The Entertainment Junkie

Oscar Nominations 2011

2012-01-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Christmas Eve has finally arrived, and Santa and his gorgeous elf (aka Tom Sherak and Jennifer Lawrence, respectively) have given us a batch of Oscar nominations that included an exciting number of surprises. And thank goodness, too, after last year's no-tension race that was pretty much decided in December. Among those surprises: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close got a lot of love, while Drive, Shame, and J. Edgar (good riddance!) where virtually or completely shut out. The full list of nominations, with commentary, is below.

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

The Descendants

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

(8/9) I predicted eight nominees, and instead we got nine (the parentheses indicate the accuracy of my predictions). Luckily for me, the eight I predicted all made the cut, and I should have known better than to sleep on Extremely Loud. There was a surprising outpouring of love from that film, so I guess there's a pretty big fanbase for it in the Academy. But here's something to think about: what film do you think just missed the cut for being a 10th nominee? My guess is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, given its rather impressive showing.

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

(5/5) I figured Malick still had a lot of supporters in the directing branch. The most interesting thing here is that Scorsese and Allen now move ahead of Steven Spielberg as the most honored directors by the Academy, as they both picked up their seventh nomination in this category.

BEST ACTOR

Demian Bichir, A Better Life

George Clooney, The Descendants

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

(3/5) This may be the most shocking category. Clooney, Pitt, and Dujardin were pretty much always safe, but they passed over a fantastic Michael Fassbender (Shame) and an awful Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) in favor of two very different but excellent performances. Bichir is the heart and soul of A Better Life, so its great to see him recognized. Oldman is actually more surprising to me because 1) the Academy's always seemed to be allergic to him and 2) this is a very subtle, very quiet, very observant performance, and those rarely ever get nominated. All of these gentlemen are extremely worthy.

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

(4/5) I love the inclusion of Mara - she carried Dragon Tattoo on her very capable shoulders and managed to differentiate her performance from that of Noomi Rapace in the original Swedish version. This is also Streep's 17th nomination, more than any other actor in history.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Nick Nolte, Warrior

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

(4/5) I totally called the Nolte nomination, but von Sydow over Drive's Albert Brooks? Now that's something that nobody was expecting. This category is also filled with veterans, with Hill being the only nominee under 50.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer, The Help

(4/5) As I stated in my final predictions, I knew I was taking a risk choosing Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) over McCarthy. Its a good thing I'm not a betting man. I'm also glad to see that Chastain's 50 billion performances this year didn't cancel each other out (even though the image they used of her for the announcements this morning was from The Tree of Life, not The Help).

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

A Cat in Paris

Chico & Rita

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss in Boots

Rango

First, let's take a moment to commemorate the exclusion of Cars 2, thus proving that the Academy will not throw nominations at every single thing that Pixar does. This is actually a pretty surprising set, choosing not one but two foreign films over domestic fare such as Arthur Christmas and, most notably, The Adventures of Tintin. I'm sure the motion-capture of Tintin had something to do with its snub, but what a great set we got anyway.

BEST ART DIRECTION

The Artist; production design - Laurence Bennett, set decoration - Robert Gould

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2; production design - Stuart Craig, set decoration - Stephanie McMillan

Hugo; production design - Dante Ferretti, set decoration - Francesca Lo Schiavo

Midnight in Paris; production design - Anne Seibel, set decoration - Helene Dubreuil

War Horse; production design - Rick Carter, set decoration - Lee Sandales

This category is basically going to be a showdown between two previous winners: Craig, who will probably be honored for his work on the entire Harry Potter series, and Ferretti, who's previously won for Sweeney Todd and The Aviator and frequently collaborates with Martin Scorsese. I'm kind of shocked to see Midnight in Paris included, but in a good way: the set design was just as charming as the film itself.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist

Jeff Cronenweth, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Robert Richardson, Hugo

Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

Janusz Kaminski, War Horse

I'll be really surprised if Lubezki doesn't win this won, but this is one of the best cinematography categories in years. I'm glad to see Cronenweth nominated again - a frequent David Fincher collaborator, he's been nominated for both The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Social Network - but it's a shame they didn't have room for Drive's Newton Thomas Sigel or Moneyball's Wally Pfister (who won last year for Inception).

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Lisy Christi, Anonymous

Mark Bridges, The Artist

Sandy Powell, Hugo

Michael O'Connor, Jane Eyre

Arianne Phillips, W.E.

Big cheers for recognizing O'Connor, who created some truly magnificent costumes for Jane Eyre that perfectly matched the characters and the gloomy moors in which they lived. I'm also impressed that Anonymous scored a nomination, but then again, they do love period pieces, so I shouldn't be all that shocked.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Hell and Back Again

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Pina

Undefeated

Paradise Lost 3 took on a whole new relevance when its subjects, the West Memphis 3, were freed during filming, so nothing surprising there. In fact, given the shortlist of finalists from a few weeks ago, I don't think there's really anything all that surprising about these nominees. Hell and Back Again, a scathing look at the Afghanistan War, and Undefeated, the story of an underfunded high school football team reversing its fortunes (a true-life East Dillon Lions, huh?), could be spoilers.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

A Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement

God is the Bigger Elvis

Incident in New Baghdad

Saving Face

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

The shorts categories are the most difficult for me to comment on, since I don't really know anything about them until they're announced (God is the Bigger Elvis isn't even listed on IMDb). There's a lot of interesting subjects this year: a Foot Soldier who campaigns for Obama in 2008 (A Barber of Birmingham), the aftermath of last year's tsunami in Japan (Cherry Blossom), the slaying of two Reuters journalist in Iraq in 2007 (Incident in New Baghdad), and acid attacks on Pakistani women (Saving Face).

BEST FILM EDITING

Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Kevin Tent, The Descendants

Kirk Baxter & Angus Wall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo

Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

I'm not really surprised by any of these nominees. Granted, I can think of other films that were certainly worthy of inclusion (Beginners, Drive, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and it feels like they were just trying to include as many Best Picture nominees as possible, but its still a fine list. That especially goes for Tellefsen, who included a lot of game footage and other elements seemlessly into the film.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Bullhead, Belgium

Footnote, Israel

In Darkness, Poland

Monsieur Lazhar, Canada

A Separation, Iran

(3/5) It seemed like a safe bet that Germany's Pina would end up with nominations here and in Documentary, but instead Belgium and Canada managed to sneak in. More than anything I'm really surprised by the Belgium nomination; that really just kind of came out of nowhere. On the other hand, Canada, nominated last year too, is really on a roll lately. And, if you know anything about international relations, how awkward is it to see Israel up against Iran?

BEST MAKEUP

Albert Nobbs; Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2; Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin

The Iron Lady; Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

I don't have any complaints about any of these makeup jobs. The most important thing we should be happy about here is that they didn't go for the mummification of Armie Hammer in J. Edgar.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin

Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Howard Shore, Hugo

Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

John Williams, War Horse

John Williams, the legendary composer of pretty much every movie score you love, picks up his 46th AND 47th nominations, making him the most nominated individual in the history of the Oscars. Bource isn't a surprising inclusion, but I wasn't so sure he'd be included since his score incorporates elements of Bernard Herrman's Vertigo score. I do, though, want to take time here to campaign for Iglesias to win this Oscar: the Tinker Tailor score was perfectly moody and suspenseful, contributing to the atmosphere of the film in all the right ways.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; music and lyric by Bret McKenzie

"Real in Rio," Rio; music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, lyric by Siedah Garrett

Look, congrats to McKenzie, whom I thought was fantastic with Flight of the Concords. But I've been advocating the end of this category for a long time, and when you narrow down a list of 20+ finalists to only two nominees, its time to close it out. This isn't really a filmmaking craft, and with so fewer movies incorporating original songs nowadays, there's just no reason to keep this around. So I say let's either replace it with an ensemble prize (like the SAGs do) or start making more original movie musicals. I'll take either one.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Dimanche/Sunday

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

La Luna

A Morning Stroll

Wild Life

Several of these sound interesting to me, particularly Lessmore, which apparently incorporates a number of animation techniques. I'll have to see if I can find these somewhere.

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM

Pentecost

Raju

The Shore

Time Freak

Tuba Atlantic

The Shore is directed by Terry George, who previously helmed Oscar bait films such as Hotel Rwanda and worked with Jim Sheridan during the '90s.

BEST SOUND EDITING

Drive; Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Ren Klyce

Hugo; Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty

Transformers: Dark of the Moon; Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahi

War Horse; Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

And here we have the only nomination for Drive, an unfortunate fact. However, it was nominated, along with Dragon Tattoo, both of which used their sound effects to their advantage.

BEST SOUND MIXING

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson

Hugo; Tom Fleischman and John Midgley

Moneyball; Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick

Transformers: Dark of the Moon; Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin

War Horse; Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Another big round of applause for including Moneyball, which perfectly integrated the various sources of sound into the film to make for a realistic and engaging soundscape.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2; Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson

Hugo; Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning

Real Steel; Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg

Rise of the Planet of the Apes; Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett

Transformers: Dark of the Moon; Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

They really had a thing for automatons this year, didn't they? Boxing with Hugh Jackman in Real Steel, helping a young boy find a message from his father in Hugo, or destroying Chicago in Robots Go SMASH!!! 3, it was their year to shine. Even though this prize is definitely going to Planet of the Apes; how could you possibly argue against Caesar and his ape army?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants; screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash

Hugo; screenplay by John Logan

The Ides of March; screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon

Moneyball; screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, story by Stan Chervin

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Only one nomination for The Ides of March, but hey, its a nomination! And a deserving one too: the film was a marvelous adaptation of Willimon's play Farragut North, making the translation from stage to screen without losing any of its power. I'm also glad to see Tinker Tailor's dense, opaque script get a nomination too.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist; written by Michel Hazanavicius

Bridesmaids; written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig

Margin Call; written by JC Chandor

Midnight in Paris; written by Woody Allen

A Separation; written by Asghar Farhadi

I told you all Margin Call would be in this, and what do you know, there it is! The biggest - and most pleasant - surprise here is that the writers' branch chose to nominate Farhadi's A Separation script over other contenders such as Win Win, Young Adult, Take Shelter, The Tree of Life, and 50/50. There was a time when foreign-language scripts flourished here, and I'm glad to see that its still more than possible.

Oscar Nominations Tomorrow Morning!

2012-01-23T14:07:00.001-05:00

Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis are excited, and they have plenty of reason to be: not only are they virtual locks for nominations in their respective categories (Supporting Actress and Actress), but they are among the frontrunners to win those Oscars. The nominations - announced by Jennifer Lawrence and AMPAS president Tom Sherak - will be unveiled tomorrow morning at 8:30. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a full list with commentary!

This is The Entertainment Junkie's 500th Blog Post

2012-01-21T21:32:00.002-05:00

To commemorate this event, here's a bunch of .gifs of Andy Dwyer doing things. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Oscar Predictions: January 2012

2012-01-20T22:57:00.006-05:00

There's only four days left until this year's Oscar nominees are announced. In other words, Christmas Eve is almost here (Christmas Day would be the Oscar ceremony, you see)! This also means that these are my final predictions. Do I feel comfortable with them? Some more than others. This year has been wonderfully difficult to predict, with a certain degree of variety among the various awards bodies that's much more interesting than last year's "we love these and these only" work. So here we go.

BEST PICTURE

The Descendants

The Artist

Hugo

The Help

Midnight in Paris

War Horse

The Tree of Life

Moneyball

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

As you can see, I bolded some of the titles. I'm predicting that there will be eight nominees this year, and those are the films I'm guessing will be among them. The Artist is the current frontrunner, and there's a massive backlash coming against it, but you'd be foolish to think that will prevent it from being nominated. The Descendants, Hugo, The Help, Midnight in Paris, and even War Horse are pretty much assured spots as well; they'll only be excluded if there's some sort of massive swing in momentum for, well, anything else. I refuse to give up the idea that The Tree of Life has a large enough and passionate enough fan base to score a nomination. Moneyball is the sketchiest of the eight I'm predicting; there's a lot of support for the film, but is it first-place vote support? I believe that Drive is in the same position as The Tree of Life, but the former probably doesn't have enough support to actually get in. Meanwhile, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has suddenly come through with a vengeance, scoring surprising nominations from both the PGAs and the DGAs. It could be too late, but this is also the time for such support, so don't be surprised to see it squeeze in. And after the poor reviews for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, its going to need a virtual coupe d'tat to get a nomination here.

BEST DIRECTOR

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Hazanavicius and Scorsese have won virtually every precursor so far, so they're definitely in. So is Payne, who's been riding on the precursor success of his film. The DGA nominations included two surprising directors, along with an equally surprising exclusion. Allen managed a nomination, as did David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), at the expense of Steven Spielberg (War Horse). Allen seems like a fairly good bet, especially since they'll want to recognize him for having his biggest hit ever in Midnight. But he hasn't been nominated in this category since 1994, and could the Best Picture nomination and screenplay be enough? Spielberg has bared the burden of War Horse's most prominent complaints, which could prevent him from making the cut. And though Dragon Tattoo has done remarkably lately on the campaign trail, I doubt it has enough momentum to get Fincher a nomination, especially when its far from a sure thing for Best Picture. I still think there's enough Malick admiration among the directors' branch to get him a nomination for his magnum opus, so he gets my last spot.

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, The Descendants

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Michael Fassbender, Shame

This category hasn't actually seen much change over the past month, with Clooney and Dujardin as the frontrunners. I'd say DiCaprio and Fassbender are the most vulnerable, and it wouldn't surprise me all that much to see Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Demian Bichir (A Better Life), or Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) take their place come Tuesday morning.

BEST ACTRESS

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Viola Davis, The Help

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk about Kevin

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

In my perfect world, Charlize Theron (Young Adult), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) would all be sure-thing nominees. Mara could still sneak in, especially with the weak notices that Close got for her extremely-reserved performance, but I doubt that its going to happen. The precursors have mostly stuck with these five women, and it'll likely stay that way. But let's all agree that this year was phenomenal for great actress performances.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Albert Brooks, Drive

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Nick Nolte, Warrior

Plummer has emerged as the clear frontrunner, with Brooks and Branagh following behind (the latter was far and away the best part of his film). The last two spots are trickier to figure out. Hill out to ride the Moneyball momentum into a nomination for his surprisingly restrained turn. The last spot will either go to Nolte or to Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close), both legends of the screen. My guess is that voters will respond more to Nolte's father-searching-for-redemption than they will Sydow's mute tenant.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

I may be really foolish for this, but I just don't think that Melissa McCarthy is going to get a nomination for Bridesmaids as everyone else is predicting. For one, I think Wiig's performance is actually better in the film. And voters usually like to throw support behind breakout performances from young actresses here, and Woodley was nothing short of astonishing in The Descendants. My guess is she'll find her way into the ceremony. Bejo, too, will likely ride The Artist wave to her first nomination.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Moneyball; screenplay by Steve Zallian and Aaron Sorkin (based on the nonfiction book by Michael Lewis)

The Descendants; screenplay by Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne & Jim Rash (based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings)

The Help; screenplay by Tate Taylor (based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett)

Hugo; screenplay by John Logan (based on the graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; screenplay by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughn (based on the novel by John le Carre)

I suppose there still is a chance that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo could score here (earning Zallian double nominations!), but I really don't think it will. My guess is that Tinker Tailor's taut, complex screenplay will be more favored by the writers' branch. The other four up there are pretty much shoo-ins at this point, now that War Horse has pretty much vanished from this race.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Midnight in Paris; written by Woody Allen

Bridesmaids; written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumulo

Margin Call; written by JC Chandor

The Artist; written by Michel Hazanavichius

Win Win; screenplay by Tom McCarthy, story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni

Similar to Best Actress, there are way too many good works in this category for just five nominations. I still hope and pray that the writers will recognize Young Adult's Diablo Cody again, but it just doesn't seem like they'll go completely comedic this year. That is perhaps the most surprising thing about this category this year: most of the strongest contenders are indeed comedies, a rarity for Oscar. That's why I'm convinced that Margin Call is still in the running for this: its timely and more dramatic, something that I'm sure they'll respond to well. With the exception of The Artist and Midnight in Paris, no one is guaranteed a spot here.

The Foreign Language Oscar Finalists for 2011

2012-01-18T19:07:00.001-05:00

And so, six days before the Oscar Nominations Morning, we finally get the finalist list for the Foreign Language category. I don't know if I've ever written about it here, but this is routinely one of the most fascinating categories for me, even more so than some of the major ones. There's a lot more going on here than in, say, Best Supporting Actor, because there's an added layer of global politics involved that makes for some very interesting choices. Its also a deeply flawed system. The submission process makes it difficult for some films to break out, and the reasoning behind some disqualifications is sketchy. For example, Albania's Forgiveness of Blood was disqualified this year because director Joshua Marston is American, and therefore the film was not "sufficiently Albanian" (curiously, this happened to Marston back in 2004 when Colombia submitted Maria Full of Grace; in both cases, the country submitted a different film).

I also have a big problem with the way that the Oscar is credited to the film's nation of origin, rather than to its producers/director. This problematic when you have a case like this year, when Iran's A Separation will likely be nominated. Yes, the film has been hailed a masterpiece, but should a nation that routinely violates human rights and, in relevance to this blog, persecutes filmmakers be rewarded with one of cinema's highest honors? It's Asghar Fahardi, not Iran, that deserves the Oscar.

And all of this is to say nothing of the obvious favoritism toward European cinema, particularly those countries west of the former Iron Curtain. France and Italy together account for over nearly half of this category's total nominations, and, to date, Argentina is the only nation outside of Europe with multiple Oscars. Its true that cinema was born in Europe, and that some of its most significant advancements came from European filmmakers, but now that many nations - first, second, and third-world - have the capability to make films, their artistic merits should be taken seriously as well.

These are, I suppose, complaints, but I have these complaints because I care about the category. And every year's nominees go on my watch list immediately, as I hope that they'll soon make their to my area or DVD. Its flawed, but magnificently so.

Anyway, this year's nine finalists include an interesting swath of films from different parts of the world, a few surprise inclusions and several surprising exclusions. The films vying for the five nominations are:

Bullhead, Belgium (5 nominations/0 wins)
Belgium's submission was marked with controversy, since many believed they would choose the Dardenne Brothers' well-received The Kid with the Bike. The film is supposedly about cattle ranchers who are involved with the mob. I'm not convinced, though, that its going to make the final cut.

Monsiuer Lazhar, Canada (5 nominations/1 win)
Canada was nominated last year for Incendies, and this film seems to cover similar thematic material with a story about an Algerian immigrant who becomes a school teacher. This seems to be a hot topic with the foreign branch, and Canada's hitting their sweet spot. This isn't a sure-thing for a nomination, but it's certainly a dark horse candidate.

Superclasico, Denmark (8 nominations/3 wins)
The reigning champion of this category makes it back onto the finalist list, this time with a marital comedy starring European superstar Paprika Steen. Comedy, as in the rest of Oscars, don't usually get much respect here, so a nomination would be very interesting indeed.

Pina, Germany (16 nominations/3 wins)
Germany dominated the last decade of this category, and this seems like a sure-thing to be nominated. Directed by the legendary Wim Wenders, this would be the first documentary to ever be nominated in this category, as it serves as a tribute to late choreographer Pina Bausch. Interestingly, its also on the finalist list for Best Documentary Feature; will that hurt its chances here? I'd say unlikely, but this is unprecedented.

