Paul Thomas Anderson has most likely created one of those films that will be studied for a while. Not just because of the amazing technical achievement, but also for the study of American Industry vs religion and the greed that corrupts them both.
Like many of my nominees this year, the
Coen brothers do not partake in the flashy direction that so enamors some. They are almost invisible until the impact of the film finally hits you and you realise that there is no way this film could have been made without them.
No one has ever argued over the technical mastery of David Fincher, but it has been a while since "Fight Club" and "Seven" blew us away. This year he went more for story then flash and it paid off with a gripping 2 hours that I hoped would never end.
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is one of those films that takes you of a roller coaster ride. A quiet small little drama plays like torture on the viewer. You are waiting for everything to go wrong, and that wait is excruciating. Bravo to
Cristian Mungiu for such an assured vision.
Julian Schnabel had one of the most difficult challenges as a director this year. How to make a moving story about a man paralized from his eye down, from that mans point of view. Well he managed to pull it off without it ever feeling like a neat trick or gimmick.
Joe Wright's direction of "Atonement" is by far the flashiest of the bunch. We feel his work in every frame and it adds to the beauty and the drama. By the time the final ten minutes come to life, and the audience is knocked sideways, we realise the magician has fooled us with his bag of tricks.
Paul Thomas Anderson has most likely created one of those films that will be studied for a while. Not just because of the amazing technical achievement, but also for the study of American Industry vs religion and the greed that corrupts them both.
Like many of my nominees this year, the Coen brothers do not partake in the flashy direction that so enamors some. They are almost invisible until the impact of the film finally hits you and you realise that there is no way this film could have been made without them.
No one has ever argued over the technical mastery of David Fincher, but it has been a while since "Fight Club" and "Seven" blew us away. This year he went more for story then flash and it paid off with a gripping 2 hours that I hoped would never end.
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" is one of those films that takes you of a roller coaster ride. A quiet small little drama plays like torture on the viewer. You are waiting for everything to go wrong, and that wait is excruciating. Bravo to Cristian Mungiu for such an assured vision.
Julian Schnabel had one of the most difficult challenges as a director this year. How to make a moving story about a man paralized from his eye down, from that mans point of view. Well he managed to pull it off without it ever feeling like a neat trick or gimmick. 
Joe Wright's direction of "Atonement" is by far the flashiest of the bunch. We feel his work in every frame and it adds to the beauty and the drama. By the time the final ten minutes come to life, and the audience is knocked sideways, we realise the magician has fooled us with his bag of tricks.
