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2006 Reader's Poll:

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The best and worst in movies...

Despite Mark Wahlberg's hair, The Departed is voted one of the best films of the year.

BEST MOVIE
The Departed (with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, and Jack Nicholson)       63.3%
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (with Sacha Baron Cohen and Ken Davitian)       18.3%
Dreamgirls (with Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, and Eddie Murphy) / Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley)       9.1%

Michelle's Pick: Dreamgirls
Christine's Pick: The Departed

2004 Winner: Crash
2004 Winner: Fahrenheit 9/11 and Shrek 2 (tie)
2003 Winner: Kill Bill: Volume I
Etc.: An all-star cast leads the Best Movie category, while the outrageous Borat comes in second with less than half the votes. That's still better than last place, where we find the powerhouse Dreamgirls and the summer blockbuster starring everyone's favourite morally ambiguous pirate, Johnny Depp, who managed to grab the Best Actor win in 2003 for the first installment of the franchise. Critically acclaimed fare like Apocalypto and Babel failed to raise any votes, while the new James Bond incited as much excitement as a new line of hedge trimmers.

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed       50.0%
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest       8.5%
Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking / Daniel Craig, Casino Royale / Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan / Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness       8.3%

Michelle's Pick: Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness. I have never been a Will Smith fan (except for the television show, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"), but I will say that he did an OUTSTANDING job in The Pursuit of Happyness. He made me believe that he was a down-on-his-luck father that could have given up at any given moment. I loved everything about the movie (especially his adorable little son, Jaden), but it was the last scene that was Will’s best.
Christine's Pick: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed

2005 Winner: Johnny "I Don't Hate America, Per Se..." Depp, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
2004 Winner: Jamie "What, No More Oscars?" Foxx, Ray
2003 Winner: Johnny "You Love Me, You Really Really Love Me" Depp, Pirates of The Caribbean
Etc.: Best Movie makes Best Actor, if Leonardo DiCaprio's win for The Departed is any indication. In a very unsurprising twist you'd swear it was an M. Night Shyamalan movie, Johnny Depp places a distant second, earning less votes than the film in which he starred. He still has 0.2% above third place, where we find that it's a four-way tie between a slick lobbyist, an outlandish reporter, a dashing Special Agent, and a courageous father.

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls / Natalie Portman, V for Vendetta       33.3%
Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest       16.7%
Jennifer Connelly, Blood Diamond / Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada       8.3%

Michelle's Pick: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Christine's Pick: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

2005 Winner: Charlize "Aeon Flux Was A Lapse In Judgment" Theron, North Country
2004 Winner: Uma "Just Waiting For Part III To Be Announced" Thurman, Kill Bill: Volume II
2003 Winner: Uma "These Were The Days" Thurman, Kill Bill: Volume I
Etc.: A singing sensation and a young woman living in a fascist world tie for first place, with Jennifer Hudson laughing all the way to the Oscars. Keira Knightley, who placed third last year with Pride and Prejudice, comes in a distant second, and dark-haired beauty Jennifer Connelly and The First Lady of Cinema, Meryl Streep, tie for third. Despite the hype, Emma Thompson (Stranger Than Fiction) and Kirsten Dunst (Marie Antoinette) get no love from our readers.

Try as he might, even Samuel L. Jackson can't save Snakes on a Plane.

WORST MOVIE
Snakes on a Plane (with Samuel L. Jackson and Julianna Margulies)       25.0%
Basic Instict 2: Risk Addiction (with Sharon Stone) / Big Momma's House 2 (with Martin Lawrence) / Jackass: Number Two (with Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O)       16.7%
Employee of the Month (with Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson) / The Benchwarmers (with Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Jon Heder) / The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (with Lucas Black and Bow Wow)       8.3%

Michelle's Pick: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Christine's Pick: Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction

2005 Winner: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
2004 Winner: New York Minute
2003 Winner: From Justin to Kelly and Gigli (tie)
Etc.: Just as Rob Schneider has become a staple in our lil' poll, we've noticed that David Spade is also sitting comfortable here. With Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, and now The Benchwarmers, it's hard to imagine any worst list without him. Despite his popularity here, it's the much-parodied Snakes on a Plane that earns our wrath, with Basic Instict 2 not far behind. This horrible sequel ties for second with Big Momma's House (which still managed to pull in a baffling $70 million at the box office) and Jackass: Number Two. Luckily, all films were accounted for, which means that some of you still found Employee of the Month, The Benchwarmers, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift quite sucky...which makes us very happy.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
The Da Vinci Code (with Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, and Ian McKellen)       33.3%
Miami Vice (with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx)       25.0%
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (with Will Ferrell) / X-Men: The Last Stand (with Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, and Famke Janssen)       16.7%
Superman Returns (with Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey)       8.3%

Michelle's Pick: The Da Vinci Code
Christine's Pick: The Da Vinci Code

2004 Winner: The Dukes of Hazzard
2004 Winner: Alexander
2003 Winner: Matrix Revolutions
Etc.: It's months later, and we're still scratching our heads at The Da Vinci Code. Not far behind is Miami Vice, another summer blockbuster that had little substance once the hype faded. It may be a Colin Farrell curse of sorts: Alexander, the 2004 film in which he also starred, landed on this list several years ago. Another Ferrell - Will - comes in a third place tie with the (thankfully) last installment of X-Men: The Last Stand. Two other sequels, Clerks II and Mission Impossible III, avoided disappointment by lacking votes in this category.

WORST ACTOR
Jessica Simpson, Employee of the Month       41.7%
Sharon Stone, Basic Instict 2: Risk Addiction       25.0%
Colin Farrell, Miami Vice / Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff, Material Girls       16.7%

Michelle's Pick: Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff, Material Girls
Christine's Pick: Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction

2005 Winner: Paris Hilton, House of Wax
2004 Winner: Chucky, The Seed of Chucky
2003 Winner: The cast of From Justin to Kelly
Etc.: The jury has voted, and blonde socialites/pop singers turned actresses do not make the best actors. In the case of Sharon Stone, sometimes even blonde actresses turned actresses do not fare well. Colin Farrell gets another worst nod with Miami Vice, confirming our apprehensions about his acting and headlining skills. At least he's not alone - the Duff sisters split the vote for third. All this vote-hogging leaves Halle Berry ( X-Men: The Last Stand, and previous Best Actress winner), Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns), and Lindsay Lohan (Just My Luck) safe for another year.

Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx bring the pretty in Dreamgirls.

BEST ON-SCREEN COUPLE
Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx, Dreamgirls       41.7%
Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, The Break-Up       25.0%
Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest       16.7%
Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving, V For Vendetta / Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman, The Fountain       8.3%

Michelle's Pick: Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx, Dreamgirls
Christine's Pick: Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

2005 Winner: Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, The Wedding Crashers
2004 Winner: The cast of Ocean's Twelve
2003 Winner: Queen "Easy, Breezy, Beautiful" Latifah and Steve "Shopgirl Was Totally My Vanity Project" Martin, Bringing Down the House and Kate "Love Me For My Movies, Not My Scandals" Hudson and Matthew "We Are Marshall Was Supposed to Be My Swan Song" McConaughey, How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days (tie)
Etc.: Even though they're no longer a couple (and have never admitted so, despite the fact that everyone living above ground saw through the protests), Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn earn enough votes for us to deem them second-best On-Screen Couple. Last year, Jennifer's arch nemesis and her ex, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, found themselves in the same spot but with 3% less votes. Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx, two actors from Dreamgirls that have been virtually shutout during award season, earn enough love to land in first place. And Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman, from the little-seen The Fountain, still manage to beat out comedy duo Jack Black and Héctor Jiménez (Nacho Libre) and unlikely pair Maggie Gyllenhaal and Will Ferrell (Stranger Than Fiction) to land in fourth place.

[ From best television actor to worst scandal of the year. Part III of our Readers Poll. ]