2006 IS UP!
10. Rocky Balboa
Studio: MGM
US Box Office to Date: $70 Million
We'll admit that we didn't have much in the way of expectations for this one. Coming back to a film series 16 years after it went flat isn't usually the recipe for quality, especially when your lead actor is 60 years-old. But somehow, someway, Sylvester Stallone made us believe again in this spiritual sequel to the first Rocky. More
9. United 93
Studio: Universal Pictures
US Box Office to Date: $31 Million
The hardest movie of 2006 to watch and not feel everything, all at once, United 93 dramatizes the final, fateful moments aboard the titular aircraft on 9/11, and does so without Hollywood-izing the real event. Paul Greengrass' hand-held camera is more effective here than in the Bourne films, delivering an experience that is both memorial and art. More
8. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Studio: 20th Century Fox
US Box Office to Date: $129 Million
Spinning off of the British television series Da Ali G Show, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan took Sacha Baron Cohen's Kazakh journalist and gave him his own film. While this offensively comedic movie was a hit with critics and audiences alike, the film was censored, banned and sued by just about everybody in it. While pegged as sexist, homophobic and racist, we can't help but love the comedy found in Cohen's vulgar satire. More
7. V for Vendetta
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
US Box Office to Date: $71 Million
In our opinion, which certainly isn't shared by all, V for Vendetta was a hugely successful adaptation of Alan Moore's original work. Smart, exciting and sleekly made, the film offered a strange combination of substance and style too rare in genre films these days. It might not have been 100-percent faithful to the source material, but it was, at least until Watchmen, the best effort we'd seen. More
6. Mission: Impossible III
Studio: Paramount Pictures
US Box Office to Date: $134 Million
J.J. Abrams had the unenviable task of making a great threequel in a franchise few held sacred. Relying on his Alias playbook, Abrams delivered a slick and polished affair, putting emphasis on the IMF team as Ethan Hunt took point searching for the Rabbit's Foot. The first five minutes are incredibly tense, and that bridge shootout is the stuff of perfect summer movies. More
5. The Prestige
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
US Box Office to Date: $53 Million
Stop lying: You didn't see that twist coming. Christopher Nolan is too talented a filmmaker to let that happen in his story of one magician's endeavor to be the best at the art of illusion, and the cost therein. There's a science behind Nolan's smoke and mirrors, one which actors Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are more than capable of selling. This underrated entertainment is one of our favorites. More
4. The Departed
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
US Box Office to Date: $132 Million
This Best Picture-winning, Boston-based remake of Infernal Affairs is the film that finally won Martin Scorsese his Oscar as Best Director. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon play a cop and a criminal who go undercover in their respective organizations, while Jack Nicholson shines as the crimelord they both answer to. More
3. Children of Men
Studio: Universal Pictures
US Box Office to Date: $36 Million
This thought-provoking adaptation of the P.D. James novel deals with a near future in which the human race has become inexplicably infertile. It's a fascinating premise made all the more poignant by director Alfonso Cuaron's intense, documentary-style approach and the ultimate message of hope in the midst of desperation. More
2. Pan's Labyrinth
Studio: Picturehouse
US Box Office to Date: $38 Million
Guillermo del Toro taught the fanboys of the world a thing or two about the art house circuit with this stunning mix of post-Spanish Civil War dramatics and supernatural weirdness. A truly beautiful yet heart-wrenching film, Pan's Labyrinth mixes so many elements -- the fascist oppression of the time, the innocence and defenselessness of childhood, the other that lurks just beyond our perceptions -- that it stands as a biting reminder of how bland so much of Hollywood's output really is. More
1. James Bond 007: Casino Royale
Studio: Sony Pictures Entertainment
US Box Office to Date: $167 Million
The James Bond franchise was revitalized with this winning adaptation of Ian Fleming's first novel. Featuring blond, rugged Daniel Craig in his debut as 007, the story is as much about Bond the man and his heartbreaking romance with Vesper Lynd as it is his first mission as a 00. More
