Top 10's of 2006

The Libertine

1. The Libertine
2. Hard Candy
3. Brothers of the Head
4. Inland Empire
5. Notes on a Scandal
6. Shortbus
7. A Scanner Darkly
8. Garçon Stupide
9. The Queen
10. Beowulf & Grendel

Gems worthy of note:
Hand of God, C*R*A*Z*Y

1. The U.S. vs. John Lennon
2. The Trials of Darryl Hunt
3. Renaissance
4. Who Killed the Electric Car?
5. This Film Is Not Yet Rated
6. Sketches of Frank Gehry
7. Mutual Appreciation
8. Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
9. Neil Young: Heart of Gold
10. Who Gets to Call it Art?

Honorable Mentionable(s):
Drawings and War: The Testimony of the Children of Uganda, 49 UP, The Cult of the Suicide Bomber, Not a Photograph: The Mission to Burma Story

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

Curse of the Golden Flower

1. Curse of the Golden Flower
2. The New World
3. Duck Season
4. The History Boys
5. Broken Sky
6. Manderlay
7. Lemming
8. 49 Up
9. Inland Empire
10. Clean

1. Sorry, Haters
2. Clean
3. Hard Candy
4. La Moustache
5. Caché
6. This Film is Not Yet Rated
7. Volver
8. Shut Up & Sing
9. L'Intrus
10. Inland Empire
11. The Syrian Bride
12. Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story
13. Iron Island

The Close but no Cigar Crowd (They deserve mention; but I couldn’t quite justify their presence on a Top Films of the Year list): Changing Times, Deliver Us From Evil, Little Miss Sunshine, The Science of Sleep, Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, Water

The Bottom of the Heap: Adam & Steve, Innocence, The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Greene, The Quiet, Trust the Man, Unknown White Male

Biggest Disappointment: 3 Needles, Stolen, Thank You For Smoking

Biggest Difference of Opinion (These are films that lots of my colleagues loved that I just couldn’t fully embrace.): Battle in Heaven, Brick, Half Nelson, Shortbus

La Moustache

1. Caché
2. La Moustache
3. Hard Candy
4. The Science of Sleep
5. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
6. Shortbus
7. Brothers of the Head
8. Sorry, Haters
9. Lonesome Jim
10. The History Boys

Other Films I Considered: Duck Season, Half Nelson, Jesus Camp, Little Miss Sunshine, Old Joy, Requiem, Shut Up & Sing, This Film Is Not Yet Rated

1. Caché
2. Clean
3. Sorry, Haters
4. Duck Season
5. Survive Style 5+
6. Hard Candy
7. The Hidden Blade
8. Great New Wonderful
9. Shadowboxer
10. A Scanner Darkly

Best
Tekkon Kinkreet (Black & White)

The Best Screened in the U.S.
Superman Returns

Best of the Rest
Lady Vengeance
Night Watch
Inside Man
Three Times
Cars
The President's Last Bang

The Rest
The Proposition
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
The Great Yokai War
The New World
The Devil & Daniel Johnston

Honorable Mention for Kicking Ass
Fearless

Biggest Disappointment
The Science of Sleep

Best of the Fests
Gwoemul
Linda! Linda! Linda! (year 2!)
Welcome to Dongmakul

Best final 15 min. in a movie ever
Funky Forest

Most pointless character ever
Marky Mark in The Departed

Best Sig from a Movie
"Azuki Suki!"

Tekkon Kinkreet

Lady Vengeance

1. Duck Season
2. L'Enfant
3. 49 Up
4. 51 Birch Street
5. This Film Is Not Yet Rated
6. Babel
7. Russian Dolls
8. The Queen
9. Inland Empire
10. Half Nelson

1. The Yacoubian Building
2. The Life of Reilly
3. Small Town Gay Bar
4. Syndromes and a Century
5. Fat Girls

1. Volver
2. The Proposition
3. Clean
4. New York Doll
5. Sorry, Haters
6. Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
7. Little Miss Sunshine
8. Twelve and Holding
9. Water
10. Tristram Shandy: A Cock & Bull Story

(in no particular order)

Brick
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Look Both Ways
Transamerica
Lonesome Jim
A Prairie Home Companion
Duck Season
Caché
10th District Court
The Intruder
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Inland Empire
Jesus Camp
Winter Passing
The Departed
Inside Man
The Proposition