Chris
#1 Babel - Iñárritu's
brilliant film captures the lives of four people around the globe
showing that suffering, hope and humanity know no particular
language, creed or culture. With remarkable patience, Iñárritu
allows the camera to float through incredible vistas of Morroco,
Mexico and Tokyo and never forces dialogue or political messages.
#2 Volver - Pedro Almodóvar's
quirky and witty film tells the story of three generations of women
and how their lives are connected through violent circumstances.
Blending multiple genres and filmed with an alarming insight and
sureness, this film is one of the most enjoyable movie experiences I
have had all year.
#3 After the Wedding - I managed to catch this Danish film at
the Toronto International Film Festival and utterly fell in love
with it. The tale of a Dane working at an orphanage in India
who returns to Copenhagen on a fundraising mission where a wedding
changes his whole life. A powerful film about family and
nationality with a stunning performance by Mads Mikkelsen.
#4 The Science of Sleep -
It takes an amazing actor to pull off the feat that Michel Gondry
scripted and directed in The Science of Sleep and
Gael García Bernal is absolutely stunning. He not only makes
Gondry's wild fantasies electric, but creates in his character
Stephan a complex and confused character whom it is impossible to
not love and revile concurrently.
#5 Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story -
I am a sucker for movies about movies and this is one of the
greatest ever made (it even references the music to the greatest and
my favorite film, Fellini's 8 1/2). Michael
Winterbottom tackles both putting the unfilmable,
stream-of-consciousness novel Tristram Shandy, a behind-the-scenes
tale of two rival actors and an exposé of the
film making process and succeeds brilliantly. Funny, smart and
self-aware, I never tire of watching this film.
(A very tough list to make and I wanted to mention that Brick
and Pan's Labyrinth only missed the cut by the narrowest of
margins.) |
Kevin
#1 United 93 - A
realistic dramatization of the final hours of United Flight 93 on
September 11, 2001. Directed by Peter Greengrass and using
non-actors, this film captures the heart-rending ordeal without
preaching or "Hollywoodizing" the events.
#2 End of the Spear -
A heartwarming and heartbreaking story, and one that, regardless of
your personal beliefs, should leave you with a newfound respect for
the men, women and families who become missionaries to the ends of
the Earth.
#3 The Last King of Scotland -
Idi Amin: possibly Africa’s most notorious dictator and brilliantly
portrayed by Forest Whitaker. Through the eyes of his personal
physician we see the rise and fall of an incredibly charismatic and
manic man during the height of his reign over Uganda.
#4 The Departed -
Return of the spy movie and Scorsese. No gadgets, no bells, no
whistles, no hot, scantily-clad eye-candy sidekicks. This film is
filled with real intrigue, the kind where the audience knows a lot
and the characters know very little. Organized crime meets the boys
in blue Sath Bahstan (aka South Boston).
#5 The Nativity Story -
A simple story of the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem where
she gives birth to the baby Jesus. Following in the footsteps of Mel
Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, The Nativity Story
simply, quietly and eloquently retells this auspicious event in
history. It is subtle and startling in its historical accuracy. No
fabulous soundtrack moments, no overbearing actors, and fantastic
special effects needed to "flesh" out this story.
|
Steve
#1 Brick - This film
noir might confuse those expecting a Hollywood high school film, but
if they stick around, they'll see a high school world that doesn't
seem that far-fetched as it should. Everything works in this film
from the use of sound/music to the dialogue that shouldn't fit into
high school, but does. If there is one film that you see from 2006,
make it this one!
#2 Thank You For Smoking - This satire features a brilliant
performance by Aaron Eckhart as the #1 PR man for the cigarette
industry, and he shows just how funny a satire can be when done
properly. Smoking presents us with both the absurdies of the world
that are all around us and also the moral issues of being a pitchman
and a father at the same time.
#3 Clerks II - This raunchy, crude film has the gross-out humor
that one has come to expect from a Kevin Smith film (I think I
almost wet myself during the "Pillow Pants" conversation), but under
it all there is a great heartfelt story about two friends being
there for one another.
#4 The Prestige -
This reflection on obsession and the toll it can take on our lives
comes with the twists and turns one expects from a Christopher Nolan
film, but even knowing the ending before the film starts (I
had read the book The Prestige before seeing the film), I still got
caught up watching Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman trying to one-up
each other.
#5 Little Miss Sunshine -
I wonder how this film will hold up over time (I watched it for the
first time just recently), but this quirky-for-the-sake-of-being-quirky road movie
stands out above the rest with its truly interesting more-than-one-dimensional characters and its brilliant final dance
scene/sequence.
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