Movies of 2006

I just got a list of all the eligible movies for Academy Awards for 2006. I’ve seen 37 of them, most of them in the comfort of my own home. The list is below and I have to say, it was easier figuring which ones were the worst vs. which ones were the best. Still hope to see some of the 06 releases before Oscar night.

Seen:
Akeelah & the Bee (great family movie)
American Dreamz (could have been great but they dropped the ball)
Aquamarine (only movie we could get Rebecca to see in a theater, horrible)
The Benchwarmers (bad)
The Break-up (painful to watch)
Cars (good but not as good as I was expecting)
Clerks II (obscene but heartwarming at the same time, interesting commentary on male friendships)
Click (one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen)
Curious George (surprisingly good)
Da Vinci Code (weak)
The Departed (good but still creepy, Damon is so good in these roles though)
The Devil Wears Prada (Meryl Streep alone makes this work)
Dreamgirls (good but it all rests on Hudson’s shoulders and she doesn’t have the acting chops)
Eight Below (another surprise, nice movie)
Failure to Launch (I want to like it but can’t do it)
Friends With Money (interesting ideas and characters, not perfect but thought provoking)
Hoot (mediocre, read the book instead)
Inside Man (great, Spike Lee drops some of his mannered filmmaking and comes up with a winner)
John Tucker Must Die (fun movie in parts, about what you would expect)
Lady in the Water (incomprehensible, as bad as everyone said, disappointing)
The Lake House (ok but a little slow)
Little Miss Sunshine (surprisingly funny, yet still unsettling, nice balancing act)
Mission: Impossible III (everyone is trying too hard here, please no more)
Monster House (surprisingly good)
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (cute if you’re in the right frame of mind or if you like superheroes)
Nacho Libre (strange and not in a good way)
Over the Hedge (great, I had very low expectations, enjoyed it a lot)
The Prestige (very good, anticipated the major revelations though, great to see Bale and Jackman working together)
Stick It (another surprisingly good movie)
Superman Returns (about the best that could be done while maintaining a link to the other movies made over 20 years ago, the airplane rescue may be the best action sequence I’ve seen in years)
Thank You for Smoking (most entertaining movie I saw all year, very funny)
Tristan & Isolde (not that bad, actually learned something)
Underworld Revolution (disappointing, way too much shooting for a monster flick)
United 93 (very good, but hard to watch, moving)
V for Vendetta (good, one of the better comic book adaptations I’ve seen)
Who Killed the Electric Car (good but long and depressing)
X-men: the Last Stand (huge disappointment, completely squanders the good will built up from the first two movies)

Top 5

1. Thank you for smoking
2. Akeelah & the Bee
3. Over the Hedge
4. United 93
5. Inside Man

Worst

1. Click
2. Aquamarine
3. Underworld Evolution
4. X-men
5. Lady in the Water