DD

Yesterday I said I was putting 2008 behind me for good, and what better way to do so than to take a look at the movies of 2009 that I’m most excited for. Just looking through the 2009 releases it seems that 2009 will be a big step up after the lackluster year that was 2008. Just look at the directors who have films coming out this year: Michael Mann, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Paul Greengrass, Stephen Frears, Steven Soderbergh, Atom Egoyan, Jane Campion, Terrence Malick, Judd Apatow, Ang Lee, Sam Mendes, The Coen Brothers, Hayou Miyazaki, Jason Reitman, Quentin Tarantino, Woody Allen…that’s like a greatest hits lineup of oscar nominees and winners. And that’s not even counting the field of action and animated films coming up in the summer. Yup, I have a good feeling that this will be a good year at the movies.

Here is a look at my ten most anticipated movies.

10. Untitled Nelson Mandella Biopic - Directed by Clint Eastwood, Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon

I don’t know much about Nelson Mandella, but you can’t ignore the talent involved in this film. Besides, it’s been awhile since Morgan Freeman has had a good leading role and I can’t wait to see what he does in the movie.

9. Nine - Directed by Rob Marshall, Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sophia Loren, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson

Just look at that cast and you can probably understand why I’m excited. Nine is a musical based on Frederico Fellini’s classic 8 1/2. What has me most excited aside from the cast of talented actresses is a chance to see Daniel Day-Lewis in a musical. He’s arguably the greatest actor of our time and to see him take on something new is exciting.

8. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Directed by Edgar Wright, Starring Michael Cera, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman

Edgar Wright has quickly become one of my favorite comedy directors thanks to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. His newest film is a comic adaptation about a teenager who must defeat his girlfriend’s seven evil ex-boyfriends. It sounds campy and fun.

7. Green Zone - Directed by Paul Greengrass, Starring Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson

Greengrass and Damon are following up The Bourne Ultimatum with this CIA Thriller about two agents who are searching for Weapons of Mass Destruction. Middle East based films still don’t seem to be very popular these days, but I have faith that Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon can make an exciting thriller, regardless of where it takes place.

6. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea - Directed by Hiyao Miyazaki, Voice Talents of Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey

I’ve already seen the Japanese dub of this beautiful film, but I still can’t wait to see it with an English dub. John Lasseter has gotten better voice casts with each Miyazaki film that has come to America, and I have faith that this time will be no different. The film is basically a Japanese take on The Little Mermaid, with some elements from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (the mickey mouse part of Fantasia) thrown in for good measure.

5. The Lovely Bones - Directed by Peter Jackson, Starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weiss, Susan Surandon

Peter Jackson’s followup to King Kong has been a long time coming. The Lonely Bones is an adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Alice Sebold. I haven’t read the book, but I know it’s about a young girl who watches her family from heaven as they come to grips with her murder. Sounds like an interesting change of pace for Jackson after all those years spent on Lord of the Rings and King Kong.

4. Public Enemies - Directed by Michael Mann, Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Channing Tatum

A film that follows the life of John Dillinger. All that matters to me is that Michael Mann is returning to the crime genre. The cast doesn’t hurt either.

3. Up - Directed by Pete Doctor

The annual Pixar film, this one directed by Pete Doctor (Monster’s Inc). The premise is what you’d expect from a Pixar film, intriguing and charming. It’s about an elderly man who is bored with his life, so he puts a whole lot of balloons on his house and flies off into the skies to explore. A young boy scout tags along and I assume they get into all kinds of mischief.

2. Shutter Island - Directed by Martin Scorsese, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Jackie Earle Haley, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer

Scorsese’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s popular novel. It’s a thriller about a US Marshall who is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escapes from a mental hospital. DiCaprio is my favorite actor, so I’m automatically excited about this movie.

1. Avatar - James Cameron, Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez

Admittedly, I am a little nervous about the quality of this movie. It’s been so long since we’ve seen a film from James Cameron, and who knows how the whole 3D thing will turn out. But considering the films and technology that Cameron has given us in the past (Aliens, T2, Titanic, The Abyss) I am giving him the benefit of the doubt and hoping for an entertaining thrillride.

