Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Retro Muriels Bonus: Best of the Aughts

Finally, as a last palate cleanser before this year's awards begin, here's my picks for the best of the last decade by category:


Best Picture:
The New World
Waking Life
Audition
8 Women
Dogville
There Will Be Blood
25th Hour
The Son
Synecdoche, New York
Beau Travail

Best Director:
Terrence Malick, The New World
Lars von Trier, Dogville
Takashi Miike, Audition
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Spike Lee, 25th Hour

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Emmanuelle Devos, Gilles’ Wife
Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Carice Van Houten, Black Book
Charlotte Rampling, Under the Sand

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Olivier Gourmet, The Son
Damian Lewis, Keane
Sam Rockwell, Joshua
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Nick Nolte, Clean
Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York
Ray Winstone, The Proposition
Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Mia Kershner, The Black Dahlia
Hafsia Herzi, The Secret of the Grain
Juliette Binoche, Code Unknown
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Maria Bello, A History of Violence

Best Screenplay:
Synecdoche, New York
The Prestige
Primer
25th Hour
The Secret Lives of Dentists

Best Ensemble Performance:
8 Women
Dogville
Zodiac
Offside
Kings and Queen

Best Cinematography:
The New World (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Beau Travail (Agnès Godard)
Gerry (Harris Savides)
In the Mood for Love (Christopher Doyle and Mark-li Ping-bin)
Silent Light (Alexis Zabe)

Best Music:
25th Hour (Terence Blanchard)
There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood)
Waking Life (Glover Gill and the Tosca Tango Orchestra)
Birth (Alexandre Desplat)
WALL*E (Thomas Newman)

Best Cinematic Moment (unranked):
25th Hour – last temptation of Monty
Bus 174 – slow motion apprehension gone awry
Caché – “I just wanted you to be present”
Déjà vu – interchronological car chase
Oldboy – hammer time
Ratatouille – Ego’s flashback
Talk to Her – “Shrinking Lover”
We Own the Night – rainstorm ambush
Werckmeister Harmonies – cosmos (opening shot)
You, the Living – honeymoon fantasy
Young @ Heart – “Fix You”

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Muriels Retro: 2009


Best Picture:
Up
Lorna’s Silence
Inglourious Basterds
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Passing Strange
The Hurt Locker
Duplicity
Still Walking
Antichrist
35 Shots of Rum

Best Director:
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Lorna’s Silence
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Pete Docter, Up
Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Hirokazu Kore-eda, Still Walking

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Tilda Swinton, Julia
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist
Arta Dobroshi, Lorna’s Silence
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Maria Onetto, The Headless Woman

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Nicolas Cage, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Joaquin Phoenix, Two Lovers
Matt Damon, The Informant!
Michael Fassbender, Hunger
Michael Jai White, Black Dynamite

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Jeremie Renier, Lorna’s Silence
Jackie Earle Haley, Watchmen
Christian McKay, Me & Orson Welles
Michael Fassbender, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Zoe Kazan, Me & Orson Welles
Ursula Strauss, Revanche
Edith Scob, Summer Hours
Kirin Kiki, Still Walking
Alycia Delmore, Humpday

Best Screenplay:
Duplicity
Lorna’s Silence
Up
Inglourious Basterds
Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Ensemble Performance:
Passing Strange
Home
Still Walking
Duplicity
35 Shots of Rum

Best Cinematography:
Antichrist (Anthony Dod Mantle)
Tetro (Mihai Malamaire, Jr.)
Hunger (Sean Bobbitt)
Inglourious Basterds (Robert Richardson)
35 Shots of Rum (Agnès Godard)

Best Music:
Tetro (Osvaldo Golijov)
Up (Michael Giacchino)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Alexandre Desplat et al)
Coraline (Bruno Coulais)
The Informant! (Marvin Hamlisch)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Christoph Waltz (actor- Inglourious Basterds)
Michael Fassbender (actor- Hunger)
Michael Jai White (actor/writer- Black Dynamite)
Arta Dobroshi (actor- Lorna’s Silence)
Melanie Laurent (actor- Inglourious Basterds)

Best Body of Work:
Michael Fassbender (actor- Hunger, Inglourious Basterds)
Werner Herzog (director- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done)
Jérémie Renier (actor- Lorna’s Silence, Summer Hours)
Agnès Godard (cinematographer- 35 Shots of Rum, Home)
Steven Soderbergh (director/editor/cinematographer- The Informant!, The Girlfriend Experience)

Best Cinematic Moment:
You, the Living – honeymoon fantasy
Up – scenes from a marriage
Lorna’s Silence – Claudy rides off into the sunset. CUT.
Inglourious Basterds – meeting in a fuckin’ basement
Antichrist – opening scene
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans – nursing home shakedown
Duplicity – tarmac throwdown
Inglourious Basterds – Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France
Drag Me to Hell – parking garage fight
35 Shots of Rum – “Night Shift”

