B's Best of 2006

this is no jim henson production! pan's labyrinth is a dark, twisted, sweet, bold and fantastic movie. i was surprised by the graphic violence, but also surprised by the intricate story, fabulous cast, and amazing imagination throughout. some movies are entertaining but this one has stuck in my mind for days after seeing it.

wow! scorsese makes another excellent movie, and this time is rewarded for it. the cast is outstanding and the movie is well written and ol' marty has not lost his touch. dicaprio is the new deniro - kind of. it's one of those movies that is very enjoyable upon repeat viewings, although not nearly as shocking as the first time.

it's funny, it's sweet, it's touching - but there's something melancholy and real about it. steve carell gives a subdued performance while alan arkin steals the half of the movie that he is in. the rest of the cast gives solid portrayals and abigail breslin is very impressive. the family is believable as an average american fam trying to make it in the world - sometimes exaggerated and sometimes subtle, but thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

a gritty desperate vision of the future that is believable. clive owen is great, michael caine looking like john lennon would have if he reached old age is terrific as always. a wonderfully constructed film that attacks the good and evil within humanity.

it was everything i wanted and expected it to be. its not often that i can sit in a huge movie theatre packed to rafters (after two earlier shows i planned on going to were sold out) and have the entire place laughing. the girl next to me laughed and then said "this is the stupidest movie ever" and then laughed some more. there's nothing like making fun of america while pretending to make fun of kazakhstan while pretending to be a real journalist from kazakhstan. very nice!!

Tremendous movie! influenced by Miller's Crossing and old detective noir movies, and set in a modern day high school. It has its own style and language. Some great looking shots and camera angles beef up a "talky" movie, but the dialogue is highly stylized too.

fantastic! epic in scope, but stays within itself. thoughtful and somewhat daring, visually impressive and certainly exudes a vibe of "cool". the actors are solid, the wachowski bros. deliver again and the story is fascinating. part comic book hero action flick and part futuristic detective movie with hints at modern day satire and elements from "1984". wonderfully entertaining. remember, remember the 5th of november.

ghostbusters may just be my favorite movie of all-time, it is certainly near the top of the list. one of its triumphs in my mind is that is somehow balances between being very funny and honestly dramatic - even scary. the director of this amazing movie was ivan reitman who has a son named jason. jason reitman has struck a similar chord with thank you for smoking as his father did with ghostbusters. it is a good, smart and funny movie. it is, ultimately a much different movie than ghostbusters - based on a book, satirizing everyone in its path, it is about spin doctors not slimers. aaron eckhart is perfect in his role and manages to be funny without being silly. jason reitman has helmed a movie that i'm sure his father is proud of.

old mr. eastwood has gone and turned into quite a fine director. the japanese cast does a superb job conveying the the humanity, emotions, and motivations of soldiers fighting against americans - something rarely seen from hollywood.

a nicely told story by christopher nolan and a very capable cast. the movie's production is top-notch and the victorian era world is stunning and magically displayed around the story of dueling illusionists. the parts of the story that are predictable don't detract much from the enjoyment of seeing it unfold. are you watching closely?

wow! forest whitaker is amazing in this movie; both charming and terrifying as hell. the engaging story follows a young scottish doctor in chaotic uganda trying to make his mark on the world when the charismatic president amin selects him to be his physician. the whole production is wonderful from the cast to the sets to the music. whitaker looms over every scene sometimes joyously and sometimes violently and sometimes very violently. the type of performance and movie that will really stick with you.

i was pleasantly surprised by this spike lee joint. spike is truly a unique and gifted director. denzel is phenominal as usual, and clive owen and jodie foster round out a stellar cast. a bank robbery movie seems like a tired genre but the flick feels fresh and smart. a very entertaining action drama

as a general rule i try to avoid trying to explain or entirely figure out david lynch movies. inland empire follows in a tradition of lynch films steeped in the world of dreams & nightmares. the movie is dripping with emotion and symbolism and features a superb performance by laura dern. inland empire is not a movie that you merely watch, but rather experience as beautiful and horrific images appear in a non-linear and distorted fashion. i, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

the reason to watch this movie is ryan gosling. his performance of a druggie teacher/coach is fantastic and believable. the story is good and shareeka epps turns in a great young performance of her own as one of gosling's students with trouble in her life. she's more grown up than he is for most the flick. good drama

i've always been intrigued by mayan culture and i have never seen it portrayed more vividly than in apocalypto. i like movies that don't spend time explaining everything about the world they are set it, whether they be futuristic sci-fi or ancient cultures.

