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The News Sleuth Presents: Sundance Festival Update

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MaineWriter:
I do get out to the movies. Thinking back on the year, I just have a feeling of being disappointed in much that I saw. The Departed was good, but GoodFellas was better. I have read more than once that if Martin Scorcese wins an Oscar, it will be a consolation prize for all the times he has been passed over. Elle, I agree...Prairie Home Companion was sort of dull. I enjoyed the Devil Wears Prada but I didn't think it iwas great. Same for Thank You For Smoking...good but not great. The Queen...Helen Mirren was great, the rest of the movie I felt like I was watching CNN news clips. I just saw Little Miss Sunshine on DVD and enjoyed it very much...I wished I had seen it in the theater. I went to Boston to see Candy a few weeks ago. Heath was excellent but the movie was depressing. The Holiday was a fun holiday treat, but not great cinema.

I'd like to see Wordplay but that will be a DVD rental for me. It never made it to Maine.

One movie that I really enjoyed was The Prestige. Of course, I haven't seen that on a single critics list yet.

L

MaineWriter:
Remember the trailer for Freedomland? I do. Every time I saw BBM, I had to sit through that. I thought the movie looked awful. Apparently, Neil Rosen agrees. Here's a ten worst list from NY1.

As we wind down 2006, NY1 continues to look back on the year that was. It is time now to reflect on the year gone by on the silver screen. NY1 movie critic Neil Rosen spent some time ranking this year's movies and he came up with his list of the top ten worst films of the year.

There were plenty of bad films in 2006 and so it was hard to figure out what not to put on the list.

10. Russell Crowe’s movie A Good Year was anything but fun. “Gladiator” director Ridley Scott tried to make a French-style romantic comedy and misfired on all levels. Plus Crowe's character was thoroughly unlikable and impossible to root for.

9. If you missed the movie Poseidon here's my take, “you are the lucky ones.” A poor remake of “The Poseidon Adventure,” there was no character development. The makers of the sinking ship missed the boat by not taking advantage of the upside down aspect and all we were left with were people constantly running from rushing water.

8. Fortunately, not many people came out to see Nicole Kidman, playing real life photographer Diane Arbus, in Fur. A fictionalized story of Arbus falling in love with a man covered in hair form head to toe, played by Robert Downey Jr., is as bad as it sounds.

7. Sean Penn was the only good thing about the remake of All The Kings Men. Almost incomprehensible, if you were not familiar with the original, the largely British cast, could not get the deep south accents right while Anthony Hopkins did not even try.

6. Robin Williams’ schtick is getting really tired. In Man Of The Year he plays a comic who somehow gets elected president. The movie is trying to say something serious and be amusing at the same time. But it strikes out on both counts.

5. Steve Martin should not try imitating Peter Sellers. Actually, no one should. This remake of the Pink Panther was not only devoid of humor it was embarrassing for everyone involved.

4. Then there was the movie Freedomland. The story was completely uninteresting, the dialogue was pathetic, and Julianne Moore offered up one of the worst performances I have ever seen.

3. Speaking of bad performances, Sharon Stone thoroughly embarrassed herself with Basic Instinct 2. "Isn't that what turns you on?" asked Stone’s character in the film. Not unless you are turned on by thoroughly insipid movies.

2. Kyle Gass’ character KG best describes my take on Tenacious D. In: The Pick Of Destiny: "Amazing-ly bad." Jack Black might think this mess of a movie was hilarious, but I have to tell you for me, this was actually painful to sit through.

1. But it's not as bad as my worst movie of the year Lady In The Water. After “The Sixth Sense,” M. Night Shyamalan’s films have gone downhill. But this atrocity is far and away a complete disaster in every sense. What is it? A horror film that's not even a bit scary or a childhood fantasy that delights no one? It is a self indulgent misguided mess, with awful performances that should have never been made.

MaineWriter:
Another top ten list, this one from the Chicago Tribune. I am posting it because he has The Prestige as an honorable mention!

Fast-Paised favorites of 2006
Who cares if they're a downer? These movies are tops
By Matt Pais

Relationships that can't work. Marriages that don't last. Humans that can't reproduce. People who are victims of drug abuse, mob violence, terrorism and just time. Could the best films of 2006 get any more bleak?

But who says great movies have to be happy? After all, the best performances often come from actors playing characters battling difficult, painful problems, and sometimes turning out no better than they were at the beginning. And, troubling or not, these movies are all worth seeing and re-seeing, blowing away the competition in a pretty strong year at the multiplex.

Without further ado, here are the year's top films.

