest films of all time in my personal opinion. Fantasticly made, better than Rocky's II-V easily and almost as good as the original Rocky movie, which in my opinion is the greatest of all time. There's really not much more to say other than that Stallone gave this one his all and did a brilliat job in portraying the solmness of Rocky and the ending is a real tear-jerker! The soundtrack is obviously stunning as always, the training, the fight, all awesome!Fantastic movie, 11/10 in my opnion, it's THAT good! Please if you're a Rocky fan, GO SEE THIS! And try not to get into any fights afterwards because when you watch Rocky you suddenly feel like you can beat the crap outta anybody!

Remember: "It's not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep movin' forward!"


Well that's my list there were other honourable mentions such as the The Departed and especially V for Vendetta which I loved! I have yet to see Pan's Labryinth as it's yet to be released in the UK but a friend of mine says it's pretty good so I'll take his word for that.

So, what are YOUR top five movies of 2006, or top ten, I don't really care.

 

[coyote_sprit]

I didn't see any of those cept' Rocky Balboa which I do believe belongs as #1(Rocky IV ownz because of Ivan Drago, Nough Said). Superman Returns over billed itself to much so I really didn't want to see it. I never even heard of the Last King of Scotland. Borat looked funny even if there were many, many, many lawsuits against it.

 

[Double_Clawshot]

that's not a great list. superman was fun but definitely not on there. i haven't seen rocky but I dont really think that it could be that good, especially since i didnt like any of the others.

also how the hell can children of men not be on there.

borat was very very good though.

 

[Volrath]

Oh, here we go. I do this every year for the newspaper anyway. Forest Whitaker is all but guaranteed a best actor win, but judging from the early award shows, that's the only area Last King of Scotland is getting recognition. I predict Babel will take it this year. But anyway, here's my ten. Check it out.

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10. Jesus Camp - This spellbinding documentary by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady needs no gimmicks to transport its viewers into a real-life community where youngsters are trained to be the spiritual warriors of the future. The administrators of the camp have no compunctions about telling the audience that they feel they are engaged in a flat-out war against Islam, secularism, liberals and perhaps all logic and reason. Though a progressive radio announcer sporadically offers a contrarian viewpoint, the filmmakers fully refrain from insulting or demeaning the people depicted here. Those in line with these beliefs may find this documentary inspiring. Personally, I found it deeply frightening. A truly superb achievement either way.

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9. The Illusionist - The stronger of the two old-school magician movies released this year (it's competition, The Prestige, was also quite good...), The Illusionist suceeds because of its less is more approach. The famously intense Edward Norton dominates the screen as Eisenheim, a trickster engaged in a war of wits and deception with a spoiled prince (Rufus Sewell) and a conflicted inspector (the excellent Paul Giamatti). Director Neil Burger trusts in the power of old-fashioned plot and character development rather than excessive visual gimmicks, and delivers a purely satisfying experience.

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8. Borat - The strange journey of a journalist from Kazakhstan who is so casually ignorant, racist and misogynist that people across America see him as one of their own. A phenomenal mixture of ribald comedy and geurilla-documentary filmmaking, but the pure hilarity of Borat masks how unique it really is. Of course, none of it would be possible without the extraordinary talent of the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who fully inhabits this fish out of water and keeps you attached to him through the entire film despite his reprehensible conduct. He is as worthy of an Oscar nomination as any actor who played a famous musician with a drug problem.

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7. V For Vendetta - This amazing, intelligent and incredibly entertaining adventure asks one of the most important questions of our era: Where does freedom-fighting end and terorrism begin? Walking that line is the mysterious vigilante called V, played to perfection by Hugo Weaving. As V battles England's fascist government of the future, director James McTiegue (a collaborator with Larry and Andy Wachowski of The Matrix; the duo also wrote the script for this film) does a phenomenal job crafting this vivid vision of a violent venue full of vice and villainy. It gets better every time I watch it.

