Movies to Movie Geek No Kamikakushi

Best Performance of 2008 Showdown Results.

2010-02-21T16:40:00.002-06:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Josh Brolin - Milk (Final 4)
Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes - In Bruges
Emile Hirsch - Milk
Eddie Marsan - Happy-Go-Lucky (2nd place)
Brad Pitt - Burn After Reading (Final 4)
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Cate Blanchett - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married (2nd place)
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River (Final 4)
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road (Final 4)

BEST ACTOR
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road (Final 4)
Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
Colin Farrell - In Bruges (Final 4)
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk (2nd place)
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Amy Adams - Doubt (Final 4)
Viola Davis - Doubt
Rosemarie DeWitt - Rachel Getting Married (Final 4)
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Samantha Morton - Synecdoche, New York
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler (2nd place)
Evan Rachel Wood - The Wrestler

Best Performance of 2000 Showdown Results.

2009-07-09T11:10:00.002-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Laura Linney - You Can Count on Me

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Juliette Binoche - Chocolat
Bjork - Dancer in the Dark (Final 4)
Ellen Burstyn - Requiem for a Dream (Final 4)
Maggie Cheung - In the Mood for Love
Julia Roberts - Erin Brockovich (2nd place)
Michelle Yeoh - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Renee Zellweger - Nurse Betty

BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR
Geoffrey Rush - Quills

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Christian Bale - American Psycho (2nd place)
George Clooney - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Final 4)
Russell Crowe - Gladiator
Michael Douglas - Wonder Boys (Final 4)
Tom Hanks - Cast Away
Ed Harris - Pollock
Tony Leung - In the Mood for Love

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Parker Posey - Best in Show

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Jennifer Connelly - Requiem for a Dream (2nd place)
Marcia Gay Harden - Pollock (Final 4)
Kate Hudson - Almost Famous
Frances McDormand - Almost Famous (Final 4)
Julie Walters - Billy Elliot
Kate Winslet - Quills
Catherine Zeta-Jones - Traffic

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro - Traffic

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Willem Dafoe - Shadow of the Vampire (2nd place)
Robert Downey, Jr. - Wonder Boys
Albert Finney - Erin Brockovich (Final 4)
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Almost Famous
Joaquin Phoenix - Gladiator (Final 4)
Joaquin Phoenix - Quills
Brad Pitt - Snatch.

Most votes received in Performance showdowns.

2009-06-08T12:07:00.019-05:00

Anne Hathaway (Rachel) v. Kate Winslet (Road) [[56-35]] 91
Kate Winslet (Road) v. Cate Blanchett (Button) [[55-30]] 85
Leonardo DiCaprio (Road) v. Frank Langella (Nixon) [[44-38]] 82
Anne Hathaway (Rachel) v. Angelina Jolie (Changeling) [[52-29]] 81
Mickey Rourke (Wrestler) v. Sean Penn (Milk) [[50-29]] 79
Penélope Cruz (Vicky) v. Evan Rachel Wood (Wrestler) [[56-22]] 78
Josh Brolin (Milk) v. Robert Downey Jr. (Thunder) [[39-37]] 76
Heath Ledger (TDK) v. Ralph Fiennes (Bruges) [[55-19]] 74
Mickey Rourke (Wrestler) v. Brad Pitt (Button) [[64-10]] 74
Sally Hawkins (HGL) v. Anne Hathaway (Rachel) [[37-36]] 73
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) v. Kelly Macdonald (NCFOM) [[40-30]] 70
Sean Penn (Milk) v. Leonardo DiCaprio (Road) [[47-23]] 70
Colin Farrell (Bruges) v. Richard Jenkins (Visitor) [[35-33]] 68
Marisa Tomei (Wrestler) v. Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel) [[41-27]] 68
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) v. Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There) [[34-33]] 67
Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel) v. Viola Davis (Doubt) [[39-28]] 67
Eddie Marsan (HGL) v. Emile Hirsch (Milk) [[42-25]] 67 (tie)
Penelope Cruz (Vicky) v. Amy Adams (Doubt) [[42-25]] 67 (tie)
Heath Ledger (TDK) v. Josh Brolin (Milk) [[53-14]] 67
Daniel Day-Lewis (TWBB) v. Johnny Depp (Sweeney) [[60-6]] 66
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement) v. Amy Ryan (Gone) [[34-31]] 65
Tilda Swinton (Clayton) v. Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement) [[37-27]] 64
James McAvoy (Atonement) v. Emile Hirsch (Wild) [[40-23]] 63 (tie)
Melissa Leo (River) v. Meryl Streep (Doubt) [[40-23]] 63 (tie)
Amy Adams (Doubt) v. Taraji P. Henson (Button) [[50-13]] 63
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) v. Meryl Streep (Adaptation) [[32-30]] 62
Brad Pitt (Burn) v. Michael Shannon (Road) [[33-29]] 62
Daniel Day-Lewis (TWBB) v. Ryan Gosling (Lars) [[38-24]] 62
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern) v. James McAvoy (Atonement) [[40-22]] 62 (tie)
Marion Cotillard (Rose) v. Ellen Page (Juno) [[40-22]] 62 (tie)
Daniel Day-Lewis (TWBB) vs. Marion Cotillard (Rose) [[36-25]] 61
Heath Ledger (TDK) v. Eddie Marsan (HGL) [[42-19]] 61
Casey Affleck (Jesse James) v. Javier Bardem (NCFOM) [[36-24]] 60
Marion Cotillard (Rose) v. Amy Adams (Enchanted) [[39-21]] 60
Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There) v. Imelda Staunton (Potter) [[33-25]] 58
Eddie Marsan (HGL) v. Brad Pitt (Burn) [[35-23]] 58
Daniel Day-Lewis (TWBB) v. Casey Affleck (Jesse James) [[39-19]] 58
Ellen Page (Juno) v. Keri Russell (Waitress) [[35-22]] 57
Javier Bardem (NCFOM) v. Tom Wilkinson (Clayton) [[40-17]] 57
Tommy Lee Jones (NCFOM) v. Paul Dano (TWBB) [[30-26]] 56
Haley Joel Osment (Sense) v. Brad Pitt (Fight) [[33-23]] 56
Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There) v. Tilda Swinton (Clayton) [[34-22]] 56
Mickey Rourke (Wrestler) v. Colin Farrell (Bruges) [[42-13]] 55
Laura Linney (Savages) v. Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney) [[36-18]] 54
Susan Sarandon (Stepmom) v. Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) [[28-25]] 53
Sally Hawkins (HGL) v. Kristin Scott Thomas (ILYSL) [[33-20]] 53 (tie)
Ryan Gosling (Lars) v. Gordon Pinsent (Away) [[33-20]] 53 (tie)
Amy Ryan (Gone) v. Romola Garai (Atonement) [[34-19]] 53
Nicole Kidman (MR) v. Renee Zellweger (Diary) [[35-18]] 53
Angelina Jolie (Interrupted) v. Mena Suvari (Beauty) [[40-13]] 53
Marion Cotillard (Rose) v. Laura Linney (Savages) [[33-19]] 52
Daniel Day-Lewis (TWBB) v. Viggo Mortensen (Eastern) [[37-15]] 52
Sally Hawkins (HGL) v. Melissa Leo (River) [[39-13]] 52
Hilary Swank (Cry) v. Annette Bening (Beauty) [[31-20]] 51
Casey Affleck (Jesse James) v. Hal Holbrook (Wild) [[33-18]] 51
Sissy Spacek (Bedroom) v. Judi Dench (Iris) [[27-23]] 50

Best Performance of 1996 Showdown Results.

2009-05-30T14:14:00.003-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Edward Norton- Primal Fear

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Hank Azaria- The Birdcage (Final 4)
Steve Buscemi- Fargo (2nd place)
Cuba Gooding, Jr.- Jerry Maguire
Armin Mueller-Stahl- Shine (Final 4)
Paul Scofield- The Crucible
Stellan Skarsgard- Breaking the Waves
Noah Taylor- Shine

BEST FEMALE, and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Juliette Binoche- The English Patient

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Joan Allen- The Crucible (2nd place)
Kartin Cartlidge- Breaking the Waves (Final 4)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste- Secrets & Lies
Courtney Love- The People vs. Larry Flynt (Final 4)
Diane Wiest- The Birdcage
Kate Winslet- Hamlet
Renee Zellweger- Jerry Maguire

BEST ACTOR
Woody Harrelson- The People vs. Larry Flynt

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Kenneth Branagh- Hamlet
Tom Cruise- Jerry Maguire
Daniel Day-Lewis- The Crucible
Ralph Fiennes- The English Patient
William H. Macy- Fargo (Final 4)
Geoffrey Rush- Shine (2nd place)
Billy Bob Thornton- Sling Blade (Final 4)

BEST ACTRESS
Emily Watson- Breaking the Waves

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Brenda Blethyn- Secrets & Lies (Final 4)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste- Secrets & Lies
Diane Keaton- Marvin's Room
Madonna- Evita
Frances McDormand- Fargo (2nd place)
Winona Ryder- The Crucible
Kristin Scott Thomas- The English Patient (Final 4)

**Please note that Marianne Jean-Baptiste is indeed a nominee in Actress and Supporting Actress. She managed to be in the top 8 vote getters for both categories.

Best Performance of 1997 Showdown Results.

2009-05-30T14:00:00.003-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR
Robert Duvall- The Apostle

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Russell Crowe- L.A. Confidential (2nd place)
Matt Damon- Good Will Hunting (Final 4)
Peter Fonda- Ulee's Gold
Dustin Hoffman- Wag the Dog
Ian Holm- The Sweet Hereafter (Final 4)
Jack Nicholson- As Good as it Gets
Mark Wahlberg- Boogie Nights

BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Helena Bonham Carter- The Wings of the Dove

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Joey Lauren Adams- Chasing Amy
Joan Allen- The Ice Storm
Julie Christie- Afterglow (2nd place)
Judi Dench- Mrs. Brown
Pam Grier- Jackie Brown (Final 4)
Helen Hunt- As Good as it Gets
Kate Winslet- Titanic (Final 4)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Greg Kinnear- As Good as it Gets

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Robert De Niro- Jackie Brown
Rupert Everett- My Best Friend's Wedding (Final 4)
Robert Forster- Jackie Brown
Jude Law- Gattaca
Burt Reynolds- Boogie Nights (Final 4)
Kevin Spacey- L.A. Confidential
Robin Williams- Good Will Hunting (2nd place)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Julianne Moore- Boogie Nights

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Joan Cusack- In & Out
Cameron Diaz- My Best Friend's Wedding
Minnie Driver- Good Will Hunting (Final 4)
Amy Gaipa- Titanic (2nd place)
Sarah Polley- The Sweet Hereafter (Final 4)
Gloria Stuart- Titanic
Sigourney Weaver- The Ice Storm

2009-05-24T00:30:00.001-05:00

Best Performance of 1998 Showdown Results.

