Dinner with Oscar

And now, the dishy dishes from my Oscar Party, as photographed by my beautiful girlfriend:


The Black and White Cookie Side
Two different colors, one great taste! Which is more than I can say for the film!


An Eclair
My mother wasn't keen on my ideas for An Education: bananas and/or cherries. So, when we learned that one of the guests was bringing this bunch of eclairs -- which, by the way, are absolutely my favorite edible thing on all the Earth -- I knew this wonderful British film could still have a representation! Because they go to Paris!


Fantastic Mr. Punch
My girlfriend offered this, a recipe from her cousin. It's champagne and some natural flavors: raspberries, oranges, blueberries, etc. This was the real big hit of the evening, and it was gone before Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin finished their opening dialogue.


The Hummus Locker
I can't explain it, really.


Inglorious Saurkraut [sic, but maybe on purpose?]
Sauerkraut balls, a recipe from Great-Aunt Dusty. Balls of sauerkraut which are then fried into deliciousness. They were easily the most popular food at the party.


Julie & Julia Simply Love This Pate
Surely this is self-evident. Look how delighted Meryl and Amy look.


Precious Chicken Fingers
I know what it sounds like. But she eats fried chicken, and chicken fingers were as close as we could get without completely destroying the family's diet. I also requested pig's feet, but most of the party vetoed this.


A Serious Latka [sic]
Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay
Third or fourth batch? Mom makes amazing "potato pancakes". Wish she loved the movie as much as I did.


Up with Jellybeans
So, this recipe, jellybeans on toothpicks, came from a woman's magazine my mother was reading about Oscar treats. This led to my mother wanting to try it, which led to us hosting the Oscar party. So Mom and I came up with some appetizers, Dad made the posters, and my sister puts them on standees.


Up in the Air to Get Peanuts
Like its namesake, this Oscar treat was not popular, but the party wouldn't have been complete without it.

Alas, we had no ideas when it came to Avatar, for after accidentally suggesting Hypnotiq, Mother then quickly nixed the idea. As for District 9, we just weren't going to commit to the expense of crawfish.

Any Oscar appetizers of your own you'd like to share?

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!

As far as predictions go, I did pretty well. Only seven wrong! Sandra Bullock got Best Actress instead of Gabourey Sidibe, Avatar and The Hurt Locker were vice versa as far as Cinematography and Editing went, Geoffrey Fletcher's Precious screenplay triumphed over Up in the Air. China's Unnatural Disaster lost Best Short Documentary to Music for Prudence. And both sound categories did go to one movie...but to The Hurt Locker.

So, some highlights and lowlights.

-Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have real chemistry. Their banter didn't always work, but when it did, it was on, baby!

-The director of Oscar-winning short doc Music for Prudence, Roger Ross Williams, was giving a heartfelt thank you speech, looking genuinely touched as he took the beauty of the moment in. He was soon interrupted by a random woman who I thought must have been the other director, who upon taking the stage talked right over him, shouldered her way in front of the mic, and talked about differences and credit where credit is due. Then pointed out that Prudence was in the audience, which was neat. By that moment, however, everything was already weird, with Williams looking downright uncomfortable.

Apparently, this woman was producer Elinor Burkett, and she and Williams have been fighting since production on the film. Williams says Burkett qualified as a producer, but walked out on the film; Burkett claims that Williams has been purposely keeping her out of the loop and tried to take her Oscar glory. I think Burkett is behaving like an uppity bitch, and she should probably grow up. This was not classy, not classy at all.

-Man, I hope more people are talking about Sandy Powell's Oscar acceptance speech. Highlight if the night, for me. From the shrugging-off of, "Um, I already have two of these" to her saying that contemporary designers are unfairly overlooked, and so her Oscar belongs to them, "but I'm still taking it home with me." There was nothing about that speech I didn't like. It's the kind of thing I always want to hear from inevitable winners.

