A Mighty Heart

A Mighty Heart is one of the great films that i've seen so far this year. The film truly shows the culture of terrorism and the victims of terrorism. Angelina Jolie stars as the wife of a kidnapped Jewish "wallstreet" journalist and she struggles with the Pakistan police and other international help to find him. Great work here by Jolie who might deserve a best actress nomination. Her and Cotillard are my favorite performances this, year regardless of gender. The supporting cast is also very good, especially Irfan Khan who is becoming a really good worker. I really hope this film makes some appearances and some wins come oscar time. A great script by John Orloff and great direction by Michael Winterbottom. It joins Into the Wild and La Vie en Rose as my best films so far.

Grade: A-

Oscar Nominations Predictions 11/28

Best Picture

*Atonement
*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
*Juno
*No Country For Old Men
*Sweeney Todd

Best Director

*Tim Burton, “Sweeney Todd”
*Joel Coen, “No Country For Old Men”
*Jason Reitman, “Juno”
*Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
*Joe Wright, “Atonement”

Best Actor

*Mathieu Amalric, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
*Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”
*Johnny Depp, “Sweeney Todd”
*Tommy Lee Jones, “In the Valley of Elah”
*Denzel Washington, “American Gangster”

Best Actress

*Amy Adams, “Enchanted”
*Julie Christie, “Away From Her”
*Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”
*Keira Knightley, “Atonement”
*Ellen Page, “Juno”

Best Supporting Actor

*Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James”
*Javier Bardem, “No Country For Old Men”
*Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”
*Hal Holbrook, “Into the Wild”
*Max Von Sydow, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Best Supporting Actress

*Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”
*Saiorse Ronan, “Atonement”
*Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”
*Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton”
*Marisa Tomei, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”

Best Adapted Screenplay

*Atonement
*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
*Into the Wild
*No Country For Old Men
*Sweeney Todd

Best Original Screenplay

*I’m Not There
*Juno
*Once
*Ratatouille
*The Savages

Talk to Me

Talk to Me is a very underrated piece of work made by Kasi Lemmons, starring Don Cheadle and Chjwetel Ejiofor. The film is about Cheadle's move from jail to a position as radio talk show host. It goes through the dangerous preoccupations of an African-American radio host trying to talk to his people and be a leader to a greater activist movement. The film shines by the performances of Cheadle and Ejiofor and it works masterfully the growth of civil rights and civil relations. A very good work that should get unnoticed.

Grade: B+

Waitress

Waitress is a film that follows the life of a young waitress(played by Keri Russell) trying to get into a piemaking tournament. Her only struggles is her husband, her pregnancy and the restraint she has to others. She falls in love with her doctor but rejects him for a life with her new daughter. Keri Russell shines in this film but the overall film is average at best. The first forty minutes works, as the lightness of the characters creates good satire but it fails to continue my interest and works below my expectations. I do not give it as good of a review as some others. Much respect to Russell. Not a terrible film, however.

Grade: B-

La Vie en Rose

This is a wonderfully told story of great singer/performer Edith Piaf. The film would be nothing without the great Marion Cotillard as Piaf. She gives one of the best acting performances in recent history. She is powerful in this powerful role. Cotillard may win the oscar for best actress and i would love to see it. Non, rien de rien.... Director Oliver Dahan has really created a very good biopic and he should be given a lot of due. Do not overlook this french film, please.

Grade: A-

American Gangster

This is an extremely efficient and effective crime drama which should give Ridley Scott a chance at a best director nom this year. The film is about a Harlem drug gangster(Denzel Washington) trying to succeed for his community and his finance. The truth in this film is that the police are as much the gangsters as the drug smugglers. Scott humanises the villain and puts substance in a "career" without glorifying it. That demonstrates great work by Scott and Washington. Russell Crowe plays a detective trying to rid the world of drug trafficking. The most effective part of the film is how it deals with its two main characters. They are flawed but good; dangerous, yet angelic; powerful, yet vulnerable. This is an outstanding piece of film which works well and is never overdone, which is a great strenght for me. The film is a contender for the best picture race but may be a bit behind. I see Scott, Washington and Crowe as contenders but ultimately falling short. I find that it was a better film than The Departed. As for this year, it stands near Into the Wild as the best so far, which is very early. I liked Into the Wild better but i found that "gangster" worked better. The film has a near perfect balance throughout.

Grade: A-

Reign Over Me

Director Mike Binder tells a story of a man who lost his family in 9/11 and it deals with his mostly-unsuccessful recovery by his former pal, a few years after that plane crash. Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler give convincing roles in this film. Sandler plays the role of a post-traumatic victim of his family's death and shows some good work here. Cheadle shows us again how he is a consistent force in film performance. The film is done pretty well and should get a bit more acclaim. It does however show some limitations but a success nonetheless.

Grade: B

2:37

This film has many flaws(acting included) and the flow is often awkward. It does however take many interesting chances and it does hit you hard. Its power is sometimes unforgivable. It does however fail in its execution. Director Murali K. Thalluri tries to tell us a very personal story, but iut feels like more of a summary of past "high school problem" films. It does hit the nerve at times.

Grade: C

Official Top 10 of 2006

1. Little Miss Sunshine
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. Babel
4. United 93
5. Stranger Than Fiction
6. Notes on a Scandal
7. Shortbus
8. Half Nelson
9. Little Children
10. The Prestige/Quinceanera