Top 10 Films of 2006 - Movie Forums

Posted my list in another thread, but here's my top 10 of the year:

10: CHILDREN OF MEN - Alfonso Cuaron
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9: NOTES ON A SCANDAL - Richard Eyre
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8: VENUS - Roger Michell
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7: UNITED 93 - Paul Greengrass
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6: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE - Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris
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5: THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP - Michael Gondry
"In dreams, emotions are overwhelming."
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-It is my pleasure to state that Michael Gondry's new romance is one of the most delightful films of the year. Filled with conceptual innovation and strong character development, this is like an abstract map of love and dreams. Directed with flair and extremely well-acted.-

4: LITTLE CHILDREN - Todd Field
"It's the hunger - the hunger for an alternative and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness."
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-I absolutely love Little Children. It's a rare film - an ensemble piece that balances complexity among numerous characters while remaining intriguing for the audience. Field's direction and writing are outstanding, and the entire cast seems to know exactly what he wants. The performances are unanimously remarkable. I'm particularly impressed with Patrick Wilson, who proved himself a talented and promising actor in the year 2006. One of the most incredible things about this picture is its combined visceral and thought-provoking effects. It had my mind working, even at the points where I was tearing up. This is a suburban tragedy in the ranks of such modern classics as American Beauty.-

3: HALF NELSON - Ryan Fleck
"...And it's important to know that there are some things you can't change, but that there are others you can."
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-This is a film that finds the rare balance between subtle humanity and cinematic appeal. This is an absolutely beautifully written piece that allows Ryan Gosling to command the screen. The result is the kind of performance we would expect from Marlon Brando. He is nuanced, fierce, heartbreaking and captivating all at once - and that's without speaking. Although DiCaprio is a more seasoned and proven talent, Gosling stole the trophy for best performance of 2006.-

2: THE DEPARTED - Martin Scorsese
"You threaten me once... I put up with it. You threaten me twice, I quit. You give me a reason to fear for my life, and I will put a f*ckin' bullet in your head as if you were anybody else. Okay?"
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-This film contains everything you would expect from a top-notch Scorsese feature. A complex, engaging suspense film driven by an intelligent screenplay and fierce direction, this is a genuinely great film. The entire cast is stupendous, but DiCaprio stands out in one of his best performances to date. This is one of Scorsese's grandest feats - he makes this intricate story work beautifully and keeps things moving at a perfect pace. Although Monahan's script is an adaptation, The Departed is completely a Scorsese picture. It's bursting with his trademarks and directorial signatures. One of the best films of the year, and instantly one of my all-time favorites. This is undoubtedly going to be remembered as one of the great films of our time.-

1: THE FOUNTAIN - Darren Aronofsky
"Your wife needs, you Tommy! Why are you here?"
"Why the f*ck do you think I'm here?!"
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-Every so often, a film of vast importance and quality is overlooked by critics and audiences. The Fountain is one of those films. This is beautiful, visionary filmmaking with bright ideas about the future of cinema. Aronofsky writes and directs this masterpiece with skill and grace, weaving a complex tale full of emotional and metaphorical fibres. He tackles the universal topics of love, life and death with full-fledged vision, producing a gorgeous web of stories that everyone can relate to. The combination of Mansell's music and Aronofsky's images has a sort of poetic perfection to it, and this is some of the most incredible cinematography I have ever seen. Libatique literally conjures an original visual roadmap that subtly transitions along with the film's central theme of death. Remarkable performances all around, especially from Jackman and Weisz. There are scenes in this film that are outright heartbreaking. It cut to the core of me, and I will not soon be forgetting it. This is a step above anything I've ever seen - a visceral, passionate visual poem full of brilliant originality and timeless intrigue. Flawless.-
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