9

This is the trailer for the upcoming animated film "9," directed by Shane Acker and produced by Tim Burton. Oh, and the movie has an all-star cast including Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, Academy Award winner Martin Landau, and many more. I know that we're already predicting that Pixar's "Up" is next years front-runner for Best Animated Feature, but looking at "Ponyo On A Cliff," "Coraline," and now "9," all I have to say it...woah, next years looks to be a very interesting year for animation.

Vote For Best Picture

Thanks to Awards Daily for pointing this out, but it appears some internet wiz has created a voting ballot for internet users who would like to compare how audiences would vote for Oscars if they had the chance. Here's the story:

Vote like a member of the Academy. Click here to select your personal preferences for nominees in the top six categories.

Note: If the link doesn’t work, make sure you’ve turned off your pop-up blocker since the ballot will appear as a pop-up window.

I have to admit that this thing has me intrigued. I've already filled out my ballot, though I'm not going to tell you how I voted. This is a great idea though. People always say that if they were voting they would vote differently, and with the actual nominations a few weeks away, this will be a great way to compare notes. I do ask that people who vote not vote on how they think the Academy would vote. This is your personal list, and if you want to vote for "Iron Man" in the number one slot, then go ahead and do it because, gosh darn it, it's YOUR favorite film this year! Also, tempting as it may be, if anyone from Dark Campaign is reading this, PLEASE don't vote for "The Dark Knight" in every category as part of your campaign! Just because you think it's the best film of the year does NOT mean Christian Bale deserves a nomination for Best Actor! Of course, if you want to share how you voted in the comments box feel free to, just remember: Your voting on your own personal feelings, not predictions or FYC campaigns.

Oh, And About That Poster...

...while I do like the creepy looking "reversed text" posters for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," I'm also pretty impressed with this poster...

...and I'm sort of saddened that the studio hasn't really been circulating it much as the others. It's got a shot, and if you've seen the movie you'll understand just what that quote truly means. That in itself makes the poster that much more powerful.

Benjamin Does Great At Box Office

In a world where box office is having more of an effect on the Oscars, and where a good box office run can help your film in the voting, it should be noted that since opening David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has garnered a cool $43,726,913 to date, a respectable figure that is likely to grow as word-of-mouth spreads during this crucial winter break period. So for what my moneys worth, I'm saying Benjamin is in.

Chicago Critics Awards

Okay, I know I'm about a week late in reporting this, but remember how I mentioned that the Chicago Critics Association Awards could give a big boost to "The Dark Knight" and "Wall-E" if either film were to win the top prize? Well, on the 18th they gave out their awards, and "Wall-E" has emerged the winner by winning four major awards, the most won by any single movie on this list. Not only that, but it won the top prize itself, Best Picture (along with Best Original Screenplay, Best Score, and Best Animated Feature Film). This is huge news, and this certainly gives "Wall-E" a boost it needs to get a nomination in the top five come Oscar time. Interestingly enough, the Best Director prize went to Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire," and I'm starting to feel that Boyle will win this Oscar regardless who wins Best Picture at this point. Here's a list of the complete winners:

2008 CFCA AWARD WINNERS

BEST PICTURE: WALL-E

BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet - The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: WALL-E (Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Slumdog Millionaire (Simon Beaufoy)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Let the Right One In

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Man On Wire

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: WALL-E

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Dark Knight (Wally Pfister)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: WALL-E (Thomas Newman)

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

MOST PROMISING DIRECTOR: Tomas Alfredson - Let the Right One In

Will Clint Sing His Way To Another Oscar?

Clint Eastwood is an Oscar darling. He's directed two Best Picture winners ("Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby"), he's been nominated for several other films. He's also an acclaimed actor, writer, and producer. Like a fine wine he gets better with age. One thing he is not known for though is his musical talents. On top of writing, directing, producing, and (sometimes) acting in his films, he usually writes the music for his movies. His scores aren't always as good as scores that come from dedicated composers, but, hey, it's still one more talent he can add his name to. Though Clint's son, Kyle, has written the score for his latest movie, "Gran Torino," Clint himself wrote the title song for the album.

And what a beautiful song it is.

Right now, with all the Oscars Clint has, people are dubious on whether or not the Academy would give him another one (especially during a year of high competition). Well, I'm skeptical about him getting another Best Director award, but if he gets the multiple nominations I think he will, then the easiest way to honor that achievement (and not hurt too many peoples feelings) to give him an Oscar for this slow, moving, and haunting song. We'll first have to see if it even gets nominated, but I'm feeling pretty confident about this one.

Ebert Oscar Roundup

Just to get this out of the way; no, Ebert has not posted his yearly look at the Oscars. That won't start until the nominations are announced. What he has done is written some reviews for Oscar potential films. He gives "Valkyrie," Tom Cruises big "comeback" three stars. Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" gets a healthy three and a half stars. The much mangled (but Globe nominated) "The Reader" gets three and a half stars. "The Wrestler," Mickey Rourkes big comeback, gets the full four stars. And "The Curious Case of Benjiman Button," one of this years front-runners gets...two and a half stars? Wow, I have to say I didn't see that coming. I won't quote the whole review here, but here's a particularly savage excert from his review:

The movie's premise devalues any relationship, makes futile any friendship or romance, and spits, not into the face of destiny, but backward into the maw of time.

Rarely is a two and a half star review shredded so badly. His review for the latest Adam Sandler movie is kinder (and "Marley & Me," the movie about the dog, gets a passing grade with three stars). Ebert's been wrong on Oscar movies before (he gave bad reviews to "Unforgiven" and "Gladiator"), but it is nice to see a high profile critic dislike a movie that's been so widely praised before release. I doubt this will hurt Benjiman's Oscar chances, but it sure is interesting none-the-less.

P.S. On a side note, my fears about Frank Miller's adaptation of "The Spirit" might be warrented; Ebert gave it one measly star.

