Best (and Worst) Movies of the Year
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Lifecrafter
Member # 34
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written Monday, December 25 2006 22:04
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The critics tend to not know what they're talking about. So I decided to look back over this year and think about the movies 2006 spawned, and especially which ones grew up to be worthy Blockbusters...or at least worthy mentions. Excluding everything before June simply because I don't remember what came out, for best movies I nominate... Borat—Alright. So the 15-minute scene with the naked guys wrestling was 15 minutes longer than it should have been. This movie still succeeded in painting a picture of America nobody else had the guts to do. It was funny because it was true, and actually made me think. For example, did anyone else notice that the group of black guys Borat met were the nicest and friendliest people in almost the entire movie? Considering the negative connotations so many people hold with that crowd, it was something that really made me happy and say "told you so." Sasha Baron Cohen has more guts than a pound of sausage. It made a great date movie (awkward). Snakes on a Plane—It was cheesy. It was gross. I will grant both of those. But it was a pretty stinkin' cool movie none-the-less. It's tough to say exactly why, although having Samuel L. Jackson playing in a movie with a title like that definitely merits some positive reviews. It looks like the producers knew people were going to expect goofiness and just hammed it up as much as possible. It's not going to win any Oscars, but they hammed it well. Sixteen Blocks—As action movies go, this one was funny at times, meaningful and touching at others, and had a lot of explosions the rest of the time; fun for the whole family! I was impressed that a movie about a hostage situation in the middle of Manhattan had any real depth. This movie was pulled off with a nice deal of emotional and personal realism as well as some Bond-worthy suspense. Bad movies need loving too... When A Stranger Calls—Oh no! The plot is moving around in the guest bedroom! We can't let it find us! An honorable mention... Silent Hill—It wasn't really bad. It would have been good if it wasn't so wantonly violent. It certainly did a good job of scaring the bejeezus out of me and my date. But plot-wise, this movie was really kind of interesting and had some...well...maybe a little overused but interesting insights (I'm going to get a lot of crap for that). It was easy to tell which were the good parts: the faces of the couple in front of us were glued to the screen during the good parts, and glued to each other during the bad parts (about half the time). Alright, so anyone else have nominations to make? -------------------- Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck. 'Spiderweb Software' anagrammmed: 'Word-bereft A**wipe' Posts: 702 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Monday, December 25 2006 22:06
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Best: Pursuit of Happyness Worst: Lady in the Water -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2820
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written Monday, December 25 2006 22:34
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Best: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan This movie was hilarious and awesome for all the aforementioned reasons. I am glad to see someone else having the same reservations about that infamous nude wrestling scene, but the whole point to pushing the envelope is not to care about polite society. For those who can lighten up, it was probably the funniest movie of the year. Blood Diamond I know many people have harshly criticized this one for being unnecessarily protracted and for concentrating too much on its message against the diamond industry. However, I honestly thought de Caprio's performance was powerful and Hounsou's was magnificent. It had plenty of action and its scenes meant to disgust the audience with bloody portrayals of the horrors of the wars in Africa did their job superbly. Worst: Lady in the Water I have seen many worse movies than this, like "Alexander." Admittedly this is only the "worst movie I personally have seen this year," and in the greater scheme of things, that does not count for much. It was too long and lacked real action and suspense. It fascinated me for a little while and was humorous at times, but I never found myself laughing hysterically. The story slowly dragged on, adding random information about the movie universe that Shyamalan apparently made up as a bed time story. Seriously, if someone had told me that the end involved a giant eagle and a poolside party without a huge fight scene with the Scruts, I would have turned around from the theater to go home. [ Tuesday, December 26, 2006 14:42: Message edited by: Garrison ] -------------------- Thuryl: I mean, most of us don't go around consuming our own bodily fluids, no matter how delicious they are. ==== Alorael: War and violence would end if we all had each other's babies! ==== Drakefyre: Those are hideous mangos. Posts: 1415 | Registered: Thursday, March 27 2003 08:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 7420
