Devil On My Heels July 2007

Directed by Taylor Hackford

Adapted by Akiva Goldsman

Produced by Reese Witherspoon and Denzel Washington

Distributed by 20th Century Fox

Main Cast
Evan Rachel Wood- Dove Alderman

Hunter Parrish- Chase

Loretta Devine- Delia

Larenz Tate- Gator

Ed Harris- Dad

John Glover- Travis

Harry J. Lennix- Gus

Tagline: "N/A"

Synopsis: Dove Alderman has a very privileged life. She wakes up every morning to the smell of freshly baked Cinnamon Rolls and bacon sizzling on the stove made by her loving house maid Delia. Her dad has his own orange grove in which she grew up in, playing with her now boyfriend Chase. Working in her Dad’s orange grove are migrant workers who include one of Dove’s best friends Gator and Delia’s deceased husband Gus. One of her Dad’s closest friends is Travis who is in charge of the migrant workers and runs their store. All of the sudden fires start popping up all over of Dove’s hometown of Benevolence, Florida including the family barn. The town is convinced that it is the migrant workers who are starting the fires and this prompts the appearance of the KKK in Dove’s town.While Dove is starting to expose the KKK drift that is going through the town she discovers that her father, Travis, and Chase are all attending the KKK meetings. Along the way of exposing the group she will come across the truth to the murder of Delia’s husband Gus, and that everyone thinks that Gator has kidnapped her.

What the Press would say:
Devil On My Heels is based upon the novel written by Joyce MacDonald and the film is just as good if not better than the already classic young adult book. It tells the story of Dove Alderman, played by the always brilliant Evan Rachel Wood, who is trying to expose the racism going on in her hometown. The story while complete Oscar bait is absolutely compelling and perfectly directed, written, acted, and produced as well. Taylor Hackford directs his actors and the story to perfection and you can tell he was the perfect director to aim this film in the right direction. He crafts the film so well that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and sobbing by the end. Evan Rachel Wood is absolutely superb in the role of Dove Alderman and brings depth to the role that wasn’t written in the already fantastic script. If there is any justice in this world, Wood’s performance will earn her an Academy Award. The supporting cast is incredible and I don’t have time to mention them all, but I’ll mention a few. Loretta Devine is first-rate as Delia the house-maid. She really brings the mother quality that is missing in Dove’s life and is really on key when she needs to be emotional. John Glover, who is mainly known from his television role on Smallville, is superior as the villain of the film Travis who is in charge of the migrant workers. He was made for the role and is unbelievably great in his role. Ed Harris who is one of the bigger names in the cast is just great in the role of Dove’s two-faced Dad and really deserves recognition that I’m afraid may not occur. The script is faultlessness and brings out the best in each of the actors. Overall the film is one of the best of the decade, full of great performances, direction, and written, it is way beyond deserving of the Best Picture Oscar. A+

FYC

Best Picture

Best Director- Taylor Hackford

Best Actress- Evan Rachel Wood

Best Supporting Actor- Ed Harris

Best Supporting Actor- John Glover

Best Supporting Actress- Loretta Devine

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Costume Design

Best Art Direction

It's A Public Life June 2007

Name: Michael

Location: Oklahoma

"It's A Public Life"

