My top ten films of 2006

The top three films of 2006 are clear to me, which order those three films should go is much foggier. I'm putting them in order, but they could easily remained tied. Even though it has now reached June, there are still some significant films I need to see. Thanks to dvd, and perhaps a little more free time in the summer, I should be able to do this soon. So, these are my choices for the best films of 2006. (Okay so soon has reached October and there are still more films for me to see).

1. Pan's Labyrinth. A stunning achievement, Pan's Labyrinth is a beautiful and occasionally brutal fairy tale about a young girl who retreats into fantasy when her real world becomes too much to bear. The movie has amazing fantasy sequences and equally effective reality sequences, but makes no difference between the two. It lets the viewer decide if the fantasy is reality within the film.

2. Babel. Separated into four fascinating and interlocking segments, Babel is edge of your seat film watching. It offers terrific characters and dialogue and is superbly directed. The deaf Japanese teen in her discomfort and anger is a heart-breaker but all of the segments are equally worthy of your attention.

3. The Departed. Speaking of superb direction, here is the film that finally won Marty Scorsese an Oscar. And you know what, he deserved it on its own terms regardless of being overlooked so many times. The Departed is a suspenseful and exciting trip into Boston's crime and police worlds that become hard to separate as each has someone on the inside. The acting is terrific and the dialogue is wonderful. It also can be brutal.

4. Notes on a Scandal. A fascinating and extremely intimate journey into the struggles of two women. Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench are both fantastic. The dialogue and direction are terrific as well.

5. Volver. Volver is another splendid film from Pedro Almodovar. I started off part-way through the film (due to reasons explained in another post) and was still mesmerized as I sat through the rest of the film and then the beginning of the next showing making a complete loop. There are two sisters, a husband who dies, and a mother who may already be dead. Almodovar can lead me anywhere lately it seems and I don't even blink.

6. 49 Up. The latest installment in the brilliant documentary series from Michael Apted continues to check up on his subjects every seven years. It is something I look forward to and 49 Up is a very worthy update.

7. Dreamgirls. Dreamgirls is an exciting, splendid ride. It offers some terrific music and great performances including the undeniable screen presence of Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. It isn't perfect but for pure enjoyment, it matches any of the films on the list.

8. Cars. I enjoyed it the first time but repeated viewings have sucked me more into this small town world where things go at their own pace. The ending even became more effective for me the second time. It is not perhaps right at the top of Pixar's spectacular run of animated films but it is just a notch below and that is still terrific.

9. Last King of Scotland. A fictional Scotish doctor finds himself at the side of Idi Amin. Forest Whitaker is superb and easily moves from charming to venegeful at any given moment. A enthralling thriller.

10. Letters From Iwo Jima. Clint Eastwood gives us a rare look at the Japanese side of things in World War II. Letters From Iwo Jima is extremely admirable and well done. It is a hard film to watch but leaves you with plenty to think and talk about.


Honorable Mention:

Casino Royale. A fun, cool, exciting Bond film with intelligence. Daniel Craig is terrific.

An Inconvenient Truth. Stuffed with lots of information neatly portrayed on graphs, Al Gore takes his warning about climate change to anyone who will listen. You should take a look before you cement your opinion.

Films I still want to see:
Deliver Us From Evil, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Curse of the Golden Flower, The Prestige, Thank You For Smoking, The Painted Veil.

Little Miss Sunshine

2006. Written by Michael Arndt. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, and Abigail Breslin.

You realize how great the dysfunction in this family is when you begin wondering if the 15 year old who stopped talking nine months ago and hates everything might be the most stable member of the family. The family, including grandpa who got kicked out of his assisted living home because of drug use and Uncle Frank who can't be left alone because he just attempted suicide, begin a cross country road trip to enter the little girl in a beauty pageant. Not too much goes right including a vehicle that is literally falling apart. I watched this movie in two parts, the first hour one day and the last forty minutes tonight. The first hour is very funny as it celebrates the dysfunction of this family. I was quite disappointed with the second half, however. The movie gets more serious and the characters start making better choices and the comedy certainly suffers as a result while the drama isn't strong enough to balance out the decrease in humor. I laughed quite a bit in the first hour but found the remainder fairly unrewarding. Little Miss Sunshine is worth watching but after seeing the complete film, I'm shocked at its inclusion as a Best Picture Oscar nominee. This may be a weak year for film, especially compared to the brilliance of 2005, but this is certainly not among the five best of the year.

My grade: B

49 Up

2006. Documentary. Directed by Michael Apted.

"I think this film is extremely important. It's important to me, but it seems to be important to other people as well. That doesn't make it an easy thing. It's an incredibly hard thing to be in. And I can't even begin to describe how emotionally draining and wrenching it is just to make the film and do the interviews - and that's even when I'm pretending that nobody else is watching it."

