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Staff Selections: 2006 The Year in Review

Andrew

Yes
  1. YesAn artistic coup - this film took the most risks, and paid off on everyone of them.
  2. The StaircaseAn amazingly compulsive real-life murder-mystery with a dream 'cast'.
  3. The PropositionA Nick Cave murder-ballad-as-feature-film, faultlessly realised by the director and cast.
  4. Howl's Moving CastleAnother Miyazaki masterpiece bursting with magic moments.
  5. Me and You and Everyone We KnowSupremely original American indie, derived from a genuine sense of artistry.
  6. The Three Burials of Melquiadas EstradaA mature and majestic ballad that takes you on a bona fide and rewarding journey.
  7. Brokeback MountainThat this didn't win the Best Picture Oscar was a political and artistic travesty.
  8. River QueenUnfairly panned in some quarters, this had brains and guts and deserves to be seen by all NZers.
  9. The Squid and the WhaleA no-nonsense independent film, with a great happy-sad script and performances that ring true.
  10. The Beat My Heart SkippedGratifying French thriller that both grabs you by the throat, and leaves a lump in it.

Also running: Bee Season, Capote, Cars, The Jacket, Match Point, Tony Takitani, Uzak, V For Vendetta, Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and heaps of docos of course; Darwin's Nightmare, Dig!, Enron, Murderball et al …

Mike

Hidden
  1. HiddenHighly relevant study of the terrorist threat and damning lack of grace under pressure.
  2. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph HillHeart-warming tale of man-animal symbiosis discovers a few new mysteries in the world.
  3. The Three Burials of Melquiadas EstradaRobust contemporary Western spreads its human drama across some stunningly-wild borderlands.
  4. PulseNot Kiyoshi Kurosawa's best, but still a wonderful spectral creepshow about ghosts on the internet.
  5. The World's Fastest IndianMy pick for local release of the year has just the cranky good spirits to honour its hero.
  6. Grizzly ManMore man-animal interaction, with Werner Herzog delivering a rather more disturbing portrait of furry obsession.
  7. MunichDespite the sentiment, Spielberg effectively dramatises the moral quagmires of counter-terrorism.
  8. Czech DreamQuirky concept doco delivers its anti-consumerist message with cackling good humour.
  9. Dig!Whatever you think of the actual rock bands, this dissects the rock'n'roll ego trip with fresh insight and considerable hilarity.
  10. A State of MindDoco #5: A straightforward but fascinating look at the closed society of North Korea and the amazing Mass Games.

Bubbling under: Time of the Wolf, Three Extremes, Long Way Round (TV Series), Triple Agent, The New Oceania, Mountain Patrol, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Squid and the Whale…

Tim

A History of Violence
  1. A History of ViolenceAmerican values are mixed, cut and destroyed in David Cronenberg's great masquerade, a film I haven't been able to shake.
  2. Crimson GoldAn Iranian 'Travis Bickle' delivers Pizzas amidst urban disquiet in Jafar Panahi's austere masterpiece.
  3. Nobody KnowsThis profoundly humanist film distills tragic events into a moving account of abandoned children in Japan.
  4. 2046Girls feature prominently in Wong Kar-wai's Greatest Hits - a frisky affaire de coeur that embodies the 'movie crush' and more.
  5. The Squid and the WhaleLaura Linney, a Baldwin brother, Blue Velvet vs. Short Circuit, semen streaks - something for everyone in this paean to dysfunction.
  6. Time of the WolfThe year's most prophetic film - where disaster looms and the lessons of 'Katrina' have yet to be learnt.
  7. CapoteA cold, calculated unfastening of literary mythology; not a biopic, but a sly approximation of the 'truth'.
  8. The WorldA brilliant encapsulation of China's estranged youth under the guise of Bejing's ludicrous World Park.
  9. UzakArtful, pensive and funny; a wintery meditation on two Turkish blokes in solitude that's a revelation.
  10. Sympathy for Mr. VengeanceThe underrated entree in Park Chan-wook's revenge trilogy, this is also the best 'black comedy' of the year.