2008-12-31T13:25:00.004-06:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESSFernanda Montenegro- Central Station

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Cate Blanchett- Elizabeth
Cameron Diaz- There's Something About Mary
Rachel Griffiths- Hilary & Jackie
Gwyneth Paltrow- Shakespeare in Love (Final 4)
Christina Ricci- The Opposite of Sex
Susan Sarandon- Stepmom (Final 4)
Emily Watson- Hilary & Jackie (2nd place)

BEST MALE, and BEST ACTORIan McKellen- Gods and Monsters

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Roberto Benigni- Life is Beautiful
Jeff Bridges- The Big Lebowski
Jim Carrey- The Truman Show (Final 4)
Joseph Fiennes- Shakespeare in Love
Tom Hanks- Saving Private Ryan
Nick Nolte- Affliction (2nd place)
Edward Norton- American History X (Final 4)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSJoan Allen- Pleasantville

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Kathy Bates- Primary Colors (Final 4)
Nicoletta Braschi- Life is Beautiful
Judi Dench- Shakespeare in Love
Rachel Griffiths- Hilary & Jackie (2nd place)
Lisa Kudrow- The Opposite of Sex
Laura Linney- The Truman Show (Final 4)
Lynn Redgrave- Gods and Monsters

BEST SUPPORTING ACTORJohn Goodman- The Big Lebowski

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
James Coburn- Affliction (Final 4)
Ed Harris- The Truman Show
Elias Koteas- The Thin Red Line (2nd place)
Bill Murray- Rushmore (Final 4)
Geoffrey Rush- Elizabeth
Geoffrey Rush- Shakespeare in Love
Billy Bob Thornton- A Simple Plan

**Please note that Rachel Griffiths is indeed a nominee in Actress and Supporting Actress. She managed to be in the top 8 vote getters for both categories.

Best Performance of 1999 Showdown Results.

2008-11-01T14:43:00.002-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Hilary Swank- Boys Don't Cry

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Annette Bening- American Beauty (2nd place)
Sarah Michelle Gellar- Cruel Intentions
Julianne Moore- The End of the Affair
Cecilia Roth- All About My Mother
Winona Ryder- Girl, Interrupted (Final 4)
Meryl Streep- Music of the Heart
Reese Witherspoon- Election (Final 4)

BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR
Kevin Spacey- American Beauty

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Jim Carrey- Man on the Moon
Russell Crowe- The Insider (2nd place)
Matt Damon- The Talented Mr. Ripley
Richard Farnsworth- The Straight Story (Final 4)
Edward Norton- Fight Club (Final 4)
Denzel Washington- The Hurricane
Bruce Willis- The Sixth Sense

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie- Girl, Interrupted

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Helena Bonham Carter- Fight Club (Final 4)
Toni Collette- The Sixth Sense (Final 4)
Cameron Diaz- Being John Malkovich
Catherine Keener- Being John Malkovich
Chloe Sevigny- Boys Don't Cry (2nd place)
Mena Suvari- American Beauty
Melora Walters- Magnolia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Cruise- Magnolia

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Michael Caine- The Cider House Rules
Chris Cooper- American Beauty
Michael Clarke Duncan- The Green Mile (2nd place)
Jude Law- The Talented Mr. Ripley (Final 4)
John Malkovich- Being John Malkovich
Haley Joel Osment- The Sixth Sense (Final 4)
Brad Pitt- Fight Club

Best Performance of 2007 Showdown Results.

2008-09-12T15:57:00.004-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis- There Will Be Blood

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Casey Affleck- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Johnny Depp- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling- Lars and the Real Girl (Final 4)
Emile Hirsch- Into the Wild
James McAvoy- Atonement (Final 4)
Viggo Mortensen- Eastern Promises (2nd place)
Gordon Pinsent- Away from Her

BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard- La Vie en Rose

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Amy Adams- Enchanted
Helena Bonham Carter- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Julie Christie- Away from Her
Laura Linney- The Savages (2nd place)
Ellen Page- Juno (Final 4)
Keri Russell- Waitress
Wei Tang- Lust, Caution (Final 4)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Javier Bardem- No Country for Old Men (Final 4)
Paul Dano- There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman- Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook- Into the Wild (2nd place)
Tommy Lee Jones- No Country for Old Men (Final 4)
Max von Sydow- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tom Wilkinson- Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Saoirse Ronan- Atonement

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Cate Blanchett- I'm Not There (2nd place)
Romola Garai- Atonement
Kelly Macdonald- No Country for Old Men
Vanessa Redgrave- Atonement
Amy Ryan- Gone Baby Gone (Final 4)
Imelda Staunton- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Tilda Swinton- Michael Clayton (Final 4)

**Please note that Casey Affleck is indeed a nominee in Actor and Supporting Actor. He managed to be in the top 8 vote getters for both categories.

Best Performance of 2000 Showdown Results.

2008-08-09T12:05:00.004-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Laura Linney - You Can Count on Me

BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR
Geoffrey Rush - Quills

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Parker Posey - Best in Show

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro - Traffic

Best Performance of 2001 Showdown Results.

2008-06-07T09:32:00.005-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Steve Buscemi - Ghost World

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Jim Broadbent - Iris (Final 4)
Jim Broadbent - Moulin Rouge! (Final 4)
Ethan Hawke - Training Day
Ben Kingsley - Sexy Beast
Jude Law - A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Heath Ledger - Monster's Ball
Ian McKellen - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2nd place)

BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Audrey Tautou - Amélie

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Judi Dench - Iris
Nicole Kidman - Moulin Rouge! (Final 4)
Nicole Kidman - The Others
Sissy Spacek - In the Bedroom (Final 4)
Naomi Watts - Mulholland Dr. (2nd place)
Reese Witherspoon - Legally Blonde
Renée Zellweger - Bridget Jones's Diary

BEST ACTOR
Russell Crowe - A Beautiful Mind

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Gene Hackman - The Royal Tenenbaums (Final 4)
Ewan McGregor - Moulin Rouge! (Final 4)
John Cameron Mitchell - Hedwig and the Angry Itch
Guy Pearce - Memento
Will Smith - Ali
Denzel Washington - Training Day
Tom Wilkinson - In the Bedroom (2nd place)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marisa Tomei - In the Bedroom

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Jennifer Connelly - A Beautiful Mind
Cameron Diaz - Vanilla Sky
Fionnula Flanagan - The Others
Helen Mirren - Gosford Park (Final 4)
Gwyneth Paltrow - The Royal Tenenbaums
Maggie Smith - Gosford Park (Final 4)
Kate Winslet - Iris (2nd place)

Best Performance of 2002 Showdown Results.

2008-05-24T12:59:00.004-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Julianne Moore - Far From Heaven

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Jennifer Aniston - The Good Girl
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Secretary
Salma Hayek - Frida (Final 4)
Nicole Kidman - The Hours (2nd place)
Diane Lane - Unfaithful
Meryl Streep - The Hours (Final 4)
Renée Zellweger - Chicago

BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage - Adaptation

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Adrien Brody - The Pianist (Final 4)
Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York (2nd place)
Leonardo DiCaprio - Catch Me If You Can
Richard Gere - Chicago
Hugh Grant - About a Boy
Jack Nicholson - About Schmidt (Final 4)
Sam Rockwell - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Julianne Moore - The Hours

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Toni Collette - About a Boy (Final 4)
Toni Collette - The Hours
Queen Latifah - Chicago
Michelle Pfeiffer - White Oleander
Meryl Streep - Adaptation (Final 4)
Emily Watson - Punch-Drunk Love
Catherine Zeta-Jones - Chicago (2nd place)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chris Cooper - Adaptation

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Ed Harris - The Hours
Dennis Haysbert - Far From Heaven
Paul Newman - Road to Perdition
Dennis Quaid - Far From Heaven (Final 4)
John C. Reilly - Chicago (2nd place)
Andy Serkis - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Christopher Walken - Catch Me If You Can (Final 4)

Best Performance of 2003 Showdown Results.

2008-05-24T12:44:00.004-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR

Bill Murray - Lost in Translation

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley - House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law - Cold Mountain
Ewan McGregor - Big Fish
Al Pacino - Angels in America (2nd place)
Sean Penn - 21 Grams (Final 4)
Sean Penn - Mystic River (Final 4)

BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS

Charlize Theron - Monster

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Jennifer Connelly - House of Sand and Fog
Scarlett Johansson - Lost in Translation (2nd place)
Diane Keaton - Something's Gotta Give
Meryl Streep - Angels in America
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill Vol. 1
Naomi Watts - 21 Grams (Final 4)
Evan Rachel Wood - Thirteen (Final 4)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio del Toro - 21 Grams

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Albert Finney - Big Fish (Final 4)
Djimon Hounsou - In America
Justin Kirk - Angels in America
Bill Nighy - Love Actually
Tim Robbins - Mystic River (2nd place)
Peter Sarsgaard - Shattered Glass
Jeffrey Wright - Angels in America (Final 4)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Holly Hunter - Thirteen

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Shohreh Aghdashloo - House of Sand and Fog (Final 4)
Patricia Clarkson - Pieces of April
Ellen DeGeneres - Finding Nemo (Final 4)
Marcia Gay Harden - Mystic River
Mary-Louise Parker - Angels in America (2nd place)
Christina Ricci - Monster
Renée Zellweger - Cold Mountain

Best Performance of 2004 Showdown Results.

