Barry's Beetchin Movies

Best Picture

Avatar
Bright Star
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
Up
Up in the Air

JUST MISSED THE CUT: A Serious Man

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Clint Eastwood - Invictus

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Viggo Mortensen - The Road

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Helen Mirren - The Last Station

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Alfred Molina - An Education
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Anthony Mackie - The Hurt Locker

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Marion Cotillard - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
Julianne Moore - A Single Man

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Penélope Cruz - Nine

Best Adapted Screenplay

District 9
An Education
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
Up in the Air

JUST MISSED THE CUT: In the Loop

Best Original Screenplay

(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Bright Star

Best Animated Film

Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
Up

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Best Art Direction

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Nine
Sherlock Holmes

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Avatar

Best Cinematography

Bright Star
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Nine

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Avatar

Best Costume Design

Bright Star
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Coco avant Chanel

Best Documentary Feature

Burma VJ
The Cove
Every Little Step
Food, Inc.
Valentino: The Last Emperor

Best Film Editing

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
Up in the Air

JUST MISSED THE CUT: District 9

Best Foreign Film

A Prophet (France)
Samson & Delilah (Australia)
The Secret of Her Eyes (Argentina)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Winter in Wartime (Netherlands)

Best Makeup

District 9
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
The Road

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Original Score

Avatar
Coco avant Chanel
The Informant!
Sherlock Holmes
Up

JUST MISSED THE CUT: A Single Man

Best Original Song

"The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart
"Cinema Italiano" - Nine
"Take it All" - Nine
"I Can See in Colour" - Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
"Almost There" - The Princess and the Frog

JUST MISSED THE CUT: "Down in New Orleans" - The Princess and the Frog

Best Sound Editing

Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Up

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Sound Mixing

Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Up

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Visual Effects

Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

JUST MISSED THE CUT: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

*I have not included my thoughts on the Doc Shorts and Animated Shorts because I have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to those categories. And no just missed the cuts for Foreign Film and Documentary Feature because of the same reason

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Conan O'Brien vs. Jay Leno

In the ongoing war between Jay and Conan, I was and will always be on team Conan. As much as I love Jay, Conan has always seemed to me to be the better, funnier and more energetic host. In the midst of insults at NBC and putting down the network, Conan is the one that has been damaged the most.

He should have been the one to stay at his Tonight Show post and Jay should have been the one to leave. Was NBC

even gonna keep Jay after they took him off the Tonight Show and before he got his 10:00 deal?

Conan earned his right to take the reigns of the Tonight Show and to have them snatched away from him just like that is unthinkable. NBC should not have done this and I think they know that they are going to kick themselves for making this move.

The Lovely Bones: Novel to...Film?

Anyone who has read this amazing novel can agree with the fact that the film has been stripped of the many riches that populated novel. Watching The Lovely Bones wasn't an unpleasant experience, but more of a disappointing one. Alice Sebold has this incredibly unique vision and all I wanted was for most of it to be rightfully translated to the screen. Unfortunately, this did not happen.

With that said though, the first 30 minutes of the movie were extraordinary and definitely made me feel I was watching a perfect adaptation of the novel. Pinpointing certain memories from Susie Salmon's mind was a great touch and really helped us get to know what kind of girl she was. Whether it be saving her little brother's life by driving him to the hospital, taking as many photos as she could, discussing with Grandma the boy she has a crush on, or almost landing her first kiss with that said boy, all of these memories detailed the incredible girl that we would stay with throughout the movie.

Everything is dynamite in this first section of the film. The art direction and costume design perfectly capture the feel of the 70's and the cinematography is glorious to look at. Saoirse Ronan deserves the biggest heap of praise because she brings Susie Salmon to life. I don't think I could picture anyone else in the role. With her face so expressive, she was able to convey everything Susie felt throughout her whole body with just one look. Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg are perfect as Abigail and Jack, providing loveable, but tough parents who definitely have family placed in their hearts. Susan Sarandon is a hoot in the scenes trying to push Susie to make a move on the boy she likes.

