Funny or not?

Here's a movie starring two of the funniest guys in town.  The script seems like a simple idea...add some fart and fuck jokes...and viola right?  I dunno, but to me...it looks like Segel and Rudd are making this one.  It's all in the timing.

Wanna go get a corndog?

 I Love You Man...coming soon

What would Atticus do?

Yeah....he's my hero...has been since I was nine. I can always look to Atticus to make the right decision, and say the right thing. I think I'll do a super hero poll, that has nothing to do with "superheros." Stay tuned...I'm gonna get to that later. But, for now...I'm just going to imagine I'm sitting in that porch swing, on a warm Alabama day, getting the keys to life and wondering what I'm going to be when I grow up.

Oh really?

Oh my God! Kate Winslet is dating mickey Rourke!

Wait...Holy shit...Angelina Jolie is dating Mickey Rourke!

No...maybe it's...

Okay...what the....?

Geez, watch out Anthony!

Get a grip people.

It's called gossip.

He's not dating Evan Rachel Wood either.

SAG Winners...and Best Dressed!

So, as I said...blah, blah, blah. I missed one...Best Ensemble, but that was only because I was fighting the inevitability of the Slumdog freight train winning the one award that really wasn't theirs.
The best thing about the SAG Awards...it is fairly quick.
Here are the winners:

Film
Ensemble Cast: Slumdog Millionaire
Lead Actress: Meryl Streep, Doubt
Lead Actor: Sean Penn, Milk
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Lifetime Achievement Award: James Earl Jones

Television
Lead Actress, Comedy Series: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Lead Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ensemble Cast, Comedy Series: 30 Rock
Lead Acress, Drama Series: Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Lead Actor, Drama Series: Hugh Laurie, House
Ensemble Cast, Drama Series: Mad Men
Lead Actress, Miniseries: Laura Linney, John Adams
Lead Actor, Miniseries: Paul Giamatti, John Adams

Given my boredom with the actual awards...I am going to expand into the land of the fierce.
Who looked hot, and who was a hot mess.

So...I'm gonna start with...the blues. I think these were the Best of the Best.
Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood...the colors are striking, the fit is perfect , and the style compliments the women.  They look comfortable, gorgeous and happy.  

Next we have two blacks, two whites and a peach....
Penelope, Kristen, Anne, Taraji and Laura...
The thing about dressing for the whole awards season, is knowing what is appropriate where. For instance...the Critics Choice Awards are more of a short dress venue, Globes are Glamour, SAGs are serious actor in black tie dress. The Oscars are the big Kahuna...the dressiest of all. Therefore...Kristen Scott-Thomas' pant suit, while perfect for the SAGs wouldn't be a good choice for the Oscars. Here, she looks great...and a flip of the bird to the Academy for snubbing her this year.
Also, Penelope in black velvet. 'Nuff said. 

Anne is the one I'm least crazy about...and she is always a little hit and miss. Maybe I only included her because she's Anne?

Taraji is the one who is rocking the white. Ain't she perfect! It is so great to see someone having such a great time, and lovin' where they are! She is the real peach here, even though Laura Linney is wearing it! Linney looks fab, as usual. She 44. Wow.

There were a lot of just boring and middle of the road...but there were a few that made me gasp...really. Like Amy Adams when she walked out looking pregnant. And I just can't stand that Prom Queen look that Eva Longoria is always sporting. Isn't she like 40 or something? High School is long gone and she shouldn't dress like it's her quinceanera. Frieda Pinto is a really pretty girl...she picked a MUCH better dress this trip, but then...it didn't fit! Somebody help the girl out. She's going to the Oscars for cryin' out loud. I also don't understand why Angelina Joile insists on dressing like a Hefty trash bag...I'd much rather see her doing the Kristen Scott Thomas thing. Marisa Tomei's dress didn't fit either, and Meryl Streep...well, she's Meryl Streep...she can dress however the hell she wants.

There is a lot of pressure for women to look fabulous every time they go out the door.  There are multi-gazillion dollar fashion and makeup industries reliant on our wanting to be like them!  My hat is off to these women who have to put their butts out there, leaving themselves open to all the name calling that goes along with public exposure.  I'm not saying I could do it any better.  I'm just voicing my opinion.

So, a young girl like Allison Pill just needs to learn to carry herself with more confidence...her dress was fine, she just needs to get an attitude. Give her time.  She'll get it. She's an actress after all.

