Oscar Predictions Best Picture/Director

SHOULD WIN: Slumdog Millionaire

WILL WIN: Slumdog Millionaire

BOTTOM LINE: All the nominated films are deserving of their spot. Even The Reader which clinched the final spot more than likely from Dark Knight. Frost/Nixon was great entertainment, but to much might have been fiction. Milk was emotional moving, but has a better chance in the Original Screenplay category. That leaves The Curious Case Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire. Button was a great escape to a fantasy that the Academy loves to reward. However, Slumdog has so much momentum going into Sunday night that it looks to be heads and tails above the rest. Besides it's different, it's new, it's exactly what this category needs!


WILL WIN: Danny Boyle

SHOULD WIN: Danny Boyle

BOTTOM LINE: Frost/Nixon is one of Ron Howard's finest films, but he isn't much competition, along with Gus Van Sant who, like Howard picked up his second nomination in this category. Stephen Daldry is the first director in Oscar history to score a nomination for his first three films, unfortunately he will have to wait for another, just like David Fincher who is a first time nominee. That leaves Danny Boyle, who crafted a movie that leaves you wondering how in the world did he do it?! Look for Slumdog to take these top two prizes.

Oscar Predictions Best Actor/Actress

SHOULD WIN: Sean Penn/Micky Rourke

WILL WIN: Sean Penn

BOTTOM LINE: Richard Jenkins was marvelous in The Visitor, capturing the emotion of his character with subtle beauty, but the movie is very little compared to the competition. Brad Pitt was good in The Curious Case Benjamin Button, but you don't really get his true acting until half way through the movie. Frank Langella would be the dark horse for his portrayal as Richard Nixon. However, I'm hoping the Academy gives us a tie this year between Penn and Rourke. The performances were the roles of their careers and you can't help but love them equally. Ok, if only one gets to walk up on stage I pick Penn, for his realistic portrayal of a gay man.



SHOULD WIN: Melissa Leo

WILL WIN: Kate Winslet

BOTTOM LINE: Back in the fall Anne Hathaway had all the Oscar buzz, now unfortunately she is toward the bottom of the Oscar totem pole along with fellow nominee Angelina Jolie. Melissa Leo has my vote for the best of the best this past year. Her performance as a mother struggling to keep her double wide and children sane was the most emotionally connected performance this year, but Frozen River has barely been seen by audiences let alone voters. Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet are both long time Oscar nominees. This is Streep's 15th and Winslet's 6th. Only difference is Streep's won twice before, Winslet hasn't. With a touching performance in The Reader and showstopping performance in Revolutionary Road this past year, Kate's name is what the presenters will be reading.

Oscar Predictions Supporting Actor/Actress

SHOULD WIN: Heath Ledger

WILL WIN: Heath Ledger

BOTTOM LINE: It's not even worth explaining the reasons or who could be an upset, because it simply isn't going to happen. Heath carried Dark Knight, no wait, he dominated Dark Knight. People were talking about his performance before he even passed away and they will continue to talk about it long after Sunday's awards.

SHOULD WIN: Viola Davis

WILL WIN: Penelope Cruz

BOTTOM LINE: In most cases two nominations from the same movie would hurt the chances of one of the actresses winning, but not in this case. What Viola Davis was able to capture in the limited screen time she had in Doubt, in took Amy Adams the whole movie to achieve. Marisa Tomei stripped down to showcase that her win for My Cousin Vinny wasn't a fluke. Taraji P. Henson was comforting in Benjamin Button, but the story could be a bit overshadowing of her performance. However, Penelope was the best part of Vicky Christina Barcelona and as history proves, Woody Allen's actresses usually have luck winning Oscar.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE *****

When I walk into a movie I try to clear my mind of any previous critique I have read or heard. If I'm lucky I will have not been exposed to early reviews, but that can be hard. When I walk out of the movie I start creating my critique and how I will translate my thoughts into words. I like to rate movies by comparing them to other movies. Slumdog Millionaire is now the movie, all other movies will be compared to. I have been wanting a new number one movie on my comparison list, and Slumdog delivered.

