The Aftermath

Biggest disappointments:

“The Dark Knight” and Christopher Nolan snubbed for Director/Picture. I feared this one. (See yesterday’s post)

“Revolutionary Road” snubbed for Actor (DiCaprio) and Cinematography (Roger Deakins)

Sally Hawkins and crew (Marsan, Leigh, et al) overlooked for “Happy Go Lucky”

Rosemarie DeWitt overlooked for “Rachel Getting Married”

Ralph Fiennes getting shut out completely, in spite of three great performances.

James Franco overlooked for "Milk" (I know, I know...this was a longshot, but between this AND "Pineapple Express" I was feeling a bit optimistic.)

“Frost / Nixon” still in the game with multiple major nominations. I still say the only award-worthy aspect of this film is Frank Langella’s terrific performance.


Nice surprises and validations:

“The Reader” for Picture, Director, Actress, Screenplay AND cinematography

Richard Jenkins for “The Visitor.”

Michael Shannon for “Revolutionary Road”

Screenplay nomination for “In Bruges”

Not surprising at all, but I’m happy they’re very much still in the game:

Sean Penn
Gus Van Sant
Meryl Streep
Anne Hathaway
Penelope Cruz
Viola Davis
And of course, Heath Ledger

2008 Oscar Predictions or, Oh Sister James! I have such doubts!

So here we go. I give up. After weeks of resisting the common consensus, I’m ready join the swelling ranks of Oscar junkies and agree that the much-ballyhooed Big Five are pretty much a lock for both Best Picture and Best Director. I had hoped for some 11th hour inspiration to confidently suggest that tomorrow morning’s announcement would not be the very predictable line up of “…Button” “The Dark Knight” “Frost/Nixon” “Milk” and Slumdog Millionaire” along with their respective directors, Fincher, Nolan, Howard, Van Sant and Boyle. Yet, that appears to be the where everyone is going, with but a few diehard “Wall-E” fans still holding out for a miracle.

But can it really be that easy? Say it isn’t so. Where is this year’s “Atonement” or “United 93” just to keep us on our toes?

Now, for what it’s worth, I will admit to having a small, nagging feeling that “The Dark Knight” might just be shafted. I hope this isn’t the case, but if any of the top five take a tumble, I believe it will be this one. Like the other fantastic four, it has very strong support from all the guilds, except of course from SAG which denied it the ensemble nomination in favor of “Doubt.” More about “Doubt” in a minute. In addition, TDK was snubbed by the Globes and BAFTA. So, for the most part, was “Milk”… but there’s a difference. “Milk” represents an old AMPAS staple, that of the much-admired, well-reviewed biopic, the kind of movie they’ve been tossing Oscars at since George Arliss made “Disraeli.” On the other hand, to nominate TDK would be breaking new ground, God forbid, by welcoming into the fold what some/several voters may still want to dismiss as a comic book fantasia. I don’t buy that it will secure its nomination simply due to its box office. Yes, it’s impressive, but if that is the only reason it deserves a nomination, then I’d think that Shrek and Spiderman would be among recent contenders for the gold.

That’s why I suggest that “Doubt” might possibly be the dark horse. I’m probably wrong, but consider the fact that all four of its featured actors are shortlisted for nominations. To find a movie with at least four acting nominations but missing a bid for the Best Picture Oscar, you’ve got to go all the way back to 1966 and “Othello” and before that to prehistoric times with “My Man Godfrey.” Sister Meryl and her cohorts also have the SAG nod of approval as well as bounty of nominations from BAFTA, BFCA and the Globes. I’ll probably regret this scenario by tomorrow. And I’m still thinking/hoping that TDK pulls through. But of the five, it’s the one that has me just a little bit worried.

For me, I very much doubt that my own two favorites, which would be –big surprise—“The Reader” and “Revolutionary Road” are even in the game at this point. Third and fourth on my list would be “Milk” and “The Dark Knight” so I go into these final hours with a smattering of cautious optimism.