A Separation, Iran (1 nomination/0 wins)
A nomination for this film is inevitable. I wouldn't necessarily chalk the win up to it just yet; voters in this category are notorious for passing over critically acclaimed films for popular or populist feel-good films (see: Departures winning over Waltz with Bashir in 2008). I really can't wait to see this, and like Pina, it could score multiple nominations: its still a possible contender for Best Original Screenplay.

Footnote, Israel (9 nominations/0 wins)
In 2009, with the nomination of Ajami, Israel officially passed Poland as the most nominated nation to never win the Oscar. In the past five years, Israel was nominated three times, so the nation clearly has some heat with this branch. And this film won Best Screenplay at Cannes last year. On a side note, I'm actually taking a class on Israeli cinema this semester, so a nomination would be fun.

Omar Killed Me, Morocco (0 nominations/0 wins)
Interestingly, this film comes from the same team that made recent Algerian nominees Days of Glory and Outside the Law. The story of a man who may be wrongfully imprisoned, it fits with those films thematically, which may be what voters responded to. Out of all the finalists, Morocco is the only one seeking its first nomination.

In Darkness, Poland (8 nominations/0 wins)
As I mentioned above, Poland has long been awaiting its first Oscar win as well. And this film would certainly be foolish to count out: its a Holocaust drama by Agnieska Holland, who was previously nominated for writing Europa Europa. If there's any film that could beat A Separation for the Oscar, its this one (on paper, at least).

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Taiwan (3 nominations/1 win)
This war epic about indigenous tribes fighting off an invading Japanese force is something of a surprise, since I've heard very little discussion about it until now. I doubt the fill will get nominated, but if it does, it would be the first Taiwanese nominee to not be directed by Ang Lee (this film is the work of Wei Te-sheng).

So who got left out? Most notably, Lebanon's Where Do We Go Now?, which won the audience prize at Toronto International Film Festival last year. Mexico's Miss Bala was also glaringly absent, perhaps the result of its erratic release strategy. Brazil's Elite Squad 2 - a massive domestic success - was considered a strong possibility, as was China's The Flowers of War, which was directed by the great Zhang Yimou and featured recent Oscar winner Christian Bale. France's Declaration of War - a cancer dramedy - was passed over (reminiscent of last year's snub for Of Gods and Men), and Finland's Le Havre didn't register with voters either, it seems. Turkey's Once Upon a Time in Anatolia also surprisingly missed the cut (was Rick Perry voting?). And Russia couldn't land on the list with Burnt by the Sun 2, the sequel to the nation's 1994 Oscar winner.

My predictions:
Superclasico
A Separation
Pina
Footnote
In Darkness

2011 Golden Globe Winners

2012-01-17T19:56:00.001-05:00

I apologize that this is coming two days late; now that the spring semester has started its going to be back to sporadic posting again. And even more unfortunate is that I didn't even watch the Globes this year. Instead, I relied on live-blogs to keep up with the winners. But no fear, I've got the complete list of winners here, with commentary on their wins and what that means for the Oscar race, as usual.

Don't worry, I swear live-blogging the Oscars will still happen. Nothing will take Hollywood's Biggest Night away from me.

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
The Descendants

This is a case of good news, bad news. The good news first: The Descendants earned this one (review coming soon), and it is no real surprise that it won. The bad news: Oscar has not been kind to the winner of this category, with only three of the last 10 winners going on to take home the Best Picture Oscar. So it may be other perceived frontrunners Hugo and War Horse that are the real winners here. And poor The Ides of March, getting four Globe nominations but leaving empty-handed.

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Another very deserving winner. Like the Oscars, Streep is one of the Globes' favorites, this marking her eighth trophy out of 26 nominations. The Best Actress race is shaping up to be Streep vs. Viola Davis (The Help), so it should be interesting to see if this will be the year Streep wins her third Oscar. This certainly is a strong case for her.

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
George Clooney, The Descendants

Now we know that not only is Clooney a real charmer, he also knows a great dick joke (at fellow nominee Michael Fassbender's expense). However, winning the Globe does not make Clooney the frontrunner; I would say that Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Jean Dujardin (see below), and even Fassbender are still in this. However, this doesn't help Ryan Gosling's (The Ides of March) chances.

BEST PICTURE, COMEDY/MUSICAL
The Artist

Because of course. The Artist is still considered the frontrunner for Best Picture, and this certainly didn't hurt its chances. Unfortunately, Bridesmaids probably needed the win here to be taken seriously as an Oscar contender.

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY/MUSICAL
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Williams was kind of a sure-thing here too, but its nice to see her win. I still think it would be foolish to count her out of the Oscar race; she's pretty much assured a nomination, but if the Academy is feeling frisky, they might overlook the film's lightness and do some Marilyn worshiping of their own by giving her the win. However, its a shame Kristen Wiig and Charlize Theron were passed over for their superior performances.

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY/MUSICAL
Jean Dujardin, The Artist

This one was essentially in the bag from the get-go. The Cannes Best Actor winner was the only one in the category with ecstatic reviews and any real Oscar heat, and its no real surprise that the charming Frenchman (apparently known as "the George Clooney of France") won.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Spencer has long been in the race, but she's making her way into frontrunner status now. However, this doesn't clean up who's going to nominated, which is still a race of seven women jockeying for five spots. But its great to see Spencer winning.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

If you haven't seen Beginners yet, do so now (#7 on the top 10 list). This race seems to have been between Plummer and Albert Brooks (Drive) all year; both will be nominated, but it seems that Plummer might have the momentum now.

BEST DIRECTOR
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Scorsese has received his fair share of notices for this film, but I'm a bit surprised that the Globes didn't go with Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), who's considered a real contender for the Oscar. Could this be one of those rare years when Best Director and Best Picture go to different films?

BEST SCREENPLAY
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

This is something of surprise too, since Moneyball and The Descendants have dominated the screenplay discussion so far. However, those two are adapted works, and thus won't be in competition with Midnight, which is original, at the Oscars. The Ides of March probably needed a win here to get back into this race as well.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin

Rango has thus far dominated the animation prizes. Tintin still has to overcome the hurdle of being a motion-capture film, but this win should go a long way towards making the Academy take it seriously.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A Separation (Iran)

A Separation has been doing remarkably well so far, and is probably still the Oscar frontrunner in this category. But unlike the Oscars, the Globe goes to the director and producers of the film, not to its country of origin. A while back my friend Glenn at Stale Popcorn wrote this terrific piece about whether the film should win the Oscar regardless of quality, and more on the basis of human rights violations in Iran. Check it out.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Even though the use of Bernard Herrman's Vertigo score in this film reportedly raped Kim Novak, it was still deemed original enough and good enough to be Golden Globe worthy. I'm sort of shocked they didn't go with John Williams' sweeping War Horse score, though. Is Bource becoming the one to beat?

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Masterpiece," W.E. (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, and Jimmy Harry)

So the movie didn't pan out well (namely, it was widely panned). However, Madonna still got to start what should be a big year for her with a Globe win, soon to be followed by her Super Bowl halftime show and a brand-new album. I can't recall if this showed up on the Academy shortlist, but even if it did, the Oscars have such ridiculously strange tastes that the win here is no guarantee for a nomination (as a side note: I'm with a number of people who think we should just do away with this category altogether, since it doesn't actually have much to do with the craft of filmmaking and so few movies actually rely on original songs anymore. I could understand if original movie musicals were still popular, but alas, it seems that will never be again. Allow me to stare wistfully out the window while I hum a few bars of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow...").

And now for the television winners.

BEST DRAMA SERIES
Homeland

The Golden Globes tend to like shiny new things when it comes to TV (see that American Horror Story nomination), and so I'm not completely surprised they went with Homeland here. The show's ecstatic reviews means this will probably show up in this year's Emmy nominations, and maybe even pose a threat to break the Mad Men Monopoly on the category (because Mad Men will be eligible this year; April 1 premiere date!).

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Claire Danes, Homeland

I suspect she's going to repeat at this year's Emmys. I mean, who else has the kind of love that she got for going all crazy-lady on us?

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Kelsey Grammer, Boss

Ok, so the Globes are notorious starfuckers, which might be why Grammer won this category over Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), and Damien Lewis (Homeland). But I've heard good things about him on this show, and given how low ratings were in its first season, it could use this kind of awards attention to keep it afloat.

BEST COMEDY/MUSICAL SERIES
Modern Family

They had a chance to do something really special and show some love for the underrated Enlightened, and I'm still pissed that they didn't nominate Parks & Recreation here. But Modern Family has been dependably solid (though still problematic), and hey, its not Glee or New Girl. (Note: I should say that I don't hate New Girl. Its turned in some solid episodes, and I usually get at least one good laugh out of each episode. But its done very little to develop Jess as an interesting character rather than a collection of Zooey Deschanel quirks, and the storytelling is often sketchy at best. It hasn't really figured out what kind of show it wants to be yet, and it seems to have settled into a groove of half-baked ideas that's squandering the promise that's definitely there. So what I'm saying is that its not bad, and it could get better, but its definitely not award-worthy.)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY/MUSICAL SERIES
Laura Dern, Enlightened

There was no way that I wouldn't be pleased with any of the nominated ladies winning (well, maybe Deschanel), but I love me some Laura Dern, and I can't wait to get my hands on the first season of Enlightened. Will the Emmys follow suit and recognize her?

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY/MUSICAL SERIES
Matt Leblanc, Episodes

Well, I can't say I saw that one coming. Sure, he was surprisingly Emmy nominated too, but...starfucking, except is LeBlanc really a star? I saw the first two episodes of Episodes (hah!) on the Dexter Season 5 DVD set (shhh...I do still like that show, and I'm not ashamed to say it), and I wasn't really impressed by LeBlanc, but he was barely present too, so maybe I just need to see more?

BEST MINISERIES/TV MOVIE
Downton Abbey

As if anything else would win.

BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES/TV MOVIE
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Another obvious choice. That's another Golden Globe for Winslet's mantle (she has three now).

BEST ACTOR IN A MINISERIES/TV MOVIE
Idris Elba, Luther

Luther's on Netflix, and I've been meaning to catch up, because I love some Idris Elba too. Good for him for getting the Globe recognition.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN TELEVISION
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

I still haven't figured out if I actually like AHS yet or if I'm just impressed by how balls-to-the-wall insane it is, but Lange was routinely the best aspect of the show as conniving neighbor Constance. I would be surprised if she doesn't pick up an Emmy for this too.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN TELEVISION
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

When is this coming to DVD? Ever since it premiered on HBO (I can't afford pay cable, unfortunately), I've been meaning to check this show out. But I'm glad that the uber-talented Dinklage is finally getting major awards recognition. How about some more terrific film roles a la The Station Agent?

Top 10 Anticipated Films of 2012

2012-01-06T15:23:00.004-05:00

2012 is looking like the Year of the Franchise: sequels, prequels, and Transformers 3.5: You Sank My Battleship! will likely dominate the cinematic landscape. None of these, of course, are necessarily terrible sight-unseen - though some, such as Battleship, have certainly set a very low bar. But I present to you the ten films that I am most looking forward to this year, plus a handful of others that are on my radar and could very well be interesting. The rankings are not necessarily concrete; the order changes for some every day, though number one is definitely, well, number one. As always, feel free to share what you're looking forward to in the comments.

1. Django Unchained (expected release date: 12/25)

Quentin Tarantino is one of my absolute favorite directors; I still defend Death Proof as a misunderstood film. So anytime he decides to make a new film, you can bet its going to be near the top of my anticipation list. Django Unchained, his follow-up to Inglourious Basterds, is another history-rewriting revenge thriller of questionable taste: Django (Jamie Foxx), a former slave, enlists the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from a ruthless slave owner (an against-type Leonardo DiCaprio). Tarantino's pulled off some great revenge films in the last decade with Kill Bill and Basterds, and anyone who's nervous about his handling of race should remember his criminally underrated Jackie Brown. And the rest of the cast includes Sasha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael K. Williams, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, and Don Johnson. I can't think of a better way to spend Christmas Day this year.

2. The Dark Knight Rises (7/20)

The anticipation from fans for this is already near a fever pitch: when the first six-minutes of the film were previewed in IMAX theaters, the uproar about Bane's (Tom Hardy) garbled dialogue was enough to convince director Christopher Nolan (or at least the execs at Warner Brothers) to clean it up a bit. Then there was the trailer, which apparently blew up the Steelers and teased that this film was going for socially allegory. This will be the last Batman to be done by Nolan and star Christian Bale, and it goes without saying that after The Dark Knight set a new high-mark in terms of quality and box-office grosses, the pressure on this one is high. Even if it is a failure, it should be a spectacular one. And with a cast that includes returning players Michael Caine and Gary Oldman, as well as Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard, it should be another great entry in this franchise. Hopefully it'll go out with a bang, since it will inevitably be rebooted for the third time within a few years.

3. Prometheus (6/8)

Maybe its an Alien sequel. Or is it a prequel? Or is it an original story taking place within the world of Alien? It's impossible to get a clear answer from anyone involved, but here's what we do know: the cast includes Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, and Michael Fassbender. The script is by Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour) and Lost writer/showrunner Damon Lindelof. This is director Ridley Scott's third foray into science-fiction. The other two? Alien and Blade Runner, both classics of the genre. There's no telling what this could be, but after checking out the awesome trailer, finding out should be fascinating.

4. Gravity (11/20)

Here's another mysterious sci-fi project from an acclaimed director. This will be Alfonso Cuaron's first film in six years, and that was Children of Men, a masterpiece. He's reunited with Men cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezski, which means we can expect plenty of gorgeous images. The plot finds Sandra Bullock playing the lone survivor on a space station trying to get back to Earth, with George Clooney playing...someone. This film is also being kept under wraps, with nary a trailer or official image in sight, but with this creative team involved, I expect something astonishing.

5. Les Miserables (12/7)

Can you believe its taken this long for the classic musical, based on Victor Hugo's novel, to make it to the big screen? This film will grant two of my greatest cinematic wishes by giving Hugh Jackman (playing Jean Valjean) AND Anne Hathaway (Fatine) the musical they've always needed to do, and the addition of Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert should prove to be interesting, at least. Director Tom Hooper is coming off his Oscar win for The King's Speech, and though he doesn't have much experience with musicals, he does have a way with actors. The inclusion of Taylor Swift - a decent enough voice, but can she act? - is offset by the inclusion of Broadway vet Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal), as well as Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter bringing comic relief as Monsieur and Madame Thenardier, respectively. Hopefully this team will do justice to the music and the drama.

6. The Master (unknown)

And here's yet another long-gestating project from a master filmmaker that's shrouded in mystery: this will be Paul Thomas Anderson's first film since 2007's There Will Be Blood. The plot apparently involves a cult leader in the 1950s and his organization, supposedly based on Scientology. The cast includes Philip Seymour Hoffman in the lead, Amy Adams, Joaquin Phoenix, Jesse Plemmons, and Laura Dern. There's no release date yet, and even the title is uncertain (some material still lists it as Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project). But considering Anderson's track record, this one is looking like another winner.

7. Brave (6/22)

Last year, Pixar had a rare hiccup with Cars 2, a film that wasn't completely terrible but was still exactly what you'd expect with Larry the Cable Guy as your lead. This will be Pixar's first original concept film since 2009's Up, and more significantly, it will be the studio's first film to feature a female lead. Its also the studio's first film to feature a female writer and director, as Brenda Chapman co-directs with Mark Andrews and co-wrote the script with Irene Mecchi. Kelly MacDonald voices Princess Merida, a firey-maned warrior seeking the respect of her Scottish community. It already looks like a beautiful film, and you should never count Pixar out when it comes to these kinds of stories.

8. The Avengers (5/4)

This is the film that Marvel has been building towards for four years now, ever since the breakout success of Iron Man. Its a big gamble of a film, since this sort of team-up has never been attempted, and after several feature-length commercials last year (Thor, Captain America), hopefully this will provide some real bang for our bucks. Resoundingly in the film's plus column - and really the biggest reason I'm excited about this - is director Joss Whedon, who has proved time and time again that he can handle large casts and almost overwhelming mythology (Buffy, Firefly, Dollhouse). This ensemble includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, and Samuel L. Jackson, and bringing back Tom Hiddleston's impish Loki as the villain is a wise choice. Here's hoping this shines with snappy dialogue and action rather than disappoint.

9. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12/14)

I guess its time to confess: I greatly admire Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. I think they're technically masterful, and the story they tell is handled with the appropriate, awe-inspiring scale that rightfully made Jackson an established director of spectacle. But I didn't love the films. I think they're good, but not great. I was never a fan of Tolkien's books, so maybe that's a factor. All of this is to say that I didn't go crazy when this project finally got on track, and I wasn't jumping up and down when the first trailer premiered. But with Jackson back at the helm and a script written by Jackson, wife/writing partner Fran Walsh and Guillermo del Toro (who was once attached to direct), I wouldn't mind taking another trip to Middle Earth. And, who knows, maybe it's not too late to fall in love.

10. Moonrise Kingdom (5/25)

I've always been a supporter of Wes Anderson; he's practically spawned a genre unto himself, and though he's had countless imitators over the years, no one's come close to matching him. He hit a true high with 2009's Fantastic Mr. Fox, and he's returning to live-action filmmaking with this film, a 1960s New England set story about two young lovers who run away, leading the whole town to set out looking for them. The cast includes Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, and Edward Norton, as well as Anderson mainstays Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. It sounds like a winner to me, and I'm looking forward to being charmed again.

Here's a handful of other films that should prove to be interesting, for various reasons.

John Carter (3/9)

It's Pixar's first stab at live-action filmmaking, providing the special effects work in this epic based on Edgar Rice Burrough's John Carter of Mars. Like fellow Pixar-mate Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton is making his live-action debut here. Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) will take his first stab at the A-list as the titular hero, a Civil War vet strangely transported to Mars, where he leads a resistance against an evil force. A script by Stanton, Brave's Mark Andrews and acclaimed novelist Michael Chabon add to the intrigue. The only concern is that it looks a bit too much like a Prince of Persia-meets-Avatar knockoff.

Haywire (1/20)

Last year, Steven Soderbergh put together a huge cast of A-listers for Contagion, which turned a nation of moviegoers into germophobes. Now he's done the same for this spy thriller, with MMA fighter Gina Carano sparring with Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, and Ewan McGregor. The fight sequences are supposedly a marvel to behold, and I'm always interested in whatever out-of-left-field approach Soderbergh takes to everything he does. This could be one of the better action movies of the year.

Snow White and the Huntsman (6/1)

There are two Snow White movies coming to theaters this year. One, Mirror Mirror, looks like a complete and utter fiasco directed by Tarsem Singh that I cannot wait to see on DVD one day so that I can marvel at its fiasco-ness. Huntsman, on the other hand, could be something else: Kristen Stewart is a fine actress outside of that awful franchise that made her a star, and if role is right she could be great. So far, Chris Hemsworth seems to borrow from the Taylor Lautner Acting School for Sentient Woodcarvings, and I don't actually have expectations for him. What really strikes me about this is Charlize Theron's role as the Evil Queen, which that fantastic trailer seems to show her reveling in. First-time director Rupert Sanders seems to be a striking visual artist: just look at that image of Theron rising from the milk(?). It could be the surprise of the summer.

Lincoln (12/?)

Steven Spielberg's long-in-the-works Lincoln biopic is finally going before cameras, now with Daniel Day-Lewis playing the 16th president, Sally Field as Mary Todd, and Jared Harris as General Ulysses S. Grant. The new screenplay now has Tony Kushner on scripting duties, working with John Logan's and Paul Webb's original. Who knows what kind of film this could end up being, but with Spielberg's name on it, its sure to be one to watch for.

