Following on from last year's round-up, I've outdone myself this year and seen 48 films in 2006. Some great, some okay, some truly awful (I'm looking at you, Da Vinci Code!). Once again, these are just personal favourites, but here's my pick of the best:

10) V for Vendetta - Who'd have thought it? The Wachowski brothers made a good version of an Alan Moore graphic novel, despite a few wandering accents. Best use of the 1812 overture ever.

9) The Prestige - Very clever. A superb Victorian mystery with a great cast and as many twists as you could ask for.

8) Good Night, and Good Luck - Interesting and surprisingly relevant. Thumbs up to George Clooney for daring to make something so different and challenging.

7) The Host - A horror film that breaks all the rules. A lovable family of misfits struggling to fight the rampaging beastie that's emerged from Seoul's Han River.

6) Breakfast on Pluto - Funny, touching, political, thought-provoking, with a fabulous soundtrack.

5) Warrior King - Bad guys steal Tony Jaa's elephants (No, really). Tony Jaa spends the rest of the film breaking arms and demanding to know where his elephants are. Stupid yet brilliant.

4) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - So what if the plot is messy and it's over-reliant on in-jokes? When a film's this much fun and full of sword fights and a giant squid, who cares?

3) An Inconvenient Truth - The most engrossing Powerpoint show you'll ever see. And a sign that there's hope people will see sense yet.

2) The Departed - Proof that remakes can be good. And that Jack Nicholson can still chew up the scenery as well as ever. Will Scorcese ever win an Oscar?



And my number 1 film of 2006 was....





1) Pan's Labyrinth - Part historical brutality, part escapist fantasy. Hugely inventive, frightening and uplifting all at once. A traditional fairy tale and a masterpiece.