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Having won the Producer's Guild Best Picture awards last night...Slumdog Millionaire continues to steam roll the competition.

Tonight, we arrive at the Screen Actor's Guild awards...and I think all bets could be off tonight.

There is no Best Picture at the SAGs...only Best Ensemble. These are acting awards after all. Let's face it....Slumdog did not have the best ensemble. So, will the actors still reward it as if it were a Best Picture category? I think not. I hope not. We'll see.

My picks quick and dirty are

Sean Penn for Best Actor
although I'm pulling for Mickey Rourke

Meryl Streep for Best Actress
although I'm pulling for Winslet or Melissa Leo

Kate Winslet for Best Supporting Actress
she better win this if she's gonna win the Oscar

Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr. could upset Ledger, and I think Downey would give it back to Heath

Doubt for Best Ensemble
although that makes me cringe and I am pulling for Milk

Television...you know Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, John Adams, blah, blah, blah...no surprises

Watch the SAG Awards at 8pm eastern, and tape delayed...those bastards...at 8pm pacific time.

The Actresses

Tomorrow night we'll get another look at where the Oscar race stands when the Screen Actor's Guild hands out their awards.
It's probably not gonna be an exciting night, as the SAG awards are someplace between the Golden Globes and the Oscars in terms of pretentiousness.

There is champagne on the table, so the possibility of a drunk actor is always present. One thing you hear at the SAG awards, is how the actors are being honored by their peers. That means that everyone has to mock seriousness,  act reverent toward the membership, and have a stick at least partially up their asses.
It's just not the big party that the Golden Globes is.

Something I do wonder about is, will anyone bring up the strike authorization? This is quite a divisive issue amongst the membership. Alec Baldwin will surely win as will Sean Penn...so, you see the potential. Susan Sarandon is gonna present? Wow....that's awesome.  Anything could happen.  

I'm not here with my SAG predictions, however.  I'm here to discuss the state of the race, Actresses, and how we went from abundance to lean pickings, overnight.

If I had a vote for the Oscar...I think there is only one actress that I would actually enjoy voting for.  So, let's start there.  

When Kate Winslet won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in The Reader.  I was 100% behind that choice.  I am one of the people who loved The Reader, and her performance.  But, I am also in the group of people, obviously a minority, that felt it was a Supporting role.  Not a lead.  If you don't know, the Academy has not agreed with me, and  Kate Winslet is now nominated in the Best Actress category for The Reader.  Okay.  So, what Supporting nominee does that leave me?  

If leaves me this woman right here.  

Penelope Cruz is my pick to win for Woody Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona.   For three reasons...it was truly a Supporting role, she truly was great, and she's paid her dues. She's been making movies since she was 15.  Personally,  I fell in love with her after I saw Volver.  This woman is just learning how to translate her appeal in English.  There is something very Sophia Loren about her, and I can't wait to see where it goes.   

Of the remaining Supporting Actresses...Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,  is my next choice.  It was truly a Supporting role, she did a great job, and I loved her in Hustle And Flow.  My reasons are a bit weaker for Taraji.  They have more to do with my own love of her work.  I don't think she has a prayer of winning.  But, she's my runner up.

I guess from there I'd have to go to Viola Davis.  Viola Davis was the best thing in Doubt, in my opinion.  Her scene with Meryl Streep tore my heart out.  My problem here is that the role itself, is a cameo.  It's one scene.  One long and brilliant scene...but, one scene.  I know Judi Dench won for 8 minutes of screen time in Shakespeare In Love, and Beatrice Straight won for approximately 6 minutes of screen time in Network.  But, I don't know that I agree with handing out an award for one scene.  Unless they were to call it the Oscar for "eating Meryl Streep's lunch" in a feature film.

Next...Amy Adams for Doubt.  First of all, I love Amy.  She has a reputation for being a truly nice and hard working gal.  She was brilliant in Junebug, and I'm liking what I see from the upcoming Sunshine Cleaners.  But...the role...is more of a lead then Winslet's role in The Reader.  In fact, there were times when I was watching the film, that I felt it was Sister James' story, period. So, there's that.  But, I also noticed that Miss Adams was a bit forced.  Especially in her crying scenes.  It seemed she was conscious of those tears.  They were hard won.  Look...actors do it all the time.  You don't have a great director who can motivate you, or one who has made you do so many takes already that you just can't do another, or whatever the reason.  Sometimes, you have to use a cheat.  There was an emotional disconnect in all of these actors including Streep...I lay it on the director, who's really a writer with a good cinematographer.  

