Countdown to the Oscars (bleh), Part 4

This may be the final installment of the "Countdown to the Oscars," as I've realized I haven't seen quite a few of the foreign language film nominees and very few of the ones I've seen, outside of The Class, All About My Mother and Revanche, are even worth recommending. I guess that new foreign-language committee really is helping as I didn't see a single nominee from 2008 (I'll probably see Andrzej Wajda's Katyn sometime, but I'm not in a hurry). I debated going through the glaring omissions of each year, but most of my candidates will be for foreign-language candidates, and we know how rarely those show up. Of the acting omissions, Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky is near the top, just below Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive, which is the only film she's ever completely rocked my world. Without further adieu, here are the directors and screenwriters.

Ten Best "Best Director" Nominees

1. David Lynch, Mulholland Drive (2002)
2. Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood (2008)
3. Paul Greengrass, United 93 (2007)
4. Fernando Meirelles, City of God (2004)
5. Michael Mann, The Insider (2000)
6. Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2008)
7. Pedro Almodóvar, Talk to Her (2003)
8. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men (2008)
9. Gus Van Sant, Milk (2009)
10. Martin Scorsese, The Departed (2007)

Ten Worst "Best Director" Nominees

1. Stephen Daldry, The Reader (2009)
2. Lasse Hallström, The Cider House Rules (2000)
3. Taylor Hackford, Ray (2005)
4. Ron Howard, A Beautiful Mind (2002)
5. David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2009)
6. Jason Reitman, Juno (2008)
7. Paul Haggis, Crash (2007)
8. Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York (2003)
9. Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby (2005)
10. Alexander Payne, Sideways (2005)

Ten Best "Best Original Screenplay" Nominees

1. Pedro Almodóvar, Talk to Her (2003)
2. Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky (2009)
3. Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich (2000)
4. Todd Haynes, Far from Heaven (2003)
5. Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Cuarón, Y tu mamá también (2003)
6. Brad Bird, The Incredibles (2005)
7. Martin McDonagh, In Bruges (2009)
8. Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, David Reynolds, Finding Nemo (2004)
9. Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson, The Royal Tenenbaums (2002)
10. Noah Baumbach, The Squid and the Whale (2006)

Nine Worst "Best Original Screenplay" Nominees (I only really disliked 8 of them that I saw, and no I didn't see My Big Fat Greek Wedding)

1. Paul Haggis, Crash (2007)
2. Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl (2008)
3. Guillermo Arriaga, Babel (2008)
4. Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous (2001)
5. Jim Sheridan, Kristen Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan - In America (2004)
6. Milo Addica, Will Rokos, Monster's Ball (2002)
7. Alan Ball, American Beauty (2000)
8. David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson, Gladiator (2001)

Ten Best "Adapted Screenplay" Nominees

1. Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater, Before Sunset (2005)
2. Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Election (2000)
3. Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Children of Men (2007)
4. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men (2008)
5. Braulio Mantovani, City of God (2004)
6. Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood (2008)
7. Sarah Polley, Away from Her (2008)
8. Todd Field, Robert Festinger, In the Bedroom (2002)
9. Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, Tsai Kuo Jung, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001)
10. Anthony Minghella, The Talented Mr. Ripley (2000)

Ten Worst "Adapted Screenplay" Nominees

1. Patrick Marber, Notes on a Scandal (2007)
2. John Irving, The Cider House Rules (2000)
3. David Hare, The Reader (2009)
4. Akiva Goldsman, A Beautiful Mind (2002)
5. Robert Nelson Jacobs, Chocolat (2001)
6. Gary Ross, Seabiscuit (2004)
7. David Magee, Finding Neverland (2005)
8. Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2009)
9. Steven Kloves, Wonder Boys (2001)
10. Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger S.H. Schulman, Shrek (2002)

Trailering Ozon

I've read a number of blogs commenting on the wonderful trailer for François Ozon's Ricky, which premiered at Berlin a few days ago to lukewarm reception (although Andrew Grant felt differently). The bande-annonce is posted above, and don't worry for those who don't speak French, it really isn't necessary. I'm quite disappointed that I can't find the US trailer for Water Drops on Burning Rocks, which is even more brilliant than Ricky's. Here's the scene in question, which will have to suffice... and tell me, who wouldn't want to see the film after this?