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written Monday, December 25 2006 22:35
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Best: The Protector. The greatest Quentin Tarantino movie I've ever seen, and I really liked Kill Bill. This movie has this one fight sceen where the hero battles his way up a huge spiral stairway. One word... epic. This movie is almost like a video game in terms of character development, you know them by how they fight and what they wear rather than who they really are. I like it that way. If for nothing else, see this movie for the sweetest fight scenes ever. Worst: Bloodrayne. Of course, the real worst movie I won't mention because it doesn't deserve it. This movie is here because it was terrible in an awesome way. There has never been a good movie based on a video game and this is no exception. The redeeming qualities are the excessive violence and a hilarious appearance by Meatloaf. Recommened: Grandma's Boy, since I'm sure it's the story of many of your lives. Thank You for Smoking, because I'm a political science major and am obligated. V for Vendetta, which was pretty good, but I'd rather see a movie made of The Watchmen. Nacho Libre, for a good laugh. And The Prestige, for the most bizarre twist ending I've ever seen, plus David Bowie! -------------------- You lose. Posts: 2156 | Registered: Thursday, August 24 2006 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5132
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 06:55
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I'd participate, but I've only seen three new movies this year... -------------------- "Let us see what the new day brings." - Temas, Areni. Visit my realm! Rate My Scenarios! Fort Emerald Robbery The Nephils' Defense The Final Spire The Fifth Tower of Magi The Portal Posts: 626 | Registered: Monday, October 25 2004 07:00 |
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Guardian
Member # 2238
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 09:39
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Just curious... if the critics "tend to not know what they're talking about," what makes you any more qualified? Anyway, Clerks 2 was my favorite. -------------------- DEMON PLAY, DEMON OUT! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 10:52
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I'd like to nominate Eragon for worst movie... Oh! The dragon was hiding behind that curtain for the entire movie! -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 7735
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 12:30
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quote:Good books usually don't spawn good movies. Harry Potter is an example. (At least, I didn't like the HP movies. Some people, like me, don't like the book either.) Posts: 107 | Registered: Monday, December 4 2006 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 7000
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 12:58
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quote:A movie based off a good book can be good if done well. The Lord of the Rings movies are good examples. With Eragon, they were starting with a terrible book, so the movie was bound to suck. As far as the Harry Potter films go, I thought the first 2 were quite well-done. The third one was a disappointment, but they got back on track with Goblet of Fire. If you didn't like the books, it's no surprise that you didn't like the movies, now is it? :P [ Tuesday, December 26, 2006 12:58: Message edited by: Tyran ] -------------------- "It's sort of like Star Wars. Except Jeff didn't make Erika shoot first in Avernum 3, nor did he introduce annoying computer-animated aliens." —Arancaytar The Spiderweb Chat Room Shadow Vale - My site, home of the Spiderweb Chat Database, BoA Scenario Database, & the A1 Quest List, among other things. Posts: 178 | Registered: Thursday, April 6 2006 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 2820
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 14:48
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Good lord, an argument about whether the quality of a book affects the quality of a movie based on it will go nowhere. There is no clear cut correlation either way. Each case is dependent on the specific details of the situation. I personally think the general quality of the movie, meaning for example the director and actors, is the most important factor. In second place comes whether you, the viewer, like the way the movie has represented the book. The Harry Potter movies are not priceless gems in the rough of teenager movies. But they are not pure, incessant crap, either. I cannot say the same for the books. -------------------- Thuryl: I mean, most of us don't go around consuming our own bodily fluids, no matter how delicious they are. ==== Alorael: War and violence would end if we all had each other's babies! ==== Drakefyre: Those are hideous mangos. Posts: 1415 | Registered: Thursday, March 27 2003 08:00 |
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Councilor
Member # 6600
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 16:08
