Dracula Presents: The First Annual Golden Stake Awards

Dracula 01-13-2008 09:39 PM

Dracula Presents: The First Annual Golden Stake Awards



When I do a year in review, I do it right. I'm trying to put my opinions together in an award show format, with both nominees and a winner. This will feature both typical Oscar catagories and fun catagories.



Bassicly what I want to do here is post one catagory a day for four weeks. The First week will be scene based catagories (best fight etc.), The second week will be technical awards (best editing etc.), The third week will be acting awards, and the last week will be genre awards and will culmimate in Best picture which will be announced in a top ten form.



These awards will be entirely based on my opinions, but I don't plan to have this being an entirely self indugent pursuit. I hope that each catagory will lead to discussion and that people will find themselves playing along and giving their opinions about these various catagories.



So, without further ado I'll give out the first of the scene based awards:



Fight of the Year

Here we begin the action scene trio: fight, shootout, and chase. Clearly gunfights are not allowed here, only melee based fights are allowed. Additionally, I’m not going to try too hard to be outside the box here, you won’t for example see “fight of wills” or something, no, this is about people who are simply trying to kill each other using melee weapons only.



“Beowulf vs. Grendal,” Beowulf: The epic poem Beowulf is based on has often been described as a series of three fights. Interestingly, Hollywood actually dropped one of these fights leaving just two: Beowulf vs. Grendal and Beowulf vs. a Dragon. Of the two, I chose the fight against Grendal for the list. The Grendal character is a creepy presence and the fight is really primal. It was also part of a very bizarre trend of fight scenes involving uncomfortable male nudity.



“Jason Bourne vs. Desh Bouksani,” The Bourne Ultimatum: Throughout the entire Bourne series, Jason Bourne was able to handle everything that came to him with ease. Almost every time he ran into cops/enemy agents he was usually able to take them all out with a single punch. Sure he ran into super-agents in both the prior installments, but none of them were really major threats. Then, midway through Ultimaum he encountered an assassin who was a cut above the rest. What followed was a kickass fight that has been dubbed “the book fight.”



“Nikolai Luzhin vs. Some Assassins,” Eastern Promises: This was the first fight scene of the year to involve uncomfortable male nudity, but not the last. Many have compared it to the shower scene in Psycho, that’s a bit much, but this is still a hell of a fight. But let’s not forget that this is a Croneberg scene, and the final kill in it is a classic.



“Stunt Girls vs. Stuntman Mike,” Gindhouse: Possibly the highlight of Quentin Tarentino’s superior half of the Grindhouse experience. After a wild car chase scene, the stunt girl squad took on Stuntman Mike with a vengeance. Less a fight than it is a scene of Kurt Russell getting his ass handed to him by a set of girls.



“Peter Parker vs. Harry Osborne,” Spider-Man 3: Notice that this isn’t called Spider-Man vs. The Green Goblin. Sam Raimi’s third entry into the Spider-Man franchise was disappointing on many levels, but I maintain that the action scenes were pretty cool, the highlight was this clever aerial fight between an uncostumed Peter Parker and his former friend turned enemy.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



JBond 01-13-2008 09:46 PM

I've only seen Spiderman 3, Grindhouse and Bourne 3 in that mix, but those were some good choices. (Except for maybe Grindhouse, in my opinion. LIke you said, it wasn't really a fight. Just more of Tarantino's obsession with women beating things up)



Dracula 01-13-2008 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond (Post 2357949)

. (Except for maybe Grindhouse, in my opinion. LIke you said, it wasn't really a fight. Just more of Tarantino's obsession with women beating things up)

yeah, my criteria wasn't strictly choreography, but the scene as a whole, and I loved that ending.



shained 01-13-2008 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2357942)

When I do a year in review, I do it right.

Haha little self indulgent there lol



I agree that the EP fight scene was really good but i believe the Bourne one had to have won. That was easily one of the best film fights i've seen period.



Dracula 01-13-2008 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shained (Post 2357975)

Haha little self indulgent there lol



I agree that the EP fight scene was really good but i believe the Bourne one had to have one. That was easily one of the nest film fights i've seen period.

That was deffinately my second place choice, it was ultimately better executed, but I thought the EP scene was a little bit more inpired, it was a close call.



DAN! 01-14-2008 04:23 AM

i haven't seen eastern promises or beowulf yet. But the rest were pretty good fight scenes.



i would also add john mclane vs the helocopter, mclane vs kung fu girl, and that final fight scene in hot fuzz (just for laughs). though i am not sure what i would pick as the best one, but i like them all.



FranklinTard 01-14-2008 08:38 AM

2 fights from the mockery that was die hard 4? good thing you aren't doing an awards... thread....



DAN! 01-14-2008 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FranklinTard (Post 2358144)

2 fights from the mockery that was die hard 4? good thing you aren't doing an awards... thread....

i still liked the movie. there really wasn't much action movies this year that had a great fight scene. die hard would have at least one if not two in the top ten of the year. for me at least.



Where's my elephant? 01-14-2008 11:13 AM

Death Proof easily



sshuttari 01-14-2008 12:58 PM

The best fight scene I saw were in 300.



rosncranz 01-14-2008 01:42 PM

Bourne for sure. The only other ones that should even be on there are Beowulf and Eastern Promises.



Death Proof barely even had a fight and the entire movie sucked, so that shouldn't even be on there.



WuTical 01-14-2008 01:51 PM

Bourne should of won



FranklinTard 01-14-2008 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosncranz (Post 2358221)



Death Proof barely even had a fight and the entire movie sucked, so that shouldn't even be on there.

seconded.



Tzarinna 01-14-2008 03:53 PM

Mmmmm, Nikolai. :drools:

That fight scene was mega nuts. I gasped and I heard a guy behind me was just as wowed as I was.



MovieBuff801 01-14-2008 04:30 PM

Haven't seen Eastern Promises, but the fight in The Bourne Ultimatum was definitely one of the best in recent years. I would have given it to that one.



donny 01-14-2008 04:32 PM

Yeah, the Bourne fight was intense and great. My favorite of the year, so I would have to say that one.



Cool idea, by the way dude.



Dracula 01-14-2008 06:23 PM

Best Musical Performance

This is the first of two music based scene category, and its specifically meant for scenes involving musical performances. That means the song must be performed onscreen by a character, diegeticly. The film does not need to be a musical, or even music related, although the nominees more likely than not will be. Bear in mind that the scene as a whole is considered for this, not necessarily the song or the quality of the performance (though both of those criteria will be taken into account).



“Stack-O-Lee,” Black Snake Moan: Like any self respecting movie about “The Blues,” Black Snake Moan has some great music. The absolute standout though is a scene toward the end where Samuel L. Jackson plays an absolutely scorching cover of “Stagger Lee” at a packed bar, while Christina Ricci Dances in slow motion with the crowd.



“Ballad of a Thin Man,” I’m Not There: Musically, I’m Not There’s finest hour occurs during the much talked about Cate Blanchet sequence. Here Todd Hayne’s treats us to a really great cerebral montage set to the tune of the famous Dylan track. It literalizes the lyrics, but it also advances the plot, as the antagonist Mr. Jones begins his plans to bring the main character down.



“Anyone Else But You,” Juno: It makes sense that a film that everyone and their mother thinks is the most lovable thing since sliced bread, should have an ending that really drives home how lovable its characters are. This static shot of Ellen Page and Michael Cera playing guitars and singing this Moldy Peaches song (badly) really gives the film closure. I could have done without the joggers making another appearance but otherwise this is a great example of how a musical performance that isn’t conventionally good can be so perfect.



“Falling Slowly,” Once: Ultimately, I think “When Your Mind’s Made Up” is a much better song from Once, but it is the “Falling Slowly” duet that is the better scene. Like most of the rest of the movie this scene allows the viewer to see this couple fall slowly (pun intended) in love, and do it through music. Here we see the couple explore each other’s collective musical personalities and their personal compatibility, and its all done to a really well written song.



“My Friends,” Sweeny Todd: There were a lot of good songs from Sweeny Todd, but this is the one that really stuck with me. The scene, which involved Depp serenading a razorblade, was fairly hokey. As such this scene was largely nominated on the basis of the song and Depp’s performance singing it on screen. There’s a reason this is the song the studio is using to show the world Depp’s singing in the movie, he really delivers this song.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Tzarinna 01-14-2008 06:37 PM

That was an incredible scene. I only saw this and Juno



Dracula 01-14-2008 06:54 PM

Here are some Youtube clips of the nominated performances



Black Snake Moan (Contains strong language)

I'm Not There (contains brief nudity and light spoilers)

Juno (Audio Only)

Once (bad picture, good sound)

Sweeney Todd(Audio Only)



Dhamon22 01-14-2008 07:37 PM

I would have went with the Sweeney Todd scene, that was my favorite singing part of the movie. But I haven't seen Black Snake Moan, I'm Not There, or Once (sitting on my table in its Netflix sleeve) yet.



For the fight scene, I would've picked Bourne. But again, I haven't seen Eastern Promises or Beowulf yet.



WuTical 01-14-2008 09:14 PM

i would of went w/ Sweeney Todd



Where's my elephant? 01-14-2008 10:34 PM

Juno was the better movie but Sweeny has the best musical number of all of them.



Boro 01-14-2008 10:46 PM

Hmmm... for best fight scene I'd have to go with Desh vs Bourne probably, with Dumbledore/Harry vs Voldemort being a close second.



Dracula 01-15-2008 05:54 PM

Shootout of the Year

Melee fights are all well and good, but in this modern age they don’t really come up that much. Now the weapon of choices is the firearm. In this category we look at fights that play out with multiple assailants and multiple weapons.



“Contention Shootout,” 3:10 to Yuma: Westerns have long been the place to go for big shootouts, and 3:10 to Yuma doesn’t end with a simple one on one showdown. Mangold ends his film with the entire town of Contention, Arizona set against Russell Crowe and Christian Bale as they try to board the titular train. This was a well choreographed and chaotic gunfight that kept me on the edge of my seat.



“Projects Shootout,” American Gangster: Toward the end of his gangster epic, American Gangster, Ridley Scott took a page from his brother Tony to create a fast, yet not wildly ambitious gunfight on the top floor of a housing project. The lack of ambition helps this scene, had it turned into a wildly large action scene it would have taken the audience out of the reality of the film. As it stands, the scene is exciting, but not ridiculous.



“Gun-Leg shootings,” Grindhouse: While the rest of the shootings here mainly involved run of the mill assult rifles and pistols, this is a gunfight that was defined by the main character’s weapon of choice. It took a really insane sense of humor to attach an M-16 to the amputated leg of a women, but I’m glad Rodriguez was able to dream that up. Rose McGowan standing on one leg spraying a room with bullet is one of the most memorable moments of the year.



