Awards Season 2008

[Jeff]

This thread will be the home for all Oscar and precursor awards news, critics' group awards, and individual critics' top ten lists.

The Golden Satellites, National Board of Review, and Independent Spirit Awards should all be kicking off the Awards Season with their nominations in the next week or so.

The Academy has announced the 15 documentaries that they have shortlisted for "Best Documentary Feature."

“At the Death House Door”
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)”
“Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh”
“Encounters at the End of the World”
“Fuel”
“The Garden”
“Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts”
“I.O.U.S.A.”
“In a Dream”
“Made in America”
“Man on Wire”
“Pray the Devil Back to Hell”
“Standard Operating Procedure”
“They Killed Sister Dorothy”
“Trouble the Water”

They also announced the 14 films submitted for "Best Animated Feature."

“Bolt”
“Delgo”
“Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!”
“Dragon Hunters”
“Fly Me to the Moon”
“Igor”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”
“$9.99”
“The Sky Crawlers”
“Sword of the Stranger”
“The Tale of Despereaux”
“WALL-E”
“Waltz with Bashir”

Based on my synthesis of all the award fanboy sites, and early reviews, it looks to me like there are a baker's dozen films with a shot at getting nominations in the major Oscar categories or showing up on lists like the AFI and NBR. Many of these will get mixed-to-negative reviews. When it comes to Oscar, it's like William Munny once said, "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it."

• Australia (mostly shitty early reviews, will still get lots of tech nods and could possibly appeal to older Academy members in some of the major categories)
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (mixed-to-negative early reviews; Gump-esque appeal may still dominate awards - pic/dir/screenplay/actor/actress/supporting actress all still very possible; likely to sweep all techs)
• The Dark Knight (Ledger is a lock; cinematography a strong bet; pic/director/screenplay looking likely in a mostly shitty year; lots of tech noms)
• Doubt (fairly positive early reviews; Streep is a near lock; screenplay likely; Hoffman/Davis/Adams are very possible; pic plausible - Shanley could possibly be the director whose pic gets nominated while he does not)
• Frost/Nixon (mostly positive but unenthusiastic reviews; Langella and screenplay likely; Sheen has an outside shot at supporting; pic and Howard seem like longshots)
• Gran Torino (mostly strong early reviews; Eastwood's performance said to be very likely; AMPAS adores The Clint, so pic and director are possibilities too)
• Milk (mostly strong reviews; AMPAS has Brokeback gulit; Penn is a lock; pic/director/screenplay very likely; Brolin and maybe Franco have outside shots at supporting)
• Slumdog Millionaire ("Little Miss Slumdog" - crowdpleasing indie/fest hit with positive reviews like LMS and Juno; pic/director/screenplay/score/song likely)
• Rachel Getting Married (Indie Spirit fodder; lots of top ten lists; outside Oscar shots for screenplay, Hathaway, supporting roles)
• The Reader (last minute addition by Weinstein; Winslet campaigned as supporting, and supposedly very good; screenplay likely)
• Revolutionary Road (strong reviews - supposedly Mendes' best; pic/director/cinematography/screenplay/DiCaprio/Winslet/Shannon all near locks)
• WALL•E (lock for Animated winner; screeplay/score/song likely; Disney campaigning hard for best pic, but not likely)
• The Wrestler (near-lock for Rourke; Springsteen song very likely; outside shots for Tomei, screenplay)


Changeling, The Visitor, I've Loved You So Long, Che, Happy-Go-Lucky, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona each have a shot in one or two major categories as well (mostly in the realms of screenplay and Actor/Actress/Supporting Actress)

My guess at the Academy's best pic nominees:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Doubt could slip in if Slumdog loses traction.

[domino harvey]

Ha, Religulous got skipped!

My Best Pic nom guesses, very subject to change given no one's awarded anything yet:

Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Gran Torino
Milk
Rachel Getting Married

[tavernier]

Ha, Religulous got skipped!

Where's Expelled?

[Tom Hagen]

I bet anything Trouble the Water wins it. Academy voters will eat it up.

