No Love For 'Slumdog' Actors?

In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (the one with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen on the cover), Nina Makhija from Philadelphia wrote a letter asking why a movie that had so many nominations and wins failed to recognize any of the actors in the film. She wonders where Dev Patel was for Best Supporting Actor (Editor's Note: I think he was the lead not supporting role) or Frieda Pinto for Best Supporting Actress (Editor's Note: This one's supporting). Now EW writer Dave Karger did give her a partial answer and said that, yes, there have been movies that won Best Picture and did not receive any acting nominations. Even movies that won a truckload of Oscars. Aside from that though the discussion sort of ends there for him. So, for your reading pleasure, I give you the eleven films that won Best Picture that didn't get any acting nods:

• Wings (1927-1928) - 2 Wins (SWEEP)
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1929-1930) - 2 Wins (2 Unclaimed Nominations)
• Grand Hotel (1931-1932) - 1 Win (SWEEP)
• An American In Paris (1951) - 6 Wins (2 Unclaimed Nominations)
• The Greatest Show On Earth (1952) - 2 Wins (3 Unclaimed Nominations)
• Around The World In 80 Days (1956) - 5 Wins (3 Unclaimed Nominations)
• GiGi (1958) - 9 Wins (SWEEP)
• The Last Emperor (1987) - 9 Wins (SWEEP)
• Braveheart (1995) - 5 Wins (5 Unclaimed Nominations)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - 11 Wins (SWEEP)
• Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - 8 Wins (2 Unclaimed Nominations)

So there you have it. You may notice that most of these movies aren't nearly as enjoyable to watch as some of the movies with acting nominations, which just goes to show that good acting can really help a movie sometimes.

Jonas Brothers Road To Oscar?

The new Jonas Brothers concert film opened at number 3, making slightly more then $12 million dollars. This was not what Disney was expected. Clearly they'd like us to THINK the Jonas Brothers are more popular then they really are! The movie was outgrossed by "Madea Goes To Jail" (#1) and "Slumdog Millionaire" (#2). While it's doubtful their movie career is going to take off don't count them out of an Oscar just yet. There is at least one original song in this concert that was performed exclusively for this movie. That means they could get an Oscar nomination in the Best Song category should the Academy want tween viewers to tune into the show next year. Will it win? Doubtful, but if an original song is performed by a popular artist I assume it to have a good chance at garnering a nomination regardless of the quality. The Academy has done this before and they'll do it again.

Keep Your Day Job

There are three movies that are getting lots of attention this weekend. The first is "The Jonas Brothers 3D Concert" movie thing. The second is the new Tyler Perry film "Madea Goes To Jail." The third is "Slumdog Millionaire" because...well, because it just won eight Oscars, so suddenly people care about it. There is an extra movie that has come out though that isn't being talked about as much, and that is "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li." It's supposed to be a prequel of sorts to the critically hated "Street Fighter" movie that came out in 1994 with Ming-Na of "ER" fame starring as everyone's favorite female fighter. Since the first movie was such a bomb I was wondering why any sane studio head would want to make this film. Was the idea of a "reboot" too much to pass up? Either way the movie got made and it stars Kristin Kreuk of "Smallville" fame as the title character.

I haven't seen this movie. Apparently neither did a lot of the public. On opening day it grossed arount $1.7 million. That's $0.2 million less then what "He's Just Not That Into You" made in it's third or forth week in theaters. When we get the weekend numbers I expect it to be even lower on the list. The studios themselves didn't even seem to have any faith in the film as they declined to preview it for film critics. Not that it really mattered as several of them went to see it on opening day. The result: One of the rare 0% ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.com. Chances are we're looking at another bomb, more inspiration for the Nostalgia Critic, and I can safely say we won't be talking about this movie come Oscar time.

