Movies of 2006 - Mike K.

2006 was yet another average year for movies. It started off uneventfully after Oscar season with a slew of relatively unnoticed late blockbuster wannabes like Bloodrayne, Glory Road, Last Holiday, and Annapolis. In the meantime, more low-key pictures such as The Matador and Tsotsi began leaking out, garnering much critical praise but little attention from the masses.

The industry finally began to pick up around March, when pictures like V For Vendetta and Ice Age: The Meltdown began making big money at the box office. It wasn’t until April, however, that the gap between critical approval and audience acceptance was bridged by the success of United 93. More quality films were released in its wake, such as Art School Confidential and The Proposition, but it would take some time before any big releases made as much buzz.

The coming of summer soon brought a slew of blockbuster films, like Cars, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean, Snakes on a Plane, and Talladega Nights. Summer also brought a number of other films that both toted quality and made a good deal of money, like A Prairie Home Companion, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Descent.

Autumn began uneventfully, soon improving as Oscar season officially began with the release of the popular The Departed, followed by more big winners with the critics like The Queen and Babel. From there, Borat, Casino Royale, Dreamgirls, Children of Men, Letters From Iwo Jima, and Pan’s Labyrinth led the rush of praised moneymakers to the year’s end.