The Rest of the Gang

The remainder of the long list. Yesterday, we looked at Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay and Original Song. Now for the rest, including a brand new category. Fifteen per category, except for sound, which only has thirteen:

PICTURE
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
Bright Star
Easy Virtue
Fantastic Mr. Fox
In the Loop
Jennifer's Body
Julie & Julia
The Messenger
Moon
The Princess and the Frog
Public Enemies
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Up in the Air

DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Neill Blomkamp, District 9
James Cameron, Avatar
Jane Campion, Bright Star
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Ton Ford, A Single Man
Duncan Jones, Moon
Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are
Michael Mann, Public Enemies
Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Lone Scherfig, An Education
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Lance Acord, Where the Wild Things Are
Javier Aguirresarobe, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Dion Beebe, Nine
Bobby Bukowski, The Messenger
Bruno Delbonnel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Larry Fong, Watchmen
Greig Fraser, Bright Star
Eduard Grau, A Single Man
Peter Kozachik, Coraline
James Laxton, Medicine for Melancholy
Anthony Dod Mantle, Antichrist
Daniel Mindel, Star Trek
Trent Opaloch, District 9
Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds
Dante Spinotti, Public Enemies

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judd Apatow, Funny People
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Jane Campion, Bright Star
Ron Clements, Rob Edwards & John Musker, The Princess and the Frog
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Barry Jenkins, Medicine for Melancholy
Duncan Jones & Nathan Parker, Moon
Nancy Meyers, It's Complicated
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Ivan Raimi & Sam Raimi, Drag Me to Hell
Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick, Zombieland
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lars Von Trier, Antichrist

COSTUME
Colleen Atwood, Nine
Colleen Atwood, Public Enemies
Consolata Boyle, Cheri
Odile Dicks-Mireaux, An Education
Sonia Grande, It's Complicated
Hope Hanafin, (500) Days of Summer
Catherine Leterrier, Coco Before Chanel
Janet Patterson, Bright Star
Beatrix Aruna Pasztor, The Brothers Bloom
Arianne Phillips, A Single Man
Ann Roth, Julie & Julia
Anna B. Sheppard, Inglourious Basterds
Catherine Marie Thomas, Whip It!
Charlotte Walter, Easy Virtue
Michael Wilkinson, Watchmen

MAKEUP/HAIR
Antichrist
District 9
Drag Me to Hell
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
The Informant!
Inglourious Basterds
Jennifer's Body
Julie & Julia
The Lovely Bones
Moon
Public Enemies
Star Trek
The Young Victoria
Zombieland

PRODUCTION DESIGN
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
Bright Star
Coraline
Easy Virtue
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
Moon
Nine
Public Enemies
Sherlock Holmes
A Single Man
Watchmen

ENSEMBLE
Bright Star
Easy Virtue
Fantastic Mr. Fox
In the Loop
Inglourious Basterds
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
The Messenger
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Public Enemies
A Serious Man
Star Trek
Watchmen
Where the Wild Things Are
Whip It!

ACTRESS
Jessica Biel, Easy Virtue
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist
Alison Lohman, Drag Me to Hell
Ellen Page, Whip It!
Natalie Portman, Brothers
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Anika Noni Rose, The Princess and the Frog
Zoe Saldana, Avatar
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Meryl Streep, It's Complicated
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Audrey Tautou, Coco Before Chanel

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Cody, The Princess and the Frog
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Marion Cotillard, Public Enemies
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Fergie, Nine
Kerry Fox, Bright Star
Marcia Gay Harden, Whip It!
Mimi Kennedy, In the Loop
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Samantha Morton, The Messenger
Rosamund Pike, An Education
Kristin Scott Thomas, Easy Virtue

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Capaldi, In the Loop
Michael Fassbender, Inglourious Basterds
Colin Firth, Easy Virtue
James Gandolfini, Where the Wild Things Are
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Woody Harrelson, Zombieland
Stephen Lang, Avatar
Stephen Lang, Public Enemies
Jude Law, Sherlock Holmes
Steve Martin, It's Complicated
Fred Melamed, A Serious Man
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Watchmen
Paul Schneider, Bright Star
Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

ACTOR
Nicolas Cage, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
Bruno Campos, The Princess and the Frog
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Willem Dafoe, Antichrist
Matt Damon, The Informant!
Johnny Depp, Public Enemies
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Ben Foster, The Messenger
Rupert Friend, The Young Victoria
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
Zachary Quinto, Star Trek
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Sam Rockwell, Moon
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
Ben Whishaw, Bright Star

EDITING
Alan Edward Bell, (500) Days of Summer
Joe Bini, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
Anthoyn Boys & Billy Sneddon, In the Loop
Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey, Star Trek
James Cameron, John Refoua & Stephen Rifkin, Avatar
Julian Clarke, District 9
Jeffrey Ford & Paul Rubell, Public Enemies
Nicolas Gaster, Moon
Alexander Hall, The Messenger
William Hoy, Watchmen
Chris Innis & Bob Murawski, The Hurt Locker
Roderick Jaynes, A Serious Man
Richard Marks, Julie & Julia
Sally Menke, Inglourious Basterds
Joan Sobel, A Single Man

SOUND
2012
Antichrist
Avatar
District 9
Drag Me to Hell
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Public Enemies
A Serious Man
Star Trek
Taken
Up
Watchmen

ORIGINAL SCORE
Arcade Fire, The Box
Alexandre Desplat, Coco Before Chanel
Alexandre Desplat, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Alexandre Desplat, Julie & Julia
Alexandre Desplat, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Michael Giacchino, Star Trek
Michael Giacchino, Up
Elliot Goldenthal, Public Enemies
Rolfe Kent, Up in the Air
Abel Korzeniowski, A Single Man
Clint Mansell, Moon
Randy Newman, The Princess and the Frog
Theodore Shapiro, Jennifer's Body
Christopher Young, Drag Me to Hell
Hans Zimmer, Sherlock Holmes

History! Being Made!

This just in:

Kathryn Bigelow, whose The Hurt Locker won the PGA Award last week against Avatar and eight others, just took home the DGA Award for Best Director of a Motion Picture. Tuesday morning will bring us a guild-less Avatar, a triumphant The Hurt Locker, and a momentum-gaining Inglourious Basterds. Absolutely incredible.

Guys With Issues

THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL -- NEW ORLEANS

What a whackadoodle movie. You don't realize it until halfway through, but it's actually a brilliant, inspired brand of crazy. Nicolas Cage is a good cop with a problem: his addiction to coke, heroin, Vicodin, crack, gambling, and...I don't know, weird shit? I don't want to ruin the surprise of the outrageous things he does to see justice done, and so I also suggest you forget what you saw in the trailer -- it does not, thank God, ruin most of the awesome stuff, but the whole thing should be seen with fresh eyes.

Throughout the film, we see what attracts the increasingly unhinged Cage to his vices, which is a welcome relief from the moralizing of "gritty" films not made by Werner Herzog. Because, really, if we don't find it fun and awesome until the consequences, how can we identify with the character? Cage is fantastic, supported by fine performances by XZibit, Jennifer Coolidge and Brad Dourif, but especially by a career-best turn from Eva Mendes as the Lieutenant's addict prostitute girlfriend. What a kick-ass film.


