What if: DGA Awards

With the Directors Guild of America naming their winners tomorrow, I thought that this event will probably be the moment when the Oscar race becomes incredibly boring or spices up towards a little unpredictability. These are the nominees, as well as what I think may happen if one of them should win.

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Boyle is the clear frontrunner here, and he is more than likely going to take this award. Golden Globe and DGA winners usually go onto Oscar. If he wins the top prize here, he's not only gaurenteed the statue for himself, but also for many of Slumdog's other nominations, officially making this Oscar race one sided and very boring.

David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Fincher is Boyle's greatest threat to the Oscar, mainly because he has a little more seniority than Boyle. Fincher is a well respected name who has that "overdue" status. The problem is that he, and his film, keeps losing out to Boyle. Fincher not only needs this to remain a serious threat (I'd still consider him one without it, just not a severe one) but Benjamin Button also needs a major win to potentially spoil the Best Picture Oscar as well. If he grabs it, then he's got a much better shot.

Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
I think he's the least likely to win this award, and I say that for the Oscar as well. However, if the unthinkable happens and Howard manages to pull this off, the only thing it will add is making this race a little bit murky, but still seeing an eye on Boyle to win. If Howard wins here, I actually think it will be more of a thought to name Frank Langella as the spoiler for the Best Actor Oscar.

Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
He's this year's only DGA nominee who isn't nominated at the Oscars as well (I still want to know who thought he was less deserving than Stephen Daldry!). I don't think that status is going to help or hurt him at all in this race. Still, should Nolan actually win here, not only would it be totally cool and provide some relief to the millions of grieving Dark Knight fans out there, it would really muddy this race up, throwing the Best Picture and Director Oscar races into dismay with Slumdog's buzz subsiding and Benjamin Button catching up (only because these directors' pieces I think would appeal to the same people). I wouldn't count on this happening, but it sure would be sweet.

Gus Van Sant - Milk
I thought Milk would take the SAG award for Best Ensemble, which would reaffirm my belief that this is the true Best Picture frontrunner. But when Slumdog Millionaire took it, I just thought people were falling for this movie in now an irrational manner. I'd still like to say that a backlash may occur for Slumdog but the case is hard to prove unless Van Sant wins here. He's an old favorite who championed a wonderful cast. My faith in the film's abilities will not be quite as strong if Van Sant fails to win here, but I'll still keep it in the back of my mind.


Bottom line: If Danny Boyle wins, just hit the snooze until February 22. If Fincher or Nolan win, it adds to Fincher's possibility of a strong spoiler. If Van Sant wins, Milk becomes a viable frontrunner for Best Picture. If Howard wins...Frank Langella may take the Oscar.

The Look of Snub

It's been a full day since the Oscar nominations, and I have to admit that when I first heard them, I was more than just upset. I was angry. My second favorite film of the year, as well as many others' favorite, The Dark Knight, was left out of the Best Picture race along with Christopher Nolan for Best Director (which to me is even more hurtful). I reacted to the nominees with that blind anger and thinking that the Academy surely got the whole thing wrong with a nomination going for The Reader. But now, I've calmed down and done a little thinking, and I've tried to look at this situation objectively, and I've noticed a few things.

People are really coming out and bashing The Reader as an undeserving film that stole the Best Picture slot away from The Dark Knight. I'm actually going to come out and say that people are unfairly attacking The Reader. However, I believe they're attacking this film for the wrong reasons. People shouldn't complain only about it's Best Picture selection when there are a lot more reasons to dislike this film. People also attack the subject matter (which will always be true) and that fact that the credited producers, Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, died before they saw the film. Those who say that influenced people should also take a look in the mirror and ask the same thing about Ledger. I wrote in my review for the film that I immediately disliked it for having direction that was bloated, writing that was stale and acting, apart from Winslet, that was stiff. I don't like this film being nominated for Best Picture just because it took the place of another film. I don't like it because I don't like it, and I haven't dug deeper within me to pull out some new found disgust.

