I'm baaack!

Hello? (hello... hello...) Echo... (echo... echo...)

'Sup, y'all? Sorry to have been gone. I've had two very rough weeks at work followed by a week of the plague. I was going to update for the emmys (I might still post a mini-recap at some point - oh and I came in 123rd out of about 3100 in the Emmy prediction game), but I was seriously ill. Whatcha gonna do? Here's about a week's worth of news and stuff. It's been a fairly slow news time for films anyways - I feel like there's been very little buzz out of the film fests.

(Oh - AND I'm raked 46th in the Fall Box Office Challenge so far. I rock.) (Oh - and how to fix the emmys) (Oh - and Josh Groban? I think Defamer puts it best; "Say what you will about his talent, his popularity, his banality, his backstory, whatever, but the guy isn't stupid. He knew the position he was in, he knew the job he had to do, and unlike the hosts, writers and producers who pumped (and tape-delayed!) three hours' worth of bullshit into America's beloved televisions, he did his job. And he pretty much meant it — every outlandish segue into a condescending gospel choir or Muppet guest appearance seemed to nudge his energy incrementally higher. It was genuinely stirring, as in: We might not have finished our liveblog without it.")

There are a bunch of things I want to see in theaters, but the only thing I've been up to seeing through my sickness was RENT filmed live, since it was limited run and pricey. But well worth it. While it wasn't perhaps the strongest cast RENT has ever had, and the filming of the production was not always great (the camera often seemed placed about 2 inches too low), it was worth it to see Michael Greif's superb stage direction one last time. There were some standouts in the cast (Mimi had a very lovely voice), which made up for others who were particularly rough (Benny springs to mind). Were a DVD ever available, I would probably buy it, RENThead that I am, but I'll still probably watch my bootleg of the Angel cast more often. Still, since I couldn't see it live one last time, at least with this set, these costumes, and this direction, the filming made for a nice final way to see it, even when it lacked some of the thrill and energy of a live performance (that was particularly noticeable when Rent kicked in). And hey - at least it's better than the movie. Here's a clip of highlights.

Choke is out! Choke is out! It's been a monsoon here, so I have yet to brave the out of doors and see it, but I'll probably go tomorrow. Here are some reviews: Entertainment Weekly, Cinematical ("...there's only one reason why I would recommend you check out this film, and one reason only: Sam Rockwell."), New York Times ("It remains for Mr. Rockwell to create a center for a satire that is about not having a center. He distills a skeptical attitude of an under-40 everyman from the educated class (he is a medical school dropout): bored and cynical, concealing his hurt under layers of defiance, sarcasm and feigned indifference. Mr. Rockwell makes you see all the layers as well as feel the pain that lies beneath.") Speaking of which, Sam Rockwell in High School. 7: sex addicts on the silver screen.

Paul Newman dies

The Academy's re-opening! Yay! Check out the architecture here. It's gorgeous. (Speaking of which, a mile long line to get in.)

I've been reading a lot of Mark Morford of the SF Chronicle recently. Here's a good one on Palin. And the Good News and the Bad News.

Synecdoche, New York poster, Changeling poster, Valkyrie

Trailers: Benjamin Button tv spot / trailer here, For the pleasure of being robbed, badass final Spirit trailer (I know... it'll probably be bad. But I'm gonna go see it.) the Elephant King, Valkyrie, Timecrimes, Hunger (this looks amazing), Revolutionary Road, Deadgirl, Synecdoche, Waltz with Bashir, Year of the Fish,

Fan Rant: Can we focus on Keira Knightley's performances, not her ribs? (Which is a good sentiment, if the author talks about herself waay too much) and this is also funny because a few hours earlier a different writer when commenting on Kiera taking on Zelda Fitzgerald, wrote, "Keira does a decent job with these sort of roles, but Zelda was not a waif. I hope, at the very least, she tries to get that cherubic flapper look for the role." That's right, focus on her looks, not the acting job required. Also: 7 Knightley costume pics.