Skyfall (11/9)

Yeah, yeah, I know: "its the new James Bond! The first one in four years! Daniel Craig! How is this not in your top 10?" Look, I considered it, but at this point I'm just not dying for this one. The premise, with MI6 under attack, sounds interesting, and with Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, and Albert Finney rounding out the cast, there's plenty of thespian pleasure to be had here. But at the same time, that's just the thing: I kind of miss the days when Bond wasn't all Jason Bourne-d, but was the fun escapism of watching Bond beat the bad guys and score the girl with his slick suave. It wasn't prestigious, for sure, but it was fun, which was all we ever really asked for from this franchise. Director Sam Mendes has worked with this sort of thing before in Jarhead, but it should be interesting to see what he does with this nonetheless.

The Dictator (5/11)

Sacha Baron Cohen can be a terrific satirist, and he's mining the same territory he worked with in Borat. Here, he stars as a vaguely Middle Eastern dictator who comes to America, and presumably hilarity ensues. There's the usual mix of racial humor and tasteless jokes (the trailer's 9/11 joke being particularly unsettling), all intended to be shocking. But the cast includes John C. Reilly, Anna Faris, and Ben Kingsley, so this could be something fun. Its ultimately a riff on Coming to America, but hopefully with Cohen it will be a riotous one.

The Amazing Spider-Man (7/3)

Yes, Andrew Garfield will probably make a fine Peter Parker. Yes, Emma Stone - the ultimate cool-girl-in-high-school-you-always-wanted-to-date-but-never-did - is in this as Gwen Stacy, a character last seen in Spider-Man 3. Yes, Rhys Ifans is The Lizard. And yes, director Marc Webb did great with his feature debut (500) Days of Summer, and he's working with a screenplay from James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), Steve Kloves (the Harry Potter franchise) and...Alvin Sargent (Ordinary People)? But let's be honest with ourselves: its only been 10 years since the first Spider-Man film swung into our hearts (and wallets). Do we really need this one at this moment?

Rust & Bone (unknown)

This may not even make it Stateside this year, but it stars Marion Cotillard, one of my favorite actresses, as an amputee, and is written and directed by Jacques Audiard, who's last film was the masterful prison drama Un Prophete (A Prophet). There aren't many details about his one outside of it being a mystery story, but my interest is already piqued.

The Great Gatsby (12/25)

This Christmas we get a double-serving of Leonardo DiCaprio, as he will also be starring in Baz Luhrmann's long-awaited adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel. Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher and Joel Edgerton round out the cast. It's probably foolish to expect Luhrmann to ever reach the grandiose heights of his masterpiece, Moulin Rouge!, here, and his decision to shoot this drama in 3D is questionable. But given his track record so far - Australia being his only real dud - I'm putting some trust in him and his creative team to deliver something great.

Only God Forgives (unknown)

Director Nicolas Winding Refn follows up Drive with this film about a Bangkok policeman and gangster fighting in a Thai-boxing match, starring Ryan Gosling and Kristen Scott Thomas. Do I even need to say more? (Side note: how adorable is that picture of Refn and Gosling?)

Chronicle (2/3)

Found-footage has become a genre unto itself, but Chronicle finds it being applied to the superhero film. The excellent trailer hints at an intriguing darkness, and the use of Seattle as the setting could provide some interesting atmospherics. The biggest plus is that Friday Night Lights' Michael B. Jordan stars, hopefully opening up a long career for this very talented actor. Also, the script is by Max Landis, the son of John Landis, who directed every '80s comedy you love.

The Hunger Games (3/23)

I've never actually read The Hunger Games books, but I've been curious about them. Anticipation for this one is high in general, and to be honest, only two things kept this film from making my top 10: 1) it seems to be trying too hard to be the next Twilight, expectations that were shoved upon it but it didn't necessarily have to comply to, and 2) doesn't it seem hypocritical to make a movie about the evils of drawing entertainment from killing into exactly that? Director Gary Ross' only two films, Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, were excellent though not without flaws, and a cast with Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutchinson, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Elizabeth Banks is certainly promising. Bonus points for being filmed around my new home of Asheville, North Carolina.

The Cabin in the Woods (4/13)

This one's got a lot of curiosity surrounding it: it was shot several years ago, held up in distribution hell, and is now finally seeing the light of day. It's directed by Drew Goddard (who wrote the Cloverfield script), and co-written by Goddard and Joss Whedon, with a cast full of Whedon players such as Fran Kranz (Dollhouse) and Amy Acker (Angel). This could be a delightfully scary riff on horror tropes.

Magic Mike (6/29)

Steven Soderbergh sure is busy for a guy supposedly about to retire. This will be his third film in under a year - following Contagion and Haywire - and is reportedly based on star Channing Tatum's experiences as a male stripper. This looks pretty frivolous, but with Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Rodriguez, Matt Bomer, and Joe Manganiello in the cast, it will be, if nothing else, very, very easy to watch.

The 2nd Annual Jarmo Awards

2012-01-04T22:27:00.003-05:00

So, you may ask, what are the Jarmos? They are The Entertainment Junkie's version of all those critics' associations' awards, only these don't actually have any impact on the Oscar race (you could argue those don't either, but, you know...). You can check out last year's winners here, and this year I'm shaking things up by including runners-up in each category. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments; I'm curious to hear what you think.

Also, there is no Best Picture prize this year, because you can find that out by checking out my top 10 list.

BEST ACTRESS

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

(Runner-up: Viola Davis, The Help)

A lot has been made about the fact that Lizzy is the sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the former-moppets-turned-stick-figures. But after seeing Martha Marcy May Marlene, those twiggy twins will be the last thing on your mind. Olsen has a very rare talent, embodying her Martha (or is she Marcy May?) with magnetic paranoia and uncertainty, yet does so with an otherworldly confidence, grace, and subtlety. There's a hollowness in her character's eyes - rivaled only by Rooney Mara - that makes her perfect for playing this now-empty vessel of a woman, undone by the cult she escaped; see her in interviews, and she's vivacious. The fact that this is her first film makes her work all the more incredible. Her work is too low-key to earn her an Oscar nomination, but I still cannot wait to see what she does next.

BEST ACTOR

(tie) Tom Cullen and Chris New, Weekend

(Runner-up: Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

There's no way you can declare one of these men's performances to be superior to the others because they are so intertwined, so...necessary to each other that they're inseparable, not unlike the characters they play. Both men are relative newcomers, which helps make their chemistry seem even more lived-in and candid. It's that latter characteristic that makes their performances, and therefore the film, a resounding success; after all, these are two men (Cullen plays the reserved Russell, while New plays free-spirited Glen) who have only known each other for a single weekend. But that sense of authenticity makes their blossoming love a truly beautiful thing, and its hard to imagine anyone other than these two pulling that off.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life

(Runner-up: Melanie Laurent, Beginners)

It can be difficult for actors to embody a character, especially if that character comes from a background that the actor has never experienced. In Terrence Malick's philosophy thesis on the history of creation, Chastain has to do more than play a character, the Mother: she has to embody the concept of Grace, the force that provides the warm, elegant, joyous yang to Nature's (as embodied by Brad Pitt) cold, harsh, and remote yin. By some miracle, given how she's been exceedingly busy these past few years, Chastain does this magnificently, bringing a maternal kindness to the role while simultaneously being a philosophical premise and a living, breathing human being. Its a remarkable feat, and I can guarantee you that The Tree of Life would not be nearly as successful without her brilliant work. She'll likely be nominated for her lightweight work in The Help, but this was where she proved herself to be an actress to watch.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

(Runner-up: Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life)

Christopher Plummer has had such a long career, full of so many iconic roles, that it can be hard to believe that Beginners' Hal Fields, a elderly widow who is diagnosed with cancer just as he comes out of the closet to son Oliver (Ewan McGregor), would become one of, if not the, finest of them all. Plummer plays Hal with such vivacity and joy that even he seems to forget that he's dying at times, but he still lends profoundly affecting gravitas to the film's more somber scenes. The legend is simply, if not necessarily unexpectedly, remarkable here, the ever-present twinkle in his eye shining brighter than ever.

BEST CAMEO APPEARANCE

Adrien Brody, Midnight in Paris
(Runner-up: Cicely Tyson, The Help)

"Rhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinoceros!" That's pretty much all that needs to be said about his hilarious appearance as Salvador Dali.

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

(Runner-up: Jessica Chastain in seemingly everything, but specifically Take Shelter, The Tree of Life, and The Help)

See: Best Actress.

BEST ENSEMBLE

Beginners

(Runner-up: The Ides of March)

What a crackerjack cast Mike Mills put together for this film: Ewan McGregor gives one of the finest performances of his career, perhaps his best since winning hearts (mine included) as Christian in Moulin Rouge! ten years ago; Christopher Plummer is brilliant, as I've already written; Melanie Laurent is soulful and adorable as the quirky actress McGregor's Oliver falls for; Goran Visnjic appears as Hal's younger lover; Mary Page Keller as Oliver's late mother. And let's not forget Cosmo, playing precious mutt Arthur, who's thoughts are presented via subtitles. There's nary a false note among any of these performances, and it makes the film immensely enjoyable and personal.

BEST DIRECTOR

Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

(Runner-up: Rupert Wyatt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

There were a significant number of director-driven (no pun intended) films this year, but none were more emphatic, more revelatory, or more remarkable that Drive. Ryan Gosling was the ostensible star, but the film easily belonged to Refn, who put together this existential actioner with remarkable precision and a knowing eye for homage to other great man-and-a-car movies. He also knows a thing or too about cool, marrying the awesome soundtrack with his slick visual style that makes you simply gawk at how amazing everything is. And this is to say nothing of his masterful use of violence, holding back before powerfully letting go. Drive is more than just a film; its Refn's love letter to '70s and '80s Hollywood cinema, and it'll just about make you fall in love with the movies all over again.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Moneyball; screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

(Runner-up: The Ides of March; screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon)

First of all, congratulations to Aaron Sorkin for being the first multiple Jarmo recipient; feel free to come collect the prize whenever you have time, I promise I'll have something slapped together by then. Michael Lewis' nonfiction book was all about how Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane (played by Brad Pitt) used a statistical formula known as sabermetrics to build a World Series-contending baseball team out of low-budget players rather than superstars, a formula that didn't work for his A's but did for higher-profile teams such as the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. Not exactly thrilling material for a movie. But in Zaillian and Sorkin's more-than-capable hands, it became the story of a man who's used to being an underdog fighting his way to respectability, even though he's playing a losing game with insurmountable odds. Through all the numbers and baseball lingo they find a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit, and the result is a film that beats with a human heart and snappy dialogue.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Martha Marcy May Marlene; written by Sean Durkin

(Runner-up: Young Adult; written by Diablo Cody)

Durkin's script for his feature film debut is a master class in restraint: if the main rule of cinema is to show, not tell, then this is the perfect example. Throughout the film, so much more is implied rather than explicitly stated, from the principles that cult leader Patrick teaches to many of the actions they do; hell, the word "cult" is never once uttered. Durkin isn't interested in the cult itself. What he wants to explore is how that experience has changed this woman, and how tenuous - but absolutely necessary - our concept of identity really is. And he does all of this quietly: no big speeches, no explicit statement of themes, just low-key storytelling. That's writing at its finest.

MOST SURPRISING FILM

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

(Runner-up: The Help)

As I said in my top 10 list, there was no reason why there should have even been another Planet of the Apes movie, much less expect it to be any good. But wow, what a film it was, buoyed by exquisitely-staged action and a marvelous motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis as rebel-leader Caesar. Who knew?

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

Cowboys & Aliens

(Runner-up: J. Edgar)

I'm not foolish enough to think that Cowboys & Aliens was going to be some sort of cinematic masterpiece. But I had hopes that it would be the sort of stupid-awesome summer entertainment that its ridiculous title promised. Instead we got a self-serious film that was riddled with one Western cliche after another, aliens that were neither menacing or original, and a truly tasteless evocation of the Challenger disaster. It was stupid, all right, but it forgot to be anything close to fun.

The Entertainment Junkie's Top 10 Films of 2011

2012-01-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

Yeah, its been a few days since 2012 actually began, but now its time for The Entertainment Junkie's 2011 Year in Review Extravaganza TM. Today is the Top 10 films of the year, followed by the Jarmo Awards tomorrow (my own personal Oscars, if you will), and on Thursday a look ahead at what this year will bring in theaters. Feel free to share your own favorites and your thoughts in the comments.

10. Moneyball (dir. Bennett Miller)

"Its hard not to get romantic about baseball." This is what Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), general manager of the Oakland A's, tells Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) early on in the film. Its hard not to get romantic about Moneyball, either, as writers Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin and director Miller take Michael Lewis' statistics-minded nonfiction bestseller and turn it into a portrait of outsized ambition and human tenacity, of how success and failure often go hand-in-hand. Its hard to not get romantic about Pitt's brilliant, soulful performance, one of the best of his career, or Hill's surprisingly nuanced work as Beane's unlikely business partner. Its hard to not get romantic about the beautiful cinematography, making the various baseball stadiums seem like cathedrals to the human spirit. And its hard not to get romantic about the film's standout scene, in which Beane listens to his daughter sing (anachronistically, but that's neither here nor there) to him what he's always needed to hear: "just enjoy the show."

9. The Tree of Life (dir. Terrence Malick)

The Tree of Life arrived with such monumental anticipation (from the arthouse crowd, at least) that it seemed inevitable that many would hail it a masterpiece. After all, this is the most ambitious film Malick, cinema's foremost naturalist/philosopher, has made so far, putting the entire history of creation into the context of one Texas family in the 1950s. For some, this film was practically a religious experience, and combined with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezski's awe-inspiring images, its exploration of Nature versus Grace is a wonder to behold. The film is not without its problems; there are segments (by now you know the ones) that seem underdeveloped. But it comes very close to being a masterpiece, and while Malick and Lubezski have dominated the attention, it wouldn't be nearly as effective without the powerful and captivating performances of Brad Pitt as the father (and, philosophically, Nature), Jessica Chastain as the mother (Grace), and Hunter McCracken as their oldest son (Man). The film's received a lot of comparisons to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and those comparisons are well-earned in every right. But if Kubrick's film was a look at creation as mechanical and cold, The Tree of Life is a celebration of the heart and soul of life.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (dir. David Yates)

Did the final Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows, necessarily need to be split into two movies? Probably not. But doing so gave each film room to breathe, and the result was an action-packed, high-stakes finale for the highest-grossing franchise of all time. It could have been a limp entry in the series (like Goblet of Fire), but instead it soared, functioning on all cylinders and delivering the goods in a manner that was certainly satisfactory for fans like me. Sure, it could have delved more into Snape's (Alan Rickman, the franchise's MVP) backstory with Lily Potter (Geraldine Somerville) instead of including the "we're all grown up!" epilogue (it was tacky in the book, and its tacky here too). But this was the filmmaking team putting everything together one last time, and everyone seemed to be giving it their all. The resulting film was a fantastically fun end to the series, and a great thing to enjoy before the franchise is inevitably "rebooted" in 10-20 years.

7. Beginners (dir. Mike Mills)

It seems that every year, I come across a film that I see at just the right moment in my life. When I went to see Beginners last summer, someone close to me had recently come out of the closet, and I found myself at the end of long relationship wondering what would come next. What I saw in Mills' very personal film, about a man, Oliver (Ewan McGregor), whose father (Christopher Plummer) comes out to him and is diagnosed with cancer, was also personal to me. This is cutesy in a very-indie way (not surprising, considering Mills is married to none other than Miranda July), but never overbearingly so. What makes it work so well is that it has a beating heart in McGregor, Plummer, and Melaine Laurent, who plays Oliver's love interest Anna. This is a film about how you're never too old to realize yourself and be happy, and its a lovely mini-marvel.

6. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (dir. Rupert Wyatt)

There was absolutely no reason to have any expectations for this film at the beginning of the year. The original Planet of the Apes has gained some notoriety as a "masterpiece," but its really an overglorified but still fun B-movie, the sequels were far from great, and Tim Burton's 2001 remake has its merits but its ultimately a disappointment. But something incredible happened here: Rise turned out to not just be good, but really good, easily the best entry in this unlikely franchise. The reason for this comes from two men, neither of whom ever appear onscreen. Wyatt, who only had one director's credit prior to this, proves himself to be a masterful action director; just check out that brilliant breakout sequence and siege of San Francisco. The other is Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar the chimpanzee in motion-capture. Though James Franco, Frieda Pinto, and John Lithgow fill out the human cast, this is Caesar's story, and Serkis plays him as an all-too-human tragic figure, abandoned and then leading a resistance. These two, combined with some truly remarkable visual effects, made this the surprise of the year.

5. The Ides of March (dir. George Clooney)

There was perhaps no better year for this underrated political morality play to premiere. With the circus that is the Republican debates proving (among other things) that no one is politics is beneath attacking one another, the time seemed right for a twisty political thriller. The Ides of March, based on co-screenwriter Beau Willimon's play Farragut North, takes place in the days before an Ohio Democratic primary, where Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) and his crack campaign staff headed by Steve (Ryan Gosling) and Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are seeking a critical victory. However, things get out-of-hand as secrets are revealed, and Steve has to decide whether he should stay on the Morris campaign or defect to his opponent's camp. There's a lot of turmoil here, as power corrupts before its even attained. The moral: nobody makes it in politics without getting blood on their hands.

4. Young Adult (dir. Jason Reitman)

This was the year of "women behaving badly," between the antics of the Bridesmaids to Jennifer Aniston's Horrible Bosses to Cameron Diaz being a Bad Teacher. But no female character was more deliciously and heartbreakingly irredeemable than Mavis Gary, Charlize Theron's ghost-writing, Diet-Coke-and-whiskey-swilling, homewrecking character in Young Adult. This film, written with deep-cutting humor by Juno scribe Diablo Cody, takes on the hard truth of growing up and undiagnosed mental illness, as Mavis decides to win back her high-school sweetheart Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), who's now married with a new baby. Theron is smart enough to understand the character and play her without looking for sympathy or empathy, and everyone around her both acknowledges and encourages her issues. The film's humor comes almost in spite of itself, deftly walking the line between comedy and tragedy from beginning to end. Mavis may not be a good person, but her travails definitely make for a terrific movie.

3. Weekend (dir. Andrew Haigh)

The concept is simple: Russell (Tom Cullen) goes to a gay club in his native Nottingham, picks up Glenn (Chris New), and the two have a one-night stand that becomes something more. And Haigh wisely takes a minimalist approach with this film, avoiding contrivances and cliches and instead letting these two simply exist with each other. This couldn't have been a better choice: Cullen and New have the best chemistry of any on-screen couple this year, and watching the two of them interact is captivating. This is an intimate film that focuses almost exclusively on its characters, allowing us to get to know them as they get to know each other. The love that develops between them is crushing, and by the end you can't help but hope to see them again soon. It's perhaps the best film about a random romantic encounter since Before Sunrise.

2. Martha Marcy May Marlene (dir. Sean Durkin)

The title is in itself the central mystery of the film: who are the women? They are all, in fact, the same woman, as played by Elizabeth Olsen, who becomes involved with a cult in the Catskills and escapes to live with her sister (Sarah Paulson) and her husband (Hugh Dancy). But is Martha, known as Marcy May in the commune and Marlene over the phone, again Martha once she escapes, or is she still Marcy May? Or, more frightening, is she none of the above? Durkin's film is a masterful, complex, and beautifully shot and acted rumination on identity, and he proves himself to be one to watch. So does Olsen, who's remarkably subtle in her performance and completely engrossing; you'll never take your eyes off her, even as the emptiness in her eyes dares you to. The film also provided the most indelibly creepy and hypnotic sequence in film this year: Patrick's (a magnificent John Hawkes) rendition of "Marcy's Song" as everyone gathers around to listen. MMMM is a quiet film, but it will haunt you long after its over.

