The 2008 MOUTON D'OR NOMINATIONS

I can't help but look back at 2008 with some disappointment and negativity. It was not an easy year but that isn't why we're here today. We are here today to celebrate and to honour. Many a beautiful film came from the year that just closed and what better way to recognize and show my appreciation than with a nomination for a Mouton d'Or award. I had a particularly difficult time narrowing down the contenders to bring you this year's Mouton d'Or nominations. Still, here they are and to look at them shows me that the films I liked, I loved. Leading the pack with 10 nominations each are RACHEL GETTING MARRIED and MILK. Each film is nomiated for Best Picture and is joined in that category by the three other lead contenders - THE DARK KNIGHT (8 nods), WALL•E (7 nods) and THE WRESTLER (6 nods). Other multiple nominees, each with three nods a piece, include FROST/NIXON, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, THE VISITOR, THE DUCHESS and DOUBT.

One might expect THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON to have scored a number of other nominations given the kudos it has received nearly across the board this awards season. Ultimately though, I found the film to be technically perfect but lacking in sentiment. Hence David Fincher's nomination for direction and no nomination in the Best Picture category. The most notable absence would be Danny Boyle's SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. While this film is certainly a lock for the Best Picture Oscar nomination, I was not roped in by all the pretty colours and gimmicky game show familiarity. I loved the love story but not the film. Still, the film does earn Mouton d'Or nods for editing and cinematography.

There were films I enjoyed that just did not make the cut and so I am sorry KUNG FU PANDA, Leonardo DiCarpio in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Keira Knightly in THE DUCHESS and Andrew Stanton, director of WALL•E; this is not your year. That said, Stanton does earn a writing nod for WALL•E, which he shares with Jim Reardon and DiCaprio's co-star in a REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, Kate Winslet, gets the nod for her role in that film. Winslet will also have the chance to repeat her Golden Globe wins with a nod here in the Supporting Actress category for THE READER. Other films I wish could have seen more love this year include VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS) and the little seen CHE.

Gus Van Sant should be happy to see MILK pulling in 10 Mouton d'Or nominations, including nods for three of the cast, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and James Franco, who was also excellent in PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. The director earned a nomination for himself in the direction category but there is a stain on this impressive showing (including nods for writing, editing, cinematography and music). Van Sant's "love it or leave it" feature from the beginning of the year, PARANOID PARK, finds itself up for The Worst Movie I saw All Year. That category, to reiterate as I do each year, is based on what I've seen. There are probably far worse films than the five listed below that I was fortunate enough to avoid.


It gives me great pleasure to recognize Jonathan Demme's masterpiece, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, with 10 nominations. It saddens me greatly that this film has received little recognition for anything other than Anne Hathaway's performance. The cast is altogether excellent, as is the direction, writing, editing, music and cinematography - all of which have been recognized here. As for THE WRESTLER, it has been faring much better during awards season. It doesn't stand much chance of a Best Picture Oscar nomination but Aronofsky's subtle and starkly real work is certainly worthy and I am happy to highlight the beautiful performances of both Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. Both films find themselves in the Best Little Film category. Films nominated in this category are considered independently financed and are therefore eligible to qualify in this category.

Hollywood did good this year. The nominees for Best Big Movie (formerly known as Best Popcorn Flick), include two films that are also competing for Best Picture (WALL•E and THE DARK KNIGHT). The films listed in this category are all there because I had an awesome time sitting in the theatre watching them. Special effects driven films don't have to be bad!

The only new category this year is the Black Sheep Reader's Choice Award. The six films nominated in this category are there because you told me you loved them in the recently closed Best of 2008 contest. The most mentioned films earned nominations and it is now your job to vote for the best of those six by participating in the poll near the top of the sidebar. Vote as many times as you like but be sure to vote!

Now, without any further delay caused by my constant need to ramble - shoot, I'm still doing it - here are the 2009 Mouton d'Or nominees ...


BEST BIG MOVIE

BURN AFTER READING
THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
WALL•E
WANTED

BEST LITTLE MOVIE

THE DUCHESS
MAN ON WIRE
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
THE VISITOR
THE WRESTLER

THE WORST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL
FILTH AND WISDOM
FUNNY GAMES
HAROLD & KUMAR EXCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY
PARANOID PARK


BLACK SHEEP READER'S CHOICE
(Vote in the poll near the top of the side menu)

THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
MILK
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
WALL•E

THE TREVOR ADAMS ANIMATED FEATURE AWARD

BOLT
DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO!
WALL•E

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Claudio Miranda, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Wally Pfister, THE DARK KNIGHT
Harris Savides, MILK
Anthony Dod Mantle, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Declan Quinn, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

