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I'm very impressed with the trailer, and frankly I'm with them on the issue.

I suppose, but if any movie this year needs a grassroots campaign, The Dark Knight isn't it.

The National Board of Review, spreading the wealth as usual...

Film: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Director: David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Actor: Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino"
Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Foreign Language Film: "Mongol"
Documentary: "Man On Wire"
Animated Feature: "Wall-E"
Ensemble Cast: "Doubt"
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Dev Patel, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Directorial Debut: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Original Screenplay: Nick Schenk, "Gran Torino"
Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire and Eric Roth, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Spotlight Award: Melissa Leo, Frozen River and Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
The BVLGARI Award for NBR Freedom of Expression: "Trumbo"

TOP TEN FILMS
* "Burn After Reading"
* "Changeling"
* "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
* "The Dark Knight"
* "Defiance"
* "Frost/Nixon"
* "Gran Torino"
* "Milk"
* "Wall-E"
* "The Wrestler"

That is the worst list of anything I have ever read.

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

It's not in my top 5, but quality-wise, it's not an offensive pick. Ledger's perf is the best antagonist of the year.

Pragmatically, I just don't know what to think when the Academy finally decides to nominate one of Hollywood's comic book films. The Oscar is political and "meaningless" of course, but it still can raise awareness and DVD sales. With specialty divisions in bad shape, indie film in worse shape, and respect for original screenplays in the worst of shapes, I fear for the future if the studios start putting their marketing budgets for prestige behind their tent pole superhero flicks.

Barmy wrote:That is the worst list of anything I have ever read.

At least they didn't give Benjamin Button an Original Screenplay nod.

Jeff wrote:The National Board of Review, spreading the wealth as usual...

Slumdog is actually kinda radical for the staid NBor, I woulda expected Nixon/Frost or Doubt from them.

Roger Ebert on the 20 best films of the year.

In brief:

• Ballast
• The Band's Visit
• Che
• Chop Shop
• The Dark Knight
• Doubt
• The Fall
• Frost/Nixon
• Frozen River
• Happy-Go-Lucky
• Iron Man
• Milk
• Rachel Getting Married
• The Reader
• Revolutionary Road
• Shotgun Stories
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Synecdoche, New York
• W.
• WALL•E

2008 was a great year for movies?

domino harvey wrote:2008 was a great year for movies?

News to me too. Attributable, I think, to Ebert's new-found joie de vivre. For me, this is the worst year since '96.

I like Ebert, but this year sucked. There were a few great films, but as a whole, I'm disappointed.

I just came from the IDA Awards. Their Feature Documentary Award winner (chosen by a select jury) was a tie:
Man on Wire and Waltz with Bashir.
I personally think it was a good pick. I thought both were great, and couldn't tell you how to pick one.

I have to say though that it is heartening that Ebert is out there at least attempting to bring some recognition to films such as Ballast, Shotgun Stories and Chop Shop while the standard awards committees will completely ignore them and instead hand out trophies to overblown studio shite like Benjamin Button.

David Denby, The New Yorker

Defiance
Rachel Getting Married
The Class
The Wrestler
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Wall-E
Milk
Trouble the Water
Revolutionary Road
I've Loved You So Long

And so it begins.

Good for Ledger? It almost seems pointless since he can't be aware of it. Sucks none of these critics seem to remember Boy A, I thought that was the best film this year (especially as far as script goes)

On the difficulty of positioning Heath Ledger for an Oscar.

knives wrote:Sucks none of these critics seem to remember Boy A, I thought that was the best film this year (especially as far as script goes)

Did that get a cinema release? It's a British made-for-TV movie.

GaryC wrote:Did that get a cinema release? It's a British made-for-TV movie.

It did in the US: a small, brief mid-year release from the Weinsteins.

That was made-for-tv? The quality is beyond the typical for that. I think it was released in twenty theaters over here in the states.

Washington D.C. Film Critics

Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire/Fox Searchlight
Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (Doubt)
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Original Screenplay: Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Animated: Wall∙E/Disney&Pixar
Best Documentary: Man on Wire/Magnolia Pictures
Best Foreign Film: Let the Right One In/Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing
Best Ensemble: Doubt/Miramax
Best Breakthrough: Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire)
Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button/Paramount

So I guess Slumdog Millionaire is gonna be the thing

domino harvey wrote:So I guess Slumdog Millionaire is gonna be the thing

Looks that way.

Evil dickhead Lou Lumenick, New York Post

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Wall-E
3. Milk
4. A Christmas Tale
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Iron Man
7. Revolutionary Road
8. The Visitor
9. Synecdoche, New York
10. Waltz With Bashir

Kyle Smith, New York Post

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Man On Wire
3. Seven Pounds
4. The Dark Knight
5. Four Months, Three Weeks And Two Days
6. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
7. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
8. Doubt
9. Rachel Getting Married
10. Funny Games

Jeff wrote:

domino harvey wrote:So I guess Slumdog Millionaire is gonna be the thing

Looks that way.

I think it's still kinda early, if the LA and NY critics give it to SM then it will definitely be on a roll.

From the way it looks NY critics are going to go with Slumdog or they may go with Revolutionary Road or The Wrestler but I have a feeling they are going to go with Slumdog. Someone was talking about that they may go with Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin, or Doubt but I think that Slumdog is going to be the film they are going to go with. As for LA critics it's going to be Milk hands down because of the prop 8 battle. I thought for sure one of the critics groups would go with Che for best picture, but it doesn't look like thats going to happening at all.