The San Diego Film Critics Award this year’s top honors
December 18th, 2007 by Scott Marks
Riddle me this: With the hundreds of movies released every year, why is it that come awards time everything hinges on 5 or 10 pictures?
First off, a lot of local critics won’t see some of the more obscure foreign films because their readers are more interested in Shia LeBeouf than Jafar Panahi. Sadly, more and more critics wind up watching screeners instead of trekking to the screening and studios are not likely to send copies of films that even they know don’t stand a chance of winning. Hence Offside and Killer of Sheep, two of my top three films this year, weren’t even considered.
2007 turned out to be one the worst years for movies ever; compiling a 10 best list is virtually impossible. With not much to chose from, the voting went rather quickly. The eleven of us met in a conference room at KPBS and in three hours all votes were argued and tallied.
Well, not exactly argued. You’d be surprised how many critics sit in silence, never so much as offering one word’s defense for any of their choices. They circle their picks before the floor is opened for debate. At least be polite enough to pretend that you’re interested in what your colleagues have to say.
My partner on the Film Club is a royal polemicist, so Beth and I were responsible for a lot of the verbal pyrotechnics. A welcome addition to this year’s vote was City Beat critic Anders Wright. He’s a bright film junkie who knows his stuff and in at least one instance (best score) actually convinced me to change my mind.
As mentioned in an earlier piece, the sole reason the group exists is so we may fill a shelf with screeners come November. With the exception of the annoying Juno’s best original screenplay award, this year’s selections were by no means an embarrassment.
And the winners are…
Best Picture
No Country for Old Men
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
Best Actress
Julie Christie for Away from Her
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
Best Supporting Actor
Tommy Lee Jones in No Country for Old Men
Best Original Screenplay
Diablo Cody for Juno
Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
Best Foreign Film
The Diving Bell and the Mermaid
Best Documentary
A tie: Crazy Love and Deep Water
Best Animated Feature
Ratatouille
Best Cinematography
Roger Deakins for No Country for Old Men
Best Production Design
Dante Ferretti for Sweeney Todd
Best Editing
Paul Tothill for Atonement
Best Score
Jonny Greenwood for There Will Be Blood
Best Ensemble Performance
No Country For Old Men
Outstanding Body of Work
Christian Bale for Rescue Dawn, 3:10 to Yuma and I’m Not There
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Wow! “There Will Be Blood” beat out “No Country” for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director? That must be an amazing film! And you guys picked Tommy Lee over Javier Bardem. Interesting. Amy Ryan seems like a lock for Best Supporting Actress wherever she goes. I didn’t see the film; is she really that good?
Re: “Juno”, I shall reserve the right to comment myself for I have not seen it yet, but my client and best friend Megan used to date the producer of “Juno” while the film was in pre-production and she read the script…and said it stank.
“Blood” is better than “Country.” It’s an amazing epic. I am still struggling with the ending of both films. “Country’s” screenplay relies too much on the original source material and the stuff that the Coen’s added (most notably the Mariachi band alarm clock) doesn’t suit the rest of the film. Nor does the style and tone of “Blood’s” third act mesh with what came before it. They are both great films. but neither is a patch on “Offside,” “Inland Empire” or “Killer of Sheep.”
P.T. Anderson better than the Coens? The hell you say! I am definitely looking forward to it. I do agree that something went haywire with “Country’s” third act, which left me cold. I also agree “Inland Empire” is Lynch working at the top of his game. As good as it is, don’t hate me if I say I like “Mulholland Drive” a bit more.
I’ll take “Boogie Nights” over anything the Coen’s made. Too much film school s*it in their movies for me. They have become art house darlings; everything they do is precious and laced with over calculation. And they have a terrible sense of humor. I watched “Raising Arizona” again and didn’t so much as crack a smile. “Fargo” is the pits. All they do is set up a bunch of rubes to make fun of them. People in different parts of the USA speak in regional dialects. WOW! Isn’t that a knee-slapper? Yar, Yar, Yar. Ha! Ha! Why the scene with Marge’s Asian ex? What the hell did that have to do with anything in the film? Why the mariachi band playing a morning wake up call in “No Country”? It adds nothing, and if anything it pulls me out of the drama. I like “Miller’s Crossing,” large parts of “No Country,” and anything with a KKK musical number in it, but for the most part their smugness keeps me at bay.
After reading your comments on the Coens, I don’t feel so bad now for hating “The Hudsucker Proxy”. That movie just reeked film school…
Their nadir. You couldn’t have picked a better example.
Hmmm … i think that’s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” not “Mermaid.”
I stand corrected. I was thinking about The Little Mermaid having a stroke,
“There Will be Blood” is P.T.’s masterpiece. After playing around with “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia”, he’s finally nailed it. The fastest 3 hours I have spent in a movie theater in a long time. I do have a friend of mine, though, who said that Paul Dano was awful. I said he did exactly what Anderson wanted him to do. What are your thoughts?
Paul Dano is a terrific young actor. He caught my eye from the get-go in “L.I.E.” When your first role is the object of a pedophile’s affection, you automatically win points for bravery. Even though the movie wasn’t much, he showed a knack for light comedy in “The Girl Next Door.” As he matures he’s taken on darker, more sinister characters. I’d rather forget “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Fast Food Nation,” but not on account of Mr. Dano’s involvement. They just weren’t to my liking. After “The King” and TWBB, I hope he doesn’t get typecast as a deranged Preacher. He plays the part exceedingly well.
I thought that he was quite good as well, but for some reason my friend/ client, who is a seriously intense actor, found him lacking. So much so, that he felt it would have knocked a star off the rating, had he been rating it. Not sure why. I thought Mr. Dano was perfect for the role(s). He definitely holds his own against the powerhouse which was Daniel Day Lewis.