2008-05-18T21:20:00.004-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS

Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Annette Bening - Being Julia
Julie Delpy - Before Sunset (Final 4)
Nicole Kidman - Birth
Catalina Sandino Moreno - Maria Full of Grace
Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake (2nd place)
Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby (Final 4)
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill Vol. 2

BEST MALE, and BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Clive Owen - Closer

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
David Carradine - Kill Bill Vol. 2
Thomas Haden Church - Sideways (2nd place)
Morgan Freeman - Million Dollar Baby (Final 4)
Jude Law - I Heart Huckabees
Peter Sarsgaard - Kinsey
Mark Wahlberg - I Heart Huckabees (Final 4)
Tom Wilkinson - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Natalie Portman - Closer

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Cate Blanchett - The Aviator (2nd place)
Kirsten Dunst - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Daryl Hannah - Kill Bill Vol. 2
Laura Linney - Kinsey
Virginia Madsen - Sideways (Final 4)
Rachel McAdams - Mean Girls (Final 4)
Sophie Okonedo - Hotel Rwanda

BEST ACTOR

Don Cheadle - Hotel Rwanda

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Christian Bale - The Machinist
Javier Bardem - The Sea Inside
Gael García Bernal - The Motorcycle Diaries
Jim Carrey - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Final 4)
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator (2nd place)
Paul Giamatti - Sideways (Final 4)
Liam Neeson - Kinsey

Best Performance of 2005 Showdown Results.

2008-05-18T11:13:00.005-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST FEMALE, and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams - Junebug

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Maria Bello - A History of Violence (Final 4)
Brenda Blethyn - Pride & Prejudice
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Happy Endings
Catherine Keener - The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Emily Mortimer - Match Point
Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener (2nd place)
Michelle Williams - Brokeback Mountain (Final 4)

BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR

Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Jeff Daniels - The Squid and the Whale
Ralph Fiennes - The Constant Gardener
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote (2nd place)
Viggo Mortensen - A History of Violence
Cillian Murphy - Breakfast on Pluto
Joaquin Phoenix - Walk the Line (Final 4)
David Strathairn - Good Night, and Good Luck. (Final 4)

BEST ACTRESS

Keira Knightley - Pride & Prejudice

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Joan Allen - The Upside of Anger
Maria Bello - A History of Violence
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica
Q'Orianka Kilcher - The New World (2nd place)
Laura Linney - The Squid and the Whale
Naomi Watts - King Kong (Final 4)
Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line (Final 4)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jake Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Clifton Collins, Jr. - Capote (2nd place)
Matt Dillon - Crash
Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man
Ed Harris - A History of Violence
William Hurt - A History of Violence (Final 4)
Mickey Rourke - Sin City (Final 4)
Donald Sutherland - Pride & Prejudice

**Please note that Maria Bello is indeed a nominee in Actress and Supporting Actress. She managed to be in the top 8 vote getters for both categories.

Best Performance of 2006 Showdown Results.

2008-05-15T16:53:00.003-05:00

BEST PERFORMANCE, BEST MALE, and BEST ACTOR

Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

OTHER BEST ACTORS::
Christian Bale - The Prestige (Final 4)
Leonardo DiCaprio - Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed (2nd Place)
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson (Final 4)
James McAvoy - The Last King of Scotland
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness

BEST FEMALE, and BEST ACTRESS
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal

OTHER BEST ACTRESSES::
Ivana Baquero - Pan's Labyrinth
Penélope Cruz - Volver
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Sherrybaby (2nd place)
Helen Mirren - The Queen (Final 4)
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Naomi Watts - The Painted Veil (Final 4)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sergí López - Pan's Labyrinth

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTORS::
Steve Carell - Little Miss Sunshine
Paul Giamatti - The Illusionist
Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children (Final 4)
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed (Final 4)
Michael Sheen - The Queen (2nd Place)
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Adriana Barraza - Babel

OTHER BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESSES::
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal (2nd Place)
Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine (Final 4)
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel
Emma Thompson - Stranger Than Fiction (Final 4)
Maribel Verdú - Pan's Labyrinth

Juno (2007)

2008-01-04T19:59:00.000-06:00

Title: Juno.
Country: US.
Year: 2007.
Date of Viewing: 1/4/08.
Director: Jason Reitman.
Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons.

"It all began with a chair."

Off-setting and admirably quirky, Juno is a real treat of a film. It shone at the Toronto International Film Festival and is getting buzz for its screenplay, the lead portrayal by Ellen Page, and even Best Picture. Some people have compared it to 2003’s Lost in Translation, or last season’s Little Miss Sunshine, and Juno may have enough buzz and positive feedback to make it all the way to the Oscars.

The chair in question is the spot where Juno MacGuff (Page) and Paulie Bleeker (Cera) first have sex, and where Juno gets unexpectedly pregnant. Juno is confused: she is 16, and a junior in high school, and now has to deal with being a mother? She tells her best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), and then her dad and stepmother (Simmons and Janney) about her situtation before ultimately deciding to offer her baby up for adoption to Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), a couple who are, as Leah puts it, "desperately seeking spawn." But there are many twists and curves down the road as Juno and Paulie’s relationship becomes an emotional roller coaster and personal details about Mark and Vanessa that hide beneath their suburban perfection rise to the surface.

Diablo Cody, famous now for being an ex-stripper and debuting her first screenplay here, writes wonders in this screenplay. The position of “quirky Indy dramedy” has been done many times, but Cody brings forth a very unusual albeit fresh form of conversation into her screenplay. The dialogue is quite peculiar, and hits you all at once, particularly in an opening scene at a drugstore. As it’s been said before, the movie feels a little "too hip for the room" at first, but it becomes much easier to warm up to the style of slang and difference, particularly from Juno herself. (One line, much like the first of many, includes Juno thinking about male runners, "When I see them all running like that, with their pork swords bouncing around in their shorts, I always picture them naked, even if I don't want to.") Jason Reitman, who previously directed comedies like Thank You For Smoking, does a dandy job with this fine film. He could make it to DGA, but an Oscar nomination is doubtful at this point.

The music is also a particular standout. The Moldy Peaches’ Kimya Dawson features some of her songs here, most notably "Anyone Else But You," which appears in the film and is even sung by characters in the film. Other contributions from artists like Buddy Holly, Mateo Messina, Sonic Youth, and The Kinks make this one of the most charming soundtracks of 2007.

The acting is superb throughout. The ensemble is incredibly strong and equally hilarious; it is an absolute shock that this fine group of actors wasn’t acknowledged for SAG’s top prize. The supporting players are all quite good. Bateman undergoes some serious depth midway through the movie and shines. Garner is so heartbreaking, you will want to nominate her out of guilt for Vanessa. She easily gives her best performance to date. Simmons and Janney also are great with a parental dryness that lingers through the whole film. But the supporting props must be given to Cera who portrays "high school student" so well, you would expect to see him roaming the junior hallway. And of course, Miss Page is utterly divine as the ever off-setting but so enticing Juno, adding another fantastic lead female performance into 2007, and making it the strongest and most interesting race of the year. An Oscar nomination is almost assured for this 20-year-old breakout, and it is much deserved.

Juno is a hilarious, yet sweet outlook on today’s society and the struggles a family goes through. The screenplay and acting are undeniably charming and very warm. It is, for lack of a better word, perfect.

Current Wins and Nominations:

Best Picture** (replaces Sweeney Todd)
Best Director, Jason Reitman
Best Actress, Ellen Page**
Best Supporting Actor, Michael Cera**
Best Supporting Actor, J.K. Simmons
Best Supporting Actress, Jennifer Garner
Best Supporting Actress, Allison Janney
Best Original Screenplay**
Best Ensemble Cast**

Sweeney Todd (2007)

2008-01-03T19:22:00.000-06:00

Title: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Country: US.
Year: 2007.
Date of Viewing: 1/1/08.
Director: Tim Burton.
Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen.

From the moment the earth-shattering pipe organs fill your ears as the DreamWorks logo appears, to a riveting Shakespearean ending, Sweeney Todd is a delight throughout. Based off the popular Stephen Sondheim musical starring George Hearn and Angela Lansbury, director Burton leaves his mark on a musical newcomers will enjoy just as much as die-hard Sweeney fans.

The plot starts off with an estranged Sweeney (Depp) returning home to London with a young sailor, Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower). Todd is desperate for revenge after being wrongfully imprisoned by an evil judge (Rickman) that he escapes and sets back to London to “right his wrongs.” When he meets up with a former meat-pie acquaintance, Mrs. Lovett (Carter), he reopens his barbershop and formulates a way to seek revenge on his archnemesis. What follows next includes multiple deaths, bloody razors and a creative solution to disposing of bodies and helping out Mrs. Lovett’s meat pie business at the same time...hopefully it’s easy to fill in the blanks here.

The unconventional musical flourishes spectacularly on film, much in part to the underrated screenplay by John Logan which still expertly captures the feel of the stage production in a shorter amount of time. Many Sweeney-ites may moan about the cutting of many songs from the show, namely the show’s titular ballad that only appears in the opening credits and instrumental scores throughout. Fortunately, the exclusion isn’t for naught and the overall feel is still fine…well mostly fine. The overall cut of ALL ensemble singing is noticeable, especially in songs like “God That’s Good!”... a sequence normally 5 – 10 minutes long shrinked to a minute and thirty seconds. However glaring the song omissions are, the overall message and plot are still present and are still handled quite nicely. Burton does one of his best directorial works today, becoming my third favorite of his behind 1990’s Edward Scissorhands and 2003’s Big Fish.

The acting is very, very nice. Although not all the singers match up to the power of the Broadway actors (which is naturally a given), the actors still emote powerfully WHILE they’re singing – a concept that some other movie musicals *coughcoughDreamgirls* didn’t manage to grasp firmly enough. Depp is utterly fantastic and doesn’t ever once allude to his Scissorhand pout or Jack Sparrow smarmy-ness…it’s possibly his best performance to date. Carter holds her own and has amazing character depth, but takes the most pitfalls during her musical numbers. The supporting cast is just great: Rickman is appropriately slimy as the Judge, Spall is equally slimy in his role as the Beadle, the Judge’s right hand man. Cohen is also a surprise as Pirelli, Sweeney’s rival. He adds much needed comedic relief to the film. Ed Sanders plays Toby, a small little boy who blindly assists Lovett in her pie business and Laura Michelle Kelly is delightful as a(n underused) Beggar Woman whose role has more than meets the eye to it. The only people I had a problem with was Johanna (Jayne Wisener) who underacts and Campbell who literally keeps the same expression on his face through all two hours of the movie. Regardless, these two roles always seem a little out of place in the main plotline of Sweeney and don’t wreck the film at all.