As the first 30 minutes comes to a close, the inevitable has to come with it too: Susie's murder. I'm glad that Peter Jackson decided to opt out of filming a rape scene, because I don't think it would've gone over too well. But with said I still think that mention of her being raped should have been present in the film. Yes it's brutal, but that's what the novel was about. A brutal act happening to this innocent girl and the toll it takes on her in the afterlife and the people she loves on Earth. The confrontation scene with Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci) and Susie is perfect and both play it very well. The mix of happiness, wonder, confusion and then ultimately fear on her face is heartbreaking, because you do not want her to endure this horrible act and pass away.

As soon as the scene where Susie enters George Harvey's bloody bathroom ends, is where the movie starts to go downhill and severely betray the novel. [SPOILERS] First of all, they found Susie's elbow, along with her toque, and that's what alerted Detective Fenerman (Michael Imperioli) that she was murdered. That scene in the book and the film always leave me with tears in my eyes and Weisz and Wahlberg play it amazingly. I would have liked to have seen Abigail engage in her affair with Fenerman because it was a vital part in making Abigail decide to leave her family. She just couldn't take her life anymore, so she had to leave, start an affair and then just leave her life altogether. Also, Rachel Weisz would have gotten a lot more to work with and it would've made her performance feel more complete.

Mark Wahlberg also could've gotten a lot more stride if he had been provided with more material. The scene where he thinks George Harvey is in the cornfield covering up evidence is all good and dandy, but he also has a heart attack and has more confrontation with Fenerman that would have beefed up the proceedings.

One of the most tragic mistakes made is the handling of the Grandma Lynn character. As I said earlier, in the scenes of the first 30 minutes, Susan Sarandon is a hoot. But later she kind of becomes a burden and that is ABSOLUTELY NOT the character of Grandma Lynn. Turning her into a characiture is a horrendous act and completely demeans the substance she has in the novel.

The fact that they had to basically smush everything together at the very end just made me lose more love in the film. To make it seem as if Abigail came back as soon as Lindsey (Rose McIver) escapes from Mr. Harvey's house with her life almost not intact, seems like cheating. And the fact that they forget the evidence that Lindsey brings back from Mr. Harvey's house is even more aggravating! In the book more evidence is found that links Mr. Harvey to Susie's murder (a charm and a Coke bottle) and the film doesn't even acknowledge it! The transference scene between Ruth (Carolyn Dando) and Susie was so beautiful in the novel, but is so quick and unimaginitve in the film. Ray and her were sharing this special experience and in the film it felt worthless. Speaking of Ray and Ruth, they aren't even explored! I wanted to see Ruana and see what she was like! Nope, doesn't happen. I wanted to see Ruth and the exploration of herself and her relationship with Ray after Susie brushes by her. I wanted to see Ruth grown up and on her own as well. Towards the end of the novel it explores Lindsey grown up and together with her boyfriend Sam. It shows her pregnant with her first child. There is all but one scene showing that she is pregnant and then, pfft, that's it. Even Mr. Harvey's death is a tab bit overexaggerated. Instead of leaving it to the imagination when he gets hit by the icicle and falls off the side of the hill, the film shows Mr. Harvey's violent descent. While it kind of is more gratifying, I liked the novels approach of leaving it to our imagination to figure out what happened.

It may seem like I`m being very harsh on this movie, and it`s only because this book is definitely the best book I`ve read in my life and to see it kind of savaged in movie form is a bit upsetting. I expected Peter Jackson to treat it delicately, but he kind of went overboard. I think Susie`s heaven scenes deserve to be fantastical and I think they do look amazing all CGI`d and maybe that`s what heaven should be portrayed as. This glorious place where we have the opportunity to be at peace.

