Monday, February 26, 2007

2006 - Worst 5/Best 25 Films

Well...the best intentions blah blah blah...

I had hoped to get this posted before the Oscars as we were trying to catch up on movies both to fill out this list and properly be able to appreciate the Oscars. Alas, neither of those things happened. While it was great to see Martin Scorsese finally win Best Director (and a film of his win Best Picture), in the greater scheme of things (meaning his total body of work), this was not the film to win it for. Looking back both Raging Bull and Goodfellas were robbed (by Ordinary People and Dances With Wolves respectively, neither of which holds up as well as either of Scorsese's earlier films). Although how cool was it to see him accept the award from Spielberg, Coppola and Lucas (almost as if they knew Scorsese was gonna win beforehand when they assigned the presenters). But oh well...my passion for certain things has started to wane a bit (things are prioritized a bit differently with Malcolm around). The ceremony itself was long with many fun, yet ultimately pointless things (one too many montages...although the funniest bit was the screenwriter who used the "word "funnest...gotta love an award winning writer who can mangle grammar so well).

Anyway...the Oscars are over and now here is my lists for the Best and Worst of 2006. I've been forced to truncate my Best list by 5 because there was just no way for me to justify putting certain films on a Best list (heck...getting to 20 was a bit of a stretch as it was).

Before anyone starts complaining about films not on the list, its simply because I haven't had a chance to see them (to give you an idea of how things work around here An Inconvenient Truth has been in our house from Netflix since it came out on video...when we do have time to watch a movie, we tend to go for less "serious" things)...so...without further ado...

The Worst Five Films of 2006

5) Just My Luck -- It stars Lindsey Lohan. Sure, there are more reasons than that, but these days her presence is reason enough (in a starring role at least...ensemble films are able to rise above her).

4) RV -- There was a time when comedians in "family films" wasn't a bad thing. I'm not sure when that changed, but this film has a great cast (Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, Kristin Chenowith) trapped in a bad story.

3) Scary Movie 4 -- Why did we need this? Why did I watch this? You know you're in trouble when a movie can get in pop culture references faster than Saturday Night Live can (although not as funny of course).

2) The Pink Panther -- This had disaster written all over it. Steve Martin has gone from great comedian to great actor to washed out failure in this film. Let's hope he can get back on track.

1) Date Movie -- This was not only the worst movie of 2006, but I'm pretty sure I've decided its now the worst movie of all time (replacing Being Human). The less said, the better. I hope no one else over 12 has seen this (and that those under 12 who have get a lesson in real movies from responsible adults).

The Best 20 of 2006

20) When Do We Eat -- I'm Jewish. Its about Passover. Its funny. And it kind of hit home a bit for me. Plus, I've always felt that Leslie Ann Warren could play my mom in whatever film version of my life. Here she pretty much proves it (in spite of the character being different from my mom).

19) Jesus Camp -- A very scary, yet a bit over rated, documentary. When a woman claims she's doing what she's doing to try and fight the radical Islamacists with their own methods, we're all doomed. A warning to us all that everyone should heed.

18) Running With Scissors -- This film felt like a John Irving retread and then I remembered it was based on an autobiographical book. Very strange, but very interesting. And I've never seen Annette Benning look so horrible. Definitely an overlooked performance.

17) Hacking Democracy -- Another documentary everyone should see. If this is where are elections are all headed, we may as well just turn our government over to selfish narcissists and evil corporations. Oh wait...we've already done that.

16) Rocky Balboa -- A nice film that comes about a decade too late. It would have had a bit more power and relevancy had it come out around the same time as other sequels to great 1970s films (like the early 90s when we got Texasville, The Two Jakes and The Godfather III). But it did prove that Stallone does still have it in him to do good work.

15) Brick -- I love "film noir" and this "high school film" is definitely more "noirish" than "high schoolish" (see...I can make up words just like award winning writers). A very overlooked film from last year that should be seen if you like this genre.

14) Clerks II -- Did we this? No...of course not. Was it funny? You bet your ass (which is a bit of a pun if you've seen the film). Kevin Smith returns to form (being funny, yet poignant) without all the added crap of pointless cameos and over wrought storylines (like his last two films...even though I thought Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was hysterical and Jersey Girl wasn't terrible).

13) The Devil Wears Prada -- This film would have made it higher on my list if not for Ugly Betty. That TV series felt a bit like a retread of this movie until the soap opera elements elevated it above this film. This was easily the funniest film of the year and Meryl Streep deserved her Oscar nomination. But where was Stanley Tucci's??

12) Inside Man -- There's never been any denying that Spike Lee is a masterful filmmaker. Even when he's just telling a story (and not trying to pass along a message), he gets it right. This exciting caper film will keep you on the edge.

11) Cars -- Pixar knows how to make kids films that are entertaining for the whole family. And this one is no exception. Maybe they'll finally start Disney Animation back on the right track.

10) Superman Returns -- Bryan Singer finally brought the Man of Steel back to the sliver screen where he belongs. Was it perfect? No. But its a great start to righting a wrong in the annals of film history. Let's hope next time we get more of an "original" film and less a retread of everything that's come before.

9) This Film Is Not Yet Rated -- This fascinating documentary finally exposes the MPAAs ratings system for what it truly is...a censorship board made up of people with agendas that run counter to making good films. Supposedly, there will be some changes in the way films are rated because of this film, but I'll believe it when I see it. In the meantime, you must see this film.

8) Dreamgirls -- The movie musical has another "upbeat" note on the big screen after a few "downers" last year. With some amazing performances and some energetic musical numbers (most of which aren't the usual "stop and sing your feelings" variety you find in musicals...for those of you who hate those kind of musicals), this film was worth the two decade wait to hit the silver screen.

7) The Prestige -- The darker of the two films about magicians at the turn of the century, this film is a tour de force of obsessions. An amazing cast and a tight script will keep you on edge until the twists at the end which will have you talking for days on end.

6) The Illusionist -- The other magician film is a bit lighter, but just as strong. Honestly, you could flip these films in position on my list. One isn't really much better than the other. Both are great.

5) Casino Royale -- Bond is back in such a way that it was like he had never been here before. Daniel Craig IS James Bond in this faithful modernizing of Fleming's first novel. And its a great movie in its own right. Let's hope the next one is just as good.

4) The Departed -- While its not Scorsese's best, anything from this amazing director is better than most directors great stuff.

3) Little Miss Sunshine -- This quirky independent film actually lives up to its hype nicely. Sweet, touching and funny is always tough to pull off, but here its done to perfection.

2) United 93 -- Why this film wasn't nominated for Best Picture is beyond me. Tense, hard to watch and yet you can't look away. One of the most brilliant films of the last ten years. Also proves its not too soon to have a film about a recent tragedy.

1) Children of Men -- Science Fiction is always best when it shows us a potential future that we can believe in. This one scares the crap out of me...horrifying and touching all at the same time with some amazing powerhouse performances.

Well...that's all...sorry it took a lot longer to publish than I wanted...but shit happens...

Be seeing you.