2006: A YEAR IN MOVIES

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As 2006 comes to an end, let us reflect on what was good, what was bad, what made money and what the future is about to bring.

CLICK HERE to read The-Usher's top 20 movies of 2006
CLICK HERE to discover the top 5 films of 2006
CLICK HERE to find out what were the worst movies of 2006
CLICK HERE to view the top 5 grossing movies of 2006 in the US and UK
CLICK HERE for a preview of 2007

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A Look Back at 2006

2006 came with great anticipation. Captain Jack Sparrow was to grace our screens again, computer animation was abound, the X-Men where about to make a last stand, Catherine Trammel grabbed the ice pick again, Dante and Randel were still slacking off, dragons were about to take flight, Tokyo was fast and furious, M. Night Shyamalan was to provide some more twists, Will Farrell was going NASCAR racing, Tenacious D where heading to the big screen and there could have actually been a really good video game movie adaptation. The problem was that 2006 became a year of disappointment.

With most of the big budget movies failing to grab your and the box office's attention, it was left to the following 20 movies to light up our year...

Top Twenty Movies of 2006 (In Alphabetical Order)

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Sacha Baron Cohen provided the biggest surprise hit of 2006 making over $120 million in the US alone. Bringing his second character from his TV roots to the silver screen, after the disappointing Ali G movie, Baron Cohen doesn't change what made Borat such a cult classic on the small screen. With the biggest laughs of the year, some of which will have you cringing, 'Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan' is by far the best comedy movie of year.

Brokeback Mountain
Ang Lee's story of two cowboys finding love on the mountain was controversial but beautifully shot and brilliantly acted. Essentially it was a story of forbidden love, set in a less understanding time, when two people who found each other couldn't be together for fear of what it would do to their families and their standing within the community. With outstanding performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, this is a film that is much more than just a gay cowboy movie.

Capote
Phillip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar winning portrayal of writer Truman Capote shows again that he is one of the best actors working in film today. Portraying his relationship with convicted murder Perry Smith and how he researched his novel 'In Cold Blood', this is a powerful movie about the human condition and how even the most evil of people need friendship and understanding.

Casino Royale
James Bond returns all new and reinvented, as Daniel Craig steps into the tuxedo and earns his licence to kill. Restarting the world's most famous movie franchise was always going to be a risk but fans should never had worried because this is one of the best Bond films since the Connery era. Returning to real stunts and introducing character development into the mix, this might be a reinvention of the character but it is one that also reinvigorates the super spy and sets the standard for 007 and any other spy movie.

Children of Men
Alfonso Cuarón's bleak look at future is one of the best science fiction movies to come along in a very long time. Set in a future were women have become infertile, the film follows Clive Owen's Theo as he tries to get Kee out of the UK because she is the miracle the human race has been waiting for. Kee is pregnant. This is quite simply stunning science fiction and a classic of the genre.

The Departed
Hollywood loves to remake hit foreign movies and Hong Kong's 'Infernal Affairs' trilogy is one of the best so it would take something special to make this remake just as good. When Martin Scorsese is involved however, it is a different matter. Gathering together an amazing ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Alec Baldwin and the brilliant Jack Nicholson, this story of deception within the police department and the Irish mob is Scorsese back to his very best.

Good Night and Good Luck
George Clooney's second stint behind the camera as director proves again that he is one of the most accomplished filmmakers working in Hollywood today. Depicting legendary CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's policies on rooting out communism in the 1950s, this is a powerful and insightful movie that mirrors some of the questions we have to ask today.

Little Miss Sunshine
Every year a small, independent movie comes along that becomes firm favourite not just of critics but of moviegoers alike. A road movie about a dysfunctional family travelling across the country to get the youngest daughter to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, this is filled with outstanding performances and genuine laugh-out-loud moments. Starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin and the brilliant Alan Arkin, this is a gem of a movie and one that should not be missed.

The Matador
Trying to move on from being the world's most famous secret agent, Pierce Brosnan plays a hitman going through a personal crisis that attaches himself to a family man, who is intrigued by this life style. This is a buddy movie that sees Brosnan and Greg Kinnear light up the screen, brilliantly combining drama and comedy to produce a great example of character driven filmmaking.

Mission: Impossible III
Tom Cruise returns as Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt for his third adventure and produces one of the best action films of the year. Directed by Lost and Alias creator J.J. Abrams, the second sequel ups the action quota but also increases the character development and storyline to produce a brilliant spy movie that even manages to get past Tom Cruise's bad public image.