-So, they cut the Original Song performances so as to make all categories equal, right? This is what I thought. But then they have give those performances to Original Score, with a group of breakdancers tearing it up to the nominated compositions. One of my friends described it as "a messy, backalley [sic] abortion". God, what an awful, awful sight. The dancing did not go with the music at all, and this alone convinced me that Adam Shankman should never again be put in charge of the Oscars. What was this, revenge for Hairspray getting a straight snub two years ago?

-In addition to that, we had the twenty-minute actors showcase. Following last years tribute from previous winners approach, we got five actors with a connection to the nominees. Oprah, who helped to get Precious distributed, spoke to Gabourey; Forest Whitaker, who directed Hope Floats, spoke to Sandra. And it was preceded by a montage of the actors' performances. And when it was all over, in came another presenter to read out the nominees again, and finally present the statue. I thought it was tedious, and ridiculous when you consider that they only did this for the lead categories. Shankman's purported "all categories are equal" approach wasn't just smoke; it was an outright lie.

-Geoffrey Fletcher's surprise win for adapted screenplay for Precious was incredible. Not only was it a shocker, leaving Up in the Air completely empty-handed...but his speech was fantastic. True, he may not have said much, but the emotion, the heartfelt sincerity of his being humbled, was beautiful. Then when he finally apologized for drawing a blank and thanked everyone...awesome.

-Mo'Nique is now an Oscar-Winning Actress. Though inevitable, it was still a joyous moment. I love when she thanked the Academy "for making it about the performance, instead of the politics." Truth, baby, truth. My one twinge of disappointment: although she thanked "the Precious team" as a whole, she really should have thanked Lee Daniels individually. Maybe she did on the thank-you cam.

-Kathryn Bigelow became the first female to win Best Director. When The Hurt Locker also won Best Picture, we got a truly cinematic moment. For a brief second, we saw backstage as Kathryn stopped midstride and was told to go back, her movie just won! It was such a stunningly real moment.

-When the show ended at exactly midnight, Steve Martin quipped that "The show was so long, Avatar now takes place in the past." But hasn't it run much, much later before? This seemed like the most rushed Oscars on record. Too rushed, if you ask me.

-What, no visuals for Best Cinematography? Who dropped the ball on that one?

Final Predix!!!

I have a party to host, so just a quick run-down of how I think it's gonna go:

PICTURE: The Hurt Locker
DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow
ACTOR: Jeff Bridges
ACTRESS: Gabourey Sidibe
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo'Nique
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Up in the Air
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: The Hurt Locker
SCORE: Up
SONG: The Weary Kind
CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Hurt Locker
EDITING: Avatar
COSTUME: The Young Victoria
MAKEUP: Star Trek
SOUND: Avatar gets both
VISUAL EFFECTS: Avatar
ART DIRECTION: Avatar
FOREIGN: El secreto de sus ojos
DOCUMENTARY: The Cove
ANIMATED: Up
SHORT DOC: China's Natural Disaster
SHORT ANIMATED: Logorama
SHORT LIVE: The New Tenants

The Brit Locker

You've probably already heard about the champions from the ceremony across the pond. Just in case you need a refresher, though:

BEST PICTURE went to The Hurt Locker. I hope this, once and for all, puts the final nail in the coffin for the silly "something other than The Hurt Locker will win" articles. I don't think the new voting system matters; The Hurt Locker has the necessary support to take it all March 7. Especially since this American production won over homegrown An Education, something not even No Country for Old Men could accomplish (it lost to Atonement). Now, I know the only Oscar-BAFTA matches in this category in the past ten years are Gladiator, LOTR: ROTK and Slumdog Millionaire, but the planets are in alignment, the cards are dealt, and The Hurt Locker is going to win.

An Education even lost to Fish Tank for OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM. I hear it's very good, this Fish Tank, but I haven't seen it yet.

The Hurt Locker's greatest asset, of course, has been the champion of the season (Globes notwithstanding), and it was no different here: Kathryn Bigelow won BEST DIRECTOR, which will be repeated at the Academy Awards, making her the sexiest winner in this category since...hm. Redford?

Colin Firth's BEST ACTOR win was deserved and just. I don't expect this to be repeated at the Oscars, but he's the best damn actor in the category. His award here will go down in my mind as the true results.

