December Oscar picks

Here is what I am thinking will get nominated in each catagory. I limited myself to just one runner-up in each catagory.

Best Picture:
Dreamgirls
The Departed
Babel
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Children
Runner Up: The Queen

Best Director
Martin Scorsese – The Departed
Alejandro González Iñárritu – Babel
Stephen Frears – The Queen
Todd Field – Little Children
Bill Condon – Dreamgirls
Runner-up: Clint Eastwood – Flags of Our Fathers (God, I hope not...)

Best Actor:
Peter O’Tool - Venus
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Departed
Will Smith – The Pursuit of Happyiness
Ryan Gosling – Half Nelson
Runner-up: Aaron Echart – Thank You for Smoking (I predict some attention and new buzz ahead)

Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy – Dreamgirls
Brad Pitt – Babel
Jack Nicholson – The Departed
Alan Arkin – Little Miss Sunshine
Michael Sheen – The Queen
Runner-up: Jackie Earl Haley – Little Children

Best Actress
Hellen Mirren – The Queen
Kate Winslet – Little Children
Meryl Streep – The Devil Wears Prada
Judi Dench – Notes on a Sandal
Annette Benning – Running With Scissors
Runner-up: Penelope Cruz – Volver

Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer Hudson – Dreamgirls
Abigail Breslin – Little Miss Sunshine
Rinko Kulchi - Babel
Cate Blanchett – Notes on a Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhall – World Trade Center
Runner-Up: Adrianna Barraza - Babel

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Children
Notes on a Sandal
Thank You for Smoking
Runner-Up: Flags of Our Fathers

Best Original Screenplay
Little Miss Sunshine
Babel
The Queen
Volver
A Prairie Home Companion
Runner-Up: Stranger Than Fiction

Volver

Pedro Almodover's obsession with mothers continues with Volver. Penelope Cruz stars in the movie about a woman, her daughter, her husband and her dead mother.

I movie is light and heavy and funny and a downer all at once. Almodover continues his reign as one of the world's greatest directors, even when taking on something that seems to have a tinge of Hollywood fluff movies to it.

Cruz deserves the attention she is getting, but there is something about her that I just can't latch onto and fall in love with like most people have. She is great in this role, but I can't say I am in her cheering section for an Oscar. But, her sister, that's a different story, I loved the role and the actress who played her.

Grade: B+

Running With Scissors

I saw this movie last night despite some negative reviews. I just love Augusten Burroughs and wanted to see for myself.

I can't say I disagreed with the reviews that I have seen. But, I also can't say I hated the movie. It was awkward and choppy and weird in a lot of places, and didn't seem to have a good flow to it. But, how do you give this book about all these crazy people a good flow?

I loved Evan Rachel Wood in it. I didn't love Gwyneth or the fella who played Augusten.

But, I really really loved Annette Benning. I would suggest you go see the movie just for her. She rules the movie and every scene she is in, but not in a over the top sort of way. The woman is just brilliant and best be nominated for an Oscar for this.

Grade: C+ for the movie, A for Annette

Little Children

You may remember that I reviewed this book before and loved it. So, I was thrilled when I heard it was going to be a movie. Not to mention a little nervous how it would translate to the screen.

I loved it! They really take the tone of the book and bring it to the movie. It was one of the prettiest, most original movies I have seen in a long long time. Kate Winselt, Patrick Wilson and Jennifer Connely are all wonderful in it.

This is for sure going to be at the top of my list for favorite movies of the year. I hope it gains some more momentum and gets nominated for Best Picture.

Grade: A+

The Queen

The Queen is the story of the Queen's reaction to Princess Di's death in 1997. Hellen Mirren really is wonderful in this movie, and can't imagine the Academy not recognizing her. So far, she seems like the best choice for the win.

The feel of the movie is a little bit funny, and I mean that in a good way. Is it a political satire? Is it a heartfelt family drama? Is it political fiction? I left not knowing what to think. I couldn't lump it into any one genre, but that was just fine with me.

I really want to know how the Brits responded to this movie.

So far, Hellen is my top choice to take home the Oscar, but I can't say I want the movie to be nominated for Best Picture, even though I enjoyed it.

Grade: B

The Fountain

Not only did this movie stink, but the auditorium where it was being shown did as well.

Before I talk about the movie, I need to mention how stinky the theater was. As soon as the movie started, someone started to fart near us. And not just like one or two stinky farts. Every five minutes there was this horrible smell that I have never smelled anything like in my life, but that I imagine being close to the smell of dead babies. And it never stopped. Me and my bf literally had his scarf wrapped around our heads.

