edited by Jonathan Doyle

Mafioso (The Criterion Collection, 3.18.2008) Nino Badalamenti is a supervisor in a car manufacturing plant who hasn't taken a vacation in over two years. On his way out the door to visit his beloved childhood hometown of Sicily -- with his blonde wife and daughters -- Nino is handed a package by his boss and asked to deliver it to a powerful and influential Sicilian gangster named Don Vincenzo. Once in Sicily, Nino has a hoot seeing friends and family, but his wife has trouble fitting in and is unfairly dismissed as a snob by Nino's family. Even more worrisome, Nino finds himself entangled in an intricate web of secret mafioso dealings and is eventually sent on an unexpectedly... elaborate errand. (continued)

Upcoming

July 2

Hancock

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The Whackness

July 4

Diminished Capacity

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson

Holding Trevor

Kabluey

We are Together

July 9

Full Battle Rattle

July 11

A Man Named Pearl

August

Eight Miles High

Garden Party

Harold

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Meet Dave

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

The Stone Angel

July 18

A Very British Gangster

Before I Forget

The Dark Knight

The Doorman

Felon

Lou Reed's Berlin

Transsiberian

July 22

Two Tickets to Paradise

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Boy A

Everything wrong turned out right

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"This year, producers and actors went for Little Miss Sunshine, directors liked The Departed, and the Globes went with Babel. So the Bagger can confidently say, with all the authority of his one year of experience, that The Win in best picture is up for grabs.

"If Little Miss were to sneak past the best the studios and their specialty divisions had to offer, it would be yet another message that the longshot is sometimes the best shot. Everything that was wrong about this film turned out to be the right. Too many cooks came up with something audiences loved and at least some factions of the Academy find compelling." -- from David Carr's riff about Sunday night's SAG Awards and what that ceremony (possibly) foretells.

Stop swearing<< previous | next >>Why "Sunshine" Will Win

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on January 29, 2007 at 03:19 PM

comment #1

Josh Massey says ...

It's down to two: Little Miss Sunshine and Babel. So basically, it's down to nothing special.

Posted by Josh Massey at January 29, 2007 03:38 PM

comment #2

art says ...

I actually despised this film. I saw it on DVD, and boy am I glad I didn't spend money to see it at a theater. If this thing wins, I'll be able to sympathize with how ticked off people were last year when Crash won and they had hated that.

Please please please don't win.

Posted by art at January 29, 2007 05:45 PM

comment #3

elizlaw86 says ...

I didn't hate the movie at all but for the Academy to possibly call it "the best picture of the year" FOREVER is really a lot to swallow. Hopefully they will vote with that in mind: Twenty years from now will society look back on the best movie of 2006 and feel comfortable with the choice? Little Miss Sunshine's win is in its nominations.

Posted by elizlaw86 at January 29, 2007 11:22 PM

comment #4

Josh Massey says ...

I don't know why we're so surprised an unworthy film is likely to win Best Picture. Last year, the absolutely worst film to ever even get nominated ended up winning. And run down a list of recent winners: A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, Gladiator, American Beauty, etc. Mediocrity abounds.

Posted by Josh Massey at January 30, 2007 12:56 PM

comment #5