How, you may ask, does a father of a one year old (now 23 months) find the time to compile and write a list of the top films of 2006, let alone actually see ANY films this year? To this question, I offer two responses: first, drive-in theatres are the greatest inventions EVER, and second, when your daughter is as sweet as ours, getting someone to baby-sit or even taking her to the movies with us is an easy thing to do.
So, with that in mind, I remind you of the rather limited criteria in which I compile this list each year for your reading benefit/torture. These films are the top films that I was able to see, in theatres, in the calendar year of 2006. Last year’s pickings were pretty slim, utilizing this criteria, so this year I’ve opened the criteria to include DVD releases or The Movie Network premieres in 2006. Still, with the advent of drive-in double/triple/quadruple features and Famous Babies/Stars and Strollers programs, I managed to see more films in theatres than on my TV, proving once and for all that I am truly a film snob, who will argue to my dying day that movies belong in theatres, no matter how good the home technology gets. Nothing beats watching a projected film in a dark theatre, with an audience, even if that audience is crying, pooping, and dropping bottles on the floor. And if you don’t believe me, try attending a Stars and Strollers show yourself, with or without a baby, and you’ll see that sometimes the action off screen is more interesting than the action on (see Click as a case in point).
So, without any further adieu, here are the top 10 films of 2006...
10. HoodwinkedThe family saw this one early in January, the first film in a theatre in 2006. For some reason, it just stuck with me. I’m a sucker for fractured fairytales, and this film puts enough twist on the Little Red Riding Hood story by unfolding it like a Kurosawa film, with a little Sherlock Holmes, Airplane! and Fletch thrown in for good measure. Strong vocal performances and a different animated look (which is both hit and miss) make this my just for fun, number 10 pick this year. The “Be Prepared” number is worth the viewing alone.
9. V for VendettaI was rather shocked that Oscar forgot this film. It has a wonderful score, some amazing film work, and a very timely Big Brother storyline. Plus, Hugo Weaving is the best, most charming and deft superhero we’ve seen in cinema since Zorro, the Gay Blade. Though, admittedly it has its plot jumps and eyebrow raising coincidences, however its stylistic inventions outweigh its structural deficiencies for me. Natalie Portman continues her beautiful rise from childhood ingénue to Top 5 leading lady of our time, leaving memories of Star Wars in the past. First, with her stunning turn in Closer, and now the depths she goes to in this film, we may be witnessing the next Sigourney Weaver or Julia Roberts, only (thankfully) better.
8. Shop Girl After so many romantic comedies in the past five years of my married life, it was so refreshing to watch this bizarre tale of a highly eligible bachelorette, who chances upon love in two very different ways, from two drastically different men. From the pen of Steve Martin, Shop Girl has a dry wit that we’ve come to expect from Martin’s characters, but a beautiful, bittersweet whimsy of love that can only come from age and experience. The trifecta of actors is rounded out by two of the more finer actors of their generation, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman, capable of playing honest and awkward adults stumbling through a relationship. Equally funny, romantic, and depressing, Shop Girl is realistic and compelling in a way that most romantic films are not.
7. Kiss Kiss Bang BangOk, this is my 80s actor love fest going on. I’ve always been a Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. fan, and to see these two in a film noir/buddy cop send-up from the Lethal Weapon creator could very well be considered cheese. Yet if the fromage smells bad, I’m loving it, because the joy these two actors have working together makes you want to see them become the second coming of Lemmon and Matthau. These two fine thespians are well aware that their career paths have taken a turn for the worse, but their perspective on life has never seemed better. Listening to the commentary of the two was almost as entertaining as watching the film, which twists and turns, using many conventions while tweaking them at the same time. Pure fun and silliness, this dark action comedy hits the right notes and doesn’t let up.
6. The Prestige Deservingly nominated for Academy Awards in cinematography and art direction, this is a wonder of a film, enticing the eyes and tantalizing the mind as it weaves and unweaves a tale of revenge, jealousy, and professional madness. Like a slick magician or a clever poker player, The Prestige keeps its cards close to its sleeve, but keeps giving us enough to up the ante. The acting is superb, and the direction even more so, as the art of magic and movie making are explored, examined, and juxtaposed on a textual and metaphorical level. At the centre of it all is a battle between two men; and by talking with a few others who have seen the film, it leaves itself open to interpretation, as either lead can be considered the film’s hero, as both straddle the line between good and evil, obsession and devotion. Highly satisfying.
