PROMISED LAND

PROMISED LAND
Written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Starring Matt Damon, John Krasinski and Frances McDormand

When I think of the promised land, I think of a metaphoric place where great things come together to form some sort of utopian existence. As that would relate to film, I would think that the notion of actor/writer, Matt Damon, re-teaming with director, Gus Van Sant (GOOD WILL HUNTING), would be solid ground to start on. Throw in talented actresses like Frances McDormand and Rosemarie DeWitt and that ground should prove to be pretty fertile. You can even take a risk on unproven yet charming screen talent, John Krasinski, who collaborates with Damon on the writing duty. All of these elements should provide as close to perfection as possible but PROMISED LAND never delivers on its own promise.

Based on a Dave Eggers story, Damon and Krasinski have written a thoroughly unfocused, unavoidably preachy screenplay. PROMISED LAND attempts to shed some light on the dangers of natural gas drilling, which can provide some small communities with some much needed capital, but at the risk of poisoning their land. Enter a giant corporation, called Global Corp or something equally as banal, to take advantage of the poor unsuspecting and simple folks of middle America, whom Van Sant seems to delight in showing as genuinely clueless. Damon is the face of this corporation (McDormand, his trusty aid). He is supposed to be tops in his field but he does nothing but make stupid mistakes from the moment he arrives in McKinley, the farming town setting that could really be any farming town. How ever did this giant drilling monster get to be so successful with bumbling, contemptuous reps like Damon?

When Damon starts mucking up a deal that was supposed to be an easy close, Krasinski enters as an environmental lobbyist who wants to stop the drilling from happening (and steal Damon’s girl, DeWitt, for no real reason whatsoever, other than to muddy an already messy plot). For the first two thirds of the film, PROMISED LAND plays to middling results, despite its flaws. In the final act though, it completely falls apart. The story shifts its focus to the Damon character from the drilling debate. To be fair, I feel the entire film should have focused on character instead of cause, but to come in at the last minute and make this entire debacle about Damon’s own personal issues with his part in raping America, just felt forced. More so, it felt like Van Sant, along with Damon and Krasinski, didn’t know how to end things. It also felt completely inauthentic and when you’re trying to make a movie about an important issue, you should at the very least remain true to that point.

ReReview: MOONRISE KINGDOM

MOONRISE KINGDOM
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand

Suzy: I think you’ve still got lightning in you.

I was wrong and not only do I not mind saying that but rather I feel compelled to do so in the case of MOONRISE KINGDOM. I was quite excited to see Wes Anderson’s latest film when it debuted early in the summer, shortly after making its premiere to great fanfare at the Cannes Film Festival. In hindsight, I can see now that my initial reaction to the film, which was not a positive one, as you may have already gathered, or read for that matter, was likely tainted by two contributing factors. The first is that I had a major headache going into the screening that morning. The second, and arguably the more influential factor, would be that the film itself was not the film I wanted it to be. When I saw MOONRISE KINGDOM a second time though, and allowed it to be the film it actually is instead of what I had originally hoped it would be, I realized that not only was it Anderson at his absolute best, but it was also easily one of the finest films of the year.

What I wanted MOONRISE KINGDOM to be was an Anderson-esque comedy, featuring the bizarre antics of its incredible adult cast, including Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton. What it truly is, is an exceptionally made, Anderson-esque masterpiece, about two troubled young people, Sam and Suzy (newcomers, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward), who see the potential for solace and acceptance in the other. Sam, a sensitive orphan, cannot seem to fit in in any family scenario he is placed; while Suzy cannot seem to find her place within her own biological family, Murray and McDormand playing her also troubled parents. They both feel unwanted and without a proper home because the adults that are supposed to be taking care of and guiding them, are too consumed by their own lives and egos. Sam and Suzy try as they might to make a home for themselves but quickly learn that, unlike the physical journey they are on, the road to a successful relationship does not come with a map and compass. Thus, Anderson’s opus rounds itself out as a poignant and charming reflection on generational influence.

