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Dragonfire's Picks for the Best Movies of 2006Aug 18 '07 (Updated Feb 27 '10) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line These are my picks for the best movies released in 2006. I believe all of these are worth seeing. Yet again I find myself putting together a list of the best movies for the previous year later than I originally intended. I was able to see many movies that were released in 2006, either in the theater or by renting them. There are still some that I haven’t managed to see yet and hope to get to at some point. This list is based on the movies made in 2006 that I have seen as of writing this review. Once I manage to see some of the movies I’ve been wanting to see from 2006, I’ll update this review if I feel like one of them should be on this list. My list isn’t in any particular order. As it was, I had trouble cutting it down and I ended up with twelve instead of ten like I did last year. UPDATE - January 1, 2008 I recently saw another movie that was originally released in 2006 that I feel is one of the best movies of the year. I still feel that the movies I originally included deserve to be on my list, so I am just adding this last movie. Now my list has thirteen movies. Dreamgirls - The movie version of the Broadway musical told the story of three female singers and their rise to fame. The three friends, Effie, Deena, and Lorrell, went though a lot of changes, both in their personal and professional lives once they set on the road to fame with the help of their manager Curtis. The women started off singing backup for Jimmy Early before being able to go out on their own. The movie was full of wonderful music and amazing performances, especially by Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy. Last Holiday (2006) - Queen Latifah played Georgia Byrd, a woman who lived a quiet, uneventful life until she was told she only had three weeks to live. She decided to spend that time taking her dream vacation. The movie was very entertaining and included several funny and touching moments. Casino Royale - After twenty movies featuring James Bond, some better than others, the decision was made to start the series over and recast the role of Bond. I do admit I had some doubts when I heard that Daniel Craig was chosen for the role, but I still wanted to see the movie and I ultimately felt that he did a very good job with the part. This was a different Bond, one starting his career as an agent with a license to kill so he did make mistakes. He wasn’t afraid to truly love and he didn’t view women as being disposable. This new version of Bond worked very well and I look forward to seeing the next installment. Blood Diamond - Solomon, a fisherman, was forced to work in the diamond mines of Sierra Leone found a pink diamond that he managed to hide. His son was taken and put through training by the rebels. Danny Archer and Maddy Bowen ended up trying to help Solomon find his son. This wasn’t a happy movie, but it was very good and worth seeing. Leonardo DiCaprio was wonderful as Danny, giving one of the best performances of the year. Superman Returns - I know that a lot of people weren’t happy with this movie, but I really enjoyed it. Superman returned to Earth after being gone for several years. He found that the world, including Lois Lane, had moved on without him. Lex Luther managed to get out and was launching a new plot. The story had heart as well as action. I did think the casting was good overall even though Kate Bosworth seemed a bit young to be Lois. The Wild - For some reason, this animated movie received a lot of bad reviews. It was about a young lion who accidentally got himself shipped back to Africa so his father went after him. There were similarities to Madagascar, but I felt like the story was stronger and the animation better in this movie. The movie was very funny, thanks to many funny things that Nigel the koala bear said or did. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - I loved the second installment in this series even though I didn’t like it as much as I did the first one. Captain Jack was off on another adventure, this time trying to outwit Davy Jones, with Will and Elizabeth along. The plot was a bit more complex than the first movie and a few things were left unresolved but I still thought the movie was very entertaining. Lady in the Water - This is M. Night Shyamalan’s most unique movie which is saying something considering his other movies. This one was different from his previous movies and it could end up being too different for some viewers. The movie was like a bedtime story for adults and did include some fairytale elements. Shyamalan dared to create something truly unique and avoid the predictability that plagues many movies. Paul Giamatti was wonderful as the man trying to deal with the very unusual situation he found himself in. Since the movie was so different, it won’t be for everyone. The Illusionist - This movie told the story of Eisenheim the Illusionist, who became famous in Vienna for his wonderful illusions. He had a connection to Sophie, a woman engaged to marry Crown Prince Leopold. The prince sent a police inspector, Uhl, to figure out how the illusions were done and to deal with Eisenheim. The plot wasn’t the most original but it was still very intriguing with the twists that were added in. The cast was wonderful, especially Edward Norton as Eisenheim and Paul Giamatti as Uhl. The Prestige - Rupert Angier and Alfred Borden were working together for the same magician in London in the 1890's. A tragic event turned the two men into enemies who were obsessed with outdoing the other with their illusions. Alfred developed a new trick that Rupert just couldn’t figure out. This was a wonderful movie that layered in the mystery and magic throughout. Director Christopher Nolan used a nonlinear way of telling the story that worked very well. Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and Michael Caine were all wonderful in their parts. Flushed Away - This computer animated movie was created by the people responsible for Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. Even though the characters were created with computer animation, they had the same look, especially in the face, as the clay characters from Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. The movie was about a pet rat, Rodney, who was flushed down the toilet and ended up in the sewers of London. He was determined to return to his home and convinced Rita to help him even though she was running from Toad. I thought the story was original and it was very funny. Several funny moments were added by the singing slugs who turned up every so often. The Departed - This movie won the Oscar for best movie of 2006 and also won director Martin Scorsese his first best director Oscar. It was about Boston mob boss Frank Costello and two police officers. One went deep undercover in Frank’s organization to bring him down while the other was a mole feeding Frank information. The movie was very well done and full of wonderful acting, especially from Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon. I don’t usually care for movies about the mob, but I did really like this one even though it was very violent and not a happy movie. Cars - Pixar’s 2006 release featured characters who were all talking cars with no humans around. Lightening McQueen was a rookie race car on his way to winning his first Piston Cup. He ended up stuck in Radiator Springs, a small forgotten town along Route 66. At first, Lightening just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible but then he started to get to know the residents and see the appeal of the town. The movie featured the stunningly beautiful animation that Pixar has become known for and an engaging story that made the characters believable. It lived up to Pixar’s reputation and my expectations, making it my favorite movie of the year. Those were my picks for my favorite movies from 2006. I also want to briefly mention a few others that I also really enjoyed. Several of these were very close to being on my list. Little Miss Sunshine featured a dysfunctional family going on a road trip so Olive could compete in a beauty pageant. The movie was funny and twisted and very entertaining, though it isn’t for everyone. Night at the Museum was a very entertaining family friendly comedy that had Ben Stiller working at a museum were the exhibits came to life every night. Ice Age: The Meltdown was a very entertaining animated movie that was just as good as the first movie. I think it was one of the best animated movies in a year that had several very good animated releases. I also really enjoyed Monster House and Open Season. Deja Vu and Inside Man were very entertaining movies staring Denzel Washington. X-Men: The Last Stand had a few problems that bothered me, but I still really enjoyed the movie overall. Invincible told the story of Vince Papale and how he became a player on the Philadelphia Eagles team. The movie featured wonderful performances from Mark Wahlburg and Greg Kinnear. This was a highly entertaining movie that even non-football fans - like me - can enjoy. The Guardian followed a young man through his coast guard training and into his first assignment. Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner were very good in the movie. Lucky Number Slevin featured the mob, a case of mistaken identity, and an assassin in a highly entertaining story. I did see Happy Feet and I enjoyed it for the most part. The movie just got too preachy, which really impacted my overall enjoyment of the movie. I don’t think it was anywhere near the best animated movie of the year. That distinction goes to Cars. Other Best Movie Lists Best Movies of 2003 ~ Best Movies of 2004 ~ Best Movies of 2005 ~ Best Movies of 2007 ~ Best Movies of 2008 ~ Best Movies of 2009 ~  |
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