OK, enough of this babbling. What he hell do I know? Here goes:

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Alternate: Doubt

Best Director
David Fincher, … Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Alternate: Stephen Daldry

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Alternate: Brad Pitt

Sadly, I think Richard Jenkins is out of the race. I was ready to consider Eastwood a long shot until the recent surge of hoopla around his candidacy. No Globe, no SAG, no BAFTA nominations. BUT he did grab the National Board of Review award. And that actually has some weight.

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kristen Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Alternate: Angelina Jolie

Here’s where I’m probably going to get into a lot of trouble. Watch Hawkins and Thomas get trumped tomorrow by Angelina. Or Melissa Leo. Or Michelle Williams.

And may I just say one more time I how much I loved Cate Blanchett in “…Benjamin Button”?

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey, Jr. Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
James Franco, Milk
Alternate: Ralph Fiennes
I’m probably going out on a limb for Franco over Dev Patel, or Fiennes. Or Eddie Marsan, all of whom I liked very much. We’ll see.

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Alt: Amy Adams

If there’s a “Button” sweep, then Taraji P. Henson will probably bump one of the above. Although neither stand a chance, I would love to see Tilda Swinton or Lena Olin on this list.

For screenplay, I’ll play it safe.

Original:
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Adapted:
…Button
Doubt
Frost / Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire



Until tomorrow......

Road to Ruin

While masses of moviegoers scurried off to see “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” this weekend, I was finally able to see “Revolutionary Road” which, at long last, made its way to San Antonio.

Having read Richard Yates’ marvelous novel last summer and then thinking about Frank and April Wheeler, its very troubled central characters, ever since, I was looking forward to the much-discussed and –given its release during Oscar season-- much-hyped film version. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s one of the best movies of the year. It has not proven to be a box-office bonanza and, sadly, may prove to be an also-ran in a year when “Slumdog Millionaire” is mopping up just about every critics list and will more than likely be the big Oscar champ. This is understandable. There is nothing uplifting or feel-goody about “Revolutionary Road.” Where’s the appeal in a domestic drama about a marriage in crisis, circa 1955, that exposes the emptiness and broken promises of the postwar American Dream? I agree with others who believe this movie will easily trump the test of time and be discovered (and rediscovered) and appreciated anew for years to come.

Winslet is even better than I had anticipated. April is almost an impossible role; it’s one of the novel’s greatest achievements that Yates keeps this desperate, maddening and sometimes ridiculous woman so sympathetic and believable. The fact that Winslet conveys –so skillfully, almost effortlessly—these same contradictions in a year when she has already delivered the year’s best performance in “The Reader” is a true testament to her remarkable talent as an actor.

I have always like DiCaprio but have to admit I found him lacking as a leading man. To me, there was a boyishness about him that, though appealing, sometimes undercut the gravity and maturity required of certain roles. For example, what worked well for “Gangs of New York” was all wrong for “The Aviator.” Not until “The Departed” (his best work to date, in my opinion) could I appreciate any real maturity of character. So I was hesitant to accept him as Frank and as much as I could see Winslet as April, believed that casting Leo was a rather crass and obvious pandering to the “Titanic” fanatics who might make this move another worldwide wonder. I could see Matt Damon or Aaron Eckhart in the role and perhaps Gwyneth Paltrow as another April possibility (and while reading the book last summer, I kept picturing Jon Hamm and especially January Jones….gee, I wonder where that came from?) This turns out to be one of DiCaprio’s finest hours. There is something especially good about his choices in two scenes with Winslet, and a third with Kazan. The reckless disregard and casual contempt with which he dismisses both wife and mistress is perfectly played. In these three brief passages he is able to convey Frank’s rottenness which lurks at the core of his despair.

This is the best acted American film of 2008. Period. End of discussion. You will not find a better ensemble anywhere. It’s only Sam Mendes’ fourth feature film but it has been assembled with a grace and confidence of a master. Given his success as a theater director it is no surprise that the performances here, as in his previous three films, are superb. A two-hour version of a rather epic novel dictates the cutting down of or total elimination of characters, which is always a shame but the necessary evil of adapting a book for the silver screen. Shep, Milly, Helen, John, Mona and Jack are all rich and complex characters, adding much (much) more to the novel than allowed in their brief screen cameos. However, think for a moment how incredibly rich each of these characters manage to be in their fleeting moments. Credit, respectively, David Harbour, Kathryn Hahn, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon, Zoe Kazan and Dylan Baker for bringing such clarity and nuance not only to their performances but the film’s rich tapestry. Bates and Shannon are getting some –but not nearly enough—Oscar buzz for their work. Shannon has the showier, more sympathetic part but just take a moment and watch what Bates can do with something as simple as the early scene with Winslet, drinking coffee at the breakfast table. No hysterics, no melodrama, nothing flashy at all: just a reaction to an unexpected gesture of kindness. It’s a great moment. (If Hahn and especially Harbour had about five more minutes of screen time, they would be, without a doubt, deserving some serious supporting Oscar chatter, as well)