And as harsh a grade as this movie seems to deserve, I can`t be that harsh on it because my love of the book overpowers my love of the movie. Plus, the first 30 minutes are breathtaking and definitely worth the look. Saoirse Ronan and Stanley Tucci definitley deserve the praise they have been receiving. However, I think after you have read the novel, just watch the first 30 minutes :)

The movie: B+, the book: A+

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Old Grades 43

The Air I Breathe

, dir. J Lee B+

The Family That Preys

, dir. T Perry B

, dir. Ephron A

, dir. Tarantino A+

, dir. Twohy D+

, dir. Seftel B-

, dir. Zemeckis A

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fifth Season

, dirs. Various A; The Body A+

Tim Burton`s The Nightmare Before Christmas

, dir. Selick A

The Polar Express

, dir. Zemeckis A+

Olive, the other Reindeer

, dir. O Moore A+

Elf

, dir. Favreau A-

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

, dir. Howard A-

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas

, dirs. Jones & Washam A+

Saturday, January 09, 2010

An apology

I realized just today that I don't really post anything on here other than the awards that happen every year, my own awards, my movie grades, occasional holidays or if someone has passed away. I want to aplogize to people who used to read my blog and people who still do (if there are any) who want something more. That was my intent in the first place. I wanted somewhere I could talk about what I like most: films and anything that had to do with them. I wanted to talk unfiltered and just really speak my mind. And once again, I aplogize if I haven't been able to fulfill that up to now.

From this point on, I am going to try and focus on putting up more stuff on here. Movie reviews, news from the entertainment world and even my own daily thoughts.

So stay tuned!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

SAG Nominations

I am also a little late in posting these, but I couldn't predict them before hand so don't go apeshit on me.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart [BAD BLAKE]
George Clooney - Up in the Air [RYAN BINGHAM]
Colin Firth - A Single Man [GEORGE FALCONER]
Morgan Freeman - Invictus [NELSON MANDELA]
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker [STAFF SGT. WILLIAM JAMES]

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side [LEIGH ANNE TUOHY]
Helen Mirren - The Last Station [SOFYA TOLSTOY]
Carey Mulligan - An Education [JENNY]
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire [CLAIREECE "PRECIOUS" JONES]
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia [JULIA CHILD]

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon - Invictus [FRANCOIS PIENAAR]
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger [CAPTAIN TONY STONE]
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station [LEO TOLSTOY]
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones [GEORGE HARVEY]
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds [COL. HANS LANDA]

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Penelope Cruz - Nine [CARLA]
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air [ALEX GORAN]
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air [NATALIE KEENER]
Diane Kruger - Inglourious Basterds [BRIDGET VON HAMMERSMARK]
Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire [MARY JONES]

OutstandingPerformance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

AN EDUCATION

DOMINIC COOPER /Danny
ALFRED MOLINA /Jack
CAREY MULLIGAN /Jenny
ROSAMUND PIKE /Helen
PETER SARSGAARD /David
EMMA THOMPSON /Headmistress
OLIVIA WILLIAMS /Miss Stubbs

THE HURT LOCKER

CHRISTIAN CAMARGO/ Col. John Cambridge
BRIAN GERAGHTY /Specialist Owen Eldridge
EVANGELINE LILLY/ Connie James
ANTHONY MACKIE /Sgt. J.T. Sanborn
JEREMY RENNER /Staff Sgt. William James

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

DANIEL BRÜHL /Fredrick Zoller
AUGUST DIEHL /Major Hellstrom
JULIE DREYFUS /Francesca Mondino
MICHAEL FASSBENDER / Lt. Archie Hicox
SYLVESTER GROTH /Joseph Goebbels
JACKY IDO /Marcel
DIANE KRUGER / Bridget Von Hammersmark
MÉLANIE LAURENT /Shosanna
DENIS MENOCHET /Perrier LaPedite
MIKE MYERS /General Ed French
BRAD PITT / Lt. Aldo Raine
ELI ROTH / Sgt. Donny Donowitz
TIL SCHWEIGER /Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz
ROD TAYLOR /Winston Churchill
CHRISTOPH WALTZ /Col. Hans Landa
MARTIN WUTTKE /Hitler

NINE

MARION COTILLARD/ Luisa Contini
PENÉLOPE CRUZ /Carla
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS/ Guido Contini
JUDI DENCH /Lillian
FERGIE /Saraghina
KATE HUDSON /Stephanie
NICOLE KIDMAN /Claudia
SOPHIA LOREN /Mamma

