2006's Ten-Best Films

Checking around the web and flipping through print publications, it appears there are a variety of formats for year-end Ten-Best Lists -- some even include 20 or more titles. My approach is to only consider films with theatrical releases in the U.S. this year. Those that received only film festival screenings may end up on the "5 Films to Watch for 2007" list, because they may not have been available to the general public.

The other caveat is that the following titles are the 10 best films that I screened this year. Many other important and worthy films were released, but not every critic has the opportunity to see them all.

In no particular order, these are the ten best films I saw in 2006:

The Departed
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Kekexili (aka Kekexili: Mountain Patrol)
The Aura (aka El Aura)
Babel
United 93
Clean
Half Nelson
An Inconvenient Truth

5 of 2006's Most Overrated Indie and International Releases

In Between Days
Quinceanera
Old Joy
Volver
L'Enfant

5 Films to Watch for in 2007

The Host
Luxury Car
Ten Canoes
Colma: The Musical
Journey From the Fall