Ahhh, I so look forward to this weekend...

Leatherheads...

My Blueberry Nights, which I'm still so psyched for despite those mediocre reviews...

Shine a Light... Scorsese + Stones...

Nim's Island... okay this one might take some actual explaining, so: I love Jodie Foster. I think she's undoubtedly the best child-to-adult actress of all time. If I had a top 10 working actress list that was solid, she would undoubtedly be on it. She just kicks so much ass. Abigail Breslin is awesome, and obviously also a child actress. They had an adorable interview together in People (shhhh). I'm pretty excited to see the way they play off each other. Also, there's Gerard Butler to drool over...

Leatherheads...

Now, the chances of me seeing any of these in theaters? SADFACE. If Leatherheads is here, though, I am probably going to run to the movie theater.

I do love popping in to IMDb sometimes...

...not to post, just to see what people are going on about. And I found this thread that asked me to rate contemporary actresses. So, I did, and I threw in quite a few originals of my own. Of course, this is how I feel right now...

Nicole Kidman - 9/10
Keira Knightley - 3/10
Audrey Tautou - 6/10
Anne Hathaway - 1.5/10
Rachel McAdams - 6/10
Kate Winslet - 15/10 *
Cate Blanchett - 7/10
Emily Blunt - 3/10
Ellen Page - 6/10
Angelina Jolie - 6.5/10
Laura Linney - 60/10 **
Renee Zellweger - 7/10
Ziyi Zhang - 5/10
Kirsten Dunst - 7.5/10
Jennifer Connelly - 6.5/10
Samantha Morton - 10/10
Meryl Streep - 10/10
Parker Posey - 3/10
Frances McDormand - 8/10
Catherine Zeta-Jones - 4/10
Naomi Watts - 7/10
Reese Witherspoon - 8/10
Tilda Swinton - 6/10
Gwyneth Paltrow - 8/10
Scarlett Johansson - 7/10
Uma Thurman - 6/10 (lately. Please, Uma, do another Kill Bill........)
Cameron Diaz - 7/10
Maggie Gyllenhaal - 8/10
Jodie Foster - 10/10
Julianne Moore - 8/10
Emily Watson - 8.5/10
Toni Collette - 8.5/10
Amy Adams - 7.5/10 (haven't seen Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, and I kind of expect this to go up to an 8 afterward.)
Patricia Clarkson - 7/10
Marcia Gay Harden - 7/10
Jennifer Garner - 7/10
Hilary Swank - 4/10
Natalie Portman - 5/10
Claire Danes - 3/10
Christina Ricci - 5/10

* that's not supposed to be a 1.5
** that's not supposed to be a 6

It had to be said.

I'd like to see Queen Lizzy command the wind against this bitch...

I'm quite sure I said this when I first analyzed the Oscar nominees, but it bears repeating. Jodie Foster and Cate Blanchett, two of the most acclaimed actresses, both played the lead in truly crappy films that were way beneath them this year. Jodie Foster gave a fierce and intensely modulated performance. Cate Blanchett...seemed to understand that her movie was more like a farce than a serious movie, and treated it as such, and I give her credit for that, but that's about it. Jodie actually put effort in. However, from day one, who was talked about for the Oscar? And who ended up with the Oscar nomination? Yeah. Thanks, Academy.

top performances of the '90s

he's pissed off cuz he knows he was robbed.

to go along with the '80s one.

Male
10. Tom Cruise as Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia (1999)
9. Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard in American History X (1998)
8. River Pheonix as Mike Waters in My Own Private Idaho (1992)
7. Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects (1995)
6. Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List (1993)
5. Ian McKellen as James Whale in Gods and Monsters (1998)
4. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
3. Jack Lemmon as Shelley Levene in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
2. Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction (1994)
1. Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham in American Beauty (1999)
Oscar nominees: 8 (all except Pheonix and Lemmon)
Oscar winners: 3 (Spacey x2 and Hopkins)

Female
10. Victoire Thivisol as Ponette in Ponette (1997)
9. Kate Winslet as Ruth Barron in Holy Smoke! (1999)
8. Jodie Foster as Ellie Arroway in Contact (1997)
7. Sarah Polley as Nicole in The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
6. Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in Fargo (1996)
5. Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry (1999)
4. Holly Hunter as Ada in The Piano (1993)
3. Emily Watson as Bess in Breaking the Waves (1996)
2. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
1. Elisabeth Shue as Sera in Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Oscar nominees: 6 (not Thivisol, Winslet, Contact Foster, and Polley)
Oscar winners: 4 (McDormand, Swank, Hunter, Foster Silence)

a moment from the red carpet

Jodie Foster: So, we really should be in more movies, huh?
Elisabeth Shue: Yeah, no kidding.

this is like the millionth happy birthday post

Err...a little late, since it's after midnight. Closeted or not, I really don't care. She's one of the best actresses ever - she deserves at least 4 Oscars (Taxi Driver, Silence of the Lambs, Nell, Contact - yup I would have given the award to her all those times). Celebrate her birthday by watching the abso-fuckin'-lutely spectacular Inside Man, in which she's great as usual. Happy birthday Jodie!