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL "PUSH" BY SAPPHIRE

MARIAH CAREY /Ms. Weiss
LENNY KRAVITZ /Nurse John
MO'NIQUE / Mary Jones
PAULA PATTON /Ms. Rain
SHERRI SHEPHERD /Cornrows
GABOUREY SIDIBE /Claireece "Precious" Jones

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

KEVIN BACON / Lt. Col. Michael R. Strobl - "TAKING CHANCE"
CUBA GOODING, JR./ Ben Carson - "GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY"
JEREMY IRONS /Alfred Stieglitz - "GEORGIA O'KEEFFE"
KEVIN KLINE /Cyrano de Bergerac - "GREAT PERFORMANCES: CYRANO de BERGERAC"
TOM WILKINSON /Salter - "A NUMBER"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

JOAN ALLEN /Georgia O'Keeffe - "GEORGIA O'KEEFFE"
DREW BARRYMORE /Little Edie - "GREY GARDENS"
RUBY DEE / Mrs. Harper - "AMERICA"
JESSICA LANGE /Big Edie - "GREY GARDENS"
SIGOURNEY WEAVER/ Mary Griffith - "PRAYERS FOR BOBBY"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

SIMON BAKER /Patrick Jane - "THE MENTALIST"
BRYAN CRANSTON /Walter White - "BREAKING BAD"
MICHAEL C. HALL /Dexter Morgan - "DEXTER"
JON HAMM / DonDraper - "MAD MEN"
HUGH LAURIE /House - "HOUSE"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

PATRICIA ARQUETTE/ Allison Dubois - "MEDIUM"
GLENN CLOSE /Patty Hewes - "DAMAGES"
MARISKA HARGITAY/ Det. Olivia Benson - "LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT"
HOLLY HUNTER /Grace Hanadarko - "SAVING GRACE"
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick - "THE GOOD WIFE"
KYRA SEDGWICK /Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson - "THE CLOSER"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

ALEC BALDWIN /Jack Donaghy - "30 ROCK"
STEVE CARELL /Michael Scott - "THE OFFICE"
LARRY DAVID /Himself - "CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM"
TONY SHALHOUB /Adrian Monk - "MONK"
CHARLIE SHEEN /Charlie Harper - "TWO AND A HALF MEN"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly - "SAMANTHA WHO?"
TONI COLLETTE /Tara Gregor - "UNITED STATES OF TARA"
EDIE FALCO /Jackie Peyton - "NURSE JACKIE"
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - "30 ROCK"
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / Christine Campbell - "THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

THE CLOSER

G.W. BAILEY / Lt. Provenza
MICHAEL PAUL CHAN/ Lt. Mike Tao
RAYMOND CRUZ /Det. Julio Sanchez
TONY DENISON /Lt. Andy Flynn
ROBERT GOSSETT /Commander Taylor
PHILLIP P. KEENE/ Buzz Watson
COREY REYNOLDS /Sgt. David Gabriel
KYRA SEDGWICK /Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
J.K. SIMMONS /Asst. Police Chief Will Pope
JON TENNEY / FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard

DEXTER

PRESTON BAILEY /Cody
JULIE BENZ / Rita Bennett
JENNIFER CARPENTER / Debra Morgan
BRANDO EATON / Jonah Mitchell
COURTNEY FORD / Christine
MICHAEL C. HALL /Dexter Morgan
DESMOND HARRINGTON / Joey Quinn
C.S. LEE / Vince Masuka
JOHN LITHGOW /Arthur Mitchell
RICK PETERS /Elliot
JAMES REMAR /Harry Morgan
CHRISTINA ROBINSON / Astor
LAUREN VÉLEZ /Lt. Maria Laguerta
DAVID ZAYAS /Angel Batista

THE GOOD WIFE

CHRISTINE BARANSKI / Diane Lockhart
JOSH CHARLES /Will Gardner
MATT CZUCHRY /Cary Agos
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick
ARCHIE PANJABI /Kalinda Sharma
GRAHAM PHILLIPS /Zach Florrick
MACKENZIE VEGA /Grace Florrick

