‘United 93,’ ‘Flags’ fly high on film list for 2006
Pirates and penguins – in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” and “Happy Feet,” respectively – ruled at the box office in 2006 and made exhibitors smile. The year’s best picture wasn’t in a financial league with those titles, but it will remain an important work long after Johnny Depp has put away his sword and the penguins have hung up their dancing shoes.
Without a doubt, 2006’s most impressive achievement was “United 93,” a look at the actions aboard the fourth hijacked airplane on Sept. 11, 2001. The R-rated picture serves as a stirring tribute to the brave passengers on the flight and a chilling reminder of the continuing terrorist threat.
It was also a year when Martin Scorsese went back to his mob roots (“The Departed”), when 76-year-old director Clint Eastwood completed two World War II pictures (“Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima”), Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson rocked the house in a Broadway-musical adaptation (“Dreamgirls”) and Helen Mirren gave a royal performance as an out-of-touch monarch (“The Queen”).
Here are my choices for the Top Ten films of 2006:
1. “United 93”: British filmmaker Paul Greengrass (“Bloody Sunday’) directed this riveting real-time drama showing how the brave passengers and crew on United Airlines 93 – the fourth hijacked plane on Sept. 11, 2001 – prevented the terrorists from completing their horrible mission. Greengrass, who received permission from the families of the victims before filming began, pulls no punches with the powerful picture, which had critics crying at the screening I attended. (Now available on DVD)
2. “The Departed”: Director Martin Scorsese gathered a dream-team cast – including Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg – for this gritty Boston-set crime drama. Scorsese draws parallels between crime fighters and culprits by showing government officials trying to infiltrate the Irish mob with an undercover officer while a gang kingpin is attempting to plant one of his underlings in the state police. It’s based on the acclaimed Japanese crime thriller “Infernal Affairs’ (2002) This extremely hard-edged film turned off some viewers, but Scorsese should be applauded for this dynamic work, which seems a favorite to win Oscars as best picture and for its long-ignored director. (Now in theaters)
3. “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima”: With the first title, Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood (“Unforgiven’ and “Million Dollar Baby’) initially follows in the footsteps of Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan’ with this war epic about the 1945 battle for Iwo Jima. The filmmaker opens by showing the ugliness of combat in extreme close-up as brave young Marines and Navy personnel are torn apart by bombs, bullets and shrapnel and then takes a melancholy turn showing the emotional toll on those who survive the battle. Ryan Phillippe, Adam Beach and Jesse Bradford head the ensemble in this intense World War II drama about the American military men who raised the flag on Iwo Jima in 1945 and how their deed – captured in an iconic photograph published around globe – was turned into a marketing campaign to raise much-needed funds for the war effort. (Now in theaters)
With the subtitled “Letters,” the filmmaker shows the battle from the perspective of the Japanese, who realize they are in a no-win situation, with most willing to give their lives either through accepting missions with no chance of victory, committing suicide or trying to hide long enough to be taken prisoner by the Americans. (“Letters’ opened in New York and Los Angeles to qualify for the 2006 Oscars and arrives here on Jan. 12.)
4. “Dreamgirls”: Themes about success, greed and happiness flow through director Bill Condon’s rock-the-house version of the 1981 Broadway musical loosely based on the Supremes. The filmmaker benefits from an incredible cast, including Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and powerhouse-newcomer Jennifer Hudson. Some might argue that Condon may put too much sparkle into this $75 million production, but it’s still a glitzy joy with some messages about the struggle of the civil-rights movement, the importance of equality and the pure joy of Motown-inspired music. (Now in theaters)
5. “The Queen”: British favorite Helen Mirren plays Elizabeth II in director Stephen Frears’ involving import about the seemingly indifferent reaction of the queen to the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Mirren delivers an often icy, sometimes warm performance that captures the duality of the reserved ruler and makes her a frontrunner for an Oscar as best actress. She’s brilliant. (Now in theaters)
6. “Little Miss Sunshine”: A strong ensemble cast – including Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Greg Kinnear and Abigail Breslin – anchors this comedy gem about a dysfunctional family racing to transport a little girl to a beauty pageant and hitting all sorts of emotional roadblocks along the way. This quirky favorite from the Sundance Film Festival could have become an obnoxious road-trip picture with predictably outrageous characters, but happily, that never occurs. The touchingly funny tale, co-directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, boasts a rebellious undercurrent and moves forward as each character faces his or her personal demon and finds a way to come to terms with it. (Now available on DVD)
7. “Stranger Than Fiction”: Reality and fantasy collide in director Marc Forster’s inspired fable about a character (Will Ferrell) in a book who comes to life and then discovers the author (Emma Thompson) who created him plans to kill him off. The heartfelt comedy, which is helped by strong supporting performers such as Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Queen Latifah, delivers a timely message about the importance of making every minute count and embracing life to the fullest. (Now in theaters)
8. “Babel”: During this intense ensemble drama, an American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) visiting Morocco are involved in a tragic accidental shooting that sets in motion a chain of events that touches families in the United States, Northern Africa, Mexico and Japan.
Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu has created an absorbing, compelling and unsettling work about how close the connection is between everyone on the planet in this modern era of instant access and political upheaval. The filmmaker considers the work the final part of his multi-story trilogy, which started with “Amores Perros” (2000) and was followed by “21 Grams” (2003). (Now in theaters)
9. “Thank You For Smoking”: In this equally biting and cynical satire, a tobacco lobbyist/spin doctor (Aaron Eckhart) pressures Hollywood studios to add more smoking scenes to their films and is willing to use any dirty trick to promote his deadly product. The lobbyist simply sees himself as a working stiff just doing his job in a capitalistic society. Jason Reitman, the son of filmmaker Ivan Reitman (“Ghostbusters”), makes a very impressive directing debut as he adapts Christopher Buckley’s 1994 novel and attacks political correctness, greed, capitalism, media manipulation and the American way, not necessarily in that order.
10. “The Proposition”: The Western genre gets an extreme makeover during this rugged – some might say brutal – import, starring Guy Pearce, Emily Watson and John Hurt. The gritty story follows three outlaw siblings who battle authorities and each other in the harsh Australian outback of the 1880s. Written by former Down-Under punk rocker Nick Cave and directed by music-video specialist John Hillcoat, the picture proves so strong that it makes HBO’s “Deadwood’ resemble an episode of “Gunsmoke.’ Cave delivers a script about an attempt for freedom by having one brother turn against another and provides a meditation on the desire for redemption, the price of loyalty and the unpredictability of fate. (Now on DVD)
Other strong titles in 2006 include:
– “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” with performance-artist Sacha Baron Cohen in director Larry Charles’ jaw-dropping mockumentary. The comic actor plays a misguided Kazakhstani TV reporter visiting the United States and continually exhibiting inappropriate behavior, making tasteless observations and asking insulting questions to people who aren’t in on the joke and, at times, reflect their prejudices. (Now in theaters)
– “Brick,” a neo-noir murder mystery set in a contemporary California high school. The story follows an inquisitive and intelligent student (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as he takes a Dashiell Hammett/Raymond Chandler approach to investigating the killing of his ex-girlfriend, an ill-fated young woman linked to a deadly teenage drug dealer. Director Rian Johnson’s intriguing tale confounded some viewers and energized others. (Now on DVD)
– “Clerks II,” writer-director Kevin Smith’s surprisingly touching sequel that celebrates close same-sex friendships in a narrow world that often overlooks the importance of male bonding. (Now on DVD)
– “The Devil Wears Prada,” with Meryl Streep in director David Frankel’s fashion-world spoof that provided plenty of broad laughs, scrappy characters and sharp observations. (Now on DVD)
– “Half Nelson,” with talented Ryan Gosling in director Ryan Fleck’s film-festival favorite about a middle-school history teacher attempting to enlighten his poor students about the political process and suffering from a drug addiction. (Coming to DVD on Feb. 13)
– “Little Children,” with Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson in director Todd Field’s stinging satire that provides a bleak view of suburbia as seen through the eyes of a cheating couple seeking identity and passion in a lifeless environment. (Now in theaters)
– “Pan’s Labyrinth,” with Spanish director Guillermo del Toro creating an extremely dark modernized fairy tale that proves both chilling and uplifting.
The R-rated film, which opened in New York and Los Angeles in 2006 to qualify for Oscar consideration, arrives here Jan. 12.