Coming up: Best albums of 2007

As with the movies, I have a few CDs left to hear before compiling my year-end list. Specifically, I have the Allison Krauss/Robert Plant duets album and Rufus Wainwright's Judy Garland concert album on the way from Amazon.com and I have to give another listen or two to Arcade Fire's acclaimed Neon Bible, which I picked up last week.

The other albums vying for a spot on the list are the following (listed alphabetically by artist):

Lily Allen - Alright, Still
Feist - The Reminder
Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band - It's Not Big It's Large
M.I.A. - Kala
Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
Original Soundtrack - I'm Not There
Original Soundtrack - Once
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Josh Rouse - Country Mouse City House
Ron Sexsmith - Time Being
The Shins - Wincing Away the Night
Elliott Smith - New Moon
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Rufus Wainwright - Release the Stars
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Lucinda Williams - West
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Charlie Wilson's War

Date: December 23
Location: Muvico Boynton Beach

There's really no better movie experience for us right now than getting the babysitter and going to the new Boynton Muvico. It's literally 5 minutes away and it's a great theater. We could see White Chicks there and come away with a smile on our faces.

Charlie Wilson's War is no White Chicks. It's a smart, funny ride that showcases Aaron Sorkin at his witty best and sidesteps him at his preachy worst. Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and (particularly) Philip Seymour Hoffman tear into this dialogue with relish and it's an absolute treat to watch. The movie loses its way a bit in its final third — I expected a bit more conflict before the resolution — but it's mostly just a great time at the movies. It's refreshing to see a movie about the politics surrounding the Middle East conflict work first and best as a character-driven comedy.

Screen Actors Guild nominations

Into the Wild gets the biggest boost from the SAG nominations, picking up four, while Atonement and Sweeney Todd are completely shut out. No Country for Old Men and Michael Clayton pick up three apiece.

The biggest surprise is the ensemble category, the SAG equivalent of Best Picture, where No Country and Into the Wild are joined by Hairspray, 3:10 to Yuma and American Gangster, three films that have been pretty much out of the awards race thus far.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

GEORGE CLOONEY / Michael Clayton
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / There Will Be Blood
RYAN GOSLING / Lars And The Real Girl
EMILE HIRSCH / Into The Wild
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Eastern Promises

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Elizabeth: The Golden Age
JULIE CHRISTIE / Away From Her
MARION COTILLARD / La Vie En Rose
ANGELINA JOLIE / A Mighty Heart
ELLEN PAGE / Juno

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

CASEY AFFLECK / The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
JAVIER BARDEM / No Country For Old Men
HAL HOLBROOK / Into The Wild
TOMMY LEE JONES / No Country For Old Men
TOM WILKINSON / Michael Clayton

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

CATE BLANCHETT / I'm Not There
RUBY DEE / American Gangster
CATHERINE KEENER / Into The Wild
AMY RYAN / Gone Baby Gone
TILDA SWINTON / Michael Clayton

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

3:10 TO YUMA (Lionsgate)
AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal Pictures)
HAIRSPRAY (New Line Cinema)
INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax Films)

What's left to see?

UPDATED: March 28 now that DVD is the only option for all of these.

I've been making a lot of headway the past few weeks, seeing some of the 2007 films that almost got away. So I thought I'd take a minute to detail what's left on my to-see list.

In order of must-see-ness:

There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson is probably the most exciting young talent in movies today — he's stretching the boundaries of cinema in breathtaking ways. Word is this is another masterwork, but even if it falls short of Boogie Nights or Magnolia I'm certain it will be fascinating.

Juno - I hope it lives up to the hype, but even if it doesn't I'll be happy to spend a couple hours with this cast.

Charlie Wilson's War - Seems to have a great combination of laughs and brains, and a mischievous performance by Tom Hanks.

1. Michael Clayton

2. Sweeney Todd

3. Walk Hard - Incredibly silly, I'm sure, but it's a genre ripe for parody and I trust these guys to do it right.

4. Lars & the Real Girl

5. The Diving Bell & The Butterfly - I feel like I have to see this more than I want to see it, but the raves have me intrigued.

