Cinema 2006

Perhaps 2006 was the year when the animated feature was overthrown by the cinematic forces of light (and acting). In contrast to the offerings from the previous couple of years when mythological kingdoms were inhabited by computer generated armies of ghouls and elvish folk, the film reviewers cast their eye toward the human dramas which can make a couple of hours in a darkened cinema such a deeply personal experience. The shared emotions which can be conjured by brilliant cinematography are nowhere near as glamorous as massed epic battle scenes or majestically posed unicorns in the snow, but they are the wellspring of the medium's popularity; something with which everyone can identify.

The dB Magazine film reviewers knew this last year when they overwhelmingly chose the Australian movie 'Look Both Ways' as their favourite for 2005, identifying with its tragedy and its whimsical look at love. This year they've done it again, picking a couple of movies which speak to simple themes rather than thrill with visual trickery. This year, however, even though the net is cast widely, in the final analyisis there were two great movies which stood out for the team.

Michael Haneke's 'Hidden' and Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain' are vastly differing films, yet both speak of human drama, of turmoil, and of threat from outside the relationship. Both are worthy choices for our reviewers' choice of movie of the year. See you in 2007.

Alex Wheaton
Arts Editor


Sticky Carpet
Director: Mark Butcher

Hewn from the Melbourne rock'n'roll scene, a celebration of what is best about urban Australia. Shows the globally adored independent music community that is our soul. (Already on DVD.)

Kanyini
Director: Melanie Hogan

Stunning footage of happy, healthy Indigenous Australians lorded over by crass station owners and un-Christian missionaries. Lifted the 'white blindfold' and revealed we have much to learn.

Breakfast on Pluto
Director: Neil Jordan

Cillian Murphy brilliantly plays Patrick/Kitty who started life as a foundling in Ireland. 1970's pop music and terrorism are the backdrop for lovable innocents seeking independence.

Hidden
Director: Michael Haneke

The director of 'Funny Games' and 'Benny's Video' looks at surveillance and terror in the domestic setting. Past sins come back to haunt the characters, dark images for the audience.

An Inconvenient Truth
Director: Davis Guggenheim

Al Gore's 'slide show' that changed even John Howard's attitude to climate change. But with cricket ovals nationwide being abandoned for lack of water, is it too late? Tragic.

Andrew Bunney


Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee

Exquisite realisation of E. Annie Proulx's short story about forbidden love between two Wyo

Casino Royale
Director: Martin Campbell

Absolutely the best James Bond film ever made! A huge call to make after so many years but all the other Bond's (and dare I say, possibly even Sean Connery) pale compared to the fairest, albeit much grittier of them all, Daniel Craig.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Director: Tommy Lee Jones

A very slow, dark black 'comedy'. Prepare to find yourself shamefully laughing in places where you know you really shouldn't be as Tommy Lee Jones rugs up his dead Mexican mate and takes him home via horseback. Instant classic.

Chicken Little
Director: Mark Dindal

Given the movie's very scant premise, that being a young chook creating chaos by believing the sky is falling, kudos to the creators here for presenting one of the trippiest full feature animated films ever made.

Little Miss Sunshine
Directors: Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris

This is one of life's little surprises: a delightfully dysfunctional road trip movie that puts you right there in the family Kombi and takes you with it.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Director: Larry Charles

I think the film's full title pretty much says it.

Steve Jones

Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee

Exquisite realisation of E. Annie Proulx's short story about forbidden love between two Wyoming cowboys - Film of the Year does not do it justice... film of the decade.

Capote
Director: Bennett Miller

Philip Seymour Hoffman inhabits the character of the gifted author in this Faustian tale about the price the soul pays for feeding the muse.

The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada
Director: Tommy Lee Jones

On home turf, Jones makes an assured directorial debut with his lyrical western about the primacy of friendship and loyalty and the shallowness of prejudice.

