If 2005 focused on “”issue”” films (“”Brokeback Mountain,”” “”Crash””), 2006 could be safely referred to as the year of the “”return.”” We saw the revival of heroes like Superman, James Bond and the newly ordained Jack Sparrow. But it was also a return of countless auteurs – filmmakers who craft their work into living statements.
Veterans like Martin Scorsese and Robert Altman added to their already impressive resumes with “”The Departed”” and “”A Prairie Home Companion,”” respectively. Scorsese’s “”The Departed,”” the gritty Boston gangland epic, took us back to “”Goodfellas”” and “”Casino,”” but with the brutal bite of his earliest crime masterpieces. With “”Companion,”” Altman gave us a homespun tale of a fading old-time radio show whose modern setting was finally catching up with it. The musical comedy was almost an ironic fit for the director; only a few months after its release, and his receiving of an Honorary Oscar, he passed away from cancer at the age of 80.
Exports from the Mexican New Wave – Alejandro Inarritu, Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro – delivered a triple punch to critics and audiences everywhere: Inarritu with his lukewarm “”Babel,”” Cuaron with the richly apocalyptic “”Children of Men”” and del Toro’s wartime fantasy “”Pan’s Labyrinth.”” The new decade has brought a cinematic revolution south of the border, and while the genius of some of these directors was rightly recognized a few years back, we are finally seeing the maturation of their art.
Growing legends continued to build upon their work. New Jersey fanboy Kevin Smith returned to his working-class inferno with “”Clerks 2,”” while the typically racially conscious Spike Lee went with his most commercial – heist film “”Inside Man.”” Chris Nolan, between Batman films, pitted his Batman (Christian Bale) against Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in a tale of magic derring-do, “”The Prestige.”” The two actors were kind enough to put aside their superhero personas and take on roles of less nobility.
Speaking of Wolverine, his band of outcasts returned in “”X3: The Last Stand,”” a half-hearted attempt at wrapping up the series. Its original director, Bryan Singer (who directed the film’s two prequels), jumped the X-wing for Warner Brothers and his chance to return Superman to the big screen, featuring Christopher Reeve-lite Brandon Routh and a diabolically playful Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. But come release date, “”Superman Returns”” turned out to have a huge chunk of Kryptonite lodged in its story (especially with a plotline practically stolen from the 1978 original).
The real hero at the box office turned out to be none other than Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), whose “”Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest”” triumphed as the box office champion of 2006. Also on the hero beat: Agent 007, taken back to basics with a terse and gritty panache in “”Casino Royale,”” and Sylvestor Stallone’s lonely boxer “”Rocky Balboa,”” the sixth and final installment in the series. The latter turned out to be a true underdog story: an initially panned idea resulting in a critically praised finale.
The year brought about the fifth anniversary of 9/11, and film came with it, offering the first attempt at recalling the tragic events on celluloid. Paul Greengrass (“”The Bourne Supremacy””) went handheld on “”United 93,”” showcasing the final hours of those who fought off the hijackers and forced their plane to crash in Pennsylvania. Another veteran, Oliver Stone, made an odd turn with “”World Trade Center,”” which follows two New York police officers trapped under the rubble. Stone took an originally moving story and transformed it into an unnecessarily right-wing attempt at patriotism – this coming from the man who had previously been known for his “”liberal bias”” in his films.
The documentary front had a big hit early on with the Al Gore-fest that was “”An Inconvenient Truth,”” brilliant not just for its (contested) portrayal of global warming, but for its survey of the man that would have been president. Religion also proved to be a hot-button issue, resulting in the shock value of “”Jesus Camp,”” a look at the the Evangelical movement in America, and the deeply heartbreaking “”Deliver Us From Evil,”” a scathing indictment of the Catholic Church’s leadership and its handling of the abuse scandals.
Then there was “”Borat.”” The slapstick social experiment courtesy of Sacha Baron Cohen skewered, sauteed and barbequed Americana and its subconscious, meanwhile collecting as many lawsuits as a malpracticing doctor. The mash-up of comedy and culture made “”Borat”” the highest grossing comedy ever and a gem the likes of which can and will never be made again.
With awards season one press blitz away, I’ve got my money on “”The Departed”” and “”Dreamgirls,”” the audience-favorite musical about 1960s Motown. “”Dreamgirls”” will probably take best picture, with Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson both taking home awards for supporting roles in it. Best Actress will be practically a steal for Helen Mirren and her portrayal of “”The Queen.”” Best Actor will be a toss-up between Will Smith’s family-friendly role in “”The Pursuit of Happyness”” and Forest Whitaker’s sinister dictator in “”The Last King of Scotland”” (DiCaprio will cancel himself out between “”The Departed”” and “”Blood Diamond””). And maybe, God willing, Scorsese will finally earn the recognition he deserves for his role as the greatest living American director.
Best of 2006:
13. “”Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.”” The real return of Superman.
12. “”Cars.”” Pixar just keeps coming up with new ways of pushing animation without sacrificing story.
11. “”Brick.”” Film noir meets suburban high school. Being a nobody never seemed so cool.
10. “”Casino Royale.”” Bond is reborn as a real person in a real world.
9. “”Borat.”” Suddenly we all realize how ridiculous everyone is.
8. “”United 93.”” An honest portrayal of fear and bravery.
7. “”Little Miss Sunshine.”” A darkly comedic look at the modern dysfunctional family.
6. “”Pan’s Labyrinth.”” A visual feast in war-torn Spain.
5. “”A Scanner Darkly.”” Animated, yet not; an acid trip down the rabbit hole of a future drug war.
4. “”A Prairie Home Companion.”” A funny, touching, sad and simple story about being past your prime and still going strong.
3. “”The Departed.”” Scorsese’s gripping and fluid tale of moral ambiguity and the truth of death.
2. “”The Prestige.”” A true magic act. And it has David Bowie.
1. “”Children of Men.”” An absolute masterpiece. A sad and hopeful, bleak and beautiful look at humanity.
