AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2008: Men's Quarterfinals PREVIEW

The 2008 Australian Open Men's Quarterfinals have now been set.

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs James Blake USA (12).
Both Roger Federer and James Blake have had near-death experiences in earlier 5-set matches during this tournament. Of course, that is a more unusual experience for the World #1 than the previously slumping American. In the third round, Federer won one of the best matches of the tournament (and probably the year) against unseeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic 6-7(5) 7-6(1) 5-7 6-1 10-8, with both players hitting more winners than errors (96 to 64 for Federer, 52 to 47 for Tipsaveric) and the Swiss player hitting the most aces he has ever had in an ATP match: 39 (to Tipsarevic's 14). A few hours before the Federer fireworks Blake improved his horrendous lifetime 5-set record to 2 and 10 after coming back from 2 sets down (and 1-4 in the 4th set tiebreak) to defeat veteran Frenchman Sebastian Grosjean 4-6, 2-6, 6-0, 7-6(5), 6-2. They both easily won their next round matches. Federer and Blake have played 22 sets of tennis against each other and Federer has won 21 (the one set Blake won, at the 2006 US Open quarterfinals, was a 13-11 3rd set tiebreaker). I do believe that Blake's comeback signals a newfound toughness in the American. He, like Tipsarevic, has the game to beat the Greatest Of All Time 12-time Grand Slam champion on a hard court, but unlike the Serbian, Blake doesn't really believe deep inside that he can win this match, and he won't.
Mad Professah's Pick: Federer in 4 sets.

Novak Djokovic SRB (3) vs David Ferrer ESP (5).
Spaniard David Ferrer made a believer (and admirer) out of me when he had his breakthrough at the season-ending ATP Masters Cup in Shanghai last year, losing to the final against Federer after defeating World #3 Novak Djokovic, World #2 Rafael Nadal (twice!) and Richard Gasquet. Ferrer is now the World #5 but Djokovic has been firmly ensconced in the #3 position for nearly a year after his break-out hardcourt season in early 2007 during Federer's post-Australian Open lapse. Although Ferrer leads the Serbian head-to-head 3-2, the two have never really played a very close (or high quality) match. Ferrer did not play up to his potential in their last Grand Slam meeting, at the 2007 U.S. Open semifinals (Ferrer's first major semifinal) which was played after he had outlasted his compatriot Nadal two nights before. Djokovic hasn't really been tested at this year's Australian Open championship and I suspect that Ferrer may be a tad hungrier, plus I'm just not a fan of the Djokester. Mad Professah's pick: Ferrer in 5 sets.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA vs Mikhail Youzhny RUS (14).

The unseeded Frenchman is finially living up to his tremendous potential, finally reaching his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. The Russian Youzhny has been playing excellent tennis recently and has already won a title (0ver Nadal) this year. They both had to get through emotionally meaningful matches by defeating higher ranked countrymen to reach this point in the tournament. Tsonga defeated Gasquet and Youzhny defeated World #4 Nikolay Davydenko. Interestingly, these two have never played against each other before, so this is what is called in legal circles, "a case of first impression." I would really just like to say that this match is a toss-up, but since that really is a wimpy prognostication, I will go with the more experienced player to make his second career Grand Slam semifinal. Mad Professah's pick: Youzhny in 4 sets.

Jarkko Nieminen FIN (24) vs Rafael Nadal ESP (2).
One would think that since left-handers often have extreme difficulty playing against each other the wily, veteran Finnish left-hander would give the muscular, young Spanish left-hander more difficulty but the results do not support this belief. Their three previous matches have been all one-sided affairs with Nadal prevailing relatively easily. I suspect this match may be a bit closer than people expect, since Nadal is clearly not at his physical best in this tournament. Nieminen really should have lost his 4th round match against Roddick-killer Phillip Kohschreiber and he often does find a way to win matches he should lose. The two have not played since Nadal beat Nieminen in the 2006 Wimbledon Quarterfinals so there's a (slight) possibility of an upset. Mad Professah's pick: Nadal in 3 sets.

