The best movies of the decade

I just had to do this post, I had to. So these were the very best movies of the decade IMO.
1. The Lives of the Others
2. The Pianist
3. Children of Men
4. Wall-E
5. Sideways
6. Brokeback Mountain
7. Requiem for a Dream
8. No Country for Old Men
9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
10. Just Sex and Nothing Else (Csak szex és más semmi; Hungarian movie, just awesome)

Also loved (not in preferential order): In the Bedroom, Avatar, Little Miss Sunshine, Stranger than Fiction, Talk to Her, Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky, Frost/Nixon, Love Actually, Hotel Ruanda, Slumdog Millionaire, Pan's Labirynth, Hukkle (Hungarian movie), Freedom and Love (Hungarian movie), Corpse Bride

Happy new year/decade! :-)

Review: Tender Mercies (1983)

This was a very good movie (thanks again for the link), which was thought-provoking, moving and very subtle. Actually I'm very surprised that it received the Oscar attention it certainly deserved.
It's about Mac Sledge, a heavy boozer ex-country singer (Robert Duvall) who meets a young widow (Tess Harper), who runs a motel and a gas station. He asks for a job at her, she agrees and very soon they end up being married. But the desire to return to singing still lives in Mac.
The screenplay by Horton Foote is flawless, I've always loved his works such as To Kill a Mockingbird and A Trip to Bountiful and this writing is not an exception. It avoids sentimental or over-the-top situations, it's subtle and yet very emotional and moving. So Oscar deserved.
The same thing applies to the performances: Tess Harper as Rosa Lee is exceptional. She creates a kind-hearted and simple woman, who gives a meaning to Mac's life, who's his comfort and wife. I think her acting was nomination-worthy.
Everyone is very good, but still: this is Robert Duvall's movie. He's so good, in fact this is one of the most inexplainable decisions made by the Academy: he's so subtle, he has no, I mean NO so-called "Oscar moments", the character is not very baity either, but he manages to capture the pain of this person so well, that it's thrilling. He received most of the awards that year and the coveted Academy Award very well-deservedly, but I'm still shocked, because this is not the kind of performance that they go for. But this proves that the Academy is not only political and give awards only to biopics, but sometimes the very best performance is able to win.
I nearly forgot to praise the excellent direction of Bruce Beresford. This guy knows something, because he makes such beautiful movies like this or Driving Miss Daisy. These films both prove that not only hard-hitting, tough dramas can break your heart and make you think and that small films can have a huge impact on you.
So to sum up: exceptional work deserving of the Best Picture nomination.
My Grade: 8.5/10
Nominations: Best Picture; Best Director (Bruce Beresford); Best Actor (Robert Duvall, WON); Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (WON); Best Original Song (WON)
My wins: Best Actor YAY and Screenplay

Review: Blue Sky (1994)

[First of all I'd like to say thanks again to Sage for sending me the link.]
Since I watched A Touch of Class, I know that I should not judge by imdb message boards saying "WORST WINNER EVER". Someone is always someone's worst winner so who know? But the movie was also a pleasant surprise.
The movie is about Carly (Lange), the emotionally unbalanced wife of a tough, but kind Army engineer Hank (Tommy Lee Jones). Their family moves to a military base, and she becomes part of a cover-up involving nuclear bomb tests.
Although the movie was completed in 1991, it could only come out in 1994, after the death of Tony Richardson. This was due to the bankruptcy of Orion Pictures. And I'm happy that it was not released in 1991, because than Jessica Lange would have had to compete against Jodie Foster in The Silence of The Lambs and the women from Thelma and Louise.
It's luck, because Lange's performance in Blue Sky is undoubtably worthy of the win. At the beginning her performance seemed to be over the top, but when I felt that I just paused the movie and tried to concentrate on it. And boy it was worth trying. After that, Lange gifted me with a thrilling performance, which is still in my mind and I guess it will be for a long time. Her phone scene with her husband or her meltdown were so thrilling that I was speechless. But I also must add that I understand those who dislike this performance, because it's a very hard one to handle and it's not a typical Oscar-winning performance, but I'm very happy that she won.
Tommy Lee Jones also gives an excellent performance as Hank, at least much better than those performances when he creates the biggest assholes in the world (The Fugitive and The Client). I think he could have received an Oscar nomination. Maybe.
Academy Award nominee Claire Snodgress gives a very memorable and strong performance as Vera, whose husband SPOILER!!! sleeps with Carly.
There are also some good turns by the young cast members Amy Locane and Chris O'Donell.
The story and the directing were very decent even though I would have expected much more from the director who created The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner or Tom Jones. But the movie itself is also quite enjoyable and it never slows down or becomes boring.
So I think people should watch this movie to see Jessica Lange's terrific and strange turn, but apart from her acting Blue Sky is not a special piece.
My Grade: 7/10
Nomination: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jessica Lange WON)
My wins: Lange for Best Actress

OSCAR SHOW

I don't have high expetation from the show, because the producer is the director of Hairspray. I just hope that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will do their best. But now I have a very serious question: who would you like to be the presenter of Best Picture? I have one favorite and let me tell who this person is.
Jane Fonda: Would not it be awesome to see her again at the Oscars? She is still a huge star, even though she semi-retired. Although I'm not a huge fan of hers, I had a thought that she would be an awesome presenter of Best Picture, but her chances to become one this year is very slim.
Who do you want to present Best Picture?

