Monthly Archives: December 2007

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Charlie Wilson’s War

Date: December 23
Location: Muvico Boynton Beach

There’s really no better movie experience for us right now than getting the babysitter and going to the new Boynton Muvico. It’s literally 5 minutes away and it’s a great theater. We could see White Chicks there and come away with a smile on our faces.

Charlie Wilson’s War is no White Chicks. It’s a smart, funny ride that showcases Aaron Sorkin at his witty best and sidesteps him at his preachy worst. Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and (particularly) Philip Seymour Hoffman tear into this dialogue with relish and it’s an absolute treat to watch. The movie loses its way a bit in its final third — I expected a bit more conflict before the resolution — but it’s mostly just a great time at the movies. It’s refreshing to see a movie about the politics surrounding the Middle East conflict work first and best as a character-driven comedy.

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Screen Actors Guild nominations

Into the Wild gets the biggest boost from the SAG nominations, picking up four, while Atonement and Sweeney Todd are completely shut out. No Country for Old Men and Michael Clayton pick up three apiece.

The biggest surprise is the ensemble category, the SAG equivalent of Best Picture, where No Country and Into the Wild are joined by Hairspray, 3:10 to Yuma and American Gangster, three films that have been pretty much out of the awards race thus far.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

GEORGE CLOONEY / Michael Clayton
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / There Will Be Blood
RYAN GOSLING / Lars And The Real Girl
EMILE HIRSCH / Into The Wild
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Eastern Promises

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Elizabeth: The Golden Age
JULIE CHRISTIE / Away From Her
MARION COTILLARD / La Vie En Rose
ANGELINA JOLIE / A Mighty Heart
ELLEN PAGE / Juno

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

CASEY AFFLECK / The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
JAVIER BARDEM / No Country For Old Men
HAL HOLBROOK / Into The Wild
TOMMY LEE JONES / No Country For Old Men
TOM WILKINSON / Michael Clayton

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

CATE BLANCHETT / I’m Not There
RUBY DEE / American Gangster
CATHERINE KEENER / Into The Wild
AMY RYAN / Gone Baby Gone
TILDA SWINTON / Michael Clayton

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

3:10 TO YUMA (Lionsgate)
AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal Pictures)
HAIRSPRAY (New Line Cinema)
INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax Films)

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What’s left to see?


UPDATED: March 28 now that DVD is the only option for all of these.

I’ve been making a lot of headway the past few weeks, seeing some of the 2007 films that almost got away. So I thought I’d take a minute to detail what’s left on my to-see list.

In order of must-see-ness:

There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson is probably the most exciting young talent in movies today — he’s stretching the boundaries of cinema in breathtaking ways. Word is this is another masterwork, but even if it falls short of Boogie Nights or Magnolia I’m certain it will be fascinating.

Juno – I hope it lives up to the hype, but even if it doesn’t I’ll be happy to spend a couple hours with this cast.

Charlie Wilson’s War – Seems to have a great combination of laughs and brains, and a mischievous performance by Tom Hanks.

1. Michael Clayton

Sweeney Todd

2. Walk Hard – Incredibly silly, I’m sure, but it’s a genre ripe for parody and I trust these guys to do it right.

Lars & the Real Girl

3. The Diving Bell & The Butterfly – I feel like I have to see this more than I want to see it, but the raves have me intrigued.

4. 3:10 to Yuma

5. Persepolis

6. The Great Debaters – Might be corny as hell, but the subject matter is great and I like the Denzel.

The Savages – This should probably be higher on the list, but the trailer doesn’t do a whole lot for me. The idea of Linney and Hoffman putting on an acting clinic does, though.

I Am Legend – Probably not going to see this in the theater, but I still kind of want to.

The Bucket List – Good reviews could push this up the list. As it is, I’m very wary of Rob Reiner’s output the past 10-15 years and the ads make it look pretty corny.

Into the Wild – Mostly excellent reviews but I can’t shake my Sean Penn-as-director fatigue.

7. The Kite Runner – Seems way too grim, but probably worth seeing. I might feel differently if I’d read the novel.

Eastern Promises

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
My Kid Could Paint That
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Margot at the Wedding
Paris, je t’aime
8. Control
9. Waitress
10. The Ten
In the Vallery of Elah
11. Fred Claus
12 The Hunting Party
13. Rescue Dawn
14. Interview
15. A Mighty Heart

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I’m Not There

Date: December 18
Location: Landmark Art Cinema (Atlanta)

I returned to the excellent midtown Atlanta theater where I saw Pan’s Labyrinth about a year ago to catch Todd Haynes’ unique Bob Dylan biopic. I wish South Florida had a theater like this, with big posters of classic films in the lobby, eight large screens showing indie fare, employees and patrons you can just tell are film lovers. If I ever get a big-money job offer in Atlanta, this movie theater will be a check in the ‘pro’ column.

The film is fascinating and often transcendent. It’s an art film in the truest sense of the word — eschewing simple things like plot and narrative in favor of a scattered exploration of the “many lives” of Bob Dylan. This is the kind of movie ensemble awards are made for… all the actors are terrific, with Cate Blanchett and young Marcus Carl Franklin the standouts. Tying everything together is Dylan’s music, used to tremendous effect from fade in to fade out. Not every scene is successful, but so much of the film works so well that it easily ranks among the year’s best.