BEST EDITING

Lee Smith, THE DARK KNIGHT
Dan Hanely & Mike Hill, FROST/NIXON
Elliot Graham, MILK
Tim Squyers, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Chris Dickens, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Stephen Schaffer, WALL•E

BEST MUSIC

James Newton Howard & Hans Zimmer, THE DARK KNIGHT
Danny Elfman, MILK
Donald Harrison Jr. & Zafer Tawil, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Thomas Newman, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Thomas Newman, WALL•E


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin, MILK
Ralph Fiennes, THE DUCHESS
James Franco, MILK
Philip Seymour Hoffman, DOUBT
Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Rosemarie DeWitt, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Taraji P. Henson, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Marisa Tomei, THE WRESTLER
Kate Winslet, THE READER

BEST ACTOR

Benicio del Toro, CHE
Richard Jenkins, THE VISITOR
Frank Langella, FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn, MILK
Mickey Rourke, THE WRESTLER

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie, CHANGELING
Meryl Streep, DOUBT
Michelle Williams, WENDY AND LUCY
Kate Winslet, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Dustin Lance Black, MILK
Jenny Lumet, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Thomas McCarthy, THE VISITOR
Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, WALL•E
Robert D. Siegel, THE WRESTLER

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

John Patrick Shanley, DOUBT
Jeffrey Hatcher, Anders Thomas Jensen and Saul Dibb, THE DUCHESS
Francois Begaudeau, ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS)
Peter Morgan, FROST/NIXON
David Hare, THE READER

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, THE WRESTLER
Jonathan Demme, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
David Fincher, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Christopher Nolan, THE DARK KNIGHT
Gus Van Sant, MILK

BEST PICTURE

THE DARK KNIGHT
MILK
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
WALL•E
THE WRESTLER

The 2009 Mouton d'Or Award winners will be announced the weekend of February 21.

Black Sheep's Best of 2008 Contest ...

Congratulations go out to Chazz Lyons for winning Black Sheep's Best of 2008 contest! Thanks to some smart maneuvering on his website, GONE CINEMA POACHING, Chazz received the most votes for his Top 5 list. Well, actually, it was more like a Top 6 because he tied the two David Gordon Green films but whatever it is, it worked! Chazz now gets his choice of two DVD's courtesy of Black Sheep Reviews. I can't say that I agree entirely with his choices - blech, PARANOID PARK - but this isn't about me; it's about you. And you have decided ... Congratulations again, Chazz. And thank you to all who participated and voted.

Quick plug before I go ... Be sure to check back tomorrow morning for Black Sheep's 2008 Mouton d'Or nominations. Here's a sneak peak ... Sorry, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE; you'll have to wait until Thursday's Oscar nods for more love.

If you want to read the Black Sheep Review for Chazz's choices, just click on the links below.

BURN AFTER READING
PARANOID PARK
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
SNOW ANGELS

(There is no Black Sheep Review for MAN ON WIRE)

And if you want to read all about why Chazz loved these movies, be sure to visit GONE CINEMA POACHING.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Paul Blart, Box Office King

Ah, January – the only time of year where a movie about an overweight mall cop can pull in over $30 million in its opening weekend and a film about a dog hotel can open, period.

PAUL BLART: MALL COP, the Kevin James vehicle, surpassed all expectations this weekend to debut atop the chart. Of course, that last statement implies that people had expectations to begin with. James even managed to take down Clint Eastwood, pulling in $10 million more than GRAN TORINO did in its second weekend of wide release. Neither actor has anything to complain about, mind you. James has proven in one single weekend that he can open a major film release and Eastwood has proven that the man is still one of the most impressive box office draws in Hollywood, at least when he is front of the camera and flaunting a shotgun.


The rest of the Top 5 continues to impress as four out of the five earned north of $20 million. The Martin Luther King holiday weekend saw a 31% increase over last year and that is only for the three-day regular weekend period. MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D led the pack, charging right off the screen and into third place. The film’s average was slightly less than last week’s horror entry, THE UNBORN but still played solidly. Mind you, THE UNBORN dropped off 50% this weekend so I’m not sure MY BLOODY VALENTINE will still be around come Valentine’s Day. The Top 10 saw one other entry this week, the wide expansion of the Daniel Craig starring, DEFIANCE. The film earned a stable but unimpressive average of just over $5K for an eighth place finish. The awards contender has seen little support and is not expected to be an Oscar surprise.


