Finally! My Favorite Films Of '08*

Updated Today*

* (i'd be remiss not to update having just seen the brilliant 'i've loved you so long')

'SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE' LIVES UP TO THE HYPE

I HATE GOING TO A FILM THAT HAS BEEN HYPED AND REWARDED AS THIS ONE HAS.
THERE IS A GENERAL LETDOWN FOR ME.

NOT IN THIS CASE. THIS FILM IS DIFFERENT, UNEXPECTED AND NOTHING SHORT OF BRILLIANT.

WITH A FEW MOVIES LEFT TO GO I NOW PUT THIS AS FRONT RUNNER FOR BEST DIRECTOR.

'THE READER' STILL HAS MY VOTE FOR BEST PICTURE.
BOTH DESERVE TO BE AWARDED IN EVERY WAY THOUGH.

'Revolutionary Road'

And now there is brilliance. The desolution of a marriage right before our eyes as directed by Sam Mendes.
Two brilliant performances: Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio.
Leo has become a man. Leo is becoming one of our finest actors.
Kate? What more can I say? I still wonder how she does it. How does she go so deep inside herself to create such real and in this case tortured and believable characters.

Kate the Great is no longer named Hepburn but Winslet.
This film is a ready made classic.
Run. Just run to a theatre and see it.
This is no picnic though. This is a rough, tough, soul wrenching film.
This is not 'Titanic'. This is not Rose and Jack. This is April and Frank who bear no resemblance to Rose and Jack at all.

I must note an exceptional performance by Michael Shannon as the disturbed none to sane John Givings. But maybe he is the sanest of all. And just maybe there is no maybe about it.

*(kate deservedly won the golden globe this past sunday night as best actress for this film)

Kate The Great Times Two!!!

The GOLDEN GLOBES honored Kate Winslet with TWO count them TWO awards last night. Even just one would have been long overdue. So my heartfelt congratulations to Kate. And now I can only hope Oscar finally comes through with at least one. And for the record Hollywood make it the TOP one. I am mad with joy today!!!





THE BEST ACTRESS WIN: 'REVOLUTIONARY ROAD'













THE SUPPORTING ACTRESS WIN: 'THE READER'





















Kate and Leo on 'Revolutionary Road' with Charlie Rose:











And once again the TRAILERS of both 'Revolutionary Road' and 'The Reader':

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Favorite Films: A New Take Starts with 'The Duchess'

I have gotten up to # 13. This is difficult. Numbering them. So from now on I am just going to do my favorites period. That way I can share them sooner or at least with more ease.

This week I saw a few films that in time could make my top ten. So knowing the problem of revising the numbers I am taking this route.

Hope you enjoy and play along with me.

So today I add 'The Duchess' that I just caught up with this weekend.
It amazes me that there is NO Oscar BUZZ for this film.

Ralph Fiennes is amazingly cold without being downright cruel as the husband.
Dominic Cooper is constantly believable as the lover.
Charlotte Rambling swings from concerned mother to the mother from hell without pause.

But this is Keira Knightley's film from beginning to end
She grows from girl to woman before your eyes.
This is her best role to date.
I knew she showed great promise with 'Pride and Prejudice'. Here the promise is fulfilled.
I suggest you rent this at your very first chance.

Judgement At Nuremberg is #13

Nominated for 11 Oscars it won two. Abby Mann for screenplay and the brilliant Maximilian Schell for Best Actor. It could have won more but this was the year of 'West Side Story". Enough said.

Sadly the Oscar winning screenwriter passed away this past week.

The story that needed to be told.












The Trailer



Why Maximilian Schell Won The Oscar!





The Brilliant Montgomery Clift



Marlene Dietrich's :"We Did Not Know"



Judy Garland's Finest Moment On Film



The Verdict



Maxamilian Schell on Oscar night

'Love Actually'

Number 12. We all need a romantic film to sit at home and eat a huge bowl of popcorn while watching. The last years have been devoid of a great guilty pleasure films. The 50's and 60's had them opening weekly. And good ones. Very few recent romantic films will stand the test of time. 'Love Actually' has and will well into the future.

With Colin Firth, Keirs Knightly, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson to name a few of the wonderful ensemle cast you just can't go wrong.

I love this movie and this is the perfect time of the year to rush out and rent it. I promise you that you will actually fall in love with this film.






HOW BEAUTIFUL IS KEIRA KNIGHTLY???


THE STILLS:









MY FAVORITE MOMENTS:

'MAMMA MIA': DVD Tomorrow 12/16

TWO EXTENDED ABBA VIDS THAT ARE NEW TO ME!!!

No. 11 Is a TIE!

The year was 1965.
Although she appeared in a few British films and tv shows it wasn't until '65 that she burst into the universal public's eye.
She is JULIE CHRISTIE.

The films that tie are her Oscar Winning Best Actress performance in 'Darling' and the epic 'Doctor Zhivago".

These two films get this spot because of Julie.

They would be the beginning of a career that lasts till today.
Julie remains one of my favorites.
I thank god for whenever she decides to grace the screen with HER presence.
She really has hated filming these past 20 years but shows up every now and then to remind us how much she is missed!

Just last year she graced us with 'Away From Her'. She should have won the Oscar!!!


'DARLING'

The essential 60's film. THE morals, mores, the decadence or the lack of. Directed by the brilliant John Schlesinger and written by Frederic Rafael this is slice of 60's life at it's best.

The Oscar!

'DOCTOR ZHIVAGO'

Simply put: EPICAL. The likes of which we may never see in the future again. Julie is Lara Antpov caught in the war in Russia and a war in a marriage. She is radiant! Omar Shariff in his born to play role. Alove story that is timeless for all time.