Sammy's Belated Oscar Post

This year, except for Juno and Michael Clayton, I'm viewing most of the Oscar contenders from home. I prefer the big screen, but the two films I just mentioned didn't really require it. I haven't yet seen There Will Be Blood, but I'm pretty sure that one would have played better in the theater--the spewing oil and derrick fires must have exploded off the screen like fireworks.

My pick for Best Picture would probably have gone to Juno, but I did see No Country For Old Men, the winner, and I enjoyed it. But Juno I'll watch many times, not so with No Country. I do want to read the book now because the film left me with so many questions, like: What happened? It kinda reminded me of Fargo, but without the humor.


I think my biggest surprise so far is La Vie En Rose. This is another one I wish I'd seen on the big screen. For me, this film has it all: great (tragic) story, wonderful music, top notch acting, and picturesque settings (Paris, New York, and California). I can, and will, watch this film many times. It reminds me of one of my all time favorites, Amadeus. Marion Cotillard is mesmerizing as Edith Piaf. I was really pulling for Ellen Page on Oscar night, but the statuette ended up where it rightly belongs. What an amazing performance.

Some honorable mentions are: Knocked Up, the funniest movie of last year; Ratatouille and Surf's Up, both fun and funny; Sweeny Todd and Across the Universe, two solid musicals with some stunning visual set pieces; Eastern Promises and No Country for Old Men, both dark and gritty; 3:10 to Yuma and The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford, a pair of Westerns I wasn't expecting to enjoy, but very much did; Into the Wild, great book, good movie; and Sicko, another revealing documentary from Michael Moore.

I'm still waiting for Sideways 2, Capote 2, and the conclusion to A Door In The Floor, but I'm patient, and I'm always on the lookout for good movies.