THE SHANES
Promotial art for a Shane Ryan work in progress called “Romance Road Killers.”
FILMMAKER TALKS BEST PICTURE
Oscar Nominees:
“Babel”
“The Departed”
“Letters from Iwo Jima”
“Little Miss Sunshine”
“The Queen”
Would I have nominated any of these films? No. Let me give you mine. I can’t pick just five so here’s my Top 10: “Factotum” “Hard Candy” “Running Scared” “Children of Men” “The Fountain” “Crank” “Rocky Balboa”, two Superman flicks “Superman Returns” and “Hollywoodland”, and finally “Little Children.” And runner-ups being two football flicks - and I hate sports - “We are Marshall” and “Invincible,” two 9/11 tragedies “World Trade Center” and “United 93,” two magician films “The Prestige” and “The Illusionist,” two films co-starring the under-appreciated David Morse “16 Blocks” and “Down in the Valley” and finally there’s Bond, James Bond. That’s 19? Well, I missed a lot of films, let’s have number 20 be something I haven’t seen cause it didn’t get fucking released anywhere, like say David Lynch’s “Island Empire” or “The Good German.”
Now, why these films? Well, “Factotum” just ruled, how in the fucking hell did “Click” and “The Black Dahlia” get nominations and “Factotum” got completely passed up? Does the Academy not know of the great contemporary writer Charles Bukowski? Fuck “Crash”! This was Matt Dillon’s time. He totally nailed everything about Bukowski, except that Dillon is just too good-looking, but his performance was dead-on man. And the music – God. Fuck “Dreamgirls”! They took Bukowski’s poems and turned them into sweet tragic beats, c’mon! This movie nailed it in so many spots.
Next up is “Hard Candy.” If the Academy wanted to show some taste for an indie it should have been this, not “Little Miss Sunshine.” The fact that two actors in one room held my attention for a whole film shows the talent of the cast, the director, and the film in general. But we can’t give credit to a psycho teenage girl who tortures pedophiles, that’s just wrong, man.
“Crank” and “Running Scared” would never see a vote, but they are two, kick-ass, exploitative, action flicks. “Crank” is just loads of fun, man, pure guilty pleasure that tastes so good, it’s gotta be appreciated as much as an extremely well-written, boring political film. Jason Statham is just bad ass and he takes you on such an adrenaline rush! “Running Scared” is the kind of film you just wait for and never expect to arrive. It out does a movie like “Crank” and then beats you over the head. Even Paul Walker, an actor more wooden than Keanu Reeves, actually seems very convincing for a change. This time his acting is way over the top, but since the movie is, it works. Sure, they say fuck two out of every three words, but so fucking what, mother fucker, fuck, get into the fucking movie and fucking enjoy it. The Academy probably turned off this film after ten minutes, cause I don’t see how you could deny the editing and cinematography a nomination. Check out this very under-appreciated and unseen film. Plus, don’t miss the completely pointless, but incredibly sweet ass shot of Vera Farmiga, simply placed in the film for your viewing pleasure. You’ll notice how the camera pans back just enough to reveal her in a thong, no other reason.
“Rocky Balboa.” Well, lemme just say that I love the Rocky films, and aside from the first Rocky movie, this is the best film Stallone has ever been a part of. He made a name for himself with the original, and should have been resurrected with this final installment. Sure, he’s made a lot of duds in the past 30 years, but he finally delivered another one of what put him on the map in the first place. This film makes it in my top three favorites of 2006, for sure.
“Children of Men.” Well, I love Clive Owen. This man deserves an Oscar too, damnit! At least this movie was nominated for some of its best achievements like the camera work, but a full best pic nomination it was well worthy of. This could have replaced “Babel.” It still makes a statement, AND it’s incredibly entertaining.
“Superman Returns.” Dude, I got to be a kid again. I loved Superman and got to enjoy being five all over. The only thing I didn’t really like is whoever the fuck cast Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane should be shot. She was too young, too blonde or whatever color they dyed her hair and too plain. Not the dark haired, feisty, 30-something year old Lois Lane should have been. Parker Posey would have been much better, yet nobody figured that out when she came to the set! Oh, well. Then there was the death of Superman in “Hollywoodland” a perfect noir film where Ben Affleck finally proves himself a worthy actor, unlike the song in “Team America.” At least he was recognized for his performance as George Reeves by other awards ceremonies.
Now who’s been waiting for another Darren Aronofsky movie since 2000’s “Requiem for a Dream”? I sure as hell was! Was “The Fountain” what I was expecting? No. In fact I didn’t fully appreciate it until the second time around. But let me tell you. The music and the cinematography, expected from an Aronofsky film and his faithful crew, were just brilliant. The visuals had me in awe. The music had me in tears. And he always brings something out of his actors. This time it’s Hugh Jackman. He’s simply amazing. I knew he had talent but this guy finally had me pointing out his talent. Why this film was over looked gets me, nobody even saw it, but if you give one shit about love, this film will remind you how precious it is.
Finally we have “Little Children.” I wasn’t as pleased as Todd Field’s debut “In the Bedroom,” but he still delivers an interesting take on everyday tragedy. This time with an odd sense of humor. Fortunately, the Academy grabbed onto this one for its performances and script. Mainly best supporting actor Jackie Earle Haley, which I was so glad to hear about. One of the original “Bad News Bears” is bad news, sort of, as a sexual deviant who just won’t be left alone by the concerned public.
- Shane Ryan, February 2007
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