WORLD'S GREATEST DAD

It's fucked up, yet....heartwarming? Robin Williams reminds us why we loved him, playing a teacher and struggling author with an ungrateful, idiot son (Daryl Sabara) and a hot teacher girlfriend (Alexie Gilmore). An indictment against the fad of grieving, World's Greatest Dad has a scathingly funny script and great performances from Williams, Gilmore and Sabara. It does suffer, though, from a distractingly persistent soundtrack, an unfunny parody of an Oprah-esque talk show, and a subplot involving a neighbor who likes zombie movies and pot brownies. OK, full disclosure: I fell asleep for a portion of it, so I couldn't completely connect with the characters anyway. Worth the rental.


BROTHERS

Great set-up, rushed climax. Tobey Maguire is mostly great as a soldier who goes MIA in Iraq, comes back home after being declared dead, then has to readjust to civilian life while shouldering a terrible burden. Jake Gyllenhaal is subtly good as his paroled brother who tries to do right by his sister-in-law in his brother's absence. Natalie Portman gives another great performance as the devoted wife, then widow who starts getting close to her brother-in-law, then wife who wants to get close to her increasingly unsettled husband.

The problem is, the whole sequence involving his return, from the time it happens up to the end, feels rushed and uneven. Maguire is doing a great job before dissolving into hysterics at the film's climax, though God help me he has got the most unsettling crazy eyes. The chemistry between Portman and both her co-stars is excellent, but the subplot with Gyllenhaal's character is dropped too quickly. Sam Shepard, as the father, only gets to bark out phrases like, "Why can't you be more like your brother?" and "Your brother's a real hero" ad nauseum. It's a real shame that the film never satisfyingly explores the relationship of these brothers, since...well...it's the title, isn't it?

It's a really good movie bolstered by great performances and hindered by what feels like an abandoned screenplay. Such a shame, since most of the film is fantastic.

Fifteen Finalists, Three Categories, Great Fun

Full longlist tomorrow, but for right now, I can definitely confirm that these are the finalists for these three categories:

VISUAL EFFECTS
2012
Avatar
District 9
Drag Me to Hell
The Final Destination
Gamer
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Jennifer's Body
The Lovely Bones
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
Watchmen
Where the Wild Things Are
Up

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox (from the book by Roald Dahl)
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Ianucci, Ian Martin & Tony Roche, In the Loop (from the television series In the Thick of It)
Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman & Michael Mann, Public Enemies (from the book by Bryan Burroughs)
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9 (from the short film Alive in Joburg by Neill Blomkamp)
Shauna Cross, Whip It! (from the book Derby Girl by Cross)
Dave Eggers & Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are (from the book by Maurice Sendak)
Stephan Elliot & Sheridan Jobbins, Easy Virtue (from the play by Noel Coward)
Nora Ephron, Julie & Julia (from the book by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child)
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (from the book Push by Sapphire)
Anne Fontaine & Camille Fontaine, Coco Before Chanel (from the book Chanel and Her World: Friends, Fashion and Fame by Edmonde Charles-Roux)
Tom Ford & David Scearce, A Single Man (from the book by Christopher Isherwood)
Christopher Hampton, Cheri (from the book by Colette)
David Hayter & Alex Tse, Watchmen (from the graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Gibbons)
Nick Hornby, An Education (from the book by Lynn Barber)
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air (from the book by Walter Kirn)

ORIGINAL SONG
"All is Love" from Where the Wild Things Are: Music by Karen O and Nick Zinner, Lyrics by Karen O
"Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog: Music and lyrics by Randy Newman
"Back to Tennessee" from Hannah Montana: The Movie: Music and lyrics by Billy Ray Cyrus, Tamara Dunn and Matthew Wilder
"Cinema Italiano" from Nine: Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
"Dig a Little Deeper" from The Princess and the Frog: Music and lyrics by Randy Newman
"Fantastic Mr. Fox (Petey's Song)" from Fantastic Mr. Fox: Music and lyrics by Wes Anderson and Jarvis Cocker
"Friends on the Other Side" from The Princess and the Frog: Music and lyrics by Randy Newman
"God Bless Us Everyone" from A Christmas Carol: Music and lyrics by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri
"I See You (Theme from Avatar)" from Avatar: Music by James Horner and Simon Franglen, Lyrics by Simon Franglen
""Never Knew I Needed" from The Princess and the Frog: Music and lyrics by Ne-Yo
"Only You (Love Theme from The Young Victoria)" from The Young Victoria: Music and lyrics by Ilan Eshkeri, Scott Shields, Nikki Hassman and Pam Sheyne
"Possibility" from The Twilight Saga: New Moon: Music and lyrics by Lykke Li
"Stu's Song" from The Hangover
"Take It All" from Nine: Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston
"Through the Trees" from Jennifer's Body: Music by Ryan Levine and Adam Lampata, Lyrics by Ryan Levine

The Messenger Delivers the Goods

When we speak of the indie film dealing with war without really taking sides, we're generally talking about The Hurt Locker. Entering the conversation on the side, however, is the exquisitely-made The Messenger, the directorial debut of screenwriter Oren Moverman (I'm Not There, Married Life). Known primarily for being the movie Woody Harrelson keeps getting nominations for, The Messenger is an intimate, emotional work about the war at home.

Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) is discharged from the hospital, a war hero, the details of which will not be revealed until the end (naturally). With three months left, he is assigned to go to the homes of men killed in action and break the news to their families. His superior is Lt. Stone, played by Woody Harrelson. a lonely man who tries to get close to Will while also keeping his emotions in check. Samantha Morton is the widow whose reaction to the news of her husband's death affects Will deeply, and the two form a bond.

That's the plot. And the Morton thing is really a subplot, although the impact it has on Foster's character is significant. Really, it's a character study, as well as a meditation on the effects on war on soldiers and their families. It doesn't really take sides: it may be anti-war, but more in the general sense than Iraq specifically. War may be hell, but some people need the army. Morton has a beautiful moment in the mall where she confronts two recruiting officers after buying clothes for her husband's funeral. It's the only out-of-control moment we see from her, and it is startling -- but not melodramatic. All of the performances here are very real.

That goes, too, for the grieving families. I think we see five families besides Olivia's, and their scenes are wonderfully done. Moverman does not exploit the grieving scenes, does not give character actors their "Big Scene". In fact, we do not even see the reactions of the first family Will and Stone visit, we just hear their reactions. Actually, Moverman often keeps the focus on Ben Foster, rarely cutting away to other people or objects, even if they are referenced directly. This brilliant choice keeps us with his character, and we actually see the journey. 

It's as refreshing as the long takes, wherein Moverman opts not for close-ups and inter-cutting between lines of dialogue, but medium shots with subtle movements. Moverman actually seems to be interested in watching his actors, and requires no editorial flourishes here and there to cover his tracks. There are no cuts in the crucial Kitchen Scene between Morton and Foster, allowing us to actually see both actors at the top of their game, unhindered by new set-ups or separate takes. Foster's monologue about his "hero" status has but one cut, and it is effectively done.

Harrelson should be receiving an Oscar nod Tuesday for his performance. It's not just the precursors building buzz; he's got it. Lt. Stone is a complicated, sad, surprisingly funny creation. He can turn on a dime from friend to soldier, but his eyes keep the two connected. This is a man full of regrets trying to connect while maintaining a distance.

