Wow!

Last post of the decade...wow!

These are my WOW! moments of the decade. They could be good or bad... let's see. (The number of runners-up varies, but I'll try to limit it to five!)

The Wow! I want to see more of you! award goes to...

Anne Hathaway - The Princess Diaries

Who didn't want to see more of Anne Hathaway after The Princess Diaries? She's fun, she's cute, she's enjoyable. The best part of Anne Hathaway is that you can tell she's having a good time. She's not one of these mopers that complains about fame or paparazzi or whatever. She's just a joy. And talented.

Runners-up:

Amy Adams in Junebug

Keira Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Carey Mulligan in An Education

Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot

Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air

Too many others to name! What a good decade for break-outs that (seem to) have potential.


The Wow! I want to see less of you! award goes to...

TIE! Megan Fox - Transformers and Paul Giamatti - Every film he is in

Megan Fox- Yuck! I can't see what other guys see in her looks-wise. And I can see what everyone else sees in her acting wise: nothing. Zip. Zero personality, stale line reading, a total and utter bore. Everything Anne Hathaway is, Megan Fox is not.

Paul Giamatti- I cannot describe the pain you bring to me when you act on screen. It's either your innate annoyingness or some Paul Giamatti character you're putting on that makes me ill. Please, leave the next decade alone!

Runners-up:

Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Hayden Panettiere in Heroes and I Love You, Beth Cooper


The Wow! ensemble in a film award goes to...

The cast of Moulin Rouge!

In a movie that could have been downright silly, this cast, including Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor at their absolute best, makes this film a drama, a musical, a romance for the ages. Kudos!

Runners-up:
The casts of...
Chicago
The Aviator
Adaptation.
Juno
Up in the Air

The Wow! male performance in a film (lead/supporting) award goes to...

Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Johnny Depp was always a kooky kind of guy, but the films he were in were never kooky enough (in the right way). That is until he landed the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean. This was the vehicle Johnny Depp needed all along to show us how funny and offbeat he was as an actor. Here's looking at you, Johnny.





Runners-up:
George Clooney in Up in the Air
Nicolas Cage in Adaptation.
Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Ewan McGregor in Moulin Rouge!
Sean Penn in Milk

Sorry supporting men, you just didn't do it for me. Better luck next decade (if this blog is still even around!).


The Wow! female performance in a film (lead/supporting) award goes to

Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!

Not a huge surprise here I'm sure, but I don't care. Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge! is to the aughts as Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice was to the '80s or Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind was to the '30s. It's that good. It's the performance many will look back on to define the '00s as a decade in film.

Runners-up:
Renee Zellweger in Chicago
Julianne Moore in Far From Heaven
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
Carey Mulligan in An Education
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Kate Hudson in Almost Famous

So many runners-up! I know I said there would be 5 runners-up, but these were all too good to pass up!


The Wow! I laugh at this (in a good way) every time I see it award goes to...

Mean Girls

Without a doubt the best comedy of the decade, Mean Girls will always be the definitive high school film from this decade. End of story. I'm not posting any runners-up, Regina George wouldn't like that.


My own All That Film Awards for the year 2009 will be up on February 6th, 2010. If the date changes, I'll keep you posted! Before that, here's a 2010 preview of the blog...

A revised list of the best films of the decade!
Oscar coverage, including predictions and desires!
Golden Globes coverage! I find these awards to be the most fun, don't you?
Random musings on actresses!
Hopefully some more reviews on here!
Thoughts on any Broadway shows I see!

Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins Split

Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins are done. That's it. They've called it quits. Is nothing sacred in Hollywood anymore?

The couple had two children together and had been together for 23 years. She's 12 years his senior.

Who saw this coming? Who's upset about this besides me? Whatever your feelings are on Susan and Tim, just Susan, just Tim, please comment!

Jennifer Jones... March 2, 1919 - December 17, 2009

Rest In Peace

SAG Award Nominees

SAG nominations have come out! Unless I'm wrong, this is the first industry-voted award of the season... let's have a look at the nominees!

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

The Hurt Locker certainly has been dominating critics prizes, and now with Renner getting some recognition from the Guild his Oscar chances are seriously upped. As for those who got snubbed, it seems Michael Stuhlbarg won't be receiving any Oscar attention for A Serious Man. Surprisingly, Daniel Day-Lewis was also snubbed.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock The Blind Side, Helen Mirren The Last Station, Carey Mulligan An Education, Gabourey Sidibe Precious, Meryl Streep Julie & Julia

Sandra Bullock? Again? There seems to be some serious love for her in The Blind Side. One of those actresses nobody ever really expected to be nominated for an Oscar has now increased her chances. And farewell, Abbie Cornish. Your buzz certainly was fun, but that's all it turned out to be.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon Invictus, Woody Harrelson The Messenger, Christopher Plummer The Last Station, Stanley Tucci The Lovely Bones, Christoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds

Fun fact: This is the first time that the Golden Globe nominees for Best Supporting Actor and the SAG nominees for Best Supporting Actor are exactly the same. This group seems headed for Oscar. Poor Alfred Molina, he seemed like a sure thing awhile ago.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Penelope Cruz Nine, Vera Farmiga Up in the Air, Anna Kendrick Up in the Air, Diane Kruger Inglourious Basterds, Mo'Nique Precious

Vera Farmiga seems to be getting more attention than I would have thought. Diane Kruger's nomination probably doesn't do much for her chances at Oscar, and Julianne Moore will probably be the one to get onto Oscar's shortlist. Or will she?