Pulling in the highest per screen average of any film in release this weekend was NOTORIOUS, the life and death story of the Notorious B.I.G. This was only one of many reasons for the Fox people to celebrate this weekend. Last week’s Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture (drama), SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, narrowly surpassed fellow competitor, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, to sneak back into the Top 10 with a resurged five figure average. The film is a lock for a bunch of Oscar nominations so Slumdog’s millions will continue to roll in for weeks to come. Also, Fox Searchlight’s THE WRESTLER, fresh from winning two Golden Globes including Best Actor (drama) for Mickey Rourke, continued its slow expansion with an addition of 84 screens and saw another surge of over 100%.


In other Golden Globe news, Kate Winslet’s double win helped REVOLUTIONARY ROAD continue to expand solidly, increasing 22% over last week. Her Supporting Actress win for THE READER did not fare as well though. The film continues to perform decently but lost 90 screens this week and saw its returns fall off 9%. Awards season still has another month to go so some of the contenders need to pick it up. The Golden Globe winner for Best Foreign Language Film , WALTZ WITH BASHIR, fought the film’s controversy to increase 18% over last week. And the Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture (comedy), Woody Allen’s VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, tacked on another 50 screens and surged 112% despite its home video release being just a couple of weeks away.


NEXT WEEK: We shall see how this Thursday’s Oscar nominees shape the contender grosses, if at all. This is especially true for REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, THE WRESTLER, FROST/NIXON and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, as all four jump into aggressive expansions in hopes that their film will be receiving many a nod this week. Even THE DARK KNIGHT returns for awards season, reappearing on over 200 screens and ensuring that it will cross the $1 billion mark internationally. As for brand new wide releases, look for Brandon Fraser in INKHEART, which seems awful close in premise to JOURNEY AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH to me, and the latest installment in the now Kate Beckinsale-less franchise, UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS. Or don’t look for them; they don’t sound worth looking for to me.

DEFIANCE

Written by Clayton Frohman and Edward Zwick
Directed by Edward Zwick
Starring Daniel Craig, Live Schreiber and Jamie Bell


Viktor Panchenko: But Jews do not fight.
Tuvia Bielski: These Jews do.

DEFIANCE opens with what felt to me like an unintentional act of its own defiance. Black and white footage made to look archival, graces the screen in a harrowing montage. There are the screams of children being pulled away from their parents; there are the images of Nazis senselessly putting guns to the backs of people’s heads and pulling the triggers. There is even a score driven by the violin work of Joshua Bell that sounds an awful lot like the one in that Spielberg movie with the girl in the red coat. Director, Edward Zwick’s message is clear. He doesn’t want to talk about the holocaust. Why should he? We all already know the story there. In case we don’t, he is sure to throw in a few facts up on screen between the quick and horrible imagery. The holocaust is not the story he wants to tell. However, reducing the holocaust to a montage so that the audience is brought up to speed is such an offensive trivialization of a mind-blowing tragedy that it is a miracle that DEFIANCE ever manages to recover from its first few moments.


The story that Zwick is in such a rush to get to is actually well worth telling, just not worth the steps he took to get there. Daniel Craig, Live Schreiber and Jamie Bell are the Bielski brothers. The SS has killed their parents and most other siblings and they have sought refuge in a nearby forest. Before long, they run into a number of other people who have found themselves in the same situation. The numbers grow into a community and even though they barely have shelter to keep themselves warm through the winter and rarely get to eat more than a bowl of potato soup, they have something far more valuable; they have their freedom. As DEFIANCE is quite pleased to boast, the Bielski’s beautiful acts and the thousands of lives that were saved by these acts are the untold holocaust story. Unfortunately, the story itself isn’t told all that genuinely. Instead, Zwick, along with co-writer, Clayton Frohman, chooses to highlight conventional devices like brotherly alpha male conflicts instead of focusing on the gripping reality around them.


Like Zwick’s last offering, BLOOD DIAMOND, DEFIANCE is set in a dire situation to make the conventional plot points seem that much more horrific. It is the kind of movie that makes me wish it would have been better than it was as the story itself is quite moving. Somewhere in the middle of the lengthy stay in the forest, DEFIANCE finally finds its footing and allows the true bravery of the Bielski’s to shine. I only wish Zwick’s sense of satisfaction in being the first to show the Jews taking a stand and fighting back didn’t taint the whole thing. Oh, and I think someone should tell him that Spielberg beat him to that punch too.

