Time now for the first annual "Bennies".
Entertainment:
Best Movie: I've got to give it to "Slumdog Millionaire". It accomplishes something that very hard to do, have a happy ending that doesn't make you want to vomit. It also does what a good film does best and that is immerse you into a world you could never be in. Danny Boyle is an amazing director who can turn out such an ugly world as the one he presented in "Trainspotting" that was devoid of any beauty and then to be able to turn out such an uplifting film as this. He is one of the best directors out there and never does the same movie twice. If there is a film that comes closest to matching this work it has to be "The Wrestler", which brings us to our next category.......
Best Actor (male or female): Mickey Rourke is the best actor in year of great performances. At first you wonder if he is just being himself and soon come to realize that he is showing you some amazing acting chops. This kind of movie has been done a thousand times but Rourke makes it feel brand new. If there was honorable mention in this category it would have to go to Michael Sheen in "Frost/Nixon" who has the more difficult of the two roles and the one that doesn't chew up the scenery.
Best Animated Film: It's a toss up between "Wall-E" because as always it is a gorgeously computer animated Pixar film and "Bolt" which via John Lassiter has the Pixar tock and is just plain fun. The worst has to be the dull and uninspired "Madagascar 2".
Best Supporting Actor (male or female): OK so I'm blinded by the fact that I have adored this actress of years, but the fact is that even in mediocre pictures she raises them up. Marisa Tomei's performance in "The Wrestler" is an example of just that. Sure she goes topless and that's enough to give her any award without asking questions, but in a film with Rourke's bravura performance, she still makes the level rise even higher. Runner-up and certainly the male Oscar contender would have to be Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight. Each time I watch it his performance gets better and better.
Best Director: Simple Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire". Runner-up in my mind is Sam Mendes for "Revolutionary Road" another really fine film which deserves your attention.
Best Documentary: My favorite category and the winner is "Man On Wire". This one will have you on the edge of your seat. In 1972 tightrope walker Phillipe Petite did the impossible by stretching a cable across the then standing towers of the World Trade Center and continued with the impossible by walking across it. This is a film you just can't dislike. It's hard to take your eyes off the screen in this masterpiece. Believe it is the best of the year.
Best DVD: It is definitely the Blu-Ray edition of "How The West Was Won". This Cinerama gem from the past has been restored to a pristine picture and most of those pesky seam lines in this 3 camera process have been removed. It is also presented in a format called "Smile-Box" which approximates the curve of the "Cinerama" screen, thus truly presenting it in its original format. There is a letterbox version as well and a 90 minute documentary on the process with scenes from many of the "Cinerama" travelogue style films including the iconic rollercoaster ride. The packaging is great as well feeling more like a book than a DVD. All these things come together to make one of the best DVD's ever. Runnerup is the Blu-Ray of "The Dark Knight" with it's mix of letterbox and IMAX footage
Best TV Drama: No question here. I first saw "Life On Mars" when it was a hit BBC series. I liked it but had a hard time wrapping my head around it because it was about British police and my frame of reference just wasn't there. When I heard that they were making an American version I balked. Most American attempts at retooling British shows have been abysmal. Shows like "Viva Blackpool" changed to Laughlin here were a disaster and "Worst Week" while successful I don't feel fared much better. So it was with great trepidation that I watched ABC's version of "Life On Mars" and much to my surprise it wasn't just good, it was great! After a bad start of producer and cast changes, that would doom other shows, this one flourished. The plot sounds stupid, but it works. Sam Tyler, a New York City detective in 2008 is hit by a car and when he gains consciousness to find himself in 1973 working in the same precinct. A fish out of water he finds it hard to deal with the vigilante style of his peers. Sam is played by Irish actor Jason O'Mara and his boss by Harvey Keitel who really puts this thing over the top. Add to them Gretchen Moll and Michael Imperioli who manages to exorcise his "Sopranos" rep. Great cast, great writing all add up to the best show of the year. The runner-up (and very close) "Mad Men" which never disappoints.
Best Comedy Series: OK, kill me, but I love "Big Bang Theory". There is nothing funnier than nerds and genius nerds are even funnier. I'm sorry, I always get big laughs from this show about science geeks. What I especially like is that producer/creator Chuck Lorre doesn't make the sexy girl next door stupid. She's not up to them IQ wise but she is better grounded and finds them amusing and is an anchor to their skewed reality. No cheap sitcom shots here, just smart and funny writing. My Runner-up is a hilarious but stupid show "Testees". No, it's not about balls, it's about two guys who work as test subjects for a testing lab. It makes me laugh, so shoot me. I have to mention "30 Rock" and that while it has come up a little short this year is still very funny.
Best News Program: "Frontline" on PBS. You learn more from this program that a;most any other source in any other medium. The worst has to be "Meet The Press" which always gets accolades although I can't figure out why. Question? Where the fuck is the press?
Next we'll check out our best and worst of other stuff.
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