2006: My Apologies To…

When asked how many films he sees a year, Richard Roeper replied “all of them.” Over 300 films were released in US theatres in 2006, and I’m betting Richard missed more than a few. I’ve seen just over 100 (so far). I’d love to wait until I’ve seen them all, but Oscar nominations are coming soon. These are important films I missed. Apologies to the following…

INLAND EMPIRE: Similar great word on Laura Dern, but it’s had to choose to watch 3 hours inside David Lynch’s head.

SHERRYBABY: Those who have seen it can’t stop talking about Maggie Gyllenhaal.

BREAKING AND ENTERING and A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS: Two films strongly recommended by my good friend Humby. B&E, the new Anthony Minghella, only played for a week-long Oscar qualifying run. Humby feels SAINTS is the most ignored great film this year.

STRANGER THAN FICTION: This popular film has landed on a few Top 10 lists. There’s also buzz for FICTION’s screenplay.

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA: I thought FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS was as bad as THE DAVINCI CODE and for many of the same reasons. I can't bring myself to see IWO JIMA, even though it’s supposed to be better.

VOLVER: I haven’t liked Almodovar’s recent, highly-praised work and finally stopped watching.

Other acclaimed films that I apologize to…
DELIVER US FROM EVIL, THE GOOD SHEPHERD, MARIE-ANTOINETTE, THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP, BLOOD DIAMOND

I also try and see films that make a lot of money. The most successful of 2006 I didn’t see are…
CLICK ($137.3 million), FAILURE TO LAUNCH ($88.7), OPEN SEASON ($84.3), THE SANTA CLAUSE 3 ($84.2), SAW III ($80.2), YOU, ME AND DUPREE ($75.6), BARNYARD ($72.6), CHARLOTTE’S WEB ($72.1), RV ($71.4), BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE 2 ($70.2)

I’ll probably catch SAW III and CHARLOTTE’S WEB on DVD. The rest, I’m fine with skipping.