Weight Loss and GG noms...

I'm posting this in its own entry because I found it a really well thought out piece looking at the differences in coverage between Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman in Black Swan and Christian Bale in the Fighter. Maybe he isn't being judged as harshly because thank god he didn't go to Machinist levels of extremism again? Then again, I couldn't help but think of the process Natalie Portman herself went through while preparing for the role of Nina and wondering if her own path had any similar echoes of Nina's.

I think pointing out how easily ballet becomes a horror film is worth noting, too.

Monday Morning Discussion: Christian Bale, Natalie Portman and the Body Image Debate

GG Noms!

Right. I haven't been updating with all the Critics lists that have been coming out, since I'm just so swamped, but Social Network has been leading the way, except the Critics Choice, where Black Swan received a record number of nominations.

But, let us set aside these lists for now and look at the just released Golden Globe nominations:

Best Picture — Drama
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

Pretty much what you would expect. Having seen 4 of these, I think they are good picks. (Yes, I will probably see the King's Speech, too...)

Best Picture — Musical or Comedy
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist

Wow. The start of the shocking amount of love for the Tourist. Is it because it was filmed in Venice? Probably. Hollywood Foreign Press, you so crazy. I like the inclusion of Red, which is surprising, and calling The Kids Are All Right a comedy gets it included, I guess.

Best Actor — Drama
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Solid. And I am THRILLED Ryan Gosling is up for Blue Valentine. He really needed this to stay alive in the Oscar race. Happy to see Mark Wahlberg and Jesse Eisenberg in there. I have yet to see 127 hours, but I assume that is a good pick and we already knew Colin Firth would be up.

Best Actress — Drama
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Huh - Halle Berry managed to get herself in there. Interesting. Thrilled with the other 4, although I have only seen Jennifer Lawrence and Natalie Portman so far.

Best Actor — Musical or Comedy
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp, The Tourist
Paul Giamatti, Barney’s Version
Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey, Casino Jack

And then we get to a category like this. WTF? Look, I love Johnny Depp. He has done phenomenal, interesting work over the years. But I'm not sure there was enough of a performance under all the makeup and crazy in Alice in Wonderland, and almost no one has had good things to say about the Tourist. Pleasantly surprised to see the other 3, but let's face it. None of these performances hold a candle to the next 5 actors who would be up in the drama category (say, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Javier Bardem, Ryan Reynolds (yes, I'm being serious), and Andrew Garfield (he should be up for Red Riding!). How about Leonardo DiCaprio for Inception? Jim Broadbent for Another Year?) Sometimes the comedy/musical category is a good way to highlight performances that are too far out of mainstream drama to receive Oscar consideration (see: Richard Gere, Gene Hackman, Jim Carrey). And sometimes you have this year.

Best Actress — Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone, Easy A

Hey look, the one time Julianne Moore will get included with Annette Bening. Anne Hathaway and Emma Stone are good picks. Could we not have recognized Angelina for, say, A Mighty Heart? What is this Tourist crap?

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Michael Douglas, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

Pretty solid, although Michael Douglas feels like a pity inclusion. (sorry. I feel bad saying that.) Christian Bale and Andrew Garfield are a tough choice. They are both so good. For individual roles, Bale might have the edge, but seeing as Garfield has been in 3 excellent performances this year, he'll have the edge if they go with body of work. I heard good things about Jeremy Renner in the Town, so it's nice to see him, although I'm disappointed John Hawkes didn't make it (not surprising, but it would have been nice.) I wonder if this puts a nail in Armie Hammer's campaigning? (I mean, I doubt it'll stop Justin Timberlake from dreaming).

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Wow, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. The whole Fighter cast gets recognized! You get a nomination! You... okay. I'm done. Thrilled to see Jacki Weaver pull through, and the other 2 are pretty expected (good for Mila Kunis!) I suppose the exclusions here are Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest, and possibly Hailee Steinfeld. (Did the HFPA see True Grit?)

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter

That's pretty solid. I'd rather have Danny Boyle than Tom Hooper, but oh well.

Best Screenplay
127 Hours, Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle
Inception, Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right, Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
The King’s Speech, David Seidler
The Social Network, Aaron Sorkin

Yup. Pretty much what you'd expect.

Best Original Song
“Bound to You,” Burlesque (performed by Christina Aguilera; written by Samuel Dixon, Christina Aguilera and Sia Furler)
“Coming Home,” Country Strong (performed by Gwyneth Paltrow; written by Bob PiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey, Troy Verges)
“I See the Light,” Tangled (performed by Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi; written by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater)
“There’s a Place For Us,” The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (performed by Carrie Underwood; written by Carrie Underwood, David Hodges, Hillary Lindsey)
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me Yet,” Burlesque (performed by Cher; written by Diane Warren)

Okay. I don't know. Despite the glitter and lashes, I haven't seen Burlesque.