6. 3:10 to Yuma

7. Persepolis - See above.

8. The Great Debaters - Might be corny as hell, but the subject matter is great and I like the Denzel.

The Savages - This should probably be higher on the list, but the trailer doesn't do a whole lot for me. The idea of Linney and Hoffman putting on an acting clinic does, though.

9. I Am Legend - Probably not going to see this in the theater, but I still kind of want to.

The Bucket List - Good reviews could push this up the list. As it is, I'm very wary of Rob Reiner's output the past 10-15 years and the ads make it look pretty corny.

Into the Wild - Mostly excellent reviews but I can't shake my Sean Penn-as-director fatigue.

10. The Kite Runner - Seems way too grim, but probably worth seeing. I might feel differently if I'd read the novel.




Eastern Promises

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
My Kid Could Paint That
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Margot at the Wedding
Paris, je t'aime
11. Control
12. Waitress
13. The Ten
In the Vallery of Elah
14. Fred Claus
15 The Hunting Party
16. Rescue Dawn
17. Interview
18. A Mighty Heart

I'm Not There

Date: December 18
Location: Landmark Art Cinema (Atlanta)

I returned to the excellent midtown Atlanta theater where I saw Pan's Labyrinth about a year ago to catch Todd Haynes' unique Bob Dylan biopic. I wish South Florida had a theater like this, with big posters of classic films in the lobby, eight large screens showing indie fare, employees and patrons you can just tell are film lovers. If I ever get a big-money job offer in Atlanta, this movie theater will be a check in the 'pro' column.

The film is fascinating and often transcendent. It's an art film in the truest sense of the word — eschewing simple things like plot and narrative in favor of a scattered exploration of the "many lives" of Bob Dylan. This is the kind of movie ensemble awards are made for... all the actors are terrific, with Cate Blanchett and young Marcus Carl Franklin the standouts. Tying everything together is Dylan's music, used to tremendous effect from fade in to fade out. Not every scene is successful, but so much of the film works so well that it easily ranks among the year's best.

Overlooked performances

Every year, the critics groups and the Academy inevitably narrow their focus to a group of about 6-7 actors in each category. The Oscar nominations almost always come from those shortlists — it's the reason the winner of our annual contest usually goes 25-out-of-30 or better.

But of course there are many more performances just as worthy of awards each year that get lost because their films weren't well-received overall, came out too early, flew too far under the radar or some other unfortunate combination of events.

So rather than heap praise on the Julie Christies and Marion Cotillards, the Javier Bardems and Daniel Day Lewises, I'm going to look at each acting category and sing the praises of some wonderful performers who won't hear their names called at year end.

Stay tuned for the first installment soon.

Bug

Date: December 17
Location: Clifton Living Room

An extremely creepy exploration of loneliness and paranoia, Bug is the opposite of a feel-good movie. The film is based on a stage play (and obviously so, as it is dialogue-heavy and takes place almost entirely in a motel room) about a beaten-down (literally and figuratively) woman who finds comfort in the arms of a paranoid schizophrenic and eventually comes to share his obsessions. It really is quite fascinating, despite the grisly subject matter, and features an outstanding performance by Ashley Judd. Judd started out with such promise a dozen or so years ago but chose to pursue a career in TV-worthy crime flicks. Here, she reminds us what a raw, vital actress she really is, delivering one of the best performances (male or female) I've seen all year. It's a pity she's being ignored by the award shows.

Dallas/Ft. Worth Critics

OK, one more...

Best Films

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Juno
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Atonement
5. Michael Clayton
6. Into the Wild
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8. The Kite Runner
9. The Assassination of Jesse James
10. Charlie Wilson's War

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress
Julie Christie

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton

Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Screenplay
Juno, Diablo Cody

Best Animated Film
Ratatouille

Cinematography
Roger Deakins, Assassination of Jesse James

Atonement

Date: December 15
Location: Regal South Beach

One thing is made abundantly clear by this lush adaptation of Ian McEwan's celebrated novel — director Joe Wright is one of the brightest new talents working in film today. His Pride & Prejudice was my top film of 2005 and here he ups the ante — hitting the same grace notes, moving his camera in even grander fashion. Ultimately, though, Atonement falls a bit short of his masterful debut.

