She Said: THE BEST OF 2008

K's Top Ten Movies of 2008

The most remarkable films this year are films which speak to human adversity in truthful and beautifully complex ways. The films that grace my top ten list this year are ones in which characters face incredible challenges and have important lessons to learn. Some learn the lessons and others sadly fail to grasp them. In seeing their pain or failures, joys or triumph, we connect to them, learn from them, and grow with them.

The Top Ten:

10. WALL-E

Wall-E is a sweet, endearing, precious film for the ages and all ages. Some of the tenderness between Wall-E and Eve are among the most moving of all love scenes ever created. Some people did not know what to make of the movie's silences, but to me, those silences were the most beautiful moments to witness in this film or in any other. This film knew when to be quiet. Lovely.

9. DOUBT

This is one of the most finely acted films I have ever seen. Nominations for the film's main 4 stars show I am not alone. It is very hard for me to say it, but even though Kate Winslet is my favorite actress and she is so overdue for an Oscar, Streep is the one who deserves the Oscar for this one.

Doubt deftly exposes the difficulty in assured knowledge. Doubt is a precious commodity because it allows us to not close down with certainty but rather to always question and explore. The film purposely chooses heart-wrenching subject matter because otherwise the message of how important but painful doubt is would be lost. Doubt opens minds. Certainty closes them.

8. THE READER

This movie graces my list because of its complex rendering of humanity. Too often we see things in black and white with no gray, but life is nothing but gray.  If anyone would have said a movie would make me feel for an Auschwitz  guard, I would have scoffed. But this movie did. The Reader is Hannah's story even though it is told through the book-ends of her "reader." The movie would be even more solid and astounding if the creators had the vision to let Winslet's character be the main protagonist. Still, the deeper layers of who (most often male) decides law, crimes, and punishment was deeply nuanced and appreciated by this viewer.  

7. THE VISITOR

An important lesson about learning to love and be alive again. This film is incredibly painful for me. It is a beautiful film; the acting is moving, the human truths are revelatory, but the inevitable fact of how our country treats others still angers me to this day. The Visitor is quite the perfect blend of joy and misery. We cannot really embrace and understand one without the other.

6. HAPPY GO LUCKY

Plucky, polite, and ever so perfect, Poppy is a heroine we can be so proud of. She understands the world and why people are the way they are, yet she never flinches in her ability to be optimistic and love herself and the world despite the inevitable flaws. A character like this could too easily become cloying or aggravating, but Sally Hawkins (who deserved an Oscar nomination) weaves vulnerable love and understanding with delicacy. 

5. MILK

In the year of the infamous, repugnant passing of Prop 8, Milk sits as a reminder of what all some have sacrificed in order to make our world more humane.  This film is a huge biopic filled with many fine actors telling an important story of truth and humanity. It is incredibly sad to be shown how hard people fought in the past to only have us drop the ball today. 

4. FROST/NIXON

Not unlike The Reader in drawing empathy where one would least likely assume to find it, Frost/Nixon entranced me and made me feel for our 37th president. How could a bleeding heart liberal like me care about a grouchy, conservative liar like Nixon? The answer is simple. Ron Howard allows us to hear him and see his humanity. The movies this year reached me because they showed me human failure and self-awareness. We see in Frost/Nixon a man who finally learned his lesson even if it was too late to save the way others would forever view him. I found his awakening tragic and triumphant.

3. THE DARK KNIGHT

I am quite frankly angered that so many dismiss this massive, dark, artistic splendor. It's rather revolting how so many want to hate on this film. Perhaps because it was adored by too many.  Perhaps because it is based off of a comic hero. Or, perhaps because too many were blinded into not seeing the deeper nuances and complexity breeding the war over what is a "hero." The vision of The Dark Knight is behemoth. It is a spectacle. It dazzles the senses. But, the story also has a very true, sincere heart that beats underneath all those beautifully rendered set pieces.

Why does he run? Because he must. The Dark Knight grasps what his fellow humankind needs. Sacrifice of self for love of others. Could there be a more noble awareness?

2. THE WRESTLER

One of the most touching, emotionally riveting movies I have ever seen. What we do to our bodies, to our souls in an effort to be heard, seen, valued, is astute and piercing.  Some of us learn from life and from hardship, and others of us are determined to hammer perpetually to seek approval. Both characters in this film wake up. But both answer that call in different ways. Not unlike Kate Chopin's The Awakening, The Ram decidedly makes his choice because it is all he has ever allowed himself to know. Its part tragedy and part triumph. He chooses his path, but I was left wishing he had chosen a different one. 

