Film As Seen by Wayne Case, 2006
by Wayne Case
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Note: This recap is based on my personal reaction to the 158 films that I saw in full during 2006.
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Best Films (1) FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
(2) Tie: THE DEPARTED
(2) Tie: LITTLE CHILDREN
(4) THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
(5) UNITED 93
(6) BABEL
(7) NOTES ON A SCANDAL
(8) AKEELAH AND THE BEE
(9) CASINO ROYALE
(10) SUPERMAN RETURNS
(11) THE HISTORY BOYS
(12) LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
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Runners-Up (Alphabetical)
AMERICAN DREAMZ
THE BLACK DAHLIA
HOLLYWOODLAND
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVEN
MISS POTTER
NANNY McPHEE
THE QUEEN
QUINCEANERA
RUNNING SCARED
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
TIME TO LEAVE (LE TEMPS QUI RESTE)
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Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical)
BROTHERS OF THE HEAD
DREAMGIRLS
EIGHT BELOW
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
HALF NELSON
IDLEWILD
THE NIGHT LISTENER
A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
THE PRESTIGE
TALLAGEDA NIGHTS
WORLD TRADE CENTER
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Guilty Pleasures (In Order)
(1) STEP UP
(2) FAILURE TO LAUNCH
(3) MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND
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Worthy Documentaries (Alpha)
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
SHUT UP AND SING
UNKNOWN WHITE MALE
WHY WE FIGHT
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Worsts (1) LITTLE MAN
(2) THE BENCHWARMERS
(3) SCARY MOVIE 4
(4) LONDON
(5) CLICK
(6) MADEA'S FAMILY REUNION
(7) NACHO LIBRE
(8) YOU, ME AND DUPREE
(9) MARIE ANTOINETTE
(10) HOOT
(11) SCOOP
(12) RUNNING WITH SCISSORS
(13) FLICKA
(14) BASIC INSTINCT 2
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But Not For Me (Alphabetical)
BOBBY
BORAT
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE ILLUSIONIST
THE PAINTED VEIL
PAN'S LABYRINTH
VOLVER
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Best Director (1) Martin Scorsese, THE DEPARTED
(2) Clint Eastwood, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
(3) Todd Field, LITTLE CHILDREN
(4) Clint Eastwood, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
(5) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, BABEL
(6) David Frankel, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA |
Best Cinematography ASK THE DUST, Cabel Deschanel
THE BLACK DAHLIA, Vilmos Zsigmond
THE DEPARTED, Michael Ballhaus
HOLLYWOODLAND, Jonathan Freedman
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, Tom Stern
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, Tom Stern
NANNY McPHEE, Henry Braham
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Best Actor (In order of preference)
(1) Leonardo DiCaprio, THE DEPARTED
(2) Matt Damon, THE DEPARTED
(3) Ryan Gosling, HALF NELSON
(4) Patrick Wilson, LITTLE CHILDREN
(5) Peter O'Toole, VENUS
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Best Actress (In order of preference)
(1) Tie Judi Dench, NOTES ON A SCANDAL
(1) Tie Meryl Streep, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
(3) Kate Winslet, LITTLE CHILDREN
(4) Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN
(5) Renee Zellweger, MISS POTTER
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Best Actor Runners Up Christian Bale, THE PRESTIGE
Aaron Eckhart, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Richard Griffiths, THE HISTORY BOYS
Hugh Jackman, THE PRESTIGE
James McAvoy, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Sean Penn, ALL THE KING'S MEN
Forest Whitaker, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Patrick Wilson, HARD CANDY
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Best Actress Runners Up Abbie Cornish, SOMERSAULT
Maggie Gyllenhaal, SHERRYBABY
Pointedly Excluded:
Annette Bening, RUNNING WITH SCISSORS
Penelope Cruz, VOLVER
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Best Supporting Actor (1) Jackie Earle Haley, LITTLE CHILDREN
(2) Ben Affleck, HOLLYWOODLAND
(3) Adam Beach, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
(4) Mark Wahlberg, THE DEPARTED
(5) tie Bill Nighy. NOTES ON A SCANDAL
(5) tie Brad Pitt, BABEL
(5) tie Michael Sheen, THE QUEEN
(5) tie Stanley Tucci, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Best Supporting Actor Runner-Ups (9) Steve Carell, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
(10) Sacha Baron Cohen, TALLADEGA NIGHTS
(11) Jack Nicholson, THE DEPARTED
(12) Paul Bettany, THE DA VINCI CODE
(13) Samuel Barnett, THE HISTORY BOYS
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Best Supporting Actress (1) Jennifer Hudson, DREAMGIRLS
(2) Cate Blanchett, NOTES ON A SCANDAL
(3) Rinko Kikuchi, BABEL
(4) Adriana Barraza, BABEL
(5) Emily Blunt, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Best Supporting Actress (6) Vera Farmiga, THE DEPARTED
(7) Phyllis Somerville, LITTLE CHILDREN
(8) Frances de la Tour, THE HISTORY BOYS
(9) Shareeka Epps, HALF NELSON
(10) Diane Lane, HOLLYWOODLAND
(11) Keke Palmer, AKEELAH AND THE BEE
(12) Toni Collette, THE NIGHT LISTENER
(13) Sandra Bullock, INFAMOUS
(14) Blythe Danner, THE LAST KISS
(15) Maggie Gyllenhaal, WORLD TRADE CENTER
(16) Lily Tomlin, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
