14 Comments Add your own

• 1. elDizzle  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 pm

  I thought Robert Downey Jr. deserved a nod for best supporting actor in Zodiac. Although maybe it was thought his character was a bit to close to the real Downey Jr.

• 2. Adam  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 12:40 pm

  Hello Will, I posted earlier about There Will Be Blood. I noticed it is coming to Rockford this weekend. I was a little upset Sweeney Todd did not get more nominations especially for Burton. I have not seen Zodiac since it came out last March, I should re watch it, but definitely surprised it didn’t get a art direction or costume. I still don’t think it was Fincher’s best film. He got snubbed for Fight Club by far one 1999’s best film. I also liked Se7en more than Zodiac. Also I wished The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford would have gotten a few more nominations. I Also wished Christian Bale and Steve Zahn would have gotten a best actor/supporting actor nods for Rescue Dawn, and Keri Russell for the under appreciated Waitress. And Jonny Greenwood’s score for There Will be Blood should have gotten a nomination. And finally how about three songs from Once rather than Enchanted.

• 3. Will Pfeifer  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm

  Those Disney movies always manage to rack up the Best Song nominations. They’ve been doing it since “The Little Mermaid.” I think it’s something we just have to live with.

  I loved “Zodiac” and think Downey deserved a nod, too. (Along with Mark Ruffalo and John Carroll Lynch, who played lead suspect Arthur Leigh Allen. “FIght Club” is still my favorite Fincher film (and, I’d agree, the best movie of 1999), but “Zodiac,” a low-key but intensely serious film, seemed like the sort of thing the Academy normally loves. Maybe if it had come out later in the hear.

  I’ve heard Greenwood’s score is amazing (haven’t seen “Blood” yet, but I will very soon) but apparently it wasn’t eligible because of some arcane Academy rule on previously used music. Whatever. For all the fuss we make about the Oscars, truth is they very rarely reward the best in anything. Usually it’s very middle of the road, safe stuff.

• 4. LoadsofGoodCookin  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm

  Will, I followed you over from your comics blog.
  Let’s get some posting going about the Razzies. I mean, they nominated Lindsay Lohan’s movie: “I know who killed me.” What’s up with that?

• 5. Silver Man  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 5:35 pm

  What’s a razzie, LGC?

  Movie Man, you seem to be down on any movie that is popular. It is almost like, if it is something with a lot of hype, you have to be against it.

• 6. Will Pfeifer  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm

  I haven’t seen “I Know Who Killed Me,” but I have to admit, I’m curious. It sounds like a complete train wreck of a movie, and though it’s hard to believe, those are rare. Think back a few years, when “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls” were relatively new — people thought Lohan was one of the most talented young actresses around. Now? Not so much.

• 7. Bob Schaper - Asst. Metro Editor  |  January 23rd, 2008 at 8:33 pm

  I liked Zodiac a lot, too. I think it suffered in the nominating process for a reason that is completely unfair. Simply put, the ending is not resolved enough to be satisfying. Of course, it ended like it should - based on the real case - but some people I talked to had a hard time with it nonetheless. I admit it left me a bit flat, as well.

  Now that I think about it, though, maybe the criticism IS fair. After all, the producers could have picked any subject they wanted. They willfully chose the Zodiak case, flawed ending and all. Maybe they should have chosen a case that DID have a more satisfying conclusion.

• 8. LoadsofGoodCookin  |  January 24th, 2008 at 7:28 am

  Silver - a Razzie is the list of the worst movies of the year. This year in fact the Razzies nominated Eddie Murphy in multiple categories for all the roles he played in Norbit. Me, I think that showed tremendous versatility and that Eddie deserves a Nobel Prize, much less an Academy Award.

• 9. Will Pfeifer  |  January 24th, 2008 at 7:46 am

  I liked ZODIAC because it ended on an ambiguous note — in fact, I don’t think it was even that ambiguous. By the time the end credits roll, you’re pretty sure who the killer was, and the only thing the movie lacks is a dramatic confrontation where the tough cop shoots him down (which is exactly the way DIRTY HARRY — which is referenced in the movie and was based on the case) ends.

  Last year, when Eddie Murphy lost the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for DREAMGIRLS, the word in Hollywood was that NORBIT is what did it for him. It opened before the Oscars and might;ve turned the Academy against him. I caught the last half hour on HBO and yes, it’s as bad as everyone says. Worse, even.

• 10. Justin Time  |  January 24th, 2008 at 12:23 pm

  Movie Man, are you against Norbit because it is an African American film? I don’t see a lot of praise for African American films in your reviews.

• 11. Will Pfeifer  |  January 24th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

  I’m against NORBIT because it’s an awful film. I think all Americans should be against such crimes against cinema. As for praise of African American films, be sure to check out Tuesday’s column — I write about a groundbreaking work by a black director that’s well worth checking out.

• 12. Adam  |  January 24th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

  Although it is not a film HBO’S The Wire is one of the best television shows of all time. The cast is made up of probably 50% or more of African Americans. The fifth and final season is currently airing. A tremendous show well worth a look.

• 13. Enrique  |  February 4th, 2008 at 12:13 am

  Will -
  Finally watched this film based on your recommendation in your column. Likely a film I would have finally seen, but in my flurry of catching up with all the latest, it got lost in the shuffle. Anyways, brilliant flick…. setting and mode was very appropriate for the times, the score as you mentioned, the cinematography and wardrobe, etc, etc. But the acting and the screenplay - truly the master touch. I was quite impressed that I really did not find one week character or anyone unbelievable in their role. If the old guy in Little Miss Sunshine can get an Oscar (and he was a riot), truly Robert Downey Jr. can get a nod at the least (as he is over due - reference “Chaplin”). Past sins apparently…

  Justin Time -
  Shame that you just had to go there. “Birth of a Nation” was a cinematic masterpiece in its day; I suppose if a critic even hinted they agreed they would also be labeled as well? Certianly, you can do better… with your screen name, at least.

• 14. Movie Man » Pick th&hellip  |  February 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am

  […] personal pick would be David Fincher’s ZODIAC (which, as I pointed out here, didn’t even get a single nominee). NO COUNTRY was very good (and so was THERE WILL BE […]

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