BEST ACTRESS went to Carey Mulligan, which I can see happening at the Oscars in case of Streep and Bullock splitting it. I'm glad she won. She's absolutely fantastic in An Education.

Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique won BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR and BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, respectively. Same old song.

Mark Boal, writer of The Hurt Locker, won for BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, an award many people expect Quentin Tarantino and Inglourious Basterds to win at the Oscars. Me, I find Boal, Bigelow and the Hurt Locker train unstoppable. Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner won for BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY for Up in the Air. Same old song.

Michael Giacchino's Up score took top honors in BEST MUSIC. Giacchino, who also composed the Star Trek score this year, in addition to Pixar's Ratatouille and The Incredibles and the modern classic Speed Racer, has been waiting for major awards recognition. This is his year.

And Barry Ackroyd won BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY for The Hurt Locker. Indeed, only in VFX and Best Actor did the film not come up as champion. Just take a look at the rest of the honors:

BEST EDITING, BEST SOUND
The Hurt Locker

BEST COSTUME DESIGN, BEST MAKEUP/HAIR
The Young Victoria

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN, BEST VFX
Avatar

OUTSTANDING BRITISH DEBUT
Moon

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Un Prophete

ANIMATED FILM
Up

SHORT FILM
I Do Air

SHORT ANIMATION
Mother of Many

ORANGE RISING STAR
Kristen Stewart

The most any film won is two, save for The Hurt Locker, which championed in six categories. Even the Brits know: The Hurt Locker is the film to beat.

The Write Stuff

And your winners for this year's WGA Awards are:

In original screenplay, beating out (500) Days of Summer, Avatar, The Hangover and A Serious Man.....MARK BOAL FOR THE HURT LOCKER!!!

It is as I predicted. The Hurt Locker has now won the prize at all guilds save SAG. People do realize it's been the frontrunner to win Best Picture for, like, ever, right? And if they didn't before, they should now. I would predict it to win the Oscar in this category too, were it not for the pesky presence of Inglourious Basterds, which was deemed ineligible for the WGA.

In adapted screenplay, beating out Crazy Heart, Julie & Julia, Precious and Star Trek....JASON REITMAN AND SHELDON TURNER FOR UP IN THE AIR!!!

Again, as I expected. This ain't rocket surgery. Up in the Air will win at the Oscars, too, as a strange sort of consolation prize for not awarding Clooney, the actresses, or Reitman's director persona. Or Picture. Anyway, this one it has in the bag.

Just two weeks until The Big Night!

The 2010 Oscar Nominees Are....

8:38 AM is such a specific time to do this. I've been up since 8:00AM, after finally trying to get some sleep at 6:30. I'll probably go straight to bed after this, but come on! It's like Christmas morning, Happy Birthday and Easter baskets rolled into one! Hell, last year I was almost late to class on account of this, but it was awesome when my roommate and I came in with the news.

Hey, Ben Lyons! I wanted to get to know someone that's not you! He just said Meryl Streep will get nominated for The Blind Side, alongside Sandra Bullock for....then he look shame-faced, but rather than correct himself, they plow right on with the talk, talk, talk. Hey, Ben Lyons! I want to take a 2x4 to your head!

Ah, here we go! New Presidente Tom Sherak and the beautiful Hollmann Award Nominated Actress Anne Hathaway.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'Nique, Precious

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

ACTRESS
Sanrda Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

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

DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Camon & Moverman, The Messenger
The Coen Bros, A Serious Man
Docter, Peterson & McCarthy, Up

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Blomkamp & Tatchell, District 9
Hornby, An Education
Armstrong, Blackwell, Ianucci & Roche, IN THE LOOP
Fletcher, Precious
Reitman & Turner, Up in the Air

FOREIGN
Ajami
El Secreto de sus ojos
The Milk of Siorrow
Un Prophete
White Ribbon

ANIMATED
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Princess & the FRog
Secret of Kell
Up

BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Holy fuck, Maggie Gyllenhaal is an Oscar nominee! I didn't think that Cruz nom was really gonna happen. District 9 nominated for Picture, which is cool; The Blind Side also, which is....huhn? But Invictus is left out, thank the Lord. Up and A Serious Man made it, too. In the Loop and The Messenger getting screenplay noms is one of the best things to happen this year! I like that lineup for Adapted Screenplay! Secret of the Kells, which barely got a release and which no one has heard of, gets that Animated Feature spot over Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

The other nominees, via the Oscar official site:

ART DIRECTION
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
Christian Berger, The White Ribbon
Bruno Delbonnel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Mauro Fiore, Avatar
Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds

COSTUME
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

DOC FEATURE
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

DOC SHORT
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of the Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit a la Berlin

EDITING
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

MAKEUP
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

SCORE
Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders, The Hurt Locker
Alexandre Desplat, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Michael Giacchino, Up
James Horner, Avatar
Hans Zimmer, Sherlock Holmes

SONG
"Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog
"Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog
"Loin de Paname" from Paris 36 (!!!)
"Take It All" from Nine (!!!!)
"The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart

ANIMATED SHORT
French Roast
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf and Death

LIVE ACTION SHORT
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

SOUND EDITING
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

SOUND MIXING
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

VFX
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek


So little love for Star Trek, actually. Just four tech noms. Strange. Paris 36 and "Take It All" came from nowhere. And I am VERY upset with the full snub at (500) Days of Summer. Not even original screenplay? Disappointing.

Orange You Glad?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who's It Gonna Be?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, Live on VH1

OK, so I'm a little late due to The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. So you know where I am: The Jonas Brothers just played off Pete Docter for winning Animated Feature -- Up, obviously. According to Awards Daily, I missed Action Movie (Avatar), Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique in Precious, of course) and Best Ensemble (Inglourious Basterds).

Annnnnnd they just did an Orphan/The Lovely Bones skit. That sucked.

Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell presenting Young Actor/Actress. Ah, plastic surgery jokes. Can we teach presenters to segue smoothly from joke to presenting. Let's see, Jae Head (sucks), Max Records (win it!), Bailee Madison (didn't see), Saoirse Ronan (didn't see), Kodi Smit-McPhee (didn't see). And....oh, Saoirse won. Cool. I mean, she's got an Oscar nom, but this is neat. I like her accent. She does a great American one, too. She's going to be a very beautiful woman.

Ah, JOHN KRASINSKI! With Amy Poehler, too. Dressed in tribute to John Hughes...but shouldn't this be Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall? Or, in a perfect world, Long Duk Dong. Some awkward cuts with the Breakfast Club joke -- Tarantino a princess? Man, is this a great montage, though. Oh, hey, Alec and Kevin! Why didn't they present? And ending with Sixteen Candles, one of the best movies ever. And now Death Cab for Cutie singing "Don't You Forget About Me". This is...odd. I'm sure everyone in there appreciates what's going on, but the whole execution is making me feel awkward. Actually, this isn't a bad cover. Ahhh, I'll allow it.

9:51PM:

The beautiful Emily Blunt is looking beautiful. I love hearing her speak. I guess she's supporting Supporting Actor. Nice tribute to Wizard of Oz, though I do not completely care for the film. Nominees: Matt Damon for Invictus (best part of the movie), Woody Harrelson for The Messenger (need to see), Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles (missed this when it played here, btu he looks mah-velous), Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones (seeing it tomorrow), Alfred Molina in An Education (the best here so far), Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (will win). And the award goes to Waltz, naturally.

I like the beard. Nice speech about Choices, tee-hee. Bit flowery for a Critics Choice award, but I like it.

I love Kristen Chenoweth, but this awfully embarrassing. Somebody stop this. Please put her out of her misery.

Sarah Silverman and Adam Lambert presenting....Best Comedy. Colorful joke, neat dig at the media's obsession with sexual orientation. "I love to scissor with dudes, get over it, America!" Adam's out of his depth. At the Critics Choice. Nommies: The Hangover (fun), (500) Days (winnah), It's Complicated (chah-ming!), The Proposal (nyet), Zombieland (what a great effing movie, sure to become a classic). The winner: THE HANGOVER! I am surprised. Don't they all look fancy?

