Sulmoney’s Oscar Predictions – Best Actor

Hans got a compliment from his training teacher; he was commended on his ability to read. High five!

From a two woman race in the Best Actress category, we move on to a two man race for Best Actor. From a career resurrection, to another fine performance in his resume, the other nominees need not come Sunday night. The nominees include Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Sean Penn (Milk),  Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), and Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler). (Full disclosure: I still need to see The Visitor, don’t judge me!)

Who Will Win

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Hollywood loves a redemption story, and there is none hotter right now than Mickey Rourke’s. Poised to be the biggest Hollywood star of the 80s and 90s, Rourke took a well documented detour and became Hollywood poison. Slowly working his way back into everyone’s good graces, Rourke completed his comeback with perhaps his finest and most authentic performance to date as a broken down, aging wrestler out for one last hurrah, a role that critics point out was not hard for him to pull off as it is his story. Nonetheless, it was the best performance of the year by anyone, and one that will studied for years.

Who Should Win

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Mickey has this on lock. I hope. If it is not going to be Mickey Rourke though, it will be this guy…

Sean Penn in Milk

Sean Penn gives another amazing performance as Harvey Milk, and is just as deserving as Mickey Rourke for the grand prize. As awful as it may sound to say it, I feel that there may be some sort of homophobic backlash against Penn’s performance, and it may have rubbed some of the voters the wrong way, similar to how Brokeback Mountain and Heath Ledger were seemingly locks a few years back but came away empty handed, save for Ang Lee’s win. Penn is deserving of it, and becomes Harvey Milk, and it is another iconic performance.

Who Was Snubbed

Colin Farrell in In Bruges

Anybody who has followed this blog knows my love and admiration for In Bruges, and at the core of this great picture is a performance from Colin Farrell that will change his career. He earned a Golden Globe for it, and he was an outside shot at getting the nomination, but fans of the film will be rooting for Martin McDonagh in the Original Screenplay category. If you still have not seen this gem, definitely make the effort to see it, and treasure the performance by not only Colin Farrell, but also Bredan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes.

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Sulmoney’s #1 – In Bruges

Well, at least we can agree on a couple things here: 1) Hans went with the uber-trendy pick of Slumdog Millionaire for his #1, and 2) Danny Boyle is going home on Oscar night with a little statue that says Best Director on it. But in all seriousness, I truly wish and believe that Slumdog Millionaire will go down in history as the winner of the Best Picture come February 22, and wish that the smear campaigns that have been raging against the film stop, and that people appreciate it for its wonderful story.

Alas, we finally come to the end of the top 10, and I am here to save this list with another Sulmoney original, my pick for the best of 2008, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges.

 

In Bruges

Release dates are everything when it comes to awards season, and getting recognized. In Bruges, a film that not many people I know have even heard of, came out way back in January 2008, and has easily been my favorite, and the best movie I have seen in the past year. Similar to how Hans has said that Slumdog Millionaire has reached the level of his all time favorite films, In Bruges has done the same for me. Here is a film that despite its January release date, has managed to lay relatively low, but found a way to get nominated for 3 Golden Globes (including a well deserved Best Actor win for Colin Farrell), and landed an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Martin McDonagh, who I am emphatically backing to add a second Oscar to his resume, after only his first major motion picture. 

 

"Did you see Hans' top 10 list? What a joke!"

While In Bruges may not have been about a slain gay politician, Nazis having sex with minors, a not really that important television interview, a biography of a man born under unusual circumstances, or wanting to be a millionaire, it is a profane, politically incorrect, and shockingly gruesome at times look at how one lives with the mistakes that they have made, how they are to be judged for eternity, and if they have the capacity to change for the better. Making full usage of his background as a prestigious playwright, Martin McDonagh presents In Bruges as a character study of Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), two English hitmen who have been sent to Bruges (it’s in Belgium) by their boss Harry (the delightfully devilish Ralph Fiennes) after a hit goes horribly wrong. What follows is an often hilarious, often touching look at the interactions between the two who are on opposite ends of the hitman spectrum. Oh yeah, there’s a midget as well thrown in for good measure.

