My Oscar Picks (2006)

BEST PICTURE
The Departed
Little Children
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
Sherrybaby

BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Altman, A Prairie Home Companion
Laurie Collyer, Sherrybaby
Todd Field, Little Children
Richard Linklater, Fast Food Nation
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Brick
Half Nelson
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
Sherrybaby

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Children of Men
The Departed
Fast Food Nation
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal

BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Will Ferrell, Stranger Than Fiction
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Clive Owen, Children of Men
Patrick Wilson, Little Children

BEST ACTRESS
Ivana Baquero, Pan's Labyrinth
Toni Collette, Little Miss Sunshine
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ben Affleck, Hollywoodland
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Matt Damon, The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bridget Barkan, Sherrybaby
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Catalina Sandeno Moreno, Fast Food Nation

BEST ART DIRECTION
Children of Men
Curse of the Golden Flower
Dreamgirls
Hollywoodland
Pan's Labyrinth

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Children of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Pan's Labyrinth
The Prestige

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Curse of the Golden Flower
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Hollywoodland
Marie Antoinette

BEST FILM EDITING
Babel
Children of Men
The Departed
Little Miss Sunshine
Sherrybaby

BEST MAKEUP
Dreamgirls
Hollywoodland
Nanny McPhee
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Little Children
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
Sherrybaby
United 93

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Listen" from Dreamgirls
"Never Gonna Break My Faith" from Bobby
"Not Ready to Make Nice" from Shut Up and Sing
"Some Kind of Heaven" from Sherrybaby
"We Need to Wake Up" from An Inconvenient Truth

BEST SOUND
Blood Diamond
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Letters from Iwo Jima
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
Casino Royale
Children of Men
Flags of Our Fathers
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Charlotte's Web
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon
V for Vendetta

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
Cars
Flushed Away
Monster House
Over the Hedge
A Scanner Darkly

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Deliver Us from Evil
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Shut Up and Sing

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
L'Enfant
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver
Water

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NUMBER OF NOMINATIONS PER MOVIE:

Pan's Labyrinth - 10 nominations (BEST PICTURE NOMINEE)
The Departed - 8 nominations (BEST PICTURE NOMINEE)
Little Children - 8 nominations (BEST PICTURE NOMINEE)
Sherrybaby - 8 nominations (BEST PICTURE NOMINEE)
Children of Men - 7 nominations
Little Miss Sunshine - 7 nominations (BEST PICTURE NOMINEE)
Dreamgirls - 5 nominations
Hollywoodland - 4 nominations
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - 4 nominations
The Devil Wears Prada - 3 nominations
Fast Food Nation - 3 nominations
Curse of the Golden Flower - 2 nominations
Half Nelson - 2 nominations
Notes on a Scandal - 2 nominations
Shut Up and Sing - 2 nominations
Babel - 1 nomination
Blood Diamond - 1 nomination
Bobby - 1 nomination
Brick - 1 nomination
Cars - 1 nomination
Casino Royale - 1 nomination
Charlotte's Web - 1 nomination
Deliver Us from Evil - 1 nomination
Flags of Our Fathers - 1 nomination
Flushed Away - 1 nomination
An Inconvenient Truth - 1 nomination
Iraq in Fragments - 1 nomination
Jesus Camp - 1 nomination
L'Enfant - 1 nomination
Letters from Iwo Jima - 1 nomination
The Lives of Others - 1 nomination
Marie Antoinette - 1 nomination
Monster House - 1 nomination
Nanny McPhee - 1 nomination
Neil Young: Heart of Gold - 1 nomination
Over the Hedge - 1 nominationPoseidon - 1 nomination
A Prairie Home Companion - 1 nomination
The Prestige - 1 nomination
A Scanner Darkly - 1 nomination
Stranger Than Fiction - 1 nomination
United 93 - 1 nomination
V for Vendetta - 1 nomination
Volver - 1 nomination
Water - 1 nomination

My Golden Globe Picks (2006)

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA
Children of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal
Sherrybaby

