2006

Johnnie To exceeds himself, an instant classic.

For a director who can turn out almost two movies a year using casts of regulars it surprises me how he can keep the quality at such a high level.

I loved the spaghetti western influences in the characters, dialogue, score and themes of the film. Even Macau was made to look like a deserted town with the ineffectual sheriff just trying to keep from getting himself killed.

It is a sign of genius and great filmmaking that can keep you interested with such sparse dialogue. All your attention is draw to the cinematography and the performances that the actors put in. That and the several shoot outs, each different from last in style, that could put John Woo to shame.

Simon Yam is at his menacingly evil best, but it is a mohawked Anthony Wong that steals most of the scenes he is in. Wong's character is central to the story it is decisions that tear between loyalty for his boss and his bond with his brotherhood that bring the plot along.

Watch and enjoy for it's breathtaking simplicity and downright cool.

Powerful and horrorfying. One of the best of 2006.

With this and 'Inside Man' Clive Owen had himself a hell of a year in 2006.

The fauk-documentary feel of the hand held camera give the film a reality that scares and moves you. Cuaron's use of tracking shots stand out bringing the viewer into the movie, making us walk every step with the characters. The seemingly single take in the car is incredible, one of the best moments in modern cinema.

A bank heist led by Dalton Russell (Owen) seems to be going out of control as they take hostages. Detective Frazier (Washington), a cop under investigation, is brought in as negotiator. As there cat and mouse game unfolds a woman (Foster) with a hidden agenda forces herself into the mix.

Avoiding most of the trappings that are usually associated with 'a Spike Lee joint' this taut heist thriller comes across as Lee most mainstream movie to date and also one of his best. Sure that is a biting social commentary at the heart of the film but it is more subtle than his past efforts, the only out of place moment throughout it when Clive Owen sits down and talks to a child hostage about his violent and stereotyped video game.

Everything about this film oozes quality. Lee's tight and intelligent script shows New York in all its ethnic diversity from Albanians to Seikhs. The performances are all top notch, again Washingston fails to disappoint and is strong in the lead escpecially in the moments when he is matching wits with Clive Owen. Owen himself is great and agains proves himself as one of the finest actors working today. Plummer is superb as the bank owner with something to hide and Foster aquites herself well as the bitch in a predominately male cast.

Overall: Right up there with Heat and Dog Day Afternoon as one of the best and smartest heist movies of all time.

Smart and clever contempary film noir.

It's like Raymond Chandler wrote his pulp noir about high schools. Gordon-Levitt is brilliant as the Marlow-esque detective investigating the death of a friend.

As enchanting and gripping as the magic it potrays.

Christopher Nolan once again proves himself to be consumate filmmaker. He teases you with the truth and has you second guess yourself all the way up to the big reveal, The Prestige.

Noteworthy performance from the ever excellent Bale and even Jackman surprised me.

Julian Noble (Brosnan) is a lonely hitman on the brink of burning out when he runs into Danny Wright (Kinnear), a downtrodden businessman, in Mexico City bar. Julian reaches out to Danny in the vain hopes of forming a friendship, something that he has never had.

One standout scene in the movie takes place at a bullfight, Danny at first scoffs at Julian when he tells him his occupation and asks him to prove it. Julian proceeds to show him the setup for a hit. This becomes the moment at which Brosnan really becomes the character and makes you forget that for a while he was 007.

Unlike past hitman-drama-comdies like Grosse Pointe Blank this one doesn't waste time on action or tension. In fact besides from the opening hit you don't see anyone getting killed. This leaves room for the real story, which is of friendship and having people in your life who care about you no matter what you do or who you kill.

Sometimes when you get a film that you weren't expecting it can be a let down but in The Matador's case you can make an exception. What you get is an original, clever, witty well-written tale with great performances from all the cast and an espcially memorable Brosnan.

Del Toro heads back to his roots and brings his best yet.

A gorguous, violent, scary and touching movie.

As Infernal Affairs is one of my all time favorite movies, I feel I may be losing out on enjoying this one to it's fullest. For me a comparison is inevitable and Scorsese's epic doesn't quite match up.