 

The bullet wound would probably be in the chest

Without spoiling anything, as unlike many of the films on the list, you probably have not seen In Bruges, Ray has done something truly awful, and it is something that he will seemingly not be able to live with for the rest of his days. There is a moment in In Bruges when the two are killing time at the museum awaiting further instructions from Harry, when Ray comes upon a painting of the Day of Judgement, and he, along with the audience, realize that his time in Bruges is his Day of Judgement: his fate is being decided, and he is being judged solely on his actions in a very black and white manner. However, another side is trying to interject itself into his outcome, by showing his intentions and his nature, and trying to change those blacks and whites into shades of grays. Coming from an upbringing with a strong background in religion and a firm belief in the Hereafter, this questioning and analysis of how we are to be judged when our time comes struck a particular chord with me, and is what elevates In Bruges above any of the other films of 2008.

 

Want a discussion on race wars amongst the vertically challenged? In Bruges' got it.

 

I professed my love for Guy Ritchie and RocknRolla earlier, but In Bruges is all of his movies and the countless other English gangster flicks grown up. While they offer style and no substance, McDonagh offers both in what is (still) shockingly his feature film debut. Having won an Academy Award already for Best Live Action Short Film in 2005 for Six Shooter (starring Brendan Gleeson again), McDonagh establishes as a young director and writer to keep an eye on in the future. The much maligned Colin Farrell shows us what he is fully capable of as an actor with his very emotional portrayal of Ray, a man who is now just simply going through the motions of life. Gleeson, also nominated for  Golden Globe for his role alongside Farrell, is wonderful as the grizzled veteran of the hitman business who does all that he can for Ray to help him out. McDonagh’s greatest directorial decision may have been in keeping the scene stealing Ralph Fiennes off camera until the third act, leaving his presence in the story float throughout the first two thirds of the film through a telegram or a phone call. His absolute view on the business, as a man with principles is a noble one. Supporting roles from fellow Harry Potter film franchise alum Clemence Poesy, and the now legendary Jordan Prentice round out some of the performances that make In Bruges my #1 film of 2008.

Hopefully you have had as much fun as we have in writing up our respective top 10 lists, and we hope to have turned you onto some of our favorite films of the year, including some that you may not have seen or even heard of before. I know Hans’ list definitely made me check out some films that I had missed out on, and I am sure he would say the same. Stay tuned to The Feature Preachers as we continue spreading the good word!

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Sulmoney’s #3 – Pineapple Express

There is no doubt that Doubt (shoot me now) is a great piece of theatre, either in the playhouse, or the cinema house. Hans is spot in saying that this film is tailor made for actors to strut their craft, and with less than capable thespians, Doubt would have been a debacle. The parallels to Frost/Nixon and Doubt are inevitable, as both were originally plays that were adapted for the screen; while Frost/Nixon may have been flashier and it got the Best Picture nomination, Doubt is the picture that will last the test of time. We get just what we expect from veterans Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep, but the real surprises are Viola Davis in her lone scene, and Amy Adams, who is on the verge of becoming a huge star. The best acting of the year is on display in these tense two hours, and the four aforementioned players got their well deserved Academy Award nominations. However, what kept me from truly embracing this film as one of the year’s best is my sheer frustration with Meryl Streep’s Sister Aloysius’ motivations. Perhaps that is why she is such an effective screen villain (or hero, depending on your viewpoint), but for me, it was purely infuriating. The final scene, designed to be (or not to be) some sort of conclusion, only added to my anger. Definitely something that I will revisit in the future though.

Now, for something totally different, I present what will likely be the most controversial pick of the litter, my #3 film of the year, David Gordon Green’s Pineapple Express.

Pineapple Express

True Romance is my favorite movie of all time. If you have never seen it, well the cast alone should make you run out to get it immediately. Don’t waste your money on the rental; buy it now. Before Brad Pitt was Brad Pitt, he was Floyd the stoner, a guy who never got off his couch while everyone he ran into during the course of the film was caught up in a huge cross country chase involving drugs, guns, love, gangsters, and Elvis. The genius that is Judd Apatow had the brilliant idea of bringing Floyd from a bit character used for comic relief to the forefront and main protagonist of a story involving, well, drugs, guns, love, gangsters, and (sadly) no Elvis.

Kids, drugs are bad for you

Seth Rogen plays Dale Denton, a man who aspires to follow a different Christian Slater movie, with a habit that brings him together with the absolutely amazing James Franco as Saul Silver, a new stoner flick legend. When Dale witnesses a murder and leaves behind a blunt of the rarest weed in the city, with the murderer being the top most drug dealer in the city, the chase begins for Dale and Saul that leads them on a voyage that includes a night in the forest, a simultaneously hilarious and grimace inducing fight with the great Danny McBride as Red, selling drugs to minors to raise bus fare, a car chase unlike any you have ever seen, and a finale in an underground secret ex-army base. Oh, and don’t forget about the Asians.