Jamal Malik(Dev Patel) is a 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbia, who is sitting in the hot seat of India's version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. When the show takes a break in filming for the night, Jamel is arrested for suspicion of cheating. How did he know all these answers? As he sits in the police station he is forced to reveal why he is being so successful.

Over the course of the next two hours we will travel on Jamal's journey as he explains how each question coincides with events that happened to him as a child. Jamal shares his adventures with his brother Salim(Madhur Mattil ) as they fought to stay alive, make money and find shelter. Their encounter with Latika(Freida Pinto) , a young girl who disappears from Jamal and his brother, are brought together by fate years later, in very unfortunate circumstances.

As Jamal is finally released on the night of the final episode of the game show, he walks into the studio uncertain of how this night will change the way he has lived for so many years. As the lights go down, the music starts and the host says those famous words, "Is that your final answer?" You will be sitting at the edge of your seat, like the 60 million viewers who turned in all around India to witness this life-changing event.

This review has been one of the easiest for me to write because the story is so well constructed. I didn't need to reveal the events that take place in flashbacks becuase just the underlying message and concept is enough to hopefully get people into the theaters.

First and foremost the acting is superb. Basically all unknowns to American audiences, some actors were pulled from the slums of Mubai and others are actors in India's Bollywood. There are three portrayals of the main characters; young children, middle aged teens and then the adult versions. Each range of actors playing remarkable characters, bringing an emotional connection that translate from one scene to the next.

Slumdog is based on the book, Q and A. I haven't read the book, but I can only imagine it was adapted with perfection. When you watch this movie you can't help but wonder how director Danny Boyle was able to conquer the world of Mubai. The way he is able to expose the city, work with the locals, create the fast moving and exhilarating shots at such a consistent speed, is truly magical.

Before I saw Slumdog I was wondering how a movie could win best picture from almost all early season awards given out, without having any of it's actors winning awards? You automatically think that the acting has to carry a story, in the end makes a movie watchable. However, for the first time I realized why Slumdog was so successful without the acting accolades. The movie is such a wonderful package of casting, story, cinematography, sound, etc. that you don't need a cast to carry this movie, although they are remarkable, it's the first time a movie has blown me away from start to finish with never once questioning anything I saw on screen.

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD ***1/2

Ten years ago, two fairly new and young actors touched our hearts in one of the biggest movies ever. Now they are back in a much more serious and adult themed movie. You could call it an unauthorized sequel to Titanic, sort of an imaginary look at how Jack and Rose would have lived, that is if Jack magically came to life after freezing to death in the waters of the Atlantic.

Revolutionary Road follows the lives of Frank(Leonardo DiCaprio) and April(Kate Winslet) a married couple in the 1950's. They live in a suburb, trying hard to live their life as a couple as independently as possible. Not falling into the common place that most couple in the 1950's were molded into. They have dreams and hopes and won't allow their surroundings to stop them from being original on an ordinary road, Revolutionary Road.

What they began to notice is that their plans to be different are not necessarily playing out. Frank works at a local marketing company and April is a stay at home mom who takes care of the daily duties of running a household. The problem is, they are both miserable. April suggest they move to Paris. Frank is less then excited, but finally agrees. They decided to tell their next door neighbors, who pretend to be happy for the couple, but are concerned about Frank and April who are choosing to leave the comfort of suburbia.

Frank and April are friends with Helen(Kathy Bates), a real estate agent who had sold them their house and drops in daily to annoyingly talk April's ear off. Helen ask is Frank and her would like to have dinner with her husband and son John(Michael Shannon) who lives in a mental institution. When they meet for dinner things take a shocking turn when John feels the need to be brutally honest with Frank and April over their recent decisions.

