Golden Globe Predictions

Here are my GG predictions:

Best Motion Picture- Drama

Babel
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen
United 93
(Flags Of Our Fathers or World Trade Center)

Best Motion Picture- Musical/Comedy

Borat
Dreamgirls
The Devil Wears Prada
Little Miss Sunshine
A Prairie Home Companion
(Stranger Than Fiction or Thank You For Smoking)

Best Director

Pedro Almodovar- Volver
Bill Condon- Dreamgirls
Paul Greengrass- United 93
Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu- Babel
Martin Scorsese- The Departed
(Todd Field- Little Children or Clint Eastwood- Flags Of Our Fathers/Letters From Iwo Jima)

Best Lead Actor in a Motion Picture- Drama

Leonardo DiCaprio- The Departed
Ryan Gosling- Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole- Venus
Will Smith- The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker- The Last King of Scotland
(Patrick Wilson- Little Children)

Best Lead Actress in a Motion Picture- Drama

Penelope Cruz- Volver
Judi Dench- Notes on a Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhaal- Sherrybaby
Helen Mirren- The Queen
Kate Winslet- Little Children
(Cate Blanchett- The Good German or Nicole Kidman- Fur)

Best Lead Actor in a Motion Picture- Musical/Comedy

Sasha Baron Cohen- Borat
Johnny Depp- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Aaron Eckhart- Thank You For Smoking
Will Ferrell- Stranger Than Fiction
Jamie Foxx- Dreamgirls
(Greg Kinnear- Little Miss Sunshine)

Best Lead Actress in a Motion Picture- Musical/Comedy

Annette Bening- Running with Scissors
Abigail Breslin- Little Miss Sunshine
Beyonce Knowles- Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep- The Devil Wears Prada
Renee Zellweger- Miss Potter
(Kirsten Dunst- Marie Antoinette or Scarlett Johansson- Scoop)

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Ben Affleck- Hollywoodland
Alan Arkin- Little Miss Sunshine
Eddie Murphy- Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson- The Departed
Brad Pitt- Babel
(Jackie Earl Haley- Little Children or Michael Sheen- The Queen)

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Adriana Barazza- Babel
Cate Blanchett- Notes on a Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhaal- World Trade Center
Jennifer Hudson- Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi- Babel
(Emily Blunt- The Devil Wears Prada or Sandra Bullock- Infamous)

Top 10 of 2005: #4

Cursed dir. Wes Craven

Surprised? Not only was Cursed one of the worst movies of the year according to some critics, it was one of the worst movies ever. However, I have a different opinion of this movie and it is an extremely good one. I love Wes Craven and when I found out he was directing a werewolf movie on IMDB, I knew I wanted to see it already. I was pleasantly surprised when I watched this movie and gladly so. Not only is this movie very scary, it is also frequently hilarious and extremely fun. The story follows brother and sister, Jimmy (Jessie Eisenberg) & Ellie (Christina Ricci). While driving home along Mulholland Drive an animal crashes into their car and makes them swerve and hit another car which is carrying Becky (Shannon Elizabeth). Her car flips over into bush and they try to help her. A werewolf attacks and drags Becky, and tears her to pieces while scratching Ellie and Jimmy at the same time. They escape, and weird things start to happen. Increased senses, and a craving for raw meat are some of the abnormal things that start to happen to them. You probably know what's going to happen, but you don't know HOW it's going to happen. Craven shows here that is a very fun guy and director and Williamson shows he is one of the best in the biz. Christina Ricci is amazing and she gives (in my opinion) one of the performances of her career. She is the perfect horror movie heroine, so full of life and it shines through Ellie. Jesse Eisenberg also gives a funny and full of life performance as Jimmy. Judy Greer is hilarious as Joanie and Shannon Elizabeth and Mya are good for what is required of them (Mya's scene involving a parking garage is one of the best). Cursed is one of the scariest and funniest movies of 2005 and I had a freakin awesome time watching it.

(My Choices) If the Oscars were to happen today.....