1.SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

It was a neck-and-neck fight between my number two and my number one. And although I think Aronofsky does a better job in The Wrestler at connecting the plight that both genders share, Slumdog Millionaire's uncontainable joy ultimately made it win the top spot. 

The structure and arc of this story resonates with palpable, kinetic excitement. As I sat in the theater, there was a gleeful momentum, a shared exhilaration that just does not happen that often in cinema. Sure, people love a movie--they laugh, cry, sometimes shout out at the screen, but with Slumdog it was different... without words, there was a soulful, vivid, colorful response emanating from several silent bodies.

To steal the movie's mantra, the movie's fate was written--indelibly, forever destined to be 2008's best film.


Runner Up: 

11. In Bruges, Wickedly funny and suspenseful, this film is actually far more serious and meaty than its surface humor first lets on.

Other Runners Up:

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

Seven Pounds 
The Duchess

Iron Man
Burn After Reading
Religulous

Bolt
Son of Rambow
Paranoid Park
Towelhead

He Said: THE BEST OF 2008

THE BEST FILMS OF 2008:
One Man Pays Tribute to His Favorite Films of the Year
By Philosophizing to No End

Here's the bottom line: the goal of this list is to find each film’s essence, to very clearly state what the films mean to me. These are not reviews—some of them don’t even mention what the damn films are about. And that’s okay with me, because hopefully you will read how special these films are to me, and go seek them out to have the same experience. Or have an experience of your own, because I don’t think any year in recent memory has underscored the ambiguity and, more specifically, the subjectivity of film appreciation and film analysis than 2008. One great film reminded me of this very simple fact that I have always strove to uncover in my own screenwriting work: we are all the main characters in our own story.

From my story—from my point of view—these are the best ten films of 2008, with all runners-up included.

The Ten:

10. BURN AFTER READING
One of the funniest lines in any 2008 movie took place near the beginning of Burn After Reading, when a bearded, dorkified George Clooney stuffs his face full of cheese and crackers, looks down, and says with tacky sincerity, “Wow…those are nice floors!” Yes, I know…it probably doesn’t make much sense to read it now. Until you see it.

This film is brilliant, inspired lunacy, pure and simple. The best Coen Brothers films—even at their most serious—are the ones that blend the sinister with the ridiculous and turn them into grandiose spectacles of the absurd. Fargo did that. The Big Lebowski did that. Yes, even No Country for Old Men did that. Burn After Reading does it, too.

It was easy for most critics—coming off the seriousness and profundity of No Country last year—to write Burn off as lightweight. And in the most literal sense, it is lightweight: the entire basis for the film is…nothing. This is essentially a film about idiots running around in circles. The most substantial aspect of the film is the mutual density of each of the characters. But the Coens, as usual, turn idiocy into an artform. They understand that sometimes the magic of the cinema does not lie in the storytelling—it lies in the audience’s collective laughter, joy, fear, even revulsion. That, in a nutshell, describes the pleasure of Burn After Reading—it is a pure, ridiculous joy.

9. HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
A very simple film that communicates a very profound message. Our society is emerging from an age of cynicism, and there is no greater film that promotes the forthcoming Age of Optimism than Mike Leigh’s story of a woman who is, very simply, happy. She is not suppressing inner demons. She is not putting on a front. She is not disguising a deep psychosis. Poppy, in fact, is a lot wiser than most of us. She chooses to be happy, in spite of the world—perhaps because of it. She chooses to spread joy. She chooses to love. And for her beautiful character, no matter what challenges she faces, she succeeds.

This is brilliant, eloquent filmmaking from Leigh, and features one of the year’s most special performances by Sally Hawkins (the saddest, most astonishing Oscar snub of them all). Happy-Go-Lucky is that rare film that truly inspires our better angels.

8. IN BRUGES
Not unlike Burn After Reading in its relentless quirks and dark screwball humor, but touched with a beautiful, undeniable sensitivity. Here is one of the most profane, violent films of the year, and yet at its core is a story of guilt, regret, and despair.

How is such a delicate balance created? It took the work of the newly-minted, wholly-deserving Oscar nominee Martin McDonaugh, whose script toes the line between pitch-black whimsy, hard-boiled crime drama, and soul-searching character study. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play a pair of hit men stuck in a heinous tourist trap—one is at peace at the end of his career, and the other is struggling to exorcise the inner demons that have been plaguing him to no end. Their stay in Bruges is marked by violence, oddity—and yes, dwarfs—but somewhere along the way, these characters come to terms with their place in the world. By the end they know what they want, what they need, and what they must do to forgive themselves.

