Nominations 2008

Atonement: Little Half-cooked, still Good

Tom Elce • February 18th, 2008 • Film Review, Hollywood, Movies, Nominations 2008, The Great Oscars Race, featured

Tom Elce reviews Atonement, the winner of BAFTA award for best film and a strong contender for academy award for best motion picture
Atonement (2007)“Atonement” wants to be an encompassing romantic epic to be mentioned in the same breath as classics like “Gone With the Wind” that ironically doesn’t give the centric romance much oxygen to […]



No Country for Old Men: Raw, Mighty Filmmaking

Tom Elce • February 17th, 2008 • Film Review, Hollywood, Movies, Nominations 2008, The Great Oscars Race, featured

The tagline for “No Country for Old Men” is “there are no clean getaways” and that holds true over the film’s 122 minutes, misguided Llewelyn Moss’ (Josh Brolin) attempts to escape ruthless assassin Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) becoming an increasingly messy situation from a personal standpoint the further he flees. Lest readers get the wrong idea, then, it should be said up front that “No Country for Old Men” itself is anything but messy. A clean, concise near-masterpiece that gorgeously tells a gritty, dark story without seeming to put a foot wrong, the film is the first film directed by the Coen Brothers since 2004’s “The Ladykillers” and their best since 1996’s “Fargo.”



La Vie En Rose: A Regular Rock Biopic Formula

Justin McGuire • February 15th, 2008 • Film Review, French Cinema, Movies, Nominations 2008, The Great Oscars Race, World Cinema

This film is a non-linear movie about the life of France’s musical soul, Edith Piaf, played by the excellent Marion Cotillard. Piaf begins life as the daughter of a poor mother and an absentee father. Soon the father returns and moves his daughter to a brothel, and later returns for her once again to take her traveling with his circus.



Juno: Note-Perfect

Justin McGuire • February 14th, 2008 • Film Review, Hollywood, Movies, Nominations 2008, The Great Oscars Race

Justin McGuire reviews Juno, a film nominated for Oscars in four categories: Best Motion Picture, Best achievement in directing, Best screenplay and Best performance by an actress in a leading role
Juno (2007)In short, girl meets boy, girl meets boy, girl gives resultant baby away to childless couple.
Juno, played by Ellen Page, is the spunky, quirky, […]



Persepolis: Poignant yet Playful

Tom Elce • February 13th, 2008 • Film Review, French Cinema, Movies, Nominations 2008, The Great Oscars Race, World Cinema

The recipient of the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, “Persepolis” is a compelling, wonderfully told film based on the autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, writes Tom Elce
Persepolis (2007)A vivid and personal account of the years following the 1979 Islamic revolution told from the point-of-view of writer-director Marjane Satrapi as she grew […]



Review: Michael Clayton

Justin McGuire • February 12th, 2008 • Film Review, Hollywood, Movies, Nominations 2008, Now Showing, The Great Oscars Race

Justin McGuire reviews Michael Clayton, a film that has been nominated for 7 Oscars this year
Michael Clayton“Michael Clayton” is a movie of three lawyers who lack any connections to the world outside their jobs, and in four days, each are forced to make the familiar choice of wealth or soul.
Arthur Eden, played by Tom Wilkinson, […]