2007's Top 20 Films- Dave

Nine Movies That Would Have Probably Made My Top Twenty If They Had Arrived In Milwaukee Sooner, Or If I Had Made An Effort To See Them:

Away from Her, Control, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, Gone Baby Gone, King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, Michael Clayton, The Orphanage, and Persepolis.

Only Away from Her, Gone Baby Gone, King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, and Michael Clayton made it to the Milwaukee market and I never got around to seeing any of them. Hopefully, I will catch Michael Clayton as it is going into a re-release for an Oscar run. As for the remaining five, they have not hit the Milwaukee market yet, but – assuredly – I will see them when they do. I have a feeling that they are all spectacular films based on their trailers, the reviews, and the award nominations they are receiving.

20. 28 Weeks Later
19. Breach
18. Juno
17. The Namesake
16. Knocked Up
15. 3:10 to Yuma
14. Into the Wild
13. Rescue Dawn
12. Ratatouille
11. The Bourne Ultimatum

I think that Breach and The Namesake could have been contenders for Best Supporting Actor if they had a campaign and a later release date. I am also not entirely blown away by Juno, though it is a very good movie. 3:10 to Yuma, Rescue Dawn, and – yes – 28 Weeks Later are all solidly crafted movies that I was unsure at first and all pleasantly surprised by.

I find the Best Picture talk for Into the Wild to be kind of crazy talk. I think the performances and cinematography are all top notch, but as an overall product, it does work that well for me.

Ratatouille and The Bourne Ultimatum are both outstanding fares for various reasons. I miss the early 1990’s because these two films would have garnered Best Picture buzz. The world has changed from the days of Beauty and the Beast and The Fugitive getting Best Picture nominations.

10. The Mist

I was initially reluctant to see this film because I know that Stephen King adaptations tend to be horrible. However, I figured the pairing of Frank Darabont and King has yielded good results in the past and I had nothing to do on a weekday afternoon.

This film’s focus is so sharp on the paranoia and power structures that arise with ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Though some labeled this a “B Movie,” it is nowhere near that in its portrayal of small townspeople.

Plus, the ending is surprising and still shocks me months after I first saw the film.

9. No End in Sight

Hey, look! A documentary! I rented this one a few weeks ago – on the same night that I rented The Namesake – and was entranced by it. Charles Ferguson’s film is not nearly as explosive as Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, but the intimate interviews of people that do not support the war or have become disillusioned by it is mesmerizing. If you want to watch only one documentary on the conflict in Iraq, make it this one.

8. Eastern Promises

When I heard Cronenberg and Mortensen were re-teaming for another film, I was excited. Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises may lack the down-to-earth feel of A History of Violence, but it is still packs a powerful punch.

Mortensen’s performance was probably the most unhinged of any actor this year. The raw emotion – and body parts – that he put on display here is admirable. Supported by an outstanding supporting cast, Eastern Promises was one of the most satisfying films of the year.

7. Once

It should get nominations for Best Song, but it probably will not. It should probably merit a Best Picture nomination, but the Academy has not nominated a film for solely Best Picture since Grand Hotel.

This is the little musical that could and like Spielberg says, “This movie gave me enough hope for the rest of year.”

6. Grindhouse

Robert Rodriguez made a documentary / lecture called Film is Dead. I would like to make an addendum to that saying the cinematic experience is dead.

There are a few exceptions where going to the movies becomes an experience. Whether it is because people dress up like the characters, religiously attend midnight showings of the movie, or know every single line of the film.

However, Grindhouse was the most fun at the movies all year. It was a unique experience that allowed people to stand up and cheer, openly cringe, and laugh hysterically at things that traditional Hollywood movies would not cue you to laugh at.

5. Atonement

I was completely fascinated with this movie after I saw the trailer. The movie lives up to the incredible hype that surrounds it constructing a beautifully tragic tale.

After I had seen the film, I told a friend about it and how excellent I thought it was. He said that he did not want to because “it seems like a British movie that is created solely for the purpose of making an Academy Awards run.” I could not disagree with him more, citing the stellar performances, outstanding editing, and the overall scope of the film.

4. There Will Be Blood

“Drainage! Drainage, Eli! Drained dry, you boy! If you have a milkshake and I have a milkshake and I have a straw and my straw reaches across the room and starts to drink your milkshake. I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!”