7. THE WRESTLER
That rare film that stands outside the safety net of deconstructionism. I am still wrestling—seriously, believe me, no pun intended!—with the conclusion of The Wrestler. Why do these characters make the decisions they make? What do those choices mean for the overall fabric of the film? I feel like I need to hear it from the filmmakers. But while my questions remain, the mere fact that I have such lingering curiosity—a nagging need to know—indicates the venerable complexity of the film, and my passionate interest in it.

Randy “The Ram” has survived solely on the nostalgic power of the illusion he once was. He is a character living in “the show.” His opportunity to enter the real world, and the choices he makes when given that opportunity, is where the film touches the soul.

Working from a beautifully spare script by Robert Siegel, the ever-brilliant, ever-sensitive, ever-insightful Darren Aronofsky abandons all flashy stylistic pretenses and lets us feel the raw, bare bones power of the characters’ humanity. Mickey Rourke is an unmatched revelation, playing a character who could easily be seen as an idiot, an oaf, un unsympathetic loser. But in Rourke’s hands, Randy “The Ram” is a mythic hero, a sad, terminally-wounded giant whose heart has been ripped out but whose soul is still holding on for dear life. His journey is relentlessly engaging in its simple power. His choices are at once endlessly frustrating and wholly true. His life was a show, and he may be incapable of surviving off the stage.



6. THE VISITOR
A broken man returns to his long-vacant New York apartment. When he arrives, he discovers an unexpected tenant. His first reaction is typical—fear, anger, a lack of understanding—the unmistakable traits of American hubris. But for some reason—be it careful discernment, a broken-down will, or just simple desperation—he calms himself. He opens his home…and eventually his heart. Out of this unexpected visit, this unlikeliest of friendships, the man is able to find the will to live once again.

The Visitor is a masterpiece of subtlety, one that quietly touches the heart and gracefully celebrates the unexpected joys of life, the saving graces of friendship, and the inescapable truth that life can be simultaneously beautiful and unfair. Tom McCarthy’s film captures the fragility of the human soul with such piercing accuracy that at times it is difficult to bear. But in the clarity of its humanity, the depth of its soul, the pitch-perfect insight into the small moments that reinvigorate the human spirit, The Visitor is truly one of the most deeply hopeful films of the year. Life is not easy. Life is not always happy. But in the connections we make, in the moments that define us, in the smallest openings of our heart, we can find our peace.

5. DOUBT
The message is baked right into the title—doubt is the essential human characteristic. From doubt comes debate and compromise. From doubt comes skepticism and dissent. Certainty is false in such a subjective world; doubt is, in the end, what we should strive for. John Patrick Shanley’s film, adapted from his play, is powerful precisely because it acknowledges a cold, hard truth: we are all clueless, lost in a sea of fragmented events, trying to put the pieces together. We are blinded by our certainty, yet afraid to admit that we really don’t know anything unless we see it with our own eyes—and even then we can’t be 100% certain. Does Sister Aloysius know that Father Flynn is a child molester? No. Can Sister James be sure of his innocence? No. Only he can know his own truth, but that is beside the point—he is merely a test of Sister Aloysius’ soul. She has encased herself in a soapbox of certainty, and only if she questions herself can she truly be free. Only if she doubts can she attain that most precious of traits: humanity.

Shanley’s direction is brilliant in its simplicity—he gets out of the way and lets the actors engage in some of the most razor-sharp, hyper-intense verbal combat ever to flicker onto the screen. Meryl Streep gives her best performance of the decade. Phillip Seymour Hoffman strikes the perfect balance between sympathy and villainy. Viola Davis is remarkable in her 10 flawless minutes. Amy Adams is bright-eyed and hopeful, but gradually peels back the layers to reveal a conflicted soul.

All in a film that very simply but very forcefully shows us that doubt is one of our most precious human commodities.

4. MILK
To understand the power of who Harvey Milk was and what he did, look back no further than three months ago. As our country rode a wave of Change into a hopeful future, one of our most open and liberal states passed a proposition banning gay marriage. Thirty years earlier, Harvey Milk fought for gay rights legislation that actually came to pass. He succeeded that long ago, and we can’t fully accept gay partnerships now, in the Age of Obama? At the time of his murder, Milk presided over the most forceful and influential gay movement in U.S. history. He began what we all need to finish.