I need your help...

Can you help me by giving links to any of these movies? Thanks a lot!
Coming Home, Shampoo, Mrs Brown, Blue Sky, Morning Glory, Tender Mercies, Kiss of the Spide Woman, Min and Bill

Smackdown

The category is Best Supporting Actor and the year is 2008. So, it's the most fresh I could find.
My ranking:
1.Josh Brolin in Milk: Although I disliked Milk (I'm not homophobic I just did not like it that's all), I was amazed by Josh Brolin's subtle and frightening. He played Dan White, the man who assasinated Harvey Milk. I just wanted to see more of Brolin, he was sooooo good, he had 10 or 15 minutes of screentime, but he was doing wonders. And his scene when he's preparing himself to kill Milk is astonishing. Playing a mentally ill person in this way takes a courageous actor and Josh Brolin nailed this part. If Heath Ledger hadn't died, Brolin would have won hands down.
2.Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder: This movie was so much FUN. Pure fun from the beginning to the end and although some may find it tasteless and disgusting I think it totally found the perfect balance between funny and disgusting. So did Robert Downey Jr. This is not a typical baity role, but he's simply hilaious as Kirk Lazarus, the big-faced actor. I don't know he reminded me of Russel Crowe so much. Excellent work.
3.Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt: Wow, I really loved Doubt from the beginning to the end. I think it is a fascinating and underrated movie with terrific turns by the female cast. But I think Hoffman's role is not as baity as it seems. This movie rather relies on the women and Hoffman is not given very much to do in my opinion. Despite that he gives a very charismatic and stron performance.
4.Heath Ledger: I really miss Heath Ledger and I liked The Dark Knight, but this was really not an Oscar-worthy performance. I don't think that the Academy made the right decision, because what is he going to do with that award? I think most people are simply amazed by villians talking slowly and being "subtle", other examples are Javier Bardem and future Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz. I think in these cases people love the characters and the dialogues more than the actual performance, so that's why I think that they keep sweeping the awards.
5.Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road: Oh, this was such a booooooooooring movie and I think that Michael Shannon was just overacting in it. Again this is a kind of overacting which finds its audience who say it's brilliant, wonderful, but for me it was nothing memorable.

My favorite nominees...

I read an interesting entry on Sage Slowdive's blog about the Best Best Actress nominees. And I thought that it's a list that must have been a great fun to make, but I haven't seen all of them so I can only pick some who I really liked. I wanted to do Best Actor, but I have seen more nominees from this category. I marked with a * those who should have won in my opinion. So my favorite nominees are:
1936: Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey*
1937: Irene Dunne in The Awful Truth*
1939: Greta Garbo in Ninotchka
1940: Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story
1941: Bette Davis in The Little Foxes*
1943: Ingrid Bergman in For Whom The Bell Tolls
1944: Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity
1946: Celia Johnson in Brief Encounter*
1947: Rosalind Russel in Mourning Becomes Electra*
1948: Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry, Wrong Number
1950: Bette Davis in All About Eve
1950: Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard*
1954: Judy Garland in A Star is Born*
1958: Elizabeth Taylor in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
1959: Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly, Last Summer
1959: Elizabeth Taylor in Suddenly, Last Summer
1960: Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment
1961: Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's
1962: Katharine Hepburn in A Long Day's Journey into Night
1962: Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
1962: Lee Ramick in Days of Wine and Roses
1962: Geraldine Page in The Sweet Bird of Youth (yes, all of them)
1964: Anne Bancroft in The Pumpkin Eater*
1965: Julie Andrews in Th Sound of Music
1965: Elizabeth Hartman in A Patch of Blue
1966: Ida Kaminska in The Shop on the Main Street
1967: Anne Bancroft in The Graduate
1967: Dame Edith Evans in The Whisperers*
1969: Jane Fonda in They Shoot Horses, don't they?
1974: Gena Rowlands in A Woman Under Influence*
1974: Faye Dunaway in Chinatown
1976: Liv Ullman in Face to Face
1977: Marsha Mason in The Goodbye Girl
1977: Jane Fonda in Julia
1978: Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata*
1980: Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People
1981: Diane Keaton in Reds*
1981: Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's Woman
1982: Jessica Lange in Frances
1983: Meryl Streep in Silkwood*
1983: Julie Walters in Educating Rita
1985: Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple*
1986: Sigourney Weaver in Aliens
1987: Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction*
1988: Meryl Streep in A Cry in the Dark
1988: Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons*
1991: Susan Sarandon & Geena Davis in Thelma And Louise
1995: Elisabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas
1996: Brenda Blethyn in Secrets and Lies*
1998: Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth*
2000: Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream*
2001: Sissy Spacek in In the Bedroom
2004: Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake*
2005: Felicity Huffman in Transamerica*
2006: Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal*
2006: Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
2007: Julie Christie in Away From Her
2008: Melissa Leo in Frozen River*
2008: Meryl Streep in Doubt