Foster delivers his best performance to date. Will Montgomery is haunted by things he has seen. He wants to connect with the families, and it's more than just simple humanity. He tries to keep a distance, at first, from Stone, pulling away from the army even as he serves it. Foster always has crazy eyes, honestly, but he puts them to good use here. I never thought of him as a subtle actor, per se, but I may have to reevaluate that.

This is, hopefully, not the last we shall see of Oren Moverman. The Messenger is a pleasant surprise, a quiet masterpiece, a jewel in the crown of 2009 Cinema. I fyou are able to see it, I highly recommend you do so. It's a honest-to-God FILM.

Who's the Host?

Just like last year, I'm offering up the chance to allow my readers to choose a host for the Hollmann Awards. Last year, Betty White hosted in the first ever Silver Screening Room broadcast. Hosts in years past also include Philip Baker Hall and Patricia Clarkson.

Six options, five individuals:

NAME: Alan Alda

FIVE FILMS: The Aviator, Everyone Says I Love You, Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Four Seasons, California Suite

Alan Alda is a veteran at this game. The son of actor Robert Alda, Alan made a name for himself as an actor, writer and director for screens both small and large. Best-known for his Hawkeye Pierce on the television series "MASH", Alda is regularly seen on NBC shows, late 80s/early 90s Woody Allen films, and the more recent Rod Lurie movies. He was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in The Aviator.



NAME: Judi Dench
FIVE FILMS: Nine, Casino Royale, Mrs Henderson Presents, Iris, Chocolat
Dame Judi Dench is one of the most respected actors in the world. Known for playing sharp-tongued grande dames, Dench excels at comedy and drama alike, and has even earned a place in the Bond Mythology. She is a recipient of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in Shakespeare in Love, and has five additional nominations to boot. She is also a Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Actress for Notes on a Scandal.



NAME: Philip Glass
FIVE FILMS: The Illusionist, Notes on a Scandal, The Hours, Kundun, Mishima
Philip Glass is a composer of operas, ballets, symphonies and film scores. His music is all very similar, but also very addictive. He is a three-time Oscar Nominee for Best Original Score. Notes on a Scandal brought him a Best Original Score Nomination at the Hollmann Awards.



NAME: Marcia Gay Harden
FIVE FILMS: Whip It!, The Mist, Into the Wild, The First Wives Club, Miller's Crossing
Marcia Gay Harden worked twenty years in the business before winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Pollock. She was nominated in the same category three years later for Mystic River. Harden is a marvelous actress, who can be motherly, sexy, stern and wild. She originated the role of Harper in Angels in America on Broadway, but lost the Tony; she finally won for God of Carnage last year.


NAME: Maggie Smith
FIVE FILMS: The First Wives Club, Sister Act, Evil Under the Sun, Clash of the Titans, Murder by Death
Dame Maggie Smith is the greatest actress who ever lived. Underused in the aughts even before she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Smith is also great at playing snippity grande dames, though she does play warmer roles quite frequently. When I was a lad in first grade and we watched The Secret Garden, I told my friends I loved her; they thought I was strange for liking someone so old. Or maybe they thought it was strange because she plays a bitch. Maggie Smith has, regrettably, never been nominated at the Hollmanns, but that's because no one has really utilized her enormous talent for the past six years (though Keeping Mum came close). She won the Best Actress Oscar for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for California Suite. She was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for Travels with My Aunt and Best Supporting Actress Oscars for Othello, A Room with a View and Gosford Park. She kicks all the arses.



NAME: Judi Dench & Maggie Smith
FILMS: Ladies in Lavender, Tea with Mussolini, A Room with a View
They are best friends. Despite only doing three films together, they are the Dream Team. Judi Dench and Maggie Smith were nominated in 2001 for Best Actress (Iris) and Best Supporting Actress (Gosford Park), respectively. Tea with Mussolini earned Maggie Smith another BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress; Judi Dench played M in The World is Not Enough. No one would go with me to see Ladies in Lavender with me when it came out, though I begged and begged. They met in A Room with a View, and Smith won the Best Actress BAFTA Award, Dench the Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award. They are so bad-ass it's not even funny.

Who do you prefer for the job? One of the solos, or the Dynamic Dame Duo? Voice your wants out loud in the comments!

In Body, But Not in Spirit

Actress and AIDS activist Zelda Rubinstein passed away today. She was taken off life support back in December and has now, at 76, left her earthly body. Maybe it's because of her roles, but to me, this just means Zelda has moved on from that physical embodiment. I'm serious. I've never given much thought to reincarnation, but Zelda seems too spiritual to just be gone. She is best-known for her role as the psychic in Poltergeist, but to me, she will always be the world's awesomest mentor in the cult classic Teen Witch:



"He's gonna become your love slave."

You'll be sorely missed, Zelda.

European Women Wearing Great Outfits

COCO BEFORE CHANEL

I seem to be very fortunate this week, in that I am finding one spectacular film after another. Coco Before Chanel is not flashy. It is not a "highlights reel" like other biopics. The title says it all, following Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel in the years prior to her making a name for herself in the fashion world. She sings, she sews, she dismisses the idea of love, she gains two lovers, c'est la vie.

Audrey Tautou's lead performance is deeply magnetic; you understand her strength, and you cannot help but be drawn to her. Benoit Poelvoorde plays her wealthy lover Etienne, a boorish man with old-fashioned ideas who both loves Coco and does not understand her. Alessandro Nivola is a sexy "Boy" Capel, Coco's British lover. Emmanuelle Devos is delightful and frustrating as an actress who still clings to the corsets and flowery chapeaux of the era, yet finds herself intrigued by Coco's more comfortable designs. The costumes are, as expected, exquisite. Alexandre Desplat's score is the perfect capper to an unbelievably great year for the composer.

Stripped of the biopic conventions, Coco Before Chanel becomes a period romance about a poor orphan girl and the rich men who love her. And that's not to suggest that co-writer/director Anne Fontaine and co-writer Camille Fontaine (are they related?) over-romanticized or insignificantized Coco's story. If, like me, you are a fan of Howards End or A Room with a View, than Coco Before Chanel should sit quite nicely with you.


THE YOUNG VICTORIA

The Young Victoria is by no means perfect. It's fifteen minutes short of being two hours, and you can feel it. The conflict involving the effect her friendship with Lord Melbourne is never explored deeply enough for the audience to get a real sense of it. The politics of the era are explained constantly and vaguely, so that you kind of understand the issues without really knowing what's going on. It ends too quickly, and there's a scene near the end in which Victoria flies into a justifiable rage at Albert, then goes off into a strange ego trip that undercuts the good point she was making. So Albert never has to apologize, but Victoria does. It's very strange.

That said, the film boasts fine performances from all its actors. Emily Blunt is a surprisingly warm Victoria, headstrong yet without confidence in her abilities. Rupert Friend continues to prove himself the greatest find of the season -- his Albert is adorable, smitten with the Queen, seeing her as his equal, comfortable with his role of house-husband. The chemistry between them had me completely. The gazebo scene, the proposal scene, the final scene: wonderful. When the film focuses on the two of them, we get one of the best movies of the year. Though Paul Bettany and Miranda Richardson are always wonderful to watch, and I was thrilled to see Mark Strong and Rachael Stirling yet again. Also, the costumes are beautiful, and Jean-Marc Vallee has a strange yet effective eye behind the camera.

