After two horrible months of bad movies, the first weekend of March is starting to look tolerable. Okay, so there’s still the Milla Jovovich sci-fi actioneer “Ultraviolet” to avoid, but besides that, there are a handful of good movies worth spending your hard-earned money on. Along with the first installment of the Russian fantasy trilogy, “Night Watch,” which goes into wide release this week, two new films about city blocks are opening: the Richard Donner-directed thriller “16 Blocks” and the Dave Chappelle documentary “Block Party.” Both movies will still only attract a certain audience, but they’re also both bound to surprise those who wouldn’t usually go to see them. Take a chance this week and check out one or the other. You’ll be pleasantly surprised…
Category: Movies (Page 481 of 498)
Okay, so it’s not an NCAA bracket, but admit it, Oscar pools are fun. If nothing else, you can pretend that you’re watching to see how many you get right, then place additional wagers along the way, like First Winner to Cry, First Winner to Thank Their Agent Before Their Spouse, and of course, First Winner to Spout off about What a Horrible Job Bush Is Doing as President. Actually, Jon Stewart will probably win that last one before a single name is read.
Resident Bullz-Eye movie critics David Medsker and Jason Zingale tag-teamed the major categories – along with a couple minor categories that they enjoy – and created a handicapper to help you through the longest dog and pony show the world has ever known. Read through the first two categories below.
Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney, “Syriana”
Matt Dillon, “Crash”
Paul Giamatti, “Cinderella Man”
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Brokeback Mountain”
William Hurt, “A History of Violence”
The Best Supporting Actor category could, and usually does, go any which way, but the two leading candidates have to be Hollywood poster boy George Clooney and Academy Award reject Paul Giamatti. For two years running, Giamatti has been robbed of a nomination in the Best Actor category (in 2003 for “American Splendor” and in 2004 for “Sideways”), and he would have won last year’s award had he been nominated. This year, the Academy may be looking to make up for their past mistakes, but I wouldn’t put it past them to give the Oscar to George. The dark horse in all of this craziness is Jake Gyllenhaal, who deserves the award just as much as the other two men, while both Matt Dillon and William Hurt have been honored with a nomination at the wrong time, and would have had a much stronger run any other year.
And the Oscar goes to… George Clooney
And the Oscar belongs to…Paul Giamatti (Jason). Anyone but William Hurt (David).
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Junebug”
Catherine Keener, “Capote”
Frances McDormand, “North Country”
Rachel Weisz, “The Constant Gardener”
Michele Williams, “Brokeback Mountain”
We hate to admit, but the first question we had when looking at this list was, “Who’s Amy Adams, and what is ‘Junebug’?” Likewise, it’s intriguing that both Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand were nominated for their performances in a movie that no one liked. Rachel Weisz gets her first nod, but joking about how stupid Americans are isn’t going to help her cause. This looks like a battle between the hard-working indie queen (Keener) and the “Dawson’s Creek” eye candy (Williams). And more often than not, the one with the bigger box office wins. That’s what happens when you try to limit the number of screeners that go out to Academy voters out of fear of piracy, Jack Valenti. You’re squashing the little man. How do you sleep at night?
And yet, a major upset seems to be afoot here. Sorry, Michele ma belle, but despite your great scene with Heath and the fishing pole, you’re going home empty handed.
And the Oscar goes to… Rachel Weisz (Jason). Catherine Keener (David).
And the Oscar belongs to… Michele Williams
Check out the rest of the preview here.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve often sat and wondered: what would it be like if you took the dialogue from “Requiem for a Dream” and put it to the video from “Toy Story 2”?
I’m not sure how he did it, but Zach Braff has parlayed a few television appearances in the late nineties into a starring role on “Scrubs” and his own feature film, “Garden State,” which he wrote and directed. Braff is pretty good on “Scrubs” but I think the writers (along with John C. McGinley) are the real stars of that series.
The thing that gets me is that someone is convinced that Braff’s characters are worthy of leading ladies like Heather Graham, Mandy Moore and, in “Garden State,” Natalie Portman. Braff is not a handsome man. Watching him woo these lovely ladies is testing the limits of my ability to suspend disbelief.
I recently watched “Garden State” for the second time and, while Braff did a reasonably good job with the story and directing, his acting was quite flat. I realize that his character is supposedly off his meds for the first time in years, but even that would make his character a little livlier.
Despite this, I would say that I moderately enjoyed the movie until the final scenes, where Braff and Portman declare their love for one another in the airport. I can’t believe this schmuck would even consider leaving a beauty like Portman to “sort things out” back in L.A.. The ending, especially the acting, is so incredulous that it basically ruins the movie for me.
But kudos to Braff for fulfilling his dream. I am impressed by his accomplishment (writing and directing your own feature is no small feat) but I am befuddled by its existence.
New on DVD this week:
1) Walk the Line – BUY: The Johnny Cash biopic isn’t the greatest film of the year, but it’s certainly worth owning. The award-winning performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are more than enough reason to watch the movie more than once, but Fox has also slapped together a nice collection of special features. A word to the wise: save yourself the trouble and pick up the two-disc version.
2) The Ice Harvest – RENT: Director Harold Ramis is probably best known for his wacky comedies (like “Caddyshack,” “Stripes” and “Groundhog Day”), but his latest feature – a mix between that very style of humor and film noir – is a little different. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t check it out, but it’s certainly his darkest material to date.
3) Pride & Prejudice – RENT: Don’t get me wrong; I hate everything Jane Austen just as much as the next guy, but the latest film adaptation of the classic novel is just good enough to squeeze it’s way into the “rent” category. Your female friends will love it, and you’ll looking at Keira Knightley. Enjoy.
Also out this week is “Yours, Mine and Ours,” the Disney film “Lady & the Tramp,” and special edition releases of “Network” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”
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