Disclaimer: As you have noticed, I have re-posted this article because after the thrill of writing this, it just came down on me like landslide that the film Perfume: A Story of a Murderer wasn't even included. So I ditched out Superman Returns because I believe Perfume smelled completely nicer than Superman did. Maybe that's why Lois Lane fainted at the sight of him. Was it really charisma, or the smell under that cape? Eurgh. Anyway, Perfume's a far better film, no doubt about that if you have only seen the movie.


Another year down, another list of movies to roll. 2006 went by so fast, so fierce and so furious that it just blinded me, leaving me almost staggering to my composure. What a heck of a year! Eventful, maddening, and a rollercoaster bumpy ride for both films and our lives. Unfortunately the same last year, I wasn't able to check out every single film that came out to the silverscreen (how much more for those underseen, underappreciated flicks out there), but could gladly say that I was able to dig out the finest bunch of them all. After a rollicking year that offered us ridiculously naive Kazakhtans frolicking in America, a red-caped superhero making a comeback, swashbuckling pirates, retro-tilling girl trio, rivalling magicians, another mad magician perfecting his sleight-of-the-hand, devils who wear Prada, mob gangsters, savage Mayans, men without children, creepy looking fauns, a cohort of American family shenanigans, a troubled Japanese teenager, a queen who decides to show up in Buckingham, another queen always eating cakes, a Brit spy going to basics, politics, and more politics - I shall say phew, blast me off before I mention enough. And since when did politics left the moviegoing scene? Not a bit. However, since BAFTAs and Golden Globes and Oscars frenzy are finally over, March benefits the rule of the jerks. 2006 was never a bad year. Good films came and of course, the bad rotten ones were burnt in hell. Here is the Top 10 films of my carefully-deliberated list, and a few of other nit-pick goodies as well.

#10. APOCALYPTO
Heart-pumping, heart-stopping thriller of the year, this one might make your granddad be rushed by ambulance to the emergency room. The tale of heroism, family, civilisation were perfectly mixed into essence in this Mel Gibson-directed bravura. And nope he's not a nutcase anymore as he proves his directing skill is fuelled with passion of a true filmmaker. Savage, brutal and bloody, it may appear too gory to audiences but without shedding blood, making this film would be impossible. Also a great study of civilisation, as if we were taking a glimpse into a National Geographic special stunned with landscapes, nature and well, Mayans and their jargon. I've heard Gibson will be making a new film based on Panama - now what's he on about?

#9. MARIE ANTOINETTE
Probably this is the most misunderstood film about a misunderstood monarch. Booed by the Sundance crowd and under-appreciated, I've got to advise Sofia Coppola to tell his multi-billion father, Francis Ford, to carnage those unforgiving sleuths. No wonder this portrait of a teenage queen was downrightly misunderstood. Or maybe daft people don't "get" the message of the film itself. In fact, Marie Antoinette is one of the best made teenage films of all time, and Sofia Coppola had excelled in not just putting curtsies, bows and fabulous frocks in this film, but putting echoes in the teenage psyches. Told off as having an anachronistis soundtrack, I guess it was just befitting to give a score just as funky as what Coppola did, a rock-pop edge to a 16th century queen that has a the spirit of the modern age. What do you really expect for a 14 year old girl given a responsibility to rule a starving kingdom and marrying a slothful, useless king? Here, rebellion is at its finest as Marie Antoinette frolicks around the Versailles frivoulously. Kirsten Dunst resonates as the girl version of James Dean, pitch-perfect as the teenage queen, one of her best character portrayals. This is sassy, classy, funky and spunky.

