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.

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 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.

and also, let's face it.

Jim? Really not too hard to look at.

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!

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?

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.

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!

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????!!!"

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 :( ?

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?).

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.

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-

she's baaaack.

New Years' resolution:
Be more like these two, obviously!

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