The title means there aren't that many changes this week.
Best Picture:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director:
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Best Actor:
Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress:
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Nicole Kidman, Australia
Kristin Scott-Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actor:
Jamie Foxx, The Soloist
James Franco, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay:
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Soloist
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The Visitor
Best Animated Feature Film:
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E
Waltz with Bashir
Best Art Direction:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Revolutionary Road
Best Cinematography:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Revolutionary Road
Best Costume Design:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
The Other Boleyn Girl
Revolutionary Road
Best Film Editing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Makeup:
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Best Original Score:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Revolutionary Road
WALL-E
Best Original Song:
"All Dressed Up in Love," Sex and the City
"Down to Earth," WALL-E
"Last Chance," High School Musical 3: Senior Year
"Rock Me Sexy Jesus," Hamlet 2
"The Wrestler," The Wrestler
Best Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
WALL-E
Best Sound Mixing:
Australia
Body of Lies
The Dark Knight
Defiance
WALL-E
Best Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Iron Man
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Review: Quarantine (****)
Directed by John Erick Dowdle
Cast: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Johnathon Shaech, Columbus Short, Steve Harris, Andrew Fiscella, Rade Serbedzija, Greg Germann, Dania Ramirez, Elaine Kagan, Marin Hinkle, Joey King, Jermaine Jackson, Sharon Ferguson.
2008--89 min.
Rated R (bloody violent and disturbing content, terror, language)
Reviewed by The Teen Critic on October 12, 2008.
John Erick Dowdle's terrifying new masterpiece "Quarantine" has been unfairly treated to the maximum. How this movie never got the pre-screening for critics is beyond me. This is a level of terror not seen since 2006's "The Descent" and is possibly even scarier. Of the 50 movies I've seen this year, "Quarantine" is by far one of the very best and the scariest.
Now that that's out of my system, I will now give away the movie for you, because no matter what I tell you, nothing will ever--ever--leave your head once the experience is over with. "Quarantine" chronicles the deaths/infections of a two-man camera crew, the firemen they are shadowing, two policemen, and at least ten of the residents. That this happens is not the point. How it gets to this point is.
"Night Shift" host Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are in the midst of shooting a special on the lives and work of firemen. When the two arrive at a medical call with the firemen, the terror begins. A woman named Mrs. Espinoza has somehow contracted rabies from an extremely infected dog. She, in turn, infects everyone else.
That's where it stops on the plot synopsis front. Now see the movie...
...okay, so you've seen it now, and you understand the power of the images. One shot is so intrinsically cooperative that it could have fallen into the trap of feeling too unbelieveable but doesn't.
"Quarantine" is nothing short of a horror masterpiece that has somehow slipped under the radar. It is masterfully mounted, unbearably scary, and frighteningly plausible, yet deeper than one might expect. The film can be described as a sort of cross between "I Am Legend" and "Cloverfield." From the first comes the infectious disease plot, from the second the documentary filmmaking style. But it's infinitely scarier than either. "I Am Legend" was flawed effectiveness, marred by an action-oriented second half. "Cloverfield" was also a masterpiece, the tunnel scene one of the most visually stunning sequences in recent cinema. "Quarantine" has many of these.
The central question boils down to: "Why has the film been so neglected?" I'm not sure of the answer. Did the distributors foresee critical doom for the film? The outcome: 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. The result of months of misleading and downright awful advertisements: a film of stunning power. It is violent and disturbing, but like "The Descent" a couple years ago, the movie mounts breathless tension with seeming ease.
Don't pay attention to those trailers. See this film.
Cast: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Johnathon Shaech, Columbus Short, Steve Harris, Andrew Fiscella, Rade Serbedzija, Greg Germann, Dania Ramirez, Elaine Kagan, Marin Hinkle, Joey King, Jermaine Jackson, Sharon Ferguson.
2008--89 min.
Rated R (bloody violent and disturbing content, terror, language)
Reviewed by The Teen Critic on October 12, 2008.
John Erick Dowdle's terrifying new masterpiece "Quarantine" has been unfairly treated to the maximum. How this movie never got the pre-screening for critics is beyond me. This is a level of terror not seen since 2006's "The Descent" and is possibly even scarier. Of the 50 movies I've seen this year, "Quarantine" is by far one of the very best and the scariest.