I had some reservations about the film, sure. It's great, it just needs some room to breathe. The end is too rushed; a little over two hours would have been a suitable running time. It might have even given us more Victoria and Albert, and that is always a delight.


BROKEN EMBRACES

Penelope Cruz is beautiful and typically incredible. The cinematography, costumes and production design are beautiful. But good Lord this movie is long. It drags on and on and on. The movie cuts between 1994 and 2008, as a blind writer/director recalls his affair with Penelope Cruz. Well fuck 2008. The movie is way more interesting in 1994, and the 2008 scenes add little to the story...besides de-mystifying some of the more intriguing elements of the piece. There's a huge chunk of magnificence, but the last half-hour just kills it for me. Ultimately: a disappointment.

So Little Time

A week from today marks the biggest announcement of the year. I mean sure, the Oscar noms are February 2nd, but la-di-da, y'know? I'm talking about February 1st, which not only marks my father's birthday....but the announcement of the Fourth Annual Hollmann Award Nominees!

The awards are older than The Silver Screening Room, originating on the Livejournal from my high school days (I still update it every now and then because some of my friends are slow on the Blogger uptake). They just made it here last year, so the Blogger audience missed a couple of shows. Philip Baker Hall and Patricia Clarkson hosted, Pan's Labyrinth and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford won Best Picture, and Oscar and I agreed with Best Actress. That's basically what you missed from years one and two.

There are only two criteria for eligibility: (1) Be a 2009 release that I see before December 31; and (2) Don't make it to the Bottom Ten. I still have a lot of movies to catch up on: Crazy Heart, The Last Station, Coco Avant Chanel, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Duplicity, The Damned United, The Road, Broken Embraces, Sin Nombre, Ponyo, The Boys Are Back, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Sugar, The White Ribbon, A Prophet, Paris 36, The Maid, The Cove, The Stoning of Soraya M., Disgrace, That Evening Sun, Big Fan, The Messenger, and on and on and on.

That's 22 movies to see in a week. I'd need to see, like, three movies a day, and still keep up with school and other commitments. Life, man. Fortunately, I'm going to see The Messenger this afternoon, then watch After Hours with some friends; mayhaps I'll come home to Duplicity? Bad Lieutenant is coming to local theaters this Friday as a last-minute maybe. And I've still to find a host.

Wish me luck!

All Are Welcome, Thanks

What's that? A Screen Actors Guild Award, too? Why, certainly! Of course! Bring it on!

What a Fool I Was!

Five out of six right with my SAG predix.

I should've listened to my feeling about Sandra Bullock. She took home her third prize of the precursor season. It's all suspense until Oscar night. The nominees are announced February 2, but is there any doubt that she'll get in? She's ineligible for the BAFTAs and thus went un-nominated, so there's nothing there to go by. In a year that started with Mulligan vs. Streep, then Sidibe vs. Mulligan vs. Streep, then "it's an honor just to be nominated" Bullock rumors...who could have guessed that Sandra Bullock would be the one giving Meryl a run for her money? Absurd!

Otherwise, it went as expected. Inglourious Basterds won Ensemble, with Christoph Waltz getting his Supporting Actor trophy and giving another acceptance speech themed to the prize. It's an interesting trick. Mo'Nique won for Supporting Actress, and Jeff Bridges got his Actor award. Everything seems to be all sewn up.

The Pregnancy Pact: A Live-Blogging Revolution

Anderson Cooper. I like this already.
"We have not been able to confirm the existence of a pact." Already it's the greatest movie ever.
Teenagers. They sure have wild hormones, amiright?
Camryn Manheim is very serious about pregnancy tests. Does she not see the hope and joy in the girl's face as she anticipates being knocked up? The crestfallen expression as she turns out not to be? Shouldn't Camryn be more concerned?
Oh-ho, she may not be pregnant yet, but she'll keep trying!
"Let's just hang out, you and me." "You know I want to, but I don't want you getting into trouble, again." This is the most light-hearted reference to miscarriage (abortion?) ever.
Thora Birch runs a For Teens website called ForTeens.Net. Hilary Clinton rocks! Jamie Lynn Spears is a whore! "I know who I'd rather be."
Curfews prevent pregnancy. I know this because the Homely Lady on Pregnancy Pact told me and the rest of the world.
Thora Birch is returning to her hometown to see what's the skinny on these preggo teens. It's a cautionary tale AND a journalistic thriller?
The second time around, that girl gets pregnant. By some guy named Troy. Another friend was impreggoed by "what's-his-name."
"OMIGOD I HAVE A LITTLE BABY INSIDE ME!" "It's like a best friend!"
Pregnant teen is smoking with her boyfriend and his lazy mom! First girl's mom is absent!
Heartwarming conversation between our main character (you can tell b/c she looks doubtful about getting pregnant).
Sarah is the main girl. Her mom runs a restaurant and says teen pregnancy is, like, whatever man. And the principal refuses to offer contraceptives at school because the girls getting pregnant are doing so on PURPOSE. He makes a good point, but I'd say the contraceptives would certainly help the boys.
"Hey, Daddy. Tuna casserile coming up." AWW ISN'T SHE THE BEST EVER I HOPE SHE DOESN'T GET PREGNANT AND DISAPPOINT HER HOT MOM AND UNEMPLOYED DADDY! At least she's dating church-going Jesse, but Dad still thinks teenagers will have sex.
Annnnd he's right. And Jesse's proposed to Sarah. She responds: "I wish I was sixteen right now." She wants marriage now; he wants to wait until they graduate, go to college, have a future.
Oh my God, the sound went out!
It's back, thank God, just in time for Nancy Drew (Thora Birch) to arrive. She lived there two years, but had no friends. Well, one boyfriend. I wonder if it's the sad-looking guy watching her videos alone in his room?
Sarah's Hot Mom is against this whole "birth control" idea. Nancy Birch comes into her restaurant, tells Hot Mom about her mission to break the story on teen pregnancy. Hot Mom thinks it's inappropriate, but Thora Drew just smiles blankly.
Wait...weepy guy works at the school. And there's a girl with a fucking baby! But her boyfriend still left!
Dude...when a girl is talking marriage at 15, that is not the time to fuck her. I know, I know: it's always time to fuck her. But this isn't that time.
Sarah got pregnant! She feels bad about it, but the other girls are all, "It's sooo cool!" Pregnancy = popularity! Yay!