#8. CASINO ROYALE
Bond. Going back to basics proved effective. Without doubt the best of its franchise, and the best portrayal of the eccentric Brit spy since Sean Connery's. Unforgettable action sequences will glue you to your seats, especially that hard-knocking construction site chase scene. There's also a believable storyline to boot as well, as Royale hits home to connect with the real world (and not science-fiction stuff like Brosnan's ridiculous vanishing car) which made the critics praising allelujahs. And there's the man. His name is Craig. Daniel Craig. Uber-gritty, tough as wood, sharp as knife, a kind of Bond that doesn't care whether his martini is shaken or stirred. He's still suave, but this Bond gave a humanly feel - the first time he showed his weakness. A convincing tale of love as well that would make women melt in slow lava. I'm pretty sure Craig will appear in more great Bond films in the future.

#7. AKEELAH AND THE BEE
This is an extraordinary film. A wonderful and moving tale of a dreamer who broke all odds and finally learning the difference between winning ang losing. A family film that would wrench hearts and persist in the belief that we should all follow our dreams and what we believe in, no matter what cost it takes, no matter how arduous the road is. Keke Palmer as the spelling wunderkind is magnificent; there's certainly some talent in her that shines. Akeelah and the Bee indeed delivers, and it's a kind of film that very difficult not to love because it manages to uplift and moves us. Very heartwarming. I defy you not to cry, or not moved at all. It may contain a formulaic underdog story, but it's just the balance between triumph and struggle that makes us weep the more. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us." Read between the lines. Spell it - prestidigitation. M-A-G-I-C.

#6. THE QUEEN
May be another film about royalty but Dame Helen Mirren's peformance is undoubtedly unparalleled. In this movie about the cold battle between tradition and modernity, we are being transported back into those miserable days when the people's princess, Diana, died of car crash and put the monarchy in massive controversy. Even until today the incident was still left without anyone to blame, as some was claiming that there's a nifty conspiracy working behind it all, I shall tell the audience that The Queen is a fictional take on factual events. Don't take it as if it's the news or something. Above all, it's Dame Helen Mirren that makes us fall to our knees in this magnetic performance as Queen Elizabeth II. Her skill is so limitless that Oscar glory was bound to happen. It takes so much discipline to just act in front of the camera, knowing that the person you are impersonating is so alive with a position so intimidating. Hirren broke all the barriers. She gave a stunning performance, as this film also is well written and well conceived.

#5. THE FOUNTAIN
Another underrated film of the year. This highly-ambitous, far-reaching, too-baffling film by Darren Aronofsky was underappreciated at Sundance and was considered a "rubbish piece of work". Its ostensible progenitor 2001: A Space Odyssey however was also called "rubbish" almost 30 years ago, and now it was considered as one of the best films ever made. Shall The Fountain suffer the fate? But without doubt, Aronofsky shows his magnificent skill that could foretell he's the new Kubrick. The Fountain is one of the most complex love story ever told, about the countenance of eternal love, set in three different time periods, with three Hugh Jackmans and three Rachel Weiszs. The homogeneous mixture of science fiction, spirituality and love story perfectly comes to a great effect, told in mouth-gaping visual razzle dazzle of the breakthrough microbiological photography. Delivering cinema at its best, this is a spectacle that transcends and future audiences will surely be thought-provoked, astounded, and emotionally involved in this journey to the road of awe. Grandly overlooked by Oscars and it should have won for Best Visual Effects, or maybe a nomination for Best Cinematography and Original Score. Beautiful film.

#4. CHILDREN OF MEN
The conniving potency of cinematography and visual effects proved this film more than just your ordinary sci-fi flick. Haunting images of war, famine, anarchy, political starvation, economic breakdown and a world bereft of children - Alfonso Cuaron has crafted a scary yet convincing, fantastic yet utterly real, and dark yet boldly daring craft about a world of pathos and without hope. And it didn't win Best Cinematography in Oscars - that really sucks. Ridden with the story that the world became infertile (due to mankind's wrongdoings, ie pollution, global warming... that altered the human genes), Children of Men also succeeds as a riveting thriller. With a series of long complex shots, it proved difficult scenes like in this film were possible to construct. Clive Owen gets better and better in every film, and his performance here was embellished with emotion and courage, so little actors can possibly do. This is Cuaron's disturbing love letter to the world today that tells us to open our eyes because only in a little time, we are bound to pay for our foolishness. If he was Picasso, this is his Guernica, his masterpiece. Astounding cinema-making.