2008 Oscars: Nominations Predictions

Tomorrow On Monday January 21 Tuesday January 22 the 80th Academy Award nominations will be announced for films released in 2007. The Golden Globe awards were announced on Sunday January 13th at a WGA strike-influenced press conference. Here are my predictions (WILL WIN), together with my druthers (SHOULD WIN) for the best achievements in film for 2007. In previous years, Mad Professah has done pretty well in predicting both nominations and wins.

Best Picture

Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood.
SHOULD WIN: Juno
WILL WIN: There Will Be Blood

Best Director

• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country For Old Men
• Sean Penn, Into The Wild
• Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Joe Wright, Atonement

SHOULD WIN: Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country For Old Men
WILL WIN: Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country For Old Men

Best Actress

• Julie Christie, Away From Her
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
• Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
• Keira Knightley Atonement
• Ellen Page, Juno
  

SHOULD WIN: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
WILL WIN: Ellen Page, Juno

Best Actor

• George Clooney, Michael Clayton
• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
• Emile hirsh, Into The Wild
• Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

SHOULD WIN: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
WILL WIN: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd

Best Supporting Actress

• Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
• Ruby Dee, American Gangster
• Jennifer Garner, Juno
• Amy Ryan, Gone, Baby, Gone
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

SHOULD WIN: Jennifer Garner, Juno
WILL WIN: Amy Ryan, Gone, Baby, Gone

Best Supporting Actor

• Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
• Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
• Hal Holbrook, Into The Wild
• J.K. Simmons, Juno

SHOULD WIN: Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
WILL WIN: Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men

Best Original Screenplay

• Judd Apatow, Knocked Up
• Brad Bird, Ratatouille
• Diablo Cody, Juno
• Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
• Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

SHOULD WIN: Diablo Cody, Juno
WILL WIN: Diablo Cody, Juno

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
• Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men
• Christopher Hampton, Atonement
• Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Steven Zaillian, American Gangster

SHOULD WIN: Christopher Hampton, Atonement
WILL WIN: Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Total Nominations

1. No Country for Old Men, 8
2. There Will Be Blood, 6
3. Atonement, 6
4. Juno, 5
5. Michael Clayton, 5

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2008: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

The 2008 Australian Open Women's Quarterfinals are now set. While I missed most of the first two rounds due to my trip to Northern Italy I have seen many of the important matches since.

Justine Henin BEL (1) vs. Maria Sharapova RUS (5). This marquee quarter-final match-up is a reprise of the final match of the WTA Tour last year, which I regarded as one of the best women's tennis matches of 2007. That the last two U.S. Open champions and Australian Open finalists are meeting in a quarter-final is a testament to the depth of the field in the women's game at the first grand slam of the year. Henin has won seven major titles to Sharapova's two and leads their lifetime head-to-head rivalry 6-2. But, Sharapova hates to lose and will not go down without a fight. Henin has every shot in the book and better mobility. Hopefully this match-up will live up to the hype none of the much heralded Grand Slam showdowns between Serena Williams and Henin failed to do on three separate occasions last year. Frankly, I don't like either of these players but I would like to see someone start beating Henin with regularity. Unfortunately, I think I'll have to keep on waiting. PREDICTION: Henin in 3 sets.

Jelena Jankovic SRB (3) vs. Serena Williams USA (7). Surprisingly, Serena and Jelena have only played each other four times in the past four years and they have a split score of 2 wins each. However, last year Serena was able to beat the Serbian player when the American was still playing her way into her best tennis and Jankovic was higher ranked and playing better tennis than she has shown so far in 2008. With the American's ranking now back in the top 10 and Jankovic's falling, Serena will have no problem booking her semifinal berth against her nemesis, Justine Henin. PREDICTION: S. Williams in 2 sets.



