reactions to the AFI

^ laughing at the idea of any sort of best movie list without Amadeus

This is gonna be a longy, folks. Reactions to my original thoughts from before the list was revealed, too. Let's do that first, from this post.

"1996: Forrest Gump was #71. Pulp Fiction, #95. Ewww"
Now Forrest Gump is #76 and Pulp Fiction is #94. I'm still displeased.

"Also, the, for lack of a better term, stupid fuckers said Amadeus could be replaced with 'better movies.'"
...apparently such as Sophie's Choice. And Titanic. And The Sixth Sense. And In the Heat of the Night. Though I'm fans of the last three, and I'm soooo glad In the Heat of the Night is on there instead of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, they cannot measure up, in any way, shape, or form, to Amadeus. Oh, and Yankee Doodle Dandy is apparently better too. Bullshit.

"I would cry of happiness if Lost in Translation or Eternal Sunshine made it onto the list, but I doubt either of them will. Still, my third or so favorite movie on there, American Beauty, will make it onto the list, and quite high, I'm hoping."
I was right about Translation and Sunshine, but everyone saw that coming. I'm kind of shocked that American Beauty wasn't there. Even by the time they got to the top 20, I was like "yeah, it wouldn't be unreasonable for it to be here."

"Saving Private Ryan will be on the list, and quite high, because they are so wet for Spielberg"
At least I was right about this one

"Titanic will be the highest debut."
Or not.

"At least one of the Lord of the Rings movies will be on there"
Yay

"Things that will probably do better: Goodfellas, Schindler's List (there's no way it's getting ranked below The Graduate now), Pulp Fiction, Annie Hall, The Godfather Part II, Amadeus better go up in the rankings you assholes, Network because it's become more than just a great movie, it's become bizarrely prophetic, anything Eastwood because since 1996, he's gone from being Legendary Actor, Okay Director with One Really Really Good Movie to The Greatest Director Of Our Time (And By That, We Mean Ever). Though if Unforgiven drops off the list totally and Million Dollar Baby is on it fairly high up, I won't be surprised."
Goodfellas = a whole 2 spaces higher
Schindler's List = a whole space higher
Pulp Fiction = a whole space higher
Annie Hall = fell 4 spots :(
The Godfather Part II = the same... it's just weird that The Godfather gets the BEST MOVIE EVER (next to Citizen Kane) hosannahs and this is stuck in the 30s...
Let's not talk about Amadeus any more as I kind of get physically angry
Network = up 2
anything Eastwood = Unforgiven up 30! Nobody talks about that film any more though. And Million Dollar Baby wasn't on the list at all. They went boxing-crazy on this list, what with Rocky and Raging Bull's crazy rises.

"Things that will probably fall in the rankings: The Graduate (boohoo), Dances with Wolves, Giant, Tootsie (waaaah), The Sound of Music, The African Queen (this is the same case as The Graduate - ranked incredibly high, but nobody talks about it!)"
Dances with Wolves and Giant, both of which were fairly high last time, are now off the list. Tootsie fell 7 spots - not nearly as much as I was expecting. The Sound of Music went up 15 =/ but The African Queen fell 48. The Graduate fell 10 spots, to #17, and I saw that coming and I think I'm the only one that's sad about it.

So, uh, I did okay on that part. I guess.

YAY!!!!

• Like I said, it's honestly not a bad list. Like, it's not cringingly embarassing. Far from it. The old one wasn't either, though.
• Vertigo up fifty-two spaces to #8, and it's above Psycho!!! Amazing!
• Raging Bull up 20 spots - in the top 5! When the list got to Gone with the Wind at #6 I was like "Fuck. I guess Raging Bull is off the list too. I hate the AFI." I'm thrilled it was so high, it totally deserves it. The 80s were indeed a shitty time for movies overall. But the three best movies of the 80s - Amadeus, Raging Bull, and AFI's #96 :D - are among the best movies ever.
• Do the Right Thing!!!! Y'all know I'm a Crash fan. But I was like "if Crash is on this list and Do the Right Thing is not, there's something wrong with the world." It should be higher, but whatever.
• Bladerunner!!!!
• SHAWSHANK!!!!!!!!!
• All the President's Men!
• I don't love In the Heat of the Night, but it's a much, much, much better movie than Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, so yay
• Singin' in the Rain in single digits :D
• To Kill a Mockingbird up 9 spots!
• Cabaret debuts at #72. I'm not its biggest fan, but hey...I'll support pretty much any musical that's not The Sound of Music or My Fair Lady or Oliver! or...come to think of it, all the '60s Best Picture winners that were musicals weren't very good (West Side Story is good, but ludicrously overrated). But anyway. I love musicals! More musicals on the AFI list please please thank you! Moulin Rouge! next time please!
• Rocky up 21, but still under Taxi Driver. The former gets a lot of flack, but it's still a great film. Though, no, it didn't deserve Best Picture, and that's reflected.
• The African Queen down 48!
• The Apartment up 13! (It should still be higher.)
• Uh, well, at least Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas did better, right...?
• Any sort of increase for The Godfather or its sequel makes me full of joy. Not that it's going to go up again, because let's face it, Citizen Kane will be #1 for all eternity.
• The great and deserved debuts of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Nashville, and let me stop lying to myself, Titanic.

BOOO!!!!
• Here's where I quote one of my favorite cheesetastic 80s songs: Amadeus Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus Amadeus, Amadeus, Amadeus Amadeus... oh oh oh AMADEUS!
• The Manchurian Candidate =/
• Rebel Without a Cause, The Third Man, Fantasia, Fargo, Close Encounters of the Third Kind...
• Yankee Doodle Dandy is still on the list. Hell, it even went up.
• AFI really needs to kick out the members who are actually dead, then maybe Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas will actually get on there.
• Obviously, movies that aren't on there and never were to begin with. Just going from the list of 400... I know tons of people are thrilled that American Beauty didn't actually make it, but I'm not. Star Wars is on there, but not The Empire Strikes Back. Airplane! Blue Velvet. Boogie Nights. Carrie. The Conversation. Days of Heaven. Dog Day Afternoon?!?!?!? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Harold and Maude. The Hustler. The King of Comedy. Kramer vs Kramer. MANHATTAN. NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. The Producers. Among many others.
• Sophie's Choice? What does anyone say whenever you bring up Sophie's Choice... "oh my God, Meryl Streep is amazing!!!" She is, but does anyone ever say anything else, including what AFI said on the show? No. You know why not? It's kind of a bad movie otherwise. And the AFI is saying it's better than, from the 80s alone, Bladerunner, Amadeus, and Do the Right Thing, among many others I could mention that aren't on the list but are notably better than Sophie's Choice.
• I like The Sixth Sense. I like it a lot. But better than Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas? Hahahahhahahahaha.
• Come to think of it, though, Forrest Gump over those three, as well as many other movies that are on there/could have been included, is horrifying.
• The Wizard of Oz and Sunset Boulevard down 4 =/
• One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest down 13 (do they hate Milos Forman all of a sudden? Is Goya's Ghosts really really terrible and they all got secret screenings?), All About Eve down 12, On the Waterfront down 11, The Graduate down 10, It's a Wonderful Life down 9, Some Like It Hot down 8 :( :( :(
• The French Connection and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid down 23? Ewww... and saddd... :(
• I like Star Wars but it really isn't that good.

Whatever?
• Most of the giant jumps/falls except the ones I mentioned.
• Citizen Kane at #1. It's a great, great movie. I wouldn't have it as my #1, but it will be there forever.

Overall, like I said: It's not an awful list, it's not an amazing list. It's got some bits of brilliance and some forehead-smacking horribleness. And hey - they're accomplished, far more than this silly blogger can say. I have my top 100 from their ballot of 400, which I'll list...eventually, but to rank it would be SO HARD. Oh, and AFI, in 2016 or whenever, please please please put Amadeus back on your list. That's all I ask for. Thanks.

Dear AFI,

I'm not here to bitch about your list too much. I mean, God forbid any movie that's not older than 30 years old/in color be any good, but besides that, it's good enough (thank God The African Queen dropped so much). However, I have noticed that Amadeus, your #53 back in 1996, is absent from the new list. Sophie's Choice, however, is on this new list. I will assume both of these were honest mistakes and spare your life.

Love,
Me.

happy birthday to the gorgeous and ridiculously talented...

...Nicole Mary Kidman. GOD, I WANT TO BE HER IN MOULIN ROUGE! SO BADLY. Minus the whole consumption dying-at-the-end thing. But besides that. I love you, Nicole!

AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies

yes, this is probably my only opportunity for an "I LOVE YOU!" moment tomorrow night

As anyone reading this (anyone out there?) would probably know, AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies series is being updated, and the new list will be revealed tomorrow! I am ridiculously excited. No, the AFI really doesn't make the best choices. They favor bland Best Picture winners over true originals and trailblazers (1996: Forrest Gump was #71. Pulp Fiction, 95. Ewww.). Still, if you're not at least interested, you're lying (I've got my eye on you, certain bloggers). I tried to find just a plain list of the movies and their ranking back in 1996; here's the Wikipedia page, which won't copy and paste correctly, grr. Anyway, my search made me realize just how much I hate filmsite.org, which whines about how OMG THERE ARE THREE MODERN CRIME MOVIES ON IT (yeah, at #84, 94, and 95.) AND THERE NEED TO BE MORE SILENT MOVIES OMG OMG OMG. Also, the, for lack of a better term, stupid fuckers said Amadeus could be replaced with "better movies." Yes, "stupid fuckers" are rather harsh terms, but insult Amadeus in front of me and THAT'S WHAT YOU GET. Anyway. Here are the post-1997 movies on the ballot:

American Beauty *
As Good As It Gets
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery -
The Aviator
A Beautiful Mind * (ew?)
Being John Malkovich -
Boogie Nights
Brokeback Mountain
Chicago
Crash
Erin Brockovich
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -
Fight Club -
Finding Nemo
Gladiator
Good Night, and Good Luck
Good Will Hunting
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -
Hotel Rwanda
The Hours
The Insider -
L. A. Confidential
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring *
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King *
Lost in Translation
The Matrix -
Memento -
Million Dollar Baby * (this will probably replace Unforgiven)
Moulin Rouge! -
Mystic River
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl -
Ray
Requiem for a Dream -
Rushmore -
Saving Private Ryan *
Shakespeare in Love
Shrek
Sideways
The Sixth Sense
Spider-Man 2 -
There’s Something About Mary -
Three Kings -
Titanic *
Traffic

I put dashes next to the movies that have no chance of making it onto the top 400, because they are just far too weird for AFI. I starred the ones with the very best chances. I'm amazed Three Kings even freaking made it onto the ballot. I would cry of happiness if Lost in Translation or Eternal Sunshine made it onto the list, but I doubt either of them will. Still, my third or so favorite movie on there, American Beauty, will make it onto the list, and quite high, I'm hoping. Saving Private Ryan will be on the list, and quite high, because they are so wet for Spielberg (a note: I love Spielberg. A post in defense of Spielberg is coming soon, because today at work I was reading his Wikipedia article [I work so hard], and the "criticism" section pissed me off so goddamn much. It reminds me of the reason why I refuse to interact with my fellow bloggers. But I'll get into that in another entry. But anyway, the AFI loves him EVEN MORE. Like, if they ever heard someone dissing him, they would KILL THAT PERSON.). Titanic will be the highest debut. At least one of the Lord of the Rings movies will be on there (Return of the King having the highest likelihood), but please God not two/three because I don't want that to clog the list. If Crash is on there I will be thrilled and laugh a lot, especially if it is above Brokeback Mountain (or if the latter isn't even on the list!).

As far as the movies that are on the list...
Things that will probably do better: Goodfellas, Schindler's List (there's no way it's getting ranked below The Graduate now), Pulp Fiction, Annie Hall, The Godfather Part II, Amadeus better go up in the rankings you assholes, Network because it's become more than just a great movie, it's become bizarrely prophetic, anything Eastwood because since 1996, he's gone from being Legendary Actor, Okay Director with One Really Really Good Movie to The Greatest Director Of Our Time (And By That, We Mean Ever). Though if Unforgiven drops off the list totally and Million Dollar Baby is on it fairly high up, I won't be surprised.
Things that will probably fall in the rankings: The Graduate (boohoo), Dances with Wolves, Giant, Tootsie (waaaah), The Sound of Music, The African Queen (this is the same case as The Graduate - ranked incredibly high, but nobody talks about it!)

Coming tomorrow: my ballot based on the 400 movies, for what it would be worth. And of course, bitchy commentary on the new list, and much more complaining about stupid filmsite.org.

* Entry disclaimer: I can't say I really like the Lord of the Rings movies, but I recognize that they are great-to-good movies.

Whaaaat???

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/spacey%20im%20finished%20with%20acting_1034158
How did I not read about this before? Like I've said before, since 1999 and (not totally coincidentally, I think) his second Oscar, his career hasn't really been the greatest, but... I don't care. His 1990s work alone deserves him a place in the pantheon. He was like Pacino or Nicholson in the 70s (I fuckin' said it, deal with it). Even now, there is the occasional hint at what he was before - The Life of David Gale, Superman Returns... I kept waiting for his big comeback. And now, I guess, it's not gonna come. I'll always support theater and people doing what they feel is necessary, but I'm gonna miss Lester Burnham, Kevin.

Broadway...

Yes, I've seen all the shows currently on Broadway, at least occurring to my latest Playbill. Sad/weird. Here they are ranked, from best to worst:

Truly Amazing Theater.
Company
Avenue Q

Great.
Jersey Boys
Hairspray
Rent
The Lion King
Spamalot
The Drowsy Chaperone
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
A Chorus Line

Good/Respectable.
Spring Awakening
Grey Gardens
Chicago
Les Miserables (a great musical, but the current incarnation has no heart. Though I haven't seen it with Lea Salonga yet)
LoveMusik
Legally Blonde
Beauty and the Beast (earlier in its run, it would have been higher up. But it's really run out of steam.)

Meh.
Curtains
110 in the Shade (yeah, I ended up buying tickets anyway.)
The Color Purple
The Pirate Queen
Wicked
Mary Poppins

Don't Waste Your Money!
The Phantom of the Opera (WHY WON'T IT CLOSE)
Mamma Mia!
Tarzan

Try and beat me.

http://shoottheglass.net/quizzes/quiz.php?quiz=29

27/40, including ones the site marked "wrong" because I did things like write "The Coen brothers" instead of "Ethan and Joel Coen." Fun!

Still debatably my favorite Bill Murray line reading

"That is one nutty hospital."

Kirsten Dunst

...is, in fact, a hugely talented actress when she wants to be. I'm watching Eternal Sunshine right now and marveling over how good she is. She might be better than Carrey (there's no way she's better than Winslet, but, like, extremely few performances are). The twist in Eternal Sunshine is so great. Why? Because nobody ever talks about it. Why? Because the movie has so many other positive aspects, it doesn't need to rely on the twist.

(this post is in spite of the fact that she dumped Jake Gyllenhaal for being "too boring" or whatever. That's just dumb. But her acting isn't.)

My Top Cate Performances

Seriously, do I hate her? Or do I love her? AAAGHHH!!!
(People really need to stop saying she's "due" for an Oscar for The Golden Age. SHE JUST WON ONE TWO YEARS AGO.)

1. Elizabeth
2. The Gift (I am so serious)
3. The Good German
4. Veronica Guerin
5. Coffee and Cigarettes

Yay for Peter Bradshaw.

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

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

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

ScarJo's Cinematic Sluttery.

honestly? SHE'S PROBABLY USED TO IT.

So I was reading some posts on a movie forum (not IMDb) that's primarily based around movie trivia. They were playing a game, "Been There, Done Them," (hee) based on who's had sex with who in movies. They'd list 3 actors'/actresses' names and the next person would have to name the actor/actress who had had, errr, "relations" with them in whatever movies they had been, whether explicit or implied. Someone listed four actors (gasp) and the next person was like "has one person really slept with FOUR PEOPLE in movies?" Well, by that standard, Scarlett Johansson is a serious whore:

Cillian Murphy - Girl with a Pearl Earring
Giovanni Ribisi - Lost in Translation (these answers were acceptable on the thread, since they are married. Yes, it is presented as a loveless marriage, but it's pretty damn safe to assume they probably slept together in the past.)
Gabriel Macht - A Love Song for Bobby Long (I believe. I haven't seen this movie in a while, and all I really remember was that ScarJo was great and the movie was crap. I'm pretty sure they ended up lovers, though)
Topher Grace - In Good Company
Ewan McGregor - The Island (awkward sex scene!)
Matthew Goode & Jonathan Rhys Myers - Match Point
Hugh Jackman - Scoop
Josh Hartnett & Aaron Eckhart - The Black Dahlia
Christian Bale & Hugh Jackman - The Prestige (that's twice for Hugh, YOU LUCKY BITCH.)

That means she's slept with, at least, ten (not counting Jackman's double or Macht because I'm not 100%, or her attempt to seduce Billy Bob Thornton in The Man Who Wasn't There) men on screen. Also, I haven't seen American Rhapsody, Eight Legged Freaks, The Perfect Score, or A Good Woman. I'm pretty sure she gets her mack on in The Perfect Score, but in A Good Woman she probably adds many more numbers to her little black book.

Just briefly looking at her filmography, Kate Winslet's a big whore too. I mean, she's "had relations" with 13-15 men, including such hotties as James Gandolfini (Romance and Cigarettes), Harvey Keitel (Holy Smoke!), Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine), and Geoffrey Rush (Quills).

I don't know what point I was trying to make, at all. Maybe just that every actress is a whore... in their filmography.

I cannot wait for this movie!

I'm praying that The Savages gets Little Miss Sunshine-level success. Even if it's not good, it's got La Linney and PSH, who I have decided I love as well (seriously, anyone that hates him is like "he's ugly!" "I don't like to see him on my screen!" Suck it, I love George Clooney and Ewan McGregor too, for sure, but I'm glad not everyone looks like them. It's the Hilary Swank issue again.). LOOK AT THIS PICTURE! They are so cute.

PS - Look through PSH's pictures on IMDb. He's wearing that jacket at at least 3 different events.

La Linney.

Debatably, my favorite actress.

1. You Can Count on Me
2. P.S.
3. The Squid and the Whale
4. The Truman Show
5. Kinsey
6. The Life of David Gale
7. The House of Mirth
8. Love Actually
9. Mystic River
10. Primal Fear (the only one of her performances that's not great)

I CANNOT WAIT for The Savages. I love Laura!!

Actors and Actresses I Don't Care For.

...and why. Because what's better than bitching?