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6. Clerks II - Come for the hilarious Star Wars vs.Lord of the Rings debate and other hysterical examples of geeks gone wild. Stay for the perceptive and surprisingly emotional story of two best friends facing down their futures. Kevin Smith again proves that there's really nobody better when it comes to probing deep-seated fears and doubts within the male psyche, and give the man kudos for actually being able to do the tired "one guy who must choose between two girls" plotline and make you care deeply about the resolution. A familiar troupe of actors comes together once more for a truly exemplary comedy that invites comparison to the director's best work.

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5. Children of Men - The kind of stellar science-fiction that makes you angrily lament how reliably this genre is shut out at the awards scene. Never mind that the jaw-dropping tracking shots staged by director Alfonso Cuaron are likely to be taught in film school for decades, this modern day Nativity story in a world where humanity has become infertile is incredibly dark and intense...but never without hope. The pairing of Clive Owen and Michael Caine is so sublime (the other members of the excellent supporting cast aside) that it's amazing nobody had thought of it yet. This is a movie so thematically complex that how you interpret it will say just as much about you as the film.

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4. Thank You For Smoking - Who says irony is dead? You will see it's alive and well if you check out this hilarious satire about a tobacco lobbyist working every day to make sure people can smoke themselves into an early grave without any of that pesky health-minded interference from the government. What really makes this little masterpiece take off is the way Jason Reitman's script subversively positions Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart at the top of his game) as the familiar hero fighting against the establishment. Throw in priceless conversations with two other lobbyists, the riotous J.K. Simmons as Naylor's boss, and a pitch-pefect finale, and you've got a contender that fended off most of its challengers to keep a high spot on this list despite being released in March.

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3. The Departed - Edge of your seat, can't-take-your-eyes-off-it entertainment from screenwriter William Monahan and director Martin Scorsese. The fact that what was originally seen as a more commerical enterprise has now found itself catapulted to the forefront of the Oscar race is a testament to how superb this gritty crime story is. Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg head up one of the year's finest casts in a dazzling epic drenched with Scorsese's trademark nihilism. The question always comes up of whether Marty will finally win that Oscar for Best Director which has long been denied him, but you know what? He's got nothing left to prove.

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2. This Film is Not Yet Rated - Michael Moore has been missing in action for a while, but until he returns I am more than content to entertain myself with the unbelievable exploits of director Kirby Dick, who thoroughly takes down the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in this rollicking documentary. It's easy to prove that the MPAA's ratings for film content are woefully inconsistent, but this film goes even further to expose the sad and likely dangerous hypocrisy within American culture when it comes to what we seem to detest in our entertainment and what we let slip by. Not easy to find in theaters, but if there's any justice out there, this film will become a sensation on DVD.

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1. The Queen - Nothing less than a revelation. I could fill pages with reasons why this tiny masterpiece from Stephen Frears about the days following the death of Princess Diana is so excellent, but I will settle with just a few. The entire cast is consistently phenomenal. The visual metahpors Frears employs linger in your mind long after the film has finished. Every scene seems to be revealing something interesting about one or more of the characters. This film's emotion lies buried beneath the surfaces until it washes over you in a scene that otherwise might not have seemed so important. I walked out of the theater stunned by the quality of what I had just seen. Let's just give Helen Mirren the Oscar now, and if The Queen could score a win in Best Picture as well, I would be quite a happy camper.

 

[Ceroscuro]

V for Vendetta is a 2005 movie.

 

[Kojo]

I dunno, my favorite movie from 2006 was certainly James Bond's Casino Royale. It was the first to actually follow James as a character, and it stayed pretty close to the book.

 

[Volrath]

V for Vendetta is a 2005 movie.

It was created in 2005, but released officially in March 2006, making it eligible. Trust me, that's what counts. Otherwise Crash wouldn't have won Best Picture last time because it was actually finished in 2004, but distributors sat on it for a while.

 

[FlippyD]

I don't have a top ten or anything, but let me tell you the movies I saw this year that lingered in my mind. While I won't go into as much depth as Volrath, or list of a few basics that were released in the past couple of months, I will list some films you could probably watch with friends and family and have a good time.


- Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny: I like rock and roll, I like Tenacious D. If you don't like either of those you probably won't enjoy the movie. It's a guilty pleasure, really.

- Pan's Labyrinth: Why has no one mentioned this movie yet? To me, it's a case of great execution in film and storytelling.

- Night at the Museum: It's hard to say. I found it to be a movie that reminded me of how great family films used to be. Plus the last shot sticks in your mind like it was spot-welded there.

- X-Men 3: I study sequential art (comic books). I liked it.

- Monster House: The screenplay was written by Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon of channel 101 fame, and it shows. It seriously is, much like Shrek, an animated film that kids and adults can enjoy. Plus, for those who love horror, it's a pretty damn good movie.

- Little Miss Sunshine: My one movie you probably haven't seen but should because it's flipping brilliant. The "feel good family film of the year" (*cough cough*)

- Snakes on a Plane: This is one movie you have to see... Just because. There's no real reason behind it.

- Apocalypto: "Mel Gibson is a madman, but he's out madman." Behind a camera this man can do magic, and this time around he's proven that it needn't be saturated by Christian imagery.

 

[Volrath]

Pan's Labyrinth: Why has no one mentioned this movie yet?

Because it's hard to find! Plus they released it pretty much right before the ball dropped in Times Square, so I'm amazed it made it onto any top ten lists. Actually, it's playing a theater about a half hour from me, depending on how my day goes I might check it out.

 

[Fafnir]

Three big ones at the top of my head are Thank You for Smoking, V for Vendetta, and Pirates. Although I have yet to see Borat(waiting for a DVD release).

I really loved V, and TYfS, and those 2 are my tops, but Pirates was okay, although the lack of an ending hurt it.

But I really want to see Labyrinth. Looks like a good mindfuck.

 

[Petros]

Fafnir, Pirates 2 had an ending

Spoiler: Ending Spoiler

Jack died and it had a twist, that's why they call it a "Cliffhanger Ending"

 

[Deltree]

Children of Men is, quite possibly, the best movie I have ever seen, and it's a shame that it's done so poorly in the box office. I don't usually cry at movies, but this one broke me down twice.

(Minor spoiler)

Spoiler

When I caught the half-second glimpse of the woman carrying her own arm right before the title card, I was instantly sold.

 

[Lene]

2006 wasn't a big movie watching year for me but I'll add this one:

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Dreamgirls- For Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson's performances alone. Especially the latter, but they'll both win Oscars for Supporting Actor and Actress respectively, I'm pretty sure of it.

I was brought to tears during the showstopping, heartwrenching "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" and I saw something I never see in movie theatres, a spontaneous standing ovation. The sets were brilliant, the costumes and wigs were wonderful and the music is downright catchy. You'll be dancing in your seat and humming the words as you walk out. This will probably win a handful of awards, and it could possibly steal best picture if it's nominated for it.

 

[Volrath]

That song was awesome....it just reached this point of euphoria that the rest of the movie couldn't even hope to match. I have a feeling Jennifer Hudson will win Best Supporting Actress just for that scene. And it will get nominated for Best Picture...along with The Departed, Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, and The Queen. Those are my predictions anyway, nominations are announced tomorrow and we'll see if I'm right. But yeah, pretty solid musical. Better than most people probably expect.

 

[Double_Clawshot]

Weren't Thank You for smoking and V for Vendetta from last year?

Thank You For Smoking is fucking awesome though.

 

[Volrath]

Not exactly, but they were both releaesd so long ago that I don't blame you for getting confused. They opened in the early months of 2006, though they were no doubt completed in 2005.

 

[Pyromanga]

5 - The Queen
Whoa. Great Movie. Great Acting. Just not enough awesome...

4 - Monster House
It was a great movie. I don't get why people are calling it scary. But it's a great movie.

3 - Borat!
Shocking. Dirty. Funny.

2 - Snakes on a Plane
Massively scary. Well not massively... But scary in the least. Samuel L. Jackson made some good quips too.

1 - Casino Royale
God, Even if I didn't like James Bond this'd still be No. 1. Daniel Craig actually made me believe he was James Bond.