Full List of 2008 Winners

Well the show is over and now it's time to wipe the sidebar clean and move on with predicting next years nominees. Time flies when doing awards predictions, but the sad reality is this thing never stops. At the end of the journey it's as if a book has been written, and one has nothing left to do but to start all over again. I've already wiped the sidebar clean and added a few early predictions from films I've seen, and those predictions will morph and shift over the course of the year. Before completely moving on though, lets look at this years winners one more time:

BEST PICTURE

'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, producer

LEAD ACTOR

Sean Penn in 'Milk' (Focus Features)

LEAD ACTRESS

Kate Winslet in 'The Reader' (The Weinstein Company)

DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

'Departures' -- Japan (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners production

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight' (Warner Bros)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz in 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' (The Weinstein Company)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Dustin Lance Black for 'Milk' (Focus Features)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Simon Beaufoy for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

ANIMATED FEATURE

Andrew Stanton for 'WALL-E' (Walt Disney)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Kunio Kato for 'La Maison en Petits Cubes' (A Robot Communications Production)

ART DIRECTION

Donald Graham Burt for art direction and Victor J. Zolfo for set decoration on 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (Paramount and Warner Bros)

COSTUME DESIGN

Michael O’Connor for 'The Duchess' (Paramount Vantage, Pathe and BBC Films)

MAKEUP

Greg Cannom for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (Paramount and Warner Bros)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Anthony Dod Mantle for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

LIVE ACTION SHORT FIRM

Jochen Alexander Freydank for 'Spielzeugland (Toyland)', a Mephisto Film production

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

James Marsh and Simon Chinn for 'Man on Wire' (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall production

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Megan Mylan for 'Smile Pinki', a Principle production

VISUAL EFFECTS

Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' (Paramount and Warner

Bros)

SOUND EDITING

Richard King for 'The Dark Knight' (Warner Bros)

SOUND MIXING

Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

FILM EDITING

Chris Dickens for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

ORIGINAL SCORE

A.R. Rahman for 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight)

ORIGINAL SONG

'Jai Ho' from 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Fox Searchlight), music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Gulzar

'Slumdog' Wins Best Picture

As you may have heard "Slumdog Millionaire" is our latest Best Picture winner. It also had almost a complete sweep, winning everything except Best Sound Editing ("The Dark Knight") and their other Best Song nomination (which was never going to happen unless they tied with themselves). Full list of winners with commentary later.

Predicting Next Years Oscars

Most of the time people who run awards sites like these don't start predicting the next years winners until at least the current year is over. But with "Slumdog Millionaire" so obviously winning the race and Heath Ledger all but a sure thing, this Oscar race is getting a bit...boring. Seriously though when you think about this is a year for locks: 'Slumdog' wins Picture, Danny Boyle wins Director, Kate Winslet wins Actress, Ledger wins Supporting Actor, "Wall-E" wins Animated Feature, on and on it goes. Right now I'd say the only real race we have is between Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke for Best Actor. So yesterday I made an early list of predictions for next years Oscars, in the vein of Everything Oscar's year predix list. I'm holding off posting it until after the awards airs, but I figured since this year is pretty much a done deal it's time to move on. So I've got material to share with you pretty much directly after the Oscars air next Sunday so that this site can keep on trucking.

Ebert Weighs In On Oscar Nominees

Roger Ebert concluded his annual Oscar predictions this week with a complete run through of the important categories. Very few surprises to be found. He does predict the Academy picking Viola Davis in "Doubt" for Best Supporting Actress as opposed to Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Christina Barcelona," and he boldly picks Sean Penn the winner for Best Actor in "Milk" as opposed to Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler." Otherwise though it's all routine:

Best Picture - "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger
Best Animated Film - "Wall-E"

The biggest thing he questions is the Best Adapted Screenplay category, where he writes:

Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog Millionaire." It took enormous research and energy to create this story spanning 20 years and parallel narrative strands, and employ traditional narrative formulas in a film that seemed so wholly original. The other contender may be Eric Roth, for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." But if he wins, there may be the rare possibility of actual booing from the audience. Too many now realize that what Roth adapted was not so much the F. Scott Fitzgerald story, but his own screenplay for "Forrest Gump." Some half a million users saw a funny YouTube "trailer" comparing scene-by-scene parallels in the two films, before Paramount's complaints forced the site to take it down. Cynics say Roth has already won an Oscar for this material.

You can view said trailer on this very site. If the legal whores have taken it down though then a simple Google search should suffice. Just type in "The Curious Case of Forrest Gump."

