November 24, 2005

THE NINTH ANNUAL
THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR

THE FIRST THING THAT I AM THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR is my health. In just the last week, I lost my godmother after a long illness. Earlier this year, I experienced a sad death of a loved one's mother. And each year I become more aware of the good fortune that allows me to work the stupid hours I work and to participate easily in so much of the world that brings me joy. It is no small thing. It's a cliché, but this is one of those years that reminds me all too much.

I'M THANKFUL THAT the gentle humanity of the people who make the movies becomes clear and more real to me each and every year... even though it sometimes dissapoints. It is a very different perspective. And while I am not always thankful for the change, I try to appreciate it. There is greatness to the facade of Hollywood. And the more it falls away, the more I miss the illusion. But as the man said of growing old, "It's better than the alternative."

I have been a bit apprehensive about writing this column over the last couple of days. It used to be easy. A list of my favorite things. But that feels too facile this year. I'm not 100% sure why. (Perhaps I have already given the answer.)

I AM REALLY THANKFUL that I have been allowed to stand close to the launching of what I expect will be a wonderful career in the person of Tom Bezucha. A second year of watching Michael London operate, if only from arms length, has enriched my perspective. Meeting Michael Giacchino last awards season and keeping up with him over the last 10 months has yet to be anything less than a delight.

And just to spent a short time with Diane Keaton or Craig T. Nelson or Sarah Jessica Parker has been such a pleasure... no three people less alike... no three people more surprising in such small, touching ways.

And that's just one movie. (The Family Stone, if you haven't guessed.)

MORE AND MORE, I AM THANKFUL for stolen moments. More and more, I don't feel that those moments need to be mutual for me to feel them. A conversation with Charlize Theron may not inform her, but it informs me about all kinds of things. The enthusiasm of a cast for their director becomes a part of my memory in a moment that flutters away for them in an instant.

I am becoming almost as grateful for the movies I don't like, when they are reaching for something strong, as I am for the ones I like. And for those who make those movies. Their struggles are just as real when they fail as when they succeed... though everyone is happier when they succeed.

I AM THANKFUL THAT Fernando Meirelles turned out to be the unmitigated genius that I thought he might be based on City of God... and that he still hasn't sold out.

That Jim Mangold found a project that took him someplace greater than he has been before and that he took it where it needed to go.

That David Cronenberg is still hungry for something new and challenging after all these years.

That Bennett Miller was given a chance by UA to make his first feature after years in the commercials wars... and that Barker & Bernard are so serious about giving the film every opportunity to fly.

That Tim Burton is still capable of the psychotic Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

That Herzog keeps working and churning out movie like Grizzly Man that no one else seems capable of conceiving, much less executing.

I THANK MY LUCKY STARS that ThinkFilm has taken on the role of defender, protector, and promoter of documentaries... even if the craze has turned out to be a little less crazy than expected.

That indieWIRE keeps going, no matter how tight the money gets.

That Dargis & Scott have become more and more the provocateurs of real discussion and not just of trivial discord.

That Lions Gate has found its legs, even if it is just to make us all sick to our stomachs. There has to be at least one major indie in the world.

THANKS COME TO MIND NOW for Kate Winslet's performances in Romance & Cigarettes and o n HBO's Extras, reminding us that she is still as daring as she was in her 20s and that there is a lot of great stuff to anticipate in the future.

For Rachel Weisz's pleasure with it all.

For Joaquin Phoenix's whippet-like muscularity as an actor.

For the kindness of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, even if his process is becoming more and more like that of another great acting Hoffman.

For Amy Adams' easy smile.

For Heath Ledger's sincere inaccessibility.

For Reese Witherspoon understanding the power of her inner diva.

For Stephen Frears, Neil Jordan, Jim Sheridan, Tim Roth, Brendan Glesson, Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day Lewis, Terry Gilliam, Michael Caton Jones, Stephen Daldry's theatrical daring, Stephen Rea, Chiwetel Ejiofor and so many others with something to say on that other side of the pond.

I'M UNEXPECTEDLY THANKFUL For Paul Bloch finally getting Tom Cruise off the gossip pages.

For Michael Bay, Rob Cohen, and Mel Gibson being at the core of months of paranoia in Hollywood.

For Movie City News' success in carving its path into the discussion of film and the industry via which it erupts.

For Born Into Brothel's Oscar... and for the wonderful duo that willed the movie into existence.

For Kung Fu Hustle... a delight that I didn't expect to enjoy nearly as much on the heels of Shaolin Soccer.

For the people who have come back to give me a second chance.

For Matthew Vaughn having the balls to walk away from X-Men 3 when he knew it wasn't going to work for him.

For the hundreds who have taken the time to write me really nasty notes about Brokeback Mountain and Rent. Your passion may be driven by too much rage, but it is passion that deserves respect in and of itself.

MY THANKS ARE EXTENDED to the filmmakers and executives who have put up with my casual style of delivery and chosen to engage me and the column with honesty, passion and daring.

To Dawn Hudson for putting up with my tough assessment of some of her organization's choices and to still be willing to seek common ground for discussion about the future of the independent film movement.

To all the journalists who get the joke. And to all those who remind me how unattractive it is when my skin gets as thin as theirs, if only for a moment.

To the commenters who have made The Hot Blog an interesting place to hang out... even though they sometimes are so busy fighting one another that it feels like respectful discourse is a lost cause... but they always seem to come back.

I AM FOREVER THANKFUL for Tom Luddy and everyone at The Telluride Film Festival who continue to make it the most joyous film festival in the world.

For "movie friends."

For the burger at Dorothy's and all the other joys of Bermuda and its film festival.... human and otherwise.

For the publicists I love, the ones who love me, and the ones who do such a great job of pretending that I don't make their skin crawl.

For a decade of Gabi Free at the Toronto International Film Festival. I'm sure her successors will be great, but it won't be quite the same without Gabrielle.

For Joe Morgenstern's honesty, Roger Ebert's relentlessness, and Andrew Sarris' longevity.

I'M ENDLESSLY THANKFUL TO the long-standing writing staff of Movie City News - Gary Dretzka, Len Klady & Ray Pride - as well as newcomers like Pablo Villaca and Kris Tapley, contributors like DVD maven Doug Pratt, Andrea Gronvall and Emanuel Levy - and to everyone else who has ever come into our playground to try out the slide.

I don't take enough time thorughout the year to tell these folks just how much I appreciate and respect them. And how much their ideas stimulate my ideas.

A SPECIAL THANKS to Laura Rooney, my partner in MCN, who brings her focus and energy to the table day after day, week after week, year after year, no matter what challenges to her sanity (and schedule) I throw at her. There would be no MCN without her.

AND TO YOU, the readers. As one blog commenter noted, my role in this industry was not forced on me. I am a self-appointed know it all. But I do work hard. And I do love this industry and the art it sometimes excretes.

I am honored that so many of you take the time and show the patience to engage me, my work, and my ideas. Honored deeply.

Thanks for giving me your ear. Thanks for giving me your time. Thanks for giving me such a nice, cushy seat at the table.

And now, I'll go back to carving.

E-ME.