Thanks to this one great site, which nails most of the people who have any sort of chance of Oscar. Here are the main categories, with a breakdown of (only) the people/movies listed. I'm not trying to narrow it down to 5 in any category. Note: this post...is a long-y.
No chance: the ones that...well...have no chance. If it's a performance, well, I guess I could say that not even the actor/actress would vote for themselves.
Vote siphoners: if they got a nomination, it would be a tremendous shock, but they're surely going to appear on a ballot somewhere.
It's a possibility: unlikely for the nomination, but it wouldn't be totally surprising
Nearly locks: well...yeah. Those that are almost a sure thing for the nomination. Being snubbed wouldn't be unbelievable, but it would be very surprising.
Locks: if they didn't get in, it would be shocking.
Anyone missing?: those that aren't on the list of even slight possibilities, but that should be.
Best Picture
No chance
Across the Universe
Beowulf
The Children of Huang Shi
The Golden Compass
Grace Is Gone
Lions for Lambs
Love in the Time of Cholera
Margot at the Wedding
Rescue Dawn
Reservation Road
Things We Lost in the Fire
Trade
When Did You Last See Your Father? (did this even come out? Colin Firth. I'd go see it.)
Youth Without Youth
Vote siphoners
The Assassination of Jesse James...
Eastern Promises
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
The Great Debaters
In the Valley of Elah
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
The Savages
Zodiac
it's a possibility
American Gangster
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Charlie Wilson's War
Gone Baby Gone
Sweeney Todd
nearly locks
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
Michael Clayton
There Will Be Blood
locks
No Country for Old Men
anyone missing?
3:10 to Yuma
Hairspray
Once
Ratatouille
as you see, Best Picture is...complicated. 7 movies. 5 spots. HARD
Best Director
no chance
Zemeckis - Beowulf
Jordan - The Brave One
Spottiswoode - The Children of Huang Shi
Kapur - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Weitz - The Golden Compass
Strause - Grace Is Gone
Redford - Lions for Lambs
Newell - Love in the Time of Cholera
Baumbach - Margot at the Wedding
Ball - Nothing is Private
George - Reservation Road
Bier - Things We Lost in the Fire
Kreuzpaintner - Trade
Schrader - The Walker
Tucker - And When Did You Last See Your Father?
Coppola - Youth Without Youth
vote siphoners
Taymor - Across the Universe
Dominik - The Assassination of Jesse James...
Greengrass - The Bourne Ultimatum
Nichols - Charlie Wilson's War
Haggis - In the Valley of Elah
Washington - The Great Debaters
Forster - The Kite Runner
Herzog - Rescue Dawn
Jenkins - The Savages
it's a possibility
Lumet - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Cronenberg - Eastern Promises
Affleck - Gone Baby Gone
Haynes - I'm Not There
Reitman - Juno
Lee - Lust, Caution
Fincher - Zodiac
nearly locks
Scott - American Gangster
Wright - Atonement
Penn - Into the Wild
Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Burton - Sweeney Todd
Anderson - There Will Be Blood
locks
Coens - No Country for Old Men
anyone missing?
Polley - Away from Her
Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (the second closest to a lock after the Coens. Why isn't he on this list?)
Best Actor
no chance
Abdallah - The Kite Runner
Bardem - Love in the Time of Cholera
Carell - Dan in Real Life
Crowe - American Gangster (wasn't he bumped to supporting?)
Del Toro - Things We Lost in the Fire
Farrell - Cassandra's Dream
Firth - And When Did You Last See Your Father?
Freeman - The Bucket List
Ganz - Youth Without Youth
Gordon-Levitt - The Lookout
Gyllenhaal - Zodiac
Hawke - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Harrelson - The Walker
Kline - Trade
Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men (campaigned supporting, not lead)
Kline - Trade
Leung - Lust, Caution
MacGregor - Cassandra's Dream
Rhys-Myers - The Children of Huang Shi
Nicholson - The Bucket List
Phillippe - Stop Loss (delayed til 08)
Pitt - Silk
Phoenix - Reservation Road
Phoenix - We Own the Night
Redford - Lions for Lambs
Roth - Funny Games (delayed til 08)
Travolta - Hairspray (campaigned supporting, not lead)
Washington - The Great Debaters
Winstone - Beowulf
vote siphoners
Affleck - Gone Baby Gone
Bale - Rescue Dawn
Cheadle - Talk to Me
Cusack - Grace Is Gone
Gere - The Hoax
Hoffman - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Hoffman - The Savages
Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Pinsent - Away from Her
Pitt - The Assassination...
Sandler - Reign Over Me
it's a possibility
Brolin - No Country for Old Men
Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War
near locks
Depp - Sweeney Todd
Hirsch - Into the Wild
McAvoy - Atonement
Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Washington - American Gangster
locks
Clooney - Michael Clayton
Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
anyone missing?
Bale - 3:10 to Yuma
Crowe - 3:10 to Yuma
Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Langella - Starting Out in the Evening
Riley - Control
Best Actress
no chance
Berry - Things We Lost in the Fire
Bishil - Nothing Is Private
Blethyn - Clubland
Hathaway - Becoming Jane
Johansson - The Nanny Diaries
Jones - My Blueberry Nights
Knightley - Silk
Mezzogiorno - Love in the Time of Cholera
Portman - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Sarandon - In the Valley of Elah
Thurman - In Bloom (moved to 08)
Watts - Eastern Promises
Watts - Funny Games (moved to 08)
vote siphoners
Judd - Bug
Kidman - Margot at the Wedding
Russell - Waitress
Wei - Lust, Caution
it's a possibility
Blonsky - Hairspray
Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd
Foster - The Brave One
nearly locks
Adams - Enchanted
Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Knightley - Atonement
Linney - The Savages
locks
Christie - Away from Her
Cotillard - La vie en rose
Page - Juno
anyone missing?
Heigl - Knocked Up
Best Supporting Actor
no chance
Beatty - The Walker
Berg - Lions for Lambs
Black - Margot at the Wedding
Bratt - Love in the Time of Cholera
Broadbent - And When Did You Last See Your Father?
Craig - The Golden Compass
Cooper - Breach (leading? No chance either way.)
Cooper - The Kingdom
Cruise - Lions for Lambs
Glover - Beowulf
Dafoe - The Walker
Duvall - We Own the Night
Ebrahimi - The Kite Runner
Eckhart - Nothing Is Private
Edwards - Zodiac
Efron - Hairspray
Ershadi - The Kite Runner
Franco - In the Valley of Elah
Freeman - Feast of Love
Freeman - Gone Baby Gone
Harris - Gone Baby Gone
Hoffman - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
Howard - The Brave One
Jackson - Resurrecting the Champ
Lee - Sweeney Todd (NOT EVEN IN THE MOVIE!)
Mahmoodzada - The Kite Runner
Molina - The Hoax
Molina - Silk
Owen - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Pitt - Funny Games
Pollack - Michael Clayton
Ramos - Trade
Rockwell - The Assassination...
Roth - Youth Without Youth
Ruffalo - Reservation Road
Rush - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Spall - Sweeney Todd
Toub - The Kite Runner
Wahlberg - We Own the Night
Walken - Hairspray
Whitaker - The Great Debaters
Wilkinson - Cassandra's Dream
Yun-Fat - The Children of Huang Shi
vote siphoners
Bosco - The Savages
Cassel - Eastern Promises
Cohen - Sweeney Todd
De Niro - Stardust
Downey Jr. - Zodiac
Ejiofor - Talk to Me
Mueller-Stahl - Eastern Promises
Rickman - Sweeney Todd
Ruffalo - Zodiac
Zahn - Rescue Dawn
it's a possibility
Dano - There Will Be Blood
nearly locks
Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Holbrook - Into the Wild
Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
locks
Affleck - The Assassination...
Bardem - No Country for Old Men
anyone missing?
Finney - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
Rudd - Knocked Up
Travolta - Hairspray
von Sydow - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Supporting Actress
no chance
Adams - Charlie Wilson's War
Atwell - Cassandra's Dream
Bacall - The Walker
Bachleda - Trade
Bello - Nothing is Private
Binoche - Dan in Real Life
Chen - Lust, Caution
Clarkson - Lars and the Real Girl
Collette - Nothing is Private
Connelly - Reservation Road
Cornish - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Dukakis - Away from Her
Fonda - Georgia Rule
Gaitan - Trade
Gay Harden - The Hoax
Gay Harden - Into the Wild
Leoni - The Kite Runner
Lohman - Things We Lost in the Fire
Mendes - We Own the Night
Mitchell - The Children of Huang Shi
Monaghan - Gone Baby Gone
Montenegro - Love in the Time of Cholera
Moreno - Love in the Time of Cholera
Mortimer - Lars and the Real Girl
Morton - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Page - An American Crime
Latifah - Hairspray
Sorvino - Reservation Road
Streep - Lions for Lambs
Streep - Rendition
Theron - In the Valley of Elah
Thomas - The Walker
Tomlin - The Walker
Weaver - The TV Set
Wood - In Bloom (delayed til 08)
Yeoh - The Children of Huang Shi
vote siphoners
Garai - Atonement
Kidman - The Golden Compass
Leigh - Margot at the Wedding
Morton - Control
Pfeiffer - Stardust
it's a possibility
MacDonald - No Country for Old Men
Pfeiffer - Hairspray
Redgrave - Atonement
Roberts - Charlie Wilson's War
Tomei - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
near locks
Keener - Into the Wild
locks
Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Swinton - Michael Clayton
anyone missing?
Dee - American Gangster
Garner - Juno
Mann - Knocked Up
Ronan - Atonement
Original Screenplay
no chance
Across the Universe
The Brave One
The Bucket List
Cassandra's Dream
Dan in Real Life
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Grace Is Gone
Lions for Lambs
The Lookout
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
My Blueberry Nights
Reign Over Me
Talk to Me
Things We Lost in the Fire
The Walker
We Own The Night
vote siphoners
The Great Debaters
I'm Not There
In the Valley of Elah
Margot at the Wedding
it's a possibility
American Gangster
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Eastern Promises
Waitress
near locks
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
locks
none on this list.
anyone missing?
uh... Juno, duh.
Knocked Up
Lars and the Real Girl
Superbad
Best Adapted Screenplay
no chance
And When Did You Last See Your Father?
Beowulf
The Golden Compass
Love in the Time of Cholera
The Nanny Diaries
Nothing Is Private
Reservation Road
Silk
Stardust
Trade
Youth Without Youth
vote siphoners
The Assassination...
The Kite Runner
Lust, Caution
Sweeney Todd
it's a possibility
Away from Her
Gone Baby Gone
Zodiac
nearly locks
Atonement
Charlie Wilson's War
Into the Wild
There Will Be Blood
locks
No Country for Old Men
anything missing?
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
WHEWWWWWWWWWWW.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
the BAFTA nominations (and reactions of course)
Picture
American Gangster
Atonement
The Lives of Others
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
I so did not think American Gangster was BAFTA's taste. The Lives of Others is a really interesting and totally great choice, and I have heard that British critics think it is the greatest film ever!!! It's not, but it's just a fantastic movie and I am forever indebted to it for beating the very overrated Pan's Labyrinth (though I maintain that it was absolutely bizarre that it did, especially when Pan's clearly had support in other areas).
British Picture
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Control
Eastern Promises
This Is England
Totally forgot to predict this. Very strong lineup. The Bourne Ultimatum is British? Coulda fooled me.
Director
PT Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers - No Country for Old Men
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck - The Lives of Others
Paul Greengrass - The Bourne Ultimatum
Joe Wright - Atonement
I was a little shamefully excited when I saw I got my Greengrass "no guts no glory!!!" prediction.
Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muhe - The Lives of Others
This lineup is fucking amazing. Though I find it odd that American Gangster could get in for Picture and Washington didn't have the support to get in here...but whatever, whoever would have been in sixth place if Washington was here is better than Washington. Wow. If this somehow ended up being the Oscar lineup, I might cry in joy.
Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose
Keira Knightley - Atonement
Ellen Page - Juno
I don't see how Blanchett's "let's just take what I did 9 years ago, but crank it up to 11!!!!" is placing over performances like Wei. Meh. I didn't see BAFTA going for Page at all, but they did.
Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano - There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
*jaw drops* fucking. perfect. lineup.
Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Kelly MacDonald - No Country for Old Men
Samantha Morton - Control
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
Another jaw-droppingly perfect lineup. I am so happy Samantha Morton got in. BAFTA, you are pretty goddamn amazing this year. Does MacDonald have more support than we thought? If you're gonna go for Brits, I'd think they'd go for Redgrave over MacDonald. Both were outstanding, though, so...yeah. Wow, I love BAFTA this year.