This is an extremely difficult novel to adapt, and screenwriter Christopher Hampton is up to the task — he fully deserves his likely Oscar nomination. The opening hour, set in the Tallis family estate, is flawlessly executed — with shifts in time and perspective that ratchet up the drama and suspense while driving home the film's underlying theme. The film's second half branches to follow the three main characters' lives in wartime. The focus is mainly on the young man's experiences in Dunkirk, and it is here that Wright stages a scene that's been mentioned in every review of the film — a 6-minute Steadicam shot capturing the madness of war. It's a shot for the ages, and a highlight of the film.

My one complaint is that the film feels a bit too short. I wanted more of the Tallis sisters' experiences during the second half — what's there is extraordinary, but a little more would have made the movie's strong ending even more powerful. That criticism aside, though, this is a wonderful achievement and one of the year's best films.

Gone Baby Gone

Date: December 14
Location: Movies at Delray

I saw this at a trashy little old-school movie theater in Delray Beach, probably days before it disappears from screens altogether, and I'm so glad I did. Definitely among my favorite films of the year, this story about a Boston private eye investigating a kidnapping resonates both as a suspense yarn and a morality tale. Ben Affleck does teriffic work in his directorial debut — he blows away master Clint Eastwood, whose overrated Mystic River is by far the lesser Dennis Lehane adaptation. And Casey Affleck does his best work (unless he tops it in the Jesse James flick) as the young private eye whose inner strength trumps his inexperience. My only minor complaint is of the "I wish it were longer" variety — Michelle Monaghan's character clearly has a backstory that I wish had been explored. Like No Country for Old Men, this film has me heading to the bookstore for the source material.

Southeastern Film Critics Awards

So now we're getting into the deluge of small critics groups chiming in with their awards. I won't post all of them — they're already running together — but I like this one because they release a top ten list, and as you know, I'm all about top ten lists.

Javier Bardem and Amy Ryan add to their growing tally — and now that I've seen both performances, I must say I'm thrilled that they are the front-runners.

BEST PICTURE
1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Atonement
4. Juno
5. Michael Clayton
6. Zodiac
7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
8. Gone Baby Gone
9. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
10. Into the Wild

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
* Runner-up: George Clooney - Michael Clayton

BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie - Away from Her
* Runner-up: Ellen Page - Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
* Runner-up: Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward
Robert Ford

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
* Runner-up: Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There

BEST DIRECTOR
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
* Runner-up: J oe Wright - Atonement

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody - Juno
* Runner-up: Tamara Jenkins - The Savages

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
* Runner-up: Christopher Hampton - Atonement

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France)
* Runner-up: La vie en rose (France)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
No End in Sight
* Runner-up: Sicko

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Ratatouille
* Runner-up: The Simpsons Movie

WYATT AWARD
Waitress
* Runner-up: Black Snake Moan

The big chart

Every year, the Web site Movie City News compiles a huge chart of every published top ten list they can find. They released the opening chart this weekend. It's sort of like early election returns, in that the same films tend to stay up top as more results come in, but there are usually some that rise and fall more than others.

This first glance is made up of 33 lists and is dominated by No Country for Old Men (it appears on 22 of those lists). Away From Her, Juno, Michael Clayton, Zodiac and Once are the other front-runners, with a bunch more tied just below them. Should be interesting to see how the ultimate Top Ten shakes out.

Here's the list.

American Film Institute's Ten Best of 2007

In alphabetical order...

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
The Savages
There Will Be Blood

Nice job recognizing Knocked Up and Ratatouille!

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Date: December 13
Location: Regal Delray Beach

I'm sorry to say I was disappointed with this film, in part because I had such high expectations going in. It's beautifully acted (Philip Seymour Hoffman is Oscar-worthy once again) and spins a nice web of suspense, but ultimately is just doesn't hold together. The time-shifting, multiple-perspective narrative sets you up for a payoff that never comes — ultimately it seems the complex plotting is there to mask the fact that this is really just a film about a heist gone bad. I didn't buy into some of the family dynamics, particularly those dealing with Albert Finney's underwritten character. Big points, though, for Marisa Tomei, who keeps getting sexier as she gets older. She spends much of the film in various states of undress, and does some fine acting to boot.

