G.R.i.D. (Get Rich in Dallas)

These are the 2006 picks from the D/FW Film Critics Association. Where are HALF of these movies?

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December 18, 2006
Contact: Todd Jorgenson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS NAME “UNITED 93” BEST PICTURE OF 2006

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association voted the true-life drama UNITED 93 as the best film of 2006, according to the results of its 13th annual critics’ poll released today.

Rounding out the composite list of the top 10 films of the year were THE DEPARTED (2), LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (3), THE QUEEN (4), BABEL (5), LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (6), DREAMGIRLS (7), BLOOD DIAMOND (8), LITTLE CHILDREN (9) and FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (10).

For Best Actor, the association named Forest Whitaker for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Runners-up included Leonardo DiCaprio for THE DEPARTED (2), Ryan Gosling for HALF NELSON (3), Peter O’Toole for VENUS (4) and Leonardo DiCaprio for BLOOD DIAMOND (5).

Helen Mirren was voted Best Actress for THE QUEEN. Next in the voting were Judi Dench for NOTES ON A SCANDAL (2), Meryl Streep for THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (3), Kate Winslet for LITTLE CHILDREN (4) and Penelope Cruz for VOLVER (5).

In the Best Supporting Actor category, the winner was Jackie Earle Haley for LITTLE CHILDREN. He was followed by Jack Nicholson for THE DEPARTED (2), Eddie Murphy for DREAMGIRLS (3), Djimon Hounsou for BLOOD DIAMOND (4) and Michael Sheen for THE QUEEN (5).

For Best Supporting Actress, the association named Cate Blanchett for NOTES ON A SCANDAL. Runners-up included Jennifer Hudson for DREAMGIRLS (2), Adriana Barraza for BABEL (3), Rinko Kikuchi for BABEL (4) and Emily Blunt for THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (5).

Martin Scorsese was voted Best Director for THE DEPARTED. Next in the voting were Paul Greengrass for UNITED 93 (2), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for BABEL (3), Clint Eastwood for LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (4) and Stephen Frears for THE QUEEN (5).

The association voted LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA as the best foreign-language film of the year. Runners-up were PAN’S LABYRINTH (2), WATER (3), VOLVER (4) and APOCALYPTO (5).

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH won for Best Documentary over DELIVER US FROM EVIL (2), SHUT UP AND SING (3), NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD (4) and THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED (5).

HAPPY FEET was named the best animated film of 2006, with MONSTER HOUSE as runner-up. Michael Arndt won the Best Screenplay award for LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE over Guillermo Arriaga for BABEL.

The award for Best Cinematography went to Dean Semler for APOCALYPTO, followed by a tie between Rodrigo Prieto for BABEL and Emmanuel Lubezki for CHILDREN OF MEN.

The association voted HALF NELSON as the winner of the Russell Smith Award, named for the late Dallas Morning News film critic. The honor is given annually to the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film.

The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association consists of 35 broadcast, print and online journalists from throughout North Texas.

I’ve yet to offer my five must sees for this Christmas season. I actually have about fifteen that I must see but I scaled back for sake of space. Halloween may be the only other holiday I can center movies around. I guess it’s the only feasible holiday too. Valentine’s movies? Nah. Arbor Day? Yikes. Enjoy your holiday viewing. Mine are fairly obvious but I can’t get through the season without them. And tell me yours.

In no apparent order:

I never saw this until my late 20s. I was just bored with it all over the place on TV but the Lakewood Theater was showing it and I gave it a shot. I was in tears by the end and it was the feel good kind. And I’m a sucker for that.

This is my breath of fresh air every year. There’s nothing truly remarkable about it but it’s a good story and great music and Vermont never looked so beautiful. Even if it was a soundstage. You just want to be there.

No, it’s not a true holiday movie but it has a magic that feels just right this time of year. Truly a great great animated movie and one of my all time favorites. Plus, it has some winter scenes in there so it works. The Christmas movie they did pales in comparison.

I’m such a sap. Especially for this movie. Charming. Old school. Jimmy Stewart. Nuff said. This is the original You’ve Got Mail and why it’s set in Budapest, I’m never really sure but I adore this one.

Aww man. This is the one that brings me to my knees. This has more heart and soul in under half an hour than many holiday movies have in two. And when Linus talks about the meaning of Christmas, at least one tear escapes me.

There are others. Believe it or not, I dig watching Assault on Precinct 13 (the Ethan Hawke one) at this time. Throw in About a Boy, The Bodyguard and Gosford Park so it’s not always Christmas-y stuff. Just a feeling. Oh, and I almost forgot. Number six would definitely have to be Love, Actually. Wow, I love that one.

This is a repost from my myspace blog:

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If you’re a regular reader of my blog, and why should you be, you’ll know that I’m inclined to suffer from OCD. Among other things. However, it’s probably just something I brought on myself to ignore the travails of real life. Considering that my OCD usually just applies to watching movies and going to restaurants on some list. So it’s not like I’m really suffering all that much. However, my credit card keeps contemplating suicide.

I’ve mentioned time and again how lists are my weakness. Those and Panera chocolate chip cookies. But once I come across a list I’m interested in, I simply have to go through that list one by one. So a list of movies, I have to watch everyone. Neighborhood restaurants? Check out all my friggin’ blog entries on my dining adventures.

So who comes out with a list? The darn AFI. They stopped for a while so I had gotten quite the reprieve but they just released the top 100 Inspiring Movies of All Time. DAYUMMMMMM!!!

So the big deal? Being a movie fanatic, I now feel compelled to watch every single one. All 100. But the good thing is, as many movies as I’ve seen, I think I have most of the list covered. Which, I think may be sad to say, there’s only eleven (out of a hundred!) that I haven’t seen.

And now I feel bad for whining about absolutely nothing. Boohoo, I have to watch a hundred movies. I guess it’s better than doing a hundred situps, which I’m supposed to be doing!!!

Where did the Palladium Ballroom come from? All of the sudden I receive note of some big name concerts heading there. Well, bigger than Gypsy Tea Room but smaller than Nokia. I know it’s over by the South Side on Lamar area but have yet to venture over there and see exactly where. 

But I am happy the Scissor Sisters are coming.  

Remind me to never piss these guys off in traffic. And if so, remind me to close my windows. I’m just hoping these were actual seeds and not soggy shells. (shudder). Here’s an excerpt of Black Tie Dynasty’s tour recap:

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On Thursday night we headed into St. Louis for our next show and as we did we preceded to get stuck in aweful traffic. We only went 2 miles in 1 and half hours!  So as the traffic was shut down to one lane and we’re at a complete hault, we see out of our passenger side mirror, cars behind us start to get our of the lane and drive on the shoulder to pass all the people like us who are patiently waiting.  So as we’re seeing these cars cautiously and selfishly drive the shoulders and pass us, an idea popped into my head. “let’s deck the next car with a handfuls of sunflower seeds”(we always take a huge community back of seeds with us on tour, I know it’s kind of gross but it passes the time). So as the next car(10 or so cars back) turned his wheels to break into asshole mode and be a prick we all grabbbed handfuls of seeds and prepared for the “pitch”.  Then, as he drove by, we unleashed a fury of seeds at his driver’s side window.  The timing could not have been better either as all of the seeds were heading directly for his car window and then we relaized…his windows we’re down.  This guys got hit with about a hundred sunflower seeds from about ten feet away, in the face!  Awesome, what a rush! It was esxpecially thrilling when we caught him screaming obsecinties in his drivers side mirror but he couldn’t stop because all of his other fellow prick drivers’ were following closely behind him.  karma’s a bitch.

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And for the rest, go here!