But, before that, I thought it might be fun to compile a Top Ten list based on everyone’s (including my own) 2006 charts. Using a complex mathematical system I don’t care to go into or explain now (thank you third grade math class), the results of this averaging of our seven critics; webmaster Dennis Landmann, Rachel Sexton, Mitchell Hattaway, George Schmidt, Greg Malmborg, Matt Sienkiewicz and your’s truly); probably won’t surprise you.

United 93 was the clear choice, appearing on six of the seven top ten lists. No shock, really, as Paul Greengrass’ spectacular 9/11 film has been racking up accolades and critic awards just about everywhere. But the real surprise was what came in at number two, the 21st entry in the longest-running cinematic spy series the 007 reinvention Casino Royale.

And people say movie critics have lost touch with what’s popular with the general public.

Sara Michelle Fetters

Senior Theatrical Editor

Moviefreak.com

MOVIEFREAK 2006 STAFF TOP TEN

1.        United 93

2.        Casino Royale

3.        The Departed

4.        Children of Men

5.        The Illusionist

6.        The Descent

7.        Borat

8.        Letters from Iwo Jima

9.        The Queen

10.     Babel

2006 TOP TEN – Dennis Landmann, Editor-in-Chief, Webmaster

BEST

(in alphabetic order) Babel, Borat, Casino Royale, Children of Men, The Departed, Inside Man, The Illusionist, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Children, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

HONORABLE MENTIONS

12 and Holding, Blood Diamond, Rocky Balboa, Running Scared, Thank You For Smoking, United 93, V for Vendetta, Why We Fight, World Trade Center

UNABLE TO INCLUDE ON LIST

(not viewed yet) The Fountain, The Good German, The Good Shepherd, The Last King of Scotland, Little Miss Sunshine, Notes on a Scandal, The Painted Veil, The Prestige, The Queen, Volver

WORST

Date Movie, Scary Movie 4, When a Stranger Calls, Crank, Click, You Me and Dupree (and the list goes on, but why bother...)

NOT LIVING UP TO THE HYPE

Miami Vice, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Superman Returns, Talladega Nights, Lady in the Water

2006 TOP & BOTTOM TEN – Sara Michelle Fetters, Senior Theatrical Editor

BEST

1.        Children of Men

2.        United 93

3.        Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima

4.        Pan’s Labyrinth

5.        The Queen

6.        The Descent/The Hills Have Eyes

7.        Volver

8.        The Fountain/V for Vendetta

9.        Casino Royale

10.     Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

WORST

1.        Deck the Halls

2.        Ultraviolet

3.        The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

4.        Basic Instinct 2

5.        Material Girls

6.        Little Man

7.        Big Momma’s House 2

8.       Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School

9.       Date Movie

10.    Click

2006 TOP TEN – Rachel Sexton, Critic & Columnist

The increasing box office made the business people of Hollywood breathe a sigh of relief in 2006, but what about the creative side of things? Were movies better, too?

The best films of the last twelve months must provide the evidence. In my opinion, the following do just that.

1.    The Departed – When legendary directors craft exceptional films, it is almost so expected it ends up being anticlimactic. This does a disservice to their talent, especially if they are a perennial Oscar bridesmaids like Martin Scorsese. People should watch his latest again. It’s familiar territory – cops and gangsters – but there is a rawness and spontaneity to the narrative which makes every moment feel visceral and alive. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon astound with against-type performances while Vera Farmiga is excellent as the woman caught between them. And I haven’t even mentioned Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin or Martin Sheen! Riveting plot progressions lead up to a series of surprises that will stay with you. Mainstream American filmmaking at its best.