The Hoax

Date: December 13
Location: Clifton Living Room

Here's a case where the real-life story is so compelling that it would have been nearly impossible to make a bad movie about it. The fact that Clifford Irving got away with such an outlandish scheme for so long and in such a public manner is extraordinary. Richard Gere is in fine form as Irving, and Alfred Molina is note-perfect (as always) in the sidekick role. This is another film, like Breach, that was lost in the early part of the year — why haven't Gere and Chris Cooper been mentioned once in any awards talk? Overall, this film doesn't reach the heights of Breach, but I'm very glad I saw it.

Golden Globe TV nominees

And I thought the movie nominees were bad...

The less said about this batch the better.

No Office. No Lost. No Battlestar Galactica. No Friday Night Lights. I don't watch The Wire, but if I did, I would surely be typing "No Wire."

Series, drama:
Big Love, HBO
Damages, FX Networks
Grey's Anatomy, ABC
House, Fox
Mad Men, AMC
The Tudors , Showtime

Actress, drama:
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Glenn Close, Damages
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Actor, drama:
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors
Bill Paxton, Big Love

Series, musical or comedy:
30 Rock, NBC
Californication , Showtime
Entourage, HBO
Extras, HBO
Pushing Daisies , ABC

Actress, musical or comedy:
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Actor, musical or comedy:
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
David Duchovny, Californication
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

Supporting actress, series, miniseries or movie:
Rose Byrne, Damages
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy
Samantha Morton, Longford
Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl

Supporting actor, series, miniseries or movie:
Ted Danson, Damages
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Andy Serkis, Longford
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money

Golden Globe film nominees

The makers of Atonement are breathing a sigh of relief this morning, as the well-received adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel, leads all films with seven Golden Globe nominations. The film, considered an Oscar front-runner, has been shut out thus far in the critics awards.

Also getting a boost is Charlie Wilson's War, which picked up nominations for Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor and Screenplay. No Country for Old Men continued its strong showing, with Picture, Screenplay, Director and Supporting Actor nods, though Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin were left out.

Michael Clayton picked up acting nominations for George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton.

The oddest move is the expansion to seven nominees in the Best Picture/Drama category (voting must have been tight). The Great Debaters and Eastern Promises appear to be the "extra" films here, as they didn't pick up many other nominations (none in the case of Debaters).

The biggest snubs (as I mentioned in my last post) were for this year's highly successful and well-reviewed comedies: Knocked Up, Superbad and Walk Hard (though John C. Reilly did pick up an acting nomination).

Full list below:

Best Picture/DRAMA
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood


Best Picture/COMEDY/MUSICAL
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd


Best Actor/DRAMA
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Lewis – There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy – Atonement
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington – American Gangster

Best Actor/COMEDY/MUSICAL
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars & The Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
Phillips Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C Reilly - Walk Hard

Best Actress/DRAMA
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Jodie Foster – The Brave One
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement

Best Actress/COMEDY/MUSICAL
Amy Adams – Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky – Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose
Ellen Page - Juno

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
John Travolta - Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Julia Roberts - Charlie Wilson’s War
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Best Director
TIm Burton - Sweeney Todd
Ethan & Joel Coen - No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell & The Butterfly
Ridley Scott - American Gangster
Joe Wright - Atonement

Best Writer
Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell & The Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War

Animation
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie


Original Score
Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Edder, Into the Wild
Clint Eastwood, Grace Is Gone
Alberto Iglesias, The Kite Runner
Dario Marianelli, Atonement
Howard Shore, Eastern Promises

Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France, United States)
The Kite Runner (United States)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)


Original Song
Despedida from Love in the Time of Cholera
Grace Is Gone from Grace Is Gone
Guaranteed from Into the Wild
That's How You Know from Enchanted
Walk Hard from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Golden Globes piss on comedies

The Golden Globe nominations are in, and what stands out the most to me is how little respect this organization has for "real" comedies in its 'Comedy/Musical' category.

