Jim Emerson, editor of RogerEbert.com and a pretty articulate and impassioned film critic in his own right, has conjured an innovative way of celebrating the year's movies - by imagining them as parts of creative, imaginary Double-Bills (films played back-to-back in the cinemas of yesteryear). Such pairings, in this game, can be designed to draw out elements of one film that are perhaps better understood after having seen something else (not necessarily a sequel, either). Jim's choices are great, and if you click the link above you'll find his as well as a slew of other readers' contributions (mine included). I'll reprint it here for your convenience and invite you to submit your own here or to Jim's site.


Lights In The Dusk (Kaurismäki, 2006) with Man Push Cart (Bahrani, 2006) or City Lights (Chaplin, 1931)
Pivotal for me here is the pairing with City Lights. Kaurismäki's film seems to operate as an anti-Chaplin story, taking the piss out of 'City' and its romanticization of homelessness and poverty. Paired with Man Push Cart, though, I draw comparisons between both protagonists that are elucidating considering each respectively infuriated me with their inexplicably poor choices. Both men seem helpless to rescue themselves from bad situations they've each in part contributed to.


Children Of Men (Cuarón, 2006) with The Handmaid's Tale (Schlöndorff, 1990)
Two movies I didn't care for a great deal; maybe seeing them again afresh, back-to-back, might help tease out aspects of one another I might be better able to appreciate.



Talladega Nights (McKay, 2006) with Trailer Park Boys: The Movie (Clattenburg, 2006)
Two grand hurrahs for the so-called redneck underclass (to an extent; each was about much more than that). Both were very affectionate, but Nights relied more on absurdity and surrealim to garner laughs while Trailer Park Boys instead opted for hand-held camera docu-realism. I loved both movies dearly.



The Journals Of Knud Rasmussen (Kunuk and Cohn, 2006) with Nanook Of The North (Flaherty, 1922)
Journals is set around the same time as Flaherty's documentary was really filmed. Both are differently fascinating glimpses into Inuit culture and society.



Hana yori mo naho (Koreeda, 2006) with Harakiri (Kobayashi, 1962)
Like Lights In The Dusk and Chaplin, Koreeda appears to be using his latest, Hana yori mo naho, to deconstruct and reimagine the past. Here it's the legacy of samurai honour, which was previously questioned to great and profound effect in Kobayashi's gut-wrenching (literally; who can forget the ritual performed with the wooden blade?) Harakiri.




In the coming days I'll continue my look at the year back with lists of the Worst, Common, Noteworthy, Honourable, and Top Ten films of the year. Stay tuned!