Directed by Alexander Payne

Distributed by Universal Studios

Written by Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, and B.J. Novak

Music by Rolfe Kent

Main Cast
Ellen DeGeneres- Judy “Wilde” Glenn

Florence Henderson- Jenna Wilde

Ricky Gervais- Tony Parker

Nathan Lane- Alex Crawfish

Megan Mullally- Veronica Bergin

Cloris Leachman- Julie Glenn

Tagline: "N/A"
Synopsis: After the press gets a hold of the story about Judy and her real mother Jenna, Hollywood is dying for the two of them to get together and star in a film. The head of Sham Studios, Tony Parker approaches the mother/daughter duo about making a picture called The Shankshaw Punishment about two cellmates sitting on death row who bond over the period they have to wait until execution. Judy falls in love with the story as the words are pouring out of Tony’s mouth; Jenna on the other hand isn’t totally convinced that she wants to star in a movie. After much convincing they agree to do the project which gives the press a field day. Once they are signed on to the film, the director of Judy’s old films Alex Crawfish agrees to direct the film. With all the news surrounding the Wilde duo Veronica Bergin is one of the first members of the press to hound the Glenn and Wilde clans trying to find the next day’s top headline. Once again, Veronica goes to the greatest depths to get a story including hiding in FedEx delivery boxes to the families’ homes, going through air conditioning units, and even having a mole inside Judy and Jenna’s mansion. 6 months later, the filming wraps on The Shankshaw Redemption the offers for Judy and Jenna start pouring in with projects ranging from East by Eastnorth, Most Like it Freezing, and Japantown. They commit to all the films and America is still obsessed with the Wilde team. Then The Shankshaw Punishment opens to rave reviews, critics love the film and premiers with 50 million at the box office. With both the women having their first hit, they can’t wait to put their mark on the 3 other projects. Then all of the sudden the team is fired from all of the 3 movies. Now the mystery becomes why were they fired after having such a big hit…

What the Press would say:
What can I say, this really caps off the trilogy and in a very nice way. It’s hilarious, emotional, awkward, and all around smart comedy. Alexander Payne does yet another fine piece of directing here where unlike a lot of films this year it really shines through. The script is well written, funny, clever and witty and the cast is tremendous. I have to say if Ellen doesn’t get an Oscar for this performance the whole thing is a sham. After 2 pervious nods for her performances as Judy Glenn this is definitely the best. Her timing is impeccable, the expressions she has are perfection, it really is the best performance of the year. The supporting cast is just as good, but in much smaller doses. Megan Mullally gives a wonderful performance that is a great parody of the paparazzi these days and Nathan Lane is just as crazy as ever. I have to say I was crying laughing during the scene where Cloris Leachman is confronted with what she has done. Simply hilarious and the best scene of the year! All around this is the by far the best comedy of the year and light-years better than the #2 film of the year!

FYC:

Best Picture

Best Director- Alexander Payne

Best Original Screenplay- Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, and B.J. Novak

Best Actress- Ellen DeGeneres

Best Supporting Actor- Nathan Lane

Best Supporting Actress- Megan Mullally

Best Supporting Actress- Cloris Leachman

Best Supporting Actress- Florence Henderson

Best Original Score

Clue May 2007

Name: Michael

Location: Oklahoma

"Clue"

Directed by Christopher Guest

Written by Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, and B.J. Novak

Principal Cast:
Christopher Guest- Wadsworth

Catherine O’Hara- Mrs. Peacock

Rachael Harris- Mrs. White

Ed Begley Jr. - Mr. Green

Parker Posey- Miss Scarlett

Eugene Levy- Colonel Mustard

Harry Shearer- Professor Plum

Jennifer Coolidge- Yvette (The Maid)

Michael Hitchcock- Mr. Boddy

Christopher Moynihan- The Motorist

Fred Willard- The Chief/ Evangelist

John Michael Higgins- The Cop

Carrie Aizley- The Singing Telegram Girl

Jane Lynch- The Cook

Tagline: "Communism is just a red herring!"