1. Drive (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)

The first time I saw Drive (I ended up seeing it three times; I rarely see a movie more than once in theaters), the first thing I did was get on iTunes and bought the soundtrack. I proceeded to burn that soundtrack to a disc, and then put that disc in my car's CD changer, where it has resided ever since. This is not just a testament to the awesome soundtrack - easily the year's best - but also to the visceral thrills I experienced during the movie, which I (safely) relive every time I drive. Ryan Gosling's Driver is an old-school movie hero, strong and silent, a Man With No Name for our times. Carey Mulligan radiates as an inadvertent femme fatale, with a earnest Oscar Isaac as her ne'er-do-well husband who ends up in a situation way over his head. It really shouldn't have so surprising that Albert Brooks could be convincingly menacing as a gangster with a ruthless streak, but no expected that even Sons of Anarchy's Ron Perlman and Bryan Cranston - Walter White himself - would think twice before crossing him. The real star of the film, though, is Refn's slick direction, giving the film a contemplative gloss while still providing some truly shocking moments of brutal violence, as well as cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel's gorgeous night-cityscapes and editor Mat Newman's tight cutting. Oh, and that effortlessly cool and instantly iconic soundtrack, of course.

_________________________

And for those of you who are curious, here's a full ranked catalogue of everything I saw from this year, starting at what just missed the Top 10.

11. Super 8
12. The Help
13. Attack the Block
14. Midnight in Paris
15. Jane Eyre
16. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
17. Crazy, Stupid, Love
18. Bridesmaids
19. The Muppets
20. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol
21. Take Shelter
22. Source Code
23. Rango
24. Hugo
25. Horrible Bosses
26. The Future
27. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
28. Red State
29. Cars 2
30. The Adjustment Bureau
31. A Better Life
32. Cold Weather
33. Thor
34. Paul
35. Battle: Los Angeles
36. Bad Teacher
37. The Conspirator
38. J. Edgar
39. Sucker Punch
40. The Green Hornet
41. Cowboys & Aliens

Short Takes: 2011 Wrap-Up

2012-01-02T16:48:00.000-05:00

The last two weeks of the year were very fruitful in terms of seeing movies. And thank god too, because it was killing me how little films I was able to watch at the end of the last semester (I mean, apart from pretty much the entire Charlie Kaufman filmography...more than once). If only I always had that kind of time....

A Better Life (dir. Chris Weitz)

In all honesty, this should have been another rote exercise in social drama: an illegal immigrant (Demian Bichir) tries to keep finding good work while keeping his son (Jose Julian) from getting involved with East Los Angeles gangs. The script does get preachy in terms of its advocacy of immigration reform, which is a noble cause for sure, and Weitz's direction isn't nearly engaging enough to make this drama stand out. But in spite of all of that, A Better Life succeeds with Bichir's soulful performance providing the film's heart, saying much more with a handful of looks than the rest of the film says with its sermons. B-

Young Adult (dir. Jason Reitman)

I have a confession to make: this one was remarkably personal to me. No, I have never intentionally gone back to my hometown to steal my now-married-with-a-baby high school sweetheart back, as Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) does here. But I was astonished, and a little uncomfortable, with how much I had in common with Mavis - the swilling of Diet Coke straight from the two-liter bottle, the opening a new Word document only to surf the Internet, the fast-food diet, to name a few. I am a huge fan of Juno, and writer Diablo Cody may have actually outdone herself here with this scathing character study. Theron is fearless in her performance, fully understanding Mavis without being judgmental of her. And Reitman's distinct lack of style is brilliant choice, allowing the characters to simply exist within the film's world and interact with each other. The rest of the cast is aces as well - from Patrick Wilson as Buddy, the object of Mavis' affections to Elizabeth Reaser as Buddy's wife to Patton Oswalt as the crippled nerd who seems to be the only one who accepts Mavis for who she is. This is a film that cuts deep, and never relents. A+

Hugo (dir. Martin Scorsese)

Hugo has been dominating a portion of the awards talk this year, and the reason why is evident: a vote for Hugo is a vote for film preservation and celebration of the beginnings of cinema. And that's just fine, and it makes Hugo an interesting statement from lifelong-cinephile/film preservation advocate Scorsese, but it doesn't necessarily make a great movie. Hugo's plot, about an orphaned boy living in a train station who is desperately trying to fix an automaton left by his father, is interesting, but Scorsese never seems particularly engaged in telling a story here. Rather, this is an indulgence in his love of film with a film history lesson wedged in for good measure. Because of this, Hugo actually plays out like some of those early Lumiere Brothers films: there's plenty of spectacle to look at, but there's not much substance to it. B

Attack the Block (dir. Joe Cornish)

Now here's a clever little surprise: an alien-invasion film that is not only small-scale but also soulfully human. When aliens - referred to as "gorilla-wolf motherfuckers" - land in South London, a gang of teenagers take it upon themselves to defend their block. The film flies by, but writer-director Cornish pulls off some creative setpieces for the kids to make their way through, and uses the space of "the block" in inventive ways to keep things interesting. John Boyega, playing the gang's leader Moses, is the real find though; he endows the film with real heart and keeps the focus on what really counts here: the characters. He's definitely one to watch for in the future. A-

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (dir. David Fincher)

All told, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has a lot going on: there's Mikael Blomkvist's (Daniel Craig) legal troubles, Lisbeth Salandar's (Rooney Mara) abuse by the Swedish legal system, a murder mystery involving a Swedish industrial magnate (Christopher Plummer), Nazis, rape, torture, and general misogyny. The Swedish adaptation of Steig Larsson's international bestseller tried admirably to incorporate as much of that as possible, leaving it bloated and messy. The American version, however, has the advantage of Fincher at the helm and Steven Zallian on screenwriting duties, giving this version a tighter focus, specifically on Lisbeth and the murder mystery. Mara was terrifically cast as Lisbeth, a perfect cipher who can be completely guarded while simultaneously vulnerable (she earns that Golden Globe nomination, and Oscar could be next), and Plummer steals every one of his scenes with that all-knowing twinkle in his eye. The film could have still used some trimming, but it captivates more often than not. B+

The Muppets (dir. James Bobin)

From the first clever, hilarious teaser trailers, we knew we'd be in for a winking delight courtesy of The Muppets come the end of the year. And the film delivered on that, being charming and sweet without ever necessarily being laugh-out-loud hilarious all the time. Walter enlists his human brother Gary (Jason Segel, who co-wrote the screenplay) and Gary's longtime girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams, in Enchanted mode) to help the Muppets save their legendary theater from being torn down by an evil oil baron (Chris Cooper). In the spirit of The Muppet Show, there's plenty of self-referential humor, non-sequiters, musical numbers, and celebrity cameos. But even the spectacle of Cooper rapping (really, you should buy a ticket just to see those two glorious minutes) can't distract from the film's real stars, the Muppets themselves. The spirit of a bunch of misfits putting on a show permeates the film, and even if the finale feels a little limp compared to the chaos of the rest of the film, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't grinning ear-to-ear. B+

Weekend (dir. Andrew Haigh)

Now here's another film that hit remarkably close to home for me: set over the course of about 48 hours in Nottingham, Russell (Tom Cullen) picks up Glen (Chris New) at a gay club, but what starts as a drunken one night stand soon blossoms into something more. Writer-director Haigh has created a marvelously intimate portrait of love here, but what really makes Weekend soar is the believable and human chemistry between Cullen and New, both relative newcomers to the screen. They take this heartbreaking and reaffirming romance to new heights, resulting in what's not just a high point for queer cinema, but a high point in cinematic romances as well. A+

Happy New Year from The Entertainment Junkie

2011-12-31T17:26:00.000-05:00

Have fun and be safe!

When 2012 settles in, you'll find a new set of reviews of the final movies of 2011, my top 10 list of 2011, my 10 most anticipated movies of 2012, the Jarmos, and more. Stay tuned!

Radio Daze Vol. 9: November/December 2011

2011-12-28T19:36:00.003-05:00

I'm cutting it close for the last installment of the year 2011. The following is based on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 31, 2011.

1. "We Found Love," Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris

You guys know how I feel about Rihanna. She is, in essence, the perfect pop star: completely devoid of any musical personality, therefore malleable to fit what trends come about, and reaping the rewards with hit after hit after hit. "We Found Love" marks Ri-Ri's 11th number-one hit, and it sounds like it was constructed to be just that. Yet something new is happening here: this sounds like a Rihanna song, not a "Rihanna" song. As in, this sounds like a song that was written especially for her, and she takes it on with gusto. The song actually does service her unremarkable pipes well, which fit in perfectly with Harris' staccato synths and thunderous bass. Sure, there's nothing particularly deep or life-affirming here; hell, it barely has lyrics beyond "we found love in a hopeless place." But this is what club-pop nirvana sounds like, a simple banger that sticks in your head long after the night is over. It's easily her best song since "Umbrella," and it may be even better than that. B+

2. "Sexy and I Know It," LMFAO

I still can't take a song with "wiggle wiggle wiggle" as the bridge seriously. For your listening pleasure, here's an example of how to do so-bad-its-brilliant pop deconstruction. F

3. "It Will Rain," Bruno Mars

The Twilight crew has finally gone for broke by having Bruno Mars provide the theme song for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Why Did We Split This Movie Into Two Parts Oh Yeah So We Can Make A Bajillion Dollars Off Of It Before We Have To Send These Actors Back Into Obscurity, Pt. 1. "It Will Rain" has all the moody romanticism that's marked the franchise and it's Pacific Northwest setting, and it actually wouldn't sound all that out-of-place on some cheesy '80s pop radio station, as it piles on the schmaltz. This isn't a particular high point for Mars, but he does his best at selling it, and he does seem to be either winkingly or earnestly following the tradition of bombastic movie themes that marked the '80s and '90s. Which one, though, is anyone's guess. B-

4. "Good Feeling," Flo Rida

Ostensibly, Flo Rida is a rapper. However, like his fellow Floridian Pitbull, he's a rapper in the sense that he strings a flow of words over a pop beat, then achieves massive success less in his merely passable talents as a rapper and more from the fact that his song can generate plenty of club play and appeal to the masses. This is not to say that there's anything wrong with this approach; though Flo Rida sells plenty more singles than he does albums, those singles are often ridiculously catchy earworms that are perfect for some mindless fun - he's a one-man Black Eyed Peas, essentially. "Good Feeling" doesn't stick out the way "Low" or "Right Round" did in the past, but as far as trifles go, it could be much worse. And it would fit in perfectly on some personal trainer's gym playlist. B-

5. "The One That Got Away," Katy Perry

In a year in which Katy Perry and Adele ruled the airwaves, this song proves to be the flip-side of the latter's "Someone Like You" (see #7). Here, Perry longs for a beau who's left, pining for him as she reminisces about how they used to steal his parent's liquor and make out to Radiohead (obviously, they were '90s kids). Despite the relatively snappy tempo, this qualifies as a ballad, and while its unlikely to become Perry's sixth consecutive number-one, it does tap into that melancholy feeling of remembering an ex. There is a sort of tonal problem here, since Perry clearly wants this to evoke an emotional response but can't commit to a full-blown ballad, and so decides instead to go for a dance-pity-party. It's not all bad, but its definitely not outstanding, either. C+

6. "Niggas in Paris," Jay-Z and Kanye West

Watch the Throne, for all its recession-inappropriate luxury rap, was one of the best albums of the year. And "Niggas in Paris" is probably the most unlikely hit to come off the album, only making sense from the fact that Jay and 'Ye do the song three or five times at every concert. But you can understand why, because this is two giants of rap operating at full power, boasting proudly about their success while also acknowledging the circumstances they've come from. This all comes over a bouncy, party-hearty beat cut with dialogue from Blades of Glory. There's nothing else like it on the radio, and bless these two for being the ones to do it. A

7. "Someone Like You," Adele

Adele, meanwhile, paints us a, in my opinion, more accurate portrait of running into an old flame: "Someone Like You" captures both the pain and the pride, as she reminds him that "for me, it is over," but she'll still find someone who can be there for her the same way. Its that feeling of longing and defiant self-assurance that she captures perfectly in this song, and that's why it went straight to number one, folks. A

8. "Without You," David Guetta feat. Usher

The Gallic DJ who produced the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" and became an international club superstar is back with "Without You," a dance-the-night-away declaration of love. To be honest, as with most Guetta songs, Usher's vocals are really just window-dressing added for the benefit of sales and radio play. The real star is Guetta himself, who crafts a thudding beat laced with spacey synths that's perfect for a night on the dancefloor. There's a reason why Guetta's one of the bigger names in club music, and this song is pretty ample evidence for why. B+

9. "Moves Like Jagger," Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera

What, exactly, are the moves like Jagger? From what I can gather, its Adam Levine's sexual prowess, and like a lion hunting a wounded, drunk gazelle, he's going to corner you and show you those moves. How is that Maroon 5 manages to be so dark yet cover it up as a dance-jam? And why do I still enjoy it? B

10. "5 O'Clock," T-Pain feat. Wiz Khalifa and Lily Allen

With T-Pain, Maroon 5, Rihanna, and Flo Rida all on the chart this week, I feel like I'm a senior in high school again. "5 O'Clock" is the first T-Pain single in a while, and it doesn't stray far from his usual R(obot)&B(ooty) ways. The song is an ode to coming home late from the club and having sex with his girl, which, yeah, that's T-Pain all right. Lily Allen is unfortunately underused on the hook, and Wiz Khalifa delivers a perfectly serviceable verse that doesn't add or take away from the song. T-Pain's overprocessed vocals are still distinctly his, but as AutoTune has seeped deeper and deeper into pop music, it doesn't set him as far apart as it used to. For the most part, this just feels like an attempt at a comeback through doing more of the same. And hey look, it worked. C

Happy Holidays from The Entertainment Junkie

2011-12-25T12:03:00.002-05:00

May your day be merry and bright.

Oscar Predictions: December 2011

2011-12-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

So now that we've seen the nominations and/or wins for the Golden Globes, SAGs, Satellites, BFCAs, and pretty much every critics' group in the country, we have a much better picture of what could happen on Oscar nominations morning. Even with all of that, though, the picture is still (wonderfully) fuzzy, with the chance for surprises this year fairly high in just about every category, either from strong competition (Best Actor and Best Actress are packed) or from their only being one or two dominating so far (Best Supporting Actor). So what's the shakeup resulted in?

*Fun fact: Since they took the year off to get married/have kids/be beautiful, this will most likely be the first year since 2005 that neither Penelope Cruz nor Javier Bardem will be among the nominees.

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

The Descendants

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

The Help

War Horse

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Drive

I honestly don't think we're going to get to 10 nominees this year; in fact, I'll go ahead and boldly declare that there will be eight nominees (the reds and the blues). With the outpouring of love for Hugo, I have a hard time seeing the Academy passing it up. Aside from Hugo, The Artist and The Descendants have dominated this discussion, so their nominations are probably locked up at this point. Though Midnight in Paris hasn't actually dominated in terms of wins, its received enough nominations and placed on enough Top 10 lists to convince me that it won't be passed over (plus, Woody Allen is an Oscar favorite, and his "comeback" year should be catnip for them). The Help's position as the top non-franchise film of the year at the box office should help, and its still generating plenty of buzz. War Horse is a bit more iffy; some love it, some don't, but it will probably still make the lineup for hitting the war-epic sweet spot. Moneyball and The Tree of Life still have passionate fans, which should lift them to nominations. Drive, too, has a strong base of support, but I'm not convinced that its large enough to nab the film a nomination here. As for Extremely Loud...now that its finally opened, critics have been mixed, and the film has failed to make a dent in any awards so far (not a single Golden Globe nod, for example). It could still be a film they like, critical reception be damned (see: The Blind Side, 2009), so its still in the mix as far as I'm concerned. However, J. Edgar and The Ides of March have, for the most part, seen their stars fall in this category, and its unlikely that either will make the cut.

BEST DIRECTOR

Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Spielberg, Allen, and Scorsese are the most-nominated living directors, and its very likely that this year all three of them will be nominated. Payne and Hazanvicius are almost locks at this point, having nabbed more than their fair share of honors so far this season. Scorsese, too, seems like a pretty sure thing. However, interestingly, it could be Spielberg and Allen that are on the shakiest ground. Both Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) and Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) have been singled out by various groups, and both of their films are seen as director-driven, which can only help them here. My guess is that Malick is in a better position to spoil, but I wouldn't count out either of them at this point.

BEST ACTOR

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

George Clooney, The Descendants

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Michael Fassbender, Shame

For the most part, Clooney, Dujardin, and Pitt are locks in this category, having made almost every shortlist and claiming a majority of the prizes so far. Though his film (and, to be honest, DiCaprio himself) are mediocre at best, this kind of biopic role is exactly the sort of thing that Oscar goes nuts over, and I would be surprised if they passed over him. That fifth spot has a lot of competition: Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) has a very quiet, reactive role - not really grabby - but he could still make his way in if enough people cry "overdue!" Woody Harrelson (Rampart) has a meaty role as a corrupt cop - the exact sort of role that won Denzel Washington this prize 10 years ago - but he needs a lot more people to see his film if he's going to make it. Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) is mesmerizing and has earned a few nods here-and-there, but he's going to need a lot more support if he's going to earn his second Oscar nomination. And Demian Bichir (A Better Life) surprised a lot of people by landing a SAG nomination, which could easily turn into a Oscar nomination as well if people support him. But I'm guessing that Fassbender will overcome his film's NC-17 rating and earn a nomination for a literally naked performance, topping off his breakout year.

BEST ACTRESS

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk about Kevin

The Iron Lady, Albert Nobbs, and My Week with Marilyn have all received middling reviews, yet Streep, Close, and Williams (respectively) have managed to squeeze into a multitude of honors anyway on their performances. Streep and Williams are playing the mimicry card, which makes them strong contenders here; Close, on the other hand, may be in danger of her film's poor reviews and her own understated performance. Davis remains a lock and a quite possible winner. Swinton has had a strange resurgence, particularly from some major organizations such as the SAG, and perhaps could earn her second Oscar nomination. However, her film has barely screened, and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Charlize Theron (Young Adult), and Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) are all waiting in the wings and could easily snatch that last spot.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Albert Brooks, Drive

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Nick Nolte, Warrior

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

One thing is certain: Plummer and Brooks, who have won almost every prize so far, will be nominated. From there, though, this category is the fuzziest. Branagh seems like a safe bet for his (far-too-easy, given the comparisons) performance as Laurence Olivier. Every once in a while the Academy gets really excited about Nolte, and this year seems to be another one of those, which could result in his third nomination. And yes, it does seem strange to see Hill here, but he turned in a truly interesting and soulful performance. However, Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method), Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), Armie Hammer (J. Edgar), Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Ides of March), and even Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) are all potential nominees as well.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Jessica Chastain, The Help

Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

The ladies of The Help (Spencer and Chastain) should both score nominations, the former for her scene-stealing role, the latter as reward for appearing in practically every other movie this year (seriously, Jessica, you've earned a vacation!). This isn't particularly surprising, especially since this category has for three straight years produced two nominees from a single film. Woodley and McTeer have earned several nods, including Golden Globes, which will certainly help them maintain their momentum. Redgrave, unfortunately, is on shaky ground, particularly because her film has been sorely underseen, and she missed nominations from both SAG and the Globes. The Academy could still throw her a nomination, but if not, SAG nominees Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) or Berenice Bejo (The Artist) could steal a spot in the lineup.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Moneyball; screenplay by Steven Zallian & Aaron Sorkin (based on the nonfiction book by Michael Lewis)

The Descendants; screenplay by Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne & Jim Rash (based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings)

The Help; screenplay by Tate Taylor (based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett)

Hugo; screenplay by John Logan (based on the graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; screenplay by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughn (based on the novel by John le Carre)

Moneyball and The Descendants are the only sure things here. Otherwise, it could go any number of ways. The Help continues to hold steady as a Best Picture nominee, and it seems likely to score a screenplay nomination as well. Hugo, too, seems likely to capitalize on its love-in to earn a spot here. And Tinker seems like the kind of twisty, complicated film that would be recognized for its screenplay (and the last le Carre adaptation, The Constant Gardener, also was nominated here). However, The Ides of March, War Horse, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo could also make their way into the lineup.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Midnight in Paris; written by Woody Allen

The Artist; written by Michel Hazanavicius

50/50; written by Will Reiser

Bridesmaids; written by Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumulo

Margin Call; written by JC Chandor

Excitingly, the Original Screenplay category is pretty competitive this year. The Artist and Midnight in Paris are sure-things at this point, and either of them are likely to win this year. The other three spots are more difficult to gauge. Bridesmaids was a big hit and a critical favorite, and this is the one category where it has the best shot at a nomination. 50/50 has claimed a surprising number of critics prizes, and it seems to have broken ahead as a likely nominee as well (though it has its detractors). Margin Call is the unexpected indie hit of the season, and it seems primed for a nomination for first-timer Chandor. However, Young Adult, The Tree of Life, Shame, Win Win, Take Shelter, Rampart, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Beginners, and A Separation are all contenders as well, and anything could happen.

