DGA Announces Plus VILLAGE VOICE Poll Returns!

OK, so in my blog entry of 12/30/07 I said: "Years ago, the VILLAGE VOICE started this great big compilation list of top movies and performances that read like an annual SIGHT & SOUND poll. It contained few Hollywood movies in its high ranking and usually had movies you never heard of. In addition, there was a list of best festival movies that had yet to get theatrical distribution. Then, last year, the list vanished (to my horror), until I realized that it hadn't really vanished, it had been taken up by Indiewire: in the exact same format. In years past the list came out in the first few days of January, but this year it's already up. It's a great list for discovering foreign films on DVD."

Now, lo and behold the VILLAGE VOICE list is "back" (link) and, yes, as in years past it's out in the early days of January (it came out on the 2nd). But if you look at the two lists side by side you can see my confusion!... clearly, in the interum, Indiewire modeled their list on the VILLAGE VOICE poll, and, clearly, they have some of the same critics being polled (as the lists are VERY similar).

But now we have kind of a "second opinion." Funny, when I saw Indiewire's poll my first reaction was that I couldn't believe that NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN was #3, that surely I expected it to either be #1 or (as it is in the VILLAGE VOICE poll), second only to THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Anyway, now at least the list won't "go away" if two groups are doing it-- but I suspect there will be a battle next year to beat the other one out with the results.

Side-by Side:

Indiewire Vs.Village Voice
1 There Will Be Blood/ There Will Be Blood
2 Zodiac/ No Country for Old Men
3 No Country for Old Men/ Zodiac
4 Syndromes and a Century/ 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
5 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days/ I'm Not There
6 I'm Not There/ Syndromes and a Century
7 The Assassination of Jesse James/ The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8 Colossol Youth/ Killer of Sheep
9 Killer of Sheep/ Ratatouille
10 Offside/ Colossal Youth

Onto the DGA noms:

• Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
• Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
• Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
• Sean Penn (Into the Wild)
• Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

Sadly no Sarah Polley, and surprisingly no Tim Burton (or Ridley Scott, or Joe Wright). Very happy about Sean Penn-- his movie is vastly underrated in terms of awards-winners this year. I think these choices represent the way the Oscar will go BEST PICTURE-wise for four of the five choices (except I think JUNO will replace MICHAEL CLAYTON). Burton may oust Tony Gilroy for Oscar director noms.