Voyage To Set Sail?

I was going to post my review of "Slumdog Millionaire," but I read something to today that pretty much soured my mood to write it. THR.com is reporting that Disney has opted not to make the third Narnia movie "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." They state this is because of "budgetary and logical reasons," but that's only half the explanation. I know this is an expensive film to make, and I know that the last film didn't do as well, but they should have given it one more shot. For starters, I'm pretty sure they could have shaved the budget down to $140 if they filmed a majority of it without CGI (would not have been that difficult this time around). Then, if they released the movie during Christmas as opposed to Spring, they'd have gotten more families to see it. Thanks a lot Disney, this is THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!!! Oh well, here's hoping Fox or some other company picks up the franchise. I'd hate to see it die before we got to the seventh film in the series. I will say though, if someone else DOES pick up the rest of the movies, then maybe they'll treat the series with respect, something Disney did not (they picked it up basically because they missed the boat on Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings).

A Few Thoughts On Gus Van Sant

Gus Van Sant is one weird director. It seems like only he would make an Oscar nominated film like "Good Will Hunting," and then use his new found fame to do a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" (shot by shot mind you). Since then he's made lots of films, mostly art house films that audiences just didn't connect to (his turn at directing "Gerry" alianated many people). When I heard of "Milk" earlier this year I felt it would have Oscar written all over it. I was right, though the film wasn't quite the masterpiece I was expecting. What surprised me most was how subdued it felt for a Van Sant film. With the exception of a few choice shots, most of the direction was very straight-forward and predictable. Anyone could have made this film, which is not something I usually get when watching a movie from him. I left it on the Oscar list though, simply for a lack of better films to list.

Well, all that's changed now. More movies have been released. "Milk" seems to be losing it's grip on the "lock" it had for an Oscar. Worst of all, Van Sant has been outdirected by Ron Howard, Mike Leigh, Steven Soderberg, Danny Boyle, etc, etc...you get the point. This basically means his shot at Best Director is looking more slim. So while I'm not going to remove "Milk" from the BP lineup yet, I'm going to remove Van Sant from Best Director. I think his direction is fairly weak, and the actors make most of the movie work anyway.

The Good, The Bad, & The Confusing (SAG 2008)

The Good

Richard Jenkins and Robert Downey Jr. scored Best Actor and Supporting Actor nods for their great work in "The Visitor" and "Tropic Thunder." "The Dark Knight" gets more then one nomination. Penelope Cruz is riding her way to a locked Oscar win.

The Bad

"The Dark Knight" is snubbed in the Best Ensemble Cast category (though it did get nominated in the Stunt Ensemble category). Rosemary Dewitt gets snubbed for "Rachael Getting Married." "Doubt" leads the nominations (though the acting is great, the movie is not, so hopefully the Academy will take that into consideration when looking at these noms). Sally Hawkins is robbed of a nomination. What? Don't the members of SAG like to laugh?

The Confusing

Basically, I don't get the whole "Slumdog Millionaire" nominations. For starters, that Best Ensemble nomination is very stupid. There are many films beyond "The Dark Knight" that have better ensembles that that movie ("Burn After Reading," "Tropic Thunder," even the virtually unseen "Mrs. Petigrew Lives For A Day"). Then, to add more confusion to the situation, Dev Patel was nominated in the Best Supporting Category, even though he's pretty much the main character. Look, I know people in Hollywood love this film, but even if they want this film to be godfather to their children they shouldn't be nominating it for things just to nominate it. Frankly, I think 'Slumdog,' good as it was, had no place being nominated here (though I wouldn't rule it out for Oscars).

Screen Actors Guild Nominees

From their official website, here are the SAG nominees:

Full List from SAG’s site:
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
RICHARD JENKINS / Walter Vale - “THE VISITOR” (Overture Films)
FRANK LANGELLA / Richard Nixon - “FROST/NIXON” (Universal Pictures)
SEAN PENN / Harvey Milk - “MILK” (Focus Features)
BRAD PITT / Benjamin Button - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
MICKEY ROURKE / Randy - “THE WRESTLER” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
ANNE HATHAWAY / Kym - “RACHEL GETTING MARRIED” (Sony Pictures Classics)
ANGELINA JOLIE / Christine Collins - “CHANGELING” (Universal Pictures)
MELISSA LEO / Ray Eddy - “FROZEN RIVER” (Sony Pictures Classics)
MERYL STREEP / Sister Aloysius Beauvier - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
KATE WINSLET / April Wheeler - “REVOLUTIONARY ROAD” (Paramount Vantage)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JOSH BROLIN / Dan White - “MILK” (Focus Features)
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. / Kirk Lazarus - “TROPIC THUNDER” (Paramount Pictures)
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN / Father Brendan Flynn - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
HEATH LEDGER / Joker - “THE DARK KNIGHT” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DEV PATEL / Older Jamal - “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
AMY ADAMS / Sister James - “DOUBT” (Miramax Flms)
PENÉLOPE CRUZ / Maria Elena - “VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA” (The Weinstein Company)
VIOLA DAVIS / Mrs. Miller - “DOUBT” (Miramax Films)
TARAJI P. HENSON / Queenie - “THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON” (Paramount Pictures)
KATE WINSLET / Hanna Schmitz - “THE READER” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
DOUBT (Miramax)
FROST/NIXON (Universal Pictures)
MILK (Focus Features)
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (Paramount Pictures)

TV and nomination count after the cut (can I just say that I hate the all-caps thing?)