Other notable films coming in 2009:

Cheri - Directed by Stephen Frears, Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates

The Hurt Locker - Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Starring Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse

The Tree of Life - Directed by Terrence Malick, Starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn

Amelia - Directed by Mira Nair, Starring Hilary Swank, Ewan McGregor, Virginia Madsen, Richard Gere

Watchmen - Directed by Zach Snyder

Inglorious Basterds - Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Starring Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger

The Informant - Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Starring Matt Damon

Princess and the Frog

The Road - Starring Viggo Mortensen

Taking Woodstock - Directed by Ang Lee, Starring Emile Hirsch, Imelda Staunton

State of Play - Starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, Viola Davis

The Year One - Starring Michael Cera, Jack Black

Julie & Julia - Starring Amy Adams, Meryl Streep

In an attempt to put 2008 behind me, I’m finally finishing my best of 2008 post, this time focusing on my favorite performances and technical aspects from last years films.

Favorite Movie

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. WALL-E
3. Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. In Bruges
5. Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Actor

1. Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
2. Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
3. Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road
4. Colin Farrell - In Bruges
5. Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon

Actress (it was a busy year for strong female performances, so I have to include more than my top 5)

1. Cate Blanchett - Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
3. Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road (also The Reader)
4. Kate Beckinsale - Nothing But the Truth
5. Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
alt: Angelina Jolie - Changeling
alt: Meryl Streep - Doubt
alt: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
alt: Melissa Leo - Frozen River
alt: Kristen Scott Thomas - I’ve Loved You So Long

Supporting Actor

1. Heath Ledger - Dark Knight
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
3. Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
4. Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
5. Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actress

1. Hiam Abbass - The Visitor
2. Viola Davis - Doubt
3. Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
4. Amy Adams - Doubt
5. Vera Farmiga - Nothing but the Truth

Director

1. Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
2. David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Christopher Nolan - Dark Knight
4. Andrew Stanton - Wall-E
5. Darren Aronofsky - The Wrestler

Screenplay

1. Wall-E - Andrew Stanton
2. In Bruges - Martin McDanaugh
3. Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy
4. Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Eric Roth
5. Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Woody Allen

Editing

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. In Bruges
4. The Wrestler
5. Defiance

Cinematography

1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Australia
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. Revolutionary Road

Art Direction

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Changeling
3. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
4. Australia
5. The Fall

Sound

1. Wall-E
2. The Dark Knight
3. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
4. Iron Man
5. Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design

1. Australia
2. Changeling
3. The Duchess
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
5. The Fall

Score

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
2. Slumdog Millionaire - A R Rahman
3. Wall-E - Thomas Newman
4. Defiance - James Newton Howard
5. Speed Racer - Michael Giacchino

Foreign Language Film

1. Tell No One
2. The Band’s Visit
3. The Good the Bad and the Weird
4. Mongol
5. Waltz With Bashir

Documentary

1. Man on Wire
2. Young@Heart
3. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S Thompson
4. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
5. American Teen

Animated Film

1. Wall-E
2. Kung Fu Panda
3. Waltz With Bashir
4. Horton Hears a Who
5. Bolt

Visual Effects

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Speed Racer
3. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
4. Iron Man
5. Wanted

Makeup

1. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. The Dark Knight
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
5. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Song

1. “O Saya” - A.R. Rahman/MIA - Slumdog Millionaire
2. “The Wrestler” - Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler
3. “Jai Ho” - A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
4. “Dracula’s Lament” - Jason Segal - Forgetting Sarah Marshall
5. “The Call” - Regina Spektor - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Theater - Wide Releases

Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li

Theater - Limited Release

An American Affair
Crossing Over
Assassination of a High School President

DVD

Sex Drive
What Just Happened?

Hugh Jackman was a great host, and I’d love to see him back for next year.

His opening song was hilarious.

The new way for presenting the acting awards was nice and I liked how intimate it was, but they went on way too long.

The streamlined technical award presentations were great. Although Will Smith got old after his 3rd time presenting.

The montage of song nominee performances was horrid. John Legend singing with AR Rahman and Indian dancers on stage during a WALL-E song did NOT work.

I did incredibly well with my guesses, going 20/24 but Sean Penn winning instead of Rourke killed me. Should’ve gone with the popular choice there and maybe I would’ve won some prizes. Oh well.

I know some people are bitter about this, but I loved seeing Slumdog winning almost everything it was up for.

The Dark Knight won 2 oscars, and I’m still seeing fanboys complaining about it not getting what it deserved. 2 wins is good in my opinion.

WALL-E not winning at least one of the sound categories was a TRAVESTY. Dark Knight and Slumdog have great sound, but in my opinion WALL-E has some of the best sound effects from anything I’ve seen/heard.

Ben Stiller poking fun at Joaquim Phoenix was both funny and mean. I didn’t know whether to laugh or feel bad.