I'm not saying it is bad, in fact it is the usual tour de force you come to expect from one of the greatest autuers in modern cinema. Marty has infused the original story with all the stylings and colorful characters you come to expect from his movies.

The performances were all excellent. Jack Nicholson is grandiose as gang boss Frank Costello. Damon and Dicaprio show more maturity and depth then I have ever seen from either of them. The only person I wasn't too crazy on was Mark Wahlberg his over the top and abrasive sergeant seemed surprisingly out of place to me.

Now if I hadn't seen the original and loved it, I would be rating this higher. And I truly hope he gets the Academy Award finally, it's just a shame it wouldn't be for a more deserving movie of his.

One last thing that bugged me was the ending, I feel Scorsese wimped out on the original in having the need to tie up loose ends.

Other than all that this is still a must watch movie of 2006, especially if you have never seen the original.

This is a powerful and moving war movie.

The realistic battles can be hard to stomach but it is this depiction of war that really hits home the story of the 'heroes' once they are brought back to the US.

Eastwood in fine form yet again. But it seems he was taking some hints from co-producer Spielberg, visually and morally it isn't too far from Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers.

A gun used in the killing of cop goes missing and in the course of one night it is the source of much stress for a petty-criminal (Paul Walker) as his life is on the line if he doesn't find it before the cops do. This a gritty, twisting, violent comic book noir with deep fairy tales undertones and it reeks of over the top style. Also the underrated Paul Walker is absolutely stellar

Best animated movie of 2006.

The english comedic style that flavored Aardman animations Wallace and Gromit last year serves well yet again in this one. It is such a shame it didn't fare better at the box office with US audiences.

Everything about this movie is on the moeny, the move over to CGI from stop motion hasn't hurt Nick Park and co's funny bone. In fact the transistion is seemless as they have used the same wide grinned style for the characters as we have seen in previous movies making us feel at home and welcome.

All the voice work is flawless. Standout nods goto Bill Nighy, as the moronic albino heavy, and Sir Ian Mckellan, as the most evil toad you'll ever meet. But the real stars turn out to be the little slugs, much like the rabbits from Wallace and Gromit movie, they are cute and aren't just there for the amusement of children, adults will find their little moments hilarious as well.

I can't see why this movie has been snubbed by the Academy Awards.

A film that will get your inner penguin dancing.

If you like musicals this is the animated mvie for you. The blending of contempary songs into new musical numbers, much like Moulin Rouge, was handled excellently. The vocal talents of the main cast was very strong.

At the end of the day it is Mumble that steals the show. The care and detail of his character is stunning.

What disappointed me about this one, is that toward the end it became too much like a PSA. Which is a great message, but it felt a little in your face.

Donnie Yen scores again, an awesome comic book experience.

I've read alot of reviews giving this movie a hard time and coming as a follow up to the sublime SPL, Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen had a touch act to follow.

I can see how some people could be disappointed by this one. It is a vast departure from the work they had done on the thriller SPL. This movie is based on a popular series of manga and I think this emulates the genre very well.

Yen's choreography again is a standout and a reason only to watch this. The three different styles of the leads blend well. I was impressed with the skills on display from younger stars Tse and Yue, definately actors to watch for in the future.

There is also nifty CGI sequences include a great gratitous training montage as Turbo and Tiger learn their new moves.

One small problem is the 40-something Yen playing a 20-something Dragon. They hide it pretty well, but it is impossible to hide the tests of time.

It is a shame to see that this movie was so coldly received in it's home country as I think it is a great addition to Yen's filmography.

A great love story set against the backdrop of lat 19th century Vienna. Top marks goto the art direction and the way the film has been made to look like it had even been filmed years ago. Norton and Giamati play off each other brilliantly and even Rufus Sewell turned in a great performance as the thoroughly unlikable Prince.

The US cut of Tom Yum Goong lost 20 minutes and half a star in the process. What originally had some nice attempts at a plot and creating a more artisitc atmosphere to the movie, is now a more pure action movie. I am so glad the US DVD release included the original longer cut. I recommend this version to the casual viewer who isn't usually into this type of movie it could be a great introduction.

