Smart People

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good Dennis Quaid performance. Seems all he needed was a beard, disheveled hair, a small gut and some notes from Philip Seymour Hoffman characters. In Smart People, Quaid anchors a talented cast with his restrained, cranky performance, playing a restrained, cranky English professor who has given up on most everything and still doesn’t seem to care.

His Lawrence Wetherhold is a man trapped by his own dullness after the death of his wife. He doesn’t care about his students, he writes seemingly boring novels, and he under appreciates his kids, mostly his quick-witted, homemaker daughter played with familiar comic flare by Ellen Page.

But this is no Juno, you won’t get those liberal minded ideals that drove Page to an Oscar nomination, instead she offers an insight to a smart, cunning, young Republican genius that couldn’t stray farther from that pregnant 16 year old.

After Wetherhold suffers a seizure due to an injury, he is advised to not drive for six months. In comes his hilarious adopted brother played by the marvelous Thomas Haden Church. While Church seems to echo his Sideways character, you won’t be able to stop yourself from laughing when he gets Page stoned and drunk.

Sarah Jessica Parker plays a nurse (and former student) of Quaid’s and a May-December relationship ensues.

The road to happiness is far from easy when these neurotic characters are involved, but first time director Noam Murro executes the sharp words by Mark Poirier so refreshingly that the audience is given a nice reprieve from the cinema Spring cleaning.

This is a simple, wildly amusing film that will make you laugh, but not necessarily cry. The performances from each member of the cast is spot on, but it’s Church and Page who steal the show. Church’s career was recently revived and he has been hitting all the right notes since, and the young Page is well on her way to becoming one of the most identifiable actors of her generation. A-

Street Kings

Maybe it’s those boyish good looks, maybe it’s that hair, maybe it’s the Hawaiian-stoner voice, but you just cannot take Keanu Reeves seriously. Put him in a surfer movie like Point Break or play him as a dim-witted guy who has no idea what the hell is going on (The Matrix) and he does alright. But as a crooked LA cop who suddenly spawns a conscience, he never really hits his mark.

Street Kings is like most of the other movies writer-director David Ayer has made. Lines in this film are taken directly from his penned script Training Day, not to mention themes and general plot concepts from Dark Blue, S.W.A.T. and Harsh Times. The man is fascinated with corrupt cops, but he keeps telling the tale in the same way, which is never all too affective.

Where these films falter is in their main characters. With the exception of Christian Bale’s brilliant performance in Harsh Times, Ayer’s main guys can never hit the moral complexity of, say, The Shield’s Vic Mackey or The Wire’s Jimmy McNulty. Rather, characters like Reeves’ come off as whiney puppies, too scared to leave the litter.

The tired plot has been recycled dozens of times. Reeves’ Tom Ludlow begins to grow a conscience after his old partner is gunned down execution style. Forrest Whitaker (why try so hard?) is his evil-ways Captain who wants the dirty money from the bad guys he puts down. Who can Ludlow trust? The snooty IA detective (Hugh Laurie playing House without the limp) his new partner (Chris Evans, what’s with the hair?) or his new girlfriend?

Halfway through, you won’t care. And if you have any sense, you’ll figure out the “surprise” ending long before the characters do. The only refreshingly thing about Street Kings is the scene-stealing appearance of rapper Common, who unlike any of his musical colleges is on his way to making a clear transformation into a bonafide screen presence. C

Shine a Light: in IMAX

To see a movie on an IMAX screen is to get the bigger and better aspect of a film. You pay extra for the huge screen and booming sound. For the first 15 minutes of Shine a Light, Martin Scorsese’s new concert documentary on the Rolling Stones, audience members were restless.

The image on the monstrous screen was, for some reason, reduced to the size of a typical movie theatre screen. Speculation was in the air, and it was hard to concentrate on Scorsese, battling with Mick Jagger on what the song list is going to be and other fouled concert preparations.

Suddenly, as the concert begins, Keith Richards strums the first few chords of the masterful “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and as Jagger comes running out on stage the image on the screen expanded to its full capacity. We were all tricked, purposely by the genius of Scorsese, who takes time to deliver such marvelous thrills, spending wondrous chills right up our spines.