PRIMETIME TELEVISION


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
RALPH FIENNES / Bernard Lafferty - “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / John Adams - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
KEVIN SPACEY / Ron Klain - “RECOUNT” (HBO)
KIEFER SUTHERLAND / Jack Bauer - “24: REDEMPTION” (FOX)
TOM WILKINSON / Benjamin Franklin - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURA DERN / Katherine Harris - “RECOUNT” (HBO)
LAURA LINNEY / Abigail Adams - “JOHN ADAMS” (HBO)
SHIRLEY MacLAINE / Coco Chanel - “COCO CHANEL” (Lifetime)
PHYLICIA RASHAD / Lena Younger - “A RAISIN IN THE SUN” (Lifetime)
SUSAN SARANDON / Doris Duke - “BERNARD AND DORIS” (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - “DEXTER” (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper - “MAD MEN” (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Gregory House - “HOUSE” (FOX)
WILLIAM SHATNER / Denny Crane - “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore - “BOSTON LEGAL” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker - “BROTHERS & SISTERS” (ABC)
MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson - “LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT” (NBC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko - “SAVING GRACE” (TNT)
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson - “MAD MEN” (AMC)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson - “THE CLOSER” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - “THE OFFICE” (NBC)
DAVID DUCHOVNY / Hank Moody - “CALIFORNICATION” (Showtime)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold - “ENTOURAGE” (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk - “MONK” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly - “SAMANTHA WHO?” (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez - “UGLY BETTY” (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin - “WEEDS” (Showtime)
TRACEY ULLMAN / Various Characters - “TRACEY ULLMAN’S STATE OF THE UNION” (Showtime)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
DEXTER (Showtime)
HOUSE (Fox)
MAD MEN (AMC)
THE CLOSER (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
THE OFFICE (NBC)
WEEDS (Showtime)

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
THE DARK KNIGHT (Warner Bros. Pictures)
HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (Universal Pictures)
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (Paramount Pictures)
IRON MAN (Paramount Pictures)
WANTED (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC)
HEROES (NBC)
PRISON BREAK (FOX)
THE UNIT (CBS)
THE CLOSER (TNT)


LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Screen Actors Guild Awards 45th Annual Life Achievement Award
James Earl Jones

14th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS®
NOMINATIONS FACT SHEET
ACTORS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS - THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES AND PRIMETIME TELEVISION
TARAJI P. HENSON (3)
FEMALE SUPPORT – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
CAST – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “Boston Legal”

ACTORS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS - THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
AMY ADAMS (2)
FEMALE SUPPORT – “Doubt”
CAST – “Doubt”

JOSH BROLIN (2)
MALE SUPPORT – “Milk”
CAST – “Milk”

VIOLA DAVIS (2)
FEMALE SUPPORT – “Doubt”
CAST – “Doubt”

PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (2)
MALE SUPPORT – “Doubt”
CAST – “Doubt”

FRANK LANGELLA (2)
MALE LEAD – “Frost/Nixon”
CAST – “Frost/Nixon”

DEV PATEL (2)
MALE SUPPORT – “Slumdog Millionaire”
CAST – “Slumdog Millionaire”

SEAN PENN (2)
MALE LEAD – “MILK”
CAST – “MILK”

BRAD PITT (2)
MALE LEAD – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
CAST – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

MERYL STREEP (2)
FEMALE LEAD – “Doubt”
CAST – “Doubt”

KATE WINSLET (2)
FEMALE LEAD – “Revolutionary Road”
FEMALE SUPPORT – “The Reader

ACTORS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS - PRIMETIME TELEVISION
ALEC BALDWIN (2)
MALE COMEDY – “30 Rock”
ENSEMBLE COMEDY – “30 Rock”

STEVE CARELL (2)
MALE COMEDY – “The Office”
ENSEMBLE COMEDY – “The Office”

TINA FEY (2)
FEMALE COMEDY – “30 Rock”
ENSEMBLE COMEDY – “30 Rock”

MICHAEL C. HALL (2)
MALE DRAMA – “Dexter”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “Dexter”

JON HAMM (2)
MALE DRAMA – “Mad Men”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “Mad Men”

HUGH LAURIE (2)
MALE DRAMA – “House”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “House”

MARY LOUISE-PARKER (2)
FEMALE COMEDY – “Weeds”
ENSEMBLE COMEDY – “Weeds”

ELISABETH MOSS (2)
FEMALE DRAMA – “Mad Men”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “Mad Men”

JEREMY PIVEN (2)
MALE COMEDY – “Entourage”
ENSEMBLE COMEDY – “Entourage”

KYRA SEDGWICK (2)
FEMALE DRAMA – “The Closer”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “The Closer”

WILLIAM SHATNER (2)
MALE DRAMA – “Boston Legal”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “Boston Legal”

JAMES SPADER (2)
MALE DRAMA – “Boston Legal”
ENSEMBLE DRAMA – “Boston Legal”

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS
DOUBT - 5
MILK – 3
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON - 3
THE DARK KNIGHT - 2
FROST/NIXON - 2
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - 2

PRIMETIME TELEVISION PROGRAMS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS
30 ROCK - 3
JOHN ADAMS - 3
MAD MEN- 3
THE CLOSER - 3
BERNARD AND DORIS - 2
DEXTER - 2
ENTOURAGE - 2
HOUSE - 2
RECOUNT – 2
THE OFFICE - 2
WEEDS - 2

NOMINATIONS BY STUDIO FOR THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
PARAMOUNT PICTURES - 6
MIRAMAX FILMS - 5
UNIVERSAL PICTURES – 5
FOCUS FEATURES - 3
FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES - 3
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS - 2
WARNER BROS. PICTURES - 2
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY - 2
OVERTURE FILMS - 1
PARAMOUNT VANTAGE – 1

NOMINATIONS BY NETWORK FOR PRIMETIME TELEVISION
HBO - 9
NBC - 8
ABC - 7
SHOWTIME - 6
FOX - 4
TNT - 4
AMC - 3
LIFETIME - 2
CBS - 1
USA – 1

So "Doubt" is picking up some steam in the acting categories is it? Well, that should help it's Oscar chances (though I still doubt it's going to wind up in the final five for Best Picture). I'm sorry to see "The Dark Knight" get snubbed for Best Ensemble, but it's not out of the race yet (more on that later). I'm just giddy to see Robert Downey Jr. nominated for "Tropic Thunder." Maybe this weird, blackface role will be nominated come Oscar time? I'll write about the The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Confused later on.