BEST PICTURE - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Akeelah and the Bee
Brick
Little Miss Sunshine
A Prairie Home Companion
Stranger Than Fiction

BEST DIRECTOR
Robert Altman, A Prairie Home Companion
Laurie Collyer, Sherrybaby
Todd Field, Little Children
Richard Linklater, Fast Food Nation
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

BEST SCREENPLAY
The Departed
Fast Food Nation
Little Children
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth

BEST ACTOR - DRAMA
Matt Damon, The Good Shepherd
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Clive Owen, Children of Men
Patrick Wilson, Little Children

BEST ACTRESS - DRAMA
Ivana Baquero, Pan's Labyrinth
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sherrybaby
Kate Winslet, Little Children

BEST ACTOR - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Aaron Eckhart, Thank You for Smoking
Will Ferrell, Stranger Than Fiction
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brick
Greg Kinnear, Little Miss Sunshine
Vince Vaughn, The Break-Up

BEST ACTRESS - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Jennifer Aniston, The Break-Up
Toni Collette, Little Miss Sunshine
Queen Latifah, Last Holiday
Keke Palmer, Akeelah and the Bee
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - DRAMA
Ben Affleck, Hollywoodland
Matt Damon, The Departed
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Greg Kinnear, Fast Food Nation
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - DRAMA
Bridget Barkan, Sherrybaby
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Vera Farmega, The Departed
Maggie Gyllenhaal, World Trade Center
Catalina Sandeno Moreno, Fast Food Nation

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Steve Carell, Little Miss Sunshine
Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Stanley Tucci, The Devil Wears Prada

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MUSICAL/COMEDY
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stranger Than Fiction
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep, A Prairie Home Companion

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
L'Enfant
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver
Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Deliver Us from Evil
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
Neil Young: Heart of Gold
Shut Up and Sing

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
Cars
Flushed Away
Monster House
Over the Hedge
A Scanner Darkly

The Most Powerful Film Ever Made!

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
Rebel without a Cause is the 1955 classic film that inspired many rebels in that time period and for that it was a staple in pop culture. Also for the fact that James Dean died in a fatal car crash the very same year of the film's release. Dean's performance as Jim Stark reminds me of how great a performance can actually be. Dean is believable as a sixteen-year-old even though at times he doesn't look like one. His role as Stark is timeless and unforgettable. While Dean's performance was sadly overlooked for an Oscar nomination that year (he was, however, nominated for Best Actor in East of Eden), his fellow co-stars in Rebel gave nominated supporting performances as Judy and Plato - Jim Stark's only means for love. Judy is played by Natalie Wood with such wit and intelligence as Judy becomes a young teenage girl instead of a stereotypical bitch. When Judy loses her pocket mirror in the film's opening scene, the look on her face when Stark hands her it forty-five minutes later into the film is one that only a great actress can do. It's believable, subtle, and riveting. As Plato, Sal Mineo has a sensitive and astonishingly troubled teenager molded so realistically that it's an absolute wonder on how he managed to bring forth so much depth. Plato's crush on Stark makes it harder on him as his love for him grows and grows and grows and when Stark hands Judy the mirror, Mineo's expression in the same scene in just as powerfully realistic as Wood did for Judy. James Dean made Jim Stark a confused but bold individual. He is visibly struggling with family, sexuality, and friendship. His parents are pushy and very much filled with high expectations on Stark and its something Stark just wishes he could escape from. His sexuality is troubled between Judy and Plato, as Judy he can show openly, but Plato he can only show subtly. For example, the last scene dealing with the zipping up of his famous read windbreaker is one that only shows even more of the affection he had for Plato but kept deep down within him. Rebel without a Cause is one film that deeply moved me because of how happy it tries to be, but how depressing and gut-wrenching it actually is. Nicholas Ray, a bisexual himself, directed the troubling story of teenage sexuality so vividly that it amazes me how he managed to pass it off through Warner Brothers Studios without being halted for topics way out of range in that time of motion picture history. Rebel without a Cause is a highly emotional film because of how it tries its hardest to hide the sadness existing. Note how the three teens seem to be happy in the old mansion even though an hour or so earlier, Judy's boyfriend tumbled off a cliff to his death. She isn't sad one bit. For maybe five minutes but after that she is merry and so is Stark and Plato. It's irritating to some people how this is but in my opinion it just makes the story so more depressing that it just makes me feel for the situations and makes me question my own life, my own sexuality, my own friendship. But also the lives, sexuality and friendships of others as well. Rebel without a Cause is a moving monumental picture. If looked at by a straightforward story, you are likely to miss its depth. But if you dig deeper beneath its mostly happy tone, you will see one of the most realistic and emotionally dark but ultimately important morals in life itself.

