Little Miss Sunshine

[Josh]

This film deserves its own thread. Because it is good. Very good. Spectacularly good.

I saw one Star Wars movie and two LotR ones on opening night, but I've never seen a movie with an audience as enthusiastic as the one I saw LMS with. There was deep laughter throughout the film, and, during the sadder moments, total silence. There was thunderous applause. And when it ended, everyone around me was saying how they wished it wouldn't end.

When I went to my car, there was a group of people standing around a neighboring vehicle and planning to go see it again later in the weekend. Maybe I'll join them.

I'll say more later. But it's definitely in my Top 3 for this year.

[enemy anemone]

I'm glad you (and the others in the theater) enjoyed it so much!
when I saw it, there weren't many people  in the theater, but we did applaud and laugh together. (that scene at the end--I don't think I laughed so hard or long in a theater before.)

[Aaron]

I saw it last weekend and the theatre was packed.  Everyone left happy and laughing. Right now it is my top film of the year.

[Josh]

I've got it at #3. It's not nearly as challenging, as complex, or as artful as Three Burials or The New World, though it is certainly more entertaning, and, for what it is, it's generally quite masterful.

[Aaron]

Three Burials is a 2006 film? 


Well I haven't seen many films yet so it could change.


Also, I am hoping to go see Lower City this weekend at the art theater so it could change.  I am very intrigued by films in portugese

[Josh]

Three Burials played at a few festivals in 2005, but I think 2006 was its U.S. debut, and certainly its theatrical debut.

[Aaron]

Three Burials played at a few festivals in 2005, but I think 2006 was its U.S. debut, and certainly its theatrical debut.

Is it on DVD yet?

[Brenden]

Is it on DVD yet?

Yes, it is.

[Josh]

Reviewage.

[murlough23]

I really want to see this one now.

And I'm not just saying that because "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" by The Flaming Lips was in the ad, though I'll admit that got my attention.

[Josh]

I really want to see this one now.

And I'm not just saying that because "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" by The Flaming Lips was in the ad, though I'll admit that got my attention.

Sufjan Stevens shows up on the soundtrack, too-- in fact, it's a Sufjan song that provides the film's most memorable musical moment.

[Aaron]

Sufjan Stevens has two songs on the soundtrack and Devotchka (a band I now love) has 4 or 5 on the soundtrack.

[murlough23]

Is there a lot of crude, gross-out, and or dark humor in this film? That's the only thing that could potentially drive me away.

[Josh]

Is there a lot of crude, gross-out, and or dark humor in this film? That's the only thing that could potentially drive me away.

Crude? Definitely not; there are a few gay jokes, but that's the closest it comes.

Gross-out? No, not even close.

Dark? Not really; there's a satirical scene at the end that rather mercilessly mocks the sexploitation of young girls, and it's pretty shocking, but I don't think that's what you mean by dark.

[enemy anemone]

a couple characters make crude comments and one has a foul mouth. besides the satirical scene at the end, there is some dark humor involving a dead body. okay, that sounds worse than it actually is, but I can't describe it without spoiling it.

[murlough23]

Sufjan Stevens shows up on the soundtrack, too-- in fact, it's a Sufjan song that provides the film's most memorable musical moment.

Was that meant to be memorable? It was just parts of "Chicago" playing while they got going in the van. Nothing really memorable happened at that point, unless the embarking on a road trip in and of itself was iconic in a way that I missed or something.

But screw all that. This was a fun film that really had a heart. We saw it this afternoon, and my reaction was similar to pretty much all the rest of you. Really liked it; cringed at one or two things, but even with the humor that may have been a tad dark for me, the jokes were really well set up and thought out in advance. Sometimes the jokes led to tender dramatic moments, sometimes the other way around. It all integrated so well; it wasn't just "random isolated funny thing happens just for random isolated funny thing's sake" through the whole thing.

I give it a B+. No, make that an A-, because I put it above X3 on my list, and I gave that one an A-.

And I should note that this is the second movie I've seen where Toni Collette has to figure out what to do with a dead body. The first was Japanese Story, and it sucked. Hard.

[murlough23]

Little Miss Sunshine got nominated for Best Picture, just when I was thinking only depressing dramas could get nominated in this category! Thank God the Academy has some sense. People are, of course, whining because Dreamgirls got 8 award nominations, but not one for Best Picture. Please. I'm glad it didn't get such a nomination and left a slot open for Little Miss Sunshine. What an annoying movie Dreamgirls looks to be. The Academy will probably get accused of racism for this one, but we already know they're homophobic, might as well go for a twofer. 

NP: "Adlai Stevenson", Sufjan Stevens

[dgp11776]

The Academy will probably get accused of racism for this one, but we already know they're homophobic, might as well go for a twofer.

Hilarious!

[Josh]

Oh, I was pretty sure Sunshine would get nominated-- no film released this year has garnered nearly as much enthusiasm. I think it'll win, too, even though it's technically the weakest film in the category (except for Letters from Iwo Jima, perhaps... I haven't seen that one yet).

[AldaForPresident]

From what I've read, the "surprise" nominee wasn't Little Miss Sunshine, but rather Letter from Iwo Jima. Most of the predictions I read were for Babel, The Queen, The Departed, Dreamgirls, and Sunshine.

I've only seen Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed, and I'd be perfectly happy with a win for either one. But if Eastwood takes Scorsese's fucking Oscar again, I'll have to throw up or kill someone or something.

[bloop]

Hm - I thought Dreamgirls looked rather good, but it definitely looks like a musical with all the trappings of the genre.  Has anyone here actually seen it?

As for last year, I still think that the Academy missed the boat, and it wasn't because they missed "Brokeback" (although that would be a better choice than what was awarded).

Seeing as "Little Miss Sunshine" is the only movie I've seen of the list, I'll have to revisit who was most deserving after watching the rest of them.