Freakpit's Faves of 2006 (15 to 11)

And the countdown of 2006's finest movies continues...

15. SYRIANA

Also known as "that one where George Clooney gets fat and grows a beard."

I covered this one in my Oscar hopefuls string of posts, and sure enough it did get Clooney a Supporting Actor award. In the end it was unlucky not to get more (though the competition was strong, I admit) since it's the kind of daring, ambitious film that doesn't get made often enough (or if it does, not enough people see it). It's not quite AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, but it still has plenty to say about the state of the world today.

14. SHOOTING DOGS

Perhaps it suffered a bit from HOTEL RWANDA having beaten it to the punch, but this tale of the Rwandan genocide was every bit as effective and a bit more downbeat as well. There's still plenty of hope on offer but the true horror of the atrocities is hammered home at the same time, leading me to include it in my post about misery, suffering and nastiness.

13. INSIDE MAN

Spike Lee's heist caper is a terrific thriller with twists and turns that will keep you guessing right up until the end, boosted by an all-star cast where even Clive Owen manages to do a good job (I'm not a fan). Stands up there next to all the classic heist movies from so long ago.

12. VOLVER

Pedro Almodovar's latest tale follows three generations of a Spanish family of women, centring on Penelope Cruz, her daughter and the ghost of her deceased mother. The story is well crafted and Almodovar delivers it to the screen with panache but the real highlight is the performance of the cast, in particular the multi-award-nominated turn by Cruz. It looks like Helen Mirren's the favourite to bag all the acting awards but if there's going to be an upset, this is the woman that will do it.

11. CLERKS II

Love, marriage, friendship, transformers, live adult entertainment featuring donkeys - all of life's important stuff is analysed and ripped apart by the gang of characters returning from Kevin Smith's critically acclaimed low-budget slacker comedy debut.

The humour and situations are more of the same but that's what we loved about the original anyway. What's added is the wistful depression that hangs over proceedings as Dante and Randall realise that so many years have passed and so little has changed. Will they finally make something of their life? Whether they do or don't, you'll have a fun time finding out. Just don't expect the jokes to be too clean.

Continued tomorrow...