You know what I would love to do one time or another? It's become the guy who chooses/supervises the cover art for dvd covers. I mean seriously, countless brilliant films have been ruined by horrible cover art. Isn't the cover supposed to be what draws you, the consumer, in. I mean what were they thinking with this:



That thing just hurts to look at. That has to be one of the lamest covers to a great film I have seen in a long time. Luckily some jewels come along from time to time and really come up with something truly special and quite easy on the eyes. Case in point this Bonnie and Clyde Ultimate Edition which streets in March 2008:

Even the High Def package is cool as hell:

The Ultimate Edition is set to have the following features:

Disc 1

• Teaser Trailer
• Theatrical Trailer

Disc 2

• The History Channel® Documentary – Love and Death: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde
  • (newsreel footage, period accounts, and interviews with biographers to bring the story of the notorious outlaws to life)
• Revolution! The Making of Bonnie and Clyde
  • Bonnie and Clyde’s Gang (The challenges of bringing together the right creative forces to adapt the true story into a glamorous tale)
  • The Reality and Myth of Bonnie and Clyde (Blending old and new Hollywood crews to bring about the style and look of a film which impacted more than just the fashion industry during the era)
  • Releasing Bonnie and Clyde (From production to the final edited cut, a look at the struggles and joys of making a film that became a worldwide phenomenon and an Oscar winner)
• Warren Beatty Wardrobe Tests
• Deleted Scenes
  • The Road to Mineloa
  • Outlaws

Thank the lord for the smart few that really know how to make a film appealing.

Speaking of film, it looks like the first of many year end awards were handed out yesterday this time around from the National Board of Reviews. Among the winners were:

Best Film: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Best Director: TIM BURTON, Sweeney Todd
Best Actor: GEORGE CLOONEY, Michael Clayton
Best Actress: JULIE CHRISTIE, Away From Her
Best Supporting Actor: CASEY AFFLECK, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Best Supporting Actress: AMY RYAN, Gone Baby Gone
Best Foreign Film: THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
Best Documentary: BODY OF WAR
Best Animated Feature: RATATOUILLE
Best Ensemble Cast: NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: EMILE HIRSCH, Into The Wild
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: ELLEN PAGE, Juno
Best Directorial Debut: BEN AFFLECK, Gone Baby Gone
Best Original Screenplay (tie): JUNO and LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
Best Adapted Screenplay: JOEL COEN and ETHAN COEN, No Country For Old Men

Top Ten Films:
(In alphabetical order)
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
ATONEMENT
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
THE BUCKET LIST
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
THE KITE RUNNER
LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
MICHAEL CLAYTON
SWEENEY TODD

Top Five Foreign Films:
(In alphabetical order)
4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS
THE BAND’S VISIT
THE COUNTERFEITERS
LA VIE EN ROSE
LUST, CAUTION

Top Independent Films
(In alphabetical order)
AWAY FROM HER
GREAT WORLD OF SOUND
HONEYDRIPPER
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
A MIGHT HEART
THE NAMESAKE
ONCE
THE SAVAGES
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING
WAITRESS

Quite an interesting list, I must say. Great to see No Country for Old Men take home Best Film along with others and Mr. Burton as a surprising Best Director for Sweeney Todd. Biggest surprise for me though was the win for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford not to mention its position on the Top Ten Films of the Year list. The biggest disappointment for me though was that PTA's There Will Be Blood was nowhere to be found not even a recognition for Daniel Day Lewis. Here's hoping it makes every other list this year including the most important ones.