Everyone talks about 2006 being a lame year for movies, but I beg to differ. I found myself being thrilled and exhilarated by works both big budget (UNITED 93) and small (HALF NELSON), both fiction (CHILDREN OF MEN) and non- (A LION IN THE HOUSE), both festival (THE PUFFY CHAIR) and theatrical (THE PUFFY CHAIR!), both Hollywood (INSIDE MAN) and foreign (THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU). I saw hilarious comedies (JACKASS NUMBER TWO, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY), scary horrors (THE DESCENT, THE HILLS HAVE EYES), exceptional docs (THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON, 51 BIRCH STREET), and even a bunch of strange movies in which the characters didn’t speak English (L’ENFANT, 4). I also made a movie, which enabled me to attend a bunch of festivals and see more films than most humans should experience in one year (spend time with a full-time film critic and you’ll see why this is a bad idea). Strangely enough, becoming an “actual” filmmaker has made me a more sensitive viewer, as opposed to becoming more critical and impatient, and for that I’m very thankful. That isn’t to say that I didn’t suffer through some bunk-ass shit this year, because I certainly did. But I also saw a lot of inspiring, affecting work, and I am excited for what the future holds. And now, without further ado, Boredom at Its Boredest presents "The Year in Film: 2006."

Best Film: THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU by Cristi Puiu

Cristi Puiu’s agonizing (and agonizingly funny) chronicle of an old Romanian man’s last night on Earth is as close to Dostoevsky as cinema has ever come. I don’t know how he pulled it off, but I’m granting Puiu lifetime master status based on this film alone (if the next five installments in his proposed six-part series are a fraction as good as this, sayonara THE DECALOGUE). Like Cassavetes at his best (namely the spaghetti breakfast scene in A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE), Puiu’s film plays itself out in a hyperreal state that transcends terms such as “real-time” and “docudrama.” Situations develop so naturally, so gradually, so believably, that we become hypnotized to the point where it feels like we’re no longer watching a movie. By the time Mr. Lazarescu fulfills the film’s titular promise, it’s as if we’ve known this man our whole lives. But this isn’t just a personal tale of one man’s slow, sad death, which is what makes THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU such a miracle (and my film of the decade thus far). It speaks for humanity on a grand, sweeping whole. Bravo, Cristi Puiu.

Runner-Up: THE NEW WORLD by Terrence Malick

I’m not kidding when I say that the world in general, and America in specific, missed an opportunity to become a better, more sensitive, more loving place by ignoring THE NEW WORLD when it got a shamefully brief theatrical release last winter. It hasn’t even been a year, yet it is almost impossible for me to fathom that I saw Terrence Malick’s operatic masterwork at a multiplex theatre in Frederick, Maryland, when it opened on screens across America on January 13, 2006. Watching THE NEW WORLD for the first time (I saw it again two days later) was the cinematic equivalent of taking ecstasy, or discovering classical music, or falling in love with The Prettiest Girl in the World. It was an experience that I won’t soon forget, one of the all-time greats, and it pains me to think that so few people--even those who I consider to be dedicated filmgoers--cared enough to see it in a theatre. Maybe it’s because THE NEW WORLD doesn’t belong in a movie theatre. It’s too ethereal and majestic and transcendent, like God itself.

The Rest of the Top 10:

3) UNITED 93 (Paul Greengrass) -- Walking out of the theatre after suffering through Paul Greengrass’s unflinching recreation of the morning of September 11th, my stomach was twisted into a disgusted knot. Why make this movie? What was the fucking point? Yet now that my anger has finally subsided (it took several months, in fact) and I’ve watched it for a second time, I can appreciate UNITED 93 for what it is: one of 2006’s most remarkable achievements. I understand those of you who don’t want to revisit that horrific day, but I think you’re missing out on something special if you decide not to see UNITED 93. Go ahead and boycott WORLD TRADE CENTER (if only because Oliver Stone is a clueless buffoon), but not this.

4) CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron) -- A work of awe-inspiring cinematic virtuosity, CHILDREN OF MEN envisions a wholly believable near-future in which the world has fallen apart. Please allow me to quote David Lowery, whose comment regarding Cuaron and Emmanuel Lubezki’s stunningly choreographed long-takes says it better than I ever could: “The film is a bag of cinematographic tricks, all of which are at the service of the story, rather than their craftsmens' egos.” Most viewers won’t even notice that these shots are one-takes, which raises the question as to why Cuaron and Lubezki would kill themselves shooting their film in such a complicated manner. But that’s what makes these guys so brilliant. They realize that even if a viewer has no overt awareness of what’s happening with the camerawork, there is something inherently more convincing and affecting (i.e., more REAL), on an unconscious level, in an unbroken take. After my disappointment with INLAND EMPIRE, where Lynch’s unscripted backyard DV production made me see flashes of the guy as a mere mortal, it’s humbling to see a work of technical bravado like CHILDREN OF MEN, in which Cuaron and Lubezki do things that amateurs like myself would never dream of doing.