Original Screenplay
American Gangster
Juno
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
This Is England
American Gangster is a totally bizarre nomination but hey, BAFTA, get down with your bad self.
Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Mm-hmm.
In conclusion, I think we can say the BAFTAs this year are almost certain to be better than the Oscars. Ahhh, loves it.
American Gangster
Atonement
The Lives of Others
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
I so did not think American Gangster was BAFTA's taste. The Lives of Others is a really interesting and totally great choice, and I have heard that British critics think it is the greatest film ever!!! It's not, but it's just a fantastic movie and I am forever indebted to it for beating the very overrated Pan's Labyrinth (though I maintain that it was absolutely bizarre that it did, especially when Pan's clearly had support in other areas).
British Picture
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Control
Eastern Promises
This Is England
Totally forgot to predict this. Very strong lineup. The Bourne Ultimatum is British? Coulda fooled me.
Director
PT Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers - No Country for Old Men
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck - The Lives of Others
Paul Greengrass - The Bourne Ultimatum
Joe Wright - Atonement
I was a little shamefully excited when I saw I got my Greengrass "no guts no glory!!!" prediction.
Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muhe - The Lives of Others
This lineup is fucking amazing. Though I find it odd that American Gangster could get in for Picture and Washington didn't have the support to get in here...but whatever, whoever would have been in sixth place if Washington was here is better than Washington. Wow. If this somehow ended up being the Oscar lineup, I might cry in joy.
Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose
Keira Knightley - Atonement
Ellen Page - Juno
I don't see how Blanchett's "let's just take what I did 9 years ago, but crank it up to 11!!!!" is placing over performances like Wei. Meh. I didn't see BAFTA going for Page at all, but they did.
Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano - There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
*jaw drops* fucking. perfect. lineup.
Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Kelly MacDonald - No Country for Old Men
Samantha Morton - Control
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
Another jaw-droppingly perfect lineup. I am so happy Samantha Morton got in. BAFTA, you are pretty goddamn amazing this year. Does MacDonald have more support than we thought? If you're gonna go for Brits, I'd think they'd go for Redgrave over MacDonald. Both were outstanding, though, so...yeah. Wow, I love BAFTA this year.
Original Screenplay
American Gangster
Juno
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
This Is England
American Gangster is a totally bizarre nomination but hey, BAFTA, get down with your bad self.
Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Mm-hmm.
In conclusion, I think we can say the BAFTAs this year are almost certain to be better than the Oscars. Ahhh, loves it.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Mr. Big thoughts.
the one, the only, the all-too-lovely originalChris Noth is good on Sex and the City and he's sexy as anything, but he's basically just a budget George Clooney. Oh, goodness, can you imagine Clooney as Mr. Big? Ahhh...
further conversations with Keira and James.
Keira: James, you woke me up from my nap. Asshole.
James: Well, we have this magazine shoot now, or whatever. You should be a little more excited. We won the Globe!
Keira: I guess. But that still doesn't explain why you're dressed up like fuckin' Danny Zuko.
James: Point taken. You cunt.
Yes/No?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is supposedly going to be two films. As long as they film them simultaneously and release them relatively simultaneously, this doesn't seem like a bad idea to me...
my motto of blogging
(besides "never be afraid to bore 'em")
"If you run a pop culture blog, you cannot act like you are oh-so-above pop culture."
"If you run a pop culture blog, you cannot act like you are oh-so-above pop culture."
You know what?
I like - nay, really like - Sienna Miller. She's really pretty and decidedly "her own person," if that makes any sense. But more importantly, she's turning herself into one outstanding actress. Her performances in 2007's Factory Girl and especially Interview made me, quite frankly, really like her. Okay, so she can suck just as often, and it's just too bad she's way more known in the States (and probably in England/worldwide in general too, no?) as that chick who Jude Law cheated on a nanny with and who wears crazy clothes (which she often does, but she usually turns the fabulous up to 11 for every red carpet event)... but I still really like her.
so I never did predict those BAFTAs...
The long list is here.
Best Picture
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best Director
PT Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers - No Country for Old Men
Paul Greengrass - The Bourne Ultimatum
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement
(they loooove Greengrass. Hell, they gave him director last year over Scorsese. And hey, no guts no glory.)
Best Actor
Michael Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
James McAvoy - Atonement
Denzel Washington - American Gangster
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination...
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
John Travolta - Hairspray (why do I see BAFTA going for this? I dunno)
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Romola Garai - Atonement
Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
(If Atonement can't pick up major nominations here - I mean in general, not necessarily 3x in Supporting Actress - it is indeed officially dead.)
Best Original Screenplay
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
And that's that. Again: if Atonement doesn't get major support here, its chances at Best Picture are, indeed, nil. I don't quite see it pulling off getting nominated for Oscar's Best Picture, but it's definitely a non-shocking possibility. If it gets snubbed at the BAFTAs, but nominated at the Oscars, it will be ... bizarre. Then again, Keira Knightley (British) has an Oscar nomination but no BAFTA nomination, and Scarlett Johansson (American) has a BAFTA but not even an Oscar nomination...
Best Picture
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best Director
PT Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers - No Country for Old Men
Paul Greengrass - The Bourne Ultimatum
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement
(they loooove Greengrass. Hell, they gave him director last year over Scorsese. And hey, no guts no glory.)
Best Actor
Michael Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
James McAvoy - Atonement
Denzel Washington - American Gangster
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La vie en rose
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley - Atonement
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination...
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
John Travolta - Hairspray (why do I see BAFTA going for this? I dunno)
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Romola Garai - Atonement
Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
(If Atonement can't pick up major nominations here - I mean in general, not necessarily 3x in Supporting Actress - it is indeed officially dead.)
Best Original Screenplay
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
And that's that. Again: if Atonement doesn't get major support here, its chances at Best Picture are, indeed, nil. I don't quite see it pulling off getting nominated for Oscar's Best Picture, but it's definitely a non-shocking possibility. If it gets snubbed at the BAFTAs, but nominated at the Oscars, it will be ... bizarre. Then again, Keira Knightley (British) has an Oscar nomination but no BAFTA nomination, and Scarlett Johansson (American) has a BAFTA but not even an Oscar nomination...
Monday, January 14, 2008
more things I just realized
...I really dislike the title Hollywoodland. It's just so...anticlimactic. Hollywood! ...Land.
Time to dig up my predictions from March!
Best Picture: Atonement, Charlie Wilson's War, Goya's Ghosts, Lions for Lambs, Reservation Road
What Happened?: Atonement got snubbed by every guild in existence, though it's still got a chance; it's far from totally gone. Charlie Wilson's War got ignored by precursors, though it wasn't a bad guess. Goya's Ghosts never made a splash in America and got bad reviews. Lions for Lambs got awful reviews, and I never saw it myself but if the trailer had been out when I was still here, I would have removed it from my predictions immediately because Jesus Christ that trailer was awful! Reservation Road got awful reviews and vanished. (Better luck with Revolutionary Road, eh?)
Best Director: Cronenberg (Eastern Promises), Forman (Goya's Ghosts), Nichols (Charlie Wilson's War), Redford (Lions for Lambs), George (Reservation Road)
What Happened?: For Forman, Nichols, Redford, and George, see above (plus, many of the criticism about Wilson's has to do with Nichols' direction). Eastern Promises is widely considered not as good as A History of Violence (not incorrectly) and Cronenberg never got any mentions.
Best Actor: Crowe (Gangster), Day-Lewis, Depp, Hanks, Washington
What Happened?: Hey, at least four of these are sort of in the race! Day-Lewis and Depp are basically locks for nominations, and Washington has a chance, and Hanks does...sort of... Crowe, of course, got relegated to Supporting (where he still has no chance; too bad, he was excellent and Washington was coasting), because apparently movies absolutely cannot have two leads of the same gender (I tried to make some "that share genitalia" joke, but it just...wasn't working).
Best Actress: Blanchett, Christie, Jolie, Sarah Jessica Parker (Spinning Into Butter), Streep (Lions for Lambs)
What Happened?: Christie, Jolie, and Blanchett are all locks or near-locks, which makes Parker and Streep hilarious because they are absolutely dead in terms of any Oscar possibility at all. I don't think Parker's movie even ever came out/was picked up for distribution. I also said "I don't think Marion Cotillard will get nominated for La vie en rose" (though I was still pretentiously calling it La Mome), which...so...egg on my face there, yup. Not surprising. Also, during the summer, I LOLed at myself for picking Jolie. To be fair, her chances did completely die down for a long time, then came back out of nowhere. Huh. I dunno.
Best Supporting Actor: De Niro (Stardust), Philip Seymour Hoffman, McAvoy (Becoming Jane), Clive Owen (Golden Age), Wilkinson
What Happened?: You know, for someone who barely did any sort of research, I'm not doing that badly on the acting predictions. It's just... the ones that I got wrong are so very wrong. Hoffman and Wilkinson are extremely likely to get nominations. But, the other three...um...no.
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams (Charlie Wilson's War), Glenn Close (Evening), Jane Fonda (Georgia Rule), Scarlett Johansson (The Other Boleyn Girl), Nicole Kidman (The Golden Compass)
What Happened?: ...aaaaaaand here's where my "I didn't do that badly on my acting predictions" goes to shit. Adams was just fine in Wilson's (if not a gazillionth as good as her performance in, duh, Enchanted) but Julia Roberts got "all the attention," Evening and Georgia Rule absolutely blew, The Golden Compass didn't get Kidman any attention (then again, neither did Margot at the Wedding), and Boleyn got delayed until 2008 and is probably terrible.
Best Original Screenplay: Cassandra's Dream, Goya's Ghosts, Leatherheads, Lions for Lambs, Rendition
What Happened?: Look at these and laugh at me. It's like, four of the most "oops, these didn't live up to their promise!" movies of the year (and one that got delayed until 2008). I do think Leatherheads might have a good chance for 2008, though. The preview looks great. And George Clooney! And Jim Halpert!!
Best Adapted Screenplay: American Gangster, Charlie Wilson's War, In the Valley of Elah, The Other Boleyn Girl, There Will Be Blood
What Happened?: haha I didn't even get the category right for Elah. It's original. Duh... anyway, this isn't nearly as ridiculous as my predictions for Original Screenplay, as all of these at least have a teeny chance (though let's face it, Gangster and Elah ain't gettin' in) or got delayed until 2008.
Um... at least I never predicted major success for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Youth Without Youth, or Rendition, right?
What Happened?: Atonement got snubbed by every guild in existence, though it's still got a chance; it's far from totally gone. Charlie Wilson's War got ignored by precursors, though it wasn't a bad guess. Goya's Ghosts never made a splash in America and got bad reviews. Lions for Lambs got awful reviews, and I never saw it myself but if the trailer had been out when I was still here, I would have removed it from my predictions immediately because Jesus Christ that trailer was awful! Reservation Road got awful reviews and vanished. (Better luck with Revolutionary Road, eh?)
Best Director: Cronenberg (Eastern Promises), Forman (Goya's Ghosts), Nichols (Charlie Wilson's War), Redford (Lions for Lambs), George (Reservation Road)
What Happened?: For Forman, Nichols, Redford, and George, see above (plus, many of the criticism about Wilson's has to do with Nichols' direction). Eastern Promises is widely considered not as good as A History of Violence (not incorrectly) and Cronenberg never got any mentions.
Best Actor: Crowe (Gangster), Day-Lewis, Depp, Hanks, Washington
What Happened?: Hey, at least four of these are sort of in the race! Day-Lewis and Depp are basically locks for nominations, and Washington has a chance, and Hanks does...sort of... Crowe, of course, got relegated to Supporting (where he still has no chance; too bad, he was excellent and Washington was coasting), because apparently movies absolutely cannot have two leads of the same gender (I tried to make some "that share genitalia" joke, but it just...wasn't working).
Best Actress: Blanchett, Christie, Jolie, Sarah Jessica Parker (Spinning Into Butter), Streep (Lions for Lambs)
What Happened?: Christie, Jolie, and Blanchett are all locks or near-locks, which makes Parker and Streep hilarious because they are absolutely dead in terms of any Oscar possibility at all. I don't think Parker's movie even ever came out/was picked up for distribution. I also said "I don't think Marion Cotillard will get nominated for La vie en rose" (though I was still pretentiously calling it La Mome), which...so...egg on my face there, yup. Not surprising. Also, during the summer, I LOLed at myself for picking Jolie. To be fair, her chances did completely die down for a long time, then came back out of nowhere. Huh. I dunno.
