DVD Mini Reviews - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning & Syndromes and a Century

Because of time limits and tiredness I will say just a few words about my two latest Netflix rentals.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is one of the first in the great "kitchen sink dramas" from the UK featuring the angry young man. The film was made in 1960/61 and was directed by Karel Reisz. Alan Sillitoe adapted it from his novel and the film was produced by Tony Richardson.

Albert Finney stars as Arthur Seaton, a hard working class bloke. He hates his job but has no choice but to put up with it. He lives at home with his parents and pities their dull existence. He is having an affair with Brenda (Rachel Roberts) who is the wife of one of his co-workers. But when Arthur meets Doreen (Shirley Anne Field) things change. Doreen is a more old fashioned, conventional girl. The film deals with out of wedlock pregnancy and abortion, which was very risque at that time. Finney was great as Arthur and even then had that great baritone voice. Roberts and Field are also very good. I saw this film many years ago at the Museum of Modern Art. And it holds up and is very relevant to today. After all, don't most of us despise the drudgery of our daily work lives and wish there was something else that we could do. Well, this film is brave for even bringing up this topic. Highly recommended.

Many critics have praised Syndromes and a Century. This is the second film by director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's that I have seen (the first being Tropical Malady). And I should say that many critics think that this is a masterpiece. However, while the film is visually beautiful it is far from a masterpiece.

The director based it on memories of his parents, both of whom were doctors. Alot of the film takes place in a hospital. The first part of the film takes place in a rurual setting and the second part takes place in the city. The film is a series of many snippets put together. There is not a regular plot and there is no real character development. I would call this film experimental and abstract. It is not a bad film but it is not for most tastes. Although I am glad that I saw it I would not recommend it to most people.

SAG Winners

Movies:

Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."

Actress: Julie Christie, "Away From Her."

Supporting actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."

Supporting actress: Ruby Dee, "American Gangster."

Cast: "No Country for Old Men."

Stunt ensemble: "The Bourne Ultimatum."

___

Television:

Actor in a movie or miniseries: Kevin Kline, "As You Like It."

Actress in a movie or miniseries: Queen Latifah, "Life Support."

Actor in a drama series: James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos."

Actress in a drama series: Edie Falco, "The Sopranos."

Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock."

Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, "30 Rock."

Drama series cast: "The Sopranos."

Comedy series cast: "The Office."

Stunt ensemble: "24."

DGA Winners

The Directors Guild of America prize went to Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men.

Congratulations!

Video Review - Night and Fog

I found a video copy of Alan Renais' Night and Fog at the library. I always wanted to see the film so I took it out (and since my Netflix film hasn't arrived yet I just watched it).

It is a devastating record of the Nazi atrocities. It is very hard to watch. In fact, that is an understatement. But Renais alternates between color and black and white. It is very well put together. And at only 30 minutes it packs quite a punch.

At the end the narrator indicates that something like this could happen again. And as the film was made in 1955 we can clearly see that it has more than once.

Oscar Nominations

Complete list of 80th annual Academy Awards nominees

BEST PICTURE
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Brad Bird, Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird, "Ratatouille"
Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Sarah Polley, "Away From Her"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Beaufort" (Israel)
"The Counterfeiters" (Austria)
"Katyn" (Poland)
"Mongol" (Kazakhstan)
"12" (Russia)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille"
"Surf's Up"

BEST ART DIRECTION
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"The Golden Compass"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"There Will Be Blood"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" Roger Deakins
"Atonement," Seamus Mcgarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Janusz Kaminski
"No Country For Old Men," Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood," Robert Elswit

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Across the Universe," Albert Wolsky
"Atonement," Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie En Rose," Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street," Colleen Atwood

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"No End in Sight"
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"
"Sicko"
"Taxi to the Dark Side"
"War/Dance"

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Freeheld"
"La Corona" ("The Crown")
"Salim Baba"
"Sari's Mother"

BEST FILM EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum," Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild," Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men," Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood," Dylan Tichenor