Review: An Education

So, let's see... An Education. I really enjoyed this movie and I did not have very high expectations so it did not disappoint me.
It's about a very bright and pretty London schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan), who meets a much older man, David and soon their relationship turns out to be different from what was expected. Just like David himself.
What Oscar does this movie deserve? In my opinion, Best Screenplay (not sure if this is adapted or original), because the writing was so clever and excellent, I really liked the dialogues, but I don't think that it has a chance against the celebrated Up in the Air. We'll see, but I don't hope much.
Who stole the show in the first half? Alfred Molina. Sometimes he could seem to be overacting, but fortunately he found the perfect balance. Unfortunately he does not have very much to do in the second half, except for a very moving scene. I think his nomination is in danger, but I really want him to get it, because his acting was so much fun, and I think he was just as good as Christoph Waltz who keeps sweeping all the awards.
Peter Sarsgaard is good, he's not very memorable, he's just good.
However, there are some great supporting turns: Rosamund Pike gives an excellent and sexy performance as Helen one of the 'branch' of David. Sally Hawkins who should have been nominated for an Oscar last year is also excellent and moving in her 2 minutes or so. Olivia Williams also stands out as the consciencious teacher of Jenny.
There was one disappointment for me however and I did not think that once I would write this down: Emma Thompson gives quite a weak performance as the Headmistress. She's not given much to do, but she doesn't even try.
And now we have got to the main thing about this movie and the most important reason of this review: Carey Mulligan. She gives an excellent, great performance, which is real breakthrough, but in my humble opinion not completely worthy of an Oscar. She has some very powerful scenes in the end. But in some scenes she's overshadowed by Alfred Molina. But I think she's better than Gabby Sidibe, so if I had to choose between them I would pick Mulligan. So I am going to keep rooting for Meryl, but I'm not gonna be surprised or very disappointed if Mulligan wins (maybe a bit). But if this movie came out in 1963 or 1964, she would win hands down. She's great anyhow and if she fails to win this year, she will get it in a couple of years, because she's a great talent.
I guess I'm going to rewatch all the nominees before the ceremony, but unless Sandra Bullock gives a hell of a performance in The Blind Side, I will pick Meryl and not because of my fondness towards her, I just feel she's worthy.
I don't know I feel that this review is quite incomplete, but we have to make to do with it.
My Grade: 8/10
Possible nominations: Best Picture; Best Actress; Best Supporting Actor (Alfred Molina); Best Screenplay (Adapted?); Best Costume Design maybe or Score, hell I'm not good at predicting the technical awards.

If I picked the winners...

[I figured out that it's much better if I do only one decade of winners per entry, because the list of the winners is not endless. So...]
The category is Best Actress in a Leading Role and the decade is the 1980s. Let me tell you that this the decade ws probably the best for this category. There are so many worthy nominees (e.g in 1983 and 1988 there are three, in 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985 and 1986 there are two), so this was a hard entry to make but so relaxing.
So my winners are (this time I do runner-ups since the races wer very tight, but I'm not gonna do it on a regular basis):
1980: Sissy Spacek in The Coal Miner's Daughter (happy birthday Sissy)
runner-up: Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People
1981: Diane Keaton in Reds
runner-up:Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's Woman
1982: Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice
runner-up: Jessica Lange in Frances
1983: Meryl Streep in Silkwood
runners-up: Shirley MacLaine in Terms of Endearment & Julie Walters in Educating Rita
1984: Sally Field in Places in the Heart (no runner-ups, this was an awful year)
1985: Geraldine Page in A Trip to Bountiful & Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple
runner-up: Meryl Streep in OUt of Africa
1986: Marlee Matlin in Children of a Lesser God
runner-up: Sigourney Weaver in Aliens (they might change places in time, but now I stick to this)
1987: Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction
runner-up: Cher in Moonstruck
1988: Glenn Close in Dangerous Liaisons
runner-up: Jodie Foster in The Accused (this is rather a tie for me between them)
1989: Jessica Tandy in Driving Misss Daisy
runner-up: Jessica Lange in Music Box (NO MICHELLE PFEIFFER PLEASE THX!!!)

So how do you like them? Are they satisfying to you? Or no? Or do you say 'damn you'?

Happy Holidays!

I wish happy holidays to everyone and everything nice. :-)