I will be so disappointed if WALL·E gets ghettoized in the animation category. Although at this point, with so many films yet to be released, speculating about year-end awards and lists makes me feel a little bit like the various GOP talking heads who are already on the tube screaming with each other about who will run against Obama in 2012.

[Antoine Doinel]

I really doubt Rachel Getting Married will get a Best Picture nod. All the buzz around the film has died completely and it seems the studio blew their campaign money early. I'm guess it will get Best Actress, Best Screenplay and in a just world, Best Supporting Actor nominations.

[tavernier]

in a just world, Best Supporting Actor nominations.

For whom?

[Antoine Doinel]

in a just world, Best Supporting Actor nominations.

For whom?

Bill Irwin (Rachel's father). His performance is probably the best one of the lot.

[AWA]

I think Dark Knight has a real good shot at this year's Oscars simply because this year has one of the thinnest crops of films I've ever seen.

Eastwood's two films should also do very well because of the limited competition and it's Clint Eastwood and they love giving him Oscars.

VCB should be in the running for Screenplay and one or two acting noms. I would think and hope.

And I think Synecdoche has a good chance at getting a couple nods also due to the lack of Oscar calibre type films this year.

[Murdoch]

I think Milk, Doubt, and one of Eastwood's films will be definite best pic noms, and Eastwood will certainly get a best director nod, along with Van Sant, Demme, Howard, and Shanley. For best actress I think Sally Hawkins, Anne Hathaway, and Meryl Streep will get nods, Amy Adams securing a supporting actress. I don't see TDK getting a best pic nom, although Ledger will get a best supporting actor nod.

Best picture predictions:

Milk
Changeling
Doubt
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon

[Jeff]

The very eccentric International Press Academy is often first out of the gate with their Golden Satellite Nominations, and they usually contain more than their share of "what the fuck?" nominees. They are more of a curiosity than a precursor. This year is no exception. These are even wackier than normal, and there are a few obvious mistakes (Michael Cera nom'd twice for the same film in the same category?, Ben Button an original screenplay?). Gran Torino was likely not screened for this group, and I wouldn't read to much into the Button snub as There Will Be Blood and Million Dollar Baby received similar nomination tallies from this group and, like Button, were screened at the last minute. Um, Australia leads their nomination tally.

The Independent Spirit Awards will announce their noms on Tuesday, and the National Board of Review will reveal its slate on Thursday.

GOLDEN SATELLITE AWARDS

Actress In A Motion Picture, Drama
Melissa Leo, Frozen River Sony Pictures Classics
Angelina Jolie, Changeling Universal
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married Sony Pictures Classics
Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long Sony Pictures Classics
Meryl Streep, Doubt Miramax Films
Kate Winslet, The Reader The Weinstein Company

Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler Fox Searchlight
Mark Ruffalo, What Doesn't Kill You Yari Film Group
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor Overture Films
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon Universal
Leonardo Dicaprio, Revolutionary Road DreamWorks
Sean Penn, Milk Focus

Actress In A Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky Miramax Films
Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia! Universal
Lisa Kudrow, Kabluey Regent Releasing
Kat Dennings, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist Columbia Pictures
Catherine Deneuve, A Christmas Tale IFC Films
Debra Messing, Nothing Like the Holidays Overture Films

Actor In A Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical
Ricky Gervais, Ghost Town DreamWorks / Paramount
Sam Rockwell, Choke Fox Searchlight
Josh Brolin, W. Lionsgate
Michael Cera, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist Columbia Pictures
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges Focus Features
Michael Cera, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist Columbia Pictures
Mark Ruffalo, The Brothers Bloom Summit Entertainment

Actress In A Supporting Role
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married Sony Pictures Classics
Penelope Cruz, Elegy Samuel Goldwyn Company
Anjelica Huston, Choke Fox Searchlight
Sophie Okonedo, The Secret Life of Bees Fox Searchlight
Emma Thompson, Brideshead Revisited Miramax Films
Viola Davis, Doubt Miramax Films
Beyoncé Knowles, Cadillac Records TriStar Pictures