Hawkins Charming Her Way To Oscars

So far we've had several actors we just know will be front-runners to win an Oscar: Heath Ledger, Sean Penn, Frank Langella, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and so forth. So far though, while some of these actors are favorites to win, most are just favorites to be nominated. Right now though I'd like to list Sally Hawkins as the favorite to win the Best Actress award for her performance in Mike Leighs "Happy-Go-Lucky." The funny thing is, Hawkins performance isn't one you normally think of when you think Oscar. Unlike most Oscar winning performances that are moody, tearful, and overly dramatic, Hawkins character is chirpy, loving, and funny. She makes this movie (which seems like it should be stupid) what it is, and she sucks us in by being as optimistic as posible.

In a year where we have cartoon robots, superheros, and posthumous wins, I think it's about time we seriously consider the possability of a comedic performance being honored in a category where it's so rarely done. While people claim that this is a boring year for Oscars, seeing as how many of the Oscar hopefuls are disapointing (which in turn makes preditions rather...predictable), I feel this is a very exciting Oscar year. I think this is the year where we're going to see a lot of rules get broken, both in nominations and actual wins. January 22nd can't come fast enough.

"Frost/Nixon" Review

Title: Frost/Nixon
Director: Ron Howard
Staring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Studio: Universal Pictures
Genre(s): Drama
Rated: R (For some language)


On August 9th, 1974 history was made in the political system. That was day President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) resigned, and became the first president to resign from the presidency. He was succeeded by President John Ford, who pardoned Nixon on all charges of the Watergate scandal. As if the country hadn’t lost enough faith in the government, this act of pardon insured that Nixon would never stand trial for his crimes. Once pardoned he spent his days on his retirement beach in California, writing his memoir and doing fund-raising speeches for some extra money. Yet he was unhappy, still haunted by what his image had become, and how people seemed to ignore all the good things he’d done.

As we see in Ron Howard’s new film, “Frost/Nixon,” he would get his chance to try and clear the record when a TV talk show host named David Frost (Michael Sheen) would offer him half a million dollars to do a weeks worth of sit-down interviews. Though skeptical of the host who’s had several canceled shows, Nixon felt this would be easy work. Instead it turned into the trial Nixon never got from the courts, and what viewers were treated to was a one-on-one verbal duel on camera. Not that Frost was much of a political thinker. He proposed the situation to try and save his career more then to try and bring peace to the American public. The only reason he even approached the controversial subjects was because his sponsors, a couple of radical liberals, wouldn’t sponsor the show otherwise.

It was lucky for us things went down this way, and the American public for once got a sense of the true Richard Nixon. This is the key reason this movie works so well: Because Nixon is a sympathetic human in this film. History has taught us that Nixon was a terrible man, driven by greed and power. Chances are he was, but he was also human, and that many people tend to forget. We see that in this film. He’s not a completely sympathetic character, but we see that, even at his worst, he had America’s best interests at heart. Watching Langella play Nixon is like watching a man who’s morals are eating him up on the inside. He seems to lie so hard because he knows, more then anyone else, that he was wrong.

This is just the icing on the cake though, and all that happens in the middle of the movie is also great stuff. Frost gets lots of sympathy for backing such a risky project in the first place. When networks refuse to pick it up and sponsors leave the project, Frost finds all his shows canceled and funding the interviewing sessions himself. When the interviews do start the dialog is smart, fast, and tense. This is a text-book example of how to write good dialog and make it interesting, even when there is nothing else going in the film (the movie is, what the old-timers would call, a “talkie”). Ron Howard has been making some very miss films lately. After “The Da Vinci Code” I was ready to write him off.

Now we have “Frost/Nixon,” his best movie since “A Beautiful Mind,” and my personal favorite of his behind “Apollo 13.” While the movie revels it’s stage roots it’s never boring nor does it feel contrived. I know that some of the facts are stretched with a bit, and the Watergate interview is taped on the final day in this film when it was really filmed on the third day, but these are minor problems I can live with. Only a good director, with a good screenplay, with compelling actors can make a movie like this work. And when all the above are great, you’ve got something special.

Grade: **** and a half stars

Chicago Gives 'Knight' & 'Robot' Boost

It's been an interesting year for critics. Most of the time critics are spending the holidays making their top ten lists and giving out awards. They are still doing this, but unlike the last several years where indie and obscure films have been topping the lists, the critics are once again embraced Hollywood once more. Oh sure they are still promoting small films like "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire," but when the Chicago Critics announced their nominees for their set of awards, the two movies that topped the nominees have turned out to be "Wall-E" and "The Dark Knight." Andrew Stanton is even up for Best Director. I firmly believe one of these two films will win the top prize, and whoever wins it will likely get a bigger boost in the Oscars.

