AFI Awards 2007
By Craig Kennedy - December 16th, 2007; 2:55 pm
Thanks again to Alison for the heads up on AFI’s movies of the year:
- Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- Into the Wild
- Juno
- Knocked Up
- Michael Clayton
- No Country for Old Men
- Ratatouille
- The Savages
- There Will Be Blood
I have to say I liked Knocked Up quite a bit when I first saw it, but my memory of it has been fading rapidly. The only thing that stands out is Leslie Mann. Michael Clayton was enjoyable, but it seems increasingly inessential. My feelings about Juno have been made abundantly clear elsewhere and I don’t want to dwell on the negative. The rest of the picks are solid, yet as with all these lists there are several notable exceptions: Zodiac, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and I’m Not There to name a few.
I agree that the notably omissions you cited were worthy of inclusion. I’ve not seen Knocked Up, Diving Bell, Rat, and The Savages. But MC would fall from the list through a trapdoor down to a gaggle of open mouthed and hungry crocodiles if I was its author. Just as well for the many who admired it that I’m not.
Hah, though I enjoyed MC, you would not find me running to it’s rescue.
I really liked Michael Clayton, but I have to say that I don’t understand all of the uproar about it. It was a good, solid flick and Clooney turned in a fine performance. One of his best.
Same thing with Juno. I really did like Juno. It was funny and touching, with a well-written and tight screenplay and a wonderful performance by its lead, who carried the film beautifully. But it ends there for me. It didn’t strike me as an Oscar film and, again, I don’t get why so many are predicting this to be a nominee for best picture. We’ll see what happens, but I just don’t see it.
That said, I really am happy with the movies that were included on the list for the most part. A little surprised that Sweeney Todd didn’t make it on the list. Maybe they hadn’t seen it yet. Or maybe it was too gory for their liking.
You’re the third person whose opinions I respect that has described Juno in similar terms.
KNOCKED UP?
Golden Satellite Awards winners up. Bolded names are the winners. Supporting Actor was a tie. No Country won drama (yay!) and Marion Cotillard got best actress drama.
http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2007.shtml
Also – go, Viggo!!!
It’s a little disappointing to see the AFI essentially ignore every single film that was released before July. So typical of these awards that perfectly good, solid films that release early in the year like Zodiac, Once, The Host, or Hot Fuzz get ignored here. It’s been a strong year for smaller productions with less well-known stars so it’s somewhat silly for the AFI to bother with a Michael Clayton, which in some off years would be a nice filler for a weaker slate of films.
But I guess I should just quit whining and be happy that 2007 hasn’t been a complete waste of time.
And Dallas Fort Worth (I know, boring). Here’s the press release naming No Country best picture. And Diving Bell is in their top 10 as well. :-)
Assassination of Jesse James also made the top 10.
More love for Frank Langella and Emil Hirsch, who got nominations. Unfortunately for them they still lost to Daniel Day-Lewis. I’m beginning to think DDL is going to win everything EXCEPT the Oscar.
http://www.dfwfilmcritics.com/2007awards.pdf
Craig, I agree that Knocked Up is fading a bit from memory now but it was one of the smarter comedies of the year with some solid acting, so it’s not surprising to see it end up here. I think organizations like the AFI like to round out their lists with more than just the standard dramas and biopics. Oh and look…there’s no typical biopics on this list. Nice. Into the Wild sort of qualifies, but it’s not your standard biopic.
Thank you Alison. I’m beginning to worry about the same fate befalling No Country as you fear for DDL.
I shouldn’t underestimate Knocked Up Joel because I’ve often complained that comedies don’t get enough respect. Here was a solid one (which I originally gave 4 stars) and I should be happy….but like I said it’s fading from memory. I remember Hot Fuzz more fondly.
Yeah, I had the same thought about No Country as well.
If Daniel Day Lewis isn’t the obvious Oscar contender for Best Actor, then who is? I haven’t been following the handicapping at this early stage and I hesitate to ask here, since we’re trying to avoid that, but if he’s winning all these critics’ awards isn’t he by default the obvious front runner? Best Actor and Best Actress are rarely a surprise.
Johnny Depp is considered the frontrunner by many. He’s Oscarless and much more loved by the masses. Plus, every time a journalist writes an article about Sweeney Todd they also add that this year should or will be his year to win. He’s really getting pushed by everyone.