'Slumdog' & "Milk" Win WGA

The Writers Guild of America has spoken, and they have deemed Dustin Lance Black's "Milk" the winner of Best Original Screenplay and Simon Beaufoy's "Slumdog Millionaire" the winner for Best Adapted Screenplay. The rest of the winners below:

2009 WGA WINNERS:

SCREEN WINNERS

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Milk,” Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Slumdog Millionaire,” Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Waltz with Bashir,” Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics

TELEVISION WINNERS

DRAMATIC SERIES
“Mad Men,” Written by Lisa Albert, Jane Anderson, Rick Cleveland, Kater Gordon, David Isaacs, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Marti Noxon, Robin Veith, Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES
“30 Rock,” Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Andrew Guest, Matt Hubbard, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Ron Weiner; NBC

NEW SERIES
“In Treatment,” Written by Rodrigo Garcia, Bryan Goluboff, Davey Holmes, William Merritt Johnson, Amy Lippman, Sarah Treem; HBO

EPISODIC DRAMA – any length – one airing time
“Pilot” (Breaking Bad), Written by Vince Gilligan; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY – any length – one airing time
“Succession” (30 Rock), Written by Andrew Guest & John Riggi; NBC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL
“Recount,” Written by Danny Strong; HBO

LONG FORM – ADAPTATION
“John Adams,” “Episode 1, Join or Die,” Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; “Episode 2, Independence,” Teleplay by Kirk Ellis, Based on the book by David McCullough; HBO

ANIMATION – any length – one airing time
“Apocalypse Cow” (The Simpsons), Written by Jeff Westbrook; Fox

COMEDY/VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES
“Saturday Night Live,” Head Writers Seth Meyers, Andrew Steele, Paula Pell, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Charlie Grandy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, Robert Smigel, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketches by Robert Carlock; NBC

COMEDY/VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
“2008 Film Independent Spirit Awards,” Written by Billy Kimball, Aaron Lee, Jennifer Celotta, Rainn Wilson; IFC/AMC

DAYTIME SERIALS
“As the World Turns,” Written by Jean Passanante, Leah Laiman, Courtney Simon, Lisa Connor, David A. Levinson, Peter Brash, Richard Culliton, Susan Dansby, Cheryl Davis, Leslie Nipkow; CBS

CHILDREN'S EPISODIC & SPECIALS
“Elmo's Christmas Countdown” (Sesame Workshop), Written by Joey Mazzarino; ABC

CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
“Polar Bears” (The Naked Brothers Band), Written by Polly Draper; Nickelodeon

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS
“Bush's War: Part One” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Secrets of the Parthenon” (NOVA), Written by Gary Glassman; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“ABC Weekend News,” Written by Joel Siegel, Karen Mooney, David Muir; ABC

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Yankee Stadium and the New Gilded Age” (Bill Moyers Journal), Writers Bill Moyers & Michael Winship; PBS

RADIO WINNERS

DOCUMENTARY
“Black History Month,” Written by Anthony J. McHugh; CBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED OR BREAKING
“World News This Week,” Written by Marianne J. Pryor; ABC

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Tributes,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS

PROMOTIONAL WRITING AND GRAPHIC ART WINNERS

ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)
“Jericho: Two-Minute Drills,” Written by Eric Jacobson; CBS

TELEVISION GRAPHIC ANIMATION
“Medical Animations” (CBS Evening News), David Rosen; CBS

VIDEOGAME WINNERS

VIDEOGAME WRITING
“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,” Writers Haden Blackman, Shawn Pitman, John Stafford

and Cameron Suey, LucasArts

Boyle Wins DGA

And the 'Slumdog' train continues full speed ahead with Danny Boyle winning the top prize at the Director's Guild America.