Countdown to the Oscars (bleh), Part 3

Here are the actor/actress/supporting actor/supporting actress rundowns of the past 10 years. I'll be the first to admit that I'm cheating a bit, as some of these films (usually the ones in the bottom category) are films I never finished watching after getting bored/uninterested/pissed off at the films when they would come on HBO. The bold font denotes a winner that particular year. Again, I realize the list would be more effective had I gone by release year instead of ceremony year, but I caught myself too late on that one.

Ten Best "Best Actor" Nominees

1. Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood (2008)
2. Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson (2007)
3. Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain (2006)
4. Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls (2000)
5. Sean Penn, Milk (2009)
6. Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story (2000)
7. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (2009)
8. Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York (2003)
9. Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises (2008)
10. Russell Crowe, The Insider (2000)

Ten Worst "Best Actor" Nominees

1. Jamie Foxx, Ray (2005)
2. Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Seville (2008)
3. Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2009)
4. Jude Law, Cold Mountain (2004)
5. Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness (2007)
6. Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland (2005)
7. Will Smith, Ali (2002)
8. Russell Crowe, A Beautiful Mind (2002)
9. Peter O'Toole, Venus (2007)
10. Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond (2007)

Ten Best "Best Actress" Nominees

1. Helen Mirren, The Queen (2007)
2. Penélope Cruz, Volver (2007)
3. Charlize Theron, Monster (2004)
4. Marion Cotillard, La Vie en rose (2008)
5. Sissy Spacek, In the Bedroom (2002)
6. Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry (2000)
7. Julianne Moore, Far from Heaven (2003)
8. Julie Christie, Away from Her (2008)
9. Diane Lane, Unfaithful (2003)
10. Laura Linney, The Savages (2008)

Ten Worst "Best Actress" Nominees

1. Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge! (2002)
2. Renée Zellweger, Chicago (2003)
3. Angelina Jolie, Changeling (2009)
4. Halle Berry, Monster's Ball (2002)
5. Diane Keaton, Something's Gotta Give (2004)
6. Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2008)
7. Felicity Huffman, Transamerica (2006)
8. Juliette Binoche, Chocolat (2001)
9. Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal (2007)
10. Annette Bening, Being Julia (2005)

Ten Best "Best Supporting Actor" Nominees

1. Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men (2008)
2. Clive Owen, Closer (2005)
3. Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children (2007)
4. Jude Law, The Talented Mr. Ripley (2000)
5. Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast (2001)
6. Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
7. Mark Wahlberg, The Departed (2007)
8. Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2008)
9. Djimon Hounsou, In America (2003)
10. Chris Cooper, Adaptation. (2003)

Ten Worst "Best Supporting Actor" Nominees

1. Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls (2007)
2. Matt Dillon, Crash (2006)
3. John C. Reilly, Chicago (2003)
4. William Hurt, A History of Violence (2006)
5. Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator (2001)
6. Jeff Bridges, The Contender (2000)
7. Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild (2008)
8. Ethan Hawke, Training Day (2002)
9. Alan Alda, The Aviator (2005)
10. Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain (2006)

Ten Best "Best Supporting Actress" Nominees

1. Amy Adams, Jubebug (2006)
2. Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2009)
3. Catherine Keener, Being John Malkovich (2000)
4. Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April (2004)
5. Chloë Sevigny, Boys Don't Cry (2000)
6. Samantha Morton, Sweet and Lowdown (2000)
7. Maggie Smith, Gosford Park (2002)
8. Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton (2008)
9. Rinko Kikuchi, Babel (2007)
10. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago (2003)

Ten Worst "Best Supporting Actress" Nominees

1. Kate Hudson, Almost Famous (2001)
2. Natalie Portman, Closer (2005)
3. Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal (2007)
4. Frances McDormand, Almost Famous (2001)
5. Kate Winslet, Iris (2002)
6. Judi Dench, Chocolat (2001)
7. Ruby Dee, American Gangster (2008)
8. Saoirse Ronan, Atonement (2008)
9. Renée Zellweger, Cold Mountain (2004)
10. Frances McDormand, North Country (2006)

Countdown to the Oscars (bleh), Part 2

I was inspired by someone else's blog (I don't remember who it was) to make a rundown of the decade at the Academy Awards. In this post, I'll list the ten best and worst Best Picture nominees, and after tabulating my list, I realize how pathetic it really is. I only really like the top four, and the remaining six I can only give faint praise (and, yes, Erin Brockovich really is better than Traffic). In the middle of posting this, I realized how stupid this whole list is, since I was cluelessly going by the year of the ceremonies instead of the year of the film's release. Double bleh. I suppose I'll keep going anyway. The Best Picture nominees I didn't see (and probably won't except for Master and Commander) are: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Seabiscuit (well, more than ten minutes); Good Night, and Good Luck.; Munich; Letters from Iwo Jima.

