The finale of my Year In Review collection of posts carries the purpose of chronicling my favorite movies from the past 12 months. I'll limit movies to films that had a theatrical run in 2006, although not necessarily in America.
Top 10 Movies
10. Silent Hill - Cybil Bennet: What the fuck? What the fuck? You saw that right? That was real? What the fuck is going on?
9. The Proposition - Jellon Lamb: [speaking about Arthur Burns] We are white men, Sir, not beasts. Oh, he sits up there in those melancholy hills; some say he sleeps in caves like a beast, slumbers deep like the Kraken. The Blacks say that he is a spirit. The Troopers will never catch him. Common force is meaningless, Mr. Murphy, as he squats up there on his impregnable perch. So I wait, Mr. Murphy. I wait.
8. Blood Diamond - Danny Archer: In America, it's bling bling. But out here it's bling bang.
7. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - Geum-ja Lee: Listen carefully. Everyone make mistakes. But if you committed a sin, you have to make an atonement for that sin. Atonement, do you know what that means? Big Atonement for big sins. Small Atonement for small sins.
6. Brick - Brad Bramish: Hey! What are you doing here?
Brendan Frye: Just listening.
[long pause while Brad stares at him]
Brendan Frye: All right, you got me. I'm a scout for the Gophers. Been watching your game for a month, but that story right there just clenched it. You got heart kid. How soon can you be in Minneapolis?
Brad Bramish: Yeah?
Brendan Frye: Cold winters, but they got a great transit system.
Brad Bramish: Yeah?
Brendan Frye: Yeah.
Brad Bramish: Oh, yeah?
Brendan Frye: There's a thesaurus in the library. Yeah is under "Y". Go ahead, I'll wait.
5. Jesus Camp - Becky Fischer: I can go into a playground of kids that don't know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of, just no time at all, and just moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God, because they're so open. They are so usable in Christianity.
4. Casino Royale - James Bond: Now the whole world will know that you died scratching my balls!
3. V for Vendetta - Lewis Prothero: Did you like that? USA... Ulcered Sphincter of Ass-erica, I mean what else can you say? Here was a country that had everything, absolutely everything. And now, 20 years later, is what? The world's biggest leper colony. Why? Godlessness.
2. A Scanner Darkly - Fred: What does a scanner see? Into the head? Into the heart? Does it see into me? Clearly? Or darkly?
1. Nightwatch/Daywatch - Geser: ...And so it will be, until a man emerges who is meant to become the Great One. And, if he chooses the side of Light, then Light will win. But, those, to whom the truth has been revealed, say that he will choose Darkness. For it is easier to kill the Light within oneself, than to scatter the Darkness around... The prophecies are coming true.
What I Missed -
This section doesn't need an Honorable Mentions so much as it needs a realistic notation of everything I missed. My Top 10 is comprised of the movies I saw, but that doesn't mean there wasn't an outrageous selection of films that I really, really wanted to see, but wasn't able to. Such as:
Thank You For Smoking
Slither
Lucky Number Slevin
Nacho Libre
Superman Returns
Clerks II
Miami Vice
The Descent
The Illusionist
Snakes on a Plane
The Protector
The Last King of Scotland
The Queen
The Departed
Flags of our Fathers
Marie-Antoinette
The Prestige
Babel
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Stranger Than Fiction
The Fountain
Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny
Apocalypto
Eragon
Rocky Balboa
Curse of the Golden Flower
Children of Men
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Half Nelson
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
Idiocracy
An Inconvenient Truth
Peaceful Warrior
Paprika
The Host
Rampo Noir
Sheitan
Tekkon Kinkreet
The Science of Sleep
The U.S. Versus John Lennon
Wassup Rockers
So ... obviously my list isn't a very complete one. I can't wait to see all of the movies listed above, and probably everything else that I haven't realized I missed yet. The only movies I can think of that I failed to give a mention to, because I saw them but they weren't quite good enough, were Pirates of the Caribean: Dead Man's Chest, and the Beastie Boys' concert documentary Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That. Which actually, considering I don't particularly like their music, was really cool.
I originally wanted to go ahead and list the best DVDs of the year as well, but considering I don't really own many of the best DVD packages that come to my mind from 2006, it's probably not a very valid list. Obviously, my number one selection would be Criterion's 3-Disc repackaging of Seven Samurai and below that would be the Oldboy Special Edition, the M*A*S*H Martinis and Medicine Collection, and probably the 5-Disc release of Dust Devil, a cult horror classic. Not to mention the super Superman Ultimate Collection, the outrageous Patlabor Limited Editions (Patlabor 2 here), an actual monkey, a movie that actually became good only when it was released on DVD (the second time), and, well, the largest and greatest box set ever conceived.
