Precious / Fantastic Mr. Fox

Precious - In a word: devastating. Half of Precious is really as good as everyone is saying it is. The other half, well, we'll talk about that later. The story follows an illiterate overweight Harlem high school girl named Precious. She's currently pregnant with her second child, both fathered by her dad. Her mom is abusive, to say the least. She daydreams of being a blonde girl and starring in rap videos. The story itself is half gritty street tale and half lifetime movie. The movie, for me, lives and dies by the performance of Mo' Nique. Mo' Nique, Mo' Nique, Mo' Nique. My Lord, she is amazing. Even without that last knockdown dragout scene in Mariah Carey's office, her performance is amazing. But when she adds those layers onto her abusive character, well, it's really Oscar gold. If she doesn't win come March, it'll be a crying shame. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is solid as Precious as well. She has a level of honesty and realism that is refreshing and welcoming. Paula Patton as a sweet, caring teacher is a revelation as well. She just exudes warmth. Then there's Carey. Everyone is all a-twitter about how she uglied herself up (or down) for the role. She impresses with her small role as a social worker but she's really just there to play opposite the single best scene in the entire movie. Precious is depressing as hell but it's also strangely uplifting. Like I said, though, only half of the time. When I wasn't feeling emotionally wrecked, I was feeling like I was watching a made for TV lifetime movie. That's not necessarily a bad thing but when half of your movie is so damn good, the other half shouldn't feel like it's so inferior. Still, Precious is definitely worth watching if only for Mo' Nique's AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING performance. I can't sing her praises enough.
Grade: B / B+

Fantastic Mr. Fox - I'm finding Fantastic Mr. Fox to be a difficult movie to review. Everything I've heard about it has been so blaringly positive that I feel if I say anything negative about the movie it would be taken as treason. I am, indeed, a Wes Anderson fan (although I admit I'm a bigger fan of co-writer Noah Baumbach's work). I love his quirky, offbeat sensabilities. I think The Royal Tenenbaums and Rushmore are two of the most brilliant movies in recent years. Still, there's something about Fantastic Mr. Fox that didn't quite gel with me and I can't exactly place my finger on it. I mean, clearly this movie was made for Anderson fans. I can't imagine who else would go see it. It's too dark for children and too offbeat for most adults. As an Anderson fan, I think the movie is great - charming, witty, full of likeable yet terribly flawed main characters (voiced by George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe etc.). Visually, it's simply stunning. I've actually never read the book so I can't compare the two but I feel Anderson probably took some liberties and I hope he didn't take anything away from the original work. As a fan of movies, however, there was something lacking in the haphazard story telling and the painfully slow second act. Also, the whole wolf-phobia side plot thing just totally didn't work at all. Still, the movie was enjoyable and I definitely recommend it for fans of Anderson's other works. As cliched as this sounds, it was a little short of fantastic for me.
Grade: B-

Wednesday - Top Ten Best Supporting Actresses of the Decade!

Best Actress of the Decade Tournament

Top 2

Meryl Streep vs. Cate Blanchett
Quantity: Blanchett's 24 films puts her out to an early lead over Streep's 16. Round - Blanchett.
Quality: In situations like this, I think it should come down to their single best performances of the decade. Here, that would be Blanchett's I'm Not There performance vs. Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Round - Blanchett.
Oscar Nominations: Streep has been nominated three times for Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada and Doubt. Blanchett won for The Aviator and was nominated three additional times for Notes on a Scandal, I'm Not There and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Round - Blanchett.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Streep was amazing in Angels in America. Round - Streep.
Winner = Blanchett.

So, there you have it. Cate Blanchett joins Sean Penn as the Best Actress and Actor of the Decade.
Every Wednesday in December, I'll have a Top Ten of the Decade List featuring Best Actress / Actor / Supporting and Film categories. Also, I'll be catching up on movie reviews some day this week.

Best Actress of the Decade Tournament

Top 4

Meryl Streep vs. Renee Zellweger
Quantity: Streep's 16 films just beats out Zellweger's 14. Round - Streep.
Quantity: Zellweger used to be awesome (Chicago, Bridget Jones, Cold Mountain), Streep never stopped being awesome (Adaptation, The Hours, Doubt). Round - Streep.
Oscar Nominations: Both ladies have three nominations this decade. Zellweger for Bridget Jones, Chicago and Cold Mountain / Streep for Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada and Doubt. Zellweger won for Cold Mountain. Round - Zellweger.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Streep rocked it in Angels in America. Round - Streep.
Winner = Streep.