Gus Van Sant’s Milk is one of the year’s greatest achievements not only because it perfectly captures the powerful life and work of the first openly gay man elected to public office. It is great because it so artfully fuses the facts of a “biopic” with the passion and urgency of an experimental gay film. Van Sant has always been a filmmaker with incredible versatility—he has achieved success as a mainstream studio filmmaker and as an avant-garde artist. Milk is his greatest synthesis, a film that tells a powerful story but also—perhaps more importantly—takes the audience on a lyrical emotional journey and lets us all feel the tension, the fear, the joy, the enthusiasm of a defining moment in American history.




3. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK
“What is your play about?” one inquisitive crew member asks Caden Cotard. Caden muddles back, “Birth…death…life…all that.”

If ever anyone posed the question, “What is Synecdoche, New York about?” that line of dialogue is the most perfect response. Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut is one of the most densely ambitious films of the decade, and its central theme is the inherent self-centeredness of humankind, the tortured labyrinth of an artist’s soul, and the jolting realizations that remind us how strange and transient life really is.

We are all the protagonist in our own stories. Therefore, we are all entitled to our own opinions. Each is just as significant—and just as meaningless—as any other. Our existence means everything, and means nothing. That is truly one of the most powerful and profound cinematic statements in years.




2. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Here it is, the Film of Destiny. It is destined to win the Oscar. It was destined to be released in the Year of Obama. It was destined to fall into Danny Boyle’s lap, and he was destined to take the material and turn it into one of the most joyous, kinetic, heart-rending, stand-up-and-cheer film experiences of the decade. This is his masterpiece; this was his destiny.

Slumdog Millionaire is a vibrant prayer, a positively vigorous celebration of life and love. It exposes a land most Americans are not familiar with—the slums of Mumbai—but does so with equal parts horror, humor, and heart. It is a fairy tale with guts and muscle.

The film speaks to that most universal human theme: the power of love. It is love that makes a boy like Jamal survive under the harshest of circumstances. It is love that drives him to make the choices he makes. It is love that leads to the 20-million-rupee question. And it is love that saves his life.

Slumdog Millionaire is, in many ways, the ultimate film experience. It unfolds with heedless forward motion. It tells a powerful human story. It provides the audience a discovery of new places, new problems, new people. And it holds you in its grasp all along the way. It is the most triumphant tear-jerker ever made. And cry you will, if you open your heart and let the film cascade in.

By now many have added their two cents to the inevitable “Slumdog-is-the-Obama-movie” conversation. But it is an undeniable fact: here is a film about the most unexpected of triumphs, in the unlikeliest of places, coming together because It Is Time. It Is Destiny. It Is Written.

Slumdog Millionaire is a classic.

1. WALL-E
Talk about a classic. Years from now, WALL-E will go down as a landmark film, one so brilliant in its storytelling, so breathtaking in its vision, so effortless in its human observation (in robots…go figure) that it is positively Chaplin-esque. It is also an incendiary commentary on the degenerative state of the American people. It also might just be the most moving romance of the decade.

Now the eternal question is: can an animated film really be that good?

The liberal, open-minded film lover answer must always be a resounding “YES.” But I don’t think even I truly believed it to be possible…until WALL-E.

I was captivated the moment I first witnessed WALL-E add one man’s trash to his burgeoning collection of treasures. I smiled warmly when I watched WALL-E clasp his metal claws as he was moved by Hello, Dolly! I fell in love when WALL-E cuddled up next to a hibernating EVE and took care of her even when he couldn’t communicate with her. I knew this was the year’s best film during the film’s most beautiful sequence—a romantic, balletic dance through the stars as WALL-E and EVE celebrate their love. I knew the film was an unmitigated classic when its end credits not only told a creative, engaging, visually-innovative story, but held the capacity to move me as much as the film itself.

I knew seven months ago that WALL-E was the best film of the year. Nothing has changed.

What brilliance. What beauty. WALL-E will be around forever.



