Oscar Predictions

I still can't decide whether 2005 was a weak year or not. Granted, we did not have an Eastwood film, but we had some decent fare. My picks for the Oscars:

Best Actor: I have a huge soft spot for Philip Seymour Hoffman, and because I live in a small market I haven't seen Capote yet, but ... Heath Ledger knocked my socks off in Brokeback, so I'm betting Ledger will get it, and I think he'll deserve it, but if Hoffman wins, I'll be tickled pink.

Best Supporting Actor: When I was 14 or so, I thought Matt Dillon was the best thing ever. It was a real thrill for me for his performance in Crash to be so outstanding. A lot of the pundits are predicting Paul Giamatti will get it as a make-up call for not even being nominated for Sideways, but I hope the Academy is not that shallow.

Leading Actress - couldn't really care about this one this year. The action is in Supporting Actress.

Supporting Actress - just saw Junebug last week. Amy Adams did a bang-up job. I am a big fan of Catherine Keener, though. I wouldn't have said this a week ago, but we just watched Constant Gardener again a few days ago, and I'm going to say the Oscar goes to Rachel Weisz.

Animated Feature - has to be Wallace and Grommit. Grommit knits, I have to love them.

Best Director - Ang Lee, hands down.

Original Screenplay - I'd cast my ballot for Crash.

Adapted Screenplay - toss up for me between Constant Gardener and Brokeback Mountain.

Best Picture - If Crash beats Brokeback, I'll be happy, but anything else will be a miscarriage of justice.

Gotta say that I'm rooting for Best Song to go to "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." Are they going to have those artistic performances of best song nominees again this year? Hmmmm.

January 2006

Twelve Monkeys - a classic
Fun with Dick and Jane - rather funny, we thought
Serenity - Watching all the Firefly episodes and this movie within 4-5 days was just great, but now that it's over, what am I supposed to do?
The Jacket - unusual psychological thriller/drama
Dot the i - odd film about betrayal and revenge
Heights - interesting ensemble piece with Glenn Close as an aging actress whose daughter is going through a crisis
Frogs for Snakes - one of our favorites. After all, who wouldn't kill to play Teach?
Straight No Chaser - the beautiful mad Monk
Days of Being Wild
House of Flying Daggers - always a treat
Me and You and Everyone We Know - definitely offbeat
Dune
Closer - depressing but really good
The Big Empty – wow, what did Favreau owe the director/writer of this one? Yikes.
Life of Brian
Scent of a Woman – hoo hah. This one holds up pretty well.
Brokeback Mountain – Wow. This one broke my heart.
Remember Me, My Love - Italian film about a family falling apart, but brought back together by a tragic accident
Hustle and Flow – man, you wouldn't think a movie about a lowlife pimp and drug dealer in Memphis would be interesting, but wow. This story is about dreams, and the setting makes it particularly effective.
Zhou Yu's Train - recommended for Wong Kar-Wai fans. Too slow for my taste, at least the day we watched it.

Just for the record...August-December 2005

OK, so keeping up my blog didn't work so well. I've been busy, what can I say. I have kept up my old-fashioned paper list, so all is not lost.

Viewed in August:
Traffic – rerun, still a good one.
Casino – glad we Netflixed this instead of buying, rather disappointing.
The Last Shot - don't even remember this one
Man on the Train – rerun, always enjoy Leconte
Flirting with Disaster – always hilarious
My Son the Fanatic – interesting still
Emma – glorious
Unsung Heroes
In My Country – Juliette Binoche as a South African journalist who joins forces with an American, played by Samuel L Jackson, set during the Truth & Reconciliation trials
Bride and Prejudice – Austen meets Bollywood, funny but went on a bit too long
The Island – Not as good as it should have been
Hostage - average
Open Hearts - interesting, Dogma film, depressing
Family Guy Volume 1 – Oh my gawd. We didn't have cable when we lived in New Bedford, Mass, and my Rho Dyeland co-workers weren't talking about this one! What a freakin' stitch. Just hearing them say their hometown name kills me (Quahog!)
Code Inconnu – a really complex film, even more enjoyable this time
Alexander – what a waste of time
The Ballad of Jack and Rose – offbeat film with Daniel Day-Lewis playing a man raising his daughter
The Upside of Anger – very effective comedy-drama with Joan Allen and Kevin Costner
Bitter Harvest

Viewed in September
Kinsey – Interesting.
The Big Lebowski – perennial favorite at our house.
Round Midnight - beautiful sad
Mad Dog and Glory
The Ladykillers - rather annoying, really
Chaos
A Very Long Engagement - an excellent film, even after several viewings
Desperately Seeking Susan – corny 80s fun
Smoke – this one always gets me
Bringing Up Baby – fun classic
Broken Flowers – Ah, why is Jim Jarmusch so underappreciated.
Finding Neverland – better than expected
Mondovino – mondo boring - I like to drink my wine without knowing *that* much about it, I guess
A Couch in New York – cute culture clash comedy with William Hurt and Juliette Binoche
Abouna – excellent film
The Final Cut

Viewed in October
Mighty Aphrodite – Woody Allen, comfort food for us
Birth – odd.
Hook - Isn't Netflix great?
3 Iron – very odd, dreamy Korean film
The Holy Girl
The Name of the Rose
Saving Private Ryan – had never seen this. Not so bad.
Manhattan Murder Mystery
We Don't Live Here Anymore
The Royal Tenenbaums - Wes Anderson's best
Sky Captain
The Magdalene Sisters – depressing
The Sea Inside – depressing
The Sixth Sense – still chilling

Viewed in November
Fever Pitch – the remake with Drew Barrymore and the Sox, cute.
The Assassination of Richard Nixon – very offbeat, good performance by Penn, just a little weird
Catch Me If You Can
Un couer en hiver - still heartbreaking
The Legend of Zorro - so we were desperate to go to the movies....
The Wizard of Oz
8 Women
Pieces of April - so well done
No Direction Home – fascinating look at Bob Dylan
Henry Fool
Kontroll – odd, almost unwatchable
Solaris - one of my favorites
Kolya - holds up well.
Wild Things - had never seen it, wow, how trashy!
Crimes and Misdemeanors – still the best Woody Allen in my opinion
House of Yes
The Girl on the Bridge
Tadpole – another wonderful Thanksgiving movie
Far From Heaven
Hannah and Her Sisters

Viewed in December
Apres Vous
The Interpreter - better than I expected, but why didn't they just use Kiswahili and not go to the lengths of making up a language?
Cronicas - Leguiziamo shows his range, a very creepy, interesting look at journalists tracking a serial killer story
My Summer of Love
Bewitched - could have been so much better!
The Dinner Game - hilarious!
King Kong - not so bad, really.
P.S. - yawn, and annoying!
Firefly - OK, again, we didn't have cable during the brief moment this was on. After hearing recommendations from a hugely divergent array of people, we gave it a shot, and we watched the whole damn box set within days. I loved Buffy the movie, never got into Buffy the series, but OK, I can now say, I'm a Joss Whedon fan for sure.
Fargo - a good one for a winter night
The Ref – my favorite Christmas movie
The Life Aquatic - not as good as Tenenbaums, but he's really good.
Bridget Jones' Diary
El Palo
Happenstance