TFC Journal at TheFilmChair.com

“There’s been a lot of people who told me that America wouldn’t be number one forever. But the only ones that are going to tell me when America’s done doing its thing are you people out there.”

One of the problems with living in a place like Cleveland (or Erie, Pa. before this) and not in NYC or LA is that you don’t get to see all the movies of 2008 until it’s 2009. I’ve always given myself an extra month to catch up.

Considering the lackluster year it’s been for movies, it’s no surprise that I could have published this list a few weeks ago. (Damn you Fox Searchlight for holding back The Wrestler.) It’s also no surprise that a three-and-a-half star movie made it onto my list for the first time since I started compiling them. That would Woody Allen’s best film in years, Vicky Christina Barcelona.

But even in bad years, there are certain movies that you fall in love with. I can’t remember caring about the characters in the movies as much as I did this year. Ballast, Rachel Getting Married, The Edge of Heaven, Milk, Slumdog, Benjamin Button, Vicky Christina Barcelona and even WALL-E didn’t just make me root for their characters. No, they made me feel like I knew them on a very intimate level. Even movies like The Wrestler, The Visitor, and Gran Torino, which didn’t make my list, took me inside lives of the characters beyond simple voyeurism.

Then there are the masterpieces like Revolutionary Road and Let the Right One In, which each affected me for days. I love when movies do that. I just love it.

So here they are, the top ten films of 2008 from TFC Journal at TheFilmChair.com:

1. Revolutionary Road (dir. Sam Mendes)
2. Let the Right One In (dir. Tomas Alfredson)
3. Ballast (dir. Lance Hammer)
4. The Edge of Heaven (dir. Fatih Akin)
5. WALL-E (dir. Andrew Stanton)
6. Rachel Getting Married (dir. Jonathan Demme)
7. Milk (dir. Gus Van Sant)
8. Slumdog Millionaire (dir. Danny Boyle)
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (dir. David Fincher)
10. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (dir. Woody Allen)

Honorable Mention: Gran Torino (dir. Clint Eastwood)

Best Director – Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road
Best Actress – Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
Best Actor – Sean Penn, Milk
Best Supporting Actor – Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress – Viola Davis, Doubt

Song of the Year:  “The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler

Quote of the Year:
“Don’t talk like one of them. You’re not! Even if you’d like to be. To them, you’re just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when they don’t, they’ll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you. When the chips are down, these… these civilized people, they’ll eat each other. See, I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.” – The Joker, The Dark Knight

Will The Dark Knight get its Best Picture nod? Will Slumdog nab the most nominations? Will Woody Allen spoil the day for another director? Will Kate Winslet get the two nods she deserves?

What’s going to happen?!

Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST the Academy will announce the Oscar nominees. Anyone who has watched the Oscar knows there are bound to be surprises. People are starting to doubt The Dark Knight, but I’m not betting against it. TDK fans will have their day. My final predictions are listed below, but check out the Oscar Predix page to see the evolution of Oscar 2008/2009.

Best Picture

• Slumdog Millionaire - And the winner is…
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Solid, classy, the future of Hollywood.
• Milk - The kind of politically-charged, fight-for-what’s-right kind of story the Academy loves.
  
• The Dark Knight – Losing steam at the end, but still the likely to take the fifth spot.
• Frost/Nixon - Won’t go away. Too solid of a picture to ignore.
• In the Running: WALL-E,  Gran Torino

Best Director

• Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire - You’re likely winner
• David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – You’re likely runner-up.
• Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight - More likely than a Best Picture nod at this point.
• Gus Van Sant, Milk - His most solid work in years with a political environment that helps.
• Woody Allen, Vicky Christina Barcelona - Not going to get too many chances to nominate a legend like Allen again. And he really deserves it. Look for a screenplay win.
• In the Running: Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon; Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino;
  

Best Actress

• Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road - Fully loaded for a win here. More deserved than an Oscar for The Reader. But still a three way race.
• Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married - She’s young, hot and de-glams (though not to the extent that we’ve seen in the past) for the role. If there’s anything Oscar is consistent in awarding it’s the type of role Hathaway has here.
• Meryl Streep, Doubt - Doubt has become the actors’ movie of the year.  A Streep win would recognize the best movie actress working today, as well as a movie that appears to need some love.
• Angelina Jolie, Changeling - The star of the moment directed by one of the most respected directors in Hollywood.
• Melissa Leo , Frozen River - Taking Hawkins spot because sometimes the Academy does the right thing.
• In the Running: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Actor

• Sean Penn, Milk - Possibly Penn’s best work to date, crawling inside the skin of Harvey Milk. Made us hope. Made us believe.
• Mickey Rouke, The Wrestler – Bigger than the movie itself. He’s running neck and neck with Penn.
• Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino – A fine performance from a legend. He’s never won, which may make this a three-way race.
• Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon - The veteran actor reprising his Tony-winning stage role should get the Academy’s attention.
• Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Holding on for dear life. Watch out for Jenkins.
• In the Running: Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Best Supporting Actor

• Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight – Presumptive winner.
• Josh Brolin, Milk - Snubbed last year, but still hot. W. helps. Too quiet to overtake Ledger, but a worthy nomination.
• Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire – You can’t love the movie and not love Patel as older Jamal.  A big tell if Oscar is going down the Slumdog road.
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt – One of the finest actors working today in an actors’ movie.
• Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder - If you asked me this in August, I would have said no way. But now, the weak category helps his chances.
• In the Running: James Franco, Milk

Best Supporting Actress

• Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona - The kind of female actor the Academy loves to honor. If Kate gets the Oscar for Rev Road, this one is waiting for Cruz.
• Kate Winslet, The Reader - Dual nominations because she’s good. Dual wins? Welcome to the year of the Kate.
• Viola Davis, Doubt - Baity as hell and Davis hits this one, hard.
• Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - More popular than either Pitt or Blanchett at this point.
• Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler – An Academy favorite who could ride Rouke’s wave. A nomination here could foretell a Rouke win.
• In the Running: Amy Adams, Doubt

Best Original Screenplay

• Vicky Christina Barcelona
• Milk
• WALL-E
• The Wrestler
• The Visitor
• In the Running: Burn After Reading

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Slumdog Millionaire
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon
• Revolutionary Road
• In the Running: Doubt

Slumdog may have took top prize, but Kate Winslet was the queen of the Golden Globes.  That long-overdue Winselt Oscar looks like a real possibility.

The winners:

Best Picture – Drama
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor – Drama
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Actress – Drama
Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road

Best Picture – Comedy/Musical
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Actress – Comedy/Musical
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Actor – Comedy/Musical
Colin Farrell – In Bruges

Best Director
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

Original Score
A. R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire

Best Writer
Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire

Foreign Language Film
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Animation
Wall-E

Original Song
“The Wrestler” – The Wrestler
Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

Best Supporting Actress
Kate Winslet - The Reader

No real surprise as Slumdog Millionaire takes top prize (and 4 others) at the BFCA Critics’ Choice Awards. (Sorry, The Dark Knight fans.) All signs continue to point to Slumdog as the Best Picture favorite.

Damn me for not having cable television. I’d would have liked to seen some of these acceptance speeches, especially Kate Winslet’s for her surprise win in the Supporting Actress category. These speeches are make or break for a potential Oscar winner.  You’ll see more of them on Sunday at the Not the Oscars… err… Golden Globes.

Here are all your Critics’ Choice winners (courtesy of AwardsDaily.com):

Best Comedy Movie: Tropic Thunder
Best Acting Ensemble: Milk
Best Young Actor/Actress: Dev Patel
Best Writer: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Action Film: The Dark Knight
Best Composer: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Song: Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
Best Documentary: Man On Wire
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz With Bashir
Best Animated Feature: WALL·E
Best Movie Made for TV: John Adams
Best Actress: tie – Meryl Streep, Doubt; Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Best Actor: Sean Penn, Milk
Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

And the WGA Nominees are:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Burn After Reading, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Focus Features
Milk, Written by Dustin Lance Black, Focus Features
Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Written by Woody Allen, The Weinstein Company
The Visitor, Written by Tom McCarthy, Overture Films
The Wrestler, Written by Robert Siegel, Fox Searchlight Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord; Based on the Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures
The Dark Knight, Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer; Based on Characters Appearing in Comic Books Published by DC Comics; Batman Created by Bob Kane, Warner Bros. Pictures
Doubt, Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, Based on his Stage Play, Miramax Films
Frost/Nixon, Screenplay by Peter Morgan, Based on his Stage Play, Universal Pictures
Slumdog Millionaire, Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy, Based on the Novel Q and A by Vikas Swarup, Fox Searchlight Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story, Written by Stefan Forbes and Noland Walker, InterPositive Media
Chicago 10, Written by Brett Morgen, Roadside Attractions
Fuel, Written by Johnny O’Hara, Greenlight Theatrical / Intention Media
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Screenplay by Alex Gibney, From the Words of Hunter S. Thompson, Magnolia Pictures
Waltz with Bashir, Written by Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics

Okay The Dark Knight fans are celebrating again, but this time it’s warranted.  The Dark Knight wasn’t a likely WGA nominee.  I was expecting a nod for those Kate Winslet movies,The Reader or Revolutionary Road. Yes, fanboys, there is Oscar love in The Dark Knight’s future.  A DGA nomination for Nolan will confirm it.

As for the Oscar nominees, I’d toss out Doubt and replace it with one of the two Winslet pictures I just mentioned.

In the Original Screenplay category, you can expect the Coens to lose their Oscar nomination to WALL-E, which was ineligible for the WGA award.  The other four look solid for Oscar. Though Rachel Getting Married could kick The Visitor.