The technicals are to die for (ahaha, get it? Die for?) in the film. Dariusz Wolski’s cinematography is lovely, especially when it’s partnered with Dante Ferretti’s astonishing art direction. The dark color palette works wonders, especially when the blood enters in and stands out even more contrasted against the dark backgrounds. A particularly beautiful scene is the number “Not While I’m Around” that Toby and Lovett sing in a parlor – the grainy texture combined with the color scheme almost gives you the impression that you’re watching an early talkie film from the 20’s. Burton costume designer Colleen Atwood once again astonishes, particularly in a song “By the Sea” with fantastic petticoats and puffy dresses. The sound and makeup effects are all also fantastic. Highly expect wins for Ferretti, Atwood, and the makeup department come Oscar season.

Overall, Sweeney had a few miniscule flaws, but they didn’t distract from the morbid beauty of the film. This is one film that will leave a huge impression on you, and is worth every penny you pay for the admission. You’ll be DYING to see it. A-ha-hahaha...yeah.

Current Wins and Nominations:

Best Picture**
Best Director, Tim Burton**
Best Actor, Johnny Depp**
Best Actress, Helena Bonham Carter
Best Supporting Actor, Alan Rickman
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction**
Best Costume Design**
Best Sound, Mixing and Editing
Best Makeup**
Best Ensemble Cast

Happy Birthday Hitchy.

2007-08-13T19:16:00.000-05:00

Camp.

2007-08-07T16:53:00.000-05:00

Bad points:

- Hideous lead portrayl from Daniel Letterle as Vlad. Surely vomit inducing.
- Weak writing in some spots. The writing is like a roller coaster, going up and looking good, then suddenly crashing down.

Good points:

- All right, past those. 'Camp' is full of warming humor all throughout the film and is very very entertaining.
- The supporting performances are really quite good. My personal favorites were Sasha Allen as Dee, (With a completely KNOCKOUT voice.) Anna Kendrick as Fritzi (maniacal and the funniest of the movie) and Tiffany Taylor as Jenna (funny at the beginning and astounding at the end.)
- The musical numbers shine easily in this film. It's nice that they're already in the context of summer camp so they can sing at will. And, the musical numbers are done greatly, whether they're redone ("The Ladies Who Lunch" from Company or "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls) or original. (Standouts are "Century Plant" and the best song "Here's Where I Stand", below.)

Overall, a great time. If you can find it, check it out. 8/10.

'Det Sjunde inseglet.'

2007-08-01T17:51:00.000-05:00

Det Sjunde inseglet (1957)
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Country of Origin: Sweden
Genre: Drama/Foreign

This past Monday, it was announced that legendary film director Ingmar Bergman had passed away, leaving behind him nearly 4 decades of films from Sweden that helped shape international cinema into what it is today.

Upon discovering this, I was saddened. I also realized that despite the raves I've heard of his classics, I had yet to see a single film by his.

I shared the news with my brother later:
Me: Ingmar Bergman died today.
Brother: . . . .
Me: You do know who he is, right?
Brother: (hestitantly) Yeah...
Me: Name some films he's done then.
Brother: ...... Casablanca?

As it turns out, literally no one in my family had heard of Bergman. There seems to be two type of people in this situation: those who know Bergman and have seen his movies, and those who have never heard of him and will probably never venture out of their way to see some "weird Swedish movie."

I found myself in a rare situation: I had heard of Bergman, and his films, but I had never seen them. I figured it was time to place myself out of this small group and into the first by watching the film that mostly made him famous The Seventh Seal, or rather, Det Sjunde inseglet.

(Of course, it did take a while to find a rental place in my town that had films pre-1960, let alone a foreign film from pre-1960. God forbid. Yeesh.)
I don't quite know what to say about this piece of cinema. I can certainly say it's unlike anything I've ever seen-- well, true, it's Swedish, but it has a flair to it that's unique. I give Bergman my 100% respect on masterfully blending many different elements of particular genres into one film- romantic relationships, playful jests, disturbing rituals, religious outputs-- philosophies on life even. It's often I'd find myself laughing at one moment and staring in horror at the next, then simply sitting in awe at how powerful the film is.

Det Sjunde inseglet is the story of Antonious Block and his squire, Jons returning back home to Sweden after fighting with the Crusades. Upon arrival, though, it seems Death is lingering everywhere with the Black Plague... and how literal this is, as a pale-faced Bengt Ekerot dons a cloak and lolls about as Death. The beginning scene crashes on screen with a complex coral number and stunning photography to reveal Block and Jons lying on a beach. When Block (Max von Sydow, masterfully played) wanders off on his own, he comes across Death. "Are you ready?" Death asks. "My body is ready," replies Antonious, "but I am not."

Antonious decides that he will literally play for his life in a game of chess with Death. If Death wins, he keeps Antonious and if Antonious wins he is freed. The game continues throughout until the end. This is absolutely the film's most well known moment, spoofed often and rightfully so. The imagery lingers well after the film of the solemn figure of Death calmly sitting opposite a knight with a chessboard between them.

The writing is clever as Antonious and Jons (and of course Death) move across Sweden, forming a "troop" if you will of many a-folk: a band of artists who perform shows, a smith and his promiscous wife, and even a tottering baby meant to symbolize Jesus. The complex additions and subtractions only make the film more enjoyable as it moves around.

There are two moments in the film that absolutely leave in imprint in my mind. The first is the encounter between a Witch and the God-doubting Antonious. The Witch, a young woman believed to be possessed by the Devil is to be burned at the stake that evening, but Antonious is curious to questioning the Devil himself about the reality of God. Upon asking the Witch, she replies, "What do you see?" "Nothing but terror," says Antonious. The conclusion of the scene draws Jons to correct Antonious by saying that all that is within her is "emptiness." The mournful look as the girl looks out and the absolute meltdown Antonious gives is both harrowing and haunting.

And last (also last in the film), is what is known as "The Dance of Death." I won't spoil the film for you, but that little monologue the actor gives along with the ghostly image of the seven people holding hands and dancing across a mountain echoes across my mind constantly. It is with amazing ease that Bergman ends his film this way, not only leaving a sense of closure but also a sense of pride and of bewilderment.

To those that have not seen this widely well-regarded piece of film, I would strongly suggest that you bother to search for this epic piece. I belive it's essential for anyone who wants to call themselves a film fan.

10/10.

Must... go get.... Harry Potter...

2007-07-21T09:31:00.000-05:00

However, I can't at the moment. :(

So, here's my 2004 lineup:

I'm aware it's not very good. (Particularly Best Actress.... X_X) I just haven't seen some of the better nominated movies from that year yet (e.g. Kinsey, Vera Drake, Collateral, etc.) But, I do think that it's pretty dang good where it's at right now.

If any one cares (and I'm also freakishly bored,) here are the rest from that year:

Best Director
1. Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Alexander Payne, Sideways
3. Yimou Zhang, Shi mian mai fu
4. Mike Nichols, Closer
5. Terry George, Hotel Rwanda

Best Original Screenplay
1. Charlie Kaufman, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Brad Bird, The Incredibles
3. Zach Braff, Garden State
4. Feng Li; Bin Wang; Yimou Zhang, Shi mian mai fu
5. Keir Pierson; Terry George, Hotel Rwanda

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Alexander Payne; Jim Taylor, Sideways
2. Patrick Marber, Closer
3. Tina Fey, Mean Girls
4. Paul Haggis, Million Dollar Baby
5. David Magee, Finding Neverland

Best Cinematography
1. Xiaoding Zhao, Shi mian mai fu
2. Ellen Kuras, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Robert Richardson, The Aviator
4. John Mathieson, The Phantom of the Opera
5. Stephen Goldblatt, Closer

Best Editing
1. Valdis Oskarsdottir, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Joel Cox, Million Dollar Baby
3. Long Cheng, Shi mian mai fu
4. Thelma Schoonmaker, The Aviator
5. Terry Rawlings, The Phantom of the Opera

Best Art Direction
1. The Phantom of the Opera
2. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
4. Shi mian mai fu
5. The Aviator

Best Costume Design
1. The Aviator
2. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
3. Shi mian mai fu
4. The Phantom of the Opera
5. Finding Neverland

Best Original Score
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Finding Neverland
3. The Incredibles
4. Hauru no ugoku shiro
5. Million Dollar Baby

Best Sound (Mixing and Editing)
1. The Incredibles
2. Shi mian mai fu
3. Spider-Man 2
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Million Dollar Baby

Best Visual Effects
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Spider-Man 2
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Makeup
1. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
2. Shi mian mai fu
3. The Aviator

Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture
1. CLOSER: Jude Law, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts
2. SIDEWAYS: Thomas Haden Church, Paul Giamatti, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh
3. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND: Jim Carrey, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood
4. HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN: Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Rupert Grint, Gary Oldman, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Emma Watson, Mark Williams
5. RAY: Curtis Armstrong, Denise Dowse, Aunjanue Ellis, Jamie Foxx, Terrence Howard, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Kerry Washington, Sharon Warren, Bokeem Woodbine

Best Limited Performance (Note: This is for any gender, however, all of my nominees coincidentally are females this year.)
1. Emma Thompson, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ("Professor Trelawney")
2. Jessica Hecht, Sideways ("Victoria")
3. Deirdre O'Connell, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ("Hollis")
4. Kelly Macdonald, Finding Neverland (" 'Peter Pan' ")
5. Stefanie Drummond, Mean Girls ("Bethany Byrd")

Best Adapted Score
1. Garden State
2. Ray
3. Closer
4. The Phantom of the Opera
5. Shrek 2

John Travolta: Divine 2?

