|
2006: A Killer Top
Five
This was a pretty lackluster season overall for
movies (aside from my top ten), but I must say that what I think are the five
best movies of the year are really fantastic. None of them stick out above the
other, and I love them all for different reasons. It's the first year where
the top five is so tight that each one barely nudges out the other. Look at
the spectrum that's covered as well. Futuristic sci-fi, a satire on suburbia,
the typical (yet not so much) family comedy, WWII with fairy tales, and a
psychological look at youth, loss of innocence, and regret. Not to mention
that two of these are foreign films!! I just love them all. There was also a
lot of fantastic acting this year in the movies. There were some amazing
standout performances, and I hope that 2007 is repeated in this aspect.
I didn't see quite as many movies as I usually do, and I didn't even cover the
Oscar season this year. I have been incredibly busy with my final semester in
college, and I have a job secure for this next fall, so I am super excited
that I am going to get to devote some more time to movies, even though that
might be doubtful with the first-year drama that is about to ensue. At least I
have found time to do my awards as well as the top 10 list. I know you will
all enjoy them, and I hope that 2007 brings us an overall better season for
movies as well as keeping a stellar top five like this year. Everyone have a
great summer, and I hope to talk to you all soon. Thanks for dropping in and
checking out the lists.
Winners in GOLD,
Runners-up in SILVER,
and 2nd runners-up in BRONZE.
| Children
of Men
(Paramount
Vantage) |
Little
Children
(New
Line Cinema) |
Little
Miss Sunshine
(Fox
Searchlight) |
Pan's
Labyrinth
(Picturehouse) |
Volver
(Sony
Picture Classics) |
| | | | | | | For
creating a world that feels so unbelievably real. So real that you
believe that what you are seeing could one day happen. The desperate,
cold, dark, and hopeless world of 2027 London is so gorgeously tragic. | For
not falling into a Desperate Housewives knock-off trap. Founded
by amazing performances, an insightful director, and a script which
makes even the weakest parts of the original piece better...
definitely one of the year's best. | For
being more than just a light-hearted family comedy. There are many
different layers to this movie. A second viewing makes that apparent
more than ever. Some serious stuff is going on among the members of
the Hoover family. And what a fun ride!! | For
perfectly mixing a child-like perspective made up of vibrant
imagination and magical creatures with a cold and harsh reality that
we all wish could have been make-believe and not real. Fantasy and
reality meet impeccably here. | For
taking a female-driven story and making it unique and one of a kind.
In other hands, this would have fallen into territory feeling old and
clichéd. Almodovar finally sold me with this great story of living in
the present with past ghosts still haunting your reality. |
RUNNER
UP:
(#06)The Devil Wears
Prada,
for being a comedy
that makes me laugh out loud throughout the whole movie, for having a
heart, and for Meryl Streep making it better than it should have been.
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)A
Prairie Home Companion,
for being an ensemble piece that delivers
with classic laughs and musical numbers from start to finish; (#08)United
93,
for depicting those raw moments of bravery on
that plane and it not feeling political or inappropriate in doing so; (#09)Shortbus,
for the
amazing depiction of a bunch of people trying to find themselves in the
modern day world; (#10)Babel,
for
expertly intertwining these many different
stories of life including both chance and choices and how it can affect us
on deep and personal levels.
|
| Pedro
Almodovar
Volver | Robert
Altman
A Prairie Home
Companion | Alfonso
Cuaron
Children of Men | Guillermo
del Toro
Pan's Labyrinth | Paul
Greengrass
United
93 | | | | | | |
| For
being a modern day Hitchcock. It's so hard to pinpoint
just what exactly he does with the camera. It's his
magical wand, and he expertly crafts this wonderful
look at women, pasts, regret, and to top it all off,
he isn't a woman himself. BONUS POINTS!! This film is
so literary as well which is a huge asset to it's
success for me.
Which scene proves it?
Raimunda cleaning up the blood of her husband. |
For
eerily creating a perfect send-off to the world of
cinema. What he does with his work here (and
elsewhere) might seem simple and not too special, but
in his own way, he creates films that give the feel of
those that aren't made like this anymore. RIP, Mr.
Altman.
Which scene proves it?
One of the many cuts from one singer and their actions to another. |
For
creating a world so vivid and real that the images it
shows and ideas it presents give me nightmares for
weeks after seeing it. It's a futuristic world, but he
created it so that it's obvious we aren't far away
from it. Bonus points for shooting multiple scenes in
ONE take.
Which scene proves it?
