The Hollmann Award Nominees!!!

"Well, well, well. Greetings to all. Within this beard is the full press release regarding the nominees for the Fourth Annual Hollmann Awards. And maybe a statue or two. I'm not telling. I'm William Hurt; I understand if you don't recognize me. You may remember me as the Oscar Winning Actor from Kiss of the Spider Woman. Or from the modern classic Mr. Brooks. You know, which ever one floats your boat the most.

"What did I just say, though? That I was here to divulge the nominees for the Fourth Annual Hollmann Awards. And I know you're dying of anticipation. We'll begin with the technical nominations, including the brand new category of Best Ensemble. In fact, let's start there:

BEST ENSEMBLE
Justine Baddeley & Kim Davis, Whip It!
Ellen Chenoweth & Rachel Tenner, A Serious Man
Sarah Crowe & Meredith Tucker, In the Loop
Celestia Fox, Easy Virtue
TBA, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SOUND
Antichrist
Drag Me to Hell
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Star Trek

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
2012
Avatar
District 9
Watchmen
Where the Wild Things Are

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Moon
Public Enemies
A Single Man

BEST HAIR/MAKEUP
Antichrist
District 9
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Star Trek

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Colleen Atwood, Public Enemies
Hope Hanafin, (500) Days of Summer
Janet Patterson, Bright Star
Anna B. Sheppard, Inglourious Basterds
Charlotte Walter, Easy Virtue

BEST EDITING
Alan Edward Bell, (500) Days of Summer
James Cameron, John Refoua & Stephen Rifkin, Avatar
Alexander Hall, The Messenger
Roderick Jaynes, A Serious Man
Sally Menke, Inglourious Basterds

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Back to Tennessee" from Hannah Montana: The Movie
"Dig a Little Deeper" from The Princess and the Frog
"Never Knew I Needed" from The Princess and the Frog
"Possibility" from The Twilight Saga: New Moon
"Through the Trees" from Jennifer's Body

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Alexandre Desplat, Julie & Julia
Alexandre Desplat, The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Elliot Goldenthal, Public Enemies
Abel Korzeniowski, A Single Man

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dion Beebe, Nine
Greig Fraser, Bright Star
Eduard Grau, A Single Man
Anthony Dod Mantle, Antichrist
Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds

"Great fun, isn't it? And now, to present the Sexy Eight -- that is, the awards that journalists give most coverage to despite the group effort that is filmmaking -- is the Face of the Hollmann Awards, Philip Baker Hall!"


"Well, it was only a matter of time before they got me back. I guess they like to bring me back to announce the Sexy Eight because...well, look at me. Not everyone my age has a body this rockin'. So, you know, correlations. I could babble on and on without ever amusing you, of course, but time is short, so is life, and we might as well do this:

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Dave Eggers & Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are
Nora Ephron, Julie & Julia
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
James Cameron, Avatar
Jane Campion, Bright Star
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Scott Neustatder & Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Peter Capaldi, In the Loop
Colin Firth, Easy Virtue
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Fred Melamed, A Serious Man
Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia

BEST ACTOR
Johnny Depp, Public Enemies
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Ben Foster, The Messenger
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
Sam Rockwell, Moon

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard, Public Enemies
Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Samantha Morton, The Messenger
Kristin Scott Thomas, Easy Virtue

BEST ACTRESS
Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Zoe Saldana, Avatar
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron, Avatar
Jane Campion, Bright Star
Michael Mann, Public Enemies
Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer

"And finally....

"The nominees for BEST PICTURE are:
(500) Days of Summer, produced by Mason Novick/Jessica Tuchinsky/Mark Waters/Steven J. Wolfe
Avatar, produced by James Cameron/Jon Landau
Fantastic Mr. Fox, produced by Allison Abbate/Wes Anderson/Jeremy Dawson/Scott Rudin
The Messenger, produced by Mark Gordon/Lawrence Inglee/Zach Miller
Public Enemies, Michael Mann/Kevin Misher

[UPDATED: Producers nominated for Best Picture, as of 1/13/2017]

"A doozy of a show, folks, a doozy of a show. Many, many films were considered, but only thirty-two made the final cut. Some fast facts for ya:

"Public Enemies leads with seven nominations.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox has the least number of nominations for a Best Picture candidate with only four.

