Superheroes may have duked out the top-spot over the summer, but 2006 has been a great year for all
So 2006 is drawing to a close, and it's been a great year for the movies. From the political drama of Syriana to the politically incorrect humour of Borat; from the tragic beauty of Marie Antoinette to the cute penguin antics of Happy Feet; from the heroics of X-Men: The Last Stand and Superman Returns to the, um, snakes and in-flight antics of Snakes on a Plane - there really has been something for everyone. Now Eye For Film wants to hear about what you liked best. Tell us your favourite films of the year and you can enter our free prize draw.
To help you choose, our reviewers have been taking a look at the films they liked best this year. Top of the heap was Hidden, Michael Haneke's tense thriller about a family struggling to cope with the attentions of a video-making stalker. Richard Linklater's Philip K Dick adaptation A Scanner Darkly also proved popular, one of several successful science fiction films this year (along with Children of Men and Brothers of the Head), taking a distinctly different direction from the sci-fi action blockbusters of recent years. The strange fantasy of Pan's Labyrinth was another hit, proving that fairy tales aren't just for children.
2006 saw two big films about the 9/11 attacks, Oliver Stone's World Trade Center and Paul Greengrass' United 93. Both attracted sizeable audiences, though it was the latter which impressed our staff. We saw a resurgence of established talent in Martin Scorsese's The Departed and Pedro Almodóvar's Volver, whilst Little Miss Sunshine took viewers down an entirely different road. Brick took a stab at reinventing the film noir genre, Brokeback Mountain crossed the western with romance, and The Host gave us gruesome Korean sewer monsters just the way we like 'em. If that wasn't enough, the year was rounded off by a new encounter with an old friend - James Bond in Casino Royale.
Whatever kind of film you prefer, we'd love to hear what you have to say. And because most people won't be looking back on the year's films without thinking of something which was a waste of money, we'll also be taking your votes for the very worst film of the year. Our reviewers had lots of ideas for this, but the winner, hands down, was Ultraviolet - despite the fact that many of those who thought it as awful admit that they also enjoyed it.
We've published the results of this poll already.
Enjoy your holidays, and let's hope 2007 brings us this much good cheer at the cinema.
