2006 Film List - Page 4

Re: 2006 Film List

Dreamgirls - (9 of 10)

Superb film and a triumphant musical. Dreamgirls is awesome and incredibly entertaining from start to finish. This is the story of Effie, brilliantly played by Jennifer Hudson, and the rise and subsequent turmoil of the motown group the Dreamettes. Jamie Foxx is outstanding, Beyonce very good and Eddie Murphy steals the show with a fantastic performance.

Among the amazing numbers are:
Move
Steppin to the Bad Side
Love you I do
It's all over
And I am telling you I am not going
I am Changing
I meant you no harm/Jimmy's rap
One Night Only
Listen

Not too shabby to have that many terrific standouts in a musical and the other songs are good, but they're more integrated into the entertainment of the movie, they don't bring the house down though they are wonderfully fun (like the way I want you Baby and Cadillac Man play out).

if the film has any weakness it's the tidyness of the resolution, especially problematic considering how Cadillac Man and Stepping to the Bad Side play out in the first act.


Adam

Re: 2006 Film List

The Pursuit of Happyness - (7 out of 10)

ignore all the critics claiming this is a feel good film or schmaltzy or other embittered crap spilling about the film. Most of the film is about Chris Gardener barely hanging on, everything goes wrong for him but his determination to succeed keeps forcing him to push and push despite being treated like Job--and the film doesn't make you feel good about it.

Pursuit of Happyness earns every piece of emotion it evokes, it is not manipulative.

The film is so self assured that you almost forget just how elegant and well made it is. For example, the sequence of events leading up to the "really nice pants" comment in the trailer is just astounding edge-of-your-seat storytelling.

But what really impressed me about the film is the incredible representation of fatherhood in the film. They nailed it without ever making it into a 'message'. Fatherhood is the engine of the story, but it's a matter of fact, not a "theme" in the sense of an overwrought scene with ridiculous dialogue. He's devoted determined an outstanding figure. This is a Jimmy Stewart role in the sense of It's a Wonderful Life and Will Smith is 100% believable. It's sort of a Gregory Peck or Gary Cooper role in some ways, but I think Jimmy Stewart is the better descriptor. Because I can imagine that aforementioned scene with the "really nice pants" line being delivered by Stewart, or the same tension in the rubicks cube scene coming from Stewart.

Will Smith is superb, and hard to beat at the oscars this year, unless Peter O Toole dies in the next two and a half months I think Smith will win, deservedly.

Re: 2006 Film List

United 93 - (7 out of 10)


We all know what the story is about. Paul Greengrass does a great job weaving together the story of the plane with the story of the people in the military and air traffic control as they respond to the tragedy.

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

seeing the very first cnn shot of the pentagon took me back... it was the first thing I saw that day when we turned on the tvs in school after a student came back from a run to the office, stunned, and turned on the tv. I remember some of the announcer talk before they cut quickly back to the smoking towers.


The filmmaking has quality and resonance, but there is a sense of respectful distance--we both know the people on the plane (in the sense we are them, as fellow americans) and don't know them at all. There is true horror to hearing them cry as they say good bye, one person to an answering machine. But in not knowing our emotional response is limited, and in knowing what's coming we begin to distance ourselves from the emotion as they begin to fight back.

I don't get the point of the German guy though, it felt like cheap screenwriting.
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Re: 2006 Film List

Having seen so many high caliber films in the last three weeks, here's my current top 15 list of the year:

1. Borat
2. Perfume: Story of a Murderer
3. Dreamgirls
4. The Queen
5. Monster House
6. The Departed
7. Brick
8. Clerks II
9. Apocalypto
10. Akeelah and the Bee
11. The Proposition
12. Pan's Labyrinth
13. Twelve and Holding
14. Flushed Away
15. Pursuit of Happyness

Re: 2006 Film List

Casino Royale
8.5 of 10
It honestly could have been in the running for best Bond film ever, but then the script bogged down about 3/4 through as it tried to leverage in some emotions to carry into the final act. The result was a terrible lull that really plays awkward in the pacing.

It also spent too much screen time on some early action scenes. Take a few minutes out of those and move them closer to the end to keep the audience interested and the pace up.

The strengths are that the tone is probably the best it's ever been in a Bond film. Along the lines of Unforgiven it redefines killing in the Bond genre which gives it a greater intensity in the film. In turn this enhances Bond as a character, he comes off as a truly special individual, someone who is alone in his ability to go to a harsher level of action much like Clint was in Unforgiven.