“This Mindless Violence,” Hot Fuzz: The action movie parody, Hot Fuzz, was never quite able to live up to the absurdity of Jerry Bruckheimer action films but it came real close in the climactic action scene that began with Simon Pegg riding into town on a horse and ended with Timothy Dalton’s face impaled on the steeple of a miniature church.



“Riyadh Shootout,” The Kingdom: The Kingdom was a retarded action movie pretending to be a political thriller, and the deeply inappropriate finale was a big part of why. Yet, if I’m willing to ignore the way the film loses any believability and intelligence with this scene it can be appreciated out of context. The bullets here feel like they fly off the screen, there is a Michael Mann style intensity on display here wasted in a context where it makes no logical sense.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



halo7 01-15-2008 06:01 PM

You picked the best choice, but it seems obvious you didn't see Shoot 'Em Up due to the lack of a nomination.



Dracula 01-15-2008 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halo7 (Post 2358790)

You picked the best choice, but it seems obvious you didn't see Shoot 'Em Up due to the lack of a nomination.

that is correct



MovieBuff801 01-15-2008 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halo7 (Post 2358790)

You picked the best choice, but it seems obvious you didn't see Shoot 'Em Up due to the lack of a nomination.

Yeah, that entire movie should have gotten a nomination. But I agree with the win; that shootout in "Hot Fuzz" was both exciting and funny as hell.



Where's my elephant? 01-15-2008 06:31 PM

American Gangster



King_of_Skid_Row 01-15-2008 07:41 PM

I vote Hot Fuzz. Best shootout I've ever seen in a comedy.



FranklinTard 01-15-2008 09:12 PM

good win but 3:10 woulda been the second place easily, that final battle was pretty badass.



rosncranz 01-15-2008 11:43 PM

Good choice.



sshuttari 01-16-2008 01:53 AM

good choice.



But you know for the best musical I would have gone with Ballad of a Thin Man - I'm Not There.



Dracula 01-16-2008 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sshuttari (Post 2359041)

good choice.



But you know for the best musical I would have gone with Ballad of a Thin Man - I'm Not There.

that was my second chioce, and it was probably the most visually creative of the scenes here. But the song in it is an almost note for note cover of the original Dylan song. Ultimately I was a little more taken by the song and performance used in BSM, and since it was also visually stunning I decided it was the better overall package.



FranklinTard 01-16-2008 09:19 AM

yea but its stephen ****ing malkmus. he improves on bob dylan.... one of the only ones who can say that...



Dracula 01-16-2008 05:00 PM

Best scene accompaniment, Pre-existing Pop

Another scene based category related to music, but rather than focusing on live onscreen performances, this is about films that use songs from other sources to accentuate the onscreen action. Again the focus is less on the song than the way it is used in the film.



“Playing With Fire” by The Rolling Stones, featured in The Darjeeling Limited: Wes Anderson has always been a master of using British invasion music to underscore his films. This early Stones song, brings a real angst to some of the most memorable moments in this less than memorable film.



“Chick Habit” by April March, Featured in Grindhouse: It’s no secret that Quentin Tarentino is a master of pop music accompaniment and has been since the beginning of his career. What’s particularly special about his use of “Chick Habit” in Grindhouse is how it completely transforms the film almost out of nowhere. What seemed like a car movie is completely transformed into a Russ Meyer style female empowerment film simply with the use of one song.



“Love Hurts” by Nazareth, featured in Halloween: As a fan of Rob Zombie’s previous film, The Devil’s Rejects, I was sorely disappointed by his remake of Halloween. Though the film was loathsome, there were some interesting things going on in the soundtrack, chiefly among them being this use of the Nazareth classic “Love Hurts” played during Sheri Moon Zombie’s strip scene, which is intercut with Michael Myers the night he first kills.



“Big Poppa” by The Notorious B.I.G., featured in Superbad: This gangsta classic is featured in the soon to be classic scene from Superbad where Jonah Hill dances with a hot, drunk, older, girl and begins feeling like the night will finally start going his way. Of course this isn’t to be. This party track is the perfect choice to build up the character’s ego before completely deflating it in one of the most memorable gross-out gags since There’s Something About Mary.



“Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan, featured in Zodiac: The opening scene of Zodiac was a major part of the film's advertising, and for good reason, it’s a perfect little diamond of an opening. A big part of what helps that opening is the use of Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” This song establishes a time and place without drawing too much attention to itself, and really blends in with the onscreen visuals.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Where's my elephant? 01-16-2008 07:20 PM

Playing With Fire



Regarding Zodiac, "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty and "Lowdown" by Boz Scaggs were great inclusions.



JBond 01-16-2008 09:51 PM

The use of Hurdy Gurdy Man was brilliant in that film, espically at the end. Whereas it didn't draw too much attention to itself in the past, when they played it again in the 90's, it reminds you of the time that has past before they finally identify him.



Dracula 01-17-2008 06:16 PM

Chase Scene of the Year

The final of these specific action scene awards will go to the chase scene of the year. These chases can be on any type of vehicle or on foot. This year the vehicle of choice were mainly cars.



“Run for Your Life,” 28 Weeks Later…: This is the only foot chase nominated here, but it’s a real doozey. The film seems to open on a relatively quite moment, before all hell suddenly breaks loose. What follows is a frantic chase to reach a motorboat. And its not all excitement, this scene is also important to the plot as a decision Robert Carlyle comes back to haunt him.



“New York Super Chase,” The Bourne Ultimatum: The entirety of The Bourne Ultimatum could be seen as an extended chase scene, but it is the final car chase in New York that best exemplifies what this category is all about. While both of the previous “Bourne” films had great chases, neither of those scenes had the sheer size that is on display here.



“Ship’s Mast,” Grindhouse: Rightly or wrongly, Quentin Tarentino’s half of Grindhouse mainly be remembered for its car chase. This duel between a 1970 Dodge Challenger and a 1969 Dodge Charger was made even more spectacular by tying a stuntwomen to the hood of the Challenger. Even Death Proof's biggest haters seem to be able to admit this scene was a highlight of the Grindhouse experierience.



“Motorcycle in a Snow Globe,” The Simpson’s Movie: When the chase scenes were on this year, they were really on, but I had trouble coming up with the last two nominees; frankly this scene was only here by default. But that’s not to say there isn’t a charm to this scene, there’s something about Homer Simpson riding a motorcycle around a glass dome in a literal race against a clock that amuses me, and it ends with a really cool inside joke.



“Highway Chase,” Transformers: Michael Bay’s Transformers was a noisey mess of a movie, one of the worst in this infamous director’s notorious cannon. However, there was some real mojo in a few places, and this all too brief scene was one of them. The idea of an all out car chase in which cars that could transform was cool. Had they taken this approach for an extended finale the film would have been better off. Instead they reached L.A. in record time in one of the film’s many plot holes.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



iv3rdawG 01-17-2008 06:22 PM

I saw all of those as well and you chose the right one. My second choice would have been 28 Weeks Later.



FranklinTard 01-17-2008 09:13 PM

i thought the best 'chase' scene so to speak in death proof was the first one where he ran them down, turned off the lights and killed all those *****es. again though, you are the only person who will ever be awarding tarantino for making that mockery of a film.




rosncranz 01-17-2008 10:24 PM

Boooooo! 28 Weeks Later!!!



Where's my elephant? 01-17-2008 10:30 PM

Death Proof



Dracula 01-18-2008 12:01 PM

I'm going to be busy with Cloverfield today, so I'l probably wait until tommarow to give out the next award. Breaks like this should be a rather rare occurance after today, I'll resume daily handouts on saturday.



DAN! 01-18-2008 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2360024)

I'm going to be busy with Cloverfield today, so I'l probably wait until tommarow to give out the next award. Breaks like this should be a rather rare occurance after today, I'll resume daily handouts on saturday.

whoo! no class!



Dracula 01-19-2008 01:23 PM

Set Piece of the Year

Consider this to be a miscellaneous scene category. Anything large, not necessarily action oriented scene that wasn’t a chase, fight, or shootout was eligible.



“The Dunkirk One-Shot,” Atonement: The “single extended shot” trick seemed to have reached its peak in last year’s Children of Men, but Atonement proved that directors can still do wonders with it. This is more of a steady shot then the handheld work in that film, but it’s not just showing off. This shot perfectly sets up the emotional impact and chaos of the evacuation.



“Waterloo Station,” The Bourne Ultimatum: This cat and mouse chase is the perfect example of why the Bourne films were so great. This combines hand to hand fighting, technological spycraft, a sniper rifle, and the sheer genius of Paul Greengrass to make one of the most exciting sequences of the year.



“Hotel Room Stalking,” No Country for Old Men: Easily the most suspenseful scene of the year. With this sequence the Josh Brolin character is finally allowed to confront the assassin that has been stalking him, but isn’t going down without a fight. The Coens manage to create brilliant tention by simply having a “cat” and a “mouse” of two sides of a door and the results lead all the way out to the streets below.



“Oil Fire,” There Will Be Blood: Probably the most original of the set pieces here, the oil fire is the perfect example of how set pieces can do more than entertain, but also develop the characters. Technically it is a hell of a spectacle and also really suspenseful. Johnny Greenwood’s experimental score amps up the excitement for this scene, which is the turning point for Daniel Plainview, both financially and psychologically.



“The Opening Murder Scene,” Zodiac: Fincher’s Zodiac opened with a hell of a bang. On a night in the late sixties a couple in a car watches fireworks go off as they listen to Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” on the radio. Suddenly a man dressed in black approaches, and both their lives are changed forever. No single part of this scene really stands out but all these elements really come together.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dhamon22 01-19-2008 03:52 PM

Good choice on set piece.



MovieBuff801 01-19-2008 04:24 PM

Excellent choice. A scene like that shows how truly intelligent a character like Jason Bourne can be...even if he's just improvising. A quality that's quite refreshing to see in a modern day action hero.



Where's my elephant? 01-19-2008 05:43 PM

No Country For Old Men



IanTheCool 01-20-2008 12:00 AM

great choice. that was my favorite part of that movie



Dracula 01-20-2008 03:03 PM

Today we start the technical catagories, which we'll continue with all week.



Best Make-up

While almost all films use make-up to some extent, certain films need to go above and beyond the traditional requirements of the makeup department. The following films are the nominees for the 2007 Golden Stake award for best make-up:



28 Weeks Later…: No one said that being undead was pretty. The Weeks Later… series took the lead of George Romero’s zombie make-up and took it to the next level.



The Diving Bell and Butterfly: Julien Schnabel’s film was disturbing and clostrophobic while it was confined to Jean-Dominique Bauby’s first person perspective, but the film was in some ways even more disturbing when the full extent of Bauby’s condition was on screen in full.



Eastern Promises: Viggo Mortenson’s character in Eastern Promises wouldn’t seem like as much of a makeup challenge as say, a zombie, but he was possibly a bigger challenge. The character was covered head to toe in a large assortment of tattoos that had to be replicated during every day of shooting. There were also a number of bloody scenes that needed to be accentuated.