So...that leaves me with Tomei.  Her performance in The Wrestler, is okay.  She doesn't offend.  She does a nice job, and she plays a stripper who actually takes her clothes off.  Good for her.  It's just she blows her money scene in my opinion.  "I'm really here".  Well, the Ram doesn't buy it either.  When it's all said and done...I would rather the time had been spent on the father daughter relationship, instead of a "romance" that goes no where.  

So, now Best Actress. These are the actresses in a leading role. I don't have a pick.  My pick was Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road.  She is not nominated for Revolutionary Road...which presents a problem.  Her role in The Reader was impressive, as a supporting role, but I just can't find it a terribly interesting choice for Best Actress.  It ain't Sophie's Choice.  It ain't even Meryl in Silkwood or Out Of Africa.  Am I asking too much to expect the level of performance be held to that standard?  

Which brings me to Meryl Streep.  I'm a fan.  I'm a huge fan.  I even loved her in She Devil.  In fact, I loved her in She Devil more then I loved her in Doubt.  I was sooooo disappointed in her performance in Doubt.  It had it's moments of course...but, overall, I found it unfocused.  There were so many moments in the film where I was ultra aware of the "great " acting I was being treated to.  Streep should have won another Oscar for Supporting Actress in The Devil Wears Prada.  They campaigned her for lead, and she lost.  I don't even remember who to.  She should not win for this sub-Streep performance.  

Who else?  Angelina Jolie.  I can't even discuss this one note over wrought display of acting.  Please...how did she even get nominated for Changeling?  It's not a good movie, and she is the movie,  so...there you have it.  

Anne Hathaway.  She's my favorite in the category to be honest.  I loved Rachel Getting Married, and I thought she was quite good.  She could have wallowed.  She could have shed copious tears.  She didn't.  She had a brilliant director to guide her, and she came through for him.  My biggest beef with her winning, I guess is...everything else she has done has been mediocre.  Brokeback Mountain was the closest to great...but Michelle Williams still wiped her off the screen.

Who's the fifth?  Oh my...Melissa Leo.  

You know...I'm willing to bet she gave the Best Performance by a nominated Actress in a lead role...but, I haven't seen it.  This is gonna be her problem.  I haven't even gone out of MY way to see it.  Has anyone else?  She is not young, glamourous, or a movie star...people are gonna have to SEE the performance in Frozen River to choose her.  Will they?  So, shame on me.  I'm gonna track Frozen River down today, and I'll get back to you.  Maybe we have a deserving winner after all.  Stay tuned!

Can I go back to being black now?

I'd like to step away from the damn Oscars and the SAG Awards coming on Sunday...because...this woman made me laugh. She was not an actor...or a comedian. But she had a larger then life personality that landed her in the spotlight. She had quite a mouth on her! Hey, she might even make me blush a little...I dunno. Obviously well loved...cause Jimmy Kimmel ain't faking that shiz...she will be missed.
Kimmel show security guard, Veatrice Rice died of cancer on Wednesday.
This tribute was made by the Kimmel show, and I'd like to pass it around.
RIP Veatrice.

The Wrestler...the song

This is bullshit...pardon my language.  How in the world did this song get snubbed?  It fits the film, the character, the actor, the mood...perfectly.  This is the only nomination, or lack of, I am pissed about.  How many of those crap songs from Enchanted were nominated last year?  3?  Wow.

Oscar Noms 2009

I picked 5 out of 5 in the Best Picture category, and with my reserve choice,  got all the directors and most of the acting noms.  So...it was pretty predictable...and pretty boring.

The biggest and only truly upsetting snub...was Bruce Springsteen for original song The Wrestler.  I can't even fathom how this happened.  Jai Ho now has the way cleared for it to win the Oscar.  The curtain call song from Slumdog Millionaire.  It's all about the Bollywood ending people!  