Christophe Gans has done a masterful job in translating a confusing and scary story into something a bit more pallatable for mass audiences.

In a break from his normal heroic cops Bruce Willis plays a burnt out, alcohlic wreak of a cop. A man who seems to no longer care for the job that is until he has to escort a witness (Mos Def) a total of 16 blocks to his court date. But of course it doesn't go smoothly as somebody doesn't want this witness testifying. What could have come across as familiar and formulaic is pushed beyond by the terrific performances of the leads and the usual excellent directing of Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon).

A clever independent crime thriller. Plenty of little twists and turns as the characters try to figure out who they are. Well acted by a great ensemble cast. Definately worth a watch.

Great music and performances, if a little long.

Stylish and enjoyable Korean thriller. Nothing ground breaking but definately worth watching.

Very intense horror definately not for the squemish. More raw emotion and drama than the previous two episodes in this franchise. Nice to see the writers answering some of the questions from the other movies as well. Interested in where they are going to go with the fourth.

The humor in this one is dumb, but that is the point. As the evolution of mankind almost fallen into reverse as we all have gotten dumber.

This film has trouble finding it's own identity behind the prat falls and dumb sex jokes is an attempt at satire on the way the world, especially America, is headed. What makes the dumb jokes funny is the reactions of the ever dumb people of 2505, where a wrestling champ is President and hospitals diagnose you like ordering food at a McDs.

For those expecting another Office Space from Mike Judge will be sorely disappointed, just don't let that bring you down. As Judge manages to give a look at the future that has never been done before.

He gets his point across well but is it enough to scare you out of drink those electrolytes that you crave?

A some what enjoyable martial arts comedy from Jackie Chan.

A screwball comedy involving the kidnapping of an unbelievably adorable baby. In fact the kid steals the show from Jackie & co.

The film gets a little long at 2 hours, but there are still flashes of Jackie's brilliance in amongst the laughs.

An above-average psychological thriller.

There is nothing terribly exciting about this film, but I think that is the point. Inspired by real events it does base itself in reality, this isn't the usual overblown Hollywood thriller tripe.

It is helped by a rare thing in movies these days, a nice short run time lasting barely 80 minutes it puts in all you need to enjoy it.

Also Robin Williams puts out another great performance. It is a real shame for every dramatic turn he makes 2 or 3 films like RV or Man of the Year.

Funny, but was it worth the wait?

This is a movie that has been talked about for a long time. Now it has finally got here it may leave some a little disappointed. Fans of Jack and Kyle's work as Tenacious D will be satisfied, but it will lose the casual viewer.

Music wise. The rock is hard and Satan is riding with the D. From the opening licks with vocals from Meatloaf to the closing rock show down with the Devil himself (Dave Grohl) it'll keep you smiling and head-banging along.

Where they fail is some of the more lewd jokes, toilet humor is getting tired in movies recently.

In the end it comes across as more of a vanity piece for Jack Black's humor, which isn't a bad thing it just doesn't work for everyone.

Great fun.

A little long winded but does provide plenty of Sandler laughs and a kooky turn from Walken is always appreciated.

Great acting hold up this overlong cliche ridden film.

Costner and Kutcher are both surprisingly excellent, but the rest of the film is let down by the massive amounts of cliches.

It's Top Gun in the coastguard.

Okay movie, let down even more considering the talent.

The pedigree on display here should have made this a movie not to be missed. You have Inferanl Affairs director Andrew Lau along with two fantastic leads in Leung and Kaneshiro but a plodding script and some just get on with it moments had me watching the clock rather than the screen.

I didn't feel any of the tension that should have been building up toward the climax. Knowing who the killer is makes the last two-thirds of the movie pointless as you just sit there waiting for Kaneshiro's private detective to figure out who it is.

Kaneshiro and Leung do what they can with what they have to work, that alone is a reason to see it. Also the beautiful Shu Qi makes proceedings bearable.

Forgive me for saying this but in the case of this movie the upcoming Hollywood could end being an improvment. Sorry Andrew.

This movie comes under the genre silly fluff. It's cute and whimsical, has it's funny moments and it won't hurt you to watch it. Wilson and Thurman are backed by a better supporting cast in the giuse of Eddie Izzard, Anna Farris, Rain Wilson and Wanda Sykes.

