The best (so far)

The natural instinct is to look back at a year in movies, but since I live in out-of-the-way Greenville, SC most of the serious Oscar contenders haven't made it here yet. But, it is New Year's Day. I'll offer a few Best-Ofs, subject to change. In another month or so I'll hopefully have more to work with, and I'll also make some choices based on the Oscar nominees:

Best Picture - Little Miss Sunshine - I find myself drawn to Sunshine precisely because it's the kind of film that doesn't win Best Picture. A family on the verge of complete disintegration is saved by a series of unlikely and absurd events. It would have been so easy for this to be ugly or condescending, but it wasn't. Full-length review here.

Best Actress - Helen Mirren in The Queen - This one's not going to change.

Best Supporting Actress - Rinko Kikuchi in Babel - Yes, Jennifer Hudson is a major talent. But Kikuchi's performance as a sexually tormented deaf girl required a good deal more acting and a hell of a lot of bravery. Probably my favorite performance of the year.

Best Director - Paul Greengrass for United 93 - For finding the perfect way to tell this story. Honorable mention to Spike Lee for directing a great crowd-pleaser (Inside Man) and a monumental work of history (When the Levees Broke).

I don't have a feel for Best Actor, since I haven't seen Forest Whitaker's turn in The Last King of Scotland yet, but watch this space.