Daniel Day-Lewis sells this movie all by himself.

3. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Initially, people wondered if Tim Burton’s distinct visual style would hinder the film. I think the end product has silenced anyone who ever did question that.

Burton’s delightful film cruises along with toe-tapping songs, Johnny Depp’s memorable performance, and an exquisite complimentary cast.

I wish this film would get all the Academy Award nominations it deserves. People would argue that musicals tend to get overlooked by the Academy, but they should stop and notice the excellence this film exudes.


2. Zodiac

If I had run of the Academy Awards, Zodiac would be the runaway leader in nominations. However, because the film was released in March and has had a minimal campaign, it will get entirely overlooked come Oscar time.

Remarkable performances from everyone made this the best ensemble piece in my eyes. From Gyllenhaal’s restraint to the always undervalued Anthony Edwards everybody had a genuine feel to them. Robert Downey Jr.’s performance was arguably one of the best of the year, but in a crowded field, he has almost entirely been forgotten.

The cinematography is an awesome spectacle as it is the first film to completely use the Vesper-Thomson film system. The editing, score, and attention to detail are heightened to a point that you feel like you are really in the Bay Area.

James Vanderbilt, having improved his writing skills since Basic, is at the top of his game and I hold out hope that he will be recognized for his work come January 22nd.

In the end, the person who deserves the most credit for Zodiac is David Fincher. His meticulous work and research on the film makes this film the highlight of his career. This movie – along with one other this year – left me completely breathless at the end, even though I knew what the outcome was going to be. Just like…

1. No Country for Old Men

This is movie perfection. There is no other way to describe it. I feel that no matter how many adjectives I throw out there they simply will not do this movie justice.

So much has already been said about the film that I feel I can only add one thing: Javier Bardem is not the “ultimate badass.” I would call him the ultimate car wreck. There has never been a character that is so horrific and methodical, yet I can not take my eyes off of him. I want to see what he will do next and I know that it is going to be something atrocious. That is how I know the Coen Brothers truly captured something menacing.

Most Overrated Film of the Year:

Charlie Wilson’s War – Yes, the two male leads are quite good. The script is very good for about 75 minutes. However, the more I think about this movie, the more I do not like it. I view Julia Roberts as a waste of space, Mike Nichols seems content to let his stars do what they want, and I wonder how the heck it managed a Best Picture Comedy or Musical nomination at the Golden Globes.

Best Guilty Pleasure Film of the Year:

300 – It made a gazillion dollars and has amazing visuals, but the dialogue is a tad ridiculous and – at times – it really quite cheesy. In ten years this movie may still be heralded as a visual achievement, but I do not think it will age well. Still, Snyder’s unique vision is entertaining for its slow-motion fight scenes and bombastic catchphrases.

2007's Top 20 Films- Duncan

The clock is ticking on "best of" columns for 2007. But, due to the curse of the midwest, I must compose my list not having seen things like Persepolis, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and The Savages, since the first two don't open for two weeks in Wisconsin, and the latter just got here.

So know that this list will be revised, if applicable, when I do see those films, and I'll link back to it when appropriate. I ended up seeing over fifty films released last year, depending on how you count it (I say count February to January, since this month is all about seeing art-house award contenders that hadn't made it here yet). And with very few exceptions, they were all pretty much a good time. Whittling it down to 20 was hard.

The latter half of the list:

21. Ratatouille
20. Paprika
19. Stardust
18. Juno
17. Gone Baby Gone
16. The Darjeeling Limited
15. American Gangster
14. The Bourne Ultimatum
13. 3:10 to Yuma
12. Knocked Up

Pretty self explanatory runners-up. I'm obviously not as high on Juno as other countdown makers, but it's still a great film in a crowded year. Paprika is the only thing to make the list that I missed in the theater- otherwise I saw most of this list on the first weekend I could.

11. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The only film in all of 2007 that I saw more than once in theaters, so it leapfrogs The Bourne Ultimatum and Knocked Up from the Summer Countdown for the ten-spot. I never would have predicted, based on the first two films, that I'd eventually be as stoked for first-day midnight showings of the Harry Potter series as I was for Lord of the Rings, but the last three films are right up there with any other famous trilogies. Can't wait until November.