Monday, February 14, 2011

Muriels Retro: 2008


Best Picture:
Synecdoche, New York
Silent Light
The Duchess of Langeais
The Class
In the City of Sylvia
Che
Rachel Getting Married
A Christmas Tale
Chicago 10
The Secret of the Grain

Best Director:
Carlos Reygadas, Silent Light
Jacques Rivette, The Duchess of Langeais
Charlie Kaufman, Synecdoche, New York
Jose Luis Guerin, In the City of Sylvia
Steven Soderbergh, Che

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Catherine Deneuve, A Christmas Tale
Naomi Watts, Funny Games
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Michael Shannon, Shotgun Stories
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Guillaume Depardieu, The Duchess of Langeais
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Synecdoche, New York
Benicio Del Toro, Che

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading
Bill Irwin, Rachel Getting Married
Roger Allam, Speed Racer

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Hafsia Herzi, The Secret of the Grain
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Ann Savage, My Winnipeg
Samantha Morton, Synecdoche, New York
Jane Lynch, Role Models

Best Screenplay:
Synecdoche, New York
A Christmas Tale
Rachel Getting Married
The Duchess of Langeais
In Bruges

Best Ensemble Performance:
Rachel Getting Married
A Christmas Tale
The Class
Synecdoche, New York
In Bruges

Best Cinematography:
Silent Light (Alexis Zabe)
Paranoid Park (Christopher Doyle and Kathy Rain Li)
The Man From London (Fred Kelemen)
Che (Peter Andrews [Steven Soderbergh])
The Duchess of Langeais (William Lubtchansky)

Best Music:
WALL*E (Thomas Newman)
Speed Racer (Michael Giacchino)
Cassandra’s Dream (Philip Glass)
My Winnipeg (Jason Staczek et al)
Happy-Go-Lucky (Gary Yershon)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Hafsia Herzi (actor- The Secret of the Grain)
Charlie Kaufman (director- Synecdoche, New York)
Rosemarie DeWitt (actor- Rachel Getting Married)
Martin McDonagh (director/writer- In Bruges)
Danny McBride (actor- The Foot Fist Way)

Best Body of Work:
Darius Khondji (cinematographer- Funny Games, My Blueberry Nights, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait)
Michael Shannon (actor- Shotgun Stories, Revolutionary Road)
Roger Deakins (cinematographer- Revolutionary Road, Doubt; visual consultant- WALL*E)
Samantha Morton (actor- Synecdoche, New York, Mister Lonely)
Richard Jenkins (actor- Burn After Reading, The Visitor, Step Brothers)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Young @ Heart – “Fix You”
Kung Fu Panda – no charge for awesomeness
Woman on the Beach – diagram
Silent Light – bathing the children
In Bruges – tower showdown
Silent Light – sunrise
The Wrestler – Ram at the deli counter (first time)
JCVD – “Hard Times”
The Silence Before Bach – traveling player piano
XXY – sex surprise

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Muriels Retro: 2007


Best Picture:
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac
No Country for Old Men
Gone Baby Gone
Lake of Fire
The Host
Offside
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Joshua
Syndromes and a Century

Best Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
David Fincher, Zodiac
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Bong Joon-ho, The Host
Jafar Panahi, Offside

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Carice Van Houten, Black Book
Nicole Kidman, Margot at the Wedding
Ashley Judd, Bug
Luisa Williams, Day Night Day Night
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Sam Rockwell, Joshua
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Michael Shannon, Bug
Ulrich Mühe, The Lives of Others

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Mark Ruffalo, Zodiac
Kurt Russell, Grindhouse
Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Peter O’Toole, Ratatouille

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Margo Martindale, Paris, Je T’Aime
Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men
Kelli Garner, Lars and the Real Girl

Best Screenplay:
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac
No Country for Old Men
The Hunting Party
Ratatouille

Best Ensemble Performance:
Zodiac
Offside
No Country for Old Men
Hot Fuzz
I’m Not There

Best Cinematography:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Roger Deakins)
There Will Be Blood (Robert Elswit)
Regular Lovers (William Lubtchansky)
Youth Without Youth (Mihai Malamaire Jr.)
Zodiac (Harris Savides)

Best Music:
There Will Be Blood (Jonny Greenwood)
Once (The Swell Season)
Ratatouille (Michael Giacchino)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Nick Cave and Warren Ellis)
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Michael Andrews, John C. Reilly, et al)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Carice Van Houten (actor- Black Book)
Jonny Greenwood (composer- There Will Be Blood)
Ben Affleck (director/writer- Gone Baby Gone)
Luisa Williams (actor- Day Night Day Night)
The Swell Season [Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova] (actors/composers- Once)

