Persepolis opens here sometime in February, so I wont get to see it in time for the awards and top ten stuff, but the trailer, which plays every time I go to the theater that will open it, is among my favorite of the year. Glad to hear good word.

I normally don't download movies, but I found a high quality screener of Atonement and No Country For Old Men. Chances are I won't see either movie in theaters before the deadline, so I'll watch both tomorrow. And even though I've already seen NCFOM, I'm thinking with a repeat viewing it can only get better. Hopefully the site also puts up a screener for There Will Be Blood before the deadline.

Yeah, I'm with ya all the way on this one Gulli. I've never seen a movie so personal deal with issues that are so huge and ultimately universal. And it does so in an almost entirely visual manner. The aesthetics of Persepolis are so inventive and so finely tuned and sharpened that you could watch it on mute and still get most of the impact. This is a shining example of the power expressionistic movie making is capable of. What we have here is essentially your basic coming of age story, with a very smooth and simple narrative that is crafted like a flashback and broken up into specific time frames, that is jam-packed with worldly themes and concepts - religion, war, oppression, feminism, puberty, love - that are viewed from an entirely subjective perspective in an aesthetically consistent and beautiful manner. Things that have become drilled into our collective subconscious to look and feel a certain way become entirely new and fresh in Persepolis. The war scenes, for example, look like something out of Fritz Lang's M, as opposed to the Private Ryan "YOU ARE THERE" aesthetic we have been spooned by filmmakers lately.

I told myself a couple of weeks ago that it would take a miracle for a movie to enter the heights of my two designated masterpieces this year (No Country and Jesse James). Persepolis is a miracle. It is simultaneously hilarious, heartbreaking, heart warming, informative, beautiful, stirring... any arbitray adjective you wanna throw at this movie is going to stick like fucking glue.

Okay, so I will be seeing Lust, Caution later today and likely Enchanted tomorrow.

I won't catch everything, even the things that are out here.

Would you recommend me to seek out Control, even if it means driving to another city?

Loyal, I don't download movies. All the legal perspetive aside, I just prefer seeing them on the big screen and the experience of seeing the film for the first time is just unique, so...

Okay, but it was Sith and a Tim Burton movie a few months early. This is...Control. Heh.

Oddly enough, Control looks rather appealing to me. And I'm not big on biopics.

How far is the drive? Cuz if its "another city" like less than an hour away, absolutely. 1.5 hours? Yeah. 2+? Eh...that's your call...but it's one of the best biopics I've seen and definitely worth seeking out.

An hour away to the theatre, yeah.

I think Control is worth it, Lec. It's brilliant - an hour's nothing.

I'll be making an ~hour drive to see Blood and Diving Bell before the deadline courtesy of an amazing indie theatre not too far away.

I thought Blood would come to my city this weekend, but nope, it's not. So I'm SOL in that regards. I won't be able to see it before the deadline.

DEFINITELY. Would be very appreciated. Maybe then I could see Control before the deadline.

would love the extension as well. =)

Yes! More time to catch up.

YES.

please extend this.

I'm proud of myself that this'll probably be the first year in which I've seen all the major players before the actual ceremony. Don't know if I'll get to Michael Clayton, but it's been non-stop trips to the theater over the break with Juno, Sweeney Todd, No Country, Atonement, There Will Be Blood, The Diving Bell, Charlie Wilson, and even other high-brow Oscar fare like P.S. I Love You.

Thanks for the deadline extension, though, as I might hit Into the Wild sometime this coming week. Anyone know of any expansion plans yet? Specifically, any for Michael Clayton?

I think Michael Clayton is being re-released on January 18.

And yeah, other than Diving Bell (which I'll just ignore, no interest) and Into the Wild, I actually managed to see all the potential BP nominees before even the nomination announcement.

Woohoo! I'll get to see There Will Be Blood before the deadline. For some reason it's playing in three theaters near me (despite being in only 150 around the country) and the only day I would've got a chance to see it was on the 15th. It's good to know that now I have a couple of extra days to see that and maybe a couple of others.

And yet In the Name of the King is not in a theater within 45 minutes of me. I guess there is a god.

This is not fair!
I won't be able to see.. err.. lots of movies before deadline

Will try to see Zodiac, Margot and Jesse James before the deadline, even with exams in the middle. These 3 are almost locks to make an appearence methinks.

You're setting yourself up for a disappointment with Margot, methinks.

Thank you so much for extending this!

Awesome, I can see Gone Baby Gone and maybe 3:10 to Yuma before the deadline now.

Still the list won't be final then since I can't see Into the Wild (I really could see this becoming my #1 movie for the year), No Country and There Will Be Blood before february.

1 Into the Wild
2 Grindhouse
3 Ratatouille
4 Snow Cake
5 Lions for Lambs
6 Atonement
7 The Bourne Ultimatum
8 No Country for Old Man
9 Once
10 Zodiac

I haven't seen TWB, Gone Baby Gone, Diving Bell and Sweeney.