Despite the fact that my top 20 list from last year turned out to be a bit of a disaster (5 of the films got pushed to 2009, and 8 other films ended up ranging from bad to mediocre), I’m going to give it another shot. 

20.)  Whatever Works

- The new Woody Allen comedy starring Larry David as the “Woody Allen character.” 

19.)  Watchmen

-It’s much farther back on my list than most, mainly because I’m not a huge fan of Zack Snyder or 300.  He’s great visually, but he can’t direct dialogue or drama very well, and considering neither trailer for Watchmen has had more than one line of dialogue, I remain skeptical.  But if it lives up to the graphic novel at all, then it’ll be amazing.

18.)  Terminator Salvation

-Christian Bale really is the go-to-guy for big summer action movies now.  The trailer looked good, and I trust Bale, so I’m excited.

17.)  The Limits of Control

-Jim Jarmusch always makes great, quirky movies, and this looks no different.

16.)  Bruno

- Hopefully it’ll earn enough money to pay off all the inevitable lawsuits and still make a profit.

15.)  Public Enemies

-Bale vs. Depp.  Should be pretty amazing (assuming Michael Mann’s still got it).

14.)  Dodgy Dealings by the Dozens

- A new comedy by the director of Amelie.

13.)  The Lovely Bones

- Peter Jackson’s new movie.  The only thing that keeps me from being really excited is that Ryan Gosling was replaced by Mark Wahlberg for the lead role, but other than that, this looks to be pretty incredible.

12.)  Nine

- It’s by the director of Chicago (which I didn’t care for), but it stars Daniel Day-Lewis, which means I’ll be at the theater opening day.

11.)  Avatar

- James Cameron’s follow-up to Titanic.  Rumored to have groundbreaking special effects.  If nothing else, it’ll be amazing to see it just for the spectacle.

10.)  The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

-  Heath Ledger’s final role.

9.)  Biutiful

- By the director of Amores Perros and Babel. 

8.)  Coraline

-Based on the Neil Gaiman graphic novel, and by the director of A Nightmare Before Christmas.

7.)  Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

- My favorite book in the series.

6.)  Lost Embraces

- The new Pedro Almodovar film.  He’s one of the best writers/directors around, and he’s been on a role lately.

5.)  Shutter Island

- The new Martin Scorsese-Leonardo DiCaprio collaboration.  Considering how good of an actor Leo’s become (I thought he was the best part of Revolutionary Road), I think this could be their best yet.

4.)  Inglorious Basterds

- Finally! After a decade of rumors, it’s finally being made.

3.)  The Road

- John Hillcoat (The Proposition) directing a Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men) novel starring Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings; Eastern Promises).  Should be out of this world good.

2.)  Ponyo On A Cliff

- Miyazaki’s anime was released last year in Japan and received amazing reviews.  It’ll be out in the states soon with an English dub voiced by Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Tina Fey, and Lily Tomlin.  Spirited Away is one of my all time favorites, so I can’t wait for this.

1.)  The Tree of Life

- The new Terrence Malick (Days of Heaven) film with Sean Penn and Brad Pitt.  I think he’s one of the best living directors, and he’s been wanting to make this for over 30 years.  I think this has the potential to be, well, one of the best films ever made.  I know, I’m probably setting myself up for disappointment, but Malick can do no wrong.

Barely missing the list were The Wolfman (starring Benicio Del Toro), Where the Wild Things Are (directed by Spike Jonze), Mammoth (Michelle Williams and Gael Garcia Bernal), and Year One (Michael Cera and Jack Black).

Dir. Steven Spielberg; Writ. David Koepp, George Lucas; Star. Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, John Hurt, Shia LeBeouf.

Yeah, Harrison Ford is in his sixties, but Indiana Jones would be awesome if he was saving the world from a wheelchair. He’s still up and at ‘em in I.J.4. Ford tried to do as many of his own stunts as possible, and I can’t imagine doing half the stuff he does at 36, let alone 66. I couldn’t do it now.

