As I only have 3 movies left to watch (Charlie Wilson's War, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and American Gangster), I'm going to begin my rundown of the people who should win the gold this Sunday. I'm not nearly as good at summing up who will win, but here's my thoughts. The nominees are as follows: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood), Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men), Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Jason Reitman (Juno), and Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly).Best Director
Who Should Win: Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)This is a tough category as I was pretty astounded by both P.T. Anderson and the Coen brothers' achievements, but Schnabel achieved something really groundbreaking for me: an artpiece, a biopic and a film without false or manipulative sentiments. His vision is breathtaking, and my only complaint came when he decided to take the film out of first person. Yet still, the film is masterful, particularly from a director whose only worked in the realm of biopics. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is his finest achievement in the film world and one I don't think will be easily forgotten (though I could say the same about Anderson and the Coens)...
The WTF? Nominee: Jason Reitman (Juno)Jason Reitman... for Juno? Really? Do you think Diablo Cody was pissed that someone tried to attribute a separate authorship to the film? I bet she was. Juno's strengths (and its weaknesses) all lie on Cody's shoulders; Reitman was just there to make sure the camera was placed in the right direction. He, thankfully, avoids the obnoxious quirky look and feel of a Zack Braff film (which Juno could have very, very easily fallen into), so maybe he should be thanked for that... or maybe just not at all.
2 comments:
Reitman held a tone, I think. It may have been set up by that screenplay, but he certainly grounded the work where it could have gone off the rails. Let Tom Shadyac or Steve Odenkirk at that script and you have a much, much different movie. Reitman's dad is responsible for some true comedy classics, and I don't think he's completely unresponsible for the success of Juno. Award worthy? Probably not, but I don't think the movie is either.
Well, also, like in the presidential election, I only vote for the nominee with the most sex appeal, and sorry, Reitman ain't cuttin' it.
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