Best Body of Work:
Roger Deakins (cinematographer- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, No Country for Old Men, In the Valley of Elah)
Josh Brolin (actor- No Country for Old Men, Grindhouse, American Gangster, In the Valley of Elah)
Casey Affleck (actor- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Gone Baby Gone, Ocean’s 13)
Robert Elswit (cinematographer- There Will Be Blood, Michael Clayton)
Sam Rockwell (actor- Joshua, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)

Best Cinematic Moment:
We Own the Night – rainstorm ambush
Ratatouille – Ego’s flashback
Superbad – Seth’s secret shame
There Will Be Blood – baptism
The Host – Han River attack
There Will Be Blood – derrick explosion
Zodiac – Lake Beryessa
No Country for Old Men – showdown at Hotel Eagle
Grindhouse – Ship’s Mast
Offside – trip to the men’s room

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Muriels Retro: 2006


Best Picture:
The Prestige
Children of Men
Dave Chappelle’s Block Party
The Departed
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Brick
The Proposition
Duck Season
The Child

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuaron, Children of Men
Christopher Nolan, The Prestige
Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Michel Gondry, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party
Cristi Puiu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Laura Dern, INLAND EMPIRE
Gretchen Mol, The Notorious Bettie Page
Laura Smet, The Bridesmaid
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Sandra Hüller, Requiem

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of American for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brick
Ion Fiscuteanu, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Hugh Jackman, The Fountain
Steve Coogan, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Nick Nolte, Clean
Ray Winstone, The Proposition
Michael Caine, The Prestige
Sacha Baron Cohen, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Mia Kershner, The Black Dahlia
Cloris Leachman, Beerfest
Eva Green, Casino Royale
Rebecca Hall, The Prestige
Maribel Verdu, Pan’s Labyrinth

Best Screenplay:
The Prestige
The Departed
Brick
Inside Man
The Proposition

Best Ensemble Performance:
The Departed
The Prestige
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
The Proposition
Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

Best Cinematography:
Miami Vice (Dion Beebe)
Children of Men (Emmanuel Lubezki)
The Proposition (Benoit Delhomme)
The Black Dahlia (Vilmos Zsigmond)
Three Times (Mark-li Ping-bin)

Best Music:
The Fountain (Clint Mansell)
The Proposition (Nick Cave and Warren Ellis)
Brick (Nathan Johnson)
Drawing Restraint 9 (Björk)
The Prestige (David Julyan)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Cristi Puiu (director/writer- The Death of Mr. Lazarescu)
Rian Johnson (director/writer- Brick)
Laura Smet (actor- The Bridesmaid)
Rebecca Hall (actor- The Prestige)
Sandra Hüller (actor- Requiem)

Best Body of Work:
Sacha Baron Cohen (actor- Borat, Talladega Nights)
Ray Winstone (actor- The Proposition, The Departed)
Hugh Jackman (actor- The Fountain, The Prestige, X-Men: The Last Stand, Scoop, Flushed Away)
Michael Caine (actor- The Prestige, Children of Men)
Clive Owen (actor- Children of Men, Inside Man)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Déjà vu – interchronological car chase
jackass number two – The Valentine
Children of Men – escaping the safe house
Children of Men – battle of Bexhill
Talladega Nights – enter Jean Girard
Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny – “Kickapoo”
A Prairie Home Companion – “Bad Jokes”
Borat – nude smackdown
A Scanner Darkly – Freck’s suicide
4 – opening shot

Friday, February 11, 2011

Muriels Retro: 2005


Best Picture:
The New World
Kings and Queen
Innocence
Caché
A History of Violence
Tropical Malady
Keane
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Gilles’ Wife
The Matador

Best Director:
Terrence Malick, The New World
Arnaud Desplechin, Kings and Queen
Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Innocence
Michael Haneke, Caché
David Cronenberg, A History of Violence

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Emmanuelle Devos, Gilles’ Wife
Emmanuelle Devos, Kings and Queen
Sibel Kekilli, Head-On
Q’Orianka Kilcher, The New World
Naomi Watts, King Kong

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Damian Lewis, Keane
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Robert Downey Jr., Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Viggo Mortensen, A History of Violence
Choi Min-sik, Oldboy

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale
Mickey Rourke, Frank Miller’s Sin City
Bruno Ganz, Downfall
Oliver Platt, The Ice Harvest
Mathieu Amalric, Munich

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Maria Bello, A History of Violence
Robin Wright Penn, Nine Lives
Qiu Yuen, Kung Fu Hustle
Michelle Monaghan, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Magali Woch, Kings and Queen

Best Screenplay:
A History of Violence
Kings and Queen
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
The Matador
The New World

