Oscar Madness: Finally the Movie Review of 2007 (or the longest blog entry you will ever see)

The Oscars are tomorrow and I realized I better chime in on my movies of 2007. Here goes...

I must confess that I did not see as many movies this year as I normally do. I think being so very busy and more addicted to TV caused me to miss so many films in a really banner year. Many people are claiming 2007 to be one of the best year’s in film and I feel like I cannot chime in properly on this debate (for me personally 1994 ranks up there). However, I thought I would share with some of my thoughts with you, whether you want to hear them or not.

First off, movies that I didn't see in 2007 and wish to see in no particular order:
- The Simpsons Movie: One of my all-time favourite comedies, a show that I stopped watching after season seven or eight. Season four represents comedic perfection. I never got around to seeing this one in the summer. I have heard that it is decent.
- 3:10 To Yuma
- The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Both cowboy movies that brought the Western back in full force. I can’t remember the last James Mangold (Copland) directed movie. As for the Brad Pitt-Jesse James movie, it looks good, but it
-Gone Baby Gone
Ben Affleck as a director sounds scary, but the reviews from this movie are scary good. Casey Affleck supposedly scores a double dose of goodwill with this movie and “The Assassination of Jesse James… yada yada”.
-Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Tim Burton looks like he goes back to his strengths of blending bizarre with horror.
-Michael Clayton
I have heard that this movie is a compelling feature. I am a big fan of Tom Wilkinson.
-Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
Sidney Lumet supposedly still has something significant to offer to the cinematic world in this film that supposedly showcases too much Tomei.
-The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
French film that I have heard is brilliant.

Now some comments on my favourite movies of 2007.

Movies that have endings that are a bit ambiguous or unsatisfactory resolutions OR movies that might not appeal to the average moviegoer:
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac
Atonement
No Country for Old Men

Before I begin, I you to understand that I wish I knew more about movie-making and I wish I have had some formal education when it comes to films. So what I say, I say from my miniscule knowledge and experience with film.

Two of my favourite directors are David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) and PT Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love). Let's start with PT's latest offereing "There Will Be Blood first." This movie, starring Daniel Day Lewis, has gained critical acclaim within the film critic society. I saw this two weeks ago and I have still been wrestling with it in my head. The story follows Daniel Plainview's ascension to an oil tycoon. I would love to spend a day talking to Daniel Day Lewis. This guy is simply intense. This guy is like the Tiger Woods of the acting world. Tiger Woods doesn't enter as many tournaments as the other pros, but he pretty much wins any of the ones that he enters. Daniel Day Lewis doesn't do many movies, but he pretty much wins an Oscar every time. That has to be pretty deflating for all those other actors trying to hone their craft. I almost feel like that Daniel Day Lewis' performance is an extension of his Bill the Butcher character from Gangs of New York.
DDL is riveting in every frame that he appears in and his eyes... his eyes burn with a maniac edge that won't be denied his black fortune. "I drink your milkshake!" What a line. This is not my favourite PT Anderson movie (Magnolia may be it) but it is an interesting film that is propelled by the dynamic soundtrack of Johnny Greenwood (of Radiohead fame). However, I don't know if I could sit through this movie again. It is long and only simmers without exploding. It is like a trapped geyser that never gushes and I think that may be frustrating for most viewers. And I suspect that people may not be entirely satiated with the final ending.

Oscar prediction: There Will Be Blood will bring another Oscar for DDL. And that will be it.

Zodiac, by David Fincher, is another movie about obsessions. This story recreates the San Francisco Zodiac killer's reign of terror back in the 70s. I found the movie completely engrossing as a character study of how people get so engrossed and involved in something to the point where everything else falls apart on them. I want to watch the DVD version of this, because supposedly Fincher uses tons of CGI in subtle ways to recreate an older San Francisco. There are moments of tension and apprehension peppered throughout the film, but again I believe viewers will be upset that nothing is tidied up like a stupid one hour episode of CSI. Mark Rufalo, Robert Downey and Jake Gyllenhall do a great job in this movie. I liked it, but I don't know if you will.

