Monday, September 24, 2007
Hello all! Now that I have seen enough movies from the year 2006 I feel like I can make a top ten list. I know it's kinda late but I see most things on DVD so it takes awhile to get around the list. And by the way, 2006 was a great year for movies in my opinion. There are several really terrific movies that could have stood alone as #1 on any given year.
Without further ado, here's the list:
10. Glory Road- There have been a rash of sports movies in recent years but I think this is one of the better ones. It's a compelling story about the 1966 integrated Texas Western team that beat the powerhouse all-white Kentucky team. Great performances from Josh Lucas as Coach Don Haskins and the team members, and the storyline kept me compelled.
9. Little Miss Sunshine- This would probably be higher on most years' lists but with so many other good movies it drops to number 9. This is definitely a very original movie that starts out a little slow but the laughs build until you get to the end, which has one of the more hilarious scenes I've ever seen. Steve Carell is great as the suicidal Proust scholar.
8. Stranger than Fiction- I really enjoyed this movie. It's a little out there, but Will Ferrell gives a great dramatic performance, which is the strength of this movie. It's equal parts drama and comedy, with some romance thrown in there, and has a great script.
7. V for Vendetta- There is some pretty unpleasant stuff in this movie- notably a stretch where Natalie Portman's character is in prison, but it has a lot of good stuff to say about government, a modern day 1984. And without giving anything away, I felt like the ending made the whole movie worth it.
6. Flags of Our Fathers- Let me just say that Clint Eastwood is a remarkable person. A great standalone actor, as a director everything that he has done has just been terrific. And his greatest achievement may be the two films he made about the Battle of Iwo Jima. This movie is certainly great on its own, an interesting look at the effects of war.
5. The Prestige- Christopher Nolan is at it again with another great movie. This had a ton of plot twists which kept you guessing until the very end. Great performances from Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, just an all in all great movie experience.
4. Dreamgirls- Here's where we start getting to the heavy hitters: the really outstanding movies of 2006. Dreamgirls is so well made, with great performances and great musical numbers. I could have done without the spontaneous singing at some parts, but that wasn't enough of a detractor to mar an otherwise really terrific film.
3. Letters from Iwo Jima- What an amazing film this is. The second part of Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima movies, it is all in Japanese, shows the battle from the Japanese point of view, and is one of the best war movies I've ever seen. It sucks you in to the four or five characters that it tells the stories of, and has some amazing scenes along the way. This should be required viewing for all history buffs.
2. The Departed- A deserving winner for Best Picture, this is my favorite Martin Scorsese film. What a cast of heavyweights, to start: Jack Nicholson, Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and the list goes on and on. The second half of this movie is just incredible. This movie has it all: great drama, funny moments, moments that make you jump out of your chair, moments that have you on the edge of your chair. Just a really solid film.
And the number 1 movie of 2006 is:
United 93- I debated on whether to see this movie- obviously the emotions of 9/11 are still fresh for a lot of people. But I ended up seeing it and boy was I glad I did. I have not been so emotionally drawn into a movie in years. Some parts made me feel sick to my stomach. But you just can't stop watching. Everything builds into where the second half is incredibly tense. Employing the real life people on the ground in the movie was a great move. I feel like this movie is this decade's version of Schindler's List. An incredibly powerful film that deserves all the accolades it has gotten.
Well there you have it! I've seen a few standout movies from 2007 (Zodiac and The Lookout in particular) but look forward to seeing more!
Without further ado, here's the list:
10. Glory Road- There have been a rash of sports movies in recent years but I think this is one of the better ones. It's a compelling story about the 1966 integrated Texas Western team that beat the powerhouse all-white Kentucky team. Great performances from Josh Lucas as Coach Don Haskins and the team members, and the storyline kept me compelled.
9. Little Miss Sunshine- This would probably be higher on most years' lists but with so many other good movies it drops to number 9. This is definitely a very original movie that starts out a little slow but the laughs build until you get to the end, which has one of the more hilarious scenes I've ever seen. Steve Carell is great as the suicidal Proust scholar.
8. Stranger than Fiction- I really enjoyed this movie. It's a little out there, but Will Ferrell gives a great dramatic performance, which is the strength of this movie. It's equal parts drama and comedy, with some romance thrown in there, and has a great script.
7. V for Vendetta- There is some pretty unpleasant stuff in this movie- notably a stretch where Natalie Portman's character is in prison, but it has a lot of good stuff to say about government, a modern day 1984. And without giving anything away, I felt like the ending made the whole movie worth it.
6. Flags of Our Fathers- Let me just say that Clint Eastwood is a remarkable person. A great standalone actor, as a director everything that he has done has just been terrific. And his greatest achievement may be the two films he made about the Battle of Iwo Jima. This movie is certainly great on its own, an interesting look at the effects of war.
5. The Prestige- Christopher Nolan is at it again with another great movie. This had a ton of plot twists which kept you guessing until the very end. Great performances from Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, just an all in all great movie experience.
4. Dreamgirls- Here's where we start getting to the heavy hitters: the really outstanding movies of 2006. Dreamgirls is so well made, with great performances and great musical numbers. I could have done without the spontaneous singing at some parts, but that wasn't enough of a detractor to mar an otherwise really terrific film.
3. Letters from Iwo Jima- What an amazing film this is. The second part of Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima movies, it is all in Japanese, shows the battle from the Japanese point of view, and is one of the best war movies I've ever seen. It sucks you in to the four or five characters that it tells the stories of, and has some amazing scenes along the way. This should be required viewing for all history buffs.
2. The Departed- A deserving winner for Best Picture, this is my favorite Martin Scorsese film. What a cast of heavyweights, to start: Jack Nicholson, Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and the list goes on and on. The second half of this movie is just incredible. This movie has it all: great drama, funny moments, moments that make you jump out of your chair, moments that have you on the edge of your chair. Just a really solid film.
And the number 1 movie of 2006 is:
United 93- I debated on whether to see this movie- obviously the emotions of 9/11 are still fresh for a lot of people. But I ended up seeing it and boy was I glad I did. I have not been so emotionally drawn into a movie in years. Some parts made me feel sick to my stomach. But you just can't stop watching. Everything builds into where the second half is incredibly tense. Employing the real life people on the ground in the movie was a great move. I feel like this movie is this decade's version of Schindler's List. An incredibly powerful film that deserves all the accolades it has gotten.
Well there you have it! I've seen a few standout movies from 2007 (Zodiac and The Lookout in particular) but look forward to seeing more!