I’m taking a break from the Oscar discussion today and posting this trailer for the upcoming Adam Sandler/Seth Rogen comedy directed by Judd Apatow. I didn’t really enjoy 40 Year Old Virgin that much, but I’m a huge fan of tv series “Freaks & Geeks” and I thought Knocked Up was a funny and heartwarming film behind all the raunch. Apatow’s third feature film looks to continue his streak of successful raunchy comedies while possibly giving Sandler a good role (something he hasn’t had since Punch-Drunk Love if you ask me). Take a look at the trailer below and share your thoughts.

A few months back I challenged Caleb to a contest to see which one of us could guess the most Oscar winners. Here are my predictions.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

I think Slumdog has this in the bag. If something else (Milk and Benjamin Button for instance) did win it’d be an upset as big as 2005’s “Crash” win.

Best Director: Danny Boyle

The winner of the oscar is almost always the same as the DGA winner, so Danny Boyle is the obvious choice.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Mickey Rourke

Sean Penn is the safer choice, but I’m going out on a limb and choosing who I want to win. Mickey Rourke gave the ultimate comeback performance and I have a feeling that the Academy feels the same way.

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet

Both Streep and Winslet are overdue, but since Streep has won twice before (no matter how long ago) I’m going to go with Winslet.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger

Is there anyone who doesn’t expect Heath to win this?

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Penelope Cruz

The Academy loves to award beautiful actresses and Woody Allen films have a record of winning oscars in supporting roles. I have to go with Cruz for those reasons. Although I do think it could go to any of the five nominees.

Best Original Screenplay: Milk

My heart wants to go with WALL-E, and while I think it has a good shot of winning, I just can’t go against my gut feeling that Milk will win here. My guess is that the Academy will want to award it with something, especially if they don’t go for Penn in Best Actor.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire

As locked as Best Picture and Director

Best Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

This was a tough decision at first. I wanted to go with The Dark Knight and I think Benjamin Button has a good shot, but something tells me Slumdog will be pulling off a near clean sweep.

Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

See what I said above. Slumdog for the sweep.

Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

With 13 nominations I seriously doubt Benjamin Button will go home empty handed. It’s your typical oscar powerhouse film in these technical categories.

Best Costume Design: The Duchess

Oscar loves to give this award to whichever film has the “Most” costumes. I’m going with the typical costume drama.

Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I really want to see Hellboy II win this, but I think it was probably lucky just to be nominated. Benjamin Button will win for the groundbreaking makeup work.

Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire

Alexandre Desplat’s beautiful Benjamin Button score should make him the winner, but Slumdog Millionaire just can’t be stopped right now. AR Rahman will win yet again.

Best Original Song: “Jai’ Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire

I’d rather see “O Saya” or “Down to Earth” win, but “Jai Ho” seems to be the popular choice.

Best Sound Editing: WALL-E

Because it’s some of the best sound that I’ve ever heard in a film.

Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire

Unfortunately, I think voters will simply check off the most popular film here rather than the more deserving WALL-E and Dark Knight.

Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

For the same reason it’ll win Makeup. It’s groundbreaking work.

Best Animated Feature: WALL-E

Even Kung Fu Panda’s sweep at the Annie Awards can’t get me to go against WALL-E. The best reviewed movie of the year should take this easily.

Best Foreign Language Film: Departures

Waltz with Bashir and The Class are the popular choices, but the Academy rarely goes with the easy choice in this category. See Amelie, Pan’s Labyrinth and Hero losing in previous years.

Best Documentary Feature: Man On Wire

Best Documentary Short: The Conscience of Nhem En

Best Short Film (Live Action): Toyland

I’m automatically choosing the holocaust entry.

Best Short Film (Animated): Presto

I’m going away for the next few days so this will likely be the last post for this week. I’ll leave you with a list of the films I saw from 2008, ranked in order and by rating.