But, the movie was a stinker too. Darron Aronofsky, who did Requiem for a Dram and Pi, was there and did a little q&a. But, this story of time travel, eternal life and love, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, went nowhere and was a total dud to me. It wasn't fun, the actors seemed distant and aloof and unsure of what they were supposed to be in the movie.

I loved Requiem for a Dream, a lot, and I love Rachel Weisz, so I thought I might really enjoy this despite some negative reviews out there.

I was pretty bored by it and spent more time trying to figure out who the culprit was in the audience was and why they hadn't left or shit their pants yet.

Grade: D

Babel

I was able to get a sneak peek at Babel this weekend. The movie doesn't come out until some time in November, but I saw it as part of the Chicago International Film Festival.

I really loved it.

The director of 21 Grams and Ammeres Perros delivers his third movie and this one is more powerful, well-thought out and impactful than either of his previous movies.

This is for sure staying on my Best Picture top 5 list for as long as I can keep it there, and I see it making the cut based on how great it is and how much buzz it is getting.

I don't want to give too much away, but if you trust my taste in movies and such, I urge you to check it out.

But, on another note. The film festival setting sort of bothered me. We were crammed in an auditorium, not a theater. There were annoying film people there. It was sold out. People laugh at weird parts.

And the director was there. Which sounds really cool. But, alas, it wasn't. He was great and I am sure he had wonderful things to say, but the guy asking the questions was such an ass and asked some really terrible stupid questions. So, I couldn't take it and stood up and left.

Grade: A

United 93

All the reviews were right. This movie is really amazing. It is a simple approach to telling the story of September 11, but talk about an emotional blow. I spent the whole second half of the movie crying.

Despite how moving the movie is, I didn't feel like Paul Greengrass was manipulating my emotions. He just told the story like it is, didn't overdramatize or give a lot of political commentary. It was just like watching events unfold that day, which is actually more terrifying and impactful than watching something that looks like a movie.

This movie is going to be hard to beat as my favorite of the year. But, the best review I read of this movie called it "the best movie ever that I hated," because of how hard it is to watch.

Grade: A+

Little Miss Sunshine

I knew from the previews that I would like this movie, but I was surprised by just how much I loved it.

I loves me some movies about quirky families, and this one tops even the best of them. A family with a whole lot of tension heads across several states in a yellow VW bus to make it to a pageant for young Olive.

A genius script, great story and some amazing performances. I would love to see Colette or any of this exciting ensemble cast get an Oscar nomination, but I think the best it can hope for is a Best Original Screenplay nomination.

Grade: A

The Devil Wears Prada

I checked this movie out on Saturday night. Here is my review in list format:

• Streep is, indeed, wonderful, but very understated in this role.
• It is girly and fun and stuff, but still a tad big above the average girly movie.
• If you like fashion, you gotta check it out.
• Ann Hathaway was fun, but hardly a knock-out performance
• There were a lot of decisions of the characters that just didn't seem logical to me.
• Never, ever go to Evanston on a Saturday night for a movie, it's crazy there!

Grade: B-

Nacho Libre

Yes, I actually went and saw this movie in the theater. I was with my niece and she wanted to go see it. I knew it looked dumb and stuff, but I wasn't prepared for what a total stink-bomb this movie was. It was terrible and the only time I laughed was when I realized how terrible and ridiculous the whole movie was.

Grade: F-

Transamerica

I finally checked this movie out. Felicity was good. The story was good. The son was way cute (see above pic for reference). But, I wasn't blown away by any of it. I didn't even cry once, and it ain't hard to make Chargenda cry.

There was some weird script things. The overall tone was bouncing back and forth between a comedy and a drama, and not sure which it wanted to be. Did the director think that was the only way to make a trannie movie palatable? Like a lot of the reviews I read said: It was just one step above a made for TV movie.

As for Felicity's Oscar nod, I am not sure I would have had her in the group if it were up to me.

Grade: B-

Halloween 6

I started this movie and it was like a train wreck, I couldn't turn away. I love a good scary movie, and even a bad one sometimes. But, wow, I couldn't believe how terrible this one was.

I had seen the original Halloween movie and the second one, I think, and remember liking both of them and being scared. And this one was like lots of other bad horror movies, but then it just got really crazy in the end. Where did the guys in black come from? Who are they? How did Paul Rudd and the old guy get drugged? Why didn't we see that? Why did Michael Meyers kill those people at the hospital, wasn't he in cahoots with them? Why does Paul Rudd talk like that?

Despite how terrible the movie is, I found myself desiring more slasher flicks. Did you know Tyra Banks is in either Halloween H20 (part 7) or Halloween: Resurrection (part 8)? I need to see that.