At this point in the movie we start to see the true effects of the downward spiral both April and Frank are going through. John, being both out of place and insensitive is pretty much the only person that really sees what Frank and April truly feel.

Revolutionary Road deals so deeply with the emotions of it's main characters that you can't help but be moved by the pain and desperation they feel. Neither one of them can come to a compromise and they are pushed to fight and save their marriage. As the movie reaches it dramatic conclusion, you know the end will leave each character with even more questions they wanted answered and the dreams they tried to accomplish.

Revolutionary Road works because of Leo and Kate. Both are truly marvelous and it's icing on the cake for Winslet who has had two wonderful performances this year(The Reader). Sometimes during the movie you see the same Leo you may have seen before in other roles he has played. His youthful looks work for the role of Frank, but sometimes take away from the emotional connection. Michael Shannon does everything he needs to do to steal the scenes he is in and Kath Bates is on par with her signature performance.

Some problems with the movie may be the sudden introduction of the neighbor couple and the fact that Frank and April have two kids, but are rarely seen or mentioned, making the viewer wonder where they are and what they are doing during the emotionally traumatic scenes. The movie is depressing, if you're looking for an escape from real life issues you may have in your own life, this isn't a road you want to travel down.

Unfortunately, this isn't how we would have hoped Rose and Jack would have ended up. However, Kate and Leo are believable once again and if we get a movie every 10 years, then that's fine by me.

STILL IN THEATERS

MILK *****

Most movies based on historic events are irrelevant to our daily lives today; effecting our emotions for the couple hours we sit in the theater and then talk about it during the drive home. The next day we wake up, forgetting the premise of the movie but knowing it was good. Milk is not one of those movies. It's a scary reality that hasn't changed much since 1977.

Harvey Milk(Sean Penn) moves to San Fransisco to hopefully accomplish something before he turns 50. His boyfriend Scott(James Franco) decides to take the journey with him.

Harvery opens a camera shop, which turns out to be more of a campaign headquarters during Harvey's run for office. The camera shop is located on Castro street, a working-class neighborhood with little acceptance of the "gays" arrival. Harvey takes it upon him self to make a change, stand up for what he believes. He decides to run for county supervisor.
A move that changes his relationship with Scott as the campaign continues after Harvey doesn't win the first or second time.

Many people in the gay community come out to support Harvey. Clive Jones(Emile Hirsch) is a young boy who becomes involved in Milk's historic run for office. When Harvey is finally elected into office as District 5 Supervisor he begins to clash heads with another newly elected official, Dan White(Josh Brolin). Harvey's continuing struggle to work with Dan over political difference's and the relationship he shares with his new boyfriend, lead to a untimely ending for a man with a dream still vibrant today.

Sean Penn is again, as aways phenomenal as Harvey Milk. The way Penn has the tendency to capture the beauty of a human being is award worthy in every which way. His connection and sincerity with on-screen love James Franco is similar to the way Heath Ledger united with Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch add to an ensamble cast that is both moving and memorable.

When you watch the struggles that Milk faced in trying to successfully defeat Proposition 6, it can't help but make you wonder about the passing of California's recent Proposition 8. How was Milk and the state of California able to defeat a law that would ban schools from hiring teachers who were gay or lesbian, but 30 years later can't pass a law that would allow civil unions and same-sex benefits?

Milk will hit the heart strings of many differently then others. The universal message of fighting for acceptance and the long road that still lies ahead for equality is powerful no matter if your gay or straight. One man choose to stand up to society, creating a following of thousands of people who still fight for what he believed in today. Harvey Millk did something before he turned 50 and unfortunately didn't live long enough to see the impact he made.

STILL IN THEATERS

THE READER ****1/2

Kate Winslet is one of those actresses who never seems to pick a bad role. Like Meryl Streep, Winslet is powerful without speaking a word, her capability of attaching her audience to her emotions and actions are the true beauty of her work and The Reader is no exception.