2007-07-19T15:03:00.000-05:00

I don't know what to think of the upcoming Hairspray.

I rather enjoyed John Waters original movie in 1988 starring famous tranny Divine as Edna Turnblad, the mom of Tracy a young 60's girl determined to become famous. The role, you could tell was tailor-made for such an eccentric personality.

In 2002, a musical adaptation was made. I've never seen it, but the soundtrack is very catchy and Harvey Fierstein is perfect as the musical version of Edna Turnblad... mostly because of he's an openly gay man.

However, will ol' Danny Zukko translate well as a plus-sized woman? He is married with children, and it's definitely a different role for him. He's got the singing chops, but will a straight man be able to play a role made famous by two gay men?
I dunno, I bet he'll either be great, or terrible.

The movie on the whole does look quite all right, with its colorful techs. And plus, who can resist Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, and Chris Walken? And with all of them singing?

It looks cheesey, but purposefully cheesey!

This definitely is a puzzler, however, its release tomorrow will announce if it's hot stuff or not.

Staunton.

2007-07-17T20:42:00.000-05:00

"You know, I really hate children."

'Les Triplettes de Belleville.'

2007-07-16T21:26:00.000-05:00

Les Triplettes de Belleville (2003)

Directed by: Sylvain Chomet
Country of Origin: France
Genre: Animated/Comedy/Foreign

"Is that it, then? Is it over, do you think? What have you got to say to Grandma?"

And with that, we’re off on a grand adventure with stout Madame Souza, her grandson adequately named Champion and their faithful, though noisy companion Bruno…and also, of course, the titular trio who just so happen to be singers from the jazz era.

Sylvain Chomet breathes wonderful creativity into this satirical and humorous animated film, straight from France after winning rave reviews and strong approval from Toronto & Copenhagen amongst other film festivals.

At the start of the film, we see "archive footage" of the Triplets from their own era doing a show and crooning out their catchy Oscar-nominated song "Belleville Rendezvous." We realize that we’re watching a rerun on television of this production. This also is watched by little Champion and his grandmother Madame Souza who utters the line above – one of only a few that can be distinctly understood in the English version, considering the overall lack of dialogue and the consistent French ramblings that provide background noise in certain scenes.

Souza notices her grandchild starting to show signs of depression, considering he’s no longer living with his parents (for reasons unknown). Souza decides to get him a puppy (Bruno) but this doesn’t cheer him up as much as she expected. It isn’t until she sneaks a peek at his journal that she realizes where Champion’s interest lies in: bicycle racing.

After we learn this, we cut forward several years to Souza training Champion gruelingly in the rain. It is awkward to see how dramatically Champion has changed: as a matter of fact, he is caricaturely grotesque: his nose longer than his entire head, his waist as thin as the spine of a book and his legs gigantic from his constant cycling (they’re massive to the point of almost looking cancerous, actually.) Bruno too is different, but mostly because he’s just gotten heavier as most dogs do, but our canine friend somehow seems...blown out of porportion.

Chomet does this for nearly every character in the story, bringing an original new idea and a bizarre feel at the same time. When Champion is kidnapped by the French Mafia during his attempt to compete at the Tour de France, the henchmen lurk with squared shoulders, literally, looking nearly like giant floating punctuation marks. And when the Mafia gets on a boat to Belleville (a not-so-hidden parody of America, with Madame Souza and Bruno in the chase), the citizens there are comically obese, some nearly four times the size of regular characters. (One large woman even stands after a long sit, looking for her husband unawares that he is firmly stuck on her gargantuan behind.) These crude comparisons only add into the comedy of the film.

Madame Souza and Bruno seem to be at the end of their ropes due to their lack of money, but it is the Triplets who save them and give them a home to stay in. They possibly are the oddest of all, eating whole frogs for supper and refusing to let Madame Souza basically do anything in their home, from vacuuming to reading the paper. However, the reasoning why they won’t is possibly one of the greatest parts of the film, and a true spark of ingenuity and creativity.

Anyway, this film is a great entertaining ride all the way through. The minimalist dialogue actually adds to the picture, because it really is unnecessary (which ultimately redirects my mind to old cartoons from the 20’s and 30’s with little or no speaking and a reliant score.) It is full of humor, action sequences and very gorgeous music and animation. (Hand-drawn animation really seems a lot better than CGI.)

If you can find this one at your rental store, I’d highly suggest renting it. 9/10.

"I think that's probably it. It's over, Grandma."

The Lion King

2007-07-16T12:45:00.001-05:00

You have to go see this.

Right now.

21st Century Cinema Collage

2007-07-11T19:37:00.000-05:00

If anyone can name all of the films on here, they will easily win a cookie.

[Edit] I didn't realize that the picture wouldn't magnify well, so here it is in three smaller (bigger!) sections. [[Right click and select 'view image' to see the entire picture.]]

Comments?

I dunno what to post about now.

2007-07-10T11:35:00.000-05:00

Image of the day:
I have a huge urge to watch Moulin Rouge! I really wanted to at my friend's house because he just got an HDTV (omgholyshitthatwould'vebeenthebestthingever) but he didn't want to watch it. (-_-) Well, anyway, this movie's absolutely amazing and if you haven't seen it you should.

And....drumroll please...... Performance #1

2007-07-07T09:16:00.000-05:00

1. KATE WINSLET (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

Where to begin? Winslet is absolutely stellar in this performance as Clementine Kruczynski. There isn't an instant where we see Kate Winslet or start to think about Kate, rather we focus on Clementine and solely her when she's onscreen.

Clementine is pretty much as hectic a character you can get that you can still feel for. She constantly changes her hair color and loves to curse at people in public. However, it's the youthful and innocent feel she gives off whenever she's onscreen that makes you long for more. As we go backwards through Joel's memory, it's almost sad because we don't want Clementine to leave, and neither does Joel.

Below are 5 scenes that stand out in Kate's performance.

Be pretty.

One of many scenes that's great. This is one of the few times we see Clementine actually show her emotions and be...normal. And haven't we all felt this way? Haven't we all thought we're ugly, and wished for something else? I wish I could go lie out on the frozen Charles.

Lalala, he’s not listening!

Cute scene. It's very transcendent towards somebody helping you out when there's a problem. Not to mention the clever editing and score highlight this scene. It's great! :D

You had the whole human race pegged.

Utter Clementine. A fine scene, where we definitely know what drives her character. The dissapearing books is haunting.

Meet me in Montauk. (Spoilers)

All right, where is there to begin for this scene alone? This is single-handedly one of the best scenes in all of cinema here. Everything about it: Kate + Jim, the score, cinematography, sound, editing, writing... it's all so very moving. Kate is exceptional, of course, truly defining her character in her "last" (First. Last?) encounter with Joel. Everything about her in this scene- the way she eats chicken, the way she squeals when she breaks into a house- are all very characterized and heartwarming. And that line: "Meet me in Montauk." Don't even get me started. What a brilliant scene.

“OK” “OK” (Spoilers)

A perfect ending. Joel knows that he and Clem are meant to be together. She'll get bored of him, that's true, but there's always next time isn't there? "OK." "OK!" The loop of them running down a snow filled beach still echoes around in my head.

Anyway, I'd also like to state that not only is this my #1 performance, but it also is the performance that changed my life. Somebody mentions "Kate Winslet" and what do you think of? Polite, proper Kate. Maybe in Sense and Sensibility or Titanic. English accent. The essence of class. After you watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind it's hard to believe that Clementine is the same actress. The vivacity and free-spirited air changes Kate into a character unlike any she's played before and then this performance becomes the one to base her off of. Somebody mentions "Kate Winslet," and I think "Oh my darlin, Oh my darlin, oh my darlin Clementine."

Clementine has inspired me to live. She may not always be the most agreed upon and she'll definitely yell at you some point a long the way, but she is a confident and strong-willed human being. If we all lived like Clementine Krucyznski, I think we'd definitely have a more conservative and open-minded world. I think she's just trying to tell you to open up. Joel is more of in a "closed-mouth" type of person (as she says in the film) but if we're all... what, "open-mouthed" then I think we'd all communicate better. We'd all live a happier life.

Kate, this is for you. Happy 7/7/07

The Top 5: Performance #2

2007-07-06T13:31:00.000-05:00

2. MERYL STREEP (The Hours)

And so, the final leading lady of The Hours is revealed, crowning Miss Streep as the best performer in that movie. (Although it is very close to call, indeed.)

Streep plays Clarissa Vaughn, a bisexual woman struggling with keeping herself under control as her party plans run amok and she questions the state of her good friend Richard (Ed Harris) whom she's planning the party for. It is nothing short of graceful to see Clarissa crack open on camera and the flood of feeling she emits is astonishing.

Oh, Mrs. Dalloway.

Near the beginning you see her foundation start to shake as Richard drills at her in his apartment. Her facial expressions and body language are wildly expressive, keeping Meryl in her character 100% of the time.

So, this is the beginning of happiness.

The life Clarissa leads with her daughter (Claire Danes) also has its own bumps, but there's an instant where she sits down and literally spews forth poetry. This is probably one of my favorite lines from the film.

Bad hostess.

But the scene that literally brings Clarissa crashing down is the breakdown she has in front of a former colleague and friend (Jeff Daniels.) She is utter divinity in this scene. As a commentor on YouTube said, "Meryl Streep's acting is more real than real life." I couldn't agree more.

Well, folks, we're almost there. The countdown's been going on forever, and we've seen many performances along the way: a cowardly lion to a suicidal poet; a pudgy beauty pageant participant to a boy with scissors for hands. But, if you've been paying attention we're missing a performance every list needs. Let's just say she earned an Oscar nomination and totally deserved to win it. Stayed tuned tomorrow for my #1 most impressive performance!

The Top 5: Performance #3

2007-07-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

Almost there!!

3. JULIANNE MOORE (The Hours)

A fine, fine, performance delivered by Moore. In the same year when she was nominated in Far From Heaven she easily should've won for one or the other.

In The Hours Laura Brown is the center of the second story in the middle of stereotypical 50's suburbia. However, pregnant and loving Laura is really having an emotional breakdown that no one seems to be noticing - except possibly her 5-year-old son.