Yet, while the overlooking of The Dark Knight is sad to many fans around the world, there are some things that can be looked to as great positives. I know the technical categories are usually ones that people don't care about, but I do because some of them represent some risks taken to point out the great elements in this movie. Wally Pfister's cinematography is no risk because there was universal praise for his shadowy lighting of the Chicago streets that I actually think will win him the Oscar.

However, there are nominations it received that prove a great leap. For instance, the Art Direction Oscar usually recognizes period pieces or fantasy films, but rarely do they honor great contemporary designs. By Christopher Nolan's insistance, that setting was provided and it's nice to see a contemporary design break into the nominations. The film's makeup wasn't heavy like Benjamin Button or Hellboy II, but the achievement of it to show the varying degrees of the Joker's dubbed "war paint" always managed to create a strong emotion, particularly the running botches in the interrogation scene. It's smaller but emotionally effective. Also, the visual effects nomination is really great because we all know Nolan hates CGI and used very little of it here. The inclusion of this film here shows high praise for physical effects that are done extremely well, particularly in a category that generally only recognizes heavy computer effects.

Of course, all of these nominations shy in comparison to Heath Ledger's posthumous recognition and will in no doubt be the film's most important moment during the ceremony.

Still, all of these nominations, including Heath's, are the result of Christopher Nolan. His exclusion from the Best Director race is beyond me, especially with nominees like Ron Howard and Stephen Daldry standing in his place. Nolan's vision elevated the Batman franchise to go above and beyond what a comic book movie should be, and even if you didn't like the film, you'd have to say that Nolan's intentions were marvelous. But still, he was left off the list.

I know The Reader has a lot of fans out there, but I am not one of them. What makes this situation even more depressing is that the Academy has sent an unbecoming message to the people. Everyone knows that the Oscars are becoming increasingly out of touch with general audiences, and the hijaking of the ceremony by Laurance Mark and Bill Condon show their desperation in grabbing audiences. Last year were their lowest ratings, and they've not experienced anything high in ratings since Lord of the Rings. That movie won Best Picture, and while nobody really expected The Dark Knight to win that award, its very mention would have shown an interest in this elite group. The message sent out now is that when the chips are down, a polished piece of Oscar bait will win in favor of a genre film supported by the populist (much of this article could also apply to WALL-E). Even if you like The Reader, you know that's the message sent out. It seems the Oscars have doomed themselves to another year of poor ratings.

It is not the right of the people to take away the voting rights of Academy members, and if I'm ever invited into this group one day (fingers crossed), I wouldn't want anyone to say that I shouldn't have voted for a film or performance that I loved. I just notice in this situation that they were presented an opportunity to show people they were in touch with the general population and instead came across as disenchanted as they've always been. No matter what, I will always watch the Oscars and nothing will stop me, but I'll be a little sadder about the whole thing as well, and I'm sure there are many people who won't watch it this year.

For those wishing to find comfort in this snub, look here.

Reaction to Oscar Nominees

Whoa. A lot to say this year. As something really dumbfounding happened, I'll have more on that later. For now, I'll just mention my preliminary reaction to the Oscar nominees.

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
-The nominations for Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire and Milk were very expected to be heard. However, all those hopeful fans out there who were clammering to hear The Dark Knight be nominated were greatly disappointed. And they should be, as I unfortunately think the nomination for The Reader was less influenced by whatever "greatness" it showed and more so with its subject matter and credited producers.

Best Director
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
-Well, we had a 5/5 Picture-Director race this year, the first since 2005. With the exception of Howard and Daldry, I genuinely like these nominees. Still, if The Dark Knight had to be passed on Best Picture, the Academy should have AT LEAST given Christopher Nolan credit for creating one of the most entertaining films of the year. For shame!!

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
-Predicted every nominee in this category correctly. Let's hope this really humbles Eastwood and force him to actually commit to making a good film. No complaints.

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader
-The Sally Hawkins snub was very surprising, but it's actually sort of nice that Leo managed to sneak ahead of into this race, though I wish it could have been in place of Jolie (I liked her, but wouldn't have been sad to see her snubbed this time). We knew Kate Winslet was going to get nominated, but who'd have thought she would actually go leading for The Reader. This certainly makes this race a little more interesting.