Best Supporting Actor: De Niro (Stardust), Philip Seymour Hoffman, McAvoy (Becoming Jane), Clive Owen (Golden Age), Wilkinson
What Happened?: You know, for someone who barely did any sort of research, I'm not doing that badly on the acting predictions. It's just... the ones that I got wrong are so very wrong. Hoffman and Wilkinson are extremely likely to get nominations. But, the other three...um...no.
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams (Charlie Wilson's War), Glenn Close (Evening), Jane Fonda (Georgia Rule), Scarlett Johansson (The Other Boleyn Girl), Nicole Kidman (The Golden Compass)
What Happened?: ...aaaaaaand here's where my "I didn't do that badly on my acting predictions" goes to shit. Adams was just fine in Wilson's (if not a gazillionth as good as her performance in, duh, Enchanted) but Julia Roberts got "all the attention," Evening and Georgia Rule absolutely blew, The Golden Compass didn't get Kidman any attention (then again, neither did Margot at the Wedding), and Boleyn got delayed until 2008 and is probably terrible.
Best Original Screenplay: Cassandra's Dream, Goya's Ghosts, Leatherheads, Lions for Lambs, Rendition
What Happened?: Look at these and laugh at me. It's like, four of the most "oops, these didn't live up to their promise!" movies of the year (and one that got delayed until 2008). I do think Leatherheads might have a good chance for 2008, though. The preview looks great. And George Clooney! And Jim Halpert!!
Best Adapted Screenplay: American Gangster, Charlie Wilson's War, In the Valley of Elah, The Other Boleyn Girl, There Will Be Blood
What Happened?: haha I didn't even get the category right for Elah. It's original. Duh... anyway, this isn't nearly as ridiculous as my predictions for Original Screenplay, as all of these at least have a teeny chance (though let's face it, Gangster and Elah ain't gettin' in) or got delayed until 2008.
Um... at least I never predicted major success for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Youth Without Youth, or Rendition, right?
Oscar predictions post Globe/PGA
Best Picture
Into the Wild
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Atonement, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I don't think the Globe win saves Atonement in any way, it just makes the race a little more interesting. Sad, but whatever. At least Atonement has a likely sweep of the BAFTAs, right? I still can't see AMPAS going for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly when Pan's Labyrinth couldn't get in last year (though knowing me, Diving Bell will be nominated, of course). If one of these is most vulnerable, I think it might actually be There Will Be Blood, as it's...um...a tad too crazy for AMPAS, no?
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Alternates: Burton, Scott, Fincher, Lumet
Take DGA. Copy + paste. Hooray! If AMPAS gets sentimental they could go for Lumet or Scott, and if they're feeling crazy they could go for Fincher. Burton still stands a pretty good chance, but I can't think of who to bump out.
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Alternates: Gosling, Washington, McAvoy
Wow, if this happens, what a strong lineup. Not a performance I didn't like in the bunch. Of course, this means Gosling (sorry, Ryan. Looooved you in Half Nelson.) or Washington will get in at the expense of, like, Viggo. *cries*
Best Actress
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page, Juno
Alternates: Blanchett, Linney, Knightley
I know, predicting Adams over Blanchett is sheer lunacy. But...Adams might be on less ballots overall, but get way more #1s; ain't no one votin' #1 for Blanchett except Blanchett. And...I'm thinking optimistically. Shhh! I would cry of happiness if Linney got in, but I just don't think it's happening.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James...
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Travolta (please, no...), Lee Jones, Finney
I don't really see too many people spoiling this party. If Travolta gets in I shan't be happy.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Redgrave, Dee, Garner
I liked Breslin a lot last year but if she got in, Ronan should get in...
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Alternates: Lars and the Real Girl, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Don't really have any comments for this one. I just don't see Oscar going for Lars at all. shrug
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Charlie Wilson's War, Zodiac, Away from Her
I think, even if it gets left out of Picture/Director/the other majors, the Academy would really have to absolutely despise Atonement to leave it out here.
Hmm.
Into the Wild
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Atonement, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I don't think the Globe win saves Atonement in any way, it just makes the race a little more interesting. Sad, but whatever. At least Atonement has a likely sweep of the BAFTAs, right? I still can't see AMPAS going for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly when Pan's Labyrinth couldn't get in last year (though knowing me, Diving Bell will be nominated, of course). If one of these is most vulnerable, I think it might actually be There Will Be Blood, as it's...um...a tad too crazy for AMPAS, no?
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Alternates: Burton, Scott, Fincher, Lumet
Take DGA. Copy + paste. Hooray! If AMPAS gets sentimental they could go for Lumet or Scott, and if they're feeling crazy they could go for Fincher. Burton still stands a pretty good chance, but I can't think of who to bump out.
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Alternates: Gosling, Washington, McAvoy
Wow, if this happens, what a strong lineup. Not a performance I didn't like in the bunch. Of course, this means Gosling (sorry, Ryan. Looooved you in Half Nelson.) or Washington will get in at the expense of, like, Viggo. *cries*
Best Actress
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page, Juno
Alternates: Blanchett, Linney, Knightley
I know, predicting Adams over Blanchett is sheer lunacy. But...Adams might be on less ballots overall, but get way more #1s; ain't no one votin' #1 for Blanchett except Blanchett. And...I'm thinking optimistically. Shhh! I would cry of happiness if Linney got in, but I just don't think it's happening.
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James...
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Travolta (please, no...), Lee Jones, Finney
I don't really see too many people spoiling this party. If Travolta gets in I shan't be happy.
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Alternates: Redgrave, Dee, Garner
I liked Breslin a lot last year but if she got in, Ronan should get in...
Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Alternates: Lars and the Real Girl, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Don't really have any comments for this one. I just don't see Oscar going for Lars at all. shrug
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Alternates: Charlie Wilson's War, Zodiac, Away from Her
I think, even if it gets left out of Picture/Director/the other majors, the Academy would really have to absolutely despise Atonement to leave it out here.
Hmm.
You know what would be hilarious?
Susie = AMPAS member
Tommy = Paul Haggis
If, against all odds, In the Valley of Elah got an Oscar nom for Best Original Screenplay. Ha! How much do you think the Brokeback fans would freak out over that? Paul Haggis nominated four years in a row! That said, it would be the most amazing thing ever if the movie had huge traction with AMPAS and Tommy Lee Jones got in. If you can give him an Oscar for The Fugitive, you can give him at least a nomination for In the Valley of Elah (or No Country for Old Men)!Tommy = Paul Haggis
PS.: In the Valley of Elah was good but not great, but his competition from 2005's - Ang Lee, duh - movie of this year, Lust, Caution, was just great and much better than Lee's 2005 movie, Brokeback Mountain. Of course, it's being for the most part completely ignored.
Steve Carell gives the best advice.
"He looks back and decides that all those years that he suffered, those were the best years of his life, 'cause they made him who he was. All those years he was happy? You know, total waste. Didn't learn a thing. So, if you sleep 'til you're 18... think of all the suffering you're going to miss. I mean, high school? High school...those are your prime suffering years! You don't get better suffering than that."
"BFD. Engaged ain't married."
"Huh..."
"Never give up. Never, ever give up."
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Globe reactions '07 (or '08. whatever)
- Okay, I'm reading an article about the Globes, and did you know there are only 82 members?! Christ. AMPAS has over 6000.
- My predictions weren't that bad, though woohoo I fucked up the major categories (screenplay, director, both Best Pictures).
- Wow, they really did not like No Country all that much. And they hated Juno. Duh, I should have gone with the age-old "Globes love musicals" card. I guess Sweeney Todd/Juno is like last year's Dreamgirls/Little Miss Sunshine.
- Atonement yayyyy!!! Even if you despise it, at least it made the race a little more interesting, right? I don't think it's winning Best Picture, but I think it can at least get the nomination now.
- Schnabel Diving Bell WHAT. You're the one movie I can't see or *cough* find... and you keep winning/being nominated for things. I enjoyed Basquiat and Before Night Falls enough, but didn't think the direction was notable in either, really. You know what, Diving Bell? I'm just gonna have to tough it through Oscar season not having seen you. I can't believe I forgot Julian Schnabel was a famous artist, though. Duh.
- Billy Bush could not be more stupid. Insulting many of the wins (saying Cate Blanchett "just played a man" or something like that and saying Marion Cotillard shouldn't have won because her movie wasn't actually a comedy/musical, which...actually...is a decent criticism), calling virtually every TV show a "movie," and just being generally an idiot... Duh. I mean, he said Amy Ryan should have won because she was "an established actress in the movie business" or whatever, thus inferring that Cate Blanchett is not. I know I'm not her biggest fan, but um, duhhh... and also. "When you team together Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, you get something really special, like Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio." Uh?! I think that only got great just last year, after two previous tries, and well, MARTIN SCORSESE AND ROBERT DENIRO? Jesus. Moron.
- I have no real problems with any of the wins. I would have preferred any of the other nominees over Cotillard, but I'm not like GAR ARGH RAAHHH etc. I actually - and this may shock some of you - love Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There, but she's lead. Still great though, and borderline, so we'll let it slide.
- TV: What is Mad Men? I'm not the most into TV (though as is brutally obvious, I do enjoy The Office, as well as Sex and the City, which I've seen every episode of at least three times. Seriously. No, I don't have a life, why do you ask?), though I do tend to watch one or two episodes of a show just to try it out, but like... I haven't even heard of it. I guess this is what happens when you go to Spain for a semester.
- Katherine Heigl lost. I'm shocked, and of two minds about her. First, I do appreciate that she's not being controlled by her publicist and actually has opinions, and it's kind of hypocritical that everyone applauded her for saying bad things about Isaiah Washington, who everyone hated at the time, but everyone turned on her when she said bad things about Knocked Up, which everyone loved. She's also a good actress and totally likeable in, say, well, Knocked Up, even if she was playing "a shrew." On the other hand, she is everywhere, and I'm getting really tired of her, and it seems clear she's quite full of herself. However, Samantha Morton (and Andy Serkis, and Jim Broadbent) was (were) just fucking amazing in Longford, so I'm incredibly glad she got the recognition she did. And hey, Hugh Lawrie and House lost! YAY!!
- I think Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold should win Best Supporting Actor in a TV Comedy for the rest of time. One of my favorite characters ever.
- In basic conclusion: if this is what the Oscars are like, I'm gonna have to shoot somebody.
- My predictions weren't that bad, though woohoo I fucked up the major categories (screenplay, director, both Best Pictures).
- Wow, they really did not like No Country all that much. And they hated Juno. Duh, I should have gone with the age-old "Globes love musicals" card. I guess Sweeney Todd/Juno is like last year's Dreamgirls/Little Miss Sunshine.
- Atonement yayyyy!!! Even if you despise it, at least it made the race a little more interesting, right? I don't think it's winning Best Picture, but I think it can at least get the nomination now.
- Schnabel Diving Bell WHAT. You're the one movie I can't see or *cough* find... and you keep winning/being nominated for things. I enjoyed Basquiat and Before Night Falls enough, but didn't think the direction was notable in either, really. You know what, Diving Bell? I'm just gonna have to tough it through Oscar season not having seen you. I can't believe I forgot Julian Schnabel was a famous artist, though. Duh.
- Billy Bush could not be more stupid. Insulting many of the wins (saying Cate Blanchett "just played a man" or something like that and saying Marion Cotillard shouldn't have won because her movie wasn't actually a comedy/musical, which...actually...is a decent criticism), calling virtually every TV show a "movie," and just being generally an idiot... Duh. I mean, he said Amy Ryan should have won because she was "an established actress in the movie business" or whatever, thus inferring that Cate Blanchett is not. I know I'm not her biggest fan, but um, duhhh... and also. "When you team together Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, you get something really special, like Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio." Uh?! I think that only got great just last year, after two previous tries, and well, MARTIN SCORSESE AND ROBERT DENIRO? Jesus. Moron.
- I have no real problems with any of the wins. I would have preferred any of the other nominees over Cotillard, but I'm not like GAR ARGH RAAHHH etc. I actually - and this may shock some of you - love Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There, but she's lead. Still great though, and borderline, so we'll let it slide.
- TV: What is Mad Men? I'm not the most into TV (though as is brutally obvious, I do enjoy The Office, as well as Sex and the City, which I've seen every episode of at least three times. Seriously. No, I don't have a life, why do you ask?), though I do tend to watch one or two episodes of a show just to try it out, but like... I haven't even heard of it. I guess this is what happens when you go to Spain for a semester.