Brushing my teeth. (3:28 - 5:07. Spoilers before that; aren't apart of the scene, so beware)

A brilliant spotlight of this is when we see Laura crying in the bathroom. Her feeble attempts to hide her feelings really bring out the emotion in such a sad character. (Probably one of my favorite facial expressions in all of cinema at 5:07. Such pain, anguish...beauty? I don't know. It's haunting.)

Mind what?

From the beginning, we can tell of Laura's troubles. When her friend Kitty (Toni Collette) comes over to visit, things run awry and trouble starts to brew.

"Mommy!" (6:58 - end.)

After this, Laura's depression only sinks furthur. She finally concludes that the only way to end this - her life, her feeling of sorrow - is to kill herself.
The scene in which she drops her son off at the babysitter's is heartwrenching. Her attempt to control herself is awkward and moving. Although her son only thinks she's leaving to get her haircut, she's really planning to end it all... her goodbyes are real. So sad.

Moore got an Oscar nomination for this, and rightfully so. It is an accurate performance that captures the struggle of someone trying to do what's right for themselves and their family.

The Top 5: Performance #4

2007-07-04T10:35:00.000-05:00

Happy Fourth, Americans! To celebrate, here's performance #4.

4. NICOLE KIDMAN (The Hours)

Nicole Kidman's fine turn as Virginia Woolf is my highest Oscar-winning performance on the list. Kidman sheds her past roles off of her like a skin and becomes a new person with stringy dirty brown hair, a gravelly accent - - and who could forget the nose?

I can't even properly write this.

When we first see Virginia, is is actually the end of her life. Woolf truly thought she was weighing others down in the world so she weighs herself down- literally, with stones- and ends it all. It's a perfect way to set the tone of the film.

Kidman's consistant narration between her story and the remaining two also bring her role to more justice. As she writes the book that binds the three women together, we hear her thoughts, and possibly the other's thoughts as well.

You cannot find peace by avoiding life.

Kidman's most memorable scene is, of course, her blow-up at the train station. Her confrontation with her husband about her sanity is astonishing to say the least.

Dead Bird.

But my personal favorite scene is a quieter one. After her nieces and nephews visit, a dead bird is found laying in the garden and a "funeral" is put in order. It's the small conversation between Virginia and her 5-year-old niece that truly jumps out at me, and the resulting descention she makes to keep eye contact with the dead bird. Haunting.

The Top 5: Performance #5

2007-07-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

5. STEVE CARELL (Little Miss Sunshine)

"Holy crap! He's this far up on the list? Seriously?!" Yes, seriously.

Carell sticks with comedy in this gem, but it is unlike any role he's done before. Previously known as Evan ("I like-a-do-the-cha-cha") Baxter from Bruce Almighty and the title character of The 40-Year-Old Virgin ("Kelly Clarkson!"), Carell is actually somewhat serious as Uncle Frank.

The first time we see Carell in the film, he's staring out the window of a hospital after trying to kill himself. The title of the film appears on his shot, the word "Sunshine" ironically placed on his sorrowful face. It's this moment you're in for a ride.

Sarcasm is the refuge of losers.

Carell's dry cyncism and depression echo throughout the film. As the audience we identify with Uncle Frank who feels like a stranger into the bizzare family of the Hoovers. His new discoveries are ours, and so forth.

F&&& beauty pageants.

It isn't until Carell meets the kids of the family when he starts to take a position of role model. He talks with little Olive and gawky Dwayne about their problems and gives them comfort- however, his own problems are hardly comforted.

Gas station.

Carell's shining moment is at an awkward encounter at a gas station with his gay former lover. The mannerisms Carell gives Frank- the rushed tendency to hide his bandaged wrists behind his back and the urge to duck behind a shelf when the boy looks back while walking away- are deep. Carell's utterly heartwrenching in this scene.

It's pretty much a crime he wasn't given an Oscar win let alone a nomination in anything this year. A very, very, overlooked performance.

Performances: #13 - 6.

2007-07-02T11:04:00.000-05:00

13. PAUL GIAMATTI (Sideways)

I'd like to go home now.

12. JOHNNY DEPP (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)

Why's the rum gone?

11. ANTHONY PERKINS (Psycho)

He wouldn't even harm a fly.... *SPOILLEERSSS*

10. NICOLE KIDMAN (Moulin Rouge!)

Come What May, Reprise

9. DJIMON HOUNSOU (In America)

Trailer for the film. Couldn't find any clips.

8. JIM CARREY (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)

This is sort of warped.

7. KEVIN SPACEY (American Beauty)

Remember those posters?

6. ALBERT FINNEY (Big Fish)

The river. *SPOILEEEEEEEERS*

Performances: The Top 25.

2007-06-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

25. HALEY JOEL OSMENT (The Sixth Sense)

Holy shit.

24. MADELINE KAHN (Clue)

Flames.... Spoilers.

23. RUSSELL CROWE (A Beautiful Mind)

Awwww.

22. JULIANNE MOORE (Far From Heaven)

Craze-a-ly good. Very emotional and very raw. A fine performance.

21. DON CHEADLE (Hotel Rwanda)

Haunting, powerful, commanding. Should've won out of the nominees.

20. CLARK GABLE (Gone With the Wind)

You need kissing, badly.

19. KATE WINSLET (Sense and Sensibility)

Weep You No More Fountains.

18. PATRICIA CLARKSON (Pieces of April)

Photos. *Spoilers*

17. Q'ORIANKA KILCHER (The New World)

Running around the garden. *Spoilers*

16. AUDREY HEPBURN (Breakfast at Tiffany's)

Moon River.

15. PETER O'TOOLE (Lawrence of Arabia)

They'll be coming for Damascus.

14. CLIVE OWEN (Closer)

Gentler. Umm...spoilers? If you haven't seen the movie, wait because it has so much more of an impact.

Performances: #31 - 26.

2007-06-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

31. GREG KINNEAR (Little Miss Sunshine)

There are two kinds of people in this world.

30. MARGARET HAMILTON (The Wizard of Oz)

Deliciously evil. Hamilton makes the Wicked Witch of the West one of the baddest of the bad in excruciating detail. A prize-winning supporting performance.

29. TONI COLLETTE (Little Miss Sunshine)

She could just as easily be YOUR mom. Collette makes Sheryl a dedicated and loving mother exactly on pitch. Earned her BAFTA nom!

28. JUDE LAW (A.I. Artificial Intelligence)

You held my hand.

27. TONI COLLETTE (The Sixth Sense)

Someone died. Spoilers.

26. SARAH BOLGER (In America)

My third wish. Spoilers.

Performances: #43- 32.

2007-06-19T14:14:00.000-05:00

43. JIM CARREY (The Truman Show)

"I predict..."

42. JOHNNY DEPP (Edward Scissorhands)

Ice Dance.

41. HELEN HUNT (As Good as it Gets)

A normal boyfriend. Spoilers.

40. DUSTIN HOFFMAN (Tootsie)

You were a tomato.

39. ORSON WELLES (Citizen Kane)

Campaign Speech.

38. SAMANTHA MORTON (Sweet and Lowdown)

Without a word of dialogue, Morton gives an illuminating and heartbreaking performance.

37. MERYL STREEP (The Devil Wears Prada)

A Pile of Stuff.

36. HELEN MIRREN (The Queen)

The Queen's Tribute.

35. RACHEL WEISZ (The Fountain)

Together We Will Live Forever- Spoilers.

34. JENNIFER CONNELLY (A Beautiful Mind)

Meeting Nash.

33. JUDY GARLAND (The Wizard of Oz)

There's no place like.....

32. GEORGE CLOONEY (O Brother Where Art Thou)

Beginning: Escape!

Performances: #49- 44.

2007-06-17T16:36:00.000-05:00

Uhoh. I overlooked the fact that I'd be gone ANOTHER week soon, so I'm booking as fast as I can on theese.

49. ROBERT DE NIRO (Awakenings)

Awesome. As Leonard Lowe, De Niro is heartbreaking as he awakens from his comatose state and starts to live life.

48. VIRGINIA MADSEN (Sideways)

In such a short amount of time, Maya is vibrantly portrayed and electrifying by Madsen. Worthy of an Oscar.

47. ZIYI ZHANG (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

Zhang holds her own as an amazingly athletic and tough Jen Yu, a confused criminal.

46. BILL MURRAY (Groundhog Day)

Murray's a gas in his immortal performance of Phil Connors. Truly, one of the finest comedic performances ever.

45. SHIRLEY MacLAINE (The Apartment)

Funny, but heartbreaking-- seems odd right? MacLaine makes Fran both, somehow in a seemless performance.

44. NATALIE PORTMAN (Closer)

Freaking amazing. Alice is a true gem of a character with great wit and a very inner sadness. Should've won over Cate.

Clip from 'CLOSER': "I don't need things."

Performances: #52 - 50.

2007-06-09T14:56:00.001-05:00

52. ABIGAIL BRESLIN (Little Miss Sunshine)

Awwww. Breslin is absolutely adorable as little Olive Hoover with big dreams of winning the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Breslin is surprisingly good, with warm emotions and an extremely likeable feel to her. Was definitely better than J.Hud at the Oscars.

Clip from 'LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE': Am I pretty?

51. JACK LEMMON (The Apartment)

Lemmon is C.C. Baxter, an average citizen like you or me, stuck in a dillema. Lemmon does just enough where he is believable as the "everyman" but doesn't let things get out of hand. Not to mention he has perfect comedic pace and timing.

50. SERGI LÓPEZ (Pan's Labyrinth)

The exact opposite of Abby and Jack, Lopez is malicious and crude as the evil Captain Vidal. He is extremely merciless and extremely evil- definitely the villian of the year. (And robbed of the coveted Oscar nom.)

Just want anyone to know, (if anyone's out there....) that I won't post for the next 7 days, because I'll be in Indianapolis on a trip. I'll be back on Sunday the 17th, and my Top 100 performances list will continue!

-Movie Geek.

Performances: #55 - 53.

2007-06-08T21:23:00.001-05:00

55. CATHERINE ZETA-JONES (Chicago)

Wow! Zeta-Jones is brilliant as Velma Kelly, the sedusive and deceitful murderess/jazz singer. She is captivating every moment, and the strongest singer/dancer of the trio of central characters. Well-developed and great, but not worthy of her Oscar in such a strong year.