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
-Another category I predicted 100% correct. I just want people to know I called Michael Shannon! As always, go Heath and it's really nice to see Downey Jr. in this race.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
-With Winslet going lead for The Reader, that meant an empty slot in this category, with all the "fifth slot" people getting a safe bet, like Adams, Henson and Tomei. With Winslet out of here, it makes this category an interesting one as well.

As I said, there will be an extended commentary about this disasterous situation that the Oscars have presented me.

Shout Out for Oscar Longshots

With the Oscar nominations coming Thursday morning (YAY!), I decided to give a rundown of some people and films that really impressed me this year but are more than likely going to be completely ignored by the Academy for having absolutely no buzz. If anyone remembers the bygone era of Ebert & Roeper and their segment "Memo to the Academy", this would be quite similar.

Best Picture: In Bruges
Everyone seems to love this movie, and they should. It’s got a great cast, headlined by Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, it’s smartly written by Martin McDonagh, and is a stirring black comedy. So why isn’t it a bigger threat at any Oscar? I know the Academy has a short memory, but this is another occasion where they need to think back to about February and pull out a true gem.

Best Director: Bryan Singer – Valkyrie
I know there’s a lot of a disagreement to be had about this movie, but from everything I’ve heard it seems that nobody complains about the intentions of Singer. And why should they? Singer’s direction was solid and tight, always trying to create an atmospheric thriller. Whether or not that worked is debatable (I think it worked mostly), but you can certainly say Singer did a helluva job trying.

Best Actor: Josh Brolin – W.
W. was one of those movies that had a lot of dividing opinions. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to agree that Brolin was excellent as the very recently made ex-President. He made Bush a fun and loveable guy while also making you feel kinda sorry for him, even when eight years of SNL and The Daily Show made that task impossible. He did it, and I personally think he should be rewarded for this instead of Milk.

Best Actress: Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Penelope Cruz has sucked up a lot of buzz for this movie, but I honestly believe Hall gave a far better performance than she did. Don’t get me wrong, Cruz was really good, but Hall managed to unintentionally steal the show as opposed to Cruz being forced to by Allen’s screenplay. She’s subtle and powerful at the same time, and definitely one of the most overlooked performances of the year.

Best Supporting Actor: Ralph Fiennes – In Bruges
I could also go with James Franco for Milk, a performance I do believe should be nominated, but with such a stellar year that Fiennes has had, I think he should get recognized for the one film that’s being forgotten. Once again I draw attention to this film, which boasts a performance from Fiennes that is without a doubt the showiest of the bunch, but no less entertaining and hilarious.

Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt – Rachel Getting Married
I’m glad that Anne Hathaway will probably get a nomination, but I am a little pissed that none of the other ensemble members are getting noticed either. Bill Irwin and Debra Winger were very good, but DeWitt was truly marvelous. As I wrote in my review for the film, it is a performance “that is always frank and honest, but never intentionally cruel.” This film boasts one of the best acting ensembles of the year, and I wish more attention was paid, especially to a person who would be my personal winner in this category.

Best Original Screenplay: Tropic Thunder
I know not everyone is going to agree with me on this, but I really found this film to be downright hilarious, and while Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise take a lot of credit for that, I’m willing to give some to Ben Stiller as well, at least when he’s working with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. Their premise is familiar, but they still provide the very funny lines that the actors deliver so well. Stiller’s years in the movie industry pays off here.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Snow Angels
You can probably count the number of people who saw this movie on one hand, but David Gordon Green’s adaptation of Stewart O’Nan’s novel proved to be filled with subtle emotions and powerful scenes. This mention exceeds the definition of longshot, but there was a lot of tenderness to this piece that should have been noticed by more people.


I simply can't wait for Thursday morning!!

Final Oscar Nominations Predictions: Best Picture

Best Picture (Predicted 5)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It has been one of those Oscar frontrunners for a long time now, but has mostly survived its hype, unlike other frontrunners from the past. People seem to actually like this one.

The Dark Knight

It's still a bit of a toss up, but something tells me that the Academy may finally be ready to embrace this film. Everyone is rooting for this movie to succeed here, and I think their voices will be heard (and $530 million in box office is a lot of voices), ending a great campaign for this film.