Here's who I think should be nominated for the Oscars if they happened today (winners are in italic):

Best Picture

Akeelah and the Bee
The Descent
Freedomland
United 93
World Trade Center

Best Director

Doug Atchison- Akeelah and the Bee
Paul Greengrass- United 93
Neil Marshall- The Descent
James McTeigue- V for Vendetta
Oliver Stone- World Trade Center

Best Actor

Nicolas Cage- World Trade Center
Paul Giamatti- Lady in the Water
Samuel L. Jackson- Freedomland
Hugo Weaving- V for Vendetta
Patrick Wilson- Hard Candy

Best Actress

Julianne Moore- Freedomland
Ellen Page- Hard Candy
KeKe Palmer- Akeelah and the Bee
Natalie Portman- V for Vendetta
Meryl Streep- The Devil Wears Prada

Best Supporting Actor

Laurence Fishburne- Akeelah and the Bee
Ian McKellen- The DaVinci Code
Clive Owen- Inside Man
Michael Pena- World Trade Center
Stanley Tucci- The Devil Wears Prada

Best Supporting Actress

Angela Bassett- Akeelah and the Bee
Emily Blunt- The Devil Wears Prada
Edie Falco- Freedomland
Maggie Gyllenhaal- World Trade Center
Famke Janssen- X-Men: The Last Stand

There you have it. Weird choices eh? Deal with 'em :)

Top 10 of 2005: #5

Heights dir. Chris Terrio

One of the most underappreciated films of 2005, in my opinion, is Heights. Chris Terrio's directorial debut is a movie that will resonate with you long after the credits have rolled. With Amy Fox adapting from her own play, Terrio has fashioned an excellent ensemble drama that examines various relationships set in New York. Heights follows the day of 5 people: Diana (Glenn Close), an aging actress, Isabel (Elizabeth Banks), a professional photographer who is also Diana's daughter, Johnathan (James Marsden), Isabel's boyfriend, Alec (Jesse Bradford), a struggling actor & Peter (John Light), an assistant to a famous model who is looking for Johnathan. To say anything else would spoil the experience and let me just say, watching where everyone's stories go, is fascinating. Everyone here gives amazing performances, so I can't single out any one person. Glenn Close adds another amazing performance to long career filled list. Elizabeth Banks gives a breakthrough performance and the performance of her small career. James Marsden also gives the performance of his career as Johnathan as well does Jesse Bradford as Alec. John Light is also excellent in his role as Peter. Chris Terrio does a great job of taking us through New York and using split screens at time when people are talking to other people on their cell phones. Amy Fox has fashioned a tight screenplay and everyone says their lines with authenticity. As I said before, Heights stays with you long after the credits roll. One of the best movies of 2005.

Old Grades

• Gossip
, dir. Guggenheim B

• American History X
, dir. Kaye A

• Halloween
, dir. Carpenter A+

• Crash
, dir. Cronenberg A

• The Bloodletting
, dir. Piccinino F

• Saw II
, dir. Bousman A

• The Illusionist
, dir. Burger B+

• The Grudge 2
, dir. Shimizu B+

• Pulse
, dir. Sonzero B

• The Night Listener
, dir. Stettner B-

• Requiem for a Dream
, dir. Aronofsky A+

• The World's Fastest Indian
, dir. Donaldson C+

• Stay
, dir. Forster B

• The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
, dir. Anderson A-

Top 10 of 2005: #6

Walk the Line dir. James Mangold

Johnny Cash's "Hurt" is one of my favourite songs of all time. Hearing his voice sing that song when he's well into old age is inspiring and amazing to listen to. I felt the same way as I listened to Joaquin Phoenix sing Cash's songs in Walk the Line. You just close your eyes, and you feel like you're listening to Johnny Cash, not Joaquin Phoenix. That's what makes Joaquin Phoenix's performance in Walk the Line, excellent. Sure he doesn't look like Johnny Cash, but he sure does feel like Johnny Cash. The voice, the facial expressions and did I mention the voice? are identical to Cash's. James Mangold has crafted the perfect picture about Johnny Cash, his drug addiction and his relationship with June Carter (Reese Witherspoon). I doubt anyone will try to create another movie about Johnny Cash because this one is so masterful. As I said up above, Joaquin Phoenix feels like Johnny Cash. It's an amazing performance and I think it is the performance of Phoenix's career. He embodies Johnny Cash with everything he has and becomes him. Robert Patrick turns in a somewhat frightening performance as Johnny's father. Whenever he's on seen, we sense a feel of worry coming and that is what make Patrick's performance memorable. Ginnifer Goodwin turns in the performance of her career as Vivian Cash, Johnny's first wife. Her last scenes in particular are heartbreaking. However, I have saved the best performance for last. Reese Witherspoon is a REVELATION as June Carter. Not only is it the performance of her career, I think it is hands down the best performance of 2005. Witherspoon embodies June with all of her soul, charm and humor. She sings amazingly well too. All of her scenes feel extremely authentic, while some of them are absoutely heart wrenching. Mangold has shown promise before (Girl, Interrupted) but here is where he shows what a master film maker he is. Walk the Line is one of the best movies of 2005.

