Random Thoughts

I just glanced over my Oscar predictions. I read a review for "Blindness" on aintitcool.com that liked the film, but I don't think they gave it a lot of acclaim. Then again, those reviews can't really be trusted to be the most accurate indicators of the upcoming and long away Oscar season.

Two actresses that have been really catching my attention are Diane Lane and Rachel McAdams. I think Diane Lane has a shot for "Nights in Roadanthe." She is overdue, and the role seems good. The one actress that I really want to predict, however, is Rachel McAdams for "The Time Traveler's Wife." The role seems baity, and in my opinion she is overdue for a nomination also. She is definitely one to watch.

Day After Oscar Predictions

I wanted to briefly share with you my picks for next year's Academy Awards. I have only predicted the top 8 categories with 5 alternates in each. At the end of the list I will also give my winner predictions. In my opinion, it's never too early to start predicting the Oscars and maybe if my picks are accurate enough someone may notice me. Here they are:

BEST PICTURE
1. “Revolutionary Road”
2. “Blindness”
3. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
4. “Milk”
5. “Frost/Nixon”

6. “The Soloist”
7. “Australia”
8. “The Changeling”
9. “Doubt”
10. “The Reader”

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Sam Mendes, “Revolutionary Road”
2. Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
3. Gus van Sant, “Milk”
4. David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
5. Fernando Meirelles, “Blindness”

6. Charlie Kaufman, “Synecdoche, New York”
7. Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
8. Baz Luhrmann, “Australia”
9. Joe Wright, “The Soloist”
10. Clint Eastwood, “The Changeling”

BEST ACTOR
1. Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”
2. Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
3. Algenis Perez Soto, “Sugar”
4. Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
5. Sean Penn, “Milk”

6. Ben Kingsley, “The Dying Animal”
7. Hugh Jackman, “Australia”
8. Will Smith, “Seven Pounds”
9. Benicio del Toro, “The Argentine”/ “Guerilla”
10. Jamie Foxx, “The Soloist”

BEST ACTRESS
1. Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”
2. Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
3. Julianne Moore, “Blindness”
4. Angelina Jolie, “The Changeling”
5. Anne Hathaway, “Dancing with Schiva

6. Keira Knightley, “The Duchess”
7. Nicole Kidman, “Australia”
8. Penelope Cruz, “The Dying Animal”
9. Naomi Watts, “The International”
10. Diane Lane, “Nights in Rodanthe”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
2. Robert Downey, Jr., “The Soloist”
3. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
4. Michael Sheen, “Frost/Nixon”
5. Gael Garcia Bernal, “Blindness”

6. Josh Brolin, “Milk”
7. Russell Crowe, “Body of Lies”
8. John Malkovich, “The Changeling”
9. Ralph Fiennes, “The Reader”
10. Jim Broadbent, “Dirty Tricks”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1.Amy Adams, “Doubt”
2. Cate Blanchett, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
3. Amy Ryan, “The Changeling”
4. Catherine Keener, “Synecdoche, New York”
5. Catalina Sandino Moreno, “The Argentine”/“Guerilla”

6. Rachel McAdams, “The Time Traveler’s Wife”
7. Samantha Morton, “Synecdoche, New York”
8. Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”
9. Franke Potente, “The Argentine”/ “Guerilla”
10. Kathy Bates, “Revolutionary Road”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
1. “Synecdoche, New York”
2. “The Wackness”
3. “Wall-E”
4. “Milk”
5. “The Soloist”

6. “Burn After Reading”
7. “Hamlet 2”
8. “The Changeling”
9. “Australia”
10. “The Argentine”/“Guerilla”


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
1. “Revolutionary Road”
2. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
3. “Blindness”
4. “Doubt”
5. “Frost/Nixon”

6. “Body of Lies”
7. “The Reader”
8. “The Road”
9. “Defiance”
10. “The Box”

WINNERS:
PICTURE: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
DIRECTOR: Sam Mendes, "Revolutionary Road"
ACTOR: Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, "Revolutionary Road"
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Night"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams, "Doubt"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: "Milk"
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Post-Oscar Thoughts.

I found this year's Academy Awards to be quite entertaining. There were not really any major upsets, except for maybe "The Golden Compass" winning for Best Visual Effects. Here's a rundown of what I liked and didn't like.

3 Best Acceptance Speeches:
1. Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"- You could see the shock, excitement, and joy resonating on her face when they called her name. She was at a total loss for words, and even though I didn't particularly care for the movie, she did give a good performance. It was exhilarating to watch her just take the moment in.

2. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, "Once"- I loved Hansard's humbleness when he spoke. He was truly grateful. My favorite moment of the entire night was Jon Steward calling Marketa Irglova back out to give the speech she didn't get a chance to give. It was a really good speech and much better than just the typical "Thank you....." From the reaction, the crowd really loved this film. This is truly the great independent film story of the year.

3. Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"- I thought her speech was hilarious. She gave a very entertaining speech even though she looked dreadful. She, like Cotillard, was shocked, and that is when the best Oscar moments occur.

BEST DRESSED (Don't have the time to find pictures right now, but I am just going to name who I liked.)
Amy Adams
Katherine Heigl
Jennifer Garner
Marion Cotillard

WORST
Tilda Swinton
Ellen Page

Also, I am working on next year's predictions all ready. I hope to have those out later today.

Final Predictions

Sorry the blog hasn't been active lately (if anybody reads this). I wanted to post my final Oscar predictions. I am thinking about recalling some of my gutsy calls that I made for my initial reactions of the nominees. Well, here are my predictions:

PICTURE
No Country for Old Men
alt: Juno

DIRECTOR
Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
alt: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
alt: George Clooney, Michael Clayton

ACTRESS
Julie Christie, Away from Her
alt: Ellen Page, Juno

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
alt: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Juno
alt: Michael Clayton

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
No Country for Old Men
alt: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

ART DIRECTION
Sweeney Todd
alt: Atonement

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
alt: There will Be Blood

COSTUME DESIGN
Atonement
alt: Sweeney Todd

EDITING
There Will Be Blood
alt: The Bourne Ultimatum

MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose
alt: At World's End

SONG
"Falling Slowly" Once
alt: "That's How You Know" Enchanted

SCORE
Atonement
alt: 3:10 to Yuma

SOUND EDITING
Transformers
alt: No Country for Old Men

SOUND MIXING
Transformers
alt: The Bourne Ultimatum

VISUAL EFFECTS
Transformers
alt: At World's End

Early Oscar Predictions

It seems like many of the more acclaimed Oscar prognosticators (maybe that will include me one of these days) are posting their thoughts on who they think will win. I figure I should go ahead and add my two cents before I am accused of stealing ideas.

PICTURE
Juno

Some people are not going to agree with me on this, but I think "Juno" will win Best Picture this year. I see "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" splitting the vote which leaves the winning slot wide open for "Juno." "Michael Clayton" doesn't seem feasible to me, and I think "Atonement" barely (but thankfully) made it into the top five. Plus, the support is there for "Juno." Not many expected it to receive a director nod. It is also the highest grossing film of the five contenders and should not have a problem crossing the $100 million mark.

DIRECTOR
Joel & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

I think it's theirs to lose. They have won many of the critics' awards, and the film is the "safe" choice to win Best Picture. I could also see Paul Thomas Anderson or Julian Schnabel winning though. Probably not Schnabel, though the Globe win was a nice surprise. Anderson, however, seems to be picking up steam.

ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

I wouldn't say he is guaranteed a win because nothing in the Oscar race is a guarantee, but I'll just I am fairly confident that we will see him on the podium come Oscar night.

ACTRESS
Julie Christie, Away from Her

The support for this film is there, as can be seen by the surprise Adapted Screenplay nod. She is the safe choice right now, even though I really wanted to pick Ellen Page for "Juno."

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

For some reason my gut is telling me to pick him. If he loses the SAG award I may be inclined to switch my pick to Bardem, but I right now I am sticking with Affleck. This prediction may also be a little bit of wishful thinking too.....

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

I don't particularly care for this pick right now and may end up changing it later. I do not think Blanchett will win because of her win a few years back. I could see Saoirse Ronan coming out of nowhere and winning, on what I think will be an odd Oscar night.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Juno

Another prediction that I am fairly confident about.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
No Country for Old Men

This has won most of the critics' awards in this category. I could see a possible upset, but I do not think it is likely.

ANIMATED
Ratatouille

DOCUMENTARY
Sicko

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Counterfeiters

ART DIRECTION
Sweeney Todd

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

COSTUME DESIGN
Atonement

FILM EDITING
There Will Be Blood

MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose

SCORE
Atonement

SONG
"Falling Slowly" Once

SOUND EDITING
Transformers

SOUND MIXING
Transformers

VISUAL EFFECTS
Transformers

My Top 10 Films of 2007

Before presenting my top 10 films of 2007, I quickly want to name some films that I was unable to see that I was really looking forward to seeing before making this list: “Persepolis,” “4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days,” “Starting Out in the Evening,” and “Southland Tales.” Well, here’s my top 10!

10. Disturbia
OK, please do not immediately dismiss my list because of my first pick. “Disturbia” was probably the most fun I have had at cinemas all year. It may not be the most complex film, but it is certainly fun to watch, and it features a breakthrough performance from Shia LeBeouf. This film probably won’t make an appearnce at my own personal Oscar awards, but it deserves to be recognized somewhere. This film reminded me of the joy that comes with watching a movie; it is fun just to watch a movie for what it is: two hours of pure, popcorn entertainment.

