Saturday
Jan292011
Open Thread
Saturday, January 29, 2011 at 7:24PM You are all too suspiciously quiet. What's on your mind? Cinematically or otherwise.
Pssst. The DGA awards are tonight but they're not televised so we'll know later. I'd be surprised if it wasn't David Fincher (despite everyone getting nervous for The Social Network in light of that scary 12 nom tally for the other one.)
tagged getting to know you
getting to know you
Reader Comments (49)
I'm watching the web-series Little White Lie (starring Glee's Darren Criss) and wishing Lauren Lopez, an actress in it, would get some kind of work. She's undoubtedly amazing. If anyone has a free hour on them go ahead and watch it.
I'm about to watch Animal Kingdom because of all the Jacki Weaver hype and her Oscar nod, so I may join Team Jacki before the end of the night
Over my vacation, I saw a bunch of movies on DVD or in theaters:
First off, I've never seen The Hurt Locker until this week and coming in I was expecting to be indifferent to it or downright hate it since I don't really like war movies (they're too macho most of the time). To my surprise, it is as a great as everyone says and I can't help loving the movie despite its manliness.
I also saw Animal Kingdom and thought that was great except I was bothered by the sound. I thought it was annoying instead of aiding the scene.
Oh and I saw Rabbit Hole in theater and I have to say...Natalie Portman and Annette Bening are nowhere near the greatness that Nicole Kidman reached in this movie. I haven't cried in a movie for a while now.
Monday, I'm watching Blue Valentine :) So excited.
I am just a little bit over the year of film in terms of awards season. It is just so non representative of what is actually out there.
To be honest, the Film Bitch awards have become my new Oscars. Ever thinking of televising?
I just woke up and I'm planning to watch twitter like a hawk to get the DGA results. In Australia they'll come in around 2pm. The waiting game begins.
Today, I watched Berman's Hour of the Wolf, and then followed it up with Piranha 3-D. Sometimes I'm confused by my movie taste.
Just saw 127 Hours and really enjoyed it. It was the last best picture nominee I had to see so now i can rank. My personal ranking would be.
10. Winters Bone
9. The Kids Are All Right
8. Black Swan
7. Inception
6. 127 Hours
5.True Grit
4.The Social Network
3.The Fighter
2. Toy Story 3 (and i didn't even care for Toy Story 1&2 - thats how much i loved this film)
1. The Kings Speech
For no particular reason, I rounded off the 1950 Best Actress roster today - I've had Judy Holliday and Eleanor Parker sitting around for a while, plumped for the suspected lightness of 'Born Yesterday' for mid-afternoon entertainment (it was weightier, if more unwieldy, than I expected), so thought I might as well take in 'Caged' the same day. Neither of them touched Gloria Swanson, of course, but I don't begrudge Holliday her win - that VOICE is ingratiating yet she manages a charming, funny, tough performance that really lifts her film. Parker was a bit rougher, but I was still impressed by how believably she portrays the 'before' and 'after' sides of her character, even if the shift between them escaped her.
Anyway, I've yet to see Nicole Kidman - next week is when 'Rabbit Hole' finally burrows into UK cinemas (sorry, bad pun) - but this year's Actress roster puts me in mind of 1950 in how strong it is across the board. Like Holliday, I won't begrudge Portman her win, even if she's beating much stronger work.
I'm waiting for Netflix to send Animal Kingdom and can't wait for you to finish you Film Bitch Awards! At least the actress categories!
I can't wait to see the FB Awards complete.
I'm just about to watch The King's Speech. Have no expectations, so I think I'll be ok.
I just saw "Biutiful" in theaters and am surprised to see that critics have had so many complaints with it (even the ones who like it). It was certainly not a happy film and was a little all over the place, but I still really liked it. Loved the final scenes.
I cant decide if I should see Morning Glory or Burlesque. Help?
My days are continual confusion this year as one of the 24 people on the planet who found Portman trying too hard in Black Swan. Oh well.
Tood, if you mean Morning Glory (1933) with Katharine Hepburn, and you have a chance to see it in a movie theater, walk don't run! ;-)
I'm going to watch all the documentaries and foreign language flicks in my Netflix Instant queue.
Looking forward to the Actress category in the FB awards!!
Seconded. Nat, when do you think you'll have the actress awards up? I'm dying to see who you picked.