Unfortunately, the rest of the movie does not live up to the high intensity of that moment. Jagger makes an effort to play lesser-known songs by the Stones. Don’t expect “Paint it Black” “Gimme Shelter” “Satisfaction” or many other Forty Licks hits. Shine a Light is a film for true Stones fans, and Scorsese is okay with that.

Great appearances from Jack White, Christina Aguilera and Buddy Guy keep the film entertaining. But the highlights are when Scorsese takes the time to dive back into the history of the Stones, via old interviews and news clips.

As usual for a Scorsese picture, the fast paced cinematography and sharp editing are highlighted. The director himself seems not to know what will come next, but damn if he isn’t prepared for it, hitting all the best angles.

For the two days in 2006 when the Stones played at the Beacon Theater in New York City, Scorsese was there to capture it all. From Jagger’s hyper-active, almost erotic dance moves, to Richards’ devilish grin and magnificent plucking of the guitar, it’s hard not to enjoy yourself. The fact that these men are now in their 60s makes you appreciate the show that much more, or as Richards’ tells the crowd, “It’s good to see you all, it’s good to see anybody.” B+

Leatherheads

George Clooney likes to make movies of the past. His first directorial effort spanned the 60s and 70s in telling the career of troubled TV show host Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Next he tackled the 50s newsroom (rather brilliantly) with Good Night and Good Luck. Now we get the mid 1920s, during the rise of pro football, which he presents with comic jingle in Leatherheads.

Clooney takes a break from his seriousness (Michael Clayton, Syriana) and returns to his wacky-comedy alter ego (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Intolerable Cruelty) that he seems to enjoy so much. The problem with Leatherheads is that he embraces his light-hearted flare too much, leaving us with an afterthought of a film.

Clooney is Dodge Connelly, one of the few remaining men in pro football that take the sport seriously. To spice things up he recruits a star college football (a sport that is wildly popular) player who also happens to be a war hero. John Krasinski doesn’t dive far from his Office Jim persona but he brings a little to the table. I have high hopes for Krasinski; he just needs a role with a little more edge.

Renée Zellweger is the sassy sports writer who comes between the two men, playing both sides and falling for each of them. She spits fire at Clooney, who throws it right back in the form of tired, reused lines that they hope come off as clever.

The football scenes don’t add much excitement, neither do the constant, over-the-top bar fights. But Clooney isn’t going for blood and tears; he wants to make people laugh with his throwback.
According to IMDB, Clooney will next direct a dark comedy that was written by the Coen brothers. This could be good for him, leave out the zany antics and get the shockingly offensive side of comedy. C

21

If you look at your cineplex’s marquee, there isn’t a whole lot to pay attention to. And while 21 isn’t a showstopper, it may be the most entertaining time you can have at the movies right now.

Director Robert Luketic ditches his chick-flick tendencies (the man has done Legally Blonde, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and Monster-in-Law) in an attempt to give us a youthful, refreshing take on what is becoming a tired genre.

Filmmakers seem to be obsessed with this idea of card playing on screen. There have been a slew of these films over the past few years, and 21 isn’t much different from any of them. Loosely adapted from Ben Mezrich's best-selling book Bringing Down the House, 21 is the semi-true story of an MIT genius who was recruited by a teacher and fellow students to lead their operation of counting cards in black jack.

The movie doesn’t really explain how to count cards, but however it’s done, these kids seem to know what they’re doing. Every weekend they fly to Vegas to make (not steal or cheat, counting cards isn’t illegal) money, to fund their recent lavish lifestyles.

Promising newcomer Jim Sturgess plays math prodigy Ben who gets the attention of one of his professors, Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) by using his wit and timid charm. Rosa lets Ben in on his little secret, which includes four other MIT students. And soon they are off to the strip, raking in the money by the thousands.

Sturgess (Across the Universe) seems to be fusing together two of Matt Damon’s best characters. He has the charismatic ferocity of Will Hunting from, you guessed it, Good Will Hunting and the card playing skills and accountability of Mike McDermott (from Rounders). While I doubt this is intentional, Sturgess doesn’t sweat at playing the lead, always keeping us interested and focused. Spacey has a great time as Rosa, screaming at his pupils one minute and then staring them down, speaking calmly with much vindication the next. There is nothing like a steel-cold gaze from the eyes of Kevin Spacey.

