Most Anticipated Films of 2007 [Part Two]

Whew! Part One can be found here.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu) - Depressing Romanian cinema is certainly a hot property these days, yes? This Palme-D'Or winning film follows in the steps of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and 12:08 East of Bucharest as a most-probable critical darling (I bet you ten bucks it will show up in the top ten on an upcoming Village Voice critics' poll.) But will it release this year? The last two films to win Best Picture at Cannes showed up the following year (L'Enfant, The Wind that Shakes the Barley.) Anyways, I'm so there whenever the distributors get their priorities straight.

Be Kind, Rewind (Michel Gondry) - Unfortunately, the only Gondry film I've seen is Eternal Sunshine..., so I don't have a strong opinion of him as a director yet. I have to admit, the premise sounded a lot better on paper than it does in this trailer released recently (but then again, how is that indicative of anything?) There are a lot of likely plot holes that I hope the screenplay is able to adequately explain (why don't they just buy the erased titles again? Is this set in the pre-DVD era? How long can one sustain a concept like this?), but I'm keeping an open mind despite my nitpicky points. Yay for Mos Def. And Mia Farrow! Looks fun, even if it ends up being overall unsatisfying

The Stone Angel (Kari Skogland) - Margaret Atwood's devastating book of the same name about regret and lost faith is a personal favourite, so the upcoming film adaptation appears here only on that basis. I have no expectations that a film version will successfully master the difficult time shifts, nor the complexity of main character Hagar's interior monologue. Still, I'm intrigued to see what it Skogland's screenplay is able to translate successfully, and Ellen Burstyn in anything is a definite plus. It's a great, great part, so she could get some awards play if the release is handled properly (as a Canadian production, a Genie nomination looks very likely. Unless Academy rules disqualify non-Canadian actors... I should look that up.)

And the others: Silk (Michael Pitt and Keira Knightley = either sensational casting, or zzzz-inducing), Lars and the Real Girl (shifty premise, but Gosling and Mortimer = good) Savage Grace (Miss Julianne doing some naughty comedy; Glenn thought it had some merit), Things We Lost in the Fire (love Susanne Bier of Brothers brilliance and Benicio; don't disappoint me Halle!), Lions for Lambs (eeehh for Redford... but Meryl!), Rob Zombie's stab at Halloween (come on, I just had to!) and Aaja Nachle (Madhuri Dixit's long-overdue comeback Bollywood vehicle; her first role since 2002's Devdas.) Plus Becoming Jane and Two Days in Paris (they've already opened here in Toronto, but I haven't been to the theatre yet.)

THE TOP FIFTEEN

15. The Assassination of Jesse James... (Andrew Dominik) - Another troubled holdover from last year's list, this one could go either way. And as far as gritty Westerns go, it could get squashed with the much more accessible-looking 3:10 to Yuma releasing a month earlier. It's launching at TIFF this year, so that could definitely help quell the negative word-of-mouth. Or just perpetuate it (see All the King's Men.) Either way, I can't wait to see Mary-Louise Parker in her first on-screen role since... forever (2004?), and although I still haven't seen Dominik's Chopper (the only other feature to his name), I've only heard good things.

14. Margot at the Wedding (Noah Baumbach) - The trailer looks icky and dull (ill-timed editing is probably more to blame than anything), but I wasn't quite convinced by the pre-release word-of-mouth for Squid either. And we know how that turned out. Nicole Kidman is tipped as an awards player again (then again, isn't she always?), and perhaps even Jennifer Jason-Leigh could get enough attention for a long-deserved career nod. I still don't think Jack Black is the perfect fit here, even though I love him, but I think Baumbach knows what he's doing. Plus, I've heard great things from an insider at TIFF (apparently the best of the lot he has seen.)

13. Fugitive Pieces (Jeremy Podeswa) - I read this Anne Michaels book for my Grade 12 English class, and it made a major impact on me (I ended up doing a presentation the dense figurative language, and it was one of the most difficult projects I worked on that year.) I highly recommend picking it up, but if you're not the most voracious reader, hopefully this adaptation starring Stephen Dillane (Leonard Woolf in The Hours) will live up to the (read: my) high expectations and do some of the work for you. It opens TIFF this year.

