It’s Oscar night tonight, so I know you all are thinking that it’s a bit late to be writing about picks for the awards. Rest assured, my picks for our annual Oscar pool went in weeks ago. What I want to do in this post is talk about my ten favorite films of 2006, most of which are nominated for awards tonight. From there, you can deduce most of my picks.

In all, 2006 was a good year for film; more filmmakers seemed to be prizing the importance of a good script and innovative directing rather than the whizbang of gadgets and effects. Sure, there were some massive duds (All the King’s Men, Pirates 2) but even usual action-oriented franchises such as the James Bond movies moved towards deeper character and plot development.

So while it was difficult for me to choose my ten favorite films from such a strong pool, here they are in reverse order:

10. After the Wedding
I’ve always been a fan of Danish film, but Susanne Bier, really stepped up her game in this intense drama. The performance by Mads Mikkelsen may be the best of his career.

9. Hard Candy
Ellen Page shines as the ‘victim’ in this story about a sexual predator who has the tables turned on him. This may not be a film for everyone — it is definitely unsettling and not for the faint-of-heart — but it is a wonderfully crafted film.

8. The Queen
While Helen Mirren may be getting all the buzz for the film, the true star of Stephen Frears’ film is the screenplay. Tightly-written and perfectly matched for the mood of the film, the screenplay of The Queen is by far the best film-writing of the year.

7. The Fountain
Darren Aronofsky’s film may have received very polar reviews, but there is no arguing that this epic film is visionary. A love story spanning a thousand years, The Fountain is a daring experiment in pushing the boundaries of cinematic storytelling. It also features Hugh Jackman’s best performance of his career.

6. Babel
Inarritu’s film is ambitious to say the least: trying to create a movie in several languages with interwoven stories and a multitude of locations is not an easy task. Luckily, he pulls it off quite well, with a few flashes of directorial brilliance (Rinko Kikuchi’s scene in the night club is unparalleled anywhere else in film) that elevate Babel to the status of a great work of cinema.

5. Letters from Iwo Jima
Sure, Flags of Our Fathers was a bit of a mess, but that didn’t stop Clint Eastwood from releasing the follow-up film earlier than expected. And I’m glad he did, because Letters from Iwo Jima is a stunning film that not only tells a remarkably compelling story, but also features some outstanding cinematography.

4. Children of Men
The way that Cuaron decided to shoot this film — using long takes filled with raw action — makes this an atypical action movie where the motivations of each character are more important than explosions and chases. The story may be a bit pedantic at times, but the fantastic directing, editing, and art direction makes Children of Men one of the most memorable films of the year.

3. The Devil Wears Prada
It may seem odd that the best comedy of the eyar was about the bitchy world of fashion magazines, but there was no film funnier than The Devil Wears Prada. The casting was perfect (Meryl Streep, of course, shines, but oft-ignored Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci were brilliant in their roles) and the pacing is exquisite; this is clearly one of the most fun films to be released all year.

2. The Departed
Martin Scorsese has come back in a huge way. The Departed is clearly his best film in years, featuring an excellent screenplay, meticulous casting, and inspired directing. It is funny, intense, action-packed and intellectual all at the same time, and will make you want to watch the movie again and again. Seriously. I watched it eight times.

1. Pan’s Labyrinth
Clearly the best film of the entire year, Pan’s Labyrinth is a film-making wonder. The film is almost perfect technically (including visual effects, editing, makeup, and art direction), the story is compelling, the score is exquisite, the acting is amazing. Del Toro crafts the movie the way a sculptor would craft his clay, with a meticulousness that is so intricate it makes you shudder. I wish everyone made cinema like this.

I do want to point out that this list left out some other absolutely fantastic films which were so hard to cut off the list, including: Michael Apted’s Amazing Grace, Paul Greengrass’ United 93, Rachid Bouchareb’s Days of Glory, Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep, Dayton and Faris’ Little Miss Sunshine, John Hillcoat’s The Proposition, and of course, the wonderful Paris, je t’aime. As I said earlier, 2006 was a great year for film, and I look forward to an excellent 2007.