Warren Beatty - Comes across as incredibly arrogant on screen, even in his good performances. Plus, his wife. Ew.
Gael Garcia Bernal - Incredibly overrated, both in terms of looks and talent. I'm sick of people calling him The Next Big Thing or The Best Actor of the New Millennium or whatever.
Orlando Bloom - Sure, he's good-looking. Tons of actors are. Most actors, however, can, you know, act. Orlando Bloom, for the most part, can't. I hate the cry of the fans: "he's been given bad roles!!!" Plenty ofactors, in history, have been given bad or poorly-written roles and they've managed to still be awesome. It's not likely that Orlando ever will be.
Adrien Brody - Pretty much sucks in everything that's not The Pianist, and even in that he was the least of the nominees.
Jim Carrey - His brand of manic comedy just really gets on my nerves. Even in his very good stuff, like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, he turns me off.
Johnny Depp - I just talked about this. He has talent, but he hasn't used it since a brief role in Before Night Falls and before that, the last time was 1995 (Dead Man). I cannot stand Pirates (or his performance in those movies), I cannot stand his outfits at award shows (yeah, we get that you're oh so much better than all of us. Now put on a normal suit like everyone else there.), and I REALLY CANNOT STAND the fact that he's playing Sweeney Todd.
Vincent Gallo - He's just a repulsive human being. No, I've never met him, but he made a film that basically consisted of him being adored and fellated by women. He auctioned off his sperm on E-Bay along with some pretty repulsive remarks on who could buy it. I think I can assume that he's disgusting.
Richard Gere - Creepy, and not very talented.
Mel Gibson - He never was a very talented actor (and I really don't like the movies he directed), but now, let's face it, the whole Jew thing really isn't helping at all.
Anthony Hopkins - Sometimes utterly fantastic (uh...Silence of the Lambs much?!?!?). Most of the time, especially lately, utterly crap.
Buster Keaton - Meh. Silent comedy does nothing for me.
Harvey Keitel - You creep me out. And I need to stop seeing your penis. It's weird.
Ben Kingsley - Great in most things, but he really isn't challenging himself too terribly much lately (Bloodrayne??!!??!!). And, I despise his big Oscar-winning film, Gandhi, and think he's overrated in it (though indeed good).
Kevin Kline - Actually, I have no idea why I don't like him. I'm really into theater, but...I don't know. He just rubs me the wrong way.
Jared Leto - Usually a bad actor, and he comes off as creepy and greasy.
Cillian Murphy - Creepy, and he's never really been great in anything I've seen him in.
Gary Oldman - Creepy. His choice of characters often does not help this.
Sean Penn - Good actor, but an obnoxious blowhard. And I think comparing him to Brando is ridiculous.
Keanu Reeves - Yeah, pretty much what everyone else says. He just isn't a very good actor. I mean, when you watch him on screen, he shows that he's trying really, really hard. It just doesn't work.
Jason Schwartzman - He was great in Rushmore. But beyond that, I really need proof that he can actually act and isn't getting by because he's...you know...a Coppola. He was absolutely terrible in Marie-Antoinette, I Heart Huckabees, and Shopgirl.
Peter Sellers - A fantastic actor. He just makes me go eh?
Christian Slater - He is the definition of creepy. Heathers proved this fact.
David Spade - Hate his voice and smugness (you've got nothing to be smug about, you're talentless) and "acting."
James Spader - So creepy, and not that great an actor.
Donald Sutherland - He is a really really great actor. But...have you ever looked at pictures of him? I THINK HE'S GOING TO EAT MY SOUL. I'M REALLY SERIOUS.
Quentin Tarantino - He is a great director, but he is a horrible actor. He's the only thing I even come close to disliking in the divine Pulp Fiction.
Luke Wilson - Blandy McBlandster.
Owen Wilson - Pretty talentless, but notably better than his brother.

Joan Allen - She scares me a little. I think she's a good actress, but very overrated. Oh, and she was totally Razzie-worthy in The Upside of Anger.
Patricia Arquette - I don't know, she just seems very bland. I know she was going to take over Uma's role in Kill Bill when Uma became pregnant, but thank God that didn't happen.
Annette Bening - I just can't stand her acting. Yeah, I liked her in American Beauty but she REALLY HAS been doing that performance her entire life. And it's not like godly Kate Winslet, who plays many variations on the same character (bohemian free spirit) in many different ways. Every performance of hers is like, basically the same - and unbearable. Cannot stand The Bening.
Thora Birch - For God's sake, play a character that smiles every now and then! She's bearable in supporting roles (like American Beauty, but even then the praise for her work is odd to me), but when she had to carry the movie in Ghost World...no.
Cate Blanchett - Meh. She is a great actress, even though I think most of her Oscar nominations come from her lesser performances (Elizabeth aside). But...she's just...so cold. So studied. She needs to stop being in every movie. She was great in Babel (I know people were saying otherwise, but I thought she was indeed actually very good), but come on. Many actresses would have loved to have that role. For Cate it was probably just like, "whatever. Something else to do." And yes, I know, Meryl Streep could be accused of the same thing. It's just their...presence or something. Don't you want to hang out with Meryl? You would never want to hang out with Cate.
Emily Blunt - What are you, new? I recently went to her message board on IMDb - no, I wasn't going to bash her, I have better things to do with my time. But I found something incredibly horrifying. There was some topic discussing peoples' favorite actresses. And almost everyone had Emily as their #1, above, like, Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet and Glenn Close. Someone had Julianne Moore as their #1 (Emily was #2, of course) and actually apologized for it. More than that, someone bashed that person for it. Okay, it's an Emily Blunt board. I get that people are going to be fans. But...she's been in like 2 movies! How does that in any way, shape, or form make her more talented than Meryl, Kate, Julianne, Glenn... I can't stand her stupid smug face any more.
Helena Bonham-Carter - I usually don't find her impressive, and add to that the fact that she's married/engaged to/dating (for years and years and years) Tim Burton...
Laura Dern - She creeps me out. A lot.
Sally Field - Abrasive, but I loooove her in Norma Rae.
Eva Green - I think she's scary-looking, but guys find her attractive. Fine. Naked does not equal good actress (PS - She's said she's never getting naked again guys, so haha. Good luck pretending she's a good actress now). her performance in The Dreamers was heralded as the "best ever!!!" or "best of the new millennium!!!" by many people on various forums. To say the least, it isn't. Plus, bitch doesn't know how to dress herself.
Anne Hathaway - She seems very sweet, and she always looks very put-together. I don't dislike her as much as I used to. But, she's talentless. She usually isn't given very much to go with, I'll give her that. Even when she's given great parts, though, she's terrible. It brought me giggles of delight when the ensembles of The Devil Wears Prada and Brokeback Mountain all got lauded and awarded...EXCEPT FOR ANNE. It was kind of amazing.
Kate Hudson - I'm not the biggest fan of her Almost Famous work, but I'm not going to pretend she was bad in it. She just wasn't great. However, since then, she's been trying to prove, really hard, that even one good performance was a fluke.
Angelina Jolie - She's really bland now, and she's never been a particularly good actress (she was very, very, very obvious in Girl, Interrupted). That said, she is absolutely astounding in Gia.
Keira Knightley - She was just great in Pride and Prejudice but, Bend it Like Beckham and Love Actually aside (and the latter might just be an extension of my loo-hooove for the film), she's never even been good. It's kind of insulting that she has an Oscar nomination and Scarlett Johansson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, and other young actresses who are far far far more talented don't. Plus, anyone that thinks she's hot frightens me.
Jessica Lange - Blonde. Boring.
Juliette Lewis - She just rubs me the wrong way. Meh.
Madonna - We've all stopped pretending Madonna can act now, right?
Anna Paquin - She was indeed great in the performance that got her the Oscar...when she was what, 11, 12? She hasn't been great in anything since then. I'm really hoping Margaret is good and she doesn't kill it.
Meg Ryan - She used to be great, and wonderful to watch. However, she just stopped trying.
Winona Ryder - Boring, and rarely ever good. And just to reiterate: holy sweet Jesus I hate Heathers.
Susan Sarandon - She's a good actress, but she has yet to blow me away in any role like I probably should be by someone considered one of the greatest actresses ever. She isn't worthy of the legendary status she enjoys.
Chloe Sevigny - She's been really good, in Boys Don't Cry and The Last Days of Disco. But she can be really terrible too, and I can't stand the smug attitude and sense of superiority she seems to have. And not for anything, but I can't believe she'd do that on screen.
Jessica Simpson - Does she even count? I read it somewhere else (I think Go Fug Yourself) that in The Dukes of Hazzard (which I saw...sadly enough...), she had the worst Southern accent the person watching it had ever heard; said viewer then pointed out that Jessica was from the South and just needed to talk. I am 100% in accordance with whoever this person is. Plus, let's face it: her being all over the news was annoying. To be fair, though, she seems to be at least trying to stay out of the tabloids now, so I'm not as annoyed by her as I used to be.
Barbara Streisand - Oh please. Like her ego doesn't come through in every performance she's ever given.
Tilda Swinton - Cold, cold, cold, and needs to be in non-horrible movies. Plus, did you ever read her "The State of Cinema" address or whatever it was? Holy shit. Get over yourself!
Audrey Tautou - Ooh, she's got giant eyes. That doesn't mean she's a good actress.
Naomi Watts - She's incredibly overrated. She's only ever been good four times: Mulholland Dr. (I'll admit it, though: easily one of the best performances ever), The Ring (and even then, it was more just-above-serviceable), I Heart Huckabees, and The Painted Veil. The rest of the time, she tends to veer toward the terrible. Her performance in 21 Grams is bleeeghhhh. Possibly one of, if not the, worst female Oscar nominees of the 2000s. I worry about her health though.
Ziyi Zhang - Ziyi gets great, great work. But the quality of her work in her films varies greatly. Great: Crouching Tiger and 2046. Meh: Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Ewwww: Memoirs of a Geisha.