After six films, Anderson is only getting stronger and more focused in his colorful and distinct approach to filmmaking. While his earlier successes, like RUSHMORE and THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, clearly outline his creative style, they can also be a bit cold for some. Anderson finds a warmth he has been building toward of late in MOONRISE KINGDOM. His past characters, with all their specific quirks, can fall prey to their own caricatured nature and get lost within their deliberate construction. Sam and Suzy are innocents though and their discomfort with the world around them, with each other and with their own selves, can palpably be felt on the screen. They are just as particular as any Anderson creation, if not more so at times, but their wonder about the world unfolding in front of them, gives them enough heart to not only make them some of the most real of any Anderson creation I’ve ever seen, but they also firmly ground Anderson’s lofty ambitions, a feat he lets get away from him from time to time. Simply put, if you are open to its charms, MOONRISE KINGDOM will wile you with delight and you will bear witness to Anderson’s crowning achievement. Also, its probably best not to watch it with a headache.

Click here to read my original MOONRISE KINGDOM review. You can also read previous Anderson reviews for THE DARJEELING LIMITED and FANTASTIC MR. FOX.

307. Moonrise Kingdom

307. (09 Dec) Moonrise Kingdom (2012, Wes Anderson) 52



Anderson's zaniness and intricate set pieces are back to being a mixed bag following his utterly delightful Fantastic Mr. Fox. Unfortunately, Moonrise Kingdom is only about half as charming as it thinks it is. That still makes for a fun, albeit overly cute movie that's far more accomplished than efforts like The Darjeeling Limited. Despite an all-star cast of adults, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward give the best performances here. The breathless, rapid-fire gags wear thin quite quickly.

306. Promised Land

306. (09 Dec) Promised Land (2012, Gus Van Sant) 55



For the entire first act, Promised Land seems honest and earnest enough not to verge into preachy message film territory. Even when Hal Holbrook acts as a mouthpiece for anti-fracking environmentalists, this still doesn't quite feel hokey. But somewhere along the way, the contrivances and conveniences start adding up. From a twist involving John Krasinski to Matt Damon's total blindness to his corporation's evils, these people never seem quite real. Only Frances McDormand gets an arc that is true to life. Ultimately, this is just a flag-waving suggestion that America's just too darn determined to be defeated. (There are genuinely way, way too many American flags at use here.) Still, Gus Van Sant's assured direction, keen eye for composition, and a lovely Danny Elfman score keep this mostly on track.

MOONRISE KINGDOM

MOONRISE KINGDOM
Written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward and Bruce Willis

Captain Sharp: Even smart kids stick their fingers in electrical sockets. It takes time to figure things out.

Wes Anderson is an auteur, through and through. His style is unmistakable – from the deliberate cinematography, wide angled and colourful, to the soundtrack, usually folksy and reasonably obscure. He even works with the same actors on a frequent basis (Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, most notably), which only further strengthens the definition of the Wes Anderson universe. His latest, MOONRISE KINGDOM, employs all of these familiar elements but something is missing this time. Aside from Owen Wilson (who has been in every single Anderson film except this one), what is most noticeably absent in MOONRISE KINGDOM, is a point. I mean, there is one; it just hardly seems worth all the trouble.

Working with his regular writing partner, Roman Coppola, who last worked with Anderson on a favourite of mine, THE DARJEELING LIMITED, Anderson weaves yet another quirked out tapestry of a story. Perhaps Anderson’s previous foray into children’s film inspired him to continue trumpeting the youth voice as his two main protagonists here are both barely old enough to watch the majority of Anderson’s repertoire. Sam and Suzy (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, both complete unknowns), fall for each other one night while he, having broken away from his scout troop while attending a church play about Noah’s Arc, stumbles upon her in her dressing room before her cue. There is an unspoken understanding that they are both outsiders – well, I assume there is anyway, otherwise I don’t know why else these two would gravitate towards each other – and they agree through correspondence that they should abandon their lives and live in the woods together. They both live on an island in the middle on nowhere and it’s 1965 so I guess that means this sort of arrangement is actually feasible. The kids do well with the morose, disaffected acting style Anderson pulls from all his actors but it sure is bleak to see future generations looking so hopelessly lost.