Tis the Season: The BAFTA's

You are never going to believe this but SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is nominated for the most BAFTA's, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards. It ties THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON with 11 nominations. Given the director's British roots, it is not at all surprising that SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE even swept up its stars, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto into the acting categories. Stateside, this has been the only sticking point for the film thus far. That said, its four Golden Globe wins the other day may change that come Oscar time. Speaking of the Globes, Kate Winslet, another British born baby, follows up her double win with a double nomination in the Lead Actrss category. Stateside, her role in THE READER is being billed as a supporting role. If you've seen the film, you would know this is a political stretch to get the woman as much ercognition as possible as you cannot earn two Oscar nominations in the same acting category in the same year. The role is supporting only after you make certain arguments for the case. At first glance, you would never think that. With Winslet taking up two spots in that category, Anne Hathaway in RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, an early front-runner for the Oscar suffers a major set back in her race to the gold. Brad Pitt also picked up two nominations, recognized in the lead category for his title role in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON and in the supporting category for his first time out with the Coen Brothers in BURN AFTER READING, which also scored a screenplay nod. I was most surprised by the BAFTA's loev thrown at CHANGELING. I am accustomed to Clint Eastwood sneaking into the Oscar race at the last second but if he were to do it this year, I would expect it would be with GRAN TORINO. CHANGELING even got Clint a director nod, forcing MILK's Gus Van Sant out. Its eight nominations even spread far and wide across the technical awards, like editing and sound. The BAFTA'S also practically ignored THE DARK KNIGHT. Heath Ledger picked up his supporting actor nod but Christopher Nolan was left off the director list as well as the adapted screenplay list. Still, as DOUBT failed to secure any nominations in the picture, director or even screenplay categories, THE DARK KNIGHT and DOUBT are still battling it out for that fifth wildcard Oscar slot.

The BAFTA nominations in the major categories are:

BEST PICTURE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST DIRECTOR
Clint Eastwood, CHANGELING
David Fincher, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Ron Howard, FROST/NIXON
Stephen Daldry, THE READER
Danny Boyle, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BURN AFTER READING
CHANGELING
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
IN BRUGES
MILK

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
THE READER
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

LEADING ACTOR
Frank Langella, FROST/NIXON
Dev Patel, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Sean Penn, MILK
Brad Pitt, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourhe, THE WRESTLER

LEADING ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie, CHANGELING
Kristin Scott Thomas, I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
Meryl Streep, DOUBT
Kate Winslet, THE READER
Kate Winslet, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey Jr., TROPIC THUNDER
Brendan Gleeson, IN BRUGES
Philip Seymour Hoffman, DOUBT
Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT
Brad Pitt, BURN AFTER READING

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, DOUBT
Penelope Cruz, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Freida Pinto, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Tilda Swinton, BURN AFTER READING
Marisa Tomei, THE WRESTLER

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
HUNGER
IN BRUGES
MAMMA MIA!
MAN ON WIRE
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

The full list of nominees in all caetgories can be seen at the BAFTA website.

Next up, the Online Film Critic Society, announces their choices for the Best of 2008. I will report on this despite the fact that they have rejected me two years in a row. Grrr ...

Black Sheep's Best of 2008 Contest! (This contest is closed.)

The time has arrived. 21 Black Sheep readers have submitted their picks for the best films of 2008 and now it is your job to decide which of those lists is the best of the bunch!

The rules are simple. Scroll through the following 2008 Top 5 lists and if you like a particular list, just click of the "Thumbs Up!" icon at the bottom of that particular entry. The icon looks like this ...


You can vote for as many or as little lists as you like. DON'T BOTHER CLICKING ON THE "THUMBS DOWN" ICON - THESE VOTES DO NOT COUNT AND DO NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE POSITIVE VOTES. The person whose list has the most "Thumbs Up!" votes come midnight on January 18, will win their choice of two DVD's from a specific list of ten.

As an added bonus, Black Sheep Reviews will be adding another category to this year's Mouton d'Or Awards ... Reader's Choice! The nominees are pictured above and based on the most popular titles from the submitted lists below. The full list of Mouton d'Or nominations will be released on Tuesday, January 20. In the meantime though, here are the nominees for the first ever Mouton d'Or for Reader's Choice:

THE DARK KNIGHT
IRON MAN
MILK
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
WALL-E

I've got to say, Black Sheep peeps, that's an impressive list. You've got great taste!

Voting for the Reader's Choice award will begin next week after the rest of the nominations are announced. In the meantime though, get voting on the 21 "Best of 2008" lists below. May the best list win!

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Get Off Clint's Lawn

Well I’m off to a smashing start for 2009. I figured it would be no problem whatsoever for Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson to march themselves down the aisle and all the way to the top of the box office. Not only did they have to settle for second place but they almost got beat by a horror movie about an unborn twin that needs his live twin to die in order to be born. Right.

The fate of BRIDE WARS was sealed on Friday when the Cline Eastwood star vehicle/directorial effort, GRAN TORINO, took out its big shotgun and blew away all the competition. After a stellar limited run over the last month, GRAN TORINO went wide and proved that Eastwood is still a bankable star. Meanwhile, the young ladies only proved that they both still have a lot to prove. Hathaway’s awards attention in the next few weeks will inevitably throw her into the limelight, giving the film some much needed legs, but at the end of the day, BRIDE WARS will be a medium sized performer when Fox was clearly hoping for a wedding to end all weddings.


