“So you lost your wife, and you lost your mom. I lost my nut.”

Film: Hesher
Year: 2010
Director: Spencer Susser
Written by: Spencer Susser and David Michôd.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Devin Brochu, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson, Piper Laurie, John Carroll Lynch, Frank Collison.
Running time: 106 min.


Joseph Gordon-Levitt was once a child star. As Hollywood seems to go, these child stars usually end up being wayward adults who end up doing community service coz of some bad thing they did. But Joseph Gordon-Levitt? That's not him. He did his dash as a child/teen actor, went and got a good education, and then came back to star in small independent films. In 2009, along came (500) Days of Summer, an indie rom-com that was adored by many, and suddenly Joe was a hot ticket in Hollywood. While he was running around hallways in Inception and has been roped in by Chris Nolan again for The Dark Knight Rises, Joe has still found time among his life as a formidable leading man to star in a little independent film called Hesher. With Hesher, Joe plays the titular character, but this isn't the sweet, lovable Joe that we all know. This is a version of Joe that doesn't often wear a top, showing off his home-made tattoos, with long unruly hair that probably has more grease in it than a fish and chip shop, and a smoke constantly hanging out of his mouth.

16 Days of Birthday, Day 4: My Actress Idols

Being around movies all the time, I tend to look up at a lot of actresses as role models. Not the Disney types of actresses that us young adults are all supposed to aspire to be...no. It's the real kinds of actresses who are out there kicking Hollywood's butt, and looking awesome while doing it. Here's my ultra cool list of some of my favourite actress role-models:

Jennifer Lawrence is someone who I think is completely awesome. Not only did her career sky-rocket in 2010 thanks to her gutsy performance in much acclaimed indie Winter's Bone, she is practically now one of Hollywood's most-wanted actresses. And you know, she still seems to be a completely normal girl. Completely normal.

Vera Farmiga has slipped off the radar a bit of late, but I sure am looking forward to seeing her directorial debut, Higher Ground. I just love Vera, and I can't really pinpoint on the exact reason why. But she's one cool chick.

Anne Hathaway has been my idol ever since I watched Brokeback Mountain back in 2006. She radiates all kinds of happiness it's just ridiculous. Oh, and who remembers that huge Disney princess phase she had back in the day? Yeah...that's a distant memory.

Y'all know that I quite like Rebecca Hall, the rather tall British actress who always seems to be in the right movies. Seriously, I will watch anything that she stars in. Even though she's so amazing that I want to cry.

I think I just wish I was Saoirse Ronan. She's one of those rare teenage actresses who has all the talent of an actor who has been in the profession for a few decades. Seriously, if I was an eighth of how awesome she is then I would be such a happy panda.

As you're all probably well aware, Amy Adams is my favourite actress, and I think she's an amazing person, too. Sure, there have been some mishaps in her career (ah, Leap Year, anyone?). But she's still one of the bubbliest and most vibrant actresses out there, who continuously shies away from the spotlight.

Ever since I watched The Disappearance of Alice Creed, I've been in love with Gemma Arterton. In that movie, I thought she was incredibly gutsy, and she looked so real, unlike any of those other stick-thin actresses. Also, watching Tamara Drewe fuelled my love for her a bit more. Seriously, the girl is amazing!

Who doesn't love Natalie Portman? I think she's such a cutie pie, and she seems to have a heart of gold. Plus, her laugh is crazy. Not to mention that she shaved off her hair for a movie role. And learned how to do ballet for a movie role. Dedication.

Emma Stone is probably the actress that I look up to the most. First of all, she made a powerpoint to convince her parents that she should be an actress. Look where that got her. Piles of crappy movies, but she always remained the best thing about them. And along comes Easy A, the film where she showed us all that she could indeed carry a comedy by herself, and be naturally funny. She's such a cute person, too. Let's just hope the sudden boom her career is having won't go to her head...

So, do you have any actress idols?

DVD - No Strings Attached

Romantic comedies. Arguably the most hated upon genres of film out there at the moment. Many people would put that down to the fact that we are all too cynical to even care about Jennifer Aniston finding the man of her dreams or having Gerard Butler falling in love with someone even though that is against his nature. But you know what I think it is? It's too hard to watch a romantic comedy because we're all jealous of how predictable these people's lives are. And, well, I guess we are all jealous of the fact that these people are in love. Sweet, sugary, syrupy love.

So instead of watching people being all happy because they're in love, what do we watch in a romantic comedy these days?