Best Ensemble Performance:
Kings and Queen
A History of Violence
The New World
Games of Love and Chance
Nobody Knows

Best Cinematography:
The New World (Emmanuel Lubezki)
The Intruder (Agnès Godard)
Innocence (Benoit Debie)
2046 (Christopher Doyle)
Kings and Queen (Eric Gautier)

Best Music:
Tony Takitani (Ryuichi Sakamoto)
The Beat That My Heart Skipped (Alexandre Desplat et al)
Gilles’ Wife (Vincent D’Hondt)
King Kong (Howard Shore)
Pride & Prejudice (Dario Marianelli)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Sibel Kekilli (actor- Head-On)
Lucile Hadzihalilovic (director/writer- Innocence)
Q’Orianka Kilcher (actor- The New World)
Michelle Monaghan (actor- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
Richard Shepard (director/writer- The Matador)

Best Body of Work:
Emmanuelle Devos (actor- Kings and Queen, Gilles’ Wife, The Beat My Heart Skipped)
Heath Ledger (actor- Brokeback Mountain, Lords of Dogtown, The Brothers Grimm, Casanova)
Werner Herzog (director- Grizzly Man, Wheel of Time, The White Diamond)
Mathieu Amalric (actor- Kings and Queen, Munich)
Joan Allen (actor- The Upside of Anger, Yes, Off the Map)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Caché – “I just wanted you to be present”
Oldboy – hammer time
The Devil’s Rejects – “Free Bird”
The New World – arrival of the English
Kings and Queen – a letter from dad
King Kong – Kong searches for Anne in NYC
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – Harry under the bed
Kung Fu Hustle – the musicians
Domino – Jerry Springer
Last Days – “Death to Birth”

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Muriels Retro: 2004


Best Picture:
Dogville
Before Sunset
Kill Bill: vol. 2
Cowards Bend the Knee
The Five Obstructions
Primer
Birth
Los Angeles Plays Itself
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Zatoichi

Best Director:
Lars von Trier, Dogville
Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill: vol. 2
Guy Maddin, Cowards Bend the Knee
Richard Linklater, Before Sunset
Jonathan Glazer, Birth

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Village
Moon So-ri, Oasis
Julie Delpy, Before Sunset
Nicole Kidman, Dogville
Esther Gorinton, Since Otar Left…

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Red Lights
Paul Bettany, Dogville
Gael Garcia Bernal, Bad Education
Jeff Bridges, The Door in the Floor
Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Mark Wahlberg, I [heart] Huckabees
Danny Huston, Birth
Jude Law, I [heart] Huckabees
David Carradine, Kill Bill: vol. 2
John Hurt, Dogville

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Coralie Revel, Secret Things
Maia Morgenstern, The Passion of the Christ
Eva Green, The Dreamers
Daryl Hannah, Kill Bill: vol. 2
Cate Blanchett, Coffee and Cigarettes

Best Screenplay:
Primer
Before Sunset
Dogville
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
I [heart] Huckabees

Best Ensemble Performance:
Dogville
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Moolaadé
I [heart] Huckabees
Kill Bill: vol. 2

Best Cinematography:
Birth (Harris Savides)
Hero (Christopher Doyle)
Father and Son (Aleksandr Burov)
Collateral (Paul Cameron and Dion Beebe)
Distant (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Best Music:
Birth (Alexandre Desplat)
The Incredibles (Michael Giacchino)
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (Mark Mothersbaugh and Seu Jorgé)
Greendale (Neil Young)
Bad Education (Alberto Iglesias)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Shane Carruth (director/producer/actor/writer/composer/editor/production designer/sound designer- Primer)
Bryce Dallas Howard (actor- The Village)
Moon So-ri (actor- Oasis)
Coralie Revel (actor- Secret Things)
Eva Green (actor- The Dreamers)

Best Body of Work:
Lars von Trier (director/writer- Dogville, The Five Obstructions)
Cate Blanchett (actor- Coffee and Cigarettes, The Aviator, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou)
Jude Law (actor- I [heart] Huckabees, Closer, The Aviator, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Alfie, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Jamie Foxx (actor- Collateral, Ray, Breakin’ All the Rules)
Nicole Kidman (actor- Dogville, Birth, The Stepford Wives)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Before Sunset – Celine’s apartment
Kill Bill: vol. 2 – the Bride vs. Elle Driver
Birth – not a funny matter
Dogville – Grace’s escape attempt
Gozu – reach out and touch someone
Enduring Love – balloon accident
Anchorman – biker incident
Notre Musique – Hell
The Incredibles – Elastigirl infiltrates Syndrome’s lair
Hero – attack on calligraphy school

Wednesday, February 09, 2011

Muriels Retro: 2003


Best Picture:
The Son
Irreversible
Kill Bill: vol. 1
The Secret Lives of Dentists
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Spider
Bus 174
Stuck on You
Gerry
The Good Thief