Frost/Nixon

Has shown up at all the guilds and still has a lot of support. The acclaim for the actors and other aspects should push it into the top 5.

Milk

A very politically relevant film in an area that is extremely sympathetic to the cause. The themes, plus strong support from precursers, will ensure it makes the cut.

Slumdog Millionaire

At this point, the only thing this film has to worry about is will it really be called a Best Picture Oscar winner.

Alt.

WALL*E

This animated film has been left out of many of the guilds because it was ineligible. Why that is I don't know. But that isn't so with the Oscars, and the campaign for this film is very strong. However, the last animated movie nominated for Best Picture was Beauty and the Beast in 1991, ten years before the Best Animated Feature Oscar was introduced, making an animated feature nominated for the biggest prize very difficult. WALL*E could make the distance and possibly surpass The Dark Knight. I, however, am not counting on it.

Final Oscar Nominations Predictions: Best Director

Best Director (Predicted 5)

David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

After years of producing great work that has gone unfairly unnoticed, he's finally got a project that people are taking notice to. The long overdue status will certainly help.

Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight

A strong campaign improved with his DGA and WGA nominations. I wouldn't necessarily call him a lock, but he's a pretty good bet by this point for making a comic book movie something incredibly more than just that.

Gus Van Sant - Milk

The film has recovered from its Golden Globe snub with huge guild support. He'll more than likely receive credit with the film as well.

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

To call him a lock is an understatement. A DGA win is all he needs to secure the Oscar.

Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler

Many people talk about him as the other successful point of the film. There's usually at least one lone director spot, and I think he'll be the one, whose also got overdue status.

Alt.

Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

At this point, Howard certainly seems like a lock for a nomination. He's been getting nominated all over the place and he's an A-list director. However, something tells me this is a year for newcomers, instead of last year's veteran theme. Howard already has his directing Oscar and has sort of lazily slipped into this race. It's easy to still have him be in this race, but since Oscar has snubbed him before like this, I won't put it pass them to do it again.

Next time I'll have Best Picture.

Final Oscar Nominations Predictions: Best Actress & Best Actor

Best Actress (Predicted 5)

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

The critical darling at this point with the BFCA and NBR win on her side. She's finally getting recognized this time.

Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

She was snubbed for the SAG, but the critical status and Golden Globe win should be enough to propel her to a nomination.

Angelina Jolie - Changeling

It's difficult to say about her, since she was virtually in this same position last year for a movie that was more heavily praised than this one. Still, she's Angelina, and the role is extremely baity.

Meryl Streep - Doubt

She's Meryl Streep for God's sake! You think she'll be snubbed?

Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

It's pretty much been determined she's going to get nods for both this and The Reader. The question that remains is which one will she win the Oscar for?

Alt.

Melissa Leo - Frozen River

This is one of those performances from a smaller film that has gotten a lot of attention and acclaim. She even pulled out a SAG and Critic's Choice nomination from it. Still, I fear the film may be "too small" and the only campaign being word of mouth not enough. There is a possibility that she could pull ahead of Angelina or even Hawkins (doubt that about Sally), but recognition from her fellow actors might be the only prize she receives.

Best Actor (Predicted 5)

Richard Jenkins - The Visitor

Much like Leo, he's in a film that relatively small, but has been talked up for a long time to keep it afloat. I think for him, the extremely positive word of mouth is going to pay off.

Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon

Decided to be one of the three locks in this category for a long time now. A potential spolier for the Oscar win as well.

Sean Penn - Milk

See Frank Langella.

Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

If the film is going all out as a multiple Best Picture nominee, then he could benefit here. He's not safe, but he certainly proves himself a good actor here, and star power can always help.

Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

See Sean Penn.

Alt.

Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino

I've always said you should never count out Clint at the Oscars. People have underestimated him before, and he managed to sweep in strong with nominations. However, even with two films this year, he's not been getting the best reviews. Still, that doesn't matter because he's Clint Eastwood with an NBR win for Best Actor. It's pretty much a coin toss between him and Jenkins, or both can get nods and leave Pitt in the dust. I'm just hoping this can be an opportunity to humble Eastwood.