"Bright Star and Inglourious Basterds tie for the most nominations without a Best Picture nod: six.

"An Education and Up in the Air are tied for the least nominated members of the Sexy Eight: one apiece.

"But that's enough of that. Let us now get a look at our hosts. That's right: plural. Philip Glass got one vote, Alan Alda got one, Judi Dench alone got one, Nigel made mention of Marcia Gay Harden's fierceness...can we count that for her? But with four votes, the duo are the clear winners. Ladies and germs: JUDI DENCH AND MAGGIE SMITH!!!"

*Cue music: There is Nothin' Like a Dame*



Well, our films may have only gotten one nom each, but at least we run the show, eh, Mogs?

If he thinks I'm doing it without a steady supply of champagne or, you know, bourbon, he's bonkers.

Welcome, Surprises!

I am so sorry for the lateness of this, but I am a mere college student with neither Blackberry nor iPhone to assist me in these endeavors. BUT - be that as it may, I am still around to tell you what many of you have probably already heard: the nominees for the Writers Guild Association Awards.

Now, keep in mind that the WAG declared a great number of screenplays ineligible due to registration problems, paperwork stuff, bullshit. This means that many of the year's front-runners, scripts that will surely be represented at the Oscars, did not even qualify for a shortlist: Inglourious Basterds, An Education, A Single Man, The Road, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, etc. So what we have here is...well, a surprise, certainly.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Josh Lucas & Scott Moore, The Hangover
Well, obviously the pleasant surprise here is The Hangover, which is hilarious. Avatar got in despite people citing the screenplay as its weakest element (still haven't seen it, though -- will the buzz kill my ability to judge it properly?). The Hurt Locker will win this and the Oscar. How happy am I to see two of my Top Five entries here? Very effin' happy.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Scott Cooper, Crazy Heart, from the novel by Thomas Cobb
Nora Ephron, Julie & Julia, from the memoir by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, from the novel Push by Sapphire
Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, Star Trek, from the television series created by Gene Roddenberry
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air, from the novel by Walter Kirn
While Up in the Air and Precious were easy to see coming, it is a pleasant surprise to see Julie & Julia and Star Trek in the mix (haven't seen Crazy Heart, so cannot gauge excitement properly). Up in the Air will most likely win this, though secretly (well, not anymore now) I hope Julie & Julia pulls an upset. Alas, 'tis but a fancy of mine.

Of course, Fantastic Mr. Fox was ineligible, but no Public Enemies? Really? Not even a Bright Star?

When the Oscars come, The Hangover and Avatar will leave to allow Inglourious Basterds and Up in. An Education will get in instead of Star Trek for sure...but I could see the other four making it as well.

The Best of 2009, For Sure

And finally, after much delay and suspense, my Top Ten Films of 2009. These are the movies what made me happy that I spend as much time at the movies as I do. It's no coincidence that I experienced all of these in a movie theater -- it is, after all, the way films were meant to be experienced. I've struggled with my Top Three, having changed and rearranged it multiple times. Hell, my ranking of those three could change between now and now-oh-one. But I'm going to commit myself.

My Top Ten Films of 2009:

10. JENNIFER'S BODY

For nailing the insecurity of adolescence. For using horror to explore eating disorders, perceptions of beauty, and teen sexuality. For the subtle looks between Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and Jennifer (Megan Fox). For proving Diablo Cody earned that Oscar. For "Through the Trees", one of the best songs written for a movie ever.

9. EASY VIRTUE

For bringing classic wit to a modern screen. For its gorgeous production values. For making every character real human beings instead of comic caricatures. For revealing Jessica Biel's gifts as an actress. For making "Car Wash" and "Sex Bomb" into 1920s foxtrots.

8. UP IN THE AIR

For knocking the wind out of me with its finale. For making George Clooney vulnerable. For fine supporting turns from Vera Farmiga and Amy Morton. For delighting and upsetting me simultaneously. For a surprisingly great score.

7. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

For bringing Disney magic back into my life. For the incredible voice cast. For fantastic songs like "Dig a Little Deeper". For the sheer beauty of 2D animation. For an ending that got me misty-eyed.

6. JULIE & JULIA
(Number Nine on 25 Most Anticipated)

For making something delightful and fun out of an atrocious book (the titular one, not Julia Child's memoir). For the costumes. For Alexandre Desplat's score. For the chemistry between Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep. For being worth three viewings.

5. BRIGHT STAR

For engaging performances by its ensemble. For the sexless yet sexy passion between Fanny (Abbie Cornish) and John Keats (Ben Whishaw). For Greig Fraser's breathtaking cinematography. For Jane Campion's light yet ever-present touch. For haunting me with its beauty.

4. A SERIOUS MAN

For finding the absurd in the awful. For its use of Jefferson Airplane. For the Rabbi scenes. For an ensemble firing on all cylinders.For "accept the mystery".

3. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
(Number Ten on 25 Most Anticipated)

For giving me just what I need at the time I saw it. For a realistic portrayal of a modern relationship. For that dance number. For using wardrobe and set dressing to accentuate Zooey Deschanel's eyes. For being a romantic-comedy that didn't condescend to the audience.

2. FANTASTIC MR. FOX

For dancing foxes. For Wes Anderson finding the perfect medium for his style. For that wonderfully offbeat sense of style. For making a kid's movie into a caper comedy for adults. For being a cussing great movie.

1. PUBLIC ENEMIES

For Colleen Atwood's costumes. For Johnny Depp's haunted performance. For turning a mainstream genre into cinematic art. For Elliot Goldenthal's period-perfect score. For that devastating final scene. For playing with the facts to give us a gripping story. For just being the best at what it did.

The Golden Globes Nominations

Finally caught up with reviews, and now I will have caught up with the precursors. SAG announces tomorrow, but yesterday morning the Golden Globes brought out their noms:

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
I did not expect District 9 to do so well in this category. Of course, we've still not heard from the WGA or Academy, but it is becoming difficult to ignore. I hope Meyers and Reitman/Turner did a damn good job, though, because the Neustatder/Weber team behind (500) Days of Summer is stellar. Boal wins, I bet. It's The Hurt Locker's year.

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Once again, the Globes find Clint irresistible. Guilds, Academy: Resist. Resist! This could be Bigelow's year at the Oscars, but why do I feel Reitman is getting the Globe?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Two of these are not in release. The Messenger has yet to arrive in either my college town or my hometown. Despite my reservations concerning Invictus, I will once again call the Damon nom well-deserved. And Waltz, of course, is unstoppable. Count on him to win it.

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
Look for Cruz to be sidelined in favor of Samantha Morton in The Messenger come Oscar Nom Morn. Mo'Nique, like Waltz, is unstoppable, and that is truly awesome. Award-winning actress Mo'Nique. What a sentence.

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
Damon, Gordon-Levitt and Stuhlbarg are all deserving of noms. Hell, they'd be deserving of Oscar noms, with the other slots filled by Sam Rockwell (Moon) and...hm....either Johnny Depp (Public Enemies) or George Clooney (Fantastic Mr. Fox). Anyway. No telling who would win this, really. Day-Lewis? But probably Stuhlbarg. I'll go with Stuhlbarg.

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
The more I hear about how good Brothers (and Maguire) is....the more confused I get. The trailers look AWFUL. Freeman is still deserving, he just wouldn't be on my list. Where's Rockwell? Where's Depp? What is this? Bridges gets it.

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
Holy crap, someone remembered Duplicity! That's the big news here, really. Well, that and the Streep times two. I suppose her performance as Julia Child will get her the Globe. I really can't wait to see It's Complicated, though. I am ashamed to say I have not seen The Proposal or Duplicity yet. Perhaps during my Christmas break...? Amy Adams, by the way, gave a truly great performance in Sunshine Cleaning. Just saying.

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
So...is this Bullock nom happening? Strange, sexy thought, that. I love that Blunt is coming out of the woodwork. I don't love Abbie Cornish (Bright Star) being left out in the cold. Mulligan wins, and everyone is happy.