Kate Bosworth sizzles as the beauty of the group, and the new love interest of Ben. Her Jill acts as Ben’s consciousness when he gets out of control. And there in lies the problem. 21, like most rags-to-riches stories, falls victim to the predictable arch of having everything, then losing it all. Some films can pull this off (Casino comes to mind) but Luketic is no Scorsese. Instead, we get bored watching the characters lose all their money, only to set up one final, climatic score. Laurence Fishburne as a strictly old-school security enforcer helps make the final showdown more exciting, but in the end 21 is probably exactly what you expect it to be. But right now, that ain’t such a bad thing. B

Stop-Loss

Over 80,000 U.S. soldiers have carried out their contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq, been told they were going home, and then suddenly, against their will, have been sent right back into the fight for an undisclosed amount of time. This issue of being stop-lost is becoming more prevalent as conflicts in the Middle East rage on, and not enough people enlist.

It’s been nine years since director Kimberly Peirce has made a feature, not since her strikingly bold debut of Boy’s Don’t Cry. When her brother enlisted in the military after 9/11, she found inspiration in a harsh reality that lies in the fine print of an Army contract.

Ryan Phillippe plays Brandon King, a soldier who has just come home from Iraq, only to find that he is, involuntarily, being sent back. Rejecting the idea, he treks cross country, in an attempt to resolve the issue and clear up the mistake.

The men who served with him remain in their Texas town, fighting deep internal struggles of post-traumatic stress disorder, not being able to let go of the dehumanizing images they’ve seen.
Peirce is fully capable of delivering shocking images that startle yet somehow move us, she proved that with Boy’s Don’t Cry. The problem with Stop-Loss is that it aims too high. Each character gives long-winded, heartfelt speeches that often don’t hit their mark. I’m not quite sure whose fault it is, because the words feel right, the camera is well placed, but some of the action is forced.

Phillippe (much better in Crash and Flags of Our Fathers) doesn’t seem half as committed as his character is to the idea of becoming free from war. Phillippe casts his melodramatic tendencies just a bit too much, making us a little bored. Channing Tatum plays Brandon’s best friend Steve. While Tatum delivers a decent supporting turn, he isn’t given much to do except be an imposing, male-dominant figure that we’ve seen him as before (and that he pulled off in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints). This kid has talent; he just needs the material to prove it.

That’s the bad, and if you look for it, you’ll find some good. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is another soldier from their group who is having the most trouble forgetting what he saw. Gordon-Levitt’s descent into madness by diving head first into a bottle is raw, real and emotionally powerful. He has proved himself a God of independent film, giving stunning performances in Manic, Mysterious Skin, Brick and The Lookout. He steals the show in Stop-Loss, his face one of vengeful regret. I only wish he was given more screen time. This is one of the finest actors of his generation; he’ll be around for a long, long time.

Supporting turns by Australian actress Abbie Cornish (Candy), Ciarán Hinds (There Will Be Blood), and Timothy Olyphant do not go unnoticed, but they aren’t enough to keep the movie from its repetitiveness. Peirce manages to shock (a bloody war battle could be admired for its authenticity), but she cannot escape the unsympathetic trend that audiences simply aren’t connecting with these Iraq-war films.

For my money, I’d put Phillippe in a supporting role and let the whole film rest on Gordon-Levitt’s shoulders. He has carried movies before, and he has pulled it off each time. The film would have no problem hitting its emotional arch’s, if Gordon-Levitt was doing the screaming. B-

Funny Games

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Michael Haneke’s new film Funny Games is anything from funny. Instead, it is one of the most twisted, unbearable, torturous films that I have ever seen. There is nothing entertaining about this film, its concept is devious and its delivery is gruesome. So why then, for the life of me, can I not get it out of my head? I tend to let go of the wicked rather quickly, but Funny Games, with its devilish antics, is a modern work of art. It’s morbid yet subtle, disturbing yet intriguing haunting. But it is also, not for everyone.