The Jonas Brothers. Hm.

10:05 PM

Haha, Kristin almost makes up for that las awful skit. Zac Efron and Zoe Saldana presenting Original Song. Zefron needs to stop taking these things so seriously. I really want to see Crazy Heart. "The Weary Kind" won, too! Now an extra reason to see it: it won a BFCA award! Ryan Bingham is a dashing chap. T Bone Burnett resembles James Cameron.

Abbie Cornish and a bearded Jason Bateman presenting for Documentary. What movie is that for? Poor Abbie has been undeservedly forgotten at every precursor. No wonder she looks so unhappy. The Cove won, naturally. Haha, the director is totally awesome! I'm sorry I missed his movie!

The ad people for Nine are promoting the shit out of it, aren't they? "Please see this! Please please please!"

10:15 PM

This helium joke really works! That's hilarious! A'ight, that works!

This future joke works in places. Like that they're really tearing through these next awards (but not). Avatar won a huge bounty. A montage. How nice. Kristin Chenoweth delivering fart jokes? No thanks. So, we've skipped all the way to Adapted and Original Screenplay awards. Zachary Quinto and Claire Danes presenting. Quinto's better at this than she is.

Adapted noms: Fantastic Mr. Fox, District 9, Precious, A Single Man, An Education, Up in the Air. Seen all of them. Up in the Air wins? Yes it does! Jason Reitman goes up to accept for him and Sheldon Turner. Most heartfelt speech here.

Original noms: The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man, (500) Days of Summer, Up, Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino wins, naturally! The Jonas Brothers are really selling it.

10:29 PM

OK, New Moon joke. Let's see how this goes. The idea is funny, but...who is writing these damn skits? I love the revolving door of her outfits.

Meryl Streep! Honorign Kevin Bacon one of my favorite actors of all time. And what, he was the first BFCA Best Actor award-winner? How did I miss this? He should have, at the very least, an Oscar nom or three by now. He is one of the most reliable character actors in the business. And sixdegrees.org is a charitable website! How amazing! Of course you knew Joel Siegel, Kevin, you awesome, wonderful man. I've done Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon starting with my Great-Uncle Johnny. Johnny's sister-in-law Anna was in the same theatre as Vincent Price, who was in The Raven with Jack Nicholson, who was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon.. Newman's Own as the inspiration for Kevin Bacon's good deeds is phenomenal. Snazzy outfit.

SAM JACKSON IN VELVET LIFE MADE TEN TIMES BETTER! Snakes on a Plane reference, to! Why is this so awesome! Best Director noms: Clint Eastwood (boo), James Cameron (yay!), Lee Daniels (ehh), Jason Reitman (yay!), Kathryn Bigelow (yay!), Quentin Tarantino (yay!). Bigelow gets it! The critics have spoken! Kath is Queen of the Critics! And what applause! Lord, what a beautiful woman! Oh, no...don't cry. It's the BFCA. Humble and beautiful. She rocks so much, nice honoring Boal, Renner, and the service-people of America.

I just realized it's only Nick Jonas and...what, the E Street Band?

10:45 PM

What, now the speaker lady is messing up?

Ah, Vera Farmiga! So excellent in Up in the Air, so lovely to watch. Presenting Best Actor. If she can give it to George Clooney, how cute would that be? I like her when she riffs. George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Viggo Mortensen, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Jeremy Renner nom'd. I do see Bridges getting it. And it goes to Jeff Bridges. When is that movie coming out here? Oh, shit, a standing ovation. That's how you know it's real. Bridges just had a nice cover, accidentally thanking Chris Cooper (co-star in Seabiscuit) instead of Scott Cooper (the director/writer). Bridges is so cool. I bet anyone who's his friend feels great.

10:55 PM

Aww, when Kristen is off-the-cuff, it works! Can we forever let her improv?