Oh my God, that was so... negative. I really need to go hug a kitten or something.

I just watched the Atonement trailer.

...for the first time. I know, I know. Wow, Keira Knightley looks really bad. And I loved her in Pride and Prejudice. Did I ever mention that one time I sat next to Ian McEwan on a sofa? No? Aren't I awesome? (Or not)

Naomi, I say this for your own good.

Hon? You worked with David Lynch and Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu. That's not good for anyone's health. Then you were on the set of I Heart Huckabees, which as we all know now, wasn't exactly the most fun place to be in the world. And, I know it's old news, but did you ever look at the man who knocked you up? Yes, Liev Schreiber is pretty hot. Unfortunately, he's also the most terrifying man on the entire planet.

"I say this to help you!" -look, I had to go all Judi Dench on you.

Lindsay Lohan

I just realized why, despite it all, I still like her. And that is: Mean Girls. Really, watching it now it's kind of sad. It is her life (except her life now probably has a lot more drugs).

This is perfect.

I know; at first, I didn't like it, either. But then I realized, it's scary perfect. It'll be analyzed for years. Great ending to a great show.
(That said, if they make a movie or more episodes, I will SCREAM because it will DESTROY this ending.)

Grading the Tony Awards.

...or at least, the performances. The show itself gets an F for the abomination that was Best Lead Actor in a Musical (why did that have to be the upset???), obviously.

110 in the Shade - Audra McDonald is a goddess. I almost bought tickets to this...but I'm going to Spain in the fall and I really need to save my money. I'm kind of glad I didn't buy the tickets. Audra was fantastic and I heart me some John Cullum, but the song was really bad. Still, since it was all about Audra... B-

A Chorus Line - I wish they were actually singing, and it's not like they were SPECTACULAR, but they were pretty great. I adore this show. B+

Company - I love Raul, but it was bullshit that NOBODY else was on stage with him. That said, except for "MOCK ME WITH PRAISE!!!!" which was a little "okay, you like to emphasize that line. we get it," he was masterful, of course (and even the "mock me" can be excused because that auditorium is FUHREAKING HUGE and the TV cameras were placed about 2 inches from his face). I hope the Tony voters feel really, really stupid after that. B+

Curtains - Uh, well...shrug. People are saying the choreography should have won? Oh my goodness NO. It consisted of everyone standing in a semi-circle around David Hyde Pierce (GRRRRR.), and then when they had random lines, they would step out and say something. The song was dull. I love David Hyde Pierce, but just to reiterate: HE SHOULDN'T HAVE WON A TONY. C-

Fantasia (from The Color Purple) - Damn, bitch can sing. Her acting was pretty good, too, but I can see why Jennifer Hudson was Effie and not her. B

Grey Gardens - Zzz. Zzz. Why is everyone going crazy for this show? I can't say I've seen it but if that's what Ebersole is like, errr, Audra or Donna any day. D+

Jersey Boys - *shrug* I looove this show, so it was good to see them there. That said...I'm not really sure why they were there, and the dancing of one of them was REALLY off. But they sounded great, and I just think they're fantastic. B/B-

Mary Poppins - Boring and totally forgettable. Whoever plays Mary Poppins is awful. Why was there a creepy (faux) naked guy dancing with a little boy? Ugh. D

Spring Awakening - At least it was energetic, but I hate every song except "The Bitch of Living." Also, the dancing of one of the girls was WAYYYY OTT. Also also (heh?), what was the point of singing "Totally Fucked" if you couldn't say "fucked"? We get it, your show is edgy, but you already proved that with the far superior "Bitch of Living." And dude, your show has the lyrics "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." The Tony-winning lyrics "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah." C

The Screen Directory...

...it's a website with random top 10s/100s/15s. Here is their list of the top 15 contemporary actors and actresses, with what they chose as their best performance (for some reason, they only included the best performances for the top 10):

Actors
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
2. Edward Norton (Fight Club)
3. Sean Penn (The Falcon and the Snowman)
4. Christian Bale (The Machinist)
5. Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond)
6. Johnny Depp (Donnie Brasco)
7. Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind)
8. Denzel Washington (Training Day)
9. Jack Nicholson (The Shining)
10. Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line)
11. Kevin Spacey
12. Ralph Fiennes
13. Tom Hanks
14. Geoffrey Rush
15. Paul Giamatti

Actresses
1. Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth)
2. Nicole Kidman (The Hours)
3. Kate Winslet (Jude)
4. Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby)
5. Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
6. Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain)
7. Juliette Binoche (Three Colors: Blue)
8. Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream)
9. Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
10. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Secretary)
11. Charlize Theron
12. Rachel McAdams
13. Julianne Moore
14. Toni Collette
15. Naomi Watts

I'm not sure if Philip Seymour Hoffman is the #1 contemporary actor, but I can't deny that he has a great body of work and I like him a great deal. I just rewatched Boogie Nights and damned if he doesn't break my heart into a gajillion pieces in that film. Edward Norton has been amazing since his debut (Death to Smoochy and such excepted); my only problem with his placement on this list is the fact that they say Fight Club is his best performance. He's great and I nominate him for 1999, but it's like, his fifth or sixth best.

I've never really gotten Sean Penn, though I won't deny he's a really good actor. I think it's ridiculous that people say he "overacted" in Mystic River. It's been set up that he's a pretty volatile man, and he JUST LOST HIS DAUGHTER. How would you react? I've never heard of The Falcon and the Snowman, though. Maybe I should check it out. I would like to add, though, that he was awful in I Am Sam and his Oscar nomination was embarassing. Christian Bale is so fantastic and I'm still amused and delighted by the fact that he was in Newsies, but his best performance isn't The Machinist, it's obviously American Psycho.

Leonardo DiCaprio can be very hit or miss. As he gets older, though, he's definitely tipping more toward "hit." And holy shit, he hot. It's really easy to root for him, because he seems incredibly intelligent and, especially as of late, classy. His best performance is definitely The Departed, though. Johnny Depp. ALL SHOULD KNOW OF MY HATRED FOR JOHNNY DEPP. I hate his wackiness, I hate the fact that he works with Tim Burton all the freaking time (I love Ed Wood and Corpse Bride though. I can admit it), I hate the fact that people think he's the most gorgeous man to ever walk the earth, I hate the fact that he seems to never think any award shows are worth changing out of flannel for, and I HATE ("the fact" should be here somewhere...) CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW AND THE ENTIRE PIRATES FRANCHISE (perhaps I shouldn't judge...I still haven't seen the third one...but I doubt it is SO GOOD that it will erase the horrible-ness of the other two). He has talent, but the last time he used it was 2000 in his great cameo in Before Night Falls; said talent is certainly not present in Pirates. So, I clearly don't like his inclusion on this list. His best performance (and best movie by a mile) is Ed Wood.

It's not popular to, but I adore both Denzel and Russell. Yay American Gangster! They are both totally brilliant at the best of times, which is often. Denzel slums in crap too much and Russell is obnoxious, but I think they're both great. The performances chosen for them are only their second-best, however: Denzel's best is Malcolm X and Russell's, The Insider. All four performances, however, are amazing.

It's really unfair for Jack to be competing with these young upstarts (hee, I used a funny word) when he was already a legend by the beginning of the '90s. Still, at least he's trying in movies, which is more than can really be said for DeNiro or Pacino. I like him a lot in The Shining, but his best performance is eeeeasily One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, no contest. Much like Sean Penn, I can recognize Joaquin's talent (though I don't think he has as much talent as Sean...), but he doesn't really do it for me... I also wasn't very fond of him in Gladiator, unlike, uh, the rest of the world. He was much better in Quills that same year. He was also great in Walk the Line but Reese Witherspoon was better. YOU HEARD ME BITCHES.

Kevin Spacey deserves a spot in the pantheon for his '90s run. Henry & June, The Ref, Swimming with Sharks, The Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, Hurlyburly, American Beauty, and I'm assuming Se7en but I've never seen it. Unfortunately, since 1999 his resume has looked like: crap, crap, crap, self-indulgent crap, crap, crap he directed, crap, crap. That said, it might not be as crappy as I once thought: I enjoyed him in Superman Returns and thought he was actually great in The Life of David Gale, though that movie was a disaster. Ralph Fiennes is godly. If he doesn't win an Oscar someday, there's no justice at all anywhere.

I still love Tom Hanks, fuck all the haters. He's very guilty of coasting on his charisma and reputation at times, but I still think he's great, and it's always a treat when he's in films. He's just very easy to watch and connect to (though he did suck in The Da Vinci Code, I'm not denying it). Geoffrey Rush is another one that does nothing for me. Paul Giamatti needs to clean himself up, fer chrissakes, but he's a really good actor. He's totally amazing in Sideways.

As for the women: Cate, you make me go "meh." Yes, you are a really good actress. But, you need to stop being in every movie, and you need to start engaging me emotionally at some point. She got bashed for her appearance in Babel, but I actually thought she was great. I don't know if it was her role, but I actually felt for her. Also, people need to stop cumming all over her in The Aviator, she was only okay at best. I'd comment that she always plays (incredibly various) variations on "strong, smart woman," but then I'd remember that I'm obsessed with Kate Winslet, who always plays (incredibly various) variations on "bohemian free spirit." I wouldn't put Cate atop this list, but I can't deny that she belongs there, and Elizabeth is indeed her best work. Nicole, on the other hand, is fantastic. Oh, she has burned me so many times, but I keep coming back. Why? Because I have To Die For, Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge!, The Others, The Hours, Dogville, Birth, and many others. She is fantastic in The Hours (the performance isn't really worthy of the OMG BEST EVER hosannahs it gets or the ridiculous backlash that almost all Oscar winners get), but her best performance is definitely in Dogville.