And the PGA nominees are:

• Slumdog Millionaire
  
• Milk
  
• Frost/Nixon
  
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  
• The Dark Knight

To  all of you who keep freaking out over The Dark Knight actually appearing on this list, may I present you with a great big helping of so the f what. 

The facts are these:

The PGA is the group that nominated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Shrek for their top honor in the same year.  Quality big money movies get in.  It’s certainly good that the producers are backing the picture, but the Directors Guild of America, with the exception of last year, is a better test of a film’s chances. The director’s have gone five for five with Oscar’s Best Picture nominations before (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006), whereas it’s common to see one of the PGA names left off Oscar’s short list.  

That said, consensus says the pictures above will also likely be your DGA nominees. I have a sneaking suspicion that we’re going to see a Darren Aronofsky nod for The Wrestler when the DGA nominations announced with a noticeably absent Ron Howard.

The Dark Knight fans, you’ll get your nod. But celebrating a PGA nomination is just silly. (Especially when The Dark Knight is not the first superhero movie to get nominated. That was The Incredibles.)  Wait for it. Let it happen.

Right now, I’m just going to sit back a cry that WALL-E wasn’t nominated.  If there was any place for it to gain steam, the PGA nods would have been it.

Film Independent announced the nominations for the 24th annual Independent Spirit Awards today, and Oscar-hopeful Rachel Getting Married got a lot of attention. The film tied smaller indies including the Melissa Leo-starrer Frozen River and my favorite film so far this year Ballast (a film that I’m sure you won’t hear about in the Oscar race) with 6 nominations.  You can see all the nominees here.

What does this mean for the Demme picture?  Well, the bad news is it may be this year’s Half Nelson or I’m Not There, films embraced by the film aficionados, but hardly bankable indies like Little Miss Sunshine or Juno.  The good news is there isn’t a Juno or Little Miss Sunshine in the bunch this year. Given the Spirit Awards’ penchant for rewarding films that make a splash, the acclaimed, star-powered Rachel (starring Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger) is the frontrunner for the top prize. (I’ll be rooting for Ballast.)

Aronofsky’s The Wrestler and the Michelle Williams-starrer Wendy and Lucy joined the three films mentioned above in the Best Feature category. UntilThe Wrestler becomes some sort of contender (we’ve been waiting for months now), Rachel’s buzz and a few Spirit Awards may help in its battle to break into the Oscar race.

I’m holding back on predicting Rachel for now, but god knows I need to replace Australia in my Best Picture predictions.

As someone who fancies himself a bit of a film critic, I try to manage my own expectations despite my genuine love of cinema. (That sound pretentious, but bear with me.) Before this year, I would generally see anything that was thrown in front of me because I would rather watch a bad movie than no movie at all. Lucky for me, from 2005 to 2007, I was able to sit down in front of movies that were great beyond all expectations or at least interesting in spite of their flaws.

The three years prior to 2008 were amazing years for cinema. We saw great filmmakers working at the peak of their powers. From Spielberg with Munich to the Coens with No Country for Old Men, filmmakers were responding to the world in a way that audiences haven’t seen since the 1970s. Why then has 2008 sucked so bad?

Most people leave a comment like that for their year-in-review. And to some, every year is a bad year if it’s not a 1939 or 1999. This year, however, has been exceptionally disappointing. The Coen Brothers returned to a form we didn’t want to see from them again with Burn After Reading. Brazil’s Fernando Meirelles crashed and burned with Blindness, a film so universally panned that I didn’t even bother to see it. David Gordon Green’s working class drama Snow Angels wasn’t nearly as good as his stoner comedy Pineapple Express. Even Martin Scorsese’s Shine a Light, a Rolling Stones concert film, didn’t start me up the way I wished it would have. Then there’s Spielberg, who made a summer blockbuster that shall not be named. The masters were at work, but they weren’t producing the work of masters.

It’s nearly November and the best movie I’ve seen so far this year is WALL·E. It’s a future classic to be sure, but not the movie I thought would be at the top of my list at this point in the year. I’ve had fun at movies like In Bruges, Iron Man, and Religulous. I was surprised at how good an Iraq War film could actually be when I watched Stop Loss. And of course, there was Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. The difference between these movies and the movies I saw in years past is none of them have moved me to regularly visit my local cineplex. I feel as disillusioned about the movies this year as most Republicans do watching John McCain run for president. Something is going terribly wrong.

I watched more movies this year than I have in years past. Most of the ones I caught, however, were classics or personal favorites, movies I could curl up with at home. I read more about movies than I have ever had the pleasure to do, too. I didn’t fall out of love with the cinema, but I hit a rough patch that had me searching through my memory box to reflect on better days.

Sure, 2008 is backloaded. Revolutionary Road, Milk, Doubt, The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire, Australia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Frost/Nixon are still to come. Rachel Getting Married just opened here in Cleveland. Plus there’s an Eastwood one-two punch coming at us with Changeling and Gran Torino. But if history has shown us anything, it’s that at least half of these pictures won’t live up to the hype.

So, fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy 65 days.