10. Atonement

After I saw Atonement, I read the Ian McEwan novel (normally something I'd have done first), and to my surprise still preferred the film. It was able to cut very efficiently through a beautiful, but plodding novel, and maintain a tense energy throughout.

It's not really as "Oscar"-ish at it seemed at first glance, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It eschews redundant pining and melodrama for a twist that is both satisfying and heart-wrenching at the same time. In a slower year, I wouldn't have hesitated so much to put it into my Best Picture nominees.

9. Zodiac

As I am now reminded, January through March is not the best time to go to the movies (unless you're Dave, who's seeing Cloverfield this weekend and Rambo(?) next weekend, he tells me. I felt like I had to share this with you). This is the only representative from the Mid-winter and Spring months of 2007 on this whole list- The Namesake, Reign Over Me, Hot Fuzz, and The Host are all in the twenties for sure, but still.

Robert Downey, Jr. steals the show in David Fincher's moody, atmospheric procedural not-quite-a-thriller about the unsolved Zodiac killings in San Francisco. Jake Gyllenhaal does a workmanlike job as a cartoonist obsessed with the case, but never really solidifies this picture into an awards contender. Between this and what I hear is a bland turn in Rendition (I didn't see it), we're still waiting for you to capitalize on the potential you showed in Donnie Darko, Jake.

8. Rescue Dawn

Christian Bale eats live worms. For real.

7. Michael Clayton

A heart-pounding, throwback thriller that has stuck in my memory so well I might go see it again once they re-expand it next weekend (so far, the Clayton and No Country teams are positive enough about multiple Oscars noms that they've planned the Awards rerun expansions already. If Into the Wild makes it into the final five, they'll probably re-up that as well).

6. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

True story: right before I went to see this with Nicole, we had lunch at Boston Market and I ordered a chicken pot pie. Yeah.

5. Away From Her

Bought it on DVD, and it still holds up. Further information (from my parents, who watched it on my fervent recommendation) has revealed to me that the K. D. Lang song that plays over the credits is a classic Neil Young song.

So maybe they chose it to appeal to the presumably older than I am target audience of this Alzheimer's centered drama. So what- the Ray LaMontagne song from the trailer is still a better fit, I way.

4. There Will Be Blood

Basically the shortest three hours I spent in a movie theater this year. Between the score, the visuals, and the utterly ridiculous badassness of Daniel Day-Lewis, an instant buy on DVD. And it's a shoe-in for a Best Picture nomination on Tuesday, to boot.

3. Once

I know, I know, this was runner up to Away From Her on my list four months ago. What can I say? I'm not paid enough for this to not change my mind about things. Watching it on DVD, I realized what an efficient, brilliant film it turned out to be for the budget.

And they say nothing elevates a film like the right soundtrack, but this is really a case of a brilliant soundtrack elevating a bootstraps indie film to an instant classic. It's a shame that only two songs ("Falling Slowly" and "If You Want Me") are eligible for the Best Original Song Oscar, and that's the only place that Once has a shot at showing up in.

2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

(See review)

1. No Country For Old Men

Sure, pick the most lauded film of the year, Duncan. Way to go out on a limb. What can I say? You can't argue with two Coen brothers, a Pulitzer-winning author, two badasses and a complete psychopath.


Most Overrated film of the year:

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

When I caught up with this one, I remembered vaguely the premise and that it got outstanding reviews. And while the execution is there, and the cast is more than able (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei's breasts, Ethan Hawke, and Albert Finney), it's just a miserable film about misery for the sake of misery. Much like the similarly lauded but god-awful House of Sand and Fog, I can just never get behind sad people with bad luck doing horrible things to each other.

Plus, 83-year old Sidney Lumet decides to fracture the timeline of this film with completely jarring and useless Tarantino cuts, which recur until you just start wishing for the thing to end. Maybe the critics were just so proud of him for managing to shoot a whole film without soiling himself that they gave him a free pass.

Best Guilty Pleasure: Across the Universe

Who doesn't like a good sing along? I have no intention of buying Julie Taymour's cheesy, goofball Beatles collage movie (maybe as a gift), but I did pick up the soundtrack to blast in my car.

It's been such a strong year for musicals/music-related pictures I thought the Academy might dust off the "Best Musical" category and nominate Across the Universe, Once, La Vie En Rose, Hairspray, and Sweeney Todd.