In a year when “Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight” and “Slumdog…” seem to dominate, understandably, all discussions and award banquets when it comes to technical achievement, it should be noted that “Revolutionary Road” has a sweep all its own. Without a lot of technical wizardry, it is still a marvel of design and composition.
While everyone is slobbering over Thomas Newman’s score for Wall-E, might I suggest that his work here (as in all previous collaborations with Mendes) is superior? And if this isn’t Roger Deakins Oscar year, especially with this achievement right on the heels of “No Country For Old Men” AND “…Jesse James…”, then I don’t know what is. What he can do with light and shadow is sometimes just short of miraculous.

On Thursday morning, we’ll all know who’s up for the little golden man, and who isn’t. Although I think it’s one of the top five movies of the year, and would also cite Mendes, Winslet, DiCaprio, Bates, Shannon, Deakens and Newman as deserving contenders , I’m doubtful that is going to happen. Winslet is a given. DiCaprio has a good chance but he’s fighting some other strong challengers (Jenkins, Pitt, Eastwood) all jostling for the final two slots following the Penn-Rourke-Langella trinity. And Deakins looks pretty strong, given his other fine work this year on “The Reader” and “Doubt” plus a nomination from the ASC. Still, this is a year of great-looking movies. When you think about Chris Menges, Wally Pfister, Claudio Miranda and especially Harris Savides, it’s impossible to pick “the best.” Isn’t it?

Worth the wait in gold?

Say what you like about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But they at least knew how to put on a good show last night . And it just might trump the Oscars. By the time AMPAS gets around to the grand finale next month, we may be well over this awards season, given how predictable things continue to be.

Last night’s telecast is getting good buzz from just about everywhere you look, and rightly so. There were surprises and just enough sentimental moments to make things more than a little compelling. In addition to Kate Winslet’s double whammy, Christopher Nolan’s tribute to Heath, and the showstopping response to Mickey Rourke’s win, we also had some memorable moments courtesy of Emma Thompson and Sandra Bullock, as well as Drew Barrymore’s most impressive Ann-Margret-inspired retro coif (altho’ what, pray tell, was up with her ardent Sapphic canoodling with the always glorious and "Grey Gardens" costar Jessica Lange? Is ).

I like “Slumdog Millionaire” very much. But I don’t love it. Still, only a real grouch could not be taken by how happy its seep made Dev Patel and Freida Pinto (both of them equally adorable) and director Danny Boyle who, if you ask me, is the frontrunner for the Best Director Oscar at this point. I’m a longtime fan. Has anyone seen (or does anyone remember) “Shallow Grave” ?

Despite decades worth of scorn and criticism heaped upon the HFPA’s Golden Globes --and, let’s face it, any group that would give Best Picture to “Scent of a Woman” or nominated for major acting awards Helen Hayes in "Herbie Rides Again" and Neil Diamond in “The Jazz Singer” is only asking for ridicule. To decide whether or not this little group of journalists has any real clout, just look at the volume of follow-up all over the web today, and start looking for huge “Golden Globe winner!!” attached to ads for Slumdog, The Wrestler, etc.

For me, the one thing that I like about the Globes is that they often give a final but very public tribute to certain actors that, from here on out, won’t be picking up any more steam. In some cases, an Oscar nomination, sure. But probably not any more major awards. This year, I think we can say this about both winners for Actor and Actress in a comedy/musical. Sally Hawkins and Colin Farrell were both very deserving.

I’d even say that Hawkins is still in the Oscar race. Forget winning the damn thing, but I like to believe she still has a shot at the final five. True, the SAG snub doesn’t help and last night’s victory may have been a little too late to influence Academy voters, most of whom have already submitted their nomination ballots. Still, she has that impressive tally of wins from various critics groups, and I believe last night’s GG victory puts her ahead – by one trophy – of Anne Hathaway in this season’s race. Even if they are tied at this point, that’s a pretty impressive haul for our Sally.

Also, 15 past winners of the Globes’ Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical went on to win the Oscar (one of them, Maggie Smith for “California Suite” would win her Oscar in the supporting category), which isn’t such a bad statistic. Also a Globe in this category is also a nice consolation prize; it has recognized some pretty great work including Rosalind Russell for “Auntie Mame,” Marilyn Monroe for “Some Like it Hot” Anne Bancroft for “The Graduate” and Julie Andrews for “Victor, Victoria”. OK, that last sentence sounded hopelessly gay. So be it. They were are all divine.

(Interesting bit of trivia: the only Best Actress Oscar winner whose performance was not nominated for a Golden Globe was Sophia Loren in “Two Women.”)

As for Best Actor in a Comedy or a Musical, the odds are not very favorable. Only five GG winners in this category went on to victory at Oscar night: Rex Harrison, Lee Marvin, Richard Dreyfuss, Jack Nicholson, and Jamie Foxx. George Burns tied with Walter Matthau for his role in “The Sunshine Boys” and, like Dame Maggie, would win his Oscar in the supporting category.

With his victory last night, Colin Farrell joins such illustrious past winners as Danny Kaye (“On the Riviera”), Glenn Ford (“Pocketful of Miracles”) Cantinflas for “Around the World in 80 Days” (he beat Yul Brynner for “The King and I”), Richard Harris for “Camelot” (he beat Dustin Hoffman for “The Graduate”) as well as my personal favorite, Alberto Sordi for “To Bed or Not To Bed”.

In fairness, it should be pointed out that many excellent Oscar-worthy performances were cited by the Globes in this category, including wins for Donald O’Connor in “Singin’ in the Rain” and James Mason in “A Star is Born,” just for starters.

I’ve been a big Farrell fan for years: “Tigerland,” “Minority Report” “A Home at the End of the World” and especially “The New World.” I don’t even mind admitting that liked him in “Alexander.” In spite of the bad-boy press and a particular home video which showcased another of his rather large talents, he’s done some good work. He’s always fun and even a little unpredictable. Remember “Phone Booth”?

As for “In Bruges,” it would be great to see Farrell in the Oscar race but I can’t even begin to consider that this year. I’m almost certain it’s a Langella, Rourke, Penn lock, with DiCaprio, Pitt, Eastwood, Jenkins vying for the other two slots.

The SAG awards should help us settle all bets.

Finally, as regards the other side of the barn yard, ie the TV awards, hooray for the much-deserving “John Adams” and “30 Rock”. And, of course, the best drama on TV, which would be “Mad Men.” Pity that Jon Hamm and January Jones were denied their awards. Gabriel Byrne and Anna Paquin are worthy contenders but not nearly as good as Mr and Mrs Draper.

A “Slumdog” sweep? Not likely, if you ask me. But then again, what do I know? I have given up trying to predict the Golden Globes. This year it is especially nerve-wracking given the Kate conundrum: will she clinch the supporting trophy for “The Reader” (which I still maintain is a leading performance….and the best of the year) and thus snatch the prize from the fabulous Penelope Cruz in what is truly a supporting turn? Or will Kate grab the glory in the leading actress race for “Revolutionary Road” (which those of us in the hinterlands have yet to see) and trump what many are predicting as a showdown between Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway? Will, Meryl, as perhaps a consolation prize, win instead in the musical/comedy category, when many of us agree that no matter how much we love Mamma Meryl, this should be Sally Hawkins’ prize?

Oh, it’s all too confusing. And a little bit maddening. The best consideration of who might win tonight can be be found here at AwardsDaily, courtesy of Daniel Kenealy. As always, there’s plenty of good reporting and chatter here, the very best go-to awards website, hosted with customary vigor and good humor by Sasha Stone. For what it's worth, I do believe that Best Picture/Drama will more than likely go to Benjamin Button or even The Reader and that Slumdog will take a much deserved Best Director for Danny Boyle. Let's just wait and see.