Monster House
After a year of animated movies filled with talking, singing and dancing animals it makes a change to have human characters for a change. Very much in the same tone as hit family classic 'The Goonies', three friends investigate the haunted house on their block and discover the house is actually alive. This is brilliant animation and a family film that, while a little scary, everyone can enjoy.

Munich
Steven Spielberg's look at Israel's revenge for the attack and murder of their Olympic athletes at the 1972 Munich games shows again that he is the most diverse and accomplished filmmakers working in Hollywood today. With an outstanding ensemble cast headed by a leading performance from the brilliant Eric Bana, this is a powerful and thought provoking movie that is Spielberg at his very best.

Pan's Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro's nightmarish fantasy film is the writer/director's tour-de-force. Much like 'The Devil's Backbone', Del Toro brilliantly combines astounding visuals and a story of hope in a time of civil war in Spain to produce a movie that will move you as well as enthral you. This shows how good a filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is and is a film that should not be missed.

The Prestige
After making his commercial mark with hit reimagining of the Dark Knight with 'Batman Begins', Christopher Nolan's follow-up takes you to the 1890s and introduces you to two rival magicians. Starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, the movie twists and turns as the two magicians try and out do each other. Superb and intriguing, this is an outstanding movie.

The Proposition
Written by Australian rock star Nick Cave, this is character driven outback western that has more bite and realism than anything the Old West has mustered in many a year. With outstanding performances from Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone and Danny Huston, this is a gritty, no-holds barred look at how the Australian Outback was just as violent as anything in the US.

Stranger than Fiction
Will Farrell is better known for his zany characters and humour but much like Jim Carrey, he wants to be taken a little more seriously. Like 'The Truman Show', Farrell takes a fantastical idea and makes it believeable. As Harold Crick who hears a voice in his head, narrating his life and telling him that he is going to die. This is an emotional, touching and funny movie that shows that there is more to Will Farrell than you might think.

Superman Returns
Bryan Singer left his X-Men behind and headed for Metropolis to bring the Man of Steel back to the silver screen. With Brandon Routh donning the cape and Kevin Spacey stepping into the role of Lex Luther, Singer concentrated on story and character to produce a Superman movie that defined the superhero and made you believe again that a man could fly. The late, great Christopher Reeves would be proud.

Thank You For Smoking
A comedy film about the Cigarette industry might not sound like a movie you might want to see in today's political climate but this is a satire that is as poignant as it is funny. Aaron Eckhart's fast talking Nick Naylor, the spokesman for Big Tobacco is the voice for freedom of speech and you might not like that but you can't help but enjoy it.

United 93
Five years on from the events that changed the world, Hollywood and filmmakers thought it was time to tell some of the stories from September 11th, 2001. Oliver Stone brought us 'World Trade Center' but it was Paul Greengrass's 'United 93' that really grabbed our attention. Dramatising the fight back by the passengers on the United Airlines fight that was heading to Washington, this also shows how air traffic control and the military reacted to thus events to produce a movie that asked as many questions as it gave answers.

Zathura: A Space Adventure
Billed as a space version of 'Jumanji', 'Zathura' has all the classic hallmarks of a family movie and it blasts them at you in spades. Director Jon Favreau expertly combines live action and computer generated visual effects to bring this story of adventure in outer space to life with great gusto.

Overall Top Five Movies for 2006

5. Thank You For Smoking
4. United 93
3. Little Miss Sunshine
2. Children of Men
1. Casino Royal

Along with all of these gems came a barge of rubbish movies that, as a critic, I had to endure so you didn't have to...

Disappointments and complete Turkeys of the Year

Basic Instinct 2
A sex thriller without any sex, Sharon Stone is a little too old to be returning to the role of Catherine Trammel

Big Momma's House 2
The first one was bad enough and the sequel is even worse. Martin Lawrence should be banned from movies

Eragon
This Lord of the Rings/Narnia wannabe ends up just been a big screen pantomime with some ropey special effects The Guardian Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher deserve to be left to drown and definitely not rescued from this disaster

Hostel
Eli Roth is not the next big thing in horror movies, British director Neil Marshall is (Dog Soldiers, The Descent). Give up now Eli, you are rubbish.

Little Man
Who told the Wayans brothers they were funny? Stop giving them money to make movies please!