Bradley Cooper presenting Actress? Oh. Kay. Nommies: Sandra Bullock, Meryl, Saoirse Ronan, Carey Mulligan, Gabby Sidibe, Emily Blunt. Meryl will win, though, right? Her Julia Child is exquisite. And the award goes to.......ANOTHER TIE? Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (she also co-won last year for Doubt). Ooh, are they really gonna wait for her speech before announcing the other one?

I love Meryl speeches. She always seems genuinely surprised and excited. Meryl loves: acting, working, food, and sex. Her words, not mine. What a sexy bitch. No, that's not respectful. What a sexy lady. Why doesn't she host something? Great shout-out to her great co-star Stanley Tucci.

The other goes to...Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side. Fine, OK, great. Not angry. She was good.

OPEN-MOUTHED SNOG BETWEEN MERYL AND SANDRA! SECOND LIFE-MAKING MOMENT!

Great speech. You know what? I wouldn't be angry if she won the Oscar. I wouldn't be angry if any of these actresses won. That's the greatness of this year. The actressing is at an all-time high.

11:08 PM

And here we are. Susan Sarandon, that scarlet siren with her kitty-kat purr, is presenting Best Picture. Ten noms here, as always, but this year, it's like the Oscars! Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, Nine, The Hurt Locker, An Education, Up in the Air, Precious, Up, Invictus. I suspect The Hurt Locker will take this. Great presentation of the nominees, BTW.

And I am right. Look how happy Cameron looks. Another standing ovation. Great stuff. Mark Boal, writer, accepts the award. Long speech, but nice. He thinks this may be his only shot at this.

Well, that was a show. Wish I hadn't missed Mo'Nique's win. Globes are Sunday, so that should be funner. Can't wait!

Nine a Given

And it would be unjust to my man Rex if I left these out. I've never before posted the nominees for the American Society of Cinematographers, but that was then. And this is now, where I'm less ignorant of the impact cinematographers have on the finished product. Nothing like some post-Oscars movie-making to make one aware!

Anyway:

Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
Dion Beebe, Nine
Christian Berger, The White Ribbon
Mauro Fiore, Avatar
Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds

Question: Ebert's tweeting sarcastically, right?:

Cinematography nomines. "Avatar," "Basterds," "White Ribbon," "Hurt Locker" and..."Nine???"

He has to be, right? I know Nine wasn't nominated for the PGA, DGA or WGA, but the ASC was a given. Beebe's is some of the strongest work of the year. Yet even Awards Daily calls the nom "a big surprise". I know the direction and screenplay were disappointing, but I thought this was all set in stone. And look: instead of just Avatar, I've also not seen The White Ribbon! Horray!

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.

Producer's Guild Noms

The Producer's Guild Association have announced their nominees for their annual awards. Like the Oscars' Best Picture category, the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award has ten slots to fill. Last year, the nominees matched the Best Picture slate 4/5, with The Dark Knight edged out in favor of The Reader; this also occurred at the DGA and WGA awards. But then, the PGA does tend toward money-makers, being producers and all. Will their Big Ten match the Academy's? I mean, probably not exactly, but, you know...

The nominees are:

Avatar
I believe I am the sole person in Christendom who had yet to see it.
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
What's the appeal? The more I think about it, the more this movie irritates me.
Precious
Star Trek
Oh, rocking! This and District 9 getting in is...well, it's actually a testament to their financial success, right? But it's also the quality; I don't see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen getting a PGA nom, do you?
Up
Up in the Air

That's five movies that made it into my Top 25. Now, I don't necessarily believe that this is the Best Pic lineup as well, as I still believe the ten-wide option gives Nine an edge. But this is a pretty solid lineup, with only one dud out of the nine I've seen. Avatar will probably win this.

Screen Actors Guild Nominees

The Screen Actors Guild has given us their noms from on high. Let us peruse. Amen.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
This list looks familiar, doesn't it? Alfred Molina (An Education) should be on here, I want to say. But I haven't seen those center three, either. A win for Waltz.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique, Precious
Oh Em Gee, Diane Kruger is there! That makes me so happy! Easily my favorite of the Basterds ensemble! Penelope Cruz is here for Nine, so that's interesting; maybe she will make it to the top. No Samantha Morton for The Messenger, which I thought they'd go for in a big way. A win for Mo'Nique.