7: movies within movies since 2000

The essay on Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega

The most awesome magazine cover. Plus a great interview with Colbert and Stewart.

18 wild trips to the library

The Paddy's Pub Blog is fun for all you fans of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (how brilliant was the cannibalism episode?)

Hear the full Another Way to Die. I like it alright. I like the rhythm and the horns, but I'm not sure Alicia Keys was really utilized effectively.

I hate the new Sound Bites format, but John Krasinski's arms (9.24) crack me up

Watchmen legal update: dressing up as a comic book character solves everything!

More Choke fun

Clips are going up all over the place, and while I was initially torn as to whether or not to watch them, my love of all things Sam Rockwell won out. And lucky for me, they are all great and I don't think they've spoiled anything. I can understand not wanting to see half the movie before it opens, which is why I often stop watching clips a few weeks before a premiere - the Dark Knight being a case in point. But occasionally a studio has the good sense to release just a few good clips, which actually make you excited to see a film, without giving away the best parts or major plot developments. It makes me happy when Hollywood gets it right.


Anyhoo - clip 1 (Colonial America), clip 2 (visiting Angelica), clip 3 (Angelica and young Victor - love the hat!)


Also, the higher def Frost/Nixon trailer can be found here.

That's all the update from here, and as I'm taking off for labor day, I probably won't get back into the swing of actual updates till September. At that point, I'd like to try writing some more columns, in addition to your regularly scheduled linkspam, but as I still don't have a laptop, we will see how that pans out.

Human nature, I guess?

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!!! THE RED BAND FOR CHOKE IS BACK UP!!!!! GO SEE IT NOOOOOOOOWWWW!!! (also - Clark Gregg on casting).

Stayed home sick Thursday. Felt sorry for myself. *cough cough* (Okay, actually I was achy and had a sore throat, but there are no sound effects there). Also having family crises right and left. Fantastico. I was going to get myself a laptop this week, but I've decided to just save up to move. Yes, it stresses me out not to have a laptop and I really want to be able to organize all my photos from traveling. And my itunes. But I think I need to move first. Why can't I just win the lotto? It would solve so many of my problems.

Very excitingly, on Friday I got over to the library, where they have a First Folio on display in the rare books room - preeeetty. They also had several early quartos, including a Midsummer's Nights Dream from 1600. It was a very cool display.

Let's see. Saw Hellboy 2, Mama Mia. I didn't enjoy Hellboy all that much. I might have like it more if I saw it before the Dark Knight. Or had seen the first one, maybe. The visuals were very cool though. Mama Mia... gah. My mom wanted to go see it together, and I thought it would be kinda sparkly and fun. If nothing else, it would have a bit of Dominic Cooper. Here's what I got. We now know what would happen if Meryl Streep filmed an entire movie drunk. (And yes, that is Dominic Cooper in the pink spangly jumpsuit). Oh - and THIS. Why yes, those are men in tight swim trunks, snorkels, and flippers doing the stupidest choreography you have ever seen in your life.

Currently watching Top Gear (love) and the Great Raid (Joseph Fiennes does tortured so well). (BTW - did you know you can check out the Top Gear star leaderboard at wikipedia? Here you go.) (Also, one more reason to love Top Gear: their theme song is my song!)

Saw the Doctor Who Finale last night. I don't think I liked it. Spoiler sweep: [While it was exciting to get the whole crew together, I don't think they knew what to do with everyone once they were there. The jumpy editing between the two doctors made it feel like the acting was a bit off. As if David didn't really know how to play the two. I did really enjoy a lot of the plot and the middle bit with Donna. But here were my two biggest problems:

Donna - I was so upset by her ending. She had changed her life, she had done amazing things, and it was all taken away. Killing her would have been kinder.