1. Half Nelson
The year's best movie has a plot that seems guaranteed to spin into cliche, as junior high teacher/crack addict Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) forms a friendship with one of his students (Shareeka Epps) after she catches him getting high. But Ryan Gosling is so steady and marvelous as Dunne--and "Half Nelson" is so precise in deconstructing his floundering soul--that the movie becomes the most unusual of educational dramas: an honest, shattering and ultimately uplifting film that doesn't get within 100 miles of formula. Covering the different modes of change and the pressure of opposing influences, the film's last moment is the most perfectly tuned, hopeful finale in ages.

2. Children of Men
What will the future bring? "Children of Men" doesn't try to predict the details, but in envisioning the year 2027--at which point a baby hasn't been born for 18 years--Alfonso Cuaron's stunning thriller becomes a jaw-dropping vision of suspicion and desperation when Theo (Clive Owen) tries to protect a young girl who has somehow become pregnant. The film is a miracle of technical achievement--with takes that go on so long they must've taken weeks to plan--and it woefully sees life and death as a matter of both faith and chance. The lone spark of optimism is the supremely human truth that as long as you have faith, life always has a chance.

3. Brick
There aren't many movies that seduce you with language and leave you trembling with excitement as you leave the theater. "Brick" is one of those movies, masterfully transposing a 1940's detective noir into a modern-day high school and playing it totally straight. Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes a damn good teenage version of Bogart, and "Brick" may be the ultimate movie about the way it feels to be in high school, surrounded by cryptic language, exclusive cliques and, among an array of beauties, the one girl that got away.

4. The Puffy Chair
Love hurts, but how often does a movie about relationships really make it seem that way? "The Puffy Chair" takes a truthful look at two people who have lost that spark as they gradually realize they may have run their course as a couple. With painful clarity, director Jay Duplass and his writer-star brother Mark show that there's no right way to love but plenty of wrong ways. You won't be able to move when it ends; in this wise and immensely sad low-budget triumph, you can literally hear the sound of hearts breaking.

5. The Departed
Proof that remakes are not pointless. With more toughness and style than he's shown in a decade, Martin Scorsese takes his own spin on the Hong Kong action flick "Infernal Affairs" and finally gives Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon a chance to become men, not boys. It takes a master of mobsters to tell such a complex crime saga with this kind of depth and electricity, and the intricate plot keeps you so engrossed that you'll think your watch is broken when you see that two-and-a-half hours have disappeared.

6. Little Children
Husbands and wives, parents and kids all confront imperfection in "Little Children," Todd Field's ("In the Bedroom") sad and sensual suburban drama of screaming infidelity. It's a visual powerhouse accentuated with across-the-board great acting by Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly and Jackie Earle Haley. It's about people becoming slaves to their instincts and needs--stimulation, mostly sexual, is need numero uno--and clinging to ideals while grasping clumsily and impulsively at ill-advised opportunities. Some have criticized the somewhat sarcastic tone, but for my money that's how the 'burbs really are: weirdly secretive and darkly comic. Field gets how difficult it is to make our lives better, simpler and safer when other people's problems seem so much easier to solve than our own. And we can try to protect kids, but who will protect us from ourselves?

7. United 93
Before watching "United 93," you can't imagine how a movie about 9/11 could be worth seeing. After viewing Paul Greengrass' tense, respectful look at one of our country's darkest days, you can't imagine how anyone could do it better. Working with what we know and speculating about a few things we don't in ways that are fair and reasonable, Greengrass documents unthinkable terror and greater courage with dignity and purpose. The movie has one of the year's best scores because it barely has one at all, and the film itself is a powerful demonstration of the real-life response to a situation many thought could only happen in the movies.

8. Babel
Here's one about the big stuff: life, death, love, the difficulty of communication and the randomness of existence. As sweeping and ambitious as it sounds, the latest work from director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga breaks down the human condition through a set of universal experiences that could occur anywhere involving tragedy, loneliness and loss. It's all very, very heavy, but "Babel" wraps it all together--with help from Oscar-worthy performances by Brad Pitt and breakout star Rinko Kikuchi, among others--to make you feel how we're all in this thing together, alone. The characters here are people aging a great deal in a short period of time, desperately longing for the touch of loved ones and strangers, both just beyond their reach.

9. Notes on a Scandal
A young teacher sleeps with a student, and only a closed-off veteran educator knows. Within this tabloid-style setup comes a tightly wound, teeth-grinding game of friendship and manipulation, driven by terrific turns by Cate Blanchett (as the illicit teacher) and Judi Dench (as the confidant). The movie burns down appearances of normalcy to reveal incredible neediness underneath while Patrick Marber's sophisticated script articulates the role of leverage in everyday lives. At first the finale seems like it's not as crisp and shocking as the rest of the film; yet the cold feeling "Notes on a Scandal" closes with is actually the reality that when we go too far, we often learn nothing at all--and people with too much love to give will continue to give until they can find someone willing to accept it.

