Sunday Morning

Starting a might early this year, as there are still a few good films left this year, I will edit my picks as I go along and see the remainder of the years films. Feel free to post yours. These are your own personal picks, no oscar rules have to apply!

*= the best of the bunch


best actor:
nick cage, adaptation
daniel day-lewis, gangs of new york
greg kinnear, auto-focus
*jack nicholson, about schmidt
jason patric, narc
campbell scott, roger dodger
james spader, secretary


best sup. actor:
*alan arkin, 13 conversations about one thing
chris cooper, adaptation
willem dafoe, auto-focus
phillip seymour hoffman, punch drunk love & 25th hour
ray liotta, narc


best actress:
jaqueline bisset, the sleepy time gal
maggie gyllenhaal, secretary
isabelle hupert, the piano teacher
Katherine keener, lovely & amazing
lesley manville, all or nothing
*julianne moore, far from heaven & the hours
meryl streep, adaptation & the hours


best sup. actress:
kathy bates, about schmidt
*edie falco, sunshine state
susan sarandon, igby goes down & moonlight mile
ruth sheen, all or nothing
emily watson, punch drunk love


best screenplay:
about schmidt
all or nothing
auto-focus
lovely and amazing
*punch drunk love
roger dodger
sunshine state


best cinematography:
*far from heaven
femme fatale
punch drunk love
solaris
25th hour
y tu mama tambien


best director:
p.t. anderson, punch drunk love
brian depalma, femme fatale
jean-luc godard, in praise of love
*todd haynes. far from heaven
spike lee, 25th hour
alexander payne, about schmidt
paul schrader, auto-focus

best picture:
*about schmidt *(can't decide which one yet!)
*far from heaven
auto-focus
punch drunk love
25th hour

and perhaps one of these....

the hours
the pianist


best foreign film
in praise of love
monsoon wedding
the piano teacher
*y tu mama tambien


best first film
frailty
roger dodger
scarlet diva
*secretary

jdpatri

Many end-of-the-year films haven't made it down here to Atlanta yet but I hate to let a thread like this make it off the front page without so much as one reply so I'll offer my half-informed opinion.

Best Actor:

Nicholas Cage, Adaptation
James Spader, The Secretary
Hugh Grant, About a Boy
Adam Sandler, Punch Drunk Love


Best Supporting Actor:

Willem Dafoe, Auto Focus
Robin Williams, Insomnia
James Franco, City by the Sea
Paul Newman, Road to Perdition


Best Actress:

Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven
Catherine Keener, Lovely and Amazing
Diane Lane, Unfaithful
Maribel Verdú, Y Tu Mama Tambien

Best Supporting Actress:

Emily Watson, Punch Drunk Love
Brenda Blethyn, Lovely and Amazing
Toni Collette, About a Boy


Best Screenplay:

Charlie Kaufman, Adaptation
Nicole Holofcener, Lovely and Amazing
Paul Thomas Anderson, Punch Drunk Love
Peter Hedges (II) & Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz, About a Boy


Best Cinematography:

Conrad Hall, Road to Perdition
Emmanuel Lubezki, Y Tu Mama Tambien


Best Director:

Spike Jonze, Adaptation
Alfonso Cuaron, Y Tu Mama Tambien
Sam Mendes, Road to Perdition
M. Night Shyamalan, Signs
Todd Haynes, Far From Heaven


Best Picture:

Far From Heaven
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Road to Perdition
Adaptation
About a Boy


Best Foreign Film

Spirited Away
Monsoon Wedding
Y Tu Mama Tambien



...of course 50% will most likely change in the next couple of weeks.... stay tuned...

Pants

Here's my picks, for overall film, so far:

1. The Kid Stays in the Picture
2. Punch Drunk Love
3. Hell House
4. Star Wars Ep. II
5. Dogtown and Z-Boys
6. Shiri
7. K-19
8. Bourne Identity
9. Far From Heaven
10.Jackass: The Movie

...and I don't think it will be released this year, but Bob Gales new movie, Interstate 60, is a hoot.

Worst movie/Biggest disapointment/Missed oportunity, in no particular order:

1. 8 Mile
2. Bowling For Columbine
3. The Importance of Being Earnest
4. Frida
5. Insomnia
6. Frailty

All in all a bad year for animation. Didn't see anything good. But a great year for documentary, I've never had so many docs in my top ten.