Here in Korea, five of best pic nominees are not even released yet. Black Swan, 127 Hours, True Grit on Feb, and The Fighter & The King's Speech on March. Just waiting for those films to come.
I'm contemplating the *very* difficult task of holding the boom mike in my friends short film (uni students taking advantage of free equipment while we can), whilst trying to decide whether to re-watch Animal Kingdom and when I'm going to finally pull it together and see True Grit.
We are probably quiet because we are near death holding our breath for the Actress Nominations for The Film Bitch Awards.
Also, I kinda hope "that movie with 12 nominations" gets the DGA tonight. I just cannot stomach another Soical Network win. There were too many good films this year for it to be so one sided.
Loving 'berg cubed on SNL... though it *is* a little creepy.
Aussie followers are either at Big Day Out or the beach/pool. Tooo hooottttt!!!!! Not me, I'm inside with aircon and beer.
I watched Moonstruck again. Cher is divine but Holly Hunter will continue to be my preferred winner. Never saw Kirkland’s non-Roseanne work. Can’t comment on her there but: Close is so overrated for Fatal. I like her best in her non-kooky scenes. Not a Meryl fan at all, but if there were an anti-Meryl international fan club I’d be the official spokesman but I loved her in Ironweed.
I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for a Blue Valentine - Rabbit Hole double feature tomorrow. Seems like a bit too much depressing content for one day.
ugh. you all are going to disappointed with the actress category when it goes up.
i mean, i am disappointed. There's no way to squeeze 9 women in to 5 spots. why'd they all have to come in the same year????
Personally, I'm still in love with Inception after it being 6 months since I saw it. Black Swan is also one of my favorites from the year. I'm yet to see 127 Hours (which was never released in my area of WV), The King's Speech (this week), or The Fighter (seeing it tomorrow), but I can't imagine them ranking in with the others. Personally, it infuriated me immensely (just like the lack of Wall-E and The Dark Knight from the 2008 BP race) that Inception was snubbed in Director and Editing and Black Swan was absent from Supp. Actress (Hershey), Art Direction (So much done in that apartment, so little space), Screenplay (I have a love of movies that can actually pull off a psychosexual story with such wonder) and Sound Mixing/Editing (I've never shuttered at a movie due to the sound alone before). C'Mon people. Isn't film your career? Get past the "Oscar movies" (c'mon The Reader? Kate Winslet was good {compared to amazing in Revolutionary Road}....don't get me started on Sandra Bullock last year) and recognize great, well made entertainment when you see it.
Sorry for the ramble. I just can't stand the overlooked aspects in the awards.
P.S.: Thank you for the Film Bitch Awards, Nathaniel. They are diverse and have opened me up to films I had never heard (Were the World Mine). You rock, and Actressexual has become a new term at the GSA at WVU lol.
@Wade: I actually did that for New Year's Eve. Saw Rabbit Hole first (which I really liked) and then I saw Blue Valentine (which I thought was decent but lacking).
Anyway, although it never really stops me from enjoying it, as a black person I always feel a little guilty that Gone With The Wind is my third favorite film. There's really no way to ignore how blacks are represented in the film but the rest is so well-done that I'm more than willing to put up with its ugly parts. Still, there's always that (very) small part of me that questions my joy of that film.
Nathaniel, when I shared my Oscar ballot with friends, I decided that I have twelve favorite lead actresses from the year, in order: Natalie Portman, Kim Hye-ja, Annette Bening, Emma Stone, Nicole Kidman, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Sally Hawkins and Hailee Steinfeld. It stunk having to eliminate seven of them, but man- what a great year!
In fact, this is the only category where I think everyone is at the "great" level. Actor has a lot of really good performances, but I'm just not that excited by any of them. And when it comes to Supporting Actress, I can't find someone nominated who I'd agree has given an Oscar-worthy performance. I preferred Olivia Williams, Dianne Wiest, Marion Cotillard in Inception, and Rosamund Pike. Oh well...
I am planning my trip to the cinema this week so I can catch Another Year and Biutiful. I have a free movie pass, which is (a) cool because I only have to pay for one, but (b) awful, because these are the kinds of movies that need the money. Should I save that pass for The Rite? Should I even bother with The Rite?
I am not particularly a fan of Nicole Kidman ,,, I loved "To Die For" and "The Others" ... her Oscar nod was a poor one IMO ...Streep and Moore were much better. Streep did not get nominated over a major technicality.