THE RUNNERS-UP

ONZE D’OR: THE GOLDEN ELEVEN AWARD
The Number Eleven Film on the List
THE DARK KNIGHT
A big, huge spectacle that reaches far beyond what any other “superhero” film ever has. It is the Godfather of superhero sagas, and it will likely never be matched.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
The runners-up, presented in alphabetical order:

DEFINITELY, MAYBE, which still lingers in my mind as an enduring delight. Ryan Reynolds is a movie star, Isla Fisher is electric, Rachel Weisz is otherworldly, and Elizabeth Banks is now one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood.
THE DUCHESS, one of the most affecting period dramas in recent years.
FROST/NIXON, which gave us more intense conversation.
FUNNY GAMES, an American remake that worked even better than its foreign original—because this film, sadly, was made for us.
GHOST TOWN, which is sweet and lovely, and serves as a reminder to us all that Ricky Gervais is a genius.
MARLEY AND ME, which I love. It is smart and engaging and wonderful…much more than a Cute Dog Movie.
NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST, a breath of fresh air, and a celebration of youth, love, and New York City.
PARANOID PARK, Gus Van Sant’s other great film of the year.
SEVEN POUNDS, which nearly landed on the Top Ten…there is so much more here than most gave it credit for…Gabriele Muccino is a fantastic filmmaker, and Will Smith deserves a medal of bravery.
SNOW ANGELS, David Gordon Green’s most straightforward film…and a blunt kick to the stomach.
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, Woody’s best film of the decade.
THE WACKNESS, in which the level of filmmaking was so incredibly high that I stood in awe of Jonathan Levine’s talent…another film that nearly cracked the Top Ten.


THE STAND-IN-AWE AWARD
Awarded to the film and/or filmmakers who created something so special that it deserves recognition in a category of its own.
PETER BERG & WILL SMITH, for
HANCOCK


AUDIENCE AWARD
The yearly honor bestowed on films that highlight the collective joy of movie-going.
Normally, I list films alphabetically on this list, and I will do so again this year. But in what turned out to be a fabulous year for Audience movies, there was one that stood above all the rest as the perfect audience experience:
IRON MAN

The rest, in alphabetical order:
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
ROLE MODELS
ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO


NON-AUDIENCE AWARD
Awarded to great or near-great 2007 films that did were, for the most part, ignored by mainstream audiences. It was mainstream audiences’ loss.
This year, two very ambitious films landed in theaters with equally large thuds, two of the year’s most expensive films that drew some of worst responses and paltry box office returns of the year. Many were turned off by their sheer audacity; some referred to them as disastrous. I’ve seen them each on a handful of “Year’s Worst” lists, and I want to give them their proper space here, in a celebration of film rather than a cheap shot against it. The two films selected for this year’s “Non-Audience Award” are:
AUSTRALIA, and
SPEED RACER


HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Reserved for those films which tackle important issues that we as a people deal with on a daily basis…or that we should be paying much more attention to. In alphabetical order:
BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER
LAKEVIEW TERRACE (Believe it or not…)
RELIGULOUS
SON OF RAMBOW
TOWELHEAD

And your DGA winner is...

...Danny Boyle.

Like a broken record spinning its way to Oscar Gold.

2008: Year in Review

Actually, my lists have been ready for a couple weeks now. But K always has less time than me, so I waited until she had as much time as possible to complete her list. Then she got sick, so she decided to transcribe a few one-liners and let that be that.

Later today, the 2008 Year in Review begins. Three lists to discuss: Best of, Worst of, and Most Disappointing. Best comes first...Worst will follow later in the week, with the Most Disappointing list dropping for the weekend.

For now, let's focus on the positive, and discuss the Best Films of 2008.

Should be up by this afternoon. Yes, it is late...but it's not as late as it was last year, and of course, better late than never, right?

"Welcome to The Suck"

I borrow that phrase from a film that did indeed suck--Jarhead. May it live forever in "wasted opportunity" heaven...

The "Suck" I refer to is January Movie Hell.

I find myself devoting more and more of my blogging time to analyzing the Awards Race and perfecting my 2008 Retrospectives (which will be posted by week's end). Why? Because the movies just aren't worth writing about.

Why should I write a long-winded review of Bride Wars? Is the film's trailer not review enough? Actually, speaking of the trailer...if I were to write a review of the film, it would center on the notion that Trailer Cutters--those who edit the two minute-and-thirty second spots we see before the Feature Presentation starts--have better filmmaking skill and sharper comic timing than do the actual filmmakers. The trailer for Bride Wars is funny and effective; the film is decidedly less so. The problem is that the filmmakers take scenes that work in the trailer and then put slightly different, much less funny spins on them. I like Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. They work pretty well together. The film is...okay. But the effort is about as lame as you would imagine coming from the vaunted First Movie of 2009.

