It was the year that introduced us to the deliciously devilish Miranda Priestly whose venomous one-liners in The Devil Wears Prada immediately became a part of our vernacular; the year that put a mustachioed Kazakh TV reporter on the map as he traveled to the U.S. and A. to document the culture—and subsequently fell in love with the big-bosomed beauty, Par-mela Anderson; and the year that brought the Tony-winning musical Dreamgirls to the big screen, leaving us all swooning after seeing the larger-than-life musical performances. As 2006 grinds to a halt, we asked our top film critics to give us their favorite 10 films from the last 12 months. The selected films range from big-budget Hollywood blockbusters like Superman Returns to the low-budget indie film that surprised ‘em all, Little Miss Sunshine, from nearly silent gay films like Broken Sky to macho, testosterone-filled films like The Departed. With Hollywood cranking out films of this caliber, we can hardly sweat the nearly $20 we fork over to enjoy the magic of the movies.

By Lawrence Ferber

1. Notes on a Scandal—Smart and edgy, this flick about a twisted spinster, the younger married woman she's ga-ga for and the affair that woman is having—with a genuinely, dare I say it, hot teen boy—is scandalous, indeed. Dame Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, and Bill Nighy (as the cuckolded hubby) deliver award caliber performances.

2. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan—The year's most side-splitting comedy is a guilty affair in which über-cheeky, de facto sociologist Sacha Baron Cohen, playing faux Kazakh TV reporter Borat, encourages the best and worst behavior humanity has to offer.

3. Shortbus—A big valentine to sex and love in NYC. Entertaining, poignant and funny, this should be placed next to Parting Glances and Priscilla on your DVD shelf come 2007.

4. The Departed—Martin Scorsese's superb remake of the Hong Kong thriller about a cop who's a mole for a gangster and a gang member who's a mole for the cops. DiCaprio and Damon are hot, and Nicholson verges on the Joker territory as the wacko gangster.

5. Paper Dolls—Moving and revealing, Tomer Heymann's documentary about Filipino transsexuals working as nurses in Israel is a complex, inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking portrait of humanity.

6. Dreamgirls—OK, I feel like the gay guy who says The Pet Shop Boys is one of his favorite bands. And it is!

7. Superman Returns—Those chills you get up the spine when Superman makes his first rescue are reason enough to stick this here. A logic-free Lex Luthor plot and bad casting (barely pubescent Kate Bosworth as seasoned reporter Lane) detract, but good casting, including newcomer Routh, and talented direction from Singer trump all.

8. Jackass Number Two —Genius and gay as ever! If only every straight guy let a penis be branded on his butt.

9. An Inconvenient Truth—This film is filled with so many “holy shit” revelations that even those who already take global warming seriously will drop their jaws—and hopefully spring to action. Anyone who refuses to see this film is a tool. And asshole.

10. Al Franken: God Spoke—Just as the Democrats looked completely hopeless, Franken tossed cutting, informed and comic barbs at Republicans and the likes of Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly. An inspiring documentary—unless you're Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly.

By Gary Kramer

1. Broken Sky—Mostly silent, and sensual as hell, this prolonged drama about the break-up between two Mexican college students was absolutely breathtaking and heartbreaking.

2. Dreamgirls—Show-stopping and goosebump-inducing, this fabulous big screen version of the Tony-winning musical is an infectious emotional roller coaster. The bigger-than-life performances—by Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, especially—make this one particularly dreamy.

3. Half-Nelson—As a drug-addicted teacher befriending one of his students, the extraordinary Ryan Gosling gives what is easily the performance of the year. Take a lesson Edward Norton!

4. Infamous—Forget that overrated Capote. Infamous gets to the true Truman. Not only is Infamous more amusing, more seductive, more unsettling and more absorbing than its predecessor, but it also gives a more complete portrait not only of the writer, but also the killers he studied and the women he knew. It's simply more satisfying and, unlike Philip Seymour Hoffman, who mimicked Capote, Toby Jones embodies him.