apocalypto throws the viewer right into the south american jungle and the culture, customs and language of the ancient mayan culture, allowing the characters and the story develop naturally. for this reason, i appreciated this movie more upon a second viewing when i knew what to expect. the costumes and make-up are spectacular and the movie is beautifully shot. not historically inaccurate but perhaps over-emphasized was the blood and violence throughout the movie. not a flick for everyone but it can certainly please a wide range of people looking for different things in their movie viewing experience.

a very enjoyable film. gondry once again shows off his brilliance and vision and style. he makes unique movies that are strongly based in reality yet can take us to highly imaginative places. the story is above average, the acting is solid, and everything else falls in line.

you know, this isn't a great "movie"! but the movie format gives many people an opportunity to learn some very important things. i think it is an important movie and i hope everybody sees it, but it should be watched for its content and not for cinematic value.

this isn't a movie about dave chappelle creating catch phrases or dave chappelle getting high. this is a flick about dave chappelle being dave chappelle and about throwing a kickass block party in brooklyn with a great hip-hop concert. and what a show it is! kanye, mos def, the roots are all great, but dave got the fugees to reunite for this and the whole thing is exciting to watch. the first of two michel gondry films on my list. this one is documentary style and he does a wonderful job capturing the events that unfold.

a delightful bloody adventure. there is a shot towards the end of the movie of the heroine rising out of a pool of blood that seems to wink at "apocalypse now" and the story which it was based on, joseph conrad's "heart of darkness". instead of taking a boat down a river the lovely ladies in this flick explore the dark places of the earth and their souls by adventuring into a remote cave system. there is some really great cinematography throughout with a variety of scary, creepy, bloody and badass moments. this flick used classic horror story structure and borrowed from a few different movies but managed to feel fresh and new. it reminded me at times of "the blair witch project" and was certainly in the vein of any creature/vampire attack movie. the cave added a feeling of claustrophobia and the fact that there was no male hero gave a nice twist to a movie you almost felt like you'd seen before. i enjoyed the hell out of it.

an impressive piece of film-making with tremendous performances particularly by helen mirren. this is an intriguing character study and i am very glad that i watched it, but ultimately knowing how the royal family and the prime minister and everyone else reacted to princess di's death doesn't really interest me all that much.

fantastic performances by dench and blanchett (not surprisingly) drive a tabloid story movie

anything that contains the phrase "lake wobegon" will make me smile. i enjoyed this flick, you may not

"little children" is a movie about the lives of adults - flawed, perverted, conflicted, complex adults. it's rare to hear a narrator that is not a character in the movie and that added something to this flick. the performances are good and the subjects addressed are interesting. it's not a movie that i would watch over and over but it was worth seeing once.

a cool flick made from a philip k. dick novel. the animation adds to the movie in some parts and detracts in others. it's paranoid, druggy, the government is spying on us kind of sci-fi set in the not-too-distant future.

a gritty, violent, manly western. hardcore and bleak

it made me laugh, it made me cringe, it nearly made me throw up more than once. beautiful!

this is a great animated flick - it looks fantastic, it has a good story, and a slew of good actors lend their voices to it. a fun little halloween movie.

a movie about the inability of people to communicate with and understand each other. emotional and revealing and ultimately depressing

a pretty good, if not disappointing movie for me. the acting is top notch as could be expected from norton & giamatti. it just wasn't as exciting or dramatic or engaging as i thought it would be. the storyline is above average, but not ground breaking. overall, certainly not a bad movie, but nothing stands out to make it an exceptional one.

well acted, good story - jennifer connelly! worth seeing

this documentary is a little disturbing and a little sad. christ's army recruits young!

not only do i love pixar animation but this movie really made me laugh. neither cars in general or auto racing interest me much, but i'll watch this flick more than once.

i love kevin smith! very nice to see the characters from clerks 10 years later. very raunchy in parts but also a more mature and still funny movie

pretty funny movie. will ferrell's best? i probably will prefer Anchorman in the long run. Best movie about Nascar that I've ever seen for sure. some pretty funny scenes (like the jesus conversation at the dinner table) but fairly predictable plot. good times, good laughs - gotta love will ferrell.

i'm not a bond fan, but this was pretty cool