in case you forgot

Meryl Streep is truly awesome in The Devil Wears Prada and absolutely everything else.

Ugh.

You know, I think the characters in The Devil Wears Prada are so horrible the movie is kind of unwatchable despite the fact that it's good (make sense of THAT statement, I dare you!), but Andy's friends... ugh. The WORST. In that scene where she's handing out all the stuff she got in the supply closet and her boyfriend is sitting there making "OMG this is so gross and offensive to me" faces, I WANT TO STRANGLE HIM. And Adrian Grenier is playing him! WHAT.

RUN TO THE HILLS!!!!

RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!

That will always remind me of those goddamn Quiznos commercials with the freakish singing creatures. Anyway!

David Letterman just asked Anna Wintour about The Devil Wears Prada. OH SHIT. Aren't you like never supposed to bring that up around her or something?!?!?!?!? Anyway, this is a hella uncomfortable interview and has generally been a bad Late Show (great great top ten list, but the opening monologues/other comedic riffing were TERRIBLE and at one point I was wondering if they would EVER END) and Tex better be at his cutest.

It suddenly occurred to me why...

...I just flat-out don't like Emily Blunt, stupid Prada hype machine be damned. I watched The Jane Austen Book Club Thing Whatever yesterday, and she was fine in it. Not Oscar-worthy, but better than in The Devil Wears Prada, where all she did was spew one-liners in a bitchy tone; at least she was an actual identifiable character in Jane Austen. But I figured out why I just don't like her, even when she's giving good performances. And that is:

1. Her eyes are absolutely dead 100% of the time.
2. She's just droll. Droll, droll, droll. Sometimes she puts depth in that droll, but more often not. She gets praised up the ass for it, though. Hey, you know who's been droll his entire career, but who nobody seems to be falling all over themselves to praise? This guy! And he often adds absolute depth and creates full characters where the script doesn't have them. I don't see nobody sayin' "OMG HE SHOULD HAVE WON THE OSCAR FOR Caddyshack" like everyone was going on about with Emily and Prada.

Anyway. I'm glad I finally figured out what bothered me about her. When I finish that Supporting Actress post, I think I'll bump it up to the top, just because seriously, Emily's dead eyes freak me out a little.

The Nanny Diaries

Um, Scarlett, lovely, how is it that your talent seems to be diminishing with every performance? And how is it that Laura Linney is always the most incomparably awesome actress in the world, and gets no credit?

I think you know it's a bad thing when a film has you utterly yearning for the wit of The Devil Wears Prada...

Edit, January '08 (ha): You know what? This movie really isn't so bad. It's not The Devil Wears Prada, but it's not as bad as...well...no example is coming to mind right now. But it's not a horrible way to pass an hour and 45 minutes. Not highly recommended, but far, far from awful. Linney is fantastic, yeah, but it's not anywhere near her best performance, and Scarlett is fine, if not anywhere near great (or even all that good). She's more miscast than bad.

The Devil Wears Prada, for like the fifteen millionth time.

Ranking the Performances:

Meryl Streep









Stanley Tucci (underrated [remember when EW said Emily Blunt was subtle? Excuse me for a minute - HAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAA - but he is the definition of subtle comedy], but not really nom-worthy)
Emily Blunt's eyeshadow (it was damn fantastic)















Emily Blunt (I've said it before. I'll say it again. I thought she was fine at what she was doing, which was, and pardon my oversimplification here [but it's called for in this case.], wearing some really heavy eye makeup, putting an expression on her face as if there was a foul-smelling odor right behind it, and then reading some lines off a script with some better-than-average [that's all the credit I'm giving her] readings. I doubt she'd inspire the bile in me that she does if it wasn't for the Globe nod and the batshit crazy reaction to her)
Adrien Grenier (whenever Emily is on screen, I sort of glare. When Adrien is on screen, though, I smile. sigh)
























































Andy's other friends
Traci Thoms
"weird eyebrow man"
(infinity and a half)
Anne Hathaway

The Devil Wears Praaaaaaahhhhh-da on HBO tonight!

Okay, I might like to rag on some of its stars a little (a little?), and on repeat viewings it's not as good (read: when it's not summer 2006 and the choice of movies to see isn't between this and the second Pirates, which makes virtually any movie look brilliant in comparison), but it's still popcorn entertainment at its very best and the movie channels seem to be showing only really crappy movies in the past three days or so (usually they're playing something good). Prada is approximately three billion times better than the book, too, and the costumes are absolutely to die for. If I went shopping today and picked up Anne's entire outfit and Meryl's shoes, I would cry in joy.

...this was random. But watch it!

The most annoying characters...

shut up shut up shut up
(even though you don't say anything the entire movie)

...of 2006, that immediately come to mind. Late, I know, but it's not like I've seen much from 2007 so I can't really talk about that. Not all bad performances (though I'm not truly fond of any of them), but portrayals of characters so obnoxious you just want to take them by the shoulders and shake them around. A lot. Often, no matter how good the performances are (though I mentioned that not really any of them are good...I guess Nighy was the best, Kikuchi and Blunt are so overrated but okayish I guess, and Hathaway and Thoms were just plain terrible), the characters took away from my enjoyment of the movie because they were so obnoxious (I love this word. I love using it at any opportunity, and putting it in italics whenever I use it).