As I mentioned before, I am obsessed with Kate Winslet. She's both technically proficient and totally obviously in love with her craft. While she is fantastic in Jude, it is nowhere near her best work. That is clearly Eternal Sunshine. Hilary Swank is unfairly bashed (OMG! an actress that doesn't fit our standards of beauty. LET'S BASH HER), but she doesn't belong at #4. She's much better in Boys Don't Cry than Million Dollar Baby, though. I adore Reese Witherspoon, and I think people who say she can't act haven't seen any of her movies. At all. The Man in the Moon, Freeway, Pleasantville, Election (!!!), Legally Blonde, Vanity Fair, Walk the Line. I think Election's her best work, but she is fantastic in Walk the Line too. And yeah...you bet your ass she deserved that Oscar over Charlize and Felicity's ACTING!!! and Judi Dench's sleepwalking (Keira Knightley was good, but not as good). You go, girl.

I'm so glad some people still like Renee Zellweger. It's like, once she won her Oscar, people forgot everything that came before it (I really liked her in Cold Mountain but that's besides the point...). Dude, Bridget Jones' Diary! I don't even care that it would have been the PERFECT role for Kate Winslet, because Renee was absolutely fantastic. Nurse Betty! Down with Love! Jerry Maguire! Chicago! One True Thing! Even Cold Mountain itself! Yay Renee! I'm also glad to see some love for the extremely underrated Juliette Binoche on this list. She's fantastic.

Jennifer Connelly can be awesome, and she can be horrible (see: her Oscar-winning performance). I'm incredibly glad they chose Requiem for a Dream as her best work; as I've mentioned before, I think it's the best performance of the new millennium. It's stunning, heart-SHATTERING work. But, besides that and House of Sand and Fog, she makes me shrug. Rachel Weisz gave one of the best performances I've ever seen (for serious!) in The Constant Gardener, but I'm not sure just that and The Fountain, plus a whole hell-load of CRAP, mean she should be on the list over several other options. I heart Maggie, maybe for this picture (how drunk is Kate? So drunk) alone. Seriously, though: she gives off this weird vibe but it really works for her. She is like Zooey Deschanel, though with a better body of work (nothing she's done is as singularly good as Zooey's performance in All the Real Girls, though, but Maggie's worth is almost always really good) and she's easier to like.

I'm lazy and it's late so I'm going to run through the rest. Charlize was amazing in Monster, but other than that, she doesn't really deserve to be on the list. I like Rachel McAdams and all, but she annoys me. Rachel! EVERYONE likes you. You're really talented. You could be a total star (a star like, a Reese or maybe even a Cate, not a Lindsay for godssake's), but you only deign to star in like one movie a year. And it's usually not a very good movie. AT LEAST SCARLETT JOHANSSON IS TRYING!!! From like 94-02, Julianne Moore is uhhhmazing; after that, save for Children of Men, she's terrible. I hope she reverses that with her 2007 movies very much. Though, like Kevin Spacey, she deserves a place on the list for her '90s (and early '00s) choices. Toni Collette is amazing and could only be more amazing by being in every movie ever made and thus increasing their fantastic-ness. Naomi Watts is unbelievable in Mulholland Dr., quite great in The Painted Veil, deliciously amusing in I Heart Huckabees, and then really meh beyond that. Don't even get me started on her performance in 21 Grams.

So, there you have it. What have I gotten from this list? I like some, I don't like some, LAURA LINNEY IS UNDERRATED BY EVERYONE. Thank you, and good night. Despite what the timestamp here says, it is 2:41 AM and I require sleep.

The Tonys piss me off more than the Oscars.

Dear Tonys,

Please fuck yourselves, thanks.

Not love, me.

Oh, Brad... (oh...DAMMIT!) I'm glad... (oh, JANET!)

So I'm watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And I'm reminded that, even though he's really boring now, GODDAMN BRAD PITT CAN BE SO HOT SOMETIMES.

Also, wow, how awkward was it for Vince Vaughn to be in this movie? But I love him in it. Like, maybe Best Supporting Actor nom for 2005 love. Hey, it's not like there's anyone better, that year was so shit in this category.

Oh and the title of this entry? "Dammit Janet" from Rocky Horror.

Happy birthday, lovely lady.

...and the man in this picture is pretty lovely too.

1. Cold Mountain (easily one of the best cameos ever)
2. Leon: The Professional
3. Garden State
4. Closer (at its best, this performance would probably be #2 on this list, but let's play it safe)
5. Beautiful Girls
6. V for Vendetta
7. needless to say, in last place, the Star Wars series

Can't wait for My Blueberry Nights and Paris je t'aime and Goya's Ghosts and The Other Boleyn Girl and the other 150000 movies she's going to be in over the next year or so.

Also, it's some weird guy who likes to dress like a pirate's birthday. Like I care.

You might be pretentious if

every high schooler likes this movie!
except...you know...not

...you're 16, and your 25 favorite movies are the following:

1. Leaving Las Vegas
2. Moulin Rouge!
3. The Dreamers
4. The Edukators
5. Buffalo '66
6. Dogville
7. Breaking the Waves
8. La dolce vita
9. Love Me If You Dare
10. Cries and Whispers
11. Elephant
12. Bande a part
13. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
14. Belle du jour
15. Before Sunrise
16. An Affair to Remember
17. The Sweet Hereafter
18. Almost Famous
19. Titanic
20. The Virgin Suicides
21. The Piano
22. The English Patient
23. Punch-Drunk Love
24. In the Mood for Love
25. Paper Moon

I'm sorry, the only movies any actual 16-year-old should have on their favorites list that's on this list are Titanic, Moulin Rouge!, and Almost Famous. Maaaaybe The Virgin Suicides and Punch-Drunk Love or Before Sunrise if you were a real weirdo in high school. It's certainly not a bad list (though I can't stand The Dreamers or Buffalo '66 or Almost Famous, and I have serious problems with Breaking the Waves, the rest of the movies that I've seen on the list are in fact respectable), it's just terribly snobby and alienating for a 16-year-old. And I can assure you: no teenager in the entire history of humankind has ever watched The English Patient all the way through. And anyone in general who has Breaking the Waves on their "favorites" list makes me seriously question their status as a member of humanity. If this person really has a movie about sad, desperate alcoholism as their #1 movie of all time at 16 years old, then well, more power to them. I'm just saying, it's a little unlikely. Be yourself. If your favorite movie is Zoolander, your favorite movie is Zoolander. Fuck the haters.

IMDb, you amuse me so very much.

American Gangster trailer

http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?sid=37949179&sdm=web&qtw=640&qth=400

Gee, do you think they're trying to make this like The Departed. I couldn't get that at all. Nope. (/sarcasm)

That said, I'm impressed. It looks really interesting and Russell and Denzel seem great. Oh, and Roger Bart, why are you being hideously miscast in movies? In Hostel Part II (which I won't see even if you pay me a lot), he's apparently the psycho killer. In American Gangster, it appears as if he plays some kind of super-racist Mafia man (speaking of which: OMG is it REALLY the last Sopranos this week? SO WEIRD). Oh and wasn't he apparently on Desperate Housewives (gross) as a crazed pharmacist? People, this guy won his Tony FOR PLAYING SNOOPY. He also played pretty much the largest gay stereotype ever in The Producers. That doesn't exactly scream "please put me in Hostel Part II."

But yeah. American Gangster looks great. That and Ratatouille! I'm SO EXCITED for that!!!

Happy birthday Schindler & the Scoop solution

Happy happy birthday Liam Neeson, AKA Oskar Schindler and Alfred Kinsey. Oh, and Aslan. And Daniel. And Qui-Gonn (ew). And Jean Valjean (he was PERFECT). And Michael Collins. The guy plays a lot of God/Jesus figures, doesn't he? For good reason. He's amazing. Yay!

I'm watching Scoop on TV and I discovered why everyone except me hated it. Scarlett Johansson's character, Sondra Pransky, is basically written as a somewhat drunk, somewhat slutty, female Woody Allen. She delivers her lines almost too perfectly - they are really really Woody-esque. It sounds totally bizarre for Woody Allen stuttering to be coming out of Scarlett Johansson's mouth. The movie is good though! Seriously! Watch it again!

Really attractive celebrity couple.

Though uh, not really in this picture.

But when they're at their best: Fuck Brangelina. (They're boring anyway)

Nicole Kidman: re-ranked

So one of my first posts on this blog was a ranking of Nicole Kidman's performances. And well...it is not correct in any way, shape, or form. Time for me to redo that, from best to worst.

1. Dogville
2. Moulin Rouge!
3. Birth
4. To Die For
5. Eyes Wide Shut (the only time I'm able to give her one of my Oscars, sadly)
6. The Others
7. The Hours
8. Fur
9. Portrait of a Lady
10. Bewitched (for serious, it's good)
11. Cold Mountain
12. Birthday Girl
13. The Stepford Wives
14. Batman Forever

or thereabouts.

I'm the girl that does her job of wishing people happy birthday. You must be the other girl.