.

.

Next time I'll have Best Director.

Final Oscar Nominatons Predictions: Best Supporting Actress & Supporing Actor

Best Supporting Actress (Predicted 5)

Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
It's a sultry performance that has gotten serious acclaim. That NBR win meant something, right? Plus, Allen has luck with this category for some reason.

Viola Davis - Doubt
Definitely the scene stealer in the movie and has the breakthrough status of the year.

Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nowhere near a lock, but it seems if Benjamin Button is going for so many awards, she could benefit from that ensemble.

Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Despite a SAG snub, I think people will want to reward her for her clever turn in this movie that is picking up some serious steam.

Kate Winslet - The Reader
She's a great actress who's on her way to becoming another double nominee.


Alt.
Amy Adams - Doubt
In all honesty, she's got a very likely chance to get nominated. She pulled off a SAG and Golden Globe nomination which usually means a lock for a nomination. However, on the hierarchy of Doubt's ensemble, she's definitely at the bottom. I wouldn't be surprised if she pulls in ahead of Henson, but a feeling of mine says she might be left behind.



Best Supporting Actor (Predicted 5)

.

Josh Brolin - Milk

With two years of double-whammy success, it's finally time for him to make his name heard at the Oscars, especially with another film that's a big Oscar contender.

Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder

His SAG nomination proved that his campaign was no joke. One of the funniest, memorable and most controversial performances of the year will probably get recognized.

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Part of that whole ensemble cast that is just winning. Long held to be a contender here.

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

The only question to ask here is will he and Peter Finch hold a common honor next month?

Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

He was long touted to be a serious contender, and I think he's spoken to enough people to warrant a surprise nomination. Besides, you need at east one wildcard pick.

Alt.

Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

Part of me just refuses to accept him getting nominated even though he has a lot of things going for him. He's got the SAG nomination, the snowballing buzz for his film, and the status of being a young, hot new player in Hollywood. However, part of me doesn't want to acknowledge that a performance this undeserving is going to be nominated. He very well could take the easily passable Shannon, but I'm still taking the giant leap of faith that Slumdog will actually be snubbed for something.

.

.

Next time I'll have Best Actress and Best Actor.

Predictions: Golden Globe Awards

I have my own long list of who I think will win on Sunday's Golden Globes, but for all purposes here, I'm just going to list my predictions in the film categories only.

Best Picture (Drama)
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Possible Upset: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Will Win: Vicky Christina Barcelona
Possible Upset: Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Actor (Drama)
Will Win: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Possible Upset: Frank Langella - Forst/Nixon

Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Will Win: Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Possible Upset: Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey

Best Actress (Drama)
Will Win: Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Possible Upset: Meryl Streep - Doubt

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Will Win: Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Possible Upset: Meryl Streep - Mamma Mia!

Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Possible Upset: Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona
Possible Upset: Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Director
Will Win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Possible Upset: David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Screenplay
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Possible Upset: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Original Score
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Possible Upset: Changeling

Best Original Song
Will Win: "Gran Torino" - Gran Torino
Possible Upset: "Down to Earth" - WALL-E

Best Animated Feature
Will Win: WALL-E
Possible Upset: Kung Fu Panda (if Hell freezes over)

Best Foreign Language Film
Will Win: Gomorra
Possible Upset: Waltz with Bashir

Best of the Year Awards

Before I name my entire list, which might include a surprise here and there, I first want to make a special mention in the Best Actor category. This was one of those years where the race for Best Actor was extremely competitive, and I found myself with seven actors who all deserved to be nominated in my mind. Because of my insistance to only select five, they did not receive nods from me. However, I would emphasise that Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button and Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon were both great, but I ultimately decided they were just under the mark. But I do declare them both giving great performances in their films.