5. MurderballI eagerly awaited the DVD release of this documentary on wheelchair athletes, and I wasn’t the least bit disappointed. No screenplay could create these living, breathing testaments to human strength and perseverance. The film follows the bitter rivalry between the U.S. and Canada national “murder ball” teams, and the athletes who compete in the brutal sport. Though the film uses the very familiar sports story arc, it’s the glimpses of the human condition, the response to adversity and the stories of determination and connection that drive the emotional response and dramatic tension. This film is a must see, so people can understand what it takes to compete, at any level, both in life and on the court. There are many lessons to be learned from the quadriplegic athletes, apart from the fact that we are all lazy and weak willed compared to these guys.
4. Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky BobbyBoosted by its recent release on DVD, this is the funniest film I saw this year. Now, if ever there was a scene which is ripe for spoofing, and a community where an over-the-top Will Ferrell won’t seem out of place, it’s NASCAR. The jokes never stop, which is integral to a decent comedy, but what makes this film an excellent comedy is its devotion to telling a story. Now, as ludicrous as that seems, the cast assembled is able to play their zaniness with a certain amount of believability, and construct characters that are worth caring about while still being just a cut above caricatures. Supporters John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke Duncan, and the year’s hottest actor (even hotter than Hansel!) Sacha Baron Cohen all offer Ferrell some amazing comedic foils to bounce off of, providing some lines that are even funnier than Ricky Bobby himself. I could watch the dinner table prayer scene for two hours and leave the theatre happy. Not often enough are the outtakes of a film funnier than most others that call themselves comedies.
3. Monster HouseAs the years have gone by, I’ve come to appreciate the “family” film as a valid, and much sought after bit of entertainment. It is a rare treasure when a film can be made that offers enough for both preschool likes and adult tastes. Pixar and Tim Burton seemed to have the market cornered, when along came this scary yet fairy tale like spook fest, full of amazing animation scenes and silly dialogue, certain to tickle the funny and fright bones of five year olds and fifty year olds alike. The children act like children, appropriately caught between that frightening age of playing on the street and puberty, where you’re expected to grow up but no adult takes you seriously. So, as the film is told through their eyes, we’re whisked back to that time in our lives, where the creepy house on the corner and the crotchety old man were our greatest fears, the all consuming aspects of our childhood. A fine balance of frightening scenes, witty one-liners, and suspenseful moments are sure to make this film a perennial Halloween favourite. It’s a shame it wasn’t marketed better.
2. The Constant Gardener If you haven’t seen City of God, go see it. Now. No really, stop reading and go rent it. If you’ve read my lists of previous years, you’ll know how much I loved that film. And so director Fernando Meirelles follows that tour de force up with this film, another sun scorched pot boiler filled with plot lines too unbelievable to not be true, based on real life goings on in third world countries. Yet like his previous work, he heightens the mystery, the drama, the excitement by weaving the story through multiple settings, time lines and characters, never letting up on the intrigue and suspense. Rachel Weisz won an Oscar for her role, in the supporting category, though one could argue that she was in fact the lead in the film, as her character’s spitfire and sauciness drive the film’s compelling mystery and passion. It is rare to see a female role written with this much complexity and Weisz sinks her teeth into it. Not to be outdone, Ralph Fiennes gives a performance worthy of his career bests in The English Patient and The End of the Affair. This is a must see film, not just for the performances, not just for the amazing direction, but for the ripped from the headlines controversial subject matter of pharmaceutical testing in African countries.