BEST MAKEUP
"La Vie en Rose"
"Norbit"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Atonement", Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner", Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton", James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille", Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma", Marco Beltrami

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from "Once"
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush"
"So Close" from "Enchanted"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)"
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)"
"Peter & the Wolf"

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"At Night"
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)"
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)"
"Tanghi Argentini"
"The Tonto Woman"

BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Transformers"

BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Transformers"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Golden Compass"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
"Transformers"

Cassandra's Dream

My first real 2008 film screening was Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream. And it is a good film. I don't get it when I hear critics saying what happened to Allen or that he is all washed up. I was totally involved in this film and while it may not be his best film it is certainly better than much of what is released in theaters these days.

The story is about two working class brothers. Ian (Ewan MacGregor) works at his father's (John Benfield) restaurant but he has dreams of going into his own business.
Brother Terry (Colin Farrell) works for an auto mechanic. He would love to open up a sports shop. He is heavy into drinking and gambling. Terry lives with his girlfriend Kate (Sally Hawkins). Ian meets a lovely actress named Angela (Hayley Atwell) and falls for her hard.

Terry really gets into a mess when he borrows a huge sum of money to gamble and loses. The brothers have some hope though because their rich uncle Howard (Tom Wilkinson) - who is the brother of their mom (Clare Higgins) is coming to town and they are confident that he will bail Terry out and give Ian money for his business. Well, Howard would love to bail them out but they have to do him a big favor. I won't tell you what the favor is (unfortunately critic Richard Roeper spilled the beans) but it is very, very big.

I found the film to be highly entertaining with humor throughout. But make no mistake about it - this is a dark film. The plot has some nice twists and turns. And you can see that Allen is influenced by Hitchcock.

Everyone turns in a good performance. I should also mention the wonderful actor Phil Davis is in the film playing a man named Martin Burns. But amongst all of the actors the real standout is Farrell. He was terrific and I hope that he gets more roles that will show off his talent.

So I highly recommend this film. Don't listen to the critics (besides Allen they have also recently bashed Francis Ford Coppola and Milos Forman). Have a mind of your own (and an open one at that) and check out Cassandra's Dream.

DVD Mini Review - El Beso del Sueno

Rafael Moreno Alba wrote and directed this interesting and suspenseful thriller. Maribel Verdu plays Margot - a woman who steals for a living in order to support her elderly father. She seduces men and then slips them a mickey. While they are out she steals all of their valuables. Salvatierra (Juan Diego) is a cop with many problems. He is asked to do a favor for a crooked banker. During that assignment he meets Margot and eventually falls for her. Ah, but there are people who are after both of them.

I will not say more about the plot. But it did keep me guessing. Verdu was wonderful in her role and I do hope that we get to see more of this fine actress.
If you are interested in some good Spanish cinema I recommend that you check this one out.

Iowa Film Critics award winners

Best Film:
No Country for Old Men

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

Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Charlie Wilson’s War

Best Actress:
Julie Christie, Away From Her

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

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Best Animated Film:
Ratatouille

Best Film Yet to Open in Iowa:
There Will Be Blood

BAFTA Nominations

BEST FILM
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Brian Grazer/Ridley Scott
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Scott Rudin/Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – JoAnne Sellar/Paul Thomas Anderson/Daniel Lupi

BEST BRITISH FILM
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster/Joe Wright/Christopher Hampton
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Frank Marshall/Patrick Crowley/Paul L Sandberg/Paul Greengrass/Tony Gilroy/Scott Z Burns/George Nolfi
CONTROL – Orian Williams/ Todd Eckert/Anton Corbijn/Matt Greenhalgh
EASTERN PROMISES – Paul Webster/Robert Lantos/David Cronenberg/Steve Knight
THIS IS ENGLAND – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film

CHRIS ATKINS (Director/Writer) – Taking Liberties
MIA BAYS (Producer) – Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
SARAH GAVRON (Director) – Brick Lane
MATT GREENHALGH (Writer) – Control
ANDREW PIDDINGTON (Director/Writer) – The Killing of John Lennon