Grindhouse: Grindhouse, had the challenge of living up to the gory standards of 1970s exploitation films. Makeup artists were forced to create zombie makeup, gore effects, and a really big scar.



Rescue Dawn: In Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn, makeup artists needed to depict the ravages of imprisonment and starvation while living up to the authentic standard of the film’s iconic director.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



MovieBuff801 01-20-2008 03:06 PM

Haven't seen Grindhouse, but from what I saw of Planet Terror in the promos, the make-up looked appropriately disgusting in terms of the zombies or whatever they were.



Dracula 01-21-2008 05:55 PM

Sound Design

Sound is an important, yet often overlooked part of the cinematic experience. Sound effects editing and sound mixing are rightfully separated by the AMPAS, but such a separation will not happen here simply because I’m a layman and not quite experienced enough to separate the two.



300: 300 provides viewers with spectacular visuals, but also a sonic rollercoaster ride. From the sound of 300 Spartans chanting war cries to the sound of 300 spears going into the chests of 300 Persians the soundscape here is not to be missed.



Black Snake Moan: Black Snake Moan may not have massive explosions or frantic action scenes, but complex sound is just as important to it. It is the film’s music and the way it is implemented that sets Moan above its peers. The music here is great but never sounds canned, particularly a scene where Jackson plays a guitar during a thunderstorm.



The Bourne Ultimatum: Action movies traditionally have strong audio tracks, but The Bourne Ultimatum goes above and beyond the call of duty. Every punch and every shot really jumps off the screen. This soundtrack really kicks and adds a lot to the film’s frantic energy.



I’m Not There: I’m Not There is another example of another film about music that uses sound design to really bring the music through. Here the mix comes across more than the editing. Dylan’s music is sonicly reworked and sent through surround tracks in a great way.



Zodiac: Fincher’s recent film lacks loud action scenes or a music heavy soundtrack, but it is worthy of praise for the way it manages to manipulate sound in subtle and interesting ways. Consider for example, the first scene, which is able to effectively juggle period music, fireworks, and silenced gunshots all in one coherent set piece.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



MovieBuff801 01-21-2008 06:46 PM

The most impressive thing about 300 was its look, but nothing else. Would have probably gone with Bourne.



Dracula 01-23-2008 04:59 PM

Art direction

Another often misunderstood technical Oscar category. The art director is basically the film’s visual designer; he or she controls the film’s basic look and creates the film’s sets.



300: For the movie 300 designers were required to create an ancient Greece like no one has seen before. Featuring red skies, hot gates, a tree of bodies, a wall of bodies, and a platform that traveled on the backs of Persian soldiers; it was clear this was not your daddy’s battle of Thermopylae. 300 managed to be a wonder to look at throughout and the art direction was a major part of that.



Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End: Though most other elements of this mess of a film were lackluster, the design team maintained the high standard they established in the first two installments of the series. The design work is a major part of why this series has been appealing from the beginning, in many ways this alternate universe reinvention of pirate lore is an art director's dream come true. Particularly impressive in this installment was Shipwreck island, and an afterlife where ships can go over sand dunes.



Sunshine: Space, the final frontier. Sunshine is a film that forces the art direction team to design the excellent futuristic interiors of a spaceship heading for the sun. The exteriors of this ship are in and of themselves original and important to the film’s plot. The interiors are detailed and creative, yet not elaborate to the point they seem unbelievable.



Sweeney Todd: This is by no means the first time a Tim Burton film has been recognized for its art direction, and it likely won’t be the last. The design here turns 19th century London into a landscape all Tim Burton’s own. Nice touches like a slanted window in the title character’s barbershop add to a detailed universe that on one level seems real and on another level a figment of Tim Burton’s imagination.



Zodiac: With Zodiac David Fincher and his design team were forced to emerge their audience in the world of late sixties San Francisco and have the audience follow them through the seventies. The film creates a believable period setting yet doesn’t dwell on it or distract the audience with its setting.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



DAN! 01-23-2008 05:05 PM

:eek: deux in a roll



Where's my elephant? 01-23-2008 05:38 PM

art - Sunshine

sound - Zodiac just for how they used Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty) and Lowdown (Boz Scaggs).



IanTheCool 01-23-2008 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Where's my elephant? (Post 2362632)

art - Sunshine

sound - Zodiac just for how they used Baker Street (Gerry Rafferty) and Lowdown (Boz Scaggs).

i think by sound he meant more along the line of sound effects



Dracula 01-23-2008 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IanTheCool (Post 2362666)

i think by sound he meant more along the line of sound effects

Yeah, I had a seperate catagory for best scene accompaniment by preexisting pop songs. Although I did have nominees in here for the way music was mixed into the film, like I'm Not There.



Dracula 01-24-2008 10:41 AM

Score

It’s no secret that music is extremely important to the success of any film, at the same time an overly present score can be a real annoyance. Confession time… I don’t really know what I’m talking about here. I don’t really pay that much attention to original scores and barley remember a lot of the music in the films I choose. Still I do have a very clear idea of which of these is the best and stand by my final choice.



300: For his score to 300, Tyler Bates mixes traditional film score orchestration score, choral voices, middle eastern influences, and modern electronic elements. The film sounds in many ways like a soaring battle anthem for the Spartan warriors, but never forgets that it is a hip reimagining of the traditional epic.



Grindhouse: Here we are specifically looking at the Rodriguez half which featured an original score, rather than Tarentino’s half which used a collected soundtrack. Rodriguez, being the one man band that he is, opted to create his own score for “Planet Terror” and it is a catchy set of music for sure. The music here, if nothing else does more to establish a more humable theme than the rest of the nominees here, and that is an accomplishment in and of itself.



Eastern Promises: This is almost certainly the most traditional and most orchestral score nominated here, which probably says more about my personal tastes than about the music that was created this year. For this film, frequent Cronenberg collaborator Howard Shore delivers a subtle but still noticeable score. Matching the film’s themes, there are Slavic elements incorporated into the score, but not in a way that is distracting.



Sunshine: Sunshine’s original music by John Murphy and the electronic band Underworld is a score with a real knack for having its cake and eating it too. It’s manages to feel epic, yet still restrained. It uses electronic elements while still feeling like a traditional score. It underscores the majesty of the situation while still accentuating the danger that’s present. Most importantly it’s able to bring the character’s emotions to the forefront without feeling manipulative.



There Will Be Blood: Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, There Will Be Blood, featured an absolutely killer soundtrack from Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. As one would expect from someone with a guitar background, Greenwood’s score heavily emphasizes strings, and to great effect. Greenwood almost sounds like he’s scoring an action movie rather than a drama, and his music seems to improve every scene its present during.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



iv3rdawG 01-24-2008 06:12 PM

I don't really understand why Atonement isn't in here, as it had one of the most original scores in years. But There Will Be Blood is deserving.



Dracula 01-24-2008 06:44 PM

Soundtrack

A soundtrack category is a completely different beast from a score category. This is a category that revolves around individual songs, usually with vocals, combined into the overall mood. The songs can be either original or licensed and can be either performed onscreen, or played in the background diageticly or non-diageticly. However, this is based on a viewing of the film, and I have not reviewed any of these soundtracks as albums.



Black Snake Moan: Black Snake Moan is a filmed personification of the blues, naturally it also features blues music. Original music was created with Samuel L. Jackson providing vocals. No, he can’t really sing that well, but his acting and general spirit on the track will make you forget that. The real standout here was an absolutely primal cover of the blues standard “Stagger Lee”.



The Darjeeling Limited: As a film, The Darjeeling Limited left me rather cold; but Anderson’s style was still visible, more importantly it was still audible. Basically its more of the same from Anderson, who reportedly wanted to use Beatles songs but couldn’t get the rights. As such, he fell back on his standard British invasion selections. The Kinks are featured the most, but the track most viewers will most vividly remember is The Rolling Stones “Playing With Fire.”



Grindhouse: This time we focus mainly on the Tarentino half of the Gindhouse music experience. Tarentino is a director well known for his ability to meld interesting pop music pieces into his films, and here he continues that trend. With “Death Proof” he has compiled a selection of songs that are much more obscure than even the usual Tarentino soundtrack, I wasn’t familiar with any of the music here before seeing the movie. I don’t know where Tarentino digs this stuff up but I’m glad he does.



Into the Wild: Here we have an example of there being a thin line between soundtracks and original scores. This is a collection of earthy folk music composed by Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder. I don’t know that I’d want to hear this stuff separated from the film, but in the right context its perfect. Vedder’s gravelly voice and acoustic guitar are perfect for this story.



Once: Here again we have an example of music I wouldn’t necessarily care for if it was divorced of its context, but within the film it is just what was needed. The acoustic pop featured here isn’t really all that much grander than numerous other compositions by likeminded artists, but there is a real passion in the performances that lets it transcend its Starbucks nature.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dracula 01-24-2008 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iv3rdawG (Post 2363281)

I don't really understand why Atonement isn't in here, as it had one of the most original scores in years. But There Will Be Blood is deserving.

I wasn't a fan of the Atonement score, it was so overbearing and noticible that it really distracted the viewer from the film.



iv3rdawG 01-24-2008 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2363298)

I wasn't a fan of the Atonement score, it was so overbearing and noticible that it really distracted the viewer from the film.

Hmm, well not me



MovieBuff801 01-24-2008 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2363298)

I wasn't a fan of the Atonement score, it was so overbearing and noticible that it really distracted the viewer from the film.

I too thought that at times, Atonement's score was a tad overbearing, but in no way did I find it to be distracting from the what was happening on-screen.



Where's my elephant? 01-24-2008 07:38 PM

score - 300

soundtrack - Into The Wild



Dracula 01-25-2008 09:00 AM

Editing

Editing is one of, if not the, most important elements of cinema, without it we would have never advanced past the level of the Lumière brothers. Yet editing is one of the hardest categories to assess and rank. Without seeing all the raw footage the editor had to work with it is impossible to truly know the extent of their work. It is also a hard category to discuss, and to justify one’s choices. Basically I’m following my instincts with this category.



28 Weeks Later…: While many of the films nominated here wait until their endings to really let their editors go wild, the great editing here is present in the very first scene. The film uses editing to extenuate the action on scene. The film allows the viewer to become disoriented, when you aren’t sure what’s going on around them, it increases their fear level.



The Bourne Ultimatum: The editing in The Bourne Ultimatum can be described in one word “intense.” Turning Paul Greengrasses fierce handheld camera work into cohesive scenes is not an easy task but Christopher Rouse lived up to the challenge, forming some of the most exiting action scenes this year.



Into the Wild: While the editing in most of the movie is fairly conventional, what really earned the film a nomination in this category was the way the ending was handled. Every cut in this finale was so perfectly timed as to fully ratchet up the emotional impact of the film’s dramatic conclusion.