If "The Dark Knight" wins then it should solidify it as a serious Oscar contender. Should "Wall-E" win it will be one more step to being a surprise nomination come January 22nd. The winners from the Chicago Critics will be announced on December 18th, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results soon. Oh yeah, and as an added bonus Richard Roeper will be one of the presenters. Could this be the place where he also announces the new show he's been working on? We can only hope. Here is the full list of nominees:

BEST PICTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL*E

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle–Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan–The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton–WALL*E
Gus Van Sant–Milk

BEST ACTOR

Clint Eastwood–Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins–The Visitor
Frank Langella–Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn–Milk
Mickey Rourke–The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway–Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins–Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie–Changeling
Melissa Leo–Frozen River
Meryl Streep–Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Downey Jr.–Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman–Doubt
Bill Irwin–Rachel Getting Married
Heath Ledger–The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon–Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams–Doubt
Penelope Cruz–Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis–Doubt
Rosemarie Dewitt–Rachel Getting Married
Kate Winslet–The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

In Bruges–Martin McDonagh
Milk–Dustin Lance Black
Rachel Getting Married–Jenny Lumet
Synecdoche, N.Y. –Charlie Kaufman
WALL*E–Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Eric Roth
The Dark Knight–Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Doubt–John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon–Peter Morgan
Slumdog Millionaire–Simon Beaufoy

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

The Band’s Visit
Che
A Christmas Tale
I’ve Loved You For So Long
Let the Right One In

BEST DOCUMENTARY

American Teen
Dear Zachary
IOUSA
Man On Wire
Standard Operating Procedure

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt
Kung-Fu Panda
Tale of Desperaux
WALL*E
Waltz with Bashir

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Australia–Mandy Walker
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight–Wally Pfister
The Fall–Colin Watkinson
Slumdog Millionaire–Anthony Dod Mantle

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight–Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard
Milk–Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire–A.R. Rahman
WALL*E–Thomas Newman

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER

Russell Brand–Forgetting Sarah Marshall
David Kross–The Reader
Lina Leandersson–Let the Right One In
Dev Patel–Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters–Australia

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER

Tomas Alfredson–Let the Right One In
Lance Hammer–Ballast
Courtney Hunt–Frozen River
Martin McDonagh–In Bruges
Steve McQueen–Hunger

The Dark Compaign Strikes Again...

...with another clever Oscar poster. I swear, between the ads of the fans and the clever Oscar campaign from Warner Bros, "The Dark Knight" not getting nominated would be a total shock at this point. And yeah, the movie deserves to be nominated for it's quality, not it's campaign. But you can't deny that not since "Shakespear In Love" have we seen such an ambitious Oscar campaign.

Boston Film Critics Awards

And now the Boston Film Critics have given out their choices and awards. They are:

Best Picture: WALL•E and Slumdog Millionaire (tie)
Best Actor: Sean Penn for Milk and Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (tie)
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Director: Gus Van Sant for Milk and Paranoid Park
Best Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black for Milk
Best Cinematography: Christopher Doyle and Rain Kathy Li for Paranoid Park
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best Foreign-Language Film: Let the Right One In
Best Animated Film: WALL•E
Best Film Editing: Chris Dickens for Slumdog Millionaire
Best New Filmmaker: Martin McDonagh for In Bruges
Best Ensemble Cast: Tropic Thunder

Wow, "Wall-E" is working some magic. Something tells me the final five could be:

Slumdog Millionaire
The Dark Knight
The Curious Case of Benjaman Button
Milk
Wall-e

So where does that leave "Frost/Nixon?" This keeps getting more and more interesting (and it's making that sting from the Golden Globes seem like no big deal now).

New York Film Critics Awards

And the winners of the New York Film Critics Awards are:

• Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”
• Director: Danny Boyle w/ Loveleen Tandan - “Slumdog Millionaire”
• Actor: Sean Penn - “Milk”
• Actress: Sally Hawkins - “Happy-Go-Lucky”
• Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - “The Dark Knight”
• Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz - “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
• Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle
• Screenplay: “Slumdog Millionaire” - Simon Beaufoy
• Foreign Picture: “4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days”
• Documentary: “Man on Wire”
• Animated Feature: “Wall-E”
• Score: Slumdog Millionaire - “A.R. Rahman”
• Breakout Performance: Sally Hawkins - “Happy-Go-Lucky”
• Debut As Director: Martin McDonagh - “In Bruges”
• Ensemble Performance: Milk”
• 10 Best Pictures (alphabetical)

“Che”
“A Christmas Tale”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“Milk”
“Rachel Getting Married”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“Wall-E”
“The Wrestler”

More love for Slumdog. Will be seeing it later tonight.

An Unrelated Post

This is the first time I've used this blog to post a non-movie post, but I feel I have to now. If you don't care about non-movie stuff feel free to skip this. I hate eBay. I used to love them, been selling on them for years, but that love affair has come to an end. I recently went to Japan. Now I sold some stuff on eBay before I went, with a warning that if payment wasn't received by a certain time the item would not be shipped until after I got back. Some people missed the deadline and complained. I shipped the stuff when I got back, but the sellers rated the shipping time with either a three or two star grade. They are within their right to do that, but what they don't know is that by doing so they have tied my hands.

I can now no longer sell on eBay.

At least, not for the time being. This is a blow to me as I make extra income during Christmas time, and now I can't make it. Keep in mind, my account is not terrible. Over the last six months I have over 100 positive feedbacks, two neutrals, and one negative. Obviously I'm a good seller. Plus my communication, price, shipping costs, and all those other things are in top notch. But I don't get to sell because of my shipping grade. How high do I need to be to have a good shipping grade? 4.3. eBay considers 4.0 to be good. I have 3.8. The most I can get is 5.0. I'm not sure who did this math, but it seems like I have to walk on water to keep these scores high, and even then I might always be in fear of not reaching the goal.

This, on top of all the other bad changes eBay's been making. Not being able to leave negative feedback for buyers. Forcing me to have a flat shipping rate for items (and limiting what that rate can be for some). And on top of that they raised their fees yet are giving me less service. I don't know what to do. Chances are, when I can sell again, I'll do one last auction day to sell off some stuff I intended to sell anyway, but then that's it. I'm joining the boycott and you should too. Here is a video to watch. It's a bit old and the guy has done many like it since, but I think this one highlights many of the problems with eBay, and why they deserve to be ignored until they change their practices.

Holy Cow! I Didn't See THAT Coming!

