Best Movies of 2006

Editor: Piero Scaruffi
Best movies of all time | Back to the Cinema page
Best of the decade | Best of 2005 | Best of 2007
The following list averages the opinions of my favorite critics plus mine.

Foreign movies show sometimes a year later, so if you can't find a title, check last year's ratings.

This page is obsolete. Please check this list: Best of the 2000s
8.0 Kim Ki-duk: Shigan/ Time
7.8 Johnnie To: Fong Juk/ Exiled
7.6 Pedro Costa: Colossal Youth
7.5 Jia Zhang-Ke: Sanxia Haoren/ Still Life
7.5 Satoshi Kon: Paprika
7.4 Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck: Das Leben der Anderen/ The Lives of Others
7.4 Mahamat-Saleh Haroun: Daratt/ Dry Season
7.4 Richard Kelly: Southland Tales
7.3 Daniel Sanchez Arevalo: Azul Oscuro Casi Negro (2006)
7.3 Joon-Ho Bong: Gwoemul/ The Host
7.3 Paul Verhoeven : Zwartboek/ Black Book
7.3 Paolo Sorrentino: L'Amico di Famiglia
7.3 Chan-wook Park: Ssaibogeujiman Gwaenchana/ I'm a Cyborg but that's OK
7.3 Christopher Nolan: The Prestige
7.2 Gyorgy Palfi: Taxidermia
7.2 Guillermo Del Toro: Pan's Labyrinth
7.2 Emanuele Crialese: Nuovomondo/ Golden Door
7.2 Pedro Almodovar: Volver
7.2 Garin Nugroho: Opera Jawa
7.2 Michel Gondry: The Science of Sleep
7.2 Ming-Liang Tsai: Hei Yan Quan/ I Don't Want to Sleep Alone
7.2 Corneliu Porumboiu: A Fost Sau N-a Fost?/ Was There or Wasn't There?/ 12:08 East of Bucharest
7.1 Aki Kaurismaki: Laitakaupungin Valot/ Lights in the Dusk
7.1 Radu Muntean: Hartia va fi Albastra/ The Paper Will Be Blue
7.1 Jens Lien: The Bothersome Man
7.1 Paz Encina: Paraguayan Hammock
7.1 Guy Maddin: Brand Upon the Brain
7.1 Sarah Polley: Away From Her
7.1 Apichatpong Weerasethakul: Sang Sattawat/ Syndromes and a Century
7.1 Joachim Trier: Reprise
7.1 Kelly Reichardt: Old Joy
7.1 Lisandro Alonso: Fantasma
7.1 Nuri Bilge Ceylan: Climates
7.1 Spike Lee: Inside Man
7.0 Abderrahmane Sissako: Bamako
7.0 Ken Loach: The Wind that Shakes the Barley
7.0 Sekhar Kammula: Godavari (2006)
7.0 Wang Quan'an: Tu ya de hun shi/ Tuya's Marriage
7.0 Alexandra Lipsitz: Air Guitar Nation
7.0 Julian Goldberger: The Hawk is Dying
7.0 Cao Hamburger: O Ano em Que Meus Pais Sairam de Ferias/ The Year My Parents Went on Vacation
7.0 Jean-Claude Brisseau: Les Anges Exterminateurs/ Exterminating Angels
7.0 Daniele Thompson: Avenue Montaigne
7.0 Tony Kaye: Lake of Fire
7.0 Andrea Arnold: Red Road
7.0 Brian Jun: Steel City
7.0 Julie Gavras: Blame It on Fidel
7.0 Mai Tominaga: Wool 100%
7.0 Pablo Larrain: Fuga
7.0 Alfonso Cuaron: Children of Men
7.0 Alain Resnais: Coeurs/ Private Fears in Public Places
7.0 Reha Erdem: Bes Vakit/ Times and Winds
7.0 Konstantin Lopusanskij: Gadkie Iebedi/ The Ugly Swans
7.0 Hirokazu Kore-eda: Hana
7.0 Christian Volckman: Renaissance
7.0 Giuseppe Tornatore: La Sconosciuta
7.0 David Lynch: Inland Empire
7.0 Ray Lawrence: Jindabyne
7.0 Carlos Sorin: El Camino de San Diego/ The Road To San Diego
7.0 Lou Ye: Yihe Yuan/ Summer Palace
7.0 Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu: Babel
6.9 Vladan Nikolic: Love