CitizenKaneRBud

My choices---

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

*Harrison Ford, K-19: The Widowmaker
*Woody Allen, Hollywood Ending
*Morgan Freeman, The Sum of All Fears
*Edward Norton, Red Dragon
*John Corbett, My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
*Chris Cooper, Bourne Identity
*M. Night Shyamalan, Signs
*Rat Liotta, Narc
*Danny DeVito, Austin Powers: Goldmember
*the computer manufacterer guy, Minority Report

Best Director:
*M. Night Shyamalan, Signs
*Brett Ratner, Red Dragon
*Peter Care, The Dangerous Lives of the Altar Boy
*Steven Spielberg, Minority Report
*Woody Allen, Hollywood Ending

Robert

Best Actor:
*Mel Gibson We Were Soldiers
Mel Gibson Signs
Anthony Hopkins Red Dragon
Ralph Fiennes Red Dragon
Tom Cruise Minority Report

Best Picture:
We Were Soldiers

Best Visual Effects:
Star Wars Episode 2(nothing even comes close; ILM is a shoe-in for the oscar)

Best Director:
*Brian Da Palma Femme Fatale
Steven Spielberg Minority Report
George Lucas Star Wars Episode 2
M Night Shyamalan Signs
Randall Wallace We Were Soldiers

Best Actress:
Rebecca Romijn Stamos Femme Fatale

Best Cinemetography
Dean Semler We Were Soldiers

Best original Score
Nick Glennie Smith We Were Soldiers

Best Supporting Actor
Barry Pepper We Were Soldiers

Best Supporting Actress
Emily Watson Red Dragon

Giles

I agree I found "The Kid Stays in the Picture" an absolutely mesmerizing docu, as well as "Standing in the Shadow of Motown". Even though these films were technically 2001 releases, Washington DC premiers of "Trembling before G-D" and "Promises" were excellent documentary films I saw in 2002.

xDareDevilx

Best Picture:

To End All Wars...but no one saw it, because the studio gave it no promotion!

SO, I would say Igby Goes Down

Best Screebplay: Igby Goes Down

Best Director: P.T. Anderson Punch Drunk Love
THe guy who did 13 convo's about one thing

Best Actor: Adam Sandler PDL

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin 13 convo's

Best Actress: Emily Watson: Red Dragon

Sunday Morning

Updated my picks.

About schmidt was amazing!

Buttmunker

Best Picture - "Gangs of New York"
Best Director - Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York)
Best Actor - Greg Kinnear (Auto Focus)
Best Actress - Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven)
Best Supporting Actor - Ralph Fiennes (Red Dragon)
Best Supporting Actress - Emily Watson (Red Dragon)

Other possible nominees for:
BEST PICTURE
1) Catch Me If You Can
2) About Schmitt
3) Far From Heaven

BEST ACTOR
1) Jack Nicholson (About Schmitt)
2) Leonardo DiCaprio (Catch Me If You Can; Gangs of New York)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1) Tom Hanks (Catch Me If You Can)

lesterlong

Personal Picks! Oh what fun!!

Best Actor
Adam Sandler - Punch Drunk Love
Robin Williams - One Hour Photo !!WINS!!!
Tom Hanks - Road To Perdition
James Van Der Beek - The Rules Of Attraction
Al Pacino - Insomnia

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jude Law - Road To Perdition
Paul Newman - Road To Perdition !!WINS!!
Joaquin Phoenix - Signs

Best Actress
Jennifer Aniston - The Good Girl

Best Actress in a Supporting Role -SKIP

Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson - Punch Drunk Love
M Night Shymalan - Signs !!WINS!!
Roger Avary - The Rules Of Attraction
Sam Mendes - Road To Perdition
Spike Jonze - Adaptation

Best Original Screenplay
Charlie Kauffman - Adaptation !!WINS!!
M Night Shymalan - Signs
Paul Thomas Anderson - Punch Drunk Love

Best Adapted Screenplay -SKIP

Best Song
Eminem - 'Lose Yourself'

Best Picture
The Rules Of Attraction
Punch Drunk Love !!WINS!!
Signs
Road To Perdition

Zodiac_Speaking

Why must Best "whatever" be (most of the time) an obsure title or an artsy movie that a few high brow critics recommend? Why can a movie that entertains us, captures our heart or imagination win?