No Country for Old Men: If “intense” describes the editing in The Bourne Ultimatum, straight up “tense” describes the editing in No Country for Old Men. Every cut in the film seems perfectly calculated to ratchet up the tension in the suspense scenes before this tension is finally released.



Sunshine: Danny Boyle’s Sunshine is another film that mainly uses traditional editing techniques up until its finale, at which point it really takes off. When discussing the ending, many people focus on the character that is introduced, but the real focus should be on the kinetic energy that is injected into the film at this point. The finale reminds us that this is a film from the director of 28 Days Later…



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Drizzt240 01-25-2008 03:56 PM

I thought Atonements score was a perfect companion to the onscreen action. And I hope it wins the Oscar.



Dracula 01-26-2008 01:28 PM

Cinematography

Cinematography is one of the better understood of the many technical award categories among the general public, although its sometimes used as a crutch for lazy criticism. All too often people will try to justify the artistic merit of poor movies by saying “the cinematography was really good.” Still, it is an important category that should not be ignored.



The Diving Bell and Butterfly: Great cinematography is not all about extremely vivid colors and lighting, its also about great camera movement and there’s definitely great camera movement to be found here, which isn’t to say it doesn’t have plenty from column A as well. In early scenes from this film the camera acts as the main character’s eye, and moves with the movement of that eye. It’s the most moving camera one’s likely to see in a scene that conjures claustrophobia.



Into the Wild: “Magic hour” is used to great effect in this beautiful film that doesn’t need artificial lighting to show beautiful landscapes throughout. The beautiful sites of the American outdoors are on full display here, and it never looked better. One should not make the mistake of thinking the sun is doing all the work here, there’s a real art to finding the right time to film these vistas, and improving every nuance.



Sweeney Todd: Sweeny Todd's cinematography has one simple mission: to look as grim as possible, and did it ever succeed. The film is awash in deep blacks, subtle blues, and greys. These dark colors are mainly interrupted by sudden gushes of bright red blood that spurts often.



There Will Be Blood: It’s really saying something that the cinematography in this film can still be nominated when it has a jarring flaw. The black levels here were off, they weren’t deep enough and that was a pretty big problem, but the cinematography everywhere else was so damn strong that it transcended that flaw and still earned a nomination.



Zodiac: David Fincher has never made a film with less then excellent cinematography and this is no exception. The color pallet was great throughout and the camera movement was well executed and also rather innovative, as anyone who saw the taxi cab overhead shot can attest to.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



iv3rdawG 01-26-2008 01:38 PM

Hmm. All good contenders but I would have gone with The Diving Bell and Butterfly for this one.



Dracula 01-26-2008 01:42 PM

yeah, this is one catagory where I was more interested in picking a good roster of nominees, I could have picked the winner out of a hat and been happy



MovieBuff801 01-26-2008 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2364128)

yeah, this is one catagory where I was more interested in picking a good roster of nominees, I could have picked the winner out of a hat and been happy

But I'm glad you ended up picking Sweeney; visually, it's a stunning movie and I'm sure it'll win Best Art Direction at the Oscars.



Where's my elephant? 01-26-2008 05:12 PM

Into The Wild just for the end of the movie.



Dracula 01-26-2008 05:14 PM

Acting/character awards begin tomarrow



SnoBorderZero 01-26-2008 05:19 PM

Still puzzled how the Academy doesn't nominate 300 for anything, including effects and visuals which it was the best of the year, and yet Norbit gets nominated for something. More proof why the Academy Awards are garbage (don't make me rant on Saving Private Ryan losing to Shakespeare in Love in '98) and why we need actual consideration (such as in this topic) for choosing winners. Who on earth liked Shakespeare in Love?



halo7 01-26-2008 06:04 PM

I don't think the Academy awards are perfect, but they certainly are not garbage.



Tornado 01-26-2008 06:15 PM

I would've gone with Zodiac for Best Cinematography, but maybe I'm biased.



iv3rdawG 01-26-2008 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halo7 (Post 2364225)

I don't think the Academy awards are perfect, but they certainly are not garbage.

Agreed. At times they do make horribly bad decisions. Like this year, I've said it once and I'll say it again with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days not even making it into the shortlist of foreign film nominees. But all around this year's nominations are pretty solid.



halo7 01-27-2008 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iv3rdawG (Post 2364232)

Agreed. At times they do make horribly bad decisions. Like this year, I've said it once and I'll say it again with 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days not even making it into the shortlist of foreign film nominees. But all around this year's nominations are pretty solid.

Well again, that wasn't an actual decision, wasn't there some rule that didn't allow 4 months to be nominated? I don't imagine people getting around in a boardroom banning the movie from the awards and sucking the blood of the innocent.



iv3rdawG 01-27-2008 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halo7 (Post 2364428)

Well again, that wasn't an actual decision, wasn't there some rule that didn't allow 4 months to be nominated?

Nope, from my knowledge it was totally eligible to be nominated. Just like Persepolis, which also was snubbed but luckily grabbed an animation nomination.



halo7 01-27-2008 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iv3rdawG (Post 2364433)

Nope, from my knowledge it was totally eligible to be nominated. Just like Persepolis, which also was snubbed but luckily grabbed an animation nomination.

Well, it won't be the first or last time the Academy dissapoints you in the foreign category. France probably should have sent in something else for the foreign category, but in all honesty the "one movie per country rule" is probably the worst rule the academy has.



MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Dracula 01-27-2008 12:12 PM

Cameo of the Year

The definition of cameo is something that can definitely be debated, and some of my choices (one in particular) really walk the line between cameo and a complete role. Basically any role that involved a celebrity onscreen in very few scenes is eligible.



Vanessa Redgrave in Atonement: This role most definitely pushes the boundaries of what qualifies as a cameo appearance. In my defense she’s only in one scene, albeit a long and important one. The ending of Atonement was absolutely essential to the emotional weight of the whole film, and Vanessa Redgrave is a big part of why it (and thus the whole film) works.



Max Von Sydow in The Diving Bell and Butterfly: This is another choice that’s a bit hard to justify as a cameo, but its closer than the above choice. Sydow is absolutely heartbreaking in his performance as the father of the main character, and like his son he is confined to a small space. Aging was a major theme this year, and few brought out the real terror of time like Sydow.



Nicholas Cage in Grindhouse: Unlike the two above, there should be no debate that this is a true cameo, in fact it’s probably the most pure cameo among the nominees. Cage’s appearance as Dr. Fu Manchu in Rob Zombie’s fake trailer, Werewolf Women of the SS, was probably the biggest laugh in all of Grindhouse. Simply by showing up cage is able to make fun of his perceived willingness to be in anything and get a big laugh along the way.



David Cross in I’m Not There: David Cross makes a brief, but memorable appearance in I’m Not There playing the poet Allen Ginsberg. The cult comic seems to be having a blast mimic in the famous beat poet, he dawns funny fake beard and shares a memorable scene where he and Dylan look up at a crucifix with a Jesus statue and ask it “how does it feel.”



Bruce Campbell in Spider-Man 3: No matter how big Sam Raimi gets he always finds a place for the actor who starred in his first film, Bruce Campbell. Campbell had increasingly large cameos in all three of the Spider-Man films, here he played a pretentious waiter pretending to be French. Even this flawed films harshest haters seem to be able to acknowledge how laugh out loud funny this cameo appearance was.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



iv3rdawG 01-27-2008 12:13 PM

Good choice. My second place probably would have gone to Vanessa Redgrave.



Where's my elephant? 01-27-2008 01:43 PM

Grindhouse



My personal favorite of the year is not on the list:



Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



JBond 01-27-2008 03:14 PM

Heh, good call.



Dracula 01-28-2008 06:21 PM

Villain of the Year

Everyone loves to hate villains, but what they love even better is to love a villain. This is a category for all the cinematic evil doers of the year. To qualify for this category one must be an actual antagonist for the hero, you won’t find any anti-heros here, just straight up villains. Further it must be an actual entitiy, there will be no meta-villains like “greed” or “war” here.



Charlie Prince from 3:10 to Yuma: James Mangold’s western, 3:10 to Yuma, featured a flawed hero (Bale), an anti-hero (Crowe), and finally a villain (Ben Foster). Foster was a vicious, slimy presence in the movie; a deranged psychopath, he seemed perfectly willing to kill anyone who got in his way. Strangely, he emerged as a more memorable character than Crowe or Bale.



Stuntman Mike from Grindhouse: Stuntman Mike is amazing in that you’re never quite sure what his deal is. At first he feels like a very charismatic, if old and crusty, person. Later he simply feels like a run of the mill psycho with a car. Finally it is revealed just how small a man he is in the awesome surprise ending.



Mr. Jones from I’m Not There: As any Dylan fan knows, Mr. Jones is a (possibly metaphysical) character from the song "Ballad of a Thin Man", but in Todd Haynes’ eclectic biopic he’s a harsh rival to Dylan who tries to destroy the musician’s reputation out of spite. This character adds a much needed conflict into the middle of the film which in many ways saved the entire movie.



Karen Crowder from Michael Clayton: While it’s always fun to have villains like Darth Vader, evil in the real world isn’t as obvious. Most of the world’s villains probably look a lot like Karen Crowder, as played by Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton. The actions taken by this character are highly damaging and can only be called evil, but she doesn’t enjoy doing it. She is often nervous and desperate as she does terrible things for her own self interest.



Anton Chiguhr from No Country for Old Men: I’m not the first person to point out that Anton Chiguhr is a great villain and I won’t be the last. This character is a brutal sociopath who is consistently the most riveting element in a movie filled with them. The man is death personified and his resilience goes beyond competence and passes into the realm of the supernatural.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Where's my elephant? 01-28-2008 06:29 PM

Charlie Prince/3:10 To Yuma



Dracula 01-29-2008 11:34 AM

Best Supporting Actress

Supporting actress is often one of the most unsung of the major acting categories. Women have a hard enough time getting good lead roles in Hollywood today that the lead actress category is often filled with glorified supporting roles. As such supporting actress roles are virtual non-entities within the movie they’re featured in. Still, many actresses are able to pull though and deliver stellar supporting performances.



Cate Blanchet in I’m Not There: If nothing else this is easily the most talked about casting choice of the year. It took a certain (mad) genius to cast Cate Blanchet in the role of Bob Dylan, although she actually plays a folk singer named Jude Quinn (all six of the “Dylans” have different names). This could have been a really silly choice but Blanchet was talented enough to make this work perfectly.



Cathrine Keener in Into the Wild: A bit of a surprise inclusion in Into the Wild, a film largely centered on a single character. Keener, playing a burned out former hippie, is really able to act as a bridge between generations of super-tramps. Her character is a way to show how someone behaving like Christopher McCandless can live a fairly happy life, and this message is largely possible because of Keener’s tender scene stealing performance.