Omissions:

I never had the effort to see Into the Wild (which would be an inspiring yarn of natural connection and individualism if (spoiler) its protagonist didn't starve to death in an abandoned van in Alaska(end spoiler)). And that's the only film in the running for Best Pic I haven't made it to, except for Diving Bell as I mentioned. I could really care less about The Great Debaters (I was on the Chess Team in high school. The Debate Team was a bunch of nerds) or The Bucket List. I didn't ever really feel the need to see La Vie En Rose or A Mighty Heart, because I'm not into French music or bad French accents. And there was too big a part of my mind that thought Lars and the Real Girl sounded too much like a National Lampoon's movie (the crappy ones, with Paris Hilton in them for five minutes) to take seriously.

Otherwise I saw just about everything, which is way too many for someone who doesn't get paid to.

Dave's Oscar Nominee Predictions

Best Picture:

Atonement
Juno
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood

I would place money on Atonement, Juno, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood.

This leaves one slot for American Gangster, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Michael Clayton, and Sweeney Todd. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is very fresh and not enough people have necessarily seen it. Charlie Wilson’s War and Michael Clayton are being more heralded for their performances and writing than the overall product, while American Gangster seems to have lost a lot of steam amongst the onslaught of late award contender releases.

This leaves Sweeney Todd, a lavish musical featuring stellar performances, a respectable director, and it is based on a musical that is well liked. This film has a lot of similarities to Chicago, though I do not see it winning this award on Oscar night.

Best Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Coen Brothers – No Country for Old Men
Ridley Scott – American Gangster
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Again, the No Country for Old Men juggernaut continues. Paul Thomas Anderson is also a certain bet for a first time Best Director nomination.

Ridley Scott will get the nomination for American Gangster because he is Ridley Scott. Similar to how he achieved one for Black Hawk Down, this is more of a courteous nomination than anything else.

Tim Burton fits into a similar category with Ridley Scott, but Burton’s nomination will come as a result of a body of work. He has never received an Academy Award nomination for direction, but Sweeney Todd should result in his first nomination in his distinguished career.

Again, this leaves one slot for Mike Nichols (Charlie Wilson’s War), Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), and Joe Wright (Atonement). While it would not entirely surprise me to see Wright get a nomination, I feel that Schnabel will get the nomination out of respect for his film and this will be the film’s ultimate merit.

Mike Nichols is left off the ballot because he was given a talented cast with a script from a talented writer.

Best Actor:

George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tom Hanks – Charlie Wilson’s War
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises

Clooney, Day-Lewis, and Depp are locks for this category. This leaves two slots open, one which James McAvoy (Atonement) could very well receive.

Hanks is loved by the Academy and they may figure that his turn as the seedy Congressman is a bit of a digression for him that he admirably pulls off.

I picked Mortensen for the last spot because his performance is so real that it is scary, believable, and the never nominated Mortensen is prime for his first nomination as a spectacular mob member. This will leave Christian Bale (Rescue Dawn) and Denzel Washington (American Gangster) without a nomination, similar to James McAvoy.

Best Actress:

Julie Christie – Away from Her
Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement
Ellen Page – Juno

Christie, Jolie, and Knightley have been surrounded by Academy Award buzz since their movies hit the cinemas.

Cotillard’s turn as Edith Piaf is being heralded as “revolutionary,” which could see her garner an Oscar nomination. The Golden Globe win really solidified her changes.

Ellen Page will earn her first nomination for Juno, leaving Cate Blanchett on the sidelines for Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Best Supporting Actor:

Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook – Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

This category does not have the depth that Best Actor does, as four spots – Affleck, Bardem, Hoffman, and Wilkinson – all seem assured. This leaves one spot, which I think will come down to four people: Paul Dano, Robert Downey Jr., Hal Holbrook, and John Travolta. Ultimately, I think Travolta is ruled out because he is not going to the depths and demonstrating the range that his competitors do. Dano, while great, gets lost in Day-Lewis’ towering performance. Everybody seems to have forgotten about Zodiac (Which should be nominated for numerous awards, but that will not happen). This leaves the soulful Holbrook. His performance is restrained and completely harrowing when we last see him. This should secure him his first ever nomination.

Best Supporting Actress:

Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
Romola Garai – Atonement
Julia Roberts – Charlie Wilson’s War
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

Blanchett, while shut out of the lead category, will garner a Supporting Actress nomination for her portrayal of Bob Dylan.