Best Director:
Gaspar Noé, Irreversible
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, The Son
Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill: vol. 1
Peter Jackson, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
David Cronenberg, Spider

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Monica Bellucci, Irreversible
Uma Thurman, Kill Bill: vol. 1
Oksana Akinshina, Lilja 4-Ever
Angela Bettis, May
Charlize Theron, Monster

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Olivier Gourmet, The Son
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Nick Nolte, The Good Thief
Campbell Scott, The Secret Lives of Dentists
Matt Damon, Stuck on You

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass
Brendan Gleeson, 28 Days Later
Albert Dupontel, Irreversible
Sean Astin, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Sonny Chiba, Kill Bill: vol. 1

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog
Miranda Richardson, Spider
Catherine O’Hara, A Mighty Wind
Alison Lohman, Matchstick Men
Ellen DeGeneres, Finding Nemo

Best Screenplay:
The Secret Lives of Dentists
Kill Bill: vol. 1
Shattered Glass
The Son
Stuck on You

Best Ensemble Performance:
A Mighty Wind
The Secret Lives of Dentists
Kill Bill: vol. 1
Shattered Glass
The Good Thief

Best Cinematography:
Gerry (Harris Savides)
Spider (Peter Suschitzky)
Kill Bill: vol.1 (Robert Richardson)
City of God (Cesar Charlone)
Irreversible (Benoit Debie)

Best Music:
A Mighty Wind (Various)
The Triplets of Belleville (Benoit Charest)
The Fog of War (Philip Glass)
Spider (Howard Shore)
Kill Bill: vol. 1 (RZA et al)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Oksana Akinshina (actor- Lilja 4-Ever)
Angela Bettis (actor- May)
José Padilha (director- Bus 174)
Zooey Deschanel (actor- All the Real Girls)
Anna Kendrick (actor- Camp)

Best Body of Work:
Johnny Depp (actor- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Once Upon a Time in Mexico)
Harris Savides (cinematographer- Gerry, Elephant)
Matt Damon (actor- Stuck on You, Gerry)
Hope Davis (actor- The Secret Lives of Dentists, American Splendor)
Howard Shore (composer- Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Spider)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Bus 174 – slow motion apprehension gone awry
Gerry – rock marooned
Gerry – sunrise shuffle
Kill Bill: vol. 1 – the Bride vs. Go-Go Yubari
A Mighty Wind – “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow”
So Close – “Close to You” in the record store
The Son – Francis uses the air hose
Kill Bill: vol. 1 – the Bride meets the Man From Okinawa
The Secret Lives of Dentists – the flu spreads
Spellbound – “your word is… Darjeeling.”

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Retro Muriels: 2002


Best Picture:
8 Women
25th Hour
Songs From the Second Floor
Punch-Drunk Love
Russian Ark
Talk to Her
What Time Is It There?
Spirited Away
The Piano Teacher
Trouble Every Day

Best Director:
Spike Lee, 25th Hour
Francois Ozon, 8 Women
Roy Andersson, Songs From the Second Floor
Aleksandr Sokurov, Russian Ark
Paul Thomas Anderson, Punch-Drunk Love

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher
Samantha Morton, Morvern Callar
Sylvie Testud, Murderous Maids
Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven
Summer Phoenix, Esther Kahn

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Nicolas Cage, Adaptation.
Ryan Gosling, The Believer
Danny Huston, ivans xtc.
Sam Rockwell, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Edward Norton, 25th Hour

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York
Brian Cox, 25th Hour
Andy Serkis, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Dennis Quaid, Far From Heaven
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 25th Hour

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Isabelle Huppert, 8 Women
Meryl Streep, Adaptation.
Ronit Elkabetz, Late Marriage
Ludivine Sagnier, 8 Women
Emily Watson, Punch-Drunk Love

Best Screenplay:
25th Hour
Talk to Her
Y Tu Mama Tambien
8 Women
Adaptation.

Best Ensemble Performance:
8 Women
Monsoon Wedding
25th Hour
Far From Heaven
Talk to Her

Best Cinematography:
Far From Heaven (Edward Lachman)
Morvern Callar (Alwin Kuchler)
Punch-Drunk Love (Robert Elswit)
What Time Is It There? (Benoit Delhomme)
25th Hour (Rodrigo Prieto)

Best Music:
25th Hour (Terence Blanchard)
Far From Heaven (Elmer Bernstein)
Sex and Lucia (Alberto Iglesias)
Punch-Drunk Love (Jon Brion)
8 Women (Krishna Levy et al)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Ryan Gosling (actor- The Believer)
Ludivine Sagnier (actor- 8 Women)
Danny Huston (actor- ivans xtc.)
Summer Phoenix (actor- Esther Kahn)
Steve Coogan (actor- 24 Hour Party People)