Those seven year olds that were captured on film in 1964 and revisited every seven years since are about to turn fifty. We have watched them grow and change, face obstacles and find success. Their stories, put together in this film series, are a profound reflection on our own. The dvd contains a half hour interview by Roger Ebert of director Michael Apted and in it, they ponder that you can't tell what events will happen to a person but perhaps by age seven you can see how that person will respond when those events occur. It is an interesting thought. The Up Documentaries are an engrossing and fascinating film experience. The latest installment does not disappoint. We find Nick divorced and Tony happy to be a grandpa. Jackie gets very frustrated with Apted on camera and I found that fascinating as well. One of the new elements of 49 Up is that being in the film series becomes an open focus of the interviews and becomes a very interesting topic. In that interview with Ebert, Apted states, "It dignifies the ordinary life." Their challenges, mistakes, and achievements are all preserved, and you understand the difficulty that they have in participating, but all but two continue to do so. By becoming involved in their lives through the film, we are offered countless insights into ordinary life in all its frustration and glory.

My grade: A

The Oscar Nominations Are In

I'm more than a little behind on movies this year, so it is not of great surprise that I failed to get predictions out before the nominations were announced. Instead of predictions, therefore, I will offer comments on the nominations for the 79th Academy Awards.

Picture: I wasn't terribly surprised that Dreamgirls didn't get in. I was also expecting Letters From Iwo Jima to make it, which it did. I have seen only 1 1/2 nominees thus far (The Departed, plus the first hour of Little Miss Sunshine before the kids woke up), but I will catch up as much as I can in the next month.

Director: Another showdown between Clint and Marty. Wait, and how many Oscars does the greatest film director of all time (that would be Scorsese) possess for directing? The answer, of course, is none. This might be the year that changes.

Actor: DiCaprio was expected but for The Departed and he shockingly made it in for Blood Diamond instead. I'll make my prediction early here, I think Forest Whitaker takes that gold guy home.

Actress: This looks like a great category, I'm anxious to see all five performances.

Supporting Actor: I'm thrilled that Wahlberg made it for his fairly brief but brilliant turn in The Departed but stunned that his fellow castmate and Oscar fav, Jack Nicholson, did not for an equally terrific and much showier performance. I would have liked for both to make it.

Documentary Feature: I'm stunned and appalled that 49 Up, the latest installment of Michael Apted's brilliant documentary series failed to get in (I'll blog my review of that film next). I'm also surprised and disappointed that Spike Lee's When the Levee's Broke is a no show. The Academy got it right with An Inconvenient Truth and probably Deliver Us From Evil, but with all four this could have been a stunning category this year.

Foreign Language Film: One of this year's biggest surprises and disappointments is the snub of Almodovar's Volver. But the whole way this category (and the doc category) is set up for nominations is seriously messed up and needs immediate revision.

Adapted Screenplay: It is a bizarre category to reward Borat in. The adapted part is a stretch and I'm not sure a screenplay is really a strength of a film that uses improv and candor in live situations. I would not have been surprised by Cohen making the Best Actor category, but this was unexpected to me. Then again, Bowling for Columbine got a Screenplay nod too. Perhaps the Academy is in need of a new category: Originality in Concept.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006. Documentary. Directed by Davis Guggenheim.

"Separating the truth from the fiction and the accurate connections from the misunderstandings is part of what you learn here. But when the warnings are accurate and based on sound science, then we as human beings, whatever country we live in, have to find a way to make sure that the warnings are heard and responded to."

There is a moment in An Inconvenient Truth, a documentary following Al Gore's passionate road-trip slide show on Global Warming, where Gore compares human beings to an animated frog. If a frog jumps into boiling water, it will immediately jump out. But, he continues, if the frog jumps into luke warm water that is slowly heated, it will stay there until... - at this point we see the water boiling and know the frog's end is near - "it is rescued." An animated hand reaches in at the last minute and pulls the frog out. "It's important to save the frog," Gore says to an entertained but now informed audience. Gore's approach to the whole topic follows this path. He informs us with great skill using tons of knowledge, graphs, and charts. He entertains us and yet he always sees that hope for change. It is not too late, but the longer we wait to really start changing our habits, the harder the change will be and the more damage we will do along the way. This is a film that should be seen and though it is enjoyable, it should be seen for substance not style. It should be seen no matter where you stand politically. Some may argue with some of the points, but to dismiss the whole argument is to completely turn your back on science and jeopardize the future of our children. Gore backs up his points well and some of the information he graphs out for us is both fascinating and depressing. The end credits, in between telling you the names of those involved with the film, throws out bits of info on what you personally can do to make a difference. It is also interesting to note that the company that made this film calculated the contributions to global warming involved in making the film (things such as travel and accommodations) then offset their emissions with renewable energy credits. The dvd contains a 30 minute update from Gore of changes and new scientific research since the completion of the filming that should be viewed as well.