5) HALF NELSON (Ryan Fleck) -- Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s debut feature is independent filmmaking at its most impassioned, thoughtful, and vibrant. I knew Ryan Gosling was gifted when he had me captivated during THE NOTEBOOK, but I had no idea that he would deliver something as electrifying as this (then again, I still haven’t seen THE BELIEVER). I can’t wait to see what Fleck and Boden come up with next, be it documentary, studio picture, or small-scale indie. Park Slope is up in this muthafucka!

6) THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP (Michel Gondry) -- I was expecting Michel Gondry’s first effort as writer/director to be all style and no substance, which is why it took me almost a month to actually see it. But when I finally did, it stunned me. THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP is a bracingly accurate portrayal of how we (by ‘we’ I mean insecure, hypersensitive, immature males) let our imaginations get in the way and sabotage relationships with sweet, pretty girls. I can’t recall a film that addressed this unfortunate subject with such cutting awareness and honesty. Gael Garcia Bernal, who is one of the most watchable actors on the planet, proves his versatility by being laugh-out-loud funny. While Stephane was at times so quirky that he threatened to devolve into outright insanity, I still connected with him throughout (again, this is a tribute to Bernal’s performance). The sting of recognition I felt watching Stephane’s irrational, ridiculous behavior made me think about my own life. I hope the next time the world presents me with a magical opportunity I won’t fuck it up like I did the last time around. Thanks for the reminder, Michel.

7) PAN’S LABYRINTH (Guillermo del Toro) -- What’s going on with Mexico and visionary directors? Guillermo del Toro’s graphic, visceral fairytale is the year’s most thrilling big-screen spectacle. I’m not normally a fan of this genre, but del Toro imbues his tale (or should I say ‘tales,’ as PAN’S LABYRINTH is really two films in one) with a powerful human undercurrent, which grounds the cartoonish graphic violence and fantastical happenings, and gives us a reason to care.

8) A LION IN THE HOUSE (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert) -- How can the saddest film I’ve ever seen also manage to be one of the most inspiring and hopeful? I cried through about three-and-a-half of this film’s four hours (and by ‘cried’ I mean ‘bawled uncontrollably’), yet I still felt strangely uplifted at the end. A LION IN THE HOUSE is more than just a documentary, or a movie. It’s natural for us to not truly feel the pain of another until it walks into our house and crawls into bed with us (whether it be the Iraq war or cancer or heartbreak), but that’s why Bognar and Reichert’s film is so overpowering. We don’t just watch these children suffer from afar. We suffer with them, until we don’t have any tears left to cry.

9) DUCK SEASON (Fernando Eimbcke) -- To describe this joyous tribute to adolescence as “Jim Jarmusch directs RAISING VICTOR VARGAS” wouldn’t do it justice, but the similarities are there. A hilarious, refreshing debut from another talented Mexican director, DUCK SEASON put a grin on my face and kept it there for a few days. This one went ignored during its brief theatrical run, but I hope it finds a much wider audience on home video. Which is why I'm ordering you to put this movie in your Netflix queue right now, damn it!

10) JACKASS NUMBER TWO (Jeff Tremaine) -- I walked out of JACKASS THE MOVIE saying they could put the concept to bed, since there was no way they could top the insanity of those ninety minutes. I was wrong. Disgusting, hilarious, and physically exhausting, JACKASS NUMBER TWO makes the first film look tame in comparison. I also think this movie is infinitely more shocking than BORAT. In BORAT, all of the reveals were too obvious. A rodeo redneck is homophobic? Noooo! Drunken frat kids are ignorant and racist? Whatttt?! But in JACKASS NUMBER TWO, my wildest expectations couldn’t have prepared me for the onslaught of shocking revelations that occurred at a breakneck pace (if you bong a beer up your ass and plunge your butt, it will spew forth like a geyser? Gee, I didn’t know that!). I agree with Sacha Baron Cohen when he said that BORAT was more of a social experiment than an expose on racism and bigotry. Yet if that’s the case, I consider JACKASS NUMBER TWO to be a more revealing treatise on that very same subject.

11-Through-20:

11) A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (Robert Altman) -- The most pleasant and serendipitous final film imaginable from my favorite director ever, with an even more perfect ending. For Altman to have followed this up with something like HANDS ON A HARD BODY seems inappropriate. Combined with the yearlong parade of tributes, there honestly couldn’t have been a more fitting way to go out. Thank you, Bob.