Happy birthday Mark Wahlberg! I can't say I support your Oscar nomination but that performance grows on me more with each viewing (see this post's title). Also of worth in his filmography: Boogie Nights (which I just rewatched yesterday - it's so goooood) and I Heart Huckabees. He's not always all that much of an actor, I've gotta say, but he's an enjoyable little bulldog nevertheless. Plus, without him, we would not have the glorious series that is Entourage. Happy birthday Mark!

HOORAY!!!

goddess #1 (Laura Linney) on goddess #2 (Kate Winslet):
"I adore her... She's just, there's something about Kate that I love. She's the only person I've ever met who has pure self-esteem. In the most refreshing way. She's just... and she's invigorating to be around. I just love her."

Why is the only movie they're in together total shit? Boo. Someone needs to make, like, a female version of The Departed with them as the leads. Female police spies? You know that's gonna put asses in the seats.

reflections on nothing very important

So I found this list on my computer from the end of 2005, ranking my favorite actors and actresses of the new millennium. So...on with it, I suppose.

The Gentlemen
1. Clive Owen
2. Jude Law
3. Peter Sarsgaard
4. Jake Gyllenhaal
5. Vince Vaughn
6. Russell Crowe
7. Ewan McGregor
8. Bill Murray
9. Edward Norton
10. Jeffrey Wright

The Ladies
1. Laura Linney
2. Kate Winslet
3. Scarlett Johansson
4. Nicole Kidman
5. Samantha Morton
6. Natalie Portman
7. Jennifer Garner
8. Reese Witherspoon
9. Patricia Clarkson
10. Rosario Dawson

There shouldn't be too much of a change... As far as the gentlemen go, Bill Murray should clearly be higher, probably #2. Ewan McGregor is fantastic, but he can't coast on Moulin Rouge! forever. I don't know why Vince Vaughn is so high, though I do love him. Steve Carell should clearly be on there. Hugh Jackman was a runner-up, but after his fantastic 2006, he'd probably be on there to stay. Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio would probably take the place of Crowe and Norton after 2006, though I love them both. Also notable: Jack Nicholson, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Alan Rickman.

My top five for the women is perfect but below that clearly needs some changing. Natalie Portman's got her incredible Cold Mountain cameo and her great Garden State performance, but besides that, what? I go back and forth on her Closer performance; sometimes, I think it's utterly genius, and sometimes, I think she's totally lost. Plus, she said the stupidest quote I think I've ever heard ("I'm not black, but I know what it feels like"), so she's off the list. I love Jennifer Garner, but let's face it, she's not as much of an actress as some other people who aren't on the list. Reese Witherspoon would probably drop to #10, but she still belongs on the list. Patricia Clarkson bores me now. I love Rosario Dawson, especially after Death Proof, but I don't think she'd stay on the list. Toni Collette needs to be on there...bitch is brilliant. I'm actually a huge fan of Gwyneth Paltrow, and she's been giving great but underrated work like The Royal Tenenbaums, Shallow Hal, Posession, Sylvia, Proof, and Infamous throughout the entire new millennium. It might be cheating because she's, you know, Meryl effing Streep, but I do think she belongs on there, especially after 2006. Same with Helen Mirren, though she might just make the runners-up. After 2007, I think Julianne Moore is gonna get on this list, but she isn't there for now. Other runners up: everyone who dropped off the list, Mary-Louise Parker, Uma Thurman (who would be on there if she wasn't so weak in everything that wasn't either Tarantino or Tape), Renee Zellweger.

So, at the end of 2005, what did I have as the winners of my millennium awards? It's worth a look.

Best Picture: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Best Director: Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River
Best Actor: Clive Owen for Closer
Best Actress: Naomi Watts for Mulholland Dr.
Best Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins for Mystic River
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connelly for Requiem for a Dream
Best Ensemble Cast: Mystic River
Best Original Screenplay: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Best Adapted Screenplay: Lantana
Best First Film: Rob Marshall for Chicago
Best Foreign Language Film: In the Mood for Love
Best Documentary: Grizzly Man
Best Animated Film: Spirited Away
Best Cinematography: Girl with a Pearl Earring
Best Art Direction: Moulin Rouge!
Best Editing: Memento
Best Sound Design: Chicago
Best Sound F/X: Lord of the Rings
Best Visual F/X: Lord of the Rings
Best Costume Design - Contemporary/Fantasy: Kill Bill
Best Costume Design - Period: Moulin Rouge!
Best Makeup/Hair: The Passion of the Christ
Best Original Score: Requiem for a Dream
Best Adapted Score: Moulin Rouge!
Best Original Song: "The Blower's Daughter" from Closer
Best Musical Moment: "Elephant Love Medley" from Moulin Rouge!
Biggest Breakthrough - Male: Zach Braff for Garden State
Biggest Breakthrough - Female: Scarlett Johansson for her 2003 movies
Best Hero: Spider-Man in Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2
Best Villain: the DiVAS and Bill in Kill Bill
Best Sex Bomb - Male: Clive Owen in anything
Best Sex Bomb - Female: Jessica Alba in Sin City
Best Couple/Duo: Bob and Charlotte from Lost in Translation
Best Cameo/Limited Performance: Natalie Portman for Cold Mountain
Best Action Scene: the House of Blue Leaves from Kill Bill, Vol. 1
Best Kiss: Spider-Man
Best Sex Scene: Cold Mountain
Best Death Scene: Kill Bill, Vol. 2
Best Opening Scene: Chicago
Best Closing Scene: The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Best Character Intro: Satine in Moulin Rouge!
Best Poster: Ocean's 11
Best Tagline: "A romantic comedy...with zombies" from Shaun of the Dead
Best Line Delivery: "Thank you. Thank you for your honesty. Now fuck off and die, you fucked-up slag." from Clive Owen in Closer
Best Credits: Sin City
Best Trailer: Kill Bill, Vol. 2
Best Comeback: Woody Allen for Match Point
Best Performance in a Bad Movie - Male: Jake Gyllenhaal for Donnie Darko
Best Performance in a Bad Movie - Female: Charlize Theron for Monster
Best Scene (excluding above categories): the Prime Minister's dance from Love Actually

Well. Nothing embarassing, though I would change a lot of these now. I was strangely hard for Closer and I don't think I would give the "director of the millennium" award or whatever to Clint Eastwood (what am I, the Academy? Ha.). It's always so fun to go back and nitpick these awards...for example, I thought Jamie Foxx in Ray was one of the five best lead male performances of the new millennium. Um...what? I love that performance but there's no way it was THAT good. Oh well. Whatever.

Oh, and just to remind you of the amazingness of my favorite new millennium actor:


Guhhh.

And we thought the Oscars were bad

I watched the MTV Movie Awards. Ugh, I know. Sarah Silverman isn't funny at all. I hate Paris Hilton, but if she made that joke about anyone else, I'd be going "ugh, SHUT UP, you unfunny, full-of-yourself hack." Pirates of the Carribbean: Dead Man's Chest won Best Picture and Johnny Depp's performance in that won Best Performance, please excuse me while I throw up. All the movie parodies were totally awful. And, finally, what the fuck was Jack Nicholson on? Goddamn. I think, at 20, I'm too old for MTV. Or...too mature.

That said, uh, the musical performances were actually really good (UMBRELLA ELLA ELLA ELLA AY AY AY!), though Amy Winehouse's legs are so skinny it actually frightens me. Oh and Emily Blunt didn't win either of her nominations, YAY!!!

That movie is on.

Yeah you know. That movie with the cowboys and the mountain and the sodomy and the "I wish I knew how to quit you" and all that.

And the scene that's pictured above just happened. Um...yeah. Talk about subverting the goddamn movie! If Jack and Ennis are closeted homosexuals (I'm certainly willing to believe that, as it's a very viable thing), then why oh why is Jack so very interested in Lureen? Don't give me that crap about "societal norms" or whatever. I mean, if she came up to him, then yeah. But no, he actively pursues her, and he's shown fully enjoying heterosexual interactions, much like Ennis is at first (that sledding scene pisses me off). The scene that takes place in the back of the car is pure joy, much more so than almost any of Ennis and Jack's tortured encounters (except that kiss outside Ennis' house. Hot!).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Brokeback Mountain is not a bad movie. However, it's not a very good one either. And really, what is it trying to tell us? It doesn't even know.
(Quick edit: Oh my God, the makeup/hair in this movie is so horrendous. Lureen's hair and Jack's mustache are laughable, and Ennis' age makeup looks like they half-heartedly rubbed some baby powder onto his temples. I seriously had more convincing age makeup in all my high school plays/musicals.)

Saturday night gratuitous man post.

Raul Esparza. Pretty damn hot, bisexual to boot (like my boyfriend. Trust me, it does things for me like you can't imagine.), and uhhhhmaaayyyyzing in Company, now on Broadway. Hopefully he can win the Tony - he's got all the precursor awards (not that there are too many for the Tonys) and it really is the best Broadway performance of the year. Love him.

in honor of Knocked Up...

Judd Apatow is best known for writing the TV shows Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, and the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin (and now, Knocked Up). These works all have one thing in common among a few others: I pretty much hated all of them. Now most people went dogshit crazy for The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and I thought I would too, so I figure I'd explain why I dislike this movie so very much in very bad, unorganized review form. It's more just like...me bitching.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin has one great asset, this is true: Steve Carell. The man is a genius. Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen are also quite fantastic. Because they're such great comedic actors, they are able to transcend what makes the movie so damn bad: its horrendous script. The writing just isn't funny. Look at Romany Malco and Gerry Bednob. They aren't the actors that Carell, Rudd, and Rogen are, and their jokes fall totally flat. Also, the movie is far too long. The other sex comedy of summer 2005, Wedding Crashers, was too long, too, but it was actually consistantly funny the entire time. Apatow will take an idea that is funny, but then he'll just go wayyy overboard. The movie could have used editing really badly. That said, it does have its funny moments, but you can tell these were done through improv (the ending, which is amazing... the chest-waxing scene, oh my God... "how do I know you're gay?").

