Best and Worst Movies of 2006

This year it took me infinitely longer to post these lists because I really wanted to see all of the buzz-worthy movies before I put in my two cents. I think I did pretty damn well because I'm really only missing The Blood Diamond and Volver. I actually thought this was a decent year for movies. Not great but not as bad as last year. And, without further ado....

TEN WORST MOVIES OF 2006

10. Mission Impossible 3 - I can barely remember this movie but I think I remember thinking it was terrible. Too long and too much running. It exhausted me. And probably the biggest mis-casting of the year - Keri Russell.

9. Babel - I'm certainly not trying to be controversial but I just thought this movie was boring. The cinematography was good, the locations were cool, the score was fantastic (the best part), and I suppose the acting was good. But after sitting through 2 and a half hours of cinema, I really felt like I should have cared about at least one of the characters. I did not.

8. The Queen - Or, I should say, the first 30 minutes of The Queen. I give huge props to Helen Mirren because I love her (though her turn as Elizabeth I in the HBO movie was better) but I couldn't care less about the British monarchy. I didn't care about it when it happened and I certainly didn't need to sit through a glorified TV movie.

7. Bobby - Oh, Emilio. How I wanted to like this movie. But I didn't. Everything was completely forced and it just wasn't directed with any finesse. A waste of Christian Slater's talent.

6. The Da Vinci Code - Bravo for turning a good book into a boring movie with bad hair.

5. Failure to Launch - I love me a good Matthew McConaghey movie. But damn if this wasn't the worst premise I've ever seen in a romantic comedy (and I've seen a lot). Top it off with horrible chemistry with his cold leading lady and a painful performance by the terrible Zooey Deschanel, and I wanted my money back.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 - Probably the biggest disappointment of the year. As much as I loved the first one, I couldn't wait for this one to end. I don't know what it was but it was terrible. They better shape up in the 3rd installment.

3. Just My Luck - My dear husband worked on this so at least I got to see it for free.

2. School for Scoundrels - And then I worked on this so at least I got to see it for free. It wasn't my proudest moment. But at least they spelled my name right in the credits.

1. Poseidon - Oh. My. God. It was terrible but sadly, not terrible enough to be funny. Just terrible enough for you to want to poke your eyes out and run out of the theater screaming.

And now, before I get to my top ten list, here are my Favorite Performances in Mediocre Movies...

Emma Thompson in Stranger Than Fiction
Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
and the really amazing Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson


TEN BEST MOVIES OF 2006

10. Little Children - I wrote a post about this movie and I didn't enjoy it at all, but, after much thought, I suppose it was one of the best movies of the year. It certainly moved me and stayed with me which is more than I can say about a lot of films.

9. Something New - That's right, the obligatory cheesy "non-quality" romantic comedy. But you will note I didn't pick The Holiday or The Devil Wears Prada and that's because this largely African Amerian movie was far better. Go see it.

8. Thank You For Smoking - Mainly I just remember laughing a lot in this movie. And Adam Brody is great.

7. Notes on a Scandal - This is the only movie of the year that was the correct length. Seriously. Congrats to the editor. But the acting in this movie blew me away. Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett are the best they've been.

6. Pan's Labyrinth - Wow. This movie is violent. Far far more gory and dark and violent than I had ever imagined. I covered my eyes for a bit of it, but still, an thoroughly original and interesting movie.

5. Children of Men - I think I liked this movie so much because of the world it created. I understand the criticism that you don't care about the characters enough but I really bought the entire world they were selling. It was so well done.

4. Inside Man - Sure, Spike Lee had to go "mainstream" for me to love one of his movies, but I don't care. I could watch Denzel do anything and this is the movie that made me fall in love with Clive Owen. And I feel like I could watch this over and over again.

3. The Departed - A solid movie from top to bottom and start to finish. The characters are great, the writing is great, the acting is fantastic, and the music is Irish gangster. I loved it.

2. The Last King of Scotland - Easily the most underrated movie of the year. Yes, Forest Whitaker is getting a lot of well-deserved attention but I wish the same praise was being heaped on his co-star as well as the movie as a whole. James McAvoy was amazing and the film was breathtaking. I loved the colors, the costumes, the music, the way it was shot... If you haven't seen it, try to find it in a theater.

1. Little Miss Sunshine - My favorite movie going experience of the year. I laughed, I cried, I clapped my ass off during the finale. Exactly what a movie should be.