This week: Two of my favorite films of 2006.
Children of Men
Quite simply the best film of 2006, Children of Men lunges at you with tour de force filmmaking (read: tracking shots that are impossible) and a powerful story with one of the best dystopias this side of Blade Runner. The film's tone, which can only be described as high-octane moodiness, is punctuated by a surprising amount of wit. Director Alfonso Cuaron has outdone himself, which is saying a lot since he came out of the gate with Y Tu Mama Tambien. Extras include comments by Slavoj Žižek.
Happy Feet
Quite simply the ninth best film of 2006, Happy Feet takes you by surprise, that is, if you were expecting a cheesy movie about dancing penguins. There are dancing penguins, to be sure, but the pop cultural sensibility of this film is more Moulin Rouge than Robots. George Miller once again shows that a cheesy premise (Babe, Babe: Pig in the City) need not make for a cheesy film. Extras include new animated sequences.
The Pursuit of Happyness
Haven't seen it so I couldn't tell you where it ranks, but word on the street is this is Will Smith's best performance since Six Degrees of Separation (a must see) and his kid's not too shabby, either. Extras include a conversation with the man who started it all, Chris Gardner, and a featurette on the Rubik's Cube, although for my money this is the best commentary on that toy's involvement in the trailer.
Turistas (Unrated Edition)
Proof that just making a movie where teens get slaughtered doesn't guarantee a solid box office, Turistas basically takes Hostel, sets it in Brazil, and makes about a sixth of the gross. Extras include commentary by director John Stockwell, who also directed Blue Crush, Into the Blue and Crazy/Beautiful, lucky bastard.
Curse of the Golden Flower
Yimou Zhang's latest didn't get nearly the near-unanimous critical plaudits of, say, Hero or House of Flying Daggers, but it does what appear to be flying ninjas and Gong Li's breasts on full display, so I don't see how you can't buy it. Extras appear to be pretty slim, limited to a making-of featurette and footage from the L.A. premiere. But did you forget the part where there are flying ninjas?
In this week's long list: Heath Ledger gets high and one of the world's greatest actors pretends to be one of the world's greatest directors.
10 Violent Women
15° Off Cool
20 Fingers
42nd Street Forever: XXX-Treme Special Edition (2007)
50s TV Comedy Double Feature: Life of Riley/Our Miss Brooks
6-Piece Easter Clip Strip
60 Minutes - Simon Cowell (March 18, 2007)
Article comments