Best/Worst of 2006

[Head Mutant]

This isn't a thread specifically for your own 2006 best/worst of lists -- although feel free to do so! -- but to comment on other critics' lists. Is it just me, or when the end of each year rolls around and movie critics release their Best Of lists, do I not recognize 80% of the movies listed there? And out of the ones I do notice, very seldom are they films I know I'd enjoy.

Certainly, it's not required that critics take the low road and pander to whatever box office smashes amused the peasants among us, but soemtimes I get the feeling they try far too hard to go the opposite direction and list movies that weren't particuarly great, but they're "artsy" and "dramatic" enough to lend an air of superiority to the critic's list.

Thoughts?

[Razzberryfinn]

I checked out a couple critics' lists and found Borat and V for Vendetta in the top 10, and I was unimpressed with both of them, but that my be just me


Here were some movies I was really impressed with (in no particular order): Last Holiday, John Tucker Must Die, The Queen, x-men3, and Tenacious D (for what it could have been, it was a surprisingly good friendship movie with a fair storyline)


Movies with potential that screwed themselves over: Click, Nacho Libre, You Me and Dupree, Branyard, and The DaVinci Code (loved the book, though)

[TheOogieBoogieMan]

I tend to either ignore "Best of" lists, or I just don't take them to heart. I learned to do this at the beginning of '06, as I watched The New World, a nauseatingly awful film that, for some reason, took the number 2 spot on Richard Roeper's "Best of 2005". Curse you, Roeper!

Anyway, my favorite film this year was probably Little Miss Sunshine, with honourable mentions going to A Scanner Darkly, V for Vendetta, and Clerks 2. There is a 3-way tie for the title of "Worst of '06": The Black Dahlia, Underworld Evolution, and Beowulf and Grendel. Three big heaps of crap.

[duckie]

Slightly off-topic as the list in question doesn't refer to movies, but Entertainment Weekly's best of / worst of TV show list had Studio 60 on it's worst of list. Funny how a few weeks ago they were happy that it had been renewed for the rest of the season.

It's not nearly as good as other Sorkin stuff (early West Wing and Sports Night, but there are a lot of other shows out there that are just horrendous.

[aargmematey]

When refering to best, I am talking about movies that I greatly enjoyed watching.

So...Best of '06: Little Miss Sunshine (smart, sweet, and hilarious), Deja Vu, V for Vendetta, and Pirates 2, Talledega Nights, and Stranger than Fiction.

Worst of '06: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, John Tucker Must Die (although I did appreciate its attempt at reviving the teen movie category), Pursuit of Happyness, A Scanner Darkly, and When A Stranger Calls.

[eatmyshorts]

Hmm...
Best: Borat, Clerks 2, The Prestige, Stranger than Fiction, Little Miss Sunshine, Rocky Balboa.
Worst: V for Vendetta (sorry, but i don't like lots of gay propaganda and party favoring in my movies), scary movie 4 The Grudge 2...any other horror movie. And by far the worst of 06, superman returns. Sorry Guys.

I didn't look at any critic's lists because they always make me vomit.

[blinkfan]

No critics list either

Best: Casino Royale,Clerks 2,Snakes on a Plane,Stranger than fiction,Click,Borat and Rocky Balboa

Worst: Date Movie and The Da Vinci Code

[lexi]

Best: The Children of Men, Snakes on a Plane, Perfume, Inside Man.

Worst: ERAGON. Just....no. Kill it. Why, God, why?

The Da Vinci Code was disappointing, but since I find the premise unconvincing anyway, I was biased not to like it - mind you, it could have been far, far worse. Or far better. I'm undecided. Any other opinions?

And surely UltraViolet should get a mention as being truly awful?

[varana]

My favourites this year were V for Vendetta (finally a nice interpretation of an Alan Moore novle) and Children of Men.

Worst Night at the museum and DaVinci code

[jimmypage639]

How is it that no one's mentioned The Departed yet? I think that's it's probably the best movie to come in a long time, and I truely hope that Scorsese finally gets his much deserved Oscar.