I didn't like the way they forced poker into the film and it was made worse by the running commentary within the script. It also played out too simplistic because of this. But the idea of Bond being needed for his ability to think within that society as a contrast against his killing ability comes off better in CR than perhaps any film.

Ultimately Craig is the nastiest, hardest Bond yet. He's not as suave as Connery, but when he kills you believe it. He has an edge to him that suggests an underlying level of cruelty that enables him to be the complete superspy rather than just the ultimate playboy.

The gadget aspect was also nicely understated, something the series badly needed. Gadgets are still there, but this is less far-fetched than even the Mission Impossible series. It's fun to have bits and pieces, but it was getting to the point that Bond's talent was being surplanted by the array of gadgets available to him.

Tighten up that script and this moves beyond just being a good Bond film and into best of the year period status. I wish it had made it to that level myself, we need more action films competitive on the great filmmaking level.

Re: 2006 Film List

Letters from Iwo Jima -

Letters from Iwo Jima is Clint Eastwood's telling of the Japanese side of the battle of Iwo Jima. He follows two characters, the majority of the film is concerned with Saigo, played by Kazunari Ninomiya. Saigo was a baker before he was drafted, he left his pregnant wife to join the war. The other character is the General in charge of defense of the island, Kuribayoshi, played by Ken Watanabe. Saigo is a reluctant soldier that has been trampled by the Imperial government and he's trampled by the imperial army too. But he's a survivor, focused on his wife and getting home, in many ways he's the most american character in the entire film (more representative of america than the eyeless, faceless, american soldiers we come across in the movie). Kuribayoshi is also a reluctant soldier, not because he doesn't want to be fighting, but he doesn't want to be fighting Americans. he knows they can't win and he keeps battling to save lives, and being thwarted by his honor-indoctrinated subordinate commanders.

the film is beautifully shot, and technically very well put together. But it is very uneven. There are many moments in the film when it stops treading and really reaches for (and achieves) something more, but then it falters again back into the morose slow death of the Japanese force.

Because we have such a strong attachment to Saigo, it's virtually impossible to the emotionally connect to what the Japanese went through as they hemmoraged lives and lost ground. Saigo cares so little for the goals of the imperial army that mainly I wanted just him to survive and to be captured and or surrender to the americans. The audience stays very distant to the tragic goings on of the film.

There's almost no tension, outside of a handful of scenes.
the flashbacks are some of the strongest material because they tell so much about war's effect on humanity and community with so little--much more so than any of the Iwo Jima material.

I find it hard to believe this is an anti-war film--anti fascist yes, anti outmoded military, yes, anti cultural codes that encourage conformity (sadly thought of as honor) over intelligent assessment, yes. But not really anti war. You see some of the horrors of war, but that's a trope common to the genre, and hardly a message.

There are many powerful moments in the film, many superb moments of meditation on the hopelessness of the island and the conundrum that forced the Japanese defenders into but there is also a lot of ennui breaking up those rhythms and preventing the film from really taking off to the next level. Uneven is the best word to describe the film. Very good but not great.

Kazonari Ninomiya does a superb job carrying 80% of the film, and without him I think the whole thing would falter and collapse in the manner Flags of Our Fathers did with audiences and critics.

Re: 2006 Film List

So Perfume is good. I saw the trailer and was interested. Plus I've remained a Tykwer fan through Heaven and Princess/Warrior.

I'll tell you one thing, at this point my top 10 is shy of many serious dramas and only features 1 "10" - Flushed Away, which I loved. I'm counting on a lot of the films I either just missed or are just coming out to save the year for me.

edit - as I looked I realized something was wrong about that statement...I never added The Departed to this thread or even my XL list for 2006.

Here is the copy and paste from the official review thread.

The Departed
10 of 10
It probably won't end up being my favorite of the year, but this is an outstanding film that seems very likely to be in my top 5. I loved Infernal Affairs and the instant it ended I said to myself "this MUST be brought to mainstream America, the script is just too good not to". And here it is a few years later, just as I'd hoped and without being ruined by a script butcher.

This is a remake on part with how Yojimbo turned into Fistful of Dollars, each with the directors style but without losing sight of the fundamental keys to the plot and themes. In fact in this case Scorsese seems to have locked in on almost all the best stuff and tried to draw more of it out.

There are a few misses on changes, but they are really mild.