Grade: D+

The Beach

I was sort of glad that I watched this movie last night. Only because I have had tons of really nice great reviews lately. So, this shit sammy of a movie give a chance to rip on something.

I mean, wow, I heard how bad this movie was when it came out a few years back, but I couldn't' believe how terrible it was. The premise was OK, and interesting, but this movie seriously get progressivly worse as it approaches the end. Leonardo's character gets all crazy and stuff, and people start dying...and it gets SO lame!

Grade: D (the scenery is gorgeous, even thought they destroyed an island to make the movie)

A Prairie Home Companion

I should start out with this disclaimer: I love Robert Altman movies. Love love love them! So, my opinions are a bit skewed.

But, for real, A Prairie Home Companion was really wonderful. I grew up listening to this radio show because my Dad loved it. I hate the show so much, but sort of grew to like it a bit more as I got older. But never really a fan of Keiller or his show.

The movie version is about so much more than the radio show. It deals with death, religion, family relationships, all wrapped up in this story of the shows last time airing. Just like most Altman movies, there is lots of overlapping chatter, dialogue that seems so casual and unscripted, and everyone playing a supporting role. Meryl Stree shines and Lindsay Lohan impresses. The pacing is low key, nothing is too in your face, and it really is the perfect movie for a Sunday afternoon. I found myself grinning from ear to ear a few times at the dumb jokes and charming performances.

I would love to see this movie glide through to award season and get lots of recognition, but I don't know that it will make it that far. Streep deserves a Best Supporting Actress nomination, Altmand a Director nomination and the movie a Best Picture nomination, but I doubt any of that will happen.

Grade: A+

Munich

I finally saw this Best Pic nominee this week.

I can't say I agree with it being on the list over Walk the Line, but it is a damn fine film. Bana is great. It is compellingand thought-provoking without being too heavy-handed or taking sides really. But, there was something that just wasn't sticking with me. It felt a bit too impersonal to me.

Grade: B

X-Men 2 and 3

I watched the DVD of X2 on Sunday and went to see X-Men: The Last Stand later that day.

X2 was great, really fun, great, solid story, and just fun to watch, but anyone who is following the whole series knows that already.

The latest movie was good, but not awesome. There is something really fun about the whole concept of the X-Men, I mean, what little kid didn't used to pretend they had super powers. I remember being a little kid and standing in my back yard trying to control the weather ala Storm, no joke. Is that weird?

But the story is a little more disjointed, the character development a little more lacking, and the overall tone a little off. I really think this movie could have been better if they gave it a whole additional hour of time to tell it in. Just SO much going on that when a major character is axed I hardly have time to think about it or care about it.

But, just wonderfing if I was the only one out there who stayed through the credits at the end. If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you do, they leave some room for another movie by that blip of a scene in the end.

Grade: X2: A-
X3: B- (I am totally stealing Naivehelga's and EW's grade)

Memoirs of a Geisha

All of the stuff I heard about this movie was true. The gist of the reviews was that Geisha is a very beautiful movie, but not much other than that. The cinematography, costumes, scenery, people are all beautiful. But, the reviews said the acting wasn't much good and the story and pacing were duds. I wasn't as let down as I thought I would be. I loved the music, the story and the concept. But, the acting just ruined it for me.

Rob Marshall should have found some Japanese women, instead of Chinese women, and told this story in their native language to let their acting talents shine.

What is it with Marshall and his thing for stories of ladies feuding with each other?

Grade: C+

Grand Ecole

This move is tres gay....

No, really, I mean it both ways. It is a some frenchy movie about some college kids who don't know if they are gay or straight, and it is gay as in like, dumb.

I rented it because I like to see movies with lots of naked boys in them that aren't porn. And it has some of that, but it was SO not sexy at all. The one middle eastern guy in it was hot, and the other guys were pretty, too. But the story sucked.

Why is it so fun for me to see movies where guys show their man bizness when I could just rent porn and see it all? Who knows, but if you know of movies with crotch shots, let me know!

Grade: D+ (but rent it just to see some nekkie men)

In Good Company

This movie just popped up on one of the movie channels last night, and I hadn't ever really thought to watch it. Even though I really love Scarlett and Dennis.

I loved it. A really great story, great script, great acting. Just all around good.

It is the story of a guy who is in his mid-twenties and his marriage has fallen apart, but his career is going great. He ends up heading up an advertising department for a national sports magazine and most of the people he is overseeing are twice his age. He develops a love/hate relationhip with Dennis Quad's character and then falls in love with his daughter, Scarlett.

Check it out.

Grade: A-