Venus Williams USA (8) vs. Ana Ivanovic SRB (4). This matchup is a repeat of the 2007 U.S. Open quarterfinal where Venus played her best tennis of the event and demolished the 2007 French open finalist and brand new #3 player in the world in two short, scintillating sets. It is doubtful that Ivanovic will be dominated so easily again but the fact remains that Venus has never lost to the pulchritudinous heir apparent to Sharapova's "It Girl" tiara in four meetings and it is doubtful that trend will be reversed in Melbourne this year. However, the fifth time may be the charm for Ivanovic to get her first win over the reigning Wimbledon champion. PREDICTION: V. Williams in 3 sets.

Daniela Hantuchova SVK (9) vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (2) Agnieszka Radwanska POL (29).
For the second slam in a row, Polish youngster Aggie Radwanska knocked out the #2 seed in the third round (Sharapova at the 2007 US Open, Kuznetsova at the 2008 Australian Open). This was always the weakest quarter of the draw and it was a dream path for Sveta to make her first big splash in Melbourne. Unfortunately for her, she made a huge splash crashing out to the wily counterpuncher in straight sets. Taking advantage of her opportunity is the hard-hitting Slovak waif who is now a tour veteran at age 24. Hantuchova has been to three Grand Slam quarter-finals about five years ago but never won any. Radwanska's never been remotely this far in a slam. Although widely considered mentally fragile, it is very likely Hntuchova will be the one more mentally prepared to take advantage of Kuznetsova's early exit to earn a major semifinal slot. PREDICTION: Hantuchova in 2 sets.

The New Gay Plague Panic: MRSA

Joe.My.God and Bloggernista continue their excellent work by reporting on the latest 'gay plague' panic discussion about a new strain of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) which the New York Times and other media outlets have been reporting has been showing up in higher than average occurrences in geographically compact gay ghettoes like the Castro District in San Francisco and Boston. Mad Professah has commented over at Rod 2.0's coverage of the same story. The new strain is resistant to not only methicillin but also mupirocin, clindamycin and tetracylcine.

For example, Joe has a link to this recent statement by the CDC on MRSA infections in Men who have Sex with Men:

MRSA is a common cause of skin infections throughout the United States. These infections occur in men, women, adults, children, and persons of all races and sexual orientations, and are known to be transmitted by close skin-to-skin contact. In this issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Diep et al looked at isolates of MRSA - USA300 strains containing a particular plasmid associated with additional drug resistance. The paper shows that multidrug-resistant USA300 has emerged as an important source of disease among men with have sex with men in 2 geographically distinct communities.

The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM. The groups studied in this report may share other characteristics or behaviors that facilitate spread of MRSA, such as frequent skin-to-skin contact.

CDC’s extensive and continuing study of invasive MRSA in 9 US states indicates that these strains are rare. CDC continues to monitor resistance patterns and strain characteristics in MRSA isolates submitted to CDC for a variety of investigations. Bacteria are able to acquire resistance to antibiotics. It is concerning that these bacteria are becoming resistant to more antibiotics than the typical community associated-MRSA strains because this limits the available treatment options. Fortunately, there are still effective choices available to treat infections when antibiotics are required, including those antibiotics given by mouth. It remains important to do what we can to prevent transmission of these strains and of MRSA in general.

MRSA is typically transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, which occurs during a variety of activities, including sex. There is no evidence at this time to suggest that it MRSA is a sexually-transmitted infection in the classical sense.

I'd love to get the backstory on the CDC moving so quickly to send out a statement in this area. I wonder of openly gay Dr. Kevin Fenton who heads CDC Sexually Transmitted Diseases department had something to do with it.


Mad Professah had a MRSA skin infection himself way back in 2004 which was quickly cured with mupirocin creme and sulfa drugs but it was NOT a fun experience! (It lasted about two weeks.) I have no idea how I got it, I had been reading grant reports in the Washington, D.C. area when I noticed a very nasty looking ingrown hair/pimple on my leg. By the time I got back home to L.A. my leg had a 6" diameter angry-looking raised area which was extremely painful to touch.