Atonement:
Once when I was in grade one, I lied to my mother about needing money for Beavers (like a mini-version of Cubs or Boys Scout). Instead, I really wanted the money to buy a pack of hockey cards. My mother sensed that I was lying to her and she pressed me why I needed the quarter. I folded like a cheap lawn chair and she quickly sussed out that I was lying. She was extremely disappointed, because this was the first time I ever lied to her. I felt a deep shame and I still vividly remember that moment even today.

Like my lies, Atonement is about lies that can linger for a lifetime. Mind you my lying didn't have damaging consequences that cut deep into my life. Atonement has a certain freshness to a period piece and the pacing of the first half allows the film to simply fly. The heat between Kiera Knightley (never a big fan of hers, but she is smoldering in this film) and James McAvoy is almost uncomfortable to watch and never has such a vulgar four letter word been used as such a damaging weapon. This movie again, has an ending that will leave many viewers a bit unsatisfied. The pacing of the last half of the movie cannot match the first, but I would pay to watch this movie again just to view the elegant single cut scene of James McAvoy's character as he wades his way through the evacuation of Dunkirk. The single cut scent surpasses the ones in Children of Men and almost, almost matches the one in Goodfellas (the one where Ray Liotta's character enters into the bar).

Oscar prediction: I wouldn't be surprised if Atonement walked away with the Best Film Award, simply because it is a safer choice than the others.

No Country For Old Men:
At the end of January, I was invigilating the Math 12 provincial and as I walked around and glanced at some of the questions that the students were working on, I became a bit wistful. I used to know how to do those questions. I used to be at a level of math that probably represented the pinnacle of my academic prowess. I was no longer that high school student full of youth and energy. I was just a teacher who could no longer remember the trig identities, like the cosine law, from a decade ago. Youth has faded for me, much like it faded for Tommy Lee Jones in "No Country for Old Men". The movie title did not make much sense for me until the end. Then the title rang through loud and clear with a truthfulness for all those who are aging and see their youthfulness fade.
I must say that I really enjoyed this movie. The suspense was ratcheted up in many scenes and Javier Bardem's Chirgurh character is absolutely chilling. A pure evil killer. This movie is violence and madness all recaptured by the Coen Brothers, who haven't done something like this in awhile. I know people will feel robbed of a proper climax, one that happens off screen, one that frustrated me as I left the theatre. But as I thought more and more about this movie, maybe that is what the Coens were trying to achieve. Maybe through the violent nature of the movie and the fact that someone like me felt ripped off by the lack of a violent resolution, the Coens hope to reveal that bloodthirst is within us and permeates our culture. In math, I am not satisfied with just using the cosine law, rather I want to know how it works in all its bloody glory. But by knowing all the details will that illuminate how the cosine law works? Will the knowing of the process satisfy me? Is it necessary? Maybe the Coens are saying that the end result and the answer is all that we should focus on. Maybe using the cosine law and having an answer mysteriously pop up, allows us to use our own imagination of how we got that answer. We are allowed to fill in the gaps. Which is why I don't think the average filmgoer will like this compelling journey about the madness that can arise from our choices in life. Sometimes we want the gaps filled in by someone else.

Oscar prediction: Coens walk away with Best Director and Best Film. Javier Bardem takes the Best Supporting Actor

My other favourites?

Juno, the indie darling.
The very beginning of the movie threatened to throw this film off its rails as the dialogue of Diablo Cody was so fake and forced. The scene with The Office's Raine Wilson in the grocery store was almost vomit inducing. However, this movie settled down afterwards and Jason Reitman showed a deft hand in this comedy/drama about a pregnant teenager named Juno. Ellen Page is outstanding as Juno and thank goodness that Michael Cera has been given time to stretch his wings in both this movie and Superbad. He is brilliant. Top notch work by Allison Janney, JK Simmons, Jason Bateman, and Jennifer Garner, make this a film that is enjoyable to watch. The biggest thing I liked is that this movie kept a couple together even though most movies means a pregnancy will split the couple up. This year had two quality high school movies, Superbad being the other, and I have no qualms saying this one was one of my favourites of the year.