2.    Babel – Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu has crafted a film of ambition and intimacy with this wide-ranging, multi-stranded tale. A bit of the content is disturbing but the emotion throughout is clear and transcends changes of both place and language. Iñárritu’s (21 Grams) films are wrenching and often profound experiences, provoking internal examination and external debate. He attracts acclaimed actors of high caliber as well, here showcasing the likes of Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael García Bernal. A brave debut from Rinko Kikuchi impresses as well. Well edited and tense from beginning to end, this is the kind of film that has the possibility to foster cross-cultural understanding.

3.    The Queen – The death of Princess Diana Spencer in 1997 no doubt still recalls vivid memories for most. The events, “back at the palace,” so to speak, both during the event and its aftermath are the focus of this stately film. Accomplished director Stephen Frears leads an excellent cast lorded over by the unsurprisingly outstanding Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. I particularly liked Michael Sheen as newly-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair. Nice symbolism (it’s no coincidence the Queen sees a stag while at her most emotional point) and impressive production design add even more to the film. Regal indeed.

4.    Children of Men – Barely released in time to make my list this dystopian, if ultimately hopeful, story ascends to a whole other level of effectiveness in the hands of Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón. Unexpected glimmers of humor, mostly from the great Michael Caine, sustain audience attention in a grim atmosphere where violence is routine. Women have stopped becoming pregnant and the youngest person on earth is 18 years old when Theo (Clive Owen, magnetic and strong as always) is charged with taking a newly pregnant girl to safety. This excellent premise allows Cuarón to hint at the light inside the darkness of people’s motives looking past the pain of their situation. The moment [spoiler alert] where all gunfire stops as the new baby, cradled in its mother’s arms, is lead out of a building and down a street is one of the most emotional of the entire year.

5.    United 93 – An American tragedy, September 11, 2001has best been represented on screen so far by Brit director Paul Greengrass in this docudrama. The United flight that crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers thwarted the terrorists aboard plays out in real time and steadily builds excruciating tension. Clever, barely-recognizable casting assures a focus on the drama and Greengrass uses editing, real people and simplicity to lead up to an unforgettable final shot. The courageousness of the real people is clear and wrenching (you will cry when they start to call their families) and while the enormity of the horror of that day will not contain itself to one film, the quality of this story is an honor to those affected.

6.    Thank You for Smoking – Biting political satire is outrageously entertaining in this deft comedy about a tobacco lobbyist (played with smarmy charm by Aaron Eckhart) who goes through personal change while acquainting his son with what he does for a living. Small details add up to big comedy. The best touch may be a late film swipe at the fattening of America and wouldn’t that be quite a subject for a comedy like this one?). Brief appearances by comedic mainstay Adam Brody and a pitch-perfect Sam Elliott are great as well. Audacious films like this one are like fresh breezes when they hit theaters.

7.    The Illusionist – This film about a magician (Edward Norton) who clashes with a Prince (Rufus Sewell) over his princess (Jessica Biel) is perhaps the year’s best surprise. Neil Berger’s film is impressionistic in direction and enthralling in story, its production design belying the picture’s modest budget. The magic truly feels otherworldly and there aren’t any revealed tricks except within the plot itself. The deftness of the performances is thrilling. Norton’s ease is no surprise, and Paul Giamatti was always going to be fun as the cop investigating him, but Biel is also quite good. The Illusionist is simply enchanting.

8.    Casino Royale – Was there any doubt that the best action film of the year would be the latest in the Bond franchise? Well, with a new star (Daniel Craig) and a “back to the beginning” take, some fans sure were worried. They needn’t have been. Showcasing considerable brawn in both performance and narrative, this film took an icon and made the audience feel as if they were discovering him for the first time. The Bond tropes were all there in some way but it all felt vital and fresh, and an unexpectedly romantic subplot pairing 007 with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) provided wonderful character development. Craig, faced with a lot of naysayer’s, silenced all with a strong turn as the spy still transforming into a machine of “queen and country.” Bond’s next adventure is now one everyone will be waiting for.