A beautiful family (Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and their 10-year-old child played by Devon Gearhart) drive in their beautiful car to their beautiful lakeside home to spend a beautiful week away. On the drive, they listen to beautiful operas, playing a harmless guessing game of what is being heard. Suddenly, without any hint or warning, heavy death metal blasts from the theatre speakers. There is screaming and shrieking as big, huge, monstrous words in red appear on the screen. Welcome to our opening credits. Welcome to hell.

The family hasn’t been at their home for an hour before a nice, overly polite young man (Brady Corbet) comes to the door, asking for eggs. Dressed in his tennis whites, including eerie white gloves, the conversation unfolds much like the gas station scene in No Country for Old Men. It doesn’t take long for us to know something could be, or is about to be, seriously wrong. Of course, creepy events unfold as the young man’s partner in crime shows up and they terrorize the family.

My generation has been raised on the Saw’s and Hostel’s and other torture-porn garbage to expect the worst. More carnage, more blood and guts and guns and knives. The beauty of Funny Games is that it throws all that right in our faces, almost literally. Haneke is recreating his own 1997 Austrian film of the same name in a shot-by-shot adaptation. He has said that the original film was a way to ask people why they watch the things they do. But now, 11 years later, that idea is much more prevalent. Haneke isn’t afraid to throw American-entertainment-snuff-violence in our faces. Why do we enjoy stuffing our faces full of popcorn while some teenaged girl runs for her life, then gets captured, raped, hung, and whatever else the filmmaker has in store for us? Why, as a society, do we watch a journalist get decapitated in a grainy video, or a man in an airport get tasered to death on CNN.com?

The point of Funny Games is to ask, or possibly ridicule, audiences who enjoy and put themselves through this kind of gratification. This is the same question last month’s Untraceable asked, just in a plain, forgettable way. Haneke has a different approach. In his film, most of the violence occurs off-screen. You hear a gun shot, or a person getting stabbed, or a man getting hit with a gold club, but you don’t see it. We are forced to watch painfully long shots in which actor’s bound with duct tape and rope, try to scramble free. And then, most mockingly, every so often the main assailant (a deeply affecting Michael Pitt) will look directly into the camera, asking the audience questions, teasing them for a response.

Watts is one of the best actresses around. She hinted at her talent in Mulholland Dr. proved it in 21 Grams and has solidified it recently with Eastern Promises. Here, she gives a bravado performance, which includes spending the majority of the picture in her underwear. She and Roth make the film convincing, they carry emotional strain with such believability that it is engrossingly marvelous.

This isn’t an easy film to appreciate. The young crowd going for a torture-horror movie, and the art house crowd going for something new, will both be revolted. I was initially appalled when the film ended. But after you let it marinate, and by keeping an open mind, you see what Haneke is trying to say, and although you may not agree with his delivery, it’s hard to keep it our of your head, for the right reasons. A

Vantage Point

A crime occurs, and over the course of the next hour, we witness the crime from about eight different points of view. Each person’s view opening new doors and discoveries into the mystery. By the end, we have come full circle on the crime, uncovering all the clues and hints to form a rational motive.

That was the plot of NBC’s brilliant but short lived show Boomtown which ran for one season in 2002. Boomtown (which critics loved, but audiences never found) was a greatly unique idea, it encompassed network TV originality, it was a black sheep of tired, old sitcoms and outdated crime shows.

Mix Boomtown’s concept with a little bit of 24’s narrative and you get the mess that is Vantage Point. First-time director Pete Travis gets an impressive, Oscar approved cast to fill the seats, but God help him if they can keep you there.

I rolled with it for the first half hour. We get a story, which runs for about ten minutes, then stop, rewind, and view that same story again, from a different perspective. It isn’t that it gets old, it just gets plain ridiculous. You’ll be looking at your watch long before the sixth segment, when the film completely ditches its entire concept and then decides to act as a regular movie, jumping from person to person, narrative to narrative.

Had they stuck with the single-perspective theme throughout the picture, then they may’ve had something. But instead, we’re left with a jumbled, convenient, unbelievable muddle that I can’t even begin to explain. For those that care: the President (William Hurt) is giving some speech in Spain about anti-terrorism efforts, when he is gunned down by an unknown assassin. A bomb goes off far away, and then the stage where the President was talking, explodes. Journalists, secret service agents, tourists, the President and the bad guys give us their take on the whole thing.

