With the Oscar nominees announced this morning, I was thinking that maybe I would make my own best/worst/etc list of movies from 2006. Yes, I realize that this makes me a huge nerd, but give me a break… everyone has their thing that they’re into. Yours may be music, or Proust, or Kierkegaard, or hockey, or OU football, or vampire novels, or Kung Fu, or Star Trek, or World of Warcraft, or scrapbooking, or even Joel Osteen… but everyone has a thing. One of mine just happens to be movies.
I don’t claim to be an expert, or to offer some kind of higher criticism, I just like to see great films. I would go see them a lot more if there was some way for me to go see more decent movies in Oklahoma (Stomp the Yard has been #1 at the box office for two weeks in a row. Wow. Just wow.). My defense of my thing is that I do find some kind of meaning in films. It’s great to be moved and actually feel something once in a while. It’s great when a movie makes me think. It’s great when a movie just really entertains me. Of course I think that my thing is somehow more justified or meaningful than your thing, but don’t we all?
That said, here’s my great, good, ok, and terrible film list of 2006. Some of them may not have technically come out in 2006, but that just happens to be when I saw them for the first time. I’m trying hard to remember every film I saw last year. (fyi, I have not yet seen Babel or the Science of Sleep, and I am hoping for both to be excellent, but who knows?)
{Edit: My friend Tyler has pointed out that I did in fact see a lot more movies than this last year on DVD, but here I’m trying to stick to the ones that were actually released sometime around 2006.}
The Great:
Pan’s Labyrinth – I didn’t technically see this film in 2006. I just saw it last week, actually, but it was excellent. If you live in OKC you should go see it instantly while it’s still playing at AMC Quail Springs. My husband was somewhat let down by it (mainly the postmodern worldview behind it, which is a valid criticism but didn’t take away from the story at all), but imo it had the absolute best of (semi)historical drama and fantasy. The story going on in the “real” world was even more captivating than the fantasy story which happened alongside of it. This may be my pick for best movie of 2006.
The Last Kiss – Probably the most honest and real movie I saw last year. Truly heartbreaking, and that is a very rare thing to hear coming from me. Technically, the film wasn’t amazing or anything, but the story really struck a chord with me. It showed the truth about how people are, and how they hurt each other. It had the main character doing the most evil, despicable thing he could possibly do to the person he was supposed to love the most in the world (ok, not the most evil, see “Match Point” if you want to see that)… for no other reason than he just felt stuck, bored with life, and disappointed that his life felt so planned out. No good reason. Just like people.
Little Miss Sunshine – Best comedy of the year, no contest. Just a really fun and funny movie. Mad props to Abagil “why can’t they get girlfriends?” Breslin for her best supporting actress nod.
Hard Candy – I didn’t get to see this until it came out on DVD, and I’m sorry about that because it’s excellent. It sort of explores the same justice vs. mercy issues as in Dogville. You should go rent it. Now.
The Pretty Good:
Idiocracy – I liked it. Extremely stupid yet still very funny renter.
Thank You for Smoking – entertaining, but I had higher hopes for this movie.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – Fun, entertaining movie with not a lot of depth… but that’s ok sometimes. The highlight of the movie-going experience for me actually occurred outside the theatre (on opening night) when we drove by a truck full of people dressed up as pirates.
Lady in the Water – You Shyamalan haters should just need to shut up… yeah, I toll you!
The Illusionist
Stranger than Fiction – Surprisingly very good.
The Prestige
The Fountain – but it would have sucked if I hadn’t had Jared there to tell me what it was about. It’s good only if you understand it.
Apocalypto – I expected it to be very good and it was. And educational, too… Who knew that it was actually the Jews who were responsible for the thousands of deaths from Mayan human sacrifices? eh? eh? (Please tell me you got the Mel Gibson joke).
Children of Men – This made it into the “pretty good” category because it was a really good book. The movie was acted and shot brilliantly as well.
The OK:
V for Vendetta – a.k.a. Brokeback V for Vendetta. I didn’t realize that it was going to be a movie about the plight of the oppressed gay minority. It was an ok movie, but not nearly as good as I expected it to be. I was let down.
American Dreamz – Dreamz with a z…
Cars – It was no “the Incredibles”, but still moderately entertaining
A Prairie Home Companion
Superman Returns
The Departed – It was a gangster movie. Just like I expected. Yep.
Borat – funny.
Brick – Why did I let Tyler and Jared talk me into seeing this instead of Hard Candy when we were at the independent movie theater in Austin? Meh.
Manderlay – Lars von Trier, I had such high hopes for this movie and you let me down. Sad face.
The (unintentionally) laugh-out-loud funny:
The Da Vinci Code
The “Dear God why did I let my brother talk me into renting this steaming pile of turds?”:
The Wicker Man – a movie that kind of sucked the first time around, and didn’t need to be remade. Ever.