Visually arresting animation can't hide the same old sci-fi plot.

Over the top non-stop balls to the wall action is the call of the day for this one. If not taken too seriously it can work, but you can only suspend that disbelief for so long. Certainly a step up from Transporter 2 but the overly frenetic camerawork and editing could give you a headache or cause a seizure.

Rather pointless but Wu Jing was fantastic.

After his appearance as the man in white in SPL I was looking forward to Wu Jing in a leading role in a full on action movie. But for the good he does the rest of the film is just flat.

Although his skills are brilliantly used the action only really comes in the form of simple one on one combat situations, except for a brief fight in an underpass.

This isn't helped out by the filler in betwixt said fights. The acting is a little stilted and I was disappointed in the cute Theresa Fu.

I still think Wu Jing is following the footsteps of some of the great kung fu stars, they all have these little bumps in the road.

I was very disappointed in this one. In the end it just felt like a very long music video. Actually the music was the best part but that doesn't really save it from being just okay.

A largely lacking adaptation of a great book.

As a fan of the books I have to take offence and be disappointed by this watered down telling of a great fantasy novel.

It seems for the sake of run time and box office dollar they have left out characters completely and skipped over plot details.

What makes it worse is the adding of John Malkovich. We haven't even see his character in the books, you just hear tales of his evil, making him more ominous. Whereas in the movie he is just used as exposisition.

Some may say that putting all the stuff in the book into the film would give it a almost 3 hour run time. Honestly I wouldn't care it could save sacrificing Angela (one 2 minute scene), The Twins (cut), the cat (cut) and Rohan's fiancee (cut).

If you like fantasy epics and havent read the books you might enjoy this more. But seriously if you are a fan of fantasy epics you have more than likely read both books so far. So skip this in anticipation of the third novel.

Van Damme uses more guns then fists in this passable DTV movie.

The high point of this movie is the little touches and quirks of the supporting animal cast. The low point some of the humor just felt a little too old for the intended audiences. I know they try to cater for adults bringing their kids to movies but this one pushed it a bit too far. Nowhere near as good as Pixar, Disney or Dreamworks fare, but as usual the core audience will lap it up regardless.

Such a waste of talent and great cinematography.

This was just boring, I really couldn't wait for it too end.

Any praise goes to the visuals, the air of the era is captured well other than that it misses the point completely.

Josh Harnett is not a great lead. He is nowhere near hardboiled enough to carry off the part. I actually think Eckhardt would have been better in his role.

De Palma does waht he can with the complex and meandering script but even his distintive style is stifled under the heavy tones.

My suggestion is to go re-watch LA Confidential instead. Not worth your time.

Warner animation just isn't upto to turning out the quality that Pixar, Dreamworks or Disney can when it comes to animation. Kids will eat it up the first viewing but beyond that it doesn't warrant extra viewings.

At first my thoughts on this remake with Steve Martin in the role of Clouseau was another Hollywood bad idea. An offences to the Sellars classics. But for what it's worth this is amiable enough, Martin hams his way though most of the scenes, especially the airport security one. Jean Reno is okay but the real standout star is Kevin Kline as the brunt of all Closeau's mishaps, the scheming Chief of Police Dreyfus.
Overall: Passable but forgettable.

Like Jovovich herself, gorgeous visually but beyond that pretty much nothing

"I hate cops... and rock candy."

John Cena is John Tritan, ex-Marine, husband and all around bad ass. Then his wife gets kidnapped by evil jewel thief Robert Patrick and all hell breaks loose.

Honestly how many times can you blow up a marine and not kill him. There are at least five shots of the main character with flames exploding out behind him, either diving out of a window or moving in slow motion.

The diaglogue is trite, the violence excessive and acting god awful.

Please come back Arnoldt all is forgiven.

"What is this guy, the Terminator?"

My poor Alyson what deal did you have to make with Satan to end up working in this crap. This is the first movie I have watched in about 10 years that I turned off before the end. I think I lasted about an hour and a bit, right upto the huge puss-filled zit.