Catherine Keener winning so many supporting actress awards is very annoying. She DOES NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM deserve the attention she is getting for
Capote. This is clearly just a "hey, we like you and you were in lots of stuff this year" thing. Think it's similar to John C. Reilly in 2002? IT'S NOT. AT ALL. Reilly was deserving for two of his performances. Keener was good in all her work, but none of them approaches greatness or the heights she has hit several times in her previous efforts - most notably
Being John Malkovich or
Walking and Talking. I love this woman to no end, but I find it a little insulting she's getting such notices just for being so reliable in so many films this year. I actually thought she was best in
40 Year Old Virgin where she showcased her spunky, indie variation of Sandra Bullock that she does so damn well.
I'm still mulling over when I will announce the DKME awards. Hehe. Wait and see. Probably late January. I don't have the advantage of being invited to posh advance screenings. I have to wait impatiently like every other average moviegoer.
San Diego Film Critics Society:
Picture: King Kong
Director: Bennett Miller, Capote
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Actress: Joan Allen, The Upside of Anger
S. Actor: Jeffrey Wright, Broken Flowers
S. Actress: Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
O. Screenplay: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A. Screenplay: Capote
Documentary: Grizzly Man
Foreign:Innocent Voices
Animated: Howl's Moving Castle
Las Vegas Film Critics:
Picture: Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Actor: Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
S. Actor: Matt Dillon, Crash
S. Actress: Frances McDormand, North Country
Screenplay: Crash
Documentary: March of the Penguins
Foreign: Kung Fu Hustle
Animated: Wallace & Gromit
Southeastern Film Critics:
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Good Night, and Good Luck
3. Capote
4. Crash
5. A History of Violence
6. The Constant Gardener
7. Syriana
8. Cinderella Man
9. King Kong
10. Walk the Line
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner - Caché
Runner-up - Kung-fu Hustle
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner - Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Runner-up George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck.
BEST ACTOR
Winner - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Runner up - Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
BEST ACTRESS
Winner - Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Runner-up - Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner - Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
Runner-up - George Clooney, Syriana
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner - Amy Adams, Junebug
Runner-up - Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winners - Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, Crash
Runners-up - George Clooney and Grant Herslov, Good Night, and Good Luck.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winners - Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain
Runner-up Dan Futterman, Capote
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner - March of the Penguins
Runner-up - Grizzly Man
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner - Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Runner-up - Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Dallas Fort Worth Critics Association Awards:
PICTURE
1. Brokeback Mountain
2. Capote
3. Good Night and Good Luck
4. Crash
5. Cinderella Man
6. Syriana
7. Pride and Prejudice
8. A History of Violence
9. King Kong
10. Three Burials of Melquisades Estrada
DIRECTOR
1. Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
2. George Clooney, Good Night and Good Luck
3. Bennett Miller, Capote
4. Peter Jackson, King Kong
5. Paul Haggis, Crash
ACTOR
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
2. Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
3. David Strathairn, Good Night and Good Luck
4. Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
5. Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man
ACTRESS
1. Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
2. Keira Knightley, Pride and Prejudice
3. Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
4. Joan Allen, The Upside of Anger
5. Charlize Theron, North Country
Supporting ACTOR
1. Matt Dillon, Crash
2. Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
3. Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
4. George Clooney, Syriana
5. Jesse Eisenberg, The Squid and the Whale
Supporting ACTRESS
1. Catherine Keener, Capote
2. Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain
3. Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
4. Scarlett Johansson, Match Point
5. Amy Adams, Junebug
SCREENPLAY
