I usually wait until I've seen most of the Oscar contenders that come out late in the year and often don't arrive in theaters around here until Janurary and February but I don't get to go out to the movies as often, so I'm posting this preliminary list of my picks for the best movies of 2006. There are at least a dozen or so movies that I'd like to see that could potentially land a spot on the list so maybe in a few months I'll present a revised list.

Top 10

(as of 01-13-07)

 

1.         United 93

 

A devastating movie experience, one that I won't likely relive any time soon but one that I felt was absolutely necessary. Paul Greengrass'' documentary-like approach avoided politicizing the issue and simply told the story of what happened to the passengers on board United Flight 93. A must-see for all Americans.

 

2.         Cars

 

I was completely taken by surprise with Cars.  I didn't expect to enjoy it since I'm not a huge fan of automobile history or NASCAR, but Cars won me over.  Of course the animation is stunning (it is a PIXAR film, after all) but everything else is great, too.  The voice acting is wonderful and the plot (almost identical to Michael J. Fox’s 1991 film Doc Hollywood) handles the standard redemption arc nicely. 

 

3.         The Prestige

 

One of several movies that came out this year that dealt with the subject of magic, Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige tells a complex story of revenge, deceit and betrayal with lots of plot twists and great acting.  You have to pay attention to this one!  

 

4.         The Illusionist

 

The other magic-themed movie was more of a period romance.  Moody color-drained cinematography made The Illusionist look like a silent film.  The illusions are verey well done and rival those in The Prestige for the “wow” factor.  I love the orange tree trick.  Philip Glass’s music works well, too. 

 

5.         Brick

 

I’ve already written about Rian Johnson’s melding of film noir with high school melodrama.  More than just a clever idea, Brick takes the viewer into a self-created universe with its own rules and language. 

 

6.         Monster House

 

In a year filled with generic CGI-animated movies with talking animals, Monster House (as well as Cars) stood out as creative ways to tell a story with animation.  The way the story is told is reminiscent of those effects heavy adventures that Steven Spielberg produced in the 1980s like The Goonies and Young Sherlock Holmes.  The widescreen cinematography is excellent, as is the voice cast.  This deserves to be a Halloween viewing standard. 

 

7.         Little Miss Sunshine

 

An outstanding ensemble cast keeps you laughing even though this is one of those movies where, if the things that happen to this family were to happen to you, you’d be crying.  Some of the jokes are obvious but I still laughed. 

 

8.         For Your Consideration

 

Another funny movie from Christopher Guest and his band of improve actors.  This one satirizes the Oscar frenzy that grips Hollywood every year.  Is it wrong of me to suggest that Catherine O’Hara get a nomination for her performance?  Also, Jennifer Coolidge is hilarious.  She needs to be in more movies. 

 

 

9.         Thank You For Smoking

 

Funny satire of the pro-tobacco lobby.  Aaron Eckhart is outstanding as the spokesman. 

 

10.       Mission: Impossible III

 

Forget about the fact that Tom Cruise is in this.  It’s the action scenes that make this worth seeing.