My grade: A-

My Neighbor Totoro

1988. Animated. Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Brady and I watched the first twenty minutes of My Neighbor Totoro several months ago but stopped it at bedtime to continue later. Brady was never interested in going back and I finally decided - and had time - to watch it on my own. I can see why he lost interest. I had a hard time getting through those first twenty minutes again. It is a rather mediocre start as the two main characters, sisters who move to a new home with their father to prepare for mother's return from the hospital, are quite frankly annoying to begin with. This is especially true of the youngest sister, Mei, who echoes everything back. Mei on her adventures discovers three forest spirits of varying size including the very large Totoro. The movie does improve as it goes and the characters become more enjoyable. Brady (who ended up watching the end with me) and I agreed on our favorite part: there is a very cool cat bus that appears a few times to transport first Totoro and later the girls that is a wonderful fantasy creation. I liked the film. It has charm and grace, but it falls well below the rest of Miyazaki's work that I have seen.

My grade: B

Bambi

1942. Animated. Directed by David Hand. Written by Larry Morey, adapted from a novel by Felix Salten.

The simplicity of Bambi is both its charm and its weakness. The dialogue is minimal and what is said isn't of great importance in most cases. While we certainly like the characters of Bambi, Thumper, and Flower, it is hard to grow that attached to them as we never really get to know a whole lot about them, with the exception of Thumper's difficulty following what his father says. The one character that I think is the easiest to grow attached to is the one that is taken away, and the death of Bambi's mother is the sad, unforgettable moment that is a large reason why this film became a classic. Brady, who was in and out of the room, asked "Why did Bambi's mother get lost?" A question neither my wife or I were willing to correct at the time. The animation is good, but for me Bambi can't match Dumbo, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, or Fantasia as the highlights of early Disney animation.

My grade: B

Mr. Arkadin

Mr. Arkadin: The Corinth Version. 1955. Written and Directed by Orson Welles. Starring Orson Welles, Robert Arden, Paola Mori, Patricia Medina, Akim Tamiroff, and Michael Redgrave.

"I knew what I wanted. That's the difference between us. In this world there are those who give and those who ask. Those who do not care to give... those who do not dare to ask. You dared. But you were never quite sure what your were asking for."

When you are responsible for the greatest movie ever made, it is hard not to judge your other movies by this impossibly high standard. So we look at Orson Welles films and think of Citizen Kane. Mr. Arkadin is not a masterpiece, but it is still a very good film. Welles lost control of the film fairly early on and there is no definitive version nor director's cut. Criterion Collection put out a three disc set that has two different versions and then a third disc that apparently puts all (or at least both) the versions together. I plan to also rent the other two discs and see for myself, and I will blog what I find out. The plot involves a millionaire who hires his daughter's American gigolo to investigate him prior to his development of amnesia. No one is to be completely trusted, of course. It was recorded in multiple languages and there are moments of extreme obviousness in the dubbing. The film is intriguing throughout with good dialogue and some very good bits of acting mixed in with some mediocre acting as well. Wells is an imposing and fascinating figure on screen and his bullying millionaire is the highlight of the acting, but there are also terrific moments from actors who have but a single scene, such as Michael Redgrave as the antique dealer. The photography, lighting, and framing of the film are all top notch. It may not be at the top of the Orson Welles catalog, but even the bottom half is something to celebrate.

My grade: A-

Silent Film Festival

As Christopher and I talked film and about what we might watch the next evening, I learned that he had yet to see a Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton film. That settled it. We would hold our own silent film festival. Present were Christopher, myself, Bob (my step father), and Jennifer (my sister) - with my mother in and out as she prepared supper.

My Keaton decision was fairly easy, we would watch either Sherlock Jr. or The General. My step father's great interest in history made The General (1927) the obvious choice. Jennifer and I had seen The General at the Cinemateque in Cleveland with live accompaniment, a spectacular event that we both loved immensely. The General was a big hit with this crowd. They got into it quicker than I expected and it gets better and better as it goes. Truly a highlight in silent film history, Keaton shines with his physical comedy and remarkable stunts while the story is exciting and engaging. I was quite pleased with the way our evening had started.