The onslaught of 2006 recollections continues as I take the time to remember what anime particularly piqued my interest this year. Anime in particular, is something where I might be citing something I enjoyed this year, but was actually a little older. Bear with me guys ... I'm old, and we old people, we forget things.
Top 5 Anime
5. Basilisk - Basilisk is something of an ancient tale in Japan, and seeing as the anime is told also in the novel The Kouga Ninja Scrolls, and the movie Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, it is something that is crazy popular in Japan. Think Grimm's fairy tales, but with ninja that have outrageous abilities. Like eyes that can cause your opponents to murder themselves. So. Hardcore.
4. XXXHoliC - I didn't exactly understand the Clamp world before I started watching the xxxHoliC anime, and in truth, I probably didn't afterwards either. Clamp manga are based on passing characters from one series to the next, and this anime, interestingly skipped most of that. Regardless, it was a well rounded and enjoyable anime to watch, and I never did get to see the culmination of the series.
3. Death Note - My favorite manga series? Absolutely. My favorite manga series translated accurately into a television series with good artwork and an impressive style? Absolutely.
2. Ergo Proxy - I'm guilty of criminally underwatching this series, and I promise it will be dealt with very soon. However, from what I did watch, Ergo Proxy is one of the most intelligent series since Stand Alone Complex, one of the most mysterious since Monster, and the action was about as fantastic as anything on par with a Shonen Jump action epic. Definitely something to be appreciated.
1. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya - It need not be said again.
Too little and too late -
Series that I've recently started watching like Air Gear and Coyote Ragtime Show are unfortunately a little late to be added to this list, and while I'm making up excuses. I've honestly no idea what anime will be coming out in 2007, so I'll be leaving that one void as well.
Looking back at videogames in 2006 is almost like standing directly in front of an oncoming train. It's a little overwhelming. Console launches, relaunches, and the stellar games for existing platforms makes for a boatload of games to remember. For the purposes of my Year in Review, I'll naturally limit myself to games I experienced. Although, some were good enough to make the list while I didn't necessarily finish them ... yet.
Top 10 - Games
10. N3: Ninety-Nine Nights - 360 - I fail to understand how people can dig on the hack 'n' slash genre, when games like N3 can make it so damned enjoyable. The style was incredible, the character designs perfect, and mashing buttons mostly never felt so good. Only the shite save system, and less than impressive voice acting hurt this release in my mind, well, that and Mizuguchi really could have done a little more with the music. Also, let us not forget Inphyy's smoking hot.
9. Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter - 360 - The first game to make me feel like my 360 was actually next generation, Ghost Recon delivered the goods in an impressive way. I'll let everyone in on a secret that I've been saving so as to not spoil the moment for a long time. This part WILL incite a pissing of the pants. If for nothing else, Ghost Recon should be commended for proving that 360 games don't need to be so damned shiny.
8. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - 360 - Rounding out this series of 360 titles, Elder Scrolls IV was a little dangerous for me when it was released. I racked something like 60 hours in a couple weeks, and I was amazed at damn near everything in the game world. Ultimately, my own aversion to first-person combat in RPG's, as well as the feeling I got for wasting so much time in such an open-ended environment caused me to abandon the game, but that doesn't mean I don't understand why it topped so many lists this year.
7. Elite Beat Agents - NDS - The redheaded stepchild of Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents never fails in capturing the same gameplay and occasionally the same charm of the original. It's also a landmark in terms of what importers can do to the game industry. I NEED to keep playing through this guy, and hopefully be ready if Nintendo decides that rhythm games of this nature are going to be a mainstay on the DS.
6. Disgaea 2 - PS2 - The return of charming, hilarious, never-ending tactical battles was something to take note of. Disgaea 2 sacrificed some of the comedy of the first, but charged ahead with better graphics, more character types, depth, and a nice string of cameos. The game wasn't perfect, and I could feel its flaws as I traversed the Item World for the 100th time, but nothing in particular caused me to ever feel like I needed to put the controller down.
5. New Super Mario Bros. - NDS - This may or may not be true, but I'm a firm believer that the success of NSMB is totally the reason we're seeing new 2D sidescrollers for Kirby, Yoshi, Wario, and Metroid. Wait, did I say Metroid? Pfft ... you know it's coming. This game rocked the house down, and was the single inspiring factor for the DS Lite, the first portable I'd owned since OG Game Boy, reaching my hands.
4. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - WII - Sacrilege! I know leaving this monster of a game as far back as Number 4 is enough to cause the riots to return to Watts, but it unfortunately must be done. I have a strange disease that allows me to put Zelda games on hiatus, no matter their stellar quality. I've been suffering from it since Ocarina of Time, and I hope I find a cure sometime soon. Regardless, I feel the grandeur of everything I've played to date, and I still feel this is the most realistic position. Please ... don't maim me.
