Re: 2006 Top Ten Lists - Time to Throw Down!
My TOP TEN Theatrical Releases of 2006
1. Children of Men (#1 by a wide margin)
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. Army Of Shadows
4. The Death Of Mr. Lazarescu
5. United 93
6. The Queen
7. The Departed
8. Tristram Shandy, A Cock & Bull Story
9. Volver
10. Inside Man
Best Documentary: When The Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
(This, an HBO documentary, was one of the most riveting and deeply affecting movie experiences of the year.)
Notables: Thank You for Smoking, The Science of Sleep, A Prairie Home Companion, Little Children (For its fine performances), Shortbus, Sweet Land, Iraq In Fragments, Jesus Camp, Quinceanera, A Scanner Darkly, Brick, The Good Shepherd, Catch A Fire, Casino Royale, Ballet Russses
Not Yet Seen: L'Enfant, The Fountain, Old Joy, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Good German, Infamous, The Painted Veil (I doubt any of these would alter my top ten - I know they wouldn't change my top 5, which is set in stone, although L'Enfant might have made it the top ten somewhere.)
These were all films seen in theaters - I haven't included movies seen at festivals that will receive a 2007 North American release. As for the total number viewed, I stopped counting after 40.
Unlike some folks here, I thought 2006 was a fine year for cinema, at least the cinema that most interests me. Notwithstanding the fact that several of my favorite filmmakers had movies out in '06, the best work of the year took chances, stretching old formulas and genres in bold and unexpected ways (Especially Children Of Men and Pan's Labyrinth, but also The Departed, Inside Man and The Queen). And how sweet that the first "post-modern novel" should become the delightfully sly and hilarious, postmodern Tristram Shandy. When visionary directors can get personal films made and released by the big commercial studios - and they're as strong as this year's crop - I'm a happy camper.
On the down side, distribution for foreign films seems worse than ever and small indies are difficult to see outside of LA, Chicago and NY. The big summer blockbusters were a mostly forgettable lot. Inside Man and Casino Royale were my faavorite popcorn movies - neither came out in warm weather. Cars, though it had some lovely moments, is the first Pixar release I found hard to love. Monster House, Flushed Away and Happy Feet were the best for me in animation.
OTOH, any year that boasts ambitious fare from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, Spike Lee (two!), Stephen Frears, Michael Winterbottom, Paul Greengrass, Phillip Noyce, and the Mexican Triumvirate of Cuaron, Del Toro and Innarritu, is a fine film year. Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth alone would have made 2006 a stellar year in my estimation. It's not often we see such gifted directors surpass all previous efforts in such brilliant fashion. I intend to savor it.
