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Friday, September 13, 2013

2007 CinSpec Awards


This year is so great that I listed my top 10 films that I didn't nominate yesterday. There will be a lot of snubs, but that happens in years as great as this.

I still need to see films like A Mighty Heart, The Kite Runner, Silent Light, The Namesake, Offside, 28 Weeks Later, Days and Clouds, Mister Foe, Broken English, Rocket Science, Year of the Dog, O'Horten, and Alpha Dog. Note: You can click on the images to enlarge them.



















Updated: 6/26/15

24 comments:

  1. Such a great year. Ratatouille is still my favourite film of the year but excellent movies. I loved your other list too :)

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    1. Thanks! I also love Ratatouille. Too many great movies this year!!

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  2. This is truly one of the greatest cinematic years, ever.

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  3. Damn, no nomination for DDL? I'm with you on that, I actually find his work there - and in most films - good but overrated. Clooney is my win for Clayton.

    Awesome to see your nominations for Hoffman and Carice Van Houten, she was sensational in Black Book

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    1. Haha, nope. I like his performance a lot, yet DDL as Plainview is too showy for me. It always makes me think he's saying "Look, I'm acting!". Clooney is a great win, and he would probably make my top 10. I give him a win for The American, though. :)

      Yay! Dig the love for those performances.

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  4. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was a unique performance by Mathieu Amalric, no doubt. I always confuse him with that lookalike actor Birol Ünel :)

    I have quite a few blind spots from 2007: Michael Clayton, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Across the Universe, We Own the Night, La Vie en Rose, Gone Baby Gone. Lots of catching up to do!

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    1. Ha, I've never even heard of Birol Ünel :)

      For me, Gone Baby Gone, We Own the Night, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, and Michael Clayton are the best of those. I really like Across the Universe, but it's not for everyone. La Vie en Rose isn't anything special, except for Cotillard's fantastic performance.

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  5. Love this ballot. 2007 was a damn good year for films. I would've snuck Paul Dano in there for There Will Be Blood. I also thought Eastern Promises was Best Picture worthy. I really love that film, it's top 5 for me.

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    1. Thanks! Dano wouldn't even make my top 10, but he gives a great performance. This year was just too awesome! In a weaker year, I would've easily nominated Eastern Promises for at least 7 awards, including Best Picture. :)

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  6. I just put The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford in my Netflix queue. I was blown away by Casey Affleck in Gone Baby Gone but haven't seen him in anything else since. I was so glad to see Tilda Swinton won for Michael Clayton!

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    1. He's excellent in Jesse James, which I'd give more nominations in a weaker year. I love his performance in Gone Baby Gone too, but Best Actor was ridiculously crowded. It's nice to see another fan of Tilda's performance.

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  7. I enjoyed reading this. I also love "Diving Bell," but admit I probably lean more toward "No Country" to edge it out in most cases and would absolutely have Bardem as my Best Supporting Actor.

    Oh, and "Persepolis" for best Animated Feature. "Ratatouille" is great, but "Persepolis" floored me.

    Nice to see you give some love to "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days."

    Again, great read

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    1. Thanks. As great as No Country is, Diving Bell is on another level for me and is one of my all-time favorites. I actually prefer Tommy Lee Jones' performance to Bardem's. TLJ was really close to getting two nominations. (If it helps, I give Bardem a Best Supporting Actor win for Skyfall.)

      Persepolis is good, but Ratatouille is an easy winner for me.

      Both films would get even more recognition from me in a weaker year. Needless to say, this was a really hard ballot to put together.

      Thanks again.

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  8. Man, what a great, great year. Had no idea you were such a Diving Bell fan. That's awesome. I think TWBB is still tops for me that year, but I can't argue with Diving Bell.

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    1. It was incredible. Oh, Diving Bell is in my top 10 of all time. I don't think I could love it more. TWBB is an awesome choice for Best Picture, though.

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  9. I highly, HIGHLY recommend seeing Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. It EASILY deserves a nomination in Original Score, although it also needs some love in Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actor (Hoffman), and Original Screenplay. If you go in with an open mind, I promise you won't regret it.

    You also may want to check out 'Under The Same Moon'. Kate del Castillo is extraordinary in that film.

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    1. I like Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, but I wouldn't nominate it for anything. Still, it's a pleasant little film.

      I definitely want to see Under the Same Moon at some point.

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  10. Picture:
    Atonement-Winner
    Death at a Funeral
    No Country for Old Men
    3:10 to Yuma
    Zodiac
    2007 seems like the year of the somber film with the exception of the darkly funny Death at a Funeral. Even though they are all so downbeat all are excellent films but the sweep of Atonement pulled me in a bit more.