Clip from 'CHICAGO': All That Jazz

54. MARIBEL VERDÚ (Pan's Labyrinth)
Verdu is entrancing as Mercedes, a woman caught between sides in the fierce battle in Fascist Spain. Verdu slowly turns from prim and drawn in to wild and loose in order to save the ones she loves. A fine, fine performance.

53. JACK NICHOLSON (As Good as it Gets)

Nicholson is delightful (as always) as the spastic Melvin Udall, an uncaring and paranoid author. He is heartless, crude, and somehow lovable to the very core. An engulfing performance with a lot of development inside. Worthy of the Oscar it won.

Clip from 'AS GOOD AS IT GETS': Don't come knocking.

Performances: #58- 56.

2007-06-07T22:22:00.001-05:00

58. SHARON WARREN (Ray)
What a powerful performance. Warren is Aretha, Ray Charles's mother. Seen only in flashbacks, Warren is strong and the camera nearly demands her presence. She steals all of her, albeit few, scenes and was bluntly robbed of an Oscar nomination-- for her first performance.

I'm really bummed out, because YouTube has no clips of this fine performance. :(

57. BARBRA STREISAND (Funny Girl)
Another very headstrong performance from (at the time) film-noob Streisand. She commands as Fanny Brice, transforming vividly from a shy girl to a famous starlet, to a snooty heiress, and ultimately a confident woman. Worthy of the Oscar she won (shared? It was a tie.)

Clip from 'FUNNY GIRL': Don't Rain on My Parade!

56. TOM HANKS (Forrest Gump)

What can I say? Classic performance from a classic actor. Hanks made Forrest a delight to watch and he instantly lept into the heart of many Americans. Fantastic.

Clip from 'FORREST GUMP': People call me Forrest Gump.

Something off performances.

2007-06-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

I really, really, really want to see Paris, je t'aime. It looks amazing.

18 sketches in one film? Um, yes.

I'm most eager to see:

-"Tour Eiffel"- a piece by Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville) about two mimes in love.

-"14th arrondissement"- directed by Alexander Payne, starring Margo Martindale (Million Dollar Baby and The Hours.)

-"Tuileries" - 1. Ethan & Joel Cohen. 2. Steve Buscemi. 3. Bruno Delbonnel. Enough said.

and I'm most excited for

-"Faubourg Saint-Denis"- From Tom Tykwer (Perfume) and starring Natalie Portman.

This movie basically looks like a giant orgasm. I can't wait until it comes to my city - if it ever does, that is.

Performances: #61 - 59.

2007-06-06T13:43:00.000-05:00

61. JOAQUIN PHOENIX (Walk the Line)
Phoenix is great as the immortal Johnny Cash. He brings frustration, drug addiction, alcoholism, and unrequited love to the screen fantastically and justly earned the Oscar nomination he recieved.

Clip from 'WALK THE LINE': Folsom Prison Blues recording

60. JACK NICHOLSON (Batman)

Nicholson is absolutely the core of the film as the Joker in Burton's comicbook adaptation. I honestly think without his nutty-ness and the utter chaos he made, the film would be a complete snoozefest.

59. LIZA MINNELLI (Cabaret)

Minnelli shines as Sally Bowles, the iconic star of the Kit Kat Club in Germany. Minnelli is bubbly and fun but also harrowing and soul-filled. A fine, memorable performance.

Clip from 'CABARET': Maybe This Time

Performances: #64- 62.

2007-06-05T07:41:00.000-05:00

64. SAMANTHA MORTON (In America)

Heartbreaking. As mother Sarah, Morton makes running a family genuine and sad. A brilliant performance.

63. TOM HANKS (Cast Away)

Without using barely any/no words for a good 2/3 of the film, Hanks as Chuck Noland is never misunderstood, due to his brilliant body language and facial expressions. It's harrowing as he converses with a volleyball, and even sadder when he confronts his love back on main land.

62. JULIE ANDREWS (Mary Poppins)

A classic! Andrews is Mary Poppins, making funtime and discipline go hand in hand as the carefree magical nanny. One to be remembered for the ages - especially due to her Oscar win.

Performances: #67-65

2007-06-04T16:44:00.001-05:00

67. LESLIE NIELSEN (Airplane!)

Nielson is absolutely hysterical in possibly the best comedic performance ever. As "Dr. Rumack," Nielson makes his hilarious lines even funnier when he delivers them in perfect deadpan. A knockout!

Clip from 'AIRPLANE!': "You can tell me, I'm a doctor."

66. TIM CURRY (Clue)

Another fine comedic performance. Curry is Wadsworth, the butler who's actually the one running the show - and he makes it quite clear. His manic actions and controlling ways are great as they interact perfectly with the six other bumbling guests.

Clip from 'CLUE': No there is, or no there isn't?

65. JANET LEIGH (Psycho)

A very memorable performance. Leigh is (doomed) Marion Crane, making her genuine and quite relatable. Not to mention, her facial expressions are golden. (Also not to mention the "little-known shower scene," below.)

Clip from 'PSYCHO': Rrr, rrr, rrr, rrr...

Performances: #70 - 68.

2007-06-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

70. IVANA BAQUERO (Pan's Labyrinth)

Wildly enchanting, and utterly great. Baquero makes Ofelia one of the best child performances...ever. Overlooked last year.

69. CHRISTIAN BALE (Empire of the Sun)

Bale's first breakthrough as Jamie in Steven Spielberg's undeservedly unseen WWII flick. He was only 12 when making this film and delivers his best performance. Worthy of an Oscar.

68. MICHELLE PFEIFFER (White Oleander)

A fantastic actress in a stereotypical role - the superbitchy supporting actress. However, Pfeiffer makes Ingrid Magnussen more than just a superbitch - - she's a FREAKING super bitch. Horrendously robbed at Oscar time.

Performances: #75- 71.

2007-06-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

Sorry. This was supposed to be yesterday's....

75. EMILY BLUNT (The Devil Wears Prada)

Hilarious! Blunt gives a tour-de-force breakthrough performance as Emily, Meryl Streep's commanding assistant-bitch. Perfect comedic timing, and quite lovely herself, too. She instantly steals every scene she's in.

Clip from 'THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA': Hideous Skirt Convention

74. EMMA THOMPSON (Stranger Than Fiction)

Another very strong '06 Supporting female performance. Thompson's spot-on as snooty Karen Eiffel, not to mention how droll she consistently is.

73. JUDE LAW (Closer)

Finely portrayed...Dan is brought to life rather instantaneously in this great film. He's so despicable, but so relatable at the same time... great performance.

72. JULIA ROBERTS (Closer)

Roberts plays Anna fantastically as well (who wasn't good in Closer?). She held her own in some gritty scenes and definitely showed a dirtier side to "Goody-Goody" Julia.

71. BORIS LASKIN (Everything is Illuminated)

Utterly haunting and unforgettable.... as Grandpa (seen above, driving), Laskin hardly says a word (and when he does, it's in Ukranian), but nevertheless his performance is a knockout, to say the least. A clear win in my book in the crowded supporting category in '05.

Clip from 'EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED': No Meat?

(I know, doesn't really show off Laskin's range, but still a great scene!)

Performances: #80 - 76.

2007-06-01T07:47:00.000-05:00

80. MICHAEL CAINE (The Cider House Rules)

Caine is quite lovely as Wilbur Larch, the head of an orphanage...devoted to giving illegal abortions... and he's also an anesthesia-addict. Lovely. Seriously, his sense of timing and his feeling of genuine connection makes his Oscar win memorable.

79. JOEL GREY (Cabaret)

Raunchy and fun, Grey is the Emcee of the Cabaret. Another Supporting Actor win in AMPAS's box, Grey is wildly expressive, extremely comical in such a dark piece and unforgettable.

Clip from 'CABARET': The Money Song

78. TONI COLLETTE (About a Boy)

This is Toni's second time on the list, and it's certainly not her last! Collette is Fiona, the single mother of her son. Collette is peace-driven, almost to the point of wearing tye-dye t-shirts and singing Peter Paul and Mary. But her innner emotions - about her son, and her husband's death- make her performance absolutely amazing.

77. TERRENCE HOWARD (Crash)

Clearly the best of the ensemble, Howard plays Cameron, a movie director dealing not only with racism but with the de-violation of his wife the night before by a racist cop. Howard hides his emotions inward until they come flying out in a fantastic scene against, unbeknownest to him, the racist's cop co-worker (Ryan Phillipee.) A fantastic scene, and a powerful performance.

76. CHER (Moonstruck)

Who says singers can't act? (coughcoughJenniferHudson.) Um, anyway... Cher actually EARNED her Oscar win with this tragi-comic romantic piece as Loretta Castorini. She delivers a message to her fiancee's brother, and somehow ends up falling in love with him instead. A great performance by Ms. Cher, and a memorable one too. (She doesn't sing in this one either, so it's all good.)

Clip from 'MOONSTRUCK': The Wolf and the Bride

Performances: #85 - 81.

2007-05-31T07:43:00.001-05:00

85. VIVIEN LEIGH (Gone With the Wind)

Moody and demanding, but somehow irresistable- Scarlett O'Hara. Sure, she's not the highest on the list, but she's overrated anyway. (I could tell she was acting at some parts, folks. Just because it's an old movie...) Anyway, Leigh did bring herself into the limelight as the first super-bitch in this role.

Clip from 'GONE WITH THE WIND': Breaking the Vase

84. KIM NOVAK (Vertigo)

Playing two roles (!!!!), Novak is perfect at breaking Jimmy Stewart's heart.... twice.... as Madeline Elster and Judy Barton. It isn't until the ending when Novak's acting gets REALLY good, but I won't say anything else.

83. JAMES STEWART (Vertigo)

Stewart is finally spot-on with his role as John Ferguson in Hitchcock's classic. Opposite Novak (see above), Stewart is extremely believeable, always showing us John and never James. Plus, he can fake his vertigo quite well.