6.9 Susanne Bier: After the Wedding
6.9 Karen Moncrieff: The Dead Girl
6.9 Shosuke Murakami: Densha Otoko/ Train Man
6.9 Francois Ozon: Le Temps Qui Reste/ Time to Leave
6.8 Xavier Beauvois: Le Petit Lieutenant
6.8 Darren Aronofsky: The Fountain
6.8 Xiaogang Feng: Legend of the Black Scorpion
6.8 Bruno Dumont: Flanders
6.8 Night Shyamalan: Lady in the Water
6.8 Nicole Holofcener: Friends With Money
6.8 Asghar Farhadi: Shahr-E Ziba/ Beautiful City
6.8 Rowan Woods: Little Fish
6.8 Robinson Devor: Police Beat
6.8 Marc Forster: Stranger Than Fiction
6.8 Goran Dukic: Wristcutters
6.7 Jessica Bendinger: Stick It
6.7 Carlos Sorin: El Perro
6.6 Lav Diaz: Heremias Book One
6.6 Johnnie To: Triad Election
6.6 John Carney: Once
6.5 Rachid Bouchareb: Indigenes/ Days of Glory
6.5 Don Roos: Happy Endings
6.5 Miranda July: Me and You and Everyone We Know
6.5 Craig Lucas: The Dying Gaul
6.5 John Carney: Once
6.5 Scott Coffey: Ellie Parker
6.5 Richard Shepard: The Matador
6.5 Rebecca Miller: The Ballad of Jack and Rose
6.5 Craig Brewer: Hustle & Flow
6.5 Stephen Chow: Kung Fu Hustle
6.5 Damian O'Donnell: Rory Shea Was Here
6.5 Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris: Little Miss Sunshine
6.5 Jasmila Zbanic: Grbavica
6.5 Andrucha Waddington: House of Sand
6.5 Neil Marshall: The Descent
6.5 Ryan Fleck: Half Nelson
6.5 Rasul Sadr-Ameli: I'm Taraneh, 15
6.5 Karin Albou: La Petite Jerusalem
6.5 James Bai: Puzzlehead
6.5 Matthew Barney: Drawing Restraint 9
6.5 Mohammad Rasoulof: Iron Island
6.5 Sidney Lumet: Find Me Guilty
6.5 Svetozar Ristovski: Iluzija/ Mirage
6.5 Lars von Trier: Manderlay
6.5 Marcelo Gomes: Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures
6.5 Mikael Hafstrom: Evil
6.5 Dominik Moll: Lemming
6.5 Alison Murray: Mouth to Mouth
6.5 Jun Awazu: Negadon: The Monster From Mars
6.5 Fernando Perez: Suite Habana
6.5 Joao-Pedro Rodrigues: Two Drifters
6.5 Takashi Miike: The Great Yokai War
6.5 Laurent Cantet: Vers Le Sud/ Heading South
6.5 Auraeus Solito: The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros
6.5 Joe Swanberg: LOL
6.5 Laurie Collyer: Sherrybaby
6.5 Prachya Pinkaew: The Protector
6.5 Yilmaz Arslan: Fratricide
6.5 Zhang Yimou: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
6.5 Jason Reitman: Thank You for Smoking
6.5 Isabel Coixet: The Secret Life of Words
6.5 Zhang Yimou: Curse of the Golden Flower
6.5 Neil Burger: The Illusionist
6.5 Tom Dey: Failure to Launch
6.5 Claude Chabrol: The Bridesmaid
6.4 Wayne Kramer: Running Scared
6.4 Martin Scorsese: The Departed
6.4 Richard Linklater: A Scanner Darkly
6.3 Chen Kaige: The Promise
6.3 Todd Field: Little Children
6.2 Kevin Smith: Clerks II
6.2 Sang-soo Hong: Haebyonui Yoin/ Woman on the Beach
6.2 Woody Allen: Scoop
6.2 Paula van der Oest: Moonlight
6.0 Andy Garcia: The Lost City
6.0 Michel Ocelot: Azur & Asmar
6.0 Chris Fuller: Loren Cass
6.0 Fabrice du Welz: Calvaire - The Ordeal
6.0 Hans Canosa: Conversations With Other Women
6.0 Jeff Winner: Satellite
6.0 Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris: Little Miss Sunshine
