Hello everyone, I’m one of Scott’s cohorts on The View From The Cheapseats blog/podcast. I’m trying to be a little more involved in the forums so I wanted to throw this out and get some feedback from you all.
Well 2006 is in the books so it’s time to add yet another Top Ten list to the world. These are all movies that were released and I saw in the theaters in 2006. I came in at 49 different movies this year so obviously I didn’t see everthing but this is the best of what I saw.
One quick note about a movie not on the list. The Fountain was a great film but just missed the cut. However seeing it with it’s 96 minute running time I felt like something was missing. From what I’ve heard writer/director Darren Aronofsky had a longer cut but had to cut it down quite a bit. I would love to see the longer version and see if it address the few issues I had with it. Now, on with the countdown.
1) Clerks 2- I was very leery about this when the project was announced. Like everyone else I was worried it would be nothing more than Dante saying “I’m not even supposed to be here today” but it turned out to be so much more. Kevin Smiths best movie since Chasing Amy and the one with my favorite ending. Kevin is at his best when he has something to say and really gets honest in this movie. This one is a classic.
2) The Departed- Probably the most well made movie of any on this list. Martin Scorsese must be a “made man” because he totally understands how to make mob flicks. This one is so well acted and the characterization is so spot on and complex it’s impossible not become completely engrossed in it’s story.
3) Stranger than Fiction- Who would have thought Wil Ferrel could pull off a somewhat dramatic role so well? Equal parts funny and serious, this study of a man coming to grips with his own mortality turns out to be a very moving story.
4) Little Miss Sunshine- Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, and Alan Arkin. What more really needs to be said. This movie is all attitude and laughs, it’s hard not to feel good by the end of it.
5) Children of Men- After looking forward to this one I have to admit I was just a tad disappointed, or was I? The more I thought about it the more I loved it because of Clive Owens brilliant acting. It’s a quite kind of performance, one that I wasn’t sure I bought entirely at first but in time it grew on me. I really want to give this one another viewing.
6) A Prarie Home Companion- This another movie that really more about feeling than anything else. A melancholy tale of things dying and the world just keeps moving on. The fact that it was Robert Altmans last movie just feels appropriate.
7) Pan’s Labyrinth- Watching this it hit me that this story could have easily been told as an anime. It has the feel of a Hayao Miyazaki film. I’m glad Guillermo Del Toro made it live action. Animation would have not added anything to the fantasy sequences, and the live action gives this brutal and sad story realism enough to trully frighten. A movie put together so well it is completly gripping from the first frame to the last.
8) Inside Man- Spike Lees take on an action thriller. The best part of bank heist movies are when the plans are so well conceived you feel you can use them as a blueprint to really rob a bank. Plus the ending is one of the most clever I’ve ever seen in this type of film.
9) Superman Returns- Maybe its just nostalgia but I loved this movie as much as the first two Superman films. Yes its not a perfect movie but, it did a wonderful job of re-establishing the characters and setting the new direction for future films.
10) Borat: Cultural learnings of America for make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan- Funniest movie I saw all year. I never saw any of the Borat bits from Da Ali G show, I can’t stand the Ali G character, but I now feel the need to check them out. The humor is not just on the surface funny but gets even more humorous when you understand why you’re laughing and who is really being made fun of.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Am I crazy? Send any and all feed back to
. Happy New Year everyone!
