Best of 2006, Part I

I'd like to echo P's welcome and point out that the crips are clearly superior to the bloods. How could anyone pull for Suge Knight over Snoop Dogg? The Doggfather is a genius. Anyway, I digress. It is about time we posted something meaty and debatable, so I'll start it off with Part I of my Best Movies of 2006 list.

First, some disclaimers. Babel, The Last King of Scotland, Pan's Labyrinth, Volver, Dreamgirls, Little Children, Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, and The Queen will not be on my list simply because I have yet to see them. I know... you're thinking what business does this jackass have opining on movies when he hasn't seen half of those nominated for Oscars in 2006. Well, all I can say is that I have more business doing so than P, whose top 5 of 2006 will likely include Black Xmas. All the movies above are in my Blockbuster Queue, so it's only a matter of time before I see them all and my list will be updated if necessary.

Also, before I get to my Best Movies of 2006, I want to throw out my biggest disappointment of 2006 - For Your Consideration. Christopher Guest now has me debating whether he ever had talent to begin with, or if it was the novelty of his mockumentary style combined with great casts that turned Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show into staples of my DVD collection. Even A Mighty Wind had its moments. There were no such moments in For Your Consideration. From beginning to end it was a waste of life and, as such, is worthy of my first 0 PB Jar rating.

Now, for the good stuff - the Best Movies of 2006.

Honorable Mentions:
Little Miss Sunshine - Overhyped by the time I saw it, but a good movie nonetheless. The girl annoyed me a bit, as did the depressing tedium of a dysfunctional family (don't many of us live this stuff every day; do we really want to be entertained by it?). In the end I came around, drawn by the strong acting and absurd humor. 2 PB Jars

The Illusionist - Entertaining and enjoyable throughout, with a solid performance by Jessica Biel, which I certainly wasn't expecting. The ending was predictable, but it didn't matter because it was so predictable that I think I would have been disappointed if it hadn't worked out the way it did. 2 PB Jars

The Prestige - A captivating film, more consistently entertaining than The Illusionist, right up until its cop-out ending. I haven't read the book, so I can't speak for whether the book has the same ending with the same cop-out feel. I really wanted everything to be explained via some elaborate hoax or sleight of hand, not some sci-fi, supernatural BS. Maybe its just me. 2 PB Jars

Blood Diamond - The film is difficult to watch at times, as it presents the brutal realities of war-torn Africa in vivid, gut-wrenching detail. I don't think that a film like this is meant to be entertaining or enjoyable as much as it is meant to provoke thought and spark action, which it does effectively. Jennifer Connelly is flat out horrible though, ruining most of the scenes she is in and single-handedly preventing me from giving this film one more PB Jar. 2 PB Jars

Thank You For Smoking - Original, humorous and well-shot. A thoroughly entertaining trifle. I have nothing bad to say about it other than that I enjoyed my top 5 more. 3 PB Jars

Top 5 (all receiving 3 PB Jars):
5. Casino Royale - Welcome back Bond! I'm a huge 007 fan and thought this latest installment more than lived up to billing. I'm willing to forgive the excessive run time, lame villain idiosyncrasy (crying blood?). The pre-credit sequence alone was nearly enough to put this movie in my top 5. I do miss the quips though. Did anyone else feel that there was a dramatic pause shortly after Bond dispatched an enemy with the nail gun, as if to emphasize that this perfect opportunity for a corny quip was being passed by?

4. The Devil Wears Prada - I expect to take some heat for this pick but, in all honesty, I truly enjoyed it. Meryl is a pleasure to watch, the supporting performances are right on, I laughed out loud repeatedly, and my college roommate's first girlfriend is the star! Sounds like a recipe for success to me.

3. Children of Men - The most recent addition to my favorites of 2006, as I just saw it a few weeks ago. I loved the concept and found the execution near flawless. Beautifully shot, well acted, carefully constructed in terms of story and sets, this film was a complete production. The skirmish sequence at the deportation camp where Clive Owen's character carried the newborn down the stairs of the blown-out building is one of the most vivid and beautiful movie scenes in recent memory. This was my favorite kind of movie, both entertaining and thought provoking.

2. The Departed - Marty came through! Taut, thrilling, visually engaging and, best of all, incredibly witty. The Departed immediately rose to the top of my Scorsese list, as well as my 2006 favorites. A well-deserving Best Picture during a year without many strong contenders (in a better year, this would have still been a favorite of mine, but likely not an Oscar). This film is beautifully unapologetic meaty pulp, the kind you can sink your teeth into like an aged bone-in ribeye, medium rare. I devoured every character nuance, every line of dialogue, every pistol crack or bloody splat. The only reason this film doesn't get my top vote is that in the end, it doesn't really mean anything. It really is an exercise in self-conscious narcissism - violence for violence sake and wittiness to outdo wittiness. That said, I'm not complaining.

1. United 93 - What a powerful yet delicately constructed piece of art! This film has the precision of a documentary, infused with the theatricality of human spirit. United 93 presents the best and worst of 9/11 in a way that elicits the full range of emotions, from disbelief and fear to hope and pride. Ultimately, this film is a masterpiece of catharsis, the impact of which has stayed with me far longer and more vividly than that of any other film I saw this past year.

Alright P, let the debate begin!