Best Original Score
Inception, Hans Zimmer
The King’s Speech, Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Alice in Wonderland, Danny Elfman
127 Hours, A.R. Rahman

Yay Trent Reznor.

Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful
The Concert
The Edge
I Am Love
In a Better World

The Concert - really? Out of all the foreign films out there, we're going with that?

Best Animated Feature
Despicable Me
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

Please let the Illusionist upset Toy Story.

TELEVISION

Best TV Series — Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men
The Walking Dead

Yay Dexter and the Walking Dead.

Best TV Series — Musical or Comedy
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Big C
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie

Meh. And really, there isn't much else going on here that hasn't been mostly covered by the emmys, so I don't really care until the night when I'll root for my faves.

Best Miniseries or Made-for-TV Movie
Carlos
The Pacific
The Pillars of the Earth
Temple Grandin
You Don’t Know Jack

Best Actor — Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House M.D.

Best Actress — Drama
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Actor — Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matthew Morrison, Glee
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best Actress — Musical or Comedy
Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Lea Michele, Glee

Best Actor — Miniseries or Made-for-TV Movie
Idris Elba, Luther
Ian McShane, Pillars of the Earth
Al Pacino, You Don’t Know Jack
Dennis Quaid, The Special Relationship
Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

Wait a minute. I'm confused. We're putting Carlos here? Because if so, where the fuck is Red Riding?

Best Actress — Miniseries or Made-for-TV Movie
Hayley Atwell, Pillars of the Earth
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Judi Dench, Return to Cranford
Romola Garai, Emma
Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Client List

Best Supporting Actor in TV Series, Mini-Series, or Made-for-TV Movie
Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-0
Chris Colfer, Glee
Chris Noth, The Good Wife
David Strathairn, Temple Grandin
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Best Supporting Actress in TV Series, Mini-Series, or Made-for-TV Movie
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship
Jane Lynch, Glee
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Julia Stiles, Dexter
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Yay Julia Styles!

2010 Holiday mixes

A few notes on these:
- Usually I try to ensure that the majority of the songs on my holiday mixes come from the year they were made (or the very end of the year before). I didn't for 2010. I ended up listening to a lot of stuff this year that I hadn't discovered before. So I figure that maybe other people haven't discovered some of these either.
-After last year's rock-centric mixes, I went for a lot more dancy music this year.
-There's a running theme in these. 10 points to whoever gets it. ;)


Disc 1
Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Aaaaah - I love this song SO MUCH. I've listened to it practically non-stop all year.
Lovesick Teenagers - Bear in Heaven
Satellite Mind - Metric My favorite new band. Their whole album is fabulous. Check it out.
Lonely for a Lifetime - Dana Fuchs I know. I put one of her songs on last year. But this one is awesome, too.
Percussion Gun - White Rabbits (thanks, Lindsay!)
Underdog - Kasabian
Bloodbuzz Ohio - The National I think this song is perfect.
Pretty Horses - Shirley Manson Another unreleased demo. Unfinished, but gorgeous.
Ill Lit Ships - Blaqk Audio I have no idea if this will be on the forthcoming album, but it leaked (?) earlier in the year
The Mission (M is for Milla Mix) - Puscifer
Glitter Freeze ft. Mark E. Smith - Gorillaz
F**k You - Cee Lo Green
Save Me San Francisco - Train
Kick Ass - Mika I totally understand if Mika isn't your thing, but it makes me happy.
Boom Swagger Boom - Murder City Devils (thanks, Allie!)
Write About Love ft. Carey Mulligan - Belle and Sebastian
Cold War - Janelle Monae So fabulous. The video for this is amazing, too.
Love the Way You Lie ft. Rihanna - Eminem I fall into the 'loving the video' camp for this one, too.
Nothing Else Matters - Metallica & the San Francisco Symphony SO GOOD. I haven't been able to stop listening to this one for months, either.
Jack the Ripper - AFI A Morrisey cover that I (somehow, surprisingly) never heard until this year.
Don't Stop Believing (Giants 2010) - Ashkon WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Am I over the Giants winning the World Series? Nope, not yet. Probably not ever.
Foxglove - Murder by Death I adore the cellos in this.
Lights - Journey What?


