Note: I had this whole thing where I was going to do a bunch of “best of” lists at the end of 2006. I know, it’s an extremely novel idea which I am in the process of patenting. I never finished this project, however, and I have had this damned post sitting on my server, waiting to be posted since December. I am tired of it being there, so I am now putting it up for your enjoyment. Here we go:

Before last week, I was prepared to write off 2006 as a terrible year for films. Then, out of the blue, I was blindsided by a movie that may rank among the best films I’ve ever seen. A few days after that, I saw a film by one of my favorite directors that restored my faith in the artistry of film. Although I was not excited by a lot of movies this year, the films that made it to the top were extremely impressive. The undisputed best films I saw this year are, as follows:

10. The White Diamond - This movie holds the dubious 10th place position only because it was actually released in 2004. If I had seen it when it came out, it might have taken the top position for the year. It’s a really extraordinary documentary by Werner Herzog, the guy who directed Grizzly Man and a bunch of other films that I haven’t seen but I pretend I know something about because film buffs are supposed to know about them, i.e. Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo.

The White Diamond is a documentary about an expedition taken to Guyana by Dr. Graham Dorrington, in which Dr. Dorrington uses a hot-air balloon to explore the canopy of a rain forest. Dr. Dorrington is as fascinating a character as Timothy Treadwell from Grizzly Man, only slightly less totally insane. Herzog begins the film by discussing the history of zeppelins, making the claim that the Hindenburg disaster killed the idea of gas-powered airships despite their legitimate advantages over airplanes. It’s an interesting thought … why are airplanes the only option for air travel when there’s another technology that works just as well, if not better? This point is pretty much abandoned after the first 10 minutes, but it’s an idea that really stuck with me.

What I really love about the three Herzog documentaries I’ve seen (My Best Fiend is the third–a fascinating film in its own right) is the way he includes himself and the filming of the documentary into the movie. As a director, he seems open to follow whatever interesting story might come along during the course of filming. He never lets the viewer forget that he is watching a filmed version of events, yet he doesn’t necessarily seem to be inventing anything. He creates a very strange, intriguing, and often hilarious sense of reality. I’ve heard complaints from people who’ve watched Grizzly Man that it “seems fake.” It definitely does, but I would argue that that’s exactly what Herzog was trying to achieve. The White Diamond has the same strange feeling of unreality, but it’s completely fascinating from start to finish.

Note: This is as far as I got in my original post. Do you see why I didn’t want to continue? That’s a lot of pressure, describing every movie I saw this year in that kind of detail. I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast this morning.

So, that being said, let me finish up by giving you a blank list of the best films I saw in 2006. Some have comments, some do not. All were great films that I recommend renting ASAP.

9. Who Killed the Electric Car? - For my money, this was the “green” documentary to beat this year. I have nothing but respect for Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth, but I can’t say it really blew me away as a movie. Who Killed the Electric Car?, on the other hand, blew my frigging mind. If you drive around California for any amount of time, you will see plenty of signs for electric car recharging stations. The entire infrastructure was in place, and for some mysterious reason, every electric car in the nation was destroyed. What I loved about this movie was that the directors took a small subject and explored every aspect of it, as opposed to An Inconvenient Truth, which took an enormous subject and barely scratched the surface.

8. Notes on a Scandal - A totally convoluted plot that makes no sense when you really examine it. Yet, it was so well scripted, and so well made, that I’m pretty sure the lack of sense was intentional. When you see it, just keep this in mind: the entire movie is told from the point of view of the narrator. This means that she would have to have made up parts of the story in which she was not a participant. Also: Cate Blanchett has never been hotter.

7. Borat - Honestly, I didn’t laugh as much as I wished I had. I pretty much knew what to expect. And I saw it alone. Still and all, I can recognize that it’s a comedic masterpiece, and Sacha Baron-Cohen is the coolest guy alive.

6. Inland Empire - David Lynch’s version of a home movie. I went to see this film after getting into a fight with Sarah about having our own space in the apartment. It was the perfect mindset to be in while watching a 3 1/2 hour movie that is constructed to feel like a nightmare. Of all the movies I saw this year, this one probably comes up the most in my thoughts. I don’t know how David Lynch does it. I’m usually not a fan of “experimental” or nonlinear films … but somehow, he couches his artistry in such a way that it resembles traditional entertainment. As I told my friend Mike Segretto, who is the biggest Lynch fan I know: if David Lynch didn’t market his films as entertainment, he would be lauded as one of the most important living artists. Matthew Barney’s best work pales in comparison to the worst of David Lynch. Take that, Barney! Ooohhhh, art fight!

5. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party - Wha…? you say. Block Party? Isn’t that some crappy one-off comedy concert that was tossed into theaters to cash in on Dave Chappelle’s unexpected success? That’s kind of what I assumed when the movie was released, but I was so, so wrong. This movie is not about Dave Chappelle. It’s a concert film featuring some of the best hip-hop and (for lack of a better word) soul artists working today. The performances are uniformly amazing. Lauryn Hill’s performance of “Killing Me Softly” brought tears to my eyes, a remarkable feat considering the fact that we’ve all heard that song a million fucking times. It might not work if you don’t like hip-hop; I don’t know. I do, so it does.

4. The Departed - I’ve heard that other people are into this movie, too.

3. Brick - Best script of the year. It’s a travesty that this wasn’t nominated for Best Original Screenplay. I really can’t place this movie in a 1-10 rating system, because it’s a classic. Also, Sarah has hung out with the director while he got a call from Drew Barrymoore.

2. The Fountain - I’ve said all I need to say in this post. I will maintain that this movie is a classic until someone tells me otherwise.

1. Children of Men - Goddamn. I mean, goddamn. I can count on one hand the movies that have affected me this deeply. It is the Animal Farm of movies. The only thing I will say, for people who haven’t seen it, is to pay attention to the camera work. This will be difficult, because you’ll be really wrapped up in the story. Watch it again and pay attention. Every major action sequence is done in one take. For non-film people, this means that almost every major suspense scene in this movie was done in real time. It’s an extraordinary achievement and one of the best movies I have ever seen. Just thinking about it makes me want to see it again.

And there it is. 2006 - a year of sneakily good films. I was planning on doing another page on things I wanted to blog about but didn’t, but I think the time is gone. Maybe some day when I get the energy, I will return. Until then,

I remain,
Yours in spirit and strength,
A pillar unto God,
and what not,
Jeffrey