12. No Country for Old Men (Coen Bros.) - I go back and forth on the Coens. I like Fargo well enough, but not on the same level that its most ardent supporters do; I even like the ones that those same fans outright dislike (Intolerable Cruelty). But I'm not particularly passionate about them either way... perhaps I should catch up on their early stuff before passing judgment so readily. But back to the film - I've heard good things about the Cormac McCarthy book though; perhaps I should give it a look before the film hits the screen.

11. My Kid Could Paint That (Amir Bar-Lev) - D'Angelo loved it, and even if he didn't, this still looks pretty damn fascinating (trailer here.) And while this kind of documentary is becoming kinda stale at this point (raising more questions than solid answers... maybe she does, maybe she doesn't - oooooh), I'm a big sucker for them.

10. Nothing is Private (Alan Ball) - I no longer love American Beauty as much as I once did, but "Six Feet Under" is mostly brill, and I largely gel with Alan Ball's bleak outlook on life. Looks provocative and incendiary, but that's a good thing... isn't it? Plus Maria Bello and Toni Collette in one film? *explodes*... *explodes again*

9. This spot was originally reserved for Kimberly Peirce and her new film Stop, Loss (took her long enough!), but it's been pushed back to March 2008. So let's talk about...

The Golden Age (Shekhar Kapur) - I love Elizabeth. I love Cate Blanchett in it. She should have won the Oscar. I've been salivating at the thought of a sequel for yeeaarsss. So why is this situated at #9? Truthfully, it probably would have landed the #1 spot if it weren't for that depressing, pitched-to-the-rafters trailer. I can't even watch it the whole way through anymore. Hopefully the finished product won't be this hysterical, cheesy and bombastic (what is with that "I'm a hurricane" nonsense? I'm mean, really now.) It just doesn't sit well with me at all, even if I'm a major fan of everyone involved with this project. As much as I'm a fan of Cate, lately she's just not doing it for me. After last year's depressing output (that nomination belongs to EMILY BLUNT), I'm scared to believe, lest I am burned again. Okay, enough of my bitching. The good? Samantha Morton as Mary, Queen of Scots is brilliant casting; I can't wait to see what she does with role. I'm also excited to see how the much-hyped Abbie Cornish fares up against all these acting titans. Oh yeah, and apparently Clive Owen is in this. Okay, I'm ready. Bring it on.

8. Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant) - Not much in the way of advance word from Cannes, where it was quietly and very politely received. If it's anything like Gerry, Elephant or Last Days (making up his stellar "Death trilogy"), I'll probably adore it. No release date yet, so I'm trying not to keep my hopes high... but IFC Films is listed as a theatrical distributor on IMDB. Maybe they're readying it for 2008 sometime?

7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel) - Best Director prize at Cannes aside, this would still appear as high on account of Schnabel's excellent Before Night Falls (perhaps best-known as the film which earned Javier Bardem an Oscar nod and featured Johnny Depp in drag... again.) And if you add these personalities to the mix: Ronald Harwood (screenwriter), Janusz Kaminski (DP), and actors Mathieu Amalric and Marie-Josée Croze = yummy. This adaptation of the memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby (Amalric), a magazine editor who developed locked-in syndrome as a result of a paralyzing stroke, could prompt (unwarranted) comparisons to The Sea Inside, but hopefully will be considered on its own terms.

6. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson) - Fine, I'll come right out and say it: I don't like Boogie Nights or Magnolia. I just can't get behind either of them, despite several repeat viewings. Each time, my opinion remains unchanged: both are bloated and overlong, peppered throughout with some inspired moments and bolstered by very strong ensembles. But then again, I loooove the hell out of the loony Punch-Drunk Love, which was half the length of its predecessors and twice as effective and inspired. P.T.A. now turns toward an Uptown Sinclair novel to explore oil, empire and Christianity in turn-of-the-century Texas, with Daniel Day-Lewis (!) and Paul Dano in tow. The teaser trailer looks particularly gorgeous, even if it doesn't really give a lot of plot detail away (which is probably a good thing, right?).

5. Jodhaa-Akbar (Ashutosh Gowariker) - The talented director of the Oscar-nominated Lagaan and the equally-strong Swades brings together Bollywood hotties Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan as the well-known Mughal figureheads. Not only is the hotness potential off the roof, this will serve as both history lesson and full-scale eye candy entertainer. Plus, it features a score and soundtrack composed by God (that is, A. R. Rahman.)

4. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg) - This could not come at a better time for me. Not only does it reunite Viggo and David after their 2005 knockout (*hyperventilates*), but it conveniently opens following my Naomi Watts reappraisal, who finally lives up to the hype post-Lynch (re: last year's The Painted Veil - see it for her, among a few other pluses.) It will probably have to compete with the biggie American Gangster for mafia-related picture of the year (*shrug*); hell, it will certainly draw comparisons to A History of Violence, which itself dealt with grisly secrets and shadowy mobsters. But whatever, it's Cronenberg. How will this not be gross, stomach-turning, brilliantly acted (Viggo with a hot accent!), subversive, sexy and all those things you expect from the master?

3. Atonement (Joe Wright) - I have not read the novel by Ian McEwan, but it's supposed to be one of the better ones; I haven't heard one negative reaction by a reader so far. So we already have great source material on the table, plus a clearly-capable director and delicious cast on top of it all. And if one person can get a great performance out of Keira "I'm usually a blank slate" Knightley, it's Mr. Wright (see Pride and Prejudice), and we already know that James McAvoy is a most dependable actor.

2. Lust, Caution (Ang Lee) - I watched the trailer a couple of days ago and then died of excitement. I'm consciously not reading much about the film to keep my movie-going experience as virginal and untainted as possible. All I know it has Tony Leung and Joan Chen, which will be... I can't even finish that sentence.

1. I'm Not There (Todd Haynes) - I tried to leave substantial comments for this selection many times, but words continue to fail me. Are they even necessary at this point? How can I adequately explain why an upcoming Haynes film is always cause for celebration... Even if the film doesn't end up working in the end (which I highly doubt in the first place), you've got to give him props for being so experimental and original with his cinematic projects. If only all directors thought this "out-of-the-box". Either way, I'm excited to see what looks like a dismantling of the biopic structure (among other things), and that cast looks pretty damn fine to these eyes (Bale! Ledger! Williams!). Even my now-estranged Blanchett seems to be in top form, and when was the last time I felt that way?! One word seems apt in this case: meep!

Anyone else notice how this year's crop features a lot of directors following up on their acclaimed 2005 films? Cronenberg, Lee, Wright, Van Sant, Baumbach, Clooney, Burton, Jordan, Ridley Scott, Hood, Allen and Bier (well, Brothers was *technically* 2004, but released here the following year.) Very interesting - how will their newest projects compare? Can't wait to find out.

EDIT: The only reason Michael Haneke's remake of his own Funny Games wasn't included is that I had heard it was pushed back to April '08. Now I'm reading it's back on for a limited late October release...

What happened to the Actor Countdown?

Is this a bit of a cop-out? Well, I'll write a few lines in my defense first...

I'm disclosing my final choices (#1-7) for the Top 25 Performances by a Male Actor Countdown (2000-2004) in one go. You may recall that this project was created in response to Javier's own list centering on female actors. After roughly the #7 selection, both of our countdowns kind of ran out of steam; Javier closed shop on Auteur Lust several months ago (here's hoping for that comeback soon, Javi!), while I just stopped churning out entries altogether. Although I'd love to see him finish up his list, entry by entry (to maintain the suspense), I personally have to throw in the towel. Realistically speaking, there's no way I can complete this project with the detail I originally started off with. My respect for the actors' work has not diminished; my passion for the project has.

Every few months, I try to muster up enough enthusiasm to continue, and once in a while I'll post something halfway decent. But the truth is, I've stopped caring about these entries and what they represent. After investing myself in awards season after awards season, I'm realizing the ridiculous act of judging performances and ranking them on a scale. I know this is supposed to be fun and not taken seriously in the least, but I'm having a hard time justifying placing one actor over another, thereby creating a hierarchy of what is all-around great acting work. The other reason is that if I prolonged this any longer, I'd never finish it (it's been more than a year since entry one!). I think it's better to get it over with quickly...

7. Gael Garcia Bernal, Bad Education - (I posted an entry for this a few days ago, hoping that the sight of an empty post would prompt me to fill it in. No such luck.)

6. John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch

5. Mark Ruffalo, You Can Count on Me

4b. Ed Harris, Pollock

4a. Ralph Fiennes, Spider

3. Dan Futterman, Urbania - (This is the performance I saw last year that changed the look of the list, resulting in the tie between Harris and Fiennes.)

2. Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom

1. Haley Joel Osment, A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Comment, discuss, ignore. Perhaps I'll fill these out properly one day, perhaps not. Ask me about any of these if you want, and I'll provide some comments.

Most Anticipated Films of 2007 [Part One]

Again, I'm quite aware that such a post is considerably "late" seeing as we are fast approaching the halfway mark of 2007, but has that ever stopped me before? Better late to the party than not attending at all. Besides, apart from Away from Her, Planet Terror, Spider-Man 3 and some festival leftovers from 2006, there was little to look forward to and celebrate within the January to April period. We all know that the good stuff is reserved for the latter part of the year more often than not, and this is around the time that I start to salivate at the promise of TIFF (the Toronto Int'l Film Festival) and its possible entries. Cannes was rather low-key this year, but that has not negatively affected my anticipation for titles such as Moore's Sicko, Van Sant's Paranoid Park and Sokurov's Alexandra. Like last year, I've organized my selections into four camps (dreading/interested in/honourable mentions/the top fifteen), so here we go...

WILL PROBABLY AVOID (DREADING):

Ocean's Thirteen (Steven Soderbergh) - Honestly, who asked for this sequel? Raise your hand, so I can physically hurt you. It's not as if the aging franchise has been super-successful of late, and I'm surprised that the filmmakers didn't take the hint from the second film's poor critical reception. 2004's dull Ocean's Twelve had its inspired moments, but I certainly didn't walk away from it desiring to spend any more time with these characters (as much as I enjoy the supporting actors like as Don Cheadle and Scott Cann.) In fact, I'd rather see a sequel that brings these sideline characters to the forefront and banishes the tiresome trinity of Clooney/Pitt/Damon to the margins. At the very least, one good thing will come out of this - everyone involved will be forced to move on. Hopefully. I pray. Ocean's Fourteen to follow? (EDIT: I wrote this entry before the film opened, so I realize my thoughts are a little dated.)

Stardust (Matthew Vaughn) - Although I was initially glad that the successful Lord of the Rings trilogy re-introduced fantasy to the public and industry suits, the current situation has me a little less gung-go about its future (see recent adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia and Eragon, for example.) Granted, the unofficial trailer that was released recently is still a work-in-progress and features unfinished material, but the whole thing still looks extremely cheesy to me. Perhaps as the release date draws closer, I will warm up to the whole idea; that cast is certainly attractive regardless of my reservations!

Hostel Part II (Eli Roth) - I like horror quite frankly, but there's a limit to how much gore I can take in a film. It's not that the depiction of blood and guts upsets me, but I find it ungainly and lazy in this context - too easy (shock value.) The much-publicized scene in which Heather Matarazzo is hung upside town and tortured is even more worrisome to me. I don't know what lame justification Roth is offer for this, but I'm not too sure I care enough to make the trek to the theatre, or even watch it free later in the year on my movie network channel. I have better ways to spend my time that to watch young women be disemboweled for entertainment.

Rush Hour 3 (Brett Ratner) - Another story that I had (more than enough) closure with on film number one. And the less said about 2001's sequel, the better. Chris Tucker's high-pitched squawking and Jackie Chan's surprised expressions can work for only so long, and I think I've given Brett Ratner enough opportunities to impress me. Pass.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (Dennis Dugan) - A call for tolerance packaged in a buddy comedy in which gay panic is played up for laughs? Yawn.

Good Luck Chuck (Mark Helfrich) - Jessica Alba + Dane Cook = toxicity for Ali.

The Eye (David Moreau, Xavier Palud) - Jessica Alba + yet another Japanese horror film remake by Hollywood = toxicity for Ali.

Leatherheads (George Clooney) - I enjoy the Cloons in small doses, but his mug has been plastered everywhere I turn these days, and I'm quickly losing my love. Even more unnerving? Miss Zellweger plays his character's love interest (!), and I'm genuinely scared. But the inclusion of John Krasinski from the American "Office" series will be enough to get me in the theatre.

Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton) - Oh good grief, where do I even begin with this? Just as I'm having issues with the Scott-Crowe pairing (see below), Burton and Johnny Depp need to break up creatively for a little while. And Burton needs to stop casting his wife in all of his projects; it's getting seriously embarrassing for all involved. Pretty much all the actors seem miscast (minus Rickman and Spall), and the musical elements also have me worried. Will Depp and Bonham-Carter be able to pull it off? Will Burton deliver and make us forget about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory/The Corpse Bride?

American Gangster (Ridley Scott) - Scott and Russell Crowe teaming up again? I like it fine when proven talents re-assemble for more projects, but there has to be some space in-between the films. Where they, you know, work with other people? Take Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet for example: enough time has passed since the Titanic hysteria that I'm really looking forward to seeing them paired up again. This team though? Not as much. I'll be seeing it for Denzel though, who thankfully is not playing a cop for the first time in a while.

SO FAR, I'M COOL ON THE FOLLOWING, BUT AM KEEPING AN OPEN MIND:

My Blueberry Nights (Wong Kar-Wai) - The director's 2046 left a bitter aftertaste, but not so much so that I can't recall the strengths of In the Mood for Love and Happy Together. I'm honestly sick to death of Jude Law (take an extended sabbatical please!), yet I'm interested in watching Norah Jones in her acting debut; plus, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman make appearances. Word at Cannes was divided, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

Across the Universe (Julie Taymor) - I love Taymor and the passion she always brings to creating a visual experience for her viewer; still, I wish she'd pay more attention to everything else. Frida was a feast for the eyes, but rocky in scripting and even more problematic in performances (for the record: Alfred Molina deserved the nomination, not Salma Hayek.) This looks like more of the same with scrumptious eye candy and awkward... everything else.

The Other Boleyn Girl (Justin Chadwick) - Two likable but regularly uneven actresses in two extremely difficult roles. While Johansson has proved herself once before in period (Girl with a Pearl Earring), she has been... less impressive recently (The Black Dahlia), and as much as I adore Natalie, I can't say I'm a huge fan across the board. However, one casting decision I can fully get behind is Eric Bana as Henry VIII; he looks much more convincing as the figurehead than Jonathan Rhys-Meyers for sure.

Reservation Road (Terry George) - More downer dramas about accidents and post-trauma healing? Good cast with a potential comeback part for Mira Sorvino, but I feel like I've seen this film already. Five times.

The rest of them very quickly: Evening (great cast but that trailer is just a string of cringe-worthy moments), Southland Tales (I had Kelly's follow-up to Donnie Darko on my most anticipated list last year; but how will it hold up now following the disastrous Cannes reception?), The Darjeeling Limited (I enjoy Wes Anderson usually, but his last film did not click at all with me), The Golden Compass (again, too much fantasy of late, although the Kidman-Craig pairing sounds delish), The Brave One (Jodie Foster and Neil Jordan together is a tempting proposition, but the trailer all but gave us the final scene), Michael Clayton (the Cloonster again!) and The Invasion (Kidman plus Craig again, only this time with troubled production buzz... oh my.)

LOOKING FORWARD TO (INTERESTED IN):

The Kite Runner (Marc Forster) - The popular book by Khaled Hosseini provides solid source material, so that's in Forster's favour already (although Troy's David Benioff acting as screenwriter? Ugh.) This director's filmography doesn't sit well with me, but I'm interested in how he keeps defying genres and trademarks. And I keep hoping he'll make the film that actually deserves the praise everyone lavishes on him (no, not even last year's Stranger than Fiction really clicked despite good intentions.) I pray that this doesn't turn into a Memoirs of a Geisha-like disaster where exotic culture is "performed" and displayed for North American audiences though.

The Nanny Diaries (Shari Springer Bergman, Robert Pulcini) - Two words: American Splendor. Plus, the combined talents of Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti are enough to place my butt in that theatre seat.

Rendition (Gavin Hood) - Gyllenhaal and Witherspoon drama aside, look at the supporting cast: Arkin, Streep, Sarsgaard and Simmons. Plus the concept sounds pretty neat, even if it might lead to sermonizing of the "Middle Easterners are people too" variety.

The rest of them very quickly: Youth Without Youth (the return of Coppola Senior), The Savages (it's the year of La Linney), Margaret (another holdover from last year with strange word-of-mouth, but it's Lonergan!), Hairspray (I know, I know, but it still looks like a lot of fun), Cassandra's Dream (McGregor and Farrell - 'nuff said), and Charlie Wilson's War.