Rose came back. ROSE. CAME. BACK. That's huge. That's massive - and I never felt that they really gave that reunion the attention it deserved. And I can't decide about the ending. I might have liked it more if it had been given more weight. I think because they still had to get onto Donna, it felt rushed. I just... I don't know. It wasn't him, you know? She had broken down the walls of the universe to get back to him and then got put back in the other world with almost him and no TARDIS. How exactly is that supposed to work? And why couldn't the doctor (the actual doctor) have just said I love you already? What was with that?

Oh - and last thing. I love Doomsday in part for how incredibly, desperately sad it is. But this episode it just so depressing. Tell me the end of David staring at the TARDIS didn't just depress you half to death.]
io9: Doctor Who Finale made us miss last year's Tinkerbell Jesus

Also saw the Robin Hood Finale. [OMG WTF They KILLED MARION?!? Not that she wasn't asking for it, but Jesus.] Also; Richard Armitage on Bits and Bobs. Oh my god he was in Cats.

I also saw the new Move On ad on tv for the first time. It made me laugh.

LOVE THIS: the 2008 Box Office graph. Ooooh.... pretty....

The Rain of Madness site is awesome. If nothing else, check out the biography on Kirk Lazarus' site.

Comic Con came and went obviously. Some highlights (because I sure as hell can't deal with the backlog); The Wolverine trailer bootleg, Comic Con in 3 minutes, the Spirit art school poster, visionaries panel = pure gold, more comic-con wrap up, Shirley! Shirley shirley shirley shirley, Dharma initiative steals the show at LOST panel, Heroes panel. OH! Can I mention that NATHAN is in the previews for next season?? Way to completely lose there Heroes. Just when it looks like you might strap on a pair and try to emulate some of the good aspects of LOST, you go and wimp out and refuse to kill anyone. And speaking of people coming back in S3. Also, Tim Kring makes puppies commit adultery.

For those about to Watchmen Includes a link to an annotation site, and an interview with Alan Moore. All-encompassing hype started 20 years ago. Watchmen posters. Love. There are watchmen interviews here (if you scroll over to Sundance 2008 you can see a vid on Choke, too). Also there is some shaky, partial comic con footage here. I will say Rorschach looks awesome. New Empire covers and pics. How dark will Watchmen be?

What does the HP6 trailer mean? I like it overall, but I will say that the tone in the scene between Dumbledore and Tom struck me as off. Also: hi res HBP stills, in case you are like me and are going "what? Ron was in the teaser?" And Beedle the Bard to be published in Dec. (Fictional books we'd like to read) And THIS WINS.

The world's funniest race call. ARRRRR!!

Will W be stupid or serious?

The Brothers Bloom trailer, Pride and Glory trailer, What Just Happened trailer, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist trailer, Up teaser an octogenarian prank show, Princess and the frog trailer. I like the princess and the frog. The lightning bug worries me. It is also making me want to see The Rescuers.

So apparently there's a monster in NY?

Zombie Haiku

Terminator: Salvation poster, Doubt poster, My Bloody Valentine 3D poster. Are you my mummy?

The Dark Knight erects giant pile of flammable currency, Johnny Depp and PSH as Bat-villains? Where could Batman go next? Angie as Catwoman?


Captain Hammer's super powers, Stars banter at Dr Horrible panel


Keira Knightley's breasts officially unmarketable

Near impossible task of marketing Hamlet 2

Nottingham film pushed back for Sherwood foliage I am not looking forward to this film at all. I mention it only so that I can also mention that I have been to Sherwood Forest. It's true.

Bay changing script for Shia's mangled hand? Worth it for the image of Bay continuing to work through setbacks.

New Oz photo. Mmmmmm....

Oh nooooes! Horrible news! Colin Firth joins the Picture of Dorian Grey.

14 franchises that need to stop. Including the Land Before Time; the definition of sequels being a DO NOT WANT.

August a cursed movie month

GI Joe vs. the Thing. Uhhh....