Best Movie:
Frailty
Spider-Man
Minority Report

Best Actor:
Ed Norton, Red Dragon
Matt Damon, Bourne Identity

Best Actress:
?

Best Cinematography:
Frailty
Two Towers

Best Sound:
Episode II

Oh, well. The academy sucks anyway-the real awards are the people who bought these on DVD, not some doochbags who like some foreign crap. Hurry up MTV movie awards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

raithen

An interesting question and one that is incredibly valid. As far as I'm concerned, critics would rather separate themselves from the masses as they consider themselves a sort of upper class (I like to call it, film aristocracy) compared to the "average" film-goer.

Pretentiousness and pomp abound among the critic echelon. I think a lot of these people have, somewhere along the way, forgotten that film is a medium to entertain the masses - not a select group of film snobs.

God forbid a film such as Fellowship Of The Ring or The Matrix should be hailed as a crowning achievement in cinema.

Instead, we have self-indulgent character piece dramas such as About Schmidt garnering praise - even though the premise behind such films are as derivative and self-serving as any of the critically recognized Hollywood tripe that fills cineplexes across the nation.

That being said, there is always a place for critics - but I feel that, for the most part, they are class that should have a finger on the pulse of society and culture. But frankly, this just isn't the case for the most part...

-matt

Sunday Morning

The best films of the year for me are in fact what I thought were the actual best films of the year.

I don't separate hollywood films from "independent" films or foreign films. Hell, most "independent" films are backed by studio money, anyway.

I appreciate the films that are intelligent and well thought out, that are creative and try to say something interesting wether it's in the storytelling or in it's visuals.

Having said all that I didn't put films like spider-man and minority report, etc in my picks because I thought they were just entertaining and fun films, nothing more.

Not all films should be that intelligent and thought-provoking, but I definetly search for those types and films and they speak to me
on levels that the big budget entertainment doesn't.

I think the important critics (read: important critics) look for the films that had spoken to them on levels other than the thrill ride.


And jonpeters, I would open your mind a little more to foreign films, there is a whole world of cinema out there, doesn't necessarily mean its better than american cinema, but it does exist and shouldnt just be labeled "crap".

Frank TJ Mackey

no lists for me just things that impressed me....

IGBY GOES DOWN
THE GOOD GIRL
FAR FROM HEAVEN
UNFAITHFUL (Diane Lane)
ABOUT A BOY (Hugh Grant and screenplay)
The Piano Teacher
Y TU MAMA
PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE
FRAILTY
ROBIN WILLIAMS, AL PACINO and PAUL NEWMAN for their work this year.
SUSAN SARANDON finally was terrific in IGBY and MOONLIGHT MILE.
MINORITY REPORT was about as good as it gets as far as those big-azz summer type of movies. it was complex, dark and exciting.
13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING (mini-magnolia)
GREEK WEDDING (finally i really liked a movie that your mother would love)
WE WERE SOLDIERS - thought it would suck but ended up thinking it was amazing....solid war film.
ROGER DODGER - Campbell Scott was outstanding.
SECRETARY - Maggie Gyllenhaal & Spader gave nice performances in a comedy that turned serious and quite effective.
RULES OF ATTRACTION - it could've been much better but there were still some great comedy in it.

raithen

Excuse me, I didn't realize there were "important critics".

-matt

darius

Best Film:
Gangs of New York

Best Director
Martin Scorcese, Gangs of New York

Best Actor
Adam Sandler, Punchdrunk Love

Best Actress
Nicole Kidman, The Hours

Best Supporting Actor
Ian McKellen, The Two Towers

Best Supporting Actress
Catherine Daneuve, 8 Femmes

Best Original Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman and Spike Jonze - Adaptation

Best Adapted Screenplay
Nick Hornby and Peter Hedges, About a Boy

Best Foreign Film
Hero

Pants

Last time I checked no one here was a published, prefessional critic. We are just casual film fans. If our taste run away from the mainstream it's because we like the film. Also you'll notice that many of our lists contain American blockbusters and foriegn, independents and docs. I at least try to be balanced. My list contains a little of everything, and I think everyone can find something on it they enjoy. Should my list contain ONLY blockbuster American films? Should my list contain ONLY exotic foriegn and obscure independent films? I think the answer to both questions is NO. I have big American movies on my list, but I don't have Spiderman or Frailty because I thought they were not good movies.

