Best and Worst Films of 2006 (of the 98 I saw\u2026)<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n <\/font>\u00a0<\/p>\n As usual, a flurry of promising films\u00a0is being released before the end of the year so they can be considered for the Golden Globes Awards (January 15, 2007, NBC) and the Academy Awards (February 25, 2007): Miss Potter, The Good German, Dreamgirls, Children of Men, Perfume, Notes on a Scandal, the Painted Veil<\/i>, Letters from Iwo Jima, <\/i>etc. Volver<\/i>, with Penelope Cruz, is getting a lot of buzz, but it\u2019s not in wide release. Alas, I have not had the opportunity to see these films yet so I cannot include them on by best and worst film list of 2006. (I will add to this list as I see the films).<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font>\u00a0<\/p>\n My basic criteria for judging films (as stated in my column in St. Anthony Messenger, 2006) are:<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2022 The degree to which the filmmaker tells the story through the creative use of image and sound; <\/font><\/p>\n \u2022 How well the main character grows as a person and member of the human family; <\/font><\/p>\n \u2022 The promotion of the gospel values of human dignity, family and community, justice, peace and fair representation of cultures, races, genders, ages, religious faiths and spiritualities; <\/font><\/p>\n \u2022 The ability to entertain<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font>\u00a0<\/p>\n Over 750 films were released commercially in 2006; I saw 98. (According to <\/font>http:\/\/www.the-numbers.com\/movies\/index2006.php<\/font><\/a>, 770 films will have been released by December 31.)<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font>\u00a0<\/p>\n My Best Films List for 2007<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n (All of these deserve award consideration)<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Babel<\/b> (Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress Rinko Kikuchi)<\/b><\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Blood Diamond (Best Screenplay; Best Actor Leonardo di Caprio; Djimon Hounsou for Best Supporting Actor)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Catch a Fire (Best Actor Derek Luke)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Departed (Best Director!! Martin Scorsese; Best Actor Leonardo di Caprio)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Dreamgirls (Saw it yesterday; it\u2019s moving, musical, and magic. Jennifer Hudson is remarkable; Eddie Murphy \u2013 who knew?)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Good Shepherd (Best Film; Matt Damon for Best Actor)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n An Inconvenient Truth (Best Documentary)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Last King of Scotland (Forest Whittaker, Best Actor, and James McAvoy for Best Supporting Actor)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Little Miss Sunshine (Best Independent Film!)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Miss Potter *** (Best Cinematography, Screenplay, Actress)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Nativity Story (Mike Rich for Best Screenplay \u00a0<\/span>and Oscar Isaac as Best Actor)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Notes on a Scandal -The UK provides a triple threat this year with this film, the Queen, and Miss Potter. All films about women and all excel<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Queen (Helen Mirren for Best Actress and Stephen Frears for Direction)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Stranger than Fiction (Best Screenplay and Maggie Gyllenhaal for Best Supporting Actress)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Water (Best Foreign Film)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Honorable Mention<\/font><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Yes, there are a lot of films on this list\u2026 and I am glad I got to see each one; the ones tagged with an ** deserve award consideration, whether Golden Globe, People\u2019s Choice, a Gabriel, or an Oscar). I reviewed most of these films in St. Anthony Messenger (<\/font>www.AmericanCatholic.org<\/font><\/a>) this year, but was not able to keep up with my blog for a few months\u2026.<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Akeelah and the Bee **<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Ant Bully**<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Beauty Academy of Kabul<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Cars **<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Catch a Fire **<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Cautiva<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Charlotte\u2019s Web<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/font>\u00a0<\/p>\n Conversations with God \u2013 <\/b>I want to comment on this film because of it goes to the heart of spirituality: one\u2019s image of God. It\u2019s non-denominational and tells the story of a man who made a journey from despair, hopelessness, and homelessness to a new life by struggling with his negative image of God. As he came to know God better and gained faith, he began to pray and to see life and eternity in a new light. It\u2019s low budget and does drag on a bit, but it\u2019s worth the watch.<\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Deliver Us from Evil **<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/b><\/font>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Devil\u2019s Miner <\/b>(very limited theatrical release and then on PBS)<\/b><\/font><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Devil Wears Prada ** (Media literacy people take note! this is a great lesson in the image industry)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n End of the Spear\/Beyond the Gates of Splendor<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Flags of Our Fathers **<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Glory Road<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Guadalupe<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Hollywoodland<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n The Illusionist **(an Oscar for Paul Giamatti, please. He excelled in \u201cLady in the Water\u201d, too\u2026 He\u2019s brilliant)<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Invincible <\/font><\/b><\/p>\n <\/font><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n Pursuit of Happiness **<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n