And the number one film that I saw in 2006 is…
1. Inside Man Now, my love for Spike Lee goes back even further than my love for Meirelles, and my admiration and appreciation for Spike’s own ability to tell a compelling political story using style and substance. And as I reflect on the selections of this year’s Top 10, I realize how much of an old man I am becoming, entrenched in my ideas and firm in my likes and dislikes. So, the old man in me was impressed by Spike’s latest collaboration with Denzel Washington. Impressed to see that he wasn’t resting on his laurels, nor giving us what we’ve come to expect from him; politically charged meditations on the state of race relations in America. Which isn’t to say there is none of that in this film. Rather, Spike and Denzel have connected to create a real audience pleaser, a bank heist/hostage film, unlike we’ve ever seen. And it is refreshingly fun to see these two work magic again, without the political wrangling of prior films. An all star cast (Jodie Foster, Clive Owen, Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe) rounds out the clever film, creating intriguing subplots and character connections that further the suspense and have us questioning the motives and actions of each individual. Clive Owen and Jodie Foster have the acting chops to match Denzel scene for scene, line for line, adding to the power of the storytelling. A smart, fun, exciting film that pays homage to the classic Dog Day Afternoon while telling its own story in its own twisting and head scratching way, keeping us guessing until the end.
Honourable Mentions (good films that didn‘t warrant making the list, but worth a rental nonetheless): Fantastic Four, Thank You for Smoking, Akeelah and the Bee, Cars, Stranger than Fiction, Casino Royale
And, in order to save you some time, money, and self respect…
The Top 5 Worst Films of 2006...
5. X-Men 3: The Last Stand/Superman ReturnsWhat a complete letdown. Brett Ratner and Bryan Singer decided to swap directing roles and gave us two of the biggest disappointments of the year. Despite their past success at action, both of these films did a poor job of balancing story with action set pieces. Neither film had any continuity, urgency, or memorable moments. They just looked like a lot of money spent on screen. Two more nails were just driven into the coffin of the comic book movie explosion.
4. Clerks 2 A summer of promising sequels turned out flat, and this was the big granddaddy of them all. An unnecessary (and a promised not to) return to Kevin Smith’s New Jersey View Askewuniverse, offered nothing new, and even managed to sour old greats. When Clerks launched Smith’s career over 10 years ago, his cast of unpolished actors and stale directing could be forgiven for his witty dialogue and hilarious banter. A decade later, he should know better, yet he delivers the same staid old guys speaking the aforementioned banter, only it’s not funny, not interesting, and not even close to entertaining. It’s downright embarrassing. Only Rosario Dawson and Jason Lee save face, reminding us why they have careers outside of Kevin Smith’s universe, while the others are wasting away. Please, Kevin, do something new!
3. The New WorldOr maybe something new isn’t the way to go. Terrance Malick is an auteur. A poet with a film camera for a pen, a painter with a celluloid canvas. He has given us a few masterpieces, but this time around, misses the mark with his picturesque retelling of the Pocahontas tale. Only, he forgets to tell the story. Instead, he just leaves us watching the European settling of the New World, like strangers at a bus station, watching the lives of others without any background, or any indication of where things are headed. Or any care for that matter. Like a beautiful architectural façade, this film has all the appearance of structural fascination, yet nothing behind it. An even bigger letdown than spots four and five.
2. PulseI feel sorry for kids these days. It would seem that everything made before their time is so much better than what they are growing up with. A case in point is the horror genre. There seems to be an explosion of horror films nowadays, with at least one offering a week at the multiplex, whereas we had to wait until October to get our fill of Freddy, Jason, Michael, and Chucky, not to mention Pinhead. Yet with this glut of horror has come a watering down of the product. It’s like the quality has given way to quantity and Pulse is the epitome of that crux. There is no better way to describe it than a review I read that said “it’s difficult to watch a film where you couldn’t care less if the characters died.” That about sums up this one. Nothing original, nothing frightening, except perhaps the obscene amount of duct tape used, which could have been spent on lighting the actors so we could distinguish them from each other. Pulse is the biggest misnomer of the year, as it was completely lifeless.
And the worst movie of 2006 is…
1. Nacho LibreThe creators of Napoleon Dynamite take Jack Black and put him in the world of Mexican wrestling. Hilarity ensues, right? No. Another promising premise that goes the way of button fly jeans; slow to get into and even longer to take off. Perhaps, like Napoleon Dynamite, this one takes several viewings to really get into. Sadly, I won’t afford them the pleasure, as I find that hearing other people say the lines is actually funnier than watching the film itself. A serious belly flop from the top rope, as Black couldn’t have been hotter coming off of School of Rock, and director Jared Hess coming off of Napoleon Dynamite. Sometimes two rights can make a wrong.
Dishonourable mentions (more movies to steer clear from like a spinach filled Taco Bell carrot juice from the West Nile bird flu region): Bob the Butler, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
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