- Katherine Heigl lost. I'm shocked, and of two minds about her. First, I do appreciate that she's not being controlled by her publicist and actually has opinions, and it's kind of hypocritical that everyone applauded her for saying bad things about Isaiah Washington, who everyone hated at the time, but everyone turned on her when she said bad things about Knocked Up, which everyone loved. She's also a good actress and totally likeable in, say, well, Knocked Up, even if she was playing "a shrew." On the other hand, she is everywhere, and I'm getting really tired of her, and it seems clear she's quite full of herself. However, Samantha Morton (and Andy Serkis, and Jim Broadbent) was (were) just fucking amazing in Longford, so I'm incredibly glad she got the recognition she did. And hey, Hugh Lawrie and House lost! YAY!!
- I think Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold should win Best Supporting Actor in a TV Comedy for the rest of time. One of my favorite characters ever.
- In basic conclusion: if this is what the Oscars are like, I'm gonna have to shoot somebody.
keira, keira, keira.
First things first: this picture is weird.
Secondly: Yeah, I know, this and the cover picture are supposed to be "sexy," but really you just look kind of tired and uncomfortable.
Thirdly: I also know this is trying to recreate the now justifiably famous green dress, but why do you never have a proper shirt on? Even skinny people wear shirts! I do, all the time!
Fourth: I read your interview with James McAvoy in Entertainment Weekly, and Jesus Christ woman, do the two of you ever stop cursing?
Fifth: ...but secretly, I thought it was very endearing...
Sixth: I have no idea how I went from thinking you were an annoying little twit to thinking you'd kind of be fun to go out for drinks with. This is high praise, normally reserved for the likes of ScarJo and Natalie Portman.
Love,
Justine
Seventh: PS: This still doesn't mean you're a great actress. Sorry.
Secondly: Yeah, I know, this and the cover picture are supposed to be "sexy," but really you just look kind of tired and uncomfortable.
Thirdly: I also know this is trying to recreate the now justifiably famous green dress, but why do you never have a proper shirt on? Even skinny people wear shirts! I do, all the time!
Fourth: I read your interview with James McAvoy in Entertainment Weekly, and Jesus Christ woman, do the two of you ever stop cursing?
Fifth: ...but secretly, I thought it was very endearing...
Sixth: I have no idea how I went from thinking you were an annoying little twit to thinking you'd kind of be fun to go out for drinks with. This is high praise, normally reserved for the likes of ScarJo and Natalie Portman.
Love,
Justine
Seventh: PS: This still doesn't mean you're a great actress. Sorry.
and as long as we're talking about voices...
Patrick Wilson is a talented actor and you know, not really very bad to look at to boot. But his voice is just so... loud. This is an incredibly stupid statement, so let me elaborate further. I have Little Children on in the background. I'm not really paying attention to it at all. But somehow, every time Patrick Wilson speaks, without even looking at the TV, I'm like "huh, there's Patrick again." He's way louder than anyone else in this cast, and his voice is really distinctive while being kind of bland (sorry Patty). There's only three other actors I can do that I-know-it's-you-without-looking-at-you thing with: Matt & Kevin Dillon, and Bill Murray (that's only because I worship that last one, though). Huh. Go figure.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Hmm...
Superbad was a lot better in Spanish when I didn't have to hear these characters' fucking annoying voices. Christ. Yes, Christopher Mintz-Plasse is pretty genius and Michael Cera could not be more endearing/adorable and he's younger than me so I feel like a perv!, but the voices of all three of these kids make me want to put my brain on a cheese grater. ARRGH
heh.
Did you know the producers of Atonement wanted to cut the word "cunt" out of the film? Kind of stupid, considering it's only what sets the plot in action (and a lame side note: when I read that when I read the book, I absolutely gasped out loud). Duh...
In other news, I am very pleased to see several major Oscar predicters (Entertainment Weekly, yayyyy!!!!) predicting Laura Linney for The Savages again. I don't think she has much of a chance but if she gets in, it would be pretty much the best thing ever. It would actually be fucking amazing if the two most shaky prospects - Blanchett and Jolie - got swapped out for the far superior Adams and Linney. Ohhh, Academy.I wish I knew how to quit you. GAH
In other news, I am very pleased to see several major Oscar predicters (Entertainment Weekly, yayyyy!!!!) predicting Laura Linney for The Savages again. I don't think she has much of a chance but if she gets in, it would be pretty much the best thing ever. It would actually be fucking amazing if the two most shaky prospects - Blanchett and Jolie - got swapped out for the far superior Adams and Linney. Ohhh, Academy.
Friday, January 11, 2008
some list I never commented on.
Mr. 99 looking good Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Film Stars (as ranked by peoples' votes). Please note, a lot of the girls' comments are probably gonna be like "uhhh, I guess" or just skipped.
100. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (haven't even heard of her. Oh, wait, she was in Grindhouse. And was the cheerleader. Meh)
099. Chris Evans (ahhh. SO HOT. Why is he #99?)
098. Brigitte Bardot
097. Thandie Newton (beautiful. Dude, she can pull off this [and they don't even show how it dissolves into...like...bedsheets])
096. Lucy Liu (well I like her in Kill Bill)
095. James Dean (yeah, he was pretty hot.)
094. Isla Fisher (I am sorry, there needs to be some kind of movie where Amy Adams, Isla Fisher, and Jenna Fischer play wacky sisters. They all have totally serious comedic chops and I love 'em all.)
093. Zac Efron (he can, sometimes, make me all giddy. Like in Hairspray. Mm, Zefron in Hairspray... but he shouldn't be ranked above Chris Evans and others on this list.)
092. Catherine Deneuve (I liked her clothes a lot in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg!)
091. Jamie Foxx (ew, people still like him? Though yeah, I'm not begrudging him his Oscar for Ray.)
090. Elizabeth Taylor (God, she was GORGEOUS.)
089. Clint Eastwood (well, uh. obviously not now.)
088. Sienna Miller (is it wrong that I kind of love her now? Since Interview and Factory Girl, I'm a huge fan.)
087. Warren Beatty (he's always seemed so smug, like the way the people who hate George Clooney say he comes off, but yeah, he was ludicrously hot. Bonnie and Clyde...yes.)
086. Jane Fonda
085. Al Pacino (he was pretty smouldering. Hah, I enjoy when you Google Image Search him and "see also Scarface" comes up.)
084. Katherine Heigl (I need to write a post about her because lately, she's been, uh, stirring up controversy.)
083. Alan Rickman (the voice.)
082. Susan Sarandon
081. Tom Cruise (people still find him attractive? he was cute as anything in Risky Business, I will say that.)
080. Sarah Michelle Gellar
079. Heath Ledger (he definitely was sexy in Brokeback Mountain, but since he broke up with Michelle he's been looking like a hobo and supposedly nailing Lindsay Lohan, so... though I think he's going to be just spectacular and threatening/hot in The Dark Knight, and I do like him. He was my desktop for most of freshman year, a feat few men can claim - including even Clive, Jake, David, and other lovelies.)
078. Sofia Loren
077. Richard Gere (never really did/does it for me)
076. Uma Thurman
075. Ryan Gosling (I've said before that he's a tad overrated in terms of looks, and he is, but he's still gorgeous. I was just tired of reading how he was THE GREATEST ACTOR IN A GENERATION and SEXIEST MAN ALIVE on every blog for about two months straight.)
074. Sigourney Weaver
073. Javier Bardem (smouldering, but not really attractive. Does that make sense?)
072. Gary Oldman (meh)
071. Lauren Bacall
070. John Cusack (eh)
069. Viggo Mortensen (yessss. Oh, Viggo.)
068. Rachel McAdams
067. Ryan Reynolds (could he be hotter? Is he really dating Scarlett Johansson? That's about the most attractive couple in the world.)
066. Sandra Bullock
065. Gael Garcia Bernal (I think I'm the only one that thinks he's ugly.)
064. Eva Mendes
063. Reese Witherspoon (I love her, and I'm going to steal everything in her closet, but she's barely even pretty, certainly not hot or sexy.)
062. Audrey Tautou (meh.)
061. Eric Bana (ohhh love him I do.)
060. Liv Tyler
059. Rita Hayworth
058. Will Smith (nice body, but I dunno. Plus, he's a Scientologist now...this is unfortunate)
057. Julia Roberts
056. Megan Fox (can't stand her. Just go be a porn star already. It's what you frickin' want.)
055. Jason Statham (the best thing about most of the awful movies he's in. Actually, he's usually the only good thing about most of those movies)
054. Jennifer Connelly (she is almost unbelievably gorgeous. Even in, like, this.)
053. Robert Redford (now, no. Then, YES.)
052. Jennifer Aniston
051. Clark Gable (mustaches so don't do it for me.)
050. Penelope Cruz (she has very white teeth and really fantastic hair. But...she's not pretty.)
049. Sean Connery (best Bond ever. Not an original thought, but a true one.
048. Cary Grant (very suave, yeah. But I do prefer the Cloons.)
047. Cameron Diaz
046. Harrison Ford (that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark where he gets challenged by the big sword-fighting guy, and he just rolls his eyes and shoots him? Greatest scene ever, helped by the fact that he is so hot in it.)
045. Catherine Zeta-Jones
044. Bruce Willis (hottest bald man ever. I believe I've said this many times, but it bears repeating.)
043. Rosario Dawson
042. Steve McQueen (YES. Why are there so few good pictures of him on Google Image Search?)
041. Nicole Kidman (she's scary-looking now. Sorry, Nicole. You're a goddess in Moulin Rouge! Can I steal your hair from that movie? And your costumes?)
040. Ewan McGregor (oh, Ewan. You're gorgeous and utterly lovable. Ahhh... and look how you pull off a kilt. Mmm.)
039. Grace Kelly
038. Denzel Washington (ohhh how I love him.)
037. Rachel Weisz (major girlcrush. Love her.)
036. Leonardo DiCaprio (totally hot and classy. I love Jack 4-eva.)
035. Monica Bellucci (you know, I just don't get it. She's...naked a lot...and exotic. I guess this is appealing for guys, but not me.)
034. Russell Crowe (sometimes he looks like a mess, and sometimes he looks scary hot. Gladiator? Yes please.)
033. Michelle Pfeiffer (I maintain that she's more frightening than attractive, and she looked like utter crap in Hairspray. But I'm clearly alone in this.)
032. Jake Gyllenhaal (obviously. Only #32??? UNDER CATE BLANCHETT???)
031. Cate Blanchett (sometimes she's gorgeous. sometimes she looks like a dude. sometimes she looks... like this. In short, she should not be this high.)
030. Marlon Brando (fuck yes. Obviously this is circa '51 and not the 90s, but...fuck yes.)
029. Charlize Theron
028. Keanu Reeves (I thought we were all done with Keanu. Is this the '90s?)
027. James McAvoy
026. Emma Watson (say what? Isn't she like 17? She's pretty, yes, but far from sexy.)
025. Clive Owen (ohhh, my Clive. I still love thee, even if you're not quite my #1 any more. Sexy as all hell in all sorts of crap [Derailed??!?!?!])
024. Salma Hayek
023. Daniel Radcliffe (EWWWW. He's not even good-looking.)
022. Kate Beckinsale
021. Orlando Bloom (well, as far as gorgeous guys who can't act for shit goes, at least he beats out Keanu.)
020. Kate Winslet (I love her, as all should know. But she's not quite this hot.)
019. Paul Newman (in the 1960s he was pretty much the hottest man to ever live. Period. Stunning. Gorgeous. Sexy. Every single word you can use to describe attractiveness, he was. Oh my God. He still looks good.)
018. Anne Hathaway (boring and rabbity-looking, with all the sexiness of that girl who sits behind you in math class. In short: no, bad choice.)
017. Matt Damon (he's gorgeous. Plus, I just read People's [shut up] Sexiest Man Alive issue [I know! It's late! I just got back from Spain and I have magazine backup. Geez.], and he's just utterly charming. I love him.)
016. Jessica Biel (she's not really all that pretty but if you told me today that I would one day have her ass, I think I would cry in joy.)
015. Hugh Jackman (yes, of course.)
014. Marilyn Monroe
013. Christian Bale (oh YES.)
012. Halle Berry
011. George Clooney (oh, George. How is it that you're, like, 48, and still so gorgeous? Maybe the world's most perfect man. I, like every sane female, adore him. It helps that he has his first really great performance since Out of Sight with Michael Clayton, too.)
010. Gerard Butler (his fans are CRAZY! Over Clooney??? But yeah, he's totally hot. Mmm, 300 was really enjoyable because of him.)
009. Keira Knightley (oh, just see what I've said 50486 other times. Not particularly pretty and definitely not sexy.)
008. Scarlett Johansson (I fucking love her, I don't care what absolutely horrible movies she's in as of late. Along with Rachel Weisz, my other major girlcrush. I want to come back in another life and look like her. I mean, look at this picture. She has a ridiculous bouffant thing, and stupid eye makeup, and she still looks absolutely amazing.)