Why should I write a long-winded review of Paul Blart: Mall Cop? It is another piece of ridiculousness churned out of Happy Madison, that Adam Sandler-run company responsible for every horrific piece of shit Sandler ever makes. The twist--if I can even call it that--here is that the film is actually PG-rated, and thus fun (?) for the whole family. It also stars Kevin James instead of Sandler or Rob Schneider, which is HUGE step up. James is likable in a way the usual stars of these movies are not, so he at least elevates the film to a level of watchability...except during the scene in which he's wrestling an obese woman in the middle of Victoria's Secret. At that moment, I wanted to kill myself...or the filmmakers.

We have two--oftentimes three--months of "Suck" ahead. Hopefully, as happens on occasion, a few interesting films (and maybe one great one) will pop up early in the year.

The Oscar Race--First Post-Nom Charts

Everything is narrowed down to five...and really, everything is narrowed down to two--at most.

Here's where it stands...

BEST PICTURE

1. Slumdog Millionaire

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

3. Frost/Nixon

4. Milk

5. The Reader

Note: Slumdog just can't stop winning awards. At this point, if it didn't win, it would be as big an upset as Brokeback Mountain in 2006. But don't expect to be surprised.

BEST DIRECTOR

1. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

2. David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

3. Gus Van Sant, Milk

4. Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon

5. Stephen Daldry, The Reader

Note: Boyle wins...no matter what.

BEST ACTRESS

1. Kate Winslet, The Reader

2. Meryl Streep, Doubt

3. Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

4. Melissa Leo, Frozen River

5. Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Note: Winslet and Streep, neck-and-neck. Hard telling. My money's on Winslet for now, since this Reader performance has been the most honored of the year when you consider the fact that it has garnered both lead and supporting awards.

BEST ACTOR

1. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

2. Sean Penn, Milk

3. Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon

4. Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

5. Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Note: Another two-person race. I still have a feeling about Mickey, though.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2. Viola Davis, Doubt

3. Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

4. Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

5. Amy Adams, Doubt

Note: With Winslet out of the mix, Penelope Cruz is likely back in the top spot. It's been about five months since Vicky Cristina Barcelona was released and Cruz picked up very early "Oscar Frontrunner" status, so that heat sure seems to have faded...but who's gonna beat her?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

1. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

2. Josh Brolin, Milk

3. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt

4. Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

5. Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder

Note: Is it even worth discussing?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

1. Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

2. John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

3. Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

4. David Hare, The Reader

5. Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon

Note: Beaufoy is your winner.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

1. Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, Wall-E

2. Dustin Lance Black, Milk

3. Martin McDonaugh, In Bruges

4. Courtney Hunt, Frozen River

5. Mike Leigh, Happy Go Lucky

Note: Another category that's down to two: Wall-E v. Milk. I think it's the robot's award to lose.

Screen Actors Guild Winners

Is it just me or do you see any trends developing over the course of this race?

Best Cast
Slumdog Millionaire

Lead Actress
Meryl Streep, Doubt

Lead Actor
Sean Penn, Milk

Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress
Kate Winslet, The Reader

So...where do we stand?

About the same place we've been standing for the last several weeks.

Slumdog Millionaire seems to be a foregone conclusion. Best Actor is a toss-up between Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke. Best Actress is between Kate Winslet and Meryl Streep. If Heath Ledger could be awarded 10 Oscars for his performance, he would be.

People love the Winslet performance in The Reader. I am of the belief that her work in Revolutionary Road is even stronger, even though The Reader is a better film. But the real heat has always surrounded the Reader performance, no matter which category it has landed in. Since the Academy nominated her only once, in the lead category, for The Reader, she is the one major roadblock between Meryl Streep and Oscar number three. The fact that this is her strongest performance in years--and the fact that the Nomination Queen hasn't actually won an Oscar in 26 years--would make her a shoo-in, if not for the love for The Reader, and the fact that Winslet hasn't won an Oscar since...she was born. And that's a crime.

It's tough to gauge the Best Actor race. Rourke won the GG, and then Penn wins the SAG...back and forth we go. One thing that can happen, though--SAG and Oscar can have differing opinions. It happens...and it could happen this year. This applies to both lead acting categories. It's a bigger voting bloc for the Oscars...and a little different. So...big toss-up.

Finally, Slumdog Millionaire is turning into the kind of juggernaut we haven't seen since...well, last year I guess, when No Country swept everything up. But the heat for Slumdog seems even bigger in many ways...it is cruising in a similar way to--dum dum DUM--Brokeback Mountain. And if you recall, Brokeback was such a huge frontrunner...that it lost in the closing seconds. To bullshit like Crash. So...is this a fair comparison?

