TOP TEN FILMS OF 2006

2006 was not a good year for movies. At post time I've viewed 83 movies released in 2006. The average score of those movies is a pathetic 4.9. 2006 is also the first year since 2003 that I didn't reward a perfect 10 to a movie.

Without further ado, I give you...

THE TOP TEN FILMS OF 2006

1. THE DEPARTED, Oscar gets it right...AGAIN! For the second year in a row the voting members of the Oscar Academy took my advice and awarded the Oscar for best film to my favorite film of the year. To see more details on this film check out my post from early November 06. One small note...Matt Damon, not Jack or Leo, gives the best performance in THE DEPARTED.

2. APOCALYPTO, By a Nose. Apocalypto is a great film. I pondered endlessly...THE DEPARTED? or APOCALYPTO for best film of the year. You know the answer to that question, however, please see this film. For more on APOCALYPTO, check out my post from last month.

3. LITTLE CHILDREN , see my post dates 5/31/2007

4. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3, Seriously. I can not tell a lie, I loved Mission: Impossible 3. This franchise is interesting. Each addition to the series is better than the film that it follows. Tom Cruise is perfect as Ethan Hunt. Unfortunately, we probably won't see Cruise in the role again because the box office numbers weren't there...nearly 200 million...gee, Hollywood sure is fickle. Phillip Seymor Hoffman is very memorable as the nasty villain. I'm thinking of doing my own version of the Oscars next year. If I did it this year Hoffman would be nominated for best supporting actor. Mission: Impossible 3 is the best action and 3rd best film of the year.

5. NOTES ON A SCANDAL...see a short review on the post dated August 21, 2007.

6. ROCKY BALBOA, Knocked Out! Check out my post from December for more info on the most surprising great movie of 2006. BALBOA is the 6th film in the Rocky franchise. Other than using the word "surprised", I don't know another word to describe the fact that the 6th film in the Rocky franchise made me tear up 3 different times.

7. THE PRESTAGE, One of 2 Magician themed films of 2006. The Prestage was the smartest film of 2006. However, I don't think many people understood the ending. I say this because I've asked several people who have seen the film if they liked the ending. Most say no. When I explain to them my thoughts on the ending I find that they missed a key aspect of the finished product. I won't disclose the ending here. I will say this though...My lovely wife missed the secret of the ending also. See this movie and let me know what you think.

8. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMO...see short review on post dated August 21, 2007.

9. BORAT, Very Nice. I laughed, I cried, and then laughed again. BORAT, the funniest movie of the year, was smart and original. I've never covered my eyes in a comedy before seeing BORAT. In BORAT I covered my eyes more than a few times in horror at what I was laughing at.

10. SHERRYBABY, Top 9. This Top Ten list was almost a Top 9 list. Until watching SHERRYBABY last week my list was one short. Like I said before, 2006 was not a good movie year. SHERRYBABY stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as a woman just released from prison after serving time for breaking several drug laws. She is attempted to get her life back together which includes getting back into her daughters life. Gyllenhaal is great and deserved to get an Oscar nomination.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

CHILDREN OF MEN, A Bleak Future. What I liked most about CHILDREN OF MEN was that it was very fare in its depiction of the not so distant future. Usually movies like this show the government as a reason for societies breakdown; the government can never be trusted. CHILDREN OF MEN is different. Yes, the government is not perfect, but the liberal groups that are fighting the government can't be trusted either. CHILDREN OF MEN tells the story of a generation without hope...and children. Wow! Sounds like a dream world. However, we all know without children, Humankind ceases to exist. However, there is hope. A young black woman becomes impregnated. The fight is on to control the woman as a propaganda tool. Check out this film that was released at the end of the year and was ignored by audiences and the Oscar Academy.


THE LAKE HOUSE, Actually...I'm a Softy. My wife tells me often that I have no heart. How can someone without a heart have a movie like THE LAKE HOUSE on his Top Ten list? When I'm asked what my favorite genre of movies is I always reply with..."Good ones!" THE LAKE HOUSE is a chick flick and proof that chick flicks can be smart and well made.

MONSTER HOUSE, Cars Who? Most critics thought CARS and HAPPY FEET were the best animated films of the year. They were wrong. MONSTER HOUSE is funny and reminded me of being a kid. Some people are scary, but sometimes the houses they live in are scarier. Maggie Gyllenhaal, of SHERRYBABY, voices the baby-sitter. Gyllenhaal is the only actor to be featured in two movies on this list.

PAN'S LABYRINTH...see short review on post dated August 21, 2007.

THE GOOD SHEPARD...see short review on post dated August 21, 2007

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS...see short review on post dated August 21, 2007