First of all, the idea of lumping comedies and musicals together is absurd — especially when films such as Walk the Line, La Vie en Rose and Ray are considered musicals. All three are pretty heavy dramas about people who sing... they are NOT musicals. What they are is an excuse for the Golden Globes to nominate even more dramas and ignore movies that actually make people laugh.

This year, the Globes went so far as to nominate SEVEN dramas, and then stocked the Comedy/Musical category with the likes of Across the Universe, Sweeney Todd and Charlie Wilson's War (maybe Charlie Wilson really is primarily a comedy, but that wasn't my impression). Yet they couldn't find room for Knocked Up or Ratatouille, two films that are among the best reviewed of the year and also genuinely funny? Or even Superbad, which has its flaws but which tapped into something very sweet and real amidst the raunch. And no Walk Hard, also well-reviewed, which is both a musical (by the Globes' standards) and a comedy? What a slap in the face for Judd in the 'Year of Apatow!'

And I'll let Amy express her outrage at the absence of Once from the Musical category, as well as all the rest.

No End in Sight

Date: December 11
Location: Clifton Living Room

I realize Michael Moore is an entertainer and propagandist first and documentary filmmaker second, but he should watch this powerful film for a lesson on how to level an utterly devastating attack on a corrupt administration without once veering from the hard, cold facts. The material covered in this documentary isn't new — it's made up the front pages (and regrettably, many inside pages) of newspapers for the past four years — but seeing it all laid out, and dissected by people who were in the middle of it and trying hard to make it work, the outrage feels utterly fresh. The fact that an incompetent president and his band of chickenhawk advisers could so badly botch such an important mission is unforgivable. This film is a must-see for every American citizen, regardless of their position on the war.

So how do you rank something like this against something like, say, Knocked Up? It's tough... it is certainly more important than anything else on my list, but also far less entertaining. Ultimately, I rank the film high for the skill with which it was made, but not so high as the very different, but equally skillful, films that I can see myself returning to again and again.

Diving Bell complications

I heard today that France has declined to submit The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as its entry for the Foreign Language Oscar because, although the film is set in France and the actors all speak French, the director is American.

This could mean the film has a better chance at a Best Picture nomination, as that is now its sole chance at a major Oscar. Or it will wind up getting screwed completely.

The film France has chosen to submit, ironically, is Persepolis, a film about an Iranian girl. I'm not sure if it would be the first animated film nominated for Best Foreign Film, but it would certainly be the first in awhile. Then the question becomes whether or not it will also be nominated for Best Animated Film.

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

The other bigwig critics group chimes in, and it's another victory for No Country For Old Men, which also picks up prizes for the Coen Brothers' direction and script as well as yet another win for Javier Bardem.

Amy Ryan continues her sweep of the Best Supporting Actress awards. A commenter on the last post asked if these critics awards really mean anything to the Oscar race, and the short answer is that they definitely do for somebody like Ryan, who before yesterday was only minimally on the radar but now should be considered not just a lock for a nomination but a pretty good bet to win. It was assumed that Cate Blanchett would take most of these awards for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There, and she'll still be a strong contender, but Ryan is suddenly the one to beat.

There Will Be Blood gets a couple more mentions here, and the producers of that film must be happy with these early results. Also, Persepolis has really been duking it out with front-runner Ratatouille for the animated prize.

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men

Best Director
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best Screenplay
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best Cinematographer
Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood

Best Foreign Film
The Lives of Others

Best Animated Film
Persepolis

Best First Film
Sarah Polley, Away from Her

Best Documentary
No End in Sight

Lifetime Achievement
Sidney Lumet

Special Critics' Award
Charles Burnett, Killer of Sheep

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

The next big critics group chimes in and it's another win for There Will Be Blood, which picked up directing and acting wins as well. Amy Ryan and Marion Cotillard show up again but Javier Bardem loses out for the first time — to an actor from 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, a Romanian film about abortion that picked up quite a few awards from the New York Critics.

Here we have the first mention of Once, for Best Music. Without some more attention in the early awards, that film is probably looking at a Best Song nomination (or two) and little else come Oscar time.