Second 11: Hidden, Cafe Lumiere, Mysterious Skin, Millennium Mambo, Pulse, The Proposition, The New World, Millennium Actress, A State of Mind, Bright Leaves, Oasis (late 2005, but deserves a mention)…

Will

The Squid and the Whale
  1. The Squid and the WhaleAt last, a movie that makes me feel proud to be middle class. Pretentious but ultimately endearing characters. I wish Jeff Daniels was my dad.
  2. Brokeback MountainThe film that brought me and Dave together. Brilliant.
  3. Everything is IlluminatedWonderfully quirky and hilarious road movie. So good it almost made me like Elijah Wood - but then he goes and stars in Green Street Hooligans.
  4. Dig!Brilliant documentary exploring classic themes of careerist ambition and artistic integrity.
  5. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the RoomObscure economic terminologies, extreme sports, ex-high school nerds going mad with power. The most entertaining documentary of the year.
  6. Fear and TremblingEast and West collide in this memorable black comedy set in early-90s Japan.
  7. Match PointAll of Woody Allen's brilliance without his physical presence.
  8. MunichGripping political drama, brilliantly directed, with excellent performances all round.
  9. ThumbsuckerCharming coming-of-age drama with a great turn from Lou Pucci
  10. Snakes on a PlaneThe most enjoyable movie of the year. I am not being 'ironic'.

Highly Commended: Myserious Skin, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Lord of War, The King…

Jim

The Squid and the Whale
  1. The Squid and the WhalePerfect send up of the literate middle class - almost like Ponsonby, really.
  2. The Beat My Heart SkippedA double life terrifically played out by Roman Duris, by turns passionate, funny and violent.
  3. The Devil and Daniel JohnstonThe man is a genius. Dave doesn't think so. But he is.
  4. Fallen Angel - Gram ParsonsSlightly rough telling of the life and times of Gram Parsons, but the subject matter makes for compelling viewing.
  5. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the RoomA real life corporate tragedy, very sobering, illustrating how much control big business can have over the populace.
  6. Dig!One of the best films about rock'n'roll. Funny, tragic and truthful; a profound expose of the fine line between success and failure.
  7. Sympathy for Lady VengeanceThe most stylish of the revenge films, albeit less shocking.
  8. Townes Van Zandt - Be Here to Love MeTroubled life times of one of the most gifted songwriters the world has ever seen. "Are all your songs sad?" "No, some of them are hopeless."
  9. CapoteBlurred lines between author and subject. How far is too far?
  10. The PropositionBlood, dust, betrayal and Australian southern goth chic. Brilliant.

Zac

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
  1. Sympathy for Mr. VengeanceBrutal and gripping, this earlier work by Park Chan-wook is darkly comic if you can see past the rivers of blood.
  2. Grizzly ManHonest, endearing and exceptionally funny, you'll never look at a grizzly the same way again.
  3. The StaircaseTruth is more gripping than fiction in this six hour mini-series that will keep on surprising you 'til the end.
  4. 2046Wong Kar-wai shows again why he is at the forefront of the Hong Kong new wave with sound, colour and storytelling to thrill the senses.
  5. A Bittersweet LifeAnother stylish Korean action revenge flick that's an instant classic.
  6. ElectionUnconventional gangland power struggle with twists and turns aplenty.
  7. The PropositionNick Cave's epic storytelling with a stellar cast in the stunning Australian outback.
  8. BrothersSusanne Bier follows up Open Hearts with another Dogme effort to make Zentropa and Lars von Trier proud.
  9. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the RoomIncredible to think they almost got away with it.
  10. Little FishThis Aussie 'drug drama' has solid performances by the excellent ensemble cast including a couple of New Zealanders.

Honourable mentions: Wal-Mart - The High Cost of Low Price, The Squid and the Whale, Darwin's Nightmare, Monster Road, Dig!, Capote, Slither, The Future of Food, The Weather Man…

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