007. Brad Pitt (forever.)
006. Eva Green (frightening, not sexy.)
005. Johnny Depp (meh. though I won't lie, lately his looks are decidedly growing on me. If only he'd look like this more often.)
004. Jessica Alba (obviously gorgeous, too bad she can't act at all. Like, I'm quite sure I would be better in any of her roles. Yikes, Jess, that ain't a good thing.)
003. Daniel Craig (...this is the highest ranking man on the countdown? Yes, he's hot. His body is insane. But his face is...okay. Shouldn't be above, like, Paul Newman or Jake Gyllenhaal.)
002. Natalie Portman (see below.)
001. Angelina Jolie (uh, I guess.)
Okay, here's just a note overall on the list: a primer on the word "sexy." I just... okay, I'm a straight girl so perhaps I'm not the best judge. But, for example, while Natalie Portman, #2, is simply stunningly lovely, she is neither sexy nor hot. This is also the case with guys, though. Leonardo DiCaprio is really hot. But he's rarely sexy. Chris Evans is ridiculously hot (see the picture at the top of this page, mmm), but not particularly sexy either. Well, actually, now that I think about it, in that picture up there... damn.
so, like, golden globe predix. i guess.
"Atonement, YOU FOOLS. Do you think just because you lead the field in nominations you're getting anything notable? HA. Also, why do I always play some sort of figure of law/authority?"...yay for "press releases." Oh and I suck at this, so if I go, like, 1/whatever, that would be why. Hah.
Best Picture - Drama: No Country for Old Men (alt. Atonement)
Best Picture - Musical/Comedy: Juno (alt. Sweeney Todd)
Best Actor - Drama: DDL (alt. Clooney)
Best Actor - M/C: Depp (alt. uh, Hoffman? Depp should win this quite easily.)
Best Actress - Drama: Christie (alt. Jolie)
Best Actress - M/C: Page (alt. Adams. Okay, I know I'm supposed to say alt. Cotillard BUT I'M NOT, OKAY???)
Best Supporting Actor: Bardem (alt. Affleck)
Best Supporting Actress: Ryan (alt. Blanchett)
Best Director: Coens (alt. Burton)
Best Screenplay: Juno (alt. Atonement)
Best Original Song: "Guaranteed," Into the Wild (alt. "That's How You Know," Enchanted)
Best Original Score: Atonement (alt. The Kite Runner)
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille (alt. The Simpsons Movie)
Best Foreign Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (alt. Lust, Caution)
So I'm watching Shakespeare in Love right now and I just realized Colin Firth has to wear delicate little pearl earrings (foreshadowing?). And you know what? He totally pulls them off. That's right. Colin Firth is so good-looking and charming that he can pull earrings off.
Also, the best supporting actor in this movie is Ben Affleck by miles and miles. 'Cuz he's awesome.
Also, the best supporting actor in this movie is Ben Affleck by miles and miles. 'Cuz he's awesome.
you know what might be one of the better things in the universe?
Ryan Phillippe, circa Cruel Intentions (also notable for being the greatest guilty pleasure movie in the history of the world). Oh my.
HAHA I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS
Keira: Just look fierce, James. It always works for me.
James: God, I'm so depressed.
Keira: James! James! Okay, so this cover was clearly planned back in, oh, October, when we were oh-so-obviously going to sweep the Oscars. Just...pretend this is October.
James: So...ignored...
Keira: Does that really say "the most unpredictable season ever?" [ed. note: no, does it? i can't exactly make it out but that's what it looks like] Yeah, well. Tell that to Julie Christie. That BITCH.
James: What happened to my life?
Keira: God, it was so much more fun to pose virtually naked with Scarlett Johansson than with you. Say, do you think she'd be up for cocktails? I mean, she knows all about being snubbed, right? And isn't it weird that she's the one with the BAFTA [ed. note: one of your best calls ever, BAFTA voters] and I'm the one with the Oscar nomination? Does anyone ever think about that besides the creator of this imaginary conversation?
James: (deep, deep, defeated sigh) Did you know I was the lead of Last King of Scotland? No, probably not.
Keira: Come back. Come back to me.
James: (deep, deep defeated sigh) Not helping.
James: God, I'm so depressed.
Keira: James! James! Okay, so this cover was clearly planned back in, oh, October, when we were oh-so-obviously going to sweep the Oscars. Just...pretend this is October.
James: So...ignored...
Keira: Does that really say "the most unpredictable season ever?" [ed. note: no, does it? i can't exactly make it out but that's what it looks like] Yeah, well. Tell that to Julie Christie. That BITCH.
James: What happened to my life?
Keira: God, it was so much more fun to pose virtually naked with Scarlett Johansson than with you. Say, do you think she'd be up for cocktails? I mean, she knows all about being snubbed, right? And isn't it weird that she's the one with the BAFTA [ed. note: one of your best calls ever, BAFTA voters] and I'm the one with the Oscar nomination? Does anyone ever think about that besides the creator of this imaginary conversation?
James: (deep, deep, defeated sigh) Did you know I was the lead of Last King of Scotland? No, probably not.
Keira: Come back. Come back to me.
James: (deep, deep defeated sigh) Not helping.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
ugh. :(
can someone just put Atonement out of its misery already? SNUBBED AT THE DGAs [update 1/11: AND THE WGAs! WHAT THE FUCK!!!] ! WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHOOT ME??? Gah, and I was fully prepared to totally hate the movie. BUT I DIDN'T! I LOVED IT! AND IT KEEPS GETTING SNUBBED!!!!! ARRRGHHHH.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
personal acting finalists '07
20 in each category in alpha order, as to not give much away. I hope I've made both interesting and viable choices. The ones I haven't seen: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Talk to Me, Things We Lost in the Fire, We Own the Night, The Great Debaters, Paris je t'aime, and Black Book, most notably...
BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination...
Casey Affleck, Gone Baby Gone
Christian Bale, Rescue Dawn
Josh Brolin, No Country for Old Men
Steve Buscemi, Interview
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Chris Cooper, Breach
Russell Crowe, American Gangster
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Jude Law, Breaking and Entering
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
James MacAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muhe, The Lives of Others
Gordon Pinsent, Away from Her
Brad Pitt, The Assassination...
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Enchanted (okay, I'll ruin this one for you, because it's pretty fucking obvious: she's winning Best Actress from me.)
Juliette Binoche, Breaking and Entering
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Katherine Heigl, Knocked Up
Ashley Judd, Bug
Nicole Kidman, Margot at the Wedding
Laura Linney, Jindabyne
Laura Linney, The Savages
Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Rose McGowan, Planet Terror
Sienna Miller, Factory Girl
Sienna Miller, Interview
Ellen Page, Juno
Christina Ricci, Black Snake Moan
Dakota Blue Richards, The Golden Compass
Belen Rueda, The Orphanage
Tang Wei, Lust, Caution
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (kind of a weird year.......)
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
John Carroll Lynch, Zodiac
Jeff Daniels, The Lookout
Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood
Robert De Niro, Stardust
Robert Downey Jr., Zodiac
Morgan Freeman, Gone Baby Gone
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
James Marsden, Enchanted
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad
Armin Mueller-Stahl, Eastern Promises
Jeremy Piven, Smokin' Aces
Paul Rudd, Knocked Up
Ed Sanders, Sweeney Todd
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Justin Timberlake, Alpha Dog (JUUUSTIN.)
Christopher Walken, Hairspray (anyone that would nom Travolta over him is ON CRACK.)
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Steve Zahn, Rescue Dawn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rosario Dawson, Death Proof
Jenna Fischer, Walk Hard (PAM!)
Deborra-Lee Furness, Jindabyne
Charlotte Gainsbourg, I'm Not There
Romola Garai, Atonement
Jennifer Garner, Juno
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Southland Tales
Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Margot at the Wedding
Kelly MacDonald, No Country for Old Men
Leslie Mann, Knocked Up
Samantha Morton, Control
Samantha Morton, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Marisa Tomei, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Kerry Washington, I Think I Love My Wife
BEST ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination...
Casey Affleck, Gone Baby Gone
Christian Bale, Rescue Dawn
Josh Brolin, No Country for Old Men
Steve Buscemi, Interview
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Chris Cooper, Breach
Russell Crowe, American Gangster
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Jude Law, Breaking and Entering
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
James MacAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muhe, The Lives of Others
Gordon Pinsent, Away from Her
Brad Pitt, The Assassination...
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
BEST ACTRESS
Amy Adams, Enchanted (okay, I'll ruin this one for you, because it's pretty fucking obvious: she's winning Best Actress from me.)
Juliette Binoche, Breaking and Entering
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie, Away from Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Katherine Heigl, Knocked Up
Ashley Judd, Bug
Nicole Kidman, Margot at the Wedding
Laura Linney, Jindabyne
Laura Linney, The Savages
Anamaria Marinca, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Rose McGowan, Planet Terror
Sienna Miller, Factory Girl
Sienna Miller, Interview
Ellen Page, Juno
Christina Ricci, Black Snake Moan
Dakota Blue Richards, The Golden Compass
Belen Rueda, The Orphanage
Tang Wei, Lust, Caution
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (kind of a weird year.......)
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
John Carroll Lynch, Zodiac
Jeff Daniels, The Lookout
Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood
Robert De Niro, Stardust
Robert Downey Jr., Zodiac
Morgan Freeman, Gone Baby Gone
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
James Marsden, Enchanted
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad
Armin Mueller-Stahl, Eastern Promises
Jeremy Piven, Smokin' Aces
Paul Rudd, Knocked Up
Ed Sanders, Sweeney Todd
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Justin Timberlake, Alpha Dog (JUUUSTIN.)
Christopher Walken, Hairspray (anyone that would nom Travolta over him is ON CRACK.)
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Steve Zahn, Rescue Dawn
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rosario Dawson, Death Proof
Jenna Fischer, Walk Hard (PAM!)
Deborra-Lee Furness, Jindabyne
Charlotte Gainsbourg, I'm Not There
Romola Garai, Atonement
Jennifer Garner, Juno
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Southland Tales
Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Margot at the Wedding
Kelly MacDonald, No Country for Old Men
Leslie Mann, Knocked Up
Samantha Morton, Control
Samantha Morton, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Vanessa Redgrave, Atonement
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Imelda Staunton, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Marisa Tomei, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Kerry Washington, I Think I Love My Wife
o nos
"Academy Voter,
Why is Atonement dead? It's because I like it, isn't it?
That said: I'd be utterly shocked to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly get a Best Picture nomination. Best Director, no, but Best Picture, yes. Of course, I suck at predicting the Oscars, so I'm all ready to be shocked. But whatever. Go Atonement! Is it just me, or is the quality of the critical darlings really high this year? Usually there's one movie every year that is popular that just grosses me out/leaves me absolutely cold (Almost Famous, Amelie, Finding Neverland, Brokeback Mountain, Babel...). I can't really think of any, this year. Once, I guess, and it's not like that movie was flat-out bad, and the only major noms it's getting are in Song, which I absolutely cannot begrudge it.
That said: I'd be utterly shocked to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly get a Best Picture nomination. Best Director, no, but Best Picture, yes. Of course, I suck at predicting the Oscars, so I'm all ready to be shocked. But whatever. Go Atonement! Is it just me, or is the quality of the critical darlings really high this year? Usually there's one movie every year that is popular that just grosses me out/leaves me absolutely cold (Almost Famous, Amelie, Finding Neverland, Brokeback Mountain, Babel...). I can't really think of any, this year. Once, I guess, and it's not like that movie was flat-out bad, and the only major noms it's getting are in Song, which I absolutely cannot begrudge it.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Best Actress '06 poses with...
... Best Actress 07??? MAKE IT HAPPEN, BITCHES!!!!
(I'm not that delusional. Quite frankly, I'm just praying for the nomination.)
BFCA thoughts.
- to quote No Country for Old Men, "you can't stop what's coming." And that would be No Country / the Coens / DDL / Christie / Bardem / Ryan (or maybe Blanchett)...
- Why was no one there??? It's like, the one awards show with an actual waiver!
- Daniel Day-Lewis is incredibly charming. He still freaks me out because I've never seen more than one picture of that man where he looked the same.
- Javier Bardem's speeches were probably the best part of the night. He was hilarious, and the fact that he has problems with English makes his performance in No Country even more outstanding.
- The host was horrible.
- As far as the winners go, I have no real complaints. Yes, there were sometimes nominees I preferred over the winners but nothing made me gasp and go "HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!" except maaaybe Best Young Actor. Ed Sanders deserved it about 100000%.