Now that that's out of my system, I will now give away the movie for you, because no matter what I tell you, nothing will ever--ever--leave your head once the experience is over with. "Quarantine" chronicles the deaths/infections of a two-man camera crew, the firemen they are shadowing, two policemen, and at least ten of the residents. That this happens is not the point. How it gets to this point is.
"Night Shift" host Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are in the midst of shooting a special on the lives and work of firemen. When the two arrive at a medical call with the firemen, the terror begins. A woman named Mrs. Espinoza has somehow contracted rabies from an extremely infected dog. She, in turn, infects everyone else.
That's where it stops on the plot synopsis front. Now see the movie...
...okay, so you've seen it now, and you understand the power of the images. One shot is so intrinsically cooperative that it could have fallen into the trap of feeling too unbelieveable but doesn't.
"Quarantine" is nothing short of a horror masterpiece that has somehow slipped under the radar. It is masterfully mounted, unbearably scary, and frighteningly plausible, yet deeper than one might expect. The film can be described as a sort of cross between "I Am Legend" and "Cloverfield." From the first comes the infectious disease plot, from the second the documentary filmmaking style. But it's infinitely scarier than either. "I Am Legend" was flawed effectiveness, marred by an action-oriented second half. "Cloverfield" was also a masterpiece, the tunnel scene one of the most visually stunning sequences in recent cinema. "Quarantine" has many of these.
The central question boils down to: "Why has the film been so neglected?" I'm not sure of the answer. Did the distributors foresee critical doom for the film? The outcome: 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. The result of months of misleading and downright awful advertisements: a film of stunning power. It is violent and disturbing, but like "The Descent" a couple years ago, the movie mounts breathless tension with seeming ease.
Don't pay attention to those trailers. See this film.
Friday, October 10, 2008
A quick note on "Degrassi"
The eighth season in the powerful, indelible, and unshakable series that veritably changed Canadian television starts tonight.
I have a long history with this show that spawns in 2003, when I started watching it. No matter how unrealistic it is, "Degrassi" is unforgettable, original, and entirely adult. The show is not for the faint of heart, but for those open to soaking in the useful messages under the heavy subject material, this is a show to watch.
I will be covering each episode as best I can, starting with tonight's hour-long episode. The review will appear tomorrow morning.
I have a long history with this show that spawns in 2003, when I started watching it. No matter how unrealistic it is, "Degrassi" is unforgettable, original, and entirely adult. The show is not for the faint of heart, but for those open to soaking in the useful messages under the heavy subject material, this is a show to watch.
I will be covering each episode as best I can, starting with tonight's hour-long episode. The review will appear tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
OSCARS 2009: "Slumdog" Rising
Yes, a new article already. Some stuff has happened in the last week.
You'll notice substantial differences between this and the last article. Again, stuff happens. I think these are more realistic than the last. Also, I've added the Foreign Language and Documentary Feature categories since the candidates were announced Sunday. Not the nominees, mind you; the possible candidates. Note that Waltz with Bashir is animated and foreign. It will stay in both places for now.
Best Picture:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director:
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Best Actor:
Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress:
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Nicole Kidman, Australia
Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Supporting Actor:
Jamie Foxx, The Soloist
James Franco, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Elsa Zylberstein, I've Loved You So Long
Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay:
I've Loved You So Long
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Soloist
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Animated Feature Film:
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E
Waltz with Bashir
Best Art Direction:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Revolutionary Road
Best Cinematography:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Revolutionary Road
Best Costume Design:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
The Other Boleyn Girl
Revolutionary Road
Best Film Editing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Makeup:
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Best Music (Original Score):
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Revolutionary Road
WALL-E
Best Music (Original Song):
"All Dressed Up in Love," Sex and the City
"Down to Earth," WALL-E
"Last Chance," High School Musical 3: Senior Year
"Rock Me Sexy Jesus," Hamlet 2
"The Wrestler," The Wrestler
Best Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
WALL-E
Best Sound Mixing:
Australia
Body of Lies
The Dark Knight
Defiance
WALL-E
Best Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Iron Man
Best Foreign Language Film:
The Baader-Meinhof Complex
The Class
Gomorrah
The Mermaid
Waltz with Bashir
Best Documentary Feature:
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Man on Wire
Religulous
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Trouble the Water
You'll notice substantial differences between this and the last article. Again, stuff happens. I think these are more realistic than the last. Also, I've added the Foreign Language and Documentary Feature categories since the candidates were announced Sunday. Not the nominees, mind you; the possible candidates. Note that Waltz with Bashir is animated and foreign. It will stay in both places for now.
