Dan the Movie Man

Well the Oscar winners have been announced, and unfortunatly it was another shitty, routine year (and according to a mate the ceremony was once again boring too) and I’v become even more disinterested in this once exciting event. In fact I practically don’t care for this award show anymore, I think It’ll just be the Emmy’s that will be really good for now. Yeah why not I mean this year Boardwalk Empire will be leading the race and Steve Buscemi should win Best Actor. Or the Guy’s Choice Awards, the most superficial, but extremely funny awards show, and the Globes was only really good lately with Ricky Gervais hosting, so if they keep giving it to him I’ll be interested, but nomination wise meh. Which is a shame, cause I used to really like the Oscars and the Oscar race, and the ceremony was always good, but if it keeps going down the path it’s going then I’m gonna become more and more disinterested in it until I finally really don’t care.

The Winners

Best Picture

The King’s Speech

Ok Colin Firth won Best Actor, which he probably deserved, but was this two hour film about a King with a speech impediment really the best picture of the year? Even if I like it I bet it isn’t half as good as The Social Network.

Up Against: The Social Network, Black Swan, True Grit, 127 Hours, The Fighter, The Kids Are Alright, Winters Bone, Toy Story 3.

What Deserved To Win? The Social Network, because of it’s relevance to our times, how it manages to turn a rather dull idea of how a website is created and turn it into high drama, and manages to be wildly entertaining at the same time.

Best Director

Tom Hooper-The King’s Speech

What would have been harder to make, a fine actor like Colin Firth act good or getting Natalie Portman to perform ballet, lesbanism too, not to mention those brilliant original shots Darren Aranofsky did in Black Swan?!

Up Against: David Fincher for The Social Network, Darren Aranofsky for Black Swan, The Coen Brothers for True Grit and David O. Russell for The Fighter.

Who Deserved To Win? Darren Aranofsky, for the effort, not to mention years it took to finally be able to make this wondourous and scary thriller.

Best Actor

Colin Firth-The King’s Speech

Yes I’m sure he’s good in this, but I’m betting Firth deserved it more for A Single Man last year and the Academy could have given it to Jeff Bridges this year (even though I wasn’t blown away by his take on Rooster Cogburn) but he was more entertaining in True Grit than he was in Crazy Heart. Though I wanted Jesse Eisenberg to win, I can understand if Firth was better, even if I’ll like Eisenberg more.

Up Against: Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network, Jeff Bridges for True Grit, James Franco for 127 Hours and Javier Bardem for Biutiful.

Who Deserved To Win? Probably Firth. I’v got no real beef with this win.

Best Actress

Natalie Portman-Black Swan

A win totally deserved, Portman gives it her all in this fiery, tragic performance, still managing to be as beautiful as she always is, despite how emotionally draining the role is. I haven’t been this impressed (or liked) Portman in anything since her debut in Leon.

Up Against: Annette Benning for The Kids Are Alright, Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence for Winters Bone and Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine.

Who Deserved To Win? Portman all the way. 

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale-The Fighter

While he was watchable in this, I do also think he over acted and wasn’t as good as Mark Wahlberg (can’t believe I’m saying this), but then again all Iv really liked Bale in was in American Psycho so. The one I felt deserved to win was Jeremy Renner for his scene stealing performance in the snubbed fine crime drama The Town.

Up Against: Jeremy Renner for The Town, Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech, Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are Alright and John Hawkes for Winters Bone.

Who Deserved To Win? Renner, for his magnetic, scene stealing in The Town, should have stolen the trophy right off Bale during the ceremony. Sure Bale lost weight, but he loses weight all the time, it’s like me drinking coke everyday, nothing for him.

Best Supporting Actress

Melissa Leo-The Fighter

To be honest I don’t really remember Leo’s performance in this all that well. I just knew she was a bitchy ma and that was about it. Now Jacki Weaver, all she really did was act all nice, when really she was terryifying and pulled the scariest expressions on her face, but she was waay more memorable in Animal Kingdom.

Up Against: Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom, Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit, Amy Adams for The Fighter and Helenna Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech.

Who Deserved To Win? Weaver for her absolute scary performance as the matriarch of a screwed up Aussie crime family. If looks could kill.

Best Animated Film

Toy Story 3

No suprise there. Rightly deserved, this touching Pixar film was definetly the best animated film of the year.

Up Against: How To Train Your Dragon and The Illusionist.

What Deserved To Win? Toy Story 3.

Well it’s that time of the year again, Hollywood’s biggest night for movies as the 83rd annual Academy Awards air in the states tonight (or if you have Sky Movies will air here from Midday), and for the first time ever I’m not that interested in the award show. At least not like I normally am. In the past I’d look extremely forward to this event, would stay up late on a school night and even tape em, or in more recent years since only airing on Sky would try and see em at a friend’s house. But this year I’m not as excited, and the reasons not because Scott Pilgrim got over looked by the Academy (I knew from the get go that it wouldn’t get any awards consideration). No, it was after watching the last Oscars and seeing the very overrated and extremely dull Hurt Locker winning practically everything, and being soo annoyed (not to mention kind of bored by the ceremony itself) that I started to become disinterested in the Oscars, and it made me realise how much the Oscars have really screwed up in the past. Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar for Best Director (Although he got an Honorary Oscar) that’s still not the same, Saving Private Ryan losing Best Picture to Shakespeare In Love, the rap group Three 6 Mafia winning an Oscar before Martin Scorsese! It goes on. Oh sure there have been wins that I have liked or were very much deserved: Annie Hall winning Best Picture, All About Eve, How Green Was My Valley, Casablanca, The Apartment, The Godfather’s I & II, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Rainman, Forrest Gump (Yes I truly think it deserved Best Picture), American Beauty; James Stewart and Katherine Hepburn my fave actor and actress of all time receiving golden statues (Hepburn four and to this day the actor with the most wins); and this year’s Oscars has my second favourite film (and in my opinion best) of the year The Social Network being a popular contender to win Best Picture, although it could be beaten by the Colin Firth inspirational drama The King’s Speech, in which case if it does, and sweeps all the Oscars and becomes a repeat of last year, then I’ll become even more disinterested in the Oscars. I’ll know in a few hours whether the Academy will make up for their decisons last year, or make it worse!

This year has quite a lot to make up for the disappointments I constantly endured last year. With Date Night, Cop Out being completely average, Jason Bateman doing a shitty Jennifer Aniston veichle (which I still haven’t seen), to Woody Allen extremely under performing after doing my now third fave film of all time (Whatever Works) with You’ll Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. Sure there were solid gold locked films that I knew I was gonna like no matter what with Shutter Island, Inception and especially The Social Network, and one huge suprise that became my favourite film, Scott Pilgrim, but as a whole 2010 was a pretty average year for cinema, with only a few suprises. Will 2011 be the same? I hope not, but if it does I won’t be as annoyed as there’s new Curb Your Enthusiasm to look forward to, to make up for it. Here’s some films I’m eager to see this year, films I’m anticipating, or just films that I may not be too interested in but I know I’ll be seeing regardless.

Paul

Plot-Two Brit sci-fi geeks on a roadtrip round the US encounter a friendly alien, and are doggedly pursued by two FBI agents, while also being helped by a friendly, eccentric woman.

Director: Gregg Mottola

Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Sigourney Weaver.

Why I Want to See This?- My most anticipated film of the year. Pegg & Frost team up again minus Director Edgar Wright, though Mottola is a more than capable Director has he’s Directed Bateman before on Arrested Development and Rogen and Hader in Superbad, for this sci-fi comedy, with Bateman returning back into my good graces, SNL Players Hader and Wiig co-starring! And the final icing on the cake being Rogen voicing the title alien. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Can’t wait.

The Green Hornet

Plot-Bored billionaire decides to become a superhero, and teams up with a martial arts expert to stop a crazy villian.

Director: Michel Gondry

Stars: Seth Rogen, Christolph Waltz, Cameron Diaz.

Why I want to see it?-Seth Rogen is back after a year’s absence with this action comedy, Directed by Michel Gondry, and featuring Christoplh Waltz as the villian. Huzzah.

Red State

Plot-Teenagers find themselves stranded in an extremely radical christian conservative town, where horror, pain and suffering follow.

Director: Kevin Smith

Stars: Michael Parks, John Goodman.

Why I Want to See It?-Kevin Smith (yes the same man behind those funny Jay & Silent Bob comedies) immidiatly making up for Cop Out with this chilling looking horror, with Michael Parks going to be a sensation as the sinister religious zealot. And John Goodman’s back. Yuss. The teaser for this is amazing.

Movie 43

Plot-Anthology comedy by the Farrelly’s with some of the funniest people around today.

Directors: The Farrelly Brothers.

Stars: A lot, including Johnny Knoxville, Naomi Watts, Anna Faris, Hugh Jackman, Seann William Scott.

Why I Want to See This?-I love anthology movies, I love Farrelly Brothers films, and this has a lot of stars I like. Automatic must see. Hopefully the world will follow suit.

Scream 4

Plot-After ten years of peace, The Ghostface Killer is back to terrorise Sidney, Dewey and Gale again. New teens too.

Director: Wes Craven

Stars: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox,

Why I Want to See This?-A decade has passed since the last, but Wes Craven and cast are back, aswell as a new batch of teens to be terrorised. Bring it.

Horrible Bosses

Plot: Three friends decide to murder their horrible bosses after finally having enough of years of torment.

Director: Seth Gordon

Stars: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston.

Why I Want to See This?-Another Bateman comedy that sounds funny. Co stars SNL Player Sudeikis, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Day, and Hollywood A-Listers Farrell and Aniston, again in a Bateman film, but I know this will be better.

The Change-Up

Plot-A married man switches bodies with his best friend.

Director: David Dobkin

Stars: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann.

Why I Want to See This? Silly plot, but will be made funny by the comedy talents of the three leads.

Hugo Cabret

Plot-An orphan becomes tangled in a mystery to do with his late father and an automaton.

Director: Martin Scorsese.

Stars: Chloe Moretz, Jude Law, Sacha Baron Cohen.

Why I Want to See This?-Scorsese doing a family friendly film. Will still be great. Having Baron Cohen is another plus.

Hesher

Plot-About a violent, loner who hates the world and everyone around him, until he happens to meet a young boy does his life naturally drastically begin to change.

Director: Spencer Susser

Stars: Joseph Gordon Leavitt, Natalie Paortman.

Why I Want to See This?-Gordon Levitt playing a violent loner? Yes please. Have seen a clip. Looks good.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (US)

Plot-Remake of the Swedish sensation, about a jounalist’s search for a woman who’s been missing, or dead for forty years.

Director: David Fincher

Stars: Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Stellan Skarsgard.

Why I Want to See This?-Because Fincher has proven that he can make anything and it’ll always be good. This being a thriller is right up his alley. Will also watch the original before seeing this.

Midnight In Paris

Plot-A presumbly neurotic couple travel to Paris for business, and will get more than they expected.

Director: Woody Allen

Stars: Michael Sheen, Rachel McAdams, Marion Coitillard, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Kathy Bates, Allison Pill.

Why I Want to See This?-Woody Allen’s latest. Please make up for You’ll Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. With a cast like this (minus Rachael McAdams) he just might.

The Muppets

Plot-Those loveable, classic puppets are back, with Kermit and the gang putting on a show to save their old theater.

Director: James Bobin

Stars: The Muppets (duh), Jason Segel and a host of other major celebrities.

Why I Want to See This?-It has been too long since The Muppets have been on the big screen (1999’s Muppets In Space to be precise, but 1997’s Muppet Treasure Island was their last great hit), so Segel, along with his Forgetting Sarah Marshall Director bringing back those wonderful puppets. God bless them.

Caesar: Rise Of The Apes

Plot-Remake of the fourth outing in the original Planet of the Apes series from 1968-1973 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, shows how the apes conquered mankind and ruled our planet, thanks to a talking ape descandent from the future named Caesar.

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Stars: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow.

Why I Want to See This?-I am a huge Planet of the Apes fan. The original series is my favourite science fiction series ever, more than Star Wars definetly, though I was quite disappointed with Tim Burton’s remake. Now exactly a decade has passed since that disaster and this better make up for that, and not be a repeat. So far it’s not, with the apes being cgi now, and I couldn’t care less for the Director and stars attached. I’ll just have to wait and see.

Guns, Girls And Gambling

Plot-A bunch of people, including Elvis impersonators, Indians, Cowboys and various other shady people are all chasing after a priceless American Indian artifact stolen during a poker game at an Indian casino.

Director: Michael Winnick

Stars: Gary Oldman, Christian Slater, Dane Cook, Chris Kattan.

Why I Want to See It? Slater, Oldman (True Romance reunion huzzah) and Cook in a movie! Awesome.

Happythankyoumoreplease

Plot-Follows the life of a struggling NY writer, and his relationships with his friends, as well as their own dramas.

Director: Josh Radnor

Stars: Josh Radnor, Malin Ackerman, Tony Hale.

Why I Want to See It?-To see if How I Met Your Mother’s Ted Mosby can carry a film, and after seeing the trailer and seeing that their’s drama for Tony ‘Buster Bluth’ Hale automatically makes it a must see.

Tree Of Life

Plot-Drama about a young boy’s troubles growing up in the 1950s, also follows him into his adult life too.

Director: Terrence Malick.

Stars: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn.

Why I Want to See This?-Originally I thought this was gonna be a three hour epic about Brad Pitt and Sean Penn as Cavemen fighting dinosaurs. Instead it’s a three hour epic about a boy’s life growing up in the 1950s. Still intruiged and I’m sure it’ll be good, but damn that first idea sounded soo much better.

X-Men: First Class

Plot-Prequel, showhing how the X-Men were formed, how all the classic characters discovered their powers, and how the war between Professor X and Magneto begun.

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender.

Why I Want to See This?-After a disappointing third, and spin-off too, can a prequel bring back the charm? With Kick Ass Director Vaughn Directing and Inglourious Basterds Fassbender starring I think so.

The Beaver

Plot-Troubled husband and father decides to put a beaver puppet on and use that has his way of communicating.

Director: Jodie Foster.

Stars: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster.

Why I Want to See This?-Gibson may or may not return to good graces with this film, but I’m pretty interested in it none the less due to the rather interesting plot. But can it be taken seriously?

Dream House

Plot-A family who have recently moved to a new house find themselves terrorised by a killer who’d killed the previous owners.

Director: Jim Sheridan

Stars: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weiz, Naomi Watts

Why I Want to See This?-Naomi Watts doing what was done to her in Funny Games!? Sweeeet.

The Hangover Part II

Plot-Sequel to the suprise (and very overrated) comedy hit of 2009, follows the gang as they travel to Bangkok for a wedding.

Director: Todd Phillips

Stars: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakis, Ken Jeong.

Why I Want to See It? I’m sure this will be pretty funny, and their bringing back Jeong, the funniest person from the original. But it will be overrated for sure.

My Week With Marilyn

Plot-An employee of Sir Laurence Olivier documents the tense relationship between him and Marilyn Monroe on the set of The Prince And The Showgirl.

Director: Simon Curtis

Stars: Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson, Judi Dench.

Why I Want to See This? Another new expose on someone famous, and while another film on Monroe is being made at the moment called Blonde with Naomi Watts as the blonde bombshell, I feel it’s better to get this one out of the way first as I’m waay more interested in the next.

Mission Impossible IV

Plot- Once again super spy Ethan Hunt is thrust into another deadly impossible mission.

Director: Brad Bird

Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg.

Why I Want to See This? After a great third, another continuation for Cruise, with Pegg and Directed by Bird I’m down with.

Green Lantern

Plot-A test pilot is granted mystical powers and becomes the eponymous superhero.

Director: Martin Campbell.

Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Temuera Morrison, Taika Waititi.

Why I Want to See This? While I’d rather Reynolds be doing Dead Pool instead, this should be an entertaining super hero blockbuster.

Bridesmaids

Plot-Two women battle to plan their friend’s wedding.

Director: Paul Feig

Stars: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jon Hamm.

Why I Want to See This? Ok the plot couldn’t be anymore what I’m not into, but it stars Wiig and Rudolph, two of the funniest women in the world so it could be really, really funny.

War Horse

Plot-A young man’s bond with a horse is threatened when the horse is sold and shipped over to the trenches of WW1. So the man decides to enlist and save his friend.

Director: Steven Speilberg.

Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston.

Why I Want to See This? Speilberg’s latest, can make up for Indy IV. But the plots muffed.

Sucker Punch

Plot-A young girl who has been commited, imagines a dream world to help her cope, and also to plan a daring escape.

Director: Zach Schneider.

Stars: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jon Hamm.

Why I Want to See This? Schneider’s latest, could be another Watchmen, or the female 300. Here’s to the former.

The Rum Diary

Plot-Johnny Depp plays a freelance journalist juggling many problems, based on a Hunter S. Thompson novel.

Director: Bruce Robinson.

Stars: Johnny Depp

Why I Want to See This? Depp returning to Hunter S. Thompson territory. Please be toned down in the excessiveness that Fear & Loathing relished.

A Dangerous Method

Plot-A look at how the intense relationship between Carl Jung and Sigmond Freud gives birth to psychoanalysis.

Director: David Cronenberg

Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley

Why I Want to See This? Cronenberg and Mortensen’s third pairing in a row sounds interesting, and should be better than Eastern Promises. But maybe not History Of Violence. Plus it’s got the always good Fassbender.

Drive Angry

Plot-A vengeful father chases after the men who killed his daughter by literally running them over with his pimp ass car.

Director: Patrick Lussier.

Stars: Nicolas Cage, William Fichtner.

Why I Want to See This? Ridiculous plot will be made interesting by Nic Cage.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Plot-A semi retired veteran spy is forced out of retirement to track down a Soviet agent during the Cold War.

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Stars: Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes.

Why I Want to See This? The Director of Let The Right One In’s next film starring Gary Oldman and Ralph Fiennes.

Super 8

Plot-A Cloverfield repeat.

Director: J.J. Abrams.

Stars: Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka, Kyle Chandler.

Why I Want to See This? Another Cloverfield. Sure it will be good

Friends With benefits

Plot-The relations between two friends gets obviosuly complicated when they decide to get kinky.

Director: Will Gluck

Stars: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson.

Why I Want to See This? A romantic comedy starring Timberlake and Kunis, so what? But if it’s got Clarkson then I’m in.

Anonymous asked: Do you really think 'Boy' was like a Wes Anderson film? Personally I felt it was less awkward than alot of his humour, and I was wondering where you were coming from with that comment? Im interested as to what similarities you saw and with what film.

Ok in humour maybe not as it’s quite distinctly Kiwi, but I felt the way it was shot, the camera angles and movements, reminded me of Wes Anderson. It felt more of a Wes Anderson film to me than Fantastic Mr. Fox, which was only good in parts, otherwise I felt it was abit of a waste and don’t get the praise it gets.

Jessie Eisenberg-The Social Network

In David Fincher’s last two efforts, the things I really liked about em were the way they were filmed, told, and in Zodiac’s case it’s soundtrack, but the performances didn’t really resonate. Although I was entertained by Robert Downey Jr., creeped out yet compelled by John Carroll Lynch, and thought Mark Ruffalo was good in Zodiac, they just didn’t resonate and stand out from Fincher’s three films before, but compared to Benjammin Button where seeing Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in old age makeup was more interesting than their performances, well. So walking into Social Network I was kind of expecting a third round of it, maybe just liking Justin Timberlake. I really wasn’t expecting to like Eisenberg’s performance as Mark Zuckerberg, more appreciate it. But I certainly wasn’t expecting for him to deliver my favourite performance of the year, which he did. It took me three movies to finally get me to like him; in Squid And The Whale, he was good but such a dick until the end that it stopped me from liking him, in Adventureland he was dour, too straight and very, very dull, while in Zombieland actually he was good, enjoyable and sometimes funny, but that was all pretty much lost on me by Woody Harrelson stealing the show. Finally in Social Network he shone through for me, playing a dick, but a socially impaired, practically aspie genius. From the moment the film started with Mark talking in a bar as he’s being dumped by his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and struggling to comprehend the situation, while also correcting her on trivial little things in the conversation she’s getting wrong, Eisenberg was on. Other highlights are the hearing scenes scattered throughout the film as Mark is rude and smarmy to the Winklevoss twins who are suing him over the rights to Facebook, aswell as their lawyer as he’s asked “Mr. Zuckerberg, do I have your full attention?” To which his response is “No” and when asked why he responds with “I think if your clients want to sit on my shoulders and call themselves tall, they have the right to give it a try - but there’s no requirement that I enjoy sitting here listening to people lie. You have part of my attention - you have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing things that no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing.”. Other asshole moments follow like the small but funny scene where he and once best friend Eduardo (Andrew Garfield) go for an interview to sell Facebook, and Mark decides to be rude and make clicking noises because he simply doesn’t care. But my absolute favourite moment of Zuckerberg’s is small but it’s when he meets up with Eduardo at a college party, and after doing a very weird and awkward martian like greeting to him, he has an aspie moment and complains about the theme of the party which is carribean, and how it’s not carribean at all and is soo annoyed by that he has to go outside. He later refers to that in a telephone argument with Eduardo near the end of the film. Eisenberg may not deserve the Oscar for Best Actor (and I don’t think he will anyway) but if he did win it I’d be very happy.

Joaquin Phoenix-I’m Still Here

Joaquin Phonex is not one of my favourite actors. Out of all his movies only two have I really liked him in: The villain in Gladiator and ofcourse Johnny Cash. But I was anticipating this supposed documentary showing him quitting acting to pursue a rapping career and basically end his career and become a living joke as his raps were not only stupid, but non sensical and hard to comprehend (except for the many uses of bitch). So when I’m Still Here came out I half thought it was one of the funniest things I’d ever seen, and because I didn’t know till like two days later that it was all a hoax, also felt slightly sorry for the man who had seemed to lose his mind. But second time around knowing the truth I was able to laugh as much as I wanted and not feel bad as Phoenix gave the funniest performance of the year playing one of the most warped and unflattering versions of a person playing themselves ever. Phoenix goes one up over Sacha Baron Cohen in that he’s not playing a character, he’s playing himself, and while sure the top celebs who featured were in on the joke, many involved, and more importantly the public believed this was real, and while ultimately the two year running joke didn’t pay off at all as it was a box office flop and has pretty much faded away, to me this was funnier than any comedy that came out this year. Their wasn’t a single scene this year that was as funny as Joaquin going to P. Diddy’s studio and showing him his demos as they one by one get worse and worse, and Diddy can’t believe what he’s hearing.

Michael Cera-Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Sure he was a bit of a dick and all, but compared to the over sweetness, feeling too sorry for himself performance in Nick & Norah Michael Cera was amazing then. Being part of a rock band is one thing, but being able to single handedly take on seven people that’s skill. Now his taste in girls is rather too emo for my tastes (seriously was all that trouble for Ramona really necessary?) aswell as the type of music his band plays is too ott, but the fact he’s a bit of a anti hero and I never once rooted for him, makes him more interesting to me. 

Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg-The Other Guys

The funniest duo of the year. One of a long line of mismatched partners in film, but this year their haven’t been many. With Ferrell as the seemingly by the book Allen Gamble with a dark past and Eva Mendes as his wife! And Wahlberg as hot tempered and easilly annoyed Terry Hoitz, they were the buddy cop team that Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis should have been.

Ralph Fiennes-Cemetary Junction

Ralph Fiennes is always good at being a villain, straight up. Schindler’s List my God of course is the epotomy of what I mean, as well as his disturbing performance in Red Dragon. And once again he can add Cemetary Junction to his list of classic mean characters. In it he plays Mr. Kendrick, the cold hearted and controlling boss of a Life Insurance company that protagonist Freddie (Christian Cooke) works at, aswell as father to the girl of his dreams (Felicity Jones). Kendrick only cares about himself, and couldn’t care less about the people around him, including his family who he controls over. When his wife (Emily Watson) appears to have disagreed with him about something, he threatens to take back the dress she’s wearing. But his coldest moment is when at a company banquet he’s farewelling a worker who’s retiring, but in the most unflattering way possible, with the farewell gift being a glass bowl! And then immidiatly after that saying “right now onto something a little less depressing”. A classic of meanness if ever I did see one.

Armie Hammer-The Social Network

Playing the twins who get screwed over by Mark Zuckerberg, Hammer turns in amazing performances who for all but one scene of the film are getting annoyed by one thing after another. From Mark screwing them around, to the Dean of their college not giving a damn, to losing their big rowing match, The Winklevoss Twins lose hardcore. And it’s funny to watch.

Nicolas Cage & Chloe Moretz-Kick Ass

The coolest duo of the year was this bad ass father and daughter team who were the true heroes of the film. Honestly everytime they were on it was gold. From the moment they appear with Cage’s Big Daddy shooting Moretz’s Hit Girl for target practice, they never dulled. Cage makes his performance even funnier by talking like Adam West. And Moretz, after kind of bugging me by playing someone beyond her years in 500 Days of Summer, here perfects it.

Ryan Reynolds-Buried

To do a film about a man who’s buried alive, and have it be completely set inside the coffin with him the whole time, you need an actor who will keep you interested the whole way, who will keep you enthralled the whole way through, and one with a lot of charm. I can’t think of a better actor then than Ryan Reynolds to be chosen for this project, and that’s exactly what he did.

Leonardo DiCaprio-Shutter Island & Inception

In both these films, DiCaprio continues to play a stressed out, demanding performance. But in Shutter Island he goes through the ringer, delivering his most demanding performance to date as a detective who loses his mind. The ending in paticular is when he’s at his most stressed out in the film, and the flashback with Michelle Williams Jesus. While in Inception he’s just as stressed out and shouty, losing his mind, and also has a deceased wife aswell, but unlike Shutter I choose to believe he gets a happy ending in Inception with his spinning top kind of slowing down.

Jon Hamm-The Town

Jon Hamm once again continuing to impress me. After returning briefly as the “Oh so handsome, yet oh so dumb” Dr. Drew Baired on 30 Rock, in The Town he’s the primary antagonist, the cop wanting to take down Ben Afleck and his crew at any costs, even if innocent people get killed along the way. A total dick who you wanna see go down, which you kind of do when he doesn’t end up apprehending Affleck by film’s end.

Taika Waititi-Boy

Another choice performance from the talented Kiwi.

Joseph Gordon Leavitt-Inception

The one out of the team who looks like he could be bad or turn coat, based mostly on the fact he’s got slicked back hair, instead he’s the sanest out of the group, and the one who really should be in charge. Also is part of the film’s coolest scen; The spinning hallway fight scene. Joseph you’ve done it again.

Will Forte-MacGruber

Probably the biggest dick of the year was Forte bringing a mildly funny creation from SNL to the big screen. Their was seriously no redeeming features to him; He was an idiot, rude to practically everyone, most memorably Ryan Phillipe (“I bet you wish your nose was a dick, so you could fuck butts”), when begging for something his offer is to suck their dick, and he has the most bizarre method of execution; ripping out throats, and the most horrible and sick puns such as when he’s about to rip off somebodies throat he chucks em a pack of throat lozengers and says rather sadistically “You’re gonna need the whole box”. So, so rude, yet so, so funny.

Patricia Clarkson-Shutter Island

After Whatever Works Patricia Clarkson bugged me with her stealing the film away from Larry David. Sure that’s what I love her for, but when Larry David only has Curb, then let him be the center of his own movie. Thankfully I was won back by her by her sole scene in this when as the film was becoming too much for me and I was getting uncomftable, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) stumbles upon a cave and meets the supposed real patient who escaped, Rachel 2 (Clarkson) who reveals that she’s a doctor who stumbled upon a conspiracy in the institution, and is now hiding in the cave, and freaks out the near unstable Daniels. It’s great as even though it’s more freakiness, it’s oddly very calm in the way it’s told, and Clarkson quietly talks to DiCaprio and acts as she normally does when she acts; gracefull.

Chris Evans And Brandon Routh-Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

The two funniest out of the evil exes, both only got about 15 minutes of screentime but deserved more. Evans played a self absorbed Hollywood action star who’s so fly the Universal Pictures logo is his theme, and he directs his films instead of the Director. He also delivers the meanest fight out of the 7 as he and his many stunt doubles take on Scott Pilgrim. But it’s his mean skateboarding skills that prove his downfall. His 15 minutes in this were funnier than his comic relief role in The Losers.

While Routh plays Scott’s ex’s boyfriend who because of him being Vegan gives him awesome strength which he uses on Scott and Knives Chau (”I’m not above punching a chick”) and psychic powers, but that still doesn’t make him all that bright, as Scott easilly tricks him into drinkink milk with half soy, and half dairy, and he’s defeated when the vegan police (Thomas Jane and Clifton Collins Jr.) strip him of his vegan powers! Now that has to be the most interesting defeat of the year for sure.

Sam Rockwell-Iron Man 2

The film was a disappointment, but one thing it nailed was Rockwell’s slimy, smarmy turn as villian Justin Hammer. Hammer wants to be Tony Stark, but is not quite cool enough, and Rockwell delivers this perfectly. His best moments are when he’s reached breaking point with Mickey Rourke’s Ivan Vanko who have collaborated to bring down Stark, and yells at him on how he can’t speak Russian, which he kept doing to him, and his end presentation scene, trying to emulate Stark’s opening number, but only succeeds in two things: Being a douche but being very funny at the same time.

Topher Grace-Predators

Besides Traffic, Topher Grace’s foray into movies I haven’t liked. But in Predators he was not only seemingly likeable, but he turns that all around in the end and gives a good turn. Playing an un masculine doctor plopped on an alien planet with masculine men and women, Topher easilly seems like the odd one out. What with constantly running away, screaming, and begging for mercy and all how could he possibly fit. Until it’s revealed in the end how not so out of place he is, and shows his true colors. Watching it in multiple viewings you can notice the subtle hints to his dark nature.

Ned Beatty-Toy Story 3

The villians in the previous installments didn’t really do anything for me. Even when I was a kid they didn’t. But Ned Beatty’s turn as Lotso is a chilling one. A seemingly benevolent huggable teddy bear who runs the day care which are heroes are taken to, is revealed to be an evil, embittered old grump who runs the day care as if he’s Ralph Fiennes in Schindler’s List. Terrifying.

Mickey Rourke-The Expendables

Ofcourse it came as no suprise that Rourke was gonna deliver the best acting in this film. Playing Tool, the retired Expendable who now runs a tattoo parlor which the gang frequent, Rourke delivers the film’s sole dramatic scene, and naturally nails it as if he’d actually been there and done it as he retells to Stallone how he let a woman commit suicide when he could have saved her. The tears he brings in that scene felt real too.

Dolph Lundgren-The Expendables

While Rourke was the best actor, the best character was Lundgren as Gunner Jensen, the unstable one in the group, who has to be let go, turns on them, is supposedly killed and miraculously survives and is reformed at the end!

Jeff Fahey-Machete

In a film which featured many A-List superstars, it was Fahey who walked away with this film, as the man who double crosses Machete and comes to regret it. He was as funny and watchable as he was in the Grindhouse trailer.

Jason Patric-The Losers

The only good performance in this otherwise lacklustre action, the villian. And what a treat Patric was as the severely mad Max, who everytime the film was getting boring, he’d show up and do something amazing; The best is when he shoots a woman holding an umbrella over his head just because the wind made her lose focus of holding!

Michael Keaton-The Other Guys

Michael Keaton, where have you been? It’s been awhile. Nice to see you appear in this funny comedy as the Captain of the Police, who for no reason quotes TLC songs and when called on it has no idea who they are. His funniest moment however is when after Will Ferrell is shot, he thinks he’s badly hurt and screams out for a medic in extremely comic fashion. Please continue to appear in films as much as you can man.

The Entire Cast of Tomorrow When The War Began

Extremely laughable and hard to take seriously, this cast should be in made for dvd or tv fare, not big screen outings. The best I could say for this cast is that they could easilly get jobs in Aussie soaps like Home And Away.

Casey Afleck-The Killer Inside Me

Casey Afleck pushing the boundaries with Joaquin Phoenix in I’m Still Here funny; Casey Afleck pushing the boundaries in this? too much.

Tina Fey & Steve Carell-Date Night

On their respected shows, they are the height of hilarity, and always fun to watch. So naturally they should have made a great husband and wife team right? Wrong. Only mildly funny but mostly annoying, Fey continues to prove that unless she’s in charge of the writing she’s just plain dumb, while Carell reverts to his even more annoying early days. A note to if they ever work again; Fey write it yourself.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan-The Losers

In Watchmen Morgan was bad ass in his all too brief scenes as the sleazy, violent and unpredictable Comedian. But in this he just plays it completely straight, and is a total bore.

Zoe Saldanna-The Losers

An actress I’d seriously like to just go away. As annoying as she was in Avatar, she’s even more annoying and over dominating in this.

The Leads in Frozen

Ok it was a nice change to make the three leads in this chiller who are stuck on a ski lift to be unlikeable, but like the blood and horribleness that awaits them it still doesn’t make it anymore easy to watch. Sure Ryan Reynolds was a dick in Buried, but at least you felt sorry for him. In this you only feel sorry for the poor sucker who jumps off, breaks his legs and is eaten alive by wolves.

Jessica Alba-Machete & The Killer Inside Me

Like Zoe Saldanna another actress who appears in everything and over stays her welcome, and once again she does in Machete, even being in it more than Danny Trejo. While in Killer Inside Me, despite getting a horrible beat up scene, she’s just a total idiot, simpleton like who for no reason loves Casey Affleck, despite what he does to her.

Salma Hayek & The Kids-Grown Ups

Seriously if they wern’t in it I would have liked Grown Ups a whole lot more. They added nothing to the film, the kids especially were annoying, and Hayek overacts.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead-Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

For a woman who everyone falls over and fights for, she has no charisma, is self centered, unlikeable, and dull. Her and Anna Kendrick should have switched roles as at least Kendrick could do something with it.

30 Rock Season Four

Last season of 30 Rock was my favourite season straight up. After a first season of finding it’s way, to a second which had and was very good but was shortened by the damn writer’s strike, the show was pretty much perfect by the third. So ofcourse I was looking very forward to this fourth season. But alas as this year would do to me alot it was quite a disappointment. A hit and miss of either a good episode and then a bad one or even more annoying several mediocre or ridiculous eps before finally a good one. But the most annoying thing about this season was Liz Lemon (Tina Fey)’s change in character in that she was more loud and obnoxious (oh and didn’t wear her glasses much) this time around, compared to the loveably quirky ugly ducking she usually is. Please go back to that next season though I have a feeling she won’t since her new boyfriend is Matt Damon. The funniest thing from this season was Michael Sheen (David Frost in ‘Frost Nixon’)’s appearances as a possible love interest for Liz named Wesley Snipes. That was just amazing writing and casting right there.

More shows coming soon when I’v seen em.

The Town-Ben Afleck’s official comeback. Jon Hamm is marvelous, and Jeremy Renner is a scene stealer.

MacGruber-Silly, yes, but man did this have me cracking up. Far from a good film, in fact pretty juvenile, but it did it’s job for me.

The Expendables-The film every guy should have seen. Non stop action, fine performances from nearly all, especially Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lundgren, and an iconic scene with Stallone, Willis and Arnie. Come on!

Predators-Forget the AVPs. This was the true third part in this classic action series, if not a homage aswell.

Grown Ups-If it wern’t for those pesky kids and Salma Hayek this would have been higher. Cause everything else about this movie I enjoyed.

Boy-Kiwi Taika Waititi’s very funny and touching film, feels like a Wes Anderson picture.

Toy Story 3-First Pixar film I’v liked since The Incredibles. A touching end (well it better be) to the series.

Splice-Small horror, in ‘The Fly’ vein, with Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley that is smart, interesting and stays that way and doesn’t resort to heavy violence and gruesomness you’d expect it to.

Machete-Mildly entertaining and some interesting performances and moments, but overall a disappointment.

Death at a Funeral-Mostly black, scene for scene remake of the Brit original, is way better as these guys actually are funny and don’t think they are.

Get Him To The Greek-Weird and disappointing spin off from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, has some funny moments, a few catchy songs and a funny role from P. Diddy, but very disappointing.

Iron Man 2-Another disappointment, but Sam Rockwell gives one of my favourite performances of the year.

Cop Out-Kevin Smith’s first bad movie, and 1 of 2 bad films to feature a star off 30 Rock.

The A-Team-The plan almost comes together.

 Animal Kingdom-Well made Aussie crime drama, which is at times subtetly good, but not enough happens.

The Crazies-Fine horror remake that’s passable enough.

Frozen-Intense, near unwatchable chiller about three idiots who get themselves stuck on a ski lift. The mere fact that there unlikable makes it ok, and it only half cops out.

 The Losers-Fine opening, a great villian, and good use of the already over used ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, but doesn’t make up for the waste of an admission ticket. Even though it is short I couldn’t wait for it to end.

A Nightmare On Elm Street-Should have just watched the credits as it uses the Everly Brothers ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’. Seriously.

Date Night-Could have been something wonderful, but instead turned into an overblown, unfunny mess. Was my most anticipated film of the year.

Edge of Darkness-Mel Gibson’s brief comeback and he delivers this boring, though extremely violent action.

Tomorrow When The War Began Laughable teen Aussie action.

1. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

The very random, pleasant suprise for top spot this year was a film I initially didn’t care much about. The trailers and clips I saw didn’t have me excited, and I in fact didn’t see it until it’s very last week in thetres. It wasn’t until the film immidiatly started with the Universal Logo done in the style of a videogame, and even the theme tampered with (I love it when titles are mucked around with), and the serious narration by funnyman Bill Hader (for those who don’t know he’s most likely best remembered here as Seth Rogen’s slim, nerdy sidekick in Superbad) that I started to dig it, and became throughly entertained and amused the whole way through. Even though it gets more and more ridiculous as it goes on, it never loses momentum and the laughs consistently stayed through.

2. The Social Network

Who would have thought that a film about the founders of Facebook would be not only interesting, but very entertaining aswell. Leave it to David Fincher to do that, but it’s also the well written dialogue heavy script from Aaron Sorkin, who makes practically every word count, and every conversation memorable, and Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Mark Zuckerberg, which is my favourite performance of the year also.

3. Inception

Certainly the most original, dazzling, spellbinding film of the year. Christopher Nolan continuing to impress after the equally epic and impressive Dark Knight follows that up with this fascinating, a little confusing, but always interesting edge of your seat thrill ride. DiCaprio too yet again delivers another stressful role, but not quite as near as…

4. Shutter Island

In which he goes through the ringer in what is arguably his most stressful performance to date. Appreciated but didn’t enjoy upon seeing it in cinemas, second time around I thought it was superb and began to notice the subtleties behind it. If you didn’t like it at first, try again and see if you do.

5. I’m Still Here

Not a sequel to I’m Not There, but one huge giant prank pulled by Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Afleck. Funniest film of the year. Just as funny second time round when I was drunk. But I’m not recommending you watch it first drunk.

6. The Other Guys

A film I was looking forward to, though hugely disappointed, was a buddy cop film called Cop-Out, directed by Kevin Smith and starred Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. But thankfully Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg came along and made what Cop-Out should have been with this very funny, bizarre, but heavilly entertaining buddy cop comedy.

7. Jackass 3D

 The merry pranksters and stuntman team’s last huzzah, goes out fun as ever, and leaves you feeling sentimental at movies end. Also the best 3D experience ever. No joke.

8. Cemetary Junction

Superb comedy drama from the creators of the UK Office and Extras, goes by too quickly, but as some of the funniest moments of the year, bits that I wanted soo bad to crack up in the cinema.

9. Kick Ass

Bold, violent, and extremely entertaining new take on the super hero genre. Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz rule.

10. Buried

Gripping Hitchcockian thriller that lives up to it’s premise, doesn’t cop out, and Ryan Reynolds keeps you totally interested and enthralled to the bitter end.

For two years in a row, my favourite film hasn’t been nominated for any award; Last year it was Whatever Works, this year it’s Scott Pilgrim (though it might get Oscar nods for it’s effects), which ofcourse I was expecting, although I had a slim amount of hope that it could have gotten a nod for Best Film in the Musical or Comedy section, two genres that the film had, but because of it’s box office failure ofcourse it wasn’t.

Thankfully though The Social Network and Inception got nods, with Social garnering 6, while Inception got 4. But I’ll be rooting the most for Social Network which I’m feeling pretty positive should win big. However unlike last year where nearly everything nominated I was interested in, the same cannot be said this year. With only a mild interest in The Black Swan, everything else nominated in the film categories I couldn’t really care. Alice In Wonderland, Burlesque and Red getting nods piss me off, although the effort that went into Alice makes it forgivable but still. And Johnny Depp getting two nods also bugs me quite abit, considering that he doesn’t really watch his own films! The only other nominations in the film category that I even remotely care about is Jeremy Renner for his marvelous, scene stealing performance in The Town, but even that I can’t properly enjoy as I felt that Ben Afleck deserved a nod for Best Director at least, and Robert DeNiro receiving The Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Acheivement Award, after this year it was Martin Scorsese it seemed fitting to next give it to DeNiro, who very much deserves it if not earlier.

In the television categories it’s 30 Rock’s hit and miss fourth season and The Office’s still stellar fifth season, but I have a feeling both will either lose to new contender (and recent Emmy winner for Comedy Series) Modern Family or fucking Glee, in which case please give it to Modern Family in the Comedy sections. While in the Drama section I’m pretty sure Boardwalk Empire will be sweeping the drama categories, which I’m all for, not only cause I’m highly anticipating it, but also because Scorsese deserves something for Shutter Island being snubbed.

In a decade which I really thought I payed more attention to televison than film, it took me until the end of the decade to realise what great films had come out during these ten years. Although a lot of shit came out with a bunch of stupid remakes, the only fine one being Peter Jackson’s tackling of his fave movie King Kong, phenomenons of the like’s of Harry Potter, Twilight and District 9 (Seriously what was soo good about that movie), the usual big dumb blockbusters, horrors, etc., bad movie cross-overs like the Alien Vs. Predator films (which should have been landmark) and Freddy Vs. Jason (Which I haven’t seen yet), stars who I’d liked in the 90s like Tom Hanks and especially Kevin Spacey didn’t really leave an impression on me this time around, while Brad Pitt and Adam Sandler still reign, but this decade brought in new talents like Seth Rogen, the lovable, stoner loser of Judd Apatow films, and filmmakers like Scorsese, PTA (who only made two films, but they both made it into my top ten), Wes Anderson, Woody Allen, The Coen Brothers, David Fincher, David Lynch and Tarantino to name a few continued to impress me, while new filmmakers by the likes of Judd Apatow, Jody Hill, Todd Haynes and Christopher Nolan left their mark on me, though with the unfortunate flop that Funny People became it seems Apatow will just produce comedies now, wasting away what could be a brilliant career in comedy films for the new decade. Unfortunatly filmmakers like M. Night Shymalan and even more unfortunate Speilberg, disappointed and made mediocre or just straight up bad films. The best year of this decade was no contest 2007. Practically everything that came out of that year was gold: There Will Be Blood, I’m Not There, No Country for Old Men, Knocked Up, Zodiac, the film’s go on, though 2009 boasts the most films on my list with 4, though to me both 07 and 09 were slightly similar in that they both delivered in film and television, 09 had the upper hand has it managed to make two worlds collide and succeed for a change. My favourite actors were usually on TV like Larry David and Jason Bateman, but Bateman did appear and scene steal his way through a dozen films, David however just one but it was worth it. Most of the films on my list are understandably for my own personal reasons, but some were unanimously liked by the public, and most are indie’s or films people may have overlooked when they really shouldn’t have. But anyways here are my top ten of the decade from ten to one they are…

10. Observe And Report (2009)

Dark, oh so very dark black comedy, but one of the funniest ever. Seth Rogen trades his likable loser for a near unlikable, crazy one, and I’m still laughing. Jody Hill’s fast paced, and wacky direction, and especially editing, which he introduced to us in the equally funny Foot Fist Way and the series Eastbound And Down, is all here, as well as random wtf bits of dialogue, graphic male nudity, graphic violence too, in fact this whole film is graphic and excessive. If Jody Hill keeps on making films and series as funny as this, he could wind up being my favorite comedy maker of the new decade.

9. The Aviator (2004)

Still maintains to this day as my favourite of Scorsese’s and DiCaprio’s pairing. With it being set during classic Hollywood, with major and some obscure film references, trying to look like a film from back in the day, it near feels like it, DiCaprio suffering from OCD and delivering a performance that I love just as much as Arnie in Gilbert Grape, and Cate Blanchett doing a spot on performance as Katherine Hepburn. Add to that I haven’t loved a film this much from Scorsese since Goodfellas. How could I have not loved this.

8. There Will Be Blood (2007)

The best film of the last decade, and if it wern’t for Larry David’s Boris Yellinikoff, Daniel Day Lewis’ Daniel Plainview would have been my favourite performance too.

7. Funny People (2009)

With a title like this, and boasting some of the funniest people out there, although missing a lot of greats too, it is none the less a fascinating, semi autobiographical, and more serious than funny film, with Sandler trading his goofiness and portraying a total dick, while Seth Rogen has never been more likable. This film comes from the Seinfeld-David school of making stuff in that nearly everything that happens in the film has happened to writer, director Judd Apatow, which is what I love most about this film.

6. I’m Not There (2007)

When I first heard about this movie I was mildly intrigued. After Heath Ledger’s death, I only wanted to see it for him to tide me over for The Dark Knight. When I finally saw it I was fascinated, obsessed and fell completely in love with it, and my respect for Bob Dylan went up soo much that he’s now my favourite singer of all time. While my obsession for it has died down in the ensuing months, it is still to me a brilliant and totally original piece of art, and despite what many people and critics say, while Cate Blanchett is great in tackling Dylan at the height of his career, let’s not forget Christian Bale and ofcourse Heath Ledger.

5. Mulholland Drive (2001)

Dark, disturbing, but completely mesmerising mystery, thriller romance from David Lynch, who after two decades of filmmaking achieved his greatest achievement with this one, has Naomi Watts giving her all and delivering a stunning performance. Like a Hitchcock film, but on acid.

4. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

One of the sweetest little films ever made. Took me awhile to appreciate it, but it has gone from my third fave film from PTA to second, and the reason is because I never till recently appreciated and saw the masterful filmmaking behind it; The intense camera angles, movements and shots, matched by the brilliant score from Jon Brion, to make you feel as intense and nervous as Barry Egan is all the time.

3. The Dark Knight (2008)

Surely the most entertaining and crowd pleasing film to come out of the last decade. Really it never let up, and constantly delivered, with plenty of action, bravau directing that’s not the norm for a super hero film, and a dynamic performance from Heath Ledger who delivers a chilling, cold blooded, psychopathic and most evil Joker ever. Everytime he’s on screen it’s gold. You’d think after this all subsequent super hero films would be as good as this, but sadly it seems not.

2. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Tarantino’s long awaited war film finally arrived at the very end of the last decade. My initial anticipation for it was simply it was his new film and I could actually see it at the movies, but the way it was trailered wasn’t getting me amped. It just seemed like a routine action flick, or another Grind House type mess. But this is why you shouldn’t take notice of trailers sometimes (Like I did with (500) Days of Summer) and Basterds turned out to be a classy, brilliant, and throughly entertaining picture. A modern classic that’s as good as all the great films of the golden age of Hollywood, it also boasts the most underrated performance of the 2000s with Michael Fassbender’s Arcie Hicox, and is Tarantino’s best film since Pulp Fiction and most mature and grounded since Jackie Brown. As Brad Pitt’s Aldo Raine says to BJ Novak’s Utevich “I think this just might be my masterpiece!” this indeed is Tarantino’s.

1. Whatever Works (2009)

Stars I like on TV generally can’t seem to make as good a turn in a movie as they do on their series. Jason Bateman and Zach Braff did The Ex and it was shit (Though the Extended cut is somehow worse). Tina Fey, although writing and appearing in the Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams film Mean Girls was good (because she wrote it), when she starred but didn’t write Baby Mama, it was another disappointment. Though I enjoyed Garden State (and especially Brothers Solomon), and practically everything Ricky Gervais has done, and Jason Bateman has made memorable supporting roles in a dozen films, I have been pretty disappointed with my faveorite TV stars stints at films. Pretty, pretty, pretty disappointed. Leave it to Woody Allen then to cast my hero Larry David as the lead of this delightful little comedy in a role tailor made for him. It was wonderful. Seeing him break the fourth wall and address the audience was a dream come true. Allen used David well. And since this will probably be the only time he’ll headline a film has this was an unfortunate critical flop, and has pretty much already faded away, what I got I was satisfied with.

Well it was an average year for me with the nominations, and just the same were the winners aswell. TV this season as not been as good as last (the same can be said about movies this year too) so when I finally read the winners I didn’t care much, but I was glad Glee didn’t dominate the night and got what it deserved. The only win I was pissed off about was Jim Parsons winning Best Actor in a Comedy Series for the God awful Big Bang Theory over Alec Baldwin, Steve Carell, Tony Shaloub and Larry David. Fuck off man.

But the show itself was pretty entertaining. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon who’s usually funny, here he was at his likable, singing best, and was pretty funny. Even the Glee opening number entertained me but that’s because of Fallon’s hilarity, Tina Fey, Betty White and Jon Hamm’s appearances is what did it for me. Other highlights include Will Arnett being his sleazy best when presenting an award with Keri Russell (‘The things I like about a woman. Their mounds…’), Ricky Gervais who’s always entertaining here manages to mock the name of a nominee and eventual winner, and ofcourse the In Memoriam Montage with a beautiful song sung by Jewel. I miss you Rue McClanahan :(

But because I didn’t care much for the winners, although seeing Temple Grandin a TV Movie about an autistic woman (who was at the ceremony) win awards makes me curious, but other than that not caring about the other winners really loses my interest abit, but since I’v been disappointed by everything I’v seen last season, except Curb Season 7 which ofcourse got zilch, and The Office Season Six what was there to care about really.

Oh and nice how now Michael C. Hall’s all clean with the cancer now and didn’t win the Emmy, when back in January when he had it he was winning all the awards huh? Shame on you people, for shame!

***

Well the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are playing in America right now (I can watch a delayed coverage tonight on Prime at 9:35) and for the first time since I’v gotten into television and have followed this award show since 2004 (when Arrested Development won Best Comedy Series) I’m not really stoked. What with 30 Rock’s Fourth Season being mediocre, and fuckin Glee dominating the nominations how could I.

After three seasons of comedy gold, winning three straight times in a row, and each time deserving it, 30 Rock’s fourth season was quite disappointing, with a good episode here and there, but then a mediocre or really silly and too bizarre one in between. I don’t think it deserves to win a fourth time.

Curb Your Enthusiasm’s season seven was another home run, being nominated best comedy series and lead for Larry David, but unfortunatly David was robbed, not by the likes of Alec Baldwin, nor Steve Carell or Tony Shaloub, but by mother fucking Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory. Come on. This doesn’t boad well for it’s chances for comedy series, which I never thought it would get anyway.

The Office Season Six was one of the show’s funniest seasons yet, but that show has had it’s glory in the sun and it probably will get nothing tonight.

How I Met Your Mother’s Fifth Season I’v only just started to watch as it’s being shown on C4 now, and while it looks funny, it doesn’t look like it’s gonna be as good as season four. Neill Patrick Harris has been nominated once more for Best Supporting Actor as Barney Stinson.

  The only other shows I like but haven’t watched in awhile but need to get back into are Dexter, and Monk and should get into Breaking Bad. If these shows win anything I’d be happy, but if Glee wins everything including comedy series I’ll be pissed. Just give Jane Lynch best supporting actress and be done with it. But if Modern Family wins over it Itll be better. I’v seen a few episodes or so and it looks pretty good.

I’ll know in a few hours or less…

Anonymous asked: Hey Dan its Reuben. :)

Hey man. What do you think of the blog?