Roberts and Swinton will receive nominations for their pedigree and receptive reviews of their performances. This allows Amy Ryan to receive a nomination as she capitalizes on all of her critics’ award victories.

This leaves one spot for two actresses, playing the same character. Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai will battle it out for the final spot, leading me to believe that Garai will get the nomination for her role as the repenting sister in Atonement. Ronan, also deserving, watches as he aged character gets the nomination.

Best Original Screenplay:

Eastern Promises – Steven Knight
I’m Not There – Todd Haynes and Oren Moverman
Juno – Diablo Cody
Knocked Up – Judd Apatow
Michael Clayton – Tony Gilroy

Gilroy, Cody, and Knight all seem like lock picks. I chose Haynes and Moverman because their script displays a level of complexity with its interpretation, not to mention the Academy recognizes Haynes from his work on Far from Heaven.

This leaves one spot, which I think Judd Apatow may get a nomination for. Think about it: Successful movie, Hollywood’s “it” guy, well reviewed movie, sharp, edgy, crisp dialogue, what is not to like? If Borat can get a nomination here, Apatow’s script about family coming together is just as worthy.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Atonement – Christopher Hampton
Charlie Wilson’s War – Aaron Sorkin
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Ronald Harwood
No Country for Old Men – Ethan and Joel Coen
There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson

This category filled itself out. Seriously. I did not have to put any thought into this category.

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Roger Deakins – No Country for Old Men
Robert Elswit – There Will Be Blood
Janusz Kaminski – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Seamus McGarvey – Atonement

A titan of a category featuring multiple past nominees. Deakins receives the rare double nomination for both of his bodies of work. Robert Elswit sealed his nomination with the incredibly shadow play at the train station as the light dances across Daniel Day-Lewis’ face. Janusz Kaminski is being lauded for his unique work on The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, plus, he is a past winner. Seamus McGarvey joins the group for his steadfast work in Atonement, but mainly for the long tracking shot on the beach at Dunkirk.

Best Art Direction

Ian Bailie – Atonement
David Crank – There Will Be Blood
Dennis Davenport – Hairspray
Dante Ferretti – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Peter Rogness – Across the Universe

I think of this category – along with Costume and Make Up – as the “eccentric category.” Unique visions often receive the awards, but more traditional films can also offer their splendor. Bailie and Crank get nominations for the epic quality of their work. Davenport, Ferretti, and Rogness get nominations for their unique interpretations and creations. Rogness is almost a lock because the Academy likes the flair that Taymor films bring to the table.

Best Costume Design

Marit Allen – Love in the Time of Cholera
Marit Allen – La Vie en Rose
Colleen Atwood – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Jacqueline Durran – Atonement
Albert Wolsky – Across the Universe

Again, with this category, the more decadent, the better. I have another double nominee in Marit Allen for her large scale and elegant creations in La Vie en Rose and Love in the Time of Cholera. Colleen Atwood, a past nominee for her stellar, dark creations. Jacqueline Durran for the scope of the work she did on Atonement. Finally, Albert Wolsky for his quirky creations in Across the Universe.

Best Make Up

Rick Baker – Norbit
Florence Batteault, Sandrine Cirilli, Chloe Van Lierde – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Nana Fisher – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Nana Fisher gets a nomination for her singular vision of people’s hair. Rick Baker always gets a nomination. He is the John Williams of Make Up. I figured that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’s make up will garner attention for Amalric’s transformation.

Editing

Ethan and Joel Coen – No Country for Old Men
Pietro Scalia – American Gangster
Dylan Tichenor – There Will Be Blood
Paul Tothill – Atonement
Juliette Welfling – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

I selected the Coen Brothers and Tichenor for having tightly paced films. Even though There Will Be Blood clocks in at over two and a half hours it does not feel it. Scalia is a previous double winner and the Academy has given him four nominations already. Tothill weaves a wonderfully complex film into a masterpiece. I gave the last slot to Welfling because The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is going to get love across the board.