The Wicker Man
Remake a British horror classic, give it a 12A (PG-13) certificate, take out all the horror and make it unintentionally funny and you have Nicholas Cage's version of the 'Wicker Man'.

The Worst Movie of 2006

The Pink Panther
Why oh why did they have to do this! Steve Martin should be shot in the dark, we need to get revenge, make sure he is cursed and campaign for this never to return. Lets hope that Peter Sellers haunts him for the rest of this life but that would probably be really cool.

Top Five Grossing films of 2006 (US and UK)

US
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $423,315,812
2. Cars $244,082,982
3. X-Men: The Last Stand $234,362,462
4. The Da Vinci Code $217,536,138
5. Superman Returns $200,081,192

UK
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (£52m)
2. Casino Royale (£44.6m)
3. The Da Vinci Code (£30.4m)
4. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (£29.5m)
5. Borat (£23.7m)

What to look out for in 2007

January

Apocalypto
Mel Gibson's blood soaked Mayan epic performs a human sacrifice at the box office
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

Miss Potter
Renee Zellweger stars as beloved children's writer Beatrix Potter, in this story of her life.
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

The Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith as a man who is trying to land his dream job and take care of his son at the same time.
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

Smokin' Aces
Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keyes and Ray Liotta Joe Carnahan (Narc) for an action comedy about a Vegas magician, played by Jeremy Piven, turned FBI squealer who attracts a collection of assassins and bounty hunters.
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

Rocky Balboa
Sylvester Stallone returns to the boxing ring for one last fight in the sixth movie in the franchise
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

Babel
Alejandro González Iñárritu's (21 Grams) political and social drama starting Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael García Bernal
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

Blood Diamond
Edward Zwick (Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Last Samurai) collaborates with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimon Hounsou for a story of greed and danger in Africa
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

February

Dreamgirls
Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy star in the big screen adaptation of the Broadway Musical
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

Charlotte's Web
A live action adaptation of the beloved children's classic with the vocal talents of Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, André Benjamin, Thomas Haden Church, Robert Redford and Kathy Bates
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

Hannibal Rising
Prequel to Red Dragon, showing the events that drove Hannibal Lector to become the cannibal we all know and love.
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Hot Fuzz
From the makers of 'Shaun of the Dead' comes a big Hollywood style action movie but set in the West Country of England.
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Letters from Iwo Jima
Companion movie to 'Flags of our Fathers', Clint Eastwood returns to the Pacific War to tell the story from the Japanese prospective.
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

The Rest of 2007

Ghost Rider
Nicholas Cage is comic book hero Johnny Blaze, a bounty hunter of rogue demons cursed by the Devil himself
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

The Good German
Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Tobey Maguire, this is a story of intrigue and deception during the Second World War
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Zodiac
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards and Brian Cox, director David Fincher tells the story of San Francisco Bay Area serial killer.
CLICK HERE to visit the official site

300
Adapted from the Frank Miller graphic novel, this is the story of the three hundred Spartans that took on the might of the Persian army
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT)
Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are back in computer animated form to be heroes in a half-shell again
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Spider-Man 3
Your friendly neighbourhood wallcrawler is back to face three new foes
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

28 Weeks Later
The Rage virus takes hold of the UK again in the sequel to '28 Days Later'

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Continuing the many stories set up in 'Dead Man's Chest', will we discover what happened to Captain Jack Sparrow?
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Ocean's Thirteen
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin, Carl Reiner, Elliot GouldSteven return with Soderbergh directing and Ellen Barkin and Al Pacino joining in the heist.
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer
With the Earth heading for distruction, it is up to Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm to save the planet
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Shrek the Third
Everyone's favourite green ogre returns and has to cope with been King of Far, Far Away
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Live Free Or Die Hard
Bruce Willis is back John McClane in the forth film of the series
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The boy wizard returns for his fifth year at Hogwartsn and it could be his most dangerous
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Ratatouille
The new animated movie from Pixar and 'Incredibles' director Brad Bird
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

The Simpsons Movie
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and the rest of the Springfield residents head for the big screen
CLICK HERE to visit the official website

Transformers
Those robots in disguise get a live action make over thanks to Steven Spielberg and director Michael Bay
CLICK HERE to visit the officail website

The Bourne Ultimatum
Matt Damon return for a third outing as Jason Bourne, who is still looking for answers about his past

2007 might be filled with sequels but they should be good ones.

Thank you for reading and here's to 2007.

Jamie Kelwick

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2006