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol

2011-12-23T22:49:00.000-05:00

This past decade has seen a lot of change come to the spy genre, and the catalyst for that change has been one man: Jason Bourne. The Bourne Identity presented Bourne as a spy in the "real world," one where he doesn't have snazzy gadgets and complex schemes in order to take down over-the-top bad guys hell-bent on destroying the world. Instead, he runs, he fights with his fists/whatever object happens to be nearby, and his villains are people you wouldn't be able to pick out of a lineup. As a result, spy films have opted to emulate the franchise, forgoing the kitsch in favor of "gritty" realism. Even James Bond has gone for realism in the Daniel Craig years, and though neither have been terrible (well, Quantum of Solace wasn't necessarily a high note, but it was still good), the fun of the series has faded.

The Mission: Impossible franchise, however, remains delightfully digital in the increasingly analog spy world, throwing more exciting technology and whizz-bang, how-did-they-do-that action at the screen than any film in some time. Ghost Protocol, the fourth film in the series, is perhaps the best in the franchise so far. In this film, our hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, sporting a leonine mane of hair) and his team are accused of bombing the Kremlin in Moscow, leading to the end of his organization and the initiation of "ghost protocol," in which every agent is disavowed. However, Ethan knows that the bombing was really a cover for a man named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) to steal nuclear launch codes, which he intends to use to incite global nuclear war. Only Ethan, Benji (Simon Pegg), Jane (Paula Patton), and analyst-with-a-secret William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) can stop him and once again save the world.

On one level, sure, not a lot makes sense here. For one, Hendricks is a pretty lame villain, barely getting any lines and ultimately having a well-worn motive (blow up the world, really?). For another, if ghost protocol means no use of IMF technology, how did they end up with everything they needed for any situation? However, this is really unnecessary, since Mission: Impossible was never founded on plausible, real-world physics.

No, the main draw of these films is the stunts, or, more accurately, watching Cruise perform these stunts. And Cruise is fantastic, bringing his untouchable movie-star charisma to the proceedings and proving that he is indestructible by surviving a number of certain-death scenarios. The film moves at a breakneck pace (even for its 2+ hour run-time), moving from one great setpiece to the next with a great sense of fun. Much of the credit for this goes to director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, The Iron Giant), in his first live-action feature. Bird has proven himself to be an old soul rooted in the groovy optimistic-dreamer '60s, and brings that attitude here, complete with Michael Giacchino's jazzy score and the Cold War vibe. He's also very adept at setting a great scene, especially the film's dazzling middle sequence involving the Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building), a bait-and-switch, and a sandstorm. Bird could have a bright future as a live-action director as well as an animator.

Ultimately, Ghost Protocol wasn't meant to tickle the brain or challenge the viewer. This is pure, old-school action fun, fully aware of its purpose as entertainment and excelling at delivering the goods. It's a thrilling throwback to free-wheeling fun. B+

PS I didn't see it in IMAX, but man, I wish I had.

Short Takes: Film's I've Seen in the Past Month

2011-12-21T10:14:00.001-05:00

Just in case anyone was worried that I wasn't being productive over the long hiatus, I do have evidence here that I was keeping busy: I ended up with an A- in my American Independent Cinema class, and B's in my other classes this semester. But fret not, I've also managed to watch a few movies during this time too. I decided that instead of doing a separate review for each film, I'll just do some capsule reviews (I'm not completely crazy, you know).

Red State (dir. Kevin Smith)

The brouhaha surrounding Smith's Sundance stunt/self-release-strategy has garnered a lot more attention than the film itself. As a result, very few even noticed when it came and went through select theaters with barely a peep. But how was the film itself? Surprisingly, not all that bad. Sure, the tone was all over the place (a pretty common problem with post-Dogma Smith films) and it believes itself to be a lot more significant than it actually is. However, Michael Parks is magnetic as a Fred-Phelps-like preacher of a church hell-bent on punishing sinners, and gets a juicy 10+ minute monologue/sermon that's really the film's centerpiece. Everything else is pretty much window-dressing, but as far as window-dressing goes, you can do much, much worse than this. B-

Martha Marcy May Marlene (dir. Sean Durkin)

Let's get this much out of the way first: Elizabeth Olsen deserves an Oscar nomination (perhaps even a win) for her beautifully restrained and complex performance as the titular character, a young woman who escapes from a cult in the Catskills with only a fuzzy idea of who she is. The confusing title refers to the three identities she assumes over the film; with her sister (Sarah Paulson) and her husband (Hugh Dancy), she's Martha, but among the cult, led by Patrick (a magnificent and terrifying John Hawkes), she's Marcy May. The film, from first-timer Durkin, is a gorgeously-shot and acted meditation on identity, and it graciously is very specific to the character without divulging too much information (very little is actually known about the cult, and the word "cult" is never actually used). It's a real beauty of a film that's easily one of the year's best. A+

The Future (dir. Miranda July)

Ah, yes, Miranda July. How much one can appreciate the "twee" will determine how much one can enjoy her newest film, which almost overdoes the twee, complete with being told from the point of view of Paw Paw, a cat in a shelter that Jason (Hamish Linklater) and Sophie (July) have decided to adopt. This decision results in both characters re-evaluating their lives and their relationship, as well as other left-field developments. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but Linklater and July are enjoyable in their roles, and repeat viewings only deepen the experience. It's a difficult film, but it ultimately pays off, if you give it a chance. B

J. Edgar (dir. Clint Eastwood)

J. Edgar Hoover's life is a gold-mine of psychological drama: he was obsessed with threats to national security to the point of unbridled paranoia, but as a result he built the FBI essentially from the ground-up and encouraged progress in the forensic sciences. He had renowned mother issues, was a rumored cross-dresser, and many have supposed Clyde Tolson was much more than his right-hand man. It's all too much for a single movie, but J. Edgar's problem is that it can't be bothered to focus on anything long enough to make it seem significant. The result is a film that presents Hoover's life as a puzzle with missing pieces and only part of the picture on the box. It doesn't help that Leonardo DiCaprio gives a half-hearted and uninteresting performance as Hoover, that writer Dustin Lance Black doesn't seem to know why he's bothered to even write the script, or that Eastwood brings nothing of interest to the table. (Judi Dench and Naomi Watts occupy roles that barely even have screentime, as Hoover's mother and secretary, respectively). At least Armie Hammer, as Tolson, is all charm and warmth, a loyal puppy of a man. C-

Thor (dir. Kenneth Branagh)

Marvel's ultimate goal this summer was to pave the way for next summer's The Avengers, the big superhero team-up that's the comic-book-movie-equivalent of the Traveling Wilburys (or, more likely, those The Flintstones Meet The Jetsons specials). Thor, the first of the two films this summer, presented the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth), and the result was...boring. Branagh did his best to turn this into a Shakespearean tragedy, but he struggles to balance the mostly dull, wooden characters and desperate attempts at humor. Marvel fans will enjoy a nice cameo appearance in the middle of the film, but otherwise it's Thor's brother-cum-nemesis Loki (a delightfully impish Tom Hiddleston, who's having a stellar year) who ends up stealing the show. Ultimately, it never rises above being anything more than a two-hour commercial for The Avengers. C+

Bridesmaids (dir. Paul Feig)

Yes, it was hilarious. Yes, it was refreshing to see women in a comedy talk and behave like real women. However, it was even more refreshing to see hilarious actresses get the chance to dig into meaty characters that are organic and interesting, not limited to a single trait or worse, no traits at all. It was also refreshing to see humor that was character and story-based, rather than humor for the sake of humor. Sure, the film had its problems: several characters didn't get enough screentime to justify their implied importance, and at over two hours it could have definitely used some trimming in the editing room. Though Melissa McCarthy earned most of the raves for her riotous performance as no-nonsense Megan, it's Kristen Wiig (who co-wrote the script with Annie Mumulo) who grounds the film in a performance that's both funny and soulfully real. B+

Golden Globe Nominations 2011

2011-12-20T22:47:00.008-05:00

I'm back! The semester's come to a close, and now I've got three weeks of free time to hopefully catch up on this blog and get back into the swing of things (I'll be posting a collection of mini-reviews of things I've seen in the interim soon). And just in time: the awards season is now officially in full swing, with most of the various critics groups already announcing their winners. But I want to backtrack about two weeks to the Golden Globes, those annual awards that often seem more interested in which celebrities they can get to show up than actually honoring worthy performances/films. This year's crop is actually much better than last year's fustercluck of nominees, though it's also sadly low on surprises. But all-in-all not a bad bunch this time around.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides Of March
Moneyball
War Horse

It has really blown my mind how much love Hugo has gotten from the various critics' circles: I haven't seen it yet, but I wouldn't have imagined a month ago that a Martin Scorsese family film based on a graphic children's novel by the cousin of the late, great David O. Selznick would be considered one of the best films of the year. Its also interesting to see The Ides of March here, since most critics were rather cool on it (I, for one, thought it was spectacular, but can understand why it didn't necessarily set the film world on fire). That film actually ended up with four nominations overall, so the HFPA obviously enjoyed it. The Help's nomination is a major grab, though, assuring that it will remain in the conversation throughout the winter. Of the snubs, it's notable that Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Tree of Life, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo all failed to break into this field. I'm actually starting to get very concerned about the first of those: could Stephen Daldry's winning streak finally be coming to an end, or is this the kind of film that will explode once it gets some eyeballs?

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk about Kevin

Swinton

Close, Streep, and Davis were all top contenders coming into December, so it's really no big surprise that they all managed to score nominations here. Well, maybe Close, given that so few people have seen her film. Actually, before the nominations were announced, Davis was the only nominee who had her film released in theaters, and even as of this writing (12/20) only Mara will join here in that regard, with last-minute releases for the other films. This is actually Mara's first recognition for taking on the role of Lisbeth Salandar, and its nice to see her included here, as well as the quickly-rising Swinton, who's of course never not been incredible but somehow routinely gets ignored. However, the lack of nomination for Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) means she'll have to fight hard to get a spot come Oscar night.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

This may be the most handsome category of all time. Fassbender's nomination is a terrific gain for him and his film, which will need all the help it can get to overcome its NC-17 rating. Gosling is something of a (worthy) surprise, likely riding the coattails of HFPA's love for the film. Unfortunately, that also means we get a sub-par DiCaprio performance as well, the sort of thing that was designed to get awards attention and lo and behold, here it is. This is unfortunate news for Michael Shannon (Take Shelter), Woody Harrelson (Rampart), Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and SAG nominee Demian Bichir (A Better Life), all of whom could have used a nod here to boost their profiles.

Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn

Compared to last year's debacle, this is a much more interesting category, even though it lacks any true "musicals" this year (which is always a shame - Hollywood, try out some more original musicals!). There aren't any real surprises here, even with the inclusion of ostensibly-just-a-light-drama My Week with Marilyn. Notable exclusions, though, are Young Adult, The Muppets, Carnage (a dark comedy, but comedy nonetheless), and The Hangover II (not actually a horrendous oversight, but keep in mind that the original won this category two years ago).

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical

Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Perhaps the most surprising inclusions here are the two Carnage women: neither Foster nor Winslet have received terrific reviews for the film (which is apparently a Polanski misstep), so to see them here is interesting, to say the least. Theron and especially Williams have dominated the Oscar conversation of these five, so their inclusion is of no surprise. And though it's not necessarily surprising that Wiig was nominated, it's good to see her getting recognized for her standout performance in Bridesmaids; in discussion of that film she usually gets overshadowed by breakout Melissa McCarthy, but she's the film's emotional core and, personally, best performance.Notable exclusions: well, Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher) and Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses) were technically eligible here, but I don't suspect they're terribly missed either.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Gordon-Levitt

The comedy categories are usually good for throwing in the occasional oddball nomination for a performance in a little-seen film, and Gleeson's work in The Guard certainly qualifies this year. The HFPA clearly has a crush on Gosling (who doesn't?), nominated him for his clever-if-slight work in CSL. Dujardin and JGL brought heavier work, and it would be interesting to see if the latter can get some heat for his increasingly-unlikely Oscar campaign. And Wilson's work isn't necessarily anything new, but he made an acceptable Woody stand-in and was dependably charming. Out of those left out, I actually thought Steve Carell was better in CSL. Otherwise there's nothing else particularly egregious missing this year.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

This could very well end up being the Oscar lineup as well. The real question is whether Chastain will take hold of all the attention she's getting for The Help and focus her campaign on that particular film, or if she'll keep up the nebulous push for the other 50000 films she showed up in over the year. The notable omission here is Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), and since she missed a SAG nomination as well, her monster-mama performance may be in danger of missing out on Oscar nomination morning. Also notable: no love for Bridesmaids' Melissa McCarthy, but with only five nominations for this category, its understandable that someone had to be overlooked.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Oscar-wise, this has been the hardest category to predict, since Plummer and Brooks have (deservedly) hogged all of the critics' prizes so far. However, Globe nominations for Branagh and Mortensen are welcome, and regardless of what you think of his career, Hill gave a surprisingly soulful and subtle performance in Moneyball and is certainly worthy of recognition. Given how much they loved The Ides of March and their past love for Philip Seymour Hoffman, I'm surprised he couldn't pull out a nomination here. Neither, it seems, could Max von Sydow, who's still considered a strong contender despite barely any love for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Best Animated Feature Film
The Adventures Of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss In Boots
Rango

The interesting thing here is how much this is going to line up with the Oscar category this year. The Globes have never really embraced foreign animation the same way that the Academy has, so this roster isn't all that diverse: even a subpar Pixar effort made the list. This does, however, propose an interesting question: will The Adventures of Tintin, which managed to score a nomination here, be the first motion-capture film to break into the Animated Feature category? As of right now, there's still enough submissions for five nominees at the Oscars (rejoice in The Smurfs' disqualification!), so anything's possible. But we must ask ourselves: what here is most deserving? There's no film with unanimous, this-is-a-masterpiece-type praise, so what will voters rally around? Notable omission: Kung Fu Panda 2 and Happy Feet 2. Though neither was as beloved as their predecessors, they were both successes financially and among fans.

Best Foreign Language Film
The Flowers Of War (China)
In The Land Of Blood And Honey (United States)
The Kid With A Bike (Belgium)
A Separation (Iran)
The Skin I Live In (Spain)

Interestingly, only two of these films will be competing for the Oscar (A Separation and The Flowers of War), but they still managed to get some stars into the proceedings: Christian Bale appears in The Flowers of War, Antonio Bandaras stars in The Skin I Live In, and In the Land of Blood and Honey is the directoral debut of Angelina Jolie. It should be interesting to see how this category turns out, but kudos to recognizing the Dardennes' The Kid with a Bike. Notable omission: Mexico's Miss Bala, which has been a festival favorite all year.

Best Director - Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Scorsese is a renowned director, but it still boggles my mind that Hugo, of all films, has garnered him the attention that it has. Granted, great directors often have a surprise or two (or in Scorsese's case, several), but I'm still blown away that this film turned out to be one of them. Clooney is the biggest surprise here, once again evidence that they really liked The Ides of March. Clooney excepted, this could be the Oscar lineup. Notable omissions include Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Steven Spielberg (War Horse), and the strangely-resurgent Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), who I'm definitely cheering for.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, The Descendants
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, Moneyball

Apart from The Ides of March, whose Oscar chances are slipping with each passing day, all of these will likely carry over to the Academy's expanded screenplay categories. The interesting question is which of these will HFPA choose to honor: the silent film? The family drama? The Woody Allen comeback? Personally, from what I've seen, I'd go with Moneyball, which took very dry material and turned it into a very human story of passion and loss.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Abel Korzeniowski, W.E.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Howard Shore, Hugo
John Williams, War Horse

What? You mean you can actually have an Original Score category that doesn't include Alexandre Desplat? I'm kidding, but the man put forward some very prolific work this past year, so its surprising to see him excluded here. Bource, Shore, and Williams were essentially locks, the former because he scored a silent film, the latter two by name recognition and legacy. I am surprised they went with Korzeniowski over Alberto Iglesias (The Skin I Live In), and the return of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is somewhat unexpected (especially since many were assuming double nominations for John Williams, War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin).

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Hello Hello," Gnomeo and Juliet
Music By: Elton John
Lyrics By: Bernie Taupin

"The Keeper," Machine Gun Preacher
Music & Lyrics By: Chris Cornell

"Lay Your Head Down," Albert Nobbs
Music By: Brian Byrne
Lyrics By: Glenn Close

"The Living Proof," The Help
Music By: Thomas Newman, Mary J. Blige and Harvey Mason, Jr.
Lyrics By: Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas

"Masterpiece," W.E.
Music & Lyrics By: Madonna, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry

As with Oscar, the Original Song category is often baffling, namely because the rules of eligibility are damn near impossible to understand, and the Globes rarely intersect much with the Oscars here. In short, there are superstars a-plenty among the nominees, so someone's certain to go home happy. Notable exclusion: "Bridge of Light," P!nk's contribution to Happy Feet 2.

Best Television Series - Drama
American Horror Story (FX)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Boss (STARZ)
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Homeland (SHOWTIME)

The Globes are pretty famous for "hey, look, shiny new things!" nominations in their television categories, which they can afford to do thanks to the ceremony's position in the middle of the television season. Interestingly, there's absolutely no network programs in this year's drama category, and only one show from basic cable. Sure, one can wonder, "how did they pass over Breaking Bad?" But I like to think that the Globes embraced the gonzo spirit of nominee American Horror Story, which is addictively watchable but only because its a batshit-crazy train wreck and not necessarily a great work of television. But kudos for recognizing critically-acclaimed series such as Homeland and Boss, as well as the HBO stalwarts. But the real lesson to learn here is that the HFPA really loves Ryan Murphy.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

There's a lot to love about this category: Danes, Enos, and Margulies either received or will soon receive Emmy nominations for their roles. And Stowe has been celebrated for being the best part of the best primetime soap opera since the '80s, REVEEEEEEEEEENGE!!!!!!! Thorne, on the other hand, is the recipient of the Piper Perabo Memorial WTF Nominations for a USA program, as there's really no reason why she should be nominated, especially when given the depth of potential nominees (Friday Night Lights ended in the eligibility period, so no Connie Britton? Not even a pity nomination for the terrible role she's trapped in on American Horror Story?).