The Nominees (Updated: Full List Included)

Here is a partial list of the nominees. The rest will be filled in later on:

Best motion picture of the year

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
• Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
• Sean Penn (Milk)
• Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
• Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Josh Brolin (Milk)
• Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
• Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
• Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
• Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
• Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
• Meryl Streep (Doubt)
• Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Amy Adams (Doubt)
• Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
• Viola Davis (Doubt)
• Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
• Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)

Best animated feature film of the year

• Bolt
• Kung Fu Panda
• WALL•E

Achievement in art direction

• “Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
  

Achievement in cinematography

• “Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
• “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design

• “Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
• “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
• “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky
  

Achievement in directing

• David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
• Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
• Gus Van Sant (Milk)
• Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
• Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Best documentary feature

• “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
• “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
• “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
• “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
• “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
  

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

• “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
• “The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
• “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
• “The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
  

Achievement in makeup

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
  

Achievement in film editing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
• “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens
  

Best foreign language film of the year

• The Baader Meinhof Complex
• The Class
• Departures
• Revanche
• Waltz With Bashir

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat
• “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
• “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman
  

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
• “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
• “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam
  

Achievement in sound editing

• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
• “Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman
  

Achievement in sound mixing

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
• “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
• “WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
• “Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
  

Achievement in visual effects

• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
• “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
• “Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
  

Adapted screenplay

• Eric Roth & Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
• John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)
• Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon)
• David Hare (The Reader)
• Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)

Original screenplay

• Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)
• Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
• Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)
• Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
• Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon (WALL•E)

Mark Harris's Oscar Predictions

Mark Harris, author of the excellent Oscar book "Pictures at a Revolution," has given his two cents on the Oscar nominations. He feels "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" are locks. Says "Frost/Nixon" and "Milk" aren't as locked as we might think, and he feels either "The Dark Knight" or "Wall-E" will take that final slot:

Only six more hours to go...

Ben Lyons Is Ruining 'At The Movie'

Well folks, I've waited long enough before writing this, but I feel enough time has gone by that I now have the right to complain about something. See, as you all know from reading my sites and listening to my podcasts (new episode coming soon - I promise) you'll know that I'm a huge fan of "At The Movies," and Siskel and Ebert were personal heroes of mine. Well, both those men aren't on the show anymore (one due to death and the other illness), replaced with Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz. Now Mankiweicz I don't have too much of a problem with. Sure, he's wrong about the Oscar potential of "The Dark Knight" and "Slumdog Millionaire," and he put "Rachel Getting Married" on his Top Ten Worst list at number two (I put it on my best list at...number two), but overall he's not too bad. This is a guy who works for actual newspapers, gets to show off his knowledge on Turner Classic Movies (my favorite channel now that Cartoon Network has gone to the dogs), and can defend his opinion well.

So no matter how much I disagree with him at least he's a critic, however small that may be. No, my main problem is with Ben Lyons, the quote-grabbing whore who makes poor desisions and couldn't back up his opinion to save his life. This is a guy who said "I Am Legend" was "One of the greatest movies ever made!" I know that because it was a major selling point in the ads, and it's hard to look at someone with a straight face when they put that movie in the same category as "Casablanca," "Gone With The Wind," and "The Godfather." His major complaint with "Max Pain" (and, trust me, I'm NOT defending this movie) was that he didn't care about the story or characters, he just wanted to see things blow up, and was worried that "The Dark Knight" had set a bad trend in summer movies by inspiring story. Yes, Ben, let's all rally against "The Dark Knight" for it's complicated characters, deep story, and grand directional scope.

Damn that movie for actually raising the bar for summers movies just a "little" bit higher then it has been in previous years. No, Ben is not a real critic. He's not even half a critic. He's a faux-critic for the "Digital Age," a pretty face who's there to hype of movies with flashy graphics and cool catch phrases. Yeah, I know that the day of watching film critics discuss movies has drastically changed since Siskel and Ebert came onto the scene, and "At The Movies" was feeling a little stale in comparison to the E! channel shows (of which Ben comes from), but there's a proper way to do flashy, legitimate film critism and be taken seriously. Like compare Spill.com's review of "Bedtime Stories" with the same review on "At The Movies:"

See, Spill.com may just be a bunch of under thirty year olds talking about movies in cartoon form, but take a closer look: They actually DISCUSS the films! They point out it's good points, it's bad points, they help you understand their opinion, and they have an actual debate about the film. Now compare that to Ben's review of the film and it's laughably bad. Not only is he calling this a comedy classic for kids (up there with "Home Alone" and "A Christmas Story" I assume), but he doesn't actually review the film. He uses phrases like "the kids will love it," "perfect family film," and "another classic Sandler film" (Editor's Note: The quotes may vary, but the general idea is the same). This isn't a review, this is some guy hoping to get quoted on the commericials. Which, speaking about, it looks like he was beaten to the punch by Rachel Smith...

