Best of 2006
My favorite movies from 2006. With comments.
List activity
334 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
17 titles
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.A fantasy masterpiece, one of the best films of the decade.
Nominations:
Best Picture**
Best Actor- Sergi Lopez
Best Supporting Actress- Maribel Verdu
Best Director- Guillermo del Toro**
Best Original Score- Javier Navarrette
Best Cinematography**
Best Original Screenplay**
Best Make-Up** - DirectorStephen FrearsStarsHelen MirrenMichael SheenJames CromwellAfter the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted.This is an odd film for me: I can watch it over and over and over and enjoy it every time. Few like it as much me... I can't really say what I love so much, but there it is.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress- Helen Mirren**
Best Supporting Actor- Michael Sheen
Best Director- Stephen Frears
Best Original Screenplay- Peter Morgan
Best Original Score- Alexandre Desplat - DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsJulianne MooreClive OwenChiwetel EjioforIn 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.Bleak, yet hopeful, smart, thrilling. Brilliantly directed, written, and acted. A knockout.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Director- Alfonso Cuaron
Best Cinematography - DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonAn undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.Thrilling, expertly directed and written, featuring great performances from the entire cast.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Director- Martin Scorsese
Best Actor- Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Adapted Screenplay- William Monahan
Best Editing - DirectorDoug AtchisonStarsAngela BassettLaurence FishburneKeke PalmerAkeelah, a young gifted girl, comes from a dysfunctional family and is on the verge of quitting school. She discovers that she has a high aptitude for spellings and enters a spelling bee contest.A wonderful and underappreciated family film that is so much more powerful than that description suggests.
Nominations:
Best Picture - DirectorRobert AltmanStarsLily TomlinMeryl StreepWoody HarrelsonA look at what goes on backstage during the last broadcast of America's most celebrated radio show, where singing cowboys Dusty and Lefty, a country music siren, and a host of others hold court.Robert Altman's final film is, fittingly, an examination of death.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actress- Meryl Streep
Best Supporting Actress- Lily Tomlin
Best Adapted Screenplay- Garrison Keillor - DirectorJonathan DaytonValerie FarisStarsSteve CarellToni ColletteGreg KinnearA family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.A very widely seen and deservedly acclaimed film that is absolutely hysterical.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Original Screenplay
Best Supporting Actor- Steve Carell - DirectorChristopher GuestStarsCatherine O'HaraHarry ShearerParker PoseyThree actors learn that their respective performances in the film "Home for Purim," a drama set in the mid-1940s American South, are generating award-season buzz.A movie that I love more every time I watch it; Christopher Guest's particular brand of comedy (and troupe of performers) is not everyone's cup of tea, but it has always been a favorite of mine. This is easily his most poignant film and features a brilliant performance from Catherine O'Hara.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actress- Catherine O'Hara - DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsPaul GiamattiBryce Dallas HowardJeffrey WrightApartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world.A much-maligned film, this is actually probably the most personally moving film I've ever seen.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor- Paul Giamatti
Best Original Screenplay- M. Night Shamyalan
Best Original Score- James Newton Howard* - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHugh JackmanScarlett JohanssonAfter a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.Director Christopher Nolan never disappoints, and this is no exception.
Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor- Christian Bale
Best Supporting Actor- Michael Caine
Best Director- Christopher Nolan
Best Cinematography
Best Adapted Screenplay Jonathan & Christopher Nolan** - DirectorMarc ForsterStarsWill FerrellEmma ThompsonDustin HoffmanI.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to his love life to his death.Another very underseen movie featuring stellar performances from the entire cast and a wonderful screenplay.
Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress- Emma Thompson**
Best Original Screenplay- Zach Helm - DirectorBill CondonStarsBeyoncéJamie FoxxEddie MurphyA trio of black female soul singers cross over to the pop charts in the early 1960s, facing their own personal struggles along the way.What's not to love about this sassy and stylish musical?
Nominations:
Best Supporting Actress- Jennifer Hudson
Best Supporting Actor- Eddie Murphy**
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design**
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration
Best Original Song- Listen
Best Original Song- Love You I Do*** - DirectorDavid FrankelStarsAnne HathawayMeryl StreepAdrian GrenierA smart but sensible new graduate lands a job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding editor-in-chief of a high fashion magazine.Hilarious, smart, and featuring stand out performances all around, this comedy is a winner.
Nominations:
Best Actress- Meryl Streep
Best Supporting Actor- Stanley Tucci
Best Costume Design - DirectorJames McTeigueStarsHugo WeavingNatalie PortmanRupert GravesIn a future British dystopian society, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow the tyrannical government - with the help of a young woman.Thrilling from start to finish and becoming more and more relevant every day, this is a film not to be forgotten.
Nominations:
Best Director- James McTeigue
Best Adapted Screenplay- The Wachowskis - DirectorMartin CampbellStarsDaniel CraigEva GreenJudi DenchAfter earning a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, in Montenegro.The Bond Series returned with this thrilling and just plain awesome new movie. Daniel Craig is a brilliant Bond.
- DirectorNicole HolofcenerStarsJennifer AnistonFrances McDormandCatherine KeenerAfter she quits her lucrative job, Olivia finds herself unsure about her future and her relationships with her successful and wealthy friends.Underseen little movie featuring a wonderful cast and a charming script.
Nominations:
Best Actress- Jennifer Aniston
Best Supporting Actress- Frances McDormand - DirectorNeil MarshallStarsShauna MacdonaldNatalie MendozaAlex ReidA caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.An Honorable Mention (I usually only include 15 films per year): Terrifying, provocative, and excellent fun. This is maybe my favorite horror film of all time. (It was released on Aug. 4, 2006 in the US)