The Golden Misses

The Golden Globe nominations are out, and I'm more than a bit confused.

Piper Perabo for Best Actress in a Television Drama? Really, now....let's name some gals that SHOULD have been on that list. Christina Hendricks (Joan) from Mad Men. Or how about Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey) from Grey's Anatomy? Or Maggie Q from that Alias ripoff.

And yeah, I saw 127 Hours, and James Franco is lovely eye candy, but his performance wasn't THAT phenom. The kid from Kick Ass did a great job...better than Franco in my opinion.

And then there's Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart from The Runaways...fine performances, but I guess because of the subject matter, not artsy enough, they get ousted?

Oh, and Leonardo from Shutter Island - that was a fantastic movie. Very noirish, and he did a better job in that then Inception.

Ooh, and HELLO! Noomi Rapace for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

And let's not forget the powerhouse performances in COMEDY from the OUTSTANDING FILM.......Cyrus. I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!!! Love the actors in it, the story, all of it.

SEE CYRUS instead of watching the Golden Globes. Time better spent.

Movies recut

I discovered that there are tons of "recut" film trailers that make horror movies look like romances, vice versa, and everything in between.

Check out the recut of The Shining:



I know, I'm a bit late to this game, but since film editing is a hobby of mine (passion, really), I COMPLETELY dig this.

Here's Mary Poppins recut as a horror movie - genius.



And one of my faves, Top Gun recut as to what it really should have been - a love story with TC and Val.

A craving for swan

The title has nothing to do with this post - I'm currently re-reading the book by Andrei Codrescu and it sounded good.

Right now I am listening to Piers Faccini (and my loser neighbor badly pound out a baseline to a Chili Peppers tune). I am more moved by his music every time I play it - Piers, that is. The song playing now is "Uncover My Eyes" and it has some Scottish drumming near the end, with what I think might be the underlying sound of breaking waves. Beautiful. I'd like to see him in concert - perhaps I'll jet over to Belfort to attend the Eurockéennes festival. Right....my hope is that he drops into the Lou, or somewhere within five hours driving time. I will go that far for him.

I added more movies to my Netflix queue - some I've seen at the theater only but have been jonesing for another look, others will be brand new:

Let The Right One In (seen it)
Gloomy Sunday
Timecrimes
The Baader Meinhof Complex (seen it)
(500) Days of Summer (seen it)
Law Abiding Citizen (new, and needed because I haven't gotten my Gerard Butler fix in awhile)

So I've been trying to take a certain trip for years.

It all stems from my adoration/obsession of all things Jimmy Stewart.

Yes, obsession. Clinically, most people cannot recall when their obsessions began, but can list all of the reasons why they are obsessed. This I can do, but won't bore you with the details. In short, Jimmy Stewart is the perfect man.

His hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania has a museum with all sorts of really cool tchotchkies related to the man and his life. Jimmy would probably be slightly amused with folks purchasing the random keychains and collectors plates adorned with his lovable mug, but hey, it's a way to make a living and keep the dream alive.

The coolest thing about this museum is that it even has a movie theater that plays his films. Seriously. How cool is that, right??

It is a goal of mine to someday visit this sacred town and view "It's A Wonderful Life" during the holiday season. And walk by his childhood home, and into the hardware store his father used to own. Humble beginnings...

I probably won't make it there this year, so I'm aiming for 2010.

In any case, I've got most of his movies lined up for viewing once my semester ends which is next week. I've already seen IAWL over Thanksgiving, courtesy of my aunt Debby. Next on the list is "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington", another heartwarming tale.

That said, I'm ready for a good snowy day so that I can cuddle up and get cozy with Jimmy.

Let the obsession begin.

2009 Oscar Picks

Awards season is about to end with the live broadcast of the Academy Awards this evening. I usually get excited about this particular show, as it's the be-all end-all of glam and gush. However, I am thinking about skipping it this year, as I feel let down by some of the nominations (and lack thereof).

I've listed the nominees in various categories, who I think has the best odds of winning, who I think should win, and who I feel was left out:

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Who Will Win: Slumdog (decent entertainment, but formulaic and predictable)
Who Should Win: Milk or The Reader (unique, unformulaic, moving, real)
Who Was Left Out: The Dark Knight, Rachel Getting Married, The Visitor, Frozen River

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Stephen Daldry 'The Reader'
David Fincher 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Ron Howard 'Frost/Nixon'
Gus Van Zant 'Milk'

Who Will Win: Danny Boyle 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Who Should Win: Danny Boyle 'Slumdog Millionaire' (first time actors, unfamilair location)
Who Was Left Out: Jonathan Demme, 'Rachel Getting Married', Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino'


BEST ACTOR
Richard Jenkins 'The Visitor'
Frank Langella 'Frost/Nixon'
Sean Penn 'Milk'
Brad Pitt 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Mickey Rourke 'The Wrestler'

Who Will Win: Sean Penn 'Milk'
Who Should Win: Sean Penn 'Milk' or Richard Jenkins 'The Visitor'
Who Was Left Out: Philip Seymour Hoffman "synecdoche, new york', Leonardo DiCaprio 'Revolutionary Road', Clint Eastwood, 'Gran Torino'