9.    An Inconvenient Truth – I usually restrict my list to fictional films but documentaries are slowly increasing their public hold and this year the most unlikely star emerged as the best of the nonfiction pack… Al Gore. Social awareness docs are typically the auspice of Michael Moore but bringing awareness to, and quashing the myths about, the climate crisis comes clearly across in this economical film. Gore is a captivating and at times truly funny speaker, the evidence he presents here simply astounding. A rare film that could actually bring about change.

10. Cars – Close enough to previous Pixar masterpieces Toy Story and The Incredibles to earn a spot on this list, this sweet tale of a cocky race car (a perfectly cast Owen Wilson) who learns the real meaning of life when stranded in a small town featuring a memorable array of characters like Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and Doc Hudson (Paul Newman). New for Pixar is the prominence of songs over score, from the likes of Sheryl Crow and Rascal Flatts, all of which are excellent. The year’s best animated film.

2006 TOP & BOTTOM TEN – Mitchell Hattaway, DVD Critic

BEST

1.        United 93

2.        Clerks II

3.        Casino Royale

4.        Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story

5.        Hard Candy

6.        World Trade Center

7.        Brick

8.        A Scanner Darkly

9.        Cars

10.     Miami Vice

WORST

1.        Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector

2.        Benchwarmers

3.        The Covenant

4.        All the King’s Men

5.        Pulse

6.        Stay Alive

7.        Annapolis

8.        Nacho Libre

9.        Ice Age: The Meltdown

10.     Superman Returns

2006 TOP & BOTTOM TEN – George Schmidt, Theatrical Critic

BEST

1.    Little Miss Sunshine – One of the genuine surprises of the year! The little Sundance sensation featuring a sparkling ensemble and the “anti-Fanning” Abigail Breslin.

2.    The Departed – Scorsese and his once-in-a-lifetime cast produce a crackerjack homage to classic Warner Bros. gangster flicks of yore and improve upon a Hong Kong classic.

3.    United 93 – Paul Greengrass’ solemnly faithful look at America’s darkest hour made with respect and intensity.

4.    World Trade Center – Stone’s most restrained work and a very adult look at the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

5.    The Illusionist – Mesmerizing romantic O’Henry-like mystery with a hypnotic Edward Norton pulling off a difficult trick making onscreen magic look both eerie and beautiful.

6.    Half Nelson – Ryan Gosling steps up and turns in his most accomplished turn to date as a Brooklyn teacher and drug addict attempting to find his salvation with an unlikely friendship with one of his students.

7.    The Descent – Finally a horror film tat is actually scary! Be ready to spill your popcorn at the same time you spill your guts.

8.    A Scanner Darkly – Richard Linklater’s trippy take on Philip K. Dick’s cult classic is a heady mix of state-of-the-art animation and live action with a potent anti-drug message.

9.    Dead Man’s Shoes – Paddy Considine’s implosive vigilante makes a strong argument for being one of the best cinematic antiheroes in years.

10. Superman Returns – Bryan Singer’s fan-boy valentine to the comic book superhero and to Richard Donner’s original smash take the Man of Steel into the 21^st Century.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Charlotte’s Web, The Hills Have Eyes, Thank You for Smoking, Children of Men, Pan’s Labyrinth

WORST

1.        Pulse

2.        Crank

3.        Scary Movie 4

4.        Lucky Number Slevin

5.        Freedomland

6.        When a Stranger Calls

7.        School for Scoundrels

8.        The Black Dahlia

9.        Turistas

10.     Snakes on a Plane

2006 TOP & BOTTOM TEN – Greg Malmborg, Critic & Columnist

BEST

1.    The Departed - A classic Scorsese film easily on par with Goodfellas, Mean Streets and Casino featuring a dream cast delivering pitch-perfect performances, especially Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg.

2.    Children of Men – A searing and emotional thriller that will be remembered as one of the best films of the past few decades.

3.    The Descent – It has been a very long time for horror fans waiting for a truly scary and thrilling genre entry and here it finally is. One of the very best in a very, very long time.