MAD MEN

ALEXA ALEMANNI /Allison
BRYAN BATT /Salvatore Romano
JARED S. GILMORE/ Bobby Draper
MICHAEL GLADIS /Paul Kinsey
JON HAMM / Don Draper
JARED HARRIS /Lane Pryce
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS / Joan Holloway (Harris)
JANUARY JONES /Betty Draper
VINCENT KARTHEISER / Peter Campbell
ROBERT MORSE /Bertram Cooper
ELISABETH MOSS /Peggy Olson
KIERNAN SHIPKA /Sally Draper
JOHN SLATTERY /Roger Sterling
RICH SOMMER /Harry Crane
CHRISTOPHER STANLEY / Henry Francis
AARON STATON /Ken Cosgrove

TRUE BLOOD

CHRIS BAUER /Andy Bellefleur
MEHCAD BROOKS /Eggs
ANNA CAMP / Sarah Newlin
NELSAN ELLIS /Lafayette Reynolds
MICHELLE FORBES /Maryann Forrester
MARIANA KLAVENO /Lorena
RYAN KWANTEN /Jason Stackhouse
TODD LOWE / Terry Bellefleur
MICHAEL McMILLIAN/ Steve Newlin
STEPHEN MOYER /Bill Compton
ANNA PAQUIN /Sookie Stackhouse
JIM PARRACK /Hoyt Fortenberry
CARRIE PRESTON /Arlene Fowler
WILLIAM SANDERSON/ Bud Dearborne
ALEXANDERSKARSGÅRD / Eric Northman
SAM TRAMMELL /Sam Merlotte
RUTINA WESLEY /Tara Thornton
DEBORAH ANN WOLL/ Jessica Hamby

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK

SCOTT ADSIT /Pete Hornberger
ALEC BALDWIN /Jack Donaghy
KATRINA BOWDEN /Cerie
KEVIN BROWN / DotCom
GRIZZ CHAPMAN /Grizz
TINA FEY / LizLemon
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER/ Frank Rossitano
JANE KRAKOWSKI /Jenna Maroney
JOHN LUTZ / Lutz
JACK McBRAYER /Kenneth Parcell
TRACY MORGAN /Tracy Jordan
KEITH POWELL /Toofer

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM

LARRY DAVID /Himself
SUSIE ESSMAN /Susie Greene
JEFF GARLIN /Jeff Greene
CHERYL HINES /Cheryl David

GLEE

DIANNA AGRON /Quinn Fabray
CHRIS COLFER /Kurt Hummel
PATRICK GALLAGHER/ Ken Tanaka
JESSALYN GILSIG /Terri Schuester
JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester
JAYMA MAYS / Emma Pillsbury
KEVIN McHALE /Arty Abrams
LEA MICHELE /Rachel Berry
CORY MONTEITH /Finn Hudson
HEATHER MORRIS /Brittany
MATTHEW MORRISON/ Will Schuester
AMBER RILEY /Mercedes
NAYA RIVERA /Santana Lopez
MARK SALLING /Puck
HARRY SHUM JR. /Mike Chang
JOSH SUSSMAN /Jacob Ben Israel
DIJON TALTON /Matt Rutherford
IQBAL THEBA /Principal Figgins
JENNA USHKOWITZ /Tina

MODERN FAMILY

JULIE BOWEN /Claire Dunphy
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell Pritchett
NOLAN GOULD /Luke Dunphy
SARAH HYLAND /Haley Dunphy
ED O'NEILL / Jay Pritchett
RICO RODRIGUEZ /Manny Delgado
ERIC STONESTREET/ Cameron
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett
ARIEL WINTER /Alex Dunphy