9:18 PM

That cookie diet commercial with a six-packed Santa Claus is the best part so far.
Guitar strings mean poignant pregnant moments. Sarah looks at herself in the mirror.
First Girl feels awful that her mother doesn't want the baby. "Who wants to be a grandmother at 31?" But if that girl's 15, then her mom was about the same age when she had her, right? Maybe that's why she's so strict.
Drew Barrymore won a SAG Award. So this convo between Thora Birch and Wussy Ass is irrelevant.
There's a day-care for students? Is this art the school? Is this because the entire sophomore class got pregnant? And they're NOT handing out contraceptives?
Family Values Council is not OK with birth control? No one at this hearing likes the truth: teenagers have sex.
"Our girls are getting pregnant at an epidemic rate."
"It was ten [girls] two months ago. It's EIGHTEEN NOW!"
Hot Mom looks like my English teacher from junior year of high school.
Camryn Manheim just resigned in protest! That's right, girl, you fight the good fight! By abandoning the girls in their time of need!
First Girl is named Carissa. And it looks like her boyfriend just found out! But he doesn't care, so she tells him to get away from her! He calls her a freak! But...is this how teens would react? I like to think the shell-shocked Bleeker was the truest reaction.
Oh, Sarah, you had your chance to tell him the truth. You fucked up.
Oh, no! She got a case of the Preggo Vomits at work! She says it was the smell of the onions. And that is how Hot Mom knows that she's pregnant! Too bad, Thora Birch; Hot Mom is the real detective.
"Think you're a man? Come here and talk to me like a man!" That's how all dads should speak to the men who knocked up their little girls. Oh, and Sarah's dad dragged her to Jesse's house to tell the family. It's hilarious. I love that the boys look victimized, like they thought they were wearing invisible condoms or something. Funny.

9:34 PM

Ha, Dear John ads!

So, to recap: Sarah, Carissa, and other girls got pregnant. None of the guys are involved, except for when Sarah's dad dragged Sarah to face her boyfriend Jesse, who is a couple years older than her and talking about going to college. Carissa's mother refuses to raise the baby for her. Hot Mom does not believe in contraceptives. Camryn Manheim
Dad reasons that he said they'd have sex. "You're supposed to be the Queen of Abstinence and you can't even convince your own daughter!" Screaming matches are awesome!
Sarah has no idea why Jesse would freak out. He feels guilty and stupid. "I should have pulled out every time, or figured out a way to get condoms without anyone knowing." Pulling out doesn't really work like that, but nice try.
Thora Birch is shocked that these girls are so excited about getting pregnant. But they're lying about wanting it. Whoa, and one of them just called the other's mother an alky. Someone's got the bitch shoes on today.
Thora thinks Sarah isn't pregnant and is asking bizarre questions. Oh-ho, but she won't record Sarah when she realizes she's pregnant! Because that would be tasteless! Getting a real, undemented perspective is in bad taste!
The sneer on Sarah's face when Thora suggests that abortion is an option is...scary. She's about to cut a bitch.
Really, this movie isn't just about the girls, but about stupid parents who, in their attempts to shelter their children, fuck them up even more. It's true. My sister met some pot connections at church. Truth.
The Mom vs. Daughter Argument begins!: "So I guess I'm just a slut." "I swear I don't know that girl anymore."
Thora Birch has been kicked off campus by ex-boyfriend after the superintendent tells the school to stop talking to the press. She thinsk the girls need someone to talk to; he just wants to get to his daughter's birthday. "Daddy!" shouts an adorable toddler in the lobby.
The baseball players sneer at the preggos.
Oh, no, one of the girls didn't apply for day care in time! And now TIME Magazine is on the case! "I guess I could spare some time for TIME," quips the principal. Wait, did he not get the superintendent's order? Did anyone besides Thora's ex? Because no one else seems aware of it.

9:49 PM

Carissa is planning on partying. The girls want to go to one last hurrah. Sarah's bestie reasons that Mary was 14. And Stupid Face is all, "You think we don't get it, but I have a little brother."
Thora Birch just walked in with a girl wanting to buy condoms. She bought them, and said it's a decision between being uncomfortable for five minutes and uncomfortable for nine months. Thora thinks she's too young for sex, but the girl is all, "Everyone's doing it, but I'm not retarded, I'm using condoms."
Tender moment between Sarah and Jesse as they lie on top of his car. "I'm gonna be real with you: I've been miserable." She asks if he wants the child. He is SILENT. He suggests...maybe an abortion? He wants to go to college, leave this town, play baseball. "What about me? I thought you loved me?" He wants her to come with him, but she doesn't want to live home. He won't want to when he sees the baby, either! This. Bitch. Is. Crazy.
"Next up is the rummage sale." Like ABANDONED OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BABIES BORN OF TEENS???
It costs $13,000 for one slot at the day care? Thora Birch is not OK with this, and just brought up Hot Mom's own pregnant daughter. By the looks on the School Board's faces, I'd say they didn't even know. AWKWARD. And AWESOME.
This movie could easily have been just one hour. I'm zoning through these parental conversations. Blah-blah-blah child support hoity-hum.
Thora Birch just met with her ex-bf. She got pregnant and aborted it. No wonder she's so touchy about this!
The media got ahold of it! Thora found out about the pact (from TIME!)! "I don't even know what that word means!" says Stupid Face. They flashback:
"You have to swear that we're all going to get pregnant together." "This is so cool!" No, really, that's the dialogue.

10:06PM

Why is this movie still on?
Carissa, Sarah, Iris and Rose all took the pact. They swear Thora to secrecy, but the national news already got hold of it. Hot Mom thinks Thora is doing DAMAGE. She doesn't believe these rumors of the pact and gives them milkshakes.
"So this is what it feels like to be Jamie-Lynn Spears!" BEST. MOMENT. EVER.
Jesse confronts Sarah. Asks for the truth of the pact. She lies unconvincingly. "Did you pregnant on purpose?" I know this is a true story, but I hate to think that people are this stupid. You knew you were cumming in her, right?
The principal was "foggy in his memory" of how he learned of the pact, so says the mayor. Now it's all awkward. Jesse's dad points out that, legally spoeaking, he's guilty of statutory rape. This starst a yelling match that is...snore?
Hot Mom and Sarah are at the doctor's. Sarah can't believe Jesse won't join them. Sarah doesn't look "disappointed" so much as she looks "thirsty for the blood of the innocent." Hot Mom calls the baby a precious gift.
Sarah shows Jesse the video of the sonogram. And aww, his heart is melting! I hope he gives up his future to help raise the kid! Because he already did. Like, really, you thought it was better to fill her with sperm rather than buy a condom?
Heartless reporters come to interrogate Sarah's Dad and Jesse. The men are arrested for assaulting the reporter and camera guy, and Sarah realizes just how fucked up this sitch is. I'm always confused by these things. I always think there should be a law stating that beating up Heartless Reporters is the least you can do. It's their job, sure, but surely they knew they were risking their lives when they decided to become cunts.