**winner**

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
In Bruges
**Milk**
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
**Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight**
Bryan Singer - Valkyrie
Gus Van Sant - Milk

Best Actor
Josh Brolin - W.
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
**Sean Penn - Milk**
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Actress
Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
**Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married**
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes - In Bruges
James Franco - Milk
**Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight**

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
**Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel Getting Married**
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Best Animated Feature
Kung Fu Panda
**WALL-E**
Waltz with Bashir

Best Original Screenplay
In Bruges
**Milk**
Rachel Getting Married
Tropic Thunder
WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
**The Dark Knight**
Doubt
Slumdog Millionaire
Snow Angels

Best Art Direction
Australia
**The Curious Case of Benjamin Button**
The Duchess
Valkyrie
WALL-E

Best Costume Design
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
**The Duchess**
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Revolutionary Road

Best Cinematography
Australia
Blindness
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
**The Dark Knight**
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Film Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
**Slumdog Millionaire**

Best Original Score
In Bruges
The Dark Knight
Milk
**Slumdog Millionaire**
WALL-E

Best Original Song
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - "Inside of You"
Gran Torino - "Gran Torino"
Slumdog Millionaire - "Jai Ho"
WALL-E - "Down to Earth"
**The Wrestler - "The Wrestler"**

Best Makeup
**The Curious Case of Benjamin Button**
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The Reader
Tropic Thunder

Best Sound Mixing
Australia
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man
Speed Racer
**WALL-E**

Best Sound Editing
Australia
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Valkyrie
**WALL-E**

Best Visual Effects
Australia
**The Curious Case of Benjamin Button**
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Speed Racer

Top 10 Movies of 2008

At this point, I have seen most of the movies of the year that I now feel confident enough to name my list of the top ten movies of 2008. I wasn't completely blown away this year like last year, but there were enough gems to warrant a smile here and there. First, I'll name the movies that I liked, but didn't quite make it on my list. These honorable mentions would also serve as the 11-20 slots on my list.

Honorable Mentions: Changeling, Body of Lies, W., Valkyrie, Let the Right One In, Kung Fu Panda, Frost/Nixon, Iron Man, Snow Angels, Doubt


10. Tropic Thunder
As usual, this spot is reserved for a film that isn't necessarily one of the best, but is a personal favorite of mine and one that entertained me the most. Skewering the movie industry always puts a smile on my face, and the outrageous performances from Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise deserve special mention along with the rest of the cast.

9. Man on Wire
Hands down the year's best documentary, which tells of the wire walker who stepped between the two World Trade Center towers in 1973. However, the movie is much more than that, and becomes beautiful and poetic by the end. It also scores huge points for trying to be just as entertaining and framed like a feature film.

8. The Wrestler
If the story was better, then this film would have definitely been higher. Even still, it is Mickey Rourke's performance that really draws you in, and the accomplishments of Darren Aronofsky and Marisa Tomei are noticeable as well. A tad overrated, but still a lovely film.

7. WALL-E
No surprise that this is going to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar. Like all Pixar films, this one has a truly heartwarming story with fantastic characters to match. My personal favorite is still The Incredibles, but this is still a great film of theirs to include.

6. Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway has my vote for the Oscar as she is so convincing in this movie. Add the fact that the supporting cast of Debra Winger, Bill Irwin and Rosemarie DeWitt are magnificent, and Jonathan Demme's return to narrative filmmaking is a welcomed return makes this a film that stays with you long after you watch it.

5. Slumdog Millionaire
It's not overwhelmingly great, but those who see it find little to complain about. At the end of the day, Danny Boyle still creates a fantastical and quirky world that is the definition of engaging filmmaking. The technical aspects of the film also soar beyond comprehension.

4. In Bruges
I've held onto this film since it debuted in February, and that is simply because it's great. Writer-director Martin McDonagh created a riveting dark comedy that is constantly stuck between the silly and the serious, and that is a good thing. Other big positives are fine performances from Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, and (who knew?) Colin Farrell.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
It's not perfect, but almost all the faults can be forgiven because of the visual spectacle that director David Fincher offers. He proves once again he is a great filmmaker and will probably not go unrecognized this time. Throw in warm performances from Brad Pitt, Taraji P. Henson, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, and you have yourself a really good movie.