Best Picture:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director:
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Best Actor:
Robert Downey Jr., The Soloist
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Actress:
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Nicole Kidman, Australia
Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Supporting Actor:
Jamie Foxx, The Soloist
James Franco, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Elsa Zylberstein, I've Loved You So Long
Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Screenplay:
I've Loved You So Long
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Soloist
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Animated Feature Film:
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E
Waltz with Bashir
Best Art Direction:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Revolutionary Road
Best Cinematography:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Revolutionary Road
Best Costume Design:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
The Other Boleyn Girl
Revolutionary Road
Best Film Editing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Best Makeup:
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Best Music (Original Score):
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Revolutionary Road
WALL-E
Best Music (Original Song):
"All Dressed Up in Love," Sex and the City
"Down to Earth," WALL-E
"Last Chance," High School Musical 3: Senior Year
"Rock Me Sexy Jesus," Hamlet 2
"The Wrestler," The Wrestler
Best Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
WALL-E
Best Sound Mixing:
Australia
Body of Lies
The Dark Knight
Defiance
WALL-E
Best Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Iron Man
Best Foreign Language Film:
The Baader-Meinhof Complex
The Class
Gomorrah
The Mermaid
Waltz with Bashir
Best Documentary Feature:
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Man on Wire
Religulous
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Trouble the Water
Friday, October 3, 2008
Maybe this kills the joke...
...but the outside edge to the poster for "An American Carol," released today, is some of the funniest political satire on the face of this planet. Maybe the movie's bad, but the advertising isn't.
It reads: "Caution! This movie may be offensive to children, young people, old people, in-the-middle people, some people on the right, all people on the left, terrorists, pacifists, war-mongers, fear-mongers, Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics (although you'd have to prove it to them), the ACLU, liberals, conservatives, Neo-cons, ex-cons, future cons, Republicans, Democrats, libertarians, people of color, people of no color, English-speaking, English-as-a-second-language-speaking, non-speaking, men, women, men-women, and Ivy League professors. Native Americans should be okay." (Note: it's in really small writing.)
It reads: "Caution! This movie may be offensive to children, young people, old people, in-the-middle people, some people on the right, all people on the left, terrorists, pacifists, war-mongers, fear-mongers, Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics (although you'd have to prove it to them), the ACLU, liberals, conservatives, Neo-cons, ex-cons, future cons, Republicans, Democrats, libertarians, people of color, people of no color, English-speaking, English-as-a-second-language-speaking, non-speaking, men, women, men-women, and Ivy League professors. Native Americans should be okay." (Note: it's in really small writing.)
TRAILER DEBUT: "Dragonball" teaser trailer
Uh-huh...
I personally think it looks terrible. But what does everyone else think?
They got the look for Goku right, but everything else looks released-in-January bad.
"Dragonball" is set for release on April 10, 2007.
I personally think it looks terrible. But what does everyone else think?
They got the look for Goku right, but everything else looks released-in-January bad.
"Dragonball" is set for release on April 10, 2007.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Short Take: Eagle Eye (***)
Directed by D.J. Caruso
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie, Ethan Embry, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Azizi, Cameron Boyce, Lynn Cohen, Bill Smitrovich, Charles Carroll, William Sadler, Debra Strang, Dariush Kashani.
2008--118 min.
Rated PG-13 (violence, language)
Reviewed by The Teen Critic on September 26, 2008.
It's funny. The more I think about D.J. Caruso's highly uneven yet undeniably intense "Eagle Eye," the better it gets and yet the less it makes sense. The emotional content is forced, the plot twists utterly ridiculous, but the central plot is so frighteningly plausible and the two lead performances so effective that they make up for most of the movies faults.