DIRECTOR
ATONEMENT – Joe Wright
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Paul Greengrass
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Steven Zaillian
JUNO – Diablo Cody
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
MICHAEL CLAYTON – Tony Gilroy
THIS IS ENGLAND – Shane Meadows

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ATONEMENT – Christopher Hampton
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Ronald Harwood
THE KITE RUNNER – David Benioff
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Paul Thomas Anderson

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
nominations announced on Friday 4 January

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY – Kathleen Kennedy/Jon Kilik/Julian Schnabel
THE KITE RUNNER – William Horberg/Walter Parkes/Rebecca Yeldham/Marc Foster
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
LUST, CAUTION – Bill Kong/James Schamus/Ang Lee
LA VIE EN ROSE – Alain Goldman/Olivier Dahan


ANIMATED FILM
RATATOUILLE – Brad Bird
SHREK THE THIRD – Chris Miller
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE – Matt Groening/James L Brooks

LEADING ACTOR
GEORGE CLOONEY – Michael Clayton
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – There Will Be Blood
JAMES McAVOY – Atonement
VIGGO MORTENSEN – Eastern Promises
ULRICH MÜHE – The Lives of Others

LEADING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
JULIE CHRISTIE – Away From Her
MARION COTILLARD – La Vie en Rose
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – Atonement
ELLEN PAGE – Juno

SUPPORTING ACTOR
JAVIER BARDEM – No Country for Old Men
PAUL DANO – There Will Be Blood
TOMMY LEE JONES – No Country for Old Men
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Charlie Wilson’s War
TOM WILKINSON – Michael Clayton

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT – I’m Not There
KELLY MACDONALD – No Country for Old Men
SAMANTHA MORTON – Control
SAOIRSE RONAN – Atonement
TILDA SWINTON – Michael Clayton

MUSIC
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Marc Streitenfeld
ATONEMENT – Dario Marianelli
THE KITE RUNNER – Alberto Iglesias
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Jonny Greenwood
LA VIE EN ROSE – Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Harris Savides
ATONEMENT – Seamus McGarvey
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Oliver Wood
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Roger Deakins
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Robert Elswit

EDITING
AMERICAN GANGSTER – Pietro Scalia
ATONEMENT – Paul Tothill
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Christopher Rouse
MICHAEL CLAYTON – John Gilroy
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Roderick Jaynes

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ATONEMENT – Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE – Guy Hendrix Dyas/Richard Roberts
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX – Stuart Craig/Stephenie McMillan
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Jack Fisk/Jim Erickson
LA VIE EN ROSE – Olivier Raoux

COSTUME DESIGN
ATONEMENT – Jacqueline Durran
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE – Alexandra Byrne
LUST, CAUTION – Pan Lai
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET – Colleen Atwood
LA VIE EN ROSE – Marit Allen

SOUND
ATONEMENT – Danny Hambrook/Paul Hamblin/Catherine Hodgson
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/Dave Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Peter Kurland/Skip Lievsay/Craig Berkey/Greg Orloff
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – Christopher Scarabosio/Matthew Wood/John Pritchett/Michael Semanick/Tom Johnson
LA VIE EN ROSE – Laurent Zeilig/Pascal Villard/Jean-Paul Hurier/Marc Doisne

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Peter Chiang/Charlie Noble/Mattias Lindahl/Joss Williams
THE GOLDEN COMPASS – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Woods
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX – Tim Burke/John Richardson/Emma Norton/Chris Shaw
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END – John Knoll/Charles Gibson/Hal Hickel/John Frazier
SPIDER-MAN 3 – Scott Stokdyk/Peter Nofz/Kee-Suk Ken Hahn/Spencer Cook

MAKE UP & HAIR
ATONEMENT – Ivana Primorac
ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE – Jenny Shircore
HAIRSPRAY – Nominees TBC
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET – Ivana Primorac
LA VIE EN ROSE – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

