Well… awards season is upon us once more.  Therefore it’s fitting that I do my list of the top 10 films of 2006.  This was a year without all the big name sequels of 2005 (or 2007), filled with many smart, interesting movies, that unfortunately many people did not see.  My list includes only films eligible for Academy Award nominations (i.e. films that ran for at least a week in a theater in L.A. and were not eligible last year).  This list may change as I still have several films from 2006 to see (most notably Children of Men and Letters from Iwo Jima).

 

Honorable Mentions: The Illusionist, Stranger than Fiction, Lady in the Water, Hoodwinked, V for Vendetta, Monster House, Thank You for Smoking, Snakes on a Plane, Little Miss Sunshine, Flags of Our Fathers, The Pursuit of Happyness.

 

10) Rocky Balboa

I rolled my eyes along with everyone else when I first learned that Sylvester Stallone would finally be making his long-gestating final installment of the Rocky film series.  I was pleasantly surprised to find this wonderful film.  It is exactly everything it needed to be; hopeful, pure, believable, sweet, and badass.  Sly does the best acting of his career and brings the heart to a character that will always stand for how far your heart can truly carry you. 
* A *

 

9) Casino Royale

I think all the Daniel Craig haters have shut up.  Lacking only in a bit of the Bond humor and sleekness, this was the perfect way to “reboot” the franchise.  As long as they don’t try to make the next several movies so gritty that they cease to be Bond and start becoming something else.  (as a side note, please bring back Q and Miss Moneypenny) 
* A- *

 

8) Shut Up & Sing

One of many movies I had to drive an hour to Yuma to see.  I was the only person in the theater for this and it’s truly a shame.  If you want to know my feelings on the Dixie Chicks then read the article I wrote several months ago.  The documentary does a great job of showing us what the ladies went through, and their motivations and reasoning behind what they have done and continue to do.  It offered several moments of great humor, especially the F.U.T.K. shirt, and had a couple scenes that will absolutely break your heart. 
* A *

 

7) United 93

One of the more emotional experiences I’ve ever had at the movies, United 93 will rip your heart open.  Watching the passengers’ last hours and minutes was one of the scariest things I saw on film all year.  The film follows what was in the 9/11 Commission Report pretty exactly, but still manages not to be stiff or heartless.  If you ever want to see a film about some true heroes, check this one out. 
* A- *

 

6) An Inconvenient Truth

Despite some sketchy science (ask my best friend Bess if you want to know more) this documentary definitely deserves a spot in the top 10.  Not only did the film have a good message to deliver, it did so with style, heart, and even a little humor.  People have been preaching the scary truth about how we impact our planet, but it seems like Al Gore (Mr. Lockbox himself) might have finally gotten through to some people.  And it makes a perfect gift for the people in your family who might have their eyes closed. 
* A *

 

5) Cars

Disney/Pixar has always delivered.  I own every Pixar movie on DVD.  They continue to show not only their technical skill (which is becoming more common with other studios) but their endless creativity and imagination.  One of the funniest movies of the year, thanks mainly to Larry the Cable Guy, it also has a heart of the size which can only be expected from Disney. 
* A *

 

4) Happy Feet

If Cars has heart, then Happy Feet has soul.  It is hard to classify and describe due to the vast number of layers and messages that can be found in it, but I will say that I was very touched by this film.  I must also add that Robin Williams continues to set the gold standard for comedic voice acting, and I think “It’s called LAND” might be my favorite quote of the year. 
* A *

 

3) Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls got an A+ in my book and a spot on this list because of one song.  If my showing of Borat had had Jennifer Hudson’s amazing performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” in it, then it would have the same honor (and that is saying a lot, because Borat is the worst thing my eyes have ever seen, was the only thing I ever considered walking out of, and is the only thing on my list that does not have a grade next to it).  That one song is possibly (it’s a tough call) the most powerful moment I’ve ever seen in a theater.  I’ve never had a theater burst into applause after a musical number, nor have I ever seen musical acting like that before.  Some say it is second only to Judy Garland in A Star Is Born, but I might (again, tough call) rate it higher.  The rest of the movie is good, especially Eddie Murphy’s performance, though the film falls flat in a few places, and the other musical numbers are smashing.  It was great to see people of many ages and races in the same movie (not something that happens too often); I can’t remember the last time I saw that many elderly white people in a theater along with teenagers of all colors.  If Jennifer Hudson does not win an Oscar (and Murphy should too) then I might have to purchase a new TV after shattering mine in anger. 
* A+ *

 

2) The Queen

The newest edition to this list is The Queen.  An interesting look at the aftermath among the Royal Family and all of the UK of Lady Diana’s death in 1997, this film is best described by the word subtle.  Helen Mirren most definitely deserves the Best Actress Oscar for her amazing performance of Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II.  She manages to portray a wide range of emotion while maintaining the reserved and private style of the Queen.  The film is practically perfect, from the wonderful script to the nuanced performances.  No moment is wasted, no word, no look, as carefully thought out as the speeches delivered by Tony Blair and the Queen to the people.  Yet despite all of that, Mirren never makes the Queen sound cold or uncaring, and shows her heart and her conflict under the exterior that tradition demands of her. 
* A+ *

 

1) A Prairie Home Companion

For me, by far, the greatest film of the year was Robert Altman’s A Prairie Home Companion.  It is certainly not for everyone.  It is replete with folk music, has a tint of melancholy throughout, and has very little story.  It is, at heart, a moment in time, captured expertly by one of the greatest filmmakers who ever lived (and who died at the end of 2006).  Altman juggles a perfect ensemble cast including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Garrison Keillor, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Virginia Madsen, Tommy Lee Jones, and (incredibly) Lindsay Lohan.  It is a movie that offers no morals, messages, conclusions, judgments or the like.  It simply is, and what it is, is beautiful.  This is one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen, in the way that it celebrates life, and makes the most out of the moments it is given.  It makes your heart swell with the feeling of the now, and casts aside all worries about the future or sorrows of the past, and on top of all that is vastly entertaining.  I have not laughed any harder in a theater as I did during the “Bad Jokes” song.  Yet true to Altman style, that moment is immediately followed by a moving rendition of “Frankie and Johnny” by Lindsay Lohan (providing the best performance of her career), which is moving not because of the ridiculous song, but because of what it represents to the cast and crew of the show, and therefore what it represents to us.  What I took away from that moment of silliness, is that nothing good ever ends, it just changes, and if you fight hard enough, it will find a way to carry on.
* A+ *