Children of Men by Alfonso Cuarón (2006, UK/USA)

I don't think I'd be wrong to describe this as Alfonso Cuaron's masterpiece. He is probably one of the most underrated directors working today. I hope this movie will be his big break to the mainstream, and he would continue to make great, or even better movies after this.

There's really a lot to talk about this film. Where do I begin here? First of all, I'd like to say this is the best film of 2006, all things considered. The only real contender is Pan's Labyrinth, but this film really made me think for days after I've watched it, and it holds up really well after the second viewing. There were a lot of subtle details, especially with the abundance of pets in the movie, and how humanity probably used them to fill the emotional gap of not having children. The mise-en-scene and blocking is excellently choreographed, and the narrative was graceful enough with what little exposition it had. The ambiguous ending just tops it off, since it fits thematically with the film, which is retaining hope in the face of utter hopelessness.

Also, the camerawork. Yes, the mindblowing camerawork. Inside the car, and the 7 minute epic steadicam shot in the war zone. It's a feat of brilliance. People will be talking of this for years to come. I'm glad they didn't cut the shot after the blood spatter on the camera lens, it made the scene much more cooler and adds a sense of immediacy to the action happening all around. (well Cuaron actually yelled for a cut, but they didn't hear him on top of the explosion, so he decided to continue.) The shot where both sides stopped fighting after they saw the baby for the first time is also a great scene, and how they started fighting soon enough after that is probably a subtle metaphor for human nature.

Clive Owen has earned my respect after watching this. I've had my doubts on him after watching Inside Man, but his work here is worthy of praise. I somehow missed this in the theaters when I found out that it had screened here in November, so that was very disappointing for me. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that. I just hope more people will watch this, because it's a clever science-fiction movie that deserves watching. Also, I love the reference to Pink Floyd's 'Animals'.
Man, I just can't stop talking about this movie.

4.5/5 stars
IMDB

Serenity by Joss Whedon (2005, USA)

Pretty good sci-fi movie for its relatively modest budget. I really enjoyed the action and suspense build-up even though I couldn't help thinking that this was more or less an extended television episode, even though I've never seen the tv series before. It definitely felt like a Joss Whedon movie, except there were no great plot twists and awkward love scenes. I enjoyed the opening scene of the movie, but felt the action was lacking for what was more or less a space western. Also the chinese accents were pretty bad, but I don't really mind it since the dialog was witty and funny at times. Chiwetel Ejiofor was great as The Operative. I was hoping for a huge gun battle between the Serenity crew and the Alliance at the end, but somehow the film decided to break convention and it seemed cool to me. All in all, definitely worth a re-watch.

3.5/5 stars
IMDB

Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro (2006, Mexico/Spain/USA)

This is one of the best fantasy movies I've watched in quite a while, and what is so great about it is the fact that it works on two parallel levels. It's a great dark fantasy movie with fairies and monsters, and also an introspective look into the minds of a child amidst the evil of men surrounding her in the real world. Whether the fantasy world that Carmen, the child protagonist, is a part of is actually real or not, is left up to the viewer to decide and pass judgment on. I feel that it really is more of a story of good triumphing over evil, the sacrifices one has to take to stand up for what one truly believes in, and also a grim reminder of the brutality of men.

The sadistic misogynistic captain is the real monster here, with his deeply flawed sense of justice and loyalty. I was more appalled and terrified of what he is capable of doing to other men, than the other fantasy monsters in the film. The scene where the doctor makes his last stand against the captain was really powerful, and is truly indicative of the film as a whole. Guillermo del Toro has crafted a magnificent movie truly worthy of praise with Pan's Labyrinth, and the cautious yet subtle balance between real and fantasy is definitely brilliant. I can't wait to watch this on the big screen.

4/5 stars
IMDB

Snow Cake by Marc Evans (2006, Canada)

This film had sad written all over it. So I went inside the theater expecting to watch a depressing film about autism. And yes, it was a heartbreaking film, but it was also a charming, character-driven film with some British sarcasm and witty lines. The film was carried entirely by the performance of Alan Rickman as Alex, in a role tailor-made for him; and Sigourney Weaver, who really did her research and did a great job portraying the autistic Linda. Her unusually honest and optimistic attitude could teach all of us a thing or two about life. The romantic sub-plot seems rather tacked on, though I guess it was necessary as a sort of counter-balance to Alex's personality. Great score by Broken Social Scene, and the indie soundtrack may seem a little pretentious at first, but I'm just happy to hear 'Feist - Let It Die' in the theater.

3.5/5 stars
IMDB

Crank by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor (2006, USA)

This movie would probably never worked without Jason Statham. He was really the only one for the role. He did all his own stunts and his acting was really on par. The same cannot be said for the rest of the cast but it really doesn't matter here, since this movie really is all about Jason Statham. There was a lot of energy from start to finish, though it kinda felt slow for a while in the middle, especially with the girlfriend part. At times, it felt like a video game movie or a glorified skateboard video of some sort, but I'm glad the movie never takes itself seriously, which makes it so much more enjoyable.

3.5/5 stars
IMDB

Man Bites Dog by Rémy Belvaux (1992, Belgium)

This is certainly one of the greatest mockumentary films in the history of mockumentaries. It's really funny, disturbing, with lots of biting social commentary from the protagonist himself. Great use of cinema verite to achieve what few horror/thriller films nowadays are able to, on a relatively miniscule budget. It really is revolutionary. I'm gonna have to watch this a bunch of times more.

4/5 stars
IMDB

Rocky Balboa by Sylvester Stallone (2006, USA)

What a great ending to a great series. I was initially pessimistic about how this would turn out when it was announced but after watching it, I can safely say this is one of the best Rocky movies, maybe only second to the first one. Rocky Balboa is still very much the same guy, only he's gotten older and has lost his wife to 'woman cancer'. The ending fight was easily the best part. It was done well, looks realistic with some cross-cutting and whatnot. Stallone's acting is also at the top of the game right now, the motivational speech he gave to his son in the film is one of his best performances ever. Oh, now I can't wait to watch his next Rambo film.

4/5 stars
IMDB

Down in the Valley by David Jacobson (2005, USA)

The first act of this movie was probably the best part, it showed a really sweet romantic introduction to the love story of the cowboy and the girl. After that, the story kind of falls flat. Ed Norton's character wasn't really intriguing enough, and the director should have explored more of his past, to establish a greater bond to the character for the audience. In the end, the intended impact wasn't really there. It definitely had its moments though. Such a shame, it had a pretty good cast with Evan Rachel Wood and David Morse.

3/5 stars
IMDB