Amazon Blogs: Armchair Commentary Daily Digest

Check out these Updates from Armchair Commentary for December 30, 2009.

Best Director, 2000-2009: Clint Eastwood December 30, 2009 Who is the greatest director of the last 10 years? It certainly could have been Martin Scorsese, who finally won his Oscar for the terrific film The Departed but also was nominated for The Aviator and Gangs of New York. It could be the Coen brothers, who churned out No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man, and O Brother Where Art Thou? And you could certainly make a case for Peter Jackson, he of the One Saga to Rule Them All. But... we must give our pick for Best Director to... an actor. That's right: Clint Eastwood directed eight films in 10 years. All of them were very good to excellent, and the only exceptions to that high bar--Blood Work and Flags of Our Fathers--were still far from bad. At age 79, he enjoyed some of the best reviews of his directing and acting careers in the past decade (did we mention he also composes the score?). Here's his list from the past decade, in chronological order: 2000: Space Cowboys--Silly premise, yes. Enjoyable and watchable? Totally. 2002: Blood Work--More of a standard whodunnit, very similar to his 1999 film True Crime. 2003: Mystic River--This adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel netted Oscars for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins. Also, don't miss Laura Linney as a stone-cold Lady MacBeth type. 2004: Million Dollar Baby--Best Picture of the year, and an acting nod for Clint to boot. 2006: Flags of Our Fathers--filmed back-to-back with Letters From Iwo Jima, this was the first released but less well-received. 2006: Letters From Iwo Jima--A stunning saga of the World War II battle from the perspective of the Japanese. 2008: Changeling--A harrowing tale of a kidnapping in the '20s netted an Oscar nod for Angelina Jolie. 2008: Gran Torino--Unjustly overlooked at the Oscars, this tale of a friendship between a bigoted vet and a Hmong family next door is more than just "Dirty Harry as an old man," as many have described it. 2009: Invictus--Based on the true story of Nelson Mandela's interest in the national rugby team to unite the apartheid-torn South Africa. Do you agree? Whose 00's resume looks more impressive than this? --Ellen Best Actress, 2000-2009: Your Thoughts? December 30, 2009 As we looked at the Best Actors of 2000-2009 , we had an even harder time determining the best leading actresses of the last 10 years. Even with the dearth of female leading roles, some elite members not only achieved new artistic heights but mass appeal as well. The hard part... read more "Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace" YouTube review December 30, 2009 Ten years after the movie's 1999 release, a YouTube critic called RedLetterMedia has created a seven-part review of Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace . It's quirky, but surprisingly watchable. Part 1 is below. (Warning: spoilers and language.) --David read more

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