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Best Director (1) Martin Scorsese, THE DEPARTED
(2) Clint Eastwood, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
(3) Todd Field, LITTLE CHILDREN
(4) Clint Eastwood, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
(5) Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, BABEL
(6) David Frankel, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
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Best Cinematography ASK THE DUST, Cabel Deschanel
THE BLACK DAHLIA, Vilmos Zsigmond
THE DEPARTED, Michael Ballhaus
HOLLYWOODLAND, Jonathan Freedman
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, Tom Stern
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, Tom Stern
NANNY McPHEE, Henry Braham
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| Best Original Script
(Alphabetical)
BABEL
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
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Best Adapted Script
(Alphabetical)
THE DEPARTED
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL |
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Best Original Song (Alphabetical)
"Definition of Love" from AKEELAH AND THE BEE
"Dreamz With a Z" from AMERICAN DREAMZ
"Goodbye To My Mama" from A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
"I Need To Wake Up" from AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
"Listen" from DREAMGIRLS
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" from BOBBY
"Never Let Go" from THE GUARDIAN
"Ordinary Miracle" from CHARLOTTE'S WEB
"PJ & The Rooster" from IDLEWILD
"When You Taught Me How To Dance" from MISS POTTER
"You Know My Name" from CASINO ROYALE
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Best Original Musical Scoring (Alpha)
(1) FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS by Clint Eastwood
(2) LITTLE CHILDREN by Thomas Newman
(3) CASINO ROYALE by David Arnold (Monty Norman)
(4) SUPERMAN RETURNS by John Ottman (John Williams)
(5) STEP-UP by Aaron Zigman
(6) IDLEWILD by Andre Benjamin
(7) NANNY McPHEE by Patrick Doyle
(8) THE BLACK DAHLIA by Mark Ishman
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Special Comments |
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(1) RANT: Theatrical trailers continue to annoy and confound me still/yet again. They just keep getting worse. Other than the outstanding one for THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA this year, they all look and sound alike with loud music & machine-gun/hair-trigger editing. The name of the film being advertised is withheld till the end and most of the prominently featured cast remains unidentified. More often than not, too much information about the plot and/or story is revealed. The two worst offenders this year were THE PAINTED VEIL and NOTES ON A SCANDAL. Both gave full plot synopses. Right after seeing the trailer for NOTES ON A SCANDAL at the Arclight in Hollywood, I heard a man say to his date that he no longer needed to see the film since he now knew the entire plot! I do admire the trailers for DREAMGIRLS, however and wish the film had lived up to the high standard they set.
(2) QUESTION: Where was Rachel McAdams during 2006?! After fantastic years in 2004 & 2005 when she stared in MEAN GIRLS, THE NOTEBOOK, WEDDING CRASHERS and THE FAMILY STONE, she appeared in no new film released during 2006. I did see some recent photos of her with Ryan Gosling at a couple of premiers so maybe she had other priorities! I missed her and hope to see her on the screen again soon.
(3) CONSTERNATION: I really looked forward to DREAMGIRLS. While I was entertained, I can think of few films that have disappointed me as much. I was delighted when Bill Condon was hired to adapt and direct. I still think he was the right person for the job but hate a couple of his choices and wonder how many of the decisions were his. For one thing, I read him brag about recording all the vocals in advance of filming. While I understand the reasons for doing that and don't generally object, both Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce Knowles deserved to be filmed/recorded live doing their big showcase numbers "Listen" and "And I'm Telling You". Regardless of that however, the bigger annoyance for me was the decision to cut away from them during those two scenes. Only an inexperienced/insecure director would repeatedly cut away from divas in full flight the way it's done here. To see how it should be done, check out Barbra Streisand & William Wyler's directing/editing of Streisand wailing "My Man" in FUNNY GIRL (1968). That fantastic song was filmed with live sound and there is little or no editing while the camera stays on her for the entire scene.
(4) SPECIAL THANKS: (A) Sylvester Stallone has promised that he will not remake ROCKY again. I totally agree with him that six versions is quite enough. (B) No film from Peter Hyams was released in 2006 and I've found no evidence that any are immediately forthcoming. (C) No film from Bob Clark was released in 2006 but, be warned that he has three in pre-production! (D) No film from James Foley was released in 2006 but prepare for at least one clunker in 2007 with another threatening pre-production.(E) No film from Frank Oz was released in 2006 but he tries again with something called DEATH AT A FUNERAL in 2007. I predict creative calamity followed quickly by death at the boxoffice.
