Just in time for the Oscars tonight are some of my reviews of Oscar films:

(M) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. (Andrew Dominik, 2007) Grade: B

Thoughts: Robert Ford (Casey Affleck), who idolizes Jesse James (Brad Pitt) since he was young, tries to join his gang and gradually begins to resent the bandit leader. The movie is not for everyone, it is slow paced and takes it time but I enjoyed it still especially the last 40 mins. Casey Affleck’s performance was great and Sam Rockwell did a really nice job as well.

(M) There Will Be Blood. (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007) Grade: B+

Thoughts: A story about an oilman name Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his family, greed and religion. The story was good however some parts did drag but I guess that is expected of P.T. Anderson films. Dillon Freasier’s performance of H.W. Plainview, Daniel’s son, was so good; that young man has some talent in him. Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance excellent, although I have been reading some people debating if Daniel is truly a great actor or just a giant ham due to the roles and characters he plays. I would go with great actor but that is just my opinion.

(M) Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. (Tim Burton, 2007) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Benjamin Barker aka Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) sets up a barbershop in London to get revenge on Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who separated him from his wife and child for 15 years. It was a bloody mess of a film and though I enjoyed it because I love my musicals, I just could not love it. I think it suffered from the Chicago, Rent and Hairspray syndrome, which is these Broadway productions are better as productions.

(M) Ratatouille. (Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava, 2007) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Remy (Patton Oswalt) is a young rat who wants to be a cook like his cooking idol Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett). He gets a chance when Remy aids a young chef name Linguini (Lou Ramano). I thought the movie dragged a bit and I did not care for any of the characters. It was a bit of a bored; maybe it was meant more for children. Oh well.

Movie Count: 9