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2007 Bellview Awards, Part I

1/1/08

Folks--

I just can't get enough of it...let's roll!

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Best Flick:  "Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life"

At the end of the day, this is the only film I might ever see where people were crying from the first scene until the last; the film's power was incredible, but sadly, I saw this at the Tribeca Film Festival, and as of this point, the film has not found a distributor for a mainstream theatrical run.  As such, it is now available on DVD, though, so to learn more about the movie, you can visit www.dariusgoeswest.com. 

2. "No Country for Old Men"

3. "Superbad"

4. "Hot Fuzz"

5. "Chasing Ghosts"

6. "Lust, Caution"

7. "The Great Debaters"

8. "Fido"

9. "Knocked Up"

10. "Teeth"

 

Best Actress--Jess Weixler, "Teeth"

Weixler won the award for best actress at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival; the film opens wide in early 2008 (weird...I saw this literally 12 months ago) and others will get to see why she's a star in the making

2. Wei Tang, "Lust, Caution."  It's a great part, but I was surprised how well she balanced the scenes both in the bedroom and outside of it with just her facial expressions; I'm excited to see if her career takes off the way Ziyi Zhang did a few years ago

3. Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart."  Although her part isn't always the focal point in this movie, she is consistently fantastic throughout

4. Katherine Heigl, "Knocked Up."  I don't watch her on "Grey's", but in this movie, she is hilarious

5. Christina Ricci, "Black Snake Moan."  Yes, this movie is ridiculous and it made almost no money, but that wasn't Ricci's fault, who takes "play the white trash lead" and runs down a long path with it

 

Best Actor--Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"

Whether it's the haircut, the silenced shotgun or the way he says "friend-o", Bardem's performance in this film is its best acting asset

2. Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises."  Man, the guy is good, and how about that extended ass shot! (That's more Meg than me, if you know what I mean.)

3. Gerard Butler, "300."  Sure, he occasionally forgets to drop his Irish accent during the movie, but thanks to a sweet workout routine and some of the best special effects of the year, Butler has cemented at least a couple of big paychecks for himself in the near future

4. Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild."  The center of this whopper is Hirsch, who is on the rise and in "Speed Racer" later this year

5. Tony Leung, "Lust, Caution."  There's nothing that Leung doesn't do well, so as the foil in this period drama, you know he delivers the goods

 

Best Supporting Actress--Leslie Mann, "Knocked Up"

Save for that annoying voice, Mann's performance as Alison's sister makes the grade and provides for mucho laughter

2. Lena Headey, "300."  Being hot doesn't quite cut it; no, you buy that this woman, this queen is really, REALLY tough.  Her nod to Leonidas to indicate that offing emissaries from other countries is cool with her is maybe the film's best scene

3. Evan Rachel Wood, "King of California."  As the co-star in the upcoming Michael Douglas heist comedy, Wood is great; she shows promise after doing lots of drug-addled, sex-crazed characters in her recent past

4. Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement."  The crux of the issue in the film's first half, Ronan annoyed the hell out of me...perfect for her role

5. Marcia Gay Harden, "The Mist."  As the insane Bible-thumpin' "villain" in this film, Harden is strangely believable amidst the chaos that erupts later in this film

 

Best Supporting Actor--Nick Frost, "Hot Fuzz"

Frost, as fat sidekick cop Danny Butterman, steals many of the movie's laughs when he first shows up, and as the bumbling partner who is as dim as a late afternoon in San Francisco, he's perfect from start to finish

2. Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War."  His opening scene alone guarantees an Oscar nomination

3. Christopher Mintz-Plasse, "Superbad."  Jonah Hill and Michael Cera carry this film for the most part, but the addition of Mintz-Plasse's "McLovin" creation made this film the funniest thing I saw all year

4. Josh Brolin, "No Country for Old Men."  Brolin's character is not necessarily the focus of this film, but he gives Llewelyn Moss an interesting edge and a muted feisty nature during his confrontations with Chigurh

5. Robert Downey Jr., "Zodiac."  I did not love the movie, but over the course of its running time you can never deny how great Downey is when he puts his mind to it

 

Discuss.  On to Part II...

 

 

Comments?  Drop me a line at justin@bellviewmovies.com.