SHORT ANIMATION
THE PEARCE SISTERS – Jo Allen/Luis Cook
HEAD OVER HEELS – Osbert Parker/Fiona Pitkin/Ian Gouldstone
THE CRUMBLEGIANT – Pearse Moore/John McCloskey

SHORT FILM
DOG ALTOGETHER – Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine
HESITATION – Julien Berlan/Michelle Eastwood/Virginia Gilbert
THE ONE AND ONLY HERB MCGWYER PLAYS WALLIS ISLAND – Charlie Henderson/James Griffiths/Tim Key/Tom Basden
SOFT – Jane Hooks/Simon Ellis
THE STRONGER – Dan McCulloch/Lia Williams/Frank McGuinness

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
(voted for by the public) – nominees announced on Tuesday 8 January

SHIA LABEOUF
SIENNA MILLER
ELLEN PAGE
SAM RILEY
TANG WEI

The Rules of the Game Redux

When I first watched this on DVD I was very tired and didn't fully appreciate it. Now I rented it again and liked its biting humor and take on the human condition (especially the upper crust). I must say that I hated the hunting scenes - they may have been real. I hope not but I can't be sure. Things weren't so strict back then. But I liked the rest of the film. I still don't think it is the greatest or one of the greatest films ever made.
But I certainly do think that it is worth seeking out.

Producers' Guild of America Nominees

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax)
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax/Paramount Vantage)
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage/Miramax)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN ANIMATED THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
“Bee Movie” (Dreamworks Animation)
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation)
“The Simpsons Movie” (20th Century FOX)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN DOCUMENTARY THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
“Body Of War” (Phil Donahue Productions/Mobilus Media)
“Hear And Now” (HBO)
“Pete Seeger: The Power Of Song” (The Weinstein Company)
“Sicko” (The Weinstein Company)
“White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki” (HBO)

Golden Globe Awards

2007 Golden Globes

Best Picture - Drama
Atonement

Best Actor - Drama - Film
Daniel Lewis - There Will Be Blood

Television Series, Drama
Mad Men, AMC

Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France, United States)

Best Picture - Comedy/Musical
Sweeney Todd

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical - Film
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd

Best Director - Film
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell & The Butterfly

Actress, Musical or Comedy - Television
Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Original Score - Film
Dario Marianelli, Atonement

Best Actress - Drama - Film
Julie Christie - Away From Her

Series, Musical or Comedy - Television
Extras, HBO

Actor, Musical or Comedy - Television
David Duchovny, Californication

Best Writer - Film
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men

Actress, Miniseries or Movie - Television
Queen Latifah, Life Support

Actor, Miniseries or Movie - Television
Jim Broadbent, Longford

Best Supporting Actor - Film
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Miniseries or Movie - Television
Longford, HBO

Best Actress - Comedy/Musical - Film
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose

Animation - Film
Ratatouille

Actor, Drama - Television
Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie
Samantha Morton, Longford

Actress, Drama - Television
Glenn Close, Damages

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie
Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Original Song - Film
"Guaranteed" - Into The Wild
Music & Lyrics By: Eddie Vedder

The Orphange

The Orphanage is the feature debut of Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona. And it is an impressive debut. It was produced by Guillermo del Toro and you can see his influence in the film (more The Devil's Backbone than Pan's Labyrinth).

The film starts out at an orphanage where young Laura lives. She eventually gets adopted and leaves her friends behind. Many years later we are reintroduced to the grownup Laura (Belen Rueda) who is now married to Carlos (Fernando Cayo). She also has a young son named Simon (Roger Princep). Laura and Carlos have bought the old orphanage. In addition to living there they want it to be a place where they will take care of special children. Ah, but things do not go as smoothly as they had hoped. For one thing, Simon has some problems. I don't want to say what they are because I don't want to give anything away. In fact, I can't say anything more about the plot because it would spoil things.