10. Old Joy
Plot is not the point of "Old Joy," and if you want a movie that moves faster than a snail, you'll be bored by this flick's gentle, sleepy pace. Pristinely beautiful and overcome with longing, the movie captures two old friends on a spontaneous trip into the woods who discover that they no longer exist on the same plane. Among the lulling quiet of time passing by, director Kelly Reichardt demonstrates an equal fondness for the period we remember as "those were the days" as well as the years that inevitably take their place.

Honorable mentions: "Letters from Iwo Jima," "The Prestige," "The Painted Veil," "The Queen," "Borat," "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man," "Twelve and Holding," "51 Birch St."

MaineWriter:
From the Times Online

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2544355_1,00.html


Bafta for Bond?
Devika Bhat and Elsa McLaren

Daniel Craig has confounded his critics and become the first actor to be nominated for a Bafta for playing James Bond in a list heavy with British talent.

The blond-haired actor, whose selection for the sought-after role was initially met with much scepticism, was today awarded for his efforts with a nomination for best actor in a leading role.

In a further triumph for UK talent, The Queen – a depiction of the monarch in the wake of the death of Princess Diana – has topped the list with 10 nominations.

The glimpse into Royal life, directed by Stephen Frears, impressed the 6,000 members of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, as did the performance of Dame Helen Mirren, who has been nominated for best actress.

The 61-year-old has already picked up a clutch of awards for her performance, including the best actress prize at the Venice Film Festival, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe.

As favourite she will be competing against Penelope Cruz for Volver, Dame Judi Dench for Notes On A Scandal, Kate Winslet for Little Children and Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada.

The raft of nominations for The Queen and Casino Royale, which got a total of nine, bodes well for the Oscars.

The stature of the Baftas has been transformed since 2001, when they were moved to a pre-Oscars slot. Hollywood now views the British awards as a barometer of success at the Academy Awards and nominations will be seen as crucial by the leading studios.

Both films are up against each other for the Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year. United 93, the story of passengers aboard the doomed 9/11 plane, which crashed in Pennsylvania, has also been nominated for this award.

A surprise success is Guillermo del Toro’s gothic fairy tale, Pan’s Labyrinth, which has been nominated for a total of eight awards.

Films that also scored well among the judges were, Babel, starring Brad Pitt, which received seven nominations, and The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine, which both have six.

Craig proved his critics wrong when Casino Royale was released and became the most successful Bond film ever at the box office.

David Parfitt, chairman of the Bafta film committee, said: "I think the Bafta membership looked at his body of work.

"We have been watching him for the past five or six years. This was a very different role for him and demonstrates his great range."

Craig faces stiff competition for the best actor award from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio for The Departed and fellow Britons, Richard Griffiths, nominated for his role in Alan’s Bennett’s The History Boys, and Peter O’Toole, for Venus.

Critics have hailed O’Toole’s performance as an elderly actor who falls in love with a teenage girl as one of the best of his career. It has already earned the 74-year-old a Golden Globe nomination.

However, it is Forest Whitaker for his towering portrayal of African dictator Idi Amin, in The Last King of Scotland, who is tipped to win the award.

Best director will go to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for Babel, Martin Scorsese for The Departed, Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Faris for Little Miss Sunshine, Stephen Frears for The Queen or Paul Greengrass for United 93.

A new host will be also be unveiled this year, with Stephen Fry having recently stepped down from the job after six years.

This year’s ceremony will be held for the first time at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden. It will take place on February 11 and be broadcast live on BBC1.

MaineWriter:
Here is the complete list of nominees:

Film
"Babel"
"The Departed"
"The Last King of Scotland"
"Little Miss Sunshine"*
"The Queen"

The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year
"Casino Royale"
"The Last King of Scotland"
"Notes on a Scandal"
"The Queen"
"United 93"

The Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film
Andrea Arnold, director -- "Red Road"
Julian Gilbey, director -- "Rollon' with the Nines"
Christine Langan, producer, "Pierrepoint"
Gary Tarn, director -- "Black Sun"
Paul Andrew Williams, director -- "London to Brighton"

The David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction
"Babel" -- Alejandro Gonz?lez Inarritu
"The Departed" -- Martin Scorsese
"Little Miss Sunshine" -- Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Faris
"The Queen" -- Stephen Frears
"United 93" -- Paul Greengrass

Original screenplay
"Babel" -- Guillermo Arriaga
"Little Miss Sunshine" -- Michael Arndt
"Pan's Labryinth" -- Guillermo del Toro
"The Queen" -- Peter Morgan
"United 93" -- Paul Greengrass

Adapted screenplay
"Casino Royale" -- Neal Purvis/Robert Wade/Paul Haggis
"The Departed" -- William Monahan
"The Devil Wears Prada" -- Aline Brosh McKenna
"The Last King of Scotland" -- Peter Morgan/Jeremy Brock
"Notes on a Scandal" -- Patrick Marber