- Enchanted won something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Oh my God, I felt so bad for poor Marion Cotillard. First, she's like, the only Best Actress nominee to actually show up (okay, her and Ellen Page, but at least Ellen Page got to ride a wave of Juno is the best movie evarrrr!!!! love). Then, the stupid red carpet reporter mis-identifies her as Emily Deschanel and she has to talk about things she probably knows absolutely nothing about. Then, she has to sit there while she loses to someone who wasn't even there (okay, Christie's win was deserving). Poor thing. I had no idea she was so pretty, though. My only reference for her looks is La vie en rose, which I keep trying to block out of my mind, and that still from La vie en rose where she looks kind of like she has to...sneeze, or cry weirdly, or something.
- I still have no desire to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Yeah, I'm sure it's great, but... I dunno... I guess if it gets the DGA/Oscar Best Director nod, I've gotta see it...
- That girl from Hairspray is adorable.
- Was I the only one that didn't think Leslie Mann was that funny?
- Angelina Jolie made the funniest faces ever.
- Can everyone please stop complaining about how "boring" every award season is? Yes, critics tend to agree on certain movies/directors/actors that go on to win the Oscar. But every award season, people act like this is new. Every year, anew, people declare "this is the most boring awards season ever!" Deal with it.
- Why was no one there??? It's like, the one awards show with an actual waiver!
- Daniel Day-Lewis is incredibly charming. He still freaks me out because I've never seen more than one picture of that man where he looked the same.
- Javier Bardem's speeches were probably the best part of the night. He was hilarious, and the fact that he has problems with English makes his performance in No Country even more outstanding.
- The host was horrible.
- As far as the winners go, I have no real complaints. Yes, there were sometimes nominees I preferred over the winners but nothing made me gasp and go "HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!" except maaaybe Best Young Actor. Ed Sanders deserved it about 100000%.
- Enchanted won something!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Oh my God, I felt so bad for poor Marion Cotillard. First, she's like, the only Best Actress nominee to actually show up (okay, her and Ellen Page, but at least Ellen Page got to ride a wave of Juno is the best movie evarrrr!!!! love). Then, the stupid red carpet reporter mis-identifies her as Emily Deschanel and she has to talk about things she probably knows absolutely nothing about. Then, she has to sit there while she loses to someone who wasn't even there (okay, Christie's win was deserving). Poor thing. I had no idea she was so pretty, though. My only reference for her looks is La vie en rose, which I keep trying to block out of my mind, and that still from La vie en rose where she looks kind of like she has to...sneeze, or cry weirdly, or something.
- I still have no desire to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Yeah, I'm sure it's great, but... I dunno... I guess if it gets the DGA/Oscar Best Director nod, I've gotta see it...
- That girl from Hairspray is adorable.
- Was I the only one that didn't think Leslie Mann was that funny?
- Angelina Jolie made the funniest faces ever.
- Can everyone please stop complaining about how "boring" every award season is? Yes, critics tend to agree on certain movies/directors/actors that go on to win the Oscar. But every award season, people act like this is new. Every year, anew, people declare "this is the most boring awards season ever!" Deal with it.
Monday, January 07, 2008
this guy?
Is actually hilarious. Garrrr, Critics' Choice...I hope you're not the only awards show this year...
lol
Cate Blanchett's performance in Elizabeth, The Golden Age is on the Razzie shortlist. Then again, so is Nicole Kidman's in The Golden Compass, a performance I thought was excellent, so...
(Okay, I admit it: Cate is a hoot in that movie. Is it a good performance? No. No, it is not. But it's hysterical.)
(Okay, I admit it: Cate is a hoot in that movie. Is it a good performance? No. No, it is not. But it's hysterical.)
OH MY GOSH!
JIM! You're in Dreamgirls! And I totally didn't realize it until...now. Right now! AIEEEEEE.
rewatching Dreamgirls...
I really like it, okay, so suck it. No, it's not Chicago, but neither is it Rent. Jennifer Hudson makes me want to cry with how fugging awesome she is. But, Jamie. Oh, Jamie. As you see, your poster here says "steppin' to the bad side." It was...it was referring to your acting in this movie, right? Because JESUS CHRIST YOU ARE AWFUL.
No Country for Old Men.
I'm still not sure I understood anything that went on in that movie. But yeah...not since I saw Magnolia have I been so sure I've been in the presence of a masterpiece that I may not fully comprehend, but am not to argue with. Damn.
And because you all are lovely and I care about your readership, if you ever find a ton of money in a suitcase in the middle of nowhere in Texas, and there's a bunch of dead bodies around it, trust me: just leave it there. Your life will be much better because of it.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
maybe my favorite TV couple ever.
How am I obsessed with this show? How? I watched like, one season! AAAH.
I continue to amuse myself
David: Braaaaains... braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiinsssss...
Viggo: Oh my God. I am so nervous. I really... I think he kind of forgot to take his vitamins, don't you? Does he think I don't remember the end of To Die For? Please hide me.
David: So sweet......... so succulent.........
Viggo: Do you think he won't recognize me if I get a really bad haircut? God, I hope so.
Viggo: Oh my God. I am so nervous. I really... I think he kind of forgot to take his vitamins, don't you? Does he think I don't remember the end of To Die For? Please hide me.
David: So sweet......... so succulent.........
Viggo: Do you think he won't recognize me if I get a really bad haircut? God, I hope so.
Viggo speaks.
"...aaaand this was how I felt at the end of shooting Eastern Promises. I mean, I've done two movies with David Cronenberg! Two! And I didn't get much-deserved Oscar nominations for either!* Do you know the shit he puts you through? Trust me, you don't want to know. Well, I guess it could be worse. It could have been that other weird David guy..."
* Well, okay, it's very possible he'll get one for Eastern Promises. Shhh.
* Well, okay, it's very possible he'll get one for Eastern Promises. Shhh.
post 500 is a little anticlimactic
So tonight my friend and I watched like twelve episodes of The Office. I'd never watched the show before, but I absolutely loved it, not least of all because you know who was on it?
JESUS!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
NOOOOOOOOO JAKE!!!
JAKE! Jake, my love, is that... is that... is that... a BOSTON RED SOX hat on your head???? NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends
^ Julie just wants to ignore all the mean things these people are saying about her
Julie Christie.
Marion Cotillard.
Why is it that the supporters of either of these ladies cannot support their respective choice without constantly bashing the other? Look, I know whose side I'm on. In my quest (...) to see all the big movies of 2007, I watched both Away from Her and La vie en rose again. Away from Her holds up just as well as it did in the early part of this year; La vie en rose, while always a horrible movie, now no longer enchants me through its lead performance either. Goodness, Cotillard sure was... trying, wasn't she? But just because I support Christie doesn't mean I'm going to perpetually bash Cotillard all the time.
One thing I don't understand is how both of them are locks for Oscar nominations. When I left for Spain, back on September 1, both their buzz was dead. Oh well. Also, can people stop saying stupid things like "the Academy isn't going to give the Oscar to an old person 2 years in a row"? From 1997 up to and including 2005, they gave the Best Actress Oscar to a (relatively) hot (relatively) young thing. Who's to say they won't give it to a hot old thing two years in a row?
One thing I don't understand is how both of them are locks for Oscar nominations. When I left for Spain, back on September 1, both their buzz was dead. Oh well. Also, can people stop saying stupid things like "the Academy isn't going to give the Oscar to an old person 2 years in a row"? From 1997 up to and including 2005, they gave the Best Actress Oscar to a (relatively) hot (relatively) young thing. Who's to say they won't give it to a hot old thing two years in a row?
the thing about keira...
As should be blatantly obvious from this blog, I am no fan of Ms. Knightley. I think she's not really pretty and for the most part a quite bad actress (the only exceptions being Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, and to a far lesser extent Bend It Like Beckham). However...I think all these people accusing her of being anorexic is unfair. Yes, at times, she's been skinnier than usual (think of the summer she was promoting Pirates 2 and this dress), but I do think she's just a naturally skinny person. Her weight doesn't change at alarming rates, such as, say, Lindsay Lohan. Yes, sometimes I see pictures of Keira and think, "oh, honey, you could use a burger." But I ain't gonna say she's flat-out not eating them. Bitch is skinny. Ain't nothin' wrong with that.
Friday, January 04, 2008
GODDESS.
And McDreamy ain't bad either...
yes, yes, I know. Ya'll loved her in Junebug. I was resistant. But oh how I love her now. Amy Adams is Jesus!
yes, yes, I know. Ya'll loved her in Junebug. I was resistant. But oh how I love her now. Amy Adams is Jesus!
and on the writers' strike...
What I Say: "Oh, yeah, it's great that the writers are finally going to have a say! Of course I support the strike!"
Let's All Face It, What I Think: "Goddammit! I just want my Oscars! Is that so difficult????!!!"
Let's All Face It, What I Think: "Goddammit! I just want my Oscars! Is that so difficult????!!!"
BAFTA longlist thoughts.
WTF doesn't necessarily indicate bad choices (though sometimes it does), just...weird ones
BEST PICTURE
American Gangster
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Eastern Promises
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
The Lives of Others
Lust, Caution
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: The Bourne Ultimatum, Control, The Kite Runner, The Lives of Others
BEST DIRECTOR
the same, except instead of Nichols for CWW there's James Mangold for 3:10 to Yuma
BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale :: 3:10 to Yuma
Daniel Day-Lewis :: There Will Be Blood
Denzel Washington :: American Gangster
Emile Hirsch :: Into the Wild
George Clooney :: Michael Clayton
James McAvoy :: Atonement
Johnny Depp :: Sweeney Todd
Josh Brolin :: No Country for Old Men
Matt Damon :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Russell Crowe :: 3:10 to Yuma
Sam Riley :: Control
Tom Hanks :: Charlie Wilson's War
Tommy Lee Jones :: In the Valley of Elah
Ulrich Muhe :: The Lives of Others
Viggo Mortensen :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Bale (they couldn't go for Rescue Dawn?), Damon, Crowe (they couldn't go for American Gangster? Well, okay, they did in supporting), Muhe
BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie :: A Mighty Heart
Cate Blanchett :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Charlize Theron :: In the Valley of Elah
Ellen Page :: Juno
Halle Berry :: Things We Lost in the Fire
Helena Bonham Carter :: Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie :: Away from Her
Katherine Heigl :: Knocked Up
Keira Knightley :: Atonement
Marion Cotillard :: La vie en rose
Marketa Irglova :: Once
Martina Gedeck :: The Lives of Others
Naomi Watts :: Eastern Promises
Nikki Blonsky :: Hairspray
Tang Wei :: Lust, Caution
WTF?: Theron, Berry, Irglova, Gedeck, Watts
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada :: The Kite Runner
Armin Mueller-Stahl :: Eastern Promises
Casey Affleck :: The Assassination...
Chiwetel Ejiofor :: American Gangster
Clive Owen :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Geoffrey Rush :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hal Holbrook :: Into the Wild
Javier Bardem :: No Country for Old Men
John Travolta :: Hairspray
Paul Dano :: There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman :: Charlie Wilson's War
Russell Crowe :: American Gangster
Tom Wilkinson :: Michael Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones :: No Country for Old Men
Vincent Cassel :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Mahmoodzada, Mueller-Stahl, Ejiofor, Owen, Rush, Cassel
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney :: Juno
Brenda Blethyn :: Atonement
Cate Blanchett :: I'm Not There
Catherine Keener :: Into the Wild
Joan Allen :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Julia Roberts :: Charlie Wilson's War
Kelly MacDonald :: No Country for Old Men
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Hairspray
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Stardust
Romola Garai :: Atonement
Samantha Morton :: Control
Samantha Morton :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Saoirse Ronan :: Atonement
Tilda Swinton :: Michael Clayton
Vanessa Redgrave :: Atonement
WTF?: Janney, Blethyn, Allen, Pfeiffer x2
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Gangster
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Eastern Promises
Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hot Fuzz
In the Valley of Elah
Juno
Knocked Up
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
Once
Ratatouille
Things We Lost in the Fire
This Is England
La vie en rose
WTF?: The Golden Age, Things We Lost in the Fire, This Is England, La vie en rose
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Brick Lane
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
Letters from Iwo Jima
Lust, Caution
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: 3:10 to Yuma, The Bourne Ultimatum, Brick Lane, Control
Okay, so, thoughts, thoughts, as I catch up on the movies of 2007 (thank god for *cough* certain...locations)...
- Imelda Staunton still can't get nominated, even in a list of freaking 15, on her home turf?
