Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Just got back. Don't have time for a review at the moment but I enjoyed it. It's a feast for the eyes and the acting was pretty good (especially Geoffrey Rush). However, the plot goes in so many directions that at times it is hard to keep straight. I still recommend it. A good summer blockbuster.

My First Big 8 Predictions of the Year

I've been putting off my predictions since the Oscars. I've got some time on my hands so I might as well start now. So, here are my first predictions for the 2008 ceremony.

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
American Gangster (the most likely to flop, but if it is pulled off then it will be embraced)
Reservation Road (this one is up in the air, but could easily become a favorite for the win)
Lions for Lambs (of all the Middle East movies this year, this one has the best chances)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (not Academy bait at all, but it could be, i.e. Pulp Fiction)
Charlie Wilson's War (this, however, is Oscar bait)

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (it's time for Burton's first directing nomination)
Robert Redford, Lions for Lambs (he's Robert Redford)
Francis Ford Coppola, Youth Without Youth (he's Francis Ford Coppola)
Ridley Scott, American Gangster (possible BP winner=BD nomination)
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood (if this is denied of a BP nomination, this could be a consolation)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Denzel Washington, American Gangster (I guess he is due for another nomination)
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (I'd call him an early frontrunner)
Alan Rickman, Snow Cake (He's looks fantastic in the trailer)
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood (I'd say he's a lock as of now)
Joaquin Phoenix, Reservation Road (baity role in a baity film)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Catherine Keener, An American Crime (this film shouldn't be made...but it is a HUGE vehicle for Keener to finally win an Oscar)
Vanessa Redgrave, Evening (great casting for Redgrave and a great Oscar-worthy role)
Cate Blanchett, The Golden Age (she won't win, but she will probably be nominated)
Keri Russell, Waitress (she looks outstanding in the trailer)
Sigourney Weaver, Snow Cake (the role of an autistic woman could mean Oscar gold)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Andy Griffith, Waitress (same reason as Russell and he's a televison legend, that worked for Alan Alda in The Aviator)
Adam Sandler, Reign Over Me (another idiot prediction)
Russell Crowe, American Gangster (his two past nominations, and one win, were in leading actor so the academy might favor him here rather than best actor)
Mark Ruffalo, Reservation Road (really baity role)
Clive Owen, The Golden Age (if the film does well, expect a nomination)

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Jennifer Connelly, Reservation Road (she's great at playing the conviction of wives, i.e. Little Children and A Beautiful Mind, so this shouldn't be difficult)
Cheryl Hines, Waitress (same as Griffith and Russell. Also, I love her on Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson's War (she's due for a nomination)
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (either here of leading actress)
Ellen Page, An American Crime (she's proven to be a mature actress and if this film is distributed well then she may be able to ride Keener's vehicle to a nomination)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Waitress
Snow Cake
Eastern Promises
Lions for Lambs
Margot at the Wedding

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
American Gangster
Reservation Road
Charlie Wilson's War
There Will Be Blood

The Seven Best Comedies: #2

2. Some Like it Hot (1959)
Directed by Billy Wilder
Starring Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe
Winner of the Best Costume Design Academy Award. Nominated for 6, Including Best Director.

Unless you are both blind and deaf, this film alone should prove that Billy Wilder is the greatest director of all time. And screenwriter. The writing in this is so sharp. It is complex, yet it is simple. It is funny, yet it is affectionate. I've seen this movie about ten times, methinks. And there's still more to go...

The Seven Best Comedies: #3

3. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly
Starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds
Nominated for 2 Oscars, Including Best Supporting Actress-Jean Hagen

I have a lifetime worth of studying to do tonight, so I'll keep it brief. Jean Hagen made this hysterical. It works on so many levels, it's impossible to count.