    Director:
    Joel & Ethan Coen-No Country for Old Men
    David Finchner-Zodiac
    James Mangold-3:10 to Yuma
    Frank Oz-Death at a Funeral
    Joe Wright-Atonement-Winner
    While I ultimately went with Wright's sturdy guiding of Atonement's big canvas it was a close decision between it and Finchner's taut direction of Zodiac which mantained a lurking dread throughout.

    Actor:
    Russell Crowe-3:10 to Yuma
    Jake Gyllenhaal-Zodiac
    James McAvoy-Atonement
    Viggo Mortensen-Eastern Promises-Winner
    Trevor Wright-Shelter
    A rich year for male performances. Wright is wonderfully natualistic as the young artist trapped in so many ways in a suffocating life of duty and sacrifice who unexpectedly stumbles across a way out only to find more obstacles in his path in Shelter. McAvoy suitably tortured as the luckless Robbie in Atonement and Gyllenhaal earnest and dogged in Zodiac. I loved Crowe's smooth talking take on the conniving Ben Wade in 3:10 but Mortensen's weary Nikolai in the brutal Eastern Promises is the real knockout.

    Actress:
    Julie Christie-Away from Her-Winner
    Marion Cotillard-La Vie en Rose
    Keira Knightley-Atonement
    Laura Linney-The Savages
    Tang Wei-Lust, Caution
    Keira is terrific in Atonement, her best work after Pride & Prejudice, but this was between Marion and Julie. It's a tight decision since both are brilliant but I'm going with Julie because while Marion brings Piaf to life Julie's Fiona is an original created from whole cloth. Additionally I'll be able to reward Marion in the future whereas Julie seems to have decided to close out her career except for a small part here and there.

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    1. This might be favorite film year ever. Love the variety between our ballots.

      Zodiac and Death at a Funeral are great. I hated to leave them out, as well as Julie Christie. Atonement is a very deserving winner, and, as you can see, Mortensen was close to being my winner as well.

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  11. Supporting Actor:
    Casey Affleck-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
    Javier Bardem-No Country for Old Men
    Ben Foster-3:10 to Yuma-Winner
    Hal Holbrook-Into the Wild
    Alan Tudyk-Death at a Funeral
    Bardem's justly celebrated killer in No Country is eerie and disturbing but I think he's done more complex work elsewhere. I LOVED Tudyk's go for broke work as the unknowingly overmedicated Simon in Funeral, he's fearless for a laugh. It was a tough choice between him and my winner Ben Foster as the flashy, psychotic outlaw in 3:10 to Yuma but Foster's character had a more varied storyline.

    Supporting Actress:
    Allison Janney-Juno
    Vanessa Redgrave-Atonement
    Saoirse Ronan-Atonement-Winner
    Kelly MacDonald-No Country for Old Men
    Tilda Swinton-Michael Clayton
    Janney is a scream in the overpraised Juno, stealing her scenes with effortless grace. MacDonald, almost unrecognizable as the meek Mary from Gosford Park, is sadly moving as a woman stuck in a life of poor choices and Swinton mightily impressive in the otherwise average Michael Clayton. One scene performances are tricky and often a false estimation of a performer's ability but since this one scene belongs to the immensely talented Vanessa Redgrave it wasn't difficult to chose it as a contender. The scene is key since it brings the story full circle and Vanessa crams a lifetime of experience into those few minutes. As brilliant as she, and the rest of the cast, are it's Saoirse Ronan performance that is the one that stays with you after the film is over. She's so skillful I'm surprised she hasn't had a bigger career but she's still so young and the teen years are tricky for an actress. I wish I could give a collective award to the three actresses who played Briony Tallis since Romola Garai was excellent in her portion of the film as well.

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    1. Great wins for Foster and Ronan. If this year wasn't stacked, some more of these would've made my ballot as well.

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  12. Agree with most of ur picks. It was definitely a great year. I'd probably give top prize to There Will Be Blood because I think it's features PTA at the top of his game as both a director and a storyteller. A little surprised to not see Daniel Day-Lewis in there but I totally respect your choices.

    I also happen to hold awards on my own personal blog and well, my graphics need a lot of work, So, I just wanted to ask you where you make your collages for your nominations? I've seen a similar layout on one or two more sites and was wondering where you guys made them

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    1. There Will Be Blood is a masterful film, and I wish I could reward it more. This year is way too crowded. While I find Day-Lewis' grandiose performance a little overrated, he'd be somewhere in my top 10. Oddly enough, I only nominate him once (for My Left Foot), but he wins that year.

      I use Photoshop, but I'm sure there are other routes. Not sure what other people use.

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