6.0 Matthew Porterfield: Hamilton
6.0 Michael Mann: Miami Vice
6.0 Oliver Stone: World Trade Center
6.0 Manoel DeOliveira: Belle Toujours
6.0 Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland: Quinceanera
6.0 Susan Seidelman: Boynton Beach Club
6.0 Doug Atchison: Akeelah and the Bee
6.0 Shane Meadows: Dead Man's Shoes
6.0 Richard Squires: Crazy Like a Fox
6.0 William Tyler Smith: Kiss Me Again
6.0 Sherry Hormann: Guys and Balls
6.0 Barry Sonnenfeld: RV
6.0 Marc Rothemund: Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
6.0 Michael Gingold: Shadow: Dead Riot
6.0 Steve Buscemi: Lonesome Jim
6.0 Adam Rapp: Winter Passing
6.0 Andrew van den Houten: Headspace
6.0 Lajos Koltai: Fateless
6.0 Luis Orjuela: El Carro
6.0 Alan Taylor: Kill the Poor
6.0 Noam Gonick: Stryker
6.0 Gilles Porte and Yolande Moreau: When the Sea Rises
6.0 Sanaa Hamri: Something New
6.0 Michael Winterbottom: Tristram Shandy
6.0 Steven Soderbergh: Bubble
6.0 Johnnie To: Breaking News
6.0 Dani Levy: Go for Zucker
6.0 Michel Gondry: Dave Chappelle's Block Party
6.0 Richard Donner: 16 Blocks
6.0 Matt Zoller Seitz: Doing Time for Patsy Cline
6.0 Amos Gitai: Free Zone
6.0 Julian Jarrold: Kinky Boots
6.0 Cate Shortland: Somersault
6.0 Hrvoje Hribar: What Is a Man Without a Mustache?
6.0 Bret Wood: Psychopathia Sexualis
6.0 Victor Nunez: Coastlines
6.0 Kwak Kyung-taek: Typhoon
6.0 Robert Altman: A Prairie Home Companion
6.0 Oskar Roehler: Agnes and His Brothers
6.0 Jared Hess: Nacho Libre
6.0 Robert Edwards: Land of the Blind
6.0 Sergio Machado: Cidade Baixa/ Lower City
6.0 Gionata Zarantonello: Uncut
6.0 Rakesh Roshan: Krrish
6.0 Danny Leiner: The Great New Wonderful
6.0 Yoji Yamada: The Hidden Blade
6.0 Larry Clark: Wassup Rockers
6.0 Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross: The Road to Guantanamo
6.0 Kyle Henry: Room
6.0 Nanouk Leopold: Guernsey
6.0 Gregory Hatanaka: Mad Cowgirl
6.0 Lee Daniels: Shadow Boxer
6.0 Bent Hamer: Factotum
6.0 Bobby Moresco: 10th and Wolf
6.0 Dito Montiel: A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
6.0 Fernando Leon de Aranoa: Princeses
6.0 Georgia Lee: Red Doors
6.0 James Burke: Aurora Borealis
6.0 Jeff Tremaine: Jackass Number Two
6.0 Kevin Macdonald: The Last King of Scotland
6.0 Niall Johnson: Keeping Mum
6.0 Pablo Trapero: Familia Rodante/ Rolling Family
6.0 Greg Coolidge: Employee of the Month
6.0 John Cameron Mitchell: Shortbus
6.0 Yongman Kim: 1/3
6.0 James Ponsoldt: Off the Black
6.0 Brad Silberling: 10 Items or Less
6.0 Mel Gibson: Apocalypto
6.0 Gary Winick: Charlotte's Web
6.0 Steven Soderbergh: The Good German