Disc 2 (Electric Boogaloo)
The leftovers.
Still tasty.
The Station - Richie Cunning I love his whole album. It's well worth checking out.
Black & Orange - Bailey Hey? Guess what? The Giants won the World Series! (And the Padres traded Adrian Gonzalez. SUCK IT, PADRES!)
Stupid Girls, Holla if You Hear Me - Garbage vs. 2Pac This is wonderful and makes me really happy.
Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna
Raise Your Glass - Pink
Feel it in My Bones ft. Tegan and Sara - Tiesto This one got stuck in my brain for, oh, about all of April.
Indestructible - Robyn I've listened to Dancing on My Own more this year, but I'm really into this one right now, and it's more upbeat.
Androgyny (Lee Hermaphrodite Mix) - Garbage This one is not new - I've loved this mix for years, but I could only ever find it as a video on youtube. Anyways, I finally managed to find an MP3 this year, which made me extremely happy.
Acapella (Guetta Extended Mix) - Kelis Awww.... how romantic is this song?
Sex and Violence - Scissor Sisters (I really enjoy the juxtaposition of this one next to Kelis)
Dance the Way I Feel - Ou Est le Swimming Pool
Bay Area Slang Top 100 (The Grinch song) - Rafael Casal This song makes me laugh. Watch the video for the translations.
Don't Make Me Wait - Locksley (thanks, Emily!)
Paris (Ooh La La) - Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
The Boxer - The Gaslight Anthem
Yeah Yeah Yeah - New Politics
Lust for Life - Girls
Laredo - Band of Horses
The Strums - The Dodos (thanks, Chris!)
It's Working - MGMT
100,000 Fireflies - The Magnetic Fields
Never Forget You - The Noisettes
Addicted to Love - Florence & the Machine
The King and All of His Men - Wolf Gang
Rulers, Ruling All Things - Midlake
Babelonia - School of Seven Bells Lindsay also introduced me to this band. Good stuff.
Evelyn, Evelyn - Evelyn Evelyn I saw Evelyn Evelyn perform back in April and they were awesome. I can say that hands down it was one of the most fun shows I've been to. I'm posting their biography below, because they are remarkable. (You can also check out this other great song here. I think that's the back of my head on the bottom left.)
Hand Covers Bruise - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network soundtrack). This is one of the first soundtracks I've downloaded in a while, but I really, really like it. Also - if you haven't seen the film, you really, really should.


The Evelyn Evelyn Biography:
"LYN and EVA NEVILLE are a songwriting duo performing original compositions on piano, ukulele, guitar and accordion. The sisters are parapagus tripus dibrachius twins, sharing three legs, two arms, three lungs, two hearts and a single liver.

Born September 11, 1985 on a small farm on the Kansas-Colorado border, the Evelyns have traveled the greater part of North America performing with “Dillard & Fullerton’s Illusive Traveling Show”.

Their unique musical style is inspired by their many eclectic influences - from 80's music to showtunes, Joy Division to the Andrews Sisters.

The sisters currently reside in Walla Walla, Washington. They are fluent in chicken and their favorite colors are purple and yellow."

The Fighter

I got a chance to see a preview screening of the Fighter last night. It's really good, and I bet it will land a best picture nod easily.

The film is based on the true story of Micky Ward (played by Mark Wahlberg), a boxer from Lowell, Mass. Micky's older brother, Dickie (Christian Bale), had once been a promising up-and-coming boxer, but he blew his chances, became addicted to crack and he is Micky's trainer. Their mother (Melissa Leo) manages Micky.

It quickly becomes apparent that although the family is now relying on Micky's talents as a boxer, they don't have his best interests at heart. He is sent into unfair fights simply to get paid (not win) and his chance at an actual boxing career is slipping away. Then he meets Charlene, a bartender and college drop out. Unlike Dickie, she puts Micky's career first and starts to help him distance himself from his family professionally (although one has to wonder if part of that dedication was due to what she might get out of it if Micky made it big). Only when Dickie's last-chance-scheme to stay on as Micky's trainer lands Dickie in prison and ends with a broken hand for Micky, is Micky finally able to break the cycle with his family and concentrate on his training and career.

I'm really not a boxing fan, but the film centers on the drama and conflict in the relationships and the few fights that are included are done well.

Christian Bale is brilliant. While he should have already been up for an Oscar for American Psycho and Rescue Dawn (at least), I'm sincerely hoping he gets nominated for this part. (Whether or not that will happen, since he refuses to campaign, remains to be seen.) But his portrayal of Dickie is remarkable and reconfirms Bale as one of the best, most chameleonic actors working today.

All of the other actors are very good - particularly Melissa Leo who, as Micky's mother, is incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking. The film was surprisingly funny in parts (well, perhaps not, considering it is directed by David O. Russell) and, as I saw it with an *unbelievably* boisterous Boston audience, they certainly responded overwhelmingly to those bits.