THE OFFICE

LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER/ Kevin Malone
CREED BRATTON /Creed Bratton
STEVE CARELL /Michael Scott
JENNA FISCHER /Pam Beesly
KATE FLANNERY /Meredith Palmer
ED HELMS/ AndyBernard
MINDY KALING /Kelly Kapoor
ELLIE KEMPER /Kellie Erin Hannon
ANGELA KINSEY /Angela Martin
JOHN KRASINSKI /Jim Halpert
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN/ Toby Flenderson
B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard
OSCAR NUÑEZ /Oscar Martinez
CRAIG ROBINSON /Darryl Philbin
PHYLLIS SMITH /Phillis Lapin-Vance
RAINN WILSON /Dwight Schrute

Golden Globe Nominations

Sorry about posting reactions to the Globe nominations so late. I just haven't found the right time to do so, but now seems perfect. The nods I got right will be bolded.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Up in the Air

I got 4/5 here missing Avatar for 3 other movies because sometimes the HFPA goes nuts and nominates 7 movies for Best Picture. My other choices were An Education, Invictus and The Last Station.

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy

(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

I got 5/5 here, but this category was pretty easy to guess. I also chose A Serious Man and Whip It as my other choices. Whip It got such good reception, so I thought it had a very good chance. Guess not.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Tobey Maguire - Brothers

I got 4/5 here thinking that Tobey Maguire's performance in Brothers wouldn't make it with the uneven reception it has gotten. My other choices were Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker and Viggo Mortensen for the Road.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Emily Blunt - The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

I got 4/5 here not expecting Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria to come into play at all. Her performance and the film haven't been getting the best reviews so I thought there was no chance for her. But then again, Cate Blanchett did get in for Elizabeth: The Golden Age which was another picture not well received by critics. My other choices were Abbie Cornish for Bright Star and Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture - 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

I got 5/5 here. Easy category to predict. My other choice was Sacha Baron Cohen for Bruno just because he won for Borat a couple years ago and it's the same type of performance.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy

Sandra Bullock - The Proposal
Marion Cotillard - Nine
Julia Roberts - Duplicity
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Meryl Streep - It's Complicated

I got 4/5 here. Didn't see Julia Roberts' nomination. They sure do love her don't they? After her good, but hardly award worthy performance in Charlie Wilson's War got nominated, I should always predict her in the future. Next year she will most likely get a nomination for Valentine's Day! :) My other choices were Zooey Deschanel for (500) Days of Summer and Ellen Page for Whip It.

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

I got 4/5 here not predicting Woody Harrelson's nod. With this and the SAG nominating him, he might be on his way to an Oscar nod. My other choices were Alec Baldwin for It's Complicated and Alfred Molina for An Education.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Penelope Cruz - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo'Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man

I got 5/5 here, but I am hoping that the Academy realizes that Marion Cotillard is supporting and moves her to this category bumping Penelope Cruz out and having that as the line up for Oscar. My other choice was Samantha Morton for The Messenger.

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Clint Eastwood - Invictus
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

I got 4/5 here thinking that since a big movie like Avatar hadn't been released yet, that would hurt it's chances of being nominated. My other choices were Rob Marshall for Nine and Lee Daniels for Precious.

Best Screenplay

District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
It's Complicated
Up in the Air

I got 3/5 here, missing District 9 and It's Complicated for An Education, Precious and A Serious Man.

Best Animated Film

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
Up

I got 5/5 here, but I wish they had picked my other choice Ponyo instead of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Best Original Score

Avatar
The Informant!
A Single Man
Up
Where the Wild Things Are

I got 2/5 here with my other choices being Coco avant Chanel, The Last Station, The Lovely Bones and The Princess and the Frog.

Best Original Song

"I See You" - Avatar
"Winter" - Brothers
"The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart
"I Want to Come Home" - Everybody's Fine
"Cinema Italiano" - Nine

I also got 2/5 here with my other choices being "Take it All" from Nine, "I See in Colour" from Precious and both "Almost There" and "Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog.

Best Foreign Film

Baaria (Italy)
Broken Embraces (Spain)
The Maid (Chile)
A Prophet (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

I got 3/5 here with my other choices being Coco avant Chanel, Mother and Samson and Delilah.