6.0 Paul Bojack: Resilience
6.0 Clint Eastwood: Letters from Iwo Jima
5.9 Kirk Jones: Nanny McPhee
5.5 Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana: Cavite
5.5 Kate Montgomery: Christmas in the Clouds
5.5 Randall Miller: Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing and Charm School
5.5 Paul McGuigan: Lucky Number Slevin
5.5 Michael Sturminger: The Whore's Son
5.5 Billy Kent: The Oh in Ohio
5.5 Stuart Gordon: Edmond
5.5 Allen Coulter: Hollywood Land
5.5 Jonathan Liebesman: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning
5.5 Tony Bill: Flyboys
5.0 Ryuhei Kitamura: Azumi
5.0 Claude Chabrol: L'Ivresse du Pouvoir/ Comedy of Power (2006)
5.0 Jonathan Levine: All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
5.0 Anne Fletcher: Step Up
5.0 Brett Leonard: Jailbait
5.0 Jay Duplass: The Puffy Chair
5.0 John Davis: The Ant Bully
5.0 Patrick Stettner: The Night Listener
5.0 Ivan Reitman: My Super Ex-Girlfriend
5.0 Gil Kenan: Monster House
5.0 Edward Burns: The Groomsmen
5.0 Danny Green: The Tenants
5.0 Eli Roth: Hostel
5.0 James Gartner: Glory Road
5.0 Trish Doolan: April's Shower
5.0 Albert Brooks: Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
5.0 Jim Hanon: End of the Spear
5.0 Mark Christopher: Pizza
5.0 Kevin Willmott: CSA: The Confederate States of America
5.0 Frank Marshall: Eight Below
5.0 Andy Fickman: She's the Man
5.0 Chris Robinson: ATL
5.0 Cristina Comencini: La Bestia nel Cuore/ Don't Tell
5.0 James Gunn: Slither
5.0 Leslie Small: Don't Trip He Ain't Through With Me Yet
5.0 Marco Kreuzpaintner: Summer Storm
5.0 Jonathan Demme: Neil Young: Heart of Gold
5.0 Richard Loncraine: Firewall
5.0 Anahi Berneri: A Year Without Love
5.0 Steve Taylor: The Second Chance
5.0 Chris Fisher: Dirty
5.0 Christian Carion: Joyeux Noel
5.0 Elizabeth Allen: Aquamarine
5.0 Jeff Stanzler: Sorry Haters
5.0 Robert Towne: Ask the Dust
5.0 Yasou Inoue: The Neighbor No. Thirteen
5.0 Brian Robbins: The Shaggy Dog
5.0 Michael Hoffman: Game 6
5.0 Mary Harron: The Notorious Bettie Page
5.0 James MArsh: The King
5.0 Bret Carr: RevoLOUtion
5.0 Paul Mayeda Berges: Mistress of Spices
5.0 Courtney Solomon: An American Haunting
5.0 Terry Zwigoff: Art School Confidential
5.0 Alex Steyermark: One Last Thing
5.0 Paul Greengrass: United 93
5.0 Danny Cannon: Goal The Dream Begins
5.0 Donald Petrie: Just My Luck
5.0 Scott Marshall: Keeping Up With the Steins
5.0 Adam Vardy: Mendy A Question of Faith
5.0 Cedric Klapisch: Russian Dolls
5.0 Caroline Roboh: Shem
5.0 Alejandro Agresti: The Lake House
5.0 Eric Werthman: Going Under
5.0 Kevin Bacon: Loverboy
