Lady Vengeance

Volver

Brick

An Inconvenient Truth

Notes on a Scandal

Thank You for Smoking

Babel

Little Miss Sunshine

V For Vendetta

The Departed

 

Runners Up (Alphabetical)

The Aura

Blood Diamond

Casino Royale

The Da Vinci Code

The Devil Wears Prada

The House Of Sand

Lucky Number Slevin

The Prestige

Running Scared

Stranger Than Fiction

 

Honorable Mentions (or Good DVD Views) (Alphabetical)

10th & Wolf

16 Blocks

The Architect

Crank

The Descent

District B13

Don't Come Knocking

Eight Below

Fast Food Nation

Freedomland

The Good Shepherd

Hard Candy

Inside Man

The King

The Last King of Scotland

Mission: Impossible III

Monster House

Nanny McPhee

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The Proposition

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

Rocky Balboa

The Sentinel

Slither

Superman Returns

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

Twelve and Holding

Underworld: Evolution

X-Men: The Last Stand

 

Hugely Disappointing (Alphabetical)

All the King's Men

The Black Dahlia

Children of Men

Clerks II

Excellent Cadavers

Flags of Our Fathers

Hollywoodland

Miami Vice

You, Me and Dupree

 

Worst of the Worst (Alphabetical)

Ask the Dust

Calvaire

Feast

The Hills Have Eyes

Jet Li's Fearless

The Pink Panther

Ultraviolet

 

Noteworthy and Seen in 2006
but Released Prior to 2006

The Girl In The Café (2005)

A May-December comedy becomes a political drama. Lawrence, a spindly, self-effacing civil servant, is a senior researcher for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, preparing for a G-8 summit that will determine the scope of the world's effort to reduce extreme poverty. In a crowded café, he chats awkwardly with Gina, a young Scot with time on her hands. They share a couple of meals, and he invites her to accompany him to the summit in Reykjavík. Once there, as romance blooms, Gina's past, Lawrence's work and proclivity to compromise, and the presence of ministers and presidents spur her to act.

Omagh (2004)

In this intensely emotional examination of the aftermath of the 1998 IRA bombing that killed 29 people in Omagh, Northern Ireland, Michael Gallagher (Gerard McSorley), the bereaved father of one of the victims, battles point-scoring politicians and face-saving police to find an explanation for what exactly happened -- and what should be done about it. This gripping film directed by Pete Travis garnered numerous international awards.

Stage Beauty (2004)

It's the 1660s, actor Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup) is sitting pretty; the brightest star in Restoration theatre. Women are forbidden to appear on stage, so the beautiful, brazen, bisexual Ned shines in all the great female roles. Maria (Claire Danes), his loyal dresser, looks on with admiration - and just a touch of envy. Suddenly, Ned's world is turned upside-down. Charles II is keen to spice up the theatre and see his persuasive young mistress Nell Gwyn take some applause. So he changes the law, banning cross-dressing male actors, and sending Ned's once-glittering career into freefall.

The House Of Sand (2005)

Andrucha Waddington directs this epic drama that explores how daughters ultimately become their mothers. After following her parents to the wilds of northern Brazil, the pregnant Aurea (Fernanda Montenegro) yearns for the modernity of the city, but she can't bear to leave her mother (Fernanda Torres). Now, years after her mother's death, Aurea (now played by Torres) is having trouble reigning in her own daughter (played by Montenegro).

Don't Come Knocking (2005)

Indulging in alcohol and women to boost his ego, washed-up cowboy star Howard Spence (Sam Shepard) rides off the set of his latest movie and embarks on a journey of self-discovery in this drama. Spence tries to dry out at his mom's (Eva Marie Saint) house, but returns to his self-destructive ways until she reveals a secret that forces him to straighten out his life. Tim Roth and Jessica Lange co-star.

Election (2005) and Election 2 (2006)

Every 2 years, the Wo Shing Triad Society elects their new chairman (Hong Kong people do not have the luxury of democratic elections). The two fighting for the top spot are the calm and measured Lok (Simon Yam, in a performance responding to those traits) and the loudmouthed, hotheaded Big D (Tony Leung Ka-Fai, ditto). Despite money switching hands to buy votes, Uncle Teng (Wong Tin Lam, bringing the most nobility the film has) and his fellow senior members vote Lok in as the new chairman. However the leadership Baton passed on from one chairman to another is on the loose and it's clear that Big D isn't giving in without a fight, even if it includes forming a new triad society...

Election 2, like the first film, is a fairly slow-paced work, so those expecting the more flashy Young and Dangerous action films might be disappointed. But the solid acting and the lovingly crafted cinematography make the process worthwhile. And for those who do enjoy a bit of the spilled claret, there are some brutal scenes which should satisfy any craving for bloodshed. This isn't one of the greats in the pantheon of HK gangster films, but it at least has a glimmer of those classics, which is a lot more than many recent releases could hope to say.