BEST PICTURE
There Will Be Blood
Runner Up: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Runner-up: Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days

ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Frank Langella, Starting Out in the Evening

SCREENPLAY
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages
Runner-up: There Will Be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Runner-up: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Vlad Ivanov, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Runner-up: Hal Holbrook, Into The Wild

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Runner-up: The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

DOCUMENTARY/NON-FICTION FILM
No End in Sight directed by Charles Ferguson
Runner-up: Sicko, Michael Moore

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Jack Fisk, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Dante Ferretti, Sweeney Todd

ANIMATION
tie - Ratatouille (Brad Bird) and
Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud/Marjane Satrapi)

MUSIC
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Once
Runner-up: Johnny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Janusz Kaminski, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Runner-up: Robert Elswit, There Will Be Blood

NEW GENERATION
Sarah Polley - Away from Her

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
Sidney Lumet

New York Online Film Critics Awards

More hardware for Diving Bell — the question is whether it can be the rare foreign film to cross over into the Best Picture category — and the first mention of Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. We probably won't get that film until after the New Year, but I'm excited to see it make the cut here.

Javier Bardem makes it three for three, and Cate Blanchett gets her first award on her way to a sure Oscar nomination. The younger Online Film Critics group shows some love to Wes Anderson, with a screenplay award and a spot in the top ten list, but I doubt that will be the start of a trend.

BEST PICTURE
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (tie)
There Will Be Blood (tie)

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie – Away From Her

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
There Will Be Blood – Robert Elswit

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Darjeeling Limited – Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola

BEST FOREIGN PICTURE
The Lives of Others (tie)
Persepolis (tie)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Sicko

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis

BEST MUSIC/SCORE
There Will Be Blood – Jonny Greenwood

BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Ellen Page – Juno

BEST DEBUT AS DIRECTOR
Sarah Polley – Away From Her

BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

BEST PICTURES (alphabetical)
Atonement (Focus Features)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (THINKFilm)
The Darjeeling Limited (Fox Searchlight)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Miramax)
I'm Not There (The Weinstein Company)
Juno (Fox Searchlight)
Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.)
No Country for Old Men (Miramax)
Persepolis (Sony Pictures Classics)
Sweeney Todd (DreamWorks)
There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Awards

Another win for No Country, which bodes well for the Coen Brothers. Oscar nods for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Supporting Actor seem be to pretty much locks at this point.

Julie Christie is also in good shape, and here we see George Clooney's name show up for the first time. He's an Academy favorite who could well land in the Best Actor race. The actor who should be happiest about the first two announcements is Amy Ryan, recognized for her work in Gone Baby Gone. Her performance was singled out by just about every critic, but she and the film are low profile and need all the momentum they can get to make it to Oscar.

Best Film
No Country for Old Men

Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

Best Actor
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)

Best Actress
Julie Christie (Away From Her)

Best Ensemble
No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

Best Breakthrough Performance
Ellen Page (Juno)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin (Charlie Wilson's War)

Best Original Screenplay
Diablo Cody (Juno)

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille

Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

Best Documentary
Sicko

Best Art Direction
Sweeney Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards

The first of the big four critics awards are in, with New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to follow soon. Then we'll see awards from pretty much every city in the United States. "Sean Penn named Best Director by the Little Rock Film Critics Circle!" I believe my parents make up the voting committee for Middlebury, Vermont.

As for the Boston picks, I'm very happy about No Country For Old Men and Javier Bardem, Marion Cotillard's Best Actress win and Brad Bird winning screenplay honors for Ratatouille. Also of note: A very good showing here for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, which could wind up as a major player at the Oscars.

Best Picture: No Country For Old Men

Best Actor: Frank Langella for Starting Out in the Evening

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone

Best Director: Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Screenplay: Brad Bird for Ratatouille

Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Documentary: Crazy Love

Best Foreign-Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best New Filmmaker: Ben Affleck for Gone Baby Gone

Best Ensemble Cast: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Best Performances

I continue to be in awe of Marion Cotillard's sublime turn in La Vie en Rose (to give an idea of the extent to which she disappears into this role, the picture on the right shows the actress [top] plus stills from the film of her Edith Piaf as a young girl and older woman). I have little doubt that Cotillard will end up the winner of my coveted "Best Performance of the Year (Male or Female, Lead or Supporting)" award.