BEST PICTURE - MUSICAL/COMEDY
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It's Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
Nine wins, of course. What a delightful group this is. I know: I haven't seen It's Complicated or Nine. But the other three rock. So there.

BEST PICTURE - DRAMA
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air
The bookends are unseen by me. The three in the middle are fine. I did expect them to like An Education more than Precious. This lack of attention to the former has me fearing a Sally Hawkins-esque snub. Knock on wood.

One Last Thing...

Ah, but I forgot to list the Golden Satellites' choices for the Top Ten Films of 2009! They are, in alphabetical order:

(500) Days of Summer
I'm glad it's not just giddiness from seeing this with Marc Webb and Geoffrey Gilmore: the movie really is that great. Hopefully, it will continue to get screenplay honors, but a nod for Joseph Gordon-Levitt -- or even Best Picture -- would not be unwelcome.

Bright Star
Again, something I got to see because of one professor's connection to Apparition. Beautiful piece of work, and I'm glad the Golden Satellites have recognized it.

An Education
Yes, undoubtedly among the best that the first eleven months of 2009 had to offer. Carey Mulligan is transplendent.

The Hurt Locker
So far, still good. One of those movies that I wish was on DVD right now. Definitely approve.

Inglourious Basterds
Oh, yeah, I enjoyed it. But I still feel a movie that doesn't lose me even though I missed seven minutes near the end is a movie with too much fat. But I guess until it leaves my own Top Ten, I have no room to complain.

Nine
In theaters December 18.

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
Hm...Great movie, but I have to do some thinking before I declare among my Top Ten of Right Now.

A Serious Man
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! The Coen Brothers' best film, in my opinion, leaps and bounds above No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowksi and Fargo. The only question: Why aren't more people talking about supporting actor Fred Melamed?

The Stoning of Soraya M.
I don't think this even came out in Tallahassee. Anyone know how I can get hold of a copy?

Up in the Air
In theaters December 4.

Films, Films, Films

Thank God Oscar season is over. I look forward to it all year, but it's nice when I can turn my attention back to films now playing, or to movies I've never seen before. It feels good.

500 DAYS OF SUMMER



Lord, what a movie. I saw this at a special screening where I got to meet the director. But even without meeting him, I had already decided: this is one of the best romantic-comedies I have ever seen. Much like Annie Hall, it's a non-linear look at a relationship: the beginning, the end, the good times, the horrible times, and everything in between. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays the romantic, Tom, who works at a greeting card company, believing in True Love, Fate, and the Land of Meant-to-Be. Zooey Deschanel is the titular Summer, enigmatic and beautiful, who does not believe in any of those things, but believes that one just goes through life, has romances, and la-di-da. Tom sees Summer, realizes that she is the One, and we've got our movie.

The movie is damn near perfect. It's a familiar situation, a familiar plotline, but it feels so unique and fresh. The soundtrack is incredible, featuring The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Simon & Garfunkel, Patrick Swayze, and a host of others that I adore. Everyone has been the Tom in a relationship, convinced they have found their Perfect Match, painting themselves as the wronged one when the relationship goes sour -- but I love how the screenplay does not entirely absolve him of any blame. It's a believably-written piece with some great fantasy sequences (the Morning After dance is spot-on). Deschanel is appropriately ethereal, and we get to know just enough about her to see why Tom falls in love. But this is Gordon-Levitt's film, all the way, and hopefully this will introduce him to a broader audience.

500 Days of Summer comes out in limited release July 17.


CORALINE

I like Henry Selick. I've only seen James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare before Christmas, but I adore what vision and imagination he displays. Coraline is no different. Based on a story by Neil Gaiman, the film tells how a bored little girl (Dakota Fanning) discovers an alternate version of her home, where her parents are less neglectful, candy is everywhere, cats talk, and her oddball neighbors entertain her just for the sake of it. Of course, this other world has a sinister side, and Coraline is eventually put into a position where she must stop it.



Selick once said that he makes kids' movies for brave children. And you would have to be for Coraline. If ever there was a man who so perfectly captures the terror that comes when the familiar becomes strange, it's Henry Selick. The Other Mother (Teri Hatcher) must be one of the most frightening screen villains I've seen; I can only imagine the trauma that comes with the 3D version. The music by Bruno Coulais is beautiful, and there's a short song by They Might Be Giants that's pretty catchy. The voice actors serve their characters well here, especially Keith David as the Cat -- his soft purr is perfect (I know, I know).