Top 10 of 2005: #7

Memoirs of a Geisha dir. Rob Marshall

This was one of the most buzzed films to come out in 2005. When it did come out, the buzz quickly faded and a lot of critics did not like the movie. However, I am not in that majority. I saw this in the theatre with my friend and from the beginning frame, I was mesmerized. The set decoration and the costumes look so authentic and it was amazing to be transported back into that time of Japan. Rob Marshall is a great director and his shots of going down the roads of Kyoto are breathtaking to watch because you feel as if you are going down the streets yourself. Marshall also gets great performances from his cast. Ziyi Zhang gives an amazing breakthrough performance as Sayuri. She displays sexiness, courage and uncertainty. Michelle Yeoh displays wisdom and intelligence as Mameha and Ken Watanabe exudes nobility and strength as the Chairman. The best performance however in the film belongs to Gong Li as Hatsumomo, the reigning Geisha in Kyoto. This is one of the most evil and delicious performances I have ever seen. Li digs deep and brings out every emotion Hatsumomo is feeling and looks stunning while doing it as well. She should have gotten an Oscar nomination for her excellent work here and one of the best performances of her career. Marshall and his crew have executed a perfect adaptation of the book. This movie did not deserve all of the harsh criticism that it got. It is one of the best movies of 2005 and the best looking movie of 2005 as well.

Top 10 of 2005: #8

King Kong dir. Peter Jackson

After the extremely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, everyone was waiting for a follow up movie from Peter Jackson. When it was announced that he would be directing the remake of King Kong, everyone was ecstatic, including me. He did not let us down one bit. King Kong is amazing! An absolutely breathtaking motion picture and even though it is about 3 hours long, it goes by quickly. The special effects in this movie are spectacular and some of them sent chills up my spine. Every actor in this movie deserves credit for being so committed and making this a big, fantastical, popcorn munching movie. Naomi Watts is brilliant as Ann Darrow and delivers a deeply heartfelt performance. The scenes with her and Kong are breathtaking. Adrien Brody proves himself again to be a worthy leading man and who knew that Jack Black could bring out such a performance in him. This is one of the best of his career. The performance however that stands out for me the most is of Andy Serkis as Kong himself. You think he did a lot in Lord of the Rings, nothing compares to King Kong. It's a great feat of a performance even though you don't see him. Kong comes to life before our eyes and it is all thanks to Andy Serkis and the special effects team. Peter Jackson has created an amazing special effects galore film and no wonder it is on a lot of critics top 10 lists.

Top 10 of 2005: #9

Brokeback Mountain dir. Ang Lee

I can definitely see why this movie is at the top of a lot of critic's 2005's top movies list. While I can say that there are 8 movies (in my opinion) that are better than Brokeback Mountain, I still cannot deny the powerful impact this movie has on you. Ang Lee has brought a visually gorgeous and amazing love story to the big screen. The love story of Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist will go down in history as one of the greatest love stories ever put to film. Heath Ledger gives the best performance I have ever seen from him and Jake Gyllenhaal also gives a career best performance as well. These performances are both equally layered and heartbreaking. Michelle Williams also gives the performance of her career as Alma del Mar. Williams downplays the part so effectively that when she finally releases all of her anger in her final scene, you FEEL it. Anne Hathaway also brings forth the performance of her career as Lureen Twist. It's a brave performance for Hathaway and her phone call scene towards the end of the movie is heartbreaking in the way we see her facade breaking over the phone right before our eyes. Very shaded and layered work there. All of these actors speak their lines with truth and conviction and it shines through. Ang Lee brings such an old fashioned feel to the movie and it works wonders. "Love is a force of nature" is the perfect tagline to describe one of 2005's best movies.