Pick any scene. My faves are the mob scene and the attack
after Kee is separated from Theo. |
For
doing something similar to Cuaron: creating a
world so vivid and real. In this world, however,
we don't know if what we are seeing is real or
even possible. The parallelism here is crafted so
carefully, and what emerges is a heartwarming yet
tragic look at a world of war through the eyes of
an imaginative little girl.
Which scene proves it?
Going through the labyrinth.
|
For
basking in the fact that this is a director's movie. He knows it, and he
runs with it. Even though a lot of people thought this movie was made too
soon, I say that it was the perfect time if created and crafted in the
right hands. In other hands, this would have been a disaster. He also
makes the audience think that the heroes will save that plane in the end.
Which scene proves it?
The final 20 minutes. |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Todd
Field, Little Children
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)John
Cameron Mitchell, Shortbus
(#08)Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Babel
(#09)Ryan Fleck, Half Nelson
(#10)Michel Gondry, The Science of Sleep
|
| Gael
Garcia Bernal
as "Stéphane
Miroux"
in
The Science of Sleep | Leonardo
DiCaprio
as
"Billy Costigan" in
The Departed | Ryan
Gosling
as "Dan Dunne" in
Half Nelson | Kazunari
Ninomayi
as "Saigo"
in
Letters from Iwo Jima | Clive
Owen
as "Theo
Faron" in
Children of Men | | | | | | |
|
For being better than the material around
him. This film has great technicals and a stellar cast, but the script it
so weak. Still, Bernal rises above it, and he portrays this character with
such a twisted mind to perfection.
Which scene proves it?
Talking with his love on the phone in bed.
|
For
playing bad boy/man cop and succeeding so well with it. I thought his role was
the one of the major actors in this movie that was weaker, but DiCaprio
has proven once again that he can do these adult roles that demand so much
of him.
Which scene
proves it?
Any scene where he talks to the
psychiatrist. |
For
getting so lost in the role that it felt like I was watching a
documentary about a real-life teacher addicted to drugs and
having a bond with a student. He is the master of subtle
acting, and it's in his facial expressions and bodily gestures
that makes this so good. The rubbing of his face and the
blinking of the eyes especially.
Which scene proves it?
Pick a scene. Any scene. Right now it's when Drey asks what it's
like to "be on that stuff." |
For
acting through more than just dialogue and words.
His was one of the performances of the year that
had me in awe with the craft of acting through
facial expressions and actions of the character.
His work here is so silent, but it is so loud.
Which scene proves it?
Remembering his wife. |
For
collaborating so well with his director. Cuaron knew
that he had to get an actor who emoted hopelessness as
well as one who down deep felt and believed in nothing
but hope. He is such an unlikely hero, but that is the
whole point. He plays everyman so well.
Which scene proves it?
Breaking down in the woods. |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Matt
Damon, The Departed and The Good Shepherd
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat
(#08)James McAvoy, The Last King of Scotland (Whitaker
was vastly overrated)
(#09)Patrick Wilson, Little Children
(#10)Will Ferrell, Stranger than
Fiction
|
| Penelope
Cruz
as "Raimunda" in
Volver | Shareeka
Epps
as "Drey" in
Half Nelson | Helen
Mirren
as "Queen
Elizabeth" in
The Queen |
Meryl Streep
as "Miranda Priestley" in
The Devil Wears Prada | Kate
Winslet
as "Sarah
Pierce" in
Little Children | | | | | | |
| For
so vividly creating this portrayal of a somewhat
adolescent woman who is stuck in an adult body. This
woman can't move forward from her past, and only in
the final moments of the movie do we really understand
fully why she is the way she is. I still can't believe
how amazing and complete this performance is. Cruz
really did something special here, and she pretty much
runs away with this award.
Which scene proves it?
Walking with her daughter after hearing the truth about her mother. |
For
delivering a performance that is so mature that 30
year-old actresses only dream of creating. She is the
perfect match for Gosling and Dunne. She is forced to
take care of herself and also support her
drug-addicted teacher. It's the perfect mixture of the
adolescent and adult natures.
Which scene proves it?
Any scene where she goes from tough to
soft-hearted teen in the drop of a hat. |
For
not being an imitation of the real-life figure she is depicting. She becomes
Queen Elizabeth, and she does it in a way that makes the film feel
like a documentary look at the royal family as well as making the film
itself better than it really is.
Which scene proves it?
Reacting to the little girl's giving her the flowers. |
For
the laughs. This character is demented, evil, and twisted. Streep (the
greatest actress to ever live) has proven once again
that she does comedy just as well than she does drama.
She embedded herself into this character, and in the
process, she created one of the most memorable of the
decade. And those one-liners are just heaven.
Which scene proves it?