Cate Blanchett vs. Kate Winslet
Quantity: Blanchett's 24 films this decade easily beats out Winslet's 13. Round - Blanchett.
Quality: Both of these ladies are amazing. Basically it comes down to their best performances which would be Blanchett in I'm Not There vs. Winslet in Eternal Sunshine. Sorry, Kate but Cate played Bob Dylan. Round - Blanchett.
Oscar Nominations: These two are so evenly matched that they've both been nominated four times and both have one win this decade. Round - TIE.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Cate played Bob Dylan. Round - Blanchett.
Winner = Blanchett.

Sorry, Dane! The final on Sunday will be Streep vs. Blanchett!

Best Actress of the Decade Tournament

Top 8

Helen Mirren vs. Meryl Streep
Quantity: Mirren's 17 films just beats out Streep's 16. Round - Mirren.
Quality: Mirren was fantastic in The Queen. But Streep is amazing in everything incuding Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt and A Prarie Home Companion. Round - Streep.
Oscar Nominations: Streep may have three nods (Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada and Doubt) vs. Mirren's two (Gosford Park, The Queen), but Mirren won for The Queen. Round - Mirren.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Streep was amazing in Angels in America. Round - Streep.
Tie Breaker: Helen Mirren is amazing but Meryl Streep is probably the great living actress. Round - Streep.
Winner = Streep.

Hilary Swank vs. Renee Zellweger
Quantity: Both ladies have done 14 films. Round - TIE.
Quality: Swank was great in Million Dollar Baby which apparently has gotten her pretty damn far (too far) in this competition. However, Zellweger used to be (and I stress used to be) awesome as evidenced in Bridget Jones' Diary, Chicago, Cold Mountain. Round - Zellweger.
Oscar Nominations: Swank won for Million Dollar Baby. Zellweger won for Cold Mountain and also received nominations for Bridget Jones and Chicago. Round - Zellweger.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: I'm annoyed by Zellweger less? Round - Zellweger.
Winner = Zellweger.

Cate Blanchett vs. Marcia Gay Harden
Quantity: Blanchett's 24 films just barely beats out Harden's 22. Round - Blanchett.
Quality: In December, I'm going to do top 10 lists of the decades best films and performances. For the last few weeks, I've been working on the lists. The most difficult decision has been in the Best Supporting Actress category where it's come down to my love Marcia in Mystic River vs. Cate the Great in I'm Not There. Round - Blanchett.
Oscar Nominations: Harden won for Pollack and was nominated again for Mystic River. Blanchett won for The Aviator and was nominated again for Notes on a Scandal, I'm Not There and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Round - Blanchett.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen and my brain would probably explode from too much awesomeness if they did.
Extra Curriculars: Marcia is my very, very, very, very favorite actress!! Round - Harden.
Winner = Blanchett.

Natalie Portman vs. Kate Winslet
Quantity: Portman's 19 films easily beats out Winslet's 13. Round - Portman.
Quality: Portman was great in Closer but even her very best work pales in comparison to Winslet in Eternal Sunshine, Little Children, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, etc. Round - Winslet.
Oscar Nominations: Portman was nominated once for Closer. Winslet was nominated for Iris, Eternal Sunshine, and Little Children before winning for The Reader. Round - Winslet.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Portman's SNL Gangster Rap is enough to push this into tie breaker mode... Round - Portman.
Tie Breaker: ...but not nearly enough to convince me she's a better actress than Winslet. Round - Winslet.
Winner = Winslet.

On Wednesday, the top 4. In the meantime, I'm going to try to figure out how the hell Renee Zellweger made it to the final four with Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet...

Best Actress of the Decade Tournament

Top 16

Helen Mirren vs. Patricia Clarkson
Quantity: Clarkson's 26 films crushes Mirren's 17. Round - Clarkson.
Quality: Clarkson has been good in so many movies including The Pledge, The Station Agent, Pieces of April, Elegy and more. However, none of her performances compare to Mirren in The Queen. Round - Mirren.
Oscar Nominations: Clarkson was nominated once for Pieces of April. Mirren was nominated for Gosford Park and won for The Queen. Round - Mirren.
Shared Screen: Both women were in The Pledge. Both women were phenomenal in The Pledge. But it's Clarkson's performance that sticks out a little more for me. Round - Clarkson.
Extra Curriculars: Mirren is a Dame!! Round - Mirren.
Winner = Mirren.