It's official: The Academy has just announced that Hugh Jackman will be hosting the 81st Annual Academy Awards telecast. This, I must say, shocked me. Normally the Academy has been very upfront about who's hosting the Oscars. Normally we know who's hosting the awards before we even talk about which films will be up for nominations. Not this time. The Academy said they were going to try something new for the Oscars, and they hoped to bring in someone who would bring something fresh to the table. I'd say this is fresh. Though I'm shocked by this announcement, I have to say I'm very interested in how this turns out. I wonder if this is going to be a conflict of interest if he gets nominated for "Australia." Nah, probably not; "Australia" is heading for obscurity pretty darn fast. Here's what the Academy had to say about the choice:

“Hugh Jackman is a consummate entertainer and an internationally renowned movie star,” said Mark and Condon in a joint statement. “He also has style, elegance and a sense of occasion. Hugh is the ideal choice to host a celebration of the year’s movies – and to have fun doing it.”

You can read the read here.

Some Fun RT Numbers

I thought it would be interesting to see where, critically, the nominated Globe films stand on Rotten Tomatoes.com:

The Reader: 59% (Rotten: Based off 44 reviews)
The Curious Case of Benjiman Button: 90% (Fresh: Based off 10 reviews)
Revolutionary Road:100% (Fresh: Based off 10 reviews)
Slumdog Millionaire: 92% (Fresh: Based off 118 reviews)
Frost/Nixon: 92% (Fresh: Based off 85 reviews)

Well now, doesn't THAT change things a bit! There are some reveling things in these numbers. First of all, "The Reader" got a "rotten" certification, so chances are pretty good that that won't be nominated for Best Picture come Oscar time. The second is that while four of these films are certified as fresh, only two are legitimately so: "Frost/Nixon" and "Slumdog Millionaire." "Revolutionary Road" and "The Curious Case of Benjiman Button" haven't really been seriously weighed in on, and I don't have high hopes for Road seeing as how it's been snubbed at other critics award shows. This is more proof that the Globes nominate more on campaigns then good film making and critical reception. It will be interesting to see how these numbers morph once these movie open wider (and that includes "Frost/Nixon," which has only opened in two cities thus far).

Oh Yeah...

...just to let you all know, "The Dark Knight" kicked butt in DVD sales. Over 3 million units sold, with over 600,000 of those being BluRay disks. And keep in mind: This was the first DAY! With all the money this film is making, it will be difficult to ignore for ratings reasons alone.

Calm Down People

There has been much speculation over the fate of "Milk" and "The Dark Knight" when it comes to Oscars now that they've been (mostly) snubbed by the Globes. This fear isn't completely warranted, but I understand where it comes from. Since the Globes are considered the "predecessor" of the Oscars, people are afraid these two good films won't get a Best Picture nomination come January 22nd. There's just something we need to remember folks: The Globes and Oscars aren't exactly always on the same page. The Globes gave the "Green Card" the Best Picture award in 1992, and that wasn't exactly an Oscat darling (it only received a nomination for it's screenplay, which it then went on to lose). In fact, the last time the Globes and Oscars agreed on anything was back in 2003, with "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." So yeah, they didn't nominate two of the most loved films of the year, but I'm not too worried.

In fact, contrary to what the Globes suggest, not only do I believe these two films will be nominated, I believe these two films are going to be the big competition. These are the only two movies that have loyal supporters who are willing to go to great lengths to prove to other people that they are great films. These other films, while having good reviews and word-of-mouth, simply don't have the passion behind them that these two have. So while this whole business with the Globes is disappointing, I think we'll have the last laugh when, come Oscar night, these two critical darlings go head-to-head for the top prize.

By The Way...

Happy Birthday to me.

Golden Globe Nominees

So here are the nominees for the Golden Globes:

Best Picture, Drama
Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture Comedy/Musical
Burn After Reading
Happy Go Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, Ben Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

Actor, Drama
Leo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Actress, Drama
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Joie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved you So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. Tropic Tunder
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Actor, Comedy
Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrel, In Bruges
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleason, In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman Last Chance Harvey

Actress, Comedy
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I’ve Loved You So Long
Waltz with Bashir

Animated Feature
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Benjamin Button
Doubt

Score
Benjamin Button
Changeling
Defiance
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon

Song
Down to Earth, Wall-E
Gran Torino
I thought I Lost You, Bolt
Once in a Lifetime, Cadillac Record
The Wrestler, The Wrestler

Interesting set of nominees I'd say. Looks like Benjiman Button and "Doubt" lead the nominees with five nominations each (though "Doubt" does so without a nomination for either Picture or Director). I know we're all surprised to see "The Dark Knight" and "Milk" get mostly shut out, but don't count these films out of the Oscar race. Keep in mind the last time the Globes and Oscars actually awarded the same film Best Picture was in 2003, when "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" walked home with the top prizes. And 2004's Best Picture winner, "Crash," wasn't even nominated at the Globes. Plus they have two picture categories, so sometimes the vote gets split on those movies that fall somewhere in the middle. So in short, don't count Nolan and Van Sant out yet, with the critics and public choice awards going mostly in their favor, I think one of them will have the last laugh come Oscar night.

It IS nice to see both Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. get Best Supporting Actor nods for their work in "Tropic Thunder," and so my prediction that Tom Cruise may get a nomination in this category is looking more likely. Ultimately though the big push is going to come when the Director's Guild and Critics Choice give out their awards. They're the big ones, and they usually award the films that get nominated. So enjoy the Globes, and don't feel too bad about your favorite film not getting a nomination. It ain't over til it's over.

I'm 'Tweeting' These Days

So I'm making this (non-Oscar related) post to let you all know that I've signed up for a Twitter account. So far I haven't found much of a practical use for the service yet, but I figured I'd give it a test run and see how it helps. Once my websites are back up and running maybe it will come in handy. I'll give it til June to be of value. In the meantime, you can visit the site here:

http://twitter.com/KevinTRod

Pete's Top Ten

Peter Travis, film critic of Rolling Stone (and one of the few legit critics working these days), has posted his top ten best films of 2008 list. They are:

1. Milk
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. The Dark Knight
4. Frost/Nixon
5. WALL-E
6. Revolutionary Road
7. The Visitor
8. Doubt
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Man on Wire

Good to see "The Dark Knight" and "Wall•E" up on the list. It's also nice to see someone giving "Rachel Getting Married" some well deserved recognition. And "Milk" gets another number one spot. Is that our next Best Picture winner? I won't be putting my list together until early January, so I'll hold off commenting my opinions for the moment.

