DiMattiaFilms: Hall of Awesome 2006: Movies of the Year

Whoo. I think I went a little overboard on the Best Of lists last year, so this time, I'm gonna keep things simple. Best Movies...then Best Music. Let's begin, shall we?

Devin's Top 10 Films of 2006:

Children of Men
A Prairie Home Companion
When Robert Altman passed on, he left behind a legacy of ridiculously innovative and astounding motion pictures, of which his most recent addition, A Prairie Home Companion, is no exception. Based on, written by, and starring NPR personality Garrison Keillor and his seminal, old-timey radio show, the film manages to capture the heartbreaking nostalgia of the early years of radio while conjuring up the inevitable wheels of progress that haunt the film’s stellar cast. Virginia Madsen gives an especially chilling role, not as a person, but more as an idea. The idea that all men and women will one day leave this earth, and that our life here is all too short. But if it never ended, what would be the point of it?
Little Miss Sunshine
In your face, Napoleon Dynamite! Music video masters Dayton/Faris tackle the quirky absurdist comedy genre with hilarious results. Each one of these characters is fleshed out with some of the best story arcs ever put to film, and the script by Michael Arndt is so well-constructed that not a dull moment passes before your eyes. Please, somebody give Abigail Breslin an Oscar!
The Departed
Departed editor Thelma Schoonmaker is either insane or a genius. Jump cuts fly past the screen like Jean-Luc Godard on speed. Scenes feel like they were cut with a meat cleaver and stuck together with duct tape. It fits the theme of the film perfectly, which is you can’t trust anyone, so you might as well just kill everyone. One of the joys of watching mob movies (and make no mistake, this is a mob movie) is that you can’t help feeling like both the organized crime ring and the staff of undercover cops are simply wasting both groups’ precious time, constantly reaching impasse after impasse, forever coming up even. It seems like, according to Scorsese, once you’ve reached the top, the only way to go is down.
Old Joy
Basic plot structure for Old Joy: Man meets up with old college friend, both go to the mountains for a couple days, contemplate the state of their existence, and then go their separate ways. Old Joy joins the ranks of Lost in Translation and Mr. Hulot’s Holiday as one of the great “movies about nothin’,” but as always, there’s plenty more than meets the eye. Director Kelly Reichardt uses her sparse camerawork and minimalist plot to transform the film into an existential mood piece, a film where every facial expression and every sigh the actors emote has a purpose; where every action, no matter how insignificant, has a deeper meaning.
Borat
When he’s not making fun of Kazakhstan’s backwards culture and surroundings, Sacha Baron Cohen’s undeniably adored Kazakhstani journalist is taking a hot skewer to American ideals, as well as our blatant ignorance of the world around us. What this movie lacks in authenticity, it more than makes up in laughs. An extended sequence in the middle of the film, featuring a nude Cohen and Ken Davitian wrestling in a hotel room, is as equally shocking and hilarious as most of the sex scenes featured in Shortbus (see below).
The Prestige
Über-awesome director Christopher Nolan reunites with his Memento-penning brother Jonathan for this, his fifth feature film. Once again featuring an excellent ensemble cast, including Labryinth star David Bowie, both Nolans capture the spirit and mysticism of 18th century magic, mixed with a good ol’ fashioned Hitchcockian suspense story.
The Trials of Darryl Hunt
The best film I saw at Cucalorus this year was also the film that made me the angriest. This documentary about one of the worst-handled homicide cases in North Carolina’s history just goes to show how damaging racism can be. It also profiles a man’s faith in God and how much courage he has to have in order to sustain that faith. The Trials of Darryl Hunt is the best documentary of 2006. Read my full review.
Thank You for Smoking
Throughout the history of cinema, audiences’ love of heroes has only been exceeded by their love for villains, a fact that director Jason Reitman exploited by casting the undoubtedly charming Aaron Eckhart as the slimy, quick-witted tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor. When we’re not laughing at his antics, as well as those of the M.O.D. Squad (Maria Bello and David Koechner), we find ourselves rooting for the very man we’re supposed to hate. Damn you, Eckhart!
The Fountain
Darren Aronofsky has always walked a fine line between brilliance and frustration. His previous film, Requiem for a Dream, was a stupendous, postmodern, anti-drug movie, but while viewing it, you can’t help but think that maybe he was a little too hard on his star actress Ellen Burstyn. Unfortunately, her acting chops go largely unnoticed in this, his latest film, instead focusing on Hugh Jackman and his slowly wilting flower, Rachel Weisz. Though Aronofsky ultimately bites off more than he can chew thematically, the film is a refreshing burst of energy and optimism in an otherwise drab and unoriginal cinematic world. It’s 2001 for 2006.
The Science of Sleep
What kind of year would it be without another brilliant movie from Michel Gondry? 2006 was a good year for him, with the release of this, as well as his docu-musical Dave Chappelle’s Block Party. And while The Science of Sleep oftentimes feels like a low budget Eternal Sunshine, the eccentricities certainly stand out more, and Gondry’s madcap directing style gives ample opportunity for some great performances by his equally eccentric cast.

Honorable Mention: Bubble (Steven Soderbergh’s Mini-DV masterpiece, complete with a stellar performance by a former Kentucky Fried Chicken manager), A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater's brilliant anti-drug "drug movie" ought to be considered for a Best Animated Feature Oscar, but it won't), Shortbus (John Cameron Mitchell’s sexual endeavors know no limits, but the joyous cacophony of this film simply cannot be denied).