The Bleach Bypass 10 Best Films of 2006

Here is the second annual "10 Best" list of 2006 according to Bleach Bypass' Brett Scieszka

10.) Sympathy For Lady Vengeance - Park Chan-Wook
Not as flashy, heady, or stylish as its brothers in Park's "Revenge Trilogy," but provides a fittingly elegiac coda, a solid anchor to round out the cycle. While the film may be more delicate than its manga inspired predecessors Park's extreme sensibilities are brought along for the ride in the form of graphic finger amputations and eccentric torture scenarios. The black comedy's played a little more subtly this time and Lee Yeoung-Ae's performance is further proof that Park is impeccable in his casting.

9.) Hostel - Eli Roth
The lousy marketing for this film failed to entice me in the slightest: another dull torture film with a dash of xenophobia, etc. Thankfully I didn't miss what would turn out to be one of the most fun horror films of the year. Roth presents us with a handfull of gory setpieces so deft and raw-dog that one cannot help hooting and hollering at the screen (hanging eyeball! hanging eyeball!). Can't wait to see this one as a midnight screening.

8.) The Descent - Neil Marshall
This should be required viewing for anyone interested in serious horror. Marshall wastes little time in creating a hell-on-earth scenario involving claustrophobia and interpersonal trust issues. Then the monsters show up. 'The Descent' is neat as a pin, tight as a drum, and pitch perfect. No cheesy "cave lighting" here either, the cinematography is ingeniously natural with little more than helmet lights and lamps to illuminate the underworld. The audience sees just as little as the poor spelunkers.

7.) Marie Antoinette - Sofia Coppola
The ingenue of ennui hits another ball out of the park with her latest daydream. If you squint real hard you can almost see Coppola's own privileged upbringing on the screen, set to '80's hits, and romanticized to the hilt. The supporting roles (particularly Steve Coogan, Rip Torn, and Molly Shannon) are wry little winks in and of themselves, and this proves to be Jason Schwartzman's best role since 'Rushmore.' Who else can turn a tragic French Queen's life story into a teenage girl's ultimate fairy tale fantasy? No wonder Coppola has pink cans of champaign named after her.

6.) The Queen - Stephen Frears
Frears has directed a lot of crud over the years but comes through admirably with his latest picture. Historical fact and weighty subject matter are handled with a wonderfully light, almost comic touch that suggests just a hint of Lubitsch. Real world politics rarely seem to interfere with what becomes an artfully constructed drama and character study. It is also blissfully convenient that the Never Neverland quality of royal life lends itself quite well to cinematic treatment.

5.) The Hills Have Eyes - Alexandre Aja
Easily the most terrifying film of the year. Aja proved his mettle with the slasher 'High Tension' and now crosses the pond to run amok. A fist-fuck of visceral violence and relentless brutality, rounded out with dark Americana in the form of an "ugly American" family and our shared shady nuclear legacy. The initial mutant assault on the hapless travelers is one of the most intense scenes ever committed to film. Let's not forget the great dog role. There's something so satisfying about a good canine role in genre film.

4 .) The Departed - Martin Scorcese
Since the turn of the century Scorcese has become increasingly good at churning out well-crafted, large-scale films with pleasant auteurist pretensions and wide release appeal, and this is the best of the lot. The ensemble cast is a treat to watch, ubber-ham Nicholson isn't given a chance to hog the screen (to the film's benefit), and the Boston accents are charmingly theatrical. Its a rough and tumble tussle worthy of Scorcese's best work.

3.) Old Joy - Kelly Reichardt
As reviewed in Bleach Bypass.
A lovely meditative picture not wanting for melancholy or heart. This is small scale cinema of the very best kind, with eye-candy cinematography and warm performances. NY based Reichardt is the discovery of the year (though she's no stranger to the film biz), and hopefully we'll be seeing more of her. Great score by Yo La Tengo and another great dog role.

2.) Slither - James Gunn
Its a real tragedy that everybody (myself included) slept on the theatrical release of this brilliant gob of entertainment. A box office bomb with "cult classic" written all over it, containing some of the wackiest and most creative creature scares to come along in the last decade. The Troma veteran sensibility shines through (in a good way) and the realization of what must have been a bitch of a script to film is commendable. So many good setpieces here, and while it is comic-horror the laughs are served straight up as opposed to the infuriating tongue-in-cheek manner so woefully in vogue today.

1.) Wassup Rockers - Larry Clark
As Reviewed in Bleach Bypass
At the beginning of the year, if someone told me the best film of 2006 would be a Larry Clark picture I probably would have doubled over laughing. Turns out the joke's on. Clark serves up ebulliently honest portrait of youth without a hint the director's exploitative sensationalist proclivities. A two-part verite meets punk-chaos vibe only helps to compound the fist-pumping energy. A jaw droppingly good film. Who knew Clark had it in him?