2. The Dark Knight
I've gone back to look at this film many times, and I notice the things that people point out are flaws. I agree with them, but as I watch the movie over and over, I just don't care. Watching this film you see that the atmosphere completely engulfs you and you're lost. We have the brilliant efforts of Christopher Nolan, his brother Jonathan, and Heath Ledger to thank for that. So good that it elevates above the comic book category and into pure genre thriller, and one of the best out there with a contemporary moral message attached.

1. Milk
The moment I saw this movie, I knew I found the one to call the best. You have the masterful Sean Penn completely disappearing into the role and making you believe in every scene of this character's authenticity and emotional sentimentalism. Then there's the great acting from the entire ensemble, from big players like Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, and James Franco to smaller ones like Diego Luna, Alison Pill and David O'Hare. Then there's the wonderful and engaging direction from Gus Van Sant that uses the marvelous screenplay by Dustin Lance Black to full effectiveness. With all that, there was no way I could say I saw a better film in 2008 than this one.


In a day or two, I'll have my own "personal Oscars" where I'll pick out my selections for Oscar categories.

Worst of the Year

Before I make my official list of the year's best, I thought maybe I'd share my opinions about what I thought was at the bottom of the barrell in terms of films. I make a list of a bottom five because I try to avoid most bad movies and if I did ten, that might include movies I didn't care for, but don't deserve to be called one of the year's worst. Here they are:

1. Max Payne
It was an action movie with no action, and a plot so predictable you could have walked out thirty minutes before the ending and still not missed a thing. Just horrid.

2. 88 Minutes
Not only bad, but when it thinks its being smart and clever, it's really just being boring, formulaic and dull. Pacino and his company do nothing but stare at the camera, and I think Pacino's hair got its own paycheck for this role.

3. The Spirit
Perfect example that not every comic book should be a movie. It's wonderful to look at, but a ridiculous plot, rancid acting and a script that is an insult to the ears doesn't make up for the pretty pictures. Jackson finally gives an over the top performance that isn't even fun for the audience.

4. The Happening
All atmosphere, no substance. M. Night Shyamalan proves that his abilities as an artist have completely gone out the window for having a premise that doesn't excite and a laughably bad chase scene where people are literally running away from a gust of wind. Also, it's another movie starring Mark Wahlberg!

5. The Day the Earth Stood Still
One of the greatest insults to the science fiction genre, as it completely disrespects the integrity and nuance of the original into an updated enviornmentalist plea that still doesn't make sense (he has to save the planet from ourselves when he doesn't even live here?) and features acting so hollow you can hear your echo in it for hours.

Worst Picture: Max Payne
Runner Up: 88 Minutes

Worst Actor: Mark Wahlberg - The Happening, Max Payne
Runner Up: Keanu Reeves - The Day the Earth Stood Still

Worst Actress: Camilla Belle - 10,000 BC
Runner Up: Zoey Deschenal - The Happening

Worst Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson - The Spirit
Runner Up: Chris O'Donnell - Max Payne

Worst Supporting Actress: Mila Kunis - Max Payne
Runner Up: Scarlet Johansson - The Spirit

Worst Director: Jon Avnet - 88 Minutes, Righteous Kill
Runner Up: Frank Miller - The Spirit

Worst Screenplay: The Spirit
Runner Up: 88 Minutes

Biggest Disappointment: Gran Torino
Runner Up: (TIE) Quantum of Solace & Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Happy New Year!

It's officially 2009 and I hope that everyone rang in the new year with a marvelous spirit. Personally, I am excited for this year. For one, I will finally be given the opportunity to see what an Obama presidency will have (I'm expecting a mixture of good and bad), but there are also several movies that are coming out that I am eagerly awaiting, which will hopefully make this year a little more ambitious than its predecessor. There's a few that I can think of, but I'll have a more in depth list in a few weeks.

Mainly, I wanted to announce here that since 2008 is over, it will be time for me to finalize my top 10 list of the year. In addition, I also fill out my own Oscar categories, not only naming winners and nominees in the major categories like acting and directing, but also in the technical categories, everything from cinematography to sound editing (and yes, I know the difference between sound mixing and sound editing). Those lists should be posted within a few days, and then I'll start my predictions for the 81st Oscar nominations.

Have a happy 2009!