5 Stars

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. WALL-E
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Tell No One
5. In Bruges
6. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
7. The Visitor
8. The Wrestler
9. The Dark Knight
10. Gran Torino
11. In Search of a Midnight Kiss
12. Nothing But the Truth
13. Shotgun Stories
14. Man on Wire
15. The Band’s Visit

4 Stars

16. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
17. Doubt
18. Happy-Go-Lucky
19. Paranoid Park
20. Defiance
21. The Good the Bad and the Weird
22. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
23. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
24. Changeling
25. Revolutionary Road
26. Pineapple Express
27. The Bank Job
28. Wanted
29. Kung Fu Panda
30. Rachel Getting Married
31. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
32. Transsiberian
33. Snow Angels
34. Iron Man
35. Young@Heart
36. Australia
37. Body of Lies
38. Definitely, Maybe
39. Frost/Nixon
40. Frozen River
41. Quantum of Solace
42. Speed Racer
43. Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
44. Waltz With Bashir
45. Mongol
46. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
47. The Incredible Hulk
48. Redbelt
49. The Spiderwick Chronicles
50. Run, Fatboy, Run
51. Brideshead Revisited
52. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
53. Horton Hears a Who
54. Cloverfield
55. Shine a Light

3 Stars

56. Bolt
57. City of Ember
58. Appaloosa
59. The Duchess
60. The Reader
61. Let the Right One In
62. Baby Mama
63. Tropic Thunder
64. Valkyrie
65. Gomorrah
66. Encounters at the End of the World
67. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
68. Ghost Town
69. Smart People
70. The Fall
71. Wendy and Lucy
72. Milk
73. The Forbidden Kingdom
74. Burn After Reading
75. Get Smart
76. Yes Man
77. Stop-Loss
78. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
79. Be Kind, Rewind
80. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
81. Eagle Eye
82. Drillbit Taylor
83. Four Christmases

2 stars

84. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds
85. Heaven on Earth
86. Fireproof
87. Married Life
88. Journey to the Center of the Earth
89. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

1 Star

90. Jumper
91. Hancock
92. Max Payne
93. Mamma Mia!
94. The Happening

Theater - Wide

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Friday the 13th
The International

Theater - Limited

Two Lovers <– My pick
Under the Sea 3D
Gomorrah

DVD

Blindess
Miracle at St. Anna
Frozen River <– My pick
Nights in Rodanthe
The Foot Fist Way
My Name is Bruce
W
Soul Men

I’m doing some catching up this week by having two “best picture” posts in a row.

1996 Nominees

The English Patient

Wins: Picture, Director, Sup. Actress – Juliette Binoche, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Sound, Film Editing, Music – Dramatic Score
Noms: Actress – Kristen Scott Thomas, Actor – Ralph Fiennes, Adapted Screenplay

Fargo

Wins: Actress – Frances McDormand, Original Screenplay
Noms: Picture, Cinematography, Director, Film Editing, Sup. Actor – William H. Macy

Shine

Wins: Actor – Geoffrey Rush
Noms: Picture, Sup. Actor – Armin Mueller-Stahl, Director, Film Editing, Music – Dramatic, Original Screenplay

Jerry Maguire

Wins: Sup. Actor – Cuba Gooding Jr.
Noms: Picture, Actor – Tom Cruise, Film Editing, Original Screenplay


Secrets & Lies

Noms: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Actress – Brenda Blethyn, Sup. Actress – Marianne Jean-Baptiste

My take: Hollywood regards 1996 as one of those banner years where there was a wide range of critically acclaimed films. Much like the standout years that were 1939, 1967, 1973, and 2002. Ironically four of the five best picture nominees this year were small indie films. This is the first time where I can say I liked every nominee equally. All five films are exceptional for different reasons, and I find it impossible to single out one of them as the best. Aside from the five films nominated for best picture, the other standout films of 1996 were Bottle Rocket, Breaking the Waves, The Crucible, Hard Eight, Romeo + Juliet, Sling Blade, Star Trek: First Contact and Trainspotting.

The English Patient seems to get crapped on a lot these days, similar to how people treat Titanic’s best picture win. I hadn’t seen it until last year and I thought it was a great romantic epic that deserved every oscar it got. Sure, it is full of melodrama, but that’s part of the genre and I can roll with it.

Fargo is probably the most respected of the nominees nowadays. I for one have never really understood all the acclaim that Coen films get, and that’s no different with Fargo. I think it’s easily one of the best films of the year of its release and exceptionally well crafted and acted, but I don’t get why people consider it to be a dark comedy. Also, I think it’s a terribly depressing film and not very rewatchable.

Biopics don’t impress me very often, but Shine is one of the best that I’ve seen. Very moving story and the performances from Geoffrey Rush and Noah Taylor (snubbed of a nom) are stunning. Some of my enjoyment may come from my love for piano, but there is a lot going on in the plot besides the story of a brilliant piano player going insane.