Yes and no. Brokeback was that rare early favorite that held up all the way until the ceremony...when it lost. This year, the early favorites lost steam way early, and Slumdog became the undeniable, unstoppable movie of love and passion. In Brokeback's year, a lurking turd kept resurfacing to spoil the day. The only turd in this Oscar race is Ben Button, but it is much bigger than Crash, and a lot less sneaky. It is gonna be way harder to steal Slumdog's thunder.

Oh, and by the way, when did Crash first make its move in 2006? At the SAG awards, when it was the upset winner for Best Cast. No such luck for any film over the 'Dog.

It is, in many ways, a foolish comparison. But there is such heat behind The Film of Destiny that it worries me a little bit.

Brief...Producers Guild Winners

The PGA gave out their awards over the weekend...anyone surprised by the results???

The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award
in Theatrical Motion Pictures
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
WALL-E

Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
MAN ON WIRE

Oscar Noms: The Reaction

Alright, so...

...so much for that whole "two possible wins for Kate Winslet" thing...

...so much for a Dark Knight BP slot....

...so much for Sally Hawkins in Best Actress...

...sad for all involved...except Winslet, actually, who comes away a winner no matter what.

I adjusted some of my predictions before the nomination announcements, but didn't get to write anything about them yesterday. So let's go on the honor system...I will be honest about which ones I nailed and which ones I failed.


BEST PICTURE
Looking at the Best Picture race, everything was as expected--save The Reader. If you would've asked me before the announcement this morning, I would have told you that the only film with a legit shot to slip into BP over Dark Knight was, indeed, The Reader. Some will say they didn't push, but I totally disagree. This nomination was earned--not because of the film's quality, but because of the producers' maneuvering. They made a strong push and got exactly what they wanted--including the sole Winslet nomination.

Other than that, nothing much has changed...Slumdog is still on track. We will see if the race reinvents itself in the next four weeks.


BEST DIRECTOR
In Best Director, nothing surprising, based on the BP noms. Stephen Daldry gets the nod for The Reader over Chris Nolan for DK...the directors match the movies. Boring.

And Boyle will win. Easily.


BEST ACTOR
Best Actor was also as expected, though my Clint Eastwood prediction was swapped for Brad Pitt. It was pretty easy to see it coming...I just went slightly against the grain.


BEST ACTRESS
Best Actress was a real shocker...by virtue of unforeseen studio decisions. After a season-long roller-coaster ride during which Kate Winslet received both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress prizes from various Critics' Groups for The Reader--and during which The Weinstein Company couldn't decide in which category they would submit her for Oscar consideration--they obviously went with the Lead Actress category. As such, her work in The Reader was nominated for Best Actress, and her work in Revolutionary Road lost out. In truth, the studio made the right move--Winslet is the lead actress in The Reader--but I also believe that her performance in Revolutionary Road is even stronger (as for the movie...well, we'll discuss that later). But the producers of Revolutionary Road took the nomination for granted...the producers of The Reader never stopped pushing.

The other Best Actress shocker had to be the omission of Sally Hawkins for Melissa Leo...or for Angelina Jolie, whoever you pick to steal the slot. In the eleventh hour, I had put Leo back on the shortlist...but left Hawkins on as well. Most of these "surprises" could have been predicted, either by common knowledge or by correctly understanding Academy thinking. But I was truly surprised--and truly saddened--that Hawkins was passed over.

Nonetheless, Winslet must still be considered the frontrunner--even moreso now that she didn't pull off the double-nominations--with Hathaway and Streep at her heels but falling back.


SUPPORTING ACTOR
The supporting categories were, as always, the most difficult to handicap precisely. In Supp. Actor, Ledger, Brolin, and Hoffman were in, as expected. And instead of the final two being filled by Dev Patel and Michael Sheen, they were filled by Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Shannon. I had a real strong feeling about Downey and especially Shannon...I probably would've included Shannon in my final predictions bt left Downey off. But again, in the least predictable category, the Downey nod--and even the Shannon nod--is no surprise.

I should note, however, that the omission of Michael Sheen in Frost/Nixon is now the second time in the last few years that Sheen has been overlooked by the Academy. The first came two years ago, when his fabulous portrayal of Tony Blair in The Queen was left off the final supporting actor shortlist.



SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Here was the other category affected by the Winslet "is-she-supporting-or-is-she-lead?" crap-shoot. And in addition, it's also traditionally one of the most infuriating categories to nail down in terms of forecasting. With the obvious departure of the Winslet slot for Best Actress, there left a clear opening. That opening was taken by Amy Adams for Doubt. Good for her--it was underappreciated work in a very brilliant film.

