And the Movies Go On
Boy, am I making up for lost time last year or what? Three more movies last week in the Oscar quest, 2007. This really has been quite a year for movies. This is fun!

The Devil Wears Prada
Nomination: Meryl Streep-Actress
Meryl Streep is without a doubt our greatest living actress. What a performance. Even when, for a brief moment when she lets her guard down and isn't a devil in high heels. This movie works on many levels although it is held together by Streep's character. Everyone else pales into insignificance next to her as do their stories. The love story angle feels forced. Everyone else's story is dull in comparison. Yet, just maybe that is the way it is supposed to be. For it is in the common lives of people that things like love and commitment and values come into play. These days and events may seem dull in comparison, but they are the true reality.
(An added bonus is for any of us who are New York-o-philes. There are great New York shots throughout the movie.)

The Departed
Nominations: Picture, Director, Mark Wahlberg-Supporting Actor, Editing, Adapted Screenplay
What may be most amazing about this movie is that Nicholson, Damon, and DeCaprio were NOT nominated for best actor. I guess the Academy voters decided that it was better to skip them all instead of trying to choose. (DeCaprio got nominated for Blood Diamond which some critics say was not as good a performance as this one.) And Nicholson walks away with every chilling bit of the movie. It took me ten minutes to catch my breath after the movie was over. How do you talk about perfection? Scorsese. Bloody and intense and violent and a twist of people and ideas. No one escapes. No prisoners are taken. Be prepared if you go- but go to see it. You don't see movies like this every year- even from Scorsese or Eastwood. It has been five days since I saw the movie and it is still echoing in my head. Wow! What a story- what a movie.

The Illusionist
Nomination: Cinematography
I wish I had seen this on the big screen. I have a hunch it would have been even more mesmerizing to watch Edward Norton's magic in bigger than life. As it was it was hypnotic. You know there is an illusion in here somewhere and you'll be darned if you can find it. Or can you? Paul Giamatti turns in another top-shelf job as Norton's foil. The use of color- or more to the point- sepia-tinged color adds both age and mystery to the story. It is a beautiful movie.