#3. BABEL
If Oscars would only be more world-conscious (like the suddenly becoming globe-trotting Brad Pitt), Babel would have won the Best Picture nod. Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu sealed his mighty trilogy of culture clashes in Babel, and in this film he masterfully displays the misunderstanding of humanity, the rifts between languages. One gunshot to an American tourist in Morroco created repercussions around the globe, as an illegal Mexican nanny struggled and a Japanese teenager became more desperate. Babel's message to humanity is priceless, and it's a kind of film that transcends. Brad Pitt delivered his most staggering performance yet in this film, proving that he's not just a pretty face. Adriana Barrazza was brilliant, but it's Rinko Kikuchi that stole the show - a fascinating portrayal of a soul lost in the wilderness of misunderstanding. This gritty film, shot in different parts of the world, would surely become as Innaritu's finest and his most evocative stirring.

#2. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
What more could you ask for a film that makes you laugh and cry at the same time? In this perfectly blended heartwarming comedy about family had instantly become a classic American road movie. It may be an indie, but grabbing an Oscar nomination for Best Picture was an achievement enough to tell. I love this film, like the way I love the glory of life, it's imperfection, it's irony and it's lessons to learn. It's funny, touching, has its moments, makes you feel nourished and feel important to this world. Abigail Breslin as Olive with his family of shenanigans driving to California for a beauty pageant was completely unforgettable with a lot of sniping, tilly-tallies and topsy-turvy events. The magnificent score also serenades the heartfelt emotion of this film, and you can never see another movie this year with an ensemble, delivering all perfect performances. Breslin steals the limelight, Toni Collete was amazing, Alan Arkin as the foul-mouthed grandpa was hilarious, Steve Carrell was stunning and funny as well, Paul Dano as the angsty and wordless teenager was brilliant, and Greg Kinnear as the useless dad was rewarding to watch. Everything in this film shines bright. In this film about a family of losers, they struggle to chase an American dream where everyone is obsessed of winning. Little Miss Sunshine carefully paints that picture, and deliberately, it's a satire of the American dream. Indeed, we are all losers and "Life is a fucking beauty pageant one after another."

#1. PAN'S LABYRINTH
Here it is, the best film of 2006. This uncompromising, powerful and darkly beautiful film about innocence in the world of cruelty proved to be one of the most magnificently made fantasy movies of all time. It combined timeless elements of fairy tale, war film, human drama, tragic bravery and an art masterpiece, it's inevitable one won't be seduced by it's dark beauty. With raging appraisals by critics around the world and probably topped most top 10 lists of different movie-watchers (and jerks like me), it's outrageous to know that it wasn't even nominated for Best Picture in Oscars. It maybe a foreign film (Spanish) but nevertheless, it has the stength of a compelling Hollywood film with a story of humanity to slap those cold-hearted Academy-voting-bastards. Guillermo del Toro made a film in year that's filled with Mexican films, ie Babel and Children of Men, but gave Labyrinth an edge of a classic fairy tale that even adults would dine with. He was never afraid to put in camera the rawest evil possible in the form of the merciless Captain Vidal, as seen by the eyes of the pure-hearted Ofelia, a heroine most all fables and fairy tales are made of. It's a very enticing film aptly generated with visuals so stunning you can't even breathe and a storyline you can't even move to miss a single dialogue. As I mentioned in my review, 10 years from now, open your cinema-history books and you will see this as one of the finest fantasy films ever made. Pan's Labyrinth will make you forget you are reading subtitles while watching this film, and as exceptional as it is, it's one of those films that would grow with you until the end of your lives, reminding us always that a pure conscience is evil's most repugnant enemy.


Let's hold our spurs and go for another ride towards 2007. See you again next year. Cheers!


J.S.Datinguinoo (c) March 2007