Good Movies of 2006

The good movies of 2006 range from ensemble dramas to the latest Oscar-nominated film starring Meryl Streep. There are a number of other films worth your attention, as well, and I’ve compiled several of these below. After you’ve seen them, be sure and share your thoughts in our comments section.

  1. Pan’s Labyrinth – Guillermo del Toro directs this dark fairy tale set after the events of the Spanish Civil War. A young girl name Ofelia goes to live with her new stepfather, a cruel soldier in service of the Franco regime.  She quickly meets a creature she believes to be a fairy, and she’s later introduced to Faun, a horned monstrosity who believes her to be the reincarnation of an ancient princess of the Underworld.   Critically acclaimed, the film manages to achieve a primal beauty that will linger long after you’ve shut off the DVD player. 
  2. Blood Diamond – The riveting story of a Mende fisherman, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), who’s captured by rebel forces during the Sierra Leone Civil War and forced to mine for diamonds to help finance the war.  When he finds an unusually large stone, he hides it to pay for his freedom, but he gets captured before he can make his escape. This brings him to the attention of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a mercenary looking for a big score which will allow him to leave Africa and start over.  Archer and Vandy team up, and they’re soon joined by an idealistic American journalist (Jennifer Connelly) who hopes to end the blood diamond trade.  Nominated for five Oscars, including DiCaprio and Hounsou, Blood Diamond is undoubtedly one of the good movies of 2006.
  3. Rocky Balboa – Retired boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) owns an Italian restaurant where he spends time telling his in-ring stories to entertain customers.  Outside of the establishment, he’s a lonely widower desperately seeking the love of his son and the challenges which his old profession provided.  When a televised computer simulation has him beating the current boxing champ, an exhibition match is scheduled.  While most don’t take the fight seriously, Rocky pours his heart and soul into preparing for the bout.  While we’ve seen all this before, it’s still kinda like having an old friend over for dinner.  The meal is secondary…what matters is the company.
  4. Silent Hill – The plot of this video game adaptation doesn’t always make a lot of sense, but it’s one of the most visually arresting films that I’ve seen in years.  From witch burnings to deserted streets covered in fog, Silent Hill is filled with one nightmarish vision after another.  And I didn’t even mention the creepy nurses, who still look kinda hot (but not nearly as hot as stars Radha Mitchell and Laurie Holden). 
  5. Borat – Sasha Baron Cohen dons his disguise as a Kazakh journalist and heads to America to poke fun at the locals.  Along the way, he falls in love with Pamela Anderson, wrestles nude with his producer, purchases a bear, and goes to visit Pearl Harbor…in Texas.  Cohen mixes improvised skits with both willing and unwitting participants, allowing Borat’s exaggerated prejudices to bring out the good and bad in his subjects.  But some people just can’t take a joke, as evidenced by the numerous lawsuits filed by people captured on camera (all of whom signed release forms) and the countries which banned the film (including every Arab country except Lebanon). 
  6. Babel – A globe-spanning drama focusing on issues of communication and class, Babel features an ensemble cast which includes Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Rinko Kikuchi, and Adriana Barraza.  Nominated for seven Oscars, the film takes place in Morocco, Mexico, the United States, and Japan.  The central action involves the accidental shooting of an American tourist (Blanchett).  As authorities investigate and the tourist and her husband seek aid, a number of characters and subplots are revealed.  Strong performances all around, and a worthy contender for the Best Picture Oscar (although it lost to The Departed). 
  7. V for Vendetta – After completing The Matrix trilogy, The Wachowski Brothers turned their attention to producing this adaptation of the Alan Moore graphic novel.  Set in a dystopian England, a young woman named Evey Hammond(Natalie Portman) encounters a masked vigilante known only as V (Hugo Weaving).  Intent on bringing down the corrupt government, V enlists Evey’s help in the fight against tyranny.  Plenty of stylistic violence, an uplifting message, and strong performances all mark V for Vendetta as one of the good movies of 2006.  Co-starring Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, and John Hurt.
  8. Clerks II – By the time Clerks II came out, I was pretty burned out on the Jay & Silent Bob shtick.  However, I’m happy to report that Clerks II exceeded my expectations.  Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson) are now working at a fast food restaurant, and Dante is officially tired of the minimum wage lifestyle.  Rosario Dawson plays their manager, and Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) have since migrated to loiter in front of the restaurant.  Great use of music, especially an extended sequence set to “ABC” by The Jackson Five. Those who are easily offended should stay away, but that applies to almost every Kevin Smith film.
  9. The Devil Wears Prada – Based on the novel of the same name, The Devil Wears Prada follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a recent college graduate who winds up as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), the tyrannical editor of a New York fashion magazine.  Noted for its attention to fashion and Streep’s powerhouse performance, the film is a chick flick from start to finish.  Also starring Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, and Adrian Grenier. 
  10. Brick – A hardboiled detective story which takes place at a high school and stars the long-haired kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).  When an ex-girlfriend dies, Brendan Frye is determined to get to the bottom of her death.  To do so, he’ll have to navigate the school’s various social cliques and eventually contend with a drug lord named The Pin (Lukas Haas) and his violent enforcer.  A refreshing take on the crime film genre, and Gordon-Levitt demonstrates his star potential in spades.

Now that you’re better informed as to some of the good movies of 2006, why not stick around and get your movie fix with the following articles:

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 7:00 am and is filed under Good Movies, Thoughts on Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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One Response to “Good Movies of 2006”

  1. Blu-ray DVDs says:
    November 28, 2009 at 11:12 am

    I watched Blood Diamond many times and this is one of my favorite movie.

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