Best Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Director
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Gus Van Sant, “Milk”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk”
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, “Milk”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Phillip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”
Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Doubt”
“Frost/Nixon”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Original Screenplay
“Frozen River”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“In Bruges”
“Milk”
“WALL-E”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“WALL-E”

Best Foreign Language Film
“The Baader Meinhof Complex”
“The Class”
“Depatures”
“Revanche”
“Waltz with Bashir”

Best Art Direction
“Changeling”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Duchess”
“Revolutionary Road”

Best Cinematography
“Changeling”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Reader”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Costume Design
“Australia”
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Duchess”
“Milk”
“Revolutionary Road”

Best Film Editing
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Frost/Nixon”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Makeup
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army”

Best Music (Original Score)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Defiance”
“Milk”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”

Best Music (Original Song)
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”

Best Sound Editing
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Sound Mixing
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Visual Effects
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”

They'll never top this...

Charlie Chaplin Receiving an Honorary Oscar® - The best video clips are here


What they never show...but, I saw with my own eyes...was after Chaplin spoke and the audience once again rose to their feet, they began to sing Smile Though Your Heart Is Breaking, a song that Chaplin wrote, and couldn't have been more appropriate. This is probably what solidified my Oscar dream. They can never top that. Never.

Oscar's Ass

I don't know how I got here...but, the truth is, I'm bored with this whole Awards season. Maybe it's because I didn't get to all the movies. I tried, but I failed. Revolutionary Road is still an unknown for me, as is I've Loved You so Long, and Happy-Go-Lucky. I have no idea if I would find Poppy irritating or endearing, and I don't really care either.

I have faithfully watched the Academy Awards as long as I can remember, so, I'm guessing...40 years? I remember watching Charlie Chaplin receive his honorary Oscar and crying buckets. Smile though your heart is breaking indeed. I also remember thinking I was having an acid flashback when I saw Rob Lowe and Snow White doing the Hully Gully or whatever that shiz was. I still can't believe Hilary Swank has two of these bad boys, and Mira Sorvino has one. Remember them killing the audio on Bette Davis the year she accepted for Paul Newman? He must have wanted to kick himself for not showing up that year.

This year's ceremony is shrouded in secrecy. I assume they are hoping that more people will want to tune in to see what might unfold. Personally, I am terrified that there might be High School Musical 3 actors actually invited, and I'm pretty sure that Miley Cyrus will perform live. Also, I don't know if I can stand another year of Jessica Alba showing up and behaving like a serious actress.

Personally, I'd like to see them go the way of the Globes...everybody is drunk...or the Tony's, where you have real talent and real actors who have not inserted sticks up their butts, and are not taking themselves too seriously. Spontaneity, I guess, is what I'm longing for.

However, I have no doubt, that come February 22, I'll be tuned in with my bowl of popcorn ready and willing. Who'd have thought I'd actually miss Joan Rivers?

So, once more into the breach I go. My Final Oscar nomination predictions are here. For what it's worth. I guess there is a mixture of who I think will be nominated and who I want. I can't bring myself to nominate The Dark Knight for Best Picture, for example, even though it is on everyone's Top 10. I still don't get it. It's a Batman movie.  I put a reserve in each category.  The or could and can replace any of the five!

Best Picture

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

Slumdog Millionaire

The Reader

or

The Wrestler

Best Director

Danny Boyle

David Fincher

Ron Howard

Chris Nolan

Gus Van Sant

or

Stephen Daldry

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

Sally Hawkins -Happy-Go-Lucky

Meryl Streep - Doubt

Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Michelle Williams - Wendy And Lucy

or

Melissa Leo - Frozen River

Best Actor

Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino

Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon (although I prefer Michael Sheen for lead)

Brad Pitt - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Sean Penn - Milk

Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

or

Richard Jenkins - The Visitor

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona

Viola Davis - Doubt

Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Kate Winslet - The Reader

or Amy Adams - Doubt

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin - Milk

Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

or Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Screenplay Adapted

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button 

Doubt

Frost/Nixon

Slumdog Millionaire

The Reader

Screenplay Original

Happy-Go-Lucky

Milk

Rachel Getting Married

The Wrestler

Vicky Christina Barcelona

Animated Film

Wall-E

Kung Fu Panda

Waltz With bashir

or

The Tale of Despereaux

Remaining categories TBA later 

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

Welcome to the Obama family. 

You got to give us hope!

We'll be waiting.

Movie mom of the month...Bonnie Waitzkin

How many times in my life as a mother have I wished I had Steve Zaillian writing my dialogue? 

How many times have I wished I could carry myself like the great Joan Allen?  

As Bonnie Waitzkin in Searching For Bobby Fisher, Joan Allen has the benefit of both.  She is the perfect mother for an over-achieving young boy, who's father is, perhaps, a bit over-zealous in his desire to have the boy be his very best, at a very young age.  