See Part Two here.

#8 (Male Performances in Review 2000-2004)

Ryan Gosling may be, far and away, the most deserving candidate in this year's Best Actor race for his slow-burning, swaggering take on the tired junkie character in Half Nelson, but for me, his career-best work "arrived" more than five years ago. It is in Henry Bean's highly controversial The Believer, a film loosely based on the life of Dan Burros, that features Gosling at his most unpredictable and volatile as an artist. For the purposes of the film, Burros is renamed Daniel Balint, but the puzzling details largely remain the same. In the early 60s, Burros - once a promising and devout student of Orthodox Judaism - unexpectedly turned in his outlook to align with the white-supremest American Nazi Party. He was initially successful in keeping his religious and ethnic background a secret from his comrades, but once a New York Times reporter exposed the truth in an article, Burros ended his life shortly thereafter. Bean's film attempts to piece together the stages of the young man's journey, and understand the degree of control that Balint/Burros must have possessed in order to selectively display and veil these parts of himself to others. It is a terrifying, deeply sad character study, and Bean does an able job in giving this disturbed and confused soul the right degree of sympathy (and an equal weight of aversion.) And his greatest asset is undoubtedly Gosling - the actor's transformation is nothing short of unbelievable. It is very difficult to make the connection between this violent, unstable aggressor and the affable dork Gosling portrayed on the cheesy tween series "Breaker High", or even the swoon-worthy Noah in The Notebook, the role he is best known (and loved) for. Even Half Nelson's Dan Dunne, a selfish and irresponsible teacher, is a saint in comparison.

In Gosling's hands, Daniel is one of the most unhinged, terrifying figures I've ever encountered in my years of worshiping the cinema. There is something unnerving about the way he looks ruefully out at the world; one gets the sense that if provoked, that cold unfeeling exterior will quickly give way to the raging beast within. And it does: Bean and Gosling hide nothing when the character savagely attacks with his words or fists, subjecting us to the ugliness of this man's hatred. Despite the fact that this disgust is clearly directed at himself and the inescapable reality of his core being, the cruelty is mostly visited upon the outside world and its people. He is a walking and living terror, the kind of brute you would never want to cross paths with, not even in broad daylight in a busy part of town. Consider the scene in the restaurant when the reporter casually brings up Daniel's Jewish background - the look Gosling responds with is at once so furious, helpless and self-righteous that you have expect him to murder the man in a panic. You can note both the defeat of having been "found out", and the denial of this charge that follows. "Do I look Jewish to you?", he spits indignantly; "Look at this!", he points to his own shaved head and clothes, as if they are proof enough to validate his claims. It is the defining moment when the monster is faced with his own hypocrisy and the inescapable contradiction of his values.

See the trailer here.

2006 List

(* indicates that it perhaps may not be eligible/counted as a 2006 release by original imdb dates)

[A]
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu [Christi Puiu]
INLAND EMPIRE [David Lynch]
Iran: une révolution cinématographique [Nader T. Homayoun]
Marie Antoinette [Sofia Coppola]
Volver [Pedro Almodovar]

[A-]
*L’Enfant [Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne]
*Iron Island [Mohammad Rasoulof]
Monster House [Gil Kenan]
*The Sun [Alexander Sokurov]
*The Wayward Cloud [Tsai Ming-liang]

[B+]
49 Up [Michael Apted]
Casino Royale [Martin Campbell]
The Departed [Martin Scorcese]
The Descent [Neil Marshall]
District B13 [Pierre Morel]
Half-Nelson [Ryan Fleck]
Inside Man [Spike Lee]
*Manderlay [Lars von Trier]
The Namesake [Mira Nair]
Offside [Jafar Panahi]
The Silly Age [Pavel Giroud]
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts [Spike Lee]
The Wind that Shakes the Barley [Ken Loach]

