2006 in Review

  1. An Inconvenient Truth, A, important message, but told incredibly well
  2. The Lives of Others, A, well made German movie about the Stasi
  3. Inside Man, A-, great caper movie is a pleasure to watch unfold
  4. United 93, A-, detailed retelling of 9/11 makes great drama
  5. Stranger Than Fiction, A-,
  6. V for Vendetta, A-, Batman meets Orwell in a classic face off
  7. Letters From Iwo Jima, A-, well-made movie, but speculative
  8. The Illusionist, A-, great-looking short story brought to life
  9. Akeelah and the Bee, A-, simple, but very nice movie about spelling bees
  10. Thank You For Smoking, B+, funny take on spin control
  11. The Devil Wears Prada, B+, cute Cinderella story, Streep great as stepmother
  12. Dreamgirls, B+, solid story and performances, but needed focus
  13. The Queen, B+, well-made small film is like a British West Wing
  14. Little Miss Sunshine, B+, fun, dark family road movie
  15. The Last King of Scotland, B+, great portrayal of Idi Amin with a strong story
  16. Pursuit of Happyness, B+, bleak movie saved by upbeat Will Smith
  17. Borat, B+, filthy, but entertaining with good DVD extras
  18. The Da Vinci Code, B, good story, too much hype
  19. Nanny McPhee, B, enjoyable story of British brats being trained
  20. Invincible, B, well-done, but overdone sports movie
  21. Monster House, B, good story and characters, not great animation
  22. Casino Royale, B, serviceable Bond at your service
  23. The Prestige, B, convoluted but grim movie about magic
  24. Cars, B, entertaining, but not up to Pixar standards
  25. Night at the Museum, B, too sweet, but some good jokes and action
  26. The World's Fastest Indian, B, road movie about a man and his motorcycle
  27. The Departed, B, good setup, but weak characters and story
  28. Superman Returns, B, decent enough, but a little dull
  29. Flags of Our Fathers, B-, good story, but nothing new here
  30. Tristram Shandy, B-, amusing Altmanish mockumentary
  31. Wordplay, B-, crosswords get the Spellbound treatment
  32. Over the Hedge, B-, stale leftovers, but gets better as it goes
  33. The Good Shepherd, C+, boring main character and overly confusing story
  34. Talladega Nights, C+, entertaining but forgettable Will Ferrell vehicle
  35. American Dreamz, C+, an American Idol spoof, not without its charms
  36. Children of Men, C, post-apocalyptic mess of a movie
  37. Underworld: Evolution, C-, just like watching the first movie, unfortunately
  38. Happy Feet, C-, the usual ingredients, but disappointing results
  39. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, D+, horrible disappointment
  40. Pan's Labyrinth, D, fancy-looking, depressing horror movie