As I reported last year 95, 000 Americans were infected with MRSA last year according to a study and over 19, 000 people died from the invasive version of MRSA infection.
Both the new strain found in the "gay ghettoes" and the standard MRSA are known as MRSA USA300.

Bobby Fischer Dead at 64

The man who was once considered the best chess player of all time, former American World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer, has died in Reykjavik, Iceland at the age of 64. In the 1960s and early 1970s Fischer dominated high-level chess competition, which had been the exclusive domain of super grandmasters. In 1972, Fischer defeated the reigning World chess champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union despite losing two games by default early on. His win sparked a surge in the popularity of chess in the United States and increased worldwide attention to the game. In 1975 he forfeited his title defense to Soviet Anatoly Karpov by making unusual demands and eventually refusing to the playing conditions the World Chess Federation had negotiated for the title match.

Former World chess champion and widely considered the only player to have exceeded Fischer, Russian Garry Kasparov said "The tragedy is that he left this world too early, and his extravagant life and scandalous statements did not contribute to the popularity of chess."

ITALY TRIP: I'm baaack!

The trip back from Firenze, Italy via Frankfurt to Los Angeles was not too painful. Will try to post some pictures over the weekend...

Black LGBT Presidential Forum in L.A. Wed Jan 23rd

Just got this announcement in my email box. I'm about to go to sleep to wake up and catch a flight back to Los Angeles tomorrow morning but I wanted to publicizie this Black LGBT Presidential Forum to be held in Leimert Park next Wednesday January 23rd at 7pm.

Italy Day 12-13: The Beauty of Florence

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence's Duomo) to the right,
the 4th largest cathedral in the world, and the Campanile (Bell Tower), at night.

The "reviled" frescoes of the Duomo, painted by Vasani in 1579 (with close-up).
Note the devil sodomizing a man with a flaming pitchfork!

Statue of Achilles battling a centaur,
located in the Loggia del la Signoria, a public outdoor gallery designed in 1376.

Basilica di Santa Croce, started in 1294, completed in 1385. It is the burial place of famous men such as composer Rossini, author Macchiavelli, sculptor Michelangelo and scientist Gallileo.

Mad Professah (left) and the Other Half, after walking up 463 steps to
reach the top of the Duomo with views of the city of Florence behind us.

That's it for now, we're taking a one-day side trip to Bologna tomorrow afternoon with a date with Michelangelo's David in the morning and then an intensive museum day on Wednesday with an early flight home on Thursday.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2008: Day 1

The 2008 Australian Open has started. Check out the men's and women's previews over at Craig Hickman's blog.

Round 2 is starting tomorrow and will feature Lindsay Davenport vs Maria Sharapova(!)

Defending champion Serena has already won her first round match, and Venus plays hers tomorrow. Hapily they are both in the opposite half of the draw, and Serena can not meet Justine Henin until the semifinals.

Defending champion Roger Federer has been ill with a stomach virus but should get through his first round match tomorrow, where he may then face the winner of 6'10" John Isner or Fabrice "The agician" Santoro. I bet he wants Isner to win, who he took out easily at the 2007 US Open.

Italy Day 12: Firenze (Florence)

The top of the Duomo, taken from our hotel room window!

ITALY: Firenze

Yesterday was a travel day. We have left Torino (Turin) and now we are in Firenze (Florence) just a few hundred feet from the Duomo, the fourth largest cathedral in the world.

Italy Day 7-9: Torino At Night

These are the Luci di Artisti, a festival of lights which is in Turin every winter. From top to bottom, these are the lights along Via Roma, Via Garibaldi, Via Lagrange and Via Barbaroux.