The movie itself is a flawless study of the investment that parents, and teachers, often make in "gifted" children, and the quandary of maintaining balance in the child's life.  I know a little bit about this.  

I've not only been Josh's mother Bonnie, but, I've been his dad, Fred as well.  The pushing and the pulling of trying to figure out how much is enough and how much is too much.  When are you holding back an exceptional child, and when you should hold back an exceptional child.  It's a fine line indeed.  And one that requires you to face a lot of criticism as well.  

I have been both successful, and a failure.

Bonnie never questions her decisions.  Bonnie is one confident mom, who has that desired ability to stay removed and objective in her own child's life.  The ability to see the whole picture, even while everyone around her becomes emotionally tied to the success of the child...Josh.

His father is not a bad person.  As parents, the thing we wish for more then anything in the world is that our kids are happy.  And, because it's what we have been taught, or perhaps learned along the way, we want them to succeed.  

Success = happiness.  Now, I don't believe that is true...but, I also know that not being successful doesn't bring it either.  How many times have I heard people talk about how things would have been different if their parents had encouraged them.  If their parents had driven them to the damn pool everyday...they might have been Michael Phelps.  

  

The better Josh plays...the more pressure he feels.   Josh's parents go to his school and have a talk with his teacher, the wonderful Laura Linney.  Concerned about Josh's absences from school, she says she is worried about his over commitment to this "chess thing".  Josh's dad, Fred, levels her.

Fred: He's better at this than I've ever been at anything in my life. He's better at this than you'll ever be, at anything in your life. My son has a gift. He has a gift, and when you acknowledge that, then maybe we will have something to talk about.
 

So, what's a parent to do?  Ignore it?  Send the kid a message that because he is a child, he is not allowed to excel or pursue his "gift"?  I dunno...would Mozart have been Mozart anyway, or would he have pittered away his talent with insecurity and fear of success/failure?

So, Josh's dad, Fred, get's Josh a coach, a chess teacher.  Not just any teacher...Ben Kingsley.

 I mean...Bruce Pandolfini, the best, and most unforgiving chess teacher around.  He begins to use emotional manipulation to get results, and this is where Bonnie..."super mom", comes to the rescue.  

When Bruce tells Bonnie that Josh should stop playing chess with the guys in Washington Square park...his mother tells him no, it would make him unhappy to give that up.  Bruce replies "It just makes my job harder."  "Then your job is harder" Bonnie tells him.  

When Bonnie catches Bruce berating Josh during a coaching session in her house...she kicks him out.  

Bonnie: Get out of my house.
Bruce Pandolfini: [sits there grimly a moment and then collects the certificates and prepares to leave]
Bonnie: [goes over to comfort Josh]
Bruce Pandolfini: [while getting coat on] To put a child in a position to care about winning and not to prepare him is wrong.
Bonnie: Get out of my house.

When winning has become too much a part of his "chess thing"...Bonnie goes after her husband.  

Bonnie: He's not afraid of losing. He's afraid of losing your love. How many ball players grow up afraid of losing their fathers' love every time they come up to the plate?
Fred: All of them!
Bonnie: He knows you disapprove of him. He knows you think he's weak. But he's not weak. He's decent. And if you or Bruce or anyone else tries to beat that out of him, I swear to God I'll take him away.

Josh continues to play chess...only now, it's on his mother's terms.  He goes fishing, he spends time with his friends, and he focuses on playing..not winning.  

Finally, Josh, on the verge of winning the national championship...offers his opponent a draw.  He sees the next five moves, and he knows he has won.  He offers the draw.  He is decent.  And now, his mother, his father  and his teacher can really be proud.

Bonnie: You have a good heart. And that's the most important thing in the world.

Sunshine girls

I'm thinking, I want to see this. This looks like the Amy Adams I want to see. Also, I just love Alan Arkin, love. And Emily Blunt. It has to be good, right?

I am still getting my thoughts together re: The Reader, Grade A-, Frost/Nixon, B+ and Doubt, B-... so while you're waiting, enjoy the trailer from Sunshine Cleaning!

Off subject...must watch...

Oh BAFTA...

