s h ! n d ! d

Most people seem to be doing some “year in review” blogging atm, so I might do the same but concentrate mine on a more escapist topic: movies of 2006. You may recall my list from last year…
Trusty ole David and Margaret had this to say about their films of 2006 on At the Movies.
Granted, I haven’t seen as many films as I would have liked this year, here are my picks of the year in random categories I thought up (many of my faves are fillers…):

Best Australian Film: Candy (and also the most depressing film of the year)
Best Comic Book to Film: Superman Returns (for its cheesiness) or V for Vendetta (for its top-notch execution)

“Where they Serious when they greenlighted it?”: A History of Violence and Hard Candy

“Was the object to talk about God?”: Junebug and March of the Penguins
Strange Recommendations: Jindabyne

Music Film: Dave Chappelle’s Block Party

Overrated: The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Brokeback Mountain and DaVinci Code

Coulda Been Better: A Scanner Darkly

Social Conscience Award: Brokeback Mountain (In that, I mean it wasn’t a great film, as much as it was an important film for greater society to recognise issues within.)
“Was that a real baby or CG?”: Little Man and Children of Men

Favourites:
=1. The Departed
=1. The Prestige
=1. Where the Truth Lies
2. Little Miss Sunshine
3. Devil Wears Prada
4. Short Bus
5. Capote
6. Brick
7. Memoirs of a Geisha
8. Chumscrubber
9. 2:37
10. C.R.A.Z.Y

Chick-Flicks & Cheap Thrills:
Material Girls
Devil Wear Prada
Take the Lead
Final Destination 3
The Holiday

I missed it at the movies pile:
Art School Confidential
Pirates of the Carribean 2
The Black Dalilah
Chicken Little
Monster House
My Super Ex-Girlfriend
DOA
Beerfest
The Covenant
The King

Overall, I didn’t like 2006 for its films or otherwise. I thought there were too many offbeat quasi-indie films actually produced by large studios, that just missed their point and their audiences. I found these films to be at most arthouse cinemas and found them lacking and therefore depressing. I would personally liked to have seen more cheesy blockbusters – not so much sequels – at least this way you know you are guaranteed to be entertained.
There seems to have been a large emphasis on 3D animations, and many I heard great things about. Pity I didn’t see many, perhaps I will catch up on a few soon.
Side Point: Why is “happiness” spelt “happyness” with a “Y” in the title of the new Will Smith feature: “The Pursuit of Happyness”?? I hope it’s of relevance to the film, cos if they’re trying to spread some cool hip way of misspelling words, I might just spit the dummy.