The critics awards, according to some experts (which does not include me) are given to less-sure bets to give them the boost that they need. Johnny Depp doesn’t need it.
Aha, this makes sense because I’ve been avoiding reading anything about Sweeney Todd. I will be really curious to compare the two now but I have to admit that as much as I like Johnny Depp, he hasn’t done a lot of work that makes me think he necessarily deserves to have it be “his” year. I think his overall acting work was much stronger earlier in his career. The last thing he did I was truly blown away by was Fear and Loathing. Before that he’s had a number of strong roles, so I guess he’s been under-appreciated by the Academy. And sure, he’s a great guy and he’s got talent, but a personable, charismatic, likable guy doesn’t automatically equal Oscar winner for me.
Course, I’m weird.
It’ll be interesting to see how SAG and some of the other guilds vote. If they go for DDL also, I’ll start to believe his chances. If other names start popping up, I’ll start to worry.
I love Johnny Depp and I enjoyed the hell out of him in Sweeney, plus he gets bonus points for actually singing, but I’ve never seen anything quite like DDL in TWBB and if he doesn’t win…well it’s going to be a crime. I’m just saying.
I’ll be more mad about that than Atonement winning best picture instead of No Country. Have you noticed there how I keep saying Atonement will win? I’m totally trying to throw off the Oscar gods. Ssshhhhh.
Your secret is safe with me, Craig.
So this you’re attempting to apply the same mojo that caused Dreamgirls to tank at the Oscars last year? Brilliant.
Wasn’t Eddie Murphy considered a sure-fire win at this time last year, too?
I’m a well known Oscar jinx. When it comes to best picture, if I predict it or campaign for it, it fails.
The only reason The Departed won last year is because I refused to acknowledge publicly that it had a chance in hell. I’m surprised Marty didn’t thank me in his speech…
That’s a good question about Eddie. He was winning most of the awards, but it seems to me that Alan Arkin won a significant precursor award. Am I misremembering? I don’t have the time to look it up right now.
Southeastern Film Critics Awards up too. No Country and Daniel Day Lewis won again. Clooney was the Best Actor runner up.
http://www.imdb.com/board/bd0000005/thread/92448287
Arkin didn’t win SAG or BFCA, but he did win the Indie Spirit Award and the BAFTA. He wasn’t even nominated for a Golden Globe.
Jeff Wells would probably be happy to tell you he ‘brought Murphy down’, but don’t get me started on that…
Jeez, the love for No Country is getting crazy. I don’t think my favorite movie in a given year has ever been given so much praise. I feel weird. Am I getting old? Have I lost my edge???? Ok, I never really had edges, forget that last part.
That’s right. He’s famous for that.
At the beginning of the year he was bad-mouthing Johnny Depp that way, but after seeing the film he’s changed his mind and bowed down to David Poland.
I’m waiting to see who he tries to bring down this year. David Poland is already trying to bring down DDL (though more subtly than Wells did Murphy).
You gotta be amused by those guys.
This could be a rare year where the movie we like and the movie everyone else likes seems to be a in lockstep. I still remain convinced though that No Country will get shut out of the lion’s share of major awards. Too much audience head scratching at the end of it.
Best Director(s), Best Adapted Screenplay? perhaps.
Atonement will win best picture. If not, maybe Sweeney Todd will come in and snag the prize.
But the winner will not be No Country for Old Men.
My working theory that I stole from Sasha is that if TWBB is also nominated, the voters of a certain darker sensibility will be divided between TWBB and NCfOM and something easier to swallow will win. Right now I’m going with Atonement, but we’ll see how Sweeney does when it opens.
I’m forced to admit that Juno has a great chance at this point of getting nominated, but like LMS last year I don’t think it will win.
Alison, I’m not sure why you’re semi-confident that No Country won’t win? It’s the best reviewed adult drama film of the year (winning more awards than any other film), has decent box office, features outstanding acting and class across on departments, is adapted from arguably America’s greatest living writer, and it offers the Academy the chance to bestow symbolic life time achievement on the Coens.