10:18PM

The villagers still deny the Pact. Thora Birch is interviewed by the media. She says we're asking the wrong questions. The real question: why are so many girls choosing this?
At Sarah's house, her dad returns from jail. "Was it that bad? Spending the night in jail?" YES. "It's all my fault isn't it?" What? Yes!
The Council wants Hot Mom to step down, what with an arrested hubby and pregnant daughter. Hot Mom reasonably offended, but quietly so. This is real ACTING.
Only Sarah goes to Thora's house, no camera. Just two chicks gabbing. Thora asks why she would want to get pregnant. "Everyone wants to have a baby. I don't see what makes the difference if I have one now or ten years from now." All she needs to be happy is to be married and have a kid. Thora can't believe a girl would want to be a mom/housewife! Some girls do -- in fact, my mother would applaud this, but would probably prefer the girl waits until after college, then marries someone with a real job.
Stupid Face had her baby. She tore really badly. Sarah: "Tore what?" Carissa: "Down there, stupid." The baby daddy is all "whatever or something". Sarah just realized where babies REALLY come from. Also, very obvious stock footage of a baby getting oxygen. Grainy, 90s-era photography.
Thora's ex is beginning to think that ignoring the problem until it goes away isn't the best idea. Maybe they should encourage kids to use birth control! This man has all the emotion of a stick. His worry face and his epiphany face are the same: dumb.
The principal tells the press the mayor never talked to him! His memory isn't foggy! The pact is true! Leave these kids alone! Also, maybe there wasn't a pact! Who knows!
Thora wants Sarah to make people think. Tell the world about the pact anonymously! Of course, Thora and Sarah talk about this just as Hot Mom and Jesse walk by, looking for her. Now they KNOW there was a pact. Remember, everyone's in denial. Don't they know the title?
Jesse runs off and gets in his car. Please get into an accident.

10:?? PM

I missed Betty White's Lifetime Achievement Award for THIS? Fuck you, roommate. Last time I cave to your peer pressure.
I love that Carissa's mom is kicking her out of the car to run into baby daddy Troy. "Tell him he's the father." "You're a hypocrite! You didn't tell my father." "Yeah. Do I look like I'm happy?"
Pregnant girl wit Solo cup in background. I love this movie. But what is this party?
Sarah is off to find Jesse. Her parents sit shell-shocked about her "plotting and lying" and pact-making. "At least my baby won't care if I have sex or not! Or if I go to college! I love Jesse! So if I'm not grounded, I'm gonna go out and find him!" And she's off.
At the party, the preggos look for drinks. Apparently, Stupid Face can't even hold her baby. Carissa realizes her mistake and tries to convince the others that they're all dumb.
Pregnant girl in shorts and bikini top. God bless you, roommate. Keep peer-pressuring me.
Jesse stands alone. Sarah walks up to him. He walks away. She follows. He's mad that she lied to him. "It doesn't change that you made a chump out of me." He finally tells her that he doesn't want a baby! "Not with anyone! Especially not with a liar like you! I really thought we'd be together. I really did. But you ruined it. It is all ruined because of you." And he's crying. Not in an effective way, but in a bitchy way. And as he runs off, Sarah takes a swig of tequila. I don't exaggerate about any of this.
Thora confronts Hot Mom. Hot Mom tells her to stay out of this. Thora Birch asks why her daughter's an idiot. They say this in many different ways for five minutes. That's the whole convo. Thora confesses her pregnancy and abortion on her video blog. Her ex wanted the baby, so he dumped her. And it's all very "touching", especially hwen her ex watches this and criues.
The girls come back from the party. They are trashed. And pregnant. but Sarah passes out! Hot Mom runs to her child, yells to call 911, and tries to wake her up!
By the way, the promo photo they use to go to commercial looks like Village of the Damned but with pregnant teens. Great fun.

10:48 PM

The Exciting Conclusion.
Sarah's in the hospital. She still isn't showing. Hot Mom and Dad stand by. Doctor tells them her blood alcohol level is over .20 (!!), but it could damage the child at this stage of the pregnancy. What stage is this?
Sarah wishes she waited. Hot Mom reveals she and Dad had premarital sex. Hot Mom lied because she was afraid Sarah wouldn't take her seriously if she knew the truth. Sarah thought if she got pregnant, Jesse would stay. "So I tricked him." No, you had sex with him. Whether he knew you wanted to get pregnant or not, he still went bareback on you.
Thora Birch did not get an abortion, she gave him up for adoption. Now the Ex is determined to find him. Thora decides she'd rather not know, because it was for the best.
Stupid Face is having trouble with the kid. Carissa thinks the girls should consider adoption for their kids.
Hot Mom refuses to resign. Their mission is to help teen parents, so as someone with a personal connection, she needs to stay on. And maybe the Council should try "honesty" and "contraception". Then Thora tells Sarah she made a speech about how Hot Mom convinced her contraceptives don't change everything. And if a liberal like her can be swayed by Hot Mom, then she should stay as president! No, really, that's what they said. That's the logic.
Sarah will have the baby, grow up, and keep watching Thora's show.
The Principal resigns after being slandered and abandoned for telling the truth. None of the girls confessed to the pact. Stupid Face smokes and ignores the kid. Sarah finally shows. Jesse gets a new girlfriend who likes to sit right in front of Sarah. Sarah has her baby and loves it. Thora has a monologue about choices and sex education, I guess, or something. Then a slo-mo shot of Sarah playing with her baby.
And that's the movie. Now Camryn Manheim, who disappeared within the first twenty minutes, gives a talk about how parents are the best teachers. Go to Lifetime's website for more info. Well don't you talk to me, Camryn. You left. Thora stayed.


And that's The Pregnancy Pact, a Lifetime Original Movie. I learned how to be smug in a new way. I also learned that I don't know what Nancy Travis looks like -- she played Hot Mom, as it turns out. What a fox. And she's almost fifty!

Oh Yay! Oh No!

Of S-Men and missed opportunities:

A SINGLE MAN

Glad I caught this for a second time (this time seeing the first fifteen minutes). A beautiful, moving film with Colin Firth's career-defining performance at the center of it. As George, the British college prof mourning the death of his life partner (Matthew Goode) in 1960s LA, Firth is sad, funny, hopeful, pathetic. His silence says more than his words, though these, too, are spoken beautifully. Goode is great in an affecting role seen only through flashbacks; for if we cannot like Jim, why should we care about, well, anything in the movie? Luckily, we love Jim, and Goode's portrayal, alongside the screenplay by director Tom Ford and David Scearce, are the source of such affection. Equally brilliant is Julianne Moore as George's nearest, dearest, and saddest friend, Charley. From her first scene, we see that she's never given up on the idea of a future with George -- maybe tonight's the night he comes to his senses! -- while her second scene allows us to see her precise and sad beauty regiment.

Tom Ford, the designer-turned-director, does a truly remarkable job with his first feature. Everybody and everything is beautiful, from the clothes to the art direction to the effective cinematography by Eduard Grau (the way little things brighten George's day: beauty worthy of tears). Some choices, though, are a little hard to follow and risk pulling the viewer out of the movie. Quick cuts to eyes and lips, for example. While I understand that we're getting everything from George's point of view, at times the cuts came so quick that I was startled out of the picture. I was quickly brought back, of course, by Firth and Grau and the score by Abel Korzeniowksi, but there were a few times when the style threatened to overcome the substance. Hopefully, Ford's next feature will dedicate itself completely to the latter. Hopefully, Ford will have a next feature.


SHERLOCK HOLMES

Well, I liked it. Like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it takes a romp to fully realize the age it's portraying. Surely this muddy, steamy, dank Victorian London is closer to the truth than the polished period films of Merchant-Ivory (much as I love them). Hans Zimmer's score is one of his most engaging, taking an unexpected zither route that works much better than you'd think. Unless you'd think it was the perfect choice, in which case you're right, so go you. I like the end -- as with the stories, the question is always "how", and there is little opportunity for the audience to solve it themselves. Holmes has always been blessed with knowledge that no lay person could possibly understand, and always withheld clues until the end. That's how the books were, and that's how the movie is.