Three Reasons Why Clinton Won New Hampshire

Even in Turin, Italy the news of "Frontrunner" Hillary Clinton's astonishing win of the New Hampshire primary election on Tuesday has been jaw-dropping. On MyDD alumni Chris Bowers and Matt Stoller's new project OpenLeft, I posited these three reasons for her victory:

I think Clinton's win was due to (in order of relative importance on her making up the deficit)

3) Absentee ballots (some fraction of voters had voted for Clinton when he NH lead was huge prior to the Obama bounce from Iowa).

2) Lying white voters telling pollsters they would vote for Obama and then not being able to do it when they got to the polling booth. Heck, they even lied when they came out of the booth! (exit polls put the vote split at 39-39--Obama got 2 percentage points less--that's your lying deficit.)

1) Too Much (Polling) Info: all the polls saying that Clinton was going to lose big made NH voters (especially women and white voters) who would have voted for Obama decide that they could risk voting for Hillary. I think if we lived in a country (i.e. France) where publication of polling data within 72 hours of the election is illegal, Obama would have won.

Last time I checked the upcoming primary schedule Clinton was expected to do well in the Nevada caucuses (Jan 19), Obama should win South Carolina (Jan 26). Clinton should win the two states who have had their delgates stripped (Michigan Jan 15 and Florida Jan 26) and who knows what the heck will happen on "Tsunami Tuesday" February 5th. It is doubtful that Edwards will win everywhere, but he should have enough delegates to deny a majority to eith Clinton or Obama! One thing is clear, the race will very much still be alive by the time I get back to the United States on Friday January 18th.

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Peck Italian Bar (Milano, Italia)

Mad Professah visited Peck Italian Bar in Milan, Italy last week and took the following pictures:

The place settings at Peck Italian Bar. Very sleek and modern looking.	The interior of Peck Italian Bar, with lots of recessed lighting and color palates.
Salmone marinato, leggermente affumicato (marinated salmon, lightly smoked)	Riso mantecato alla zucca (pumpkin risotto with manteca cheese)
Cotoletta di lonza alla Milanese con patate rosolate (Traditional Milanese breaded cutlet with roasted potatoes)	Arrosto di vitello con patate al forno (Roasted veal with baked potatoes)
Tiramisu	Gelati (strawberry, lemon and cream flavors)

When MadProfessah and the other half ate at his restaurant a few weeks ago, the owner of Terroni restaurant in Los Angeles had suggested we eat at Peck's when we get to Milan. Unfortunately, the signature restaurant Cracco-Peck was closed for three weeks between Christmas and Epiphany so we went to the sister restaurant, Peck Italian Bar instead.

We started with the lightly smoked salmon appetizer, which although pricey (€20=$29) was absolutely delicious. The pumpkin risotto was amazingly rich and a stunning yellow color the picture does not do justice to the intense color of the dish and definitel does not allow you to experience the creamy cheesy goodness that was riso mantecato alla zucca. We then both had traditional Milanese meat dishes: I had the Milanese veal cutlet (which was the inspiration for the Austrian wienerschnitzel) while the other half had roasted veal with baked potatoes.

The true standout of the meal was dessert. I never order the tiramisu at Italian restaurants because it can be so completely different at different Italian restaurants. However, the tiramisu at Peck's Italian Bar was incredible. The top layer is a thick layer of pure cocoa dust. In fact, the dish was almost dangerous because as one ate the tiramisu it was very easy to inhale the cocoa dust and have one's airway feel full of cocoa instead of oxygen. The custard filling was also excellent; very very creamy and light. At the very bottom of the creamy custard were amaretto-soaked still-crunchy madeleines. A nearly perfect dessert. The gelato flavors we chose were strawberry, lemon and "cream." The lemon was extremely flavorful--like a stiff blow to the head, but in a good way, mostly. The strawberry and cream were also very smooth, with a more balanced flavor.