Comedy

Synopsis: We all know the game and everyone has their favorite character. We all know our favorite weapon, and we all know our favorite room. But, what most of us don’t know is the real story of these 6 individuals and that night at the Boddy mansion…It’s 1950 and a certain Mr. Boddy has called together of all of the people he is blackmailing for a new “arrangement.” This brings together the wife of a senator (Mrs. Peacock), the runner of a call girl service (Miss Scarlett), and even a closeted homosexual working with the state department (Mr. Green). Some are suspected of killing their husbands (Mrs. White), selling radio parts during World War II (Colonel Mustard), and having taken advantage of their lady patients (Professor Plum). Upon arriving each guest is greeted by Wadsworth (The Butler) and taken to the library to have champagne. Once they have all arrived they are taken to the Dining Room to dine of course, and during that time they slowly get acquainted with one another. Soon they find out that some way or another they are linked through Washington D.C. and assume that that is why they are all there. Then, the doorbell rings and Mr. Boddy arrives at what is supposed to be his mansion. He sits down to the table and seems to be very friendly with the maid, Yvette. Disgusted at his relations with the maid and wondering what they are really doing there, all of the guests decide to adjourn to the Study for coffee and brandy. Once in the study and all settled in, Wadsworth unveils that all of the guests are being blackmailed. Following that statement, he goes around the room and unveils the dirty secrets for which each of the guests, except Mr. Boddy, is being blackmailed for. All in confusion now, they then want to know why Mr. Boddy was left out. Wadsworth then informs them that he was the one blackmailing them. It is then that Mr. Boddy notifies the group that he has presents for all of them. The presents happen to be, a revolver, a lead pipe, a candlestick, a wrench, a rope, and a knife. Then, Mr. Boddy tells then that they should kill Wadsworth in order to get the key, unlock the front door, leave, and pretend it never happened. However, when Mr. Boddy turns off the lights so that whoever wants to can kill Wadsworth, a thud is heard, the gun is fired, and suddenly Mrs. Peacock turns the light back on to find, that Mr. Boddy is dead. From that point on there will be 5 more murders at the Boddy Mansion that will occur during, hilarity, suspense, chaos, and the next 45 minutes until the police arrive. The problem is all 6 murders have to be solved before the police come.

What the press would say:
Nowadays in Hollywood, filmmakers are remaking films left and right simply because there is a lack of originality. So when I heard the news that the 1985 cult classic “Clue” was being remade, I was immediately disgruntled even after hearing that Christopher Guest and his usual crew would be making the film. However I came away from the film extremely happy that it was as good as it was. Christopher Guest shied away from the way he normally directs his movies, by actually giving the actors a script to work with. The film is still improvised a great deal, but you can’t really tell because the dialogue flows so well and is so witty. The film is very much in the spirit of the original film, but it really works because the ensemble does extremely well, but Guest’s directing still shines through. In many ways this film is very different from his other films because it has a lot darker of a tone especially with the Mr. Boddy scenes, but I really liked it because even then, that distinct Guest feeling still shined through. I hate to really claim that one performance was better than another because it truly is an ensemble piece of work that is cast perfectly. Catherine O’Hara is fantastic as Mrs. Peacock and gives an excellent comedic performance. Rachael Harris, who is extremely underrated, rises to the spotlight in this movie and really is the star. She has a great deadpan kind of humor in the film that is hilarious, if anyone in the cast deserves any sort of recognition it is her. Rachael does a unbelievable job and is just hilarious. Harry Shearer offers a lot of good zingers as well, and is really really good. Ed Begley Jr. does a great job and he may seem a bit old for the role, but he a truly great job. Parker Posey gives another juicy performance that is side-splitting humor, and Eugene Levy gave a fine performance as well. Christopher Guest really rose to the occasion and took over a role that was perfectly performed by Tim Curry and does a great job and made the character his own.Overall, this film really is something to see, and should not be overlooked in any category in any kind of awards show. Hopefully, this incredible movie will reach a broader audience than the 1985 version. A truly great film that everyone needs to go see!

For Your Consideration:

Best Picture

Best Director- Christopher Guest

Best Supporting Actor- Eugene Levy

Best Supporting Actor- Ed Begley Jr.