...whoever that is. The bottom line is I know that times are changing, and the ways people get recommendations on movies they watch is rapidly changing. A percentage number on Rotten Tomatoes is more likely to garner interest then a single review. But TV shows that specialize in movie reviews shouldn't deliberatly dumb down film critism. Esspecially when you are producing the longest running show about film critism out there. Oh, and as for Roger Ebert...

...he doesn't strike me as too pleased with the new critic sitting in Gene's chair.

Slumdog Sweeps Globes

"Slumdog Millionaire" turns out to be the top winner, winning Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Score. Full list below, more comments later:

FILM

• Best Picture, Drama: Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Picture, Comedy Musical: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
• Best Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
• Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
• Best Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy: Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
• Best Animated Feature: WALL·E
• Best Actor, Musical/Comedy: Colin Farrell
• Best Actress, Musical/Comedy: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
• Best Original Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millonaire
• Best Original Song: Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
• Cecil B. DeMille Award: Stephen Spielberg

BFCA Winners

As the title says, the BFCA has announced their winners (more love for "Slumdog Millionaire" to be found):

Picture, Director, Score, Screenplay, Young Actor: Slumdog Millionaire
Animated: WALL•E
Documentary: Man on Wire
Foreign Film: Waltz With Bashir
Comedy: Tropic Thunder
TV Movie: John Adams
Action: The Dark Knight
Song: "The Wrestler" Bruce Springsteen
Actor & Acting Ensemble: Sean Penn and the cast of Milk
Actress: (tie) Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married and Meryl Streep for Doubt
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet for The Reader

WGA Nominations

And the Writers Guild of America have nominated their screenplays. Again, this is a big deal because the WGA are made of members of the Academy, and so the results come Oscar time could look similar to this list. For now though, the nominations are:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Burn After Reading - Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk - Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor - Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler - Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures

The Dark Knight - Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures

Doubt - Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films

Frost/Nixon - Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play, Universal Pictures

Slumdog Millionaire - Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures


A pretty good list I must say (though the absence of "Rachael Getting Married" hurts, and the snub of "Wall-E's" great screenplay is just wrong). It looks like the adapted category is more competitive then the original category, but hey, that's how it goes sometimes. Oh, and "The Dark Knight" scores another one, and takes one more step towards Oscar glory.

"Do you wanna know how I got these scars?"

Online Film Critics Nominations

A bit late posting this one as well, but the Online Film Critics Nominations came in as well:

THE 2008 OFCS nominees (previous years’ nominees after the cut):

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL*E
The Wrestler

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton, WALL*E

BEST ACTOR
Benicio Del Toro, Che
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
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
Kate Winslet , Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
Synecdoche, New York, Charlie Kaufman
WALL*E, Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon
The Wrestler, Robert D. Siegel

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
The Dark Knight, Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
Let the Right One In, John Ajvide Lindqvist
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Dear Zachary: a letter to a son about his father
Encounters at the End of the World
I.O.U.S.A.
Man On Wire
My Winnipeg

BEST FOREIGN FILM
A Christmas Tale
The Counterfeiters
I’ve Loved You So Long
Let the Right One In
Waltz with Bashir

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who
Kung Fu Panda
WALL*E
Waltz with Bashir

I noticed that "Wall-E" and "The Wrestler" crept in and wrestled out "Frost/Nixon" and "Milk" for nominations in Picture and Director. Is this a sign that those movies aren't as big of locks as some people think? Personally, I think if two films are in danger of being pushed out of favorism, it's "Frost/Nixon" and "Milk." Personally, I feel "The Dark Knight" is safe at this point, and "Wall-E" is gaining enough ground that it might safely (and comfortably) snuggle into the fifth slot. "Milk" though is a movie that opened to a lot of praise in light of the whole Proposition 8 thing, but since then I get this feeling people have cooled down on it (and I'm considering revising my Top Ten list to take "Milk" off and put another movie in it's place). "Frost/Nixon" has a double negative in that people fall into the "love it/hate it" category, but the movie is also getting attacked for being too liberal with the facts.