Her final moment on screen. *smirk and giggle*
"Go!" |
For
being the next Meryl Streep. Even though this
performance is great as a whole, it is the final
moment that the movie leads to with this character
that makes this performance so complete and
vividly moving. Much like Cruz, her character is
stuck and wants to re-live her life, changing the
"mistakes" that she feels she can't
escape from. But, as I said, it all leads up to
that final scene. Holy damn.
Which scene proves it?
Apologizing to Lucy in the car. It's the best
acted scene of the year. |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Judi
Dench and Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal (both are lead)
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)Maggie
Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby
(#08)Natalie Portman, V for Vendetta
(#09)Ivana Baquero, Pan's
Labyrinth
(#10)Kirsten
Dunst, Marie
Antoinette
|
|
Steve Carell
as
"Frank" in
Little Miss Sunshine | Paul
Dawson
as "James " in
Shortbus |
Jackie Earle Haley
as "Ronnie
McGorvey" in
Little Children | Eddie
Murphy
as "Jimmy
Early"
in
Dreamgirls | Michael
Sheen
as "Tony
Blair" in
The Queen | | | | | | |
| For
showing us this year that not only can he do
laugh out loud comedy, but he can also deliver very heartfelt and serious
performances as well. I have to say that this is actually one of my favorite
performances of the whole decade. He gets lost in this character, and he
makes the characters pain (and ultimate hope) feel so real.
Which scene proves it?
Talking with Dwayne on the pier. |
For
staying quiet. I think this is a performance that
could have gone into over-the-top and outlandish
territory had it been played by someone else, but he
quietly shows us the quiet pain that James is feeling.
It's one of those cases where what's on AND below the
surface are the same.
Which scene proves it?
Gazing at Jamie from across the apartments. |
For
doing the near impossible: creating sympathy for a pedophile.
This character has done some terrible things in the past (to
little children nonetheless), but Haley portrays him in a way in
which the audience strangely empathizes with him and wants him
to really seek help in getting better even in those completely
freaky and creepy scenes in the movie.
Which scene proves it?
Reaction to mother's note. |
For
matching the outrageous musical numbers with subtlety. As
great as he did with those musical numbers, it really is the
quiet moments that make his portrayal of "Thunder"
Early feel so real. He isn't just a charicature in this film
like he is in so many of his other films. Here, he really does
have soul. In more ways than one.
Which scene proves it?
"Jimmy wanna rib. Jimmy wanna steak. Jimmy wanna
piece of yo chocolate cake!" |
For
looking damn near identical to Tony Blair. No, no.
I actually thought that Sheen was just as good (if
not better) than his co-star, and I loved his
portrayal of Blair's less conservative styles of
etiquette compared to the Queen's
ultra-conservative ways of being. These two played
perfectly off of each other, and the documentary
feel of the movie is because of Sheen as well.
Which scene proves it?
Yelling at his press team. |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Brad
Pitt, Babel
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)Jack Nicholson, The
Departed
(#08)Martin Sheen, The Departed
(#09)Paul Dano, Little
Miss Sunshine
(#10)Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
|
| Adriana
Barraza
as "Amelia"
in
Babel | Emily
Blunt
as "Emily
Charlton"
in
The Devil Wears Prada | Toni
Collette
as "Sheryl
Hoover" in
Little Miss Sunshine | Maggie
Gyllenhaal
as
"Allison Jimeno" in
World
Trade Center | Jennifer
Hudson
as
"Effie White" in
Dreamgirls | | | | | | |
| For
playing so well off of the basic script and story that she was given.
Amelia is a character who makes a lot of seemingly innocent and
non-threatening mistakes, and even though the audience knows that bad
can come, the way she portrays this character's vulnerability is a way
to make the audience feel like bad can't happen to this sweet nanny.
Which scene proves it?
"I've known those children since they were born." She'll
rip your heart out. | For
being so damn funny. A lot of the greatness of this movie rests on the
shoulders of Streep, but Hathaway and Blunt played so amazingly off of
her that it was a perfect equation for comedic brilliance. There aren't
a lot of layers to this character, but Blunt still makes her such an
intriguing and laugh out loud characters from the 2006 movie year. And,
like Streep, those lines kill!
Which scene proves it?
"You eat carbs for Chrissakes!!!!" | For
being simple. There is a lot of quirk in this film, but I think one of
the biggest reasons it works is because of the amazing cast, especially
the way in which Collette gave layers of simplicity to Sheryl. It's
amazing that she is sane when she is surrounded by the family she has.
It's the whole aspect of the mother being the heart of a family, and in
this case, Collette makes even Sheryl's flaws somewhat forgivable.