Best Supporting Actor- Harry Shearer

Best Supporting Actor- Christopher Guest

Best Supporting Actress- Rachael Harris

Best Supporting Actress- Catherine O’Hara

Best Supporting Actress- Parker Posey

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Art Direction

Best Costume Design

Home For Purim April 2007

Name: Michael
Location: Oklahoma

“Home for Purim”

Directed by James Mangold
Produced by Cathy Konrad and Alan C. Blomquist
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Adapted by James Mangold


Principal Cast:

Catherine O’Hara -Esther Pischer
Rachel McAdams -Rachel Pischer
Kristen Chenoweth -Mary Pat Hooligan
William Hurt -David Pischer
Ryan Phillippe -Sam Pischer

Genre: Drama

Tagline: “This April, Come Home, Come Out, and Come See This Movie”

Plot/Synopsis: It’s the 1940’s and World War II is raging on. Forced by the draft, Sam Pischer is now in the U.S. Navy. His sister, Rachel has recently discovered that she is gay and met Mary Pat Hooligan whom she believes to be the love of her life. When the two siblings, Rachel and Sam, find out that their mother Esther is dying they decide it is time to go home to celebrate what will be their last family celebration of the Jewish holiday Purim. Sam gets permission to come home for the week and arrives before Rachel and Mary. He makes sure that he helps out in every way he can by taking care of his mother, washing dishes, and cleaning house. Once Rachel arrives with Mary, she comes out about her sexuality to her father and her brother who are sitting outside on the porch. They are both shocked, but are supportive and decide that they want to get to know Mary better.

When Rachel tells her mother about her sexual preference, her mother is utterly shocked and quickly dismisses the fact that her daughter is a lesbian. After much discussion and drama, Esther decides that she will live with the fact that her daughter is a lesbian and love the sinner, hate the sin. Meanwhile, as David and Sam try to figure out more about Mary Pat, they find that she is not Jewish, but Christian, and is very uncomfortable about the traditions of Purim. However that night at dinner, all of these problems seem to fade away as the lovely dinner goes on. There is much fun, laughter, and song that soon dissipate into a fight between Rachel and Esther. The fight comes to an abrupt ending when Esther suddenly falls onto the floor.
David and Sam are quick to react to the falling of Esther and hurry to get her medication. Mary Pat starts to get Esther into her room, while Rachel is sitting at the table in disbelief that she is fighting with her mother. Later that night, Esther is feeling a bit better and sitting up in bed. Rachel comes in to apologize to her mother; her mother however is still unable to move on from the fact that her little girl is a gay and does not accept her apology. That night Rachel decides that in the morning, Mary Pat and she will leave and go home.
The next morning, right before Rachel and Mary Pat are to leave, Esther once again collapses. This time they call the doctor, who makes a house call and informs them that Esther is taking her last breaths. One last time, Rachel goes in to try and reconcile with her mother. This time, Esther tells her, in a moving monologue, that although she dislikes the fact that Rachel is a lesbian she does not want to go to her grave in the middle of a dispute with her daughter. Soon after, Esther dies a quiet peaceful but heartbreaking death.


What the Press Would Say: Never before has there been such a good movie trying to get Oscars, based on a movie trying to get Oscars, which was inside of a movie that was trying to get Oscars. Home for Purim really goes the extra distance in all areas such as character development, story, drama, acting, directing and writing. James Mangold makes another terrific film with the strongest acting ensemble of the year. Rarely do you see a director such as Mangold with the talent to direct his actors into the best performances of the year and some of the best of the decade. James also wrote the screenplay, which also was fantastic. The dialogue is flawless and extremely well written. One of the best parts about the screenplay is that Mangold doesn’t use cliché's but writes with a fresh approach to a fairly old subject. The performances are incredible to say the least. Catherine O’Hara reprises her role as Esther Pischer, the role in which she played in For Your Consideration. Once again, she plays the role perfectly and not as cheesy as in Consideration. The scenes between her and McAdams alone are worth more than I paid for my ticket to see the film. The chemistry between these two fantastic actresses’ are chilling in the power that is being portrayed on screen. If these 2 actresses’ are ignored by the Academy like they were in Consideration, they have to be insane. Rachel McAdams gives another great performance and as I mentioned earlier, her scenes with O’Hara are amazing. The dynamic that is on the screen between these actresses is indescribable. I guarantee that after you walk out of the theater you will have been so impressed by these performances you will be thinking about them for weeks to come.