Brokeback Mountain
RU: Capote
ANIMATED
Wallace and Gromit
RU: Corpse Bride
FOREIGN FILM
1. Paradise Now
2. Kung Fu Hustle
3. Downfall
4. Nobody Knows
5. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
DOCUMENTARY
1. Murderball
2. March of the Penguins
3. Grizzly Man
4. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
5. Mad Hot Ballroom
RUSSELL SMITH AWARD
Me, You and Everyone We Know
London Film Critics Awards Nominations:
The Attenborough Award for British Film of the Year
Pride and Prejudice
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
The Constant Gardener
The Descent
Mrs Henderson Presents
Film of the Year
Crash
A History of Violence
Brokeback Mountain
King Kong
The Constant Gardener
Foreign Film
Downfall
Hidden
The Sea Inside
The Beat My Heart Skipped
The Chorus
British Newcomer
Joe Wright (director, Pride and Prejudice)
Kelly Reilly (actress, Mrs Henderson Presents)
Annie Griffin (writer-director Festival)
Julian Fellowes (director, Separate Lies)
Matthew MacFadyen (Pride and Prejudice)
Screenwriter
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana ( Brokeback Mountain)
Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco (Crash)
Jeffrey Caine (The Constant Gardener)
Shane Black (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)
Bernd Eichinger (Downfall)
British Producer
Peter Lord (Wallace & Gromit:The Curse of the Were-Rabbit)
Simon Channing-Williams (The Constant Gardener)
Andrew Eaton and Michael Winterbottom (A Cock and Bull Story)
Christian Colson (The Descent – Pathe and Separate Lies)
Mark Boothe and Ruth Caleb (Bullet Boy)
British Actress in Supporting Role
Thandie Newton (Crash)
Sophie Okenedo (Hotel Rwanda)
Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Rosamund Pike (Pride and Prejudice)
Brenda Blethyn (Pride and Prejudice)
British Actor in Supporting Role
Brenda Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
James McAvoy (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Paddy Considine (Cinderella Man)
Tom Hollander (Pride and Prejudice)
Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins)
British Actress
Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Judi Dench (Mrs Henderson Presents)
Keira Knightley (Pride and Prejudice)
Emily Watson (Separate Lies)
Kirstin Scott Thomas (Keeping Mum)
British Actor of the Year
Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener)
Christian Bale (The Machinist)
Liam Neeson (Kinsey)
Chiwetl Ejiofor (Kinky Boots)
Tom Wilkinson (Separate Lies)
British Director of the Year
Joe Wright – (Pride and Prejudic)
Terry George – (Hotel Rwanda)
Neil Marshall – (The Descent)
Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins)
Stephen Frears (Mrs Henderson Presents)
Actress of the Year
Juliette Binoche (Hidden)
Naomi Watts (King Kong)
Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace)
Laura Linney (Kinsey)
Maria Bello (A History of Violence)
Actor of the Year
Bruno Ganz (Downfall)
Heath Ledger ( Brokeback Mountain)
Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda; Crash)
Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence)
Johnny Depp (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)-
Director
Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener)
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Paul Haggis (Crash)
Peter Jackson (King Kong)
David Cronenberg (A History of Violence)
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone out there in the blog universe!
The Family Stone is a pretty, liberal fantasy facade in which the free spirited, forward family in a New England town welcome in the big city, uptight, slightly conservative girlfriend of their son for Christmas. One son is a pot smoking film editor, one daughter a bitchy, poorly dressed most likely student - what she does isn't quite identified i don't think, and another son is deaf, gay, and planning on adopting a child with his black boyfriend. By the end, of course, someone will have revealed they have cancer, scenes of forced slapstick will have occured, the gay couple will hold hands while walking down the street, everyone will indulge in a nice group hug as the lefties proudly pull the stick out of the conservative bitch's ass then pat themselves on the back at a job well done. And you know what?
Por ejemplo...
American Film Institute's Top 10 Films of 2005:
Los Angeles Film Critics Association:
Terrence Howard - Crash
I had the privilege of the seeing the film at a special screening in NYC on Sunday at the Walter Reade Theatre near Lincoln Center. The screenwriters were present, as I previously mentioned. The second screening was an Entertainment Weekly sponsored screening in Philadelphia (home to me for a brief year some time ago) on Thursday evening. It was wonderful being able to see this film twice before its theatrical release. Both audiences applauded at the end of the film.