Set in Germany back in 1958, Winslet plays Hannah Schmitz, a 30-year-old women who rescues a young boy named Michael(David Kross) after he falls ill outside her apartment. Michael is diagnosed with Scarlett Fever and is not allowed to leave home for three months.

After he recovers, Michael returns to Hannah's to thank her for helping him. From this point, an affair is started between both of them. During the time they spend together, Michael reads literature to Hannah. This turns into a lot of sex, even though Hannah continues to call Michael "kid", the sex works because that is what their affair is based on. They read, they have sex and for both of them it feels right, regardless of the age difference.

Their summer relationship stops abruptley when Hannah takes a promotion at her job, without telling Michael, she disappears. As years pass on Michael and Hannah are brought together again, but without Hannah knowing. Michael has to sit in on a trial for one of his college classes at law school. Hannah is standing trial for her role as an SS Guard who let 300 Jewish women die in a burning church after the death march of the evacuation of Auschwitz. What happens during the trial and a secret that can change the outcome of the fate of Anna unfold.

As Michael becomes an adult(Ralph Fiennes) he continues to struggle with the relationship he had with Anna as a child. His encounter at the end of the film with a Jewish women affected by the Holocaust brings a somewhat understanding to the sadness Michael has felt.

I want to get the point across that The Reader is not "another" Holocaust movie. Yes, the topic is dealt with and the issues involved are powerful accounts, but the movie takes you on a journey beyond the actions of Hannah. It's the secrets of the affair, the secret Michael chooses not to reveal during the trial and the same secret that Hannah never opened up about.

The Reader is a sad story, one of grief and embarrassment. What Kate Winslet is able to do with the character of Anna is make her vulnerable, there was never a thought of disgust for what she had done with the young boy. Experiencing this movie will take a lot out of most people, but the story you leave with is about redemption, you may not watch it more than once, but it will stick with you for a long time after.

STILL IN THEATERS

THE VISITOR *****

A couple of reviews ago I said that Frozen River is one of those rare movies that comes along and reassures you that there are good, original movies still being made. Well, it must have been a good past year, because I now have The Visitor to hopefully pursue you to check out.

Although very different story wise, Frozen River and The Visitor take you on a subtle journey in the lives of two different people both striving to make sense of the people they meet unwillingly and how they will interact with people socially different than them.

Walter Vale(Richard Jenkins) is a sad and lonely washed up college professor who is dealing with the loss of his wife. When he is told by a colleague that he has to go to New York to present a paper, he refuses to comply because he says he basically put his name on the paper as a favor to the author and has never even read it. He unwillingly agrees and leaves for New York. Upon his arrival to the apartment he owns in the city, a place he hasn't been to in many months, he walks in on a couple living in his pad.

That unmarried couple is Tarek(Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian djembe player, and Zainab(Danai Jekesai Gurira), ethnic jewelry designer who both are illegal immigrants. They explain they were told no one was living there and were allowed to stay for awhile. Walter tells them they need to leave, but after watching them out his window and realizing they have no place to go he goes outside to tell them they can stay with him for a few days.

Over that short period Walter and Tarek connect over his drum playing. In some very pivotal moments, Tarek teaches Walter how to play the djembe and the unlikely relationship turns into a premature friendship. After playing in the park one day, Tarek is stopped by security in the subway for what is called turnstile jumping. This is the moment where post 9-11 comes into play and the discrimination story begins.

What we witness in the second have of the movie is Walter trying his hardest to stop the detention center from sending Terek back to his homeland. Terek's mother Mouna(Hiam Abbass) comes from Detroit in hopes of seeing her son and stays with Walter until he can hopefully be released. Walter and Mouna share a connection that is perfectly contrived and beautifully progressive.

I loved every scene in this movie from start to finish. What director Thomas McCarthy is able to provide the audience on screen is a trip through the lives of very different people, trying to live their lives in present day America and how when paths cross unexpectedly you can either lend a hand or turn your back.