Rachel and Catherine aside, the rest of the cast gives great supporting performances. Kristen Chenoweth presents yet another Oscar worthy performance that is sure to have everyone talking. After winning the Oscar for Wicked, one would think that she couldn't come up with another great performance, but think again. Her rendition as Mary Pat is fantastic; the level of awkwardness when she is on screen with everyone besides Rachel is bone-chilling. Ryan Phillippe produces a great performance that is sure to be under-rated, but still worthy. William Hurt gives a great subtle performance that will probably be over-shadowed by the other performances of the film, but still none the less incredible. On the whole, this is the best film I have seen in a while. It is full of Oscar worthy performances, directing, and writing. Clearly, the best film of the year that you don't want to miss!

For Your Consideration:

Best Picture
Best Director- James Mangold
Best Adapted Screenplay- James Mangold
Best Actress- Catherine O’Hara
Best Actress- Rachel McAdams
Best Supporting Actor- Ryan Phillippe
Best Supporting Actor- William Hurt
Best Supporting Actress- Kristen Chenoweth
Best Costume Design
Best Art Direction

Shameless Oscar Vehicle, 1 SAG nomination, no wins

Runaway Love March 2007

Name: Michael
Location: Oklahoma

“Runaway Love”

Directed by Paul Haggis
Adapted from the Song by Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco
Produced by Bob Yari and Robert Moresco


Principal Cast:

Lisa - Abigail Breslin
Mona (her mom) - Robin Wright Penn
Alan (the man she brings home) - Billy Crudup
Nicole - Ivana Baquero
Raul (her dad) - Javier Bardem
Mrs. Evans- Diane Lane
Stacy - Shareeka Epps
Erica - Charlie Ray
Toni (her mom) - Toni Collette
Nathan (the boy) - Jeremy Sumpter

Tagline: “Hell is a place called home…”

Synopsis: I’m Lisa, I’m 9 years old, I’ve never met my dad and Mom is always taking drugs in the kitchen. She usually brings some guy home, but lately she’s been bringing Alan home. He always gets really mad, and then starts hitting Mom, and then usually he comes looking for me. The first time he tried to play house with me, he was the Dad and I was the Mom, it really hurt to, because he beat me and did other things to me too. I tried to tell Mom, but she didn’t believe me so the next time I didn’t let him, that didn’t go over well. He just hit me harder and did that other thing again and it hurt even more. I didn’t want to go through that again, so I got some clothes and packed, I was running away and never coming back.

My name is Nicole, I’m 10 years old. No one really ever paid attention to me at school especially the boys. Dad would always hit me with his fists and other objects, one of his favorites seemed to be his beer bottles. A couple of times my teacher Mrs. Evans noticed one of my bruises when she asked me about it, I told her that I accidentally fell in the backyard. One day, when I was walking down the hall, I met a girl named Stacy; she was like a sister to me. We told each other everything we cried together; her dad was even doing the same thing to her as my dad does to me. We also had these bracelets that we always wore that were made out of cardboard paper and we had our names written on them. Then, that day came, Stacy didn’t exactly live in the good part of town, there was a drive by shooting on the street where she lived, and Stacy was shot. It was then that I got some clothes and packed; I was running away and never coming back.
I’m Erica, and I’m 11 years old. Back at home, I was from the worse of part of town, my mom was working all the time and we still didn’t have any money. I was so stressed; I started popping X, my mom never found out though. My so-called boyfriend Nathan and I were finally taking it to the next step, I was in love. We didn’t use protection, but I thought he was in love too so it wouldn’t matter. Later, I found out I was pregnant, when I told him, he backed out and started flirting with other girls. I didn’t know what to do; I knew Mom would go crazy; we didn’t have money for an abortion. I didn’t have a choice, I got some clothes and packed, I was running away for good and never coming back.