Actor In A Supporting Role
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road DreamWorks
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder DreamWorks
Rade Sherbedgia, Fugitive Pieces Samuel Goldwyn Films
James Franco, Milk Focus Features
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight Warner Brothers
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt Miramax Films

Motion Picture, Drama
The Reader The Weinstein Company
Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight
Revolutionary Road DreamWorks
Frost/Nixon Universal Pictures
Milk Focus Features
Frozen River Sony Pictures Classics

Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Happy-Go-Lucky Miramax Films
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Columbia Pictures
Vicky Cristina Barcelona The Weinstein Company
Tropic Thunder DreamWorks
In Bruges Focus Features
Choke Fox Searchlight

Motion Picture, Foreign Language Film
Let the Right One In (Sweden) Magnet Releasing
The Class (France) Sony Pictures Classics
Sangre de mi Sangre (Argentina) IFC Films
Reprise (Norway) Miramax Films
Gomorrah (Italy) IFC Films
Caramel (Lebanon / France) Roadside Attractions

Motion Picture, Animated Or Mixed Media
The Tale of Despereaux Universal Pictures
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! Twentieth Century-Fox
WALL-E Pixar / Walt Disney Pictures
Bolt Walt Disney Pictures
Waltz With Bashir Sony Pictures Classics
The Sky Crawlers Sony Pictures Classics

Motion Picture, Documentary
Man on Wire Magnolia Pictures
Pray the Devil Back to Hell Balcony Releasing
Encounters at the End of the World Discovery Films / THINKFilm
Religulous Lionsgate Films
Anita O'Day - The Life of a Jazz Singer AOD Productions
Waltz With Bashir Sony Pictures Classics

Director
Thomas McCarthy The Visitor Overture Films
Ron Howard Frost/Nixon Universal Pictures
Gus Van Sant Milk Focus Features
Christopher Nolan The Dark Knight Warner Brothers
Danny Boyle Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight
Stephen Daldry The Reader The Weinstein Company

Screenplay, Original
Philip Roth, Elegy Samuel Goldwyn Company
Thomas McCarthy, The Visitor Overture Films
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Paramount / Warner Bros. Pictures
Courtney Hunt, Frozen River Sony Pictures Classics
Baz Luhrmann, Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood, Richard Flanagan, Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
Dustin Lance Black, Milk Focus Features

Screenplay, Adapted
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt Miramax Films
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon Universal Pictures
David Hare, The Reader The Weinstein Company
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight
Justin Haythe, Revolutionary Road DreamWorks

Original Score
David Arnold, Quantum of Solace Columbia Pictures
Thomas Newman, WALL-E Pixar / Walt Disney Pictures
John Powell, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! Twentieth Century-Fox
A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight
David Hirschfelder, Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
Danny Elfman, Milk Focus Features

ORIGINAL SONG
”Another Way to Die”/Jack White Quantum of Solace Columbia Pictures
"If the World”/Guns N' Roses Body of Lies Sony Pictures Classics
"Down to Earth”/Peter Gabriel WALL-E Walt Disney Studios
“By the Boab Tree”/Angela Little, Felix Meagher Baz Luhrmann, Anton Monsted, and Schuyler Weiss Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
“Jaiho”/ A.R. Rahman and Gulzar Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight
“The Wrestler”/Bruce Springsteen The Wrestler Fox Searchlight

Cinematography
Jess Hall, Brideshead Revisited Miramax Films
Gyula Pados, The Duchess Paramount Vantage
Mandy Walker, Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
Tim Orr, Snow Angels Warner Independent Pictures
Tom Stern, Changeling Universal Pictures
Claudio Miranda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Paramount / Warner Bros. Pictures

Visual Effects
Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug, Quantum of Solace Columbia Pictures
John Nelson, Shane Mahan, Dan Sudek, Ben Snow, Iron Man Paramount Pictures / Marvel
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin, The Dark Knight Warner Brothers
Jeffrey A. Okun, The Day the Earth Stood Still Twentieth Century-Fox
Chris Godfrey, Australia Twentieth Century-Fox