The Ten Best "Best Picture" Nominees

1. No Country for Old Men (2008, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen)
2. There Will Be Blood (2008, Paul Thomas Anderson)
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2001, Ang Lee)
4. Milk (2009, Gus Van Sant)
5. The Insider (Michael Mann, 2000)
6. In the Bedroom (2002, Todd Field)
7. The Departed (2007, Martin Scorsese)
8. Brokeback Mountain (2006, Ang Lee)
9. Capote (2006, Bennett Miller)
10. Erin Brockovich (2001, Steven Soderbergh)

The Ten Worst "Best Picture" Nominees

1. Crash (2006, Paul Haggis)
2. The Reader (2009, Stephen Daldry)
3. Ray (2005, Taylor Hackford)
4. The Cider House Rules (2000, Lasse Hallström)
5. Moulin Rouge (2002, Baz Luhrmann)
6. Chocolat (2001, Lasse Hallström)
7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2009, David Fincher)
8. A Beautiful Mind (2002, Ron Howard)
9. Babel (2007, Alejandro González Iñarritu)
10. Gangs of New York (2003, Martin Scorsese)

Countdown to the Oscars (bleh), Part 1

Now that I've watched all of the big Oscar nominees, from the main eight categories (I'd like to consider Foreign one of the "big categories," but as I've never been able to see all the nominees before the ceremony, I can't consider it such), I've ranked each of the nominees in descending order for your arguing pleasure. I've placed the titles in bold that actually deserved their nomination.

Best Picture

1. Milk
2. Frost/Nixon
3. Slumdog Millionaire
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. The Reader

Best Director

1. Gus Van Sant, Milk
2. Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
3. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
4. David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. Stephen Daldry, The Reader

Best Actor

1. Sean Penn, Milk
2. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
3. Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
4. Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
5. Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Actress

1. Meryl Streep, Doubt
2. Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
3. Melissa Leo, Frozen River
4. Kate Winslet, The Reader
5. Angelina Jolie, Changeling

Best Supporting Actor

1. Josh Brolin, Milk
2. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
3. Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
4. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
5. Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

Best Supporting Actress

1. Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
2. Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
3. Amy Adams, Doubt
4. Viola Davis, Doubt
5. Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Original Screenplay

1. Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
2. Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
3. Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
4. Dustin Lance Black, Milk
5. Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon, WALL-E

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
2. John Patrick Stanley, Doubt
3. Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
4. Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. David Hare, The Reader

Comments: Why is it that the original screenplay category is the only one in which all five nominees are worth praising? The Reader is easily the worst best picture nominee since Crash. I hate that in a few years, people will look back at the nominees for Best Picture and assume 2008 was a shitty year for film, when it was just the opposite. Let's just hope Hollywood's liberal guilt gives Milk just enough push to take the prize over its extremely less deserving nominees.

An MIA Wish-List

[Written as part of Jeremy Richey of Moon in the Gutter's "M.I.A. on Region 1 DVD" for the month of February] I don't know if it's more criminal that some of my favorite films aren't available on DVD yet, or if so many films I've been dying to see (and haven't had the chance to do so) is the real sham. My biggest worry about the new high def format is that the studios will now focus on making better transfers for their shitty films instead of focusing on the titles they haven't even given a proper DVD transfer. I had hoped the formats would war it out longer, but I guess that's no longer the case. So, in following 28 films I love that have yet to make it to DVD in the US, here are 28 films I wish I had the chance to see (I'm aware that some are coming, but the wait is killer). Like the other list, I've chosen only one film per director, as all of Jacques Rivette's films deserve to be out there. [Also, I've stopped apologizing for my French obsession(s)]