Jennifer Garner in Juno: Juno is a film that could have gone astray without some kind of rational anchor, and Garner’s character is that anchor. There’s a real sadness in Garner’s performance, and she adds a real weight to the film. Garner has come a long way since her days as Sydney Bristow.



Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton: It’s rare to see a woman playing a villain, and even rarer to see a woman villain who isn’t wearing a dominatrix outfit. Swinton goes against this trend creating a character who does evil things but doesn’t look or sound evil. This is a fascinating performance and one of the best things in Michael Clayton.



Tabu in The Namesake: The Namesake was a movie that is largely being forgoten come award season, which is unfortunate as there is some great acting in it. Bollywood actress Tabu, who has the challenge of playing a character that ages throughout the film. She also has the challenge of internalizing many of her emotions. There is a great dignity in this character and Tabu makes her very memorable.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dracula 01-30-2008 04:43 PM

Best Supporting Actor

The supporting actor category, unlike supporting actress, is always extremely crowded. In fact, if the five nominees I chose were eliminated there would still be five performances left that I would have been happy to nominate.



Chris Cooper in Breach: In Breach Chris Cooper delivers one of those supporting performances so imposing that many think it’s a lead role. Cooper dwarfs, Ryan Philippe with his excellent, nuanced, performance. The film is good, but Cooper is great; were it not for Cooper I would have forgotten about this fairly mediocre work long ago.



Kurt Russell in Grindhouse: Quentin Tarentino has long been famous for reviving the careers of forgotten actors. His track record at this is a little overblown, I haven’t seen Pam Grier in much since Jackie Brown for instance, but I certainly hope what Kurt Russell is back to stay as what he does here is classic Russell.



Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton: What Tom Wilkinson delivers in Michael Clayton is a performance that pretty blatantly grabs for a long overdue Oscar win. Wilkinson has a number of really “baity” scenes and chest beating speeches. So why is this shameless award baiting nominated here? Because: dammit, this performance really cooks. I could watch Wilkinson beat his chest in this role for days.



Irfan Khan in The Namesake: Here’s the other standout performance from The Namesake. Irfan Khan has all the same challenges Tabu has in the film, and also has more screen time to overcome them with. I think he’s just as strong in the movie as Tabu, and if this pool of performers was as weak as the supporting actress category he’d have this in the bag.



Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men: Just to clear up a pet peave I have: Bardem’s first name is pronounced “häv-ē-ār.” Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I can simply say that Mr. Bardem has delivered one of the most memorable performances ever. This more or less looks like the year when acting awards will shift away from mimicry performances and back toward character creation, and this performance is a great example of why.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Tornado 01-30-2008 04:46 PM

^Agreed, but good call nominating Chris Cooper in Breach.



Where's my elephant? 01-30-2008 05:48 PM

Jen Garner - I've been a fan of hers since Alias season 3. She's better than given credit for and should have had at least on Emmy by now.

Kurt Russell



Dhamon22 01-30-2008 05:55 PM

Good call with Bardem for supporting actor. And I agree about Cooper, he made Breach go from meh to good.



MovieBuff801 01-30-2008 06:58 PM

I think it's blatantly obvious that Javier Bardem will win the Oscar, but Tom Wilkinson gives an equally memorable performance.



Dracula 01-31-2008 01:35 PM

Best Actress

It’s been a long time since the best actress category hasn’t had a far and away front-runner, but this year has a real horse race going on. It’s been a great year for female performers, although interestingly only a few of these performances are from truly great films.



Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart: Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart was a cold film with a warm performance at its center. Jolie provides a much needed emotive element in this procedural and delivers in spades. As Mariane Pearl, Jolie is forced to put a dignified face onto heartbreaking emotions. When all these emotions are released at a crucial part near the end, Jolie is able to completely break down on screen without going over the top.



Julie Christie in Away From Her: Julie Christie has surprisingly little screen time in Away From Her, a film that actually centers around Gordon Pinsent. The performance is close to being a supporting performance, but so many are calling it a lead that I won’t argue. Christie’s has one of the traditional “Oscar-bait” aspects: a disability. You can really feel Christie’s agony, or lack thereof, as she descends into the depths of Alzheimer’s disease.



Ellen Page in Juno: You don’t usually expect this level of talent from a nineteen year old actress, but that’s what we got from Ellen Page in Juno. Page is another great example of how a character can be created by an actor and be extremely memorable. Page’s comic timing is great and she manages to deliver some crazy dialogue with a straight face.



Laura Linney in The Savages: The Savages is a film that in many ways acts as an acting showcase for two very good actors: Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney. One would think that Linney would be entirely upstaged by Hoffman, but that isn’t the case, Linney is very much the driving force in the film and Hoffman is basically her straight-man.



Helena Bonham Carter in Sweeney Todd: Many have said that Helena Bonham Carter has a weak singing voice in Sweeney Todd, but frankly I can’t hear where this attitude is coming from. Carter sings fine as far as I can tell, but it’s the rest of her performance that brought me to nominate her. Visually, she’s created a really interesting take on Mrs. Lovett. She also has a much more entertaining bad cockney accent than Depp, especially when one considers that she actually is English.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



IanTheCool 01-31-2008 01:37 PM

i agree with you. though i think christie is going to win the oscar.



Where's my elephant? 01-31-2008 02:02 PM

Page



MovieBuff801 01-31-2008 02:37 PM

I agree. Ellen Page was downright excellent in this role and it really is an impressive bit of acting from a nineteen year-old actress. Fine performance.



JBond 01-31-2008 03:53 PM

I'd love to see Page win the oscar, but I doubt she will.



Dhamon22 02-01-2008 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IanTheCool (Post 2366792)

i agree with you. though i think christie is going to win the oscar.

Ditto.



Dracula 02-01-2008 11:32 PM

Best Actor

Actors are widely seen as the portion of the filmmaking process that gets a little more credit then it deserves. However this perception has often lead to a sort of backlash among film aficionados like myself who obsess so much over directors and technical elements that we forget just how much an actor can improve a film.



Samuel L. Jackson in Black Snake Moan: Samuel L. Jackson hasn’t been taking his craft very seriously in the last decade, and his autopilot persona was beginning to get old when it hit rock bottom in Snakes on a Plane. After that someone must have given him an intervention and sent him to badass rehab, as he finally does some serious work in Black Snake Moan. Rather than abandoning his persona, Jackson lets it evolve, and the results are really fun to watch.



Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises: The gangster thing is really played out, but leave it to Cronenberg to do something different with the genre. This is in many ways an extension of Mortenson's work in A History of Violence, which is interesting because on the surface his character here is completely different from his role in the aforementioned film. One can feel the gears moving in Viggo’s head as he behaves counter to his values, he also has a cool Russian accent.



Christian Bale in Rescue Down: Christian Bale has clearly overtaken Edward Norton as the most prominent actor today. Bale really brings his A-Game to every movie he makes, and its almost worth seeing anything he’s in. Bale is particularly noted for his general willingness to suffer for his art, so he’s perfect for a Werner Herzog film. You can really feel Bale’s pain throughout the film, and there’s lots of moments to show it.



Don Cheadle in Talk to Me: Don Cheadle is absolutely outlandish in a great role in Talk to Me. As 1970s talk radio host Petey Green, Cheadle can go completely over the top and still be believable. Cheadle is able to basicly give a comedic performance is a dramatic film, and its a great mix. There may be better performances nominated here, but this is deffinately the most fun.



Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood: To the best of my knowledge, Daniel Day-Lewis has never made a bad movie, he’s batting 1000 and there’s no sign of him ever hurting that average. His performance in There Will Be Blood is nothing short of majestic. This is a theatrical performance, you can see the acting, but in the best way possible. Day-Lewis is keeping “the method” alive and in a great way.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



donny 02-02-2008 12:05 AM

Good choices. I was hopin maybe you'd put Damon in for Bourne Ultimatum. Oh well, like I said, good choices and good pick



Dracula 02-02-2008 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donny (Post 2367735)

Good choices. I was hopin maybe you'd put Damon in for Bourne Ultimatum. Oh well, like I said, good choices and good pick

I loved Ultimatum, but Damon's acting really isn't what makes that movie for me. Don't get me wrong, he's fine in the movie, but his work just doesn't strike me as award worthy.



donny 02-02-2008 12:15 AM

I understand. I just loved how we was so convincing at being this tortured person who just wants to figure out how to be normal. Half the time, his face said it all. He did a great job showing a tired, worn out, beat up man in the whole series, but especially in Ultimatum. And he really displayed that emotion in the end of the film. The confrontation with Hirsch at the end is a good example. But, I see what you're saying. They probably are better picks.



Dracula 02-02-2008 12:55 PM

Ensemble Cast

There’s lots of talk and credit given to the performances of individual actors or actresses, but often it isn’t a single performance that makes a film but a collection of many solid if not showy performances that can really make a film cook. This is an award that considers the achievements of many actors coming together and making an entire cast of great work.



American Gangster: If nothing else, American Gangster has the advantage of sheer numbers. Obviously there is a great star duel between Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington. But one must also consider the work here by great character actors like Ruby Dee, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, John Ortiz, and John Hawkes here. The film is even able to make good use of rappers like TI, Common, and RZA. You know something good is going on when a movie can make good use of Cuba Gooding Jr.



Atonement: This is a good example of how an ensamble can come together without a real standout performance. James McAvoy is great here as a man who has to go through hell to make a reunion with Keira Knightly who is also really good here. But the role that really personifies why this ensemble is great is that of Briony Tallis who is played by both Saoirse Ronan and Romola Garai. The small role Vanessa Redgrave has is the cherry on top of this nice ensemble.



I’m Not There: Possibly the most creative way to put an ensemble together. I’m Not There has Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, and Ben Whishaw all doing different takes on Bob Dylan. But one should not forget the achievements of those not playing Dylan like Charlotte Gainsbourgh, Bruce Greenwood, and David Cross.



Juno: Juno’s ensemble is a cast that really needs to be at the top of its game. If the actors aren’t really solid the film’s specialized dialogue will go from being charming to being annoying. Luckily almost all of the cast is able to prevent that worst case scenario. Ellen Page is triumphant in a star making role and Michael Cera does great coming off his breakthrough in Superbad. Also great are J.K. Simmons, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney.



Michael Clayton: While many of the other nominees feature casts that are better than the sum of their parts, Michael Clayton got here by having only a few very strong performers. Most notable are George Clooney who does some of the best acting he’s ever done here, Tilda Swinton who creates a great villain, and Tom Wilkonson who is able to show off his stuff real well. There are other nice performers like Sydney Pollack, but for the most part this cast is quality over quantity.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dracula 02-03-2008 10:53 AM

Best line

Everyone loves to quote movie lines, but what makes one great? I think they need to be somewhat unique, while also really flowing off the tounge in a special way, especially when its delivered by a really good actor.



