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The
Best and Worst Films of 2006
by Marie Asner Choosing Ten Best Films of 2006 is always a mind-scratching event. What stayed with you? What dialogue do you remember? What actor made an impression, and how? I have to say that 2006 was just slightly above average. There were far too many slash, dice, cut and saw films and few gems that just managed to get a distributor like "Pearl Diver." We have over-hyped ("Snakes On A Plane" or "The Da Vinci Code")) and made-it-by-word-of-mouth like "Akeelah and the Bee." So, here we go for 2006 in alphabetical order: Babel - a film in intricacy and intimacy with four stories that follow a gun. Oscar could come knocking several times at this door. The word "babel" comes to mean many things. Adriana Barraza as a housekeeper is a stand-out. Blood Diamond - another film
with more than one story going on, but this one concerns illegal trade
in diamonds and the price to pay for these dealings. Leonardo Di Cap
United 93 (which is the movie theater one) - 9/11 changed America and this film tells us what happened when people decided it was time to take a stand and save others. Letters From Iwo Jima - another film from Clint Eastwood with a view of Iwo Jima during WWII from a Japanese viewpoint. Well acting, poignant and tragic. Little Children - Kate Winslet, Jackie Earle Haley and Phyllis Somerville elevate this movie into something more than an affair in a suburb. Just who really are the children here? Last King of Scotland - Talk about performances, Forest Whitaker walks off with the role of Idi Amin. Nothing more need be said. Pearl Diver - a small film that finally got a distributor, it tells the story of solving a 20 year old murder in a Mennonite community. There is tenderness here and who would have thought Indiana could be so beautiful. Prairie Home Companion - Director Robert Altman's tribute to the long running NPR radio program also is a lesson in multiple story lines, improvisation and directing. Sweet Land - a tender film
of immigrants coming to America in the 1920's and trying to work the land
in Minnesota. What makes the film is the minister (John Heard) who really
runs the town.
The following are films that almost made the Top Ten list: "Half Nelson" with Ryan Gosling as a teacher with a drug problem, who tries to help one of his promising students. "Wordplay" is a documentary about the origins of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle really brings words to life. Some people can actually solve these puzzles in four minutes (that's minutes, not hours.) "Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing And Charm School" brings dancing to the forefront, but the students here need the teacher as much as the dance. Mary Steenburgen sparkles. "Bobby" gives the audience a birds-eye view of what went on backstage the night Robert Kennedy was shot. Stellar performances. * * * * * The Worst Films Of 2006 Here comes my favorite part, the Ten Worst films of 2006. Ah, where should I begin? I'm not counting the "Hostels," "Saws," radiation mutants, chainsaw addicts and anything else that crawled out of the wood work. My "Worst Films" are listed in alphabetical order, so here we go: Apocalypto - I can really say a film gave me a headache. It may have been the continuous jungle chase scenes that zigged and zagged, or it may have been the preposterous situation of the wife trapped in a pit. Either way, the Mayan people should erase this word. Borat - Need I saw more? This film has done more damage than Chernobyl. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Come on, Will Ferrell, did we really need to see you in your underwear on a race track? The Black Dahlia - the book was better than the film and Hilary Swank needs a new manager. The Da Vinci Code - Such hype and who could figure it out? Even the book was confusing to many people. Is that what it takes to be a best-selling author, confusion? The Good German - What began as a passable story, filmed in black and white, and concerning solving a murder in post-WWII Berlin, ended up in a fog. (George) Clooney clunks, Cate (Blanchett) tries to be a Bergman/Hepburn lookalike and shades of "Casablanca" are here, too. The Omen - why remake a fan-favorite film? Just ask the people who decided to combine this story with "Rosemary's Baby" casting. Bet they won't do it again. The Quiet - so convoluted that the lack of sound is really the audience sleeping. The Wicker Man - another classic film has been redone and this time Nicholas Cage runs from one side of a mysterious island to another, accomplishing nothing. Was it something his fitness trainer said? The Wild - an animated film that looked so much like "Madagascar" you would need an operation to separate them. Copyright 2006 Marie Asner
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