All told, it's an effective film. I wish we had gotten to know more about some of the characters. Many are one-scene wonders that are only seen again through their more Satanic "other" images, and one character was mentioned throughout, but only shows up at the end in an unspectacular fashion, almost as though Selick forgot to put them in. A shame, really, since you're waiting for the character, and you never get to know them. But as a kid's movie, it works magnificently. It's no Monster House, but it's scary and entertaining.


FRIDAY THE 13TH



These two are worth the price of admission. Not Jason. Not the most misogynistic portrayals of women I've ever seen (and I LOVE slasher films). Not even the death scenes, which, other than the one arrow scene, are pretty dull. Aaron Yoo and Arlen Escarpeta decide to have a little fun with these horribly written characters. It's a shame they took the job: Chewie (Yoo) and Lawrence (Escarpeta) are the only minorities. They are written as pathetic stoner losers who never get laid, and never will. Their bromance, though, is the most sincere element of this film.

It starts out strongly. Fifteen minutes go by, and you realize you just sat through a pre-credits sequence. There's one excellent death there. Plus a sex scene in a tent. I don't know, though, the rest of the movie was horrible. Laughable. Is it too much to expect actual terror and suspense and, you know, HORROR from a horror movie? God, i don't even remember there being any jump scares. There was just nothing there. So many random characters are introduced, built up, then forgotten about. The ending is non-sensical and annoying. The editing and cinematography distract from the story, and you can barely tell where anyone is relative to Jason. Pathetic.

But there were these two. And Trent. Trent is the heroine's douchebag boyfriend, played by Travis Van Winkle. You may remember him from Transformers, also produced by Michael Bay, wherein he played the heroine's douchebag boyfriend...named Trent. It's the same character. It is literally the same character. But he has the single greatest line I've ever heard in a sex scene.

"Your tits are...stupendous!!!"

Yeah. $9.50 at the AMC.


WATCHMEN

You know, I liked this movie. I didn't love it. There were definitely some parts that I hated (Nixon scenes). There were parts that I thought were perfect (everything Rorschach). I do feel Zack Snyder raised the bar. It's a ballsy adaptation, one that is both obsessively faithful and daringly distant from the work. The ending is changed, and I think this raises the stakes and enriches the characters. The slo-mo, speed-up effects did not bother me at all. They were different, they were awesome, they let me see every detail. It worked for the film.

Look, it's a difficult work to adapt, but Snyder and screenwriters Alex Tse and David Hayter did a good job. Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) does suffer the most -- his character is poorly-developed, and try as he might, Goode just can't raise this character beyond old-school Bond territory. Laurie/Silk Spectre (Malik Akerman) is less whiny than I recall, but Akerman seems lost. Some of her scenes are excellent, many are just annoying. In fact, I say "NO" to the women in the film as a whole. They are neither well-played, nor well-developed. The only female role that caught my attention was Silhouette (Appolonia Vanova), the lesbian hero who only appears in the opening credits, but Lord to what effect!



Again, though, there's much to admire. The men, as a whole, do fantastic work here. It's almost as though the characters were first written with them in mind, all the way back in the 1980s. Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Stephen McHattie, and especially Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are first-rate. True, there are things I did not entirely care for in these roles -- Dr. Manhattan's backstory bored me, whereas Nite Owl gets one of the worst moments of the film -- but these are hardly due to the actors. These are truly great performances of complicated characters.

I would like to see it again. Midnight showings of three-hour films do not a clear mind make. Though, on that note, some advice to filmmakers. If your film is over two and a half hours, never include the line, "It will never end." Come on. You're just begging for criticism.

Looking Ahead

In the great tradition of making as many lists as possible, I want to take a look at the 25 Most Anticipated Films of the Year. But, you know, not the world's. Just mine.

