Time Capsule: The 10 Best Films of 2006

 

Time capsule: 2006

What was 2006 like for you? Was it a memorable year, one to forget, or a year that was just “meh?” Here's a little reminder of some of the year's more notable events.

In 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers became Super Bowl champs while the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. The Carolina Hurricanes, formerly the Hartford Whalers, won the Stanley Cup and the Miami Heat, led by Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, won the NBA title. The University of Florida won the NCAA football AND basketball championships.

In business, Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion. Vice President Dick Cheney shot a friend accidentally while quail hunting in Texas, and NASA launched the New Horizons spacecraft to fly by Pluto/Charon and view other Kuiper Belt objects. Facebook opened to anyone over 13-years old with a valid e-mail address and television’s Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, was killed after a run-in with a stingray.

The top television shows in 2006 were “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “CSI,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “House.”

The top movies at the box office, according to Box Office Mojo, were

1.    Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

2.    Cars

3.    X-men: The Last Stand

4.    The Da Vinci Code

5.    Superman Returns

6.    Ice Age: The Meltdown

7.    Happy Feet

8.    Over the Hedge

9.    Casino Royale

10.Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

I remember in 2006 that quite a few film critics bemoaned the state of the film industry. They insisted that the overall crop of films was lacking, and that trend was likely to continue. That year I was on the fence in that regard. In previous years I could always find movies that I could respect, or even marvel at, for their artistry while also appealing to me on an emotional level. In 2006, it was harder to find those films. Nevertheless, these were the ones I found admirable and appealing to me emotionally. The ten listed here are extraordinary films, the kind you should search your streaming service for and treat yourself to.

         10. “Hollywoodland” – This speculative film about the death of “Superman” actor George Reeves is terrific film noir. It gives us three possible reasons for the actor’s mysterious death, reasons that will provoke the inner detective in viewers. Adrien Brody puts is an absolutely terrific performance.

9. “Who Killed the Electric Car” – In 2006, we certainly didn’t have the bevy of Teslas and hybrid cars on the road. This film illustrates big business’ attempts to put the brakes on a market that produces transportation that is far more environmentally friendly and practical enough for everyday use.

8. “Pan’s Labyrinth” – A girl retreats to fantasy to escape an abusive stepfather during the Spanish Civil War in the 1940s. Alternately beautiful and violent. Continues a theme screenwriter Guillermo del Toro began with his film “The Devil’s Backbone.”

7. “A Prairie Home Companion” – This is a bit of a sentimental favorite because I did like Garrison Keillor’s weekly NPR program. But it was also Robert Altman’s final film before his passing. He never lost his craft throughout his career.

6. “Little Miss Sunshine” – The family portrayed here has to be one of the more dysfunctional families portrayed in film. Despite their foibles, there is an inescapable feeling of love these characters have for each other that makes seeing this film worthwhile. Excellent performances from Abigail Breslin and Paul Dano.

5. “L’Enfant” – French film in which a pair of grifters rediscover their compassion and humanity once they have a child together.

4. “The Departed” – I may be committing cinematic blasphemy here, but I think this is Martin Scorcese’s best film(apologies to "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas" fans). We don’t know who the real bad guy is in this organized-crime drama and we don’t find out until the very end. Scorcese keeps us transfixed with unexpected changes of direction throughout the film.

3. “An Inconvenient Truth” – This film elicited the most passionate responses from my readers in my entire newspaper career. It stirred feelings equally among those who believe climate change is real and caused by humans and those who believe it’s a farce.

2. “United 93” – This is a film stripped of all pretense and overtly manufactured drama about one of the planes hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Had the passengers on this flight not taken the action they did, the events of that day could have been demonstrably worse. It comes across as so authentic, you swear you're watching the actual event as it happens.

1. “Babel” – Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu is one of the best filmmakers at taking disparate storylines and slowly bringing them together to illustrate a common connection. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchette star. It is one of Pitt's best performances of his career.