12) L’ENFANT (The Dardennes Brothers) -- I have to confess, the Dardennes Brothers set the bar so high with their first few films (namely THE SON) that I wasn’t as blown away by L’ENFANT as I probably should have been. I’ve seen almost every film on my Top 20 list twice, but I’ve yet to revisit this one. I have a hunch that when I do it will have a greater impact. Still, like all of their films, L’ENFANT remains a powerful condemnation of, and unexpected tribute to, our fallibility as human beings.

13) DAVE CHAPPELLE’S BLOCK PARTY (Michel Gondry) -- Can’t we all just get along? Dave Chappelle seems to think we can. Chappelle’s greatest gift is addressing our differences to the point where we laugh them off and dismiss them completely. Fortunately, I’m a fan of the artists featured here, but my hunches tell me that even non-fans would dig this hopeful movie. And to think Wingo and I were actually at the taping of the concert but left during Erykah Badu because it was cold and rainy and taking too long in between acts. Whoops.

14) INSIDE MAN (Spike Lee) -- Possibly the best Hollywood “movie” that I saw this year, INSIDE MAN confirms what I thought after THE 25TH HOUR (and, on the other side of the spectrum, BAMBOOZLED): Spike Lee needs to direct other people’s scripts and stop writing his own.

15) 51 BIRCH STREET (Doug Block) -- Of all the films I saw this year, 51 BIRCH STREET might have actually had the most profound, lasting impact. For not just days afterwards, but weeks, I was haunted by the questions Block’s superbly constructed documentary raised, and I couldn’t help but apply those questions to my own life (which, of course, I’ve still yet to answer).

16) THE PUFFY CHAIR (Jay Duplass) -- When I first saw Mark and Jay Duplass’s short films (THE INTERVENTION being my favorite), I felt a sting of jealousy, for these guys had done exactly what I wanted to do. With THE PUFFY CHAIR, however, they took it to a whole ‘nother level. I still can’t help feeling jealous with their whole steez, but the beauty of The Duplass Brothers’ work is that there’s a charm and warmth to it that makes me support it with unabashed glee.

17) THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON (Jeff Fuerzig) -- Jeff Fuerzig’s portrait of troubled troubadour Daniel Johnston is straight-up brilliant. I’ve heard the same thing from people all year, who say they hate music docs and docs about fucked up people, but they loved this movie. That’s because Fuerzig is working from a deeply personal place, which enables us to realize, once we’ve gotten to know him as a person, how Daniel Johnston’s art was a product of, and outlet for, his sensitive, damaged mind.

18) TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (Adam McKay) -- I probably laughed harder at this than any other movie this year. While I thought ANCHORMAN was funny, it was too “sketch comedy” for my tastes. This time around, they shot TALLADEGA NIGHTS like an actual movie (thank you, thank you, thank you). Farrell and Reilly delivered the goods, but it was Sacha Baron Cohen who had me laughing out loud at every single word that came out of his mouth.

19) THE DESCENT (Neil Marshall) -- This movie would have been just as scary if they’d never even introduced the monsters, which is the greatest compliment I can give it. I saw a shitty pirated copy of the original UK release over a year ago, and on that viewing the decision to cast hot model-esque women seemed farfetched to me, but when I saw it again in a darkened theatre, this no longer bothered me and I was caught up in the film’s murky darkness.

20) 4 (Ilya Khrjanovsky) -- I wasn’t sure where this was heading when it started, and I could honestly do without the opening bar sequence, but by the end I was completely on board with this outlandish vision of a supremely twisted world. If you rent this, I would almost recommend starting at the 42-minute mark, because that’s when it launches itself into Bizarro-ville.

Best Documentary: A LION IN THE HOUSE (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)

Runner-Up: DAVE CHAPPELLE’S BLOCK PARTY (Michel Gondry)

The Rest of the Top 10:

3) 51 BIRCH STREET (Doug Block)
4) THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON (Jeff Fuerzig)
5) THIN (Lauren Greenfield)
6) NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD (Jonathan Demme)
7) OUR DAILY BREAD (Nikolaus Geyrhalter)
8) OUR BRAND IS CRISIS (Rachel Boynton)
9) WHY WE FIGHT (Eugene Jarecki)
10) THE GROUND TRUTH: AFTER THE KILLING ENDS (Patricia Foulkrod)

Other Notable Docs:

THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO (Michael Winterbotom and Mat Whitecross)
MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA (David Redmon)
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH (Davis Guggenheim)
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (James Longley)
AMERICAN BLACKOUT (Ian Inaba)

Best Performance: Ryan Gosling, HALF NELSON

Runner-Up: Laura Dern, INLAND EMPIRE

Other Notable Performances:

Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN
Robert Downey Jr., KISS KISS BANG BANG
Shareeka Epps, HALF NELSON
Leonardo DiCaprio, THE DEPARTED
Forest Whitaker, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Clive Owen, CHILDREN OF MEN
Gael Garcia Bernal, THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP

Best Supporting Performance: Sacha Baron Cohen, TALLADEGA NIGHTS

Runner-Up: Mark Wahlberg, THE DEPARTED

Other Notable Performances:

Sergi Lopez, PAN’S LABYRINTH
Luminita Gheorghiu, THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU
Brittany Murphy, THE DEAD GIRL
Mos Def, 16 BLOCKS
Kevin Kline, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
Tammy Blanchard, THE GOOD SHEPHERD
Mark Boone Junior, LONESOME JIM

Best Director: Cristi Puiu, THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU

Runner-Up: Alfonso Cuaron, CHILDREN OF MEN

Best One-Two Punch of the Year: Spike Lee (INSIDE MAN, WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS)

Runner-Up: Emmanuel Lubezki (THE NEW WORLD, CHILDREN OF MEN)

Third Place: LADY IN THE WATER by M. Night Shyamalan and THE MAN WHO HEARD VOICES: OR HOW M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN RISKED HIS CAREER ON A FAIRY TALE by Michael Bamberger

Fourth Place: Michel Gondry (THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP, DAVE CHAPPELLE'S BLOCK PARTY)

Best Scene: DANCE PARTY USA (Aaron Katz) -- There is a 20-minute scene in Aaron Katz’s debut feature, which begins as a seemingly innocent encounter between a boy and a girl outside a party but becomes shockingly personal before either of them realize what is happening. No budget, digital video, small crew, big deal. This is, hands down, the best scene of the year.

Best Shot: CHILDREN OF MEN -- It would be silly to choose one, so I’ll say the car chase and the one where Clive makes his way into the building towards the end of the film.

Best Screenplay: THE PUFFY CHAIR, Mark and Jay Duplass

Best First Film: DUCK SEASON, Fernando Eimbcke

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, CHILDREN OF MEN

Best Editing: Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, Christopher Rouse, UNITED 93

Best Undistributed Film: SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY, Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Why Are These Films Still Undistributed??? (Tie): REGULAR LOVERS, Philippe Garrel and THE SUN, Aleksandr Sokurov

Best Song: “Religious Man” by Mr. Loco, NACHO LIBRE (If it hadn’t been for this song, this movie would have put me to sleep, but whenever it came on--thankfully they used it a lot--I became ultra-alert and electrified.)

Underwhelming The First Time Around, Overwhelming The Second: OLD JOY (Kelly Reichardt)

Were These Movies Really Made And Did I Really Watch Them???:

LADY IN THE WATER (M. Night Shyamalan)
DOWN IN THE VALLEY (David Jacobson)
RUNNING SCARED (Wayne Kramer)

The Worst of the Worst:

HARD CANDY (David Slade)
HOSTEL (Eli Roth)
DÉJÀ VU (Tony Scott)
ANALIFE (Goda)

Disappointments:

MIAMI VICE (Michael Mann)
INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)
FAST FOOD NATION (Richard Linklater)
THE GOOD GERMAN (Steven Soderbergh)
LITTLE MAN (Keenan Ivory Wayans)

Best of the Fest Circuit:

FIND LOVE (Erica Dunton)
DANCE PARTY USA (Aaron Katz)
THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE (Todd Rohal)
THE LAST ROMANTIC (Aaron and Adam Nee)
RUNNING STUMBLED (John Maringouin)
THE HOLE STORY (Alex Karpovsky)
THE HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS: BOUND TO LOSE (Paul Lovelace and Sam Wainwright Douglas)
DOWNTOWN LOCALS (Robin and Rory Muir)
YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME (Keven McAlester)
SHADOW COMPANY (Nick Bicanic and Jason Bourque)
LOL (Joe Swanberg)

Non-2006 Films That I Discovered in 2006 (Shame on Me For Not Having Seen Them Sooner):

WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES (Bela Tarr)
REDS (Warren Beatty)
TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (Victor Erice)
BLOODY SUNDAY (Paul Greengrass)
EL TOPO (Alejandro Jodorowksy)

Films to Look Forward to in 2007:

ABDUCTION: THE MEGUMI YOKOTA STORY (Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan)
HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS (Joe Swanberg)
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND (R. Craig Zobel)
LOW AND BEHOLD (Zachary Godshall)
SNOW ANGELS (David Gordon Green)
QUIET CITY (Aaron Katz)
PRETTY IN THE FACE (Nate Meyer)

And that about does it. Oh yeah, there's one more film you need to look forward to in 2007. I've seen it, and can confirm that it's pretty awesome...

SILVER JEW (Michael Tully)