I do think it’s curious that The Dark Knight and Milk didn’t make it into the Drama category. And ditto directors Nolan and Van Sant. But then again, that’s what is so predictable about the Globes: their unpredictability.

So, rather than making any predictions this year, I’m simply going with my favorites among the nominees. If I were a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press, here’s how I would vote. Believe me, I don’t think this resembles tonight’s final outcome. Think of it more as my own appreciation of a few movies and performances that I really enjoyed.

PICTURE, DRAMA, The Reader
PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY, In Bruges
DIRECTOR, Danny Boyle
ACTOR, DRAMA, Sean Penn
ACTRESS, DRAMA, Meryl Streep (r/u: Cate Blanchett on a write-in ballot, far and away the best thing about the over-hyped Benjamin Button)
ACTOR, MUSICAL OR COMEDY, Colin Farrell or James Franco.
ACTRESS, MUSICAL OR COMEDY, Sally Hawkins
SUPPORTING ACTOR, Heath Ledger
SUPPORTING ACTRESS, Kate Winslet (should be lead, in my opinion. r/u: Penelope Cruz)
SCREENPLAY, The Reader
SCORE, Slumdog
SONG, The Wrestler

Yesterday the DGA announced its hotly anticipated roster of the year’s Best Director nominations. And said announcement was followed by a thud of silence. Actually, the only ones making any noise were those disappointed in how predictable it all is.

True, it’s been a long time since the list was as foreseeable as this one. In fact, it heralds the same five contenders that the PGA announced just last week. It’s not that these films aren’t worthy --for the most part, they most certainly are (except for Frost/Nixon, but more about that later) –it’s just that there have been no real out-of-the-blue surprises to satisfy the pundits, bloggers and awards junkies like yours truly who spend way too much time mulling and debating over the road to this year’s Oscar orgy.

So, ladies and gentlemen, here are, more than likely, your five nominations for this year’s Academy Award for Best Picture:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

The directors of these films (David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Ron Howard, Gus Van Sant, and Danny Boyle, respectively) are the Chosen Five for this year’s DGA top honor, and they enter this race with various levels of early season support:

----Boyle has pretty much swept the critics’ prizes with 15 to date, including the higher profiled Chicago and LA groups as well as last night’s BFCA. Van Sant has 2, with Nolan, Howard and Fincher each nabbing one a piece.

---All five films received WGA nominations earlier this week.

---All five films were up for BFCA best picture and best director. Slumdog won both awards.

---All five films made the BAFTA long list.

---As mentioned before, all five films are the finalists for the PGA award.

---Four of the five nabbed SAG’s closest thing to a Best Pic nomination (Outstanding Performance by a Cast). The Dark Knight lost its slot to Doubt.

---Three of five are up for the Golden Globes’ best director and best picture. Nolan and Van Sant are the shut-outs here, with their slots going to Stephen Daldry/The Reader and Sam Mendes/Revolutionary Road.

---The Dark Knight made a gazillion dollars more than the other four movies combined.

With all of this hullabaloo, it still comes back to the DGA. As we all know, this is the most reliable forecaster of things to come: most of DGA nominees move on to an Oscar nomination for Best Director and most of their films, likewise, grab a Best Picture nom.
In addition, the winners, more often than not, follow the same path.

And so it goes. Of course, there is the occasional lapse such as in 2005, the Year of Shame and Infamy: Ang Lee won the DGA, then won the Oscar for Best Director. His movie (Brokeback Mountain) lost to Crash. And then there was the time Spielberg clinched both Best Director spots for Saving Private Ryan, only to see it lose the big prize to Shakespeare in Love. Groan.

And so, where might the surprises be lurking this year? Some circles are insisting that Wall-E will unseat one of these five for a Best Picture nomination. I don’t think this is likely, especially when it has its own category (animated) which it will no doubt clinch. I would wager that The Wrestler and Revolutionary Road are waiting in the wings. I am about to give up hope for two of my own favorites, Happy-Go-Lucky and especially The Reader.

