BEST DOCUMENTARY: Doug Block's 51 Birch Street, family secrets slowly peeled away in a Jewish suburb, and, to me, more poignant and ultimately meaningful than its famed predecessor, Capturing the Friedmans.
BEST FOREIGN FILM: Francois Ozon's Time to Leave, a tender Death-in-Venice-influenced tale of the last days of a gay fashion photographer hit with cancer.
BEST UNNOTICED FILM: Stuart Gordon's Edmond, one week in town of this ballsy adaptation of David Mamet's ferociously transgressive early play, with William H. Macy giving the Performance of the Year as an unleashed, murderous racist-sexist.
Counting the above, here's the Ten Best Fiction Films of 2006:
1. Flag of Our Fathers
2. Letters from Iwo Jima
3. Army of Shadows
4. Time to Leave
5. Edmond
6. The Proposition
7. Mutual Appreciation
8. The Puffy Chair
9. United 93
10. The History Boys
And the second ten: The Departed, The Queen, Four-Eyed Monsters, Road to Guantanamo, Borat, Half Nelson, Notes on a Scandal, Casino Royale, Battle in Heaven (Mexico), District B13 (France)
The Ten Best Documentaries: 51 Birch Street, Shut Up & Sing, Finding Sean, Al Franken: God Spoke, Iraq in Fragments, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?, Sir! No Sir!, Street Fight, Sketches of Frank Gehry
Best actor: William H. Macy, Edmond
Runners-Up: Richard Griffith, The History Boys; Ken Watanabe, Letters from Iwo Jima; Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat; Forrest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Best actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Runners-Up: Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal; Penelope Cruz, Volver; Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada; Jennifer Aniston, Friends with Money
Best supporting actor: Mark Wahlberg, The Departed.
Runners-Up: Ken Davitian, Borat; Andrew Bujalski, Mutual Appreciation; Adam Beach, Flags of Our Fathers; Steve Carell, Little Miss Sunshine
Best supporting actress: Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration
Runners-Up: Frances de la Tour, The History Boys; Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada; Rachel Clift, Mutual Appreciation; Adrianne Barazza, Babel
Best director: Clint Eastwood, Flag of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.
Runners-Up: Nicholas Hytner, The History Boys; Paul Greengrass, United 93; John Hillcoat, The Proposition