[B]
Art School Confidential [Terry Zwigoff]
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America To Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan [Larry Charles]
Children of Men [Alfonso Cuarón]
Confetti [Debbie Isitt]
*Drawing Restraint 9 [Matthew Barney]
*Duck Season [Fernando Eimbcke]
The Fall [Tarsem Singh]
Flags of Our Fathers [Clint Eastwood]
The Forsaken Land [Vimukthi Jayasundara]
The Fountain [Darren Aronofsky] 2x, up from C
*Free Zone [Amos Gitai]
A Grave-Keeper’s Tale [Chitra Palekar]
Infamous [Douglas McGrath]
The Lake House [Alejandro Agresti]
The Last King of Scotland [Kevin Macdonald]
Letters from Iwo Jima [Clint Eastwood]
Lights in the Dusk [Aki Kaurismäki]
Omkara [Vishal Bharadwaj]
Pan’s Labyrinth [Guillermo del Toro]
The Prestige [Christopher Nolan]
The Queen [Stephen Frears]
Quinceañera [Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland]
Rescue Dawn [Werner Herzog]
Strangers with Candy [Paul Dinello]
Syndromes and a Century [Apichatpong Weerasethakul]
Three Times [Hou Hsiao-hsien]
Umrao Jaan [J.P. Dutta]
V for Vendetta [James McTeigue]

[B-]
Babel [Alejandro González Iñárritu]
The Black Dahlia [Brian De Palma]
Breaking and Entering [Anthony Minghella]
The Devil Wears Prada [David Frankel]
Factory Girl [George Hickenlooper]
Friends with Money [Nicole Holofcener]
*Glue [Alexis Dos Santos]
*A Good Woman [Mike Barker]
The Illusionist [Neil Burger]
An Inconvenient Truth [Davis Guggenheim]
Jindabyne [Ray Lawrence]
The Magic Flute [Kenneth Branagh]
*Mrs. Harris [Phillis Nagy]
The Notorious Bettie Page [Mary Harron]
The Road to Guantanamo [Michael Winterbottom]
Starter for Ten [Tom Vaughan]
Stick It [Jessica Bendinger]
Thank You For Smoking [Jason Reitman]
World Trade Center [Oliver Stone]

[C+]
Adam & Steve [Craig Chester]
Big Bang Love, Juvenile A [Takashi Miike]
The Da Vinci Code [Ron Howard]
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party [Michel Gondry]
Dreamgirls [Bill Condon]
Dreamland [Jason Matzner]
Lady in the Water [M. Narcissist Shyamalan]
The Lives of Others [Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck]
A Prairie Home Companion [Robert Altman]
The Proposition [John Hillcoat]
Shortbus [John Cameron Mitchell]

[C]
Blood Diamond [Edward Zwick]
Dong [Zhang Ke Jia]
Little Children [Todd Field]
Little Miss Sunshine [Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris]
The Lives of Others [Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck]
Mission Impossible 3 [Jon Abrams]
The Painted Veil [John Curran]
Penelope [Mark Palansky]
The Pursuit of Happyness [Gabrielle Muccino]
Sherrybaby [Laurie Collyer]
She’s the Man [Andy Fickman]
Stranger Than Fiction [Marc Forster]
Superman Returns [Bryan Singer]

[C-]
Bobby [Emilio Estevez]
The Break Up [Peyton Reed]
Brick [Rian Johnson]
Failure to Launch [Tom Dey]
I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone [Tsai Ming-liang]
Laghe Raho Munnabhai [Rajkumar Hirani]
Notes on a Scandal [Richard Eyre]
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest [Gore Verbinski]
Tideland [Terry Gilliam]
To Get to Heaven First You Have to Die [Djamshed Usmonov]
United 93 [Paul Greengrass]

[D+]
Chup Chup Ke [Priyadarshan]
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna [Karan Johar]
Running with Scissors [Ryan Murphy]
Scary Movie 4 [David Zucker]
When a Stranger Calls [Simon West]
X3: X-Men United [Brett Ratner]

[D]
Don: The Chase Begins Again [Farhan Akhtar]
RV [Barry Sonnenfield]
Step Up [Anne Flecther]

[D-]
Climates [Nuri Bilge Ceylan]
Venus [Roger Michell]

[F]
Apocalypto [Mel Gibson]
Fanaa [Kunal Kohli]

Year in Review: The 2005 Marigold Petal Awards

Imagine Judi Dench's Barb in Notes on a Scandal: "The first day of a new year; and they flock to him..."