While this didn't hurt "A Beautiful Mind" too much, just ask films like "JFK," "The Hurricane," "The Passion of the Christ," "Pocahontas," and you start to see where that kind of critism can really hurt you. Now I don't think both of these films are in trouble, as I think it would be a stroke of pure luck if "The Wrestler" got into the top five at this point. But considering all the love for "Wall-E" going around, and I think the little robot that could will bump one of these two films off the list when the Academy announces their nominations. Either way, January 22nd can't come soon enough.

Producers Guild Nominations!

Here are the nominations from the PGN:


Best Picture (technically "Motion Picture Producer of the Year,"but it's basically the same thing)

Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
Frost/Nixon
The Dark Knight

Animated:

Wall-E
Bolt
Kung-Fu Panda

Documentary:

Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
Standard Operating Procedure

Breath a sigh of relief geeks: "The Dark Knight" is in! This is far more important then the Golden Globes nominations, as the voters for the PGN tend to be actual members of the Academy, and they have just given a big shout out that they consider a superhero film to be one of the best films of the year. This is huge, and if the Directors Guild Nominations do the same then I think we can safely say "The Dark Knight" is in for the Oscars!

"It's all part of the plane."

My Top Ten Best Films of 2008 List

Now it's time for me Top Ten Best Films of 2008 list. These films will be counted down from 10 to 1, and please keep in mind these are MY picks and in no way represent any official movie institution. Feel free to disagree with my choices if you please. With that out of the way, onto the show.

10. W.
Director: Oliver Stone
Starring: Josh Brolin
Rated: PG-13 (For language including some sexual dialogue)

Seeped in controversy from people who wanted nothing more then to move Bush out of the White House and Obama in, Oliver Stone's "W." was protested, ignored, and shunned by many people. It was also surprisingly thoughtful and intelligent, giving us not a hack-job of someone who wanted to ridicule the sitting president, but a thoughtful film from someone who wanted to understand the president. Though the movie ends somewhat on a cliffhanger, "W." is never boring and is always engrossing.

9. Bolt
Director: Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus
Rated: PG (For some mild action and peril)

It took a long time, but Disney finally made their best animated movie since "Lilo & Stitch." More importantly, they managed to make it without Pixar. Ironically, the idea that saved them for this film was from Chris Saunders, the same guy who came up with the idea for "Lilo & Stitch." When "Bolt" starts it works as an action film. It starts out fast, explosive, and exciting. When Bolt gets away from the set it turns into a laugh-a-minute comedy. In the final act the movie has become a drama, and it yanks at the heart in ways Disney movies used to. One of the better surprises of the year.

8. Milk
Director: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Sean Penn
Rated: R (For language, some sexual content and brief violence)

Though "Milk" overlooks many of the events of Harvey Milk's life that made his life (in my opinion) so interesting as a person, Gus Van Sant's very gay film is a fine bio-pic never-the-less. The message of this film is hope and love, which is what Milk encouraged more then anything else in his lifetime. Watching him in this film paints him as a very nice and fun guy, whose heart was in the right place at the wrong time. The fact that he accomplished so little is besides the point: The point is that this man, for all his flaws, gave people hope. And what a joy that is.

7. Young@Heart
Director: Stephen Walker
Rated: PG (For some mild language and thematic elements)

Though they may be old, the elders who make up the singing group Young@Heart sing songs with much energy and joy. It's hard not to fall in love with this touching film of friends, life, and music. A movie that is hard to express the joys of in words, so I guess you'll just have to watch it and feel the joy for yourself.

6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett
Rated: PG-13 (For brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking)

David Fincher is known more for his slasher films with brains then for emotional dramas, but with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Finch steps out of his comfort zone to direct one of the most emotional Hollywood films since "Forrest Gump." The story of a man who is born old and gets younger with age sounds like a gimmick, but it's actually a storytelling device that allows the characters to experience the world with a unique perspective. Seeing as how Benjamin can't experience things the same way as other people experience things, this leads to some very intriguing complications and storytelling aspects. Story aside, the film is also a visual wonder to behold, and colleges will be showing this movie in film classes to study the visual effects for years to come.

