Jake Gittes

Gotta agree that the performance for which Chastain should have been nominated last year was in Take Shelter.

For two or three years now, I don't re-watch movies all that often because whenever I get free time, I prefer to spend it on something I haven't seen before. It was much different when I was in middle/high school, I still remember re-watching TDK like 10 times in weeks after buying the DVD. Since I've started attending the university, it's become rare for me to watch a single new movie more than once, so yeah, TSN is one of my favorites in those terms (2 times in theaters and 2 times on the Blu-ray). Pretty much the only movies I've consistently re-watched since late 2010 are the LOTR trilogy every New Year, and Chinatown at least twice a year. Most other movies I've seen two, maybe three times at the absolute most.

Tom Hollander should have been considered for a nom too. He's the heart of the movie, and in the end you can't help but feel sorry for him despite all the stupid things he said and did. BTW, you ever seen The Thick of It? So much more Malcolm Tucker greatness.

Love that song. Gets you into the mood of the movie right away, too.

Seriously, I thought the minute QT got a good performance out of Chris Tucker people should have stopped doubting his casting choices once and for all.

Jackie Brown's pretty underrated. QT was absolutely right when he said that he intended the film to be the kind that grows on you because you just want to hang out with those characters, and you realize it more with each viewing. The problem is that not many folks are willing to watch it the second time... the fact that most people aren't watching QT films for their subtlety and restraint doesn't help either. I'd still say that Inglourious Basterds is his most intelligent and mature work, though. He ultimately did outdo Jackie Brown on that front. Although JB is still his most soothing, beautiful and comfortable movie to watch... you just really want to spend time in that world.

To me this is still the best film of this young decade... and by the way things are going, I think it'll be an easy candidate for the Top 5 at the end of 2019. But regardless of what the future brings, I've seen TSN 4 times now and each time, it was as mesmerizing as a movie can be. Intelligent, powerful, witty, beautifully alive and filled with inspired directorial ideas at every turn. A perfect reminder of why I ever loved cinema in the first place.

Pulp Fiction, Days of Heaven, Memento, Seven, The Matrix, The incredibles, The Elephant Man would definitely be on my list. Don't know if it's fair to consider Jaws since I've always thought of Duel as Spielberg's full-length debut, even if it's a TV movie. Also: Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces. An all-time-top-10 one for me.

I've seen Amour and I don't think anything in it is award-worthy.

Battleship Potemkin and The Man with the Movie Camera. Never been as hypnotised by a film as when watching those two. Soviet montage does that to ya. Most recently, TSN and The Bourne Ultimatum were both master-classes in editing (and rightfully won Oscars for it), and Speed Racer, Scott Pilgrim and Cloud Atlas all approached it in a fresh way and knocked it out of the park. Going a bit back in time, Goodfellas is another film in which editing is a very crucial element done brilliantly. I really need to revisit JFK.

I love LOTR, was disappointed by The Hobbit (not that it matters in this discussion, but just in case) but to call it a flop is completely and utterly ludicrous.

I don't think Lincoln is a masterpiece, but I wouldn't have any problem with it winning, as I liked it about as much as SLP and Argo and much more than Life of Pi. These are basically the only real contenders, and since my favorite film of the year (ZDT) wasn't nominated for Director and didn't win big at either BFCA or Globes, realistically it doesn't stand a chance. Lincoln's as good a choice as any.

Putting characters into rays of light coming from windows and open doors definitely started to annoy me after a while. Too in-your-face. Otherwise I have no qualms with it, still, I wouldn't even nominate it for best cinematography when films like Moonrise Kingdom, Cloud Atlas and The Master get snubbed as a result.

Having now seen it twice, I very much like everything about Lincoln with the exception of the awkward ending (Lincoln reaching the end of that corridor should have been the final shot), JGL's plotline and Kaminski's overuse of windows and open doors to light people (I get the intention, but it just becomes distracting after a while). It's a pleasantly surprising film in a lot of ways, from an inspired choice to set almost the whole story during a single month to Spielberg's much lighter-than-usual directorial touch and plenty of very natural performances. Every scene has a point and a purpose, the story moves forward without stumbling, and for a historical film, it's notable just how alive it all is. The intention isn't to hit all the cliched story/emotional bits and go home, but to very naturally present a certain time and place which isn't limited to what's in the frame at any given moment, and in which all kinds of things might happen. And it shows. It's not without its flaws, but in many ways it's a very remarkably written and directed movie, and the most impressed I've been with Spielberg in a long time. He's still got it, and there's a certain relief in that, at a time when Cameron is stuck in the Avatar/3D mode, Nolan and Jackson can't seem to get out from under giant budgets and running time(s), and Lucas is selling his legacy, Hollywood's original blockbuster filmmaker can still afford to just go and make something like this and knock it out of the park.

In order in which they came out... Casablanca, All About Eve, Lawrence of Arabia, The French Connection, The Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather II, Cuckoo's Nest, Annie Hall, Silence of the Lambs, Unforgiven, Schindler's List, Forrest Gump, Gladiator, ROTK, The Departed, No Country and The Hurt Locker. I still haven't seen a lot, though.If I were to narrow it down to the very absolute best, I'd say 1) Lawrence of Arabia2) Godfather II3) Casablanca4) Schindler's List5) ROTK

And in what way is The Artist pretentious? It essentially amounts to nothing more than one filmmaking team's exercise in making a B&W silent film, their personal love letter to Old Hollywood. That's it. It doesn't aim to be profound, or philosophical, to have any deep message or to be a history lesson in disguise (looking at you, Hugo). It's not long, has a simple story, a linear structure and a happy ending. Genre- and tone-wise, there's plenty of comedy in it. It has simple ambitions and lives up to them. I could at least understand an opinion that all those film critics and Oscar voters are pretentious because this way, they can be all like "see how we love dem silent movies!" (even though I wouldn't agree with it), but what the hell is pretentious about the film itself?

Mine: 1. The Turin Horse 2. Zero Dark Thirty 3. Killing Them Softly 4. Moonrise Kingdom 5. Cloud Atlas 6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower 7. The Imposter 8. Cosmopolis 9. Killer Joe 10. Silver Linings Playbook 11. Dredd 12. Holy Motors 13. The Grey 14. Searching for Sugar Man 15. The Cabin in the Woods

Fantastic Mr. Dodd?

Freddie Quirrel?

My personal worst snubs: Killer Joe and Killing Them Softly not getting ANYTHING.

I'm not a big fan of any of those... though wouldn't object to any of the three taking LOP's or Lincoln's place.

It's a real shame that TDKR made it and Moonrise did not

Fine line-up. Happy that ZDT, Cloud Atlas and Perks are in there. Hopefully Django and The Master don't disappoint me.

TDKR... le sigh.

Could have done without Ang Lee, but the main thing is that Bigelow and the Wachowskis/Tykwer made it.