(Rebel without a Cause appears at #14 on my top 100 films of all time list.)

Going Back In Time: THE TEN BEST FILMS OF 2005

10. CRASH (D: Paul Haggis)
Set in Los Angeles shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, this ensemble drama tracks the intersecting lives of a Brentwood housewife and her attorney husband, a Persian store owner, two police detectives who are also lovers, an African-American television director and his wife, a Mexican locksmith, two car-jackers, a rookie cop, and a middle-aged Korean couple. Fueled by excellent performances by Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Ryan Phillippe, Thandie Newton, and yes, even Chris "Ludicris" Bridges, Crash is at a powerful level with the bravery and the bold will to risk retelling the topic of racism that many others would back away from doing.

09. SYRIANA (D: Stephen Gaghan)
Director Stephen Gaghan follows up Traffic with this political thriller set in the Cold War era during a global fight for control of the world's oil supply. The stories of a CIA operative (George Clooney), an up-and-coming oil broker (Matt Damon), a prince (Alexander Siddig) and a corporate lawyer (Jeffrey Wright) collide as the fighting for the world's most valuable resource heats up. In such a slow-pace, Syriana is far from being boring. It's quietness and timid pacing brings forth more realism and much more depth into what the situation going on actually is. George Clooney's Oscar-winning performance is greatly executed with sincerity that it becomes truly one of Clooney's best acting achievements.

08. THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (D: Noah Baumbach)
The patriarch (Jeff Daniels) of an eccentric Brooklyn family claims to once have been a great novelist, but he's actually settled into a teaching job. When his wife (Laura Linney) discovers a writing talent of her own, jealousy divides the family, leaving two teenage sons to forge new relationships with their parents. The humor in Noah Baumbach's screamingly funny and reliable Squid and the Whale is that it achieves so much realism that you feel you're watching the humor in mine, yours, and every living human being's lives. Jeff Daniels gives a career best performance and Laura Linney packs a wallop of a performance also. But the real portrayals that ring best are that of its young stars Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, and a small and believable acting return for the forgotten Oscar winner Anna Paquin. The Squid and the Whale is a winner!

07. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (D: Joe Wright)
This adaptation of the classic 19th-century novel by Jane Austen is the story of the initial misunderstandings and later mutual attraction between the heroine, Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley), and the haughty Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen). Arguably the best screen adaptation of the classic romance novel by Jane Austen is amazingly heartfelt, crisply funny, and wonderfully romantic with Keira Knightley in a star-making and Oscar nominated role as the heroine of the story Elizabeth Bennett. Knightley packs in such a fearless and incredibly timeless performance that she fools one into believing that she is actually Elizabeth Bennett. Cliched critical praising but also true when it comes to Knightley's sensational performance in this wonderfully poignant masterwork!

06. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (D: David Cronenberg)
Tom (Viggo Mortensen) works at a diner in a small town with his wife, Edie (Maria Bello). Their peaceful lives are interrupted when Tom thwarts an attempted robbery and becomes a local hero. After seeing him on TV, a couple of mobsters (Ed Harris, William Hurt) show up on the scene, pegging Tom as a guy who's wronged them in the past. With David Cronenberg's gritty direction on the side, A History of Violence becomes a staple on what a true action film should be. With story, heart, and wonder while still remaining violent, cruel, and seemingly realistic. Viggo Mortensen gives one of the best performances of the year as Tom, but Maria Bello outshines as Edie, fiercely bringing forth a raw and emotional character to such dangerous heights. A true epic action film and a riveting story of one's own past.