We broke for supper, always a treat at mom's house. We would soon begin the second part of our mini film festival. The Chaplin decision was harder, but I was leaning towards The Gold Rush over City Lights and Modern Times, when Spencer (our two year old) came running to me crying. I picked him up and discovered he was bleeding from the mouth as he had fallen and his teeth cut into his skin quite a bit. So, Kelly and I left with Spencer for the Emergency Room, while Brady stayed with everyone else. Five stitches later, we returned to find everyone watching The Gold Rush, but they were not enjoying it nearly as much as The General. I watched with and realized my dvd was not the 1925 original but the re-edit Chaplin did in 1942 adding his narration. From memory, I knew I preferred the silent version but to my dismay I didn't realize how much I preferred the silent version. The narration is completely unnecessary and kills the charm and the whole mood of the film. What a difference it made, I was so disappointed. Had I been there at the start, I would have switched over to Modern Times. The Gold Rush is a brilliant film but watching the narrated and edited version seemed like watching a colorized version of Citizen Kane (which thankfully never existed). Hopefully, they saw enough to revist Chaplin under better circumstances. So, Keaton won that day but both film giants are true geniuses of equal standing in the world of film.

The General (1927): A+
The Gold Rush (as long as you get the 1925 silent version): A+

The Departed

"Who am I? I'm the guy that does his f*ckin' job! You must be the other guy!"

2006. Directed by Martin Scorsese. Screenplay by William Monahan based on a screenplay by Siu Fai Mak and Felix Chong. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Vera Farmiga, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, and Alec Baldwin.

"Scorsese has ceased fighting the personal demons that haunted Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. Now he's here to demonstrate the sheer infectious pleasure of making cinema, a glorious symphony of motion in the key of violence." -Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

I'm always excited to see my cousin Christopher and his visit over Thanksgiving weekend gave me a much needed chance to see and talk about some movies. We made one trip to the theatre with my step father joining us for Scorsese's latest. My expectations were high. Scorsese resides, in my opinion, as film's greatest director: past or present. And the word on the film was very strong, with many talking about a return to greatness for Scorsese. My friend Thomas, whose opinions on films I highly regard, stated he thought it might be Scorsese's best film since Raging Bull (I think that was the film he chose). I came out highly satisfied with the film, yet not willing to agree to either assessment. Scorsese hasn't hit the unbelievable highs of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, or Goodfellas since the last of those three films, yet he continues to do terrific work. The Departed also doesn't take its place among those films but it, like The Aviator in 2004 and Gangs of New York in 2002, will certainly sit among the best films of its year.

The story focuses on two parallel figures: Billy Costigan, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and Colin Sullivan, played by Matt Damon, who end up taking opposite paths. We see both training to join Boston's finest. Sullivan is given the blessing for quick advancement and moves quickly up the ladder while Costigan is deemed too uncontrollable for regular duty and is assigned to undercover work. The figure that ties them together is Frank Costello, head of crime in Boston's underworld. Sullivan was taken under Costello's wing as a child and his intentions as a cop are to be the eyes and ears of the underworld. Costigan's undercover work leads him to become a member of Costello's gang. The two men, whose very lives depend on their deception, aren't even aware of each other's identity until late in the film.

Scorsese keeps the pace extremely fast and never loses our interest despite the many complications of the difficult but fascinating plot. The acting is superb, with Jack Nicholson excelling as Costello and Mark Wahlberg a treat as a very un-PC detective. Perhaps I'm getting too old (or perhaps it was having my step-father sitting beside me), but I actually found there to be a little too much violence and language in the film. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending either. Overall though, The Departed is exciting and captivating filmmaking.

My grade: A

1/19/07: I saw The Departed again, with Kelly this time, at the dollar theatre in Canton. I was even more amazed and fascinated this time. I no longer had trouble with the liberal amount of violence or language - so I feel comfortable attributing that note to sitting beside my step dad in the inital viewing, who I knew was uncomfortable with the level of violence and language. I also found the ending more satisfying than before. It is a terrific film. I've bumped my grade up from an A- to the A it truely deserves.

Flushed Away

2006. Directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell. Written by Sam Fell, Peter Lord, and others. Animated film featuring the voices of Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Bill Nighy, and Andy Serkis.

Brady and I went to see Flushed Away and both of us came away happy. Roddy, a penthouse rat who has his own two-story cage and a life of luxury, gets flushed down the toilet by an invading rodent and finds himself in completely new surroundings in the sewer. It is the first film from Aardman Animation to use computer animation instead of the brilliant claymation. Flushed Away is not on par with the splendid Wallace and Gromit adventures but it is fun and clever. There are gags that are repeated too often and some gags that don't work, but it is quite enjoyable as a whole. I was torn on the singing slugs that pop up quite often. They are fairly cheesy but they also supply a few big laughs. The kids should enjoy it while parents should be entertained as well.

My grade: B