Film Forum

Episode Recap

Episode 3

January 25, 2005

Films Reviewed: Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator

Commentary: What we thought of the Oscar nominations (read: what got snubbed)

Featurette: A look behind EVP, featured in White Noise

Regarding Million Dollar Baby:

Matt: After a big, bold film like Mystic River, Clint Eastwood returns to a smaller, more compact ensemble piece.  Clint is just fine as the aging boxing trainer, but Hilary Swank really hooks this film as the self-admitted white trash escapee who desperately wants to fight.  All the performances are excellent in this very gripping film.  Deserving of its many Oscar nods.  Four stars!!

Aron: This is one excellent, but quite depressing, movie.  Clint, Hilary and Morgan Freeman all turn Oscar performances in this film.  The boxing scenes are beautifully shot and the emotions that these characters have are genuine.  However, I do recommend you bring a box of tissues to the theater, because you will need all of them.  Four stars!!

Average Rating: **** (out of ****)

Regarding The Aviator:

Aron: This should be the film to give Martin Scorscese his long desired Best Director Oscar.  He is able to turn wonderful performances out of Leonardo DiCaprio (Oscar nominated) as the eccentric Howard Hughes.  Everything about this film feels right: the costumes, the set design, the ambience, everything.  You can't ask for finer entertainment!  And Scorscese went to the talent mines to find the actors in this film.  If you blink, you will miss somebody!  Four stars!!

Matt: Fantastic!  Who else can make a movie out of a man who wants to make movies and design airplanes?  Okay, maybe quite a few people, but Martin Scorscese turns this story into a masterpiece!  Not to be ignored are Cate Blanchett (also Oscar nominated) as Katharine Hepburn, Alan Alda (again, also nominated) as Senator Brewster and John C. Reilly as Hughes' most labored accountant.  This is my second favorite film of 2004.  Four stars!! 

Average Rating: **** (out of ****)

Commentary: The Oscar Nominees were announced the day this show aired.  Matt wondered why Paul Giamatti was ignored for his turn in Sideways.  Aron was wondering what happened to Kevin Spacey for Beyond the Sea.  Both Aron and Matt wondered why two voiced-over films were nominated for Sound Mixing when Film Forum guest Whit Norris was ignored for his excellent work in Friday Night Lights.  While, overall, this year's nominees were what was expected, we felt some things were overlooked.  How will this play out?  Stay Tuned!

Featurette: Aron and Matt revisited the subject of Electronic Voice Phenomenon, as featured in the film White Noise