Its no secret that I respect Kevin Smith a fair bit. So when I got wind that he posted his own top movies of 2006, I just had to check it out. We told you ours, so why not check out his?
SlashFilmlists:
10 – BORAT: The One That Actually Lived Up to Its Hype
9 – PERFUME: The One That Made Me Say “What the fuck is going on?!?”
8 – UNITED 93: The One That Made Me Never Want to Fly Again
7 – THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND: The One That Made Me Never Want to Travel Abroad
6 – V FOR VENDETTA: The One I’ll Take Shit For, Pt. 2
5 – INSIDE MAN: The One Nobody Else Seems to Remember
4 – CLERKS II: The One I’ll Take Shit For, Pt. 1
3 – HALF NELSON: The One That Made Me Ashamed I Was Ever Identified as an Independent Filmmaker, Because This is Real Independent Film
2 – LITTLE CHILDREN: The One That Would’ve Won Best Picture If Harvey Weinstein Had Released It Four Years Ago, Circa Miramax
1 – THE DEPARTED: The One Everybody Else Liked Too
I thought it was pretty bold to include his own movie in the list, but face it, this movie was made by him to PLEASE him. Of course he got it right… for HIM. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. I also love his humility when he ranks 3 others higher than his own.
Click Hereto see Kevin Smith’s online diary where he gives a more indepth reasoning behind his choices.
i think most of the stuff he put down as honorable mentions were a lot better than what was on the actual top 10
I, too, thought Children of Men was the best film of the year.
By heads and tails, actually.
As for United 93…
Ah well, Po-tay-toes, Po-tah-toes…
I admit it was a well made movie and that I guess it accomplished it’s goals but I was not entertained. And I dont think that entertainment is solely a joyous experience. I can be sad and still feel entertained.
I just didnt like the movie.
It was a very visceral experience, to be sure, but i just had an awful time watching it.
Let me clarify something.
93 was technically a brilliant film. It accomplished the goals it set out to accomplish and it WAS the film it set out to be. I just did not like the film it set out to be. Maybe it was the subject matter and maybe it was how incredibly real the experience was. I am in no way faulting the quality or technical merit of the film. I am merely saying that I did not enjoy it.
Maybe I’m just not able to be entertained by this subject matter.
God… I’d hate to think I really was the “too soon” guy.
Nah, I think I’m just the “I dont want to see movies based on this event” guy. I hated World Trade Center too. Hell, I hated Pearl Harbour, but that movie was just plain bad.
And it’s not the Real-Life-Tragedy thing either because I liked Alive and I liked Titanic. I just didnt like United 93.
Oh well…
My loss, I guess.
Alfie, Children of Men was fantastic, but nowhere nearly as good as The Departed. As for United 93, I couldn’t agree more.
children of men was the best film of last year..in my book anyway.
Sounds to me that you got united 93 perfectly as that is the same feeling I had jay except I fucking loved it. I have never had that powerful a reaction in a cinema in my entire life. I had a knot in my stomach from beginning to end and it just never let up…also seeing so many people playing themselves in the film..it must have carthartic for them to have effectivel relived what is surely the worst day of their lives…simply one of the most amazing pieces of film I have ever seen….
Are you talking to me?
If so, what do you mean “what”?
what?
Pretty good list.
Minus Perfume, Little Children and United 93.
I know, I know… How dare I criticize the best film of the year, but 93 just didnt do it for me. I’m not saying it was too soon or anything like that, I’m just saying that the movie did not work for me. I dont know how to quantifu it other than to say I was really uncomfortable the whole time. Maybe that was the idea and I just didnt get it, but I had a really awful time watching that movie.
Greengrass did a marvelous job and probably accomplished the goal he set for himself and the film but I did not enjoy it one bit. Maybe I wasnt soppossed to “enjoy” it but rather learn something… all I can say to that is I think I learned what I needed to learn when it actually happened. Maybe I just felt uncomfortable, like I was watching a Faces of Death movie. Maybe that’s it. Maybe it just felt like a snuff film to me. I dont know, I just didnt like it.
Other than that and the other two I mentioned I think it is a worthwhile list.
And I second the kudos for putting his own film on the list.
I personally wouldnt put it anywhere near a top ten list but I realize it was a very fulfilling experience for him. I’m not saying I hated the movie. Quite the opposite actually but there is no way I would rank it as top ten material. Not even top twenty to be honest.
One lingering question…
Some of them I can understand, film is a completely subjective media, but…
V for Vendetta and United 93 better than Children of Men…?
Man, I just dont see how…
Not my list, and truth be told I betcha he wouldnt be able to see how I made the list that I made too, so…
The way of the universe, I guess.
Great guy and if you have the chance to catch one of his speaking engagments, I highly suggest doing it. As funny as the DVD’s are, it’s much more enjoyable in person with a crowd.
I don’t get the hate for V. I dug it personally. I’m going to see The Departed tomorrow to see what the fuss is about.
I guess Smith doesn’t care for Little Miss Sunshine?
you’ve got to respect that he didn’t put clerks 2 at the top of the list.
I like smith a lot…
but i do question anyone who would put little children that high on the list…awful awful film….absolutely dreadful
and v for vendetta is one of the worst films ever put to print….
but he makes good calls with the rest …. I loved united 93, half nelson, the departed, borat, inside man…..
i do feel however that without forest whitakers performance no one would be talking about the last king of scotland at all…aside from his performance the film is incredibly average bordering on bad
so everyone involved must be absolutely stoked with him because he alone has elevated the film to a level that in my opinion it doesn;t deserve…..