Brokeback Mountain is the story of two poor country boys, not a day over twenty, who are hired as ranch hands to tend sheep on the fictional, majestic Wyoming mountain. The stoic one is Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) who doesn’t say much and mumbles a lot. Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) is the more lively of the two, a wannabe rodeo rider. The two begin the summer of 1963 doing their job on the mountain, but as the days go on, they forge a friendship. Eventually one cold night of drinking, Ennis sleeps outside the tent freezing when Jack invites him in. Half passed out, Ennis finds himself fully awake when Jack makes a sexual advance, one Ennis at first violently rejects then violently reciprocates. In the morning, they say nothing. Meeting up later in the day overlooking the sheep, Ennis refers to the events as a “a one shot thing” and Jack adds “it’s nobody’s business but ours.” The next night, they tenderly make love. And thus, the epic saga of Brokeback Mountain begins. 
The years wear on, characters come in and out of their lives. Jack, once vivacious and a free spirit, has conformed and Gyllenhaal fully utilizes those sad, puppy dog blue eyes. Ennis grows increasingly confused and bursts with fits of violence, pushing those who care for him away. I’ll stop there, but know what follows is not a happy picture. 
Hey, there’s women in this! And what gals they are! Such as Jake’s plight, Michelle is stuck with having the Oscar clip to end all Oscar clips. She’s so phenomenal in her confrontation scene that I think many forgot just how subtle, yet expressive she is in several other scenes. Her eyes say it all. Ang Lee is famous for the way he uses “quiet glances” and Williams is the reigning queen of those in the film. Michelle demonstrates the ability of a fine character actress, with the face of the sweet girl next door. Miss Hathaway is seen less yet has a strong arc. Lureen is only described two times in the story: first, as a sweet Texas rodeo queen. Secondly, again as sweet, but as cold as snow. These descriptions are about 15 years apart, and Hathaway is only seen in spades in the film. Her total screentime doesn’t exceed 10 minutes. However, you see that arc. In particular, Hathaway’s final scene may be one of the few that plays better in the film than it does in the book. That icy, cold detachment in her voice is eerily there, and that little bit of breaking Hathaway gives Lureen in her triumphant final scene lets the actress slam that baby right out of the ballpark. A lot has been written about potentially being distracted by some of the wigs of the character, but she is a wealthy, tacky Texas woman. What do you expect? 
Gustavo Santaolalla is fastly becoming the most exciting film composer working. This is, by far, his crowing achievement. The blend of guitar and violins in the score creates such a sad, contemplative mix. The track on the soundtrack titled “The Wings” – used twice in the film, most effectively at the end – is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful pieces of film music I’ve ever heard. It adds an extra layer of sadness to the film with the way the music flows over that final scene when you consider a line of a dialogue Ennis tells his daughters earlier in the film. Think for a moment about what “The Wings” is referring to. You know all those sappy scores that typically accompany films like this? You won’t hear any of that here. Gustavo also wrote several of the songs in the film, the apex being “A Love That Will Never Grow Old” which I was hoping would be better utilized in the film. (It’s the song that’s playing in Jack’s truck on his way back from Wyoming before he goes to Mexico.) Watch for a cameo by indie rocker Mary McBride as a country bar singer singing another one of the soundtrack’s great tunes “No One’s Gonna Love You Like Me.” All of the music in the film fits perfectly. There is even some more famous stuff present such as Linda Rondstadt’s “It’s So Easy.” 
THE BOTTOM LINE:
I've been looking forward to this movie since its first announcement. No, not when Ang released Hulk. I'm talking all the way back when Gus Van Sant was attached and wanted Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to star. (This thought now scares me.) I believe it may have been 1998. Nothing happened with the film and eventually Van Sant and Damon and that other dude went on to other things. While promoting Hulk, Ang Lee announced this would be his next project. I had all but forgotten about it. It seemed exciting that this film would be made. I adore Ang Lee's films. Even I liked Hulk. It's criminally underrated. The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are about two of my favorite all time movies. I love films that take their time and completely absorb you, fully evocative. Rumors circulated about potential casting (fan picks were Viggo Mortensen and Brad Pitt). In January of 2004, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were cast. As a Gyllenhaalic since 1999, this was terrific news. I believe I sent out a mass e-mail regarding the casting, as I had a tendency to do when I didn't have a blog. Ah, the pre-blog Darren days. I might as well have been churning my own butter and sewing my clothes. Yes, Gyllenhaal as a gay cowboy. If that's not news worth delighting in, I don't know what is. Heath Ledger - I was unsure of. He had demonstrated charisma in the dismal A Knight's Tale and the enjoyable 10 Things I Hate About You. But The Order sucked. So did Four Feathers. I thought he looked great in the movie, even though he looked very androgynous - a look I don't typically go for but somehow did for him. However, there was one shining ray of hope in his filmography: Monster's Ball. He's barely in the film for 10 minutes, but created such a lasting impression. At this point in time, I hadn't read the short story from which the film was based. I had no idea that his character Ennis Del Mar was practically his Monster's Ball character extended to feature length. The two leads were cast, and the movie would begin filming in the summer.
As you can hopefully see, I'm looking forward to this movie, my most anticipated movie ever, more for these reasons then some of the obvious ones. Yes, it is "that gay cowboy movie." But once you hear the story, I'd doubt you say that. While the story wouldn't be at all the same if they weren't gay or cowboys, by the end, it hardly matters. I could really care less about the sex scenes and if they are shocking or not. They are there, and therefore the film is faithful to the short story. I can't tell you how in line to perfection this film is for me. 
THE HILLS HAVE EYES:
If you’re wondering why, just bear in mind that the first film featured a gruelling sequence where the mutants attack the family in their trailer, and kill nearly everyone. That sequence remains in the 2006 version, but considerably amped up. 
Best Feature:
I'm really loving the Thelma and Louise comparison. If Brokeback Mountain becomes a phenomenon, it would be one closer in tone to that film or The Crying Game. I'll explain this later in the week. 
Brokeback Mountain's Official Webpage.
Screenplay by
Superior to last year's Ray and on par with 1980's Coal Miner's Daughter, Walk the Line begins in the buildup to an electric performance at Folsom Prison, then flashes back decades earlier. Not once during the next hours does the film ever lose the energy the first scene provides, ultimately building like a great Cash tune. Having an intense on screen chemistry in breathtaking performances, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon bring Johnny Cash and the love of his life June Carter to vivid life. These aren't just the legends you see on screen. These are fully rounded characters instead of just bangup impressions - the area Ray most faltered in. Witherspoon, more so than Phoenix, could cut a country album and have it go all the way to number one in a moment's notice. The actress looks fabulous in the great costume design, among the best in a fairly dry costume film year. Phoenix is deeply moving in his best performance thus far. When you watch him on screen, you forget the trouble Phoenix had in his own life and how it could be very comparable to his character. River would be proud. The film is completely standard, a classic tune you've heard many times before. But that at all doesn't mean the lead actors and director James Mangold don't bring their own verve and talent to it. The concert scenes feel alive thanks to the film's topnotch tech credits, but retain an intimacy making the crowd second hand to stage performer. You'll definately want the soundtrack, too. Among the many small turns by the supporting cast, Waylon Payne - as Jerry Lee Lewis - is the standout. Ginnifer Goodwin as Vivian Cash is the movie's most notable flaw, more because of miscasting and a bit too cliched but forgettable role. Nevertheless, this is a Hollywood crowdpleaser and one of the year's best. 
The lovely, soon to be Oscar nominated (at long last!) star of Walk the Line has over the last decade carved out one of the best resumes among young Hollywood. At the age of 29, Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon has had her own franchise, 2 children, a much speculated about Hollywood marriage, the distinction of having starred in a romantic comedy that holds the record for biggest opening weekend EVER, and her own production company: Type A Film, named after her personality type. So why the fuck don't you like her?
2.) Election
3.) Legally Blonde
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