Julia Roberts vs. Meryl Streep
Quantity: Streep's 16 films beats out Roberts 13. Round - Streep.
Quality: Roberts was great in a few movies like Erin Brokovich and Closer. But Streep is great all the time and proves it in movies like The Hours, The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt and more. Round - Streep.
Oscar Nominations: Well, Roberts won for Erin Brokovich. However, Streep has been nominated three times (Adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt). I guess three nominations wins out over one nomination, even if it's a win? Round - Streep.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Streep was in Angels in America. Round - Streep.
Winner = Streep.

Joan Allen vs. Hilary Swank
Quantity: Allen's 11 films falls short of Swank's 14. Round - Swank.
Quality: Allen has been great in The Contender, The Notebook and The Upside of Anger. However, and it's unfortunate, none of those performances were as powerful as Swank in Million Dollar Baby. Round - Swank.
Oscar Nominations: Allen was nominated for The Contender. Swank won for Million Dollar Baby. Round - Swank.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: It really pains me to say that Swank was great in Iron Jawed Angels. But Allen is far more awesome! Round - Swank.
Winner = Swank.

Susan Sarandon vs. Renee Zellweger
Quantity: Sarandon's 20 films easily beats out Zellweger's 14. Round - Sarandon.
Quality: Sarandon was great in Igby Goes Down and In the Valley of Elah. Also, I say it every time but remember when Zellweger used to be awesome? Bridget Jones' Diary. Chicago. White Oleander. Cold Mountain. Yeah, me too. Round - Zellweger.
Oscar Nominations: Sarandon hasn't been nominated this decade. Zellweger was nominated for Bridget Jones and Chicago before winning for Cold Mountain. Round - Zellweger.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Sarandon was hysterical on Friends. Round - Sarandon.
Tie Breaker: I'd like to say Sarandon should move on soley because Zellweger has been making some pretty crappy career decisions in the latter part of this decade. However, when she was good back in the first half, she was really, really good. Round - Zellweger.
Winner = Zellweger.

Cate Blanchett vs. Penelope Cruz
Quantity: Blanchett's 24 films just barely beats out Cruz's 23. Round - Blanchett.
Quality: Cruz's best performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona vs. Blanchett's best performance in I'm Not There? Blanchett wins every time. Round - Blanchett.
Oscar Nominations: Cruz was nominated for Volver and won for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Blanchett won for The Aviator and recieved nominations for Notes on a Scandal, I'm Not There and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Round - Blanchett.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Blanchett's I'm Not There performance always counts for extra. Round - Blanchett.
Winner = Blanchett.

Marcia Gay Harden vs. Zooey Deschanel
Quantity: Deschanel's 27 films beats out Harden's 22. Round - Deschanel.
Quality: Deschanel is good and adorable in a lot of movies (Almost Famous, Manic, All the Real Girls, etc.) but none of her performances even compare to Marcia in Mystic River, American Gun, The Dead Girl, The Mist, etc. Round - Harden.
Oscar Nominations: Deschanel has never been nominated. Harden won for Pollack and recieved a second nomination for Mystic River. Round - Harden.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Deschanel may front She + Him but Marcia is my very favorite actress ever. Round - Harden.
Winner = Harden.

Natalie Portman vs. Catherine Keener
Quantity: Portman just edges out Keener - 19 to 18. Round - Portman.
Quality: Portman was great in Cold Mountain, Closer and the Other Boleyn Girl. But Keener is fantastic in just about everything. To name a few: Lovely and Amazing, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Capote, Into the Wild, etc. Round - Keener.
Oscar Nominations: Both ladies have been nominated once. Portman for Closer. Keener for Capote. Round - TIE.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Portman's hilarious SNL rap is so memorable, I've got to go with her. Round - Portman.
Winner = Portman.

Laura Linney vs. Kate Winslet
Quantity: Linney's 21 films easily beats out Winslet's 13. Round - Linney.
Quality: Linney is amazing. Her work in Mystic River, Kinsey, and The Savages, to name a few, proves it. But very little compares to Winslet in Eternal Sunshine, The Reader and Revolutionary Road. Round - Winslet.
Oscar Nominations: Linney was nominated for You Can Count on Me, Kinsey and The Savages. Winslet was nominated for Iris, Eternal Sunshine and Little Children before winning for The Reader. Round - Winslet.
Shared Screen: Both women appeared in The Life of David Gale. They were both amazing but it's Winslet I remember more. Round - Winslet.
Extra Curriculars: Linney was amazing in John Adams. Round - Linney.
Winner = Winslet

Next time there will be showdowns between my personal favorite (Cate Blanchett vs. Marcia Gay Harden) and least favorite (Renee Zellweger vs. Hilary Swank) remaining actresses!

