Best of 2006

Alfonso Cuarón is possibly the best director working today. Children of Men covers so much ground in two hours, creating a depressing, but at the same time beautiful world in the not-so-distant future. It's dark, dramatic, and action-packed, but it also infuses a little bit of hope and humour into appropriate moments, and it's always entertaining, never preachy or pretentious like it could have been with another director. The camerawork and editing is so mind-boggling, you'll watch it many times over and still wonder how they did it.

Pure fashion porn. Fab acting all around, especially from Streep, as expected. Best Chick Flick of 2006 for sure. That's all.

Brilliant, but so disturbing, I don't think I'll ever watch it again.

Genius. Funny, dramatic, sexy, tons of tension! Amazing acting all around, great writing. Kate Winslet must get an Oscar nomination for this. *edit* She did! And she would have won if it weren't for Helen Mirren's mimickry of the Queen. :P

This is the most underrated film of 2006. Excellent, excellent performances all around, especially Sigourney Weaver. Alan Rickman proves he's still got it at 60. Yes, it's a little bit cheesy, but the story is really heartfelt there's enough honest humour to balance out the sentimentality.

Ryan Gosling's performance puts this one over the top. He is absolutely mesmerizing to watch. Confident and vulnerable at the same time is no easy feat. Shareeka Epps is also wonderful, she has incredible screen presence. Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden show great promise as a writing and directing team with their debut here. They have each only gotten better with their second film, Sugar. Though the political overtone is a tad annoying because it really has no place within the script, it's a minor complaint as only a few lines here and there really sound like a statement is trying to be made. Beautiful ending, it doesn't go where you think it will, thankfully.

I originally said in my review that this movie was "hit and miss," but I think I misunderstood it. It's widely perceived as a comedy, but I think the family dysfunction works best in it's painfully tragic and awkward moments. And yes, some of those moments are also really funny, but this movie should be considered both a drama and a comedy. Plus, I've always loved an underdog story about the Little Movie That Could!

One of the best films I've seen in a long time and defiintely the best foreign film I've seen in ages. Those Danes know how to do it! Great melodrama that could very easily have become a sappy ridiculous mess in the wrong hands, but it plays well with some fantastic actors. And the natural lighting and complete lack of special effects is quite refreshing compared to shiny Hollywood flicks these days.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is one of the greatest actresses of her generation, hands down. While this drama simmers slowly along, it never explodes into chaos, but it remains riveting the whole time thanks entirely to Gyllenhaal's performance. The entire supporting cast is strong, but the best moments, believe it or not, are with Danny Trejo.

It has drawn a lot of comparisons to Adaptation, one of my favourite films, but this one is even better. Ferrell proves he really can act, plus great performances all around. And this film is much more accessible to the masses than anything by Kaufmann, but still very smart.

A touching documentary that follows three of the Lost Boys of Sudan as they move to the United States to pursue education and work so they can provide for their families back home, misplaced by a decades-long civil war. The most remarkable moments show the men as they are taught the finer details of American culture, everything from turning on a light to using a toilet and a garbage can. It's humbling to watch them learn for the first time about all these things that we take for granted.

This French thriller has more twists than a year's worth of Hollywood genre pics. You may have to watch it twice to figure it all out, but it's totally worth it. Great performances with a beautiful love story behind the mystery.

This is way, way, way better than Capote. Toby Jones portrayal of the writer feels much more honest and human. His relationship with Perry Smith (Daniel Craig, almost unrecognizable with dark hair and an American accent) is explored deeper, and this version plays with the idea that they may have been lovers. While Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Capote was ultimately a cold, calculating, and asexual being, Jones makes him a likable, loving, and tragic character. The supporting cast is fantastic, especially Bullock and Craig.

After seeing Blue Car less than a month ago, Karen Moncrieff's only other film to date as writer/director, I'm convinced she is insanely talented writing fascinating female characters and making them come alive through powerful performances. I hope her streak continues with film number three.

The Dead Girl is a very dark film, one I wasn't sure about until half way through. A quartet of short films surrounding the death of a prostitute, each story seperate from the rest, avoiding the annoying "interwoven" editing style of films I loathe such as Crash and Babel. Instead, this one fully develops a storyline with a pair of main characters, no more than twenty minutes long, and then starts over.

Each story offers different points of view surrounding the title character, whom we don't meet until the final twenty minutes, and each one has it's one unique mix of despair and hope.

All four parts are worth watching, but the best are the ones with Rose Byrne, convinced the dead girl is her missing sister, and Brittany Murphy in the title role.

After my second screening, my thoughts are pretty much the same as the first, though I did enjoy it much more the 2nd time. Not sure why. Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are both abyssmal, but nobody has enough screentime to really ruin the whole movie. The rest of the cast was quite good, even if some of their roles were underdeveloped. Great selection of archival footage and general attention to details. Not a perfect movie, but the last fifteen minutes alone is completely worth the price of admission.

I don't consider myself to be terribly squeamish, but there were one or two scenes here that even I had to cover my eyes for. It really was incredible though, don't let a little grizzliness scare you way. Whittaker's performance is terrifying, and James McAvoy was quite impressive as well.

Oscar-worthy performance by Helen Mirren! Actually, all around good performances by the cast, but Mirren especially should be rewarded for her uncanny portrayal of the Queen. If she isn't nominated this year...well I have no faith in the Academy anyway, after last year's Trash Travesty...but they could redeem themselves a little bit here...

I didn't "get it" at all, but the contemporary science-based storyline was great. Bonus points for Hugh Jackman looking fantastic and for the bathtub scene.

Jagshemash! It's nice! High five! Sasha Baron Cohen should never have made Bruno, this is easily his best character.