Also - Cleolinda has a discussion of Breaking Dawn up over at her place. I have yet to read it, but I'm looking forward to it.

The world is a mess and I just need to rule it

OH MY GOD. SOO much has happened in the last week and my internet keeps going out for a couple of days at a time, so I'm going to miss a ton of stuff.


First off, I was doing some yard work last Sunday and found two snakes in the yard, which was exciting. Then, on Monday, I found out I came in 5TH - YEAH THAT'S RIGHT 5TH - in the Box Office Challenge, which was suuper exciting. Plus, Choke came out with a red band trailer, but the dating thing didn't work for me and then they took it down (ALONG WITH YOUTUBE! I don't get that. Why on earth would free advertising for your film be a bad thing? Why would you discourage fans from watching and sharing your trailer?)

[Update: I finally, FINALLY found a working trailer via a google video search and it is awesome and apparently too raunchy for the interwebs. It is also hysterical. I CANT WAIT]

Then the Watchmen trailer came out - EEEEE (it did seem to break the internets briefly, I had a difficult time finding the trailer for about an hour, and then finally I saw the apple version (and then today I saw it on a big, pretty IMAX screen, but more on that later)). OH MY GOD!! So good! Billy Crudup as Jon Osterman? Brilliant (I love, love, love him - he's easily one of the best actors around. I met him after an insanely brilliant performance of his on broadway and sort of lost the ability to speak English. True story.) It looks very accurate to the panels (I got that leap of glee that I had when shots in Sin City mirrored the comics so exactly.) In fact, about a day after hitting the web, people had already posted side by side comparisons. whee. Oh - I also don't mind the use of the Smashing Pumpkins' song. I think it fits well and the use of the same song does not mean the movies will be in any way equivilent.


I believe there was also a Twilight trailer, but I couldn't care less. I briefly thought it could be funny and sparkly and campy, but all signs point to zombie-awful.


Today, I caught the 10am IMAX showing of Batman. I'm having a hard time digesting the entire thing. There was just so very much there. I think I may have to go watch it again just to grasp it all. Although, and I said this when I walked out, the ecard about 'devastatingly bleak'? That's fairly accurate. It is dark. It is so sad. It is epic and gorgeous and there is so much to digest and process. It's musings on the nature of justice and good and... I just can't even write articulately about it at the moment. This not your oversimplified good vs. evil storyline. It is complex and the writing is handled extremely well (Well, maybe Gary Oldman's last speech was a leetle bombastic) but otherwise, there were just so many fine scenes. Batman and the Joker, Alfred describing what Batman needs to be for Gotham, the Joker and Dent, Bruce and Dent discussing heroism... the list goes on. There are so many fine moments. A lot of the tone is similar to the Dark Knight Returns, though of course the plot is different. But there is the question of people emulating batman, rather than being simply inspired by him. There are the themes of enduring an impossibly difficult mandate, the precarious link to the police, and the fact that Batman has always been the darkest superhero, the most criminal.


The direction is excellent. The action scenes are well done, the character scenes are well done, the entire affair is so well plotted that the MASSIVE amount of plot in the two and a half hours just zips along.


The cinematography is astounding. If you can see it in IMAX; GO. I cannot remember the last time I was so blown away by a shot (well, many shots). I have seen many films with great cinematography, but this elvates the form to a whole new plane. I know I posted this before, but this bears repeating.

Finally, the acting is stupendous. From every member of the cast. From Christian Bale down to Nestor Carbonell to the extras who get a few lines (the two on the ferries merit special mention). I am sorry that Christian Bale isn't getting much attention because, obviously, the whole thing falls apart without him. The fact that he gets Batman, he gets Bruce Wayne, he swings from menacing and scary to love-sick and unsure of himself; I simply cannot imagine anyone else pulling it off. Before Sam, Christian was my favorite actor all through high school, and I continue to think he is one of the best around. (While I understand it, the fact that he wasn't nominated for Rescue Dawn was criminal.) He pulls off an incredibly complex, difficult character with his usual assurance. He doesn't have the glib sarcasm of Tony Stark to fall back on; he's a man dressed up as a bat and he makes it both natural and really scary.