- The BAFTA longlist always goes apeshit for one big blockbuster smash every year, don't they? Last year it was Casino Royale, which was understandable. This year, it's... The Bourne Ultimatum? Sure, why not. It was a good movie, and the Damon had a good year.
- Sweeney snubbed for Picture and Director? That can't be good. For crap like The Kite Runner?
- At first, I was pretty weirded out that Gone Baby Gone was a complete snub (especially Amy Ryan), but then I remembered that its British premiere won't be until next year; it's been pushed back becuase of the Madeleine McCann case.
- No Amy Adams? MAY GOD DEVOUR THEIR SOULS!
- Brenda Blethyn? I love her, but puhleeze, she had nothing to do in Atonement. They left out Imelda for that?
- While Michelle Pfeiffer was highly entertaining in Stardust, she really did nothing in Hairspray besides look really really bad (seriously, she looked awful. Sorry to those of you out there who are all like "SHE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ON EARTH BLAH BLAH BLAH"). John Travolta was just flat-out awful in the same movie and I truly hope he doesn't get an Oscar nomination.
- Casey Affleck is just great in The Assassination..., but LEAD. LEAD LEAD LEAD LEAD. Like, undebatable. This is possibly worse than Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. Possibly worse than Jamie Foxx in Collateral. Jesus. The same goes for Russell Crowe in American Gangster.
- I'm glad to see all three Brionys from Atonement get in. They were all pretty damn amazing.
- I think this is the year where I realized the genius of Tommy Lee Jones. He's never quite impressed me before, but he just MIRACULOUS in No Country for Old Men and In the Valley of Elah. Thanks, BAFTA, for agreeing with me.
- Janney over Garner for Juno? BOO.
- the supporting actor noms are so... Brit-loving. Oh Clive, you know I love you...but you don't deserve to get shortlisted over... a lot of people. Chiwetel Ejiofor did nothing in American Gangster.
- I did like Marketa in Once and I'm glad she got shortlisted here, as she's pretty underrated. Her character was annoying and bizarre (dragging a vacuum cleaner through Dublin? Durrr...), but she was adorable and charming. Though, really, if you want potentially annoying/bizarre turned into adorable and charming, again, you need my girl Amy Adams.
- Jesus Christ can we get over Elizabeth, The Golden Age? That movie was a pile of suck. Cate Blanchett was highly entertaining in it, but in the same way as Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro in Stardust: bad, but so very over-the-top that you can't help but feel grateful every time she's on screen.
- the Original Screenplay longlist is half-inspired and half-horrendous.
- Yay for Atonement love, among others...
- why oh why are Laura Linney's Oscar chances/precursors d-e-a-d dead :( ?
BEST PICTURE
American Gangster
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Eastern Promises
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
The Lives of Others
Lust, Caution
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: The Bourne Ultimatum, Control, The Kite Runner, The Lives of Others
BEST DIRECTOR
the same, except instead of Nichols for CWW there's James Mangold for 3:10 to Yuma
BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale :: 3:10 to Yuma
Daniel Day-Lewis :: There Will Be Blood
Denzel Washington :: American Gangster
Emile Hirsch :: Into the Wild
George Clooney :: Michael Clayton
James McAvoy :: Atonement
Johnny Depp :: Sweeney Todd
Josh Brolin :: No Country for Old Men
Matt Damon :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Russell Crowe :: 3:10 to Yuma
Sam Riley :: Control
Tom Hanks :: Charlie Wilson's War
Tommy Lee Jones :: In the Valley of Elah
Ulrich Muhe :: The Lives of Others
Viggo Mortensen :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Bale (they couldn't go for Rescue Dawn?), Damon, Crowe (they couldn't go for American Gangster? Well, okay, they did in supporting), Muhe
BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Angelina Jolie :: A Mighty Heart
Cate Blanchett :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Charlize Theron :: In the Valley of Elah
Ellen Page :: Juno
Halle Berry :: Things We Lost in the Fire
Helena Bonham Carter :: Sweeney Todd
Julie Christie :: Away from Her
Katherine Heigl :: Knocked Up
Keira Knightley :: Atonement
Marion Cotillard :: La vie en rose
Marketa Irglova :: Once
Martina Gedeck :: The Lives of Others
Naomi Watts :: Eastern Promises
Nikki Blonsky :: Hairspray
Tang Wei :: Lust, Caution
WTF?: Theron, Berry, Irglova, Gedeck, Watts
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada :: The Kite Runner
Armin Mueller-Stahl :: Eastern Promises
Casey Affleck :: The Assassination...
Chiwetel Ejiofor :: American Gangster
Clive Owen :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Geoffrey Rush :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hal Holbrook :: Into the Wild
Javier Bardem :: No Country for Old Men
John Travolta :: Hairspray
Paul Dano :: There Will Be Blood
Philip Seymour Hoffman :: Charlie Wilson's War
Russell Crowe :: American Gangster
Tom Wilkinson :: Michael Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones :: No Country for Old Men
Vincent Cassel :: Eastern Promises
WTF?: Mahmoodzada, Mueller-Stahl, Ejiofor, Owen, Rush, Cassel
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Allison Janney :: Juno
Brenda Blethyn :: Atonement
Cate Blanchett :: I'm Not There
Catherine Keener :: Into the Wild
Joan Allen :: The Bourne Ultimatum
Julia Roberts :: Charlie Wilson's War
Kelly MacDonald :: No Country for Old Men
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Hairspray
Michelle Pfeiffer :: Stardust
Romola Garai :: Atonement
Samantha Morton :: Control
Samantha Morton :: Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Saoirse Ronan :: Atonement
Tilda Swinton :: Michael Clayton
Vanessa Redgrave :: Atonement
WTF?: Janney, Blethyn, Allen, Pfeiffer x2
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
American Gangster
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Eastern Promises
Elizabeth, The Golden Age
Hot Fuzz
In the Valley of Elah
Juno
Knocked Up
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
Once
Ratatouille
Things We Lost in the Fire
This Is England
La vie en rose
WTF?: The Golden Age, Things We Lost in the Fire, This Is England, La vie en rose
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Brick Lane
Charlie Wilson's War
Control
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner
Letters from Iwo Jima
Lust, Caution
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
WTF?: 3:10 to Yuma, The Bourne Ultimatum, Brick Lane, Control
Okay, so, thoughts, thoughts, as I catch up on the movies of 2007 (thank god for *cough* certain...locations)...
- Imelda Staunton still can't get nominated, even in a list of freaking 15, on her home turf?
- The BAFTA longlist always goes apeshit for one big blockbuster smash every year, don't they? Last year it was Casino Royale, which was understandable. This year, it's... The Bourne Ultimatum? Sure, why not. It was a good movie, and the Damon had a good year.
- Sweeney snubbed for Picture and Director? That can't be good. For crap like The Kite Runner?
- At first, I was pretty weirded out that Gone Baby Gone was a complete snub (especially Amy Ryan), but then I remembered that its British premiere won't be until next year; it's been pushed back becuase of the Madeleine McCann case.
- No Amy Adams? MAY GOD DEVOUR THEIR SOULS!
- Brenda Blethyn? I love her, but puhleeze, she had nothing to do in Atonement. They left out Imelda for that?
- While Michelle Pfeiffer was highly entertaining in Stardust, she really did nothing in Hairspray besides look really really bad (seriously, she looked awful. Sorry to those of you out there who are all like "SHE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN ON EARTH BLAH BLAH BLAH"). John Travolta was just flat-out awful in the same movie and I truly hope he doesn't get an Oscar nomination.
- Casey Affleck is just great in The Assassination..., but LEAD. LEAD LEAD LEAD LEAD. Like, undebatable. This is possibly worse than Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain. Possibly worse than Jamie Foxx in Collateral. Jesus. The same goes for Russell Crowe in American Gangster.
- I'm glad to see all three Brionys from Atonement get in. They were all pretty damn amazing.
- I think this is the year where I realized the genius of Tommy Lee Jones. He's never quite impressed me before, but he just MIRACULOUS in No Country for Old Men and In the Valley of Elah. Thanks, BAFTA, for agreeing with me.
- Janney over Garner for Juno? BOO.
- the supporting actor noms are so... Brit-loving. Oh Clive, you know I love you...but you don't deserve to get shortlisted over... a lot of people. Chiwetel Ejiofor did nothing in American Gangster.
- I did like Marketa in Once and I'm glad she got shortlisted here, as she's pretty underrated. Her character was annoying and bizarre (dragging a vacuum cleaner through Dublin? Durrr...), but she was adorable and charming. Though, really, if you want potentially annoying/bizarre turned into adorable and charming, again, you need my girl Amy Adams.
- Jesus Christ can we get over Elizabeth, The Golden Age? That movie was a pile of suck. Cate Blanchett was highly entertaining in it, but in the same way as Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro in Stardust: bad, but so very over-the-top that you can't help but feel grateful every time she's on screen.
- the Original Screenplay longlist is half-inspired and half-horrendous.
- Yay for Atonement love, among others...
- why oh why are Laura Linney's Oscar chances/precursors d-e-a-d dead :( ?
Thursday, January 03, 2008
HA.
So it's officially okay to like Baffleck now right? HA. I win. I loved him before Gone Baby Gone. I loved him before Jen did! I win!
biggest difference in attractiveness EVER?
In other news, how much was Shoot 'Em Up trying to be Tarantino, but at times, pretty fully landing on the side of "tasteless" that he manages to avoid? How was it still pretty entertaining nevertheless? B-
Atonement won't get out of my head. Great great movie... I'm going to see it again this weekend, along with The Savages (I'm still praying Laura gets that longshot Oscar nom but...it is a long shot, isn't it?).
Atonement won't get out of my head. Great great movie... I'm going to see it again this weekend, along with The Savages (I'm still praying Laura gets that longshot Oscar nom but...it is a long shot, isn't it?).
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
the movies of 2008.
The only exception I'm leaving out on purpose is The Young Victoria. Ya'll should know by now that I am not the biggest fan of Miss Blunt.
So, in no particular order, the movies of 2008 I am at least sort of interested in seeing. (they're 2008 for now. They may change.)
City of Ember - Bill Murray, I shall follow you to the ends of the earth!
Cloverfield - I'll admit I'm totally intrigued, if only to just friggin' see the monster.
Be Kind Rewind - Michel Gondry was responsible for a lot of Eternal Sunshine's success (making Kaufman change that ending made it a masterpiece), and the trailer is just fantastic. My only problem? Ew, January.
Synecdoche, New York - On the subject of Kaufman, he's undoubtedly a great screenwriter, but always a little...I don't know. Cold? (except Eternal Sunshine, and even there the original ending is so cruel it's ridiculous.) Even if this is the same, though, it's got a great cast.
The Other Boleyn Girl - Okay, everything about this seems to hint that it's not a very good movie. And the move from fall 2007 to the beginning of 2008 really doesn't bode well. But despite all that... Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman in a bitchfight? My ass is in that seat.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I kind of hate this title. But still. Indy. And today, I saw the first picture of C. Blah as the villain, and my first thought was "since when is Mia Wallace an Indiana Jones villain?" This is an extremely good thought, we can all agree.
Righteous Kill - De Niro! Pacino! Okay, so the two of them have been kind of...uneven recently, and the supporting cast is...um... (50 Cent? Wahlberg The Lesser?) but who am I kidding, De Niro! Pacino!
Choke - My second-favorite Palahniuk book (Invisible Monsters is my favorite). Fight Club was pretty great...it'll be interesting to see what they do with this one.
The Incredible Hulk - Ang's version was quite bad. Let's see if Ed can help make this any better.
Get Smart - I don't like Anne, sure, but oh my God I love Steve, and the trailers are amazing. One of my top 5 most anticipated.
Wall-E - Pixar = genius
The Dark Knight - Fucking duh. An easy #1 most anticipated for me, and, oh, you know. THE WORLD.
The International - I've never liked a Tykwer movie all that much but... Cliiiive.
Trailer Trash - I loved Grindhouse.
Where the Wild Things Are - The stills I've seen look so cool.
The Time Traveler's Wife - Rachel McAdams is a good actress but needs to do a little more to live up to her hype. Maybe this'll be it?
James Bond 22 - Casino Royale is great and I think we can all agree Daniel Craig is indeed a really good James Bond. Marc Forster is...not the greatest director on the planet, but we shall see.
The Changeling - Say what you must, I usually like Clint Eastwood's movies a great deal, especially lately...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - My second-favorite book in the series, so yay. The last movie was pretty great, so I'm quite psyched about this.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Fincher can be awesome (like in Zodiac). (very) Early buzz about this is great.