Clip from 'VERTIGO': Diner Scene

82. OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND (Gone With the Wind)

One of the strong GWTW performers, De Havilland is Scarlett's cousin, Melanie Hamilton who steals her beau and instantly headlines Scarlett's hate list. However, De Havilland makes Melanie kind-hearted, strong, independant, and utterly convincing all the way through the 15-hour film. (Tee hee.)

81. EMMA THOMPSON (Sense and Sensibility)

Doing double duty (Acting? And writing? Insane.), Thompson not only writes a beautiful performance but portrays a beautiful one as well. Whether it's her constant determination, or her shy facial expressions around Hugh Grant (!!!!....wait. No.), Thompson EARNED her Oscar nomination.

Performances: #90 - 86

2007-05-30T07:39:00.001-05:00

90. MERYL STREEP (Out of Africa)

Donning an accent (!!!), Streep makes Karen Blixen an utterly confident and believable woman. Easily the best actor of the film, Streep justly earned this Oscar nomination.

89. ELLEN DeGENERES (Finding Nemo)

The only voice-over performance on the list, DeGeneres instantly made Dory a pop culture icon. Her wit and humor easily becomes the most memorable thing about the cute little movie.

Clip from 'FINDING NEMO': Speaking Whale

88. TERI GARR (Tootsie)

Another Oscar-nominated performance, and another just earn. In possibly my favorite Garr performance of Sandy Lester, TOOTSIE has way more of a plot behind it when narcotic Sandy learns her boyfriend beat her out in an audition- as a woman. Hilarious, to say the least.

87. JESSICA LANGE (Tootsie)

The other star supporting player and Oscar winner is Miss Lange, who plays Julie Nichols. Her warmth and comfort to Dorothy (Dustin Hoffman) is magically changed to discomfort and confusion as she learns the truth. A fine performance.

86. TOM HANKS (Big)

All right, you caught me: it's 80's day. Hanks' claim-to-fame as Josh Baskin, a 12-year-old stuck in an adult's body, is beautifully played. Hanks's facial expresses are genius, literally as child-like as a 12-year-old's should be.... a worthy nomination, and even a win in my book.

Clip from 'BIG': Heart and Soul

Performances: #95- 91

2007-05-29T18:58:00.000-05:00

95. ALAN ARKIN (Little Miss Sunshine)

Hilarious and uplifting, Arkin gives heroin-addict Grandpa depth and feeling with...shall we say...limited screen time. Worthy of an Oscar, just not in 2006. (Definitely of the nominees... Eddie Murphy my ass.)

94. ANNETTE BENING (American Beauty)

Finely frantic and simply narcotic.... a worthy nomination as Carolyn Burnham. She's like a trainwreck. Absolutely emotionally disturbed, yet somehow I found myself rooting for her.

93. NAOMI WATTS (King Kong)

Watts is breath-taking as Ann Darrow. Her eyes sparkle with confusion, love, and determination all throughout the 3 hour fest- - an astonishing feat, considering she emoted to a greenscreen.

92. JESSE L. MARTIN (Rent)

Law and Order regular Martin brings a great feeling of sensitivity in the role of rambunctious Tom Collins. His anarchist-driven mind and love for Angel drive the supporting characters all the way till the end.

91. WILSON JERMAINE HEREDIA (Rent)

Can't seperate Collins & Angel, can ya? Heredia is fantastic as the eccentric drag queen Angel Dumott Schunard and utterly heartbreaking as an AIDS-victim. Deprived of an Oscar nomination, to say the least.

Clip From 'RENT': Today 4 U.

More tomorrow.

Performances #100 - 96

2007-05-28T18:49:00.000-05:00

100. BERT LAHR (The Wizard of Oz)

As the Cowardly Lion, Lahr brings warmth in his humor in a rather serious movie, and also makes us, oddly, feel sympathetic to the King of the Forest.

99. TONI COLLETTE (The Hours)

Although she isn't onscreen very long, Collette brings amazing depth into Kitty Barlowe, easily surpassing all of her other supporting counterparts in this already-amazing cast.

98. TIM BLAKE NELSON (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

Heartbreaking and delightfully dim-witted, Delmar is portrayed seemlessly by character actor Nelson. His lines and manorisms steal every scene of this pitch-perfect film.

97. ALLY SHEEDY (The Breakfast Club)

Extremely odd, to the point of creepiness, yet somehow always entertaining and fun - this describes Allison Reynolds easily. The "Nymphomaniac" scene not only showcases excellent dialogue but crowns Sheedy as a true "basket case."

96. EWAN McGREGOR (Moulin Rouge!)

A suprise performance from McGregor is the second heart of the film as Christian - next to love interest, Kidman. Hideously over-looked around award season, McGregor is funny, heartbreaking, commanding- and most importantly, beliveable.

More tomorrow!

Finished!

2007-05-27T14:05:00.000-05:00

My List of My Top 100 Performances is Finally complete. I'll reveal them to you a bit at a time, leading to the #1 performance on July 7th for Pizzi's blogathon. (!!!!!!!!!)

So, to start off, here is the list of #101- 200 that were included but will not get special attention.

101. ED HARRIS (The Hours)
102. EILEEN BRENNAN (Clue)
103. BRUCE WILLIS (The Sixth Sense)
104. JIM BROADBENT (Moulin Rouge!)
105. PARKER POSEY (Best in Show)
106. ROBIN WILLIAMS (Dead Poets Society)
107. HUGH JACKMAN (The Fountain)
108. NICOLE KIDMAN (The Others)
109. TOPOL (Fiddler on the Roof)
110. OLYMPIA DUKAKIS (Moonstruck)

111. RITA MORENO (West Side Story)
112. DENNIS QUAID (Far From Heaven)
113. GRACE KELLY (Rear Window)
114. JAMIE FOXX (Ray)
115. HELENA BONHAM CARTER (Big Fish)
116. HALEY JOEL OSMENT (A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
117. MIRANDA RICHARDSON (The Hours)
118. JOHN TURTURRO (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
119. WES BENTLEY (American Beauty)
120. EWAN McGREGOR (Big Fish)

121. WILL FERRELL (Stranger Than Fiction)
122. MATTHEW BRODERICK (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
123. CHRISTOPHER GUEST (Waiting For Guffman)
124. CLIVE OWEN (Children of Men)
125. MICHELLE YEOH (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
126. GREG KINNEAR (As Good as it Gets)
127. ZIYI ZHANG (House of Flying Daggers)
128. GEOFFREY RUSH (Pirates of the Caribbean series)
129. THOMAS HADEN CHURCH (Sideways)
130. DIANNE WIEST (Edward Scissorhands)

131. RENEE ZELLWEGER (Chicago)
132. VIRGINIA MADSEN (A Prairie Home Companion)
133. KEVIN KLINE (A Prairie Home Companion)
134. MORGAN FREEMAN (Million Dollar Baby)
135. GONG LI (Memoirs of a Geisha)
136. JAMES STEWART (Rear Window)
137. JOHN BELUSHI (The Blues Brothers)
138. DAN AYKROYD (The Blues Brothers)
139. NATALIE PORTMAN (Garden State)
140. ROSARIO DAWSON (Rent)

141. RICHARD DREYFUSS (Mr. Holland's Opus)
142. PAM FERRIS (Children of Men)
143. KATE WINSLET (Finding Neverland)
144. RACHEL McADAMS (Mean Girls)
145. MATT DILLON (Crash)
146. DAVID STRAITHARN (Good Night, and Good Luck.)
147. JOHNNY DEPP (Finding Neverland)
148. ROBERT DE NIRO (Meet the Parents)
149. RADHA MITCHELL (Melinda and Melinda)
150. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR (Melinda and Melinda)

151. KATE WINSLET (Titanic)
152. REGINA KING (Ray)
153. JULIE ANDREWS (The Sound of Music)
154. GENE WILDER (Young Frankenstein)
155. PAUL BETTANY (A Beautiful Mind)
156. FRANCES O'CONNOR (A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
157. JUDD NELSON (The Breakfast Club)
158. ALAN RUCK (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
159. THORA BIRCH (American Beauty)
160. PAUL DANO (Little Miss Sunshine)

161. CHOW YUN-FAT (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)
162. ROBERTO BENIGNI (Life is Beautiful)
163. NICOLAS CAGE (Moonstruck)
164. MICHAEL PENA (Crash)
165. SEAN PENN (Sweet and Lowdown)
166. LEONARDO DiCAPRIO (The Aviator)
167. CATE BLANCHETT (The Aviator)
168. WILL SMITH (The Pursuit of Happyness)
169. REESE WITHERSPOON (Walk the Line)
170. MICHAEL SHEEN (The Queen)

171. SOPHIE OKONEDO (Hotel Rwanda)
172. DENNIS HAYSBERT (Far From Heaven)
173. MANDY PATINKIN (The Princess Bride)
174. ED HARRIS (The Truman Show)
175. TAKESHI KANESHIRO (House of Flying Daggers)
176. DON CHEADLE (Crash)
177. TILDA SWINTON (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
178. STEVE MARTIN (Little Shop of Horrors)
179. JAMES EARL JONES (Field of Dreams)
180. ADAM SANDLER (Reign Over Me)

181. KEISHA CASTLE-HUGHES (Whale Rider)
182. DON CHEADLE (Reign Over Me)
183. JOHNNY DEPP (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
184. MERYL STREEP (A Prairie Home Companion)
185. CHRISTIAN BALE (The Prestige)
186. HUGH JACKMAN (The Prestige)
187. GENE WILDER (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
188. MOLLY RINGWALD (The Breakfast Club)
189. PETER GRAVES (Airplane!)
190. LESLIE NIELSON (The Naked Gun series)

191. WINONA RYDER (Edward Scissorhands)
192. RICHARD GERE (Chicago)
193. FRED WILLARD (Best in Show)
194. SHELLEY WINTERS (The Poseidon Adventure)
195. STOCKARD CHANNING (Grease)
196. RUPERT EVERETT (My Best Friend's Wedding)
197. RALPH FIENNES (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
198. REESE WITHERSPOON (Legally Blonde)
199. PETER BOYLE (Young Frankenstein)
200. CLORIS LEACHMAN (Young Frankenstein)

Whew! All right, now you can comment.