A few...
Bridge to Terabithia - One of the best family movies in years.
The Lookout - A superbly written, tightly directed thriller.
Zodiac - A masterpiece that has, inexplicably, been largely ignored by the precursor awards.
Being a horror fan...
1408, The Orphanage, and Joshua - The spookiest movies of the year. And, for a change, barely a drop of blood in any of them.
Updated On: 1/2/08 at 09:27 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/18/07
I don't think Once was overlooked at all. I also think it should be overlooked, but I digress.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/04
"Both Sweeney and Hairspray had enough advertising."
They did, but alot of people didn't bother to see either of them because they were musicals and the people who didn't see them or walked out on them have the belief that musicals are gay and if you like musicals then you're gay. It didn't matter with the advertising or the reviews, it just came down that there are alot of ignorant people who would rather see a stupid, not funny comedy(Take that Epic Movie and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) or a movie with alot of special effects and very little or no plot whatsoever(Take that Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer).
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
The best portrayal of Dylan was Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me.
I'm with Sueleen. YEAR OF THE DOG was on its own terms, perfect. I even bought the dvd. And it wasn't a screener this year, which is too bad for Molly Shannon. She's infinitely more compelling than Ms. K in ATONEMENT (though I liked that film), but since DOG is too quirky, too outside the narrow genre constraints, it didn't get much attention.
Mike White is a bold original, as I've waxed on about here, tediously, ever since CHUCK AND BUCK -- still one of the freshest films of the past 20 years to my thinking.
Year of the Dog
The Lookout
I don't think Zodiac was overlooked at all but I do agree that it isn't getting the award attention it has. Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. were both excellent.
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/30/05
I also have to add WALK HARD to the list.
"Bridge to Terabithia - One of the best family movies in years."
I disagree, but whatever. I went to the premiere. It was at 10am PT.
sanda, good choice.
That movie had to be the most unseen film that won awards this year. I still have heard nothing about it other than that Langella won a couple of acting prizes.
Re: Juno being the biggest indie hit of the year, there's absolutely nothing remotely indie about Juno. It's a film made for a studio specialty division starring several known actors and directed by a fairly prominent director, and advertised on NYtimes.com for a good three months before opening.
Yes, it was given indie-like credibility by being rolled out slowly and taken to several film festivals, but an actual indie? Not even close.
what was that little film about those robots called again?
Oh yea, the Transistors or something. Anyway, no one saw that and it was supposed to be really cool.
I disagree, but whatever.
S'all good. Sorry you didn't like it.
Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. were both excellent.
I thought Gyllenhaal was very good, but felt that Ruffalo and Downey Jr. stole the whole thing.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
ZODIAC, a really excellent film by a director whose work I'd had no real use for up to then. Robert Downey Jr. really should be collecting the Supporting Actor prizes, I don't understand why he and the film are being ignored.
BRAND UPON THE BRAIN! A completely brilliantly hair-raising film from Guy Maddin. Hilarious, frightening, exhilirating and disturbing, I loved every minute of it.
Eastern Promises. I walked out on HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and figured I would probably duck out of this one, too. Instead it turned out to an an excellent, surprising, interesting movie. Welcome back, Viggo.
Welcome back?? I thought he was brilliant in History of Violence.
"Home Song Stories" with Joan Chen. I think I'm the only person who saw it.
WAITRESS
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/19/06
I was a bit disappointed with ZODIAC.
Glad to see ONCE and THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY up there. There are loads of Irish films that I just can't stand, these were good though. The latter is so much more historically accurate than similar endeavours such as 'Michael Collins' with Liam Neeson.
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