Jan 11 2007

Favourite flicks of 2006

Published by Fence under Moving Pictures

Well, I did the books so now I’m turning my attention to the films. And in no particular order my top films of 2006 are:

  • The Departed[1]
    Violent and great. But must be call “The Depaaahrted” for proper effect. Both DiCaprio & Damon were great, but the whole supporting cast were fantastic.
  • Pan’s Labyrinth[2]
    I loved this film. Visually stunning, and with a great story as well. Brilliant.
  • Little Miss Sunshine[3]
    Just wonderful. Funny and touching and so watchable. And another film with a great child actor, Pan’s Labyrinth being the other.
  • United 93[4]
    This may be here because of subject matter rather then purely the film, but I still think it deserves a mention. Gripping both because of the drama/tension raised, but also because of what you know happened.
  • Severance[5]
    Because who doesn’t love a silly gore-filled comedy. Not quite in the same league as Shaun of the Dead but I loved it all the same.
  • Superman Returns[6]
    Not perfect, but pretty damn close. Let down by having Bosworth play Lois Lane, but I thought that Routh was perfection as Supes.
  • The Wind That Shakes The Barley[7]
    This is one that’ll feature in quite a few history classes over the coming years I’d guess. The Irish civil war in all its violence and brutality.
  • El Lobo[8]
    Another Spanish language film, this time set in the 1970’s, and involving terrorism. Didn’t know anything about it before going it, but thought it was a very good film.
  • Junebug[9]
    This was just lovely. Yes, it is a quirky independent film but don’t hold that against it.
  • The Proposition[10]
    Nick Cave writes a film, we’re all expecting darkness, and that is certainly present. Very violent and harsh, but a great film.
  • Mirrormask[11]
    It may be a little similar plotwise to films like Labyrinth but this is still a great film in its own right. Great visuals.
  • Merry Christmas aka Joyeux Noel[12]
    This came out in 2005, but I didn’t see it til Jan 2006, so it still makes my list. Set in the trenches of World War I this is a story based on the true-life unofficial truce between the opposing sides of that war, and it makes for a great film.

Linknotes:
  1. full review of The Departed ↩
  2. my review of Pans Labyrinth ↩
  3. full review of Little Miss Sunshine ↩
  4. review of United 93 ↩
  5. full review of Severance ↩
  6. review of Superman Returns ↩
  7. My review of TWTSTB ↩
  8. My review of El Lobo ↩
  9. review of Junebug ↩
  10. My review of The Proposition ↩
  11. review of Mirrormask ↩
  12. my review of Merry Christmas ↩
Tags: El Lobo, favfilms2006, Favourite films, Junebug, Little Miss Sunshine, Merry Christmas, Mirrormask, Pan's Labyrinth, Severance, Shaun of the Dead, Superman Returns, The Departed, The Proposition, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, United 93

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Jun 22 2006

United 93

Published by Fence under Moving Pictures

Dir & Writ: Peter Greengrass

  • Christian Clemenson - Thomas E. Burnett, Jr.
  • Trish Gates - Sandra Bradshaw
  • Polly Adams - Deborah Welsh
  • Cheyenne Jackson - Mark Bingham
  • Opal Alladin - CeeCee Lyles

This is a film that is pretty impossible to review as just a film. We’ve all seen the news footage of those planes crashing into the World Trade Centre, we all know what happened that September.

And part of me wonders why I went to see this film. I can’t say it was entertainment in the usual sense of the word, although it was an entertaining film. But entertain seems to suggest fun, and this film is anything but fun. From the moment it starts you know what will happen these people in the end. You know they are all going to die, and more than that, you know that it isn’t just characters, but that this is what happened those people. Okay, so they had to guess at the details, but in essence this is what happened on board United 93 on 11th of September.

It is an unflinching look at what may have happened about the plane after the hijacking, and it told in a gripping, powerful way. But because of the nature of the plot, I’m not sure I could actually recommend this film. And I’m not sure why exactly it was made. It doesn’t try to offer any explanation. There is no grand over-arching statement about the “war on terror”. It is simply the story of the what happened on one plane, about the crew, passengers and hijackers. And I think in the end that is all it tries to be. To give a voice to those murdered in the attack. And it succeeds.

IMDb | Official Site | Confessions of a Movie Critic | Draven99’s Musings | Me Against The Keyboard

Tags: 8 Stars, baggage, Cheyenne Jackson, Christian Clemenson, Opal Alladin, Peter Greengrass, Polly Adams, terrorism, Trish Gates, United 93

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