05. THE CONSTANT GARDENER (D: Fernando Meirelles)
When activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is found murdered in Northern Kenya, her widower, Justin (Ralph Fiennes), suspects that she had been having an affair. As Justin begins investigating Tessa's death, he uncovers a conspiracy involving pharmaceutical companies in the United States and the local Kenyan government. In one of the year's best performances, not to mention the Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress, Rachel Weisz is so potent and yet so raw in The Constant Gardener that one has so much sympathy and so much hope for her that when the bad happens, you just wish you could reach into the screen and help her. To add to that, Ralph Fiennes' performanc as Justin is just so heartbreakingly executed that it shows how much range he actually holds as an actor. As for The Constant Gardener itself, it's a complex and very vivid dive into a bold and very dangerous world that shows such visually striking images and intriguing story points. The Constant Gardener is an excellent film, so deep and striking that it stays imprinted in your memory long after it's story comes to a profoundly emotional end.

04. AN UNFINISHED LIFE (D: Lasse Hallstrom)
Rugged Wyoming rancher Einar (Robert Redford) spends his days tending his acreage and caring for his best friend, the injured Mitch (Morgan Freeman). When the daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) he blames for his son's death turns up on his doorstep with the granddaughter he never knew he had, he's forced to re-examine his life and the assumptions he made about the past. In Lasse Hallstrom's overlooked softcore western, Robert Redford gives the best performance by a leading actor this year. Drawing you into his cranky, yet soft person. The film is filled with exceptional performances all around including Morgan Freeman as the inspiring conscience of Redford's character Einar, Jennifer Lopez who proves once again she is an underrated actress with her impressive performance as Jean is hard to ignore, and finally Becca Gardner shines in her performance as Einar's granddaughter Griff. Gardner has so much force and believability in her character that it would be acceptable if she would have received an Oscar nomination. Sadly she was overlooked, as was this incredibly deep and surprisingly inspirational film that has the moral that in order to be happy, one must forgive, and live without an unfinished life.


03. WALK THE LINE (D: James Mangold)
This biopic of Johnny Cash stars Joaquin Phoenix as the legendary country icon and focuses on the singer's early career in Memphis, Tenn., including his struggles with drug addiction. Reese Witherspoon stars as his wife and band-mate, June Carter Cash. In their performances comes the whole film, but also give credit to Ginnifer Goodwin as Cash's ex-wife, Waylon Malloy Payne who dwells deep within the soul of Jerry Lee Lewis, Tyler Hilton who does a believable-as-can-be impersonation of Elvis Presley, and Robert Patrick who is astonishing as Johnny Cash's father. Walk the Line works because it takes the formulaic biopic structure and uses it to benefit with the romance between June Carter and Johnny Cash. It's a fantastic film with the best soundtrack of the year!

02. JUNEBUG (D: Phil Morrison)
Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) is a Chicago gallery owner and the new wife of George (Alessandro Nivola), who finally submits to Madeleine's desire to meet his eccentric North Carolina family after she closes a business deal with a local artist. Their road trip into the rural South finds the hipster couple running into all kinds of yokels including George's klutzy and very pregnant sister-in-law Ashley (Amy Adams). Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Adams, Benjamin McKenzie, Celia Weston, and Scott Wilson are the six actors and actresses that perform in this brilliantly scripted indie dramedy, and all six bring forth six of the best performances you will see in 2005! Amy Adams, however, stands on top in one of the greatest, sweetest, and most poignantly believable yet funny performances I have had the pleasure of seeing in a motion picture! Junebug is a fantastic character study that can make you cry, laugh, and feel. This is a movie that has every right to be called "wonderful"!

01. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (D: Ang Lee)
In Wyoming and Texas in 1963, a rodeo cowboy named Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) and a ranch hand called Ennis (Heath Ledger) take summer jobs tending a flock of sheep on forest-service land. The entirely unexpected outcome: a torrid affair between the two men. Later in their lives, they go their separate ways and find wives (Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams), but the memory of that summer refuses to fade, and so comes a gut-wrenching and unforgettable story. Brokeback Mountain is a movie that when mentioned everybody has heard of it. Whether they are too "homophobic" to see it or too "homophobic" to take it seriously and instead decide to make jokes aimed toward it. Either way you have it, Brokeback is deftly one of the most talked about films ever made. And to say that somebody has to be gay or bisexual to love it, let alone like it, is just plain nonsense. Being a straight man, I'm not afraid to say that Brokeback is a very romantic film, yet very painful and hard to swallow. It has great performances by Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Faris, Linda Cardellini, Randy Quaid, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams. It's a treasure of a movie that has enough balls to go against what most people are opposed to. For that, it is a brave monument in movie history and the best movie of 2005.

Going Back In Time: THE TEN BEST FILMS OF 2006

10. BRICK (D: Rian Johnson)
Too-smart-for-his-own-good high schooler Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is happy keeping to himself. The day his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin) goes missing, however, he must use his keen intellect and the help of a guy nicknamed The Brain (Matt O'Leary) to track her down, all while keeping the vice principal at a safe distance. Soon Brendan is navigating through the school's tightly knit social groups and trying to find clues among the jocks, burnouts and cheerleaders. This movie steals from other movies. But so what? It steals all the right stuff, and from old noir films, Blue Velvet and everything in between. But what's best about it is how it could have taken some obvious mainstream turns — modern "teen movie" slang dialogue that would have been dated in five years, a cruddy alt-rock soundtrack or easier plot paths — which would have turned it into a bigger movie that would have sucked. As it is, it went down a few idiosyncratic paths and made itself essential viewing, and now it's the coolest high-school movie since Heathers.

09. UNITED 93 (D: Paul Greengrass)
This docudrama tells the story of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, the fourth plane hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Told in real time, the film re-creates the doomed trip, from takeoff to the hijacking to the realization by those on board that their plane was part of a coordinated attack against the United States. I haven't seen a movie this deeply upsetting in years. And I can watch just about anything. Here's the thing: It's very well-made and resists exploitation at every turn. And even though a lot of it reads as speculation (there's a scene in which the passengers appear to be killing two of the terrorists), it's not wildly propagandistic. But the last 30 minutes are so gut-wrenching and unbearable — the final cockpit-eye view of the plane hurtling toward the ground is especially horrifying — that it brought me to tears. It's the best-made film I never want to see again.

08. A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (D: Robert Altman)
A radio variety show that's managed to survive the age of television faces its last performance when home station WLT is sold to a Texas conglomerate. On a rainy Saturday night in St. Paul, Minn., fans crowd the Fitzgerald Theater to see "A Prairie Home Companion" for the final time. Starring in the show are the Johnson Sisters (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin); Yolanda and Rhonda, a country duet act; Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly), two cowboy singers; and more. Meanwhile, the backstage doorkeeper (Kevin Kline) and a pregnant stagehand (Maya Rudolph) have plans of their own. This movie is Stop Making Sense for people with mid-management spread. It's a sweetly humane, bluegrass, warm 'n' fuzzy, story-time concert film with fictionalized moments about aimless gumshoes, beautiful angels of death and corporate evildoers. Nothing much happens because it's a Robert Altman movie, but you won't care, really. "Nothing" for Altman (on a good day) is more entertaining than "something" from most Hollywood hacks.

07. NOTES ON A SCANDAL (D: Richard Eyre)
When Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) joins St. George's as the new art teacher, Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) senses a kindred spirit. But Barbara is not the only one drawn to her. Sheba begins an illicit affair and Barbara becomes the keeper of her secret. I love trashy exploitation films, and I especially love them when they dress themselves up in tweedy Britishness and flaunt Oscar-grubbing actresses in your face to make it all seem more significant than it is. It wants to be a thrilling portrait of obsession, but what it reminded me of most was Windows.

