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.

Black Sheep's Top 10 of 2008

I will always remember 2008 as the year I stopped sleeping. Oddly enough, from day one, I developed some very erratic but very effective insomnia. I am still dealing with it to this day but I can feel it falling away with every passing night. Many people offered advice – warm milk, booze before bed, meditation. My favorite trick though was to lie still and think back on the day that had just ended. I would lie there and stare up at the ceiling and recall all the blessings, no matter how small, that I had been fortunate enough to encounter throughout my day. And so, as 2008 enters its final hours, I would like to lie back on my pillow and remember 10 of the best film experiences I had this last year. When I’m done, I will say goodnight.

In alphabetical order, here is Black Sheep’s Top 10 of 2008 …

THE DARK KNIGHT

If you’re going to be big, you have to think big from the start. Director Christopher Nolan did just that with his second Batman picture. It is grand to behold and exhilarating to experience. Aside from laying claim to Heath Ledger’s unforgettable last performance, THE DARK KNIGHT can also assert itself as the most accomplished superhero movie of all time.

THE DUCHESS

Saul Dibb’s little seen film may have been dismissed as just another period piece where a woman is sold off by her family for financial gain and stature but I assure you there is so much more to see here. The Duchess of Devonshire endured many a hardship behind her castle walls and Dibb, along with the lovely Keira Knightly, strip the period drama of its binding costume to show the naked person barely breathing underneath.

ENTRE LES MURS (THE CLASS)

Director, Laurent Cantet, along with screenwriter and star, Francois Bégaudeau, invite us to take our seats in this year’s winner of the Palmes d’Or at Cannes. Shot like a documentary, THE CLASS is an important lesson about the state of today’s classroom. Sure, we all know the situation isn’t great but Bégaudeau wants us to feel the reality of what it means to have a seat at the back of the class. Pay attention because the test will follow immediately after.

MAN ON WIRE

In 1974, Philippe Petit crossed New York’s twin towers across a tight rope eight times. Documentary filmmaker, James Marsh, was not there to capture it. And so a new style of documentary is born where all the players from back in the day are on board to tell their stories while actors reenact the events of 34 years ago. Pieced together as though it were a narrative piece, the story itself is a caper that will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat as though it were one of the towers.

MILK

This is Gus Van Sant’s masterpiece. It is a soft and tender piece about bravery and strength, that had me enraged one moment, laughing the next and crying practically throughout. Harvey Milk fought for the simple human rights of gay men and women in California as the first openly gay man to be elected to public office and he was killed for this. Telling his story today is heartbreaking as gay men and women are still fighting for these same rights some 30 years later.

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

When I first saw this movie, I left the theatre and felt entirely disoriented. Rachel had just gotten married and I felt as though I were a guest at this event. The weekend was tumultuous but gorgeous and filled with deep love and all the hardship that comes with this kind of intimacy. The entire cast is so genuine that you feel as though they have known each other for as long as they would have had they been real. This is a true testament to Jenny Lumet’s subtle screenplay and Jonathan Demme’s beautifully spontaneous direction.

THE READER

Stephen Daldry is a very sumptuous filmmaker. He tells his stories with conviction and without apology for their nature. THE READER is a complicated, multi-layered work that may have missed its mark in someone else’s hand. Daldry forces us to face this tale of passion, betrayal and healing and asks us to go through our own personal interaction with these emotions. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes are there to hold our hands along the way.

THE VISITOR

Simple, understated and effective are just a few words that can be thrown at Thomas McCarthy’s second film and Richard Jenkins’ breakout performance. This unique story about a widower who walks around his own life as though it weren’t his own unspools in such an unexpected fashion that one feels like visiting again and again.

WALL•E

It only takes about four minutes to fall completely in love with WALL•E. No matter how many times I’ve seen this film (and I assure you, I’ve seen it a few times already), I am always in awe of what Pixar was able to accomplish. Not only did they manage to put out an eco-friendly film that criticizes humanity’s disposable habits and our growing reliance on conglomerate control but they also crafted one of the most endearing love stories in recent history. To create a genuine love between genderless, animated robots is what places Pixar out of this world compared with all their imitators.

THE WRESTLER

Darren Aronofsky should feel very good about this one. THE WRESTLER is not just his best film but it is also the best American film of the year. Like P.T. Anderson did last year with THERE WILL BE BLOOD, Aronofsky has reinvented himself as an American storyteller who understands its people and their convictions. It is a dirty, gritty experience that mirrors the hardships of so many and it never stops fighting.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to get all the details on Black Sheep's Best of 2008 contest. Happy New Year!

THE WRESTLER

Written by Robert D. Siegel
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood

For more information on THE WRESTLER, just click on the title anywhere you see it in this review.