I love Even Stevens, but I was scared the Shia TheBeef was going to leave a permanent blotch on the seminal action series. It turns out, he’s awesome. He’s no Indy, but the addition of “Mutt” is one of the strongest features of the film.

It’s really been too long for the silver screen to go without the archaeologist bludgeoning a seven foot villain. (I’d like to see Indy fight in a museum. What would he use to clobber the bad guys when he’s surrounded by the very artifacts he struggles to preserve?)

The first third of this film is not to be missed. It’s been 19 years since the Last Crusade came out, and time hasn’t slowed down for Indiana Jones. Set in the 50s, we’ve got Soviets instead of Nazis, American paranoia over American pride, and more leather jackets and less fedoras. The time piece segments of the movie were the ones I most enjoyed. If you remember the classic Indiana Jones’ humor of “No ticket,” you’re going to find it in the first third of this film.

The Crystal Skull is an Indiana Jones movie, so it’s automatically pretty damn awesome, though this is the weakest in the series. There’s never been so much sci-fi before, and it feels a little out of place. Mutt is cool; it’s nice to see Marian Ravenwood again; it makes sense that Jones would have an adventure partner as he gets older; and why not throw in Hurt as some old, crazy guy. In the end, there are just too many characters. My own opinion is that the whole shebang should’ve just been about Mutt and Indy. Cate Blanchett also could’ve had a bit more of a Russian accent and a bit less of not having one.

You’re kind of an idiot if you don’t see this movie, even if you don’t like it.

I’m an oober star wars fan, and I’m going to say it, “Fuck off, George Lucas. Fuck off.” I forgave Jar-jar Binks. I got over CGI Yoda. I went along with dialogue that would’ve been bad for a Spanish soap opera. George Lucas has gone too far. He needs to get lost. I used to dream of episodes 7-9. No longer. Computers can make some cool shit. Everyone gets it. That doesn’t mean I want to see goddamn CGI gophers and monkeys.

“Woah, DUDE! Check. It. Out.: Look, right there, on the screen! There’s a gopher! It, like, almost looks real, but not exactly! Thank God, they put in that eye-sore! There was totally no other way for that scene to be expressed!”

“Well, check this one out, bro! I’m totally shitting my pants over this baker’s dozen of CGI monkeys! I’m abso-fucking-lutely going to have to pretend my girlfriend is George Lucas tonight! How’s a guy supposed to get off otherwise after witnessing such cinematic brilliance?”

I’m waiting for computers to generate some taste.

I know George Lucas was the producer, but, come on, we all know this bullshit is his fault.

Here are my predictions for Sunday’s Oscars, along with a few alternates in each category plus some general thoughts. I’ve refrained from posting any predictions for the Best Foreign Film category because of how wildly unpredictable it is. Amelie lost, Pan’s Labyrinth lost, and the 3 frontrunners this year weren’t even nominated. Everyone, even the academy, is confused about it. But without further ado, here are my Oscar predictions:

Best Picture:

1) No Country for Old Men

2) There Will Be Blood

3) Juno

-No Country’s definitely the frontrunner, but still, something doesn’t feel right. I hope Blood will make an upset, but it’s pretty unlikely, especially considering it took in the smallest amount at the box office. Juno and Michael Clayton also have a shot, but Atonement is completely out of the running.

Best Director:

1) Joel & Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men

2) Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

3) Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood

-Here I’d love to see Julian Schnabel win. He won the Golden Globe and he’s got a decent chance at the Oscar, but the Coens are still my pick. PTA has a shot, but I highly doubt he wins it. The other nominees, Jason Reitman for Juno and Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton, don’t have a chance.

Best Female Actor:

1) Julie Christie – Away From Her

2) Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose

3) Ellen Page - Juno

-Though I’m rooting for Marion Cotillard, I’m fairly certain this is Christie’s year. She’s the clear frontrunner (she’s won most of the major awards, including the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award). Ellen Page is in the race, but Cate Blanchett and Laura Linney are out.