5. Frost/Nixon
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen
Rated: R (For some language)

Movies based off stage plays can be very hit or miss when they are translated to the big screen. Either the essence is captured on film or the movie shows off it's stage roots a little too much. In the case of "Frost/Nixon" it does feel like the stage it was adapted from, but that ends up working to the films benifit, as the movie is about two men in a one-on-one battle in front of the camera. To see these two intense actors playing off each other is to witness great actors at the top of their craft, helped by Ron Howard, whose direction knows when to move in closer and when to pull away. Subtle but not boring, "Frost/Nixon" is an example that great theater can make great for great film making.

4. Slumdog Millionaire
Director: Dannye Boyle
Rating: (For some violence, disturbing images and language)

If you miss the hit game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," then "Slumdog Millionaire" may be the movie for you to see. Taking place in India, the movie revolves around a teenage boy who is one question away from winning twenty million rubies on the hit game show, when he is captured and tortured on suspicions of cheating. Through his story we see his painful childhood, his struggles with his older brother, and the chase for the love of his life, a girl who always seems to be out of reach. And, of course, we discover how his life prepared him with the answers he would need to win the show.

3. Wall•E
Director: Andrew Stanton
Rating: G

You wouldn't think that a movie about a deserted robot on Earth finding true love would be a very convincing movie to begin with, nevermind one of the most touching love stories in years. But keep this in mind: "Wall•E" was birthed from the creative geniuses at Pixar, and if they can make a rat a credible chef, then they can certainly make a convincing love story out of two robotic machines. Although a lot of people choose to dislike the film over it's eco-friendly storyline, the movie is above all else a story about loniness and finding someone special, and it conveys these emotions through pure emotion (of all things). This is even more of a revelation when you realize the two lead characters barely speak a word, and simply rely on good old-fashioned body language most of the time. Like "Ratatouille," "Wall•E" is a great movie for adults. Oh, and bring the kids along, they'll like it too.

2. Rachel Getting Married
Director: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Tunde Adebimpe, Mather Zickel, Anna Deavere Smith, Debra Winger
Rated: R (For language and brief sexuality)

Despite having a title that sounds like a bad romantic comedy that's been dumped in the lonely month of January, "Rachel Getting Married" is actually a sensitive and heartbreaking story about a family who is capible of sharing so much love, but falter because they can't forgive. Despite the fact that Rachel is in the title (and it is indeed her wedding), the movie revolves around Kym, a recovering drug addict who is out of rehab in time for her sisters wedding. Her family welcomes her with open arms, but there is a hesitation in that welcome, as well as a feeling of underlying hostility. Years ago she made a horrible mistake and they can't forgive her for it. Even worse, Kym can't forgive herself, and to watch this movie is to watch a family come to terms with a tragedy in their lives. We get to see people take a turning point that will change the way they live forever, and this movie makes you feel glad you got to know them. I also consider to be Oscar winning director Johnathan Demme's big comeback, returning to mainstream fare after being stuck in documentary land for years.

1. The Dark Knight
Director: Christopher Nolan
Staring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman
Rating: PG-13 (For intense sequences of violence and some menace)

Just when people were getting tired of superhero movies, mindless summer films, and movies with big budgets and no heart, "The Dark Knight" comes along and completely restored our faith in the Hollywood blockbuster. Rarely is a summer film so intense, so complex, and so emotional as this one. While Heath Ledgers death certainly raised the importance of the Joker to a higher level, I was shocked to find a well told tale of Good vs. Evil that I hadn't experienced since "The Lord of the Rings." Here is a movie about real people, in a real world, where everones past and personal morals shape who they are and what they will do. The debate of living in a world with or without rules goes to a new height in this film, as two men of extreme ideals clash off in a battle that effects everyone around them. On some level it's personal, on another it's not personal, it's just business. In the end, "The Dark Knight" is not only the best superhero film ever made, it's the best film of the year. It also raises the bar for not just future superhero films, but also future blockbuster films in general. A new era of Hollywood film making is upon us, and it starts with "The Dark Knight."

The Hollywood Reporter Picks His Top Five of 2008

THR picks his top five movies here (Spoiler: "The Dark Knight" and "Slumdog Millionaire" duke it out for number 1):

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