I did this in April of 2008, too, but what's the point of doing a most-anticipated of the year when three months' worth of films has already come and gone? I did pretty well, though. My Top 25 last year looked like this:

25. Burn After Reading
24. Pineapple Express
23. Leatherheads
22. Speed Racer
21. Prom Night
20. Synecdoche, NY
19. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
18. The Argentine AND Guerrilla
17. Young @ Heart
16. Get Smart
15. The Women
14. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
13. Frost/Nixon
12. WALL-E
11. Revolutionary Road
10. Snow Angels
9. Doubt
8. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
6. Quantum of Solace
5. The Dark Knight
4. Iron Man
3. Milk
2. Savage Grace
1. Mamma Mia!

Not a bad list, certainly. I actually saw 21 of these bad boys in 2008, too. I've still yet to see Prom Night, Che (The Argentine/Guerilla), The Women, or Revolutionary Road. Seven of these films made it to my Top Ten of 2008. The other three: Valkyrie kept changing its release date, Married Life I had already seen, and Rachel Getting Married just surprised me.

And now, before we're fully into the new year, it's time to make a new list. It's getting close, too, to Hollmann Awards Time. Nominations will be announced January 21st, the day before the Academy announces its nominees. Anyway....


25. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

DIRECTOR: Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition)
WRITER: David Benioff (Troy, The Kite Runner)
CAST: Oscar host Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Liev Schreiber, Dominic Monaghan, Danny Huston
PLOT: Wolverine (Jackman) lives a mutant life, seeks revenge against Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber)--who will later become Sabertooth--for the death of his girlfriend, and ultimately ends up going through the mutant Weapon X program.
WHAT I THINK: A chance to pretend The Last Stand didn't happen. Also, Jackman's the fucking man. And Gambit finally shows up!

24. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

DIRECTOR: David Yates (the last one)
WRITER: Steve Kloves (all but the last one), from the novel by J.K. Rowling
CAST: Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman
PLOT: As Harry Potter (Radcliffe) begins his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he discovers an old book marked mysteriously "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince" and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) dark past.
WHAT I THINK: It's about damn time. Although I am upset that they took away Broadbent's moustache.

23. Monsters vs. Aliens

DIRECTOR: Rob Letterman (Shark Tale) & Conrad Verdon (Shrek 2)
CAST: Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Stephen Colbert
PLOT: When a meteorite from outer space hits a young girl (Witherspoon) and turns her into a giant monster, she is taken to a secret government compound where she meets a ragtag group of monsters also rounded up over the years.
WHAT I THINK: HOLY SHIT STEPHEN COLBERT IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA! Also, how cute does this look? Oh so very cute.

22. The Box

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko, Southland Tales), from the short story "Button, Button" by Richard Matheson
CAST: James Marsden, Cameron Diaz, Frank Langella, James Rebhorn, Lisa K. Wyatt
PLOT: A small wooden box arrives on the doorstep of a married couple (Marsden & Diaz), who open it and become instantly wealthy. Little do they realize that opening the box also kills someone they do not know.
WHAT I THINK: I think Marsden -- and let me a little gay here -- looks adorable with that 70s hair. But I also think I love everything Kelly does, and Frank Langella is the fucking man.

21. New York, I Love You

DIRECTORS: Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon), Mira Nair (Vanity Fair, The Keepsake), Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age), etc.
WRITERS: Emmanuel Benbihy, Anthony Minghella, Natalie Portman, Faith Akin, Stephen Winter, etc.
CAST: Kevin Bacon, James Caan, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Hollmann Award Nominee Eli Wallach
PLOT: An anthology film joining several love stories set in one of the most loved cities of the world, New York.
WHAT I THINK: I love Paris, je t'aime, so I'm really looking forward to this one. Kevin Bacon's the effing man. If only Woody Allen could have done one....

20. Shutter Island (aka Ashcliffe)

DIRECTOR: Hollmann Award Nominee Martin Scorsese (The Departed, The Aviator)
WRITER: Laeta Kalgridis, from the novel by Dennis Lehane
CAST: Hollmann Award Nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, Hollmann Awards Host Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Mark Ruffalo
PLOT: In 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.
WHAT I THINK: I need to read this book. I love the Scorsese-DiCaprio team, always. I love Patty Clarkson, always. And I'm always ready for some island murdering. Sign me up!