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway 'Rachel Getting Married'
Angelina Jolie 'Changeling'
Melissa Leo 'Frozen River'
Meryl Streep 'Doubt'
Kate Winselt 'The Reader'

Who Will Win: Kate Winselt 'The Reader'
Who Should Win: Melissa Leo 'Frozen River'
Who Was Left Out: Kate Winselt, 'Revolutionary Road', Sally Hawkins, 'Happy Go Lucky'

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Josh Brolin, 'Milk'
Robert Downey Jr., 'Tropic Thunder'
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 'Doubt'
Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Night'
Michael Shannon, 'Revolutionary Road'

Who Will Win: Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Night'
Who Should Win: Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Night' OR Michael Shannon, 'Revolutionary Road' Both equally riveting, passionate, and character-driven performances
Who Was Left Out: David Kross, 'The Reader'


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, 'Doubt'
Penelope Cruz 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
Viola Davis, 'Doubt'
Taraji P. Henson, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
Marisa Tomei, 'The Wrestler'

Who Will Win: Viola Davis, 'Doubt'
Who Should Win: Penelope Cruz 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
Who Was Left Out: Katherine Keener, 'Synecdoche, New York', Evan Rachel Wood, 'The Wrestler',

OTHER NOTABLE FILMS RELEASED IN 2008:

The Business of Being Born - Documentary, astounding
In Bruges - Colin Ferrel, Ralph Fiennes, visually stunning, hilarious, sad, moving)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - not Academy Award material, but dirty and a great laugh
Then She Found Me - a guilty pleasure, Helen Hunt at her best in years
Reprise - for me, the BEST FILM OF 2008
The Edge of Heaven - beautiful
Bigger, Stronger, Faster - great documentary about steroids
The Foot Fist Way - laugh-out-loud funny
Savage Grace - Julianne Moore, will watch her in anything
Mother of Tears - Dario Argento's very watchable third installment of the "Three Mothers" trilogy
Baghead - EXCELLENT movie, brought to you by the creators of the very overlooked "The Puffy Chair"
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson - moving and eclectic tribute
Lou Reed's Berlin - Julian Schnabel did a fine job with this concert documentary of my fantasy boyfriend
Transsiberian - Hitchcockian thriller on a train in Russia....really great story, surprise ending, and Woody Harrelson holds his own
A Girl Cut In Two - Ludivine Sagnier from "Swimming Pool" is fantastic to watch
Christmas on Mars: a Fantastical Film Freakout Featuring the Flaming Lips - no explanation needed
Towelhead - unexpected reality. Ferocious in the telling. Heartbraking.
Obscene - great under-the-radar documentary about the fight for defeating cencorship
Religulous - Bill Maher as the ultimate point man for exposing religion, good and bad, in this doc
Blindness - hidden gem of a movie, scarily realistic, apocalyptic, and raw (Julianne Moore again, fine performance)
Quarantine - fun and scary remake of a Spanish horror film "REC"
Filth and Wisdom - can't go wrong with the frontman from Gogol Bordello
Stranded: I've Come From A Plane That Crashed In The Mountains - doc about the soccer team from the movie "Alive" who survived by feasting on their fallen friends
I've Loved You So Long - Kristin Scott Thomas tour de force, raw
Let the Right One In - OUTSTANDING SWEDISH VAMPIRE MOVIE!!!! Like nothing you've seen before. Sweet little love story, mixed with all the right elements of horror
Wendy and Lucy - sad, sad, sad. Good, good, good. Michelle Willams and a dog. Nuff said.

Friday the 13th - Old vs. New

The trailer from the original movie (above), circa 1980, was pretty scary for it's time. See how it fares next to the newest version (below):



I hope to be seeing the new movie this weekend. I'm a horror movie fanatic, good or bad, and the last movie that surprised me (in a sinister and not boo kind of way) was The Strangers. Not the best movie, but good use of masks.

I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. I wish that Rob Zombie had a hand in the remake, as he did such a splendid job with Halloween. One can only dream...

Stuck In My Head...

So I'm not only a stalker, but also a fanatic about some things. Like my favorite movies.

There are some movies I've seen so many times that I've memorized the lines, the looks, the songs, the soundtrack. You know, those movies that when you see them on your cable guide or are flipping through channels, you just sit and watch at whatever point they're at because every scene is a pleasure?

A few of mine are Some Kind Of Wonderful, Shawshank Redemption, 40 Year Old Virgin, Out Of Africa, Broadcast News, The Big Chill.

Another is The Wizard Of Oz. Probably my second favorite movie ever, It's A Wonderful Life being numero uno.

Being the nerd that I am, I talk and sing along with every scene. I probably drive whoever watches with me nuts when I do this, but whatever....they'll just have to deal.

The following is my favorite song from the movie:

Munchkinland Musical Sequence

Six minutes worth of pure fun.

I have this on my iPod now, and have to be careful not to sing along while at the gym. I can dork out at home, but try my best not to in public.