Paranormal Activity, Saw VI, The Hurt Locker

Paranormal Activity - The thing about Paranormal Activity is this: if you believe in ghosts and the supernatural, then you will more likely than not find it creepy and scary. However, if you do not believe in ghosts or the supernatural, like yours truly and that statement comes on the heels of becoming addicted to the TV show Supernatural thanks in part to my boss, then you'll think Paranormal Activity is a little bit, well, boring. Nothing happens in the movie for a long, long time. I will admit that the last 15 minutes or so are pretty intense and slightly creepy. But 15 good minutes a good movie does not make. The story follows a young couple who have been having experiences in their house. They buy a video camera to document what happens while they sleep. We watch the footage. It's a simple as that. As a fan of film, I can admire a film that was made for $15,000 and went on to make over 60 million. That's an accomplishment (and means there will probably be some brain dead sequel). As a fan of independent film, I can admire the low key vibe of the film. Two actors. One setting. Seemingly no script. This film will get a lot of comparison to the Blair Witch Project but the thing about the Blair Witch Project is this - the "found footage is it real?" thing hadn't been done in so long that it actually was creepy. In a world of reality TV, we don't even question that kind of thing anymore. Overall, I really wanted to like this movie but ultimately, it just wasn't a frightening experience for me.
Grade: C-

Saw VI - My momma always told me if I don't have anything nice to say... So, we'll leave the review at this: The Saw franchise needs to die.
Grade: F

The Hurt Locker - In a word: Amazing. I officially have a new favorite film of the year. Sorry, Inglourious Basterds. The movie is intense and intriguing. Director Katheryn Bigelow (who did one of my favorite horror movies, Near Dark) is amazing in every sense of the word. The Hurt Locker is a riveting character study and an intense thriller, all at once. The movie has to be intense. It follows probably the most nerve-racking job on the planet - a bomb expert who is defusing bombs in Iraq. Said bomb expert is played by the AMAZING Jeremy Renner. Now, I've loved Renner since I first saw him in Dahmer and that was almost a decade ago. It's nice to see him getting great work that truly showcase his talent. He plays a guy who truly loves his job. It's intense but it's probably the only thing he loves. His performance is plain powerful. He is ultimately an adrenaline junkie and he's a little reckless, a little funny and totally badass. Anthony Mackie is damn good too although his performance isn't nearly as ridiculously awesome as Renner's. The thing I loved most about the movie is how it wasn't political at all. This is a war movie but there is no message really. Iraq is more like a backdrop. There is no preaching going on in this movie, just damn fine story telling. I also love how unbelievably different this movie is. There is no clear protagonist (although Renner should clearly be nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars). There is no climax or character development. It's just a story with no beginning and no end, really. It's a moment in the life of these characters. Without all of these things, the movie still manages to be powerful, interesting, intense, suspenseful and just straight up great. This movie is a masterpiece without compromising to Hollywood's sell-out standards.
Grade: A (maybe A+, I have to see it again to be sure).

Best Actress of the Decade Tournament

Top 32 - Round 2

Leslie Mann vs. Cate Blanchett
Quantity: Mann's 11 films pales in comparison to Blanchett's 24. Round - Blanchett.
Quality: Mann was great in Knocked Up and Funny People. However, she's nowhere near Blanchett and her powerhouse performances in The Gift, Veronica Guerin, The Aviator, The Life Aquatic, Babel, Notes on a Scandal, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and, most importantly, I'm Not There. Round - Blanchett.
Oscar Nominations: Mann has never been nominated. Blanchett was nominated for Notes on a Scandal, I'm Not There, and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. She also won for The Aviator. Round - Blanchett.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Leslie Mann is one of my girl crushes and appeared on Freaks and Geeks. But Blanchett played Bob Dylan!! Round - Blanchett.
Winner = Blanchett.

Amy Adams vs. Penelope Cruz
Quantity: Both actresses appeared in 23 films. Round - TIE.
Quality: They've both done great work. Adams in Enchanted and Doubt, Cruz in Elegy and Volver. Ultimately it comes down to Adams' adorable performance in Junebug vs. Cruz's volatile performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Volatile trumps adorable for me. Round - Cruz.
Oscar Nominations: Both have been nominated twice. Adams for Junebug and Doubt. Cruz for Volver and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. However, Cruz won for the latter. Round - Cruz.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Adams has guest starred on TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The West Wing and The Office. Round - Adams.
Winner = Cruz.