19. Coraline

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Henry Selick (The Nightmare before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach), from the book by Neil Gaiman
CAST: Dakota Fanning, Keith David, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Teri Hatcher
PLOT: A young girl (Fanning) walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life.
WHAT I THINK: It looks beautiful and haunting. Selick is great, and it reteams French and Saunders. Excitement city!

18. Duplicity

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
CAST: Julia Roberts, Hollmann Award Nominee Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti, Thomas McCarthy
PLOT: A pair of corporate spies (Roberts, Owen) who share a steamy past hook up to pull off the ultimate con job on their respective bosses (Wilkinson, Giamatti).
WHAT I THINK: The trailer is the right amount of BAM WOW COOL! Julia's growing on me. There's nothing quite like a good ol' Wilkinson flick.

17. The Informant

DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's 11, The Good German)
WRITER: Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum), from the book by Kurt Eichenwald
CAST: Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Frank Welker, Candy Clark, Patton Oswalt
PLOT: The U.S. government decides to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president turned informant Mark Whitacre (Damon).
WHAT I THINK: Look at that! That's Matt Damon! How? God, I love all things Soderbergh touches that I've seen that I've liked.

16. Funny People

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Judd Apatow
CAST: Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, Hollmann Award Nominee Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman
PLOT: When seasoned comedian George Simmons (Sandler) learns of his terminal, inoperable health condition, his desire to form a genuine friendship cause him to take a relatively green performer (Rogen) under his wing as his opening act.
WHAT I THINK: Apatow has the chops to do a drama. Sandler has always impressed me, and he's done this kind of balance in Punch-Drunk Love. Oscar, maybe? Finally?

15. My Bloody Valentine 3D

DIRECTOR: Patrick Lussier
WRITERS: Todd Farmer & Zane Smith
CAST: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King
PLOT: Tom (Ackles) returns to his hometown on the tenth anniversary of the Valentine's night massacre that claimed the lives of 22 people.
WHAT I THINK: I think nothing says date movie like a 3D ride to hell. Muthafucka.

14. Inglourious Basterds

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Quentin Tarantino
CAST: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novak, Eli Roth, Mike Myers
PLOT: In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis.
WHAT I THINK: Finally, the movie Tarantino fans have been waiting for! I love Jews, and I also love bloody vengeance! Yay!

13. The Tempest

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Julie Taymor (Across the Universe, Titus), from the play by William Shakespeare
CAST: Hollmann Award Winner Helen Mirren, David Strathairn, Djimon Hounsou, Alfred Molina, Chris Cooper
PLOT: In Taymor's re-imagining, Mirren is Prospera, who rules an island with ehr magic after being banished by her brother (Molina?).
WHAT I THINK: Ooh interesting, turning Shakespeare (he can be a little misogynistic) into an examination of the sacred feminine. You've piqued my interest, Mrs. Goldenthal.

12. A Christmas Carol

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Beowulf), from the book by Charles Dickens
CAST: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins, Cary Elwes
PLOT: Yeah, because no one knows the plot to this. Give me a break.
WHAT I THINK: I love Christmas!!!

11. Up

DIRECTOR: Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) & Bob Petersen
WRITER: Bob Petersen (Finding Nemo)
CAST: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Delroy Lindo
PLOT: By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America.
WHAT I THINK: Yay, a Pixar fantasy about old people! Dream come true!

10. 500 Days of Summer

DIRECTOR: Marc Webb
WRITERS: Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
CAST: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel
PLOT: An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman (Deschanel) who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man (Gordon-Levitt) who falls for her.
WHAT I THINK: What that synopsis doesn't mention is that JGL loves music, and breaks out into song periodically. So....they made my life story? Awesome.

9. Julie & Julia

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Nora Ephron (Bewitched, Michael), from the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme
CAST: Hollmann Award Winner Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Jane Lynch, Stanley Tucci
PLOT: As Julie Powell cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook, Julia Child experiences France!
WHAT I THINK: Oh, I fondly remember watching Julia Child on TV when I was a boy. And oh, I fondly love watching Meryl Streep and Amy Adams now that I'm a man. think the only thing that could make this better is if they include Julia Child's CIA missions.