What the Press Would Say: All I can say is wow; this masterpiece is one of the best things I have seen on screen in a long time. Emotional is only scratching the surface of how this film is, it is so much more. You feel these characters, you identify with these stories, even if you haven’t experienced where the stories go, you still identify with it. Director Paul Haggis has done it again, a phenomenal piece of cinema that will go down in history as one of the greatest ensemble films, and one of the most powerful films of all-time. His direction pointed this film the right way, one of the rare things we see in film today. One of the best parts of the film was that Paul did similar shots and actions with the characters. For instance, every girl had a scene where they were crying and thinking about what to do. They also had pretty much the same packing scene too. I thought it was very impressive that Haggis chose to do that. Haggis also penned the script along with writer Bobby Moresco, and the script is fantastic. The screenplay is so fantastic in the way it handles telling the stories concurrently, in a lot of ensemble dramas you are confused about the different characters and their stories because they are so similar or so confusing. This is nothing like those ensemble dramas; it is easy to understand the characters and all happening at the same time. The lines are moving and a simple scene of Lisa crying is heartbreaking when most times you just sit and stare at the screen.
Speaking of Lisa, played by Abigail Bresnan, this is another amazing performance out of this young actress. She started it off with Little Miss Sunshine and she has taken off. This has established her career that is sure to become even better as the years role on. She is able to transform herself into the character and just the simple things she does are powerful, which is something I expect out of Meryl Streep. Along with Abby, Ivana Baquero gives another great performance in the same respect as Bresnan. These children gave gifts that are just astounding and are both terrific in everything they do. Charlie Ray hasn’t done much work, but she was in a little film called Little Manhattan. She gives a breakout performance in this film, which I think most of us can relate to, rather than the latter two. The scene where her “boyfriend” tells her he doesn’t want to have a baby is just great, and afterwards when she is crying in the bathroom is extraordinary.
Overall, this is a unique movie that is tear jerking, emotional, and everyone will be talking about it. Runaway Love is this year’s must see film, The best of the year!

FYC:

Best Picture
Best Director- Paul Haggis
Best Adapted Screenplay- Paul Haggis
Best Actress- Abigail Bresnan
Best Actress- Ivana Baquero
Best Actress- Charlie Ray
Best Supporting Actress- Toni Collette
Best Supporting Actress- Shareeka Epps
Best Supporting Actor- Billy Crudup
Best Ensemble (SAG)
Best Picture Drama (GG)

Honorable Mention, 2 Oscar nominations, 0 wins, 0 SAG/GG

The Realmother March 2007

Name: Michael
Location: Oklahoma

“The Realmother”

Directed by Alexander Payne
Distributed by Universal Studios
Written by Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor, and B.J. Novak
Music by Rolfe Kent

Principal Cast:

Ellen DeGeneres- Judy Glenn
Cloris Leachman- Julie Glenn
Owen Wilson- Andy Wilde
Rosie O’Donnell- Donna Dixon
Joy Behar- Lisa Dixon
Mel Brooks- Poppy Dixon
Jane Lynch- Katie Wilde
Florence Henderson- Jenna Wilde
Megan Mullally- Veronica Bergin


Tagline: “Dig for the truth, even if you miss, you’ll still end up somewhere in China!”

