Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

The Squid and the Whale: ***1/2 I think I see Tee's arguments about the film, but I felt the episodic "moments" of the film were nothing less than pitch-perfect and always convincingly acted. As far as Daniels' character is concerned, I think the point is that he is so invested in his own...

Capote: **** I wasn't prepared for what an unpleasant experience this was. Capote comes across as a narcissistic ass for a considerable portion of the film, though Futterman's screenplay and Hoffman's performance don't necessarily tell you how to feel about him. There are some transfixing scenes, p...

I also saw Good Night and Good Luck yesterday: I admired Clooney's sustained vision of the era, with details ranging from the chain smoking right down to Patricia Clarkson's slip. The ensemble is very strong, and the script is concise, smart, and informative. However, I can't help but compare this ...

Me and You and Everyone We Know: *** Sporadically enchanting, the film never lost my interest, despite some half-baked whimsy and characterization problems (what exactly is the shoe salesman's deal, anyway?). Performances are strong, and July has a knack for off-center dialogue that stays just this...

CRASH: *** So well-intentioned, yet so self-important. The acting is strong, and I did not mind the much-debated coincidences, but since when did pulling out a gun become the solution of choice among otherwise intelligent and functional people? Despite its heavy-handedness, it's not afraid to addre...

Ah, my first year of grad school is over-- let the DVD renting begin! Here's a tentative top 10: 1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2. Kinsey 3. Million Dollar Baby 4. I Heart Huckabee's 5. Sideways 6. The Assassination of Richard Nixon 7. The Aviator 8. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead 9. Dogville 1...

1. Through a Glass Darkly (d. Bergman) 2. Bonnie and Clyde (d. Penn) 3. La Dolce Vita (d. Fellini) 4. The Hustler (d. Rossen) 5. Lawrence of Arabia (d. Lean) 6. Last Year at Marienbad (d. Resnais) 7. The Apartment (d. Wilder) 8. Hud (d. Ritt) 9. Dr. Strangelove (d. Kubrick) 10. Belle de Jour (d. Bun...

1. The Last Picture Show (d. Bogdanovich) 2. The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser (d. Herzog) 3. Manhattan (d. Allen) 4. Nashville (d. Altman) 5. 3 Women (d. Altman) 6. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (d. Herzog) 7. Five Easy Pieces (d. Rafelson) 8. Amarcord (d. Fellini) 9. Mean Streets (d. Scorsese) 10. Ali-- Fe...

1. Do the Right Thing (d. Lee) 2. Tender Mercies (d. Beresford) 3. Radio Days (d. Allen) 4. Diva (d. Beineix) 5. Sophie's Choice (d. Pakula) 6. Wetherby (d. Hare) 7. Platoon (d. Stone) 8. Tootsie (d. Pollack) 9. Blood Simple (d. Coen) 10. Au Revoir les Enfants (d. Malle) Runners-up: Kagemusha / Ran...

1. Fargo (d. Coen) 2. The Remains of the Day (d. Ivory) 3. Leaving Las Vegas (d. Figgis) 4. The Sweet Hereafter (d. Egoyan) 5. Pulp Fiction (d. Tarantino) 6. Red (d. Kieslowski) 7. Heavenly Creatures (d. Jackson) 8. Raise the Red Lantern (d. Zhang) 9. An Angel at My Table (d. Campion) 10. Life is Sw...

Picture: The Age of Innocence In the Name of the Father The Piano *The Remains of the Day Schindler's List Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, In the Name of the Father Laurence Fishburne, What's Love Got to Do With It Tom Hanks, Philadelphia *Anthony Hopkins, The Remains of the Day David Thewlis, Naked Actre...

Hopkins would have been my knee-jerk pick (over Day-Lewis, Irons, and Hanks in Philadelphia ), but I recentaly rewatched Cage in Leaving Las Vegas , and he got my vote. He could have looked extraordinarily silly in this movie, but he is able to generate a remarkable degree of empathy without any ba...

Ah...the last decade that women could win this award without having to look like a magazine cover model. I, too, am not as enamored with Foster's work as others on this board. McDormand, Thompson, and Hunter are all great, but I keep coming back to Sarandon's work in Dead Man Walking , even though ...