Strat's 20 of 2006

What a relief! After the biggest dip of the decade on '05, '06 provided relief. The year provided more than its share of big laughs. It's important to me that the movies leave a strong impression on me long after I see it. So if you're wondering where Children of Men or The Good Shepherd, Hollywoodland, Little Children, This Film is Not Yet Rated, A Prairie Home Companion or even Letters from Iwo Jima, that's why they're not here. Dare I say 2006 is the best year since 2000?

20. Goya's Ghosts (drama)
Natalie Portman plays both a prostitute and crazy woman in the same movie. And they're not the same character. It's a Spanish Inquisition tale as well, so you know it's brutal.

19. The Queen (drama)
Until she writes an autobiography, we will never really know what really goes on with the Queen of England. It's got to be pretty accurate. I understand she was a big fan of Helen Mirren's performance.

18. Mini's First Time (comedy/crime)

One part "The Graduate", 2 parts murder cover up. Somewhat predictable, but overall very interesting. Pretty good cast too.

17. God Grew Tired of Us (documentary)
There's been plenty of fiction comedies that use the "fish out of water" theme for a setup. It's different to see grown men in the modern world struggle with the 20th century technology, let alone 21st.

16. Friends With Money (drama)
It reminds me of all the lost/confused wealthy people I see in Santa Monica/Brentwood and their inability to relate to people who don't have.

15. An Inconvenient Truth (documentary)
I never thought I'd see a Keynote/PowerPoint presentation made interesting or relevant. Maybe I should try making my next movie this way.

14. Cars (animation)
Pixar just keeps rolling along - literally. Paul Newman's last performance and it's a goodie.

13. The Last King of Scotland (drama)
How do you humanize a man known as being a murderous and crazy dictator in Africa? You get Forrest Whittaker and a great adapted screenplay.

12. Thank You for Smoking (comedy)
It's almost a running gag that you would imagine in a stand up routine. Only it manages to stay funny for two hours.

11. Little Miss Sunshine (comedy)
Your prototypical indie comedy film with a heart. Nothing wrong with it when you've got a great cast and you throw the beauty pageant world upside down.

10. Idiocracy (comedy)
Should have been seen as the next great cult movie after Office Space. Unfortunately it's so hard hitting in it's thesis, it scared the studio into burying this classic. A must watch.

9. Borat (comedy)
To me, this movie came out of nowhere kind of how Sacha Cohen's character ambushes his real-world subjects that he blends into his marvelously absurd fictional story.

8. Stranger Than Fiction (comedy)
What happens when you cross Adaptation with The Neverending Story? I'm not sure, but this seems pretty close to it.

7. Priceless (foreign comedy)
What can I say? I love Audrey Tautou ever since Amelie. This just reminded me of why.

6. Flags Of Our Fathers (war/drama)
The story that made one of the most iconic images in American history. And how it's all fake. Clint Eastwood has a knack of making his point with seemingly no effort.

5. Casino Royale (action/suspense)
Best Bond film ever. I'm not a Bond fan whatsoever and I was on the edge of my seat for most of the movie.

4. Talladega Nights (sports comedy)
I liked Will Ferrell before this. I loved Will Farrell because of this. Possibly the best sports comedy of all time.

3. The Prestige (suspense drama)
What do you do with the principle cast and crew from the Batman franchise between movies? Only make a most excellent tale of jealousy and revenge.

2. Jesus Camp (documentary)
One of the most frighteningly disturbing and scary movies of the year. Or possibly the most honest look at the passion some wonderful people have for their love of God. It all depends which side you want to take.

1. The Departed (crime drama)
No surprise here. This is a great bookend to Goodfellas without being a rehash. Not to mention the cast is loaded with great actors giving great performances. No way you're disappointed.

Lupe's Top 20 of 2005

20. Good Night and Good Luck (drama)
A courageous stand against rampant McCarthyism.  George Clooney dares you to blacklist him, Senator!

19. The 40 Year Old Virgin (comedy)
Bah!  Pope Benedict XVI mocks your meager forty years, Steve Carell!  And he wonders why you went for the hot grandma instead of Elizabeth Banks.

18. Corpse Bride (animated)
Now that I've seen a children's film about necrophilia, I think I've seen everything.

17. King Kong (action)
The movie is so long that we should be grateful for every edit made.  Even though the edit that cuts between the monkey on the island and the monkey in New York is a little too convenient.

16. Munich (drama)
Bad ass assassination (rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?) followed by the weirdest love scene ever.  Seriously, who imagines mass murder while they're plowing their wife?

15. Jarhead (war)
The first movie that takes an honest look at the only war where more of our soldiers were bored to death than killed by enemy fire.  Don't worry, boys!  Round two is on the horizon!

14. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (action)
There's a stunning lack of Jar Jar in this film.  It's possible, however, that putting him in would have created too discordant a tone in the same movie where a bunch of little kids get lightsabered into stew meat.

13. Oliver Twist (drama)
No two ways about it, any wayward child who breaks into my house is going straight to jail.  Don't care how many Jews made him do it.  What is this, The Child Slaver of Venice?

12. Hard Candy (drama)
You want to convince perverts to stay away from teenage girls?  Show them a bunch a screaming Twilight fans.

11. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (comedy)
The funniest movie ever made about our planet being destroyed.  Watch and learn, Al Gore.

10. Sin City (crime)
You know the way Pixar movies are wholesome?  Well, this is like that, except sleazy instead of wholesome.

9. MirrorMask (fantasy, partly animated)
I would also prefer the harsh reality of a dying mother over a fantasy world where everyone has paper masks for heads or are sculpted out of cheese.  Having an evil twin is a good excuse for anything.

8. Elizabethtown (romance)
Aside from the romance story, this movie has the coolest tennis shoes ever designed.  I think they dispense toothpaste, or something.

7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (fantasy)
Second good director in a row.  It'd be nice if that trend continued, but it won't.  As for the story, apparently British girls are also susceptible to the so-called charms of Eurotrash.

6. Kingdom of Heaven (historical epic)
Fighting to reclaim your number three holiest city is a bit like wanting to buy the third most expensive car when you already own the top two.

5. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (fantasy)
Always winter, never Christmas.  On the other hand, always Halloween.  Except instead of peanut butter cups, you get Turkish delight with the bitter taste of betrayal.

4. A History of Violence (crime)
Or, the Evening News Crew In The West.  Gotta love violence for violence's sake, even if Aragorn is pretty demure for a psychopath.

3. Batman Begins (action)
It's cool to see Batman become Batman, but I got a news flash for the League of Shadows.  Rome was hardly at the height of its decadence by the time the Germans came gate crashing.

2. Serenity (sci-fi, action)
I eagerly accept any make believe universe that seamlessly unites spaceship battles with cannibal rednecks.

1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (detective, comedy)
Is this Robert Downey Jr. clean and sober, or Robert Downey Jr. breaking into a neighbor's house to snort coke off the barrel of a gun?  Either way, more of that, please.