Final figures are announced tomorrow and BRIDE WARS might find itself slipping into third place if its figures do not hold up. Right now there is half a million dollars separating it from THE UNBORN. The horror flick played on nearly 1000 less screens but managed a much sturdier per screen average, allowing it to come within reach of second place, much to everyone’s surprise. The true test for THE UNBORN will come next week when it tries to hold its audience. Given that there is a new horror movie coming out every week this month, I think THE UNBORN better enjoy this weekend because it will be descending back to hell come next weekend. The Top 10’s other debut belonged to limited player, NOT EASILY BROKEN. Playing on just over 700 screens, the film has the third highest average in the Top 10.


The specialty market was pretty quiet this week. January is just a time to expand really. All the big art pics came out before the end of the year to qualify for the Academy Awards but certain pictures saved their big reveals for the new year to avoid the holiday overcrowding. GRAN TORINO did it aggressively and succeeded but most art flicks practice the art of taking their sweet time. The biggest expansions were both Kate Winslet pictures and one succeeded while the other disappointed. Both THE READER and REVOLUTIONARY ROAD are nominated for Best Motion Picture (drama) at this evening’s Golden Globes and both tacked on about 100 screens to their run this weekend. While REVOLUTIONARY ROAD pulled in a slightly larger per screen average than GRAN TORINO for an increase of 46%, THE READER saw its returns slip 15%. Winslet herself is nominated for both films this evening so a win either way will certainly help.


NEXT WEEK: It’s a busy one indeed. Both LAST CHANCE HARVEY and DEFIANCE expand their runs wide to join HOTEL FOR DOGS, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, NOTORIOUS and PAUL BLART: MALL COP in the race for the top spot. Better watch out for Clint though; he’s packing some serious heat.

THE READER

Written by David Hare
Directed by Stephen Daldry
Starring Ralph Fiennes, David Kross and Kate Winslet


Michael Berg: What’s your name?
Hanna Schmitz: What? Why do you want to know?

We don’t know. We think we do but we don’t. We make decisions or sometimes decisions are made for us but we think we’ve made them. Then suddenly, there we are. We can’t be certain how we got there or where we will be when everything settles but we do know that we are alive. Some experiences are life altering and we can run from them or embrace them. Staying to see them through though can bring incredible bliss but also tormented turmoil. We just never know. One such experience was had by a young Michael Berg (David Kross) and is chronicled in Stephen Daldry’s THE READER. How could he know that when he pulled into an alley to be sick that he would meet the woman who would shape his entire life? How could he know that getting close to her would pull him the furthest he’s ever been from himself?


Of course, when you’re a sixteen-year-old boy and a woman who looks like Kate Winslet disrobes in front of you in the privacy of her bathroom, how much thought really goes into the decision that has presented itself? However little it is, it is certainly less than is warranted. This is especially true in West Germany of 1958. This is a Germany that is uncertain how to proceed, how to be its new self in the eyes of the world and the eyes of its very own future generations. Winslet plays Hanna Schmitz, a compassionate woman but also abrasive and stern. Winslet strikes the perfect balance between directness and desire in Schmitz, making her complexities part of her appeal. She is a good fifteen years older than the young Berg and she knows much better than he of her country’s history. What he knows, he has read in books, been taught in school. What she knows, she lived first hand. So when the two come together, naked in each other's arms, the meeting is as redemptive as it is passionate. Berg is just happy to be in love and having sex but Schmitz is washing herself clean with the youthful vigor of Germany’s tomorrow.


The summer ends and so does the affair, as one would expect. Just when it would seem that the two would never meet again, life steps in to ensure that past decisions, perhaps made in haste, can come to see their consequences. Berg has grown some and is a college man, studying to be a lawyer, when he catches sight of Hanna Schmitz again. Their latest chance encounter is far less exciting though as he sees her on a class outing to a courthouse. Schmitz is on trial for crimes against humanity for her time as an officer in the Nazi party during the Second World War. Berg’s memory of his first love would now become a question of his own morality. How could he love someone who was now accused of such atrocities? How could he be so intimate with someone he apparently never truly knew? And yet, now that he knows her past, does he really know how her past came to be? After all, what is the face of evil? Is it Hanna Schmitz or is it something incredibly bigger than her?

Ralph Fiennes is the future of Germany. He plays Berg as an adult. His life is orderly, very clean, crisp and cold. He made decisions that made him the man he is and he can never say whether they were the right ones or not. What he can see is that we all make decisions that either hurt or harm other people and that the atrocities committed by his past generations are not as far outside the realm of understanding as he might have originally thought. More importantly, redemption is not that far either.