Best Performance by a Cast
An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Nine, Precious

All of these (except for Precious) only have one nomination in the other categories. If Up in the Air could snag three nominations (One for Best Actor, Two for Best Supporting Actress), then why does the cast get snubbed? Even Invictus got two nominations (One for Best Actor, One for Best Supporting Actor) so why does the cast get overlooked? Oh SAG logic, you sure are odd.


P.S., Congrats. Glee on your Best Enseble (Comedy Series) nomination!

Golden Globe Nominations (Comedy) and Supporting/Director

Continued from an earlier post! Let's see what Musical/Comedy has for us.

Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy
(500) Days of Summer, The Hangover, It's Complicated, Julie & Julia, and Nine

Only 3/5 with this batch. In the Loop and A Serious Man are apparently fading faster than I had believed. The Hangover, really? I know it was funny but it certainly did not live up the hype around it. Oh well. The Globes certainly do have weird taste.

Best Actress - Musical/Comedy

Sandra Bullock The Proposal, Marion Cotillard Nine, Julia Roberts Duplicity, Meryl Streep It's Complicated, Meryl Streep Julie & Julia

Like everybody else, I predicted Meryl Streep for the double nom. Also like everybody else I overlooked Julia Roberts in Duplicity. I had Michelle Pfeiffer in her slot and Zooey Deschanel in place of Sandra Bullock (or vice versa...it really doesn't matter). Goodbye Oscar nomination, Michelle Pfeiffer. If you can't get a Globe nod for the comedy category, you're done. And Sandra Bullock certainly is feeling the love from the Hollywood Foreign Press. She's without an Oscar nomination her entire career and as of today she has double Globe nods in just one year. Surely one of those (most likely The Blind Side) will result in an Oscar nomination, won't it? It pains me to say it but she just got a major profile boost. Nothing is certain until the SAGs though, which are more accurate in terms of Oscar because they have only five slots to fill, not ten.

Best Actor - Musical/Comedy

Matt Damon The Informant!, Daniel Day-Lewis Nine, Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes, Joseph Gordon Levitt (500) Days of Summer, Michael Stuhlbarg A Serious Man

5/5! That's always fun. Only two of these films are represented in the Best Picture category for Musical/Comedy. It's surprising given their love for The Hangover that Bradley Cooper didn't make the cut. Daniel Day-Lewis and Robert Downey Jr. seem to be the ones to beat in this category. Especially since A Serious Man failed to get a nomination anywhere else (ouch).

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz Nine, Vera Farmia Up in the Air, Anna Kendrick Up in the Air, Mo'Nique Precious, Julianne Moore A Single Man

5/5 again? That's sort of surprising because Vera Farmiga has been quite the question mark for awhile. She seems like more of a Globe nominee than an Oscar nominee. I can't see her right now making it to Oscar's shortlist. Oh SAG, where are you when we need you?

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon Invictus, Woody Harrelson The Messenger, Chirstopher Plummer The Last Station, Stanley Tucci The Lovely Bones, Chirstoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds

I had Jude Law replacing Stanley Tucci. giving me a 4/5. The Lovely Bones certainly hasn't been helped out critically, so why did the Globes go for Tucci's part in that over his delightful turn in Julie & Julia? Alfred Molina is not here, which can go either way for his Oscar chances. He could turn out to be like a Michael Shannon who gets snubbed by the Globes and continues on, or he could stop here. If he lands the SAG nomination the path to Oscar should be restored. I'm surprised Jude Law isn't here. He's a big name in what looks to be a charming movie, opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams. Oh well.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow The Hurt Locker, James Cameron Avatar, Clint Eastwood Invictus, Jason Reitman Up in the Air, Quentin Tarantino Inglourious Basterds

Kudos James Cameron. I missed you in favor of Rob Marshall, giving me 4/5. Clint over Rob Marshall is interesting seeing as Nine seems to have its Best Picture category locked and Invictus didn't get a nomination for Best Picture - Drama. Quentin Tarantino establishes himself as a serious contender, and the whole Cameron vs. Bigelow ex-spouse thing will lead to an interesting awards season if they keep getting nominated together.

So, what are your thoughts on the Globe nominations? Surprised? Got them all right? Other? Tell me in the comments!

Golden Globe Nominations (Drama)

So, Golden Globe nominations have been announced! Let's see what they've brought...

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, and Up in the Air.

I got 4/5 here, putting Invictus rather than Avatar into the mix. They must have really just seen Avatar and fell in love with it. This really ups it's Oscar chances, which were looking doubtful until a couple of days ago when positive words were coming out of the screenings. I was correct in assuming that The Last Station wouldn't pick up a nomination here. It seems to be more focused on its actors. Otherwise, this was a category without much surprise.

Best Actress - Drama

Emily Blunt The Young Victoria, Sandra Bullock The Blind Side, Helen Mirren The Last Station, Carey Mulligan An Education, Gabourey Sidibe Precious

Emily Blunt? Interesting. I'm surprised less people predicted her. I didn't (and I got a 4/5), but I should have. The Golden Globes like big costume dramas and period pieces. And with the split between comedy and drama, they always seem to have a filler (even in a year that's supposed to be packed, like this one). And Sandra Bullock, nice seeing you here. I'll see you againg pretty soon...

Best Actor - Drama
Jeff Bridges Crazy Heart, George Clooney Up in the Air, Colin Firth A Single Man, Morgan Freeman Invictus, Tobey Maguire Brothers

No Johnny Depp? But the Globes love him! Oh well. 4/5. Say goodbye to Public Enemies. It's award season chances have just been thwarted. Tobey Maguire in Brothers certainly is interesting, but not a huge threat to the other men. It's a four-way race between Bridges, Clooney, Firth, and Freeman.