Nominees For The 14th Annual Critics Choice Awards Reveled

For your reading pleasure, here are the nominees for the Critics Choice Awards:

BEST PICTURE

Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler

BEST ACTOR

Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Kate Beckinsale - Nothing But the Truth
Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
James Franco - Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Vera Farmiga - Nothing But the Truth
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Kate Winslet - The Reader

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Milk
Rachel Getting Married

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant - Milk

BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)

Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Wall-E
Waltz With Bashir

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)

Dakota Fanning - The Secret Life of Bees
David Kross - The Reader
Dev Petal - Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters - Australia

BEST ACTION MOVIE

The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Quantum of Solace
Wanted

BEST COMEDY MOVIE

Burn After Reading
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Role Models
Tropic Thunder
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

John Adams
Recount
Coco Chanel

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A Christmas Tale
Gomorrah
I’ve Loved You So Long
Let the Right One In
Mongol
Waltz With Bashir

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

I.O.U.S.A.
Man On Wire
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Standard Operating Procedure
Young At Heart

BEST SONG

“Another Way to Die” (performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, written by Jack White) - Quantum of Solace
“Down to Earth” (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman) - Wall-E
“I Thought I Lost You” (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele) - Bolt
“Jaiho” (performed by Sukhwinder Singh, written by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar) - Slumdog Millionaire
“The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen) - The Wrestler

BEST COMPOSER

Alexandre Desp lat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
Danny Elfman - Milk
Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

Right now here are the leaders of the pack:

Milk (Eight Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Actor
Two Best Supporting Actor Nominations
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Director
Best Writer
Best Composer

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Eight Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Director
Best Writer
Best Composer

The Dark Knight (Six Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Director
Best Action Movie
Best Composer

Doubt (Six Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Acting Ensemble
Best Writer

Slumdog Millionaire (Six Nominations)

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Writer
Best Young Actor/Actress
Best Song
Best Composer

So what does this mean for Oscar season? Well, not too much, though we are starting to see a pattern emerge so that we have a slightly better idea of how the Oscar race is turning out. Here are some things we do know:

• "The Dark Knight" is more likely to get a Best Picture nomination if not outright become the favorite to win.
• "Revolutionary Road" may be trouble, based on it's total shut-out here.
• "The Curious Case of Benjiman Button" is looking to be more then just hype.
• "Slumdog Millionaire" could become this years "Little Film That Could" after all.

Other then that though we don't know much. The Golden Globes are going to be announcing their nominees soon, so once those are announced we may or may not have a good idea on how the Oscar noms will go. Remember, anything can happen and nothing is certain. I mean, just take a look at that song list: Miley Cyrus is a CCA nominee. Crickey!

Oscar For "Seven Pounds?"

I got to see a sneak preview of the new Will Smith movie "Seven Pounds" tonight. Now I can't post my full review until the 19th, but I will say I did enjoy the film. Greatly even. Despite it's flaws (and there were some apparent ones) it was a really emotional movie. So is it Oscar worthy? Not really, but I can see it getting two nominations. The first would be Best Actor for Will Smith because...well, because he's Will Smith, and voters love him (as do the Neilson rating). However I think the more likely nomination will actually come for the under-hyped Rosario Dawson, who takes a sympathic character and makes her as likable as she can. She helps bring the emotional core of this movie to full light, and is arguebly more sympathetic then Smith's character is. Plus she's in it for about 90% of the movie, so a Best Actress nomination is more likely then a supporting. It's a long shot, but I would be very happy if Dawson snuck into the nominees at this point.

Dark Knight's Score Is Back In

According to the L.A. Times Hanzs Zimmers and James Newton Howards score for "The Dark Knight" is qualified once again to run in the Oscar race. The Academy likes to have a single vision for the score, much like for directors and screenwriters, but for whatever reason it appears they caved for this score. Why? Well, this is a personal thoery only, but I think the Academy really wants this film to get as many Oscar nominations as possible, which would in turn (hopefully) lead to more eyeballs tuning into the show come March.

"The Wrestler" Trailer

You've likely already seen this, but I just saw it when I saw "Milk." I have to say, the performance in the trailer alone is making me excited.

"Milk" Review

Until I open my movie site again, I've decided to start publishing my reviews here. Hope you don't mind.

Title: Milk
Director: Gus Van Sant
Staring: Sean Penn
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Studio: Focus Features
Genre(s): Drama
Rated: R (For language, some sexual content and brief violence)

Contrary to what you might have been led to believe, Harvey Milk was not one of the most influential politicians who ever lived. He assumed public office in his late forties. He held that position less then a year before he was killed by a fellow politician. Truthfully, if you were to look at the biggest thing he accomplished, it would be that he got people to start picking up their pets droppings in public. Yes, the biggest law he helped get pasted involved poop. So if this was his greatest claim to fame why would Gus Van Sant make a biopic of this man, simply named “Milk.” Well, it’s easy: Because Harvey Milk was an unconventional man who lived an unconventional life. He was the first openly gay man elected to public office.

The fact that he was more politician then activist helped solidify his reputation. Milk (Sean Penn) came from a poor background and didn’t run for public office until late into his life, when local hatred inspired him to change things. He ran a few times unsuccessfully, which cost him his personal life as well as his boyfriend, Scott (James Franco). When he was elected as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors you could hear the celebrated cries from gay men and women throughout the world: Someone who understood them and their problems was finally part of “the machine.” So inspirational is this fact alone that a young gay teenager in a wheelchair even finds the strength to keep on living after contemplating suicide.