My list:
1. The Kid Stays in the Picture
2. Punch Drunk Love
3. Hell House
4. Star Wars Ep. II
5. Dogtown and Z-Boys
6. Shiri
7. K-19
8. Bourne Identity
9. Far From Heaven
10.Jackass: The Movie

jdpatri

How many nominations did Lord of the Rings earn? The critical mass has most definitely embraced the Lord of the Rings films.

While a noble concept, your statement, in many ways accurate, fails to mention one important point about the nature of the masses' taste in films. Your "masses" generally prefer films that lack any sort of intellectual involvement (and apparently aspire to turn every DVD into pan and scan). There's nothing wrong with escapist fare as long as it aspires to something greater than making money and producing sequels.

Your specific examples were whole-heartedly praised among the critical community as being benchmarks in cinema. Even the "critics" who reviewed The Matrix poorly still commended its technical innovation. Your mention of Lord of the Rings as previously stated should be rendered completely false unless you judge a film's success by the one statue to rule them all. So Lord of the Rings didn't win Best Picture... the reasons for which were as political as anything else. IMHO, A Beautiful Mind was an utterly average film, that lacked innovative direction and sold its subject material short for the sake of ill conceived melodrama... but that's another essay for another day. I would have picked Moulin Rouge or Lord of the Rings any day.

These "film snob" movies, to which you refer, I'm sure include many that made my list... Far From Heaven, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Adaptation and perhaps Lovely and Amazing come to mind.

Rounding out my top ten of the year, you'll find Minority Report, Signs and even Ice Age.

I'm a movie fan... cinephile... I've been called "film snob" upon many occasions because I'm blunt, honest and not afraid to call a movie "crap" even if everyone else loves it and it made 3 billion dollars at the box office.... but I won't fault someone for not-seeing what I see if they honestly open their mind.

I have a problem with those among the "masses" who:

1) Refuse to read subtitles "because it's too much work"
2) Think "independent" merely equals someone who wasn't good enough to get paid
3) Don't care who wrote or directed a movie
4) Believe Hollywood does everything better
5) Confuse personal taste with quality. ie "Signs was the worst movie of the year. It was so boring."

...the last one, drives me up the wall. If for one moment you think that Signs was worse than Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever or Rollerball, I'm having you deported. You may not enjoy it... but at least be able to acknowledge, for the lack of a better word, the craftsmanship behind it.

What was the point of this mini-diatribe? Who knows anymore, I'm tired, it's Monday and I'm just writing stuff so as not to do work.... ...maybe I'm just bitter that Buena Vista keeps hacking up foreign movies because that's "what the market demands" ...aka "the masses" strike again.

jdpatri

...I'm published... just not professional.

wordtoyamotha

Amen. What's wrong with having a widely loved film receiving awards?

Pants

Last time I checked almost every single Acadamy award goes to popular, successful, and widely loved films. Or is Gladiator not big enough for you?

jdpatri

They're not as bad as the Grammy's... but the Academy's choices for Best Picture are often skewed by box office success...

The major acting categories are largely political; the minor (Supporting) largely sentimental.

Giles

Have yet to see "Two Towers" (tomorrow), but I found the cinematography of "Far From Heaven" to be astonishing.

Sunday Morning

updated picks.

Buttmunker

"Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings" was nominated for Best Picture of 2001, as well as the film's director Peter Jackson. A mere nomination in two major categories aren't good enough? Poor "Harry Potter" didn't get one.

I'm not always in agreement to the winners and/or nominations of pictures for Oscars, but I will say that "The Matrix" certainly didn't deserve one. It was technically entertaining, but it didn't have great acting. I think one has to analyze what makes an Oscar-worthy picture. Is it special effects or an overall mood? 1977's Best Picture was "Annie Hall," a comedy by Woody Allen. This won over the technical splender of "Star Wars," a science-fiction piece by George Lucas. Did "Annie Hall" deserve to win over "Star Wars?" "Annie Hall" is not a likely winner because it isn't an epic, and it isn't heavy. And there's nary a special effect in sight. "Star Wars" was surely epic, and it had the best special effects for its time.

With that said, I am hearing great things about the sequel to "Lord of the Rings." It is possible that "The Two Towers" may pick up a nod for Best Picture - which would make it the first sequel since 1974's "The Godfather, Part II" to pick up an Oscar nomination.

That alone should gratify Raithen.