Emily - The Devil Wears Prada
Meryl was masterful at balancing the bitchy side and the human side. Emily Blunt, not so much. Say what you will about working with women, and I'll say a lot, but they are never this bitchy to your face. It's way more behind your back. I saw this movie in theaters, and when she got hit by the car, people applauded. I hate clapping at movies, but I joined in.

Andy Sachs - The Devil Wears Prada
As a college student, I'm pressured, already, to find a great job right out of graduation. Andy certainly did. Sure, the demands were a little ridiculous. But, the connections, the money... you shut up and take it. Hathaway's "I'm gonna look at you with my giant eyes so that you don't notice I'm not acting" performance wasn't helping at all.

Lily - The Devil Wears Prada
Waaaah I can't deal with my friend's great job! Can you tell I didn't like the characters of Prada very much? That's okay. Miranda Priestly makes up for it. That, and it could not possibly be any worse than the dire, dire novel.

Chieko - Babel
People, when blathering on about how they hate Jennifer Hudson, go on about how she was "making weird faces the entire time." Um...did these people see Babel? Kikuchi was like the queen of weird faces (yeah, I know she was deaf, but even in the stills, she's still making totally bizarre faces, see top). Oh, and put some panties on. I'm hardly a prude, but her character gave me the heebie-jeebies with how friggin' naked she was.

Richard Hart - Notes on a Scandal
SUCH AN ASSHOLE. Yeah, I guess it's understandable, but there were just some scenes where Nighy's facial expressions and vocal sneers were just so...ugh! People were going on about how homophobic this film was, because Barbara was "the villain." We were allowed to feel for Barbara because of how amazing Dench was, and the voiceover. I never felt anything for Richard apart from utter loathing. Asshole. This movie made me hate Bill Nighy! GUH.

Yay for Peter Bradshaw.

The real disappointment is Emily Blunt as the Brit bitch who works opposite Andy: the one actor here who really does look as if she could work in fashion. But she is strained and awkward and has none of the drop-dead-sexy hauteur she showed us in My Summer of Love. Embarrassingly, she is made to say "loo" to show off some real limeyspeak. Perhaps she can be grateful she wasn't given bad teeth.

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1888063,00.html

I'll say it again: No, Emily Blunt isn't bad. But, neither is she worthy of hosannahs, any particular sort of praise, an Oscar nom, or, especially, an Oscar WIN. And oh, how I grow tired of her smug, dead-eyed face. Seeing as she's going to be in virtually every film over the next few years, I really hope she doesn't ruin them. Sigh.

Meryl Streep

is God. This is one of my favorite pictures too.

1978 - Best Supporting Actress: The Deer Hunter
1979 - Best Supporting Actress: Kramer vs. Kramer *
1981 - Best Actress: The French Lieutenant's Woman *
1982 - Best Actress: Sophie's Choice *
1983 - Best Actress: Silkwood *
1985 - Best Actress: Out of Africa
1985 - Best Actress: Plenty
1987 - Best Actress: Ironweed
1988 - Best Actress: A Cry in the Dark
1990 - Best Actress: Postcards from the Edge
1995 - Best Actress: The Bridges of Madison County
2002 - Best Supporting Actress: Adaptation.
2003 - Best Supporting Actress: Angels in America *
2006 - Best Actress: The Devil Wears Prada *

Best Actress

Analyzing: Penelope Cruz, Volver
My rank among the nominees: 4th
How'd she get nominated?: Hype building for almost a year combined with the result.
Pros: The fact that she could get in with a subtitled film that didn't get other Academy support says a lot. She's hot.
Cons: They clearly didn't love the film since it was snubbed like all hell. Subtitled. "Oscar winner, Penelope Cruz?" Not Helen Mirren.
Basically, any chance of winning?: Nope. She's coming in dead last here.

Analyzing: Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
My rank among the nominees: 2nd
How'd she get nominated?: She's Judi Dench.
Pros: Judi Dench. Amazing performance backed up by reviews. Film got support from nominations (Blanchett, Score, Adapted Screenplay).
Cons: Not Helen Mirren. Already has an Oscar.
Basically, any chance of winning?: Nope.

Analyzing: Helen Mirren, The Queen
My rank among the nominees: 5th
How'd she get nominated?: A talented actress with no Oscar playing a real-life famous person in a Best Picture nominee prestige pic, backed up by glowing reviews?!
Pros: Virtually every damn critics award. Everyone loves her and recognizes her amazing talent but she's Oscarless. She's in a biopic. Rave, rave, rave reviews.
Cons: Um...backlash? This would have been a bigger factor already, like with Julianne Moore in 2002 with Far from Heaven. A whole bunch of critics awards, and then the Globes came and BAM! Nicole took over.
Basically, any chance of winning?: All the other nominees here have "not Helen Mirren" in their cons section for a reason.