9. Lust, Caution
Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution” may not be as good as “Brokeback Mountain,” but it is a good follow-up. Tang Wei, in her first feature, gives a brave and commanding performance that really carries the film. The nudity featured in the film may be graphic, but it never takes away from the film. Overall, the film was an emotionally engaging and moving film that takes its time but slowly pulls the viewer in.


8. Once
The scene in which Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova sing “Falling Slowly” is, in my opinion, the best scene to hit cinemas in 2007. Watching that scene I felt like my soul was removed from my body; it was true movie magic. The film could not reach that high point again, but the rest of the film was still extremely enjoyable. “Once” shows that a filmmaker does not need an extraordinary budget to create a good film, just passion.

7. Zodiac
“Zodiac” was the epic crime drama that I was hoping it to be. Many of my friends complained about the film’s length, but the film’s major theme is obsession and how that obsession plagued the individuals involved in the Zodiac case. Director David Fincher stays true to the theme of obsessions and directs the film obsessively himself, illustrating his passion for the subject matter. Great performances all around, well-written screenplay, and nice production design make this film one of the best of its kind in years.

6. No Country for Old Men
I did not realize how great this film was until the second viewing. The first time I saw it I thought it was good, but lost focus in the end. The ending also puzzled me. A second viewing helped me see exactly what filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen had done. The film is extremely suspenseful and captivating, yet there is no musical score—a great accomplishment in itself. The script is extremely well-written and darkly humorous at times. Javier Bardem turns in the creepiest performance since Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs.” It is a film that deserves to be watched more than once and studied. I may not have been totally satisfied with the ending, but I appreciated the great filmmaking that went into making this film.

5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Last year Darren Aronofsky did it with "The Fountain," as well as Alfonso Cuaron with "Children to Men." These are filmmakers that test the boundaries of film, creating instant masterpieces that demand to be watched. Julian Schnabel has joined that elite group of filmmakers with "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," creating an original, visually intoxicating masterpiece. The cinematography in the film was also unlike anything that I had ever seen, creating a totally original moviegoing experience. It is a film that inspires and moves and deserves to be seen.

4. Juno
Diablo Cody has written the best screenplay of the year and the funniest (and most quotable) movie in some time. With “Hard Candy” and “Juno,” Ellen Page shows that she is a force to be reckoned with. Last year, she barely missed my own personal predictions, but there is no way that is going to happen again. Her character is filled with charisma and personality unlike any other (besides Giselle in “Enchanted”) character on the big screen in 2007. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses. I can’t forget to mention the wonderfully subtle and heartbreaking performance given by Jennifer Garner. It is a shame she was snubbed.

3. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
In any other year this probably would have been my favorite film of the year, but 2007 saw many great films. Despite the film’s two hour and forty-five minute running time, I never had to check my watch. My eyes were suctioned to the screen taking in the beauty of this extraordinary film. Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck (especially) give amazing performances; I really hope Affleck can upset Bardem at the Oscars. The cinematography is excellent and establishes Jesse James as a myth that many people do not understand. It is sad that poor marketing doomed this great achievement in filmmaking.

2. Atonement
This is probably my favorite period romance since “Titanic.” It is a film of breathtaking beauty, great performances, and amazing source material. It started off slow in the beginning (all great films seem to), but it subtly pulls the viewer in for an emotional ride that is hard to get out of your head. I am ecstatic about young Saoirse Ronan receiving a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She deserves to win in my opinion. The film is beautifully written and shot and features an extremely powerful score (the best since ‘Requiem for a Dream”).

1. There Will Be Blood This is a film that deserves not only to be watched, but studied. It is a film that seems simple, but is filled with complexities. It is an intense character study about the consequences of greed especially when it crosses path with religion. It is also a searing portrait of a man’s descent into madness. Daniel-Day Lewis gives the best performance in at least a decade. He commands every scene he is in. The end may be classified as chewing scenery, but it was what the scene called for. Plus, no one could have done it better than Day-Lewis. Director Paul T. Anderson has hinted at greatness with his previous films “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia,’ but he has finally achieved it with “There Will Be Blood.”

RIP Heath Ledger

The news of Heath Ledger's death has shocked and devastated me. He was a great actor who was just hitting his peak. He gave an amazing performance in "Brokeback Mountain" that I will never forget, which remains one of my 10favorite films of all-time. The acting community today has lost one of the true up-and-comers. Hopefully, this will not be the last we hear about Heath Ledger. Ever since I heard of the casting of Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," I expected a Best Supporting Actor nod. His memory will live on in the wonderful films that he brought us.