2006 Film List (1 Viewer)

[Adam_S]

The Devil Wears Prada - :star::star::star::star: (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

 

[Brian.L]

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

 

[Nick C.]

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

 

[Seth Paxton]

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.

 

[Adam_S]

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
broken hand
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.

 

[Chris Atkins]

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.

 

[Patrick Sun]

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.

 

[Brook K]

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-

 

[Adam_S]

Night at the Museum :star::star:1/2 (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.

The museum director notices the quest for fire guys are covered in foam but not that one is missing? no one else notices a whole statue is missing? There is no security video (why avoid the obvious video gags)? No alarms on the windows and doors? keys rather than keycards? No alarms on ANY of the museum pieces? Weren't they upset about breaking the Sakagewea glass? Shouldn't there be a 'backdoor' to the exhibit so it can be tended to by staff? All the staff just vanishes at 5 PM and noone else ever stays late? Stiller never sleeps? They're still 'made of wax' when they're 'alive' but Stiller can ride a wax horse? If they were made in a factory as Roosevelt admits, how do they have intimate knowledge of who they are? Why was Pharaoh so fey, and what happened to his desire to 'rule my kingdom'?

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)

 

[Tim Glover]

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

 

[Adam_S]

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 - :star::star::star::star: - (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.

When they descend the stairs with the baby I think it was the most powerful filmic moment I've seen in quite a long time. up there with Penny Lane on the plane in Almost Famous, Chihiro remembering Haku's name in Spirited Away, or any of a dozen scenes in In America. that was perfection

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

 

[Adam_S]

The Notorious Betty Page - :star::star::star: (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.

 

[Adam_S]

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - :star::star::star: 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

 

[Seth Paxton]

***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.

 

[Seth Paxton]

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).

 

[Adam_S]

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.

 

[Adam_S]

Snakes on a Plane - :star::star: (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.

But the best part of the movie was me actually jumping (and yelping like a little girl) in surprise when the snake pops out of the pit at the heroine flight attendent after the copilot has fallen in. That garnered about five minutes of laughing and reenactments for my buddies and me.

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).

 

[Adam_S]

The Illusionist - 7 of 10

Set in turn of the century Vienna. The Illusionist is a how'd they do it story in the vein of Usual Suspects, Primal Fear, and Mission:Impossible.

Eisenheim is a magician in love with a woman, Sophie, who is now a Hungarian duchess. They grew up together but were unable to be together because of their different upbringings. The Duchess is courted by the Crown Prince of Austria, they are soon to be engaged. Eisenheim became an inventive illusionist working on the cutting edge of illusions, eventually convincing people that he was performing real magic. Inspector Uhl is a chief inspector in Vienna and works for the Crown Prince in the hopes of a promotion when the Prince ascends the throne.

Eventually a murder plot arises and all four of the principals are mixed up in it in some way, as rivals or lovers.

Edward Norton has to be very stoic, and it's a shame, he's also not that good with his accent. Paul Giamatti is absolutely perfect. One of my favorite performances of the year. Jessica Biel has very few lines, because her accent is horrendous.

The editing is often awkward, but it was nice to use the iris effect, occasionally it was just a bad transition though. I'm not very fond of the vignetting and flickering effects used in the flashbacks, but it does do a good job of offsetting them.

The script is excellent and Giamatti really takes his role to the next level (and it is the best role in the film too).

However there are some big problems with the script. I think it was the wrong decision to have Sophie and Eisenheim sleep with each other so willingly and quickly. It's an uncommon occurence even in today's world, and laughable in the era they've set it in. The Crown Prince was just terribly conceived as BAD GUY, it's as though it's in a completely different movie. It stands out, in a bad way. Poorly conceived poorly written part and very dissappointing.

And my other big reservation was somewhat answered by the reveal at the end of the film, but Sophie, as visiting royalty, would have a retinue accompany her, along with at least one or two bodyguards loyal to her--to protect her, if necessary, from the man courting her. Sophie moved too freely which would be impossible for someone of her station.

 

[Adam_S]

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

 

[Chris Atkins]

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.