“I am Ripper... Tearer... Slasher... Gouger. I am the Teeth in the Darkness, the Talons in the Night. Mine is Strength... and Lust... and Power! I AM BEOWULF!” Beowulf: Many remember similar lines from 300 but I think this line beat King Leonidas at his own war-cry game. I love how Beowulf calls himself a “tearer,” I don’t know what a tearer goes about tearing, but I’d rather it not happen to me. One should not forget that this line is important to the plot as Beowulf’s boasting and heroism is subverted in the second half.



“How can a train be lost? It’s on rails.” The Darjeeling Limited: Wes Anderson’s latest project was unfortunately lacking in the laugh department, however this nice little jewel of dry humor did make it to the screen. What works best about this is the fact that Owen Wilson never receives an answer to his question.



“The guy’s either going think ‘here’s another guy with a fake ID’, or here’s McLovin, 25 year old Hawaiian organ donor.” Superbad: Possibly the most memorable element of Superbad was a character officially named Fogell, but who will forever be known as McLovin. This is the line that points out the absurdity of that choice of a name and is possibly the most known line of the movie because it was one of the few lines that could be played in the trailer.



“There's a hole in the world like a great black pit/and it’s filled with people who are filled with ****!/ And the vermin of the world inhabit it” Sweeney Todd: What really kept the music working in Sweeney Todd was Stephen Sondheim’s the masterful lyrics, and this is a great example of them. It flows well, it rhymes, and it helps tell the story. It also perfectly establishes Todd’s nihilistic mindset.



“This is a pimp I wouldn’t trust to wash my car, but y’all done elected him city official...” Talk to Me: A big part of why Talk to Me is so fun is how Don Cheadle’s character is a rebellious figure, but in a very fun and flamboyant way. This is simply a really fun line to say and when I heard it in the trailer I knew this was a film I had to see.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



IanTheCool 02-03-2008 11:27 AM

at least you didnt choose beowulf



WuTical 02-03-2008 11:37 AM

For Best line, there were multiple lines from There will Be Blood and Juno that should of been mentioned



JBond 02-03-2008 11:59 AM

Juno had about 20 good lines. Better than the Beowulf one, I'm sure.



MovieBuff801 02-03-2008 12:59 PM

If it were me, I'd have gone with Sweeney Todd.



But I do agree that Juno had numerous memorable lines.



Dracula 02-04-2008 06:54 PM

Adapted Screenplay

One would think that adapting someone else’s work would be easier than writing an original work, but in fact the process likely brings more challenges than benefits. When adapting, a writer must try to go off in unique directions while also trying to remain true to the original source material.



Atonement: In writing Atonement, Christopher Hampton had the challenge of living up to the legacy of one of the most acclaimed books of this century. While any adaptation has the challenge of pleasing purists of a given work, this book had a particularly large and demanding fan base to deal with, and in spite of this challenge it has still become one of the most acclaimed films of the year.



The Diving Bell and Butterfly: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is

Into the interesting in that it is adapting a very unconventional auto-biography. Jean-Dominique Bauby’s book is largely an account of what his life is like with locked-in syndrome. With his screenplay, Ronald Harwood draws from both the book and original research into Bauby’s life in order to tell a story that is inspiring, but never sappy.



Into the Wild: With Into the Wild, Sean Penn had the challenge of adapting a popular non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer. While many would have simply used the book as one of many sources, Penn attempts to adapt it and preserve its basic format. The film uses unusual techniques like writing prose on the screen in order to consistently preserve the link between the film and Krakauer’s book.



No Country for Old Men: Among these nominees, No Country for Old Men is unique in that it is the only one for which I’ve read the original source material. I was shocked when reading the book (after seeing the film) just how little the Coen’s changed from Cormac McCarthy’s novel. This is a nearly word for word translation to screen, which is very unusual.



There Will Be Blood: Unlike No Country, There Will Be Blood has reportedly changed a lot from Upton Sinclair’s novel. Interestingly this is the only nominee that has changed the story’s title from its original source. The title is a good example of how an adaptation can help a film. After all “There Will Be Blood” is a much more enticing title than “Oil!”



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Drizzt240 02-04-2008 07:06 PM

So you're saying that is a pity award?



Dracula 02-04-2008 07:36 PM

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dracula 02-05-2008 02:32 PM

Original Screenplay

This year, most of the really weighty dramas are all adaptations, which is a double edged sword. On one hand it makes the adapted screenplay competition really, really tight. On the other hand, it opens up the original screenplay category to a lot of interesting choices as well as a lot of comedic writing.



Juno: Screenwriters are generally the most anonymous major creative force in cinema. Aside from a few exceptions like Charlie Kaufman and various writer/directors, very few people in the average public could name a screenwriter off the top of their heads. Oddly, Diablo Cody has managed to become a minor celebrity with only one script under her belt. And for good reason, Juno’s charming script has everyone in the country charmed.



Knocked Up: It’s interesting that Knocked Up hasn’t been nominated yet, but Superbad has been nominated for a number of things thus far. The reason this is getting the screenplay and not the other Judd Apatow project, is that that one had a few very funny moments while Knocked Up managed to spread great witticisms throughout. Additionally the story goes somewhere; this is not a comedy that just throws jokes at the screen and hope some of them stick.



Michael Clayton: I was really surprised that this was an original screenplay, as this really feels like it was based on some kind of legal novel. This is a testament to the type of rich screenplay on display here, rarely is cinema the first medium this kind of character study immediately goes to.



Sunshine: Anyone can write a space opera filled with laser fights and alien monsters, well not anyone, but it is a lot easier. It takes real talent to create a story with all of those thrills that is also a complex study of ethics and logic. Sunshine gives us a desperate situation and analyzes how humans would really react to it… and it ain’t pretty.



The Wind That Shakes the Barley: The Wind That Shakes the Barley hasn’t been nominated for a single reward up to this point, and that’s probably because it is the quintessential example of how a film can be greater than the sum of its parts. The film is a testament to how important a script is in the making of a great film. Even if the other elements aren’t quite award worthy, a great script can still lead to a great movie.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



JBond 02-05-2008 07:01 PM

Hmm, maybe I should check out Sunshine.



FranklinTard 02-05-2008 09:27 PM

youll get annoyed at all the noise that happens in space... i know that annoyed me...



Dracula 02-06-2008 03:22 PM

Trailer of the Year

While this is really a work of advertising, there is definitely a real art to cutting a great trailer. One has to get enough good material into a short amount of time to entice people without giving away important plot points. There are so many of these trailers that its really hard to stand out, yet still some manage to do it. Sorry Gindhouse, only real trailers are eligible.



300 (Official Trailer): The 300 trailer was like an onslaught of unique and creative images. Set against a really good Nine Inch Nails instrumental piece, this was the perfect introduction to the great visuals, blistering action, and bombastic acting that would be featured in the film.



American Gangster (Heart of the City): When Ridley Scott teamed up with Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington to make a gangster film, expectations were through the roof, and this trailer set expectations even higher. The trailer cuts with a definite rhythm set by the Blueprint era Jay-Z track Heart of the City (Aint no Love).



Cloverfield (Teaser): Few trailers (or anything else for that matter), had people talking as much as the Cloverfield teaser. What was special about it? Well first of all it wasn’t available online, people needed to go to Transformers to see it. Second, J.J. Abrams was behind it, and he’s the master of watercooler mind f***s. Third, the damn thing didn’t even have a title on it.



Rambo (Preview Footage): All educated guesses suggested that this Rambo film was a shameless cash-in. We are currently living in an era of wimpy, PG-13 action movies. It seemed logical that this film would sell out much the way another fourth installment of an 80s action movie, Live Free or Die Hard, had. That is until this extremely graphic preview footage showed up on the internet. This trailer, which featured a decapitation and a ripped out jugular, promised that Rambo would be a redunculous good time.



Sunshine (Lux Aeterna): Like the film itself, the Sunshine trailer starts slow with mystery, before it explodes into a kinetic montage of interesting looking things. The trailer is set to a composition called “Lux Aeterna” which was part of the Requiem for a Dream score and has since been used effectively in a number of trailers. This trailer set us up for an exiting sci-fi epic, but kept from giving too much away.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



FranklinTard 02-06-2008 03:25 PM

f that, 300's use of nine inch nails should have easily won.



iv3rdawG 02-06-2008 05:23 PM

Should have been Clovefield



JBond 02-06-2008 06:48 PM

I always like the Simpsons one with the overly-gay bunny that gets killed.



Dracula 02-07-2008 03:34 PM

Poster of the Year

Print advertising is a dying art, and in all industries printed media is slowly going the way of the dodo. However, for some reason the tradition of theatrical posters still seems to be thriving. I love film posters and I always like to look them up when I’ve seen a film.



American Gangster:

img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...anGangster.jpg

This movie is very much about the meeting of two major actors, and the poster smartly realizes this. Yet, the poster subversively cuts off the faces of both of these movie stars, which is an interesting twist. The poster is largely a homage to the famous Scarface poster, but not in a way that’s obvious to the point of parody. I love the way Denzel’s black jacket blends in with the background.



Black Snake Moan:

img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...kSnakeMoan.jpg

The Black Snake Moan poster is an interesting piece of work because it emphasizes the film’s exploitation roots a lot more then the film itself does. The piece wisely uses a very accurate drawing technique to make this look like a mad/crazy misogynist piece of 70s goodness, with Christina Ricci in a wicked yet enjoyed sexual pose with Jackson in a strong dominating pose that makes him look very cool when looked at through a subversive 70s lens. Its all topped off with the brilliant tagline: “Everything is hotter down south.”



Eastern Promises:

img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...rnPromises.jpg

Here’s another poster that revolves around a really strong tagline, “every sin leaves a mark.” This tagline directly ties into the film’s message in many ways, and the image is also very strong. The minimalist image of tattooed hands perfectly accentuates that great tagline, enticing audiences without giving anything away and maintaining a great sense of menace.



There Will Be Blood:

img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...illBeBlood.jpg

This is another example of a great minimalistic approach. This poster had the benefit of a great title: There Will Be Blood. It’s a mysterious, yet menacing title and “menacing” is the perfect word to use to describe the poster. This book, which looks like a bible but has the film’s title in an old English typeface, has a single drop of blood dripping down.



Zodiac:

img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...2007Zodiac.jpg

It would have been easy to make a sensationalistic poster for this serial killer film. Instead what they delivered was a poster which perfectly embodies the real threat that presides over the film; a strange, unseen force transforming the city of San Francisco into a place of fear. Additionally the cross in the title’s “O” is a very nice touch.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



IanTheCool 02-07-2008 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond (Post 2370285)

I always like the Simpsons one with the overly-gay bunny that gets killed.

yes!

IanTheCool 02-07-2008 05:53 PM

as a fan of the simplistic approach, i dont agree with your pick. i really liked spidey three with the black and red suits reflection facing eachother. howed good promise for the movie (which may ormay not have delievered).

i dont think eastern promises was all taht good, simply for that little frame at the bottom with their faces. doesnt really look taht good.



on a side note, im really enjoying these dracula. keep it up.