Oscar Prediction: None for Director or Actress, but I bet Diablo Cody will win one for Best Original Screenplay, making her the female version of Quentin Tarantino for the next two years.

Ratatouille:
Pixar is magic. This film about a chef rat was a delight to the eyes and almost brought me to tears near the end. Fantastic movie from a fantastic company. Brad Bird's track record (Iron Giant and The Incredibles) will continue to soar.

Bourne Ultimatum:
Remember the game Hungry Hungry Hippos? You would just nail the heck out of the hippo levers and the marbles would go crazy and you would have no idea who was winning and then finally after the frenzy the last marbles would disappear and the game would be over.

That is what is feels like watching this movie. Matt Damon has completely won me over with these films and I think this third one may be my favourite of the bunch. An enjoyable adrenaline ride that I want to see again. The close quarters fighting in Casablanca (is that the right location) was just nuts and I never thought a textbook could be used for such lethal force. This was my favourite popcorn movie of the year.

Worst films?

Spiderman 3:
What a letdown. Simply horrendous. Sam Raimi fell into the Joel Schumacher Batman trap of adding way too many characters. Listen, either focus on Venom or Sandman, but not both. Comic book characters like Spiderman have so much history and lore and to shove two villians in together is asking for too much. I was so disappointed after seeing this film, especially considering how good the first two were.

Transformers:
I am the biggest Transformers geek out there. I can name pretty much any Autobot and Decepticon from the original series (go ahead, try me). I almost cried when Optimus Prime died in the original cartoon movie. (Optimus Prime would have to rank right up there with the best fictional leaders of all time... included in there would be Captain Jean Luc Picard.) I literally jumped up and down with joy when I say the commercial that advertised the return of Optimus Prime. Soundwave is my favourite Transformer of all time. I can even do a pretty good Soundwave impression if you ask politely.

So, with all that geekiness out of the way, this movie was terrible. I don't know where to begin. The eye candy girlfriend who happens to be a grease monkey/tom boy? The wise cracking Shia LaBeouf who is the only half decent thing about this movie, which is sad because this movie is supposed to be about TRANSFORMERS! The too fast CGI fighting scenes, where you can't tell one robot from the other. The terrible robot designs that make the Transformers look like pieces of scrap metal linked together by dental floss. The convoluted plot about some cube that is all powerful, yet when the Autobots find it, they give it to the tiniest and the weakest being... a high school kid, to run around with it to a rooftop. The fact that a robot would assume the form of an ugly ghetto blaster not an iPod. Where to stop? If I were the Autobots, I would send out a signal to warn all the other Autobots to stay away from Earth, because if you came you would have to stay in disguise of a stupid car shape allowing humans just to sit inside of you and boss you around. Stay away Autobots! Earth sucks, just like this movie sucks.

And on one last negative note, is there really a need to nominate Enchanted for THREE songs? Really three? Why not four while you are at it? And has anyone even heard the three songs from Enchanted? Eddie Vedder and Jonny Greenwood were robbed. Talk about an irrelevant music award. (I am so excited to see Eddie Vedder live in Vancouver... I managed to score a ticket to his sold out show at the Centre.)

Enjoy the Oscars everyone.

Oh yeah, other predictions?

Best Actress: That lady from that Madame Cotille movie or whatever it is will win.
Ratatouille takes Best Animated
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan
Best Adapted Screenplay: No Country For Old Men

I already stated, DDL, Coens, Javier, NCFOM as winners in the other bigger categories.

Oh yeah, and Enchanted wins for Best Song. Hurrah!