5.0 George Bamber: The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green
5.0 Ra'up McGee: Autumn
5.0 Adam Sandler: Click
5.0 Brian DePalma: The Black Dahlia
5.0 Lou Diamond Phillips: El Cortez
5.0 Bryan Barber: Idelwild
5.0 Edward Burns: Looking for Kitty
5.0 Frank Flowers: Haven
5.0 Jeff Hare: Checking Out
5.0 Stephen Frears: The Queen
5.0 Steve Zaillian: All the King's Men
5.0 Bill Condon: Dreamgirls
5.0 Gabriele Muccino: The Pursuit of Happyness
5.0 Robert De Niro: The Good Shepherd
5.0 Roger Michell: Venus
5.0 Gore Verbinski: Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest
4.9 Tommy Stovall: Hate Crime
4.5 Adam McKay: Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
4.5 Tony Fisher: The Trouble With Men and Women
4.5 Hunter Richards: Through the Fire
4.5 Richard Shepard: The Matador
4.5 Ol Parker: Imagine Me & You
4.5 Peyton Reed: The Break-Up
4.5 Paul Weitz: American Dreamz
4.5 Vondie Curtis Hall: Waist Deep
4.5 Anthony & Joe Russo: You, Me and Dupree
4.5 Steve Pink: Accepted
4.5 Andrew Davis: The Guardian
4.5 Jamie Babbit: The Quiet
4.5 Phil Joanou: Gridiron Gang
4.5 Todd Phillips: School for Scoundrels
4.5 Nancy Meyers: The Holiday
4.0 Nick Guthe: Mini's First Time
4.0 Armand Mastroianni: The Celestine Prophecy
4.0 Betty Thomas: John Tucker Must Die
4.0 Ron Oliver: Shock to the System
4.0 Todd Stephens: Another Gay Movie
4.0 Todd Verow: Vacationland
4.0 Victor Salva: Peaceful Warrior
4.0 Mike Barker: A Good Woman
4.0 Craig Chester: Adam & Steve
4.0 Michael Caton-Jones: Basic Instinct 2
4.0 Varun Khanna: Beyond Honor
4.0 Jeremy Haft: Tamara
4.0 Wayne Wang: Last Holiday
4.0 Irving Schwartz: Perception
4.0 Shawn Levy: The Pink Panther
4.0 James Westby: Film Geek
4.0 James Wong: Final Destination 3
4.0 Asia Argento: The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
4.0 Liz Friedlander: Take the Lead
4.0 Clark Johnson: The Sentinel
4.0 Wolfgang Petersen: Poseidon
4.0 Ron Howard: The Da Vinci Code
4.0 Brett Ratner: X-Men: The Last Stand
4.0 John Lasseter: Cars
4.0 Justin Lin: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
4.0 David Frankel: The Devil Wears Prada
4.0 Paul Dinello: Strangers With Candy
4.0 Peter Paige: Say Uncle
4.0 Bart Freundlich: Trust the Man
4.0 Greg Pritikin: Surviving Eden
4.0 Preston Whitmore: Crossover
4.0 Tony Goldwyn: The Last Kiss
4.0 Edward Zwick: Blood Diamond
4.0 Sylvester Stallone: Rocky Balboa
4.0 Shawn Levy: Night At The Museum
3.5 J.J. Abrams: Mission Impossible III
3.5 John Moore: The Omen
3.0 Joe Roth: Freedomland
3.0 Justin Lin: Annapolis
3.0 John Whitesell: Big Momma's House 2
3.0 Bryan Singer: Superman Returns