Top 10 of 2005: #10

Frank Miller's Sin City dirs. Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino

This is the best comic to move adaptation I have ever seen. It stands above X-Men and (dare I say it) Superman in style, story and acting. Frank Miller is a genius according to me and I think he is so creative in inventing these characters and the setting. The movie's style is fantastic because it looks like the comic book "has been pumped to life with steroids"-Roger Ebert and has transformed into a wild ride like this. All the stories are great, but my personal favourite is the one with Nancy (Jessica Alba) and Hartigan (Bruce Willis). I also believe that Sin City boasts Jessica Alba's best performance to date. As Nancy, she evokes sympathy from the audience in one look and even though she is an exotic dancer, she stills know how to get to us. Other standouts include: Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Jamie King, Clive Owen and in a very unsettling performance, Elijah Wood. Without this cast, Sin City wouldn't have been the same. Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are all masterminds and to see them collaborate together on this is great. With all of their efforts, they brought forth one of 2005's best movies.

Review: Halloween

I had been waiting to watch this movie for so long, and once I knew that they had it in my public library, I went over and got it as soon as possible. I reserved it and ended up getting it and watching it with my friends on Halloween.

After the movie, my friends Uncle dropped me off and the first thing I did when I got out of the van was book it into my house and to not look back. As soon as I got in my room, I turned the DVD cover to the other side so I didn't have to see Michael Meyers' face anymore.

Halloween is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen and also one of the best. Nowadays, people think that blood and gore are the keys to a great horror movie. While there are exceptions, most of those gore filled fests are pretty bad. Halloween doesn't show a lot of blood, and thats a very good thing. John Carptener instead, uses tension as his weapon of choice. Not knowing when Michael will strike next and who he will strike next is what creates the fair amount of suspense.

Carpenter starts us off on a very freaky note. A figure watches as his sister takes another boy up to her room. This figure, goes into the kitchen, grabs a knife, puts on a clown mask, goes upstairs and brutally murders his sister. His parents come home and they see him holding the bloody knife on their front lawn. Only then do we find out that this figure is a little boy.

We eventually see this boy again, this time in an isane asylum, sitting in a chair and looking out the window. His doctor comes in, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), observes him quietly and then leaves.

This is only the beginning as we see Dr. Loomis and his Nurse, driving down the road to a spot where all the inmates have gone out walking. Dr. Loomis gets out of his car to try and see what is up. Minutes after, we see a deranged Michael Meyers attack the Nurse and push her out of the car while he jumps in. He takes off and the Dr. and Nurse are left in the road without a car.

Haddonfield is a quiet place and not a lot seems to happen there. People mind their own business and go on doing their everyday things. All of that is about to change for 3 girls: Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Annie Brackett (Nancy Loomis) and Lynda van der Klok (P.J Soles). Creepy things start to happen as Laurie begins to think someone is stalking her. Looking into her class from their car, standing under her clothesline, following her and her friends down the road, spying on her from behind a hedge and calling her and not talking.

Unfortunately, this all happens to happen on Halloween night. Laurie and Annie are stuck babysitting, while Lynda goes and hooks up with her boyfriend. The events that occur after they all start to do what they are going to do, are absolutely horrifying.

Director John Carpenter, keeps a close and claustrophobic environment on his stars and that just adds to the tension level. We keep seeing Michael looking at these girls through the window. It gets extremely suspenseful because you keep seeing him, but you don't know when he is going to finally attack these ladies.

Though there is not a lot of gore, there is plenty of boo moments that are all perfectlly orchestrated. John Carpenter is an amazing director and he directs this film with authenticity and finesse. Whenever you hear the famous theme, you know that something very creepy is about to happen. The score here is amazingly well written and adds even more to the tension level.

This was definitely the breakthrough performance for Jamie Lee Curtis. She enhabits Laurie with a lot of humor and determination. All she wanted to do was babysit on Halloween, instead what she got is more horrific then anything she could have imagined. Curtis is especially effective in the scenes towards the end where her character is faced with dire consequences.

Nancy Loomis & P.J Soles are both very funny in their roles and they make sure that their characters fit to a T. Last, but not least, the great Donald Pleasance as Dr. Sam Loomis, is a movie character everyone will remember. He was so determined to catch Michael and put a stop to his madness. Pleasance fully rounds out his character in only a handful of scenes, amazingly well.

Nick Castle does a good job of portraying Michael (or "The Shape") as what he expect him to be. A ruthless killer with no remorse for anyone but himself.

The script is taught and suspenseful and contains a lot of the humor that we kind of have to expect from a horror movie.

Halloween is simply a masterpiece and Michael's face will stay with you long after the credits are over. A+