Jerry Maguire gets a lot of hate from most of my friends and family because of the famous “show me the money” scene being overdone back when the movie came out. I missed out on all of that so when I finally saw the film I went in knowing nothing about it. There really isn’t much for me to say about the movie except that I think it’s a funny and romantic sports comedy with a great script from Cameron Crowe and a great performance from Tom Cruise. Yes, Tom Cruise is a great actor once in awhile.

Secrets & Lies is a melodrama from acclaimed British director Mike Leigh. I found it to be kinda slow, but once the plot started to pick up I was quickly drawn in to the story of a black women who is trying to find her birth mother. The film has some really intense scenes of family drama that are surprisingly funny and moving.

If I chose the nominees:

The English Patient
Jerry Maguire
Trainspotting
Shine
Secrets & Lies

1997 Nominees:

Titanic

Wins: Picture, Director, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, Film Editing, Music – Dramatic Score, Song, Sound
Noms: Actress – Kate Winslet, Sup. Actress – Gloria Stewart, Makeup

L.A. Confidential

Wins: Sup. Actress – Kim Basinger, Adapted Screenplay
Noms: Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, Director, Film Editing, Music-Dramatic Score, Sound

Good Will Hunting

Wins: Sup. Actor – Robin Williams, Original Screenplay
Noms: Picture, Sup. Actress – Minnie Driver, Actor – Matt Damon, Director, Film Editing, Music – Dramatic Score, Song

As Good as it Gets

Wins: Actor – Jack Nicholson, Actress – Helen Hunt
Noms: Picture, Sup. Actor – Greg Kinnear, Film Editing, Music – Comedy Score, Original Screenplay

The Full Monty

Wins: Music – Comedy Score
Noms: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay

My take: No Oscar year creates as much debate as the year that Titanic won 11 oscars and took best picture. Like a lot of guys my age, I spent years being angry that cheesy romance epic like Titanic took the prize over more deserving movies, but in recent years I have come to accept the fact that the Oscars quite often pull weird crap like this and that you can’t do anything about it.  Aside from the five best picture nominees, all of which were at least pretty good, there weren’t a lot of movies that impressed me. In fact, the only three films that I would consider good alternatives for nominations are Boogie Nights(PT Anderson’s take on the porn industry), Jackie Brown(Tarantino’s under-rated heist flick), and The Sweet Hereafter(Canadian director Atom Egoyan’s heartbreaking drama).

As I already implied above, I used to despise Titanic with all my being but have recently come to accept that it’s a very well made film. While I still don’t think it deserved Best Picture, I have no problem with at least half of its oscar wins. The film’s biggest problem is probably the weak writing, which is unsurprisingly wasn’t even nominated for. Overall, it’s still a highly entertaining film in general and there’s no denying the quality of the film that James Cameron put together.

L.A. Confidential was the film that most critics and serious film-goers expected to win Best Picture. It was highly regarded to be the best movie of 1997 and is an impeccably made crime drama. While I have come to accept Titanic’s win, it still annoys me that the prize didn’t go to LA Confidential. It’s one of my favorite films of the 90s and deserves a spot in any list of the best crime films ever made. It has everything that is expected from classic film noirs, but it was made with modern flair and violence. The story is deep and difficult to follow at times, but it constantly keeps you entertained as you try to figure out what is going on. Add to that some great performances from a cast that includes the likes of Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito and James Cromwell and you have a spectacular film.

Good Will Hunting is probably my second favorite of the nominees. There’s a lot about it I love, particularily the performances from Matt Damon and Robin WIlliams, the smartly written and comedic script and the heartwarming story. There are a few things that annoy me though. Like other films of this nature, there are moments where it devolves into sentimental cheesiness and I also thought there were some scenes that didn’t feel necessary in moving the plot along. But those are minor complaints and I think Good Will Hunting was one of the year’s better films.

My feelings for As Good as it Gets have changed over the years. I really liked it when I first saw it ten years ago, but now I don’t think it’s very rewatchable and I think the performances suffer from terrible over-acting. This film is the least deserving of a nomination in my opinion. It’s just the typical hollywood comedy that is good, but not great.

I had never seen The Full Monty, and I have come away from it pleasantly surprised at finding a warmhearted British comedy with a bit of raunch thrown in for good measure. I can picture it being a big surprise to people when it was announced as a nominee. It’s a small and simple film, but it has a lot of heart.

If I chose the nominees:

L.A. Confidential
Good Will Hunting
The Sweet Hereafter
Jackie Brown
The Full Monty (Boogie Nights is great and all, but I wanted a comedy in the mix)