The other four were as expected--Tomei, Cruz, Davis (making it a supporting actress double-dip for Doubt), and Henson. Special shout-out to Taraji Henson, by the way, for scoring a nod for the best performance in the highly overrated Ben Button. Hers was not merely a "makeup" performance (as was Brad Pitt's). She brought energy and ingenuity to what could have been a throwaway character, and she is justly awarded.

I actually love all these performances, making the Supp. Actress category one of my happiest of the morning.

Looking ahead, with Winslet gone, frontrunner status is once again bestowed where it had been in the months leading up to the Golden Globes: Penelope Cruz. And in a year when Woody Allen was actually overlooked for his best screenplay of the decade...the Academy will likely throw a bone to Vicky Cristina by awarding Cruz...and in turn, giving her "payback" of sorts for not giving her Best Actress in 2006 for Volver.

(Quick tangent: Winslet, also a Best Actress nominee in 2006 for the ever-brilliant, ever-amazing Little Children, will be paid back with Best Actress this year. Both Winslet and Cruz lost in 2006 to the Helen Mirren-in-The-Queen-juggernaut.)

(Quick Tangent #2: The whole "payback" notion is mentioned only because, after tracking awards season for over a decade now, I know how the Academy works. Russell Crowe gets awarded for Gladiator because many thought he "should have" won for The Insider the year before. Nicole Kidman gets the Oscar for The Hours after losing for Moulin Rouge. Renee Zellweger won for Cold Mountain after a slew of more deserving nominations went unawarded. This is how the Academy works. I personally do not believe in or endorse the notion of "payback" awards, nor do I believe that Winslet's or Cruz's performances would win or should win solely because of a sense of payback. These are great actresses who are amazing every time out of the gate. I am merely painting a portrait for the potential line of thinking among Academy members this year. Thank you and goodnight.)



ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Well, they certainly got creative in this category. Of the five nominees, only two--Milk and Wall-E--were entirely expected, and only one other--Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky--could have been predicted as a spoiler. I am very happy to see Martin McDonaugh's brilliant work on In Bruges recognized (ditto that for Mike Leigh). I am surprised to see two of the most loved screenplays of the year--Jenny Lumet's Rachel Getting Married and Robert Siegel's The Wrestler--get the shaft.

Nonetheless, the Academy actually reached for innovative work in this category, but as a result the race is essentially narrowed down to two: it will be Milk v. Wall-E down to the wire. A lot of it will hinge on the Best Actor race (which will most likely be awarded after this category, so we won't get to read any other tea leaves than our own guessing games): if Sean Penn wins, then Wall-E will be a shoo-in. If Penn loses, then Milk might get the screenplay award as a consolation prize for being shut out for Picture/Actor/Director.

At this point I am still betting on Wall-E.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

As expected. I made no bones about the fact that predicting a Dark Knight screenplay nomination was a bit of fun, and that The Reader was the most likely literary adaptation to take the fifth slot. Obviously, the same wave that led that film into the BP slot swept it into this category.

Of course, no amount of analysis will keep Simon Beaufoy from winning for Slumdog...game over.

Alright...unleash the hounds. Let's discuss. More analysis to come.

The Oscar Nominations

BEST PICTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

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

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

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR|
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

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

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, WALL-E

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
David Hare, The Reader
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany
The Class - France
Departures- Japan
Revanche - Austria
Waltz with Bashir - Israel

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling - Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight - Wally Pfister
The Reader - Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle

COSTUME DESIGN
Australia - Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Jacqueline West
The Duchess - Michael O'Connor
Milk - Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road - Albert Wolsky

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306

FILM EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
The Dark Knight - Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon - Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Milk - Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire - Chris Dickens

MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Greg Cannom
The Dark Knight - John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

MUSIC (SCORE)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
Defiance - James Newton Howard
Milk - Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire - A.R. Rahman
WALL-E - Thomas Newman

MUSIC (SONG)
Down to Earth from WALL-E - Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyrics by Peter Gabriel
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire - Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyrics by Gulzar
O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire - Music and Lyrics by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up 

LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line) 
Manon on the Asphalt 
New Boy 
The Pig 
Spielzeugland (Toyland) 

SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight - Richard King
Iron Man - Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire - Tom Sayers
WALL-E - Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
Wanted - Wylie Stateman

SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight - Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
Slumdog Millionaire - Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
WALL-E - Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
Wanted - Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man