2006 was a great year for movies. My three favorite films of the year include a mob thriller, a low budget ensemble comedy and a star-studded musical. It’s not every year that you three of the best films come from such very different genres. There was great variety in filmmaking this year and a preponderance of movies that were admirable and deeply affecting. At the end of each year my film geek friends and I create Top 10 lists and email them to each other, sparking all sorts of interesting debate and discussion. After much deliberation, these are my picks for the Top 10 movies of 2006. If you’re planning to see a movie anytime soon, you might want to consider one of these fine films:
Erin’s Top 10 Films of 2006
1. The Departed
2. Little Miss Sunshine
3. Dreamgirls
4. The Queen
5. Little Children
6. The Good Shepherd
7. Letters from Iwo Jima
8. Hollywoodland
9. Thank You For Smoking
10. An Inconvenient Truth
The top spot on my list goes to The Departed, Martin Scorsese’s masterful film about undercover work in the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish Mafia in Boston. The intricate and air tight plot is compelling and the acting is tremendous. I love the fact that at this late date in his career, Scorsese can make a Mafia movie that feels different and fresh, one that doesn’t rely on old clichés. The Departed had me on the edge of my seat, and I hope that Scorsese will finally get his long-deserved Oscar for this effort.
Second place goes to Little Miss Sunshine, one of the biggest and most surprising comedy hits of the year. This is a small movie that did big box office based primarily on positive word of mouth. That doesn’t happen every day. It’s a unique, hilarious and endearing film that combines laugh out loud moments with genuine emotion.
Dreamgirls surprised me. I’m not the biggest fan of musicals, but this one really works. The film is buoyed by the magnificent performance of Jennifer Hudson. Her name is on everyone’s lips as Oscar nominations approach, and deservedly so.
The Queen is a behind the scenes look at the interaction between Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair in the week following Princess Diana’s death. It’s completely engrossing and fascinating; the actors are so mesmerizing in their roles that you completely forget you’re watching actors at all. Helen Mirren is going to win Best Actress for her performance in this film, I’d bet money on it.
At fifth place on my list, Little Children is a dynamic film about two self-absorbed suburban parents and a community reacting to a pedophile in their midst. It’s a elegant morality tale, directed by the very talented Todd Field (“In the Bedroom”) and filled with moments of despair, irony and wicked humor.
My list continues with The Good Shepherd, a lengthy but very solid film about a career CIA agent (well played by Matt Damon) and Letters from Iwo Jima, Clint’s Eastwood’s wrenching film showing the battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the doomed Japanese. Also notable for me this year is Hollywoodland, a surprisingly emotional movie based on the sad life of George Reeves, television’s first Superman. In eighth position, Thank You for Smoking is a bitingly funny film whose protagonist is an unapologetic lobbyist for the tobacco industry. Finally, in tenth place, An Inconvenient Truth, the movie that woke up our country this year, got everyone talking about climate change and proved that even a simple Power Point presentation can be powerful in the hands of a good director.
My runner-up awards would go to United 93, The Matador, Borat, Cars and Monster House, great movies that didn’t quite make my Top 10.
Caveat: There are a still a number of movies that I have not seen which could be contenders for a place on this Top 10 List. These include The Last King of Scotland, Half Nelson, The Fountain, Shut Up & Sing, Volver, Pan’s Labyrinth and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.
Rosebud
I have somne Netflixing to do. I’ve only seen one of those