Also, why would DDL win every major award and not the Oscar? Although something similar happened in relation to Gangs, this is a far greater performance and in a better reviewed film. Usually winning everything is the best indicator of the Oscar win. Chances are it will be again. I don’t see Johnny being presented as the favorite by any of the prognosticator groups. I agree he is most likely to upset DDL, if anyone can.
Sartre: Doesn’t the situation you describe relate to virtually every Oscar year? In other words, the movie that seems to be the one the critics like is the one that gets a couple token Oscars and the actual winner goes on to eventual scorn, infamy, or general irrelevance (in the case of Dances with Wolves beating Goodfellas, all three).
I see the logic behind saying No Country is a real longshot and that Atonement is the obvious choice right now, but then again I honestly did not think Departed, Return of the King, or Crash were going to win either and in every case, the conventional wisdom didn’t necessarily hold true.
While I would like to see No Country win, I don’t think it has that special audience-pleasing element (like Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lectre in Silence of the Lambs) that will rest ultimate veto power from the blue-haired conservatives in the Academy. No Country actively defeated many audience-goers’ expectations and regardless of how brilliant the film is in every respect, that usually bodes very ill for Oscar chances.
Cecil B DeMille award for the Coens about 10 years from now? Absolutely.
Good points Joel. Although it’s true that the critics favorite doesn’t necessarily predict an Oscar winner, there is a closer relationship between being a critics favorite (particularly winning best picture and director with the LAFCA or NYFCC) and being nominated. I think the other considerations I mentioned might help its chances of a win once nominated. It doesn’t have Hannibal Lector but Chigurh is a fairly memorable substitute – who probably has more screen time too. And the film certainly offers dark visceral suspense which worked in the case of Silence of the Lambs, and to some extent The Departed (which was also well received by critics).
I like Atonement’s chances as well. And I also agree with Alison that Sweeney could come through as a crowd pleaser. But in terms of known tangible predictors my reading is that No Country has the most going for it. Though it’s true that Atonement appears more to the Academy’s taste. I wonder whether a group that voted for the Departed are necessarily going to prefer Atonement ahead of No Country.
You almost can’t NOT pick No Country…but having said that I’m sticking with Atonement.
Logical? Probably not.
I’m happy to play Spook to your Captain Kirk.
Well, for me, I’m really happy that No Country is getting all these accolades. I just worry that it’s too much too soon. Same thing with Daniel Day-Lewis who has nabbed almost all of them (except for a few that went to Clooney and one that went to Frank Langella).
I think that there will be people who hate Sweeney, but most people will love it. Most of the reviews are great, but a couple of rottens have already come in (granted, they’re from critics who hate everything – Gonzales at Slant and The New Yorker). My gut is telling me that will be a hit, and that may push the movie into being a frontrunner. And it may give Johnny Depp the edge over DDL.
sartre, can you help me get around the Movable Type thing on Awards Daily?
Alison, I registered using Moving Key. It didn’t immediately work, but did after I tried again an hour or so later. Good luck with getting in.
Okay, thanks, sartre.
Strange that they’re not sending out confirmation emails.
Thanks Alison, I was just interested in your reasoning. And one’s heart is often the best guide to most things.
I would agree that accolades burn-out could hurt No Country but I think the overall darkness of the film and the fact that it flies in the face of formula harbingers of its chances. Departed was pretty dark but the Academy had been waiting to finally have a good opportunity to make up for shafting Scorsese for so many years, plus The Departed was hugely popular with audiences and had a boatload of actors popular with the Academy doing memorable work. Plus Kevin Costner didn’t direct anything last year.
I don’t think the Departed is a good measure of No Country’s chances, but I remain hopeful that the voters will surprise me once again.
And of course, Sweeney Todd is also violent. And bloody. But the blood is stylized, based on what I’ve heard. Plus they may decide it’s time to honor another musical.
Or they may go their usual way and give Best Picture to something like Atonement.
Departed was dark and bloody, but people forget also how funny it was. Plus it had Nicholson. He’s like the Academy wild card. No Country doesn’t have the same kind of humor or anyone close to Nicholson.
Ed Gonzalez didn’t like TWBB either so he’s dead to me.
Yeah, Gonzalez doesn’t like anything.