06. CHILDREN OF MEN (D: Alfonso Cuaron)
Based on a P.D. James science-fiction novel, Children of Men is set in a futuristic dsytopia where humankind is on the brink of extinction and a sole pregnant woman holds the key to survival. A disillusioned bureaucrat (Clive Owen) and a woman from his past (Julianne Moore) are tasked with shepherding the pregnant woman to a secret organization that's been researching how to restore fertility to the world's population. They're calling it Children of Men, because if they'd called it Brutality, Misery, Depression and Suicide, fewer people would probably want to see it. All that's missing from the future shock is gangs of roving zombies. Anyway, it's still a lot of fun and one of the greatest science fiction stories ever put on film. It's a moving experience hard to stop thinking about once you hear the children laughing over the first credit.

05. PAN'S LABYRINTH (D: Guillermo del Toro)
First, if you've seen the trailer for this movie, then you still have no idea what you're in for. They're selling it as pure gothic fantasy. And it's much different than the one you've been led to buy a ticket for. Here's what really happens: In 1944 Spain, a tormented child, trying her best to save her mother and unborn sibling from the clutches of an evil captain in Francisco Franco's newly installed Fascist regime, realizes that the only way through the brutality of the real world is to submit to the rules of a demanding horned creature from the parallel fantasy world. She has to complete three impossible tasks to satisfy the creature and outsmart the bad guys, or else her life may end fatefully. Do not, I repeat, do not take kids to this movie unless you're somehow convinced of their innate worldliness, knowledge of the Spanish Civil War and its dour aftermath and ability to withstand nightmare-inducing horror. Because more than anything, this is a frightening, brutal adult fairy tale that really takes its cues from old-school fairy tales in which something evil never fails to befall hapless innocents. It's violent, creepy and unlike anything you've seen in a while. It's also insanely imaginative and beautiful - a masterpiece!

04. LITTLE CHILDREN (D: Todd Field)
In a suburban town, two 30-somethings (Patrick Wilson, Kate Winslet) have early midlife crises and suffer through personal breakdowns and infidelity. As one would expect, the man's jilted wife (Jennifer Connolly) isn't exactly happy when she finds out about the affair. The situation only gets worse when a child molester (Jackie Earle Haley) moves into the neighborhood. It turns out Todd Field takes the opposite road than he did in 2001's best film In the Bedroom because in this wonderful dark adult tale is told in the light of a children's book and in the end is just another terrific example of exceptional storytelling. Winslet, Haley, Wilson, Connelly, and a smaller role by Phyllis Somerville are just a small example of why this film is Oscar-worthy in all respects. It's a terrifically jolting, disturbing, and lovely tale and one to think about long after you hear the squeaking swing of a playground.

03. SHERRYBABY (D: Laurie Collyer)
Three years after entering prison for robbery as a 19-year-old heroin addict, Sherry Swanson (Maggie Gyllenhaal) begins her first day of sober life by trying to regain custody of her daughter, Alexis, who has been cared for in her absence by her brother, Bobby (Brad William Henke), and his wife, Lynn (Bridget Barkan). Maggie Gyllenhaal proves exactly why she is the Meryl Streep of her generation in this poignant and emotionally flawless slice of life in the eyes of a bold but put-down woman. Jolting, stunning, and exceptionally performed by supporting players Henke, Barkan, and Giancarlo Esposito. But Gyllenhaal gives one of the three greatest performances ever put on film! And this movie is so astonishing thanks to her.

02. THE DEPARTED (D: Martin Scorsese)
Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an undercover cop in South Boston assigned to infiltrate a mob syndicate run by a boss named Costello (Jack Nicholson). Meanwhile, a young criminal, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), has embedded himself in the police department's Special Investigation Unit. Both their lives become endangered when the two organizations realize they have moles within their ranks. Tired of really dull Martin Scorsese movies, like Gangs of New York and The Aviator? Fed up with his leading man of choice, Leonardo DiCaprio? Wish they'd both just go away? Well, they're back. But this time, it's a good movie. Really good, in fact. The kind of crime drama Scorsese knows best. It's tense, it never gets bogged down and you won't notice that two and half hours have passed when the final credits roll. And did I mention it's one of Scorsese's very best? That means a lot!

01. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (D: Michael Dayton and Valerie Faris)
The Hoover family (Alan Arkin, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear and Paul Dano) and their 7-year-old, Olive (Abigail Breslin), travel from Albuquerque, N.M., to the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in Redondo Beach, California in this amazingly wonderful comedy classic! This is the coolest, smartest, funniest movie I've seen so far this decade! I suffered through other people telling me this and building it up for me until I knew it couldn't compete with its own hype. In fact, I was distrustful because I've already seen enough pageant parody to last me a lifetime. But they found a new way, one that's fresh and shocking and sweet, all at the same time. The best film of the year and the comedy of the decade!

Four Eyed Monsters (2007)

Rated R for Sexual Content and Language.
Running Time: 73 mins.
Directed by: Susan Buice, Arin Crumley
Cast: Arin Crumley, Susan Buice

Everyday somebody meets someone online. Whether it's on Myspace or Yahoo! or in some trashy chat room. People talk online, sometimes meet, some people end up being child molesters or some kind of pervert, some wind up being the actual love of your life. In "Four Eyed Monsters", none of those are actually the case. It never seems that its characters, Arin and Susan, are actually in love after they meet on Myspace. In actuality, they realize that they just need one another just to help spread the word. The film is actually not really easy to take and is often painful, but also quite powerful in its own aspect.

We open the film on the kind of tone of a lame brain commercial where we see happy couples who've met on Myspace and meet the depressed ones, the horny ones, the happy ones... This opening may range on being called cheesy or corny but instead, it heightens tension with your thoughts. When you are on Myspace, do you ever look at the pictures of people you don't know and wonder - how do they feel? What do they go through that I don't? It's a very interesting concept. And it's actually a brave one too.

Arin and Susan play themselves in the film and they claim it is a true autobiography mixed with actual documented footage with some artistic installments including moving pictures used to awe you along with its truly artistic vision. The story of Arin is pretty emotional dealing with how he has fantasies of high sexual desire and cannot seem to find the right note to have sex with. He dreams of women all the time and hopes he can get laid from somebody he meets on Myspace. He claims to have only slept with three women ... all who state that Arin was dull in bed and really had no clue of what to do. Susan's story is just as painful because she is the complete opposite. She loves sex, feels like it is something to calm her nerves because her dreams of being an artist have been shattered thanks to a art school that denies her of any artistic quality.

Both people meet on Myspace and only communicate by passing a paper back and forth, writing little notes that remind me of a time back in fifth grade. They do this childish but lovingly romantic way of communicating in such a beautiful way and they begin to learn more and more about one another. Without being the traditional sappy filled in most romantic comedies today. This is obviously weird, but greatly profound and utterly romantic. Far more lovely than most crap you see today.

As their relationship grows more and more you realize they have fallen for each other, and when she departs for art school (which winds up wasting her precious time with Arin), they begin to send tapes they have recorded back and forth. They are quite artistic, one ranging on Susan, bundled up completely naked in the corner, discussing what it is she does and does not like to eat. It's Susan's way of expressing herself and Arin realizes her vision and shares it with her.

A lot of things, however, do tear the two apart. Including a subplot with Arin that ranges on beautifully artsy, but gut-wrenchingly depressing. The two are in love even when it seems they are not. But maybe they aren't in love at all. It's really hard to decide. "Four Eyed Monsters" resolves with a quite riveting conclusion. Looking back you realize that the movie is buried beneath you. After finishing the film it's very hard to stop thinking about it because it is so realistic you can't help but feel that you know Arin and Susan. I care for them just as much as I care for the movie. And I do believe any Myspacer looking for love would too.

- Douglas Reese
Friday, August 17, 2007