Chris Moeller Film Awards- The Winners
Best Picture/Director2004- Sideways- Alexander Payne
2003- Capturing the Friedmans- Andrew Zarecki
2002- Lovely and Amazing- Nicole Holofcener
2001- Mulholland Drive- David Lynch
2000- O Brother, Where Art Thou- Joel Coen
1999- Election- Alexander Payne
1998- La Vita E Bella- Roberto Benigni
1997- Eve's Bayou- Kasi Lemmons
Other Top 5
2004- The Aviator, Closer, Control Room, Kill Bill, Vol. 2
2003- Bad Santa, Elephant, Lost In Translation, Swimming Pool
2002- About Schmidt, Secretary, Talk To Her, Y Tu Mama Tambien
2001- In the Bedroom, Memento, Monster's Ball, The Royal Tenenbaums
2000- Almost Famous, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, High Fidelity, Traffic
1999- (5) Being John Malkovich, Bringing Out the Dead, Dick, The Straight Story, The Talented Mr. Ripley
1998- Gods and Monsters, The Last Days of Disco, A Simple Plan, Your Friends and Neighbors
1997- In the Company of Men, Jackie Brown, L.A. Confidential, Private Parts
Best Actress
2004- Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
2003- Charlize Theron, Monster
2002- Maribel Verdu, Y Tu Mama Tambien
2001- Halle Berry, Monster's Ball
2000- Laura Linney, You Can Count On Me
1999- Reese Witherspoon, Election
1998- Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love
1997- Pam Grier, Jackie Brown
Best Actor
2004- Paul Giamatti, Sideways
2003- Bill Murray, Lost In Translation
2002- Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York
2001- Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom
2000- Mark Ruffalo, You Can Count On Me
1999- Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story
1998- Ian McKellan, Gods and Monsters
1997- Aaron Eckhart, In the Company of Men
Best Supporting Actress
2004- Virginia Madsen, Sideways
2003- Hope Davis, American Splendor
2002- Kathy Bates, About Schmidt
2001- Marisa Tomei, In the Bedroom
2000- Zhang Ziyi, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
1999- Catherine Keener, Being John Malkovich
1998- Bridget Fonda, A Simple Plan
1997- Debbi Morgan, Eve's Bayou
Best Supporting Actor
2004- David Carradine, Kill Bill, Vol. 2
2003- Tony Cox, Bad Santa
2002- John C. Reilly, Chicago
2001- Tony Shalhoub, The Man Who Wasn't There
2000- Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire
1999- Jude Law, The Talented Mr. Ripley
1998- Jason Patric, Your Friends and Neighbors
1997- Al Pacino, Donnie Brasco
Best Adapted Screenplay
2004- Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Sideways
2003- Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, American Splendor
2002- Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, About Schmidt
2001- Daniel Clowes, Terry Zwigoff, Ghost World
2000- D.V. DeVincentis, Steve Pink, John Cusack, Scott Rosenberg, High Fidelity
1999- Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, Election
1998- Bill Condon, Gods and Monsters
1997- Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson, L.A. Confidential
Best Original Screenplay
2004- Zach Braff, Garden State
2003- Sofia Coppola, Lost In Translation
2002- Nicole Holofcener, Lovely and Amazing
2001- Owen Wilson, Wes Anderson, The Royal Tenenbaums
2000- Kenneth Lonergan, You Can Count On Me
1999- Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malkovich
1998- Jeremy Piksar, Warren Beatty, Bulworth
1997- Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Good Will Hunting
posted by CM @ 7:58 PM
8 Comments:
I'm surprised to see "Elephant" on the Top 5 list- I didn't think anyone else had ever seen it. (it takes too long for someone to die for the high school crowd). I think it's brilliantly brutal, intense, and mundane all at once.
I haven't heard of "Control Room." Is it out on DVD yet?
For people who haven't seen "Elephant," it's essentially the story about a Columbine-like school shooting.
What I like about it is that it has no point of view whatsoever, other than to observe. After Columbine, all these talking-heads who knew nothing about the kids went on cable news and spouted their own agendas to explain the tragedy (i.e. parenting, violent video games, etc.)
"Elephant" is almost maddening, actually. You keep waiting to get knocked over the head.
Watching it the first time, I wound up doing a horrible job of guessing who would do the shooting and who would be the victims.
"Control Room" is about the Al Jazeera Arab Television Network and the first days of bombing in Baghdad. It's interesting to see the mix of Western TV culture (an anchorman with a bad combover) and the Middle Eastern perspective.
In the movie, they show you the American soldiers staging the scene where the Saddam Hussein statue is toppled, and the rounding up of citizens to be seen partying in the streets.
You also flat out see the American military bombing the Al Jazeera broadcast center as punishment for their critical war reporting.
This is the incident I was referring to when I said "Control Room" accused the US government of more heinous crimes than Michael Moore's movie did. The difference is that nobody saw this movie.
It should be in video stores. I found it on Amazon. You can get it used on there for $7.
Far be it from me to complain about an award 4 years late, but Gene Hackman in the Royal Tannenbaums should have won best actor over Tom Wilkinson in whatever movie that was.
Good flick, Tenenbaums. But I actually thought Hackman's character was the one in that movie that was the poorest written.
If anyone was robbed that year, it was Billy Bob. He was great in both "Monster's Ball" and "The Man Who Wasn't There," while I honored his co-stars. Those two performances divided my Billy Bob vote, and the equally understated Wilkinson snuck in.
Maybe not the "poorest" written-- the "least" written.
I'll never understand your dismissal of Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles as being little more than an In Loving Color sketch.
I've heard you say on so many occasions (in regards to Frank Sinatra) that larger than life, real-life people can't ever be properly portrayed on film because the actor is always missing that certain star quality that can't be duplicated. (Witness Ray Liotta in that Rat Pack movie and whoever else played Sinatra in the mini-series and in the Sammy Davis Jr. movie.) But Foxx pulls it off. Sure Charles, because of the sunglasses and the familiar movements, can be easily
imitated, but Foxx's absolute embodiment is stunning.
Problem is, though, it's not the impersonation, it's the imagination and life behind the portrayal. (I don't even care if the portrayal's historically accurate.) The film should stand alone outside the life of Charles, which it doesn't. (Witness Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn. Hers is an idea of what Hepburn might have been like, and it was inspired, comedic, generous [such as when it scales back in the second half, as to not dwarf DiCaprio's work] and immensely entertaining.)
How can we know if Paul Giamatti portrayed "Miles" as accurately as Foxx played Charles? We don't know "Miles" outside of what Giamatti gave us on the screen- unless you've read the "Sideways" novel, which I haven't, don't immediately plan to, and don't have to in able to judge Giamatti's work.
Foxx's biggest problem is that his director didn't probe Charles' motivations and demons deeply enough (probably because the subject himself was hovering over everyone's shoulders during most of filming.) Instead, we just got the laundry list of the "major" events in the musician's life, and a lot of music to help tell us what we should be feeling.
I think you're still missing it. Ray Charles, as the movie is written, is NOT a terribly sympathetic figure. He's certainly talented and admirable, but he's also a drug addict, he cheats on his wife and he's a dick to the people who work for him, and yet most people find him likeable.
Your constant assertions that this is a great big pat on the back to Ray Charles doesn't hold water. We sympathize with the man because he's brought to life in a way that we recognize him but also can relate to his incredibly unique story.
Yes, we already know the real Ray Charles. This is not to Jamie Foxx's advantage. It works though because, in this film, Foxx IS Ray Charles.
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