Aesthetically, Anderson never misses a beat. Every detail, and there are plenty of them, is tended to with great care. Sometimes, this leads to an absurdity that is both uproarious and insightful. At other times though, his films, despite the warmth in the colour tones themselves, can come across as quite cold. MOONRISE KINGDOM suffers from this. As the kids fight for their relationship, their parents and guardian types (the aforementioned Murray, as well as Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton) bumble around trying to find them and keep their own lives from falling apart. The most I took away from this is that parents should check themselves because their kids are watching them and subsequently learning how to live and love from them at all times. The killer cast does their best to maintain the intrigue and mood but the simplicity of the themes left me wondering if Anderson is running out of things to say. Fortunately, for now, he still knows how to make whatever little amount he has to say look awful pretty.

060. Transformers: Dark of the Moon

060. (19 Feb) Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011, Michael Bay) 38



Michael Bay's ability to establish space and time is as weak as ever. It's apparent there are a handful of major scripted, loosely connected plot points that have to be tied together by any means necessary. Bay's method is fading to black and using a handful of establishing shots in places where there should've been considerable set-up, most notable in the Chicago-set finale. That's almost completely sprung on us with no clear lead-in.

Plot, of course, is scarcely why Bay's movies are so popular. His action sequences remain exhilirating, particularly a freeway chase and a mind-blowing few minutes in a collapsing skyscraper. In a just world, these would be enough to lock the film down as the Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects. (The first Transformers losing that honor and the second being snubbed altogether is rather shameful.)

Other nominations for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing are clearly well-earned. That Chicago finale has some outright spectacular sound. Incoherent as the story may be, there's a remarkable cohesion in the sound design that ties the films together. Were it not for the noise and glossy appearance, this would be totally intolerable.

Suggesting just how troubled this installment is, Patrick Dempsey is the only performer who comes across at all well. He's a surprisingly accomplished villain and is the first actor I've seen in a Bay movie in quite some time that made any kind of positive impression. Ken Jeong is positively deadly. Josh Duhamel is criminally underused. Shia LaBeouf continues to offer nothing while I'd take Megan Fox over Rosie Huntington-Whiteley any day.

2011 Tony Predictions

I'm sorry, what?  This is Sam Watches Movies, not Sam Doesn't Watch Plays But Writes About Them.  But either way, I'm here to predict the Tony Awards for this upcoming Sunday evening.  Granted, while you read, I have not seen any of the shows and only heard the soundtrack to about half the musicals.  But you want to know the funny thing about predicting entertainment awards?  Seeing the performances doesn't even matter.

Overall this is a great year for Broadway.  A strong, and much-needed rebound after the horrid slate of nominees and qualifying shows that opened on the Great White Way.  So many original shows that's aren't jutebox musicals :-)

Here we go.  Comments on the ones which need commentary.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem ***

(My gut is telling me two-time Directing winner Mantello, but I'm hearing that Rylance is remarkable.  In the end, I think how many awards the AIDS drama takes home will be contingent on whether the love it or respect it.  Mantello is ridiculously close.)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday

Frances McDormand, Good People ***

Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice

Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy

Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter

(My gut, again, is telling me newcomer Arianda is going to win for the Oscar-winning role of Billy Holiday, but I'm not seeing it actually happening.  McDormand is an Oscar champ, she's a working actress that people like, and the star of what is arguably the #2 in the Best Play race.  They may want to throw her a bone here.  Born Yesterday isn't even nominated in Best Revival.)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon ***
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

