With little pomp and circumstance, pseudo-acclaimed novelist, David H. Schleicher, with his love for cinema, the increasing irrelevance of the Golden Globes and Oscars, and in association with the Uppity United Front for Arthouse Entertainment, proudly presents…
The 1st Annual Davies: Awarding Excellence and Idiocy in Film (for the year 2006)
The Top Ten Films of 2006:
- The Departed
- The Painted Veil
- The Proposition
- The Prestige
- The Queen
- Notes on a Scandal
- The Illusionist
- Stranger than Fiction
- Apocalypto
- The Science of Sleep
Best Picture: The Departed
Best Director: Martin Scorsese for The Departed
Best Actor: (tie) Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland and Edward Norton for The Painted Veil
Best Actress: (tie) Naomi Watts for The Painted Veil, Helen Mirren for The Queen, and Judi Dench for Notes on a Scandal
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Giamatti for The Illusionist
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal
Best Reading of a Dramatic Line: Edward Norton to Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil, “If you interrupt me again, I will strangle you.”
Best Dramatic Reading of a Comedic Line: Amy Adams’ sincere and hilariously uplifting “You are Ricky Bobby!” speech to Will Ferell in Talladega Nights.
Best Original Screenplay: The Prestige
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Painted Veil
Most Overrated Film: Babel
Most Underrated Film: The Propostion
Best Film I Didn’t Like: Children of Men
Worst Film I Liked (Best Guilty Pleasure): (tie) Running Scared and The Black Dahlia
Best Franchise Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Worst Franchise Film: Superman Returns
Best Editing: The Departed
Worst Editing: Babel
Best Music Score: The Painted Veil
Best Cinematography: The Proposition
Best Downer Film: The Proposition
Worst Downer Film: Babel
Best Comedy: Clerks II
Best Horror Movie: The Descent
Best Action Movie: Apocalypto
Movie Trend I Thoroughly Enjoyed: Allegorical Magic-Themed Period-Pieces (The Illusionist and The Prestige)
Movie Trend I Ignored: 9-11-centered movies (United 93 and World Trade Center)
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We encourage feedback and suggestions for categories next year.
Reviews for many of the films mentioned here can be found under the “Movie Reviews” tab.
All of my reviews of this year’s winners, as well as many other insightful critiques, can be found archived on the Internet Movie Database: http://imdb.com/user/ur1069062/comments
Written by David H. Schleicher
Dave!
Interesting list…but…Casino Royale doesn’t get best franchise movie? It’s the best Bond movie in 25 years.
NOTE OF AMENDMENT: Had I seen Clint Eastwood’s excellent “Letters from Iwo Jima” prior to the Davies, it most certainly would’ve made the top ten list, comfortably at #6, pushing everything below it down a notch, and taking the still commendable “Science of Sleep” off the list.
Now that I read this again, I agree with Bob about Casino Royale. And watch Children of Men again……..it really was an amazing movie. Best editing and the very underrated directing.
I hold strong to my stance on both counts. I won’t deny though that Eva Green was an amazing Bond girl, and Children of Men was very well directed, I just thought the story made little sense. –DHS
The Proposition
A film which scorches the screen with its performances and beautiful views of the desert.
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