He is to replace James McAvoy in the cancer drama-comedy 'I'm With Cancer'. It is also set to star Seth Rogan, Anna Kendrick, and Anjelica Huston.
Oh, how torn I am. On the one hand, JGL's my main man. But then, I haven't seen McAvoy anywhere lately. He's dropping out of everything, isn't he.
Oh, well. Cup half full, bitches!
Before I talk about recent movie news, or the sorrowful Oscar results, I'd like to highlight some of my favorite movies/performances/etc. that got tragically overlooked at whatever time.
Rinko Kikuchi, The Brothers Bloom
Getting mostly mixed reviews, with a bit of press toward main female lead Rachel Weisz being quirky and collecting hobbies and romancing a sad-eyed Adrien Brody, this movie, and especially Kikuchi's hilariously silent performance, got overlooked. Which is a shame, because had this been silent-movie era, she'd be your new god. About two conmen brothers Brody and a big Mark Ruffalo, and their silent demolitions-expert Kikuchi (who apparently only knows 4 words in English) looking to pull off the dreaded 'last con', only for Brody to become enamored with their mark, Rachel Weisz. When I first saw it (in theaters!), the only time the entire audience (admittedly, a bunch of old people) laughed in unision was when the camera closed in on her reaction shots. Playing a very different silent role in Babel, you have to wonder how she's do talking.
Brick
Another underseen, but excellent movie by Rian Johnson. Basically, a slightly bigger version of Bugsy Malone --A hardboiled detective thriller set in a high school where everybody hangs around the hallways, but nobody ever seems to be in class. Starring an gruff, cool, hardbitten Joseph Gordon-Levitt as junior detective Brendan Frye, trying to solve his girlfriend (Emile de Ravin)'s murder, coming across the underworld of underage suburbia. Almost no adults can be found, apart from The Pin (Lukas Haas!)'s mother, and Vice Principal Trueman (Richard Roundtree!), and the biggest party of the year is a sophisticated wine-and-cheese shindig at the femme fatale (Nora Zehetner)'s mansion. Richly drawn characters, a solid plot that takes place in the bigbadbackstabbing world of a Dashiell Hammett novel, with pretty amazing performances and cinematography. And, if you're not into that, there's a bunch of awesome fight scenes.
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Well, fine, the movie was shit. Boring, overdirected, horrendously edited, an endlessly irritating 'Cinema Italiano' (made for Kate Hudson so she could be in the movie, she is a perfectly okay singer and dancer, but the song sucks shit) and featuring one of the worst performances by some of the best actors of today (Nicole Kidman can sing in Moulin Rouge! because there are a lot weirder things in that movie, and Daniel Day-Lewis, while not bad, is not as good as his other stuff). There are two noteworthy performances--Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard. Penelope Cruz, while pulling off the funny-to-depressing scenes, and the hilarious "A Call to the Vatican" number, is only the second-best. Marion Cotillard, who gets two numbers, is the shit. Not only is she one of the few in the movie who have a background in singing, she pulls off the underappreciated and rarely-seen-in-movie-musicals-these-days task of acting while singing. I'm sure, if Johnny Depp or Daniel Day-Lewis were concentrating solely on singing, they'd be pretty good. But when they're acting at the same time, they eventually fall into dreaded talk-singing territory, basically Johnny-Cashing until the very last syllable, which they sing-screech. But Cotillard expresses the sorrow and frustration her Luisa feels over her husband's infidelities, and her neglect, with such grace and sadness in 'My Husband Makes Movies', as well as, 'Take It All', another original number that is the closest this movie has to a catchy Chicago song. After sitting through the half of the movie that doesn't have Cotillard, then watching the other half, I can't help but feel slightly outraged at hearing of Penelope Cruz's nomination.
Wristcutters: A Love Story
Holyshit, I live for this movie. Well, the short story book it's based off of. Adapted from the novella 'Kneller's Happy Campers', about a world reserved especially for successful suicides, where, brilliantly, it's exactly the same as The Land of the Living, but just a little bit worst (there are no flowers, nobody can smile, etc). Which, in itself, is a big Fuck You to everybody living in it. About three people--Zia (Almost Famous' Patrick Fugit), a guy who hears his ex-girlfriend has joined the universe, and goes to find her, Mikal (Shannyn Sossamon), who died of an accidental overdose and is looking to straighten it out with the People In Charge, and Eugene (Shea Wigham), a Russian musician who lives with his suicidal parents and little brother, and is just along for lack of anything better to do--on a road trip. Featuring Will Arnett as a crazy cult leader Messiah and Tom Waits (one of the better musician-turned-occasional-actors, in The Book of Eli and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, and who I love) as the would-be-eponymous Kneller, leader of a sort of commune where small 'miracles' are common place. It is wryly funny, has some crazyphilisophical ideas, and appropriatly somber performances by the main trio. Also, one of the most interesting and uncomfortable suicide scenes ever, at the beginning (but it's a good thing). And, hey, awesome musical moment!
Six Degrees of Seperation
Will Smith, before he got all...Blockbustery. Inspired and influenced heavily by Catcher in the Eye, and featuring Smith's greatest role (in my opinion). About a philisophical young man who ingrates himself into the lives of two different, rich families.
Well, I'll attend to Part 2 later, after I bitch about Zooey Deschanel in an HBO show and the Oscar nominations and homework and whatnot.
So, uh...let me know if I missed anything, I guess.
Zelda Rubenstein is dead. NOOOO!
JD Salinger is dead! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
MIRAMAX is dead! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
That's right, the studio that brought you Reservoir Dogs, Velvet Goldmine , and Kill Bill has been shut. Down. And the studio that brought you The Proposal is allowed to live on and give us awful Kristen Bell vehicles? He certainly is a tricky god, isn't he?
MOVIE NEWS!
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has a release date!
The Runaways has a suprisingly awesome poster!
Micmacs playing at Sundance!
Hesher playing at Sundance!
WHY AREN'T I AT SUNDANCE!?!
Nikita is heading to TV! Again!
Kick-Ass Coming!
Pictures for The Way Back!
Repo Chick trailer out! Why, ALex Cox!?!
What up with the upcoming insurgence of little-girl-killers movies!?! Hanna!?! That other one who's name I forget!?!
INCEPTION!!!!!!
Hot Tub Time Machine!
Surprisingly adorable trailer for Diary of a Wimpy Kid! Which got me through fourth grade!
Well, that was fun.
So, we all know that the Golden Globes is maybe a little better than, say, the People's Choice Awards. They pick their nominees by flipping through the nearest Best/Worst of the Year list, and giving it to whoever had the biggest box office, throwing a mercy nomination to some critical darlings or Oscar regulars. And they know it. The nominees know it, the presenters know it, the audience, the cameramen know it, the catering knows it. That's why the tables are set up as a sea one must climb over, why most of the established actors don't even care when they win, why the cameras are slow to find the nominees as they are announced. Nobody gives a shit. Because we all know it's more biased than any other major awards show, more than the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, the Tonys, and all the other ones who get a network-TV time slot. Except, of course, the People's Choice Awards.
I hate the fucking Golden Globes. They make me angrier than square cheesburgers.
Which is why I'm disappointed in myself that I acknowledge this at all. But I must. Because this is a blog, that nobody reads, and I'm fucking angry all the same, enough to rant and rave about this instead of post an audio of Patton Oswalt telling us why everybody hates Jay Leno (but there's a whole different plain). It is why I rant instead of study for the spoken section of my French midterm, which is tomorrow because I don't fucking know.
Let's...begin.
#1: The Pre-Show
I watched the E! red carpet, my most loathed. This is because E! is a cesspool for every washed-up whoever when VH1 and MTV don't want them. Or the other way around. They give endless hours of TV coverage and E! True Hollywood Stories to asshole rich people. And they, like the Globes, fucking know it. They just don't care. They sing the praises of whoever they're talking to, how gorgeous they look or whatever, being sure to spend half an hour talking about their dresses and tuxes and socks and...you know what? All of that would be bearable, if not for something they call the Glam Cam or something...do they really need fifty cameras all pointed at one person in a shiny dress? Do they?
#2: The Show
Which was a mess. As mentioned above, the camera men were likely taking full advantage of the free drinks, because they were every which way, didn't know where anyone was half the time. The caterers, who I can only imagine having a passive-aggressive grudge against someone signing their checks, because the tables were edge-to-edge, every direction. The winners had to practiucally link arms and climb over the elevated second-floor that was the seating arrangements. Ricky Gervais, for all the hype, wasn't given anything to do for more than a minute at the time. He was very funny, as he always is, but constantly shooed away so that the dysfunctioning Avatars of Nicole Kidman and Harrison Ford could introduce various movies that everyone's heard of already. Some were funny, but...I just can't remember them. I've tried, can't. I can only remember thinking "Don't let Mickey Rourke on live TV!" and "Holy shit, I hate that Black Eyed Peas song played over this Valentine's Day trailer". What's Cameron Diaz doing here? What?Neil Patrick Harris and Kristen Chenowith (was that her? I forget. Alright, whoever) were adorable, at least. Clin Ferrall and Mel Gibson suitably self-depracating. Chloe Sevigny was kind of funny getting tripped over by someone, and I guess she's good in "Big Love". James Cameron, from the looks on the audience, was universally despised (I haven't seen Avatar, but The Sister has. Even she says it didn't deserve jack shit. Well, not to win, anyway). He was kind of funny, in his constant bathroom obsession, but still, he spoke the language he made up for the movie. Fluently.
#3: The Awards
Best Motion Picture — Drama
Avatar – Winner
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air
-Everyone looked so fucking pissed. All of these movies, Basterds and Up in the Air and the ones I haven't seen, you have to with Avatar? I hate you, Globes. I really do.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side – Winner
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sadibe, Precious
-Whyyyyyyyyy? Carey Mulligan and Babourey Sadibe and Helen Mirren, even Emily Blunt, you have to throw one at Sandra Bullock? Well, at least she acknowledged she didn't deserve it (at least not as much as everyone else). She's slightly growing on me, but come-the-fuck-on.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart – Winner
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Tobey Maguire, Brothers
-I hope Jeff Bridges wins an Oscar. I just like him. George Clooney playing himself, Tobey Maguire looking and acting creepy, okay, don't know shit about anyone else.
Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover – Winner
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
-The Hangover. Christ. Funny? Yes. But Best Picture?
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia – Winner
Julia Roberts, Duplicity
-Weirdest crew of nominees I've ever seen. Marion Cotillard was my favorite, but Meryl Streep was delightful in Julie and Julia, but I've always found it tacky when people got nominated the same year, in the same category. Also, I was forced by lack of computer/good book to watch The Proposal on a plane. It is among my least favorite thing of all time, ever. Seconded only by people bringing this horrible movie back into our minds for Sandra fucking Bullock. If you must nominate the movie, nominate Ryan Reynolds. Didn't think anyone even remembered Duplicity , but I vaguely remember walking out and Sister Darling saying she could see Clive Owen and Roberts getting some Globe action. So, you know, good on her.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Matt Damon, The Informant
Daniel Day Lewis, Nine
Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes – Winner
Joseph Gordon Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
-What. The. Fuck.
Not to say that he wasn't good. And his acceptance speech was funny. But is that the only reason they let him win? I thought it was just a mercy throw, or a publicity stunt, to nominate him in the first place. But over Michael Stuhlbarg (one in a series of late bloomers in this awards season), Matt Damon, my precious Joseph Gordon-Levitt...I was sure they were gonna give it to Daniel Day-Lewis (out of habit). But Robert Downey Jr.? This is the only category where I've seen all the movies, so I can vouch with quasi-confidence that this is the biggest bone ever thrown at a mainstream public. It's like they never look past box offic scores and reviews by Ben Lions. In the process of writing this, I've gone from annoyed to outrage. Dammit!
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Mo'Nique, Precious – Winner
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Penelope Cruz, Nine
-Yeah. Sure. None of these really spark strong opinions. Julianne Moore, again, just seems like a habit. The Up in the Air lady people were alright. Penelope Cruz...okay. Why not?
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Matt Damon, Invictus
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Christopher Waltz, Inglorious Basterds – Winner
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
-THAT'S A BINGO!
Except, The Last Station is about Leo Tolstoy. Played by Christopher Plummer. What, in any stretch of the imagination, makes him a supporting actor? I haven't seen it, so who knows...he could be playing second fidle to James McAvoy or Paul Giamatti. But, if Helen Mirren is Best Actress, is it really about her? God, I'm gonna lose sleep unless I see this movie.
Best Animated Feature Film
Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
The Princess and the Frog
Up – Winner
-All of these are big buckets of adorable, and I'd feel bad criticizing any.
Best Foreign Language Film
Barria
Broken Embraces
A Prophet
The White Ribbon – Winner
The Maid
-I have seen exactly zero of these, though not for trying. Broken Embraces is playing at our local quasi-arthouse, but The Parent or Guardian refuses.
Best Director — Motion Picture
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar – Winner
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds
-What the fuck? Avatar, which, as far as I can tell, was animated blue people and Tentacle Rape online porn adapted for the big screen. What's direction got to do with it? Hurt Locker seems to be the runner up, but I wish Tarantino got it. Only he could rewrite history and get away with it, and besides, that movie is my new video bible. Also, Eastwood seems like he's getting nominated out of habit.
Best Screenplay — Motion Picture
Up in the Air – Winner
It’s Complicated
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
-How in holy hell did In The Loop not get this? In all honesty, I didn't think Up in the Air was any great shakes, but I guess the screenplay was alright. They should seperate this into "original" and "adapted" like everyone else. But at least no Avatar.
Best Original Score — Motion Picture
Michael Giacchino, Up – Winner
Marvin Hamlisch, The Informant
James Horner, Avatar
Abel Krozeniowski, A Single Man
Karen O. and Carter Burwell, Where the Wild Things Are
-I got nothing.
Best Original Song — Motion Picture
“I Will See You,” Avatar
“The Weary Kind,” The Crazy Heart – Winner
“Winter,” Brothers
“Cinema Italiano,” Nine
“I Want to Come Home,” Everybody’s Fine
-"The Weary Kind" is good, but I'm more pissy about "Cinema Italiano" making the list at all.
I drifted in and out of the TV awards, but I know the Grey Gardens took so long to wrestle up to the stage, they were hurried off by the swelling music, and I know that I hate Simon Baker with every fiber in my body, and I wish James Roday would get something for once, and I kinda wanted the dude from Lost, which I don't watch, to win, just because he's so...classy.
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Okay. I'm done.
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