Also, for what it was, Casino Royale was immensely entertaining. The Bond series was in such a rut, but this movie just blew away my already high expectations. Many things, such as some of the poker scenes, reminded me of the Sean Connery bonds, and that's definitely a good thing (Unless we're talking about Diamonds are Forever. Bleh.)

[sarahbot]

I don't see as many movies as I'd like to in theatres as I'd like when I live in Ottawa, but I'd have to say Bon Cop, Bad Cop. Good memories associated with it, a damn fine movie, and up with Canadian cinema! Also, Who Killed the Electric Car?, mostly because I haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth yet. I'm scared to see it.

Worst: Hoodwinked. People, CGI =/= good! More and more, children's computer animated movies = lazy! Just stop!

Biggest surprise: Silent Hill. I don't like movies based off video games (hello, throbbing Lara Croft-induced headache!), I had never heard of the game before in my life, I recognized no actors I liked beforehand (obviously I recognized Sean Bean once I was watching, because he is in every other movie made), and I really don't like horror or gore, except for rare, zombie-related incidents. Yet, I kinda liked Silent Hill. So that's like anyone else giving it quadruple thumbs up.

[ironica728]

Best: Departed, Clerks 2, Happy Feet [I'm a sucker], Casino Royale, Borat.

I don't know about worst, I avoided the ones that seemed bad, the ones I did see, I liked.

[starwenn]

I saw five films released in 2006 last year (three at the theater, two on DVD), and none of them were horrible, but some were better than others. In chonological order:

Mrs. Henderson Presents (March) - I actually enjoyed this tale of an English widow who buys a West End theater and turned it into a showcase for nude musical revues (English decently laws allowed this as long as the nudes stood still), though I could have done without seeing Bob Hoskins naked. I think this may have technically come out in late 2005, but I moved in January and didn't have the time for much in the way of movies for weeks.

Little Miss Sunshine (September) - I've mentioned how much I loved this one elsewhere. Touching and hysterically funny, this deserves Oscars for a hilarious script, if not it's excellent cast (particually Alan Arkin as the foul-mouthed Gramps and Abigail Breslin as the would-be pageant contestant).

Cars (October) - Took the DVD out of a local library shortly after its release. I'm not normally fond of cars in general, car racing, or Larry the Cable Guy, but I quickly fell in love with the "slow down and take time to enjoy life" premise. Maybe it comes from living in New Jersey, but I love reading books on roadside attractions, diners, old highways, and other reminents of approximatly the mid-40s to the mid-70s, when America's love-affair with the car was at an all-time high. I can't believe the mixed critical reception this one got. Too many critics missed the point - this isn't an action film, it's a character study.

Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest (December) - Saw this on DVD the day after Christmas with my dad, his girlfriend, and stepsister. I could have happily done with more of Johnny Depp's hilarious always-drunk rogue Jack Sparrow and less of gross CGI fishmen and beating hearts. I'll probably need a second viewing of this one to be able to make more of it...or maybe see "At World's End" in May. As it stands now, fun but a bit odd for a pirate blockbuster.

Dreamgirls (December) - My favorite movie of the year, just barely beating out "Cars" and "Little Miss Sunshine." Beyonce is excellent, Eddie Murphy hasn't been this "on" since I was about six (the man really needs to do more live-action), and Jennifer Hudson's mid-movie solo just about blew the roof of the theater clean off. Seriously, all three deserve any accolades they're getting.

A warning about "Dreamgirls" - stay away if you're musical-phobic. Unlike "Chicago," people do suddenly start singing in the middle of a sentance. I love musicals of all kinds, but I know that's not to everyone's taste (some critics complain about it).

[Big T]

Wow, this thread has made me realize just how many of the movies that came out this year I have not seen.

I would have no new titles to add but I must say that the biggest disapointment of the year for me was Eragon. I liked the book and was not expecting much from the movie but I know that it could have been a million times better than the awful film that they produced.