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Originally by Garrison: quote:And yet we do it anyway. :P Originally by Tyranicus: quote:Not necessarily. Bad books (or at least obscure ones) can make good movies, too. Dikiyoba thinks that Eldest could be a halfway decent movie, since the crippling flaw in the book was that Eragon and Saphira do nothing until the very end of the book and these sorts of movies tend to end up with unneccessary action sequences. Plus, Eragon's brother leading the villagers to safety could be good if done right. Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 34
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 18:01
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quote:Hey, what makes anyone qualified to give an opinion? :P quote:A-friggin'-men. [ Tuesday, December 26, 2006 18:01: Message edited by: Robinator is a Beefcake ] -------------------- Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck. 'Spiderweb Software' anagrammmed: 'Word-bereft A**wipe' Posts: 702 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
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Skip to My Lou
Member # 40
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 19:26
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quote:Quoted because it's true. quote:Double quoted to further emphasize how very true it is. Seriously, does this kid have a pair of publicists for parents or something? -------------------- Take the Personality Test! Deep down, you wish you were a stick figure. Posts: 1629 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 7472
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 19:44
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Easy! Eragon could have been better, but it certainly wasn't terrible. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest. That was pretty good (Though, admittedly, it's the only 2006 movie I've seen, and that's because I got it for Christmas on DVD). -------------------- I tried to think of something witty to put here. Needless to say, I failed. Posts: 2686 | Registered: Friday, September 8 2006 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 20:22
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The only 2006 films I've seen are Thank You For Smoking and The Inside Man. Both were good, but the first was extremely good and the second only acceptably entertaining. I have not seen Eragon, but the book doesn't strike me as a good core around which to build a cinematic masterpiece. Or any masterpiece, really. A good movie could be made, but its quality would correlate directly with liberties taken. —Alorael, who doesn't think Eragon is terrible, exactly. It suffers from being highly derivative and not terribly interesting or well written, but there are certainly worse efforts available. What makes Eragon so unpalatable is the sheer amount of attention and press that has been heaped upon it. It's mediocre. It should be left to its mediocrity. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Agent
Member # 1934
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 20:57
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The only new movies I've seen this year were X-men 3 and Thank You for Smoking. I liked both of them. :Edit: Wait, An Inconvenient Truth came out this year too, right? I saw that as well and enjoyed it. [ Tuesday, December 26, 2006 20:58: Message edited by: Andraste ] -------------------- You acquire an item: Radio Free Foil Posts: 1169 | Registered: Monday, September 23 2002 07:00 |
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Cartographer
Member # 1851
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 21:14
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Huh, I've seen more movies this past year than I thought I would've... But just nine, apparently. Out of those that I've seen, I'd say these three are the top (but not necessarily great, just that I enjoyed them). FC Venus, which is a Finnish movie, so hardly any one of you will probably know of it. I really enjoyed it and I think I may just have to get this on DVD at some point. Casino Royale. Well, I did enjoy it quite a bit. And a tie between Cars and Hoodwinked!. I have a thing for animations. The second movie did have singing though, but I can't remember it being too terrible, so it didn't get dropped off the list. I can't stand song scenes. I just detest them from the bottom of my very soul and heart. The worst movie I saw this year? The first Chronicles of Narnia movie. Hated it, not because the story had changed, but because all the changes were for the worse. And I hate near-death-scenes and the needless "OMG DRAMA WILL THEY SURVIVE, NOOOOOO...!" - wait, yes, they do. Every time. The special effects were pretty, but the movie itself sucked big time. Horrible waste of money. I regret going to see it. -------------------- "I'm not crazy!" "Well, whatever. Maybe you just ate something really questionable, or perhaps someone hit you on the head with something large, blunt and heavy just now. By the way..." Gil nudged Grul pointedly. Ooh! Homepage - Blog - Geneforge, +2, +3 - My Elfwood Gallery and DevArt page So many strange ones around. Don't you think? Posts: 1308 | Registered: Sunday, September 8 2002 07:00 |