Look, don't even start with me, okay? I realize these awards are a gazillion months overdue (and furthermore the irony of posting this on January 1st.) I also intuit that many of you have made peace with all that was film in 2005 (except, you know, the holdovers that are appearing right now.) And I furthermore acknowledge that there has been way too much award discussion on this blog lately in lieu of actual film criticism. But I want to do some spring cleaning with the blog, so finishing this and the Male Performances in Review are major priorities for me. You can't imagine how many posts are "save[d] as drafts" presently. I know we have recently been overloaded with information on awards and "best of" lists as 'tis the season, so this might come as unwanted reading material (because I think myself such a popular blogger ;)... But this list is much more personal, and I feel like this might undo my writing block of late. I want to do a lot of writing in the coming days and weeks, so let's get started by handing in these late assignments!

* I was going to do this all the way and post all my nominees, but for the sake of saving space and (your) time, I'm just posting winners and runner-ups like the critics' groups do. Let me know if you want the entire list (it's simply a matter of copying and pasting.)

My top ten list by Canadian/Toronto release dates (as I felt it to be around April 2006; it has changed since):
1. A History of Violence [David Cronenberg]
2. The Best of Youth [Marco Tullio Giordana]
3. 3-Iron [Kim Ki-duk]
4. Grizzly Man [Werner Herzog]
5. The New World [Terrence Malick]
6. Me and You and Everyone We Know [Miranda July]
7. Capote [Bennett Miller]
8. Caché [Michael Haneke]
9. The Squid and the Whale [Noah Baumbach]
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [Nick Park, Steve Box]
10. Yes [Sally Potter]
---
11. Pride and Prejudice [Joe Wright]
12. Clean [Olivier Assayas]
13. Last Days [Gus Van Sant]
14. Murderball [Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro]
15. Brokeback Mountain [Ang Lee]
Brothers [Susanne Bier]

Honourable Mentions: Junebug, Mysterious Skin, Munich

Best Picture: A History of Violence (New Line) [Runner-up: The Best of Youth (BiBiFilm, Rai Cinemafiction)]

Best Director: Kim Ki-duk, 3-Iron [Runner-up: Michael Haneke, Caché]

Best Female Actor in a Leading Role: Maggie Cheung, Clean [Runner-up: Jennifer Connelly, Dark Water]

Best Male Actor in a Leading Role: Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain [Runner-up: Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale]

Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Maria Bello, A History of Violence [Runner-up: Amy Adams, Junebug]

Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Owen Kline, The Squid and the Whale [Runner-up: Mathieu Amalric, Kings and Queen]

Best Ensemble Cast: The Best of Youth [Runner-up: Brothers]

Best Original Screenplay: Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know [Runner-up: Sally Potter, Yes]

Best Adapted Screenplay: Dan Futterman, Capote [Runner-up: Deborah Moggach and Emma Thompson, Pride and Prejudice]

Best Animated Film: Steve Box and Nick Park, Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit [Runner-up: -]

Best Documentary Feature: Werner Herzog, Grizzly Man [Runner-up: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shaprio, Murderball]

Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli, Pride and Prejudice [Runner-up: Gustavo Santaolalla, Brokeback Mountain]

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, The New World [Runner-up: Christopher Doyle, et al., 2046]

Best Make-up: Patrick Baxter, et al., A History of Violence [Runner-up: David Watherton, et al., The New World]

Best Art Direction/Design: Sarah Greenwood, Pride and Prejudice [Runner-up: Alex McDowell, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride]

Best Costume Design: Jacqueline West, The New World [Runner-up: Sabyasachi Mukherji, Black]

Best Editing: Michael Hudecek, Nadine Muse, Caché [Runner-up: Ronald Sanders, A History of Violence]

Best Sound Mixing: Christopher Boyes, et al., King Kong [Anna Behlemer, et al., War of the Worlds]

Best Sound Effects Editing: Richard King, War of the Worlds [Runner-up: Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryn, King Kong]

Best Visual Effects: Brad Alexander, et al., Revenge of the Sith [Runner-up: Joe Letteri, et al., King Kong]

OVERALL:
A History of Violence - 3
The New World - 2
Pride and Prejudice - 2
3-Iron - 1
The Best of Youth - 1
Brokeback Mountain - 1
Caché - 1
Capote - 1
Clean - 1
Grizzly Man - 1
King Kong - 1
Me and You and Everyone We Know - 1
Revenge of the Sith - 1
The Squid and the Whale - 1
Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - 1
War of the Worlds - 1

Comment, discuss, challenge, ignore.