I was surprised that Penelope Cruz won, but that’s the only category where they can afford surprises. That and the foreign film I guess. I was really hoping Mickey Rourke would win, but I can’t be upset about Sean Penn’s win.

I really liked Hugh Jackman as the host, he wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny, but he had his good lines and most of all he was charming. I liked his opening dance, with the help of Anne Hathaway (can’t sing and dance!). I wasn’t too crazy about the medley dance number with Beyonce, I’ve never been crazy about musicals in general.

Tina Fey and Steve Martin were definitely the funniest. Ben Stiller was also funny, though I don’t know how many people caught his reference to Joaquin Phoenix.

The new layout of the theater put the main nominees in the first few rows, which were very close to the stage, thus giving a sense of the show being a party among friends. That said, the rest of the rows were never covered by the cameras.

A huge problem is the direction. Especially during the memorandum montage, it was hard to read the names of some of the people. The camera kept zooming in and out of the montage, but I really didn’t care for Queen Latifa. Same goes for other segments, where the camera was viewing the stage that had flat screen TVs, instead of just showing us the video itself.

This year they also grouped the categories into pre-production, principal photography and post-production, in the process telling us how a film is made. I thought that was a nice touch.

I am conflicted about how the actor nominees were presented. On one hand it’s nice for a previous winner to introduce the nominee. However, they need to have a real connection, otherwise it just sounds fake. Also, it was way too long. On the other hand, it’s also nice to see a small scene from their actual performance, to show everybody why they were nominated.

Overall I liked the show itself, even though there are some kinks that need to be worked out next year, if they keep the new layout of the theater.

In terms of awards, it was too predictable and I just didn’t care too much about the movies this year. Hoping for better movies in 2009.

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis only had one scene in Doubt, but she really nailed the conflict between her son’s mental health and physical health. A memorable role.

Best Supporting Actor
I was happy to see Robert Downey Jr nominated, I think he did a great job in Tropic Thunder. However I would like for Heath Ledger to get this, it was both hilarious and scary.

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway was a surprise for me but I doubt she will win. Meryl Streep is always good, but we’ve seen this type of role from her. Kate Winslet will probably get it, her role was more peculiar, an older woman who is mentally younger. But my favorite was Sally Hawkings in Happy Go Lucky, unfortunately she wasn’t even nominated.

Best Actor
This year’s nominations are almost all very good. As much as I like Benjamin Button, I don’t think Brad Pitt had a very difficult role. He pulled it off, I just don’t think it deserved a nomination. I really liked Richard Jenkins, he had a very subtle role and pulled it off perfectly. Sean Penn completely immersed himself into his role, I hardly recognized him. But my favorite has to be Mickey Rourke, in a very personal and touching role.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Benjamin Button and Slumdog both have a good structure, I enjoyed the way they told their stories. But Button had me more emotionally involved.

Best Original Screenplay
Frozen River had a really original screenplay. But In Bruges had the best plot as well as dialogs.

Best Director
Milk and Frost/Nixon didn’t impress me with their style. Same for The Reader. Slumdog had a lively style thanks to Danny Boyle’s clear vision. But Benjamin Button’s visuals were even more stunning, and they complemented the visual effects as well as the performances. I really hope David Fincher will be awarded.

Best Picture
I wasn’t really impressed with these nominations, apart from my favorite: Benjamin Button. All the other movies were good, but I wouldn’t even rank them in the top 10 of 2008.

2008 was already a weak year for me, but the nominated movies aren’t even the best. Definitely a disappointing year. Hopefully the show itself will still be interesting.

I didn’t expect much about it, but somehow I really liked it. We are slowly introduced to Kym’s family, after she leaves rehab.

She’s obviously the black sheep of the family but at least at first it seems like everyone is happy for Rachel’s wedding. Soon the truth comes out, first from Kym, she resents Rachel for not choosing her as the maid of honor.

Slowly we learn more about the other members of the family, including their parents. There is a scene about a dish-washing machine contest, that starts with a lot of people joking and having fun, but it ends on a sour note.

The truth of what Kym did is soon revealed, and it brings out tension and emotions that this family hadn’t dealt with. Those confrontation scenes between the members of the family were really powerful and they felt completely realistic.

To help with the realism is the documentary style of this movie, the camera is hand-held without really attracting attention to it. It’s not a gimmick, it just feels natural and it really immerses us into the characters.

I really felt the characters were true, all dialogs felt real and the performances were excellent throughout. Anne Hathaway was very brave in her role, it’s not an easy role to play because it’s clearly not sympathetic, but at the same time she’s also not a villain. She’s just a normal person, with her flaws and attributes.

A surprisingly good drama.

Rating: 4 Stars

Luckily I only had that sense of fear of losing my own children for a few minutes, starting from the last time Christine Collins (Jolie) saw her son. When she finally goes home and doesn’t find her son I was very tense and projected my own fears onto her.

However once the fake son is brought to her, this movie becomes something else. It’s about the police corruption, the use of mental institutions, as well as a serial killer.

All these are horrible events, but luckily Christine has some friends that help her. I like that Reverend Briegleb helps her legally with all her problems, but in the end he has his own agenda and uses her to reach his goals. Those goals are ultimately just, but he isn’t depicted as a totally benign character. Or maybe it’s just that John Malkovich has that strange feeling about him.