(Bar none, hands down this is hardest race to predict.  When Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe was snubbed, this race became a horse race.  All but Henry have a chance.  Some are staying away from the Mormon men because of a vote-splitting theory, and are claiming it's down to past-winner (and from a show with two Best Actor nominees) Butz and Aussie newcomer Sheldon.  Both, however, are in shows that proved to have a lukewarm reception at the Tonys.  Butz's show is a Best Musical nominee, but curiously without a Book, Director, or Score representation.  Sheldon is in a flashy part, but he and the Costumes are the show's only nominations (in addition, there might be a Didn't We Do This Last Year sentiment with rewarding another drag portrayal.  I'm betting on Gad here, with his scene-stealing just barely besting Rannells' vocal chops.)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes ***
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture

(Some people say Miller, but I'm thinking Foster has it here.  Classic role, good reviews, dancing to drive you wild, and to boot she's one of the most consistent actors on Broadway.  She's due for a second one, I'd imagine.)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart ***
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart ***

Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves

Judith Light, Lombardi

Joanna Lumley, La Bête

Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

(Here is where I--and most pundits--think The Normal Heart will show up with a vengeance. Hickey is the last remaining principle actor for the iconic 1998 revival of Cabaret to be Tony-less (aside from the show's half-Oscar-winning directing duo Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall).  Barkin got glowing reviews, and with Falco's show getting mostly and backhandedly panned, I think that'll be enough to make Barkin a Tony winner.)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ***
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon

(The most surprising thing here on nomination morning were the snubs of two Broadway vets returning to the stage.  John Collum for The Scottsboro Boys and Joel Grey for Anything Goes.  With both of those men gone, the race is down to an epic Emmy champ and a newcomer from the hottest show in years.  In the end, I'm wondering if Larroquette's lackluster singing prowess and technically-critical reviews will hamper his chances, giving way for O'Malley to ride the Mormon wagon to the winner's circle.  I just don't know.  Currently, I'm predicting Larroquette.)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon ***
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

(Benanti won the Drama Desk and seems to be the only actress on Broadway who's okay flaunting around her sexuality no matter where she goes.  Finally becoming a Tony-winner a mere three years ago, I don't see her winning this time.  Drama Desk voters are not Tony voters; Tony voters vote for things that they could have seen in May and April, when they're catching up on shows that they didn't bother to see the other 11 months of the year.  Benanti's show closed forever ago.  Watch out for the female standout James to accept the Tony Sunday night.)

Best Book of a Musical

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

The Book of Mormon ***

The Scottsboro Boys

Sister Act

Best Original Score

The Book of Mormon ***

The Scottsboro Boys

Sister Act

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

(Again, these are pretty much a slam dunk.  Book and Score often go together and when the Best Musical frontrunner is represented in both, it tends to have a good shot.  I'm betting the South Park boys best the final musical collaboration between theatre legends Kander and Ebb.)

Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart ***
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice

(Nearly Everyone is predicting Elliot and Morris to win for their puppet mastery in War Horse, but I'm betting the voters go for visceral emotional effect over dazzling visual harmony.  Plus Grey and Wolfe are heavy-hitters in the community.  Grey, at over 80 did 8 shows a week and directed a show.  Pretty impressive for someone who hasn't won a Tony since the Johnson administration.)

Best Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon ***
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

(Lock. Srsly).

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes ***
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

(All I read about Anything Goes was the stirring tap dance numbers.  I reckon Marshall has it.  Interestingly enough, though, all four of these Choreographers are not only the directors of their shows this year, but have all worked with Sutton Foster in the past.  Ashford on Thoroughly Modern Millie, Marshall on Anything Goes, Nicholaw on The Drowsy Chaperone, and Stroman on Young Frankenstein. You welcome for that Sunday night Look How Smart I Am tidbit when the category is announced.)

Best Musical

The Book of Mormon ***

Catch Me If You Can

The Scottsboro Boys

Sister Act

Best Play

Good People

Jerusalem

The Motherfucker with the Hat

War Horse***

(As with the Best Musical race, the Best Play race is totally devoid of drama.  Both War Horse and Book of Mormon are locks to win the final two awards of the evening.)