MovieBuff801 02-07-2008 06:33 PM

Just one question for ya, Drac: How many more til we get to the good ones such as Best Director or Best Picture?



Dracula 02-07-2008 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moviebuff801 (Post 2370919)

Just one question for ya, Drac: How many more til we get to the good ones such as Best Director or Best Picture?

5-6 more regular catagories, the genre awards. Then instead of giving best picture or best director, I'm going to announce my year end top ten in lieu of a BP award. I'm not going to bother with best director, as BP is basically best director in my book.



Dracula 02-10-2008 01:47 PM

I missed a couple days, so I'll reveal two today, one now, one in the eveneing. I'll reveal two tomarrow as well.



Most Underappreciated Film

There’s no pleasing everyone, but all too often movies fail to really get the acclaim they deserve. This isn’t necessarily an “under-rated” category, though those are eligible too. Really this is simply a category from movies that fell through the cracks either with critics, audiences or both. This is for the films the critics loved that got seen by few, and the films that got seen by many but failed to be taken seriously by critics. Its also the place for movies that just got straight up overlooked on all levels.



Beowulf: This film was a moderate box office success, but many critics seemed unable to see the many strong attributes it had outside of its technical merits. I think many were too distracted by the film’s 3D effects to notice that there’s a pretty clever script under all the technical advancements. The film is an interesting adaptation of an old tale that examines the dichotomy of the hero figure



Redacted: Of all the overlooked films that came out this year, Redacted would seem to be the most deserving of obscurity. The film features terrible acting, a simplistic script and a gimmicky set up. However, what the film does have are balls of steel. This is the film for the most hardcore of liberal war activist and it pulls no punches at all. Crude though it may be; in a year of anemic issuetainment like Rendition and Lions for Lambs, this film really hit me.



Sunshine: This was a farily large budget science fiction film with name actors and a respected director. Because of this I was surprised to find myself as the one and only person in the audience when I went to see it opening day. The film was ignored by audiences and argued about by polarized critics, and most certainly deserved better.



I Think I Love My Wife: This above average effort from Chris Rock is the best mediocre Woody Allen movie not to be made by Woody Allen in years. It was far from a perfect film. But it was an attempt to make a smart, funny comedy. Compared to the non-sence being put out by Rock’s fellow African American SNL alumni Eddie Murphy, this is something to be celebrated.



The Wind That Shakes the Barley: It may be a stretch to call a Palm D’or winner underappreciated, but I do think this film deserved better than its weak early April release date. This movie is just as good as many of the films being nominated for Oscars yet so many are just not bothering to think about it come year’s end.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Tornado 02-10-2008 02:12 PM

I would've gone with Zodiac. I felt it was easily the best film released last year, and several critics agreed (or at least included it in their top ten list). I think it made past its production costs, but not much more.



Dracula 02-10-2008 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tornado (Post 2372145)

several critics agreed (or at least included it in their top ten list).

That's why I didn't add it. I really wanted this to be the catagory for stuff that was straight up over looked.



halo7 02-10-2008 03:36 PM

I agree with Sunshine, easily in my top 10.



Drizzt240 02-10-2008 04:02 PM

I think those poster pics were just awful.



Dracula 02-10-2008 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drizzt240 (Post 2372185)

I think those poster pics were just awful.

What would you have picked?



FranklinTard 02-10-2008 04:37 PM

3:10 to Yuma, much better than all of those posters, to me at least. out of those though, you picked the best.



JBond 02-10-2008 04:41 PM

www.ioncinema.com/images/uplo...769_poster.jpg



Dracula 02-10-2008 08:31 PM

Action Film of the Year

Action films are consistently one of the most popular genres around, although all too often they can be lackluster. There are few things as fun as a really good action film that excites and grips the audience. Unfortunately Hollywood executives all too often think anyone can make these movies, that isn’t true, it takes real skill to make these movies right. These nominees exemplify the right way to make an action film.



300: Machismo has been strangely absent from the cinema screens for a very long time. That is until Zach Snyder decided to adapt Frank Miller’s graphic novel take on the battle of Thermopylae. 300 used new slow motion techniques and bluescreen technology to bring this stylized version of the battle to the cinema screen.



3:10 to Yuma: Before the early 70s, the main genre for action scenes was the Western. James Mangold’s remake of 3:10 to Yuma was a smart attempt to bring this genre back without any post-modern apologies. There were a number of great action scenes here, particularly a stage coach robbery at the beginning and a massive shootout at the end.



Beowulf: Animation has rarely been used for action thrills outside of Japan, but Robert Zemeckis did the best he could to correct this with the innovative epic poem adaptation Beowulf. The film continued the trend of increased machismo in screen heros that was started by the movie 300, and featured a number of awesome fights with a bunch of monsters.



The Bourne Ultimatum: The Bourne series has consistently had great action scenes as well as very strong character elements. The third installment, The Bourne Ultimatum, is possibly the best of the series and a great showcase of Paul Greengrasses film style. This is the type of competition that forced the James Bond series to re-invent itself.



Shooter: Let me make it clear that Shooter is not a good movie, its really quite weak. So why is it nominated here? Well mainly because I wanted at least one of the nominees to represent a certain old school type of R-rated thriller. The story is lame and it’s attempts to be a sophisticated thriller fail miserably, however deep down there is a fun movie here which shows a lot of people getting shot in the head.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Drizzt240 02-11-2008 01:22 AM

I don't think all the poster choices were bad. I liked There Will Be Blood, Eastern Promises and American Gangster.



But I think I would of included one 300 poster, Spiderman 3 poster, Across the Universe, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Grindhouse, Halloween, Harry Potter, I Am Legend, I'm Not There, The Number 23, Pirates of the Carribean, Sunshine, and Sweeney Todd.



I know some of these movies aren't the best, but I thought the posters were well done.



I also liked the simplicity of Into The Wild and Gone Baby Gone.



Dracula 02-11-2008 08:33 AM

Horror Film of the Year

Horror has been called a bastard child of the cinematic world, it often seems like it’s off on its own in a strange little niche. Still it is a genre that many people, and many filmmakers, have a real passion for. There are a lot of crappy horror films, but there are definitely good ones out there, and these nominees prove that.



1408: Stephen King is probably the greatest horror icon living today, and his works are often turned into decent if not great films. Here we have a neat twist on the concept of the “haunting” of a space. John Cusack is great here in a one man show of sorts and a scene of him looking at himself across a street is genius.



28 Weeks Later…: Making a sequel to 28 Days Later… was so crazy that it actually worked. Juan Carlos Fresnidio turned the original film, which mostly focused on badass zombie horror, and added a fascinating political allegory into the mix. There’s a real intensity to the zombie scenes, and the editing really makes it work.



The Host: This South Korean monster movie isn’t really a work of horror, but it does share the same genre lineage as many of its fellow nominees. The film is a mix of effects, political allegory, design, and family struggle. It doesn’t really excel at many of these things, but the sheer quantity of ideas makes this a very enjoyable flick.



The Mist: The other good Stephen King adaptation of the year. More ambitious than 1408, but also more flawed. The film is marred by simplistic characters and bad CGI, but you can really tell Frank Darabont’s enthusiasm for the subject matter throughout. Flawed though it may be, its always nice to see someone try to make a real film out of this kind of genre material.



The Orphanage: This Spanish horror film from first time director Juan Antonio Bayona managed to get a fairly wide release because Guillermo del Toro put his name on the project. This is in many ways trying to be the ultimate haunting film. It has disturbing images that really stay in your head long after you’re finished watching it.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



IanTheCool 02-11-2008 08:41 AM

yeah i think best action film was kind of a no-brainer



Dracula 02-11-2008 07:24 PM

Funniest Film

Comedies are frequently forgotten in year in review features, and I’m just as guilty of this as anyone. The name of this award should be pretty self explanatory, whatever makes me laugh the most wins it. Bear in mind though, this is for the funniest, not the best. This is not about the best all around film, but the one with the largest laugh quotient.



Hot Fuzz: A parody of the Jerry Bruckheimer action films from Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. This film gently poked fun at the action film genre much the way their previous film, Sean of the Dead, took on the Zombie film. While Sean of the Dead was ultimately a much better film, there was still a lot of very nice stuff here like a great shootout parody toward the end.



Juno: Everyone and their mother are buzzing about how charming Juno is, and how lovable its characters are. But this buzz sometimes forgets just how laugh out loud funny the film is throughout. This is not the type of comedy that goes out of its way to elicit laughter, but the dialogue and character interaction throughout are more consistently funny then most all out comedies.



Knocked Up: The first of Judd Apatow’s one two punch, this is the film that made Seth Rogen a household name. The film’s real strength is its ability to be laugh out loud funny the whole way through without interrupting its story. The film is filled with great moments like Rogen’s phone call to Heigl’s truant gynecologist, and an ill fated trip to Las Vegas.



The Savages: This is probably the one nominated film that’s furthest from being an all out comedy, and in many ways it’s the way that the film balances comedy and drama that makes it so compelling. The film is filled with those great little ironic one-liners that don’t make much sense out of context like “this isn’t therapy, this is real life” and “I’m sure the world is just clamoring for a book about Bertolt Brecht for the holiday season.”



Superbad: The second step in Judd Apatow’s brilliant year long plan to bring rapid-fire profanity to the mainstream. This is like the ultimate teen sex comedy and one of the few great entries in this often terrible genre. Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and whoever played Mclovin were instant celebrities for a few weeks and this was very well deserved.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



FranklinTard 02-11-2008 08:14 PM

cant argue with that, but hot fuzz would have been my choice. movie gets better with age.



Dracula 02-11-2008 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FranklinTard (Post 2372694)

cant argue with that, but hot fuzz would have been my choice. movie gets better with age.

My problem with Hot Fuzz is that, it's trying to lampoon movies that are fairly absured to begin with. Basically I think Bad Boys 2 did everything Hot Fuzz was trying to do without even realizing it.



JBond 02-11-2008 09:00 PM

I think I laughed more in Juno than Superbad, but I guess it was close.



Drizzt240 02-11-2008 10:25 PM

Superbad was the easy choice for me.



Dracula 02-12-2008 02:29 PM

Best Foreign Language Film

Foreign films are all too often overlooked by those unwilling to read subtitles. There are great films from all over the world that all too often go overlooked in favor of mainstream fare. That isn’t to say everything with sub-titles is great, but because of the extra complications with distributing sub-titled film the poor ones tend not to find their way into the English language market.



Black Book (Zwartboek)-Neatherlands: This return to form for Paul Verhoven, his first Dutch film since the mid eighties. With this World War 2 espionage film Verhoven is again able to explore the seedy, erotic side of his film style, an aspect he’s avoided since the disastrous Showgirls. This isn’t a perfect film but it has a real energy and a sense of fearlessness. I wish Verhoven hadn’t used a terrible framing story, but for the most part this is a wild ride.