Richard Jenkins is powerful as Walter in the least powerful way an actor could be. Some would say his performance lacked emotion, but that's what makes this character succeed to finding what is left for him in his life. Sometimes playing a subtle role of mixed emotions like sadness and loneliness is an achievement not many actors are able to accomplish. Sleiman, Gurira and Abbass are all fabulous also in their respected roles. The language and affection they employ on screen is exquisite.

The Visitor is proof that it doesn't take much to get your point across on screen. Watching a depressed, middle age man might bore many viewers. However, if you can leave understanding the effect you can have on reaching out to someone you maybe generally avoid, I think you will appreciate this sentimental story.

NOW ON DVD

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON ****1/2

When I heard the initial concept of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button I wasn't sure what to expect. I saw the trailer and was still mysteriously interested in how this movie would work. Besides when two of Hollywood's most beautiful people are together for the first time, that's worth the price of a large soda and popcorn right there!

We are taken on a remarkable journey with Benjamin, a young baby left at the doorstep of a nursing home in New Orleans in 1918 at the end of World War I. A couple who work at the home find the baby. The women named Queenie(Taraji P. Henson) is unable to conceive and takes the baby with plans to raise it as her own. The problem is Benjamin is 86 years old.

Over the course of the story Benjamin biologically grows younger. While living in the nursing home he meets a young girl named Daisy(Cate Blanchett). They have fun together and play games together, except they are close to 60 years apart. The story between Benjamin and Daisy is as true to a love story as one can get and the scene where they meet after being seperated for over three decades is one of the movies best moments. I'm not sure if there has been another moment in movies where two beautiful people share the screen so well.

By the time Benjamin is able to leave and be on his own he takes a job on a tugboat. Over the course of the next couple decades he meets people who inspire him and learn from him. Benjamin meets Elizabeth(Tilda Swinton) who he falls in love with. Tilda always seems to be perfectly cast in all of her roles and this one is no exception.

I could continue to explain the next few decades of Benjamin's life, but I want you to grow on the journey with Benjamin the same way I did; with unexpected turmoil and beautiful encounters. It has the same feel as Forest Gump or maybe even Big Fish, two movies that expanded your thinking and opened your mind to a fairytale that seems real for the three hours of pure entertainment.

As Benjamin grows younger, his mind turns older and it's obviously what happens once someone grows old. Brad Pitt is fantastic in this role. It's hard to decipher what is real and what is special effects, something I feel hurts the true talent of his performance. Cate Blanchett is truly breathtaking, but what's new right?! Taraji P. Henson is great as Queenie, with every scene she gives us a believable mother, who loves her son unconditionally.

Director David Fincher has worked with Pitt before, on dark movies like Fight Club and Se7en.
His foray into another genre is welcomed greatly, he moves us through the life and times of a boy F. Scott Fitzgerald introduced us to many years ago and I'm sure would be very proud of this movie.

Benjamin is one of the best films of the year, if not in the past decade. What Forest Gump did for an audience 15 years ago, Benjamin will do now.

STILL IN THEATERS

THE WRESTLER ****1/2

Who doesn't love a comeback story? In the case of The Wrestler it's not just the character of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, but the real life turmoil of Mickey Rourke.

I never was a huge wrestling fan. I called it fake, I wasn't ammused and thought that wrestlers were big gruntting idiots. The movie reassured my thinking and it was done with scincerity and a remarkable performance by Rourke.

Randy is a washed up pro wrestler, realizing outside the ring he has little to live for. His job at a grocery store is less then steller, his daughter wants nothing to do with him and his only chance at romance is at the local strip club. The day's of headlining events, selling out arenas and being athletically available have ended.

After suffering a heart attack after a very rough and cover-your-eyes scene, Randy is informed he better retire. Moving up to deli worker at the grocery store, enjoying his time with stripper Pam(Marisa Tomei) and taking steps to reconcile with his daughter(Evan Rachel Wood) he seems consistently happy.