Best Revival of a Play

Arcadia

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Merchant of Venice

The Normal Heart ***

Best Revival of a Musical

Anything Goes ***

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

(Oddly, much like the Best Play and Best Musical races, these Revival races are just as secure.  Nothing is beating The Normal Heart or Anything Goes.)

And that's it.  Tell your friends.  This is 100% right, trust me.

The Final Conclusion - Best Actress 1996

1996

So the much anticipated ranking is:

5. Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient

I have really mixed feelings about Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient. I loved the beginning and the way she showed Katharine's behaviour but from the middle, this performance becomes painfully insignificant. Yes, it's 100% the movie's fault and yet the performance suffers from it unfortunately. Too bad as Kristin had the potential of becoming fantastic here.

4. Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room

Diane Keaton is quite proper in a mediocre movie and she really stands out. But here comes the question: is this really a great achievement? It's really good and I don't have any bad feelings about her and yet I feel a bit too indifferent about her. Yeah, there are many touching scenes but I was never very amazed by her. Still, it's Diane and she gives the best performance of the movie.

3. Frances McDormand in Fargo

It's really an OMG that she's only third with this achievement but the performances of the Top 3 are all so fantastic and I have to rank them somehow. Frances McDormand is a real moral compass in Fargo and she gives a beautiful, wonderful performance that is a shining light in the darkness of Fargo. An absolutely astonishing work by a wonderful character actress. I wish I could give out a three way tie.

2. Brenda Blethyn in Secrets and Lies

It causes me physical pain not to pick Brenda but between her and Emily, my pick is obvious, no matter how much I love Brenda's amazing, brilliant, wonderful performance as Cynthia Rose Purley. Yes, that telephone scene itself should have landed the Oscar in her hands and yes, the improvisative skills of Brenda are brilliant but I just can't make her my pick over Emily. I'm really sad.

1. Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves

A spiritual revelation. Emily Watson gives one of the best performances of all time as Bess McNeill. She's so painful, so true and so brilliant as Bess, showing her feelings so incredibly. The purity, the clarity, all the wonders in this role all justify the amount of love that Emily receives from everyone who watches the movie. This is really something for the ages and I'm grateful I could experience such brilliance.

So I can proudly announce

that my winner is...

Emily Watson

in

Breaking the Waves

Easy win.

Final thoughts: Oh my GOOOOD (in a very Janice way)! Three such brilliant performances that they would have made very worthy winners in any year. The thing is that both Frances and Brenda are extremely worthy of an Oscar and it's splendid that Frances won but still... it was Emily's Oscar without any contest. It's such a haunting, harrowing and wonderful performance for the ages. Brilliant, no other good word for her. And truth to be told, I really wanted to resist her. However, this is a strangely bipolar year as Diane and Kristin (two actresses I love more than the others generally) didn't give their best performances despite being very good, occasionally. Making Kristin #5 must be quite surprising but I felt it was Diane who grew on me the most. And at last I finished this year. It took a long-long time, I know but I was very-very busy in the past month. I can't wait to get to more years in the summer.

The ranking of the reviewed years:

1. 1944
2. 1969
3. 1974
4. 1989
5. 1959
6. 2006
7. 1996
8. 1964
9. 1939
10. 1977
11. 2010
12. 1997
13. 2009
14. 1980
15. 1941
16. 1972
17. 1963
18. 1966
19. 1973
20. 1983
21. 1990
22. 1978
23. 1954
24. 1948
25. 2002
26. 1957
27. 1940
28. 1998

About the next year: Finally, a year from a very ignored decade of mine (I can't do anything about it as the movies are so hard to find) . But I'm SOOOOO looking forward to it. There will be romance, comedy, drama, peasants, mothers, courtesans, soon-to-be ex-wives and a real star will be born, I think. OK, it's incredibly easy to find out but I'm very-very excited about it. :)

Frances McDormand in Fargo

Frances McDormand received her second Oscar nomination and only Oscar to date for playing Marge Gunderson, a pregnant police officer investigating in a very odd case in the Best Picture nominee, Fargo. I don't know how much chance she had of winning. I guess she was pretty much the front-runner even though she lost the Globe to Madonna. Still, the other nominees were either too unknown (Blethyn, Scott Thomas and Watson) or not showy enough (Keaton). 1996 was a very unorthodox and interesting line-up without really huge stars.

