2006 Movies: My Top Ten

As promised, here are my top ten movies of 2006. However, this list is limited, mostly because I have not seen some of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2006. If I had seen "The Queen", "Marie Antoinette", "Pursuit of Happyness" and "Letters from Iwo Jima", I have no doubt that the would be included in this list. Since I have not, I have to go with the movies I've actually seen, and the list looks like this:

1.) "Little Miss Sunshine"--This indie movie, about a quirky family on a road trip to take their fabulously ordinary daughter to a beauty pageant, exhibited truly great acting performances (Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, and the scene-stealing Abigail Breslin should all be nominated for Oscars for this one), fabulous insight into the real life of families, and made me laugh until I cried. An almost perfect movie in my mind, it is standing firm at my #2 movie of all time.

2.) "The Departed"--The Martin Scorcese movie about the Boston mob that could have been ridiculous and convoluted. Instead, a brilliant movie with a fantastic cast that made me wish that the movie would never end. Pretty impressive for a 2.5 hour movie that I was watching at 1:00 a.m. on a weekday. This movie singlehandedly proved to me that Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg could be seriously credited as actors, something I had doubts about before.

3.) "Stranger than Fiction"--There is much to be said for a movie that is original in every sense of the word. "Stranger than Fiction" proved that a unique concept, a story about a woman (starkly played by Emma Thompson) writing a book whose main character (played by Will Ferrell) actually exists in the real world, and she is unknowingly dictating his every move, can succeed in the superficial, sequel-obsessed Hollywood movie factory. An intelligent screenplay, intelligent cast, and intelligent ethical dilemmas make this one worth watching. Also, I think I have a girl-crush on Maggie Gyllenhaal because of this movie. She's flippin' adorable in it.

4.) "Casino Royale"--I am not an avid Bond fan. I think that I have seen a grand total of 3 Bond films including this one. It says a lot, however, that I distinctly disliked the other two that I have seen, and loved this one. Except for the dramatic romantic sequence that drags out into seeming infinity, I was highly entertained by the ironic Bond references, Daniel Craig's magnetic performance, and the requisite-but-still-rockin' action sequences. I am sold on the new "Bond". Now, when do I get to see the next one?

5.) "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"--I cannot think of this movie without smiling. It has its faults (ahem...Orlando Bloom...it's a good thing you're pretty, and that stupid Kraken could've been a one-shot deal), certainly, but Johnny Depp does the one thing that every great actor should do...leave you wanting more. I found myself delighted every time he was on the screen, and disappointed when his story line faded into the background. Captain Jack Sparrow is a barrel full of fun, and I'll tip my glass of rum to that, matey.

6.) "Thank You for Smoking"--an entertaining movie about a tobacco company lobbyist who lives with no regrets, and enjoys showing off his skills to his young son. Just for that sentence alone, I should have HATED this movie. Ridiculously engaging and filmed with a lighthearted point of view, this movie is like its main character...charming and persuasive. It almost made me want to be a smoker...almost.

7.) "The Bridge"--a documentary about the more than 2 dozen people that committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in 2004. With their cameras trained on the bridge, this doc crew caught the deaths on tape, and interspersed footage of the jumpers with interviews with their friends, families, and in one particularly emotional and fascinating interview--with a young man that survived his jump. One of the most socially important movies ever made, it brings the dark secret of suicide out into the open, and challenges us as a society to deal with it. A haunting, beautiful movie that I will never forget.

8.) "Talledega Nights"--a funny satire of a biopic with the irrepressible Will Ferrell, and his seriously underestimated sidekick John C. Reilly, this one made me laugh. A lot. But maybe that's just because I'm into NASCAR. :) Also, Sacha Baron Cohen (aka "Borat") makes the villian properly comical and villainous. A fun movie.

9.) "Something New"--this indie romantic comedy (there had to be one!) about an interracial romance, was sweet and charming. Sanaa Lathan is fabulously gorgeous, and expertly plays a woman who is struggling with being in a relationship at all, especially one complicated by the race issue. Simon Baker, a true hottie, plays the man that is vying for her heart, and is impressive in his own right. A cute "date night" movie.

10.) "Cars"--Definitely not Pixar's best film, by any stretch. In fact, I thought that Lightning McQueen, the main character voiced by Owen Wilson, was fundamentally boring and listless. This film is saved by its supporting cast, including Larry the Cable Guy as "Tow Mater", and Bonnie Hunt as the femme fatale Porsche. Again, this one made me laugh until I cried at one point, and that will carry a movie into my top 10 list on that alone.

I'm definitely not a movie critic...Scott, Tyler and Jake could all choose better movies of the year for 2006 and ambitiously defend them. But I liked these movies. You'll notice "Prairie Home Companion" wasn't on this list. While John C. Reilly and Woody Harrelson were fabulously entertaining, I did not like this movie. After talking about it with Scott, I am sure that I missed the overall theme and the greatness of this film. I am open to my idea of that movie changing after seeing it again. But again, I have to go with what I know right now, this minute. I've got 10 movies on this list that I would recommend for some particular reason to most people. What are yours???