Best Body of Work:
Isabelle Huppert (actor- The Piano Teacher, 8 Women, Merci Pour le Chocolat, Les Destinées)
Steven Soderbergh (director- Solaris, Full Frontal; executive producer- Far From Heaven, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Insomnia, Naqoyqatsi)
Alberto Iglesias (composer- Sex and Lucia, Talk to Her)
Edward Norton (actor- 25th Hour, Death to Smoochy, Red Dragon)
Ludivine Sagnier (actor- 8 Women, My Wife Is An Actress)

Best Cinematic Moment:
25th Hour – last temptation of Monty
Talk to Her – “Shrinking Lover”
8 Women – “Message Personnel”
Songs From the Second Floor – airport
Punch-Drunk Love – opening scene
Minority Report – spiders
The Fast Runner – punching heads
Femme Fatale – slow motion legs
Cherish – “Private Eyes”
Brotherhood of the Wolf – the world’s greatest dissolve

Monday, February 07, 2011

Retro Muriels: 2001


Best Picture:
Waking Life
Audition
The Royal Tenenbaums
Code Unknown
Mulholland Dr.
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Eureka
Gosford Park
Werckmeister Harmonies
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence

Best Director:
Takashi Miike, Audition
Wes Anderson, The Royal Tenenbaums
Richard Linklater, Waking Life
Michael Haneke, Code Unknown
David Lynch, Mulholland Dr.

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Charlotte Rampling, Under the Sand
Naomi Watts, Mulholland Dr.
Kim Dickens, Things Behind the Sun
Lina Endre, Faithless
Thora Birch, Ghost World

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom
Gene Hackman, The Royal Tenenbaums
Billy Bob Thornton, The Man Who Wasn’t There
Eric Bana, Chopper
Koji Yakusho, Eureka

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Tony Shalhoub, The Man Who Wasn’t There
Steve Buscemi, Ghost World
Jude Law, A.I.
Justin Theroux, Mulholland Dr.
Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Juliette Binoche, Code Unknown
Piper Perabo, Lost and Delirious
Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom
Eihi Shiina, Audition
Mary McDonnell, Donnie Darko

Best Screenplay:
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Gosford Park
The Royal Tenenbaums
Donnie Darko
Memento

Best Ensemble Performance:
Gosford Park
Va Savoir
Together
The Man Who Wasn’t There
The Royal Tenenbaums

Best Cinematography:
In the Mood for Love (Christopher Doyle and Mark-li Ping-bin)
The Man Who Wasn’t There (Roger Deakins)
Werckmeister Harmonies (de Ranter/Gurban/Lanzensberger/Medvigy/Novak/Tregenza)
A.I. (Janusz Kaminski)
Code Unknown (Jürgen Jürges)

Best Music:
Waking Life (Glover Gill and the Tosca Tango Orchestra)
Monsters, Inc. (Randy Newman)
A.I. (John Williams)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Howard Shore)
The Man Who Wasn’t There (Carter Burwell)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Naomi Watts (actor- Mulholland Dr.)
Eric Bana (actor- Chopper)
John Cameron Mitchell (actor/director/writer- Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
Richard Kelly (director/writer- Donnie Darko)
Bob Sabiston (animator- Waking Life)

Best Body of Work:
Richard Linklater (director/writer- Waking Life, Tape)
Billy Bob Thornton (actor- The Man Who Wasn’t There, Monster’s Ball, Bandits)
Marisa Tomei (actor- In the Bedroom, Happy Accidents)
Juliette Binoche (actor- Code Unknown, The Widow of St. Pierre)
Ethan Hawke (actor- Tape, Waking Life, Training Day)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Werckmeister Harmonies – cosmos (opening scene)
Code Unknown – subway confrontation
Audition – the phone rings
Mulholland Dr. – “let’s play this one niiiiiiiiice and close”
Monsters, Inc. – doors chase
The Man Who Wasn’t There – tar macadam
Zoolander – gasoline fight
Mulholland Dr. – Castigliani bros.
Tuvalu – nude swim with fishbowl
The Pledge – Mickey Rourke

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Retro Muriels: 2000


Best Picture:
Beau Travail
Yi Yi
George Washington
Requiem For a Dream
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Before Night Falls
The House of Mirth
Humanité
Jesus’ Son
Wonder Boys

Best Director:
Claire Denis, Beau Travail
Edward Yang, Yi Yi
David Gordon Green, George Washington
Darren Aronofsky, Requiem For a Dream
Julian Schnabel, Before Night Falls

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Ellen Burstyn, Requiem For a Dream
Björk, Dancer in the Dark
Juliette Binoche, Alice and Martin
Gillian Anderson, The House of Mirth
Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls
Denis Lavant, Beau Travail
Billy Crudup, Jesus’ Son
Forest Whitaker, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Tom Hanks, Cast Away