Which scene proves it?
In the hospital. "We are a family...no matter what!" | For
being better than the material surrounding her. Many say that Sherrybaby
was her best performance of the year, but this is the one that stood out
for me. One of the biggest reasons she is so great at this is because of
the quiet and simple nature in the demeanor that she gives Allison. In
other hands, the tormented wife motif would have been given over-the-top
characteristics, but not in her hands.
Which scene proves it?
In the pharmacy going up and down the aisles. "What am I doing
here?" | For
accurately portraying a soul diva but also causing the audience to have
sympathy for her halfway through the movie with the song. A lot
of people don't "get" this performance and say that she only
won because of her killer voice, and while she has pipes that kill, her
acting was damn impressive too which was really quite surprising. She
knows this character, soars with it, and makes up for the lack of
backstory that the character has.
Which scenes prove it?
"I Am Changing" |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Maribel
Verdu, Pan's Labyrinth
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)Meryl Streep, A
Prairie Home Companion
(#08)Charlotte Gainsbourg, The Science of Sleep
(#09)Abigail Breslin,
Little Miss Sunshine
(#10)Anika Noni Rose, Dreamgirls
(#11)Emma Thompson, Stranger Than Fiction
(#12)Carmen Maura, Volver
(#13)Clare-Hope Ashitey, Children of
Men
(#14)Vera Farmiga, The Departed
(#15)Lily Tomlin, A
Prairie Home Companion
|
| The
Departed
Alec Baldwin, Matt
Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vera Farmiga, Jack Nicholson, Martin
Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone | Little
Miss Sunshine
Alan
Arkin, Abigail Breslin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Greg
Kinnear | A
Prairie Home Companion
Woody
Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Garrison Keillor, Kevin Kline, Lindsay
Lohan, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Meryl Streep,
Lily Tomlin | United
93
Lewis
Alsamari, David Alan Basch, Omar Berdouni, Susan Blommaert,
Christian Clemenson, Trish Gates, Peter Hermann, Cheyenne Jackson,
the list goes on and on... | Volver
Yohana Cobo, Penelope
Cruz, Maria Isabel Diaz, Lola Duenas, Chus Lampreave, Antonio de la
Torre Lopez, Carmen Maura, Blanca Portillo | | | | | | | | I
still shudder to think that the weakest one in this cast got
nominated, but the cast as a whole not only played their parts well,
but they perfectly played off of each other. | The
reason this cast edges out is because each one of them is given at
least one scene to sell their character, and they each soar with it.
And the dynamics among the cast are impeccable. Perfection. | This
cast almost won for the name and quantity value alone. So many great
actors and actresses, and they take these traditional characters of
old-time radio and make them feel like they're part of all of our
families. | Not
only is this a director's and editor's movie, but it's an ensemble
piece as well. These actors are so great that they so effectively
re-live the events on that plane that make us feel like we are
there. I don't know how they emotionally did it. | Even
though Almodovar is the helm of this great script and movie, this
amazing cast that he chose was another huge reason in whether or not
this movie would succeed. These women create such amazing dynamics
with each other as well as becoming these complex women. |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Shortbus
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)Babel
(#08)Little Children
(#09)Friends With Money
(#10)Dreamgirls |
Ivana
Baquero
as "Ofelia"
in
Pan's Labyrinth |
Abigail
Breslin
as "Olive
Hoover"
in
Little Miss Sunshine |
Shareeka
Epps
as "Drey" in
Half Nelson |
Jennifer
Hudson
as
"Effie White" in
Dreamgirls |
Rinko
Kikuchi
as
"Chieko" in
Babel | | | | | | |
| Actor/Actress
in a Limited Role |
|
Justin Bond
as
"Himself" in
Shortbus | Boubker
Ait El Caid
as "Yussef" in
Babel | Michael
Caine
as "Jasper Palmer"
in
Children of Men | Antonio
de la Torre
as "Paco"
in
Volver | Alan
Mandell
as "Former
Governor" in
Shortbus |
| Tammy
Blanchard
as
"Laura" in
The Good Shepherd | Viola
Davis
as "Mother in Hospital" in
World Trade Center | Sadie
Goldstein
as "Lucy Pierce"
in
Little Children | Julianne
Moore
as "Julian"
in
Children of Men | Phylis
Somerville
as "May
McGorvey" in
Little Children |
| Children
of Men
Alfonso Cuaron, Timothy J.
Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby | The
Departed
William
Monaghan | The
Devil Wears Prada
Aline
Brosh McKenna | Little
Children
Todd
Field and Tom Perrota | Marie
Antoinette
Sofia
Coppola | | | | | | | | Just
thinking about this movie still gives me utter chills. This story is
so scary. | There
is a lot going on here, and it was puzzled together in a great way,
save the boring first half. | Laugh
if you want to, but I absolutely love the hilarity of these characters
and the lines they are given. | For
staying accurate to the book (for the most part), and especially for
giving it the ending that I wanted in the book. | Coppola
does a great job of showing this young and vulnerable queen and her
fall from the throne. |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Al
Gore, An Inconvenient
Truth
(this category BLEW this year) |
| Little
Miss Sunshine
Michael Arndt | Pan's
Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro | Half
Nelson
Ryan Fleck / Anna Boden | Shortbus
John Cameron Mitchell | Volver
Pedro Almodovar | | | | | | |
| The
quirk is there, but it is matched with great family moments
for this amazing ensemble piece. |
The
parallelism in this script is uncanny, and it's one of
the biggest reasons why the movie succeeds. |
The
dynamics between these two main characters lies mostly in this
rich script. |
For
breathing new life into the "suffering
Bohemians in NY" genre. |
The
fact that a man so movingly portrays the lives and
troubles of women is beyond me. |
RUNNER-UP:
(#06)Guillermo
Arriaga, Babel
HONORABLE MENTION:
(#07)Peter
Morgan, The Queen
(#08)Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction
(#09)Garrison
Keillor, A Prairie Home Companion
(#10)Paul
Greengrass, United 93
|
| Children
of Men
Diego | Little
Children
Suburbia and
newsflash | Little
Miss Sunshine
The family montage | Pan's
Labyrinth
Ofelia at the well | United
93
The prayers |
| | | | | |
Ending
**WARNING: possible
spoilers** |
| The
Departed
The
final homicide | Marie
Antoinette
The storming of the castle | Little
Children
"We can't
change our pasts..." | Pan's
Labyrinth
Ofelia takes her
throne |
United
93
The crash |
| | | | | |
Individual
Scene
(excluding
opening and ending)
|
| Babel
Amelia's
interrogation | Children
of Men
The birth | Children
of Men
Driving into the mob | Children
of Men
Walking among
soldiers |
Dreamgirls
"And I Am
Telling You" |
| | | | | |
| Dreamgirls
"I
Am Changing" | Little
Children
Sarah apologizes to Lucy | Little
Miss Sunshine
Dinner with the
Hoovers | Little
Miss Sunshine
Dwayne screams |
Little
Miss Sunshine
On the pier |
| | | | | |
| Pan's
Labyrinth
Eating
the grapes/Pale man | A
Prairie Home Companion
"Bad Jokes"
| A
Prairie Home Companion
"Sweetly &
Tenderly" | The
Queen
At the brook |
Volver
Raimunda and Irene
at the bench |
| | | | | |
| Children
of Men
Jim
Clay and Geoffrey Kirkland | Marie
Antoinette
K.K.
Barrett | Pan's
Labyrinth
Eugenio
Caballero | The
Science of Sleep
Ann
Chakraverty, Pierre Pell, Stephane Rosenbaum | Shortbus
Henry
Bumstead and James J. Murakami |
| | | |
| |
| Babel
Rodrigo
Prieto | Children
of Men
Emmanuel
Lubezki | Letters
from Iwo Jima
Tom
Stern | Marie
Antoinette
Lance
Acord | Pan's
Labyrinth
Guillermo
Navarro |
| | | | | |
| The
Devil Wears Prada
Patricia
Field | Dreamgirls
Sharen
Davis | Marie
Antoinette
Milena
Canonero | Pan's
Labyrinth
Lala
Huete | The
Queen
Consolata
Boyle |
| | | | | |
| Children
of Men
Alex Rodgriguez | The
Departed
Thelma
Schoonmaker | The
Science of Sleep
Juliette
Welfling | Shortbus
Brian
A. Kates | United
93
Claire
Douglas and Christopher Rouse |
| | | | | |
| Marie
Antoinette | Pan's
Labyrinth | The
Queen | | | | |
| Children
of Men
John
Tavener, Becca Gatrell, and Karen Elliot | Notes
on a Scandal
Philip
Glass | Pan's
Labyrinth
Javier
Navarette | United
93
John
Howard | Volver
Alberto
Iglesias |
| | | | | |
| The
Devil Wears Prada | Dreamgirls | Marie
Antoinette | A
Prairie Home Companion | Shortbus
|
| | | | | |
Song
**remember: song
does not have to be original** | | Dreamgirls
"Listen" | Little
Miss Sunshine
"How
It Ends | | 