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Damian Lewis, Homeland

This, too, is pretty much the lineup that you could expect, and it's all basic cable or premium cable. How many of these men will reprise at next year's Emmys? And with Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) mysteriously out of contention, who will claim the prize this year: last year's champ Buscemi or one of the others?

Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Enlightened (HBO)
Episodes (SHOWTIME)
Glee (FOX)
Modern Family (ABC)
New Girl (FOX)

It turns out that, despite very low ratings (even for HBO), Enlightened paid off critically, and this nomination was probably a factor in the show's recent unexpected renewal. Episodes, too, was something of an unexpected guest at the Emmys, and its also surprising to see here. I don't understand why Glee still gets recognition; yes, this season has been something of an improvement over the previous one, but its still got major problems (for almost every problem its fixed, its created a new one) and you can't tell me that its better than Parks & Recreation, Louie, Happy Endings, The Middle, or even almost-great newbie Up All Night. And New Girl...well, it's main premise was never going to hold, but I'm still waiting for it to move beyond the "look at how quirky Zooey Deschanel is! She's so adorkable!" vibe and actually make Jess an interesting character.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation

Dern

I guess the Globes just aren't crazy about Melissa McCarthy, who won this category at the Emmys for Bridesmaids, erm, Mike & Molly. I can't really get behind Deschanel because I do think she's just being asked to be herself, or at least the Internet's perception of her, rather than an actual character. I do love some Dern, though, and it would be great to see her win here.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Long after the world has given up on Jane (Hung was just recently cancelled by HBO, which never cancels anything) and Duchovny (is Californication really still on? It is on Showtime, which never met a show it couldn't stretch past plausibility), the Globes continue to throw them what I imagine is the only recognition they get for their work. I'm also confused as to how Galecki got a nomination and Emmy winner Jim Parsons didn't. Otherwise, this isn't really an exceptional category. Especially with no Louis C.K.

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
Cinema Verite (HBO)
Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS)
The Hour (BBC AMERICA)
Mildred Pierce (HBO)
Too Big To Fail (HBO)

This is more or less exactly the Emmy category from this year. And I honestly don't have anything more to say about it, except that Downton Abbey will probably win again.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Romola Garai, The Hour
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Another win for Winslet is pretty much guaranteed.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
Idris Elba, Luther
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
Bill Nighy, Page Eight (Masterpiece)
Dominic West, The Hour

I'm really confused by what makes a miniseries. As I understand it, miniseries are limited-run series that have a definitive endpoint. But both Downton Abbey and Luther have received second-season orders, which means they aren't actually miniseries anymore, right? Right?

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Piece

No love for Emmy winners Julie Bowen (Modern Family) or Margo Martindale (Justified)? That's a shame. But the nod for Lange is a pleasant surprise: she's easily the most watchable aspect of American Horror Story, and deserves something for that.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

There's room enough for Emmy-winner Dinklage, but not for Phil Dunphy (Modern Family's Ty Burrell). But the rest of this category is interesting enough.

Press Pause

2011-11-17T17:55:00.001-05:00

I've only posted once this entire month. I'm ashamed, yes. But unfortunately this semester has been hellacious, and it's not over yet. Therefore, as much as it pains me to do this, I'm putting The Entertainment Junkie on hiatus for a few more weeks. When I come back, I'll hopefully have some reviews, new Oscar predictions, Grammy nominations, Golden Globe nominations, and plenty of other goodies. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and I'll see you in a few weeks.

In the meantime, enjoy this delicious GQ cover.

-Jason

Take Shelter

2011-11-07T13:39:00.005-05:00

There's a certain attitude that comes with a film that's deemed to be awards-worthy. The film will pick up buzz, whether for it's writer, director, actors, or technical achievements, and then it has to be pigeonholed. It has to be described as some sort of "drama," whether than means being referred to as a "dramedy" instead of a comedy (see: Juno), an "adventure drama" instead of a fantasy (see: The Lord of the Rings), or a "psychological thriller" instead of a horror film (see: The Silence of the Lambs). It's something of a recent development, since once upon a time Oscar at least pretended to love all genres (with the exception of horror and sci-fi, of course). All of this is to say that Take Shelter, Jeff Nichols' latest film starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, is being marketed as a drama, but the reality is that it's a psychological horror.

Curtis (Shannon) is having apocalyptic visions: storms that destroy everything while strangers try to abduct his hearing-impaired daughter. As his visions become more and more problematic, he begins to take drastic measures: buying a shipping crate to build a storm shelter in the backyard (complete with ventilation and running water) and stocking it with essential supplies. He also seeks therapeutic help, as it turns out his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia around his age. But will his marriage to Samantha (Chastain) survive his breakdown?

Nichols, who's only previous film is 2007's Shotgun Stories, proves himself to be a quietly brilliant storyteller here, layering the story (he wrote and directed) with suspense and enough character details to make the proceedings fascinatingly complex. However, at 120 minutes, the film could have used some trimming; there's perhaps one vision too many, and there's a few minor scenes that aren't completely necessary to the story. That said, the film is beautifully shot, with several truly outstanding images of storms on the horizon.

The film's greatest strength, though, is it's two leads. Shannon is nothing short of remarkable, letting his body language and facial expressions do most of the communicating. For the most part its a subdued, subtle work, but Shannon gets a chance to rage magnificently in a key scene where he confronts his neighbors about his behavior. Equally astonishing (perhaps more so) is Chastain, who gives a performance that's a complete 180 from her ditzy goofiness in The Help and her serene symbolism in The Tree of Life. So much of her performance here is internalized, yet she easily conveys everything with just a simple look. It's her best work so far in what's turned out to be her breakout year.

Take Shelter presents an interesting take on mental illness, and allows itself to be just ambiguous enough to let the terror of such a condition seep through. It's a worthy glimpse into the mind of a very troubled man. B+

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T17:42:00.005-04:00

I really wanted to find the time to do a more appropriate Halloween-themed post, particularly about FX's batshit-crazy, not-good-but-completely-watchable train-wreck otherwise known as American Horror Story (I swear I will write about it soon). But thanks to time commitments, instead enjoy these links to previous horror-related posts on this blog. Have a happy Halloween!

Reviews:
Antichrist (2009)
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Jesus Camp (2006) - don't scoff. It's a pretty harrowing look at the same kind of religious extremism we claim we're fighting in the Middle East.
Aliens (1986), Jaws (1975), and The Exorcist (1973)
"Days Gone Bye," The Walking Dead (2010)
Monsters (2010)
The Thing (1982)
Splice (2010)
Black Swan (2010)
127 Hours (2010)

Features/Other Ariticles:
Thoughts on the World War Z film that's still in production. Have you read the book? It's a personal favorite of mine.

Hah, remember when Tobin Bell was convinced Saw was going to go on until the end of time? It turns out that Paranormal Activity has picked up it's "it's not Halloween without us!" model.

The Alien 3 that never was. Contrary to popular belief, the David Fincher version isn't really all that terrible, but it was never going to live up to the greatness that was Aliens.

Career assessments of the Twilight stars. As we've seen, none of them have been able to really open a movie on their own. Such is the price you pay for being a franchise star (I suspect Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame will have similar pitfalls when The Woman in Black opens in February.).

A David Lynch think-piece. He's a master of this genre without ever being considered a horror director.

Five movies that scare me stupid. So true, though I think since I've written this list I'd have to add The Ring to it. There's a reason everyone started remaking J-Horror movies, and that's it.

The Best Vincent Price GIF You'll See All Day

2011-10-27T17:45:00.002-04:00

Thank you JA at MNPP for leading me to this Tumblr.

Mylo Xyloto: Welcome Back, Coldplay

2011-10-27T14:55:00.005-04:00

I don't think I've actually discussed it much here, but I'm a huge Coldplay fan. And if you believe what the band says, that's a masochistic badge of honor, worn bravely in the face of a public that they claim makes them "the most hated band in the world." That's definitely an exaggeration (open question: who is the most hated band in the world?), but there's no denying that there's a large contingency of the population who love to openly bash them. For me personally, the reasons that Coldplay are so hated are the same reasons that I love them: they wear their hearts on their sleeves, singing sweeping songs of love and heartbreak earnestly and sincerely. There's no cynicism in their music, no darkness, just hope, optimism, and most importantly, free-flowing, unabashed emotion. It's music that moves you to your very spirit, and for me the experience of listening to Coldplay (and especially seeing them live) is absolutely pentecostal.

Mylo Xyloto, the band's fifth album, was released this past Monday, and so far I've probably listened to it front-to-back approximately eight times. It's radically different from the organic, impressionist sound heard on the band's previous effort, 2008 masterpiece Viva la Vida or Death and All of His Friends, which was itself a radical change from the piano-powered sound of the band's first three albums. Here, the band plays with squiggly synths and thudding hip-hop-esque beats. The band claims they were inspired by 1980s American graffiti, which does sound pretentious but the influences of Talking Heads, Depeche Mode, and New Order here are pretty obvious.

That's rather admirable for a band as massively successful as Coldplay, to sonically experiment and push yourself artistically. And it works out just fine: lead single "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" has the kind of title that people who mock Coldplay would have given the song, but it's a joie de vivre outpouring of the healing power of music, while current smash "Paradise" is a massive wall of sound bursting with big emotions and an even bigger chorus. Soon-to-be hit "Princess of China" features Rihanna, which seems odd but actually works out fine. And power rockers "Hurts Like Heaven," "Charlie Brown," and "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" are the kinds of music-as-cathartic-release songs that the band specializes in. For a slower pace, "Us Against the World" is a lilting ballad, while "Up in Flames" is moody minimalism.

Coldplay - Princess Of China (feat. Rihanna) by DJ ERM

The one band that Coldplay is constantly compared with is U2. By that analogy, if Viva la Vida was their Joshua Tree (and I believe it is), then Mylo Xyloto is their Achtung Baby. The jury's still out on it's place in the catalogue, but it's certainly one of the finest albums of the year so far.

Coldplay - Us Against the World by Silen Transitions

What are your thoughts?

The Ides of March

2011-10-27T12:54:00.001-04:00

Politics is a dirty game. It's also a contradictory game, one that pretends to founded on ideals and principles on the surface but thrives on backroom deals, blackmail, and mudslinging; whatever it takes to win. That's the irony of American politics: candidates claim their integrity and honesty, but not a single one of them is completely honest. It's dignity as disguise.

At least, this is the position that George Clooney's new political thriller, The Ides of March, takes. Clooney, who directs and co-wrote the film with Grant Heslov and playwright Beau Willimon, plays Gov. Mike Morris, a Democrat presidential contender hoping to lock down his party's nomination with a win at the Ohio primaries. He has a crack team behind him, lead by old pro Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and young hotshot Steven (Ryan Gosling). Steven is an idealist, claiming that he won't say or do anything he "doesn't believe in." That idealism is tested, however, as events unfold in Ohio that have ramifications that could derail the entire campaign, not to mention the lives of everyone involved.

He's only made four films so far, and they've been pretty spotty at times, but Clooney is actually a pretty incredible director. He may not have a stylistic visual flair, but he sure knows how to compose a scene and make it crackle, as he does over and over again here. There aren't many twists here that should come as a major surprise in theory, but Clooney manages to not only build tension but make those twists pop out of nowhere, making them particularly effective and revelatory. Give credit for this to the excellent script, based on Willimon's hit 2008 play Farragut North (itself inspired by his time working for Howard Dean's ill-fated campaign in 2004), which manages to get it's points across without being heavy-handed, preachy, or obvious. He also makes great use of shadows, at times making the film seem like the marriage of political thriller and film noir. Perhaps the film's greatest miracle is how apolitical it is for a political film: by focusing solely on the Democrats, Clooney let's us see them as flawed, perhaps even despicable beings, and never uses the film as a platform for liberal preaching. He's looking specifically at politics in general, a bold and ultimately very intelligent move at a time when the nation's political fervor is becoming increasing heated as we approach election year. Clooney has a bright future ahead of him as a director if he can bring this level of skill to all his films.

It helps, of course, that the cast is one of the best of the year. Gosling, who's already turned in two great performances this year, is charismatic and smooth as ever, playing his spin-meister role with convincing energy. And when Steven begins to crumble, it's impossible to take your eyes off him (not that you'd want to anyway). Clooney himself is great as an Obama-esque figure, but unlike our president he gives off a hint of malice just under the surface. Evan Rachel Wood, as pretty much the main female character in the film (I know politics is still very much a man's game, but surely there could have been more prominent women here?), is a delight, and Marisa Tomei's few scenes let her ooze oily charm as a New York Times reporter trying to get a good scoop. The two best performances, though, come from two of the most dynamic character actors working today. Paul Giamatti is fantastic as a rival campaign leader who makes an offer to Steven, perfectly embodying the cynicism of the game. And Hoffman is absolutely electric as Paul, the foul-mouthed campaign veteran trying to land Morris a vital senator's endorsement. A confrontation scene with Steven allows Hoffman to give a grand monologue with surprising restraint, a welcome change from an actor who sometimes goes too over-the-top.

The film takes it's name from that ill-fated day that Caesar was warned to beware. He was lucky, though: for the characters of Ides of March, there is no warning for the backstabbing and betrayal that's to come. The result is a terrific political thriller that I'll dare say belongs in the same ranks as All the President's Men. A+

Bad Teacher

2011-10-25T12:20:00.004-04:00

What hath Will Ferrell wrought?

In what will forever be known as The Summer We Discovered Women Can Be Funny (because Hollywood never remembers that), it would seem like the proper comparison for Bad Teacher would be Bridesmaids, that pink-paletted monolith of hilarious women. But I'm not going to compare them for two very appropriate reasons: 1) Bad Teacher was already finished by the time Bridesmaids came out, so the latter's success had no influence on the former's existence and 2) I haven't yet seen Bridesmaids. The more appropriate comparison this film might actually be Anchorman.

Easy now, stay with me here.

Anchorman was the prototype for every Will Ferrell movie that's been made since then, or at least his big, mainstream comedies. Ferrell stars as a dolt in a professional situation who has a shallow goal and a complete disregard for those around him, usually populated by broad comic stereotypes. There's also usually a kitschy love story involved as well, which doesn't really matter, because the people want to see Ferrell's boorish behavior.

The same goes for Bad Teacher, only with the genders flipped. Cameron Diaz stars as Elizabeth, a gold-digging middle school teacher who's been dumped by her rich boyfriend. She decides to save up her money for breast implants, and proceeds to scheme for ways to get the money while serving as a lazy, couldn't-give-less-of-a-crap educator. However, there's a John Hughes-esque love triangle when Elizabeth falls for Scott (Justin Timberlake), the new hot-nerd teacher with a family fortune, while ignoring the advances of put-upon gym teacher Russell (Jason Segel, who seems to be the go-to guy for romantic sad-sacks). On top of all this is her rival, Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), who's goal is to have her fired.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Writers Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, both of The Office fame, have crafted a script that doesn't so much bow to convention so much as nonchalantly toss it at us, like bored zookeepers making their rounds. It's a dull affair, and director Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story) doesn't do much to liven it up. Neither do the actors, most of which seem to be coasting through the film to their paychecks. I've never been of the persuasion that Diaz is a particularly good actress, and she doesn't convince me otherwise here. Segel gets a few bits here and there, but the real life of the film is Timberlake, who admirably sells a goofy, awkward charm that belongs in a better film.

Perhaps the film's worst quality, though, is that it's not funny nor entertaining. Sure, pretty much everyone gets to say one foul-mouthed line, and Elizabeth does go to extreme lengths to get what she wants, but it's all profanity for profanity's sake. The ultimately-sanitized ending is tonally off-putting, seemingly dropped in from another movie. All of this wouldn't be as bad, though, if the characters weren't so completely unlikable. We're never given a reason to care about any of them, so the film's forced scenes of lessons-learned and ultimate-comeuppance ring hollow.

There are worse films than Bad Teacher out there. But for a film who's tagline is "eat me," it's awfully toothless. C-

Oscar Predictions: October 2011

2011-10-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

Oscar season is finally heating up now, with hopeful films opening almost every week, some with promise, some borderline delusional (I'm looking at you, "Shakespeare was a fraud BOOM GO THE CANNONS!!!" Anonymous). So with a new month of activity comes a new set of predictions.

BEST PICTURE

War Horse

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The Artist

The Descendants

Midnight in Paris

J. Edgar

The Ides of March

The Help

Drive

Moneyball

A couple of major changes here this month, but mostly just shuffling things around. After opening to weak box office and good-but-not-great reviews, The Ides of March is no longer a sure thing to me. It's still a strong contender, and if it campaigns well, it should stay in the discussion easily. I've dropped J. Edgar too, after a not-very-impressive trailer and troubled screenings seem to indicate that this could fail to live up to it's frontrunner status. However, I'm not necessarily convinced that it's out of the picture completely: if there's more than five nominees, it could easily get in. It's probably foolish to stick with Drive, but it still strikes me as the kind of film that gets #1 votes, and though its somewhat faded it's still got passionate fans (I count myself among them). I've wrestled with myself on whether to include Moneyball or Hugo, since both have received stellar reviews, but in the end I see voters leaning toward the soulful sports story over the family film. Extremely Loud's trailer gives off a cathartic feel that makes it a real threat, and with the continuing love for The Artist, at this point I can't see it missing a nomination. Out of all the films seen so far, it may even by the frontrunner.

BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar

Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

I'm finally including Allen: at this point it seems like they're going to honor his terrific comeback here as well, the first time since 1994 (if he's nominated, of course). I still think that directors such as Steve McQueen (Shame, which is picking up heat that will probably never cross over to voters thanks to that pesky NC-17) and Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) do have a real chance at a nomination, but those films are also polarizing, which may cost them. Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close) could take Eastwood's spot if his film doesn't play well, but for now I'm going to assume he's still got a shot.

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney, The Descendants

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

The big change-up here: I've dropped Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March) after he failed to get "best-in-show" reviews, and instead of going with, say, Woody Harrelson (Rampart), I'm willing to place my bets on Shannon, the superb character actor who is earning raves for his possibly-schizophrenic father. Every once in a while, the Academy likes to honor a character actor who makes the jump to lead in a smaller film (see: Richard Jenkins, 2008; Philip Seymour Hoffman, 2005), and Shannon seems primed for another nomination. Gosling is still in contention, though, as is Harrelson.