Sorry if I sound defensive. I just really liked the movie. Robert Downey Jr. was a great Holmes. He's not your mama's Holmes, nor was he the definitive one (Jeremy Brett, ladies and gents), but he had all the smug smarts of the character. Mark Strong's villain is deliciously foul, and the hints at a sequel featuring Moriarty thrill me. Rachel McAdams, however, is dreadfully miscast as master thief/love interest Irene Adler. I couldn't help but think how I would have preferred a Maria Bello or, even better, Kathleen Turner in 1980.

Making up for it: Jude Law as Watson. When I was a boy, I always wanted to be Watson. Imagine my disappointment when he was generally portrayed as a buffoon. Here, fortunately, he's the Watson I grew up with: smart, tough, and sharp (though not as sharp as Holmes). Law and Downey have great chemistry together. Watson is dashing and fun, and although a bit of a stuffed shirt, you totally get the affection between these two men. I loved it.


THE LOVELY BONES

What a disappointing movie. It starts out promisingly enough, but by the time it gets to the strangest Susan Sarandon montage I've ever seen, it's all too clear that someone -- Peter Jackson? His co-writers? The Studio? -- dropped the fucking ball. It's still an all right film, but over-indulgent and lacking in any real emotion. Some scenes are so inappropriately juxtaposed that it is neither poignant nor ironically hilarious, just confusing. Saoirse Ronan and Stanley Tucci are very good, great even, but they are adrift in a sea of monotony. Heaven is beautifully rendered, at least -- but to what avail? Maybe Jackson should have spent more time on Earth with the themes and FUCKING TITLE and less in Heaven, the land of who gives a fuck.


THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

I'll just remember The Dark Knight as Heath Ledger's final film. Terry Gilliam went on about how Heath improvised most of his scenes, and everyone was thrilled at the results. Well, those "funny" improvs are some of the worst parts of the movie, along with an unevenly written protagonist (Christopher Plummer's trying, though) and an ending that drops the ball. Visually marvelous and with a fine performance by Andrew Garfield, Gilliam once again proves that he has a great imagination undone by an inability to know what to do with it. I liked Parnassus, but I also worked to do so. Mehhh....

Status Quo

Just a few more hours to go until the Screen Actors Guild reveals their picks for the best performances of the year, even though none of their nominees include Bright Star, A Serious Man, In the Loop or Moon (yet still include Invictus).

As ever, here is how I think it will go down: dully, with no surprises. I'd say "Hopefully, I'm wrong", but I might win something if I'm not, so I really hope I'm right.

STUNT ENSEMBLE

Public Enemies

Star Trek

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

WHAT WILL WIN: Star Trek. Public Enemies will have to be content with being remembered in any category at an awards show this year.

WHAT SHOULD WIN: Probably Star Trek. I mean, just the Sulu fight alone...

ENSEMBLE

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Nine

Precious

WHAT WILL WIN: Inglourious Basterds. The strength of their ensemble is undeniable.

WHAT SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds.

ACTOR

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

George Clooney, Up in the Air

Colin Firth, A Single Man

Morgan Freeman, Invictus

Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

WHO WILL WIN: Jeff Bridges, in the year of making up to Jeff Bridges. No, that's not fair; Crazy Heart is probably crazy good.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Colin Firth, maybe?

ACTRESS

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Helen Mirren, The Last Station

Carey Mulligan, An Education

Gabourey Sidibe, Precious

Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

WHO WILL WIN: Meryl Streep, though I'm almost tempted to call it for Bullock. But no, the Streep will get it, making her the first lead actress to win back-to-back SAG awards.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Streep. Or Mulligan. Or Sidibe. I haven't really decided.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon, Invictus

Woody Harrelson, The Messenger

Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

WHO WILL WIN: This is Waltz's show, although I do perceive a threat from veteran actor Plummer.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Waltz, but I haven't seen The Messenger or The Last Station.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz, Nine

Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air

Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds

Mo'Nique, Precious

WHO WILL WIN: Bad-ass Mo'Nique. I know when Jeff Wells calls her that, he's being a dick, but I really do think she's a bad-ass.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Personal preferences aside (I really loved Farmiga and Kruger), why shouldn't it be Mo'Nique? She's got a good head on her shoulders, she gave one of the best evil mom performances since A Patch of Blue, and...well, she's Mo'Nique.

[EDIT: Thanks Andrew, the word "woman" has been corrected to "lead actress"]

I Really DO Wanna Zigazig Ah!

Judy Craymer, creator and producer of the amazingly cheesy yet fucking incredible Mamma Mia!, apparently just signed a deal with the greatest band of the 90s to bring their music to the London stage. Another jukebox musical, there is no known storyline, but Viva Forever (yes, that's the title) is keeping in the spirit and humor of the original band.

And who is the band?

The mutha-effin' Spice Girls.



On the one hand, I totally wanted to be first on this. On the other...oh my God. A Spice Girls musical. This...this is Heaven. It better be amazing.

This just leaves one question: will there be a role for La Streep in the eventual movie adaptation? Or will Judi Dench have to be the celebrity in this one?

Orange You Glad?

Two weeks ahead of the Oscar nominations, the BAFTAs have announced their own picks for the year's best. They've kept their Best Picture list to five, the ungreedy bastards. The BAFTAs will always be awesome for giving the award to The Purple Rose of Cairo and for nominating Big Fish, although they have been matching Oscar more closely as of late, especially in their acting honors. Last year, Mickey Rourke was the only one of their winners not repeated at the Oscars, many f the nominees in the categories were different (Freida Pinto and Tilda Swinton for Supporting Actress, Dev Patel for Actor). Always exciting to see an awards group's nominations though, eh?

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Precious
Up in the Air
Who would've thought Precious would do so well across the pond? The other four are understandable, though it intrigues me that Inglourious Basterds is not here. Did the Brits not love it as much as they should have?

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
An Education
Fish Tank
In the Loop
Moon
Nowhere Boy
It's nice to finally see In the Loop and Moon getting mentioned at a major awards show. Fish Tank was just released in America Saturday, and we've still got to wait Nowhere Boy. Methinks, then, that An Education has a slight edge here.

DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Neill Blomkamp, District 9
James Cameron, Avatar
Lone Scherfig, An Education
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
And yet the Basterds show up here. That's cool, at least. Even cooler is the inclusion of Blomkamp and Scherfig, two of the more deserving directors this year. Glad to see them honored!

ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Andy Serkis, Sex & Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll
Serkis gets a mention for a movie not yet in America, but which the Brits went crazy for. I hear tell Serkis will probably get in for the 2010 Oscars, too. A nomination for Renner is absolutely stunning, amazing, deserving; so, too, of course, are the noms for Clooney and Firth. Still need to see Crazy Heart, though I hear that's not coming to my town until mid-February (i.e., well after the nominations are announced).

