comment #1

Colin says ...

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that I read somehwere that NBR members didn't even watch "The Lives of Others" and/or consider it for their top 5 b/c it isn't opening in the U.S. until February. In other words, the NBR can be attacked for not considering "Lives," but it's exclusion isn't based upon its merit or lack thereof.

comment #2

VedaPierce says ...

Watch the National Society of Film Critics make the same picks.

comment #3

Craig Kennedy says ...

Jeff, you and about 2 other people who also hate Stranger Than Fiction are the only ones pissing and moaning about the fact the screenplay didn't bother to answer a few questions no one else seemed to need answers for. I'm pretty sure you're not a literal minded schmuck so maybe you should just move on. By your two favorite measures of success (box office and Oscars) the movie will be considered a failure. You win. Congrats. Now what else have you got to talk about?

comment #4

bmcintire says ...

Perusing through the list of the NBR's best picture winners, I was surpirsed to see they also picked SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in 1991. I'm not remembering the zeitgeist particularly well for that year, but wasn't that kind of a surprise long-shot award at that point? Since they are notoriously first out of the gate, did that have any influence of giving it a nod (if not the eventual win) with the Academy? Of course, there is also QUESTION 7 from 1961, a NBR winner so beloved it doesn't even have a plot description on imdb. And once you do track down the plot through Amazon - WTF? It reads like one of those horrible Jack Chick tracts you find on the subway.

comment #5

Mark says ...

There are so many easier things to criticize about STF, than the plot hole mentioned. E.g., that's it's not funny, emotional, or accomplished.

Also, how could anyone shoot Hounsou in the head, when he so "LOVES EVERYTHING ALIVE!!!!"?

comment #6

Craig Kennedy says ...

That's a reasonable opinion Mark, one I disagree with, but reasonable. Out of curiousity, what did you find to be funny and emotional this year?

comment #7

Mark says ...

Borat - the funniest.

United 93 - most emotional.

Little Children - most funny AND emotional. Best pic of year imo, despite narration that i didn't like until the football game.

(nothing too out-on-a-limb above, and i admit that there's still a good handful of movies i haven't seen this season yet.)

comment #8

Craig Kennedy says ...

I laughed until my spleen hurt at Borat.

I wouldn't say my response to United 93 was emotional, but it was one of the most intense movies of the year for me.

Kate Winslet was terrific in Little Children but the whole business with the ex-cop kind of ruined the impact of the film for me. I never bought into his character. Same with the blonde busybody housewife.

Sorry Stranger than Fiction didn't work for you. I wouldn't put it on any kind of top 10 list, but I thought it was charming and yes, funny.

comment #9

Larry says ...

Stranger Than Fiction was a weak movie, but pointlessly explaining the relation between the writer and the tax man (a relationship that's one of the few good things about the film) would have made it much worse.

Catherine O'Hara was fine in her role. Maybe it doesn't deserve to win the category (I haven't seen most of the competitors you mention), but it's certainly better than the cliched, award-grubbing role that Jennifer Hudson got to play.

comment #10

Mike K says ...

STF was somewhat interesting. Perhaps the writing would have been strengthened with better casting. Specifically, I didn't buy for a single second that Maggie Gyllenhaal is going to fall for, and bump uglies with, a lumpen, dull Will Ferrell. Never, ever.

comment #11

jeffmcm says ...

I haven't seen the other Supporting Actress movies that Wells lists, but O'Hara is certainly better than Barraza, in terms of range and artistic courage. Barraza is fine but all she has to do is wander around the desert and feel bad. O'Hara runs the gamut from schlub to face-lifted monster.

comment #12

Rod32303 says ...

David Denby, a bad-ass fucking awesome critic I respect (as opposed to the UBER POSER Peter Travers from Rolling Stone) LOVED Blood Diamond...and HE thought The Last Samauri was ridiculous. I will see it, regardless of the stated HE opinion. I still and forever will dig "Glory" and parts of "The Seige" - we'll see. Some of us didn't want to jump out of a window after "Chicago," some of us found worse films out there than "Munich," and some of us look forward to seeing the cliched, award-grubbing role that Jennifer Hudson got to play.

When she wins the Oscar, fyi, many of us will be smiling.

Big.

National Board of Review - almost as "respected" as The Golden Globes, yes? National Society of Film Critics, NY Film Critics, Broadcast Film Critics, SAG Awards - all more valid in my humble opinion.

comment #13

nemo says ...

"Honsou's acting in that film is emotionally excessive -- he has two emotional-outburst moments are flat-out idiotic. . . . the crouching Honsou suddenly sees his kidnapped, long-lost son among them. Naturally, this being an Ed Zwick film, he immediately jumps up and shouts out, "Son!" He should have died right there and then."

Isn't that a problem with the screenplay rather than the acting? Sounds like you should be blaming the writer and director rather than the actor.

comment #14

Rod32303 says ...

Hmmm...another RAVE for "Blood Diamond" from USA Today, AND a RAVE about DiCaprio's performance in it, saying it's better than even "The Departed" from both USA Today AND The New York Times...

comment #15

The Movie Man says ...

I have yet to see FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, but I would like to add that I think some attention should have been payed to both O'Hara and especially Eugene Levy for wonderful performances in A MIGHTY WIND. But of course they are lowly performers who toil on useless things such as comedy, when they should be out changing the world with "important" pictures such as BABEL.