Film Editing
Matt Chessé, Richard Pearson Quantum of Solace Columbia Pictures
Dan Lebental Iron Man Paramount Pictures / Marvel
Lee Smith The Dark Knight Warner Brothers
Dody Dorn, Michael McCusker Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
Chris Dickens Slumdog Millionaire Fox Searchlight
Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill Frost/Nixon Universal Pictures

Sound (Mixing & Editing)
Eddy Joseph, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor, Jimmy Boyle, Martin Cantwell Quantum of Solace Columbia Pictures
Christopher Boyes Iron Man Paramount Pictures / Marvel
Richard King The Dark Knight Warner Brothers
Jenny Ward Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
WALL-E Pixar / Walt Disney Pictures
William R. Dean, David Husby The Day the Earth Stood Still Twentieth Century-Fox

Art Direction & Production Design
Karen Murphy, Catherine Martin Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
Alice Normington Brideshead Revisited Miramax Films
Ken Wakefield, Michael Carlin The Duchess Paramount Vantage
Donald Graham Burt, Tom Reta The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Paramount / Warner Bros. Pictures
Jon Billington, Martin Laing City of Ember Fox-Walden
Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt Revolutionary Road Paramount Vantage

Costume Design
Michael O'Connor The Duchess Paramount Vantage
Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh Brideshead Revisited Miramax Films
Catherine Martin Australia Twentieth Century-Fox
Patricia Field Sex And The City New Line Cinema
Ruth Myers City of Ember Fox-Walden
Jacqueline West The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Paramount / Warner Bros. Pictures

[domino harvey]

Jesus, did Tom O'Neill make those picks?

[Jeff]

Sight and Sound's Top Ten, based on a survey of critics (U.K. release date)

1. “Hunger” (Steve McQueen)
2. “There Will Be Blood” (Paul Thomas Anderson)
3. “WALL-E” (Andrew Stanton)
4. “Gomorrah” (Matteo Garrone)
=5. “A Christmas Tale” (Arnaud Desplechin)
=5. “The Class” (Laurent Cantet)
7. “Of Time and the City” (Terence Davies)
8. “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Mike Leigh)
=9. “The Headless Woman” (Lucrecia Martel)
=9. “Let the Right One In” (Tomas Alfredson)

Official Foreign Film Oscar Submissions:

• Afghanistan, “Opium War,” Siddiq Barmak, director
• Albania, “The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider,” Piro Milkani and Eno Milkani, directors
• Algeria, “Masquerades,” Lyes Salem, director
• Argentina, “Lion’s Den,” Pablo Trapero, director
• Austria, “Revanche,” Gotz Spielmann, director
• Azerbaijan, “Fortress,” Shamil Nacafzada, director
• Bangladesh, “Aha!,” Enamul Karim Nirjhar, director
• Belgium, “Eldorado,” Bouli Lanners, director
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Snow,” Aida Begic, director
• Brazil, “Last Stop 174,” Bruno Barreto, director
• Bulgaria, “Zift,” Javor Gardev, director
• Canada, “The Necessities of Life,” Benoit Pilon, director
• Chile, “Tony Manero,” Pablo Larrain, director
• China, “Dream Weavers,” Jun Gu, director
• Colombia, “Dog Eat Dog,” Carlos Moreno, director
• Croatia, “No One’s Son,” Arsen Anton Ostojic, director
• Czech Republic, “The Karamazovs,” Petr Zelenka, director
• Denmark, “Worlds Apart,” Niels Arden Oplev, director
• Egypt, “The Island,” Sherif Arafa, director
• Estonia, “I Was Here,” Rene Vilbre, director
• Finland, “The Home of Dark Butterflies,” Dome Karukoski, director
• France, “The Class,” Laurent Cantet, director
• Georgia, “Mediator,” Dito Tsintsadze, director
• Germany, “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” Uli Edel, director
• Greece, “Correction,” Thanos Anastopoulos, director
• Hong Kong, “Painted Skin,” Gordon Chan, director
• Hungary, “Iska’s Journey,” Csaba Bollok, director
• Iceland, “White Night Wedding,” Baltasar Kormakur, director
• India, “Taare Zameen Par,” Aamir Khan, director
• Iran, “The Song of Sparrows,” Majid Majidi, director
• Israel, “Waltz with Bashir,” Ari Folman, director
• Italy, “Gomorra,” Matteo Garrone, director
• Japan, “Departures,” Yojiro Takita, director
• Jordan, “Captain Abu Raed,” Amin Matalqa, director
• Kazakhstan, “Tulpan,” Sergey Dvortsevoy, director
• Korea, “Crossing,” Tae-kyun Kim, director
• Kyrgyzstan, “Heavens Blue,” Marie Jaoul de Poncheville, director
• Latvia, “Defenders of Riga,” Aigars Grauba, director
• Lebanon, “Under the Bombs,” Philippe Aractingi, director
• Lithuania, “Loss,” Maris Martinsons, director
• Luxembourg, “Nuits d’Arabie,” Paul Kieffer, director
• Macedonia, “I’m from Titov Veles,” Teona Strugar Mitevska, director
• Mexico, “Tear This Heart Out,” Roberto Sneider, director
• Morocco, “Goodbye Mothers,” Mohamed Ismail, director
• The Netherlands, “Dunya & Desie,” Dana Nechushtan, director
• Norway, “O’Horten,” Bent Hamer, director
• Palestine, “Salt of This Sea” Annemarie Jacir, director
• Philippines, “Ploning,” Dante Nico Garcia, director
• Poland, “Tricks,” Andrzej Jakimowski, director
• Portugal, “Our Beloved Month of August,” Miguel Gomes, director
• Romania, “The Rest Is Silence,” Nae Caranfil, director
• Russia, “Mermaid,” Anna Melikyan, director
• Serbia, “The Tour,” Goran Markovic, director
• Singapore, “My Magic,” Eric Khoo, director
• Slovakia, “Blind Loves,” Juraj Lehotsky, director
• Slovenia, “Rooster’s Breakfast,” Marko Nabersnik, director
• South Africa, “Jerusalema,” Ralph Ziman, director
• Spain, “The Blind Sunflowers,” Jose Luis Cuerda, director
• Sweden, “Everlasting Moments,” Jan Troell, director
• Switzerland, “The Friend,” Micha Lewinsky, director
• Taiwan, “Cape No. 7,” Te-Sheng Wei, director
• Thailand, “Love of Siam,” Chookiat Sakveerakul, director
• Turkey, “3 Monkeys,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director
• Ukraine, “Illusion of Fear,” Aleksandr Kiriyenko, director
• United Kingdom, “Hope Eternal,” Karl Francis, director
• Uruguay, “Kill Them All,” Esteban Schroeder, director
• Venezuela, “The Color of Fame,” Alejandro Bellame Palacios, director

[Matt]

Golden Satellite Nominations

Did you ever in your life think you'd see the names Catherine Deneuve, Meryl Streep, and Debra Messing on the same list (except maybe a list of women who have appeared in a movie)?

LOL@Beyonce.

And I just got all excited thinking that Philip Roth actually wrote an original screenplay until I realized it was just another mistake (in fact, two mistakes).

[dadaistnun]

Independent Spirit Award nominees:

Best feature
"Ballast"
"Frozen River"
"Rachel Getting Married"
"Wendy and Lucy"
"The Wrestler"

Best director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Tom McCarthy, "The Visitor"

Best first feature
"Afterschool"
"Medicine for Melancholy"
"Sangre De Mi Sangre"
"Sleep Dealer"
"Synecdoche, New York"

Best screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre De Mi Sangre"

Best female lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"

Best male lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best supporting female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"

Best supporting male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"

Best cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crawley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"

Best documentary
"The Betrayal"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"Man on Wire"
"The Order of Myths"
"Up the Yangtze"

Best foreign film
"The Class" (France)
"Gomorra" (Italy)
"Hunger" (U.K./Ireland)
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)

Robert Altman Award
"Synecdoche, New York"

[Jeff]

Independent Spirit Award nominees

Surprised that the Altman Award didn't go to Rachel, ouch to Aranofsky being left off of director, shame about Tomei's snub -- she was awesome in every way.