Really?  Is this woman beautiful?  Yes.  Is this woman a great actress? No.  I don't think so. I mean, she had like, 8 or 9 lines in Slumdog Millionaire. Well, she did smile, and frown. She did look worried. Oh, and she did dance in that great curtain call at the end...and, uh, she is really pretty. And honestly, why am I picking on her? It's not her fault that the British Academy of Film and Television Awards nominations are kind of stupid and did not require a lot of thought. So, they chose Slumdog Millionaire for practically everything...including Freida Pinto...a model, for Best Supporting Actress over any number of brilliant performances including Viola Davis' jaw dropping performance in Doubt, and Rosemary Dewitt's seamless turn in Rachel Getting Married.  

This Slumdog snowball is not gonna stop.  It's gonna take the film playing India to have it judged just for it's merits alone, and I think the answer will probably...it's okay.  We've seen better.

I guess the bottom line is...do I really care that much what the BAFTAs have to say?  Not anymore.  

Here are the major film noms from BAFTA

BEST FILM
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Kathleen Kennedy / Frank Marshall / Ceán Chaffin
FROST/NIXON Tim Bevan / Eric Fellner / Brian Grazer / Ron Howard
MILK Dan Jinks / Bruce Cohen
THE READER Anthony Minghella / Sydney Pollack / Donna Gigliotti / Redmond Morris
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Christian Colso

DIRECTOR
CHANGELING Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON David Fincher
FROST/NIXON Ron Howard
THE READER Stephen Daldry
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Danny Boyle

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BURN AFTER READING Joel Coen / Ethan Coen
CHANGELING J. Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG Philippe Claudel
IN BRUGES Martin McDonagh
MILK Dustin Lance Black

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON Peter Morgan
THE READER David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD Justin Haythe
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Simon Beaufoy

ANIMATED FILM
PERSEPOLIS Marjane Satrapi / Vincent Parannaud
WALL•E Andrew Stanton
WALTZ WITH BASHIR Ari Folman

LEADING ACTOR
FRANK LANGELLA Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN Milk
BRAD PITT The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
MICKEY ROURKE The Wrestler

LEADING ACTRESS
ANGELINA JOLIE Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP Doubt
KATE WINSLET The Reader
KATE WINSLET Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTOR
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN Doubt
HEATH LEDGER The Dark Knight
BRAD PITT Burn After Reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS Doubt
PENÉLOPE CRUZ Vicky Cristina Barcelona
FREIDA PINTO Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI The Wrestler

MUSIC
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Alexandre Desplat
THE DARK KNIGHT Hans Zimmer / James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE A. R. Rahman
WALL•E Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHANGELING Tom Stern
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Claudio Miranda
THE DARK KNIGHT Wally Pfister
THE READER Chris Menges / Roger Deakins
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Anthony Dod Mantle

EDITING
CHANGELING Joel Cox / Gary D. Roach
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Kirk Baxter / Angus Wall
THE DARK KNIGHT Lee Smith
FROST/NIXON Mike Hill / Dan Hanley
IN BRUGES Jon Gregory
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Chris Dickens

PRODUCTION DESIGN
CHANGELING James J. Murakami / Gary Fettis
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Donald Graham Burt / Victor J. Zolfo
THE DARK KNIGHT Nathan Crowley / Peter Lando
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD Kristi Zea / Debra Schutt
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Mark Digby / Michelle Day

Stirred...not shaken

The Hollywood Foreign Press stirred the pot a bit last night, and while some of the categories are becoming quite predictable...they proved that not all is set in stone!

Of course, there is no way Kate, the-no-matter-how-great, is getting two Oscars. Right? No way. Except, that when you look closely at the Best Actress race...it has somehow gotten rather boring! Even Meryl is starting to look average...or, at least average Streep! And although I'm wondering what kind of evil spells Angelina is already casting against Winslet for calling Angie "the other one",  I am beginning to wonder if she could actually pull two rabbits out of her hat.  

Happy for Sally Hawkins. We all need a little Poppy now and then.  But, has she always been so painfully thin? I hope that the real Hollywood is not taking it's toll on her. She is a lovely actress, and probably needs to get back home and stay there for a bit.

Mickey Rourke's win was a real treat. I do believe that under all that macho posturing, and blunt speech...there is a fiercely loyal, emotionally insecure, unbreakably fragile, stale cream puff of a person, who, like everyone else and the color purple, just wants to be loved. And he gave an amazing performance that I believe will become iconic.  I am so happy he didn't fall up the stairs...and that he wasn't sure about Peter Rice's name!  Um, good point, since Rice has given all of his energy to Slumdog Millionaire, leaving The Wrestler as a spare, or a back up plan.  I dunno...I liked The Wrestler better.