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Issei Ogata, Yi Yi
Tim Blake Nelson, O Brother, Where Art Thou?
David Morse, Dancer in the Dark
Jack Black, High Fidelity
Robert Downey Jr., Wonder Boys

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Samantha Morton, Jesus’ Son
Jennifer Connelly, Requiem For a Dream
Catherine Deneuve, Dancer in the Dark
Jennifer Ehle, Sunshine
Frances McDormand, Wonder Boys

Best Screenplay:
Wonder Boys
You Can Count on Me
Yi Yi
Croupier
State and Main

Best Ensemble Performance:
Yi Yi
Best in Show
Wonder Boys
George Washington
Jesus’ Son

Best Cinematography:
Beau Travail (Agnès Godard)
The House of Mirth (Remi Adefarasin)
George Washington (Tim Orr)
Before Night Falls (Xavier Perez Grobet and Guillermo Rosas)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Roger Deakins)

Best Music:
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (RZA et al)
Requiem For a Dream (Clint Mansell)
Dancer in the Dark (Björk)
POLA X (Scott Walker)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Various)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
David Gordon Green (director/writer- George Washington)
Björk (actor/composer- Dancer in the Dark)
Jack Black (actor- High Fidelity)
Clive Owen (actor- Croupier)
Kate Hudson (actor- Almost Famous)

Best Body of Work:
Catherine Deneuve (actor- Dancer in the Dark, POLA X, Place Vendome, East-West)
Billy Crudup (actor- Jesus’ Son, Almost Famous, Waking the Dead)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (actor- State and Main, Almost Famous)
Robby Müller (cinematographer- Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Dancer in the Dark)
Frances McDormand (actor- Wonder Boys, Almost Famous)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Beau Travail – silent funeral
Beau Travail – “Rhythm of the Night”
The House of Mirth – estate/Mediterranean transition
The Wind Will Carry Us – in the barn
Jesus’ Son – “patient complains of knife in head”
Erin Brockovich – car accident
The Way of the Gun – surprise in the fountain
Dancer in the Dark – “I’ve Seen It All”
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – sirens
You Can Count on Me – “it’s a sin”

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Retro Muriels: 1999


Best Picture:
After Life
The War Zone
Three Kings
Topsy-Turvy
Bringing Out the Dead
Eyes Wide Shut
Show Me Love
Magnolia
The Iron Giant
Being John Malkovich

Best Director:
Hirokazu Kore-eda, After Life
Tim Roth, The War Zone
David O. Russell, Three Kings
Mike Leigh, Topsy-Turvy
Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Lara Belmont, The War Zone
Emilie Duquenne, Rosetta
Reese Witherspoon, Election
Hilary Swank, Boys Don’t Cry
Leila Hatami, Leila

Best Lead Performance, Male:
Sean Penn, Sweet and Lowdown
Jim Broadbent, Topsy-Turvy
Russell Crowe, The Insider
Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story
Johnny Depp, Sleepy Hollow

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
John Malkovich, Being John Malkovich
John C. Reilly, Magnolia
Stephen Rea, The End of the Affair
Ray Winstone, The War Zone
Sydney Pollack, Eyes Wide Shut

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Sarah Polley, Go
Melora Walters, Magnolia
Samantha Morton, Sweet and Lowdown
Chloe Sevigny, Boys Don’t Cry
Nicole Kidman, Eyes Wide Shut

Best Screenplay:
Being John Malkovich
Show Me Love
The Lovers of the Arctic Circle
Autumn Tale
Magnolia

Best Ensemble Performance:
After Life
Topsy-Turvy
The War Zone
Magnolia
Eyes Wide Shut

Best Cinematography:
Snow Falling on Cedars (Robert Richardson)
The Straight Story (Freddie Francis)
Sleepy Hollow (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Eyes Wide Shut (Larry Smith)
The War Zone (Seamus McGarvey)

Best Music:
South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman)
Magnolia (Jon Brion and Aimee Mann)
The Red Violin (John Corigliano)
Ravenous (Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn)
The Straight Story (Angelo Badalamenti)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Charlie Kaufman (writer- Being John Malkovich)
Lara Belmont (actor- The War Zone)
Spike Jonze (director- Being John Malkovich)
Brad Bird (director- The Iron Giant)
Hilary Swank (actor- Boys Don’t Cry)