3. Final Fantasy XII - PS2 - I'll be the first to admit it: Final Fantasy XII is kicking my ass. I took some time off to explore the Wii, returned to Ivalice, and still find myself consistently being thwarted by the difficulty of this game. Each boss battle takes a serious toll on my wellbeing, and while I actually live through most of them, the constant struggle is righteously exhilarating. The only real issue I have with the entire experience is that Vaan is NOT a main character. Balthier, the pimptacular James Bond of Ivalice, he should be the focus of all storyline events and dialog.
2. Gears of War - 360 - What can I say that hasn't been said? Microsoft needed something to tide gamers over until Halo 3, they needed a shooter that could prove to people what the 360 was really capable of. This was it, and so much more. Gears of War could have been the best game I played this year, it was really, really close. I only needed a little more and I'd have handed the award over with smiles. Five more hours of gameplay, and I'd be one happy COG.
1. Okami - PS2 - Okami is Zelda done better than Zelda. It's only about 1/3 game, 1/3 story, and 10/3 masterpiece. Trust me ... I double-checked the math. I crammed forty hours of gameplay into something around a week, as if Okami was my full-time job when it was released. Maybe it's my love for wolves, traditional Japan, ...maybe my appreciation of artwork. I'm not sure what exactly propels Okami into legendary status in my mind, but whatever it is, it's there. Okami is my game of the year for 2006, and it's important to say that while we'll definitely see Final Fantasy XIII, the next Zelda, and something else in the Gears timeline, Clover Studios is closed for good, and that makes Okami a once in a lifetime title.
Honorable Mentions -
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence - PS2
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - NDS
Megaman ZX - NDS
Contact - NDS
Yakuza - PS2
Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting - 360 (Live Arcade)
What I'm Looking Forward To In 2007 -
Actually, I'll be making an entire separate post for this list, and expect it after I've wrapped up all the other categories that 2006 still holds.
Top 10 - Music
2. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere - The return of soul at the hands of Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo is easily one of the most unique albums in years. There's not one song to skip on this entire release. Standout track: "Storm Coming"
3. The Decemberists - Crane Wife - Not quite as catchy as the other Decemberists albums, this release changes things up by becoming deeper, richer, and a plain beautiful release. Standout track: "The Crane Wife 1 and 2"
5. Joanna Newsome - Ys - Joanna Newsome created an album composed of herself, her professional harp playing skills, and five songs that measured over 50 minutes in length. She also enjoys dressing up in medieval garb. I could listen to this disc everyday until I died, and I'd never be tired of the soundscapes, or the charming lyrics. Her occasional squeak is one of the best parts. Standout track: "Monkey & Bear"
7. K-os - Atlantis (Hymns for Disco) - Atlantis is almost difficult to explain. It's an album that serves up a beautiful mix of reggae, acoustic guitar, and soft-spoken lyrics. It's meant to bring about this positive feeling, but I can't help but find my self chilling into an absolute mellow state when listening. Standout track: "highway 7"
9. Knife - Silent Shout - Hmm... Silent Shout by Knife was Pitchfork's album of the year, and I can definitely see why. It's an exploration of awkward pop music, with ample lyrics, but it's the beats that make this album standout. Think background music for an album performed by the Blue Man Group. Definitely unique. Standout track: "From Off to On"
Honorable Mentions -
Cat Power - The Greatest
Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Nas - Hip Hop is Dead
Yusuf Islam - An Other Cup
Wolfmother - Wolfmother
Subtle - For Hero:For Fool
Dissapointments in 2006 -
...and there were so many. Rock just decided to take a break this year, as albums from NIN, and TOOL, my two favorite rock groups, both were less what could be expected from their respective 10 and 5 year waiting periods. Lucero also delivered an album that was a departure from their previous catalog, and as such, pretty much a waste of time.
Looking forward to in (early) 2007 -
I'm not sure yet what we'll be expecting from the musical 2007, but within the coming months releases from Air, and Arcade Fire at least blips on the radar. Bright Eyes apparently has something scheduled for the coming months, and a new Modest Mouse album is peeking somewhere over the horizon, and that is something to be anticipated.
It is with much trepidation that I begin this post that could so quickly become earth shattering in length. 2006 was a fantastic year, and I indulged in countless good things through these 365 days. To try and recap all of them in some quaint Top 10's and Top 5's is obviously futile, but because I'm partly stupid, and partly bored, I'll do it anyways. Here is my Review of 2006, naturally limited to only the releases/objects I was able to explore. If some of my choices bleed backwards into 2005, please note: I occasionally experience things a little late. Well, because there are so many things.
In order to hopefully make this quicker, I'll be doing each segment as it's own post. Enjoy!