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Special Awards |
| The Victor Mature Worst Performance by an Actor Award: Matthew McConaughey in WE ARE MARSHALL To some extent, blame direction by McG emphasized by questionable hair & costume decisions.) The Michelle Phillips/Cornelia Sharpe/Angel Thompkins Worst Performance by an Actress Award: Lindsay Lohan in JUST MY LUCK (This is an exceptionally lazy turn from the notorious teenage party
animal. Maybe she was too tired or hungover to bother.)
The Heaven’s Gate Budget Award: POSEIDON and MIAMI VICE
The Otto Preminger “Light Touch” Award: PEACEFUL WARRIOR
The Sam Peckinpah “Wretched Excess” Award: The Wayans Clan
The Sidney Lumet Miscasting Award: Harrison Ford in FIREWALL
A Star Is Born Break-Thru Award: Channing Tatum for A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR The Surgeon General’s Warning Award: Josh Lucas in POSEIDON. Leonardo DiCaprio in BLOOD DIAMOND and the director & cast of THE GOOD GERMAN
The John Hartl Stop-Them-Before-They-Direct-Again Award: Brothers Anthony Russo & Joe Russo for The Calling-Sydney-Guilaroff-for-Help-Hair-Style Award:
Female: Frances McDormand in FRIENDS WITH MONEY
Male: Matthew McConaughey in WE ARE MARSHALL
The What About Bob Most Annoying Award: Owen Wilson in YOU, ME AND DUPREE
Mos Def in 16 BLOCKS Kirsten Dunst in MARIE ANTOINETTE The Bill Lee Worst Musical Scoring Award: Alexandre Desplat, THE PAINTED VEIL The Joan Crawford Johnny Guitar/Take-No-Prisoners Acting Award:
Judy Davis in THE BREAK-UP
Fiona Shaw in THE BLACK DAHLIA
Toby Jones in INFAMOUS
Mandy Moore in AMERICAN DREAMZ
Break-through Directors Award: Anne Fletcher, STEP UP
Wayne Kramer, RUNNING SCARED
Paul McGuigan, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVEN
Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe, BROTHERS OF THE HEAD
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The Ellen Terry Awards
Note: Awarded to those providing extra and-or unexpected pleasure.
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Simon Baker, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. SOMETHING NEW Justin Bartha, FAILURE TO LAUNCH
Paul Bettany, FIREWALL
Lucas Black, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT
Adam Brody, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
Chris Carmack, JUST MY LUCK
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, FIREWALL
Bradley Cooper, FAILURE TO LAUNCH
Tim Dekay, PEACEFUL WARRIOR
Jamie Dorman, MARIE ANTOINETTE
Chris Evans, LONDON
Sam Elliott, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING
James Franco, ANNAPOLIS, FLYBOYS, THE DEAD GIRL
Scott Gibson LUCKY NUMBER SLEVEN
Josh Hartnett, THE BLACK DAHLIA, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVEN
Cole Hauser, THE BREAK-UP
Philip Seymour Hoffman, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III
Ashton Holmes, PEACEFUL WARRIOR
Sam Jaeger, LUCKY NUMBER SLEVEN
Ashton Kutcher, THE GUARDIAN
Ryan Kwanten, FLICKA
Heath Ledger, CANDY
Josh Lucas, GLORY ROAD
Scott Mechlowicz. PEACEFUL WARRIOR
Christian Oliver, THE GOOD GERMAN
Melvil Poupaud, TIME TO LEAVE
Brandon Routh, SUPERMAN RETURNS
Ivan Sergei, THE BREAK-UP
Harry Trendaway, BROTHERS OF THE HEAD
Luke Trendeway, BROTHERS OF THE HEAD
Paul Walker, EIGHT BELOW, RUNNING SCARED
Rainn Wilson, MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND
Sam Worthington, SOMERSAULT
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Amy Adams, TALLADEGA NIGHTS
Shohreh Aghdashloo, AMERICAN DREAMZ
Kim Basinger, THE SENTINEL
Kathy Bates, FAILURE TO LAUNCH
Maria Bello, WORLD TRADE CENTER
Leslie Bibb, TALLADEGA NIGHTS
Blair Brown, THE SENTINEL
Cindy Cheung, LADY IN THE WATER
Zooey Deschanel, FAILURE TO LAUNCH
Judi Dench, CASINO ROYALE
Vera Farmiga, RUNNING SCARED
Beth Grant, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Laura Harding, THE KING
Anne Hathaway, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Idina Menzel, ASK THE DUST
Liza Minnelli, THE OH IN OHIO
Michelle Monaghan, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III
Sandra Oh, THE NIGHT LISTENER
Sarah Jessica Parker, FAILURE TO LAUNCH
Keri Russell, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III
Molly Shannon, TALLEDEGA NIGHTS
Sharon Stone, BOBBY
Tilda Swinton, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
Emma Thompson, NANNY McPHEE
Uma Thurman, MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND
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Wayne Case is a film critic living in Los Angeles.
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