I love the pairing of Leo and Marty and I'm glad that started happening. I'm also a big Wahlberg fan and this is another hit effort by him. Baldwin too proves that he has good range between the intensity of a GGGRoss and SNLive when he shows off both at the same time here.

The script adaptation is outstanding, and very often extremely funny. In fact the comedy found within the drama and the characters is better than it is in your average half-assed comedy.




2nd edit - downgraded X-Men 3 to a 8.5 from 9 after a another viewing. Good story/production, poor direction.

Re: 2006 Film List

wow, those are some crazy lists.

Re: 2006 Film List

Rocky Balboa - (8 of 10)

Easily the best Rocky sequel yet--very much in the vein of the first Rocky in story and substance. Stallone's is the only male performance of the year to move me to tears; he wrote some very powerful, very effective, scenes into this film. The filmmaking is outstanding the film looks good, my only frustration is the overdone fight at the end. I know that's how fights are shown now, but I don't think the film needed to take on the TV mantle to present the fight.

On the other hand since every bit of those TV on-screen graphics, sound effects, style etc was created by the assistant editors (editors don't do annoying grunt work like that) and wasn't provided to the film, it's an impressive bit of post work.

Still it didn't feel right, and when I came home to find Rocky on TV (it was boxing day after all), it reminded me of why I hate modern TV sportscasting (ie the ESPN effect), the bastards are all smarmy with annoying voices/personality and couldn't call a sport if their life depended on it. There's no comparison to the actual calling of the fight found in the original Rocky. in my mind the ESPN guys in Rocky Balboa are about as effective as a four year old jumping up and down shrieking in incomprehensible excitement.

Otherwise the writing is top notch and the performances outstanding, the final fight is just a bit dissappointing, but very much in the vein of the first Rocky. I also thought the ending was a bit of a letdown, it works for the original Rocky because he and Adrian are fighting to get to each other, there's not an equivalent here.

But one fantastic swan song for the franchise.

Re: 2006 Film List

Marie Antoinette - (4 of 10)

to crib a phrase from Roger Ebert, Marie Antoinette is a twenty minute movie stretched to two hours.

Despite that it's Extremely well made, one of the best crafted movies of the year, and very effective at getting it's points across.

But that doesn't stop it from being a bad movie. All the problems of Lost in Translation and Virgin Suicides were indulged in this movie as badly as Marie herself indulges in her desires. Hopefully Sophia got it out of her system and takes her tremendous command of the craft to a new level and place we've not yet seen her explore. The film was great in some ways, but for the most part it was just a bad movie.

It would have been a truly brilliant short film.

Adam

Re: 2006 Film List

The Devil Wears Prada - (8 of 10)

Anne Hathaway gives a terrific performance in this film.

And she's completely overshadowed by a magnificent Meryl Streep.

But it's Hathaway who makes the movie connect to audiences and takes it a step above just a fluffy bit of entertainment.

The costume design was superb, script was wonderful and the editing was excellent (except for the obvious Paris B Roll they used, though not nearly as obvious as M$B's London B Roll). All around a very entertaining and satisfying movie experience and a fine piece of craft as well.

Adam

Re: 2006 Film List

Just wondering, is someone going to make a 2007 Film List thread?

Re: 2006 Film List

Go ahead, mate, I'm waiting for one myself

Re: 2006 Film List

Sucks to hear this.


Ant Bully
5.5 of 10
Boring script, Cage really has jumped the shark, and while the rest of the cast is mostly strong there just isn't much here that interesting. The script is truly a wreck, leaps in its internal logic, especially by character's, questionable lack of motivation at times, then over-the-top motivation elsewhere. On top of that the animation is sub-par by today's standards. It looks and feels rushed on all accounts.

Ice Age 2
5 of 10
See above. If it wasn't for Leguizamo this score would have been worse. The story is forced in and in general it's just a hollow kids film. Completely uninteresting half the time, safe and bland. Of course I wasn't a big fan of the first, but this was still a clear drop from that film.

You, Me and Dupree
3.5 of 10
Yeesh, almost nothing worthwhile here. A few good laughs here and there, few of which come from Wilson in fact (Rogen steals a couple of scenes). The story plods along with zero grace and all the surprise of a rusty old jack in the box. It feels like you've seen this story 50 times before.

John Tucker Must Die
4.5 of 10
It had some potential, but ends up being a 2nd rate version of other teen films like Clueless or Mean Girls (really seemed to "borrow" from that plot in fact). It's not all-out raunchy to shock you, it certainly doesn't have the sharp wit or humor of Mean Girls. Another bland film.