[lacritfan]

Independent Spirit Award nominees

Surprised that the Altman Award didn't go to Rachel, ouch to Aranofsky being left off of director, shame about Tomei's snub -- she was awesome in every way.

Not to mention Milk for pic and Gus Van Sant for director. It would seem like they're saying Milk is too mainstream to be independent so give the other little guys a chance but then why all the other noms (Penn, Franco, Savides, first screenplay)?

[exte]

Isn't that the same garbage mentality Sundance judges had with Reservoir Dogs?

[knives]

Yeah, never trust judges, too biased

[chaddoli]

John Waters' Top Ten:

1 Sorry, it’s a tie: (A) Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen) Does anybody not think this is the best American movie of the year (even though it was made in Spain)? Come on, it’s got a great script, the actors look like real movie stars, and Woody Allen films Scarlett Johansson with the same obsession Paul Morrissey had for Joe Dallesandro. Gives heterosexuality a good name! (B) Love Songs (Christophe Honoré) I may be the only person who would pick this as the best foreign-language movie of the year, but what do I care if you don’t like this hipper-than-thou bisexual French musical? When the sexy, smart-ass characters burst into songs about brain tumors, saliva, and human sandwiches, I get all teary inside and realize that this is the only romantic comedy I’ve ever really loved.

2 Mister Lonely (Harmony Korine) A Marilyn Monroe look-alike lures a Michael Jackson impersonator to an island that is sort of like a cinematic Jonestown without the suicide, except for nuns who jump out of a plane piloted by Werner Herzog. Korine’s most fully realized movie doesn’t copy anybody.

3 Savage Grace (Tom Kalin) Julianne Moore in the best Isabelle Huppert role of the year. When a bad mother with good clothes fucks her sexy son, we feel downright criminal in our celluloid enjoyment.

4 Man on Wire (James Marsh) To see Philippe Petit lie down on the tightrope strung between the World Trade Center buildings as the police attempt to arrest him is to experience the most joyous defiance of the law ever seen on film.

5 The Last Mistress (Catherine Breillat) A brilliant costume drama that gets down on its tripod to worship the amazingly pillowy lips of its male lead, Fu’ad Aït Aattou. The most seductively sexual on-screen storytelling since Salò.

6 My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin) I remain frozen in admiration of this homegrown masterpiece from the most reluctantly radical and humorously tortured maverick working in the movies today.

7 The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky) The director may be channeling the Dardenne brothers, but Mickey Rourke eerily reminds me of Jean Marais bringing beauty to the Beast in Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête. Just imagine Mickey’s Oscar speech!

8 Taxi to the Dark Side (Alex Gibney) Once you see this documentary about an Afghan cabbie who was at the wrong place at the wrong time in the US war on terror, you’ll feel like rioting in the streets. Go ahead. Turn over a car. It’s good for you.

9 Milk (Gus Van Sant) Sean Penn’s amazing performance as Harvey Milk will make everybody in America have a gay agenda. I also salute the director’s restraint in not showing Dan White eating Twinkies.

10 Cassandra’s Dream (Woody Allen) Colin Farrell’s best performance ever as a guilt-ridden murderer who lets his remorse eat him alive. And I’m certainly not sorry to tell you the critics were wrong on this one.

[domino harvey]

John Waters' Top Ten:

10 Cassandra’s Dream (Woody Allen) Colin Farrell’s best performance ever as a guilt-ridden murderer who lets his remorse eat him alive. And I’m certainly not sorry to tell you the critics were wrong on this one.

=D> When the man's right, he's right =D>

[knives]

John Waters' Top Ten:

9 Milk (Gus Van Sant) I also salute the director’s restraint in not showing Dan White eating Twinkies.

=D> I also noticed this. =D>

[Barmy]

I stopped reading when I saw the words Cassandra and Milk.

[domino harvey]

So you stopped reading the article at the end of the article?

[Barmy]

No, I always read top 10 lists from the bottom up, to preserve the suspense. I was afraid that the word Mamma would show up, so I stopped.

[Antoine Doinel]

The Dark Campaign. Pretty lame, but the poster on the bottom on the page is pretty cool.