I also loved the soundtrack, although I know other reviews have critiqued it for being too modern.

It also seemed like several types of film or differing styles of cinematography were used for different scenes, particularly the matches, and I thought that worked well.

It's not my favorite film of the year. Although I thought Mark Wahlberg did a good job, Micky is a quiet and retiring hero for a film to focus on and the underdog sports achiever plot is predictable (if uplifting).

Really, Christian Bale steals the show as a harrowing portrait of a crack addict trying to do the right thing. I hope he gets all the recognition he deserves for it.

5 out of 5 stars

The San Francisco Mix

Right; I love creating mixes. I don't know that I'm particularly good at it, but I enjoy it. I have a long list of songs about San Francisco and California that I listen to whenever I'm feeling homesick, and I thought I'd see if I could put together an actual CD for friends of mine. These aren't all necessarily my favorites, but I wanted a breadth that would cover both San Francisco's styles and appeal to a wide variety of listeners.

So - here it is. (The runners-up to follow shortly)

1. Save Me San Francisco – Train
2. San Francisco – Vanessa Carlton
3. San Francisco – Scott McKenzie
4. California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas
5. We Built this City – Jefferson Starship (Yes. It's terrible. But I still love it. Shut up.)
   
6. Earthquakes and Sharks – Brandston
7. Don’t Stop Believing (Giants 2010) – Ashkon
8. The City – Richie Cunning (the video doesn't feature the entire song, unfortunately. I love the shout-out to the 29 bus. That's MY bus!)
   
9. San Francisco Rain (Chris Lake Remix) – Lys ft. Mooli
10. California Stars – Billy Bragg & Wilco
11. Grace Cathedral Hill – The Decemberists
12. San Francisco – Jill Sobule
13. I’m Always Drunk in San Francisco – Carmen McRae
14. San Francisco Days – Chris Isaak
15. Road Trippin’ – Red Hot Chili Peppers
16. California, Here I Come – I Love Lucy
17. San Francisco – Judy Garland
18. I Left My Heart in San Francisco – Tony Bennett (hula what now?)
    
19. Lights – Journey

Right, I'm just going to go ahead and embed the Ashkon video here, because it is wonderful:

I'm getting there...

I hope to return to somewhat normal blogging over the next month. I know I'll definitely have thoughts on the oscar-bait releases and the awards race. We shall see how it goes.

I never got around to writing up Paprika (which I saw on the eve of my San Francisco trip). I know of no other way to describe this film than WTF. I basically came away with the impression of a mash-up of Miyazaki and Inception while dropping acid. I liked it. I think. And I'm not sure I could describe it.

NBR Awards!

Ah, the Oscar race is starting in earnest, and I'm so very behind. The satellite noms are fun (yay Noomi Rapace love), as are the gothams, but the NBR awards are the first ones that people take seriously. Whether they should or not. The list below, with my thoughts:

Best Film: The Social Network

Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

I'm pretty happy with these. Jacki Weaver gets remembered, which keeps her hopes for a nomination alive. I'm thrilled Christian Bale is finally getting some long-deserved recognition. And The Social Network is excellent. I have yet to see Another Year, so... no thoughts there.

Best Foreign Film: Of Gods and Men

Best Documentary: Waiting For “Superman”

Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Why do the animated films I like never win anything?

Best Ensemble Cast: The Town

Oh yay. This is a good cast. Although I would've picked Winter's Bone, like the Gothams.

Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

YAY! Win.

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo

Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, Buried

Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Good.

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Sofia Coppola, for for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere

William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin

NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl

Awww.... Conviction. This is the only award you will win.

Top Eleven Films (In alphabetical order):
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Pretty good. I like having The Fighter and Winter's Bone in here. But Shutter Island, Hereafter and Toy Story 3 over Blue Valentine, Black Swan, and 127 Hours?

Top Ten Independent Films (In alphabetical order):
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt

YAY Fish Tank!!!! SO excited about that. Hmmm.... I'm getting the sense I should see Buried. I read an interesting article that said it should be garnering more notice than 127 hours. Yay Animal Kingdom. And happy Let Me In got a little notice.

Top Six Foreign Films (In alphabetical order):
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Of Gods And Men
Soul Kitchen
White Material

Huh. I think Incendies is going to next year's Sundance. *sigh* I still need to see I Am Love.

Top Six Documentary Films (In alphabetical order):
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Waiting For “Superman"

Another thought on the Satellite noms: "the awards - handed out by International Press Academy - are generally disregarded as a serious Oscar precursor due to their often inexplainable decisions (see this year’s bizarre move to erratically extend most categories to seemingly whatever number of nominees they wanted),"