Save yourself the trouble (and the headache) of sitting down with this. Put Boomtown on your Netflix queue, its time much better spent. D-

The Other Boleyn Girl

If you’re not up to date with your history, let director Justin Chadwick’s film cloud it for you. I’m not sure how much leisure The Other Boleyn Girl is having with its historical references, but I suppose nothing can be an exact replica of the past.

King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) needs a male heir to his throne that his wife Katherine of Aragon cannot produce. The Duke of Norfolk convinces his sister, Elizabeth Boleyn to let one of her daughters vie for the King’s attention. Sleek, resourceful, quick-witted Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) is given the task to bed the King, give him a son, and make her family prosperous. Simple enough, a little medieval adultery never hurt anyone.

But the King has his eye on Anne’s innocent, shy, earnest sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson). Jealousy, regret, anger and revenge fuel what is to follow. There are so many (not-so-clever) twists and turns, that the viewer may spend too much time trying to catch up and ask “Why”.

Portman has no problem proving to us that she is one of the finest actresses of her generation. A squint of her eyes refers to pure narcissistic rage that embodies her Anne. Portman is great at being devious; she outshines the rest of the cast by a long shot.

The quiet demeanor of Mary is something Johansson has tackled before and better in Girl with a Pearl Earring, but she gives the little that is demanded of her, making the best of sparse material. And Bana, a fantastic actor, has fun with his constant screaming and throwing of objects, but his performance, along with most the film, falls flat.

Another issue to discuss is the once-so-secure line of the PG-13 and R ratings. Films like Beowulf, The Kite Runner and now The Other Boleyn Girl are seriously blurring a line in the ratings system. These are not light films, and while I would never argue for the MPAA, I am very surprised at what heavy, sexually-themed content is allowed to pass for kids under 14 to see.

There are better historical films to see. Start with Girl with a Pearl Earring. But fans of Portman’s will be in for something new, a talented, young actress stretching a little past her comfort zone, and nailing it. C

U2 3D

Half the fun is the experience. I’m convinced that no matter what is on the screen, anything in 3-D is made fun. Fortunately for audiences, we get the best of both worlds in the dazzling new film, U2 3D. While Bono and company rock out, we are given a first person account of one seriously entertaining ride.

The camera gracefully floats around the stage in front of Bono’s face, as he looks directly into the lens, reaching out to us from behind his trademark sunglasses. Suddenly, we’re in the crowd, amassed in the epic, thunderous group of people, singing along, splashing water, sitting on top of each other’s shoulders. You’ll have to remind yourself that you’re not actually there with them.

Because the experience is so unique, you don’t have to be a fan of U2 to enjoy the show. But if you are as big a fan as I, then the sound of the music along with the breathtaking images will floor you.

There are several highlights in the musical numbers. While the crowd is silent during an ode to human rights, a woman on a large, big-brother screen, explains the importance of the issue when suddenly, the first few chords of “Pride” are plucked, and chills are sent running up your spine.

The flawless, almost spiritual emotion of the event is captured in its full essence when the lights come on during “Where the Streets Have No Name” and you get to witness the sea of people, floating in their beauty.

But the best is saved for last. During the unparalleled masterpiece “With or Without You”, you’re face will flush with delight, your body lifted from the theatre, put right into the atmosphere of the show. Forget where you are; sing at the top of your lungs, along with everyone else in the theatre. A

The Bank Job

Don’t let the plain title fool you, The Bank Job is a heavy dose of refreshing filmmaking buried in the pile of spring season film waste.

It must be hard for filmmakers to keep the heist film alive, some fail and submerge themselves in clichés, but director Roger Donaldson keeps his film afloat, full of life.

The film tells the true story of the robbing of a London bank in 1971. Surrounded with ulterior motives, political conspiracy and a royal sex scandal, this is not your typical bank job. Plans are put in motion by some pretty important people to hire some chums to knock off a bank, get into the safety deposit boxes and retrieve some potentially damaging pictures. The thieves are allowed to keep whatever loot they recover, but they must return the photographs. Easy right?

No heist movie is complete without a series of hiccups to alter plans and change courses of action. Talented actor Jason Statham leads the bank robbing pack. His Terry is fused with a handsome mix of wild charisma and street-level smarts.

