By Kenn Tarr Notes from the film scoundrel
THE NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW released its top 10 list and best picture of the year. They are often the ground-hog harbinger of things to come in the awards season.
The best picture winner was “No Country For Old Men.” The Coen Brothers’ newest film is now sure to get the best picture Oscar nomination and front-runner status if it can keep its hot streak going. Julian Schnabel’s locked-in syndrome film “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” won best foreign film and is poised to be considered for the best actor trophy and best director when February comes along. It has been recognized by Cannes and now this country will discover its greatness. The top 10 list was a mixture of commercialism and high-profile flops … Jack Nicholson’s upcoming comic tear-jerker “The Bucket List” established some much-needed credibility and launched co-star Morgan Freeman and Nicholson into the trophy hunt. The fields are already quite crowded, however.
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” a box-office disaster, was given a reprieve and will likely receive an awards push re-release. Making the top 10 list can get a film on a much needed roll (See “Babe,” “Shakespeare in Love,” etc.) “Into The Wild” starring Emile Hirsch was also acknowledged, making this film a legitimate contender. “Michael Clayton” made the top 10 list as well, and its star George Clooney shockingly took home the top acting prize. Clooney and many other actors will benefit from this year’s NBOR list.
AND THE ENVELOPE PLEASE...
The U.S. Postal Service is irate at Netflix. Their red envelopes containing DVDs have been clogging up mail sorters all over the country. Now each envelope will be levied a 17 cent surcharge, likely a $100 million added expense to their corporate budget. I love Netflix and I am fond of their envelopes. Maybe the mail sorters are out-dated, who knows? Stock prices have dropped and the chances of me going to a video store might have risen just a bit. I am really rooting for Netflix to change their mail-sorter-clogging ways so that I can continue being among their customers. We are shut-ins and proud, fight for us, Netflix!
AND IN THIS CORNER...
As boxing has become entertainment rather than sports, I figured I would preview this weekend’s title bout between Welterweight Champion Floyd Mayweather and the Pride of Manchester, Ricky Hatton. Both are undefeated, both talk a lot of trash and both will be watched by millions as they duke it out in Las Vegas. Hatton is better than a 2-1 underdog. Floyd “Dancing With the Stars” Mayweather is an American hero that is anything but an American hero. A long list of Olympic victories make Mayweather pound for pound the best fighter if his generation. Hatton, a white boxer from the UK will have his work cut out for his Saturday night. Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather set the pay per view record when they boxed in May. This fight may surpass the May fight or likely be a close second. I would like to see Mayweather lose, and I may as well predict it here.
Who knows, maybe boxing would become more mainstream if a “Great White Hope” can win the crown.
KEN TARR is a student at Santa Monica College, an actor and writer and is also taller than 99 percent of the population. He telepathically or at
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 8, 2007. Read the original PDF.