The police on the other hand, especially Captain Johnes, is depicted as just plain evil and selfish. They tried to counter that with Detective Ybarra, who seems more interested in actually helping people.

The movie ends with hope, but since this is based on a true story, this is not exactly a Hollywood ending.

Jolie is very good here, at times she seems almost a pushover, but when it comes down to it she really stepped up and fought. Also she never gives up on her son, even though the situation seems desperate. On the other hand, her role is not very subtle I thought. She has big dramatic scenes, and that’s where she shines. But those seem almost easier to me.

I did think the movie was a big too long, because it tried to be about too many things. Still, I enjoyed it.

Rating: 3 Stars

There is the mandatory tension, brought on by Tip, Noel’s brother, who is also Paul’s best friend. Tip doesn’t approve because Paul is a womanizer, however Paul seems to be very serious about Noel.

We see their relationship develop in a very meaningful way, sharing their deepest thoughts and secrets. They also don’t have sex, which is a big deal for Paul who only had that in the past, and for Noel, who’s never had that.

Then all of a sudden all hell breaks loose. I must say I didn’t expect that at all, but it’s easily explainable with Noel’s age. The rest of the movie just sees them try to make sense of it all, without actually managing.

At first I thought the ending was weak, but I think I’m just too conditioned by Hollywood movie endings. The more I think about it the more I like how it ended. It’s just more realistic. A very satisfying movie for me.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The focus is obviously on the performances, and we do get many good ones. Hoffman gives his yearly nomination worthy performance, giving us a conflicted priest whose guilt is at the center of the story.

Meryl Streep give us a familiar role, that of a serious and scary old woman, very uptight and strong. But at the end even she crumbles under her own doubts.

Supporting actor Viola Davis only has a small role, but her scene was devastating. Amy Adams is also in a familiar role of an innocent, almost naive young girl.

I don’t want to comment too much on the ending, suffice to say I did like it and it made me think and discuss about this movie more than I would have without it.

Rating: 3 Stars

After she leaves, years pass and Michael is studying to become a lawyer. By chance he sees Hanna again, when she’s on trial for her role as guard in a concentration camp during the war. This part is a very different movie, with Michael’s frustration at not being able to help her.

Once he’s older, his role is taken over by Ralph Fiennes, and he’s still obsessed about Hanna, though I have a hard time believing that he really loves her. I can understand a teenage crush, but love? Still, what he does for her at this point, is very sweet and it helped her with her own life.

SPOILERS FOLLOW!!

There are some things that I had a really hard time accepting. First of all, this takes place in Germany, but everybody is speaking English. I was willing to go along with it, but books and literature are so important to this story that it just doesn’t makes sense.

I also can’t believe that Hanna lived so long without anyone noticing she’s illiterate. How does she even do her job if she can’t read? I am also not sure how her mind works. During the trial she seemed like she had no concept of right and wrong, I assume that’s because she’s illiterate and hasn’t received education, though even that’s a stretch. But then she learns reading from Michael’s tapes in prison, as if she had the most brilliant puzzle solving mind. Not to mention that she’d rather rot in prison than let everyone know she’s illiterate.

The end is tragic, but it didn’t feel too down because Michael did help her a lot with his tapes, and at least she learned to read, which was such a big shame for her.

This is a good movie but I don’t think it deserves so many Oscar nominations.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

The plot of the movie is something I have not seen before, so just for that I was happy to have watched it. But at the center of it there’s a universal truth: mothers will do anything for their children.

Ray and Lila smuggle illegal immigrants from Canada in order to get money for their children. We are presented with their respective situations, Ray with two kids and almost no home for them. Lila cannot even see her own baby.

The emotional point of the movie is when they smuggle a couple who hid their baby in their bag, without telling Ray and Lila. I don’t want to spoil it, but that was a very dramatic scene.

The end was an interesting legal dilemma about indian reservations, but in the end it comes down to a decision Ray must make. I liked her decision, it does make sense.

This is a surprising story that appeals to all parents and any human being.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

A world of Wizards and Witches is nothing new, but it still felt refreshing to watch this movie. There are the usual fun scenes between the inhabitants of the castle: Markl, Sophie, Howl and especially Calcifer (aptly voiced by Billy Crystal).

However there are also dark scenes of warfare, and Howl’s transformation was particularly dark, I think children could be scared of it. There’s also a mystery behind the bond between Calcifer and Howl, which was fun to find out about.

The end brilliantly ties up the conflict in a very simple but satisfying way.

I really liked this film, which has renewed my passion for Miyazaki. I almost want to go back and watch my favorite Miyazaki: Princess Mononoke.

Rating: 4 Stars

There is not much plot in this movie, it’s all about the situation Wendy finds herself in. She’s poor, going on a trip to Alaska to find a job. All she has are her car and Lucy, her dog. Unfortunately she loses it all.

She certainly is not very lucky here, but she doesn’t dispair and tries to deal with the problem at hand. She finds a kind soul in a security guard, but in the end he cannot do much to help her. Even when he tries, all he gives her is 5 or 10 dollars. I don’t know if it’s because he’s poor too, or he just doesn’t want to give more.

After so many troubles, it felt good to see Lucy again, but that’s when Wendy makes the most heartbreaking decision.

As I said, nothing much happens in this movie, but it’s so well made that we feel for Wendy all the way.

Rating: 3.5 Stars