BEST ACTRESS

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A part of me really wanted to include Charlize Theron for Young Adult, since the trailer promises to showcase her demented funny bone. Unfortunately, I a) don't think that the Academy is going to spring for Theron in funny, not-physically-deglamed mode and b) can't bring myself to drop any of these women just yet. Davis is the closest thing to a lock in this category, and Olsen's earning raves as well; the rest will see their futures' cemented soon when their films debut. If you're wondering why Michelle Williams isn't here, it's because the middling reviews for My Week with Marilyn don't convince me that she's going to get into this very competitive category this time around.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Albert Brooks, Drive

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn

Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March

Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

It seems like every month brings significant change to this category, perhaps because it's even more nebulous than usual. Hoffman steals the show in Ides of March, and he's likely to earn his fourth career nomination for the effort. The Academy has a soft spot for old-men-befriending-children roles, especially when they're played by legends like Sydow, so I'd be surprised if he doesn't make the cut. We'll see what next month brings.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus

Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Early reviews of Albert Nobbs have singled out McTeer as a scene-stealer, and with a juicy role like hers, it'd be foolish to bet against her in this race. The only one I don't feel completely confident in is Woodley, who could fall through to Jessica Chastain (honestly, any of her six films from this year, but The Help seems most likely). But given Alexander Payne's track record in this category, she seems primed for a nomination.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

War Horse; screenplay by Richard Curtis and Lee Hall (based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo)

The Descendants; screenplay by Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, and Jim Rash (based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; screenplay by Eric Roth (based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer)

The Ides of March; screenplay by Grant Heslov & George Clooney and Beau Willimon (based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; screenplay by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughn (based on the novel by John Le Carre)

Moneyball is the strongest challenger here, and should War Horse or Extremely Loud fail to live up to expectations it will easily take a spot on the shortlist. I'm not necessarily a firm believer in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's Oscar chances - it looks too dark and violent for the Academy's taste - but if it gets enough heat, then screenwriter Steve Zallian could find himself a double nominee this year (he wrote Moneyball as well, with last year's winner Aaron Sorkin).

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Midnight in Paris; written by Woody Allen

Bridesmaids; written by Kristen Wiig & Annie Mumulo

Young Adult; written by Diablo Cody

Take Shelter; written by Jeff Nichols

The Artist; written by Michel Hazanavicius

I'm finally ready to admit that The Artist, a silent film, is likely to be nominated for it's screenplay. Based on the glowing reviews of the film, it seems unlikely at this point that they'd pass it over here. Making it even more likely is Like Crazy's recent faltering, receiving mixed reviews at several festivals that will probably keep it out this year. I'm also taking a risk and dropping J. Edgar from the lineup; the film has lost a lot of momentum and if it doesn't wow audiences then it's not going to make the cut, even with Oscar-winning writer Dustin Lance Black handling the script. Instead, I'm going with Take Shelter, since smaller independent films usually do well here (2008: Frozen River, 2009: The Messenger, 2010: Winter's Bone), and it's received ecstatic reviews so far. It'll need a good campaign to stay alive through the harsh months of November and December, but the recent Gotham nomination looks like a promising start.

Radio Daze Bonus Tracks #2

2011-10-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

All tracks taken from the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated October 22, 2011.

19. "Strange Clouds," B.o.B. feat. Lil' Wayne

B.o.B.'s debut last year was one of the more interesting rap albums: he was clearly a pop-minded rapper/multi-instrumentalist, unashamed of chasing crossover success with the help of Top 40-approved guests such as Bruno Mars and Hayley Williams. But, as album cuts such as "Don't Let Me Fall" and his new single, "Strange Clouds" show, he's actually a fairly gifted rapper in his own right. Sure, he can be clumsy at times, and guest Lil' Wayne steals the show with a verse that's even subpar for him, but he's not entirely untalented. However, this song probably won't win him the same kind of crossover success he's previously enjoyed, nor do I think it's going to necessarily rock rap radio. It's solid, but not necessarily great. B-

31. "Just a Kiss," Lady Antebellum

The reigning champs of bland country are back, and blander than ever. A spiritual and sonic sequel to last year's hit "Need You Now," which won a handful of Grammys for making a drunken hookup sound like the most inane thing imaginable, "Just a Kiss" is a promise to take it slow in a new relationship, which the trio also manages to make sound tedious. Built on the pop-country blueprint of piano, strings, and trading verses (oh, and a sort-of-not-really twangy guitar, because this is country music, yes it is), the song is not altogether unpleasant, but it's the kind of sap that you never really listen to but still goes on to sell millions of records. It's just that one wishes they'd step it up and do something fun for once. C-

36. "Crazy Girl," Eli Young Band

I don't actually know all that much about Eli Young Band. They were a free download on iTunes a couple of years back, with a song called "When It Rains," which wasn't terrible but not memorable either. And here they are again, this time with country hit "Crazy Girl," which isn't about an actual crazy girl so much as it is about the fact that lead singer Mike Eli loves a girl like crazy (see what they did there?). Similar to "Just a Kiss," this is middle-of-the-road, wholly inoffensive pop-country, neither terribly great or greatly terrible. It just exists, which is apparently good enough nowadays. Though points for actually having twang. C

48. "Work Out," J. Cole

After two years of work, Jay-Z protege J. Cole has finally released his debut album. And as a lead single, "Work Out" couldn't be a more strange choice. Sampling Kanye West's "New Workout Plan," Cole doesn't really bring anything new to the table, as this is a standard "I'm famous, come home with me" jam that pretty much every debut rapper makes. What sets it apart, though, is Cole's icy flow, clearly something he picked up from Hova. It's certainly not his best work (check out his verse on Jay-Z's "A Star is Born" to understand why he is so hyped to begin with), but he has the guts to sing the chorus of Paula Abdul's 1989 smash "Straight Up" at the end, so that's got to count for something. B

50. "Easy," Rascal Flatts feat. Natasha Bedingfield

If the Black Eyed Peas are the evil geniuses destroying pop music with their dumbed-down, grating hits, then Rascal Flatts is their country-music equivalent. They came in with the bland-country - let's just call it blandtry from now on - that would later inspire other blandtry acts such as Lady Antebellum, selling millions of albums without anyone really saying they were fans. And songs like "Bless the Broken Road" and "What Hurts the Most" became schmaltz anthems that soundtracked every prom slow-dance of the back half of the Aughts (that and Sugarland's "Stay," which is disturbing given the context). Now there's "Easy," in which they pair up with the songstress that paved the way for this to happen and belt out how hard it is to see an ex happy when they're still so miserable. It's bombastic blandtry at it's worst. D

55. "Remind Me," Brad Paisley feat. Carrie Underwood

As you've probably gathered from this column and the previous Bonus Tracks, I'm not a huge fan of country music. There's a very long-winded reason for that, one that will probably get an article of it's own one day, but the gist is this: too often country artists rely on cornpone cliche or schmaltz, cranking out music more like machines than like musicians. Brad Paisley's an interesting case: in all senses, he looks like every other male country star, but his music is often truly outstanding. For one, he's without a doubt the best country guitarist working right now, and perhaps ever. And he's a talented songwriter as well: "Alcohol" would easily make my top 5 country songs of the last 20 years. Carrie Underwood usually doesn't get great material, but she's got a beautiful, soulful voice, and when she gets a chance to utilize it she soars. There have been songs like "Remind Me" before, and perhaps they've been done better, but what a breath of fresh air it is to hear the passion and desperation in their voices in this song. There's still an element of schmaltz here, but when Paisley launches into his shredding guitar solo, it strikes the sweet spot. B

60. "Tattoos on This Town," Jason Aldean

No awkward rapping a la "Dirt Road Anthem" here, but the sentiment is the same: Aldean reflects on his hometown and all the memories he made there, and between the two songs one suspects he must be really homesick. This is familiar territory he's treading to begin with, but Aldean does it with enough energy to make it work for him. That's not to say that this is great work; it's still mired by cliche. But it's not hard to enjoy either, and it's actually more anthemic than his previous hit. C+

65. "Best Thing I Never Had," Beyonce

With all the hype surrounding her pregnancy (Baby By Beyonce will be dropping next spring), it's easy to forget something very strange: her latest album, 4, has yet to produce a major hit. There's been no "Crazy in Love," no "Irreplaceable," no "Single Ladies." "Run the World (Girls)" was dead on it's Major Lazer-sampling arrival (I maintain it's underrated), so it was up to "Best Thing" to be the savior of the album in terms of radio play. Instead, it only peaked at 16, which is low for the Queen B. Perhaps it's because "sucks to be you right now" is a far cry from "to the left, to the left," or perhaps it's just the nation's preoccupation with pop-tarts like Katy Perry. This isn't necessarily Beyonce firing on all cylinders, but it's certainly a worthy entry in her canon (as is the album, which is a departure from her usual work and, in my opinion, her best yet). B+

87. "Sail," AWOLNATION

Because Styx was awesome, right? Actually, I have fond memories of "Come Sail Away," the Styx song that "Sail" alludes/pays tribute to, thanks to high school chorus. A solo project for Under the Influence of Giants' Aaron Bruno, AWOLNATION brings twitchy electronica and plucky strings together for a scuzzed-out jam about being approached by extraterrestrials. Bruno doesn't necessarily sing so much as wails like a bargin-bin Kurt Cobain here, and lyrically there's just not all that much to the song. The music strikes a moody chord, which gives it some much-needed life. Still, it really just makes one wish for the cheesy prog-bombast of Styx's anthem. B-

96. "Papi," Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez had a minor resurgence earlier this year, when "On the Floor" became a smash hit even though she was really a guest to the track's true star, producer RedOne. So she's going with a new clubbanger, "Papi," in which she encourages all the ladies in the club to get up and dance for their men. Backwards gender politics aside, this is the J. Lo that always seems to crop up after something good happens: the one that is all brand, no personality, and not much real talent to boot. This'll probably find its way into a club mix, but not much else. C-

Terra Nova and the Family Drama Problem

2011-10-18T19:45:00.002-04:00

Terra Nova was conceived as a family-oriented adventure show about living with dinosaurs, and it's advertising campaign seemed to focus on the latter pretty extensively. So of course I was interested in the show, because dinosaurs are awesome (see: Jurassic Park). However, over the first three episode, the show's had plenty of problems. First of all, there's not nearly enough dinosaurs. The use of genre cliche and clumsy Hitchcock homage is laugable at times - only three episodes in, and we're already playing the amnesia card? This is to say nothing of the uncomfortable racial subtext of the Terra Nova colony's conflict with the rebellious, "evil" nearly-all-black Sixers.

But the real problem with the show (again, aside from the shortage of dinosaurs eating people) is that it's trying to be a family drama. Now, there's nothing wrong with this aspiration; it could make a crackerjack family drama within this setting. But that would involve interesting characters engaged in interesting relationships, something that Terra Nova barely has. So far, the only standout character is Stephen Lang's ~~Stephen Lang Military Badass~~ Commander Taylor, the colony's leader. He's not even part of the central family. That would be Jim & Elizabeth Shannon (Jason O'Mara and Shelley Conn, respectively) and their brood, consisting of angsty older son Josh (Landon Liboirion), bookish middle daughter Maddy (Naomi Scott), and adorable, oft-missing moppet Zoe (Alana Mansour). The problem with this group is that none of them plays a character so much as an archetype, therefore making the relationships between them seem more like a chore than an organic, revealing development.

It's a shame to see a show with so much promise failing like this, but the good news is that it's not to late to fix these mistakes. In fact, there's even a cautionary tale from just last season that should provide inspiration for repair: No Ordinary Family. It, too, was a genre show (superheroes!) trying to be a family drama first, but succumbed to the same problem of having a family populated by archetype and cliche rather than characters. I wish I could tell you how it ended, but I bailed halfway through the season (which, you have to understand, is a really big deal; I almost never give up on a show midway through the year), and never bothered with it after it was cancelled. But I can tell you that it never lived up to being the family drama it wanted to be, nor did it succeed as a genre show about superheroes, something that should have been perfect for the television format (similar to Fantastic Four comic books, but you don't have to read!).

So how can Terra Nova fix this problem? For one, flesh out the characters more. It's still early in the season, so there's nothing wrong with moving forward and giving more interesting dimensions to, well, everyone. The other major change they could make is to stop acting like the family drama and sci-fi elements have to be kept separate; you can embrace both! Dive deeper into the colony and create an interesting but not overbearing mythology, preferably one that doesn't require massive amounts of exposition. Perhaps then Terra Nova could live up to it's promise.

Oh, and more dinosaurs. Definitely add more dinosaurs.

Here is Klaus Kinski Holding a Puppy

2011-10-18T18:08:00.001-04:00

Presumably, he set it on fire and threw off a cliff shortly afterward. Happy Tuesday, everyone.

Some Assembly Required

2011-10-17T19:26:00.005-04:00

So this showed up on the Internet last week, to much anticipation and fervor. I suppose that many of you have already taken a gander at it, but just in case you haven't, here's the official first trailer for The Avengers, next summer's massive superhero-team-up movie that we've been seeing feature-length commercials for all summer.

I'm trying not to get overly hyped about this. I don't read a lot of comics, but I do love superhero movies, especially when our hero gets to be an original and a character in a real story and not a cookie-cutter, one-note construct meant to sell tickets without any heart (*cough* Green Lantern *cough*). And with so many superhero movies in the past decade and so many more to come, it's easy to get fatigued by them all and just wish they'd go away. The unfortunate truth is that with so many being produced, for every great superhero movie made (Superman, Spider-Man, Batman Begins) there's been two or three unfortunate ones (Catwoman, Batman & Robin, Fantastic Four).

So what of The Avengers? Well, the trailer only gives us a bit to go on. It looks like it will be plenty explosion-y, as the first few bits suggest. I'm concerned that we're only given minimal glimpses of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, and Scarlett Johannsson's Black Widow. But that could be because as a trailer, it's trying to draw us in with a focus on the characters we're already familiar with, i.e. the ones with their own movies.

I am stoked, though, that Joss Whedon is directing this. He's proven himself to be terrific with ensembles, and hopefully this will prove to be in the Buffy/Firefly vein of a Whedonesque makeshift family. I'm also hoping, given Whedon's talent with crafting incredible female roles, that Johannsson's Black Widow proves to be the breakout character. Johannsson, despite what some people say, is actually a very talent actress, and I really want this to prove that (besides, Iron Man 2 did the character and the actress no favors). What I fear, though, is that this is going to become the Robert Downey Jr./Iron Man show, with everyone else relegated to background noise.

But then check out 1:26 - Cappy's fighting Thor! How could I not be excited about this now?

So the final verdict, for now at least, is that I'm plenty excited to see this, though I probably should catch up with Thor/Captain America before jumping in. And when it breaks all kinds of absurd box office records when it opens next May, I hope someone will finally let Whedon make that Wonder Woman movie he's been talking up for years.

What's your take?

The Foreign Language Finalist List

2011-10-14T16:48:00.001-04:00

As Oscarwatchers have no doubt already seen today, AMPAS released the official submission list for this year's Foreign Language Oscar. There's 63 countries submitting this year, including first-timer New Zealand, which is actually pretty surprising to me. Also of note: Algeria, which was nominated last year for Hors-la-loi, chose not to submit this year, though that film's director, producer, and star are all involved in Morocco's submission, Omar Killed Me.

You can view the full list here, courtesy of The Film Experience. It's a nifty little chart, and includes much more than most sites are providing, including posters, official sites, and Oscar tidbits. Really, if you're not already reading this site, it's an absolute must for Oscarphiles, actresssexuals, and film lovers in general.

A Separation

I'm actually glad to see that Iran is going with A Separation, Asghar Farhadi's festival-acclaimed divorce drama after some controversial statements that it hadn't decided on a film yet. I've been meaning to share this article all week: Glenn over at Stale Popcorn (if you're not reading his work, do so now!) wrote this wonderful piece about whether or not Iran deserves to win an Oscar or not. I have to say, he makes a pretty compelling argument, and brings up an Oscar peculiarity that we always seem to forget every year. It's strange to think that acclaimed international auteurs don't actually have Oscars for their films, since the award is presented to the country, only accepted by the filmmakers. Now, I'm a big stickler about quality being the determining factor in any film's awardage (I know the politics can't be avoided, but I like to pretend), but in this case I do think that there's something not quite right about rewarding a nation that persecutes it's filmmakers (to say nothing of the population at large), regardless of the quality of the film.

So here's my question to you, dear readers: should a nation that violates human rights win an Oscar for a great film? I personally think the easy way to fix this dilemma is to have the nation submit the film, but the award be presented to the director/producers. What do you think?

Moneyball

2011-10-13T13:40:00.004-04:00

There's a line that Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), the owner of the Oakland A's baseball team, repeats throughout Moneyball: "It's hard not to be romantic about baseball." He's absolutely right about that sentiment. Baseball gets a bad rep for being the "slowest" of the four major sports in this country, since there's not dynamic point-scoring or anybody knocking the ever-loving trash out of each other. But where football is war, hockey is chaos, and basketball is showmanship, baseball is grace, a lyrical sport that operates on chance yet isn't completely out of control. A manager can determine the line-up, set the positions, but after that, it's all up to a combination of skill and luck.The better team (say, this year's Yankees) can fall to a lesser one (Detroit) at the last moment.

Reviews will tell you that this is not a movie about baseball. It's about the underdog fighting to be recognized. It's about a man's obsession with redeeming himself for his unfortunate choices of the past. These are true, don't get me wrong. But it IS about baseball as well. The film's focus lays on the A's 2002 season, as Beane struggles with the loss of the team's three biggest players and not enough money to replace them. With the help of an accountant, Peter Brand, (Jonah Hill), he puts his faith in a system of sabermetrics, in which non-superstars are hired based on their ability to get on-base more than home runs. This controversial plan loses him the faith of many scouts, as well as his manager, Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), but soon starts to work, much to the surprise of the baseball world.

The film is based on Michael Lewis' 2003 bestselling nonfiction book of the same name, which never really seemed like it would make a cinematic film. Of course, having Steve Zalllian and Aaron Sorkin working on the script didn't hurt, and the film buzzes with Sorkin's trademark dialogue. It helps that director Bennett Miller, finally following up his debut film Capote, has a deft understanding of the importance of image, adhering to the golden rule of "show, not tell" with vibrant pacing. And of course there's Pitt's electric performance, the film's centerpiece. He's always been much, much more talented as an actor than he's been given credit for, and he knocks this one out of the park (hee, baseball humor) as a man who's struggling to hold everything in his life together. His scenes with his younger daughter are particularly fantastic, even though the film has her sing a song that wouldn't exist for six more years (I get how it fits with the film thematically, so it's not terribly egregious, but it still stuck out in my mind).

What really sets the film apart, though, and makes it stand out in my mind at least, is the way history played out this story. *SPOILER ALERT OF SORTS, YOU CAN EASILY FIND THIS ON WIKIPEDIA* The 2002 A's won the American League West Division title after winning a Major League Baseball-record 20 consecutive games. However, they did not win the World Series, as Beane had built the team to do, instead facing another early elimination at the hands of the Minnesota Twins (divisional rival and wild-card winner Anaheim Angels would win the World Series that year). The glory days of the A's soon faded, as they've missed the playoffs seven of the nine years since, including this past season, in which they finished with 74-88 record and third place in the division. The A's still haven't won a World Series since 1989.

And yet other teams have adopted the idea of sabermetrics and seen it's successful use. The 2004 Boston Red Sox, as the film's postscript notes, used the system to win it's first World Series in 86 years (glory days that I, as a Sox fan, wish would return after this year's fiasco). It also helped small-market teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers become perennial contenders. In fact, just look at this year's playoffs, as so far the two highest-payroll teams in baseball, the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, were eliminated in the divisional rounds by teams with half their payrolls (the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively). The point being that sabermetrics does, to an extent, work, and has helped a handful of mid-level teams emerge as championship contenders.

So is Beane vindicated? There's plenty of ways to interpret this, which the film smartly leaves room for. Just like last year's The Social Network, Moneyball makes a great drama and a fascinating character study out of a potentially dry and uncinematic subject. A/A-

Oscar 2011 Concerns #1

2011-10-07T20:32:00.004-04:00

This isn't really my number-one concern (though it is up there), but the first of a series of things that I've been reflecting on in terms of this year's Oscar race. I'm hoping you'll see several of these in the future, with more probably showing up around the time I'm working on updating my predictions again. Gee, is it really October already? Where did the year go....................

I've been thinking about The Iron Lady. Namely, the more I think about it, the less it seems like a good thing and the more I see it being a fiasco. At the moment, it's sight-unseen the odds-on favorite to land Meryl Streep another nomination and perhaps her long-in-the-works third win. But is it really? Again, nobody's seen the movie yet. We've been drawing these conclusions only on press stills and a very short teaser that showcases that yes, Streep can look and sound like Margaret Thatcher. Mimicry is not necessarily Oscar poison (they like it a lot, actually), but we don't really know yet if there's a real performance here. Namely most of my fear comes from the director's chair, which is filled by Phylida "I can point a camera somewhere, therefore I am a director!" Lloyd. Lloyd previously "directed" Streep in Mamma Mia, and though she was easily the best part of that over-lit, Pierce-Brosnan-belting disaster, it wasn't so much of a performance so much as Streep merrily gallivanting around a Greek island. Are we certain we can get a legitimate performance here too?

What are your thoughts on this one? Does it make you nervous too?

Don't Stop Believin': "The Purple Piano Project" and My Sadomasochistic Relationship with Glee

2011-10-04T19:44:00.003-04:00

Glee, to me at least, is like a bad relationship you just can't quit. They promise they'll get better, and even make efforts to that make you believe in them all over again, and then blow it off in favor of doing whatever they were doing before. It's similar in a way to my relationship with House; Fox, why are you doing this to me?

I'm writing this on the night of the third season's third episode, and I should let you know that so far I've only seen the season premiere. And a part of me only wants to see that episode and be done with it. There's a lot I didn't like about the episode, but there's also parts of it that I did like and renewed my hopes that this was going to be the show the pilot had promised.

You see, at the end of Glee's extremely-uneven second season, I had resolved that I'm no longer going to expect this show to be the one we saw in the pilot. It's not even going to be a shadow of that program. Instead, I was going to embrace it as the train-wreck it had become, and hope that the writers would too, instead delving into high camp to turn this show into High School Musical on acid. It'd be trashy, but it'd be so much fun.

Then came "The Purple Piano Project," an episode that somehow manages to do everything that season two did wrong and the pilot did right. Let's start with what they did wrong. For one, Sue Sylvester is still around. Yes, Jane Lynch is a brilliant actress, but her character, as I've bemoaned many times, isn't a character anymore so much as a mustache-twirling comic villain al a Wile E. Coyote. She worked as a Big Bad in season one, but every year since has felt strained. There's no reason for her to still be around. Sure, her political-campaign arc this year is meant to lampoon to the current Republican race (which, really, is it's own embarrassing three-ring circus of ignorant clowns more interested in upping their own profiles than actually running for president), but it still doesn't justify, say, Sue gutting a random piano in the hallway with a pair of hedge-clippers (which she pulled out of thin air!).

Instead, the show should be focusing on a new Big Bad, and it seems to be suggesting one in this episode: post-graduation life. We've been told for a while that Finn will probably never leave Lima, and I for one hope that that's true. Rachel and Kurt take a trip to a mixer for a prestigious New York arts school, but they're blown away by how many truly talented kids they're competing against. Now, they're already hinting at the idea that one of them will probably get in and the other won't, which is a cliche way to go, but if that's what they're going to do I hope it's Rachel who doesn't make it. Why? Because that would fit best with what the show has always had as an underlying theme: dreams are great, but you may have to adjust them. We can't all be world-famous; sometimes we have to settle for what's given to us. Of course, the show will likely find a way to give everyone everything they've ever wanted, because optimism, yeah! But it would resonate more if Rachel was playing Fanny Brice in a Cleveland Regional Theatre production of Funny Girl rather than on Broadway. The cruelty of fate would make a more interesting - and pertinent - Big Bad than Sue could ever be at this point.

Of course, this is to say nothing of the fact that even with a full writing staff this year, there's only a handful of characters they even know what to do with. Quinn's gone off to become a scene kid (or at least the Glee version of a scene kid) because, you know, why not. It's become clear at this point that Quinn was created as the pregnant cheerleader/social martyr, and as soon as she gave birth to the child at the end of season one, there was no reason to keep her around anymore. So instead they've let the very-talented Dianna Agron flit about, having go from nice-girl to Queen-Bitch and back again, sometimes in the course of a single scene. The same goes for Mercedes, who they've finally let be happy but are sure to just ignore/tear that happiness away like sick sadists. And then there's the adults: even in a relationship, Will Schuster is annoyingly passive, and Emma is still annoyingly precious. The crowning example is when, in the midst of a confrontation about keeping the arts in school in the principal's office, he breaks down and bemoans his sex life (or lack thereof). It's a bizarre moment, both in terms of the writing and Matthew Morrison's performance. And the glitterbomb is a wholly-underwhelming and stupid-ridiculous moment.

And yet my faith in the store was cautiously restored. First, the musical selections were surprisingly diverse, consisting of more Broadway and less '80s tunes/Top 40 hits. And they made sense in terms of the show, which is to say they didn't make much sense other then "let's put on a show! It's been 10 minutes since our last song!" Though that may sound like a backhanded compliment - it kind of is - it's also an improvement over the "we have the rights to this, so here it is" approach that the show often falls into the trap of. Then there's what I mentioned earlier: the show, however sketchily, does seem to be making an attempt at grounding the stories in the fear of post-graduation. It's something that every high school senior goes through, and it's great that the show is at least pretending that it's going to address it throughout the year.

But will they? That's what makes me most nervous: history suggests that they're going to either burn off these ideas early or they'll just drop them and pick them up again at the end of the season (we'll call this the Sunshine Approach). I hate myself for believing that there will be consistent storytelling this year, because I know so much better, but damn if Glee doesn't play with my emotions. That's why I almost want to stop watching right now, and just let the rest of the season play out in my head, where consistency is key. But of course I won't stop watching. Even with all my friends telling me you're bad for me, I just can't quit you, Glee.

There's Always Money in the Banana Stand...

2011-10-03T21:41:00.006-04:00

...so why do we feel the pressing need for more Arrested Development?

The news hit the Internet this morning that not only is the AD movie is really (maybe sort-of) happening, but it will be accompanied (again, maybe sort-of) a new batch of episodes, a "fourth season" to serve as a bridge between the end of the show's original run and the events of the movie. At this moment, it doesn't seem like Fox, which originally carried the show, will carry this fourth season, with Showtime and Netflix "in talks" to do so instead.

If this doesn't scream early '00s, nothing does.

I'm a fan of the show. And while the rest of the show's fanbase (which I'm sure is at least twice the size of it's original run, thanks to it's cult status on DVD) is approaching this news with rabid elation, I can't help but think of the Bluth's unofficial family motto: they're making a terrible mistake. Here's the thing: AD was lightning in a bottle. It was the result of the perfect chemistry of the actors mixed with the spitfire comic genius that emerged from the writers' room. It was a show that could have only existed at that exact moment in time, capturing the turmoil of those early Iraq years and spinning them into brilliant comedy. It was also a show that benefited from cancellation: it was already starting to lose steam in season three (and, really, towards the end of season two), and could have collapsed entirely had it not been for Fox's decision to not order any new episodes. As such, it now remains in near perfect form, a true masterstroke of television comedy.

So why threaten (nay, nearly guarantee) the tarnishing of that legacy with more? The ensemble may be able to reignite that chemistry, but all of them have moved on to other things since the show came to a close. Jason Bateman and Michael Cera are improbable movie stars, while Will Arnett is anchoring Up All Night on NBC. Jessica Walter and Jeffrey Tambor have Archer, Alia Shawkat has a growing movie career, and Portia di Rossi and Tony Hale have bit parts in several things. As for David Cross, he's resumed stand-up as well as IFC's The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. With so much else going on, there's no guarantee that they can strike that same ensemble chemistry they had before.

There's also the more glaring fact that none of the show's producers/writers have had success since then. Mitchell Hurwitz in particular has gone from one failed project to the next (Running Wilde, anyone?), and none of those ever came close to finding the humor of AD, despite his best efforts. As I said before, the writers were already running out of steam; a six-year break certainly wouldn't do them any real favors (though logic would suggest otherwise).

Now, this could, by some miracle, work. The idea that Showtime or Netflix would pick up the fourth season would give the writers more freedom to do their thing, theoretically, but what if it was the strictures of network television that gave AD its creative bursts? As for the movie, AD is great in the span of 30 minutes, but we're talking about expanding that to two hours. Everyone involved is going to have to do more than capture lightning in a bottle twice; they're going to have to catch lightning and split an atom simultaneously.

All in all, I think this is a terrible idea. Even as a fan of the show, I can't say that I would be able to watch either the new season or the movie. That is, of course, if they ever happen, which I'm still 99% sure they won't. Which means that all of this speculation and worry will eventually amount to nothing. Hopefully.

22 Years Around the Sun

2011-09-30T11:55:00.002-04:00

Yep, it's my birthday, and even though I don't usually post on the weekends (thanks job!), I'm taking this one off anyway. I'll be back next week with thoughts on the Glee premiere, Terra Nova, the increasingly-crowded Best Actor race, and maybe a review or two.

Also, how perfect is it that I share a birthday with this lovely lady? *sigh* 'Twas a wonderful day indeed.

Radio Daze Vol. 8: September/October 2011

2011-09-28T19:45:00.000-04:00

The following is based on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated October 8, 2011.

1. "Moves Like Jagger," Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera

Remember once, long ago in the halcyon days of the early 2000s, when American Idol would produce a legitimate superstar who would top the Billboard charts? Well, that role now apparently belongs to The Voice, and the ones benefiting from exposure on the show aren't the competitors, but rather the judges themselves. Blake Shelton saw his Red River Blue debut at number one, and Cee-Lo Green avoided becoming "the 'Fuck You' guy" and has had several more minor hits. But it's clear that Maroon 5's Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera benefited the most, with this collaboration saving both of their music careers. Before they performed "Moves Like Jagger" on The Voice, Maroon 5's latest album Hands All Over was a non-starter, and Aguilera was flailing between the failure of Burlesque (and album Bionic) and her botching of the national anthem at the Super Bowl. Who knew that within six months they'd both be ruling the airwaves?

So what about the song itself? The strange thing about Maroon 5 is that underneath the glitzy blue-eyed white-boy soul-rock is a surprising bit of menace, as if Levine and Co. are threatening you as a means of seduction. Here, he sings in the chorus that he doesn't "need to try to control you / look into my eyes / and I'll own you." Of course, this is all a metaphor for sex, as just about any pop song is, but there's no denying that even when he's promising you control, he's the superior one. It's kind of off-putting in the way that Maroon 5 song is, yet the buoyancy of the beat makes it easy to miss. Aguilera doesn't add much outside of a reminder of her gigantic singing voice, but really that's enough. Bonus points for never once rhyming "Jagger" with "swagger." B

2. "Someone Like You," Adele

I'm still completely flabbergasted by Adele's popularity. It's not that she's not talented, it's that she is so truly talented that she stands out among the regular Top 40 crowd. Take, for instance, "Someone Like You." When it hit number one a few weeks ago, not only did it make a tremendous jump from the bottom to the top, but it became the only song in the history of the charts to reach that position featuring only piano and voice. In an age when processed, club-ready thudding beats are the requisite for pop success, how the hell did a song so beautifully, achingly spare make it to the top? The key, I believe, lies in those words: "beautiful" and "aching." With only her powerful voice and a arpeggio-playing piano, she sings a kiss-off to an ex that's full of pain and heartache. It's a gorgeous ballad, one that easily cements her in the tradition of the great soul singers rather than her comtemporary pop-tart peers. Like "Rolling in the Deep" before it, it's sure to spawn plenty of bad, drunken karaoke, but is there any better measure of a truly great talent? A

3. "Pumped Up Kicks," Foster the People

Here's another oddity for the top of the charts: a low-profile outfit that I guarantee not a single one of you could pick out of a lineup, singing a bouncy, instantly-hummable ditty about...murdering all of the kids with better shoes than you. It's seriously disarming, and I wonder if the audiences out there who made this reach number three realize what it's actually about. On first listen, it's a fun, cheery sounding song, complete with whistling (whistling!), but then the darkness seeps in when you realize it's essentially Columbine by way of The Polyphonic Spree. There's nothing wrong with making a song like this, but it's just weird that it would be so popular. It also doesn't help that Foster's lead singer Mark Foster doesn't have enough menace or exuberance in his voice to really sell the song for what it is. Whatever it is. B-

4. "Party Rock Anthem," LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett and Goonrock

The last time we check in, this was the number one song in the country, and I blasted it for being a basic affront to America's eardrums. Which is still accurate, though I must admit that I've heard worse songs since then (see this volume's #10), and it's grown on me just a little bit. The isn't to suggest that Redfoo and Sky Blu (who, incidently, are relatives of the great Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records) have any skill in rapping, but the production here is probably their finest. Which isn't really a compliment, but it's an improvement. D

5. "Stereo Hearts," Gym Class Heroes feat. Adam Levine

The first of two songs to be featured in Bonus Tracks to crack the top ten, "Stereo Hearts" is further evidence that Levine is indeed seeing a resurgence. This is vintage GCH, charmingly sweet and inoffensive rapping from Travie McCoy over a rollicking beat. As I said last time, you wish they'd really shake things up and do something different, but as it is it's perfectly enjoyable aw-shucks pop-rap. B

6. "Lighters," Bad Meets Evil feat. Bruno Mars

Even though this isn't a strictly-Eminem song (Bad Meets Evil is his collaboration with former-rival Royce Da 5'9"), it serves as an interesting referendum on the direction of his career. Take a listen to the whole Bad Meets Evil EP Hell: The Sequel and you'll hear Em revisiting his Marshall Mathers LP days, with demented, misogynistic lyrics that could only come from his mind. The most accessible song, however, includes none of this: it has verses from both Em and Royce about redemption and forgiveness, with a hook sung by one of pop music's current favorite hook-men. So of course it's "Lighters" that finds traction, but it's not really anyone's best work, and compared to even other recent Eminem singles ("Not Afraid," for example, or "Love the Way You Lie") it's tame and...well, rather boring, knowing that all three are capable of more. B-

7. "Cheers (Drink to That)," Rihanna

I've written before that in general, I'm ambivalent about Rihanna. Specifically, she has some of the best pop songs written for her, but you can't listen to them without thinking about how much better it would be if someone else had done it. It all goes back to my thesis that Rihanna has no real musical personality, and that drags down her songs. Take, for example, "Cheers (Drink to That)," a song that should be fun and perfect for a night of barhopping (solidified by the group-chant chorus toward the end). Instead, Rihanna sounds almost bored to tears with the idea, with barely a hint of fun or excitement in her voice. The only life comes from the "yeah-yeahs" seemingly sung by co-writer Avril Lavigne. I would love to hear what kind of bratty energy she could have brought to it. C+

8. "You and I," Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's Born This Way, as I wrote back in May, is a messy, sprawling work in which the music and the persona finally align in gloriously bizarre harmony. The apex of this comes here in "You and I," easily the album's strongest track. The combination of Nashville stomp, Elton John lyrical flamboyance, and hard guitar shredding by Queen's Brian May is the perfect example of how Gaga can (and should) combine her many obsessions into a perfect slice of pop that's, in a word, irresistible to sing along to. She's finally found a musical identity that fits, and I hope she keeps it. A+

9. "You Make Me Feel...," Cobra Starship feat. Sabi

As I wrote back in the first Bonus Tracks, this is a surprisingly fun song from a group that was sort-of supposed to be a joke. Guest vocalist Sabi really steals the show though, which makes me wonder, when are we going to hear her solo work? B+

10. "Sexy and I Know It," LMFAO

Remember when I said that I'd heard worse from LMFAO? Well, here it is. Granted, it doesn't reach the "Shots" nadir that pop music can only reach when it willingly decides to self-destruct. It should be noted that this is LMFAO on their own, without the help of a guest to distract from the duo's god-awful lyrics (they may have reached a new low when "wiggle wiggle wiggle" becomes your bridge), nor do they have production that allows you to tune them out. Instead, we get an over-busy, twitchy train wreck that sounds as if it was meant to become the anthem for the next season of Jersey Shore. And I wouldn't be surprised if it is. F

Drive

2011-09-26T20:04:00.003-04:00

Maybe it's because every film professor I've ever had idolizes Roman Polanski, but Drive reminded me a lot of Chinatown. That's an interesting and perhaps controversial lead-off, but think about it: both are stylish neo-noirs that pay homage to the genre while also twisting them, coming from directors who are outsiders both in the sense of being foreign-born and in coming from outside mainstream Hollywood, and both feature a Los Angeles setting. The most significant similarity, though is how each film approaches the noir genre from the perspective of the time it was made: Chinatown toyed with the idea that nothing can possibly be known for certain, while Drive supposes that no one is truly innocent.

A young, unnamed driver (Ryan Gosling) works several jobs. One is as a mechanic, where he works at a body shop for Shannon (Bryan Cranston). Another is as a Hollywood stunt-driver. And another is as a getaway-driver-for-hire. Just as Shannon is striking up a racing business with merciless mobster Bernie (Albert Brooks), the driver gets involved with his neighbor, angel-faced Irene (Carey Mulligan), who's husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is just getting release from prison. When a job with Standard goes awry, the driver finds himself in the middle of a plot that goes much deeper than anyone expected.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn won the Best Director prize at Cannes this year for this film, and it's easy to see why: he has a striking, lyrical style that is mesmerizing. Most importantly, though, he understands the basic rule of cinema, which is show, not tell. There's very little explicit exposition here; we learn from the very first scene everything we need to know about the driver's after-hours gig with barely any spoken dialogue. Instead, the film relies on its audience to be smart enough to follow along without any hand-holding, something that has probably contributed to it's lackluster box office performance. Of course, some of that credit goes to screenwriter Hossein Amini, but much of it belongs to Refn's masterful visual storytelling and concept of the story. Can you imagine what the film would have been with original director Neil Marshall (The Descent)?

Or, while we're at it, with original star Hugh Jackman in the lead role? Though he has very little dialogue (he's the strong, silent type, the driver is), Gosling gives a phenomenal performance, making every violent outburst even more shocking and emphatic. Cranston is a wily one, easily sleezy without ever becoming unlikable. Christina Hendricks and Ron Perlman don't have much screentime, but they pack a powerful punch in their few scenes. And Mulligan is surprisingly great as the inadvertent femme fatlate, a role that she wears with remarkable comfort. Brooks ends up stealing the show, though, brilliantly cast against-type and proving just what a dynamic and superb dramatic actor he is. His Bernie should start making lists of great movie gangsters soon.

There's no doubt that this is a polarizing film. I'd hesitate to call it excessively violent, since there isn't non-stop physical violence throughout the movie as there is in 99% of thrillers made today. But those moments of violence are powerful and brutal, making an impact every single time. Drive moves through it's narrative at a contemplative pace (I've read it called "existential," which is pretty accurate) rather than cut-cut-cut-cut-cut, as the Bourne movies have made popular. As my friend Nathaniel wrote (and I completely agree with), this film is going to have a passionate cult following 10 years from now, when people get a chance to really discover it. It's a one-of-a-kind film that really stays with you, and should be regarded as a classic in the years to come. A+

*Oscar watch: I predicted this as a Best Picture contender, and I still think it can pull a big enough following to sneak in. However, I wonder if Refn, though thoroughly deserving, really can make it into the director's race. Other than those two, Brooks looks like a safe bet for Supporting Actor, and not nominating Matthew Newman for editing or Newton Thomas Sigel for cinematography would be an egregious mistake on the Academy's behalf.

**Also, I urge everyone to go out and buy the soundtrack. Utter brilliance.