1. The Last Woman [La dernière femme] - dir. Marco Ferreri - 1976 - France/Italy - with Gérard Depardieu, Ornella Muti, Michel Piccoli, Zouzou, Nathalie Baye

2. Cold Water [L'eau froide] - dir. Olivier Assayas - 1994 - France - with Virginie Ledoyen, László Szabó, Jean-Pierre Darroussin

3. L'amour fou - dir. Jacques Rivette - 1969 - France - with Bulle Ogier, Jean-Pierre Kalfon

4. La cicatrice intérieure [The Inner Scar] - dir. Philippe Garrel - 1972 - France - with Nico, Philippe Garrel, Pierre Clémenti, Jean-Pierre Kalfon

5. The Best Intentions [Den Goda viljan] - dir. Bille August - 1992 - Sweden/Germany/UK/Italy/France/Denmark/Finland/Norway/Iceland - with Max von Sydow, Pernilla August, Lena Endre

6. Time of the Gypsies [Dom za vesanje] - dir. Emir Kusturica - 1988 - Yugoslavia/UK/Italy

7. The Blue Dahlia - dir. George Marshall - 1946 - USA - with Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake

8. Colossal Youth [Juventude Em Marcha] - dir. Pedro Costa - 2006 - Portugal/France/Switzerland

9. Les créatures - dir. Agnès Varda - 1966 - France/Sweden - with Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, Eva Dahlbeck

10. Cruel Story of Youth - dir. Nagisa Oshima - 1960 - Japan

11. Jail Bait [Wildwechsel] - dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder - 1973 - West Germany - with Harry Baer, Ruth Drexel, Irm Hermann, Eva Mattes, Kurt Raab, Hanna Schygulla

12. The Devil Probably [Le diable probablement] - dir. Robert Bresson - 1977 - France

13. Diary of a Mad Housewife - dir. Frank Perry - 1970 - USA - with Frank Langella, Carrie Snodgress, Richard Benjamin

14. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles - dir. Chantal Akerman - 1975 - France/Belgium - with Delphine Seyrig

15. India Song - dir. Marguerite Duras - 1975 - France - with Delphine Seyrig, Michael Lonsdale, Mathieu Carrière

16. No Fear, No Die [S'en fout la mort] - dir. Claire Denis - 1990 - France/West Germany - with Isaach De Bankolé, Alex Descas, Solveig Dommartin, Christopher Buchholz, Jean-Claude Brialy

17. Nocturnal Uproar [Tapage nocturne] - dir. Catherine Breillat - 1979 - France - with Joe Dallesandro

18. The Spider's Stratagem [Strategia del ragno] - dir. Bernardo Bertolucci - 1970 - Italy - with Alida Valli

19. Face to Face [Ansikte mot ansikte] - dir. Ingmar Bergman - 1976 - Sweden - with Liv Ullmann, Erland Josephson, Gunnar Björnstrand

20. Innocence Unprotected [Nevinost bez zastite] - dir. Dusan Makavejev - 1968 - Yugoslavia

21. Le beau Serge - dir. Claude Chabrol - 1958 - France - with Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Bernadette Lafont

22. Secret Ceremony - dir. Joseph Losey - 1968 - UK - with Elizabeth Taylor, Mia Farrow, Robert Mitchum, Peggy Ashcroft

23. L'important c'est d'aimer [The Main Thing Is to Love] - dir. Andrzej Żuławski - 1975 - France/Italy/West Germany - with Romy Schneider, Jacques Dutronc, Klaus Kinski

24. The Beaver Trilogy - dir. Trent Harris - 2000 - USA - with Sean Penn, Crispin Glover, Elizabeth Daily

25. Je t'aime, je t'aime - dir. Alain Resnais - 1968 - France - with Claude Rich

26. Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón - dir. Pedro Almodóvar - 1980 - Spain - with Carmen Maura, Cecilia Roth, Julieta Serrano, Assumpta Serna

27. Luna Park - dir. Pavel Lungin - 1992 - Russia/France

28. The Moon in the Gutter [La lune dans le caniveau] - dir. Jean-Jacques Beineix - 1983 - France/Italy - with Gérard Depardieu, Nastassja Kinski, Victoria Abril, Dominique Pinon, Vittorio Mezzogiorno