That wasn't really much of a review. Dammit, I can't write. But I just felt the need to reiterate that yup, The 40-Year-Old Virgin sucks, and to post something that's not just a picture of a really hot guy. The movie gets a C-

Despite the fact that it looks really bad based on Apatow's previous work and the clips I've seen from it, I'm still strangely looking forward to Knocked Up.

Happy birthday to the great Morgan Freeman.

Now, even though you're fantastic at everything, can you please stop narrating everything?

More perfection

I know, it's so cliche of me to like Jake Gyllenhaal. And yet...how can I say no? Mm mm good.

Maybe tomorrow I'll actually post something of substance. Then again, remember the #1 rule of blogging: Never be afraid to bore 'em. (Though if you're bored by that hotness up above I truly pity you)

Oh and happy birthday to the original badass, Clint Eastwood. He ain't too shabby of a director either (Mystic River is on TV somewhere tonight and it is a masterpiece. Seriously)

because all my posts are about hot boys.

Adrian Grenier is perfect.

god bless this movie.

"i don't want to leave."
"so don't. stay here with me. we'll start a jazz band."

haha!

Pirates 3 wasn't able to beat Spidey 3's record. I thought it would, but I'm so thrilled it didn't. Let me reiterate: haha!

People...

Yes, Michelle Pfeiffer is quite attractive.

No, she's not that great of an actress.

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun...

...that's supposed to be the Darth Vader movies. Because several of the movie channels keep showing the Star Wars movies in chronological order (as in, from Episode I to Episode VI), and I've had the chance to observe two things. a) The leap in quality of the movie overall from Episode III to Episode IV is hilarious. b) While I think it was horrible of George Lucas to re-release the old movies with new special effects, the old special effects are indeed laughably bad.

Sorry I haven't posted anything of substance in a while, I guess. Life is busy. But I saw Shrek the Third and...loved it? Why am I liking all these summer movies that are getting such shitty reviews? I do hope they stop because I've thought every Shrek movie was very very good and the chances of them making a good fourth one seem extremely slim.

Happy birthday to one of my favorites!!

I love this picture so much I have it saved on my computer...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN MCKELLEN!! I adore you, your talent, and your bravery. Oh, and you were freaking robbed back in 1998. It's okay though, because I know you know you rocked.

So some movie opens today, or something.

I think it involves Pirates? And some guy named John, I think.

I am ohhhhh so interested in seeing it... (/sarcasm)

I wish I was a costume designer.

i really really do. specifically, for my version of the visit that i was talking about a whole mess'o'months back.

Paul Rudd was soooo cute in Clueless!

Sigh......

I visit the boy in July. I visit the boy in July. Oy!

Do the Right Thing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNXsRJgOTmk

GENIUS. It's on right now. Yay!!

I am the proud new owner of this t-shirt.

http://threadless.com/product/844/Spoilt

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Planet of the Apes
The Usual Suspects (is on TV right now. LOVE)
The Wicker Man
The Crying Game
Dynasty
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Sixth Sense
Fight Club
300 (still haven't seen it)
The Matrix
Citizen Kane
The Others
Psycho
"To Serve Mankind"
A Beautiful Mind
The Village
Donnie Darko

SO obnoxious. I kind of want to walk around a Blockbuster with this t-shirt on. LOVE IT.

Meryl Streep

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

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

ugh

The past like, three days have been horrendously busy - and sometimes just horrendous (and sometimes amazing, but yeah). Sorry about the lack of posts, I guess.

...I am a sophomore in college. Why oh why do I feel like my life is turning into The Graduate?

If you hate this movie, you're probably a Nazi.

Seriously.

I see how you could hate Pulp Fiction. It's got lots of cursing and blood and it's really stylized. I see how you could hate Lost in Translation. It's a little too much like real life, in that people actually have pauses in between when they talk and stuff. It's slow, too. I see how you could hate Magnolia. Like Pulp Fiction, it's incredibly stylized and long. I see how you could hate Moulin Rouge!. That movie is batshit insane. I see how you could hate Raging Bull. It's violent and hard to watch. I see how you can hate Manhattan. You...okay there's no real reason why you should ever hate Manhattan. But still.

Why the hell, though, would you EVER hate The Shawshank Redemption? Do you hate HOPE? Do you hate HUMANITY? Do you hate MORGAN FREEMAN? Only assholes hate Morgan Freeman. The Shawshank Redemption is not my favorite movie ever, but it is up there, and it is, in many ways, a perfect movie. It's just impossible to hate it.

UNLESS YOU'RE A NAZI! Or a person nobody likes.

ooh look a review

So, yeah, Spider-Man 3. I was expecting it to be horrendous, it really wasn't. I mean, it's nowhere near the greatness of the first two, but it's not bad. The critics are right, though: it is overplotted. Sandman could have been totally removed and the Venom story, which is far more interesting, expanded. That's the movie's main problem (that, and I hate how they felt the need to "rewrite" the first one, you know what I'm talking about if you saw this movie)... I was kind of like "um, so why is the Sandman here other than to show off the amazing special effects?" I also felt like Gwen Stacy could have been removed but at least I saw her purpose. Speaking of which: Bryce Dallas Howard is horrible. The makeup/hair department washes her out and then her performance is so bland, it makes Kristen Dunst's look fantastic (though it's the best she's been in a Spider-Man movie yet). Bryce, you can act! I saw it in The Village! C'mon!

I don't feel like the movie lost its heart or that the script was particularly bad. I mean, the Spider-Man series has always been kinda wacky. Nobody said anything with the whole Hal Sparks cameo in Spider-Man 2 but you put "Saturday Night Fever" in your movie and suddenly you're a freak. This is Sam Raimi we're talking about, people. Yeah, the script does have some really wonky lines, but Spider-Man always has. I don't know, I'm a bad reviewer and it's kind of shaken my faith in my taste in movies that I thought this was, well, not great, but far from horrible. It's good enough. During summer movie season, I'll take what I can get. And, let's face it. It's going to be better than Pirates of the Carribbean 3: At Series' End, Thank God. B/B- (Spider-Man is a highish B+, Spider-Man 2 is an A- or maybe even an A)

She's the Man

Yes, I actually watched it all the way through. And that's a picture of the best part for you.

So yeah, it is pretty bad. The script is actually not that horrific; it's got some funny lines ("I've got to go...shave" and "That girl will do great things" or whatever that line was stand out as being extremely funny...), even if it's no Mean Girls or Clueless (anyone who says Heathers gets shot). I think a lot of the fault is with its star, Amanda Bynes. She makes her character is both one-dimensional and horrifically annoying. It's hard to give "Razzies" when you're me and simply don't watch that much crap (then again, I've seen Date Movie.), but based on what I've seen, I'd certainly nominate Bynes for one and probably have her win. Now, at least, I understand why people say the talentless Anne Hathaway is one of the most talented actresses of her generation. I mean, compared to Amanda Bynes (at least, based on what I've seen in this movie), she is.

Oh and Channing Tatum is HOOOOOTTT. I mean, he sucks in this movie too, but he's not quite Razzie-worthy (Bynes way overdoes it; he is just kinda...there) and he takes his shirt off. Really, that's probably all I can ask for. Oh, She's the Man the movie? Errr... C-? Sure, let's go with that.

Oh, and mentioning Mean Girls above reminded me of its genius. That's all.

Ed Wood

So I saw this movie for the first time in a while, and it allowed me to confirm, even as a Burton and Depp hater: AWESOME. Plus! Bill Murray is in it! I forgot that!

However, I still maintain that Martin Landau, though fantastic, did not deserve his Oscar over Samuel L. Jackson.

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.

There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables,
Now my friend is dead and gone.
...
From the table in the corner
She could see a world reborn
And she rose with her voice ringing
And I can hear her now.
The very words that she had sung
Became her last communion
On the lonely barricade
At dawn.
Oh my friend, my friend forgive me
That I live, and you are gone
There's a grief that can't be spoken
There's a pain goes on and on.
Phantom faces at the window
Phantom shadows at the door
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friend will sit no more
Oh my friend, my friend don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for.
Empty chairs at empty tables...


Rest in peace, Dominique.

happy birthday to people, and other notes

First: Cate Blanchett. As if you couldn't tell from this blog... Cate and I have kind of a tumultuous relationship. Sometimes, I think she's crap. Sometimes, I think she's a genius. I do think that her Oscar nominations tend to come from the films in which she is the least impressive (The Aviator, Notes on a Scandal), and that she's in too many goddamn movies, but it's hard to deny a body of work that includes Elizabeth, Oscar and Lucinda, Coffee and Cigarettes, The Good German, Heaven, and Veronica Guerin. Happy birthday, Cate!

But, more importantly, happy birthday to Sofia Coppola. The woman certainly can't act worth a damn, but it's okay because she makes up for it in her directorial skills. She's directed two total masterpieces, one of which is only my favorite film of all time.

...oh, and George Lucas. Yeah. The original three Star Wars sure are great, aren't they? I shan't talk about the most recent three.