All those things are true Joel. And they undoubtedly played a part in its success. But not many were even predicting that The Departed would be nominated until late in the piece. The reason cited for this was the lack of fit between it and the accepted wisdom regarding the averaged out Academy’s tastes. To that extent I think it marked a significant shift that opens the door for other darker and more violent films without an uplifting or feel good ending.
No Country is a fairly conventional suspense thriller for the most part, though executed to the highest standards. I think without the ending it would have been regarded as too much a genre film to be considered a serious contender, let alone a masterpiece. It’s the confounding of expectations that elevates it to something more artful and notable. Yes, it will put voters off but on the other hand it may attract more than it would ever have gained playing it safe.
Agreed, sartre. But, of course, on this site, praising No Country is preaching to the choir.
I really hope the Academy does honor it. The Coen Brothers are long overdue.
The Departed and No Country share terrific black humor.
Oh, and by the way, Craig, I just checked TWBB on Rotten Tomatoes. Still at 95% overall with 22 total reviews (and only 1 rotten from that nobody Gonzalez). 5 Cream of the Crop so far, 100%. I hope it doesn’t drop too much when more reviews start coming in. This is a film that could bring out reactions like Sasha’s.
It’s true she has little love for the film, to put it mildly. But based on critics awards success and likely guild noms she now has it positioned number 5 in her Oscar picks. Her rationale can be found towards the end of the AD thread under the latest TWbB reviews post.
Yes, I saw that. Hopefully she’ll be right. I’d love to see the picture and Anderson get a nod. It sounds like he really stretched himself.
I notice that Sasha is one of the few that doesn’t have Sweeney in her top five. Maybe she’s just waiting until it’s released before putting it in?
I suspect you’re right. I think we’ll all have a better idea once we’ve seen it. Craig’s seen it but hasn’t been overly vocal in expressing confidence in a nomination.
At this point I think it will get nominated, but I’m waiting to see how it’s received.
My feeling is that it will be nominated over Juno. Especially if it’s a hit at the box office (which I have a feeling it will be).
There’s a great FYC article on Awards Daily up. It’s an awesome poster. Wish I could comment. :-(
KNOCKED UP??
I wasn’t last time I looked.
Here’s the write-up that Sasha refers to. It’s a really nice article, with well-deserved praise overall for Daniel Day-Lewis.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21980235/
Craig, once you’ve posted your TWbB review check out David Edelstein’s fine effort.
I just saw that, sartre. Sasha’s wording was priceless: “But the real money shot is There Will Be Blood, as yet another critic goes ass over elbow for the film.”
Interesting choice of metaphor.
Ahahaha. Did Knocked Up steal your girlfriend Christian?
Sartre: In connection to what you said about The Departed, if they had stuck with the original ending all other things being equal I doubt it would have ever won the Best Picture award. The ending that Scorsese shot, while rife with black humor and a dark undercurrent, is still more acceptable to a broad audience than the original one.
I’m not trying to open up the old discussion of which is better or whatever on Departed and Infernal Affairs, just to say that I think Departed and Silence of the Lambs were massive long shots that ended up working out because they maintained a really careful balance of elements, especially casting, that ultimately appealed to voters.
If No Country wins Best Picture, I will gladly eat all my words on this comment section. Happily. Joyfully. Enthusiastically. But Oscar has repeatedly let me down in the past and I don’t expect 2008 to be any different.
And now I’m moving on from this because I think I’ve beaten this dead horse long enough.
Joel, you’re a victim of learned helplessness in the face of repeated and brutalizing Oscar injustices :-)
Irrespective of the ultimate outcome, everything you say is persuasively and smartly argued. It hasn’t dissuaded me from having it as my number 1 pick, but what you’ve pointed out definitely helps me better appreciate the magnitude of the challenge for a film like this to win. After the critics the next most telling precursors are the guild awards. And I suspect No Country will do very well across them. If it doesn’t I’ll readjust my rankings accordingly. But for now I feel the film remains well placed. As you say, if a film of its quality wins then we all do.
Well, just doing a comparison to Fargo:
BAFTA – Joel Coen, David Lean Director Award win
BFCA – won Picture, not nominated for Director
DGA – Joel Coen, nominated
Golden Globe – nominated for picture and director
NBR – Best Director Joel Coen
If No Country fares better in the DGA, GG and BFCA, then that will definitely help it. Hopefully.
sartre, I saw your comment on AD. I think no one else is able to get on. I tried logging in through LJ, Movable Type, Type Key – it kept looping me back to the comment sign in. I bet the same thing is happening to a lot of would-be commenters.