Anne Hathaway vs. Marcia Gay Harden
Quantity: Harden's 22 films easily beats out Hathaway's 14. Round - Harden.
Quality: Hathaway was great in Rachel Getting Married. But Harden is great in just about everything, to name a few: Mystic River, American Gun, The Dead Girl, The Mist. Round - Harden.
Oscar Nominations: Hathaway was nominated for Rachel Getting Married. Harden won for Pollack and was also nominated for Mystic River. Round - Harden.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Harden is my very favorite actress. Round - Harden.
Winner = Harden.

Kerry Washington vs. Zooey Deschanel
Quantity: Both ladies have done a lot of movies this decade. Deschanel's 27 just beats out Washington's 25. Round - Deschanel.
Quality: Washington was truly great in The Dead Girl and The Last King of Scotland. However, Deschanel was fantastic in Manic, Almost Famous, The Good Girl, All the Real Girls, Winter Passing and (500) Days of Summer. Round - Deschanel.
Oscar Nominations: Neither have been nominated.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: In her spare time, Deschanel rocks out with M. Ward in She + Him. Round - Deschanel.
Winner = Deschanel.

Robin Wright vs. Natalie Portman
Quantity: Wright has done 18 films but Portman just beats her with 19. Round - Portman.
Quality: For me, it would come down to Portman's fiery performance in Closer vs. Wright's AMAZING turn in A Home at the End of the World. Ultimately, I've got to go with Natalie. Round - Portman.
Oscar Nominations: Wright has never been nominated. Portman was nominated for Closer. Round - Portman.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen (although they are both in the soon to be released anthology New York, I Love You).
Extra Curriculars: Portman always gets points for her hysterical gangster rap on SNL. Round - Portman.
Winner = Portman.

Catherine Keener vs. Rachel Weisz
Quantity: This may be the most even match up of the competition. To start with, both ladies have done 18 films. Round - TIE.
Quality: They've both done a lot of great stuff. Weisz was great in Runaway Jury, The Fountain and The Brothers Bloom. But then there's Keener and her amazing work in everything from The 40 Year Old Virgin and Hamlet 2 to Capote, Into the Wild and An American Crime. Round - Keener.
Oscar Nominations: Both have been nominated once - Keener for Capote and Weisz for The Constant Gardener. The difference? Weisz won. Round - Weisz.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Tie Breaker: Seriously, so evenly matched. I love them both and I especially am on a Weisz kick since watching her in The Brothers Bloom. Still, Keener is on my top 10 favorite actress list so I've got to give her the edge. Round - Keener.
Winner = Keener.

Laura Linney vs. Frances McDormand
Quantity: Linney's 21 films beats out McDormand's 13. Round - Linney.
Quality: Two ladies who are great in everything!! I'm going to put their best performances (McDormand in Almost Famous vs. Linney in The Savages) against each other and come out with... Round - McDormand.
Oscar Nominations: McDormand was nominated twice (Almost Famous and North Country) but Linney was nominated three times (You Can Count on Me, Kinsey, The Savages). Round - Linney.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Linney was amazing in the John Adams mini-series. Round - Linney.
Winner = Linney.

Charlize Theron vs. Kate Winslet
Quantity: Theron's 21 films easily beats out Winslet's 13. Round - Theron.
Quality: Theron was great in Monster, North Country and Battle in Seattle. Unfortunately, she's up against Great Kate who is stellar in everything (Iris, The Life of David Gale, Eternal Sunshine, Little Children, Revolutionary Road, to name a few). Round - Winslet.
Oscar Nominations: Theron won for Monster and was nominated a second time for North Country. Winslet was nominated three times for Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Little Children before FINALLY winning for The Reader. Round - Winslet.
Shared Screen: They have not shared the screen.
Extra Curriculars: Theron guest starred on the greatest TV show of all time - Arrested Development. Round - Theron.
Tie Breaker: Theron is great and no one is saying she's not. Still, it's Kate Winslet. Round - Winslet.
Winner = Winslet.

On Sunday, we get one step closer to the dreaded (by me anyway) Marcia Gay Harden / Cate Blanchett show down. Also, coming this week reviews of Paranormal Activity and The Hurt Locker (the former is mostly disappointing, the latter unbeliveably amazing).