Ten Great Movies Of 2006

10. The Prestige - An H.G. Wellsesque type of sci-fi thriller told thru the modern directing & co-writing talents Christopher Nolan.
And while this pic isn't as grand as The Dark Knight, I must admit, I found myself enjoying the story in this one more. For it's premise, The Prestige is overall innovative & cohesively engaging. A fantasy plot of the age of early 20th century magicks whose complex twists & turns eventually all complete their spiral turns to lead into a surprise climax that the viewer can still satisfyingly comprehend & enjoyably appreciate.
That is, if the proper amount of suspension is applied to one's belief. And when it comes to magic, let's be honest:  no matter how physically impossible it may seem, at a certain level, we all want to believe.

9. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan - A mockumentary that at certain times can become almost humoursly scary in that it seems to interweave into actual documentary, revealing certain areas of our society that we always knew was there, but didn't want have to confront yet.
At it's heart, Borat:CLoAfMBGNoK is a cross country journey of discovery across rural America that includes a huge naked fatman running in public, anti-semitism, racism, Pamela Anderson & a chicken in a traveling bag.
And it's all for a good cause

.... not.

8. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time - Another quality anime animated movie of which seems to have become more and more of a consistant flow into the world of western film.
This one consists of a simple story of a simple girl who discovers that she can simply leap thru time. But instead of using her powers for good, or even for evil for that matter, she uses it in a manner that we all wish we could if we were so magically endowed (especially if we were her age): to make up time when we were late, to retake exams we didn't study for, to get to our favorite snacks in the fridge before our annoying little siblings got the chance to polished 'em off, etc..
Which all leads up to a simple coming of age story that is as simply & beautifully told as it is simply & beautifully animated. 
Simply put, simply beautiful.

7. Monster House - Even tho the animation in this film doesn't have the chance to get as creative as other comp.-animated movies of this generation & that focus on non-human subjects, this movie does very well with what it has. The facial expressions are choice quality & the movements during the action sequences are both smooth & dynamic. While there have been many animated films that have come along that look "better", this one for me, is one of the rare ones that have the whole package. The story is does not insult the intelligence despite being based on a child-based fantasy genre,
the characters are distinguishly engaging,
& the action scenes are very high in the area of thrill. 
Monster House matches the excitement of any other movies released this year with the same intention.

6. Apocalypto - 25 years earlier, Mel Gibson starred in one of my favorite chase movies ever as the Road Warrior.
Two & half decades later, he's in the driver's seat of another chase film, but this time as the director instead of the star & instead of a post-apocalyptic future of the Outback, it's set in the pre-Colombian era of the Mayan civilation.
And almost as exciting & suspenseful as it was to watch a bad-@ss Mad Max speeding a gas-semi tanker down a dusty road with a gang of S&M Rock 'N' Rolla disciples after him,
so is Apocalypto, with a Mesoamerican family tribesman desperately foot-racing through the thickly layered foilage jungles, with a pack of murderous village raiders hot on his trail & even hotter for his blood.
A really great movie with it's ancient Maya South American providing a great distinguishing quality to the film.

5. Casino Royale - I was never too big on the James Bond series, and I didn't think that Daniel Craig had the right look to be an Agent 007. Therefore, I ended up avoided this film when it was theatres. However, after I watched it on DVD, it became one of those films that I wished I had caught whilst still in the theatres.
Suddenly, Mr. Bond felt like a new character (which is no surprise, considering that this story focuses on the secret agent at the beginning of his career) & absent were the schtick of the goofy sex-pot sidekicks & the cartoonish weaponry & the over the top comicbook-like villians bent on world domination. All that was left was the energetic action sequences ( still-high powered, yet still in the realm of logistical suspended belief that one walks into for a film such as this), international spy intrigue, antagonists of a more believable & sophisticated level & even an intricate romance sub-plot that reveals the mechanics of the mindset required for an agent to achieve the level of double-o seven.
IMO, this is the James Bond movie for non-James Bond enthusiasts without sacrificing the heart & soul of loyal fans.

4. Curse of the Golden Flower - Some of the most breathtaking & gorgeously intricate background set designs ever in a film. So rich are the colors & exquisite details in this movie, that it requires multiple viewings just to be able to soak it all in. Once one can get passed that aspect of the film, it will become obvious that the sets are not a distraction, but an enhancement to the story. An enrichment that adds to the dialogue with an intensity that allows the ideas of what appears to be human pettiness behavior in a royal setting to be revealed as much grander in scope & concept.
And for a movie that can make someone as simple minded as myself come to a conclusion like that, that's definitely a statement to the power of it's artistry.

3. Letters from Iwo Jima - Clint Eastwood excellently directs this tale of the pacific war from the view of a band Japanese. 
A country in which the war is not just against the the Allies, but also in a war within intself between the new methods & technology of the new age against it's revered ancient traditions of honor for one's native land & emperor, not to mention against the obligational feelings towards own family. 
Who knew that a tale about the Japanese's side of World War II would make such a great American movie?

2. Pan's Labyrinth - Pan's Labyrinth is a film whose creativity & emotion are elegantly entwined in a manner that blurs the barrier between the "real" world & the fantasy dimension, almost beyond physical distinction.
Just an absolutely beautiful movie that successfully takes the constant air of peril that comes with living under the grim realities of war & overlays it with the macabre & twisted influence that such a situation can have on a young creative mind's fairy-tale-like imaginations.

1. Little Miss Sunshine - A film about an average dysfunctional family that reveals just how normal dysfunctionality in the household truly is.
A suicidal gay uncle, an unspoken emo brother who dreams of flying jet fighters, a motivational-speaking dad who always seems to be out of touch, a seven year old out of shape, pangeant-contesting "super-freak", and a heroin-addicted grandpa with the power to spout out Oscar-worthy expletives, all capped off by a mom who tends to serve popsicles for dessert.
Everything you need to provide a big yellow vehicle such as this one with a solid push.