Jean Paul Belmondo, they just don't make 'em like you anymore.

He was a nerd, yet suave. Scrawny and goofy, yet sexy. Sensitive, yet readily prepared to kick ass. Super masculine, for he did his own stunts, yet poured his heart out on-screen.

And, most importantly, he is the white doppelganger to Sammy Davis, Jr. How can you go wrong with that?

Watch:

I caught the last 30 minutes of this film last night on Turner Classic Movies. It's Francois Truffaut's Mississippi Mermaid (1969), starring Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve. Definitely an underrated film of his.

***************************************************************

In related news, I really like this guy:
Will Oldham has a great spirit about him. His music, usually under the moniker Bonnie "Prince" Billy, is something I cannot bear to listen to because it's way too slow for me, but boy, what I'd do to converse with him over a bagel and green chai tea.

Watch:

Also: There Will Be Blood is the best thing in town.

Ever since I've graduated from college, it's been hard for me to not discuss films as if I'm writing a two-page film journal for my film studies course, despite the fact that those were a pain in the ass for me. Nonetheless, I can say I'm not a huge fan of writing long movie critiques because I personally dislike reading film reviews in its entirety. I'm all about the nugget reviews: just gimme two to three paragraphs.

But I have to say, it was already hard for me to not break that rule in my previous entry about The Diving Bell and Butterfly, but it's gonna be even harder for me to talk about Paul Thomas Anderson's genius-storm that is There Will Be Blood. Not a single scene was drawn out; not a single dialogue was boring; not a single soul was half-assing through their lines. Every single thing about that film was perfect.

Know what movie I kept thinking about when I watched this? Citizen Kane. Yeah, yeah, you either loved it or hated it, but as much as I hate popular critic choices for Greatest Films of All-Time bullshit lists, while I may not agree with that rank, mainly because I don't do ultimate lists like that, I still understand why Citizen Kane tops the list.

Anyway, if you have noticed on the right column, I don't have many films listed as my faves of 2007. That's mainly because I'm super-duper-trooper picky when it comes to film, even more so than music. Eh, let's be honest--I'm an elitist cunt. There I said it. So it's obvious it takes a lot to "woo" me, if you will. Maybe because I'm a writer myself. Whatever the case may be, the result is obvious: There Will Be Blood has turned me into a blathering fool. I can't even write about the damn thing without all of these sidebars because it has opened so many eyes in my curious creative mind that it makes me want to personally congratulate every single actor in that movie, because they were a part of something great.

Nothing--NOTHING--has hit the theaters in recent years that has left me speechless. I couldn't even think about the movie afterwards, so I went into the next viewing of The Diving Bell only to clear my mind of how brilliant it was and to focus on another really amazing film. I don't think my thoughts were ready for me to speak about Blood in complete sentences.

I'd really like to reiterate my comparison of this film and Citizen Kane. I'm not a bogus statement kinda gal, (unless, of course, if it's in jest), but Blood definitely is just as important as Orson Welles' 1941 classic because it not only focuses on what's going on in the film, but it also provokes the viewers to think about our American culture through the demonic characterizations of corporate greedy, manipulative and monopolizing powerful men.

Daniel Day-Lewis, my my my. No wonder why you don't take many roles, brother. You are a super method actor. Robert De Niro, my ass. Even his ass has taken some shitty roles. But you are an elite. I am convinced in everything you do. You are a true actor, a person who believes in actually becoming the person in your role, instead of taking the lazy way out and being "yourself."

Paul Dano, that goes for you, kiddo. I remember seeing you in Little Miss Sunshine as the pretentious Nietzsche-loving, "I wanna be mute because of him," kid and was kind of annoyed by your character, which obviously meant that you did a good job. But "good" would be an understatement in your performance in this'n, pal. Watching you perform alongside Day-Lewis made me forget all about Sunshine. Actually, the tension between Dano and Day-Lewis alone makes this film worthwhile. I wouldn't be surprised if Day-Lewis didn't force Dano to sleep with his wife in order to portray a very real hatred towards his character, it was that believable.

And so, I shall speak no more and go into My Oscar votes: Best Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis (winner); Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Paul Dano (winner); Best Cinematography (nominee, only because I'm a bigger fan of French cinematography, which is why I chose Diving Bell); Best Adapted Screenplay: PTA (winner); Best Achievement in Direction: PTA (winner); Best Picture (winner)

Film brilliance: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Remember when Holly Hunter was all the rage when she took the challenging role of playing a mute pianist sold into marriage by her own father and her daughter's verbal translations are the only way she could actively participate in dialogue? And she wins the Best Actress Oscar and little Anna Paquin wins Best Supporting Actress and it's all lovely. Rightly so.

But I'll be honest, while the acting was quite superb, the movie itself was a bit of a snorefest. Having that in mind, when I saw The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I had no idea how director Julian Schnabel would pull it off of telling the remarkable story of a man who could only communicate by blinking his left eye with occasional grunts. I was even more amazed by finding the right cast to pretend to be the actual patient people who helped Jean-Dominique Bauby, the famous French socialite and former editor of Elle, to be able to write his memoir through his one eye. It just utterly amazes me that Schnabel pulled that off so beautifully. I cannot stress that enough.

I tend to deviate from movies that is supposed to "inspire" us because in the end you realize that only a fourth of the film that was "based on a true story" was actually accurate. I guess you can say I'm a stickler of accuracy when it comes to those kinds of movies. And after a while, you will learn what separates fiction from reality in Hollywood, because the results are ridiculously dramatic.

Nevertheless, I didn't have any premeditated biases when I watched the film because if you hadn't noticed already, I was more so intrigued by the fact that someone actually tackled this incredible story and wanted to turn it into a film. It emphasized so greatly the power of holding on to your imagination and your memories and exploiting those key elements through life even in the slightest bit of communication that you are restricted to. It's been a long time since I saw a movie so--dare I say?--inspirational in the sense that makes you appreciate everything beautiful, whether it's big or small.

My Oscars vote: Best Foreign Film (winner); Best Actor in a Leading Role: Mathieu Almaric (nominee); Best Cinematography (winner); Best Achievement in Direction: Julian Schnabel (nominee); Best Adapted Screenplay: Ronald Harwood (nominee)

Guilty Pleasures: I really like Ryan Reynolds.

Three reasons:
1. I used to watch Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, my first introduction to Reynolds.
2. I rented Van Wilder my freshman year in college and watched it twice before returning it. And it was just on a few hours ago and I was watching most of it.
3. I saw a trailer for Definitely, Maybe last week when I was gonna see Juno and said, "Aw. I think I want to see that (doesn't hurt that Rachel Weisz is gonna be in it, too)."

I can't get enough of this guy.

I actually believe he's underrated because he really doesn't get good roles because of his hot bod and hot face. I really enjoyed him in Smokin' Aces (which is another underrated item). But most people don't realize how hilarious the bastard is. I love his subtle wit. I think Judd Apatow should pick him up and elect him to be part of his all-star wit crew.