Tis the Season: Directors Guild of America

I don't know about you but I am all guilded out. Lucky for me, the last of the guilds has finally made their announcement of their choices for the best directorial work of 2008. Yup, you guessed right. I am talking about the Directors Guild of America. You may remember the DGA as the guild that settled their contract negotiations in almost no time last year, setting the tone for the Writers Guild to get all their I's dotted. The DGA likes to keep it simple. Five nominees, one category. Here are the five DGA choices for best director of 2008.

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

David Fincher, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Ron Howard, FROST/NIXON

Christopher Nolan, THE DARK KNIGHT

Gus Van Sant, MILK

These are the elite, ladies and gentlemen. Go read a book, Stephen Daldry. Take out your aggression in the ring, Darren Arronofsky. Take a gun to your head and pull the trigger, Clint Eastwood. I'm afraid that if you didn't see your name here, then you don't have a great chance to see it come up among the Oscar nominees. The DGA has a very solid reputation for predicting the nominees as well as the winners in the Best Director category. I also feel like these five films have the best chances of getting the Best Picture nods. We won't know that for sure though until January 22 when the nominations are announced. I have to say though, although I haven't made up my own mind about who my favorite director of the year is, I am very excited to see Nolan among the nominees. THE DARK KNIGHT has improved its Best Picture odds immensely this last week after scoring the Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Producers Guild nominations. The only other guild that didn't throw their support behind THE DARK KNIGHT were the actors. Aside from Heath Ledger's performance, THE DARK KNIGHT is not an actors' piece so this isn't a big shock. Still, you cannot deny this last minute support and I feel like the Academy will ride this wave. My sentimental favorite, Van Sant for MILK. The director's passion is present in every frame and you cannot help but feel like you know him that much more when its done.

Next up ... The American Film Institute narrows down their choices for the Best of 2008.

Tis the Season: Writers Guild of America

Ah, the infamous Writers Guild. These are the wonderful people whose strike last year is responsible for the cancellation of "Pushing Daisies", the reason QUANTUM OF SOLACE was rushed into production way too soon and they almost even had to cancel the Oscars. This of course meant I almost had to cancel my Oscar party. They're back though and so are their nominations for the best original and adapted screenplays of 2008. Let's get to the nominees

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Joel & Ethan Coen, BURN AFTER READING
Dustin Lance Black, MILK
Woody Allen, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Tom McCarthy, THE VISITOR
Robert Siegel, THE WRESTLER

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, THE DARK KNIGHT
John Patrick Shanley, DOUBT
Peter Morgan, FROST/NIXON
Simon Beaufoy, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

My biggest surprise? BURN AFTER READING for Original Screenplay. The Coen Brothers won the Adapted Screenplay award last year for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN but BURN AFTER READING was widely considered too light to be a serious contender. A vote from the writers now could now mean another Oscar later. Mind you, I would imagine that even if it does get the Oscar nod, it will be no match for Black's MILK, Siegel's THE WRESTLER or even dark horse, McCarthy's THE VISITOR. The fifth slot went to Allen's VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA. Allen has won four previous WGA original screenplay awards - ANNIE HALL, HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, BROADWAY DANNY ROSE and CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS. Allen's momentum for the Oscar has been building and this is definitely a big push for his chances. As much as I have a soft spot for Woody, I am not certain he deserves the oscar more than shut-outs, Andrew Stanton's WALL-E or Jenny Lumet's RACHEL GETTING MARRIED.

The only glaring omissions for Adapted Screenplay, from what I can tell, are Justin Haythe's REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and David Hare's THE READER. I am naturally pleased to see the Nolan Brothers up for THE DARK KNIGHT and expected that Shanley's DOUBT and Morgan's FROST/NIXON were sure things. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE are also now sure things in this category come Oscar time but they are certainly my least favorite possibilities considering I feel their screenplays are the worst things about them. Here's a crazy alternative for your consideration, Francois Begaudeau's sharp, naturalistic screenplay adaptation of his own book, ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS).

Next up, the last of the guilds ... the almighty Director's Guild.

Tis the Season: Screen Actors Guild of America

Before you say anything, I am entirely aware that these nominations were announced in 2008. The thing was, I had all this stuff to do. It was really busy at my day job; I had a cold, and I had not even started my Christmas shopping. Needless to say, something had to go. So I decided to cover the Screen Actors Guild nominations the same week as all these other guilds. The SAG is in the news a lot these days. Are they going to strike? Is it really responsible given the current economic climate to put people on the picket line? Despite not having found answers to these questions, they still found time to highlight the best performances of the year.

