The Weigh In #44

And the Winner Is (part three of three):


This weeks “The Weigh In” winds down a three part look at the major Oscar categories with its two most important; Best Director, and Best Motion Picture. Here are my thoughts.


Best Director

Steven Spielberg-Munich:
I don’t think I am going out on a limb here by saying this is Steven Spielberg’s best film since Saving Private Ryan. You can feel the same passion in every moment of this film that was evident in Schindler’s List and when Steven Spielberg cares about his material, it literally melts off the screen and all over your subconscious. This movie is no different, and it has his heart and his sensibilities. Something very lacking in his big budget blockbuster films.

Ang Lee-Brokeback Mountain:
Ang Lee’s direction of Brokeback Mountain is a large reason why you have to see this movie. The acting and plotline aside, the pacing and the feel of this movie turns it from a Lifetime movie of the week to one of the sweetest love stories in years.

George Clooney-Good Night, and Good Luck:
Mixing 50s era footage and real life actors, George Clooney blends both into one of the best movies of the year. The editing and his ability to flow both together flawlessly is amazing.

Paul Haggis-Crash:
Crash takes three separate and seemingly unrelated incidents and melds them into a story that interconnects and when they connect, leaves you feeling punched in the gut. All that is Paul Haggis. Lesser directors probably couldn’t haven taken the material and weave it together with as much impact. Very reminiscent of Robert Altman’s earlier work, Nashville, and Short Cuts with a big difference. It isn’t the way the stories come together that is so impressive, it is the impact the weaving has on you at the end.

Bennet Miller-Capote:
A movie that takes a deliberate approach to telling it’s story, with an obvious interest in the material (which normally equals dull), it would very easily lose its audience while plodding along. But much like the movie Fargo, the pacing and deliberateness of the film is just as important as its characters and the story.

Noticeably Absent: David Cronenberg-A History of Violence:
David Cronenberg delves deep into the past of a small town man, making him question who he is and what is worth fighting for. This movie has classic Sam Peckinpah written all over it (think Straw Dogs, where pacifism and the need for violence cross paths) and he puts together a movie that gives us an intimate picture of complex secrets and their haunting affects on the world around us. A History of Violence is a beautifully moving film that should pull him out of the sci-fi horror shadows and allow his name to be mentioned in the same breath with Spielberg, Figgis, and Soderbergh, three of the best directors at pulling out the heart of their characters and laying it out on the table for us to see.

In my opinion I think the best director of 2005 is: Steven Spielberg-Munich

Here is who I think will win: Ang Lee-Brokeback Mountain

Best Motion Picture

Brokeback Mountain:
Being about two gay men aside, this is one of the best love stories in recent memory. The affect the elicit affair on everyone’s lives, the acting, directing, all combined into a powerful movie that has to have some affect on you.

Good Night, and Good Luck:
A well told story using actors and edited camera footage. This is a really good movie, but more for its ability to blend the past and present together pretty seamlessly. The only problem I had with the film is that it brings more than a few questions about the role of the news media in making and reporting the news, alluding to present day parallels, in its zeal to get its story through, it really doesn’t want answers to the concerns brought up.

Crash:
A complex puzzle of different lives in L.A. all profoundly changed by their views of the different races they live with on a daily basis. This film is full of incredible acting and each of their seemingly isolated stories is weaved into a tapestry that is better than the sum of its parts. Crash is a beautiful film that doesn’t beat its message over your head but by the end of the film the point sneaks up on you and has a profound effect. Paul Haggis has put together probably the best film of his career.

Capote:
A very good movie, the subject matter kept me interested throughout and the acting was the best I have seen in years. Unfortunately, the film borders on the tedious while trying to get its point across and if you aren’t hooked from the beginning it makes for a long experience.

Munich:
Comparable to Spielberg’s other works of art, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan, and in my opinion, the best movie of the year. Any time Steven Spielberg puts a little of himself into the film, we get to witness a masterpiece. This is one of those.

In my opinion the best film of 2005 is: Munich

Here is who I think will win: Brokeback Mountain

A quick recap of the last two articles:
Who I think should win:
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix-Walk the Line
Best Actress: Felicity Huffman-Transamerica
Supporting Actor: George Clooney-Syriana
Supporting Actress: Michelle Williams-Brokeback Mountain

Who I think will win:
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix-Walk the Line
Best Actress: Felicity Huffman-Transamerica
Supporting Actor: George Clooney-Syriana
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weiss-The Constant Gardener

I hope you enjoyed this little three part series on the six major categories of the Oscars. I hope this helps you get a better idea of the films nominated that you have not see when you sit down on March, 5th, 2006 and watch.

This weekend at your local multiplex (3/3/2006)

Ultraviolet: Action
Milla Jovavich, Cameron Bright, William Fichtner
Plot: Set in the late 21st century, a portion of the population has been genetically enhanced. When the government realizes that this portion of the population is getting out of hand they hatch a plan to eradicate them. Only Milla Jovavich’s character can stop them.
Buzz: Judging from the trailers, this movie looks incredibly stylish. It’s only problem may be that it looks a little too much like the clunker of a film Aeon Flux. Hopefully (if it is good enough) it can overcome this by good word of mouth. If not, it could get the notorious label of Aeon Flux II.

16 Blocks: Action
Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse
Plot: An over the hill police detective, played by Bruce Willis, has to escort Mos Def 16 blocks to county courthouse. Things become more complicated when Bruce Willis’s ex-partners are out to stop his delivery.
Buzz: This is starting to look like the first great drama/action flick off 2006 and may be the first signs that we are breaking out of the January-February movie funk.

Aquamarine: Comedy
Emma Roberts, Joanna “Jo Jo” Levesque, Sara Paxton, Jake McDormand
Plot: At a worn down beach resort near their homes, three girls meet a mermaid that falls in love with a cabana boy. The girls work to get a date for the mermaid with him.
Buzz: Admittedly, I really haven’t heard anything about this movie, but being this is the only teenage girl movie this weekend or over the horizon, it might actually do pretty well.

This week on DVD (3/28/2006)

Walk the Line
Pride and Prejudice
The Ice Harvest
Where the Truth Lies
Yours, Mine, and Ours
Three Extremes (see review)
Lady and the Tramp
Dog Day Afternoon (se)
Network (se)
Charmed (season 4)
Newsradio (season 3)
Controversial Classics Box Set: All the Presidents Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network
Death Tunnel

As always if you have any questions or comments, please drop me a line at DPlace76@yahoo.com. You can also check out my random musings at www.livejournal.com/users/bigdpmpin.