Hidden
Director: Michael Haneke

Disturbing thriller where a family is stalked by video camera, made even more unsettling by the director's deliberate use of the medium to highlight the vulnerability of the viewer to the manipulation of image.

The Book Of Revelation
Director: Ana Kokkinos

Audacious film that reverses the traditional stereotypes of victim/abuser and thereby challenges the assumptions that underpin modern sexual politics.


Mal Byrne


Little Manhattan
Director: Mark Levin

Shockingly this film, about two charming 11 year-old New Yorkers experiencing nascent romance, avoids the coagulation its synopsis would seek to impose, instead proving itself thoroughly funny, engaging, optimistic and sophisticated.

Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee

The year's most memorable film, and one of the most sensitive and perceptive presentations of humanity of any art form ever.

Tristram Shandy
Director: Michael Winterbottom

Winterbottom's direction is as sharp and original as ever in this seemingly messy but highly intentional adaptation of Laurence Sterne's classic novel.

Separate Lies
Director: Julian Fellowes

Flawless performances and deft theming make this filmic analysis of moral contradiction both moving and intriguing.

Hidden
Director: Michael Haneke

Though as a criticism of engendered western middle class inhumanity it is a little pretentious, 'Hidden's atmospheric and thematic elements are brilliantly handled and make for a fascinating experience.

William McGinley

Children Of Men
Director: Alfonso Cuaron

The standout movie of 2006. Thought-provoking, stunning and superbly acted; Clive Owen has never been better. A shocking vision of a future world without children.

Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee

Forget the supposed controversy; this is not a "gay cowboy movie", but a beautifully moving story brought to life by the two breathtaking central performances.

Jindabyne
Director: Ray Lawrence

A great Australian film from a superb director. This story of four men who ignore a dead body will affect you long after it ends.

Brick
Director: Rian Johnson

Brilliantly original mix of noir mystery and high school drama, with razor sharp dialogue and great performances. Full of laughs, violence, suspense and adolescent intrigues.

MacBeth
Director: Geoffrey Wright

A fresh Australian take on the Bard's classic Scottish Play. Sam Worthington is a Melbourne gangster on a bloody road to ruin. A little beauty.

Henry Nicholls

Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee

Ang Lee's superb love story showed that love can come in unexpected and mysterious ways. The moving story transported the audience into its' cinematic world, gripping the audience until the final reel.

The Departed
Director: Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese returns to the seedy gangster underworld on which he made his career. His direction of the story and actors shows the hand of a master still delivering the goods.

V For Vendetta
Director: Alan Moore

Alan Moore's apocalyptic comic book comes to stunning life, mixing action heroics with political observations - entertaining and questioning the audience at the same time.

Jarhead
Director: Sam Mendes

The influence of the media on war and the spin doctoring of events is well crafted by Sam Mendes. This clever satire bravely portrays the soldiers in a less than heroic light.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Director: Gore Verbinski

Gore Verbinski's quirky direction perfectly matches Johnny Depp's wonderfully bizarre performance. Excellent escapist nonsense that successfully appeals to all ages.

Patrick Moore

Volver
Director: Pedro Almodovar

Wonderful story of three generations of women in Spain. Incest, murder, love, loyalty. Can't fault it. Stars Penelope Cruz with fake bum.

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
Director: Scott McFayden, Sam Dunn & Jessica Joy Wise

Documentary exploring all facets of metal music and its fans. Made with love and insight. Invigorating.

An Inconvenient Truth
Director: Davis Guggenheim

Al Gore shows the crisis the Earth is facing and challenges all of us to act now before it's too late to prevent catastrophic changes to our habitat.

Sticky Carpet
Director: Mark Butcher

A joyous exploration of Melbourne underground culture - pub bands, community radio, great interviews and music performance footage.

Factotum
Director: Bent Hamer

Based on Charles Bukowski's writing, starring Matt Dillon as Henry who drinks too much and has a variety of jobs and girlfriends. Dark and interesting.

Suzy Ramone
Patrick Moore