DOUBT leads the nominations with a total of five nominations. That is one for every major player in the film. The film itself has not been able to maintain universal support but people would be hard pressed to deny the acting calibre. The SAG love for DOUBT will not guarantee it a spot at the Oscars but the SAG is a major force to contend with. Most people attribute their significant voting block to be responsible for CRASH winning over BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN in one of Oscar's most infamous upsets. The SAG equivalent of Best Picture is Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast. The remaining nominees in this category and the remainder of the nominees in all the remaining film categories are:

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
DOUBT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins, THE VISITOR
Frank Langella, FROST/NIXON
Sean Penn, MILK
Brad Pitt, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Mickey Rourke, THE WRESTLER

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
Angelina Jolie, CHANGELING
Melissa Leo, FROZEN RIVER
Meryl Streep, DOUBT
Kate Winslet, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin, MILK
Robert Downey Jr., TROPIC THUNDER
Philip Seymour Hoffman, DOUBT
Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT
Dev Patel, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams, DOUBT
Penelope Cruz, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Viola Davis, DOUBT
Taraji P. Henson, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Kate Winslet, THE READER

By this point in the awards season, there are a lot of familiar names. There are also a few that may have been surprised by seeing their names listed here. That said, if you want to see your name appear somewhere unexpected, this is the place. The most notable of the bunch would have to be Amy Adams and Dev Patel. Personally, I enjoyed both of their performances in their respective films, DOUBT and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, but their support has been pretty minimal. Notable absences include Marisa Tomei (THE WRESTLER), Leonardo DiCaprio (REVOLUTIONARY ROAD), Sally Hawkins (HAPPY-GO-LUCKY) and Cate Blanchett (THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON). Of the bunch, I would say that Tomei and Hawkins are still very strong contenders for Oscars but Blanchett and DiCaprio might want to just accept their fates.

Next up, everyone's favorite guild, the Writers Guild.

Tis the Season: Producers Guild of America

In case you didn't know it already, a film producer is the guy or gal - although, let's be honest; it is usually a guy - who is at the helm of the whole movie. You might think the director takes care of that but somebody has to pay the caterer. OK, the producer probably has like eighteen assistants to do that but ultimately, they make sure the picture comes together. If you're a good producer and you have some success, then you get to become a member of the Producers Guild of America. The PGA has announced their choices for the best of 2008. As they only have nominations in three film categories, let's get straight to them.

BEST PICTURE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BEST DOCUMENTARY
MAN ON WIRE
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
TROUBLE THE WATER

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E

Of the last 19 years, the winner of the PGA award for Best Picture went on to win the Best Picture Oscar. Typically, at least three, most often four, of the five nominees from the PGA go on to secure a nomination. While SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is essentially a lock at this point for the nomination, the other four nominees here have been inconsistent with their awards season support. I would say that THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, given its tremendous public support since its release, has just improved its chances greatly with this nomination. The more I think about FROST/NIXON, the more I hope it misses the nomination. It is a very good film, very solid all around, but it isn't as exciting a choice as say, WALL-E or THE WRESTLER would be. The PGA nomination has definitely helped MILK back up on its feet after a throw to the ground from the Golden Globes. And I am very pleased to see THE DARK KNIGHT make this cut. I think the Academy will follow suit. Well, they will if they want people to tune in anyway.

Next up, Black Sheep looks at the Screen Actors Guild (Tuesday), the Writers Guild (Wednesday) and Directors Guild (Thursday), It's a guildy kind of week here at Black Sheep.

BOX OFFICE 2008

I'm not sure if you noticed but 2008 came to a close a few days ago. This means the box office is officially closed and we can tally up what were the biggest hits of the year. Overall, the 2008 North American box office pulled in a staggering $9.6 billion dollars, moving 1.4 billion tickets. Believe it or not, this is actually down from 2007. It is only down by 0.4% mind you. Apparently, no matter what the economic climate, we've always got money for the movies.


Let's see ... what was the biggest box office story of the year? Geez, that's a hard one. Alright, I'll knock it off. The biggest box office story of the year was easily the success of Eddie Murphy's MEET DAVE. OK, now I will seriously knock it off. So, again, the biggest box office story of 2008 was easily the colossal success of Christopher Nolan's THE DARK KNIGHT. For the first time since its release, a film came within reach of sinking TITANIC to become the number one box office hit of all time. This did not come to pass but I'm sure no one really cares. THE DARK KNIGHT, be it because of the Heath Ledger fascination factor or just because it was so darn great, crossed over every single demographic it could to score the biggest opening weekend in history. I knew it was going to be big; I couldn't even get tickets for opening night. However, I didn't think it was going to be that big. You could feel it though. There was a very strong sense of urgency to see this film and it carried over for weeks. THE DARK KNIGHT also played well on IMAX theatres as well as internationally, where it almost topped $1 billion. It is sure to do so in a couple of weeks though when it is rereleased in theatres to push its Oscar chances. The best thing about THE DARK KNIGHT is that it brought people together. It isn't often that a film connects with so many people so congratulations to the whole cast and crew for all their success.