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Shaper
Member # 7420
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 23:11
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quote:I agree. 'V for Vendetta' was based on a book and they changed a lot of things for the movie yet I'd say they are still equally awesome. But surely you agree with my statement that no good movie has ever been made from a video game, yes? That's just the truth. I'm glad people liked 'Thank You for Smoking.' I didn't think a lot of people would get it, but then again you guys aren't a lot of people, I suppose. I'm also glad to see no one was fooled by 'Eragon.' Worse fantasy movie since 'Dungeons & Dragons.' I've seen made for TV movies that were better. 'Merlin', for example. -------------------- You lose. Posts: 2156 | Registered: Thursday, August 24 2006 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 7735
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written Tuesday, December 26 2006 23:40
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These are just my humble opinions, but I think Cars was decent. Better than most animation movies I've seen. The Chronicles of Narnia, I swear I've seen it before. They just remastered it or something. Not worth seeing. Posts: 107 | Registered: Monday, December 4 2006 08:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 7000
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written Wednesday, December 27 2006 05:59
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quote:Well, firstly, that was a 2005 movie. :P You probably remember the BBC version from the early 90s that was shown on PBS in the US. It was quite good, but imho, so was the new one. I've given this much thought and would have to say that either Thank You for Smoking or Casino Royale was the best 2006 movie. Of course, there are a few movies I haven't seen yet. I'm planning on seeing bot Night at the Museum and The Good Shepherd this week. -------------------- "It's sort of like Star Wars. Except Jeff didn't make Erika shoot first in Avernum 3, nor did he introduce annoying computer-animated aliens." —Arancaytar The Spiderweb Chat Room Shadow Vale - My site, home of the Spiderweb Chat Database, BoA Scenario Database, & the A1 Quest List, among other things. Posts: 178 | Registered: Thursday, April 6 2006 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5132
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written Wednesday, December 27 2006 06:43
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Interesting. I couldn't stand the BBC Narnia, but I loved the 2005 version. Different tastes, I s'pose. And I'm not some geek who cares only about special effects. King Kong had good effects, and I couldn't stand that. I didn't care for POTC 2 much either. [ Wednesday, December 27, 2006 06:45: Message edited by: BainIhrno ] -------------------- "Let us see what the new day brings." - Temas, Areni. Visit my realm! Rate My Scenarios! Fort Emerald Robbery The Nephils' Defense The Final Spire The Fifth Tower of Magi The Portal Posts: 626 | Registered: Monday, October 25 2004 07:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 5754
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written Wednesday, December 27 2006 07:19
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My favourite movie would be Piratess of the Caribbean 2. I haven't seen many movies this year, but I liked it. Posts: 626 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00 |
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Agent
Member # 3364
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written Wednesday, December 27 2006 07:37
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Of all the movies produced this year, I have seen 23 so far. Five of which were animated. My favorite movie was X-men 3, butit was my favorite long before I saw the movie. I've been a fan since gradeschool. Movies that I would recommend: Over the Hedge Superman Returns Night @ the Museum Accepted School for Scoundrels Movies that are worth seeing but not great: Firewall Big Momma's House 2 She's the Man The Wild John Tucker Must Die Open Season Employee of the Month Man of the Year Movies that I could have skipped but didn't mind: Ice Age 2 Flight 93 The Ant Bully The Benchwarmers Little Man Santa Clause 3 Deck the Halls Movies I'm embarrassed to say I paid to see: Grandma's Boy Crank -------------------- "Even the worst Terror from Hell can be transformed to a testimony from Heaven!" - Rev. David Wood 6\23\05 "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can." - John Wesley Posts: 1001 | Registered: Tuesday, August 19 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Wednesday, December 27 2006 08:42
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quote:Can't blame you... just the previews for that made me ill. Was there anything redeemable about it, or was the chimp about it? -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 2836
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written Wednesday, December 27 2006 12:31
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What about the best and worst computer games released this year? Posts: 587 | Registered: Tuesday, April 1 2003 08:00 |