Why We Fight
8.5 of 10
Strong documentary about the build-up of the US military industrial complex and the social questions that arise from recognizing it's existance, such as the title of the film..."why do we go to war?". It's a tad dry at times which keeps it from a higher score, but it's still a must-see caliber film.

Rocky Balboa
7.5 of 10
Generally an interesting script and good story idea. Only Sly pulls off truly memorable acting, but the cast is serviceable. The only drawback is that it shies away from going as far as it should at the end. I wasn't looking for a down ending, but a dose of reality would have punched up the ending and made a stronger point than just the simple happy ending it settled for. Still it was better than 3, 4 and 5 at least.

Re: 2006 Film List

I think if instead of making it a ten round fight, if it had been a five or three round fight the film would have been that much better. You didn't need the excuse of the
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) to allow Rocky to survive ten rounds, just his determination to survive those three or five would have been incredible considering the tone of the rest of the script.

Sly did a wonderful job with the film, it's the second Rocky film I want to own.

Actually I'm tempted to get Rocky IV too because that was my favorite when I was eight and I still love the training sequence.

Re: 2006 Film List

The Rocky IV training sequence is brilliant...worth owning the movie for IMHO.

One thing I really liked in Rocky Balboa was that the "villain" wasn't really a villain...he had a character arc and experienced some redemption by the end of the film. Dixon was a better man as a result of his fight against Rocky.

Re: 2006 Film List

After collecting all the mini-reviews I did for 2006 and updating my own list (link in signature), I was amazed to find out I had seen over 100 films theatrically.

Please check out "Children of Men" when it opens wide in about 2 days.

Re: 2006 Film List

Don't listen to Adam, give Marie Antoinette a chance.

Slowly trying to catch back up...

Friends With Money (2006, Nicole Holofcener)
Effective drama about the relationships between three married women and their single friend. The female cast including, Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack, Frances McDormand, and Jennifer Aniston carries the film as it stumbles over a script that begins with a class consciousness surprising for a modern American film, but then throws that out the window with the usual "we're all the same" conceit. Still, individual scenes are interesting dramatically, and watching the cast, particularly Keener, Cusack, and McDormand, makes for entertaining viewing. - B

United 93 (2006, Paul Greengrass)
Again, no need to rehash plot here. Greengrass does an impressive job of turning a terrible day in our history into an edge-of-your-seat thriller, while still perserving a somber, tragic sense of inevitability as we know too well how the film will unfold. - A-

Re: 2006 Film List

Night at the Museum (5 of 10)

Ben Stiller stars in this poorly written but brilliantly pulled off goofball kids movie. Night at the Museum is quite funny in parts, kids eat it up, it's full of toilet humor, slapstick, pratfalls, and 'act stupid' humor--but more family friendly than films like Dumb and Dumber.

The problems lie in the resolution of the villians. The lame role reversals that result in the villains and the inability to reconcile the nightly magical times with daylight reality.

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

So much of the movie made absolutely no sense. Was such poor, fanfic level invention that it's amazing I enjoyed it as much as I did. it's a shame a few scenes were marred by just a little too much Stillerism closeup rapid fire repetitions (which mostly fell flat). most of the big laughs were garnered by the genuinally funny situations. Such as letting the air out of the tires. or the reveal of Rexy. "I Ain't Quittin You!" was one of the funniest non-Borat moments of the year and a delight to see in the exact same theatre and screen I saw Brokeback in a year ago.

This is really a perfect movie for ten year olds. and is really quite funny. There's just too much wrong with it to rank it higher, but I would definitely watch it again with my family or if it popped up on tv (well at least parts of it)

Re: 2006 Film List

2006 Films I’ve Seen

1.Pirates: Dead Man's Chest
2.X 3
3.Da Vinci Code
4.Superman Returns
5.Click
6.MI-3
7.Casino Royale
8.The Departed
9.Inside Man
10.Pink Panther
11.V for Vendetta
12.World Trade Center
13.Miami Vice
14.Déjà Vu
15.The Prestige
16.Nanny McPhee
17.Stranger Than Fiction
18.16 Blocks
19.Accepted
20.The Sentintel
21.She’s The Man
22.Flags of our Fathers
23.United 93
24.Thank You For Smoking
25.Apocalypto
26.Tristan & Isolde
27.Flyboys
28.Blood Diamond
29.Little Miss Sunshine
30.Rocky Balboa
31.Lady In the Water
32.Glory Road
33.Children Of Men
34. The Wicker Man
35. The Illusionist
36. The Black Dahlia


