2007-01-07

2006 (pt1)

As the brash and unruly cinematic beast that is 2007 plays out it's opening act, it would seem prudent to take a moment and reflect on it's strange predecessor. Scarred by a soulless Summer season and some high profile disappointments, was 2006 a good year for movies?

A small disclaimer: Despite best efforts I still managed to populate a list headed "stuff I missed but wished I hadn't". Prime amongst them indie darling Little Miss Sunshine, garnering high praise from pretty much everyone. Stranger Than Fiction, Will Farrell does his Truman Show and proves he's a good actor as well as a leading comic. Also the Al Gore fronted documentary An Inconvenient Truth, Luc Besson's Angel-A, and Marie Antoinette (come on, it has New Order on the soundtrack!). Still, I guess that's what DVD rental is for.

Twelve months on and it's easy to forget how strongly 2006 opened. Politically minded movie making was back on the bill, challenging audiences on a number of issues. Lord of War took on the small arms trade, highlighting the hypocrisy of Western government policy. (It also features a brilliant performance from Nicolas Cage, a morally empty yet strangely compelling arms dealing protagonist.) Next was a black and white slice of near perfection Good Night, And Good Luck. Directed by George Clooney, this look back at one of the high profile media clashes of the McCarthy era was eerily identifiable with our own troubled climate. Clooney cropped up again not long after in Syriana, a complex weaving of storylines revolving around the oil industry and it's inexorable link to the troubled Middle East. As if that wasn't enough, Steven Speilberg (of all people) then gave a thoroughly gripping account of Mossad retaliation for the Black September incident in Munich. Phew, it was shaping up to be a memorable year.

But it all went strangely wrong. In the run up to the Summer blockbuster season, several smaller projects disappointed. V for Vendetta was a pale shadow of it's source material, and proved once and for all the Wachowski brothers screw up every film they touch by tacking on a "redemptive power of love" ending. Underworld Evolution had it's moments of mindless fun, but ultimately proved underwhelming. Things then proceeded to get even worse with the frankly appalling Silent Hill; disturbingly atmospheric visuals, but little in the way of narrative or acting ability.

The big guns were on the horizon though, and Tom Crusie vehicle Mission Impossible 3 was first on the scene. Despite the lukewarm reaction, this turned out to be a first rate popcorn action flick. Skillfully tackled by J. J. Abrams, it would be the only major flick that delivered during those long sun drenched months. Slick, entertaining, and oh so enjoyable to watch. Which is more than can be said for the superhero outings that followed it. X-Men 3: The Last Stand was a disappointing end to the series. A convoluted mash of poorly realised ideas, and far too many characters for anyone but the fanboys to care. If only Brian Singer had stayed on as director, it may have been so much more; or would it? Jumping ship as he did to helm Superman Returns, which sadly proved a little underwhelming. Plenty of introspective character brooding and questioning the need for a hero, let down by being overly long and the fact Superman is just a little too invincible.

So leave it to Johnny Depp and his piratey chums to prevent the cinema audiences from leaving for good. With the second longest title of the year, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was good old fashioned swashbuckling family entertainment. It was a good forty minutes too long, but after the dire outings that preceded it I wasn't going to complain too loudly.

A tumultuous ride thus far, where we on the verge of an up turn in cinematic fortunes?

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