THE YEAR IN FILM 2006 STARTED OUT BADLY, BUT FALL BROUGHT THE WINDS OF CHANGE.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer If you were to judge the movie year 2006 by its first nine months, you would render a verdict somewhere between life in prison (or what sitting through ``The Da Vinci da Vinci Surgery A surgical robot for performing certain surgeries–eg, mitral valve repair and laparoscopic procedures–eg, cholecystectomy and gastric ulcer repair. See Laparoscopic surgery, Robotics, Surgical robot. Code'' felt like) and lethal injection (which I'd pick rather than watch ``Click'' again). Such an onslaught of mediocrity froze my face in sort of a permanent forced smile -- you know, the kind of expression you see on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' faces during one of their spontaneous expressions of their enduring love and happiness. Fortunately, a strange thing happened on the road to movie hell. The year took a left turn in October, and we were spared further fire and brimstone fire and brimstone n. 1. The punishment of hell. 2. Homiletic rhetoric describing or warning of the punishment of hell. Noun 1. by guardian angels such as Eastwood and Scorsese and Borat (?), redeeming the sorry year -- and then some. The bad news? January is five days away. INDELIBLE IMAGES OF '06 The sea of hands fighting for control of the airliner in the final shot of ``United 93.'' Clive Owen's long-take dash through a battle zone, baby in arms, in ``Children of Men.'' The first appearance of Davy Jones and his motley crew from the Flying Dutchman in ``Pirates of the Caribbean This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest.'' (The Kraken Kraken giant snakelike sea creature. [Dan. Folklore: Merca tante, 194–195] See : Monsters was pretty cool, too.) The eye-searing nude wrestling match between Borat and Azamat that goes on forever in ``Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.'' The Pale Man waving his stigmata stigmata (stĭg`mətə, stĭgmăt`ə) [plural of stigma, from Gr.,=brand], wounds or marks on a person resembling the five wounds received by Jesus at the crucifixion. eye hands while chasing the young heroine in ``Pan's Labyrinth.'' Peter O'Toole's beautifully ravaged rav·age v. rav·aged, rav·ag·ing, rav·ages v.tr. 1. To bring heavy destruction on; devastate: A tornado ravaged the town. 2. face in ``Venus.'' Pedro Almodovar making fine use of what he calls ``cinema's most spectacular cleavage'' (i.e. Penelope Cruz) in ``Volver.'' FAVORITE COUPLES Helen Mirren and Michael Sheen in ``The Queen.'' Daniel Craig and Eva Green in ``Casino Royale.'' Ryan Gosling and Sharika Epps in ``Half Nelson.'' Peter O'Toole and Jodie Whitaker in ``Venus.'' Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen[1] (born 13 October, 1971) is an English comedian, writer and actor most noted for his comic characters Borat (a Kazakh reporter), Ali G (a junglist-hip hop gangsta wannabe and Ken Davitian (Azamat) in ``Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.'' SMALL ROLES, BIG IMPRESSIONS Michael Caine playing the wise and funny Flower Power radical in ``Children of Men.'' David Bowie as German physicist Nikola Tesla in ``The Prestige.'' Grace Zabriskie as the agent of doom paying a neighborly neigh·bor·ly adj. Having or exhibiting the qualities of a friendly neighbor. neigh  bor·li·ness n.Adj. 1. visit in ``Inland Empire.'' Fiona Shaw, shredding scenery with an alarming and most entertaining glee, in ``The Black Dahlia.'' DOUBLED OUR PLEASURE (MORE SO, IN A COUPLE OF CASES) Clint Eastwood, directing ``Flags of Our Fathers'' and ``Letters From Iwo Jima Letters from Iwo Jima (Japanese: 硫黄島からの手紙, Iwo jima kara no tegami) is a 2006 Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning critically-acclaimed[1][2][3] .'' Meryl Streep in ``A Prairie Home Companion'' and ``The Devil Wears Prada.'' Bill Nighy in ``Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' and ``Notes on a Scandal.'' Richard Linklater with the provocative, if flawed, two-fer ``A Scanner Darkly'' and ``Fast Food Nation.'' Sacha Baron Cohen in ``Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' and ``Borat.'' MOST CHARISMATIC PERFORMANCE FROM A MAN WE DIDN'T KNOW HAD CHARISMA Al Gore in ``An Inconvenient Truth.'' LEAST CHARISMATIC PERFORMANCE FROM A MAN WHO USED TO HAVE CHARISMA BUT LOST IT SOMEWHERE AROUND THE TIME HE GOT THAT EARRING earring, a personal adornment, sometimes an amulet, worn attached to the ear lobe. Since prehistoric times the ear has been pierced for the insertion of the earring; certain primitive tribes distort the lobe with plugs several inches in diameter or with heavy stones. Harrison Ford in ``Firewall.'' WORST CASTING CHOICES An overwhelmed Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane in ``Superman Returns.'' M. Night Shyamalan Manoj Nelliattu Shyamalan (born August 6, 1970), known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, /'ʃæ.mæ.lɔːn as a visionary writer whose work would ``change the world'' in ``Lady in the Water.'' Aaron Eckhart and Josh Hartnett making like a practice squad Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce in ``The Black Dahlia.'' Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston as a real-life couple as opposed to the pretend one they played far more convincingly in ``The Break-Up.'' POISON PAIRINGS M. Night Shyamalan the director with M. Night Shyamalan the writer in ``Lady in the Water.'' Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou in ``The Da Vinci Code.'' Russell Crowe and light comedy in ``A Good Year.'' Hilary and Haylie Duff in ``Material Girls.'' McG and honest emotions in ``We Are Marshall We Are Marshall is a 2006 motion picture directed by McG dramatizing the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, the rebuilding of the program, and the healing that the community undergoes. .'' BEST LINES ``We support your war of terror War of Terror is a pun used in protest or criticism of the United States policy called the War on Terrorism, also known as the War on Terror.[1] References 1. !'' Kazakhstan journalist Borat to a Virginia rodeo crowd, much to their delight in ``Borat'' ``When you decide to be something, you can be it. That's what they don't tell you in the church. When I was your age, they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I'm saying to you is this: When you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?'' Jack Nicholson's pragmatic gangster in ``The Departed'' ``Will someone please save these people from themselves!'' Michael Sheen, playing a Tony Blair exasperated by the royals in ``The Queen'' ``Brad showered quickly, sensing a rare opportunity to have sex with his wife.'' The narrator NARRATOR. A pleader who draws narrs serviens narrator, a sergeant at law. Fleta, 1. 2, c. 37. Obsolete. , summing up the lives of the young married parents of ``Little Children'' ``Always do what is right because it is right.'' The final words of a letter written by a dead Marine's mother in ``Letters From Iwo Jima'' Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp@dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) For the glorious nation of Kazakhstan, I accept being named to your Top 10 list Sacha Baron Cohen in `Borat' (2 -- 4) Above, Peter O'Toole tries to charm the pants off Jodie Whittaker in ``Venus.'' Below, Bill Nighy oozes ... well, something as Davy Jones in the second ``Pirates of the Carribean.'' Below left, Penelope Cruz turns up the heat in ``Volver.'' |
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