4.    United 93 – Paul Greengrass took on a huge task with this and delivers an amazing, tense and emotional thriller that leaves audiences shaken up and changed.

5.    Borat – The funniest film of the year (by far).

6.    Casino Royale – The film that revitalized a dead franchise and introduced Daniel Craig, the best James Bond since Sean Connery

7.    Apocalypto – A violent and gruesome chase thriller that had e constantly on the edge of my seat full of surprises at every turn.

8.    Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima – Eastwood continues to prove his mastery as a director with not just one but two great war films (the only problem being a slight been-there/done-that feeling).

9.    Invincible – Great sports dramas never get the respect they deserve (like The Rookie, a great film which should have garnered Dennis Quaid an Oscar nom), and this truly thrilling and moving football drama is no exception.

10. An Inconvenient Truth – One of the most important films of our time and a documentary everyone should see. (And it’s entertaining, too!)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Little Miss Sunshine, Blood Diamond, Find Me Guilty, The Proposition, The Illusionist

WORST

1.        The Wicker Man

2.        Lady in the Water

3.        See No Evil

4.        Failure to Launch

5.        American Dreamz

6.        Ultraviolet

7.        RV

8.        The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

9.        Basic Instinct 2

10.     Talking animal animated movies (i.e. Over the Hedge, Barnyard) except for Happy Feet

2006 TOP & BOTTOM TEN - Matt Sienkiewicz, Contributing Writer

BEST

1.    United 93 – So I really didn’t want to follow along with the critical consensus and make this my top film of the year. But it’s just too intense, too cleverly structured and too brilliantly shot to ignore. I do have my questions about the subject matter and how tasteful it is to represent these events cinematically at all. However, if you’re going to dramatize the trauma and deaths of others, you better at least do it with style, class and competence. Greengrass certainly does and in the process has cemented himself as on of the best filmmakers working today.

2.    51 Birch St. – I was leery of this one. A documentarian goes through his family’s old stuff, including his dead mother’s private journals, and makes a film about his parent’s relationship delving into their hopes, dreams and fears.  On paper 51 Birch St. seems both self-indulgent and painfully specific, if not just outright distasteful. But director Peter Block carves a truly compelling story, interweaving interviews in the present with speculations on the past. He crafts a story that arcs in a pleasantly natural way, throwing in enough surprises to keep audiences interested.

3.    Dave Chappelle’s Block Party – I’d argue this is mostly just a really well shot, well edited and well-conceived concert film. Perhaps what’s most noteworthy about it is Michel Gondry’s restraint. Yes, there are a few quirky moments, but by and large he let’s the musicians and comedian Dave Chapelle do their work without hindrances.

4.    Borat – I’m not sure what’s left to say about Borat. I do know I’m still laughing from last August when I saw the trailer before Snakes on a Plane and the chicken fell out of Borat’s briefcase. Yeah, the quest-narrative is clunky and maybe the film is better swallowed in short bits a la Da Ali G Show, but there are just too many moments that are undeniably funny for this to be dismissed.

5.    Little Children – His resume is limited, but there’s no question director Todd Field is very good at being serious. Just like In the Bedroom, Field takes a quaint setting and squeezes every drop of anguish, jealously and angst out of it. It’s a well-shot, extremely well-acted film but I do wonder a bit about the screenplay’s tone in regards to Tom Perrotta’s original novel. Yes, the first half successfully functions as high-grade, very funny satire, but just like In the Bedroom, the second half seems to have no use for humor. I think it could have used some, but it’s still a very engrossing, extremely affecting movie.

6.    The Queen – Everyone’s talking about Helen Mirren’s performance, so I’ll leave that alone (the implication being I’m in complete agreement with the critical consensus). I’d argue not enough attention has been paid to the rest of the film’s virtues however, particularly the way in which screenwriter Peter Morgan takes a well-known, not particularly dramatic situation and makes a really compelling screenplay out of it. It’s an excellent example of both intensive research and fruitfully creative historical speculation. Director Stephen Frears maybe pulls his punches in terms of style, but in doing so he allows the stars of the film to garner all of the attention.