The ambiance of the restaurant was very nice. It is a very well-lit, modern-looking space. The service was attentive and gave us an English menu almost immediately. It is officially a bar, which also serves food at lunch and dinner time (it closes at 8pm). Usually I imagine most people go over to the Cracco-Peck restaurant next door. Although it would have been nice to experience the superlative food that is rumored to be available at Cracco-Peck, Peck Italian Bar was a very enjoyable and satisfying dining experience as well.

OVERALL GRADE: A-.

FOOD: A.
VALUE: B+.
SERVICE: A-.
AMBIANCE: A-.

Italy Day 5 & 6: Scenes from Torino

Mole Antonelliana,
a 545 foot tower which is the central landmark of Turin.
The building houses the National Museum of Cinema.

Palazzo Reale,
the Royal Palace

Palazzo di Citta,
Town Hall
Il Duomo di San Giovanni,
which contains the the Shroud of Turin.

Stazione Porto Nuova,
one of the two main train stations in Turin. This one
is right across the street from our hotel.

Ponte Umberto I
a bridge over Fiume Po (Po River) which leads up to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, the streetour hotel is on and is one of the major thoroughfares in the city.

Italy Day 3 & 4: Scenes from Milano

Metro San Babila

Il Duomo

Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle II

Castello Sforzesco

Some pictures from the last two days spent in Milano, Italia. From the top the Metro Station at San Babila, in northeast Milan, on the way back from dinner on Thursday January 3. Next is Il Duomo, the beautiful cathedral at night a few blocks from our hotel Friday January 4. Adjacent to Piazza Duomo (the square in front of The Duomo) is a fabulous indoor mall called Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II that opened in 1867 and is the location of the very first Prada store at it's center. Last is Castello Sforzesco a huge castle first constructed in the 14th century and restored in the 15th. It contains a huge number of museums brimming with ancient paintings, sculptures and historical artifacts.

Day 5 January 5th is a travel day, from Milano to Turino by train.

Serena Leads U.S. To Hopman Cup Victory

Americans Serena Williams teamed with Mardy Fish to beat the Serbian team of Novak Djokovic and Jelana Jankovic 7-6, 6-2 to win the 2008 Hopman Cup for the United States for the 5th time in Perth, Australia. Serena defeated Australian Alica Molik 6-2, 7-6(7) and Czech Lucie Safarova 6-0, 2-6, 7-5 in singles and won two mixed doubles matches (over Djokovic/Jankovic and Molik/Luczak). She didn;t need to play singles against World #3 because the Serbian star defaulted her singles match due to a leg injury in order to save her strength for the mixed doubles match and the 2008 Australian Open which starts January 14th in Melbourne.

Italy Day 2: It Duomo (Milano,Italy)

Il Duomo, the 3rd largest church in the world

MadProfessah is currently in Italy, accesing the internet from Milano (Milan) using an inordinately expensive Internet connection (€22 for 24 hours which is equivalent to 32 U.S. dollars!). We are staying in the Centro Historico district, just about 2 blocks away from The Duomo, the 3rd largest cathedral in the world, which took nearly 500 years to build (starting in 1391).

On Saturday January 5th we go to Turin (Torino) for 8 days.

Top 10 Movies of 2007

Last year's list of the Top 10 (MadProfessah-reviewed) movies of 2006 was not issued until March 6, 2007, a week after the Oscars were announced and the Top 10 (MadProfessah-reviewed) movies of 2005 was not published until January 18th, 2006.

However, I want to make sure the list to be a list of the best movies that I actually saw in 2007, since my previous Top 10 list was published here.

10. 3:10 to Yuma. The best western since Unforgiven stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in a remake of a classic which matches the original for intensity and suspense--with the added benefit of a scenery-chewing performance by Ben Foster as the fey psycho violent sidekick.

9. Boy Culture. What? A well-written gay movie? Yes, Virginia, they do exist! This romantic comedy had very handsome actors interacting in a surprisingly real and really surprising way.