And then there is this guy. So happy that he is finished with his Miami Vice crap, and I hope to see him putting himself in better movies from now on. I'd say his stock went up about 100%. Did in my book anyway, and I have no doubt he just moved back to the A-list.

It was a bit odd to see Meryl Streep a two time loser...she's becoming the Michelle Kwan of the acting world.  The most respected and influential actress working today....and yet...Hillary Swank has more Best Actress wins then she.  WTF.  I mean really.  

But, I must add, since I dished Meryl as a worst dressed prediction...she looked...marvelous!  

Golden Globe predictions

It's here! The best party night in Hollywood. I have had many unbelievably fun and surreal nights at Golden Globe parties. I actually kicked Michael Clarke Duncan in the leg once, grabbed Ed Zwick's butt in front of the head of a studio, and walked around barefoot all evening when my shoes didn't fit properly. I remember a very drunk 18 year old Kirsten Dunst hugging everyone in sight, and having Ben Kingsley hold my hand and tell me he loved me.  All true. The Oscar parties can't compare in my book, as they just don't bring out EVERYONE in town the way the Globes do. With the Gloden Globes you get the film and television actors...the A, B and C list...and yes, some D listers make it into the parties as well!

But the big question is..who will be celebrating with a statue in hand and who will not?

My predictions are, to be honest, pretty predictable. I actually hope I'm wrong about some of them! I still want to see Mickey Rourke at the podium, and I think he deserves to be there. I just don't think it will happen until the SAG awards. I'd also like to see Best Picture and/or Director shaken up a bit. After a second viewing of The Reader, I am sure that Stephen Daldry would get my vote...but, I'm also quite sure the critics don't agree. The foreign press may be a better judge of the film, however, since I don't think they are as "prudish" as we Americans often are. I dunno.

At any rate...here is what I am predicting to happen this evening.

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Director

Danny Boyle

Best Actor Drama

Sean Penn

Best Actress Drama

Anne Hathaway

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz

Best Picture Comedy or Musical

Vicky Christina Barcelona

Best Actor Comedy or Musical

Dustin Hoffman

Best Actress Comedy or Musical

Meryl Streep

Best Animated Movie

Wall-E

Best Foreign Movie

Waltz With Bashir

Then the ever important...

Best Dressed 

Kate Winslet

Penelope Cruz

Worst Dressed

Meryl Streep

Mickey Rourke

One train you can't stop

Last night the Broadcast Critic's Choice awards were held in Santa Monica.  Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner, and it's safe to say...Slumdog will stay on this track all the way to the Oscar.  

Sean Penn is looking pretty unstoppable as well, as he wins for Best Actor and receives a standing ovation. Another probable lock...Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight. Who doesn't want him to win an Oscar? And I think he deserves it.

 Anne Hathaway split the Best Actress award with Meryl Streep, so she moves up one giant step.  Also, as the story goes, Hathaway was accidently announced as the Golden Globe winner on their website yesterday.  They removed the glitch after several people reported it over the internet.  I'm quite sure this is how it will go down.  With the Golden Globe in her pocket, Anne becomes the front runner. But, will the Actors follow suit?  My guess is no.  The SAG will go to Streep...setting up Best Actress as one of the few surprises left once the Oscars roll around.

 I'm still thinking that the Academy will change the category placement for The Reader, and nominate Kate Winslet as Best Actress and NOT supporting actress.  We'll see.  They have been known to do this, and all it takes is a few of those 1st place ordinals.  If that happens...watch out!  Winslet deserves to win for The Reader, and I really think they're going to want to see her in Lead for this performance and not for Revolutionary Road.

Here is the full list of winners at last night's Critics Choice Awards.

Best Picture:
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Director:
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor:
SeanPenn, “Milk”

Best Actress:
Meryl Streep, “Doubt” & Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married” (tie)

Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress:
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Writer:
Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Foreign Language Film:
“Waltz With Bashir”

Best Animated Film:
“WALL-E”

Best Documentary:
“Man On Wire”

Best Acting Ensemble:
“Milk”

Best Young Actor/Actress:
Dev Patel, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Composer:
A.R. Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Song:
“The Wrestler,” by Bruce Springsteen ("The Wrestler")

Best Action Film:
“The Dark Knight”

Best Comedy Movie:
“Tropic Thunder

More Love Please!