5. The King— The ever irresistible Gael Garcia Bernal played one hell of a sexy sociopath, wrecking havoc on a family in this stunning slice of Southern Gothic.

6. Old Joy—Kelly Reichardt's outstanding drama is an elegant, eloquent and wistful meditation on the nature and rhythm of friendships. This two-hander has a quiet power that is deeply moving—perhaps even more so after the credits roll.

7. Quinceañera—Combine kitchen-sink realism with a pregnant teen and her hot gay cousin and you get an inspiring, and achingly beautiful, film about the pain of being an outsider and the power of rising above others.

8. Thank You for Smoking—The year's sharpest comedy was this streamlined adaptation of Christopher Buckley's novel. Often hilarious (and perfectly cast), this clever mix of satire, sight gags and one-liners rarely missed its mark—or a beat.

9. That Man: Peter Berlin—This extremely revealing documentary about the man, the myth and the legend that is Peter Berlin doubled as a poignant portrait of youth and beauty.

10. A Year Without Love—An astonishing and absolutely riveting drama about a young HIV-positive man who gets involved in the S&M scene in Buenos Aires, this sensitive film is filled with a humanity that, at its core, is difficult to shake.

By Dan Loughry

1. United 93—Yes, it’s harrowing. Yet the filmmaking’s thrilling, and, by the end, I was filled not with horror, but awe at the tenacity of the common spirit.

2. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan—Offensive? Cruel? Anti-Semitic? Homophobic? Why not? Yet inspired, hysterical and, in the end, a scathing examination of a portion of the American psyche.

3. The Departed—One reviewer said this film was not Shakespearean, but “Scorcesean.” Shakespearean’s more exact, with inspired acting across the board.

4. Little Miss Sunshine—Sure, it’s about a dysfunctional family. Yes, you’ve seen it before. Only it isn’t, and you haven’t. This is about a family’s heightened struggle to reconnect that’s wonderfully calibrated, funny and poignant.

5. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer—This story of a freakish boy’s murderous impulses is too long and doesn’t quite overwhelm the imagination as it should. Yet it’s haunted me ever since I saw it, and I look forward to seeing it again when it’s released in a few weeks.

6. Little Children—Todd Fields’ sophomore film proves In the Bedroom was no fluke. He’s masterful with the details of American suburban life. And—with respect to Helen Mirren in The Queen—Kate Winslet’s performance was my favorite of the year.

7. Thank You for Smoking—Comedies don’t come any blacker than this one about the lobbyists for tobacco, alcohol and guns. Kudos to Aaron Eckhart’s Golden Globe nod. I hope the stodgy Academy follows suit.

8. Casino Royale—So sue me, but I loved it. After a year of nay-saying by Bond loyalists, here comes Daniel Craig to reinvigorate the franchise with the best acted, most dangerous, most sexually thrilling Bond ever. The movie was too long, but who cares? Can’t wait for the next one.

9. Half Nelson—Here’s the essence of the independent movie—a white history teacher with a crack problem befriends a young black student with issues of her own. There’s nary a whiff of social archaeology or afterschool special about it. Once again, apologies to the astounding Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland, but Ryan Gosling, no acting slouch, sets a new bar for actors, young and old.

10. A Prairie Home Companion—With apologies to The Devil Wears Prada, Stranger Than Fiction and Talladega Nights (all candidates for this spot), I must tip my hat to Robert Altman’s final film. This isn’t just sentimentality speaking here: I was amazed last summer when I saw this, because I’m not a fan of Garrison Keillor’s Lake Woebegone radio show or, particularly, the Americana that comprises much screen time. But I needn’t have worried, because this was Altman’s measured meditation on death—death of the show, of a way of life, of a genre of music, and, finally, of the passing of the body—wrapped in two hours of his trademark camera work and overlapping dialogue. Altman will be sorely missed.