8. 300. A homoerotic smorgasbord of computer generated ultraviolence masquerading as a historic epic. "1800 abs" was a unique visual experience, very stimulating and although story-deficient, oddly compelling.

7. Ratatouille. The latest film from Brad Bird, the creator of my 2004 favorite film, The Incredibles is the creative force behind this tour de force animated masterpiece from the magicians at Pixar about a rat in a Paris restaurant who loves to cook.

6. 28 Weeks Later / Sunshine. From the mind of Danny Boyle (28 Days Later) and each featuring Rose Byrne comes these two very different, science-fiction based action films. 28 Weeks Later is actually more effective than the original. Sunshine is an absolutely gorgeous spaceship-based thriller influenced by seminal films like Alien and 2001.

5. The Simpsons Movie. Like a really good, 90-minute episode of The Simpsons--what's not to like?

4. The Namesake. I may be influenced by my trip to India last year, but I was greatly moved by this film adaptation of one of my favorite books by Jhumpa Lahiri. The story is about the intergeneration conflict between immigrant parents and their American born children. In addition, the acting by Kal Penn and Irfan Khan is extraordinary, and Mira Nair's directing is at her most proficient to date.

3. Sicko/¡Salud!. The health care crisis in the United States is only growing worse day after day and these two documentaries pointed out the ridiculous state of affairs while also highlighting that there are other solutions many other countries around the world have identified and implemented.

2. The Bourne Ultimatum. A technically flawless summer action movie helmed by director Peter Greengrass and carried by Matt Damon which starts with the accelerator to the floor and doesn't let up until the final frame.

1. Juno. The most enjoyable time I spent at the movies all year was watching this heartfelt, pitch-perfect comedy that has an impact which is felt long after the movie is over. Diablo Cody's script along with an incredible ensemble cast headed by the hitherto unheralded Ellen Page in the title role are destined to receive Oscar recognition.

Honorable Mentions: The Host, American Gangster, Hairspray and I Am Legend.

It should also be noted that I have yet to see end-of-year contenders like Sweeney Todd, Atonement, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, The Great Debaters or Persepolis. When I see them, I will review them, but they will count towards my 2008 Top 10.

REVIEW: Juno

On Christmas Day I saw Juno starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera (Superbad), Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Jennifer Garner (Alias), Allison Janney (The West Wing) and J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man). The film has been getting rave reviews from such heavyweights as Roger Ebert (Best Film of 2007) and many other critics. It's from the same studio that brought us last year's Oscar sleeper hit, Little Miss Sunshine (see Mad Professah review).

Juno is at least as good as last year's Little Miss Sunshine, in fact it's probably even better. It's definitely funnier and there are more stellar performances in Juno: Ellen Page's eerily dead-on portrayal of a nonchalant pregnant 16-year-old, Jennifer Garner's frighteningly perfect potential adoptive mother of Juno's baby, J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney exhibiting immaculate comic timing as the unflappable parents of Juno. Rainn Wilson (The Office) has a memorable cameo in the first 5 minutes as a convenience store clerk where Juno takes another pregnancy test.

The real highlight of the film is (already widely celebrated) Diablo Cody's script. It must be considered a front runner for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The dialogue is simply astonishing (Juno calls almost everyone, regardless of gender, "dude"). Although, in some films this can come across as inauthentic or simply annoyingly grandstanding (*cough* Quentin Tarantino *cough*) in Juno somehow the actors playing the teen characters (Page, Michael Cera and Olivia Thirlby) infuse the lines with absolute sincerity and after the first 5 minutes of "did she just say that?" the audience is completely sucked into the film and fully emotionally vested in the characters' lives.

The plot is also quite interesting, with some unexpected (but well telegraphed) twists and turns which, combined with the realness of the characters provides the audience with one of the most enjoyable cinematic experiences of the year.

GRADE: A+.