Mystic River is on TV. I haven't seen this movie in over a year, so I forgot: daaaamn, it's good. It's an extremely smart and respectable drama, and Eastwood uses ambiguity really well. 2003 really was nowhere near horrendous like everyone seems to think; I'd love to give this film Best Picture in that year, but it's got to compete with two titles even more superior to it: Lost in Translation (my aforementioned favorite film) and Kill Bill, Vol. 1's gonzo insanity. If you're including TV movies, it has to deal with the second-greatest film of the entire 1990-2006 period, Angels in America.

home for the summer

...all I've managed to do so far was watch ten minutes of The Break-Up and hate it because they basically insinuated all men in a capella groups are gay. Grr!

how much is this movie going to suck?

the correct answer: SO much. these posters are gross. seriously, look at the john travolta, christopher walken, and michelle pfeiffer ones. they look so weirdly...photoshopped or something. at any rate, it's gonna suuuuck. suck suck suck.

(watch it be awesome...)

At the late night double feature picture show...

I WANNA GO! oh oh OHHH!

Planet Terror: B+
Death Proof: A-
Grindhouse: A-, and the biggest blast I've had at the movies in a long, long time

from IMDb...

George Lucas has joined the major newspaper critics in their negative appraisal of Spider-Man 3. In an interview with FoxNews.com's Roger Friedman, Lucas said, "It's a silly movie. ... There just isn't much there. Once you take it all apart, there's not much story, is there?" Over the weekend, Spider-Man 3 surged ahead of Lucas's Star Wars episode Revenge of the Sith to take the record for the biggest weekend box-office record. Star Wars was also criticized as being "silly," Lucas noted. "But it wasn't."


Uh...yeah. Spider-Man 3's problem is that it has TOO MUCH story. But more importantly, No matter how bad Spider-Man 3 may be, none of the most recent three Star Wars movies are fit to kiss its ass. And great defense of Star Wars there, Lucas (no, he doesn't go on to elaborate).

Oscar winners from the '90s and beyond...

ouch

...who don't make my acting lineups for that year in their respective categories. Sometimes, it's because it was a fantastic year in that category and while they may have been incredible, I just don't have room for them (Mirren '06). Sometimes, it's cuz they blew hard (Connelly '01). Of course, to further procrastinate, I've included handy-dandy notes.

Best Actor
1992: Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (horrendous. I love the Pach, but this is one of the worst Oscar wins ever. Ugh. What a joke. I like to pretend this is for his superb work in Glengarry Glen Ross the same year...shh, let me pretend)
1993: Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (I adore this performance but it is a very crowded year)
1998: Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful (almost ruined the film. Another horrendous win)
2002: Adrien Brody in The Pianist (not offensive like Pacino or Benigni, but not great either. Probably the worst in his category, and so far below Cage, Day-Lewis, and Nicholson that it's not even funny.)
2005: Philip Seymour Hoffman in Capote (fantastic but no room in a crowded year)

Best Actress
1994: Jessica Lange in Blue Sky (a joke, and an awful win)
1995: Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking (I will admit to not being as big a fan of this performance as others. I do like it, however, but I have no room for it. '95 rocks in terms of actresses)
1997: Helen Hunt in As Good as It Gets (I do not find this the "worst Best Actress win ever" like it was recently voted. In fact, it's quite a great comedic performance. But 1997 is very crowded, and at least eight others TOWER over her)
2000: Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich (Quite good, just misses my lineup)
2001: Halle Berry in Monster's Ball (Not "an abortion" like some have called it, but least of the nominees. Nowhere near my lineup.)
2002: Nicole Kidman in The Hours (great and just misses my lineup, but probably the least great of her works in that fantastic 01-04 period of hers)
2004: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby (great, but the year is incredibly high in quality and she isn't really anywhere near my lineup)
2006: Helen Mirren in The Queen (amazing in an UNBELIEVABLE year)

Best Supporting Actor
1991: Jack Palance in City Slickers (or, I dunno. I might nominate him. This year, in this category, is EMPTY.)
1992: Gene Hackman in Unforgiven (only if I count the Glengarry boys as individual units instead of tying them all for first...at any rate, great performance)
1993: Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive (yeah I don't know what they were thinking there)
1996: Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire (ditto?)
1997: Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting (not bad. Not anywhere near my lineup.)
1998: James Coburn in Affliction (see above...but slightly closer to my lineup)
1999: Michael Caine in The Cider House Rules (not bad, but well below his other nominees. However, I adore his speech from this year!)
2001: Jim Broadbent in Iris (I love him, and he makes it for Moulin Rouge!)
2005: George Clooney in Syriana (good, but not quite Oscar-worthy)
2006: Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine (just...wha? He was only like the third-best male supporting role in his own movie.)

Best Supporting Actress
1996: Juliette Binoche in The English Patient (great, and I have McDormand in Supporting because I'm weird like that...Binoche is my #6 so if I ever put McDormand in lead she'll be on the list. Great performance)
1997: Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential (great...but there were five greater)
1999: Angelina Jolie in Girl Interrupted (not very good)
2000: Marcia Gay Harden in Pollock (NONE of the nominees this year would make my lineup. Harden comes closest, I think. Pretty good.)
2001: Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind (sucked. big. time.)
2004: Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (not more than mediocre, in a year very weak in this category she comes nowhere near it for me)

that's all?

the best performances in films by...

(thanks IMDb for the idea!)

Woody Allen - Diane Keaton in Annie Hall (1977)
Pedro Almodovar - Penelope Cruz in Volver (2006)
Robert Altman - Tim Robbins in The Player (1992)
Alejandro Amenabar - Nicole Kidman in The Others (2001)
P.T. Anderson - Tom Cruise in Magnolia (1999)
Tim Burton - Martin Landau in Ed Wood (1994) (still doesn't deserve that Oscar!)
James Cameron - Sigourney Weaver in Aliens (1986)
Jane Campion - Holly Hunter in The Piano (1993)
Frances Ford Coppola - Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II (1974)
Alfonso Cuaron - Clive Owen in Children of Men (2006)
Milos Forman - Jack Nicholson in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Stephen Frears - Glenn Close in Dangerous Liasions (1988)
Christopher Guest - Catherine O'Hara in For Your Consideration (2006)
Alfred Hitchcock - Anthony Perkins in Psycho (1960)
Ron Howard - Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu - Adriana Barazza in Babel (2006)
Peter Jackson - Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Elia Kazan - Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Stanley Kubrick - Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Ang Lee - Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Mike Leigh - Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake (2004)
Richard Linklater - Julie Delpy in Before Sunset (2004)
Sidney Lumet - Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
David Lynch - Naomi Watts in Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Terrence Malick - Sissy Spacek in Badlands (1973)
Michael Mann - Russell Crowe in The Insider (1999)
Mike Nichols - Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Alexander Payne - Paul Giamatti in Sideways (2004)
Sydney Pollack - Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1982)
Rob Reiner - Kathy Bates in Misery (1990)
Martin Scorsese - Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull (1980)
Ridley Scott - Russell Crowe in Gladiator (2000)
M. Night Shamaylan - Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (1999)
Steven Spielberg - Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List (1993)
Quentin Tarantino - Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction (1994)
Gus van Sant - Nicole Kidman in To Die For (1995)
Peter Weir - Harrison Ford in Witness (1985)

Yeah, I know, I missed lots of directors...I'll have to go in and edit later...

happy birthday cloons!

so. hawt.

okay so i'm a little late...it's finals week :(

I love the boyf.

This post is in honor of him, because yup, I love the boyf...even though he doesn't know about this blog (I know, I know. Our relationship sounds oh so very healthy. But I'd rather have it be online people only...you know? Whatever).

Oh, and I did indeed see Spider-Man 3 today!!! Woot!!! Details/a review to come!!

and as long as we're talking about Hostel: Part II...

I started using the term "torture porn" on my own, before I read it on anyone's site. Thank you.

Also, "Pro-keback," but that really never caught on, probably because everyone whose blog I read is a Pro-keback... :(

Hostel: Part II

This looks so fucking disgusting. (I certainly didn't want a picture of this on my blog...)

Why the hell do people see this shit?

also really cute

and another reason I really really really want to see Spider-Man 3. C'mon!

Have I ever mentioned that I secretly love In Good Company, because I shamelessly (...) do.

ARGH.

I can't see Spider-Man 3 tomorrow!! So upset. :( And yes, the only movie from 2007 that I have seen is still Epic Movie. Jesus Christ, where do people find the time to see like 3 movies a day?

sooo very lovely...

Look at his eyes! That is some intense greenness right there. Mmm.

(Sorry, it's 1:40 AM and I'm still working on a paper and the boy is elsewhere for a few days. :( )

INCREDIBLE

Click me! HARDER! FASTER!

Winona, you're forgiven for Heathers.

oh eww

So like you couldn't tell, I'm looking at the MTV Movie Award nominations. Clearly, they're not really meant to be the Oscars. But look at the nominees for Best Performance...

Beyonce, Dreamgirls
Gerard Butler, 300
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Carribbean: Whatever
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Carribbean: Whatever
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness

Plus, two nominations for Emily Blunt, in Best Breakthrough and Best Comedic Perfomrance (Borat better win that shit). TWO! GROSS!

You gotta love Little Miss Sunshine

Any movie that can be nominated for both the Best Picture Oscar (among the company of The Departed, The Queen, Babel, and Letters from Iwo Jima) and the Best Picture MTV Movie Award (among the company of 300, Pirates of the Carribbean: Whatever the Long-Ass Title Was, Borat, and Blades of Glory) is okay by me.