The Bank Job has its flaws. It expects the viewer to remember the real story. It leaves some things out, assuming everyone has a clue what the film is referring to. The film also has several characters, all highly developed, all trying to get their own side-story. Donaldson makes the best out of a complicated and cramped script, but some subplots could’ve been left out.

Aside from its few shortcomings, The Bank Job is a funny, clever as all hell, entertaining ride that successfully grabs hold of you, and barely lets up. A-

In Bruges

In Bruges is one of those rare movies that will get some of you laughing. Out loud. In the theatre. Ashamed that you are bellowing tremendous roars of delight, while few others around you are.

Famed stage director Martin McDonagh has crafted a hilariously bold feature-film debut. Through his devilish screenplay, McDonagh isn’t afraid to openly discuss hot-button issues as a source of character development.

Ken and Ray are two hitmen hiding out in the quiet, beautiful Belgium town, after a job gone very wrong. During their long-winded bickering chats, the men engage in riotous tirades, constantly poking fun at one another. This is where it gets racy. The men, mostly the young, ambitious, troubled Ray, aren’t afraid to have a laugh at the expense of the mentally and physically handicapped, Dwarfs, minorities, Americans, the Dutch and whatever else pops into their heads.

Ray, played with expert bravado by Colin Farrell, uses his black-as-night dark humor to hide his insecurities, to make up for the void in his life. Farrell has never been better. His humor is spot-on, his emotions are triggered brilliantly. Farrell shows that he has something here; with In Bruges, he reminds us of his supreme talent.

The other half of the dynamic duo is played by fantastic character actor Brendan Gleeson. Gleeson has dazzled us with supporting turns in Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, and the Harry Potter films, but In Bruges is his finest accomplishment. If there is a reason to give the man a leading role, this film is it. Few other actors can effectively portray such a multitude of emotions on their face at the same time. His Ken is a warm-hearted man, plagued with ultimatums, most of which are delivered by his menacing boss, Harry.

By the time Ralph Fiennes gets onscreen he will have knocked you flat on your ass with his wild bantering. His Harry is a psychologically demented man, with strong morals to boot.

There is no use in describing the plot. It’s too unique. McDonagh echoes Tarantino and Scorsese with his sharp words and (at times) heavily violent content. It is an original piece of work, that shows much promise from a new voice in the world of film.

It’s important to acknowledge that what these people are saying is offensive, but these people lead offensive lives. Much in the way of Borat, there is no greater feeling then having to clamp your hands around your mouth, in an attempt to shut yourself up, trying not to ask yourself “Should I be laughing at this?”. A-

Best Lines of 2007

10. "Yeah, I mean I'm already pregnant, so what other kind of shenanigans could I get into?"- Ellen Page, Juno

9. “Forget you ever met people like me.”- Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

8. “Here we are! Oh please, please be real!”- Christian Bale, Rescue Dawn

7. “I drink your milkshake. I DRINK IT UP!”- Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

6. “Do I look like I am negotiating?!”- George Clooney, Michael Clayton

5. “I am McLovin.”- Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad

4. “Call it.”- Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

3. “‘Cunt’”- in a letter written by James McAvoy, Atonement

2. "When I got older, I always thought that God would come into my life. And he didn't."- Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men

1. “I’m finished.”- Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood


What'd I forget? Tell me your favorites.

My 2007 OSCARS

If I was the sole member of the AMPAS, then this is what this year’s nominees and winners would look like. Winners are in bold, comments are in italics.

BEST PICTURE
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Rescue Dawn
There Will Be Blood

Best film of the year. Period.

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson- There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen- No Country for Old Men
Werner Herzog- Rescue Dawn (criminally underrated)
Sean Penn- Into the Wild (the year's biggest snub)

Julian Schnabel- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Toss up between the two innovative westerns created by Anderson and the Coen brothers. The Coens are long overdue; Anderson will be back up here soon.

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale- Rescue Dawn (can the man get a nomination already?)
George Clooney- Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis- There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones- In the Valley of Elah
Gordon Pinset- Away from Her (Christie has been getting all of the accolades, but without Pinset, you are missing half of a heartbreaking relationship)

While Bale is one of our finest (and most underrated actors), Lewis’ performance was a revelation in the film medium.


BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie- Away From Her
Rosario Dawson- Descent (if you have a very very very strong stomach, then check out Dawson's brutally frank portryal of a victimized woman)
Marion Cotillard- La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page- Juno
Tang Wei- Lust, Caution

Wei’s performance is as shocking, haunting, candid, explicit and memorable as any film debut that I’ve ever seen.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck- The Assassination of Jesse James
Javier Bardem- No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano- There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman- Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Steve Zahn- Rescue Dawn

He’s just that good. I dare you to call it another way.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett- I'm Not There
Jennifer Jason Leigh- Margot at the Wedding
Kelly Macdonald- No Country For Old Men
Amy Ryan- Gone Baby Gone
Tinda Swinton- Michael Clayton

She would be a lock if she hadn’t won three years ago for The Aviator, but here, as Bob Dylan, Blanchett has never been better.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson- The Darjeeling Limited
Noah Baumbach- Margot at the Wedding
Diablo Cody- Juno
Tony Gillroy- Michael Clayton
Kelly Masterson- Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

I’m still at a loss about how this marvelous film did not pick up a single nomination.


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson- There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Coen- No Country For Old Men
Andrew Dominik- The Assassination of Jesse James
Sean Penn- Into the Wild
James Vanderbilt- Zodiac

Even in its silences, Anderson’s brilliantly paced screenplay resonates.

BEST EDITING
Atonement
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

The order of these scenes takes balls. The film still gets crap for its perfectly structured final act. If you had paid attention, you would get it.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins- The Assassination of Jesse James
Roger Deakins- No Country for Old Men
Eric Gautier- Into the Wild
Rodrigo Prieto- Lust, Caution

Robert Elswit- There Will Be Blood

Deakins is one of the greatest eyes behind the camera, but Robert Elswit’s fluid movements and long takes were highlighted in the tour de force that is There Will Be Blood.

BEST SCORE
Dario Marianelli- Atonement
James Newton Howard- Michael Clayton
Carter Burwell- No Country for Old Men
Klaus Badelt- Rescue Dawn
Jonny Greenwood- There Will Be Blood

Greenwood’s eerily haunting score was a fitting part in a modern-day masterpiece.

My Favorite Scene: Babel

Warning: Critical plot details will be divulged in this post.

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu uses a perfect blend of mercy, hope, and desperation to fuel his masterpiece, Babel, into an emotional powerhouse. No scene is more evident of such brilliance than the one in which Cate Blanchett’s character is evacuated from a local Moroccan village.

After being struck by a stray bullet, Blanchett is taken to a nearby village to be cared for by her husband, Brad Pitt, along with a compassionate tour guide (first-time actor Mohamed Akhzam).

Pitt tries frantically to get help from the local and US governments, and embassies; from virtually anyone who can get them out and to a hospital.

Throughout the picture, Akhzam helps Pitt by getting him a phone and medical attention for his wife. Yet Pitt constantly battles Akhzam, taking all of his pain and frustration out on the only man willing to help. After hours of struggle, a rescue helicopter finally arrives. At the sight of the helicopter, a beautiful guitar piece plays over the soundtrack, the Kronos Quartet’s "When Are Wings Are Cut, Can We Still Fly?"

As the guitar strings are plucked frantically, Iñárritu uses very fast cuts to heighten the confusion. The chopper lands and dozens of people scatter around, dusts flying through the crowds, but amidst the chaos, Blanchett’s injured body is put on board.

The moment to look for is when Pitt, following his wife on the chopper, turns around and embraces Akhzam, hugging him, demonstrating his most earnest thanks. Once they separate, Pitt reaches for his wallet and pulls out a wad of money, handing it over to Akhzam. With their voices inaudible as the song continues, Akhzam puts up his hands and refuses to accept the cash. Pitt tries a second and third time, begging the man to take what he deserves. When Akhzam refuses for a last time, Pitt puts his hands down, staring at his friend.

If there has ever been any doubt in your mind that Brad Pitt cannot act, then watch this scene. Watch his eyes when he tells the man thank you.

The scene lasts for only half a minute, but its impact is enormous. In a film filled with intense and disheartening moments, you will instantly feel the goodness that man can accomplish.