Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I

WITHNAIL

I have a heart condition. I have a heart condition.
If you hit me, it's murder!

Bruce Robinson's debut feature Withnail and I tells the story of two "resting" actors in search of respite from their tedious lives. They conclude that the country cottage belonging to Withnail's Uncle Monty would be the perfect place to get away. Faced with harsh weather conditions, an unfamiliar camaraderie from the locals, and seemingly medieval renditions of modern conveniences, the two friends are put to the ultimate test, with rather dulled, drunken wits as their only defense.

Four stars. A comedic - no, a human masterpiece.

Shame on You, A.M.P.A.S.

The Dark Knight and In Bruges deserve more than this.

So does Rachel Getting Married.

Final Predictions

... for the 2008 Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 

The Dark Knight 

Frost/Nixon 

Milk 

Slumdog Millionaire

alt. Wall-E

The Best Picture race seems to be all locked up. Various upsets are being thrown into the mix by critics and movie-goers, but none seem to hold much water. None except Wall-E.

Best Director:

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Christopher Nolan - The Dark Knight

Gus van Sant - Milk

Andrew Stanton - Wall-E

alt. Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Andrew Stanton, I believe, is a more likely contender than, say, Jonathan Demme (Rachel Getting Married), Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky), Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), or even Ron Howard, simply because Pixar is long overdue for this sort of recognition.

Best Actress:

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky

Melissa Leo - Frozen River

Meryl Streep - Doubt

Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

alt. Angelina Jolie - Changeling

While most people are looking at Angelina Jolie to take the fifth spot, I think the more deserving Melissa Leo will make the shortlist.

Best Actor:

Colin Farrell - In Bruges

Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn - Milk

Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

alt. Richard Jenkins - The Visitor

The Best Actor race, which typically narrows down to six leading men, is ridiculously difficult to predict this oscar season. Also in contention: Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road), Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon) and Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino).

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams - Doubt

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis - Doubt

Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Kate Winslet - The Reader

alt. Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Rosemarie DeWitt and Debra Winger (Rachel Getting Married) look to be the worthy actresses that will have to miss out this year. The recent victory of Tilda Swinton (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) will cost her a nomination.

Best Supporting Actor:

Josh Brolin - Milk

Robert Downey, Jr. - Tropic Thunder

Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

alt. Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

For Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky), Ralph Fiennes (In Bruges, The Reader, and The Duchess), Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight) and James Franco (Milk and Pineapple Express), 2008 is a year to be proud of. And while I know two acting nominations for In Bruges is a lot to ask for of the voters, the film is that good.

Original Screenplay:

Happy-Go-Lucky

In Bruges

Milk

Rachel Getting Married

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

alt. Wall-E

Adapted Screenplay:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Doubt

Frost/Nixon

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

alt. The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature:

Kung Fu Panda

Wall-E

Waltz With Bashir

Best Foreign Language Film:

Der Baader Meinhof Komplex - Germany

Everlasting Moment - Sweden

Necessities of Life - Canada

Revanche - Austria

Waltz With Bashir - Israel

Best Art Direction:

Changeling

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Milk

Slumdog Millionaire

alt. The Reader

Best Costume Design:

Changeling

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

The Duchess

Revolutionary Road

alt. Australia

Best Cinematography:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Milk

Revolutionary Road

Slumdog Millionaire

alt. The Reader

Best Film Editing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Frost/Nixon

In Bruges

Slumdog Millionaire

alt. Milk

Best Make-Up:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Synecdoche New York

alt. The Reader

Best Original Score:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat

The Dark Knight - Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

Doubt - Howard Shore

Slumdog Millionaire - A.H. Rahman

Wall-E - Thomas Newman

Best Original Song:

Bolt ("I Thought I Lost You") - Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele

Quantum of Solace ("Another Way to Die") - Jack White

Slumdog Millionaire ("Jaiho") - A.R. Rahman

Wall-E ("Down to Earth") - Peter Gabriel

The Wrestler ("The Wrestler") - Bruce Springsteen

Best Sound Mixing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Iron Man

Slumdog Millionaire

Wall-E

alt. Quantum of Solace

Best Sound Editing:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Iron Man

Quantum of Solace

Wall-E

alt. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Visual Effects:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Iron Man

 alt. Hellboy II: The Golden Army

In the year Two-Thousand and One...

... Stanley Kubrick's A Space Odyssey became, perhaps, the most historically inaccurate film of all-time. Regardless, and in the words of Marie Antoinette, I say, "Let them eat cake," because you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

This URL, this website is going to be a quote-unquote blogspot where I will rant and rave, like a textbook lunatic, with the sole intention of futile conversation. More often than not my posts will relate to film - with an occasional slip-up, I'd imagine - but I'll do my best to stay the course.

For starters, what is your favorite film (or, for the indecisive, what are your favorite films) in cinematic history?