The script by Sergio G. Sanchez is well written. Oscar Faura's cinematography is stunning. Everyone involved turns in fine acting. It was nice to see Mabel Rivera in the film as the police officer Pilar (she and Rueda both were in The Sea Inside).
Geralding Chaplin was particularly good as Aurora (I won't say what her role is). And Rueda was just marvelous. I knew that she was special when I saw The Sea Inside and this confirms it.

The Orphanage is suspenseful and scary (in a psychological way) and keeps you guessing right up until the end. I highly recommend it to those of you who like intelligent films that exercise the brain.

DVD Mini Review - Flanders

Bruno Dumont's Flanders won the Grand Prixe at Cannes. It is a very interesting film
but I must say that its commercial potential is not very high.

I've only seen one of Dumont's other films - Humanity - which also won a prize at Cannes. In both films sex is portrayed as a rather emotion free affair. His characters don't vary their facial expressions very much so we don't really know what they are thinking or feeling.

This film takes place in rural France. Demster (Samuel Boidin) owns a farm. His farm is not far from another farm which is owned by the father of Barbe (Adelaide Leroux). Barbe and Demster have known each other since they were children and are friends. They also have random sex - the kind of sex that is a turn off because it is totally devoid of all sensuality. Barbe also has a reputation for sleeping around and she meets another man who is interested in her. She even makes out with him in front of Demster.

Demster and his friends are called upon to join the army and fight in an unknown war in the Middle East. While there they rape, kill and are witnesses to killings.

The film is bleak and the message is clear. War is hell and humans are capable of anything. The film is nicely shot and I found that it held my interest. I wanted to find out what happened to these people. I won't tell you much more about the plot.

I will recommend the film to only those who like unusual art films. This is not for every taste but those who like this type of film will find it worthy.

Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards

Best Films
1. No Country for Old Men
2. The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)
3. Juno
4. Once
5. There Will Be Blood
6. Lars and the Real Girl
7. 3:10 to Yuma
8. The Savages
9. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)


Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood


Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Runner-up: Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl


Best Actress
Ellen Page, Juno
Runner-up: Amy Adams, Enchanted


Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Ben Foster, 3:10 to Yuma


Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Runner-up: Emily Mortimer, Lars and the Real Girl


Best Ensemble
No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: 3:10 to Yuma


Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work)
Philip Seymour Hoffman - (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Charlie Wilson's War, The Savages)
Runner-Up: Josh Brolin - (American Gangster, Grindhouse, In the Valley of Elah, No Country for Old Men)


Breakthrough Film Artist
Sarah Polley, Away from Her (for directing and screenwriting)
Runner-up: Ellen Page, Juno (for acting)


Best Cinematography
Óscar Faura, The Orphanage (El Orfanato)
Runner-up: Roger Deakins, No Country for Old Men


Best Screenplay – Adapted
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood


Best Screenplay – Original
Diablo Cody, Juno
Runner-up: Tamara Jenkins, The Savages


Best Score
Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, Once
Runner-up: Dario Marianelli, Atonement


Best Documentary
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Runners-up (tie): In the Shadow of the Moon and No End in Sight


Best Foreign Language Film
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen)
Runner-up: The Orphanage (El Orfanato)


Best Animated Film
Rataouille
Runner-up: Paprika


Best Overlooked Film
Air Guitar Nation
Runner-up: The Lookout

Writers Guild of America Award Nominees

ORIGINAL
Diablo Cody - Juno
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Tamara Jenkins - The Savages
Judd Apatow - Knocked Up
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl

ADAPTED
The Coens - No Country For Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sean Penn - Into The Wild
James Vanderbilt - Zodiac

DOC
Anthony Giacchino - The Camden 28
Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman and Elisabeth Bentley - Nanking
Charles Ferguson - No End in Sight
Richard Berge - The Rape of Europa
Michael Moore - Sicko
Alex Gibney - Taxi To The Darkside

