Bumper film post

AYGH's Ten Favourite Films of 2006


The Queen

Maybe this is especially powerful to me because we went, my family, to the palace on that Sunday, and it was an unforgettable day. The film is every bit as good as every critic on the planet has already suggested. Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen are perfect. The royal family is rarely seen as human, and they earn a lot of sympathy from this film. Not Philip, but that's hardly a shock. The news and interview footage is woven in really well, and the crash scene at the beginning is really powerful. And, Pat Mustard is in it!

Dave Chappelle's Block Party

A simple idea: take great hip hop acts, put on a free show in Brooklyn, get Michel Gondry to film it. The people are great, from the two kids who won tickets and can't believe their luck, to the marching band, to the crazy hippies whose house the show is at, to Dead Prez. It highlights how music can make a difference to people, how easy it can be to give people so much joy, and how
fucking great a new Black Star record would be. Oh, and that Dave guy that hosts it, he's pretty funny, you know.

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

Steve Coogan is great in two different roles, plus as himself. The whole thing is almost too postmodern to enjoy, but Michael Winterbottom pulls it off easily. Having made films of Thomas Hardy novels already, he's obviously fine with adapting crap books, so why not aim for supposedly one of the worst? Great insights into the filmmaking process, actors' egos and the lure of celebrity. Plus, it's really fucking funny. My excitement for this currently knows no bounds.

Children of Men

Late addition to the list, but more than deserving. Incredibly filmed by Cuaron, barely any music, completely bleak and yet totally engaging throughout. Clive Owen's character begins not knowing much and then getting more and more involved, which matches the audience reaction well. There's a snippet of 'Witness' by Roots Manuva, and later a Pink Floyd visual reference. It's unsettling but not unbelievable and that's even more scary. And the actress that plays Kee went to high school with my sister.

The Departed

Again, one that's on many people's list. But that's only because it's so good. Tense as hell, great performances from actors at the top of the game, good support and lead characters, not a wasted minute, kickin' soundtrack, and the expert hand of Mr. Scorsese. Give him an Oscar already.

Mission Impossible 3

Don't think I can't hear you rolling your eyes, you jerks. I didn't see the second one, I heard it was baws, but JJ Abrams really brought the boo-yah to Ethan Hunt and his hi-octane nonsense-fest. I stand by my oft-repeated analogy about this being the cinematic equivalent of Sleater-Kinney's 'The Woods'. Begins heavily, doesn't let up, is really exhilarating, slows down right towards the end, then reprises the beginning... It doesn't sync up like Wizard of
Oz/Dark Side of the Moon, but you know. Easily the best of the summer's big name blockbusters.

Lucky Number Slevin
Dynamite cast, great cutting and filming, some cool dialogue and action scenes, but it really comes down to the plot. Absolutely solid thriller - lots of really great characters (The Fairy, Slim, The Boss, The Rabbi) and a "oh-shit!" reveal at the end, something essential for films of this ilk. It's dense, it's confusing, it spans different time periods, but that makes it all the more satisfying when it all comes together at the end.

Inside Man

Clive and Chiwetel Ejiofor again, in Spike Lee's big name bank robbery thriller which really makes up in tension where it sometimes lags in great storytelling. Of course racism and cultural differences play a big role, and I was wary about going into banks for months that followed. Later in the year, a TV show called 'The Nine' would try and fail to be as edgy, stylish and not-boring as Inside Man.

V for Vendetta

Like 'Children of Men' this takes the current sociopolitical climate and predicts how it'll be in the not-too-distant future, and again, it's terrifying. But 'Children...' didn't have some badass fireworks, swordplay, an enigmatic arch-villain and some nifty wordplay. Portman is good but Weaving is great and the imagery and message are really powerful.

Idiocracy

Another film set in the future. But much funnier. Edges it as the comedy of the year for me, the lack of any publicity definitely helps, but it's the ultra-corporate, ultra-stupid vision of the future that's the most fun part. Out on video this week... make sure you watch it, jerks.

Honorable Mentions: Borat, Night at the Museum, Brick, Thank You for Smoking, Water

Dishonorable Mentions: The Black Dahlia, American Dreamz, Accepted, Clerks II, The Break Up

...How about you guys?

Welcome to Costco. I love you.

Call me crazy if you like (all: "you're crazy!") but I don't really love Office Space. At my old university, I was in charge of programming for the campus cinema, and there was a constant call to play Office Space on Fridays at midnight, and I'm still surprised at how universally beloved it is, at least amongst the college-aged. I liked it well enough, but it's not really a classic, is it? Plus one time I watched it with my dad on Comedy Central, which is a horrible way to watch any film (on CC, that is, not with my dad. My dad's great) and he kept exposing plot holes and not laughing, so that sucked out my enjoyment.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is because last night I couldn't sleep, and I was completely up to speed on CBB5, so I watched [Office Space director] Mike Judge's newest film 'Idiocracy'. If you haven't heard of it, don't worry. A lot has been written about Fox's mishandling of the film. Apparently, they decided that a satire that rips it out of corporations, set in an ugly, gaudy 2055, where the president is a porn star wrestler (porn star AND wrestler, he doesn't just fight porn stars), where people have names like Frito, where anyone who uses long words or logic is automatically a fag, where the most popular TV-show is called "Ow! My Balls!" and where Justin Long plays a doctor... they decided not to screen it for critics, not to advertise it at all, and uh, not to play it anywhere.

The film itself is entertaining throughout, and occasionally very funny. Luke Wilson plays the straight man very well - an ordinary Joe in 2005 who's frozen in a military experiment, and wakes up 500 years in the future to find that he's the most intelligent person in America. Hilarity kinda ensues. Maya Rudolph and Dax Shepherd are okay in the support roles, and there are a few interesting cameos. Plus Justin Long. God, I hate him.

So Judge made a good film - certainly more consistently funny than his previous one - but Fox don't want to market a film about dumbing down, so it's not going to be seen by anyone, til next week, when the DVD is released. 'Office Space' was a far, far bigger hit on DVD than it was in theaters, so there is yet hope for 'Idiocracy'. Watch it, enjoy it. Quote it repeatedly. I know I will. Especially "You see gentlemen, a pimp's love is very different then a square's."

Apparently some of the corporations mentioned in it have filed a civil law suit against Fox, too. Controversy is great.