However, after a few tense moments with Pam at the strip club and Randy's desire to be with the stripper. Pam tries to expresses that she won't mix her personal life with what happens in the strip club. Randy goes on a rampage of drugs, drinking and sex. This leads to him creating another tense moment between him and his daughter. All of this, plus many other touching sences, push him back into the ring. I won't ruin the end. It's probably some what predictable but at this point you don't care as long as we see Randy rise again.

I'll will be completely honest I had never seen any work done by Rourke in the past. Or if I had, I don't remember. It's hard for me to separate Mickey as Mickey and Mickey as Randy. Their lives are very similar. But maybe that is what makes this performance so pitch perfect? You can't help but see the dedication he took in making sure this wasn't a role people would forget and come Oscar night I'm sure they won't. Marisa Tomei is also very revealing in her role, more so then I anticipated. She plays the role with a sympathetic approach, even for a stripper.

The Wrestler is movie all men will enjoy. That's not to say women will hate it or even dislike it, but it's not a date movie, a romance comedy or even romantic at all. However, it's the pure pleasure of rooting for a man and an over aged stripper who only know how to be accepted by their audience and the road they take to find what they need to move on.

STILL IN THEATERS

FROZEN RIVER *****

There are many reason I love going to the theatre(even if it is alone) and many more reason's I love writting movie reviews. Frozen River was my cinematic reasurrance that I hope to make a career out of this one day.

Just the title alone gets you all cold and frostbit inside. The journy you take with Melissa Leo as Ray Eddy, a trailer trash mom trying to support her two sons is powerful. Ray works at the local Dollar store with hopes of saving enough money to buy a new doublewide after her husband mysteriously leaves one day. Struggling to get hours at work, Ray is unexpectedly lured into illegal imigrant smuggling.

Frozen River is set in upstate New York, just across the river from Ontario. Ray meets a Mohawk girl named Lila who lives on a reservation after the girl tries stealing her car. Remember Ray is not your ordinary mom, she's been through hell and plans not to leave until she gets her new trailer. Lila introduces Ray to smuggling and informs her it's illegal, but ok if it's done on the reservation. Well not ok, but ok enough where the reprecusions are undoable.

Lila is also a single mother, trying to get her son back and both women are crossing the frozen river each time knowing the dangers of the circumstances but overshadowed by the future of their children. The women continue to smuggle chinesse imigrants accross the river holding their breath after each exchange.

This movie may not hit your heart strings like it did me. Not because my mom was a smuggler or becuase she worked at the Dollar Store, but because anyone who has experienced unconditional love by their parents will understand the extremes they take to protect and provide for us. Even the economic undertones are well presented and the location is ideal and simplistic.

I don't want to exclude the subplot of Ray's eldest son Charlie and his younger oblivious brother Ricky. With dad no longer in the picture, Charlie takes many steps to assure his mom he can handle the responsibilities of an adult. There is a touching scene on Christmas Eve involving a much needed Christmas gift for Ricky, that will melt your heart. These boys are the icing on the top of the frozen river.

Courtney Hunt makes her directorial debut with Frozen River and I wish movies like this got more mass appeal. Winner of the Sundance Jury Award for Dramatic Film, I hope you will take this journey, showcasing that the social relationships between two different starngers holds no preconseptions culturally.

ON DVD FEBRUARY 10th

DOUBT ****

In the last decade Meryl has been a singer, a fashion bitch, a lesbian and in Doubt, a nun. Each role fascinating, each role a perfect fit. With any movie staring Streep you know going in that even if the story lacks, Meryl will pull the slack.

Doubt is another stage production brought to the big screen just in time for Oscar consideration. After seeing the trailer for this film I was extremely interested in what will happen in this film. I was expecting drama, drama and more drama and that was definitely delivered.