When you think about it, the idea of separating acting awards by gender is horribly sexist. Can you imagine the medical industry giving out a 'Best Female Neurosurgeon' award? And why do they always save the "best" for last by giving out Best Actor after Best Actress, just as they always give out Best Drama after Best Comedy at the Golden Globes? I'm all for honoring as many performers as possible, but why use gender as the divider?

So in that spirit, I started singling out one actor each year in 1999. Here are my choices since then, chronologically.

1999: Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry)

Swank's gut-wrenching performance as Brandon Teena was so good it prompted me to create this award. She believably pulled off the woman-posing-as-a-man thing, but the real power came in the combination of thrilling freedom and overwhelming helplessness she conveyed. Incidentally, five of the eight performances I'm listing here were nominated for Oscars — this is the only one that won.

2000: Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count On Me)

One of those performances that rarely gets recognized amid actors playing the famous or the infirm (or both, as in the case of Jamie Foxx in Ray). Ruffalo played a guy... just a guy. A guy with problems who means well but can't quite bring himself to do the right thing. There isn't a moment in this film where I didn't completely believe Ruffalo was Terry Prescott, and I didn't want to stop watching him.

2001: Naomi Watts (Mulholland Dr.)

I can't say enough about how good Naomi Watts is in this David Lynch mind-bender. She starts out in the Nancy Drew mold, a bright-eyed ingenue trying to make her mark in Hollywood who gets embroiled in a mystery. By the end of the film, she is playing something else altogether (I'm being vague to avoid spoilers). Often actors are praised for being unrecognizable from one film to another — here, Watts pulls that off from one scene to another. Extra credit for pulling off one of the most passionate love scenes I've ever seen. And double extra credit for that scene being with another woman.

2002: Daniel Day Lewis (Gangs of New York)

This is a rare case where a performance is so good it actually makes the movie itself worse. To clarify: Daniel Day Lewis' Bill Cutting is so chillingly larger than life that Leonardo DiCaprio's softie is never close to his match. We're building up to a showdown between a lion and a mouse. But that's no knock on Day Lewis, who emerges from the woodwork every few years to deliver one of these unforgettable chameleonic performances. Word is he's done it again in There Will Be Blood.

2003: Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl)

The only performance on this list that is now immortalized in a theme park ride. Four years and a billion dollars later, the story has become show biz legend — Depp shows up with his idea to play Captain Jack Sparrow as a fey take on Keith Richards and the Disney brass reluctantly give him the OK. Smart move. Sparrow is one of the few characters in recent years who will go down as a cinematic icon.

2004: Gael Garcia Bernal (Bad Education)

Bernal must have a great agent — he picks one winner after another. Of the six films I've seen him in since 2000, four have made my top ten lists (three in the top five). His performance in Bad Education is his best yet. He plays a young man trying to con his way into a movie, and also a haunted transvestite in scenes from that movie. As the homme fatale in this gay noir, he's a wonderful mix of charm and danger.

2005: Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)

In a year that gave us Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote, Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar and Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, it's pretty amazing that my award wound up going to a Memphis pimp. I knew from the opening scene that Terrence Howard had knocked this one out of the park. He nailed the speech patterns and mannerisms of this wannabe rap star, but the true magic of his performance is how he sells the theme of redemption — especially in a powerful moment where tears stream down Djay's face as he listens to a gospel choir.

2006: Penelope Cruz (Volver)

Here's the second Almodovar movie on this list — a testament to the peerless auteur's magical touch with actors. I have never been a big fan of Cruz's, probably because I had only seen her English-language films. Small parts in two other Almodovar films caught my attention, but nothing prepared me for her work in Volver. This is a performance worthy of Hollywood's golden era. Her huge, expressive eyes (not to mention her huge, expressive chest) sell every tragicomic moment in this very funny, very sad film.