Film not in the English language
"Apocalypto" -- Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey
"Black Book (Zwarboek) -- Teun Hilte, San Fu Maltha, Jens Meurer, Paul Verhoeven
"Pan's Labyrinth" -- Alfonso Cuaron, Bertha Navarro, Frida Torresblanco, Guillermo del Toro
"Rang de Basanti" (Paint it Yellow) -- Ronnie Screwvala, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
"Volver" -- Agustin Almodovar, Pedro Almodovar

Animated feature film
"Cars" -- John Lasseter
"Flushed Away" -- David Bowers, Sam Fell
"Happy Feet" -- George Miller

Actor in a leading role
Daniel Craig -- "Casino Royale"
Leonardo DiCaprio -- "The Departed"
Richard Griffiths -- "The History Boys"
Peter O'Toole -- "Venus "
Forest Whitaker -- "The Last King of Scotland"

Actress in a leading role
Penelope Cruz -- "Volver"
Judi Dench -- "Notes on a Scandal"
Helen Mirren -- "The Queen"
Meryl Streep -- "The Devil Wears Prada"
Kate Winslet -- "Little Children"

Actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin -- "Little Miss Sunshine"
James MacAvoy -- "The Last King of Scotland"
Jack Nicholson -- "The Departed"
Leslie Phillips -- "Venus "
Michael Sheen -- "The Queen

Actress in a supporting role
Emily Blunt -- The Devil Wears Prada
Abigail Breslin -- Little Miss Sunshine
Toni Colette -- Little Miss Sunshine
Frances de la Tour -- The History Boys
Jennier Hudson -- Dreamgirls

The Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music
"Babel" -- Gustavo Santaolalla
"Casino Royale" -- David Arnold
"Dreamgirls" -- Henry Krieger
"Happy Feet" -- John Powell
"The Queen" -- Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography
"Babel" -- Rodrigo Prieto
"Casino Royale" -- Phil Meheux
"Children of Men" -- Emmanuel Lubezki
"Pan's Labyrinth" -- Guillermo Navarro
"United 93" -- Barry Ackroyd

Editing
"Babel" -- Stephen Mirrione, Douglas Crise
"Casino Royale" -- Stuart Baird
"The Departed" -- Thelma Schoonmaker
"The Queen" -- Lucia Zucchetti
"Unitedf 93" -- Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse, Richard Pearson

Production design
"Casino Royale" -- Peter Lamont, Simon Wakefield
"Children of Men" -- Geoffrey Kirkland, Jim Clay, Jennifer Williams
"Marie Antoinette" -- K K Barrett, Veronique Melery
"Pan's Labyrinth" -- Eugenio Caballero, Pilar Revuelta
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- Rick Heinrichs, Cheryl A Carasik

Costume design
"The Devil Wears Prada" -- Patricia Field
"Marie Antoinette" -- Milena Canonero
"Pan's Labyrinth" -- Lala Huete
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- Penny Rose
"The Queen" -- Consolata Boyle

Sound
"Babel" -- Jose Garcia, Jon Taylor, Chris Minkler, Martin Hernandez
"Casino Royale" -- Chris Munro, Eddy Joseph, Mike Prestwood Smith, Martin Cantwell, Mark Taylor
"Pan's Labyrinth" -- Martin Hernandez, Jamie Bashkt
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- Christopher Boyes, George Watters II,? Paul Massey, Lee Orloff
"United 93" -- Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Douglas Cooper, Oliver Tarney/Eddy Joseph

Achievement in special visual effects
"Casino Royale" -- Steve Begg, Chris Corbould
"Children of Men" -- Frazer Churchill, Tim Webber, Michael Eames, Paul Corbould
"Pan's Labyrinth" -- Edward Irastorza, Everett Burrell
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson
"Superman Returns" -- Mark Stetson

Makeup & hair
"The Devil Wears Prada" -- Nicki Ledermann, Angel De Angelis
"Marie Antoinette" -- Jean-Luc Russier, Desiree Corridoni
"Pan's Labyrinth"*
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" -- Ve Neill, Martin Samuel
"The Queen" -- Daniel Phillips

Short animation film
"Dreams and Desires" - "Family Ties" -- Les Mills, Joanna Quinn
"Guy 101" -- Ian Gouldstone
"Peter and the Wolf" -- Hugh Welchman, Alan Dewhurst, Suzie Templeton

Short film
"Care" -- Rachel Bailey, Corinna Faith
"Cubs" -- Lisa Williams, Tom Harper
"Do Not Erase" -- Asitha Ameresekere
"Hikikomori" -- Karley Duffy, Paul Wright
"Kissing, Tickling and Being Bored" -- David Smith, Jim McRoberts

The Orange Rising Star Award
Emily Brunt
Eva Green
Naomie Harrie
Cillian Murphy
Ben Whishaw

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