Fargo is a pretty great movie though I have some minor problems with it. For instance, I think that the solution for the problem is a little bit too sudden and unbelievable. I mean, such a coincidence? But I guess it works because Fargo is quite unusual in itself. The directon of Joel Coen is just wonderful though I'm not sure if he deserved the Oscar over Mike Leigh. We'll see later. The screenplay of the movie is quite great and so is William H. Macy but for me it was Steve Buscemi who really stood out from the cast and he should have received a nomination.

Frances McDormand is an excellent character actress who always gives very great performances in supporting roles. She doesn't play the lead very often and she's not the real lead in Fargo, either. I'm not sure if the category placement for her was right. On the one hand, Margie isn't really the center of the movie and she's just a very entertaining character who makes things very colorful and warm in this cold movie. On the other hand, I couldn't think of anyone else as the leading character of this movie. She actually appears about thirty minutes into the movie and she doesn't really have very much screentime. Interesting enough, people rarely question this leading nomination. I don't think that she had much more time than, say, Patricia Neal in Hud.

That being said, McDormand is just wonderful in this role. I loved the very subtle way that she approached this character. Margie doesn't have loud, over-the-top breakdowns or even huge dramatic scenes. But I wouldn't say that this is a very silent role. The little mannerisms of Margie are just brilliant. Every minute I saw her on screen, I somehow felt so much better. She has this very radiant and warm presence that is really the only pleasant thing about Fargo. One could say that Margie was useless here, but I wouldn't say so. She balances all the terrifying aspects of this story so well and Frances McDormand used every opportunity to do that. To put it more correctly, in the alienated, evil world of Fargo, Margie represents humanity and love. It's lovely that while everybody else is killing others, she is going to give life to someone. Brilliant. I guess, she's more of a symbol and McDormand does it just brilliantly. She perfectly communicated Margie's innocence and incapability of understanding why people are killing for money.

There's so much dramatic weight and true meaning in her scene in the car where she asks the criminal why he did it. We can see all the faces of this character and it's just brilliant. And quite sad, to tell the truth. The lines are rather corny but thanks to McDormand's great delivery they really fit her, so I didn't have a problem with it. And the same goes for her very last scene with her husband. The warmth that McDormand adds to this scene is really touching. Yes, this is what I call a decent life. And McDormand communicated this to the audience terrificly.

The fact that McDormand is also quite hilarious in this part (her deliveries are brilliant) almost totally overshadows the real merits of this performance. Indeed, McDormand's sharp brilliance in the scene where she meets the girls from the bar is impressive. Her face... hilarious. And the same goes for the sequences where she's eating burgers. Again, she's so adorable.

But I don't want to make the mistake of not saying how really, truly wonderful Frances McDormand is in Fargo. She took this very ordinary character (who's actually much more complicated than one would think) added touches of her brilliance and the result was this wonderful, subtle and quite thought-provoking performance. She holds all the moral meanings of Fargo and the way she reveals it is simply perfect. This opinion may not be popular once again, but I just love her.

What do you think? Who should be next? (Emily Watson will be reviewed last to keep the suspense alive)

The Next Year

1996

So the nominees were:

• Brenda Blethyn in Secrets and Lies
• Diane Keaton in Marvin's Room
• Frances McDormand in Fargo
• Kristin Scott Thomas in The English Patient
• Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves

Doing this year was a spontaneous decision but it was requested once and I feel like doing it, so let's see whom I'll pick.

What do you think? What are your predictions for my ranking? Who's your pick? What's your ranking?

Note: I will only start reviewing next weekend.