7.    The Descent – Remember the shot where the tunnel lights up for just an instant and then, for a fleeting moment, in the extreme deep background you see the glowing white eyes of something but you can’t quite tell what? I do, and thanks to that moment I’m still scared.

8.    Déjà vu – Speaking of memorable shots, I’m 99% convinced that writers Terry Rossio and Bill Marsili pitched this film based entirely on the shot from Denzel’s P.O.V. where we see the past out of one eye and the present out of the other. If that doesn’t sound completely awesome, well, it is and you should definitely check it out.

9.    An Inconvenient Truth/The Darfur Diaries – I guess I don’t think this is a great documentary in its own right. Yes, director Davis Guggenheim does a credible job taking a boring format (PowerPoint presentation) and a boring guy (well, maybe not as boring as we thought – but still boring) and making a credible film. Still, the movie seems a bit patched together and the vignettes of Gore’s life don’t always feel relevant. However, this is a documentary that matters and, furthermore, one which is accessible yet avoids hyperbole or self-obsession. It’s a “left-wing” cause (shouldn’t be right or left, but politically at the moment it is) documentary that doesn’t throw around accusations or belittle anyone else. And, more to the point, it’s a movie that just might make a tangible difference in the lives of people who watch it.

While, I’m at it, I’d like to put in a quick good word for The Darfur Diaries. The film doesn’t really qualify for this sort of list given its limited distribution, but it’s a very well made, affecting documentary comprised of interviews with Darfurians who have been displaced and traumatized by the ongoing genocide in Sudan. It avoids facts and figures and doesn’t rely on international experts who know “the truth” about Darfur, instead giving voice to those who have been silenced by the horrors of war. If you’re interested in activism and/or in great film, this one is worth looking up.

10.  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – No, it’s not as good as the first. And, no, it’s not even a complete movie, seeing how it stops somewhere around what feels to be the end of the story’s second act. But the action is fantastic, the production values unrivaled and it has Johnny Depp. And, even though it’s no Curse of the Black Pearl, the film features a cleverly written and multilayered script full of meaning. If you can figure out Jack Sparrow’s sexuality, well, I’d contend you’re not paying attention.

WORST (in no specific order)

Little Miss Sunshine - Okay, so no, it’s not a bad film. It’s actually kind of good.  But to my mind it’s all style, little substance, and not nearly as funny as it’s supposed to be. It might be cliché to complain about the indie norm of substituting quirks for characters but I’m doing it anyway. Alan Arkin and Steve Carrell were great just the same, however.

A Prairie Home Companion – I just don’t get it. I have a friend from North Dakota and he says Garrison Keilor just slays him, something about, “Lutheran humor.” I’m a Jewish guy from New England, so that could be the problem. Or it just might not be that the film isn’t funny. In any case this is a beautifully shot, carefully staged film which put me to sleep.

Lady in the Water – I think M. Night is kidding. Nothing else explains how little sense or aesthetic sensibility went into the making of this film. While there are a few moments of interesting satire of cinematic and cultural critics (the kid reads the truth from…cereal boxes?) and I think I get it, but I’m only half-sure there’s something to get and, for the most part, this film is just one big waste of Paul Giamatti.

A Scanner Darkly – Yes, the rotoscoping is cool sometimes. Other times it looks like Sealab 2021. And on top of that, the story seems to consist mainly of Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey slapping each other in the driveway for an hour and then everyone getting really sad.

The Devi Wears Prada – Also a well-made film, but it just sort of made me feel bad about myself and the world. Maybe it’s naïve to demand that a movie like this eventually refute its overt materialism, but I wanted it just the same anyway.