I'd take my pants off for James Franco as well

What separates Pineapple Express from all the other comedies from 2008 is its perfect blend of two genres. It works as a stoner comedy, and it works as a summer action flick as well. The combination of the two works wonders, and is a welcome relief from an earlier 2008 stoner flick disaster. The laughs are constant, from the black and white introduction, to the diner epilogue, and the violence is brutal and pulls no punches. This is a movie that improves on every viewing, and credit goes to David Gordon Green for his solid direction. The  supporting roles are played to perfection, from Craig Robinson and Kevin Corrigan as two veteran enforcers who come across as a more real Jules and Vincent, to Gary Cole and Rosie Perez thoroughly enjoying their villainous turns. Danny McBride establishes himself as a player on the rise in the comedy scene, and Seth Rogen adds another notch to his comedic hits belt.

The main star of Pineapple Express, and the reason that we will be watching this for years to come, is James Franco. Franco, as we have never seen him before, fully immerses himself into Saul Silver, a role for which he garnered a Golden Globe nomination; in conjunction with his totally opposite role in Milk, he establishes himself as a bona fide movie star, capable of doing the summer blockbusters, to comedies, to rousing award worthy offerings. Missing out on this movie and especially Franco’s performance is like killing a unicorn…with a bomb.

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Hans’s #3 – Doubt

Well unfortunately, I’m not sure there’s much to bash in Sulmoney’s #4 pick of The Dark Knight. What can I say? Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

…Sulmoney is the broken clock. Here, finally, is my #3.

Doubt

In Doubt, a curmedgeonly nun and Catholic school principal (Meryl Streep) works tirelessly to expel the progressive and popular priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who may or may not have molested a young boy, but let’s clear up one misconception right off the bat: this is not a movie about a Catholic priest molesting a young boy. In a way, that hot-button issue is simply what Hitchcock would call the “MacGuffin.” It’s only a device that motivates the characters and inspires the real meat of this film, which essentially boils down to 5 or 6 long, drawn-out scenes of brutally uncomfortable verbal conflicts riddled with subtext and unspoken implications. Much like Frost/Nixon, Doubt is a film about argumentation and ideological clash. Incidentally, both films draw on source material from the theater, but while Frost/Nixon adapted the subject matter with a familiar underdog structure, Doubt moves in an entirely different direction and delivers a moviegoing experience unlike any other.

Ah, child molestation. It warms the heart.

Doubt is an indictment of certainty, which seems a little obvious to say the least, so let me redo that: Doubt is an indictment of certainty. With this film, writer-director John Patrick Shanley (who also penned the play on which the film is based) has crafted a Rorschach test so ambiguous that it’s really a test of the viewer’s own biases. The film never even comes close to presenting the audience with enough evidence to make a valid assessment of guilt, but every viewer will likely come out of it with their own reasons for leaning one way or the other. It’s the ultimate form of audience participation, but anybody foolish enough to believe they’ve really “solved” the mystery has likely missed the point of the film entirely.

The scene where Father Flynn mistakes Amy Adams for a young boy.

And then there’s the cast. The film relies hugely on individual performances, so it’s very fortunate that the screen is populated with some of the best actors to ever grace the big screen.  As much as I liked watching Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio rip into each other for 2 hours in Revolutionary Road, the two of them got nothing on Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, though the Golden Globe voters would have you believe otherwise. In Doubt, these screen legends imbue every line with an intensity that’s just uncanny, and they do it all without shouting at the top of their lungs, growling all their lines, or smacking their lips while changing voices.

I haven’t even mentioned the supporting work of Viola Davis in one of the film’s most shocking reveals, the fantastic subtleties of the dialogue, or the pitch-perfect cinematography by Roger Deakins, who has made a career out of finding beauty in the mundane, but they’re all part of the laundry list of reasons why it’s a shame this film won’t receive the attention it deserves come Oscar time.

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Sulmoney’s #4 – The Dark Knight

Well, I think we have Wall-E covered pretty extensively. And I am sure that we will be seeing my #4 movie pick come up in your top 3 sooner rather than later, and I beat you to it once again. Again, Wall-E is a transcendent animated film, one that has universal appeal, and it is money in the bank for Best Animated Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards. We will find out in the morning if it has enough love to crash the presumed locked in 5 for Best Picture (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire).