The second and third place films finished very tightly with less than $1 million difference between them. IRON MAN ultimately won out over INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL though. Well, at least domestically. Internationally, INDIANA JONES was the second biggest hit of the year, while IRON MAN finished fifth. These two films are funny to compare as they are both huge money makers but one could describe their domestic takes as both a huge success and a disappointment. IRON MAN opened to nearly $100 million to kick off the summer season. No one expected this one. I also don't think anyone expected to enjoy it as much as they probably did. Meanwhile, INDIANA JONES opened slightly higher but I think the industry was expecting bigger things. I certainly don't think they thought the bat would best them; that's for sure.


Not surprisingly, the Top 10 contains no less than four animated features. While, MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA is still tracking, I doubt it will move much higher on the chart and surpass the two biggest kid flicks. When WALL-E opened, it too surpassed expectations. The response was extremely positive as well so prognosticators expected WALL-E to go on to become one of Pixar's biggest triumphs. The public did not follow up though and WALL-E merely went on to just pass last year's RATATOUILLE. And while WALL-E is the animated king domestically, KUNG FU PANDA whooped WALL-E's metal butt internationally, earning over $120 million more to become the third biggest international hit of the year. This may just be because KUNG FU PANDA came first and got the jump on WALL-E. Personally, I did my part as I saw WALL-E in the theatre three times. Yup, I'm that geeky.


Hollywood learned a valuable lesson this year, the value of the female dollar. For so many years, it was assumed that the box office was primarily male driven but three films in particular this year made it very clear that women should never be ignored. The most successful female driven pic was TWILIGHT but that also has a huge book following so it may not be fair to discount that. The other two films have huge built-in followings as well but SEX AND THE CITY and MAMMA MIA! made people take notice. SEX AND THE CITY opened to just under $60 million and went on to pull in $152 million, just missing the Top 10. MAMMA MIA! (which opened opposite THE DARK KNIGHT) pulled in half of the SEX AND THE CITY gals in its opening weekend but showed some very strong legs throughout the summer. Both films are also huge international hits. In fact, MAMMA MIA! did in the UK what THE DARK KNIGHT was not able to do domestically; it surpassed TITANIC as the biggest box office in UK history. I would never have expected that ... ever. Now, all they have to do is start making these female skewed pics better as I didn't care for any of these movies. And yes, I know I'm not a girl.


Speaking of movies I didn't like all that much, two other Top 10 hits need singling out as they were also both huge hits internationally as well. HANCOCK is the fourth biggest international hit of the year, proving that Will Smith is still one of the biggest stars on the planet. He followed that one up with his weakest performer in years, mind you, SEVEN POUNDS. James Bond also returned this year with QUANTUM OF SOLACE. The sequel to CASINO ROYALE just squeaked past its predecessor domestically but still has a ways to go to beat CASINO ROYALE's $594 million international total.


In total, 24 films passed the century mark to gross over $100 million. That total will likely go up to 26 if MARLEY & ME and YES MAN stay on track. And while I hate to end on a negative note, I can't get away with not pointing out what seem to me like the three biggest box office disappointments of 2008. I believe you may know them better as flops. When you take international gross into account though, none of them seem that bad. I mean I wouldn't want to lose that kind of money but I just pay to see movies, not to make them. The first high profile flop of 2008 was the Wachowski's SPEED RACER. Audiences scoffed at this colorful explosion and this lead to an $18 million opening weekend. Given the reported $120 million price tag, the future looked grim. SPEED RACER crossed the finish line with $93 million internationally, losing just under $30 million. I never understood why rival studios decided to open THE LOVE GURU and GET SMART on the same weekend. The Steve Carrell pic easily killed Mike Myers' disaster. THE LOVE GURU opened to a mere $13 million and finished its international run at $40 million. That's $22 million less that what it reportedly cost to make. And finally, I mentioned it first so I guess it is fitting to wrap things up with it. MEET DAVE, a movie about I believe Eddie Murphy's multiple personality disorder, I can't be sure, opened to a horrific $5 million. Luckily for Murphy, his international fans were more forgiving and the film ended up pulling in $50 million total, only $10 million less than its budget.

So that is it for 2008, folks. My prediction for biggest film of 2009 ... BRIDE WARS. That's right. You read that right.

Alright, I'm kidding ... again.