" "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" sustains an unsettling calm with its pale cinematography and relaxed pace. It takes its time arriving at the titled event, carefully constructing the psychological paths its characters travel to arrive there. In turn, the film rewards an attentive audience by presenting James' shooting not as a simple act of violence, but a product of fear and spurned friendship.

Casey Affleck was superb at capturing those volatile emotions in Ford. As James, Pitt brings some of the same infectious lunacy he brought to his roles in "Fight Club" and "Kalifornia," but he balances it with meditative wisdom.

Some trimming could be to the film's advantage, but even at two and a half hours "James" is an enjoyable watch.

-David

P.S. I went to the same high school as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, so of course he knows he's my boy. It's just understood. "

" Philip Seymour Hoffman is your boy?

Does he know this? "

" A few surprises last night, namely in the actress categories. I was slightly bummed that "No Country" won the big one, as I was keen on seeing "There Will Be Blood" take it; but I was relieved to know that there were two nominees that absolutely deserved to win the award. Unlike, say, "Crash" or "Million Dollar Baby."

Now then, what I feel to be the biggest injustice of this year's Oscars came not last night, but when the nominees were announced. And that is the exclusion of "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" from the Best Documentary category.

This film follows the rivalry between two competitive gamers, Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell. And what follows is one of the most compelling conflicts I've seen in a film in a long time. Mitchell is the established champion, a wholly self-assured rock star within the niche world of competitive gaming.

Wiebe, meanwhile, is the outsider and challenger. His quest to top Mitchell's high score on the 1982 arcade classic "Donkey Kong" is the tale of a man obsessing over a seemingly meaningless activity simply for the sake of proving to himself that he can.

For one thing, it's a lot better than "Sicko." "

" Checking in with my predictions:

Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood." Another profoundly absorbing role from Mr. Lewis, this time as cutthroat oil man Daniel Plainview. While haunting us with Plainview's greed and warped convictions, Lewis manages to rein in the overacting that weighed down his role as Bill the Butcher in "Gangs of New York."

Supporting actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country For Old Men." Much as I'd like to see my boy Philip Seymour Hoffman bring another Oscar back to Fairport, Bardem's turn as the resourceful killer Anton Chigurh is far too icy and subtly maniacal to ignore.

Actress: Julie Christie, "Away From Her." As a woman afflicted by Alzheimer's whose condition sends her husband into heartbreak, Christie conveys a type of tragic decay in her character that not only saddens, but calls attention to the devastation of a serious disease without feeling didactic in the slightest.

Supporting actress: Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone." As the mother of an abducted child in a low-rent Boston neighborhood, Ryan is equally sympathetic and reckless, and in turn Ryan does nothing to simplify the audience's moral dilemma at the heart of the movie.

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men." For a film whose ensemble cast performs collectively stronger than any other, the Coens are most deserving of this award.

Film: "There Will Be Blood." It's too haunting and too relevant in its portrait of American greed and the threat of madness lying behind it. "

" 2008 Academy Award preditions

Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis
Best Actress: Julie Chistie
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchet
Best Animated Feature: Ratatoullie
Best Adapted Screenplay" No Country
Best Cinematography: There Will be Blood
Best Director: Coen Brothers
Best Documentary Feature: Taxi to the Dark Side
Best Film Editing: No Country
Best Foreign Language Film: The Counterfeiters
Best Make Up: La Vie en Rose
Best Original Score: Atonement
Best Original Screenplay: Juno
Best Original Song: Something from Enchanted
Best Sound Editing: No Country
Best Sound Mixing: No Country
Best Visual Effects: Transformers

Adn Best Picture --- No Country for Old Men

12 more hours and we will know. "

" Aha!

So that's how the local bowlers get such high scores. I did not know that. Thanks.

Did you see the bowling scene in "There Will be Blood"? "

" The pro bowlers don't have oiled up alleys that are fixed to increase scores like the local alleys in the area. "

" Sorry everyone, I've been handling additional responsibilities at work lately and that's left me little time to update this here blog. In a couple weeks I'll be able to dedicate more time to it.

This weekend I watched "Gone Baby Gone," Ben Affleck's directorial debut about a young girl's disappearance in a poor Boston neighborhood and the search effort carried out by the police and two private investigators. I'll refrain from spoiling anything, but I will say that the investigators (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) and the audience face a heart-wrenching moral dilemma when they finally find the girl.

Affleck's storytelling skills are surprisingly mature. The events of the film unfold at a furtive pace that permits you to absorb each turn precisely before the next one comes. Along with heated performances by Ed Harris and Amy Ryan (which earned her an Oscar nominee), "Gone Baby Gone" is a tight drama with great resonance. "

" David Wilcox watches a movie a day. Two on weekends.

OK

I thought he had a blog going too.


I tried to maintain a blog once. It was challenging.

But I will try again.

Dear Citizen, if you let my Coupe de Blog go through I will do my best to make this blog as engaging as can be.
Thanks.

----

Welcome to Mr T's entertainment blog.

Has anyone seen any good movies lately? how about any good TV?

Besides the "Jesse James" movie yesterday I also watched the LA Open on CBS ... it was a drag when they stopped showing it at 6PM and switched over to local news.

At 1:13 PM EST there is a man with sunglasses bowling on espn ... hes shooting a score of .... oh he shot a 231 ... local guys can beat that right?

Daytona 500 on later. that would be nice to watch with a 53" HDVT will killer speakers. "

" Catching up on my Western's this weekend.

I watched "The Asssination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford" yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Its a special film that for some reason or another never got much traction when it was released. Roger Deakins & Casey Affleck certainly deserve the Oscar noms they got for their work on this film. Casey's acting is tremendous.

Next up ... "3:10 to Yuma" "

" What is "Go"? "