Online Film Critics Awards

2007 Online Film Critics Awards

Best Picture
No Country For Old Men

Best Director
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men

Best Actor
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood

Best Actress
Julie Christie - Away From Her

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

Original Screenplay
Juno

Adapted Screenplay
No Country For Old Men

Cinematography
No Country for Old Men

Editing
No Country For Old Men

Original Score
There Will Be Blood

Documentary
The King of Kong

Foreign Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Animated Film
Ratatouile

Breakthrough Filmmaker
Sarah Polley - Away From Her

Breakthrough Performer
Nikki Blonsky -Hairspray

Cinematographers Guild Award Nominees

Roger Deakins - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Roger Deakins - No Country for Old Men
Robert Elswit - There Will Be Blood
Janusz Kaminski - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Seamus McGarvey - Atonement

Directors Guild of America Award Nominees

Paul Thomas - There Will Be Blood
Ethan Coen and Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

And what a fine group of directors it is!!

DVD Mini Review - Sunshine

Danny Boyle's Sunshine is a feast of visual effects. Written by Alex Garland the film is about a group of astronauts who are trying to save the sun 50 years into the future. Ah, but things go terribly wrong and many things try to prevent them from completing their mission.

There isn't much character development in the film but the story is the main focus. The actors are all fine - they include Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, and Michelle Yeoh - given what they have to work with. They are merely stick figures.

Sunshine is a good film and there were a number of moments of great suspense. Most of the film makes sense but the last part of the film threw a left curve that didn't fit. There are other futuristic films that I like better but I definitely recommend this film if you want to see a movie about something that could possibly happen in the future
(who knows, right?).

Critics' Choice (AKA BFCA) Awards Winners

13th Critics' Choice Awards

Best Picture
No Country for Old Men


Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood

Best Actress
Julie Christie - Away From Her

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

Best Acting Ensemble
Hairspray

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

Best Writer
Diablo Cody - Juno

Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille

Best Young Actor
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada - The Kite Runner

Best Young Actress
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray

Best Comedy Movie
Juno

Best Family Film
Enchanted

Best Picture Made for Television
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Best Song
"Falling Slowly", Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once

Best Composer
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood

Best Documentary
Sicko

Kansas City Film Critics Awards

Best Movie: There Will Be Blood
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson-There Will Be Blood and Julian Schnabel-The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (tie)
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood
Best Actress: Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem-No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton-Michael Clayton
Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody-Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen-No Country for Old Men
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille
Best Documentary: In the Shadow of the Moon
Best Foreign Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Outstanding Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror Film: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

National Societu of Film Critics Awards

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS AWARDS VOTING FOR 2007 FILMS:

Best Picture

1. There Will Be Blood (48) – Paul Thomas Anderson [Paramount Vantage]

2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (28) – Julian Schnabel

3. No Country for Old Men (27) – Joel and Ethan Coen


Best Foreign-Language Film

1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (57) – Cristian Mungiu [IFC]

2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (42) – Julian Schnabel

3. Persepolis (18) – Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud


Best Director

1. Paul Thomas Anderson (47) – There Will Be Blood [Paramount Vintage]

2. Joel and Ethan Coen (29) – No Country for Old Men

2. Julian Schnabel (29) – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


Best Non-Fiction Film

1. No End in Sight (43) – Charles Ferguson [Magnolia]

2. Sicko (20) – Michael Moore

3. Terror’s Advocate (18) – Barbet Schroeder


Best Actor

1.Daniel Day-Lewis (66) – There Will Be Blood [Paramount Vantage]