Best Television Series - Drama

Big Love
Dexter
House
Mad Men
True Blood

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama

Glenn Close – Damages
January Jones – Mad Men
Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife
Anna Paquin – True Blood
Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama

Simon Baker – The Mentalist
Michael C. Hall – Dexter
Jon Hamm – Mad Men
Hugh Laurie – House
Bill Paxton – Big Love

Best Television Series - Musical/Comedy

30 Rock
Entourage
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical/Comedy

Toni Collette – United States Of Tara
Courteney Cox – Cougar Town
Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey – 30 Rock
Lea Michele – Glee

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical/Comedy

Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock
Steve Carell – The Office
David Duchovny – Californication
Thomas Jane – Hung
Matthew Morrison – Glee

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television

Georgia O'Keeffe
Grey Gardens
Into The Storm
Little Dorrit
Taking Chance

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Joan Allen – Georgia O'Keeffe
Drew Barrymore – Grey Gardens
Jessica Lange – Grey Gardens
Anna Paquin – The Courageous Heart Of Irena Sendler
Sigourney Weaver – Prayers For Bobby

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Kevin Bacon – Taking Chance
Kenneth Branagh – Wallander: One Step Behind
Chiwetel Ejiofor – Endgame
Brendan Gleeson – Into The Storm
Jeremy Irons – Georgia O'Keeffe

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jane Adams – Hung
Rose Byrne – Damages
Jane Lynch – Glee
Janet McTeer – Into The Storm
Chloe Sevigny – Big Love

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Michael Emerson – Lost
Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother
William Hurt – Damages
John Lithgow – Dexter
Jeremy Piven – Entourage

Old Grades 42

, dir. Duffy B

, dir. I Winkler A

, dir. Craven A-

, dir. Pasquin B

, dirs. Bass & Rankin Jr. A+

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

, dirs. Nagashima & Roemer A+

Shrek 2

, dir. Adamson, Asbury & Vernon A

Shrek

, dirs. Adamson & Jenson A

South Park: Imaginationland

, dir. Parker A-

I Love You, Beth Cooper

, dir. Columbus B-

Four Christmases

, dir. Gordon C

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Season

, dirs. Various A

My Sister's Keeper

, dir. N Cassavetes A+

The Shawshank Redemption

, dir. Darabont A+

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

RIP Brittany Murphy

It is so sad to see you go at the age of 32. You were always a beacon of light in every movie you did no matter what the subject matter. I, however, will always remember you as Beverly Donofrio's best friend Fay Forrester in Riding in Cars with Boys. To me, that is your greatest performance. You are missed dearly :(

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Final Golden Globe Predictions

These are my final Golden Globe predictions. The Best Picture categories have 7 nominees and the rest of the categories have 6 nominees because sometimes the HFPA likes to go crazy like that.

Best Motion Picture - Drama

An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
The Last Station
Precious
Up in the Air

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy

(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
A Serious Man
Whip It

Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Morgan Freeman - Invictus
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Viggo Mortensen - The Road

Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Abbie Cornish - Bright Star
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious

Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy

Sacha Baron Cohen - Bruno
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

Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy

Sandra Bullock - The Proposal
Marion Cotillard - Nine
Zooey Deschanel - (500) Days of Summer
Ellen Page - Whip It
Meryl Streep - It's Complicated
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Alec Baldwin - It's Complicated
Matt Damon - Invictus
Alfred Molina - An Education
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Penelope Cruz - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo'Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man
Samantha Morton - The Messenger

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
Lee Daniels - Precious
Clint Eastwood - Invictus
Rob Marshall - Nine
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

Best Screenplay

An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up in the Air

Best Animated Film

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
Up

Best Original Score

Coco avant Chanel
The Informant
The Last Station
The Lovely Bones
The Princess and the Frog
Up

Best Original Song

"The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart
"Cinema Italiano" - Nine
"Take it All" - Nine
"I See in Colour" - Precious
"Almost There" - The Princess and the Frog
"Down in New Orleans" - The Princess and the Frog

Best Foreign Film

Broken Embraces
Coco avant Chanel
Mother
A Prophet
Samson & Delilah
The White Ribbon

Barry's Beetchin Movies

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Old Grades 44

My Final Oscar Predictions!