It's a time for winter wonderlands, chestnuts roasting, Jack FrostÖoh, and bleak, depressing movies. Yes, it's Oscar season again, and this year seems to be especially dark: razor-happy barbers, psychopathic killers, tragic misunderstandings, greed, corruption, and blood, lots of blood. Happy winter, everyone!
Each year around this time, I look at movies that are getting mention for best picture nominations, and make my predictions. Once again, not every film made it to Lexington in time to make my list for this month's issue, most notably "There Will Be Blood." But among those that did, here are the ones with the most Oscar buzz.
American Gangster
Director Ridley Scott chronicled the life of Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas in the late '60s and early '70s. Crisply paced, with explosive moments of violence, this was a well-executed crime tale. It broke no new ground as the saga of the rise and fall of a ruthless mob boss, but was noteworthy because of the performance by Denzel Washington as Lucas. Washington makes it look so easy that we take him for granted. But, if we were seeing him for the first time, we would be in awe.
Atonement
If any movie seemed to push all the right Oscar buttons, it was this one: romance in an English country mansion, false accusations, separated lovers, and World War II. This was an outstanding piece of filmmaking, exemplified by an amazing tracking shot of the British troops stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk that tells a rich story of the devastation of war with one long take and hardly a word spoken. My problems: I never believed the chemistry between the lovers, Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. And the ultimate atonement for the injury suffered was, for me, sorely lacking.
Charlie Wilson's War
Fans of TV's "West Wing" found themselves right at home with Aaron Sorkin's lightning-fast dialogue and literate script in "Charlie Wilson's War." This Mike Nichols-directed film took a behind-the-scenes look at U.S. support for the Afghans in their war with the Russians in the 1980s, an effort spearheaded by real-life U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson. Tom Hanks, as the partying Texas Congressman who discovers a cause, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as his cocky CIA cohort, were super. But the picture's major accomplishment was in revealing a page of our history with so many unintended consequences today.
Juno
This quirky little comedy-pitched as this year's "Little Miss Sunshine"-definitely stood out among all the downers. But presenting the topic of teen pregnancy with humor and poignant seriousness is quite a balancing act. "Juno" tried, with mixed results. Ellen Page's performance as the hip, but vulnerable 16-year-old Juno is a treat to watch, even though her lines at times sounded a little too knowing. Like real life, "Juno" was a mixture of emotions, but at its best when it wasn't trying so hard to be funny.
Michael Clayton
A high-stakes class action lawsuit, secret corporate documents, and a whacked-out lawyer-turned-whistleblower all combined to create a first-class suspense thriller. George Clooney, the law firm's fixer who finds himself at the middle of the mess, turned in a steely and understated performance. Tony Gilroy's script was taut and entertaining throughout as it transformed the boardroom and the big city into a stage for Clayton's crisis of the soul.
No Country for Old Men
Clearly the most disturbing of the Oscar contenders was the Coen Brothers' "No Country for Old Men." It was an absolutely harrowing and heart-pounding journey into human wrongdoing. I was pulled in by its violent life-or-death struggle with a villain unlike any I've ever seen, a true angel of death eerily portrayed by Javier Bardem. After thinking you have this movie all figured out, the Coens pulled the rug out from under you. There will be debates about the evil that permeates this film, which is not for the weak of heart. But there is no debating that this film stays with you long after the credits roll.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
A musical based on a throat-slitting barber was revolutionary when it first appeared on Broadway in 1979. It was still jarring in this movie version directed by Tim Burton. If any director was up to the task, it was Burton. He created a dreary London of rats and bugs, con men and perverts, where the blood flow-and there was plenty-was almost comic relief. Still, I never quite warmed to the music or the singing of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Burton's vision of Sondheim's musical, like Mrs. Lovett's pies, was an acquired taste and required a strong stomach.
Should Win
A favorite of mine from 2007 was "3:10 to Yuma," which breathed new life into the familiar Western formula. An exciting trek across Apache country became the personal odyssey of one man to find the courage to be a hero. Also, at the top of my list, as strange as it may seem, was "Lars and the Real Girl," the story of a young man who falls in love with an inflatable doll. It was not a locker-room joke, but rather a modern-day Frank Capra movie, with an entire town turning out to support a troubled loved one. In a year of decidedly dark movies, "Lars" was a charming parable about love and acceptance.
But among the movies that actually have a chance of making the best picture finalists, "No Country for Old Men" had the greatest impact on me. Even after all the movies that came after it, I still couldn't shake "No Country." It took audiences down some godforsaken roads to come face to face with evil, an image that wasn't easily forgotten. There was enough suspense and shockers to rival a dozen Hitchcock pictures. And it delighted in never letting its audience off the hook.
Will Win
This year, Academy voters will nominate films where blood plays a prominent role. But when it comes to picking the best of '07, I predict they will choose the tragic lovers and epic scope of the British wartime drama "Atonement" to receive the Best Picture Oscar.
Barring any disruption from the writers' strike, the 80th Academy Awards will be presented in L.A.'s Kodak Theatre on Sunday, February 24. It will be broadcast on ABC-TV (WTVQ Channel 36 in Lexington) at 8 p.m.