There Will Be Blood

Those who believe America is trading blood for oil will find agreement in the film's very title. This story, of prospecting and drilling for dark gushers of black gold, is very well done. Performances, cinematography, writing, the wonderful costume and scene design -- we could go on and on. What Day-Lewis displays here is his extraordinary theatrical genius for the cinematic frame, he is in this movie playing a ruthless, fearsome oil-man.There Will Be Blood is odd, unsettling and completely engrossing, and just the thing to restore your faith in the movies.

The 1st Annual Sam's

Best Picture:
- Micheal Clayton
- The Savages
- Eastern Promises (Winner)
- Sweeney Todd
- No Country for Old Men

Best Director:
- Joel Coen and Ethan Coen; No Country For Old Men (Winner)
- Tim Burton; Sweeney Todd
- Tony Gilroy; Micheal Clayton
- Ridley Scott; American Gangster
- David Cronenberg; Eastern Promises

Best Actress:
- Cate Blanchett; Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Winner)
- Helena Bonham Carter; Sweeney Todd
- Jodie Foster; The Brave One
- Keira Knightly; Atonement
- Angelina Jolie; A Mighty Heart

Best Supporting Actress:
- Ruby Dee; American Gangster (Winner)
- Julia Roberts; Charlie Wilson's War
- Cate Blanchett; I'm Not There
- Tilda Swinton; Micheal Clayton
- Soairse Ronan; Atonement

Best Actor:
- George Clooney; Micheal Clayton
- Viggo Mortensen; Eastern Promises
- Daniel Day-Lewis; There Will Be Blood (Winner)
- Brad Pitt; The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford
- Ryan Gosling; Lars and the Real Girl

Best Supporting Actor:
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman; Charlie Wilson's War
- Tom Wilkinson; Micheal Clayton
- Ben Whishaw; I'm Not There (Winner)
- Javier Bardem; No Country for Old Men
- Logan Lerman; 3:10 to Yuma

Best Documentary:
- Sicko
- An Unreasonable Man (Winner)
- In the Shadow of the Moon

Best Animated Film:
- The Simpsons Movie (Winner)
- The Bee Movie
- Ratatouille

Best Foreign Film:
- The Kite Runner
- The Host (Winner)
- Paris, Je T'aime

The Savages

My dedicated readers will have noticed that I already put The Savages in my Top Ten of 2007. I merely did this in anticipation of seeing it. I must say this movie met and surpassed my expectations. The Savages is an engrossing family drama. This serious comedy deals with old age, nursing homes, dementia, death and siblings trying to forge a new bond with each other. This movie finds its humour from real emotions of families dealing with aging parents and the problems that come with age. It is the very particular humanity of the characters involved that makes it a successful and unique work of art.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

A bloody marvelous musical that portrays a barber seeking revenge. With its rivers of blood, this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's musical is extremely well done. This is due to the black humor, impeccable scene and costume design, and gorgeous music in the movie. The story line is brilliant; it perfectly captures our imagination of the 19th century, dark-side of London. The story of Sweeney Todd originated in various English language works starting in the mid 19th century. Although, Sweeney Todd may not be an entirely fictional character. The author Peter Haining argues that the character Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure that committed his heinous acts of murder around 1800. This majestic movie ends, as only a tragic opera should, with death.

Margot at the Wedding

These people are so intensely unlikable, and the film so unwilling to help them toward any sort of redemption, that Margot at the Wedding becomes a blackly-humouring movie. Like Margot herself, the film is contrived and self-conscious and perhaps not entirely aware of its alienating effect; yet beneath the clever surface squirms something damaged and real.

Juno

A so-so comedy that closely mirrors Knocked Up. It is a Knocked UP knock off if you will. Juno is a very cute movie with a wonderful soundtrack. Though, in my humble opinion, not the awe inspiring award winner for which it's been receiving so much buzz. Ellen Page plays the glib sixteen-year-old who launches the film by getting pregnant. It's just the set up for a quirky presentation that from a light-hearted perspective takes on the much heavier subject of teenage pregnancy.