Sound Mixing

Tony Dawe – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Peter J. Devlin – Transformers
Randy Thom – Ratatouille

Sound Editing

David Evans – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Mike Hopkins and Ethan Van der Ryn – Transformers
Michael Silvers – Ratatouille

For the sound categories, I picked Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street because musicals tend to do well in these categories and the actual sound effects are quite good in this film. I selected Transformers because I am playing the odds. Every Michael Bay movie – except for The Island – has received Oscar nominations for sound. As for Ratatouille, this is a movie that is going to be overlooked this year in a lot of places it should not be. Is it one of the best films of the year? Absolutely. I think the Academy will try to give this gem nominations where it can get them. Also, Brad Bird’s The Incredibles won an award for sound achievement.

Best Visual Effects

John Fraizer – Transformers
John Fraizer and Allen Hall – Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End
Trevor Wood – The Golden Compass

Pirates and The Golden Compass receive nominations not because they are groundbreaking, but because they are working on the pedigree of their predecessors. The Golden Compass operates with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings as its predecessor. Transformers gets a nomination because of the scale of the work. 80 hours of special effects went into a single frame of Transformers.

Best Original Song

Enchanted – “That’s How You Know”
Grace is Gone – “Grace is Gone”
Into the Wild – “Guaranteed”
Love in the Time of Cholera – “Despedida”
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story – “Walk Hard”

I am horrible with this category. These are all the Golden Globe nominees.

Best Original Score

Michael Brook, Kaki King, and Eddie Vedder – Into the Wild
Clint Eastwood – Grace is Gone
Jonny Greenwood – There Will Be Blood
Albert Iglesias – The Kite Runner
Dario Marianelli – Atonement

Again, horrible with this category. All of them were Golden Globe nominees, save Greenwood. His score is a character in There Will Be Blood.

Best Animated Feature

Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

This was a relatively self-explanatory category.

Totals: Atonement- 9, Sweeney Todd- 8, There Will Be Blood-8, No Country For Old Men- 6, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly- 5, Michael Clayton- 4, Charlie Wilson's War- 4, Charlie Wilson's War- 4, Juno/Transformers/Ratatouille/Into the Wild- 3

Handicapping the Best Picture Race

Later, Dave and I will be posting predictions for 20 out of 24 Oscar categories (the short films being impossible for anybody, and foreign being crazy obscure this year). For now, these are my thoughts on what to do with Best Picture, which just got a whole lot murkier with Atonement's Golden Globe Win.

The Eat My Hat with A-1 Sauce Lock

No Country For Old Men

The Coen Brothers' masterpiece looks completely unstoppable. Virtually every guild has nominated it, even technical ones like sound mixing and art direction, which points to a sure-bet nomination. There's no question in my mind about this one.

The Proven Contenders

There Will Be Blood

Michael Clayton

Both are looking like pretty safe bets, winning Guild nominations from pretty big indicators like the Director's, Editor's, and Producer's. And they have the numbers one and two candidates for Best Actor, which makes them hard to overlook (Day Lewis leads Clooney by a whole, whole bunch though.)

So that's three pictures on my list. The rest is.. up in the air, to say the least. We've got five movies for two slots, so let's break them down one by one. We'll go alphabetically, to be fair.

Atonement

It's good to remember that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is actually only about a 90 member group. And any member can block the induction of a new one, for any reason, so it's a very odd, exclusive club of people from all over the world. And with the Globe awards themselves robbed of any glamor and ad revenue, and no opportunity for the winners to bask in the speeches and publicity of a victory, Atonement's Best Drama win doesn't seem like it guarantees anything.

The real reason I'm not sure about Atonement, though, is because Joe Wright and company have no Guild support. At all- the director's snubbed them, the producer's left them off, the actors, the editors- just Art Direction and Cinematography. But, the names of all of these guilds end with "...Of America," so it's the foreign members of AMPAS that I think can get this film nominated.

The BAFTAs, the British Oscars, announce nominees tonight (around 3AM EST), and if Atonement leads the field there, I'll have to add it to my five.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

I wish I had seen this already. I almost drove to Chicago last weekend, just because it's playing there now, and not in Milwaukee until Febuary 1st. So I'll have to make my Oscar Predictions blind. Either way, it keeps gaining steam in the awards circle- could it be this year's Letters From Iwo Jima?

The Producer's liked it (more than Atonement), the Director's Guild, the Writer's Guild, the Editors and Cinematographers. Julian Schnabel even upended the Coens at the Globes for Best Director. Does this mean it'll edge something else out? Or will will Schnabel's nomination be it's reward?