8. Where the Wild Things Are

DIRECTOR: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation.)
WRITERS: Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers, from the book by Maurice Sendak
CAST: Catherine O'Hara, Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker, Paul Dano, James Gandolfini
PLOT: An adaptation of the children's classic about Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.
WHAT I THINK: It's about the damn gosh darn time! Jonze is a genius (there, I said it!), and I canna wait for this!

7. State of Play

DIRECTOR: Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland)
WRITERS: Matthew Michael Carnahan (Lions for Lambs), Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Supremacy) & Billy Ray (Breach), from the BBC miniseries by Paul Abbott
CAST: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Hollmann Award Winner Helen Mirren
PLOT: A team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress.
WHAT I THINK: Mm, the sweet, sweet smell of a political thriller involving investigative journalism. And Helen Mirren. It smells like victory.

6. Notorious

DIRECTOR: George Tillman, Jr.
WRITERS: Reggie Rock Bythewood & Cheo Hodari Coker
CAST: Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke, Angela Basset
PLOT: Biopic depicting the life of Notorious B.I.G. (Jamal Woolard)
WHAT I THINK: I like that a biopic is being made from someone I was alive to appreciate. The trailer is fantastic, I like Derek Luke, and it's a great way to bond with my sister.

5. Public Enemies

DIRECTOR: Michael Mann (Miami Vice)
WRITERS: Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman (Primal Fear) & Michael Mann (Heat), from the book by Bryan Burrough
CAST: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing Tatum, Billy Crudup, Hollmann Award Winner Marion Cotillard
PLOT: The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger (Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Tatum) during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.
WHAT I THINK: I think that if Bale and Depp starred in a series of monologues consisting of phone book entries, I would see it twice in theatres.

4. Watchmen

DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead)
WRITERS: David Hayter (X-Men, X2) & Alex Tse, from the graphic novel by Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore
CAST: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley, Carla Gugino
PLOT: When an ex-superhero (Morgan) is murdered, a vigilante named Rorshach (Haley) begins an investigation into the murder, which begins to lead to a much more terrifying conclusion.
WHAT I THINK: The graphic novel was EPIC. The trailer was EPIC. Everything about this just screams, "WALTER! LOVE ME!" And I will.

3. Sherlock Holmes

DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie (RockNRolla, Snatch)
WRITERS: Mike Johnson, Simon Kinberg, Anthony Peckham & Guy Ritchie, from the comic by Lionel Wigram and characters by Arthur Conan Doyle
CAST: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Mark Strong
PLOT: Detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.
WHAT I THINK: At last, the return of a popular detective, with a number of great actors thrown into the mix! What's next--Agatha Christie? (Please?)

2. Nine

DIRECTOR: Rob Marshall (Memoirs of a Geisha, Chicago)
WRITERS: Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) & Michael Tolkin (The Player), from the musical by Arthur L. Kopit and Maury Yeston
CAST: Hollmann Award Winner Daniel Day-Lewis, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Hollmann Award Winner Marion Cotillard, Hollmann Award Nominee Judi Dench
PLOT: Famous film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives, as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife (Cotillard), his mistress (Cruz), his muse (Kidman), his agent (Dench), and his mother (Loren).
WHAT I THINK: I love musicals. I love this cast. It's like who I would cast in every musical ever made. Sexy, sexy Penelope is there. Incandescently beautiful Marion is there. Ultimate bad-ass Judi is there. Heaven! I'm in Heaven!

1. The Wolf Man

DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston (Jumanji, October Sky)
WRITERS: Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, Sleepy Hollow) & David Self (Road to Perdition, Thirteen Days)
CAST: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Geraldine Chaplin
PLOT: Upon his return to his ancestral homeland, an American man (Del Toro) is bitten, and subsequently cursed, by a werewolf.
WHAT I THINK: The original was one of my favorite movies growing up. I must have watched it three times a week for a year. Walker and Self both have a number of films to their credit that I adore, and Johnston clearly knows both the spectacular and the subtle. What a cast! It's a remake that appears to build on the themes of the original, giving it an epic scope that speaks to more than just the horror fan. Epic.