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Respectable list. Glad to see Renner is here. Tough call here. Bridges, I think.

BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
That's it: Abbie Cornish's performance in Bright Star is dead, kaput, no more. The Bullock nom is actually going to happen. Mulligan, Sidibe and Streep all deserve to be here, Mulligan especially. Streep wins here.

BEST ENSEMBLE
An Education: Dominic Cooper, Alfred Molina, Carey Mulligan, Rosamund Pike, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Olivia Williams
The Hurt Locker: Christian Camargo, Brian Geraghty, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner
Inglourious Basterds: Daniel Bruhl, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfuss, Michael Fassbender, Sylvester Groth, Jacky Ido, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Denis Menochet, Mike Myers, Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Til Schweiger, Rod Taylor, Christoph Waltz, Martin Wuttke
Nine: Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren
Precious: Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Sherri Shepherd, Gabourey Sidibe
Holy crap, is this a strong list or what? Only Basterds and Precious have multiple acting nominations, though An Education is deserving of more. Oh, and hey, did Cara Seymour disappear from An Education since I've seen it? Because she's the only cast member not in the ensemble list. I love the inclusion of veteran actor Rod Taylor in the official Basterds ensemble. And the Each One Teach One girls should've gotten a mention in the Precious ensemble, but I'm also happy Sherri's there. Precious wins here.

No huge surprises, ugly or otherwise. Very safe, tow-the-line list. Glad Kruger showed up.

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.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association Nominees

I'm late to the party, as usual. But it is better to be late than to not show up at all, right?

The complete list of nominees can be found here.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson/Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Neill Blomkamp/Terri Tatchell, District 9
Tom Ford/David Scearce, A Single Man
Nick Hornby, An Education
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Genre fare finally getting its due at awards season. I'd like to take a look-see at the Mr. Fox and District 9 screenplays. I have the others, I just haven't perused them yet. I've yet to see A Single Man, but the others are admirable films in their own right, so kudos.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Ethan Coen/Joel Coen, A Serious Man
Pete Docter/Bob Peterson, Up
Scott Neustadter/Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Ladies and gentlemen, your Oscar slate.

BEST ENSEMBLE
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
Precious
Star Trek
Up in the Air
Glad to see Star Trek getting in, too. JJ Abrams and the actors were really what made it work. Zachary Quinto is excellent.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
Alfred Molina, An Education
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
I can support the noms for Damon, Molin and Waltz. Damon is truly magnetic in Invictus.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marion Cotillard, 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
Minus Cotillard, this is your Oscar slate. I don't think the Nine girls are in -- far too many. But that's sight unseen, then again. Nor have I seen Up in the Air or The Messenger. It's just a feeling I have, but that's been known to lead me astray before. Besides, isn't Cotillard being campaigned for lead?

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Viggo Mortensen, The Road
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Don't you love that Crazy Heart got a new release date a month before it came out and now it's got the must-see performance of the year? Oscar season. No Sam Rockwell for Moon? Someone throw the guy a bone!

BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Saoirse Ronan, The Lovely Bones
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Blunt? Really? People have seen that movie? It's actually coming out? Thank the maker, but still...it's been practically invisible. Oh, also: Abbie Cornish in Bright Star. WTF?

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
With the exception of noms for Freeman and Damon, both of whom are deserving, the Invictus party train must be derailed at all costs. Eastwood is NOT one of the Best Directors of the Year. Invictus is a mess, anchored only by two actors with amazing instincts. Eastwood doesn't direct actors, he just puts a camera in front of them. Thus the uneven performances in his movie. (That said, it means all that much more when a real actor shows up to give a great performance: Laura Linney and Kevin Bacon in Mystic River, for example).

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Nine
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
I still doubt Up's chances past these critics' awards. Five extra slots does not mean the Academy will suddenly change. I've already had my Invictus rant. Fun category. Can't wait for the show.

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.

All This Meat, And No Public Enemies!