2006 Films I Haven’t Seen Yet

1.A Good Year
2.The Fountain
3.The Holiday
4.Hollywood Land
5.The Nativity Story
6.Babel
7.Snakes On A Plane
9.John Tucker Must Die
10.Invincible
11.You Me & Dupree
12.8 Below
13.Devil Wears Prada
14.Happy Feet
15.Over The Hedge
16.Cars

Other Films Watched in 2006
1. The Bourne Supremacy (HD-DVD)
2. Million Dollar Baby (HD-DVD)
3. Phantom Of The Opera (HD-DVD)
4. Batman Begins (HD-DVD)
5. Serenity (HD-DVD)
6. We Were Soldiers (HD-DVD)
7. The Italian Job (HD-DVD)
8. Aeon Flux (HD-DVD)
9. Swordfish (HD-DVD)
10. Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (HD-DVD)
11. The Searchers (HD-DVD)
12. Casablanca (HD-DVD)
13. Accepted (HD-DVD)
14. Cinderella Man (HD-DVD)
15. Sahara (HD-DVD)
16. 12 Monkeys (HD-DVD)
17. Christmas Vacation (HD-DVD)
18. Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire (HD-DVD)
19. V for Vendetta (HD-DVD)
20. Unforgiven (HD-DVD)
21. 16 Blocks (HD-DVD)
22. King Kong (HD-DVD)
23. MI-3 (HD-DVD)
24. Van Helsing (HD-DVD)
25. U-571 (HD-DVD)
26. Pride & Prejudice
27. Crash
28. Training Day (HD-DVD)
29. Without A Paddle
30. Munich
31. The Thing (HD-DVD)
32. After The Sunset
33. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
34. Red Eye
35. Shopgirl
36. Closer
37. The Island
38. The Straight Story
39. The Legend Of Zorro
40. The Sting
41. The Man
42. Wedding Crashers
43. The New World
44. Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl
45. Star Wars
46. The Empire Strikes Back
47. Return Of The Jedi
48. Revenge Of The Sith
49. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe

Re: 2006 Film List

Yipes, I forgot Nanny McPhee was a 2006 film. I'd give it a 6 of 10. a really well designed kids film with a lovely script. Performances are hit and miss and it's a bit further over the top than I'd like but quite charming, not at all repulsive.


------
Children of Men - - (9 of 10)

Superb, put it at number three in my top ten.

set in 2027, the world is imploding on itself in despair and frustration. 18 years earlier, massive, unexplained infertility took the human race by storm. The world's youngest human has died tragically and the warfare is constant. Terrorist groups oppose government fascist wars. there have been nuclear attacks and devastation around the world. England has become a brutal country, but one of the few that still seems to be functioning, because of its brutality. There are no babies, no children. The humans are giving up, and some seem determined to take the world with them.

Theo is just getting by. He's a bit of a drunk, hangs out with an old friend who breeds marijuana. He used to be a leftist activist but gave it all up when his son died. His wife returns, talks him into helping a girl get to the English coast. He does. But the girl is eight months pregnant, and suddenly he has a reason to live again.

Alfonso Cuaron outdid himself with this film. Technically it is amazing on every level. never misses a step. It would be tedious to mention how great all the different fields are in this film because they are all consistently awesome. But especial kudos should be lain upon the production design team for the most convincing dystopian vision of the future since Blade Runner.

The film is exciting, thought provoking, emotional and breathtaking. Just an outstanding experience at every level.

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

If there's any complaint it's that the plot meanders just a little, but that's something I also like about the film.

Adam

Re: 2006 Film List

The Notorious Betty Page - (7 of 10)

Very good, sweet natured film with a terrific performance by Gretchen Mol as Betty Page. wonderful photography, not so crazy about the editing or occasional voice over.

Re: 2006 Film List

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - 6 of 10

I watched this with friends so that's why it's ranked so high. The movie is at times very funny, but it's also one of the most uneven comedies I've seen in a while. The editing is downright terrible, the humor comes more from shock than cleverness most of the time, it has none of the finesse or brilliance of Borat and Sacha Baron Cohen is mostly wasted and one of the more unfunny parts of the movie. John C Reilly darn near saves the whole damn thing singlehandedly though. Will Farrell is good, but a lot of the flick is just too drawn out.

too be fair some of my problems with the film probably stem from watching the unrated dvd, because the editing was really pathetic in some parts.