Randy “The Ram” Robinson: I’m an old broken down piece of meat and I deserve to be alone.

I was never a professional wrestling fan as a child. My brother was and so I occasionally caught the weekly shows because I was too lazy to get off the couch when he would watch them. I never understood the appeal. How could grown men rolling around on the floor together in an obviously choreographed battle appeal to the straight male? Is wrestling the straight man’s ballet? And though I never understood why, my brother and legions of other men (and women) would watch religiously to see who would be smashed with a chair while the referee was lying unconscious on the floor. Amidst all of the spectacle though, it is easy to forget that the men in tights put on pants just like the rest of us when the show is done and go home to their lives. Darren Aronofsky is here to remind us of this and to show us the softer or more human side of THE WRESTLER.


From the moment it begins, with an opening credit montage highlighting the career accomplishments of former wrestling superstar, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) over a throwback hair-metal song, you know that you are in for a dirty ride. The Ram has got to be in his sixties at this point. It has been twenty years since he played Madison Square Garden and now he is the main attraction at local wrestling matches that are put up in high school gymnasiums and workout centers. He has no one of significance in his life; he can barely afford his trailer park home; and the steroids and numerous other drugs he has consumed and is still currently consuming have taken their toll on his weathered body. Yet still, he soldiers on. As long as he has his wrestling, he has purpose. Then one day, even that is taken away. Who does a man become when he can no longer be who he has always known himself to be?


THE WRESTLER is Aronofsky’s finest work. It marks the first time in his major filmmaking career where he did not direct a script that he himself wrote. That credit goes to novice writer, Robert D. Siegel. Siegel’s script is bare, honest and frank. It follows The Ram during this hard transitional period of his life and Aronofsky follows behind as though he were filming some trashy reality TV show. After all, this is a dirty story that goes back and forth between wrestling rings, strip clubs and trailer parks. Aronofsky does not sensationalize though. Instead, his newfound simplicity allows the humanity of all on screen to flow freely and freely is exactly how it flows from this immensely talented cast. Marisa Tomei plays The Ram’s love interest, a stripper named Cassidy. Not only does she look incredible working the stage but her off stage persona is a great mix of tender and tired. It is a welcome reminder that Tomei is one of today’s most underrated actresses. And then of course there is the wrestler himself. Rourke is revelatory. He is lonely and broken but still picking himself up and doing whatever needs doing. To watch a man of his age endure what he does in the ring makes you root hard for him but the horrifying violence also inspires intense sympathy.


THE WRESTLER is about purpose. After Aronofsky’s last film, THE FOUNTAIN, failed and fell apart quite publicly, it would stand to reason that he may have been questioning his own purpose. Just like The Ram knows only how to be a wrestler though, Aronofsky has to be a filmmaker. Whatever confidence he may have lost has been forgotten as THE WRESTLER is a brave move away from the visual trickery and style he had become accustomed to. It is the natural simplicity of his new direction that makes THE WRESTLER so relatable, inspires great caring for its characters and solidifies it as Aronofsky’s best work.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Who Says Dogs Don't Make For Great Gifts?

Traditionally, I usually follow my Christmas morning with family with a movie. My Christmas movie this year was THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON but, while this was certainly also the choice of many others, it was not the choice of the majority. I looked up at the listings to see what was playing while I waited in line and this is when I saw it. All eight showings of MARLEY & ME were flashing to signify that the shows were nearly sold out. Clearly, Christmas is a time to be spent with loved ones and their dogs.


Both MARLEY & ME and THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON set records this Christmas. The latter’s one-day tally of $12 million would become the second biggest Christmas day opening of all time. That said, the one with the dog made $14.7 million that same day and you know what that means. It means that people like Jennifer Aniston better than they like Brad Pitt. No, that’s dumb. It doesn’t mean that at all. What it likely means is that people like fun, simple fare with dogs on Christmas day more so that long, epic romances. MARLEY & ME went on to win the weekend, surpassing all expectations with a $51 million total gross over the four days. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON also performed very strongly and could have placed even higher if it weren’t for its 2 ½ hour running time.


One film came in between Brad & Jen and that would be the Adam Sandler family comedy, BEDTIME STORIES. Originally, this film was expected to take the weekend as it had the strongest family appeal. MARLEY & ME came running from behind like a dog after a moving car to reach past its built-in couple audience to snag a good chunk of the families as well. As a result, BEDTIME STORIES had to settle for second place and only the third biggest Christmas day opening ever. Opening in fourth, was a solid placement for the To Cruise vehicle, VALKYRIE. The Bryan Singer WWII thriller performed consistently throughout the four days of its release and ever averaged higher than BEDTIME STORIES.