Enough foreplay, on to the biggest blockbuster since Titanic.

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight. THE comic book movie to end all comic book movies. Nearly $1 billion in worldwide gross revenue. The movie event of not only the summer, but all of 2008. But we know all that already. We have story after story about The Dark Knight, and frankly, I overdosed on it. We have all seen it, and we all recognize the genius in every aspect of the film, from Christopher Nolan’s expert direction, the wonderful cinematography by Wally Pfister, the score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, to the no need to mention it anymore iconic performance by the late great Heath Ledger. The only thing that I take offense to in the critical reception of the film is the seemingly forgotten performance by Aaron Eckhart in the tragic role of Harvey Dent/Two Face. Good thing I get to use this as my soap box to fight for him.

I really really believe in Harvey Dent

For all intents and purposes, the main story of The Dark Knight is the rise and fall of Harvey Dent. Even the title of the film indirectly references what Harvey Dent represented to the city of Gotham, as he was supposed to be their White Knight. For everything that Batman could do for the city in secrecy and in the cover of night, Harvey Dent could do in the light of day without hiding underneath a mask. Batman realizes this, and if there is one thing that he would want, it would be to be able to put his alter ego behind him, live his life as Bruce Wayne, and support Harvey Dent to the end of his days. One even gets the impression that Bruce Wayne wishes he was Harvey Dent. The first half of the film we are brought along through his biggest legal victories, and how he has cleaned up Gotham City to the best of his ability. This however leads to the coming out of The Joker, and we see the frustration of fighting a losing fight, the breaking of a good man’s spirit with the loss of his love, the subsequent birth of Two Face, and his final shameful acts.

Cue Daddy Yankee's Gasolina

Aaron Eckhart, lost amongst all the (well deserved) acclaim for Heath Ledger, merits recognition for what he brought to The Dark Knight. In his portrayal of Harvey Dent, Eckhart is the pulse of the film. As Two Face, he creates an absolutely terrifying villain that had too short of a shelf life in Nolan’s Bat-universe. Allowing us to come along for every rise and fall of his emotonal rollercoaster during the course of the film is a true triumph of acting, and Eckhart’s performance should elevate him to the upper echelon of Hollywood. When you rewatch The Dark Knight over and over for the rest of eternity, amidst all the wonderful pieces of the film, remember Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, Gotham’s White Knight.

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Sulmoney’s #6 – Wall-E

Frost/Nixon, a very solid and safe choice at #6. Here is a flick that is nearly universally acclaimed by critics, from a director that everyone knows, but in the end, no one cares to watch it. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that everyone has Nixon-on-film overload, or that the subject matter is ultimately not as interesting as people would like us to believe. The so called “knockout blow” hits more like a slight push to a dazed and stumbling opponent, and much of the intended effect is lost. A very serviceable film, with fine performances from the two main leads, and especially by Kevin Bacon as the fiercely loyal Jack Brennan, that is overall solid, but one that will be soon forgotten. Meanwhile, for a more engaging look at politics on screen this year, check out the much better Milk.

Going in a totally different direction, we have what is currently the #1 movie of the year, based on the cumulative top 10 list to end all top 10 lists, with Pixar’s Wall-E.

Wall-E

Andrew Stanton brings to the silver screen Pixar’s best film to date. Simultaneously a throw back to a simpler time in movie history, an intergalactic love story between robots, and a harrowing warning on the future, Wall-E is truly a masterpiece. Starting off with the now famous 40 minute silent movie homage, we grow to fall in love wth the lonely robot left on Earth to do his menial chores for centuries. When EVE enters, we grow to love her as well, and we root for the two inanimate objects to get together, however ludicrous as it may sound. Great voice work by the ever hilarious Jeff Garlin as the Captain, as well as a guest appearance by Fred Willard as the CEO of Buy n Large add tremendously to the goings on once the action reaches the giant space ship Axiom.

Robot lovers...in space!

Despite all the meanings that people have tried to find in the film (America’s obesity, over reliance on technology, the polluting of the planet, etc), the movie boils down the simply being the best love story of the year, and the fact that it is between two robots, Wall-E and EVE, makes it all the more remarkable, and a true testament to the story telling ability of the Pixar animators and Andrew Stanton. A true joy to watch in the theatres, Wall-E is the standard that all future animated features will be measured against henceforth.

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