It's 1964 at St. Nicholas Church in the Bronx. A very vibrant priest, Father Flynn played perfectly as always by Philip Symore Hoffman is trying to gradually undo the strict facade that Sister Aloysius Beauvier(Streep) has cemented into the students at the all boys school. As the story unfolds and we are introduced to Donald, the first black student at the school(remember it's 1964) we experience the unfriendly and much heated exchanges between Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius Beauvier. But when Sister James(played by Amy Adams with a sense of hopeful innocence) shares with Sister Aloysius her suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald. This is where the doubt starts to play out and the acting chops of all involved are expressed. Sister A.B. demands answers and Father Flynn isn't giving much in return, creating even more doubt.

The movie continues with she said, he said until we reach a remarkable exchange between Sister A.B. and Donald's mother played by Viola Davis. I won't even try to explain the exchange, it's worth paying the 8 dollars just to see Viola Davis capture the true essence of mother in bedded with sadness, concern and shamefullness.

Doubt reminded me a lot of Note's of a Scandal from a couple years back. The momentum is accelerated perfectly and the story isn't spoon fed. This is stage director John Patrick Stanley's first stab at the helm of directing a movie and he brought his stage screenplay to the screen with great transition. The sets are limited and the look is as dark as a nuns habit.

Most adults who attened a private school will remember the moments of nuns and priest in charge. You all heard the stories of ruler marks, mouths washed out with soap and bloody shirts. Come to think of it, I had a 5th grade teacher who reminded me a lot of Sister Alyosius Beauvier, but without the horror stories. I'm sure the unfortunate ones who experienced this era will appreciate or flashback to what Streep and Hoffman are able to reinact so wonderfully

I was expecting a lot and experienced less. However less is more when the closing credits roll. Doubting the movie may have been exactly what the intention was.

STILL IN THEATERS

FROST/NIXON ****

Let me first say that I obviously wasn't alive during the Nixon Watergate pandemonium nor did I ever hear about the Frost/Nixon interviews before this move. I know, I know I'm a broadcasting major without knowledge of one of the most famous interviews in broadcast journalism; but that's what movies are for!

I went into Frost/Nixon expecting to be confused and worried I would be wikipeding the events on on my cell phone to follow along better(because everything on that site is real). However, what happened was I became interestingly involved in a story about a washed up television personality played by Michael Sheen and an ex president played by Frank Langella. I never had any need to know about it and now am glad I do. All I remember is watching TGIF back in 1994 and ABC breaking in to tell us Nixon has died.

17 years earlier the former commander-in-chief agreed to sit down for an interview with David Frost. A decision that was laughed at by other networks and looked to become a huge investment disaster. The movie indicates that Frost wanted Nixon's admission that he was guilty and Nixon wanted Frost for every penny he could squeeze out of him for this interview.

Nixon's staff, which includes a younger Dian Sawyer, took every step possible to make sure Nixon didn't say or do anything to explode in front of TV audiences around the world. Frost hired a handful of investigating journalist to prepare for what would end up being television history. There isn't much I can't tell you, we all know the story and the outcome.

The movie flows remarkably well. Although the addition of the documentary interviews throughout the movie could have easily been left out. Frank Langella inherits the passion and emotion of Nixon with believable merit. The physical resemblance isn't exact, but remember Langella has played this role on stage for many years, so the attachment is very much visible.

I was extremely satisfied with Michael Sheen as Frost. His performance was very well executed with just enough spark and determination that I'm sure the real Frost felt during this whirlwind of an adventure he put himself up for.

Ron Howard directs this great retrospective, but probably like many viewers it's hard not to think of Howard as Opie. Howard has given us Oscar winning films like "A Beautiful Mind" and "Apollo 13" but also choked us with "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" so it's no wonder why you may get nervous when his name is attached to a film.

Overall Frost/Nixon is a wonderful history lesson that many may not go to the library to learn more about. In just over two hours I was entertained, informed and enlightened. Everything a movie like this should do.

STILL IN THEATERS