Time to get Netflix

Zack and I have been renting quite a few movies lately. With ticket prices as high as they've are nowadays, we're pretty allergic to the theaters. Now that most of the holiday movies are being released on DVD, we've been catching up. Although we still have yet to see Munich and Syriana, I feel that we can give a more accurate Oscars analysis (about a month late).

Walk the Line

I've always loved Reese, way back in the days when she was in Man in the Moon and most especially, Freeway, so I'm thrilled that she won. She deserved it. Joaquin Phoenix was also excellent, and it was amazing how much he sounded like Cash. It was certainly Best picture nomination material, but as John Stewart put it, it was "Ray with white people."

Capote

Great film,andin my opinion, the best this year. Phillip Seymour Hoffman deserved his Oscar, though Heath Ledger really gave him a run for his money. It was fascinating to watch how Capote's ambition to complete In Cold Blood winds up destroying the lives of so many people around him, and ultimately, himself. Self-absorbed, manipulative and charming, he gambles with the lives of those he professes to care about, but by the time he realizes what his actions (or lack thereof) cost, it's too late. "I will never get over this," he says at the end. And he never does - we are told in the epilogue that he never finished another novel, and that he died of complications related to alcoholism. Though we don't get to see the 20 years of his life after his work on In Cold Blood was completed, we can certainly understand why and how.

Brokeback Mountain

I really liked this. Was it better than Crash? Yes, I thought so. I'm not sure that it was the best picture, though I thought that the cinematography was gorgeous, the story was tragically compelling, and Heath Ledger really surprised me. I love Jake Gyllenhall's work, but Ledger's performance stands out. Philip Seymour Hoffman certainly deserved his Oscar, but Ledger's performance is so subtle and nuanced, I almost think the Oscar should have gone to him. A few side notes - the notorious "tent scene" happened way more quickly than I expected. I mean, here we have this slowly paced pastoral film in the mountains, then all of a sudden... oh, um, okay. There you go. I guess that's how it was written in the short story. Also, while I wasn't surprised to see Michelle Williams' boobs, I was rather surprised to see Anne "Princess Ella Enchanted Diaries" Hathaway's. Guess she won't be making any Disney movies anytime soon.

Good Night and Good Luck

I liked this also. It might even have been the best of what I've seen. David Straitharn's performance is really strong, though Ledger and Hoffman gave the standout performances of the year. The way Clooney edited actual news clips and interviews with what he shot, plus basing the scripts on the transcripts made for a pretty fascinating look at the McCarthy area.

One, okay, two, final words. I saw Crash back in September, and I liked it, but I didn't think it was all that. With hindsight, I can say that it wasn't nearly as heartwrenching as The Constant Gardener, it didn't have the gravity of Capote or the grace of Brokeback Mountain. I though Matt Dillon was very good, but there were no standout performaces, like Reese or Joaquin or any of the other nominees. People like to talk about the editing techniques and the multiple storylines, but we've seen that before... in Short Cuts and Magnolia. And frankly, I thought the editing techniques in Good Night and Good Luck, were much more clever. Although it was billed as an art house/indie movie, I found it to be very mainstream. I thought to myself, give this director a few more years, and he'll come out with something truly spectacular. Who knows? Maybe he will.