The year 2006 was a busy one for my family, with one brother graduating
from college, another from high school, an international guest staying
for the summer and a cousin getting married. In the midst of all the
activity, we got around to watching a few movies - though the majority
of 2006 movies I’ve seen were watched later, thanks to Netflix. I don’t
know that I can identify a clear favorite among the films, but there
were several I enjoyed very much. These were my ten favorites.
Akeelah and the Bee
- An uplifting movie about a young girl overcoming obstacles to compete
in a national spelling bee. Keke Palmer is terrific as the young
spelling whiz, while Laurence Fishburne shines as her determined mentor.
Cars - It’s hard to go wrong with Pixar, and Cars
is one of my favorite of their films, particularly once we leave the
frantic energy of the race track for the drowsy comfort of Radiator
Springs, where dwell a colorful collection of automobiles, most of them
weathered and rustic, none more so than Mater, a rickety, dim-witted,
open-hearted tow truck voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. The characters are
lovable, the animation glorious, the vision of a world populated
exclusively with vehicles clever. Plus, it has Our Town, an original song by James Taylor, one of my favorite tunes to grace a Disney film in quite some time.
Charlotte's Web
- The E. B. White classic was one of the first chapter books I ever
read. I’d seen the cartoon many times but was excited for a live action
version, and I was quite satisfied with the results. Dakota Fanning is
wonderful as always, and the movie has a quiet charm to it most of the
time that definitely does justice to the novel. Beautiful cinematography
and a lovely theme song by Sarah McLaughlin help make this an exquisite
movie.
The Holiday
- I didn’t catch this one in the theater, but renting it made for a
perfect cozy evening at home. I love the idea of switching houses for a
few days or weeks; sounds like a grand way to take an exotic vacation.
Here, it’s a workaholic American and a disgruntled Brit who exchange
homes and lifestyles, leading each of them to romance and revelation.
All four leads are likable, but Eli Wallach steals the show as an
elderly screenwriting legend who bonds with Kate Winslet’s character.
Miss Potter
- I tend not to be a big fan of Renee Zellweger, but I love her in this
gentle biopic about feisty turn-of-the-century author Beatrix Potter.
This movie focuses primarily on her beginnings in the writing business,
when an enthusiastic young publisher played by an utterly endearing Ewan
McGregor sees promise in the project his brothers saw as silly. Their
business relationship blossoms into one of the sweetest love stories
I’ve seen captured on film.
Nanny McPhee - Emma Thompson stars in this Mary Poppins-like
tale of a nanny who tames a bunch of unruly children. She arrives,
snaggle-toothed and intimidating, to help the harried single father
played by Colin Firth; as her unusual disciplinary methods begin to have
an effect, her appearance gradually changes for the better. A funny and
tender fantasy.
Pan's Labyrinth
- This dark but moving Spanish film written and directed by Guillermo
del Toro delves into magical realism as it explores the story of a girl
named Ofelia who seeks a fantastical inheritance while the world around
her crumbles. Sergi Lopez is a horrific villain, but del Toro’s
magnificent vision of Ofelia’s submerged kingdom and Ivana Baguero’s
spirited performance as the young heroine, as well as Alex Angulo’s turn
as a compassionate doctor, keep the film from getting bogged down in
despair. This was the film I’d most hoped to see before the Oscars.
I didn’t quite manage it, but when I did rent it I was able to get
first-hand confirmation of what all those little gold statues had
assured.
The Queen
- It was a good year for biopics, and while Forrest Whitaker deserves
equal recognition for his towering performance as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland,
the horrors of that movie are such that I don’t think I could stomach
another viewing. However, I’d be glad to return to Helen Mirren’s
excellent performance as the restrained Queen Elizabeth II trying to
wrap her head around the international outpouring of grief for Princess
Diana. That incident made a big impression upon me, and it was
fascinating to see it portrayed on film from the perspective of the
Royal Family.
Superman Returns - I’ve always been a Superman fan, but my fondness for Clark Kent was dramatically refreshed when my brother got me hooked on Smallville
in early 2006. Over the course of his last term of high school, we
breezed through three seasons of the show, so when the new Superman
movie hit theaters that summer, I was especially pumped. So we went to
Tinseltown and bought tickets for opening night, and I went in my
glow-in-the-dark Superman shirt and cheered as Superman saved the day
yet again in a funny, touching, action-packed update.
We Are Marshall - I caught this one in the dollar theater, one of many films whose main draw was a LOST
connection. In this case, it was Matthew Fox, who portrays one of the
few surviving members of a college football team devastated by a plane
crash. Fox is the brooding assistant coach, while Matthew McConaughey
plays the enthusiastic newbie determined to rebuild the team practically
from scratch. Meanwhile, as Marshall University’s president, David
Strathairn fills a small role with great significance. This true tale of
resilience in the face of tragedy is one of the best inspirational
sports movies I’ve seen.
Well, there you have it. Of course,
there are still a lot of major movies from 2006 that I haven’t seen, but
what I saw was pretty impressive.
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