The Bucket List **1/2
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes, Beverly Todd, Rob Morrow
Director: Rob Reiner
Running Length: 1:37
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Edward Cole (Nicholson) and Carter Chambers (Freeman) have terminal cancer. They are opposites, with Edward being a rich CEO and Carter being a car mechanic. They are sharing a room at the hospital, and share the same diagnosis: six months to a year. Carter begins making a “bucket list” – things to do before he dies. Edward gets in on the list, and having the money funds their attempt to cross everything off that list. They see the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal, and the Great Wall of China. The skydive and drive race cars. They share their stories and become good friends. Soon they realize returning home will help them more than traveling the world.

Nicholson and Freeman are always good, and “The Bucket List” is no exception. They give their usual standout performances. On the downside, this is a movie that sets out to make views shed a few tears. This gives the film a feeling of trying to be more important than it really is. If that could somehow be toned down, this would be a better movie. There are some good laughs though, and that is the films saving grace. As it is, it is a harmless diversion for just over two hours. I would probably recommend this one for DVD viewing.

Complete list of 80th annual Academy Award nominations:

Best Picture:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Actor:
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Actress:
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

Supporting Actor:
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Director:
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Foreign Film:
Beaufort, Israel
The Counterfeiters, Austria
Katyn, Poland
Mongol, Kazakhstan
12, Russia

Adapted Screenplay:
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Sarah Polley, Away from Her
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Original Screenplay:
Diablo Cody, Juno
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

Animated Feature Film:
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

Art Direction:
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood

Cinematography:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Sound Mixing:
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

Sound Editing:
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

Original Score:
Atonement, Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner, Alberto Iglesias
Michael Clayton, James Newton Howard
Ratatouille, Michael Giacchino
3:10 to Yuma, Marco Beltrami

Original Song:
Falling Slowly from Once, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Happy Working Song from Enchanted, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
Raise It Up from August Rush
So Close from Enchanted, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
That's How You Know from Enchanted, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz

Costume:
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Documentary Feature:
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance

Documentary (short subject):
Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari's Mother

Film Editing:
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Makeup:
La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Animated Short Film:
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Peter & the Wolf

Live Action Short Film:
At Night
Il Supplente (The Substitute)
Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

Visual Effects:
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

Charlie Wilson’s War ***1/2
Cast: Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty, Om Puri
Director: Mike Nichols
Running Length: 1:37
MPAA Classification: R

Democratic congressman Charlie Wilson (Hanks) is a bit of a playboy who never met a party he didn’t like. In 1980, he is named to the Defense Appropriations subcommittee in Congress, and becomes aware of a situation in the Middle Eastern country of Afghanistan. The US is funding the “freedom Fighters” to fight against the USSR with $5 million. Charlie has that amount doubled, but his friend Joanne Herring (Roberts) informs him that more is needed. Soon, Charlie is visiting the region and seeing how things are going firsthand. He returns to the US determined to win this war. With the help of CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Hoffman), he is able to get the funding significantly increased, and soon the US is spending $500 million to help Afghanistan.

“Charlie Wilson’s War” has a top notch cast, including three Oscar winners and two nominees. As one would expect, Tom Hanks is excellent as the womanizing Wilson. Over the course of the film, his Wilson develops a conscience and becomes something more than just a playboy. Hoffman steals the scenes as Avrakotos, and should be a serious contender for another Oscar nomination. Up-and-comer Amy Adams also makes a solid appearance as Wilson’s assistant. The story is interesting and even funny at times. In fact, the majority of the film has a lighter tone despite being about war. This is an enjoyable, smart film that is worth checking out. I recommend it.

The 15 Best Movies I Saw in 2007
1. Gone Baby Gone ****
2. The Queen **** (from 2006)
3. Michael Clayton ****
4. No Country For Old Men ****
5. Juno ****
6. Babel **** (from 2006)
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ****
8. Zodiac ***1/2
9. Notes on a Scandal ***1/2 (from 2006)
10. The Bourne Ultimatum ***1/2
11. 1408 ***1/2
12. 300 ***1/2
13. Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) ***1/2 (from 2006)
14. The Last King of Scotland ***1/2 (from 2006)
15. Knocked Up ***1/2

Juno ****
Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby
Director: Jason Reitman
Running Length: 1:32
MPAA Classification: PG-13

After taking three pregnancy tests, sixteen year old Juno MacGuff (Page) accepts that she is indeed pregnant. Her and her boyfriend Paulie (Cera) only had sex once, but that is all it took. After initially considering an abortion, she decides to put the child up for adoption. Her parents (Simmons, Janney) are supportive, and soon she meets Vanessa (Garner) and Mark (Bateman). They seem to be ready to adopt, but things are not always as they seem. Soon, Juno must decide whether to continue down this path or explore other options, but her nine months is almost up.

“Juno” is a smart and engaging film. The screenplay is solid, telling a good story with humor and drama. It is smart and provided likeable characters. Ellen Page is perfect as Juno, a girl with a witty comeback for everything. The supporting cast, especially Simmons and Janney as Juno’s parents are also great. This is a film that is all around enjoyable that leaves you with a good feeling. Teen pregnancy is a serious topic and it is handled well. I highly recommend “Juno”. You will not be disappointed.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets **
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Ed Harris, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Harvey Keitel, Bruce Greenwood
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Running Length: 2:10
MPAA Classification: PG

When treasure hunter Ben Gates (Cage) has his great-great grandfather accused of participating in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, he sets out to prove the man’s innocence. That innocence lies in finding the lost City of Gold, located somewhere in the United States. On the way, he will have to get at the Queen’s desk in Buckingham Palace as well as its twin in the Oval Office, and kidnap the President of the United States (Greenwood). Fortunately, he has the help of his father (Voight), his mother (Mirren), his former girlfriend (Kruger) and his sidekick (Bartha). Meanwhile, Mitch Wilkinson (Harris) is looking to find the city first and make a name for himself.

The first “National Treasure” was enjoyable, even though it was a bit of a rip off of “The DaVinci Code”. The plot was a bit far-fetched, but one could mostly suspend disbelief. “Book of Secrets” on the other hand is over-the-top ridiculous. It asks the viewer to believe an awful lot of implausible things, and that is its downfall. Its almost as if the screenwriters decided to see how unbelievable of a story they could craft. Sure, its nice to see the characters we met in the first one back in action, but that’s not enough to make this movie work. If you must see this, wait until it is out on DVD.