Adam

Re: 2006 Film List

***MINOR ROCKY SPOILER TALK*****


That's what my complaint about the ending sort of was. It still has to cling to Rocky making his big stand, when in fact going down for the count and actually hitting the end of the line could have worked as a strong passing of the torch, simply when Dixon respects him for the effort anyway and feels better for having bested the challenge.

I also like the 3-5 round idea. Good film, but this was an IDEA that could have backed an Oscar caliber film about moving on in life, learning to walk away from something driving you, influencing future generations in the process.

In the end it backed off and went for another Rocky ending. That was my only issue with it.

Re: 2006 Film List

To me that's exactly what Anchorman was also. EVERYTHING gets thrown in, so you have some great moments but it's all connected so poorly.

I will say that Ricky Bobby gets funnier on each viewing for me. And John C does get some of the best lines. Awkward, weird stuff like the "Say you like crepes" scene is actually pretty funny to me now. I think because hidden in there are some bits of improv that are really clever.

I just wish they'd make a few editing passes on these films (put Old School in there too).

Re: 2006 Film List

I really disliked Anchorman because of it, and I saw that in a theatre that was having a blast. Talladega Nights works better for me, mainly because of John C Reilley and how much he's like one of my best buddies back home (also a big nascar fan). But yeah, the problem is that everything was thrown in.

Re: 2006 Film List

Snakes on a Plane - (5 of 10)

There are snakes on a plane, Samuel L Jackson must stop them from killing everyone. Ridiculously over the top from the gratuitous photography to throwing continuity out the window and the prerequisite titty shot and all. I think my favorite over the top moment was adding alligator teeth to the boa constrictor.

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

I was stunned to see the dvd extras that there were some real snakes on the set. EVERY snake, outside of the ones in the snake guy place on the ground) looked very cgi and very fake. I imagine they decided to 'enhance' some of the real snakes to make them more scary.

I have a very Indiana Jones attitude towards snakes, I hate them, but I can stand to be around them, I would just much rather not be around them at all (because I hate them).

Re: 2006 Film List

The Illusionist - 7 of 10

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Re: 2006 Film List

Click - 7 of 10

I went through my teen years on Adam Sandler and Chris Farley comedies I have a soft spot for him.

But it's unfortunate the rest of Click isn't as good as the final forty minutes.


Adam Sandler is a workaholic architect who still has a good family, but as the work piles up his family is slipping away bit by bit even as he doesn't notice. Bingo, welcome to 'the Beyond' as in Bed Bath and Beyond. Naturally who runs 'Beyond' but Christopher Walken? Walken gives Sandler a remote control that can control his life. Here's the catch. It's a learning remote. Do something once and it'll keep doing that each time it recognizes a similar pattern. The more Sandler uses the remote the more his life spirals out of control and slips away from him.

I like Sandler style comedy, and the comedy bits he's added here--the dog and the stuffed animal, the neighbor red-headed O'Doyle kid, the quiet talk jumping to yelling to indicate an argument--work. They are funny, Sandler is an expert at this, it's who he is. Naturally they work pretty well here (I laughed at most of them).

The problem is those elements belong in a completely different movie from what Click is really about. Very similar to It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, Click actually earns some genuine emotion in the final forty minutes. It's a shame about a third of the movie is wasted bouncing between two very different movies in an extremely tedious (and long) exposition. It's bad enough that I almost gave up on the movie at about the hour mark. Then, suddenly the film found itself and stayed consistent for the rest of the film and delivered a wonderful end to the story.

Adam Sandler is a good actor when he settles down and stops mugging for the camera. He just hasn't figured out how to organically integrate his style on a scale appropriate to the different stories he's working with.

I think, in the hands of Tim Burton, for example, this could have been a tremendous film.

Rick Baker's makeup is absolutely stunning, and the visual effects and art direction were pretty damned good too, but the makeup is the real standout here, absolutely oustanding and among the very best aging work I've seen.

Adam

Re: 2006 Film List

Or, if you don't want to end it with Rocky getting knocked out (which would, in retrospect, take something away from the scene when Rocky gets knocked out in ROCKY III) then don't have Dixon break his hand, and have he and Rocky inflict legitimate beatings on each other. Then we have the same ending we had, but with Dixon able to hold his head a little higher and truly take something away from Rocky's guts and determination.