Australia - BAZ LUHRMANN.
Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America... - Okay, this is probably a 2009 release, but whatever. I loooved Borat and Baron Cohen is a genius (I'm not using that term lightly here). Hopefully this'll be just as hilarious and subversive.
The Fighter - Probably 2009. But Aronofsky...and the plot...and the cast... oh I so hope it's a masterpiece.
Frost/Nixon - Great play. Please prove yourself, Ron Howard, so I can stop feeling bad for liking you.
Revolutionary Road - Yeah, I can't believe it took me this long to get here, either. Kate. Leo. Together. Again. With Sam Mendes. AIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (#2 most anticipated of the year.)
The Reader - Ralph + Nicole? That's pretty awesome...
Blindness - Interesting plot and Meirelles is a fantastic director. I can't wait to see what he does with Julianne.
Doubt - Incredible play, incredible cast.
The Argentine - If anyone can make anything as normally dull as a biopic interesting, it's crazy ol' Soderbergh.
Elegy - I wanna see if Penelope Cruz can act in English in a project that is actually probably good...no probably not.
Mamma Mia! - This will probably suck, really hard, but it's going to be awesome and hilarious to see Meryl Streep singing ABBA.
Appaloosa - So, Viggo Mortensen is awesome, and so is Ed Harris.
Leatherheads - Good Night, and Good Luck. was just great and this looks utterly charming.
Margaret - This has been delayed like five years, right? So it's gotta be at least...okay, right? I loved You Can Count on Me...
The Women - The 1939 movie is great and I like the play. This cast is... ... ... ... ... interesting, right?
He's Just Not That Into You - Well, everyone in the world is in it. Jennifer Connelly might crack a joke! Watch out everyone!
My Blueberry Nights - The reviews were... not ecstatic, but I still think it looks gorgeous.
Funny Games - I wanna see what Haneke can do with this.
Savage Grace - Maybe this is Julianne's comeback year. I've heard great things about her performance here.
Sex and the City - omigod please don't suck please please please
The Countess - It looks fascinating, and everyone said Julie Delpy was a good director for 2 Days in Paris, right? I didn't see it, but I want to.
State of Play - greatest cast ever yes/yes?
Middle of Nowhere - I just like the synopsis.
The Brothers Bloom - Amazing synopsis. Girlcrush Rachel Weisz. Yay!
The Informers - I kind of hate the cast...but American Psycho was a Bret Easton Ellis and I still consider Christian Bale's performance there to be one of the best of the 2000s. Maybe this will yield an almost-as-good performance...
Whew.
So, in no particular order, the movies of 2008 I am at least sort of interested in seeing. (they're 2008 for now. They may change.)
City of Ember - Bill Murray, I shall follow you to the ends of the earth!
Cloverfield - I'll admit I'm totally intrigued, if only to just friggin' see the monster.
Be Kind Rewind - Michel Gondry was responsible for a lot of Eternal Sunshine's success (making Kaufman change that ending made it a masterpiece), and the trailer is just fantastic. My only problem? Ew, January.
Synecdoche, New York - On the subject of Kaufman, he's undoubtedly a great screenwriter, but always a little...I don't know. Cold? (except Eternal Sunshine, and even there the original ending is so cruel it's ridiculous.) Even if this is the same, though, it's got a great cast.
The Other Boleyn Girl - Okay, everything about this seems to hint that it's not a very good movie. And the move from fall 2007 to the beginning of 2008 really doesn't bode well. But despite all that... Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman in a bitchfight? My ass is in that seat.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I kind of hate this title. But still. Indy. And today, I saw the first picture of C. Blah as the villain, and my first thought was "since when is Mia Wallace an Indiana Jones villain?" This is an extremely good thought, we can all agree.
Righteous Kill - De Niro! Pacino! Okay, so the two of them have been kind of...uneven recently, and the supporting cast is...um... (50 Cent? Wahlberg The Lesser?) but who am I kidding, De Niro! Pacino!
Choke - My second-favorite Palahniuk book (Invisible Monsters is my favorite). Fight Club was pretty great...it'll be interesting to see what they do with this one.
The Incredible Hulk - Ang's version was quite bad. Let's see if Ed can help make this any better.
Get Smart - I don't like Anne, sure, but oh my God I love Steve, and the trailers are amazing. One of my top 5 most anticipated.
Wall-E - Pixar = genius
The Dark Knight - Fucking duh. An easy #1 most anticipated for me, and, oh, you know. THE WORLD.
The International - I've never liked a Tykwer movie all that much but... Cliiiive.
Trailer Trash - I loved Grindhouse.
Where the Wild Things Are - The stills I've seen look so cool.
The Time Traveler's Wife - Rachel McAdams is a good actress but needs to do a little more to live up to her hype. Maybe this'll be it?
James Bond 22 - Casino Royale is great and I think we can all agree Daniel Craig is indeed a really good James Bond. Marc Forster is...not the greatest director on the planet, but we shall see.
The Changeling - Say what you must, I usually like Clint Eastwood's movies a great deal, especially lately...
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - My second-favorite book in the series, so yay. The last movie was pretty great, so I'm quite psyched about this.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Fincher can be awesome (like in Zodiac). (very) Early buzz about this is great.
Australia - BAZ LUHRMANN.
Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America... - Okay, this is probably a 2009 release, but whatever. I loooved Borat and Baron Cohen is a genius (I'm not using that term lightly here). Hopefully this'll be just as hilarious and subversive.
The Fighter - Probably 2009. But Aronofsky...and the plot...and the cast... oh I so hope it's a masterpiece.
Frost/Nixon - Great play. Please prove yourself, Ron Howard, so I can stop feeling bad for liking you.
Revolutionary Road - Yeah, I can't believe it took me this long to get here, either. Kate. Leo. Together. Again. With Sam Mendes. AIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (#2 most anticipated of the year.)
The Reader - Ralph + Nicole? That's pretty awesome...
Blindness - Interesting plot and Meirelles is a fantastic director. I can't wait to see what he does with Julianne.
Doubt - Incredible play, incredible cast.
The Argentine - If anyone can make anything as normally dull as a biopic interesting, it's crazy ol' Soderbergh.
Elegy - I wanna see if Penelope Cruz can act in English in a project that is actually probably good...no probably not.
Mamma Mia! - This will probably suck, really hard, but it's going to be awesome and hilarious to see Meryl Streep singing ABBA.
Appaloosa - So, Viggo Mortensen is awesome, and so is Ed Harris.
Leatherheads - Good Night, and Good Luck. was just great and this looks utterly charming.
Margaret - This has been delayed like five years, right? So it's gotta be at least...okay, right? I loved You Can Count on Me...
The Women - The 1939 movie is great and I like the play. This cast is... ... ... ... ... interesting, right?
He's Just Not That Into You - Well, everyone in the world is in it. Jennifer Connelly might crack a joke! Watch out everyone!
My Blueberry Nights - The reviews were... not ecstatic, but I still think it looks gorgeous.
Funny Games - I wanna see what Haneke can do with this.
Savage Grace - Maybe this is Julianne's comeback year. I've heard great things about her performance here.
Sex and the City - omigod please don't suck please please please
The Countess - It looks fascinating, and everyone said Julie Delpy was a good director for 2 Days in Paris, right? I didn't see it, but I want to.
State of Play - greatest cast ever yes/yes?
Middle of Nowhere - I just like the synopsis.
The Brothers Bloom - Amazing synopsis. Girlcrush Rachel Weisz. Yay!
The Informers - I kind of hate the cast...but American Psycho was a Bret Easton Ellis and I still consider Christian Bale's performance there to be one of the best of the 2000s. Maybe this will yield an almost-as-good performance...
Whew.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
the only 2007 movies i've seen between september 1-now.
no reservations: absolutely harmless, but the ending makes it compare - unfavorably - with ratatouille, a far superior film. B-
el orfanato (the orphanage): it's getting overrated by those who have seen it. it's like some strange combo of the sixth sense and the ring. also, the first-time director seems, at times, to be a little bit like "LOOK AT ME!!! I'VE GOT A CAMERA!!! WHEEEE!!!" (this is like last year's last king of scotland, though not nearly as bad). still, belen rueda is great, and it's certainly solid. B
fracture: why did nobody tell me this was terrible? ryan gosling is okay but his part is terrible, anthony hopkins is just kind of like "hey...remember that silence of the lambs movie? i think i'm just gonna do that again." the twist is silly. it isn't painful, but it's bad. C-
superbad: okay, i think i need to see this in english before i judge it (with the slang and whatnot, i could understand about 90% of it in spanish, but a lot of things probably don't translate directly), but i did think it was funny, if a little too crude at times (the blood, ewwww.). B
enchanted: okay, it's a little too disney-perfect, but i found it simply magical and absolutely wonderful. 90% of this is due to amy adams, who i now worship. WOR. SHIP. you have no idea. A-
august rush: i read some review that said "the worst film that will make you cry this year." i disagree even with the latter...it's supposed to make you cry, but it's just so generic and not-particularly-well-acted that it doesn't. D+
sweeney todd: i don't feel, at all, like it's tim burton's masterpiece or johnny depp's best performance (those are both ed wood), but it's still very strong. it's hard to ruin source material that good. B+
atonement: i didn't think i would like it as much as i did. it's beautiful, and that ending - heartbreaking. i see how it could be considered a little cold, but that last scene...amazing. james mcavoy finally gives a performance that makes him live up to his hype. A-
el orfanato (the orphanage): it's getting overrated by those who have seen it. it's like some strange combo of the sixth sense and the ring. also, the first-time director seems, at times, to be a little bit like "LOOK AT ME!!! I'VE GOT A CAMERA!!! WHEEEE!!!" (this is like last year's last king of scotland, though not nearly as bad). still, belen rueda is great, and it's certainly solid. B
fracture: why did nobody tell me this was terrible? ryan gosling is okay but his part is terrible, anthony hopkins is just kind of like "hey...remember that silence of the lambs movie? i think i'm just gonna do that again." the twist is silly. it isn't painful, but it's bad. C-
superbad: okay, i think i need to see this in english before i judge it (with the slang and whatnot, i could understand about 90% of it in spanish, but a lot of things probably don't translate directly), but i did think it was funny, if a little too crude at times (the blood, ewwww.). B
enchanted: okay, it's a little too disney-perfect, but i found it simply magical and absolutely wonderful. 90% of this is due to amy adams, who i now worship. WOR. SHIP. you have no idea. A-
august rush: i read some review that said "the worst film that will make you cry this year." i disagree even with the latter...it's supposed to make you cry, but it's just so generic and not-particularly-well-acted that it doesn't. D+
sweeney todd: i don't feel, at all, like it's tim burton's masterpiece or johnny depp's best performance (those are both ed wood), but it's still very strong. it's hard to ruin source material that good. B+
atonement: i didn't think i would like it as much as i did. it's beautiful, and that ending - heartbreaking. i see how it could be considered a little cold, but that last scene...amazing. james mcavoy finally gives a performance that makes him live up to his hype. A-
Friday, December 21, 2007
quick update...
...home soooo soon. But I decided to randomly update my Oscar predictions...
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
No Country for Old Men *
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men *
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Joe Wright, Atonement
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood *
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
James McAvoy, Atonement
Denzel Washington, American Gangster
Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her *
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
(I left out Blanchett for my own sanity.)
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James…
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men *
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone *
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best Original Screenplay
Juno *
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement *
Charlie Wilson’s War
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
No Country for Old Men *
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Best Director
P.T. Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Coen brothers, No Country for Old Men *
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Joe Wright, Atonement
Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood *
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
James McAvoy, Atonement
Denzel Washington, American Gangster
Best Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her *
Marion Cotillard, La vie en rose
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
(I left out Blanchett for my own sanity.)
Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James…
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men *
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone *
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best Original Screenplay
Juno *
Knocked Up
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement *
Charlie Wilson’s War
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I´m not dead!
Just in Spain. :D :D :D Land of fantastic-ness, but no internet. I´ll be back for real in January, but probably pretty useless as I won´t have seen any of the big movies, dammit...
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Oh how I love cracked.com.
Via them:
"[T]he Shrek franchise has always been one hell of a great time, the sort of movie you can take your parents to and all have fun watching, and this looks like no exception. If you're a Shrek-hater, there's clearly not enough actual misery in your life, and you're just picking things randomly to vent at. You need more hobbies."
"[T]he Shrek franchise has always been one hell of a great time, the sort of movie you can take your parents to and all have fun watching, and this looks like no exception. If you're a Shrek-hater, there's clearly not enough actual misery in your life, and you're just picking things randomly to vent at. You need more hobbies."
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