The Top 10 saw two other debuts and both would be considered disappointing. The fifth wide release of the weekend was not even a consideration apparently. Frank Miller’s first formal directorial effort, THE SPIRIT, opened in ninth place, with a pathetic average of just over $2500 bucks. It could pick up next weekend when teenagers will returning to the multiplexes on their own after their parents held them hostage this past weekend. And DOUBT went wide this holiday frame and though its weekend take shot up over 700%, its average plummeted to a decent but not amazing $4500. Still, awards season is only just beginning so I don’t doubt it will continue to perform as long as the accolades continue to come in.


Platform releases love the month of December. In the weeks ahead, adults will finally find some time on their hands and will flock to see a great number of the Oscar contenders as they continue to widen their screen count. This weekend, the last major Best Picture contender, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, starring the reunited Kate Winslet and Leonard DiCaprio, opened on just three screens in all of North America but pulled in one of the biggest averages of the year with $64K per screen. The picture goes wide January 9. Averaging lower but still solidly were the Oscar contenders, LAST CHANCE HARVEY and WALTZ WITH BASHIR. The former is hoping for recognition for Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson as lead actors but the competition is tight this year and the former is Israel’s official submission for the Foreign Language Oscar. Each earned per screen averages of $16K and $10K, respectively.

NEXT WEEK: Nothing. There are no new wide releases next week. Apparently, New Year’s is a time for leftovers in Hollywood.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Written by Eric Roth
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond and Tilda Swinton


Daisy: What’s it like growing younger?
Benjamin: Can’t say; I’m always looking in my own eyes.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON certainly has no trouble living up to its name. It is very curious indeed, for instance, how a man can be born to this world the size of an infant but with the physical affliction of a man at death’s door. It is remarkable that a two and a half hour epic can be so consistently beautiful to behold and breathtaking until its final moments. While it isn’t the least bit unusual to catch Cate Blanchett on top of her game, it is certainly impressive to see Brad Pitt exhibit such restraint and internalized inquisitiveness. It is definitely intriguing to witness a director as dark as David Fincher (ZODIAC, SE7EN, FIGHT CLUB) abandon the genre that made him who he is and side step into such a grand, romantic piece with such apparent ease and enthusiasm. But it is perhaps most curious how this film, where every element is so delicately placed and nurtured to a point where it borders on technical perfection, can be so cold and empty an experience despite itself.


Of course, within the context of the film, the curious thing about Benjamin Button is that he is aging backwards while all of humanity is progressing naturally. Benjamin must suffer through his childhood in the body of an old man who has already lived his life when he is really just discovering it. Too frail to participate, he must watch life happen from the front porch of the old age home that has taken him in. Here, he bears witness to life in its final stages and grows accustomed to the constant presence of death. His perspective is undeniably unique as he is always moving forward despite the reversed nature of his physical growth. Yet, this view and the wisdom it could bring are not shared with Benjamin’s most ardent observers, the audience. We are here for his story and the meaning it could bring to our relatively uncomplicated existences but instead, all we are given is the story itself. This amounts to little more than the long life of Benjamin Button, which would not be particularly different if it weren’t for the whole aging backwards thing.


It is one thing certainly to have all of the characters who encounter Benjamin accept him for who he is but that expectation is mildly unrealistic to ask of an audience. Still, this film has been bouncing around Hollywood for years for a number of reasons, not the least of which was figuring out how to make it look realistic. Fincher finally settled on having graphs of Pitt’s face drafted onto actors of different sizes and stature playing him at various stages of his aged infancy. The results are entirely believable and the makeup work, which so often detracts in such extreme cases such as these, is quite complimentary. And so visually, we buy into it. The performances also guide us to do the same as they are natural and heartfelt. And as if this weren’t enough to transport us to this historic, fantasyland, Claudio Miranda’s rich, contrasting cinematography does everything needed to fill in whatever gaps were left. With all this effort spent to make sure we believe what we are seeing, it is an awful shame that equal time wasn’t spent on giving us something to believe in.

I blame Eric Roth. With so many things going for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, I have to lay the blame somewhere and Roth is the easiest person to point at. Roth’s script is epic in proportion but minute in terms of purpose and meaning. Having proven his ability to carry people on long life journeys, such as that of FORREST GUMP, it is clear why he would be chosen to expand F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story into such a long film. In the process though, he took an unconventional concept and told it as conventionally as he could (did I mention that Benjamin’s entire story is read from a diary at Blanchett’s hospital deathbed). He created a character that is not so unlike the naïve Forrest. Benjamin is an observer of life; he watches it move forward from a perspective that none of us can truly comprehend and one that sadly, Roth and Fincher never allow us to see.