So while Milk’s biggest claim to fame may be that he solved the poop problem, as you can see he is legend in San Francisco. This movie will help you understand why. Rather then give us a three-hour biopic though, Van Sant only briefly mentions Milk’s past and only hints at the controversial events after his murder. This is a movie about Milk’s political run, most noticbly his fight to defeat Proposition 6, a bill that, if passed, would discriminate against homosexuals and force them out of teaching positions at schools. Some people may make comparisons to the recent Proposition 8 at this point, but the reality is the laws are two very different things, with very different debates going on between them. Besides, even this topic isn’t delved into too deeply.

The movie is mainly about relationships. Milk’s relationships with men in his life. His relationship to the public. At the core of the movie is his relationship with Dan White (Josh Brolin), a conservative who often clashes with Milk on various subjects, and who would eventually become Milk’s assassin. Their relationship is tense, with enough love/hate emotions going back and forth to make it all the more unsettling. Hopefully a sequel will be made so that the Dan White character can be analyzed some more. For now though, this will have to do. When I told my friends at church I saw this movie they were surprised. They wanted to know why I would go see a movie about people who were so obviously living in sin.

I told them that this was hypocritical. We all obviously live in sin. We don’t try, we just do sometimes. And while the movie had one too many sex scenes for my personal comfort, the theme of giving people hope and inspiration is a story that has worked many times before. It worked in “The Ten Commandments,” it worked in “Schindler’s List,” and it works here. Is it a perfect movie? No. It has too many little problems that add up to make it that. But it is one of the best films of the year, and it’s certainly going to get people talking. Not so much about homosexuality, but about hope, love, and compassion. Ironically enough, even though most churches will boycott this movie, these are many of the key things Jesus himself preached.

Grade: **** stars

Love Narnia's Melody

I know the race for Best Picture is more interesting, but I feel that Regina Spektor's wonderful song from "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" has got a very good shot at winning Best Song. If you haven't heard it yet, then feel free to listen to it now:

"Frost/Nixon" Kicks Butt At The Box Office

"Frost/Nixon" continues to show that it is a contender this Oscar season. First there were great preview reviews. Then the full reviews came in and they were great. Now the film has opened to the public. Granted, it's in limited release, on a mere three screens in the entire country, but it's still making lots of money on those few screens. To be precise, it made around $180,000 this weekend on those three screens. That's average $60,00 per screen, which is more money then "A Beautiful Mind" made on those screens, and this is a good sign that the public will warm up to the film easily when it's released country wide.

'Sunshine' Producers Follow Up With Sunshine

From the studio that brought us "Little Miss Sunshine" comes "Sunshine Cleaning," the film that looks to be next years "Little Film That Could" Oscar nominee. Yeah, I know, I shouldn't be talking about next years nominees when we're getting closer to finding out this years nominees, but watching the trailer gave me the impression that, should it be good, voters are going to love this film. A life dramedy featuring an Oscar nominated (and winning) cast, with lots of dark humor and heart? Sounds like a hit to me. Plus it's got Amy Adams, who is one of the most likable actresses in a long time, which could boost this films chances come next year. It will open in limited release March 19th, 2009, but for now enjoy the trailer:

Join The Dark Campaign

For as long as I've been reviewing movies and talking about Oscars there is something that constantly pops up in conversation: I don't watch the Oscars because they don't matter. Now all that is changing. I'm having more Oscar discussions then I can remember. Thanks to "The Dark Knight," people care about the Oscars again. If this film is nominated the Oscars will really be worth talking about, and if it wins they will be important to the general public once again. This should be reason alone to nominate the film, but the Academy still has many people who don't believe the members will even vote for the film (a concern that is well validated). That's why a group of fans have started Dark Campaign.com, a website by fans encouraging the Academy to vote for this film. If you want to see this wonderful film nominated, then go to the site and see what you can do. In the meantime, a good start would be to e-mail out this viral video they made. It does a pretty good job at advertising this movie as Oscar material, and so it e-mailing to everyone in your address book makes a lot of sense right now:

Australia Pays Tribute To Heath

The Australian Film Institute has decided to award Heath Ledger the Best Actor award for his role as The Joker in "The Dark Knight." On top of that they made this touching tribute to the actor. It was a touching video, though I think it was unfair that they skipped over some of his brilliant comedic performances in "A Knight's Tale" and "Casanova." And while his family made a touching speech, I would prefer Michelle Williams and his daughter join his family when he's award his much deserved Oscar.

Keeping Track of the Numbers

Just for fun, if we were to assume that all of the movies in my Best Picture predictions were to be nominated, this is what their total nominations would be (according to me):

• Changeling: 9
• The Dark Knight: 13
  
• Frost/Nixon: 6
  
• Milk: 9
  
• Rachel Getting Married: 5
• Wall-E: 7

Just thought you'd be interested to know.

Milk's BSA Race

Okay guys, let it be known that I no doubt that a certain dead guy playing a clown is going to win the Best Supporting Actor award at the Oscars. That said, there are three really good supporting performances in "Milk," and I'm starting to wonder which one of the three is going to get the nomination. Will it be Josh Brolin as Dan White, the homophobic conservative who kills Milk. Maybe it will be James Franco who plays Milk's lover. And then there's Emile Hirsch, stealing every scene he's in as the...well, you have to see for yourself. Of course, there's the chance that two of them could get nods, but then who gets left out. If one has to get left out, chances are it will be Hirsch. Or will all three of them get nominations? I'm telling you, this race is worth taking bets on, just for the pure excitement of it. Then there's the (very unlikely) forth option: They all cancel each other out and no one gets nominated. Doubtful, but you never know. So readers who have seen the film it's time to comment on how you think this particular race is going to pan out.