Posted on 12/29/2006 11:25:58 PM PST by L.A.Justice
The most striking distinction between the prestige pictures of 2005 and those of 2006 involves an unmistakable effort on the part of Hollywood to step back from in-your-face leftist politics.
Last time, radical message movies like “Syriana,” “Munich,” “Broke Back Mountain,” “North Country,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” and “Paradise Now” dominated many year end “best” lists. This time, even Oliver Stone stayed away from political preaching with his compelling 9/11 melodrama “World Trade Center.” Some of the better movies of 2006 certainly touched on significant contemporary issues (“Blood Diamond,” “The Queen,” “United 93,” “The Last King of Scotland” and others) but they did so without aligning themselves with a partisan point of view. This year, documentaries (“An Inconvenient Truth,” “Shut Up and Sing,” “Who Killed the Electric Car?”, “Jesus Camp”) did the cinematic dirty work of promulgating leftist messages, while major movies returned to their traditional role of engaging the emotions and providing an artistic (rather than hectoring) experience for the audience.
Herewith, my list of the Ten Best of the Year, in ascending order of excellence---
10. BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN- Sure, it’s crude and rude and occasionally mean, but it’s also hilarious – providing more raucous, uncontrollable laughter than any comedy of recent years. The lawsuits and complaints that followed release of this startlingly original effort only underlined the unprecedented comic genius of Sacha Baron Cohen, who also happened to create one of the year’s most vivid, engaging and fully realized characters.
9. FLYBOYS. The fact that nobody saw this rousing, richly entertaining, crowd-pleasing gem helps to explain the shameful lack of broader recognition. Director Tony Bill showed extraordinary devotion, dedication and flair in re-telling the true story of the Lafayette Escadrille – the volunteer American pilots who fought for France before our own country entered World War I. In addition to creating a dozen endearing, indelible characters, the film provides the most thrilling scenes of aerial combat ever captured on film.
8. LASSIE. Not only the best family movie of the year, but one of the great dog movies of all time. Peter O’Toole makes a memorable appearance in this lovingly crafted retelling of the original 1930’s tale of “Lassie, Come Home,” in which a courageous Collie successfully traverses hundreds of miles of gorgeous highlands scenery to reconnect with her master, the young son of an unemployed coal miner. Among female stars this year, only Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep showed more emotional range than this intelligent, complex and luminous Lassie—an incomparably charismatic canine super star.
7. THE DEPARTED. You expect great performances from a Martin Scorsese film but you can’t necessarily count on a smart script or taut pacing or a satisfying plot. This triumph, however, delivers on all counts and represents one of his finest efforts since MEAN STREETS some thirty years ago. The twisty, complicated story keeps you guessing till the very end about fates and intentions of its dazzlingly diverse characters, played by the distinguished likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg and Martin Sheen.
6. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. Clint Eastwood’s heart-breaking vision of the Japanese side of one of the great battles of World War II, this subtitled battlefield classic exceeds the acknowledged excellence of its American-perspective counterpart (”Flags of Our Fathers”). Through directorial alchemy and consistently capable performances, Eastwood makes the suicidal intensity of the doomed Imperial defenders look believable, if not comprehensible. Far from a whitewash of a fanatical enemy, the film highlights both the best (with a compassionate commander played by the great Ken Watanabe) and the worst of the Japanese militarist traditions.
5. APOCALYPTO. If his drunk-driving arrest and its accompanying comments hadn’t rendered him radioactive among his colleagues, Mel Gibson would be heavily favored as an Oscar nominee both for Best Picture and Best Director. From its opening shot, “Apocalypto” grabs you by the neck and plunges a syringe full of undadulterated adrenalin into your blood stream as one of the great chase movies of all time. The recreation of Mayan savagery of 500 years ago challenges every notion of political correctness in the interest of breathtaking, unforgettable historical recreation. Gibson deserves kudos not only for the emotional satisfactions of his stirring tale but for capturing the singular, sci-fi strangeness of ancient Mesoamerican civilization.
4. THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Leave aside the spelling error in the title (based on a real-life graffiti quirk on a San Francisco wall in the ‘70’s), because this heart-tugging classic makes almost no errors in its captivating story telling. Will Smith will win an Oscar nomination for his performance as Chris Gardner, a frustrated salesman who copes with abandonment by his disapproving wife (Thandie Newton) and a painful spate of homelessness with his son (played by Smith’s irresistible off-screen seven-year-old son, Jaden). This true story ultimately affirms fatherhood, faith, hard work, optimism and the American Dream while inspiring free-flowing affection for its heroic characters.
3. THE QUEEN. This filmic passport into the private world of Queen Elizabeth II provides such an unblushing, intimate glimpse of the aging monarch that you almost feel like a guilty spy. Helen Mirren’s performance qualifies as one of the indubitably great achievements by any actress in any film: she not only imitates Elizabeth’s speech, appearance and mannerisms with altogether uncanny accuracy, but seems to capture her richly appealing essence and her noble, ultimately selfless soul. Michael Sheen also captures the essential decency of Tony Blair, highlighting his eminently useful, constructive role as the new Prime Minister who helped to save the monarchy in the turbulent week after the death of Princess Dianna. “The Queen” counts as one of those rare films where you sincerely, passionately regret the end of the picture, because you’re suddenly separated from the admirable, fully-realized human beings with whom you just shared an unforgettable experience.