I had no luck with anything but Movable type and only then because Ryan verfied me himself.
Strange.
When you signed up for moveable type Alison, did you get the message saying you’d be sent a verification email? That happened with me, but the email still hasn’t come and this was hours and hours ago.
Yes, I did get that message, Craig, and never got the confirmation email. I emailed Ryan to let him know what was going on, but I haven’t heard back.
I really want to comment on that post with the FYC ad of DDL and cigarette. It made me go gah-gah.
I know Ryan to be away from his e-mail Alison. Have you tried e-mailing Sasha?
No. I’ll email her also.
The AD comments are fixed, so you can comment without signing in now.
I think what may screw up No Country’s chances is that the Academy is composed of movie-makers, not watchers, and the prizes its been getting might not be so relevant since they’re given out by groups of critics. Since No Country – its undeniable visceral pleasures aside – is very much a work to be analyzed and pondered, it could be a critic’s darling but too “difficult” for people who watch movies with different intentions.
Just sayin’. Dammit, Craig, you’ve made me care at least a little about the Oscars, I thought I’d managed to shake that bad habit ;-)
It’s hard to shake the habit Hedwig when The Movie of the Year is getting so much press!
It’s ok to care a little bit, as long as we keep it in perspective.
You make very good points, Hedwig. And I think the same thing may happen with TWBB. I haven’t seen it yet, but I think it’s another one of those films that critics will appreciate but maybe not movie-makers.
In many ways, I think TWBB is actually a more approachable film than NCfOM, but we’ll see if that proves true.
Interesting. I never would have guessed based on what Sasha said in her review of the film. So much hate there.
Well, I’ll give you my opinion next week. :-)
I’m still a little mystified by Sasha’s reaction. Not liking it I get. Not warming up to it, I understand. Loathing it so strongly? I can’t figure it out.
I don’t think it’s a gender thing which is partly why I’m looking forward to your reaction.
Oh well. To each, her own.
when i went to see ‘before the devil knows your dead’ i just missed the p.s.h./m.t. love scene.
now tell me that have any good luck……
Craig, are you losing your mind? :-) TWbB more approachable than No Country? It’s a film for cineastes with little chance of broader appeal. And even half of them won’t know what to make of it. No Country is already doing solid business and is likely to keep building for some time. With the exception of its ending the film is likely to take mainstream audiences for a welcome visceral ride.
Didn’t someone like No Country to Capra compared to TWBB?
Exactly Alison. So you can appreciate my shock at Craig’s statement.
Always show up early for a movie Glimmer, all I”m saying.
No Country will do much better business, but the irony for me is that TWBB is easier to understand.
It’s got a black black heart that will repulse some people, but it’s less vague and blatantly artsy. The ending, though dramatic isn’t the least bit vague or mysterious.
We’ll have to differ on this one my friend. I think TWbB is far from easy to understand, we’ve had just as many deep and nuanced discussions about its meaning as No Country. I also think mainstream audiences would find TWbB more artsy. If for nothing else than its wordless first 20 minutes and the sometimes cacophonous score that can appear uncertainly attached to what’s on the screen. The ending isn’t as open to interpretation as No Country, but in it’s own way it’s strikingly (and more shockingly) unexpected and not without ambiguity. For me the messages in TWbB were more substantial for being focused rather than vague and open-ended. That said, I agree that the vagueness together with the wistfulness and melancholy tone of No Country’s ending gave it a poetic beauty.
I’m not saying TWBB is a lesser film, but to me it’’s much easier to explain and will therefore seem less confounding to many audiences. The surface is more satisfactory even if you don’t care to plumb its depths.
No Country bewilders on the surface and only begins to reveal itself upon closer examination.
Dammit. You guys are making me curious about TWWB. And since I didn’t get the review assignment for that one, I must wait until…Feb. 28th to see it.
Oh well. I’ll just steer clear of reviews until then, I suppose.
Might I recommend you bump of whichever slouch pulled the TWBB assignment?
I guess you got No Country so you can’t be greedy…