This looks funny

Be Kind Rewind, the latest from Michel Gondry, starring Mos Def and Jack Black:

National Board of Review awards

The National Board of Review is known for basically one thing... announcing its year-end awards before every other critic organization. They are the Iowa of the movie award season.

Here are their choices for 2007:

Best Film:
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Best Director
TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd

Best Actor
GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton

Best Actress
JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her

Best Supporting Actor
CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Best Supporting Actress
AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone

Best Foreign Film
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

Best Documentary
BODY OF WAR

Best Animated Feature
RATATOUILLE

Best Ensemble Cast
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Breakthrough Performance by an Actor
EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild

Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
ELLEN PAGE, Juno

Best Directorial Debut
BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone

Best Original Screenplay (tie)
DIABLO CODY, Juno and NANCY OLIVER, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Adapted Screenplay
JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men

Top Ten Films
(In alphabetical order)
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
ATONEMENT
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE BUCKET LIST
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
THE KITE RUNNER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
SWEENEY TODD

Top Five Foreign Films:
(In alphabetical order)
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS
THE BAND’S VISIT
THE COUNTERFEITERS
LA VIE EN ROSE
LUST, CAUTION

Top Five Documentary Films
(In alphabetical order)
DARFUR NOW
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOON
NANKING
TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE
TOOTS

Top Independent Films
(In alphabetical order)
AWAY FROM HER
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND
HONEYDRIPPER
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
A MIGHT HEART
THE NAMESAKE
ONCE
THE SAVAGES
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
WAITRESS

Career Achievement
MICHAEL DOUGLAS

William K. Everson Film History Award
ROBERT OSBORNE

Career Achievement in Cinematography
ROGER DEAKINS

The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression
THE GREAT DEBATERS and PERSEPOLIS

A new beginning

So it's December and I'm a month away from a blog called Clay's 2007 Movies being hopelessly out-of-date. My readership — numbering in the ones and spanning the globe from South Florida to Vermont — deserves better.

Initially, I considered starting up a new blog for Clay's 2008 Movies and continuing that pattern indefinitely. But then I realized that it isn't just the year in the title that limits the blog — the "movies" part does as well. I have posted on television and music, and I would like to explore those arenas more going forward.

So I hereby launch Meet Me in Montauk, a blog for musings on movies, television and music (as well as anything else I deem worthy). I will continue to blog on every film I see in theaters or on DVD, but I will post more often on the rest.

The title comes from my favorite movie of the past decade (and a candidate for my favorite movie ever): Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I chose it because I needed something quick, I liked the alliteration and because of what it represents in the film — a whispered memory, something that dances in the back of your mind and tries to manifest itself as action. That's kind of how I've felt about my aborted attempts at screenwriting and other creative pursuits, and perhaps this blog can serve as an outlet for those ideas. I look forward to it.

Talk to Me

Date: December 4
Location: Clifton Living Room

The biggest surprise in this biopic about famed DJ Petey Green is that it's not really a biopic about famed DJ Petey Green. It's a story about a friendship between two very different men and how it helped each of them navigate and shape a very turbulent time in American history. Don Cheadle (as always) delivers an excellent performance as the brash, vulgar Green but for my money, the real star of the show is Chiwetel Ejiofor. He has the "Tom Cruise in Rain Man" role here — the straight man playing off a very showy partner — but he anchors the movie's heart and soul. Ejiofor is one of the most gifted actors working today but he has yet to land a true lead part. With Talk to Me, it's nice to see him finally get a role that's as big as his talent.

Dan in Real Life

Date: December 1
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Alex and I cashed in a free Moviewatcher ticket and chose this sweet, though flawed, romantic comedy. The film rests on the shoulders of Steve Carell, and he delivers big time. In a performace much closer to his Little Miss Sunshine sad-sack than The Office's Michael Scott, Carell delivers both the laughs and the heartache. As with La Vie en Rose, the film itself doesn't live up to its lead performance — plot contrivances and movie-quirky situations weigh things down. But this is a hard movie to criticize... it makes you laugh and pulls your heart strings (and even features a nice little Elvis Costello cover). Just fine for a free movie on date night.