A quick catch-up, since I am woefully behind:


First, I saw Cheri about a week ago. While it was great fun for the most part, it was a little annoying that it took about fifteen minutes to go anywhere. After a fascinating title sequence chronicling the history of famous courtesans, the film searched in vain for the proper tone before finally settling on Light Drama. Alexandre Desplat's score was overwhelming, though typically beautiful. Michelle Pfeiffer was OK, Kathy Bates quite good, too.

Rupert Friend, however, as the titular Cheri, is best in show, nailing the bored effete manners of Colette's most famous male protagonist. Christopher Hampton's adaptation of the short work was admirable, and the delivery of important details from the literary sequel was impeccably done. Director Stephen Frears also narrates in a Stephen Fry-esque manner, and it works. Of course, costumes and production design are to die for. I give it a thumbs-up. You could do much worse.


Just as frothy, but at least consistently so, was the likable Confessions of a Shopaholic. Isla Fisher plays the lead role broadly but adorably, and who can resist the charms of a zany redhead? It's a perfect formula. Hugh Dancy is the love interest, and the two have an undeniable chemistry together. Joan Cusack and John Goodman are distracting as the parents, a shame since I adore both. Kristin Scott Thomas continues to kick ass and take names, this time with a French accent, as a kinder, European version of Streep's Prada-wearing Devil.

But I don't understand certain conflicts. Why should I root against the debt collector? He's just doing his job, and though Fisher is beautiful, she should pay what she owes. Her superior manner at the film's climax is unwarranted and annoying. The villainess of the piece is odd, too. There is no reason why she should care to sabotage Fisher's career to the extent that she does. Like, no reason is ever given. I don't understand it at all.

The use of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" is clever, and as this film is about a clotheshorse, the costumes are FAB FAB FABBITY FAB. Chalk this up as another film that makes me want to move to New York.


Moon. Wow. Moon. A one-man show of sorts starring Sam Rockwell as the lone operator of a harvesting plant located on the Moon, with just two weeks to go before the end of his three-year contract. The difficult thing is, it's impossible to talk abotu this movie without some serious spoilers. So, at the risk of sounding superficial: WOW production design, great score, please give Rockwell an award of some sort (Hollmann Awards, possibly?), Duncan Jones, you are a director not to be trifled with.


Another film that's hard to describe is The Hurt Locker. I know it works. It had me on the edge of my seat. There are some great performances, a great score (shades of Morricone), and as my only previous exposure to Kathryn Bigelow was Point Break, I was impressed with the directing. There's a lot going for it. Jeremy Renner is certainly engaging to watch, and I am so proud of myself for knowing Brian Geraghty (my favorite performance in the movie) was headed for great things. I wish I could do backflips and declare how EFFING AMAZING this movie is, but with The Hurt Locker, there's just a serene knowledge. Hyperbole can't emphasize how great this movie is. It just is. You can disagree if you want, but you'd be sorely mistaken.


As for Whatever Works...it does. I have been reading a lot of negative reviews for this movie, and I don't get them. This movie is funny. Laugh-out-loud funny. True, I am a rabid Woody Allen fan who counts The Curse of the Jade Scorpion among my favorites, but Whatever Works is a smart, sexy comedy that had the entire theater in stitches. I saw it with friends who find Woody's humor a little much, and even they were having a ball.

In true Allen fashion, it follows the love lives of friends and acquaintances over a period of two years, all centering around the May-December relationship between genius nihilist Boris Yelnikoff (Larry David) and Southern runaway Melodie St. Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood). Having not seen Thirteen, I count this as Wood's best performance. She is so on fire, so alive, so sexy! The jailbait outfits they put her in certainly help, of course, but I've never seen her so unmannered, so ironically real! Larry David gives a surprisingly human performance, despite having to deliver a number of verbose monologues expounding on the hopeless evils of the human race. But the interaction between the two of them is just delightful!

Patricia Clarkson is sexy and funny as Wood's mother, a religious matriarch turned Village artiste. Of course, we are used to greatness from Patty C, but she's always a delight to watch. And again, the costumes she's in. Awesome.