Golden Globe Picks

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -WINNER
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk- WINNER
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristin Scott-Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road-WINNER

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges-WINNER
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona-WINNER
Colin Farrell, In Bruges
James Franco, Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky- WINNER
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight-Winner

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt-WINNER
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire-WINNER
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E- Winner

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt-WINNER
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Grand Torino

7 Pounds (Three Stars)

Too often movie trailers reveal way too much about the movie's storyline. That however is not the case with the film, 7 Pounds. Directed by Gabriele Muccino, this film follows the extraordinary journey of an IRS agent Ben Thomas. Ben Thomas is incredibly played by Will Smith who offers another stunning performance that shows the depth of his talents as an actor, similarly to the role he played in The Pursuit of Happiness. I will not reveal anything about the plot other than Thomas, an IRS agent embarks on a journey to alter the lives of 7 random people. The reason behind his actions and the secret he is keeping is slowly revealed as the movie goes along. Smith gives a tremendous performance as he shows us a character that has a plan and a purpose for everything he does, yet is in a constant internal struggle with this secret that been troubling him. The movie brings up issues of self-sacrifice and personal forgiveness. The movie moves along quite nicely and the growth of Thomas' character is revealed as the film progresses. Smith's performance, which should get some Oscar recognition, is strongly supported by Brian Pepper, Thomas' best friend, and Rosario Dawson, as one of the seven people Thomas chooses to help and eventually builds a relationship with. Overall, I found this moving very intriguing and the film which was made all the more intriguing by the great performances.

Top Fifteen Movies of 2008

Here are the top fifteen movies of the year (In no particular order):

1. The Dark Knight
2. Doubt
3. Grand Torino
4. Frost/Nixon
5. Wall-E
6. Tropic Thunder
7. Iron Man
8. Milk
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
10. Valkyrie
11. The Reader
12. Revolutionary Road
13. Kungfu Panda
14. Slumdog Millionaire
15. The Bank Job
    

Best of Movie of 2008

What was the best movie of 2008. While not the strongest year of movies, 2008 provided some real classic gems as well as some of the greatest performances in recent years. What we feel is not only the hands down best movie of the year but in fact the best superhero movie of all time and possibly our favorite movie of all time is of course THE DARK KNIGHT. My brother and I had the privilege to attend a special early premier of the film at 7pm the night before the international premier and we were not disappointed. In the second installation of the Christopher Nolan Batman series, The Dark Knight encompasses everything a great drama requires; the hero, the ever so evil villain, and an intriguing plot that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the film. Nolan continues to delve into the darkness that is Batman, once again played excellently by Christian Bale. Bale provides the depth and struggle that is true to the comic book hero. The movie is also helped by strong performances by Michael Cain as Alfred the butler, Morgan Freeman as Fox, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, and Maggie Gyllenhall filling the role of Rachel Dawes. The most intriguing performances come from Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and Heath Ledger as the Joker. Eckhart does a great job of showing us the rise to fame and fall to villain a career changing role. The real focus here is on Ledger, who possibly gives the greatest performance ever, definitely the greatest villain of all time. Ledger literally transforms himself into a new person, into a the true devil that is the Joker. The Joker is immediately brought back into greatness with his white face, smile shaped scars on his face, and infamous clown outfit with purple coat and all. The villain in this movie is not only a criminal genius, but he truly introduces a new way of viewing the world. His back and forth with batman provides one of the great scenes in recent cinema. Ledger's role is sure to be recognized on Oscar night and his sad death following the making of the film only adds to the mystic behind one of the greatest and diabolical performances of all time. The action is excellent and the balance of action to drama makes the lengthy 2 1/2 hour film fly by.