Best Body of Work:
Robert Richardson (cinematographer- Snow Falling on Cedars, Bringing Out the Dead, Mr. Death)
Julianne Moore (actor- The End of the Affair, Magnolia, A Ideal Husband, Cookie’s Fortune, A Map of the World)
Spike Jonze (director- Being John Malkovich, actor- Three Kings)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (actor- Magnolia, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Flawless)
Joan Cusack (actor- Arlington Road, Toy Story 2)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Magnolia – “Wise Up”
Being John Malkovich – Malkovich Malkovich
Magnolia – when it rains…
After Life – walking alone
Bringing Out the Dead – fireworks
The Iron Giant – “Super-mannnnnnnnnnn…”
Deep Blue Sea – monologue, interrupted
Eyes Wide Shut – “what is the password to the house?”
Topsy-Turvy – “corroborative”
I Stand Alone – “You Now Have 30 Seconds to Leave the Theatre”

Friday, February 04, 2011

Retro Muriels: 1998

Note: I will be posting one retrospective ballot per day leading up to the beginning of the Muriels announcements on Sunday, February 16. Also, these are not my original ballots from these years, but rather were formulated over the last few weeks based on my more-or-less current feelings about the movies in question. In the case of the years in which the Muriels were taking place, these new ballots in no way negate my original ballots. These are strictly for fun and curiousity’s sake.


Best Picture:
Buffalo ‘66
The Celebration
Rushmore
Love and Death on Long Island
Dark City
The Thin Red Line
Babe: Pig in the City
Mother and Son
Taste of Cherry
Bulworth

Best Director:
Vincent Gallo, Buffalo ‘66
Thomas Vinterberg, The Celebration
Terrence Malick, The Thin Red Line
Wes Anderson, Rushmore
Alex Proyas, Dark City

Best Lead Performance, Female:
Samantha Morton, Under the Skin
Kathy Burke, Nil by Mouth
Jennifer Lopez, Out of Sight
Fernanda Montenegro, Central Station
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth

Note: In making these ballots, I did my damnedest to concentrate solely on the individual achievements themselves, rather than what has happened in the intervening years. It wasn’t easy at times, but I think I pulled it off. To wit: my #3 in the above category. In the last decade or so, I have more or less given up on Ms. Lopez, a once-promising actress whose voracious desire for superstardom has torpedoed any talent she once displayed. Yet the awesomeness of her OUT OF SIGHT performance is, even today, pretty undeniable.

Best Lead Performance, Male:
John Hurt, Love and Death on Long Island
Nick Nolte, Affliction
Jeff Bridges, The Big Lebowski
Jason Schwartzman, Rushmore
Warren Beatty, Bulworth

Best Supporting Performance, Male:
Bill Murray, Rushmore
James Coburn, Affliction
Oliver Platt, Bulworth
Billy Bob Thornton, A Simple Plan
Benicio Del Toro, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Best Supporting Performance, Female:
Olivia Williams, Rushmore
Patricia Clarkson, High Art
Toni Collette, Velvet Goldmine
Kimberly Elise, Beloved
Kathy Bates, Primary Colors

Best Screenplay:
Love and Death on Long Island
Rushmore
The Spanish Prisoner
Henry Fool
The Celebration

Best Ensemble Performance:
The Celebration
Rushmore
Out of Sight
The Big Lebowski
Happiness

Best Cinematography:
The Thin Red Line (John Toll)
Great Expectations (Emmanuel Lubezki)
Bulworth (Vittorio Storaro)
The Big Lebowski (Roger Deakins)
Dark City (Dariusz Wolski)

Best Music:
Velvet Goldmine (Carter Burwell et al)
Gods and Monsters (Carter Burwell)
Rushmore (Mark Mothersbaugh et al)
Dark City (Trevor Jones)
The Thin Red Line (Hans Zimmer)

Best Cinematic Breakthrough:
Vincent Gallo (director- Buffalo ’66)
Samantha Morton (actor- Under the Skin)
Thomas Vinterberg (director- The Celebration)
Jason Schwartzman (actor- Rushmore)
Cate Blanchett (actor- Elizabeth)

Best Body of Work:
Carter Burwell (composer- Gods and Monsters, The Big Lebowski, The Spanish Prisoner, Velvet Goldmine)
Nick Nolte (actor- Affliction, The Thin Red Line)
Ben Gazzara (actor- Buffalo ’66, The Spanish Prisoner, The Big Lebowski, Happiness)
Oliver Platt (actor- Bulworth, The Imposters)
Edward Norton (actor- Rounders, American History X)

Best Cinematic Moment:
Funny Games – Be unkind, rewind
Buffalo ’66 – face to face with Scott Woods
Babe: Pig in the City – Flealick in paradise
Saving Private Ryan – death of Mellish
Rushmore – “A Quick One While He’s Away”
A Simple Plan – Lou’s confession
Velvet Goldmine – “Ballad of Maxwell Demon”
The Big Lebowski – “Gutterballs”
The Eel – bloody Yamashita turns himself in
Out of Sight – White Boy Bob on the stairs