Best Male Actor:

1) Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

-If anybody else wins something’s seriously fucked up. All the other nominees are telling the academy to vote for him, he’s won every possible award up to this point, he’s been very humble during his acceptance speeches and his few interviews, and of course his performance was freaking incredible.

Best Original Screenplay:

1) Diablo Cody – Juno

2) Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton

-This should easily go to Diablo Cody. The other nominated films (except for Michael Clayton)- Ratatouille, The Savages, and Lars and the Real Girl- have little to no chance.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

1) Joel & Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men

2) Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood

3) Ronald Harwood – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

-This will be a battle between PTA and the Coens. I’m predicting the Coens to win, but I really think it should go to PTA for There Will Be Blood. We’ll see.

Best Female Supporting Actor:

-This one’s wide open. All 5 nominees have a good chance. Blanchett won the Globe, Rudy Dee won the SAG, Tilda Swinton won the BAFTA, and Amy Ryan won most of the the critics awards. It’s basically a toss-up, but here are my guesses:

1) Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There

2) Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

3) Amy Ryan/Ruby Dee/Saoirse Ronan

Best Male Supporting Actor:

1) Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men

-I’d put all my money on Bardem.

Best Original Score:

1) Dario Marianelli – Atonement

-The scores for Ratatouille, The Kite Runner, and Yuma could win, but I think this rightfully goes to Atonement. It was an incredible score and I’d be pretty surprised to see it not win.

Best Animated Feature:

1) Ratatouille

2) Persepolis

-Ratatouille’s all over this one. Persepolis could upset, but it’s not likely. 3rd nominee Surf’s Up is lucky it was even nominated.

Best Cinematography:

1) Robert Elswit – There Will Be Blood

2) Roger Deakins – The Assassination of Jesse James/No Country for Old Men

-There Will Be Blood will most likely take this one due to double nominee Roger Deakins splitting the vote. Otherwise, I’d say Jesse James, which probably deserves the award more. It was a pretty incredible year for cinematography, so anything could upset.

Best Documentary:

1) Sicko

-Michael Moore won for Bowling for Columbine and would’ve won for Fahrenheit 9/11 had it been eligible, and since Sicko is just as praised and popular but slightly less controversial, I’d say it’s a lock.

And there we are, predictions in the 12 major categories. I’m actually hoping that my predictions turn out to be almost completely wrong other than the male acting awards, since I’m rooting for an underdog in almost every category.

Remember, the Oscars are this Sunday, the 22nd.

Well, I’m excited.

Thoughts?

THE FIRST ANNUAL OWL PELLETS FILM AWARDS

And the winners are…

BEST MALE ACTOR (SUPPORTING)

Third Place: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s war)

Second Place: Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

BEST FEMALE ACTOR (SUPPORTING)

Third Place: Kelly MacDonald (No Country for Old Men)

Second Place: Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: Marketa Irglova (Once)

BEST USE OF MUSIC

Third Place: Sweeney Todd (Stephen Sondheim)

Second Place: Once (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood)

BEST WRITER

Third Place: Wes Anderson (The Darjeeling Limited)

Second Place: Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

BEST MALE ACTOR

Third Place: Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd)

Second Place: Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

BEST FEMALE ACTOR

Third Place: Zoe Bell (Death Proof)

Second Place: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: Helena Bonham-Carter (Sweeney Todd)

BEST ENSEMBLE

Third Place: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei)

Second Place: Superbad (Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen, Bill Hader)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baren Cohen, Ed Sanders)

BEST DIRECTOR

Third Place: Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)

Second Place: Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd)

And The Owl Pellet goes to: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

BEST FILM

Third Place: Sweeney Todd

Second Place: No Country for Old Men

And The Owl Pellet goes to: There Will Be Blood