2. Frank Langella (34) -- Starting Out in the Evening

3. Philip Seymour Hoffman (21) -- The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead


Best Supporting Actor

1. Casey Affleck (37) - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford [Warner Bros.]

2. Javier Bardem (30) – No Country for Old Men

3. Philip Seymour Hoffman (29) – Charlie Wilson’s War


Best Actress

1. Julie Christie (53) – Away from Her [Lionsgate]

2. Marion Cotillard (50) – La Vie en Rose

3. Anamaria Marinca (28) – 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days


Best Supporting Actress

1. Cate Blanchett (42) – I’m Not There [The Weinstein Company]

2. Amy Ryan (29) – Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

3. Tilda Swinton (23) – Michael Clayton


Best Screenplay

1. Tamara Jenkins (28) – The Savages [Fox Searchlight]

2. Paul Thomas Anderson (19) – There Will Be Blood

3. Ronald Harwood (17) – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


Best Cinematography

1. There Will Be Blood (51) – Robert Elswit

2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (40) – Janusz Kaminski

3. No Country for Old Men (33) – Roger Deakins

I Am Legend

I Am Legend is adapted from Richard Matheson's book and directed by Francis Lawrence.
The screenplay is written by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman.

Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the only healthy human left in NYC. He somehow manages to survive with his faithful dog Sam(antha) (Abby/Kona - I am not sure which dog played here as an adult and which one as a puppy). Neville doesn't haven anyone to talk to except Sam and some random mannequins. He also broadcasts a message on the radio saying that he is a survivor. Day after day he waits in hope for someone to arrive. You see, a cancer vaccine went wrong and most humans are either dead or walking around rabid. The rabid humans are Neville's problem. He also works in his lab hoping to find a cure for this horrible disease.

The film is extremely well made and had be on the edge of my seat. Yes, it is a Hollywood studio film but it doesn't pull any punches. Smith is really good - this is the best I've ever seen him. And I just loved the actress who played Samantha. Alicia Braga comes along towards the end of the film and Emma Thompson has an uncredited cameo. I won't say more about the plot - you should see the film for yourself.

Could something like this really happen? Well, maybe not in such an extreme way. But I do think that many of the vaccines and medications that are being shoved down people's throats (and into their arms) are very dangerous and could result (one day) in a plague that devastates the human immune system. So we must watch what science and technology are creating and surly try to differentiate the good from the bad.

Houston Film Critics Society Winners

Best Picture - No Country for Old Men
Best Director of a Motion Picture - Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast - Hairspray
Best Screenplay - Diablo Cody, Juno
Best Animated Film - Ratatouille
Best Cinematography - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Best Documentary - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Best Foreign Language Film - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Original Score - Dario Marianelli, Atonement
Best Original Song - "Falling Slowly" from Once
Honorary Texan Award - Joel and Ethan Coen
Outstanding Achievement in Cinema - Philip Seymour Hoffman
Outstanding Achievement in Cinema - The Greenway Three Theatre for over thirty years of service to Houston's art-house film community.

The Houston Film Critics Society top ten films for 2007:

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Juno
3. Atonement
4. Michael Clayton
5. Into the Wild
6. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
9. Charlie Wilson's War
10. I'm Not There

DVD Mini Review - Conversaciones con Mama

Conversaciones con Mama (Conversations with Mother) is a little gem of a film. It is from Argentina and is lovingly written and directed by Santiago Carlos Oves.

It is a seemingly deceptive story. Jaime (Eduardo Blanco), who is middle aged, has been laid off from his well paying job. Times are tough. He is prodded by his wife Dorita (Silvina Bosco) to tell his 82 year old mother (China Zorilla) that they must sell the apartment she is living in. After all, times are tough and the apartment belongs to Jaime and Dorita. But where will his mother go? When he tries to tell his mother she always brings up something else. Buy much of what she says are words of wisdom. Jaime is very surprised to find out about his mother's new friend Gregorio (who is all of 69). Also in the mix are Jaime's son and daughter who have no interest in becoming what their parents want them to become. I didn't see the significance of this until later on in the film.

I won't tell you more but I will say that the dialog between mother and son is marvelous. These conversations make Jaime evaluate which things in his life are important and which are not. All of the acting is good and Zorilla is absolutely outstanding. She is now 85 and she is still acting (I looked her up on imdb). Conversaciones con Mama reminded me of some conversations that I had with my mother who I miss very much (not the content so much as the tone). After seeing this film all I can say is mother knows best!