Jerry Shaw is a 24-year-old "copy associate" at a Kinko's-like store name Copy Cabana, ho ho. He can't make rent. His twin brother has died. He's down on his luck, until a check from his parents turns into an ATM withdrawal of over $750,000, and he finds a cache of weapons, bombs, and ammonium nitrate in his apartment. He gets a call on his cell, answers it, and a woman tells him he has thirty seconds to leave the premises. Something similar happens to a single mom named Rachel Holliman, as her son's life is threatened.
Up until now, "Eagle Eye" has been an effective character piece crossed with an equally effective espionage thriller. Once the mysterious caller's identity is revealed, however, "Eagle Eye" turns into "I, Robot" meets "Enemy of the State," both films from which it steals liberally. The film still works, mind you, as the suspensefully ridiculous action scenes flash before your eyes with the pacing of an epileptic seizure.
The acting by the two leads is very good. Shia LaBeouf (2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") is every bit as effective here as he was in "Disturbia," especially in the funeral scene. LaBeouf has mastered facial acting in every respect, and this is one of his best roles. Michelle Monaghan (2008's "Made of Honor") is equally good as Rachel, who is driven to do whatever she can to get her son back. On the other end of the spectrum, Billy Bob Thornton (2007's "Mr. Woodcock") gives one of the worst performances of the year as Agent Tom Morgan, showing zero emotion and forced to say unfortunate one-liners, all while looking incredibly bored.
"Eagle Eye" shouldn't work, but it kind of does. It's far from a great motion picture (sometimes the plot goes in places it shouldn't, such as when the mysterious caller phones Jerry from a stranger's cell phone and the caller I.D. says "Answer the Phone Jerry"), but it is a ridiculously enjoyable one. Just don't think about it afterward.
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie, Ethan Embry, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Azizi, Cameron Boyce, Lynn Cohen, Bill Smitrovich, Charles Carroll, William Sadler, Debra Strang, Dariush Kashani.
2008--118 min.
Rated PG-13 (violence, language)
Reviewed by The Teen Critic on September 26, 2008.
It's funny. The more I think about D.J. Caruso's highly uneven yet undeniably intense "Eagle Eye," the better it gets and yet the less it makes sense. The emotional content is forced, the plot twists utterly ridiculous, but the central plot is so frighteningly plausible and the two lead performances so effective that they make up for most of the movies faults.
Jerry Shaw is a 24-year-old "copy associate" at a Kinko's-like store name Copy Cabana, ho ho. He can't make rent. His twin brother has died. He's down on his luck, until a check from his parents turns into an ATM withdrawal of over $750,000, and he finds a cache of weapons, bombs, and ammonium nitrate in his apartment. He gets a call on his cell, answers it, and a woman tells him he has thirty seconds to leave the premises. Something similar happens to a single mom named Rachel Holliman, as her son's life is threatened.
Up until now, "Eagle Eye" has been an effective character piece crossed with an equally effective espionage thriller. Once the mysterious caller's identity is revealed, however, "Eagle Eye" turns into "I, Robot" meets "Enemy of the State," both films from which it steals liberally. The film still works, mind you, as the suspensefully ridiculous action scenes flash before your eyes with the pacing of an epileptic seizure.
The acting by the two leads is very good. Shia LaBeouf (2008's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull") is every bit as effective here as he was in "Disturbia," especially in the funeral scene. LaBeouf has mastered facial acting in every respect, and this is one of his best roles. Michelle Monaghan (2008's "Made of Honor") is equally good as Rachel, who is driven to do whatever she can to get her son back. On the other end of the spectrum, Billy Bob Thornton (2007's "Mr. Woodcock") gives one of the worst performances of the year as Agent Tom Morgan, showing zero emotion and forced to say unfortunate one-liners, all while looking incredibly bored.
"Eagle Eye" shouldn't work, but it kind of does. It's far from a great motion picture (sometimes the plot goes in places it shouldn't, such as when the mysterious caller phones Jerry from a stranger's cell phone and the caller I.D. says "Answer the Phone Jerry"), but it is a ridiculously enjoyable one. Just don't think about it afterward.
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