However, just saw "The Rabbit Hole" and she is , for me, the one to beat... she finally gave a human performance that had me dazzled... too bad she won for "The Hours' because I think she would have pushed for the win here.
the King's Speech won DGA !! Oh No!!
Totally agree, tesh. Major "oh no." I like both films, but think TSN deserves it so much more.
LAME LAME LAME LAME LAME!
Seeing as Fincher and Hooper were 4 and 5 in my order of preference, I can't say that I'm sad. Shocked and perplexed, sure. Sad, not really. If Russell, Nolan and Aronofsky couldn't win, I'm happy to settle for a little upset.
Heads are exploding all over the blogosphere.
Tom Hooper won. :)))))
ridiculous considering the competition. apocalypse now.
People will talk on here when there are things worth talking about.
Tom Hooper winning DGA over everyone else in his lineup? That bullshit isn't worth the effort of a full paragraph.
The DGA decision is such a repeat of 2001. You have Aronofsky, Fincher, Nolan and O'Russell but they went ahead and picked the blandest one instead. *sighs*
Nathaniel, i was wondering what your opinion was on TKS. I stopped following Sasha Stone on twiiter because she was losing her mind about how much of a travesty and and disgrace to the world it was that Speech won the DGA. I personally thought it was one of the best films (2nd to I Am Love) of the year. I respect you a lot so i just wanted to know where you stand?
This DGA win is so depressing. Damn, of them all, they pick Hooper?!
Nic -- I gave it a B. I think it's a good movie, and better than the material warranted (which is always a plus and also why i think it's well directed) but that said I do have a little trouble (Okay a lot of trouble ) calling it "best" of anything. apart from maybe Art Direction which i loved. I need to print that interview! i was so wowed by the sets that i interviewed the art director.
I was really hoping 127 Hours only got the acting and/or music nominations so I wouldn't feel like I had to see the film anytime soon. Of course it's up for Picture and Adapted Screenplay. I'm working to build up the courage to go in there and deal with the whole height and enclosed space situation of it all. Gore's not a problem: heights and tight enclosed spaces are.
I'm trying to catch up on all the Oscar nominated films, but can't really concentrate on it anymore because I am getting to go to the Berlinale! It's my first time in Europe and I decided I couldn't pass up the chance to go, especially with Isabella Rossellini as president this year.
The Berlinale is coming up, so I've been reading up on some of the films, watched some trailers, etc. One of my favourite bits each year is the presentation of the Shooting Stars. It isn't really a proper award, but you get to see some up and coming European actors before they really hit it big (of course, many of them never do, but there are always a few that make it, like Carey Mulligan and Mélanie Laurent). The trailer for this year looks promising. :)
Speaking of trailers and the Berlinale, the trailer for Wind Wender's "Pina" looks pretty amazing (and I'm not even a dance fan).
Haha, WiM Wenders, of course. :D
10-True Grit
9-The King Speach
8-Black Swan
7-Inception
6-Toy Story 3
5-The figther
4-127 Hours
3-The Social Network
2-The Kids are alright
1-Winter's Bone
That's how I would vote!
It should be The Social Network..Can't believe Fincher lost DGA. I love TKS.. But TSN deserve it more..
I just saw the film, White Wedding, on DVD. I wasn’t surprised to learn that South Africa submitted it as their entry for the 82nd Academy Award Best Foreign Film category. I was laughing during the entire movie. It was well made romantic comedy and showcased the beautiful South African landscape. I recommend it to everyone. Whiteweddingmovie.com
I seen only nice things about that movie what do you think about it? Anybody seen it? I know it was seen for free on free webcam sites. I will put a review of it on my web blog cams review.
Best Regards, Alicia
Very interesting. I want to know another question. SmartQ N7 7.0 inch tablet PC SourcingGate.com
WSVGA Capacitive Screen, support word, excel, power point, e-mail, HDMI videos, music, picture, online chatting. Support WIFI. Built-in high-fidelity output stereo speaker, A good entertainment and internet device.[url=http://www.sourcinggate.com/smartq-n7-android-21-7-inch-wsvga-capacitive-screen-hdmi-1080p-wifi-arm-11-720mhz-cpu-tablet-pc-p-14496.html]smartq[/url]