Into the Wild

This film also puzzles me (I also still haven't seen it, because I just never got up the enthusiasm.) It's got all the Guild Awards that Atonement is missing (Directors, Editing, Writers), but the Producers left it off, and so did the Golden Globes. And I know they're a small group, but they nominated seven movies for Best Drama and not this one. Wha?

But then, Into the Wild and No Country are the only two films of all these to get a Screen Actor's Guild nomination, and actors are the largest voting block of the Academy. So the case for this is strong. I mean, the SAG nominees are never five for five right, but they're never one for five, either.

Juno

Another head scratcher- Producer's Guild yes, Writer's Guild yes, but it loses the Comedy or Musical GG? Will it live up to the way-too-numerous Little Miss Sunshine comparisons and get nominated, or will it only get the Original Screenplay statue it's sure to win? Can a film whose director is completely overshadowed by the film's screenwriter and star (heck, I've even read more about the hamburger phone than Reitman) really score a Best Picture nod?

Some sort of intuition tells me it'll make the field of five for the sake of variety, since it's far different than most of the other front runners in tone, and it's the most commercially succesfull out of all of them. Maybe it pushes out Into the Wild?

Sweeney Todd

Another film in the Atonement boat, with absolutely no love until the Globes win. Does that really mean it gets into the BP race? Without a probable large foreign support, I think not. I can't see this overcoming the multiple snubs of Tim Burton in directing races, and Depp in acting races (at least ones without "Musical or Comedy" categories) to be a strong contender.

For the record, this means I consider other things like American Gangster, 3:10 to Yuma, and Charlie Wilson's War dead in the water, and not worth breaking down. We'll see what happens when I'm forced to make concrete predictions soon.

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Sweeney Todd Review

The trailer for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street makes the film look like a grim tale of revenge directed by the master of the melancholy, Tim Burton. However, the film is a hybrid of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Kill Bill, and – one of Burton’s previous films – Sleepy Hollow. It embodies Sleepy Hollow through its style, Kill Bill through its depiction of violence, and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg because about 90% of the lines in the movie are sung.

This works to a dazzling effect that will treat the viewer to a film experience unlike any other in recent memory.

The titular character, Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), is a man named Benjamin Barker, who is sent to prison on a falsified charge because a judge coveted Barker’s wife. Barker, now Todd, returns fifteen years later as a shell of who he once was and thirsty for revenge against Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). Todd returns to his old haunts to form a partnership with Mrs. Lovett (Helen Bonham Carter), which becomes a twisted collaboration of murder and bakery as they move towards Todd’s ultimate plan against Judge Turpin.

The singing in this film is better than Chicago. While the cast of Chicago had the better voices, the nature of the songs here require a particular realism to them. Depp’s gravely voice, Bonham Carter’s seductive whispers, even Sacha Baron Cohen’s over-the-top opera voice is welcome and greatly satisfying. The songs stick with the audience long after they have left the theatre.

The most engaging element in this movie is Depp. The camera is on him for the majority of the film, but the viewer never tires of him. The make up, the outfits and even his singing make the viewer sympathize with this man’s plight. Years of collaboration has allowed Depp to be comfortable and roam within a character under Burton’s deft and subtle direction. The harrowing portrayal of this man allows Depp to work beyond the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. He is haunting, lustful, and lethal.

The other performances in the film are excellent too. Freddy Highmore and Timothy Spall show up in small roles, while Alan Rickman makes a nice return to villainy. Bonham Carter is whimsical as the want some Mrs. Lovett. She evokes the memory of Angela Lansbury’s heralded Broadway performance.

The gothic, monotone setting is subdued as Burton – per his usual – utilizes a muted color palate to place more emphasis on the character’s faces. The camerawork and set production are also limited in order to keep with the theme of a staged musical.

Though a musical, there is a substantial amount of violence. Blood flows like the Thames, but not in a graphic, sickening fashion. The blood sprays enormous amounts inviting the audience to laugh at the moment’s ridiculousness. This was one of the fantastic parts of the night, as the elderly couple in front of me flinched and winced at this rather comical site. While this aspect may have made marketing this film a difficult task, it offers the audience a chance to view pessimistic reality.

While this film may not be the exact picture that is portrayed in trailer, it is still one of the best films of the year. The film floats along like a dream, as the viewer will leave the theatre singing the songs of the film, wishing that there was more to take in.

When to See It: ASAP