Blogging Away

 

10.    In Bruges - I thought that this movie should have received greater praise than it actually did. Dark and funny and I found all the violence completely neccesary — which is rare. Great escape and fantastic satire. What more could you want?

9.     Twilight — Laugh if you will, but it did exactly what the book did…it made emo kids find purpose for an evening. I thought the casting was great and it captured the essence of the book fantastically. This spot would normally go to my obligatory love of all things Harry Potter, but, sadly, the powers that be prevented a November release of that film. The only bad thing about this movie was the literal translation of Stephanie Meyer’s meager vocabulary. Sigh.

8.     Iron Man - I really don’t like most superhero movies. I really don’t. I haven’t seen any of the X-men trilogy, and I just watched Spiderman 3 a month ago. This was good, though. Really good. Witty, charming, clever…the only problem I had was with one particular casting choice (Gweynth Paltrow). This would have been higher on the list if not for her. 

7.    Frozen River - Many of you have probably not heard of this movie, but I reccomend a netflix rental. Story of a woman who is trying to make up the money her husband stole to buy a double-wide trailer by smuggling in immigrants across the Canadian border. You know this had to end good. Melissa Leo (who I will speak about later) was fantastic. Small, but powerful film. Sad year for it to come out, when there are a lot of other small films overshadowing it. 

6.     The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons - Sadly, like American Gangster of years back, this movie 

fell flat with poor film editing choices. Too long and too many repeated scenes left me feeling restless. The acting is superb and I believe the cinematography may be the year’s best. I loved this story as a kid, and it translated well to screen with amazing makeup and performances that had real depth….just not good enough.

5.     The Wrestler — I believe this movie, for what it was, will be a masterpiece. Raw and heartbreaking, and no happy ending (though, there would be a way to see it be happy if you analyze it enough).I don’t love Mickey Rourke in much, but after this film, I wanted to give him a puppy. He was one of the top performers of the year, maybe even the decade. I though there wasn’t enough Marisa Tomei in this movie. She is so good and I wished they had fleshed her out a bit more, instead of just showing her flesh. The whole movie is bleak and sad and I felt so much empathy for these characters that it was hard to leave them once I left the theater.

4.5.    Doubt — This movie involved such cliches that I was almost dreading actually seeing it. I was mistaken. With Hoffman, Adams, Davis, and, of course, Streep, this movie will make such a lasting impression. I really think this is one of Meryl Streep’s finest performance. I still don’t know how I feel about the ending…which may be the whole point of the film. I know I felt guilty for judgements, whether right or wrong.

4.    Frost/Nixon — It gives you what it says…the Frost interview of Richard Nixon. So much nuance and performances, it made me feel like I was there. I can see how this affected the nation a bit more now. It humanized both characters and I felt empathy and pity across the board. Pity for Richard Nixon. Wow. 

3.5.    The Reader — Many will say that this is Kate Winslet’s best performance…I think it wasn’t (see 2.5). I think that this was still what she will be remembered for in the near future, and I believe it will win her the Oscar tomorrow night. I liked watching a film about Nazis without having to watch a concentration camp. I think there is so much value on what happened afterwards that is forgotten and misplaced. I also thought the love/connection story was really well done. So much pride and so much loss….such a fantastic film. 

3.    Milk — I had the good fortune to see this film with one of my gay friends and I was touched by how much he was touched. I knew something about this going into it….but mostly that Harvey Milk’s killer used the “Twinkie” defense. This movie, with a brilliant performance by everyone in the film, touched me so much more than I thought it would. It wasn’t pro-gay, it wasn’t anti-twinkies, it was a film about someone who tried to do something he believed in and was persecuted for it. James Franco’s performance was oscar-worthy. Go see it. 

2.5    Revolutionary Road — I believe this might be the best acted film of the year. When the nominations were announced, I almost cried when it was shut out of almost everything. DiCaprio and Winslet were almost too hard to watch on the screen. I lvoed this novel when I read it a few years ago, and thought, “If they ever make it into a film, they are going to screw it up.” I was wrong. Such passion and sadness and obligation. I think that this film will still be something that I will go back to when I make movie comparisons. So beautiful and heartbreaking.

2.    Slumdog Millionaire — I had to watch this twice to give it a fair shake, and I liked it so much more the second time. I love he underdog, and here is a movie about someone who is truly the king of the underdogs. This movie almost went straight to DVD….we wouldn’t have known about it. That makes me scared. I wouldn’t call it a feel good film (unless you count the always-present Indian dance routine at the end of the film). Very gritty and depressing. As I drank my coke and ate my chips and sat on my couch….I felt so overindulgent. I am too lucky….I liked that this movie reminded me of my wealth. This will win best picture.

1.5    The Dark Knight — You all saw it…and most of you agree that it is the best superhero movie of all time. I agree. I also think that it was so much more than that. The violence and actions seemed too real and that scared me. Ledger’s performance, to agree with everyone else, was the stuff of legends….but he wasn’t the only one. Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, and, to me, especially Aaron Eckhart made this a film for the ages. The one that all will be compared to. It almost made the top of the list. As a side note, I was so happy to have Katie Holmes replaced by someone who could really act. 

1.    Gran Torino — This was harder to decide on than you may think, but I chose the movie that still stays with me. To me, this is a movie about honor and sacrifice, and the idea that life is hard and you have to live with it. This is not only my favorite Clint Eastwood-directed film, but this is my favorite Clint the Actor film….it was raw and decisive and I feel that it should be made a requirement to see this film. I was pissed to see it shut out. 

So, that is my list. What are your thoughts? Below are who I pick for best performances of the year and who I think the Academy will pick. 

Best Movie:

My Pick - Gran Torino

OSCAR - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actress:

My Pick - Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road

OSCAR - Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Actor:

My pick - Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

OSCAR - Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor:

My pick - Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

OSCAR - Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress:

My Pick - Kathy Bates - Revolutionary Road

OSCAR - Penelope “I can’t act” Cruz - Vicki Cristina Barcelona

Best Director:

My Pick - Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino

OSCAR - Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire