My Shiny New Years box

So decided to update the ole BOX to represent my Christmas Booty. I got a lot of lovely presents this year. The ole BF spoiled me rotten, as did my family, our friends and his family.

Not included because I have not had a chance to listen to it all yet is the following.
The entire Kate Bush back catalogue which my friends Dean and Lee gave me. I need a whole day to just sit back and take this all in. I am so excited, and need to book it soon! YAY Kate!!

The BF got me the “Sex and the City” shoebox set. Various DVD’s that I have been yearning for, loads of Lush products (I am addicted hence why I was delighted that my sister got me the same!) as well as a lot of stuff from American Apparel. He also got me the AMAZING first part of Buffy season 8!!!
Anywhoo...here are my new songs of love for 2008!


1) Wow…do I love Robyn. Her album is wonderful and refreshing. Madonna can only hope her album sounds as fresh as this. So Thank you Gerry for my wonderful Secret Santa gift…it has played non stop since I got it!!


2) BF’s little sister, husband and two little daughters bought me (along with the untra addictive Bob It, Kylie’s new album. I do like Kylie in as a cheap alternative to Madonna, and the album is good. This is one of the best tracks, pure dance pop!


3) Lovely Gemma bought me the gayest of my gifts. She bought me the shake and shimmy edition of “Hairspray”. I would have to say I LOVED the movie. It was bright and breezy and a whole lot of fun. (A -This song will be competing for Best Original Song, and I hope it gets the nomination. Here is “Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)”


4) Annie Lennox – Sing. Annie is just plain amazing, and here she duets with Madonna and others (Mads has the biggest part of course). I urge you to get the Album “Songs of Mass Destruction”

Keira, you will get yours.

So once again the Globes have been the only precursors to have chimed in to say "We loved your performance Keira!". Just like they did two years ago with "Pride and Prejudice". That did translate into Oscar love, but can "Atonement"?

Doubtful, which means I have to give a big overhaul to my charts....bugger!!! S.A.G. passed over the "Prejudice" performance, but the BFCA did not, and they have done so this year.......the bastards.

This awards race is shaping up to be very very boring, considering all my favourites are struggling to get nominations. Even my little Saoirse is looking to be in trouble. Why has "Atonement" not caught on like it should have?

Could it be that American audiences see this as being too foreign? Sure it is British, but not a comedy, not a Bond film, and not a Bio Pic of the famous so therefore it may as well be a 9 hour documentary on ants.

So dear Keira....perhaps next year you will impress with "The Duchess" (not the Bio Pic of a certain over rated and undertalented member of The Black Eyed Peas - Seriously...the girl looks like syphilis on a stick)

The film is a chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, duchess of Devonshire, an ancestor of Princess Diana who was alternately celebrated and reviled for her extravagant political and personal lives. Let's hope Ms. Knightly takes what she has learned from Joe Wright and translates into a blockbuster performance.

There is The Trailer

‘Tis the season

Well it is that time of year again and I am going to celebrate my favourite holiday by putting some of my most recent favourite tunes on my box!
These get me in the Christmas spirit so much that I sometimes even just around my tiny flat in glee screaming “IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!” (the bf can attest to this)

Here are my selections:

1) No a huge fan of either of these two artists, but the combination of Sarah Maclachlin and the Bare Naked Ladies doing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is magic.

2) Just the ULTIMATE Christmas song. Just honestly the best. Boney M – “Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord”

3) Yes Eartha Kitt’s version if timeless and sexier, but there is just something so cute about Madonna’s cover of Santa Baby. It always gets played as I decorate my tree.

4) Nothing makes me laugh more than this version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Not only does Miss Piggy get the best day, but the ninth day has had me and my friends wetting ourselves all season. Enjoy John Denver and the Muppets.



And he is a beautiful and talented Vanessa Williams with “What Child is This?” and it is not Christmas without Nat King Cole warming the cockles of your heart with a voice like treacle. This is my personal favourite of all his Crimbo songs – “Oh Holy Night”
as a bonus:

My state in this race.

So my feelings on the race so far are this.

I need to see more movies!!!! Still not seen “Into the Wild”, “There Will Be Blood”, “No Country For Old Men”, “The Assassination of Jessie James”, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, “Juno”, “I’m Not There”, and well basically everything getting all the buzz.

I was so excited about the Oscar race, but when the precursors started getting announced I began to get very very bored. It has just been a No Country for Old Men, Daniel Day Lewis, Julie Christie, Amy Ryan and Javier Barden orgy and that makes for a very very boring race.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

And then SAG comes along and pisses me off.

Perhaps next year I will just mainly concentrate of film and performances and not get so caught up in the prediction thing…..I mean nothing is set in stone, there are no rules and every year I am disappointed, I am already disappointed and it hasn’t even begun.

Guess I will just have to enjoy the Christmas season with good friends and lots-a-food-and-wine and not worry so much that “Atonement” is slipping.

S.A.G. hates the Brits

So the Screen Actors Guild stick two middle fingers up at both “Sweeney Todd” and “Atonement” each scoring a very disheartening 0 nominations.
Still think “Atonement” may be the best live action film I have seen this year…but who am I aside from an above average movie goer.

Here are the nominations:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

GEORGE CLOONEY / Michael Clayton - "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Daniel Plainview - "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage)
RYAN GOSLING / Lars Lindstrom - "Lars And The Real Girl" (Sidney Kimmel Entertainment)
EMILE HIRSCH / Christopher McCandless- "Into The Wild" (Paramount Vantage)
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Nikolai - "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Queen Elizabeth I - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal Pictures)
JULIE CHRISTIE / Fiona - "Away From Her" (Lionsgate)
MARION COTILLARD / Edith Piaf - "La Vie En Rose" (Picturehouse)
ANGELINA JOLIE / Mariane Pearl - "A Mighty Heart" (Paramount Vantage)
ELLEN PAGE / Juno MacGuff - "Juno" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

CASEY AFFLECK / Robert Ford - "The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh - "No Country For Old Men" (Miramax Films)
HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz - "Into The Wild" (Paramount Vantage)
TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell - "No Country For Old Men" (Miramax Films)
TOM WILKINSON / Arthur Edens - "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Jude - "I'm Not There" (The Weinstein Company)
RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas - "American Gangster" (Universal Pictures)
CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres - "Into The Wild" (Paramount Vantage)
AMY RYAN / Helene McCready - "Gone Baby Gone" (Miramax Films)
TILDA SWINTON / Karen Crowder - "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

3:10 TO YUMA (Lionsgate)

CHRISTIAN BALE / Dan Evans
RUSSELL CROWE / Ben Wade
PETER FONDA / Byron McElroy
GRETCHEN MOL / Alice Evans
DALLAS ROBERTS / Grayson Butterfield
VINESSA SHAW / Emmy Roberts
BEN FOSTER / Charlie Prince
ALAN TUDYK / Doc Potter
LOGAN LERMAN / Will Evans





AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal Pictures)

ARMAND ASSANTE / Dominic Cattano
JOSH BROLIN / Detective Trupo
RUSSELL CROWE / Richie Roberts
RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR / Huey Lucas
IDRIS ELBA / Tango
CUBA GOODING, JR. / Nicky Barnes
CARLA GUGINO / Laurie Roberts
JOHN HAWKES / Freddie Spearman
TED LEVINE / Lou Toback
JOE MORTON / Charlie Williams
LYMARI NADAL / Eva
JOHN ORTIZ / Javier J. Rivera
RZA / Moses Jones
YUL VAZQUEZ / Alfonse Abruzzo
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Frank Lucas


HAIRSPRAY (New Line Cinema)

NIKKI BLONSKY / Tracy Turnblad
AMANDA BYNES / Penny Pingleton
PAUL DOOLEY / Mr. Spritzer
ZAC EFRON / Link Larkin
ALLISON JANNEY / Prudy Pingleton
ELIJAH KELLEY / Seaweed
JAMES MARSDEN / Corny Collins
MICHELLE PFEIFFER / Velma Von Tussle
QUEEN LATIFAH / Motormouth Maybelle
BRITTANY SNOW / Amber Von Tussle
JERRY STILLER / Mr. French
JOHN TRAVOLTA / Edna Turnblad
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN / Wilbur Turnblad


INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage)

BRIAN DIERKER / Rainey
MARCIA GAY HARDEN / Billie McCandless
EMILE HIRSCH / Chris McCandless
HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz
WILLIAM HURT / Walt McCandless
CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres
JENA MALONE / Carine McCandless
KRISTEN STEWART / Tracy Tatro
VINCE VAUGHN / Wayne Westerberg





NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax Films)

JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh
JOSH BROLIN / Llewelyn Moss
GARRET DILLAHUNT / Wendell
TESS HARPER / Loretta Bell
WOODY HARRELSON / Carson Wells
TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell
KELLY MACDONALD / Carla Jean Moss





I will now just go and continue to listen to the brilliant album ‘Robyn’ by Robyn.

The girl is AMAZING!

One of the best music videos in a while.

What pure JOY

The problem with the front runner.

Remember last year, when "Dreamgirls" was considered the winner of Best Picture back in May '06? Well apparently the critics did not agree and the Academy followed suit.

Such an early front runner status can really harm a film, especially (in the case of "Dreamgirls") when the film is not that good to begin with. The hype for that film only carried Jennifer Hudson to a win, and that had a lot to do with her American Idol back story and her genuine humbleness in public.

This year the film that was considered the winner back in August was "Atonement". The main difference between that and "Dreamgirls" was that "Atonement" is actually a brilliant film (IMHO) and deserves a shat at the gold. However it being declared a frontrunner so early on had probably cost it a few critics awards, even runner up mentions.

This is most apparent in the critic awards for Best Supporting Actress......no mention of Saoirse Ronan at all...even in runner up. I know there are a few of you out there who consider her performance heads and tails above Amy Ryan, but she had nary a mention. In fact only the Golden Globes have bought this film rearing back to life. It seemed that up till now, the precursors were wanting to stray so far from the Oscars that they were purposely nominating films like "There Will Be Blood" because they knew the Academy were not likely to warm to it, making their choice seem more important.


Perhaps next year we should all just talk about potential nominees, and not mention possible winners until the actual nominations are announced. All bloggers should write about the films that have the most traction, and get the best reviews. Single out praised performances, but don't crown them the winner until much later into the race. This way, if an amazing film comes out early...we can perhaps save it.

This brings me onto "Zodiac". Now, I know "There Will Be Blood" is shocking and 'important' and "No Country for Old Men" is shocking and brilliant, but dear critics....how the f*ck could you forget David Fincher's brilliant film????
That is shocking on so many levels, considering how it has made almost EVERY top ten list. You dear critics should have picked your films to praise more carefully. If you wanted to differentiate your picks from the Academy so much, you should have gone with "Zodiac"....perhaps then it might have received at least one award.

I mean it only came out in May.......Please do not tell me you are getting all
I am not knocking "There Will Be Blood" at all, I have not seem it. I was just so surprised with the lack of mention of "Atonement". Perhaps some of my fellow bloggers were right....the film was just far too British for alot of critics. I am sure the Merchant Ivory films would disagree.

The Best Supporting Actress Race

The "Mamma Mia" trailer

I know there are so many people out there who are asking the following questions about this movie being put into production: Why?

Well poo poo to them, it looks like a hell of alot of fun to me!

The best one sheets I have seen in a while.

The design team behind The Dark Knight" one sheets deserves an Oscar for what they have done. I Mean...just look at them!

Click to embiggen

The Best Supporting Actress Race

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007

"ATONEMENT" leads with 7 noms!

1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

AMERICAN GANGSTER

ATONEMENT

EASTERN PROMISES

THE GREAT DEBATERS

MICHAEL CLAYTON

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

Wonderful news for "Eastern Promises" and "There Will Be Blood". "The Great Debaters" is an interesting surprise, but most likely only made it because is brand spanking new and feels 'important'

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

CATE BLANCHETT – ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
JULIE CHRISTIE – AWAY FROM HER
JODIE FOSTER – THE BRAVE ONE
ANGELINA JOLIE – A MIGHTY HEART
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – ATONEMENT

Keira needed this to stay alive. Nice to see Jodie nominated as well. Of course this will look extremely different come Oscar time with the comedy/musical actresses owning this year. It is likely that 3 of these ladies will be dropped.

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

GEORGE CLOONEY – MICHAEL CLAYTON
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – THERE WILL BE BLOOD
JAMES MCAVOY – ATONEMENT
VIGGO MORTENSEN – EASTERN PROMISES
DENZEL WASHINGTON – AMERICAN GANGSTER

Yay James!!! He so deserves this. I am most happy to see Viggo's name finally appear. He was sensational, and now with this nomination and his film in Best Picture drama, he has finally gotten the traction he needs. This will either go to Clooney (star fucking) or Day-Lewis. The biggest snub would have to be for Frank Langella in "Starting Out in the Evening" he has a few critics awards going in...now he hits a bump in the road.

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
HAIRSPRAY
JUNO
SWEENEY TODD

No "Knocked Up" or "Enchanted". Kind of happy to see "Across the Universe" here though.

5.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

AMY ADAMS – ENCHANTED
NIKKI BLONSKY – HAIRSPRAY
HELENA BONHAM CARTER – SWEENEY TODD
MARION COTILLARD – LA VIE EN ROSE
ELLEN PAGE – JUNO

Poor poor Laura Linney. What does the lady have to do? Still this is a strong line up. Expect to see Marion walk away with this......unless Ellen and Amy start getting vicious

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

JOHNNY DEPP – SWEENEY TODD
RYAN GOSLING – LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
TOM HANKS – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – THE SAVAGES
JOHN C. REILLY – WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY

Johnny Depp all the way.

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

BEE MOVIE
RATATOUILLE
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE

There is no way Pixar can loose this, unless they are all "Simpsons" geeks

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS (ROMANIA)
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (FRANCE AND USA)
THE KITE RUNNER (USA)
LUST, CAUTION (TAIWAN)
PERSEPOLIS (FRANCE)

With a nod for Director and Screenplay "The Diving Bell" will surely walk away with this. Interesting that "Persepolis" gets in here, but not in Animated......those crazy HFPA' and their crack smoking"

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

CATE BLANCHETT – I’M NOT THERE
JULIA ROBERTS – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
SAOIRSE RONAN –ATONEMENT
AMY RYAN – GONE BABY GONE
TILDA SWINTON – MICHAEL CLAYTON

My god did Saoirse and Tilda need this. Julia is not a threat...it is just yet another case of star fucking on a mammoth scale. I wonder who will win though. Cate seems likely, but Saoirse and Amy could upset

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

CASEY AFFLECK – THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
JAVIER BARDEM –NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
JOHN TRAVOLTA – HAIRSPRAY
TOM WILKINSON – MICHAEL CLAYTON

Is the Travolta nod some sort of tragic foreshadowing? You know he got his nomination at the expense of Hal Holbrook. And why does Hoffman get two nods but Linney gets nothing?? I wouldn't be surprised to see Affleck get this, although fully expecting Bardem to walk with it.

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

TIM BURTON – SWEENEY TODD
ETHAN COEN & JOEL COEN – NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
JULIAN SCHNABEL – THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
RIDLEY SCOTT – AMERICAN GANGSTER
JOE WRIGHT – ATONEMENT

Who will they go for. This is a tough category. I think Schnabel and Scott are out, but the other three...hmmm....head scratching in the worst. Me thinks Wright could slip through unless they LOVE "Sweeney". Such a shame that they snubbed P.T. Anderson here...

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

DIABLO CODY – JUNO
ETHAN COEN & JOEL COEN – NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON – ATONEMENT
RONALD HARWOOD – THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
AARON SORKIN – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR

...and here. Also "The Savages" should totally be here. "Atonement" and "Juno" will fight this one to the death.

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

MICHAEL BROOK, KAKI KING, EDDIE VEDDER – INTO THE WILD
CLINT EASTWOOD – GRACE IS GONE
ALBERTO IGLESIAS – THE KITE RUNNER
DARIO MARIANELLI – ATONEMENT
HOWARD SHORE – EASTERN PROMISES

Hmmmmm. "Atonement" has got this one unless they love "The Kite Runner".

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE

"DESPEDIDA" – LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA
"GRACE IS GONE" – GRACE IS GONE
"GUARANTEED" – INTO THE WILD
"THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW" – ENCHANTED
"WALK HARD" – WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY

Those bastards. How could they not nominate "Falling Slowly"

15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

BIG LOVE (HBO)
DAMAGES (FX NETWORKS)
GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC)
HOUSE (FOX)
MAD MEN (AMC)
THE TUDORS (SHOWTIME)

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

PATRICIA ARQUETTE – MEDIUM
GLENN CLOSE – DAMAGES
MINNIE DRIVER – THE RICHES
EDIE FALCO – THE SOPRANOS
SALLY FIELD – BROTHERS & SISTERS
HOLLY HUNTER – SAVING GRACE
KYRA SEDGWICK – THE CLOSER

A nice collection of film actresses. A total of 12 Oscar nominations between them.

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

MICHAEL C. HALL – DEXTER
JON HAMM – MAD MEN
HUGH LAURIE – HOUSE
JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS – THE TUDORS
BILL PAXTON – BIG LOVE

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

30 ROCK (NBC)
CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
EXTRAS (HBO)
PUSHING DAISIES (ABC)


19.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE – SAMANTHA WHO?
AMERICA FERRERA – UGLY BETTY
TINA FEY – 30 ROCK
ANNA FRIEL – PUSHING DAISIES
MARY-LOUISE PARKER – WEEDS

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

ALEC BALDWIN – 30 ROCK
STEVE CARELL – THE OFFICE
DAVID DUCHOVNY – CALIFORNICATION
RICKY GERVAIS – EXTRAS
LEE PACE – PUSHING DAISIES

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE (HBO)
THE COMPANY (TNT)
FIVE DAYS (HBO)
LONGFORD (HBO)
THE STATE WITHIN (BBC AMERICA)


22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD – AS YOU LIKE IT
DEBRA MESSING – THE STARTER WIFE
QUEEN LATIFAH – LIFE SUPPORT
SISSY SPACEK – PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS
RUTH WILSON – JANE EYRE (MASTERPIECE THEATRE)

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

ADAM BEACH – BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED – KNEE
ERNEST BORGNINE – A GRANDPA FOR CHRISTMAS
JIM BROADBENT – LONGFORD
JASON ISAACS – THE STATE WITHIN
JAMES NESBITT – JEKYLL

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

ROSE BYRNE – DAMAGES
RACHEL GRIFFITHS – BROTHERS & SISTERS
KATHERINE HEIGL – GREY’S ANATOMY
SAMANTHA MORTON – LONGFORD
ANNA PAQUIN – BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED - KNEE
JAIME PRESSLY – MY NAME IS EARL

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

TED DANSON – DAMAGES
KEVIN DILLON – ENTOURAGE
JEREMY PIVEN – ENTOURAGE
ANDY SERKIS – LONGFORD
WILLIAM SHATNER – BOSTON LEGAL
DONALD SUTHERLAND – DIRTY SEXY MONEY

The Broadcast Critics Association Announce Nominees

My comments are in italics


Best Picture
American Gangster
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood
Pretty by the numbers Top 10. The omission of “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead raises eyebrows for this blogger, and how sad “Once” is not showing up here. Guess Best Song it is.

Best Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

Ryan and Emile are serious contenders again. A shame it comes at the expense of James McAvoy. It seems Denzel is no longer a safish bet anymore. Wonderful to see Viggo showing up FINALLY

Best Actress
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page - Juno

Oh Dear. From the reviews I figured Keira would be here. It seems “Atonement” is being made to suffer from advanced buzz. Must say I am a little surprised to see Cate here, especially over Knightly, and Foster. The most glaring omission is of course Laura Linney. The poor lamb.

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Was seriously hoping Max Von Sydow would show up here given the love for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”.


Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Catherine Keener - Into the Wild
Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

So happy for Redgrave and surprised to see Keener here, guess she bumped off Saoirse Ronan. Ronan should win in her other category though

Best Acting Ensemble
Hairspray
Juno
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Gone Baby Gone
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

The omission of “Atonement” is glaring.

Best Director
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Sidney Lumet - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement

”Could there be major differences in Best Picture and Director come Oscar time?

Best Writer
Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson's War

Another fine example of the “Atonement” backlash (which is unwarranted)


Best Animated Feature
Bee Movie
Beowulf
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

”We all know the Rat will win this. Unless “Persepolis” pulls a steal.


Best Young Actor
Michael Cera - Juno
Michael Cera - Superbad
Freddie Highmore - August Rush
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada - The Kite Runner
Edward Sanders - Sweeney Todd

This could go to Cera, but I am thinking Mahmoodzada will take it.


Best Young Actress
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Dakota Blue Richards - The Golden Compass
AnnaSophia Robb - Bridge to Terabithia
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement

If Saoirse does not win this, then I have lost all faith in justice.


Best Comedy Movie
Dan in Real Life
Hairspray
Juno
Knocked Up
Superbad

This has gotta go to “Juno” as the only comedy up for Best Picture.


Best Family Film
August Rush
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Hairspray
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This is a very tricky category, but I think “Hairspray” should take this.

Best Foreign Language Film
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
La Vie en Rose
Lust, Caution
The Orphanage

Wonderful to see “The Orphanage” show up here, but this is going to “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Best Song
"Come So Far", Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley - Hairspray
"Do You Feel Me", Anthony Hamilton - American Gangster
"Falling Slowly", Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Jesse L. Martin and Cast - Once
"Guaranteed", Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
"That's How You Know", Amy Adams - Enchanted

This is where “Once” will clean up….sadly.


Best Composer
Marco Beltrami - 3:10 to Yuma
Alexandre Desplat - Lust, Caution
Clint Eastwood - Grace Is Gone
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood
Dario Marianelli - Atonement
Alan Menken - Enchanted

Jonny and Dario will battle this one out.

Best Documentary
Darfur Now
In the Shadow of the Moon
The King of Kong
No End In Sight
Sharkwater
Sicko

What a strong line up! Gotta love those documentaries.

Yummy with a spoon?? No a LADLE!

This is David Beckhams new Emporio Armani underwear ad campaign.


Just what I need on a Monday evening! I am sure to be up all night now.

Updates Galore!

I have been away in Bermuda for the past week standing by my sisters side as she got married to a wonderful man. Blogging came to a halt as it was all so very emotional and I wanted to concentrate on making my big sis as relaxed as possible.

And this was a busy week. So here are all the critics award updates I can find!

D.C. Film Critics

BEST PICTURE
Winner: No Country for Old Men

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Ethan and Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men)

BEST ACTOR
Winner: George Clooney (Michael Clayton)

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Julie Christie (Away from Her)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Diablo Cody (Juno)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: Aaron Sorkin (Charlie Wilson's War)

BEST ENSEMBLE
Winner: No Country for Old Men

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Winner: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner: Ratatouille

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Winner: Sicko

BEST ART DIRECTION
Winner: Sweeney Todd

BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Winner: Ellen Page (Juno)

L.A. Film Critics

BEST PICTURE
Winner: There Will Be Blood
Runner-Up: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Runner-Up: Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Runner-Up: Frank Langella (Starting Out in the Evening)

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Runner-Up: Anamaria Marinca (4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Vlad Ivanov (4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days)
Runner-Up: Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead)
Runner-Up: Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Winner: Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)
Runner-up: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner: Ratatouille and Persepolis (tie)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
Winner: No End in Sight
Runner-Up: Sicko

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Runner-Up: Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: Janusz Kaminski (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Runner-Up: Dante Ferretti (Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)

BEST MUSIC
Winner: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Once)
Runner-Up: Jonny Greenwood (There Will Be Blood)

NEW GENERATION
Winner: Sarah Polley (Away from Her)

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE

Best Picture: (tie) - There Will Be Blood & The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Actor:- Daniel Day Lewis for There Will Be Blood
Best Actress: - Julie Christie for Away from Her
Director: - PT Anderson for There Will Be Blood
Supporting Actress: - Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There
Supporting Actor: - Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men
Breakthrough Performer: - Ellen Page for Juno
Debut Director: - Sarah Polley for Away from Her
Ensemble Cast: - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Screenplay: - The Darjeeling Limited
Documentary: - Sicko
Foreign Language: (tie) - Lives of Others & Persepolis
Animated: - Persepolis
Cinematography: - Robert Elswit for There Will Be Blood
Film Music: - Jonny Greenwood for There Will Be Blood

Top Ten Films: (alphabetical)

1 Atonement (Focus Features)
2 Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (THINKFilm)
3 The Darjeeling Limited (Fox Searchlight)
4 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Miramax)
5 I'm Not There (The Weinstein Company)
6 Juno (Fox Searchlight)
7 Michael Clayton (Warner Bros.)
8 No Country for Old Men (Miramax)
9 Persepolis (Sony Pictures Classics)
10 Sweeney Todd (DreamWorks)
11.There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)

BOSTON CRITICS ANNOUNCE!!

Best Picture: - No Country for Old Men
Best Director: - Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Actor: - Frank Langella for Starting Out in the Evening
Best Actress: - Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose
Best Supporting Actor: - Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: - Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone
Best Cinematography: - Janusz Kaminski for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Screenplay: - Brad Bird for Ratatouille
Best Documentary:- Crazy Love
Best Foreign-Language Film:- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best New Filmmaker: - Ben Affleck for Gone Baby Gone
Best Ensemble Cast: - Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

The Best Supporting Actress Race

The year of the good review

What a year it has been for film. Yes it has been terrible for Actresses but for film in general it has been wonderful.

There are eleven films this year with 81% or higher on metacritic, which is a wonderful feat! Especially since I am counting only the films vying for awards attention and not re-releases and such.

These Films are as follows:
96% - “Ratatouille”
91% - “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
91% - “No Country for Old Men”
88% - “Once”
86% - “The Savages”
86% - “This is England”
84% - “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”
82% - “Michael Clayton”
82% - “Starting out in the Evening”
82% - “The Namesake”
81% - “Hairspray”

Some films are not even on metacritic as they have yet to open, but you can find a few reviews on rottentomatoes for the following:

“Atonement” – 88% (82% on metacritic)
“There Will be Blood” – 100%
“Juno” – 92% (80% on metacritic)
“The Kite Runner” - 53% (But 80% on cream of the crop. Will drop once it opens)
“Charlie Wilson’s War (two good reviews on RT, but nothing else)
“Sweeney Todd” (nothing available)

You may ask why keep “The Kite Runner” as a potential nominee when it is getting very mixed reviews. Simply because any film from the Afghan point of view and about its people will meet criticism.
A large majority of the US sees all Afghans as the enemy, and yes this will include the critics. Some critics have said it is a Disney-esque kitsch and not daring enough – if it had been more daring and challenging, no one would see it, besides, the book is very sentimental even slushy at times but it is satisfying. It makes you feel as though you yourself have done a good deed, and this is something that will appeal to the Academy.

National Board of Review announce!!

Picture: No Country For Old Men

Top ten is:
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bucket List (?)
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
Lars and the Real Girl (?)
Michael Clayton
Sweeney Todd


Director: Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd

Actor: George Clooney - Michael Clayton

Actress: Julie Christie - Away From Her

Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone

Foreign Film: The Diving Bell and Butterfly

Breathrough Performance: Actress: Ellen Page - Juno

Breakthrough Performance: Actor: Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild

Directorial Debut: Ben Affleck - Gone Baby Gone

Original Screenplay (tie) Lars and the Real Girl & Juno

Adapted Screenplay: No Country For Old Men

Ensemble Cast: No Country For Old Men

Animated Feature: Ratatouille

Documentary: Body of War

Could this be the beginning of the "No Country for Old Men" juggernaut? It cleans up with three big awards.
The other categories are just as interesting, but the NBR do sometimes pick strange ones for Directors (remember Edward Zwick for "The Last Samurai"? What was that about?

We shall see what occurs. Nice boost for Julie Christie, Amy Ryan, Casey Affleck, George Clooney and especially Tim Burton. But take this all with a grain of salt though. Considering some of the films in the top ten!!!

Also the much expected nomination for Cate Blanchet did not happen........YAY

"Prince Caspian" Trailer

Ohhhhhhhh Ahhhhhhhhhhh

The Best Supporting Actress Race

My Daemon

I was so happy with the result of this. Judging by my answers I thought I would get something like a slug or a aphid.
Imagine my surprise when I get allocated the lovely Azaria.
Go to The Golden Compass website to find out your daemon!

Puurrrrrrrrrrrrr

I love my Box. Lets remake MADONNA!

This week I am going to look at four of the better Madonna covers.

For such a huge star, Madonna actually has very little songs of hers covered, which seems a shame. I guess it is because the originals are always near perfect so why mess.
The are trillions of cheap dance remakes out there, but what about real artists going and remaking her music. Not a lot I am afraid.
Here are two that I actually do not hate, and even like very very much:

1 .I totally love Groove Armada.

They created on of the best dance songs of 2007, and now they have decided to take on Madonna’s high school dance classic “Crazy for You”.
In doing so they have created a soulful, funky and extremely different re-imagining of the song that knocked “We Are The World” from the number one spot back in 1984.


2 .Not really a Natasha Bedingfield fan, but have to say was very impressed with her cover of “Ray of Light”. She made it different enough to separate it from the Queens original masterpiece.
Natasha even said that she never thought Madonna was a strong vocalist until she tried to sing this song in the studio and realized how difficult it was.

Good for her.

On the other hand Madonna herself does very few covers. When she does she is usually deeply criticized when she does, but usually they have been pretty darn good. My favourite two of her career have been.

3 . “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” – People either love it or hate it. The people who hate it go on about how Madonnas voice is too raw for the song and not powerful enough to get across the emotion.
I say pah! Her voice is raw, true, but this is a girl-done-wrong song. She is passionate, angry and hurt and it all come out in her vocal performance.

4 . “I Want You” released as a single and it did not do well at all. I can understand why. This was before “Ray of Light” and Madonna teamed up with the hottest trip-hop/electronica group around Massive Attack.
The result is sexy, sultry musical magic about the frustration of yearning for that unrequited love. You can almost imagine her fudding herself off while singing this. HOT!!

The Best Supporting Actress Race

This is Wonder Woman??

"The Justice League" film has cast the woman of wonder and this is her..


Some Australian supermodel called Megan Gale. Not very exciting, in fact disappointing. Lets hope she can act 'cause this is an iconic role that should not be messed up. Funny how Wonder Woman fought for the equality of women around the world, and they cast a supermodel. Would she be proud?

The Best Supporting Actress Race

"Charlie Wilson's War" Reviews

"Charlie Wilson's War" has been the big ole question mark of the season. Is it any good? The trailer left me, well, mixed. Tom and Philip looks a hell of alot of fun. Juiia just looked a little deranged (come on...am I the only one who sees Amanda Lepore?)
The film has been reviewed, and not by some AICN fanboy, this time Variety has chimed in and so has The Hollywood Reporter.

Both are extremely promising, and both single out it girl, Amy Adams. Julia get good noticed as does Tom and Philip. The script is raved about so expect Aaron Sorkin to be nominated. Not sure if it can crack Best Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor and most importantly Best Picture, we will see when more reviews come in and the Box Office has been calculated.

For Andra

8 "Sweeney Todd" clips for you my love!









And to remember the original

I am thief!!

I am stealing from Sasha Stone over at Oscar Watch ooops. Awards Daily, but since I linked her, it is ok.
I did this mainly for my friends to are not as obsessive as me, but find the whole game funny.

Advance word is in...

"The Golden Compass" is another 'meh' movie. Meaning that it is ok, spectacular FX but the story is a bit of a mess. The advance praise for Kidman is wonderful, but in order for a fantasy film to get an Acting nomination the film needs to be a critical darling (like "Star Wars" and "LOTR" were), which this will not be.

Next time love.

The Best Supporting Actress Race

In fitting

Independant Spirit Award Nominations!

The anti Oscars have piped in and kept Cate where she belongs!

2008 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS by category
BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer)
* Executive Producers are not listed.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Jon Kilik

I'm Not There
Producers: Christine Vachon, John Sloss, John Goldwyn, James D. Stern

Juno
Producers: Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Mason Novick, Russell Smith

A Mighty Heart
Producers: Dede Gardner, Andrew Eaton, Brad Pitt

Paranoid Park
Producers: Neil Kopp, David Cress

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Haynes
I'm Not There

Tamara Jenkins !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Savages

Jason Reitman
Juno

Julian Schnabel
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Gus Van Sant
Paranoid Park

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)

2 Days in Paris
Director: Julie Delpy
Producers: Julie Delpy, Christophe Mazodier, Thierry Potok

Great World of Sound
Director: Craig Zobel
Producers: Melissa Palmer, David Gordon Green, Richard Wright, Craig Zobel

The Lookout
Director: Scott Frank
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Laurence Mark, Walter Parkes

Rocket Science
Director: Jeffrey Blitz
Producers: Effie T. Brown, Sean Welch

Vanaja
Director: Rajnesh Domalpalli
Producer: Latha R. Domalapalli

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
* Executive Producers are not listed.

August Evening
Writer/Directpr: Chris Eska
Producers: Connie Hill, Jason Wehling

Owl and the Sparrow
Writer/Director: Stephane Gauger
Producers: Nguyen Van Quan, Doan Nhat Nam, Stephane Gauger

The Pool
Director: Chris Smith
Producer: Kate Noble
Writer: Chris Smith & Randy Russell

Quiet City
Director: Aaron Katz
Producers: Brendan McFadden, Ben Stambl
Writers: Aaron Katz, Erin Fisher, Cris Lankenau

Shotgun Stories
Writer/Director: Jeff Nichols
Producers: David Gordon Green, Lisa Muskat, Jeff Nichols

BEST SCREENPLAY

Ronald Harwood
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Tamara Jenkins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Savages

Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Starting Out in the Evening

Adrienne Shelly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Waitress

Mike White
Year of the Dog

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY

Jeffrey Blitz
Rocket Science

Zoe Cassavetes
Broken English

Diablo Cody (Of course)
Juno

Kelly Masterson
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

John Orloff
A Mighty Heart

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Angelina Jolie (hmmmmm….no Nicole)
A Mighty Heart

Sienna Miller
Interview

Ellen Page
Juno

Parker Posey
Broken English


Tang Wei (Nice little shout out)
Lust, Caution

BEST MALE LEAD

Pedro Castaneda
August Evening

Don Cheadle (Yay!!!)
Talk To Me

Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Savages

Frank Langella (Double Yay!!!)
Starting Out in the Evening

Tony Leung
Lust, Caution

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Cate Blanchett
I'm Not There

Anna Kendrick
Rocket Science

Jennifer Jason Leigh
Margot at the Wedding

Tamara Podemski
Four Sheets to the Wind

Marisa Tomei (Hmmmmmm! Could shake things up)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Chiwetel Ejiofor
Talk To Me

Marcus Carl Franklin
I'm Not There

Kene Holliday
Great World of Sound

Irrfan Khan (FAN-BLOODY TASTIC!! Boo for Tabu)
The Namesake

Steve Zahn (They went for him, but not Bale???)
Rescue Dawn

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Mott Hupfel
The Savages

Janusz Kaminski
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Milton Kam
Vanaja

Mihai Malaimare, Jr.
Youth Without Youth

Rodrigo Prieto
Lust, Caution

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)

Crazy Love
Director: Dan Klores

Lake of Fire
Director: Tony Kaye

Manufactured Landscape
Director: Jennifer Baichwal

The Monastery
Director: Pernille Rose Grønkjær

The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair
Directors: Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Director: Cristian Mungiu
(Romania)

The Band's Visit
Director: Eran Kolirin
(Israel)

Lady Chatterley
Director: Pascale Ferran
(France)

Once
Director: John Carney
(Ireland)

Persepolis
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi
(France)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film's director, casting director and its ensemble cast)

I'm Not There (And so it begins)
Director: Todd Haynes
Casting Director: Laura Rosenthal
Ensemble Cast: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bruce Greenwood

The Making of "Sweeney Todd"

Already calling it a master piece, eh? Big words.
To be honest if I went for a shave and the barber said "I can guarantee the closest shave you will ever know" in the way
Johnny does here, I would be running "Scooby Do" cartoon fast! So if someone gets in the chair after that, then my belief will be squashed.
Just a small gripe.

My other one is that there is no mention of the music.

A nice rave for our Nicole

I do love the woman, she may not always make the best decisions when it comes to her roles (usually the 'pay cheque' rolls) but she consistently challenges herself with the lower key material she chooses.
Looks as though she has another role to do so. This time in the mega blockbuster fantasy "His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass"


The Guardian has reviewed it and says this:

"This is the very best sort of part for her: statuesque, elegant, seductive, with a hint of cold steel. In many ways, it's her juiciest character since the sociopathic meteorologist in To Die For."

He goes onto say:

" But it certainly looks wonderful, with epic dash and a terrific central performance from Nicole Kidman, who may come to dominate our children's nightmares the way Robert Helpmann's Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang once did ours."

May be too early to start screaming about possible nominations, but with the possibility of Cate 'I'm a greedy little Oscar whore" Blanchett going to lead for "I'm Not There", there is a space for a star in Supporting Actress.
Read the full review here

Mini Review - "Ratatouille"

I have finally seen “Ratatouille”.

What is it about Pixar? They just seem to create masterpiece after masterpiece.

From the open shot in the country kitchen to the touching review read so eloquently by Peter O’Toole at the end this movie was one of the most wonderful, moving and funny films I have ever seen.

Brad Bird should really direct every movie. He was able to capture taste and smell like so many have tried to, but failed.

The script, the set design, the cinematography, the acting and the direction were all superb

To put it simply this movie is pure magic and should there be another film this year as good or better, well, I will be one happy boy.

There is nothing more to say.

A-

Aren’t Oscars full of sh*t.

The results are here from my latest poll.

I asked who you felt deserved the Best Actress Oscar back in 1989.

The results were shocking!! I had no idea that the eventual winners performance/character was so loved, I fully expected her to get my lone vote and be at the bottom of the heap.

This goes to show just how time can change the minds of many.

Here are the results:

5) With 4% of the votes we have Isabelle Adjani – “Camille Claudel”
Tied with
5) With 4% of the votes we have Jessica Lange – “Music Box”

3) With 7% of the votes we have Jessica Tandy – “Driving Miss Daisy” (The eventual winner)

2) With 18% of the votes we have the lovely Michelle Pfeiffer – “The Fabulous Baker Boys”

1) With a whopping 66% we have Pauline Collins – “Shirley Valentine”
Now I was fully expecting the Pfeiffer to run away with this. I honestly thought she would win by a land slide. Perhaps the reason she came in second was due to the fact that many of my British friends voted. Or maybe people went with the character they loved the best.
Or more likely, I am convinced my friends Dean and Lee logged on to 50 different computers to vote though.
Anyway Congratulations Pauline! You deserved it!

For my next poll we will be looking ahead in the Best Supporting Actress category, 1989.
The women you have to choose from are:


Brenda Fricker – “My Left Foot”
Anjelica Huston – “Enemies, a Love Story”
Lena Olin - “Enemies, a Love Story”
Julia Roberts – “Steel Magnolias”
Dianne Wiest – “Parenthood”

Poll is in the side bar to the right, near the top. VOTE!!!!

Mini Review - "Jindabyne"

So I noticed I had not given “Jindabyne” a review.
In fact the displacement of time between watching it and writing it up is fitting.

You see “Jindabyne” is about displacement.
The town itself was displaced due to rising waters, and it was moved higher up. This is not where the displacement ends. The two lead characters are husband and wife. The wife, Clare (Laura Linney wowing again), is from America, and the husband, Stewart (a wonderful Gabriel Byrne), is Irish.

Why do they live in this small town? Well that is never answered, neither are many questions, the secrets of one family should never be tied up neatly in a two-hour running time.

The basic story is while Stewart is on a fishing trip in isolated hill country with three other men he discovers the body of a murdered Aboriginal girl in the river.
Rather than return to the town immediately, they tie her to a branch with fishing wire and continue fishing and report their gruesome find days later.
Stewart's wife Claire is the last to find out.
Deeply disturbed by her husband's action, her faith in her relationship with Stewart is shaken to the core. She wants to understand and tries to make things right. In her determination to help the victim's family Claire sets herself not only against her own family and friends but also those of the dead girl.

The story enough is fascinating, as it is never about the killer. The film is not treated as a who-dunnit. Instead the audience is more horrified by the actions of these four men. Because there is no suspect, the blame is displaced and focused on these men. They are as guilty as had they murdered her themselves.

Is it ever explained why they did what they did? No, perhaps they were in a state of shock, or perhaps there was good fish to be had, or perhaps the death of an Aboriginal girl does not mean that much to four white men.

I will not go into the plot to much as this really is a film you need to discover for yourself. The acting is superb and the script is sharp.

The most fascinating thing about the film was the way in which it was shot. One minute the viewer is with these men seeing there trip from their perspective, and the next we are seeing them from behind the trees, as though we are watching them from afar.
Ray Lawrence has not only created a film that is about physical, emotional and spiritual displacement, he has also made one that takes this theme and let the audience feel it. In watching this film I felt unsettled, like there was a shift in the room.

I was sympathetic to Stewart, then Claire, then the family of the girl.
It was only until the end of the film that I was reminded who the real villain was and the fact that I forgot that stuck with me for a long time.
B +