Of these five, I would suggest that The Dark Knight and Milk are the most vulnerable as they lack SAG and Golden Globe support. Nominations, perhaps. Ultimate victory, not so sure at this point.

And although Slumdog Millionaire continues to steamroll its way through the various critics awards, and has done very well with guild nominations, don’t yet bet that it’s a lock for Best Picture. As of today, I’d safely wager that Boyle is the strongest (and perhaps most deserving) contender for Best Director, but I’m saying it’s still a toss up as to what wins the big prize.

As for my own best of the year picks, it’s not yet based on an all-inclusive review. Neither The Wrestler nor Revolutionary Road have made it to San Antonio. And Gran Torino started today. Hoping to catch that and Rachel Getting Married this weekend. So, the list will be updated and revised but, as of now, it would go something like this:

My top five films of 2008 (as of today)
The Reader
Milk
The Dark Knight
Happy Go Lucky
In Bruges

Favorite performances (and it's been a good year, with great work in often less than great films):

Kate Winslet, The Reader
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Cate Blanchett, Benjamin Button
Meryl Streep, Doubt (and Mamma Mia. Go ahead, shoot me. Loved her.)
Sally Hawkins, Happy Go Lucky
Eddie Marsan, Happy Go Lucky
Viola Davis, Doubt
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Hiam Abbass, The Visitor
Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
Colin Farrell, In Bruges
Ralph Fiennes, In Bruges, The Duchess and The Reader
Sean Penn, Milk
Tilda Swinton, Benjamin Button
James Franco, Milk and especially Pineapple Express
Lena Olin, The Reader
David Kross, The Reader
Russell Brand, Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Sweet Dreams

The last time I saw Cocteau's "The Blood of a Poet" was during my Freshman year in college. That was a long time ago. I rediscovered it this week as a result of another movie (it often happens that way). I had been putting off watching "Les Enfants Terribles" because doing so signaled the near completion of my recent crash course on Jean-Pierre Melville. Right now, while pondering the best movies of 2008, nothing comes close to the pleasure and excitement afforded by "Le Samourai" and "Army of Shadows" and "Bob le Flambeur", all of which I saw for the first time this past year. And all of which I am already to see again. "Enfants" was a surprise to me, too, but in a different sort of way. Luckily the DVD extras, courtesy of Criterion, addressed what surprised and challenged me the most: the true authorship, or auteurship I suppose I should say. Melville or Cocteau? Kind of a lovely mishmash of both I think...a young Melville making a movie of the older (and more famous) Cocteau's popular book, with the author himself very much present on the set. In this, only his second film, Melville had not yet developed the unique stylistic signature that identifies his later work but there are certainly hints of it throughout. It's blunt and not very tasteful. There's a ragged and unrehearsed energy to it, propelled by a lot of Bach, which balances the extremes of Cocteau's fantasia. The whole thing rolls out like a feverish dream. It's a startling, engrossing little movie with some bizarre casting choices that only enhance its hypnotic weirdness. The title characters, a nasty and vaguely incestuous teenage brother and sister, are played by Nicole Stephane and Edouard Dermithe. The fact that they were both in their mid 20s when they made the film --and certainly look it -- is challenging at first. He looks especially silly in his schoolboy shorts and cape. But early on, you sort of conveniently forget the age issue and focus instead on Stephane's mesmerizing performance as a butch little man eater. Dermithe is a terrible actor and wasn't Melville's choice, but he's certainly a looker (apparently one of Cocteau's, ahem, protegees) and by the time brother and sis hop in the tub together, it makes perfect sense.

I followed "Enfants" a few nights later with "Poet" At only 50-odd minutes, Cocteau's loopy 1930 meditation on art and dreams, life and death, love and longing, is every bit as engrossing and entertaining as it was almost 80 years ago when he and Bunuel were happily provoking audiences and challenging the very definition of cinema. I had forgotten just about all of this movie, including a snowball fight among school boys which would show up again in "Enfants," and it was a treat to see it again, as if for the first time. Also enjoyable is Edgardo Cozarinsky's documentary on Cocteau, which is included on the Criterion disc. It explains a lot. Next up, what else? Orpheus. Stay tuned.