Synopsis: Judy Glenn (DeGeneres) has just had her dreams crushed by Hollywood and journey’s back home to her mother Julie (Leachman) where she is greeted by the ever so cruel “I Told You So” Dance (unless you are the one dancing). Judy is living the hometown life and is just trying to have a simple life, that all changed when she received an invitation to a family reunion that she had no idea who they were. When Judy inquires her mother on the invitation, her mother tries to hide the subject, but to no avail. Julie then informs Judy that she is not her biological mother. This sends Judy on a quest to find her true mother…

Judy flies down to New Orleans, where she is greeted by her supposed brother, Andy Wilde (Wilson) whom Judy finds that she can never count on. Next throughout the midst of people including her obnoxious New York cousins, Donna and Lisa (O’Donnell and Behar) and their dad Poppy (Brooks), she meets the sister she never had, Katie (Lynch) who she finds to be quite entertaining, but annoying after a while. Finally, she stumbles upon her true mother, Jenna (Henderson) who turns out to be more like Judy than she ever thought. Jenna was once the diva of all diva’s and was quite the partier. She made a slew of horrible films including Casanegro, Dancin’ in the Snow, A Really Ugly Mind, and The Brady Bunch Movie.

When the Press got a hold on the story, paparazzi flocked to New Orleans to get the big story, the worst reporter of them all was Veronica Bergin (Mullally) who would hound all of the family for answers. Showing up at their hotel rooms, barraging in at the restaurants, interrupting picnics, and even knocking on bathroom doors she would do anything for the story. The next question became who sold the story, was it the jealous step-mother, the always high brother, the realmother who just wanted the attention, or was it the butler?

What The Press Would Say: All I can say is that the second installment of this series surprised me even more than the first. Alexander Payne directed another fantastic comedy that is just plain fun to see on screen. The family is completely different in so many ways that there are so many ways that it could go cliché, but it doesn’t. It was original comedy that had my sides aching. The writing was fantastic once again, and was fully of painfully awkward moments that I was slumping down in my seat. With all the quick comebacks that the characters make, I wish I had taken a notebook so I could write them all down. Ellen gave a fantastic performance that is once again worthy of an Oscar nomination. She is so witty and so charming it is practically indescribable. The way she approached the character was perfect and she had the perfect mix of comedy and a touch of drama. With her facial expressions, her hilarious tones, and the sharp dialogue she was one of the best parts of the film. Don’t forget Florence either, she was perfectly cast as Judy’s mother alone in the fact that they look exactly like each other. Even so, she gives a stellar performance that is hysterical is so many aspects; from the clever lines to those tiny little moments that make you laugh. The scene where Mel Brooks is accused of telling the tabloids the story is so funny because he is as drunk as a skunk and everything about just made me cry laughing. All of the supporting cast was great and deserved a round of applause for each of their performances. Overall, the funniest movie of the year by far and well deserving of many Oscars, The Best Film of the Year!!!

For Your Consideration:
Best Picture
Best Director- Alexander Payne
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actress- Ellen DeGeneres
Best Supporting Actress- Florence Henderson
Best Supporting Actress- Jane Lynch
Best Supporting Actor- Mel Brooks
Best Editing
Best Original Score

16th Place, 3 Oscar nominations, 0 wins, 2 GG nominations, 1 win, 1 SAG nominations, 0 wins

Pygmalion February 2007

***Most Sucessful Bait to Date***

Name: Michael
Location: Oklahoma

“Pygmalion”

Directed by Stephen Frears
Written by Robin Swicord
Original Score by Stephen Trask
Art Direction by Gemma Jackson and Trisha Edwards
Costume Design by Sandy Powell
Distributed by Miramax Pictures

Principal Cast:

Emily Blunt- Eliza Doolittle
Michael Caine- Henry Higgins
Dustin Hoffman- Colonel Pickering
Julie Andrews- Mrs. Higgins
Ryan Gosling-Freddy Eynsford-Hill
Angela Lansbury- Mrs. Pearce
Steve Carell- Alfred Doolittle


Tagline:

Synopsis: The classic play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw was adapted into a musical by Lerner and Lowe by the name of “My Fair Lady” and grew to monumental fame. When idealistic phonetics professor Henry Higgins (Caine) bets a fellow phonetics professor Colonel Pickering (Hoffman) that he can pass a mere flower girl, Eliza Doolittle (Blunt) off as a lady at Buckingham Palace after 6 months of teaching. After a few weeks, Eliza, Higgins, and Pickering visit Higgins’ elderly mother’s (Andrews) house to see how Eliza can present herself in public. At her house, Mrs. Higgins has a few guests there already including a young man named Freddy (?). Freddy and Eliza find it quite easy to talk to each other and both enjoy the others company. At a formal party, the guests determine that Eliza can’t be English simply because she speaks it as it was meant to be spoken, so they determine that she is Hungarian and of royal blood. After the party, the three retire to the Higgins abode and rejoice in celebration for Higgins winning the bet, although forgetting that Eliza is the one that accomplished it all. Enraged, Eliza leaves Higgins dwelling and is surprised to find Freddy sitting outside. Freddy and Eliza run off in a taxi and decide that they will call Mrs. Higgins in the morning to determine what to do. Eliza hides out at Mrs. Higgins house the next day and only to find that Henry and the Colonel has gone looking for her and ever have the police after her. Mrs. Higgins tells Henry that the girl had every right to leave and he must have frightened her. Higgins then explains how he found out and had the police after her. Following much discussion, Eliza announces that she is going to marry Freddy and departs. At the end, we see that Eliza has wed Freddy and has opened a flower shop and did after all, maintain a relationship with Higgins and Pickering.

What the Press Would Say: What do you get when you add amazing acting, a remarkable screenplay, marvelous direction, and Julie Andrews? Well, some might say Mary Poppins, but even though that also applies to that film, it also applies to the recent triumph of Pygmalion. Pygmalion is the play by George Bernard Shaw that was later turned into the highly acclaimed musical My Fair Lady. Stephen Frears gives the story a new approach and takes the witty dialogue and makes the words even funnier that they were just on the script. This brings me to talk about the hilarious script which was adapted by the lovely Robin Swicord, the clever and sharp conversation is just one of the few things that makes this adaptation worthy of an Oscar. Emily Blunt gives the performance of a lifetime as the cockney Eliza Doolittle. Emily has definitely defined herself as a serious actress now and deserves loads of praise for the way she was able to grasp the role and grasp the laughs. While she is able to gain laughs, she is also able to pry the tears out of your eyes and down your cheeks. As you travel though the film she matures into a duchess and by the end she is able to banter back and forth with Higgins so well it is compels you to be inspired. Oddly enough, Julie Andrews launched her career as Eliza Doolittle and now she is playing Higgins’ mother. Julie plays the part so well and gives a performance that rivals her roles as Mary Poppins, Maria Von Trapp, and even Eliza herself. She is bright in her character and deserves another Oscar for the piece of acting. Michael Caine also gives an amazing performance as the arrogant, Henry Higgins that is so amusing due to the script, his abilities and the direction he was given. The role of Henry Higgins gained Rex Harrison an academy award and it should also give Caine an Oscar simply because he pulls it off and makes the role his own. Dustin Hoffman provides yet once more a delicious bit of acting that is exactly what is needed in the role he was given. He treats Eliza so much better than Higgins does and the chemistry between all of the actors is simply extraordinary. Steve Carell also gives a hilarious performance as Alfred Doolittle that is sure to get him at least a Golden Globe nod. Overall this is an once in a lifetime piece of cinema, acting, direction, and writing that is rarely seen anywhere on the face of the earth.

For Your Consideration:
Best Picture (Miramax Pictures)
Best Director- Stephen Frears
Best Adapted Screenplay- Robin Swicord
Best Actress- Emily Blunt
Best Actor- Michael Caine
Best Supporting Actress- Julie Andrews
Best Supporting Actor- Dustin Hoffman
Best Supporting Actor- Steve Carell
Best Art Direction- Gemma Jackson and Trisha Edwards
Best Costume Design- Sandy Powell

#6 place, 7 Oscar nominations, 1 Oscar, 5 Golden Globe nominations, 2 GG wins, 2 SAG nominations, 1 win.