The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon)-France: This has been a banner year for French cinema. French films can be found in the animation and lead actress categories at the Oscars this year, but the real gem of them all can be found in the director category where this gem can be found. Don’t be intimidated by the title, American director Julien Schnabel has made a beautiful film that’s accessible but never sells out.



Offside -Iran: This slice of life from Iran is a critique of the gender laws in this troubled nation. Iran is actually one of the most democratic and affluent nations in the Muslim world, yet it still has barbaric and misogynist laws preventing women from doing things as routine as attending a sporting event. The film tackles this subject matter in a light, somewhat humorous way that makes the you unsure whether to laugh or cry.



The Orphanage (El Orphanto)-Spain: This Spanish language horror film introduces the world to a promising new director: J.A. Bayona. The best film of its genre, The Orphanage is a really well made horror film that will send chills up your spine despite the familiarity of its content. There are really strong images in this tale and an intriguing mystery at its core.



Paprika –Japan: There is so much anime coming into the country that the market has really become diluted. Which is why it’s such a pleasant surprise whenever a really good one emerges; Paprika, is just such a film. This is a wildly creative film that explores the inner psyches of its characters by way of dreamscapes. The plot is overcomplicated, but the images are really compelling.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Drizzt240 02-12-2008 07:05 PM

Still have to see it.



JBond 02-12-2008 07:19 PM

So I saw Sunshine, it was really great besides the sunburn man...



Dhamon22 02-13-2008 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond (Post 2373083)

So I saw Sunshine, it was really great besides the sunburn man...

I agree. It was great up until that guy showed up. Then it went way downhill IMO.



JBond 02-13-2008 06:50 PM

The last 5 minutes were still really great though.



Dracula 02-14-2008 09:28 PM

Documentary of the Year

This is another category that I’m not entirely confident about giving out authoritatively. I rarely find myself seeing documentaries in theaters and there were a number of Oscar nominated Docs this year that I haven’t had a chance to see. Still, I’m going to give this a shot, hopefully I’ll get most of the year’s documentary highlights.



Helvetica: This is a documentary about, of all things, a typeface. Yes this is about the Helvetica font, something I see every day and never even think about. Though Helvetica is the hook, this movie is really about more than that, it is an exploration of graphic design in general, specifically text and typefaces. I had no idea this is something that could be turned into an 80 minute film, yet I was very interested throughout this film.



In the Shadow of the Moon: This film examines a very familiar subject that’s been analyzed in many feature films and mini-series. That subject is the 1969 moon landing, an event that has almost become ledged. In order to look at this subject in a new light the filmmakers decided to examine the mission on a more personal level through interviews with the astronauts involved.



The King of Kong: Certainly one of the most popular documentaries of the year among online circles. The subject of a rivalry over a Donkey Kong score, is a good set up for an examination of obsession and competitiveness. I really wish the filmmakers had focused more on these themes instead of manufacturing a god vs. evil narrative. Still, interesting things are captured.



No End in Sight: The best documentary yet about the Iraq war, and a well researched indictment of the failed policies that turned the war into the quagmire it’s become. This is in many ways the anti- Moore documentary in that it is extremely detailed and well researched. Most of the film consists of interviews with people who were on the scene when these decisions were made.



Sicko: Michael Moore is in many ways the Oliver Stone of documentary cinema; he makes wild, inventive, and highly enjoyable pieces that tend to piss off anyone who disagrees with him. Moore is certainly biased, but no more so than people like Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck, and unlike them he never pretends to be “fair and balanced.” Sicko is in many ways the culmination of what Moore has tried before; it combines the satirical stunts of Roger and Me, the sarcastic wit of Bowling for Columbine, and the serious tone of Fahrenheit 9/11.



The Golden Stake goes to…

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dracula 02-15-2008 07:25 PM

I'm now going to star annoucing my top ten movies of the year. I was going to drag this out for ten days, but instead I'm going to just spread these over the weekend.



The Number 10 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



IanTheCool 02-15-2008 11:25 PM

have not seen it yet, but if it is apperantly so good i may have to rent



Dracula 02-16-2008 12:34 AM

The Number 9 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



MasterChief117 02-16-2008 10:19 AM

No offense to Dracula. But why does all this seem so oppinionated on Dracula's behalf. Like when he picks the trailer, he picked the least coolest trailer. By far, Cloverfield Teaser was down right crazy. It led people speaking for months about it. American Gangster revealed everything, a gangster that would go to hell. AKA African American Tony Montana.





Another thought...Why would you want to put a Black Snake Moan poster on your wall. It shows like racial difference, beating on woman, etc, etc. Why would you pick that, over like the Cloverfield poster or some others out there? Just wondering.



Dracula 02-16-2008 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterChief117 (Post 2374669)

No offense to Dracula. But why does all this seem so oppinionated on Dracula's behalf. Like when he picks the trailer, he picked the least coolest trailer. By far, Cloverfield Teaser was down right crazy. It led people speaking for months about it. American Gangster revealed everything, a gangster that would go to hell. AKA African American Tony Montana.

The Cloverfield teaser was a cool way to generate watercooler discussion, but the trailer itself didn't seem overly revolutionary. I felt the American Gangster Trailer was a much more energetic and better cut piece of work.



Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterChief117 (Post 2374669)

Another thought...Why would you want to put a Black Snake Moan poster on your wall. It shows like racial difference, beating on woman, etc, etc. Why would you pick that, over like the Cloverfield poster or some others out there? Just wondering.

I thought the BSM poster was an outragous piece of kitch, it looked cool. Frankly, I wasn't taking these advertising catagories all that seriously.



Dracula 02-16-2008 12:05 PM

The Number 8 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



IanTheCool 02-16-2008 01:24 PM

yes, that was a great movie. though i still like the first one better. it jsut had a cooler tone. anyway i really liked the scene in the london train station, that was my favorite part of this movie.



Knerys 02-16-2008 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2374736)

The Cloverfield teaser was a cool way to generate watercooler discussion, but the trailer itself didn't seem overly revolutionary. I felt the American Gangster Trailer was a much more energetic and better cut piece of work.

300.



Dracula 02-16-2008 02:01 PM

The Number 7 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dhamon22 02-16-2008 03:25 PM

Loved it. First soundtrack I ever bought, plus I bought a couple of The Frames' CDs.



Dracula 02-16-2008 07:15 PM

The Number 6 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Justin 02-16-2008 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2374884)

The Number 6 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Great film.



MasterChief117 02-16-2008 08:49 PM

Ehh, 300, and a bunch of other movies, i'm waiting for in this list..



JBond 02-16-2008 10:26 PM

You might be waiting a while. Perhaps you'll get more out of this list if you consider the titles instead of hoping your favorites show up.





(Cloverfield won't be in there, either)


Knerys 02-16-2008 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dracula (Post 2374884)

The Number 6 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

I really want to see this! It was like two theaters here for a week heh.



Dracula 02-17-2008 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond (Post 2374932)

(Cloverfield won't be in there, either)

Yeah, that's a 2008 movie



The Number 5 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dracula 02-17-2008 10:32 AM

The Number 4 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Dracula 02-17-2008 01:50 PM

The Number 3 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Knerys 02-17-2008 02:30 PM

I love they way they used sound in that movie. So clear and rich. Didn't need a score.



JBond 02-17-2008 03:38 PM

Scores are too heavily relied on, anyway.



Dracula 02-17-2008 07:34 PM

The Number 2 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



FranklinTard 02-17-2008 07:35 PM

wonder whats left....



JBond 02-17-2008 07:40 PM

There Will Be Blood?



IanTheCool 02-17-2008 07:42 PM

well, i really didnt want to see your #2 for pretty much the same reasons you said you didnt think youd like it, so now im thinking maybe i should go see it.



FranklinTard 02-17-2008 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBond (Post 2375314)

There Will Be Blood?

way to ruin it captain obvious.



Dracula 02-17-2008 07:50 PM

The Number 1 Movie of the Year:

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:



Drizzt240 02-17-2008 07:56 PM

Relies too much on Lewis.



Dracula 02-17-2008 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drizzt240 (Post 2375326)

Relies too much on Lewis.

it relies on him, and he doesn't let it down



halo7 02-17-2008 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drizzt240 (Post 2375326)

Relies too much on Lewis.

Well considering the movie is entirely about his character and nothing else, that is not surprising (or a bad thing)



Drizzt240 02-18-2008 01:01 PM

In fact, I would say he carries the movie.



FranklinTard 02-18-2008 02:51 PM

yes give no credit to the director/writer... that makes sense...



MovieBuff801 02-18-2008 06:56 PM

I just knew Dracula would pick There Will Be Blood as Best of the Year. It was certainly a very good movie, but just short of what I'd call perfect. As people previously stated, it did feel, at times, like the film relied too much on Day-Lewis and you have to realize that if you remove him from the equation, the movie pretty much falls apart. And I wasn't that crazy about the ending, either.



I personally think that No Country For Old Men is just slightly better than There Will Be Blood.



Drizzt240 02-18-2008 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FranklinTard (Post 2375649)

yes give no credit to the director/writer... that makes sense...

Listed in the credits.



Justin 02-18-2008 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moviebuff801 (Post 2375768)

I just knew Dracula would pick There Will Be Blood as Best of the Year. It was certainly a very good movie, but just short of what I'd call perfect. As people previously stated, it did feel, at times, like the film relied too much on Day-Lewis and you have to realize that if you remove him from the equation, the movie pretty much falls apart. And I wasn't that crazy about the ending, either.



I personally think that No Country For Old Men is just slightly better than There Will Be Blood.

Its ironic that you say that. Sweeney Todd would have fallen apart without Depp, right? Many films would fall apart without a quality lead actor. It is absurd to think otherwise.



Henri Ducard 10-02-2014 12:20 AM

2008 was so long ago. I would love to preserve the history of The Golden Stake Awards.



streamingnow.proboards.com/



Dracula 10-02-2014 12:26 AM

I have Golden Stake stuff from 2011, 2012, and 2013 posted here:



themovievampire.wordpress.com/the-golden-stakes/



I still have all my golden stake stuff from 2007 - 2010 backed up as a word document and have every intention of posting them on the blog too eventually, but programming it all in is a real pain in the ass.



Not a whole lot I can do to preserve all the conversation though unfortunately.



Neverending 10-02-2014 12:30 AM

I was REALLY looking forward to Golden Stake and Nova Awards.



Dracula 10-02-2014 12:43 AM

One way or another I'm still doing The Golden Stakes, even if it means they just end up on my blog.



Henri Ducard 10-02-2014 01:19 AM

The first Golden Stake Awards have been archived



streamingnow.proboards.com/th...n-stake-awards