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!