The Joker is astounding. I don't know what to say. He crackles on screen. He's psychotic and funny and terrifying and so natural. There is never a moment when the character slips. It is amazing that the two roles Heath Ledger will be best remembered for, this and Brokeback Mountain, are so wildly different. In the one, he was taciturn and closed off, in this, he is wildly exuberant and chaotic. It is astoundingly impressive.


Everyone else is superb. The actors are such high caliber and I think working together they all upped their game even further.


I've also had fun during this week with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog, although I watched act 3 today after Batman and it made me sad. (Spoiler sweep: What is with women dying for guys to pine over? I thought Dr. Horrible was going to be this bit of internet fun to counteract the darkness of Batman and... no. I'll have to go see Mama Mia sometime this week.) Snap judgement from EW (I thought Act I was the best). Also it did super, super well.


Blurg. I can hardly digest it all. Maybe I'll have more coherent thoughts about Batman later. I also recommend checking out Cleolinda's thoughts. She thinks good thoughts.


Oh! And yay for 3 seconds of Cillian Murphy! AND FOR CHRISTIAN BALE ON THE RED MOTORCYCLE.


Speaking of the Dark Knight, the Dark Knight grabs the biggest weekend opening ever. I'm sure it'll have the biggest first week, too. BTW - in this week's box office game, I was only off on the total of the Dark Knight by a couple hundred thousand. I rock. Snarky batman e-cards at someecards.com Oh, and Heath's FHM interview. More on the box office. Note the figures have since been revised and anyway it just baaarely missed 200 mil for global (I left a comment to that effect).


Speaking of Watchmen, EW's exclusive first look. Q&A with Alan Moore. Patrick Wilson Says ‘Watchmen’ Ending Remains The Same.



And because nothing should ever be held too sacred; Dark Knight Cameos, Christian Bale, To the Owl-Copter!!

Uh. I don't know how to describe this.

22 best comic book films

The Emmys were announced! Who got snubbed? (Plus, all time 50 biggest emmy snubs) At least Flight of the Conchords got some Emmy lovin, if not best comedic actors... (they're up for writing, too) Emmys: EW critics react and Tin Man, Battlestar Galactica Get Emmy Nods. I still really want to see Tin Man

Comic Con sneak preview Featuring the Spirit, Star Trek (which I don't so much care about, but how much does Zacahry Quinto win the spock look-a-like award?), Terminator Salvation (hello pretty), League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Max Payne, the Day the Earth Stood Still, Rocknrolla and... what is this Unborn thing? Why is crazy Gary Oldman screaming? Man, I wish I were going to Comic Con. Check out io9's annotated schedule here.


Justin Theroux to write Iron Man 2. Hmmm... Dedication has yet to reach the top of my queue, so I'll reserve judgement.


CSI news!!! William Petersen leaving! CSI's season of change! We can has more Greg now?


Bits and Bobs vol 3. I love it. A gathering place for Anglophile pop culture junkies. I love it so much.


Join my slow movie movement... eventually. It's so true. I had meant to get around to Forgetting Sarah Marshall... oops. And I want to see the Fall, which bizarrely is still out here. I need to get on that.


Neil Gaiman Celebrates ‘Sandman’ Anniversary With New Comic And More.


I forget if I posted this, so: New Trailer for 'The Spirit'


‘The Dark Knight’ Debate: Who Should Be The Villain In ‘Batman 3′? Can't this wait? No, wait... Scarecrow! Bring back Cillian!


Finally! 'Wicked' to Get a Movie Makeover.


The 'Terminator Salvation' Teaser


Ponyo on the Cliff Japanese trailer


This made me laugh: 'Daily Show' Tackles Bizarre Trend of Middle-Aged Women Enjoying Sex [Cougars].


The fifty worst sex scenes of all time. AHHH.


Annotated Picks for Comic-Con [Comic-con 2008]


Christian protests may leave 'The Golden Compass' as one of a kind Aww... that's too bad. I enjoyed the first one. I think I would've liked it even more had they not watered down the faith aspect. Also - it did a ton of money at the box office, you'd think that would engender a sequel.
Frog Bites Disney. Seriously?

Harvey Weinstein explains why he dumps movies Wibba? No Houdini flick?



Underrated music movies

Enough LaBouef HAhahaha

Page to Screen: Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist

New Jibjab vid

"You know, I've seen a lot of 'behind the scenes' photographs over the years, but these latest from Crank 2: High Voltage win the "what the heck is going on here?" award, hands down."



Update: It's taken me a couple of days to put this all together, and in that time; Did Batman assault his mother and sister? And already Phanatic wins for best comment, ever; "Of course he didn't. Aaron Eckhart did, Christian Bale's just taking the rap. "

Holy hell YES!

I LOVE IT I love it I love it. So - incredibly bizarrely - I wake up at 5:30am convinced a plane is crashing into something. But hey! You wake up super early, and you get the amazing and awesome trailer for Choke. Life is good.

Also:
Whee! Awesome Watchmen stuff all around. First up, the Minutemen! AND The Tales of the Black Freighter is getting a DVD release! Yay!

The Golden Trailer awards!! I love trailers. I completely believe they are an art form unto themselves.

Jim Sturgess is 'Heartless' I can't put my finger on it, but he seriously reminds me of someone I know there....

Sydney Pollack dies at 73 Awww.... man, I love Out of Africa. And most of his other films are in my queue.

EEE!!

Ok; so I need to write a post about Prince Caspian, which I saw Monday night, but I had to first very quickly share the new poster for Choke. How incredibly fabulous is this? I think I may have to buy it, even given my dislike of pink.

Choke, movie grosses, and trailers

I noticed something while I was reading through recaps of Sundance. Most of the articles revolved around the fact that, despite the writers strike, few films were being picked up. Now some of the articles thought that the possible resolution to the strike was one possibility, while many mentioned deals in years past that had failed to produce returns. However, it really started to bug me that all of the articles only mentioned domestic returns. What movie studio focuses solely on domestic returns these days? It's like the reports that the Golden Compass was a flop or Stardust was a bomb. The Golden Compass made over 100 million for New Line (less marketing). Stardust nearly doubled its production budget, even before an additional 30 million from DVD rentals. Making movies solely for an American audience isn't profitable anymore.

Anyhoo. On that front, Owen Gleiberman over at EW has a great article on why Fox Searchlight, one of the best Sundance flick distributors, made the right decision in purchasing Choke. There is also a great review over at First Showing. And on AICN. Oh, and Choke got a special jury prize for work by an ensemble cast.

Elsewhere; the Coen bro.s got the DGA award. And I'm definitely behind on seeing No Country for Old Men.

Trailer round-up; Smart People. I personally really dislike Sarah Jessica Parker, but I do like Ellen Page. I've heard some good buzz out of Sundance, so I think this one is a maybe.

Shutter. Oh, Pacey. You're just never going to have a career, are you?

88 Minutes. I'm sort of surprised to see Al Pacino in this. It looks very routine. If you want a crime thriller why not go check out one of these instead? Or, if you want a twister involving Death Row, I liked the underrated Life of David Gale.

Sleepwalking. You know, Charlize Theron had potential. Maybe it was eaten by the giant bow monster. And Nick Stahl seems like he has potential, but I have a hard time seeing him and not thinking Sin City. *shudder*. For loner turned around by a young girl, go rent Lawn Dogs.

The Accidental Husband. Awww. Jeffrey Dean Morgan. When his character died, I gave up watching Grey's Anatomy. Because much as I enjoy storylines featuring multiple people impaled on a pole, his character was the only remotely likable person in that nuthouse. Plus, he kind of reminds me of Robert Downey Jr.-lite. (Hey, was that the guy from Office Space in that trailer? Whoa. Where have you been for 10 years?) Anyways, I hope Mr. Morgan eventually gets some kind of role beyond a film that has COLIN FIRTH in it. He of the disgustingly sappy romcoms in the world. Blech. And hopefully the Life Before her Eyes gets Uma Thurman some better parts as well.

The new Get Smart international trailer. Awww... the teaser had me all excited and now? Not so much. Missed it by thaaat much. I'll wait and see on this one. Although maybe Steve Carrell should tone down the work load and focus on quality, rather than quantity.

Animals. Naveen Andrews as a werewolf. No, really.

All right, Mr. DeMille. I'm ready for my blog.

What a day in movies!

Sundance first; Choke was picked up for 5 million. Quite the tidy sum. (Hamlet 2 for 10 million? My god, Steve Coogan must be funny in it.) I've only found one review for Choke so far, which seemed to be well-received; anyways it's from Cinematical and it's a bit mixed, but I love this line, "While I'm a huge fan of Palahniuk, his books and especially Choke, there's only one reason why I would recommend you check out this film, and one reason only: Sam Rockwell."

The Oscar nominees. Well, aside from the fact that I am certainly behind in needing to see things ('tis the reality when you're broke). The big surprises? Jason Reitman, Tommy Lee Jones, Ratatouille for screenplay (where did that come from?), 3 songs from Enchantment (really?), Surf's Up for animated (you don't need three, guys). The big snub? Angelina Jolie. (Well, and Christian Bale for Rescue Dawn, but that would have been a serious left-field contender). Really? Laura Linney and Cate Blanchett over a Mighty Heart? She was so... subtle, lovely, mesmerizing, heartbreaking. It's a crying shame. I also would have liked a little love for Zodiac, which was one of my favorite films of the year. I don't know whether the studios did much of a campaign for it, but perhaps re-releasing it closer to nomination time in LA and NY would have helped.

I'm happy to see Johnny Depp nominated, although I'm sure it bums him out to have to attend the ceremony. Maybe he can use the writer's strike as a way to get out of it. (Although I'm thrilled that the WGA and AMPTP are back negotiating as of today.) I would have liked to see James McAvoy and Kiera Knightly up, but I'm very glad that Saoirse Ronan was up, because her performance was pitch-perfect. I'm rooting for Casey Affleck (although I'm sure Javier Bardem will get it) and Assassination for cinematography. The foreign nominations were Eastern-European leaning (the only one I've even heard of is the Counterfeiters) so I'll have to go read up on the rest. It is also really nice that the acting kudos were spread out over so many films. Although it brings me back to needing to see many, many more things.

Also; it's interesting, but 3 actors mentioned in USA Today's "hey, Oscar!" made it into the nominations (sorry, Paul Dano).

Speaking of the strike, check out this WGA-solidarity clip featuring Oz's Dean Winters and Kathryn Erbe. I love Dean Winters! I'm currently catching up on 30 rock (like many programs, as I was abroad last year), and I was sorry to see him get dumped, although the way it was handled was brilliant. Bravo, Tina Fey. The clip also features Zeljko Ivanek (hey! I met him when he was in the Pillowman.)

There's a ton more movie news out there today, but I only have so much time online tonight. Quickly; First Look At What 'Watchmen' Will Look Like. Oscar's Biggest Snubs: A Post-Mortem.


Oh, and personally? I've got a position lined up for the end of this week and maybe into next week. And I think I might say, screw the resume, and start looking around for more reliable retail positions. Or at least maybe one as a part-time weekend gig for now. That's about it.

Musica; Starlight - Muse