There are two movies in the running for Best Picture that are not getting enough of a push. Rachel Getting Married and The Wrestler. Two movies that couldn't be more different and more alike at the same time. Out of all the films I've seen in the last three months...these are the only two that I am ready and willing to see again.

I don't really get why they aren't both locks for a nomination. Yet, neither one is going to the Golden Globes...and even more unbelievably, neither one is going to the SAG Awards.  No acting ensemble nomination for Rachel Getting Married.  If you haven't seen it...trust...the ensemble is top rate.  The Wrestler also boasts a terrific cast, but perhaps with it, SAG was unsure how they would seat all the Deli customers. Or maybe they were just afraid of the Necro Butcher starting some shit at the Dorothy Chandler.  

I saw this interview with Mickey Rourke this morning, and it made me want to watch The Wrestler again immediately.  Fox Searchlight better get on it.  They could still get this man an Oscar if they work at it a little.  I don't know whether he's an ass or not.  I don't care. They gave Jamie Foxx an Oscar.  So, asses are eligible.  I do know that Rourke is an actor.  He's not Randy.  I hope everyone will remember that.  He gave a magnificient performance, and created an iconic character out of thin air. 

Watch interview here....

Don't move until you see it.

January's movie mom...coming soon.

It's okay, honey. I was just talking to the cornfield.

Field Of Dreams is one of my favorite movies...ever. If it's on television...I'll watch it, even if it's being shown with commercials. And I own the DVD so it's not like I have to try and catch it. I just can't look away!

Last night at 2am, I'm flipping through the channels and there it is...right at the scene where Burt Lancaster steps off the field and leaves "Moonlight" behind.

He's just Doc now. But it's okay. He did what he came to do. "Hey Rookie"...Shoeless Joe Jackson calls to him..."You were good." Tears well up.

I watch as Terrence goes into the corn...laughing with anticipation. What's in there? Will he find what he's looking for? Is he dead? I sniffle and pretend I won't cry.

And then...Ray sees one last ballplayer...the catcher, who has gone un-noticed, removes his mask and turns. "Oh my God" Rays says. And I'm bawling before he even has the chance to say "It's my father."

But, it's Ray's father when he was 22 or so.  Before Ray was even a thought in his mind.  "I'm John Kinsella" he says.  "I'm Ray and this is my wife and my daughter."  "Is this heaven?" John asks.  "I don't know" says Ray.

 As John walks toward the corn, Ray calls to him. "Dad" Do you wanna have a catch?"  

  

A stream of car lights are seen approaching the house....coming for miles down the road as Ray plays catch with his father.  His wife watches from the house and smiles.   It looks like heaven to me.


The casting surely goes a long way in making the film work. James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Ray Liotta are pretty inspired. 

Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan are just perfection. I wish Hollywood would learn something from this pairing. What if they had cast a woman for her beautiful face? (Or should I say, model face...because I think Madigan is beautiful. ) So often we see women as just the beautiful face...the beautiful sidekick. Whatever. Today the studio would demand it I think. But Amy Madigan gave us a full bodied, hot blooded human being in Annie Kinsella. One who loved her family fiercely, and was an equal partner with Ray. Always keeping her sense of humor..."What, they want you to build a football field now?" She was the wife and mate that everyone wishes they had, and everyone wishes they were.

But...what does all this mean and why does the film speak to so many in such a profound way. Truthfully....it beats the hell out of me. I really don't know. The fact that the film even got made mystifies me. It's so weird, right? But I do know one thing. The idea of playing a simple game of catch with your father, or your mother for that matter. The opportunity to have 30 minutes of time with your parents in their prime, with everything you know now, as an adult.  Who wouldn't jump at the chance?

Why catch? Why not baking cookies or something? I'm not sure I get that either...but I'm a woman, and I want to play catch too.  Just throwing the ball back and forth.  There's no thinking really. It's such a pure, physical, mindless act. I dunno, it's just the experience of being I guess. The Zen of playing catch.

And don't we all have the longing for something in the past...or the longing to change or experience something we missed or screwed up...like Archie or Terrence?  Wouldn't we all like the chance to take the other road, just to see where it went, so we can be free to move forward and enjoy the experience of the road we're on?  Or maybe, maybe it is just the longing to have a baseball field in your backyard. I dunno...

"People will come Ray, people will most definitely come."