Analyzing: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
My rank among the nominees: 1st
How'd she get nominated?: Meryl effin' Streep
Pros: Everyone wants to see Meryl win another Oscar...she hasn't since '83! The only American in this category. People have been talking about her non-stop since this movie came out.
Cons: Not Helen Mirren. The movie is fluffy and didn't have much other Oscar support (if she got Blunt in with her, she might have a slightly better chance).
Basically, any chance of winning?: Nope. But she's coming in (a distant) second.

Analyzing: Kate Winslet, Little Children
My rank among the nominees: 3rd
How'd she get nominated?: Kate Winslet. 5 nominations at 31?! They clearly do like her.
Pros: As I just said, 5 nominations must mean they like her, especially in stuff like Little Children which played in like one teeny little hidden theater in LA for half a week and certainly didn't get out there with an FYC campaign. At the beginning of this year, she was considered the frontrunner.
Cons: Not Helen Mirren. Teensy tiny little film.
Basically, any chance of winning?: Nope. Not Helen Mirren.

Analyzing: Best Actress as a whole
Who will win: OH GOD THIS IS SO HARD. Um...just kidding. Helen Mirren has this all sewn (sown?) up.
Who should win: Okay, I know I ranked these ladies, but it might as well be a tie. Almost always, the categories have at least one nominee that makes me go "eh" or "ugh!" Here, not at all. They might as well all be the winners! It's just a shame that in such an amazing year for actresses, the same name kept coming up.
Unlucky sixth placer: Probably Maggie Gyllenhaal in Sherrybaby...but who can tell with this year? Nobody else ever got mentioned besides these five. Ahaaaa.
Snubbed: Many people. Among the most notable/ones I liked the most, Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil, Cate Blanchett in The Good German, Laura Dern in Inland Empire, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Sherrybaby.
Random cool fact about this category: Meryl Streep has the most nominations ever and Kate Winslet has the most nominations ever for someone her age.

one thing i will say...

...in emily blunt's favor: she probably could have gotten in, as well as catherine o'hara, if they had better campaigns. for your consideration apparently only had one for your consideration ad (this movie just did not live up to its potential in any way; it could have been brilliant and it could have had the best fyc ads ever, but it was easily guest's worst, and the only film of his that's actually bad, and the fyc ads? yeah...), and though the devil wears prada had quite a few, they all focused on meryl streep, not devoting any blurbs to blunt (good!). there was clearly support for her, as her globe nomination shows, but i don't think the studio pushed her enough.

little miss sunshine though? no matter what you think of that movie its producers deserve an A+. they produced the fuck outta that thing, probably more so than any other producers did (the painted veil? breaking and entering? LITTLE CHILDREN??? i'm looking at you guys).

edit: okay, i was looking on rotten tomatoes for prada reviews with blurbs about blunt, and i found this blurb: "The film is delightful -- what Sex and the City could have been with intelligence and real wit instead of rote bitchiness."
WHAT DID YOU SAY???!!!! HOW DARE YOU!!! (it's a bad idea to insult sex and the city around me)

a movie about bitches inspires my bitching.

Click, since you can't read the thought bubbles that well. And no, I don't have Photoshop. Deal with it. And yes, this is like my 5000000th Devil Wears Prada post but when a movie has both my favorite actress and two of my very least favorite actresses (congrats Emily, you could have gone on just being obscure, but instead you had to induce my wrath much like poor Hilary Swank does for most people), well, I've gotta have something to say, no?

rating the overrated, again

emily blunt is SHOCKED that she found someone on the internet not falling all over herself to praise her performance!

Okay, I don't come to bash Emily Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada. I liked her. She was fun. She's on my Supporting Actress list for the year. ...at #21, but yeah. Now, let's see what Emily does right in Prada:
1. She is funny and she's clearly having fun.
2. She plays it very straight, which works wonders.
3. She has several perfect line deliveries.
...that's it. THAT IS IT, PEOPLE. Yes, #1 and 3 count for a lot, but merely having fun on screen does not entitle one to an Oscar (or whatever your personal awards may be called; in case you didn't pick up on it, mine are the Pulpys). Blunt does the best job she can, but her part is, let's face it, the typical bitchy co-worker, and no, despite what the rest of the blogsphere seems to think, she doesn't elevate it much beyond that. This already puts her at a disadvantage to parts that were actually, you know, written, such as Hudson's, Kirshner's, Kikuchi's, Epps', Somerville's... And no, she doesn't steal scenes from Meryl Streep (she certainly steals them from Anne Hathaway, who is pathetic as usual in the movie...more on her later). In conclusion: a fun performance, but nothing special. I won't ever understand those who say it's one of the best performances of the year.

Meryl Streep freaking rocks this movie though, which is excellent for summer entertainment but then it feels the need to get all moral. Drat. B