ACTRESS
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Saoirse Ronan, The Lovely Bones
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Audrey Tautou, Coco Before Chanel
Now this is a neat lineup. I am surprised to see Streep there, since I know Julia Child wasn't as popular in the UK as she was here. BAFTA keeps up their trend of honoring international cinema with a surprising nod at Tautou. Also present is young Ronan, one of the better things about the disappointing Lovely Bones. And again, I didn't expect Precious to do as well overseas -- maybe it's not a strictly American piece after all.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, It's Complicated
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
Alfred Molina, An Education
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Baldwin, McKay and Molina? MOLINA? Thank God! This is a pretty cool list (though I still need to see Me and Orson Welles). Waltz and Tucci are set, of course, but the other three were welcome surprises.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anne-Marie Duff, Nowhere Boy
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'Nique, Precious
Kristin Scott Thomas, Nowhere Boy
A lot of vote-splitting here, overkilling it to the same result. But now I'm really excited about Nowhere Boy.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Pete Docter & Bob Peterson, Up
Jon Lucas & Scott Moore, The Hangover
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Well, this is a fun lineup. The Hangover is doing pretty damn well this season, isn't it? Otherwise, the expecteds are here -- at least I hope the Coens can be expected to be honored for their amazing screenplay time and again.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Ianucci & Tony Roche, In the Loop
Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Nick Hornby, An Education
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Of course the Brits find love for their own, In the Loop. The rest will probably be repeated at the Oscars.

BEST MUSIC
Stephen Bruton & T-Bone Burnett, Crazy Heart
Alexandre Desplat, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Michael Giacchino, Up
James Horner, Avatar
Chaz Jankel, Sex & Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll
This category is always funny because pre-written music is eligible, for some reason. This year, that's Jankel, who co-wrote music for the Blockheads with Ian Dury, the subject of Sex & Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll. Desplat's mention for Mr. Fox is a welcome surprise, and then there's the usual-usual.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
Javier Aguirresarobe, The Road
Mario Fiore, Avatar
Trent Opaloch, District 9
Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds
Is it strange that my only reaction here is that Aguirresarobe also shot New Moon?

The big shocker, of course, is the lack of love for Nine, which I kind of thought they would appreciate. Invictus, thank God, is nowhere to be seen. Full list of nominees here.

Patience Pays Off

I knew it would happen eventually. I knew someone would wake up and smell the talent. After one BAFTA Award nomination, two Emmy nominations, a SAG nom that is still to pay off, and two previous Golden Globe nominations, one of Hollywood's most beautiful, talented and dependable actresses finally got her due Sunday night. Oh sure, we can talk about the Hurt Locker shut-out, the fact that Avatar won Picture and Director, or that wonderful tribute to Martin Scorsese. But the real story is how one star was finally recognized for something other than Best Kiss at the MTV Movie Awards.



A deserved prize. Golden Globe Winner Drew Barrymore just rolls off the tongue. Next stop...

Globe Winners!

What a fun, strange night. I could have been at my sister's wedding back home (it's also her birthday), but school kept me here. And with no reception to attend, why not watch the Globes?

Da Winnahs:

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA: Avatar. Got that wrong, but at least my shoulda, coulda and woulda.
BEST PICTURE - MUSICAL/COMEDY: The Hangover. I was dead wrong, but who saw this coming? One of the best surprises of the night, albeit one that came at the expense of three movies I loved way more.
BEST DIRECTOR: James Cameron, Avatar. Wrong again. I suck at this. But he said it himself: "I thought Kathryn was going to get it."
BEST SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air. Incorrect, but happily so. So that's what Sheldon Turner looks like.
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart. Ah-ha! Got that one!
BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL/COMEDY: Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes. Great speech. Wrong choice. For me and the HFPA both.
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side. Wrong once more. This just became a strange two-horse race.
BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL/COMEDY: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia. YES! I was right!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds. Right again. I like that he themes his speeches with the award. Can't wait for that Oscar speech. "We are all naked men in gold..."
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique. Damn, what a speech. Love that woman. I got it right, by the way.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Up. 100% correct, but that's the usual-usual.
BEST FOREIGN FILM: The White Ribbon. Correct again.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart. Got that one wrong. I guess it's the front-runner now.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Michael Giacchino for Up! Yay!

Only got 6/14. Less than half. I think I'm getting better at this.

Who's It Gonna Be?

Before I get ready to host the Golden Globes fete a ma maison, mayhaps some predictions are in order. After all, if I am right, that gives me bragging rights. And bragging rights are important to me.

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air
WHAT WILL WIN: The Hurt Locker, because sweeps are de rigueur.
WHAT SHOULD WIN: Avatar.

BEST PICTURE - COMEDY
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
WHAT WILL WIN: Nine, because HFPA prefers musicals and it's the most-nominated in this category.
WHAT SHOULD WIN: (500) Days of Summer

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
WHO WILL WIN: Kathryn Bigelow, because this is her year, and it cannot be denied.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Anyone except Eastwood.

BEST SCREENPLAY
Neill Blomkamp/Terri Tatchell, District 9
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Nancy Meyers, It's Complicated
Jason Reitman/Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
WHO WILL WIN: The Hurt Locker, because I do believe in the love for that movie.
WHAT SHOULD WIN: Inglourious Basterds.

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Tobey Maguire, Brothers
WHO WILL WIN: Jeff Bridges.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Well, I still need to see Crazy Heart, but I'm personally torn between Clooney and Firth. Both so great in their respective films.

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL/COMEDY
Matt Damon, The Informant!
Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine
Robert Downey, Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
WHO WILL WIN: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, because he's repping the best film in the category.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
WHO WILL WIN: Carey Mulligan, since I dare not believe the Americans are taking these categories without a threat. Mulligan's film actually came out, too.
WHO SHOULD WIN: I do not consider myself able to pick a favorite without having seen The Young Victoria or The Last Station.

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL/COMEDY
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Julia Roberts, Duplicity
Meryl Streep, It's Complicated
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
WHO WILL WIN: La Streep for Julie & Julia
WHO SHOULD WIN: Haven't seen Duplicity; otherwise, La Streep in Julie & Julia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
WHO WILL WIN: Christoph Waltz.
WHO SHOULD WIN: I don't know. Haven't seen Harrelson's or Plummer's work. Probably Waltz, though.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
WHO WILL WIN: Mo'Nique.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Vera Farmiga? Nah, Mo'Nique's win is cool with me.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up
WHAT WILL WIN: Up
WHAT SHOULD WIN: Fantastic Mr. Fox

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Baaria
Broken Embraces
The Maid
A Prophet
The White Ribbon
WHAT WILL WIN: The White Ribbon.
WHAT SHOULD WIN: Haha, yeah! Like I've seen any of these! Release schedules don't work like that, hon.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"I See You" from Avatar
"Winter" from Brothers
"The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart
"I Want to Come Home" from Everybody's Fine
"Cinema Italiano" from Nine
WHAT WILL WIN: "Cinema Italiano", because of the OOH AHH factor of the song.
WHAT SHOULD WIN: "I See You", although to be fair, I haven't heard "The Weary Kind"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Carter Burwell/Karen O, Where the Wild Things Are
Michael Giacchino, Up
Marvin Hamlisch, The Informant!
James Horner, Avatar
Abel Korzeniowski, A Single Man
WHO WILL WIN: Toughie. Probably Marvin Hamlisch for the nostalgia factor.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Toughie. Probably Michael Giacchino for the pure, freeing fun of it all.

Please don't think less of me when I'm wrong. See you at seven!