2. UNITED 93. It took five years before Hollywood offered a serious cinematic treatment of the darkest day in recent history, and it took a British director (the superb Paul Greengrass) to recreate the experiences and emotions of 9/11 without the slightest hint of political bias or ideological axes to grind. The scenes of Air Traffic Controllers struggling with unimaginable realities, and of Air Force officials trying to respond to unprecedented multiple hijackings, emphasize the well-intentioned, fatal and totally predictable confusion that afflicted the only Americans who could have counteracted the implacable terrorist murderers – who are also brought to life here with conviction, complexity and suprirsing humanity. Among contemporary films, only “The Passion of the Christ” can rival “United 93” in delivering overwhelming emotional impact with a story whose conclusion we all know in advance.
1. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. Hysterically funny, deeply touching, occasionally shocking, this wildly original ensemble comedy highlights film’s amazing ability to create an on-screen family that seems as demented, demanding and endearing as your own eccentric relatives in real life. Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette take this seven-year-old daughter (the amazing, Oscar worthy Abigail Breslin) on an ill-fated road trip to participate in a tacky kiddie beauty pageant. Along the way, Collette’s suicidal gay brother (Steve Carell) and teenaged, vow-of-silence son (Paul Dano), interact with the porn-and-drug addicted grandpa (Alan Arkin). Despite salty elements that make the film appropriate only for adults, “Miss Sunshine” conveys an unmistakable pro-family message: the members of your clan may count as maddening and dysfunctional, but you ultimately need and love each other as irreplaceable, essential and life-giving. The vivid, vibrant characterizations provide enough fully-realized, expertly rendered individual portraits to populate a half-dozen excellent movies: concentrated in this spell-binding, laugh-out-loud adventure, there’s an overflow of rewards and abundant “Sunshine” (through some tears).
HONORABLE MENTION: “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Babel,” “Barnyard” (Best animated film of the year), “Blood Diamond,” “The Devil Wears Prada.”
AND NOW (as they say in Monty Python land) for something completely different….
THE TEN WORST OF 2006---
… in ascending order of awfulness
10. PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (never before in Hollywood history have so many Oscar winners and nominees collaborated on a film that offers so little to its weary audiences— an crushingly dull, utterly empty farewell to the late director Robert Altman)
9. JACKASS NUMBER TWO
8. THE HILLS HAVE EYES
7. ALEX RIDER: OPERATION STORMBREAKER
6. THE DEATH OF A PRESIDENT
5. LADY IN THE WATER
4. JESUS CAMP
3. THE GOOD GERMAN
2. LARRY THE CABLE GUY: HEALTH INSPECTOR
1. DECK THE HALLS—Even worse, more tasteless than Danny DeVito’s appearance on ABC’s “The View” --- one of the very worst Christmas movies ever made.
May the New Year bring us better news, more compelling politicians, and more entertaining movies……
Borat is on the 10 Best List...It's still playing in some theaters.
I saw Mel G's film. It was very good.
I will definitely see DEPARTED and LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA. THE QUEEN...Maybe. Helen Mirren is an excellent actress indeed. I have seen her in other films.
UNITED 93 is indeed good. I will get the used DVD from Blockbuster Videos soon...
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE as the number one best movie? I saw the film, listening to Medved's recommendation. It was good. But, I am not sure that it should be considered as the number one best film of 2006. The LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE DVD is out already.
I would include CASINO ROYALE in my best 10 list for 2006.
The Last King of Scotland....what was that about?
I forgot to go see The Pursuit of Happyness...shucks.
Just saw Blood Diamond ...good film
He didn't like Jackass Number 2?
</fake shock and surpise>
"The Last King of Scotland....what was that about? "
I haven't seen it yet, but is about Idi Amin Dada.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455590/
Ping for later reference.
Cultural Crusader ping. Anyone want on or off the Michael Medved ping list, please send me an FR mail.
When I started reading and saw "Borat" I thought he was starting with the 10 worst movies. From what I've heard, it's a despicable, repugnant, base, terrible, polluting, vulgar movie.
I generally disagree with conservative's choices about movies and novels, and Medved is no exception. Of the movies he chooses, I'd say The Departed is my favorite movie of the year, though it's not even in the same universe as Mean Streets. It's Scorsese in entertainment mode, as opposed to Masterpiece mode, and is the most sheerly entertaining movie I've seen this year. I wouldn't pay two cents to see things like Larry the Cable Guy, but I wouldn't pay to see Little Miss Sunshine--I saw a doc on child beauty pageants and the whole concept is nauseating to me (even though the movie satirizes them).
Superman was a mess. Trying to equate Superman to Christ was a disaster.
Pray for W and Our Troops
The hanging of Saddam will is my favorite movie of the year.
I agree with LIttle Miss Sunshine being one of the best movies, don't agree with Borat being in the top, and I didn't even see the movie. I did, however, see enough of it in the news to disgust me. Just saw a clip of it in on 20/20 where he's pretending he doesn't know about wiping his butt, what's so funny about that, yuck.
I would have included Happy Feet in that list of best movies.
I haven't seen Borat--not sure if it would be my cup of tea of not? I've seen Borat on Jay Leno and I didn't think he was that funny. BTW, Medved hated "Crappy Feet".
BUMP and placemark
Yeah, I saw that a few days ago and I couldn`t even get halfway through it, it was a complete hack job. It just baffles me how idiots like this keep getting work. You look at his resume, it`s just one POS movie after another with this guy going back almost 20 years. How many chances does this guy get?
Saw United 93 and Apocalypto. I could have seen (and wanted to) most of the others in the Top 10, but never got around to it. I'm very anxious to see Letters from Iwo Jima.
At an age when nearly everyone's professional peak is well behind them, Clint seems to get better (or at least stay in surprisingly good form) with each movie he makes. (I hated the sucker-punch he delivers in Million Dollar Baby, but I can't deny that, until he crushes you, he has you in the palm of his hand.)
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