We watch people having sex. Because instead of being in a sweet, sugary, syrupy loving relationship, these people are 'sex friends'. Therefore, we skip all of the cute little dates, the many gift-giving ceremonies, and all of those painful kisses in the rain. They don't mean anything. Watching sex friends on film, however, means something. Because, on the off chance that the pair forget something, we could have a sequel featuring an infant. Which would be very entertaining, indeed.

Anyway, the latest film in the ongoing 'sex friends' trend is No Strings Attached. Starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. Which is where we have our first problem: a lot of people hate Ashton Kutcher, and a lot of people love Natalie Portman (in that respected actress kind of way). Don't worry. Kutcher will be Kutcher, but Portman is Portman. And that's how this film has class.

The story, of course, is about two people who decide to ditch the seriousness of a relationship for sex. Emma (Portman) is a medical resident in LA, who has seen Adam (Kutcher) a few times since a summer camp that they shared together when they were kids. One night Adam discovers that his father (Kevin Kline) has shacked up with his girlfriend (Ophelia Lovibond), and Adam decides to get drunk and call every woman in his phone, ending up passed out in Emma's room. And thus, their 'relationship' begins. Emma doesn't have a good handle on her emotions, and decides that starting a serious relationship with Adam is just a plain bad idea. Instead, they use each other for the sex.

I bet you've already guessed what happens at the end. I ain't gonna ruin it for you by saying whether or not your prediction is true. But yeah, No Strings Attached is a pretty straight forward movie. It doesn't try to be anything different and there are those cringe-worthy predictable moments that always pop up in films like these. One thing I do have to say, though, is that this handles the whole 'sex friends' thing a lot better than Love and Other Drugs. Because, unlike that movie, this one actually knew what it wanted to be. It didn't want to be a medical drama crossed with soft-core porn crossed with a love story of sorts. It just wanted to be a cute story about a relationship that isn't serious, even though one party wanted it to be. That doesn't come without some cute moments either. I mean, after watching this film, I want some guy to bring me cupcakes and make me a period mix CD. Seriously, that's like, the best idea I've ever heard.

No Strings Attached certainly isn't a great film, but I really did enjoy it. I'm willing to put that down to the fact that I'm going through a bit of a Natalie Portman phase at the moment. She was really adorable in this movie, even though she wasn't supposed to be. I actually did feel a little sorry for Ashton when she kept brushing him off, and it takes a good actress to make anyone feel sorry for Ashton. Speaking of him, he was average, pretty much as good as you could expect. I really liked the supporting cast, even though they didn't get a lot of time to shine. Greta Gerwig really impressed me with her lovely performance in the otherwise unlovable Greenberg, and she's still as lovely here. Olivia Thirlby was so underused it wasn't funny. Seriously, give her some better stuff! Kevin Kline was amusing as Adam's father. Ophelia Lovibond was really cool too, in a stereotypical way. Lake Bell's character, however, really cheesed me off, for some unknown reason.

You can expect what you want to expect from No Strings Attached. You can let yourself think the worst of this because it's an Ashton Kutcher comedy. You can feel like it has some class because Natalie Portman is in it. Truth is, the concept itself is already dated, but the film is very simple. And this time, simplicity works.

THE VERDICT: It is a funny and sassy rom-com, plagued by many of the usual downfalls in the genre. Natalie Portman's star power gets us through.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Cinema - Thor 3D

or: The superhero movie season has begun...

One word to sum it up: Dazzling.

Around four years ago, I saw a movie called Transformers. I was basically forced into the cinemas against my will, because I would have rather watched Will Ferrell's latest instead of some movies with cars that turn into big things and shoot things. I couldn't possibly think of anything more boring. However, when I came out of that cinema, I couldn't help but feel I'd had the best time of my life.
It was then, I fell in love with going to see big, loud, funny blockbusters at the cinema.
(yes, Michael Bay changed my life, don't judge me)
I've seen a few big blockbusters since then...The Dark Knight, Inception, TRON: Legacy, The A-Team...to name a few. But none had the same experience as that Bay picture ages ago. That was until I saw Thor. In only my second go at 3D, I was dazzled by the visuals yet engrossed by the story; laughing along with it yet enjoying the great performances; and just having a good time but not being sucked in by any of the big, dumb crap that you usually find in a blockbuster. No, it's not life-changing, but it's a bloody good time, just like Transformers was all those years ago.

I, like many people, was probably looking forward to this the least out of all the upcoming superhero flicks. A movie about a guy who throws a hammer around? Please. I could think of more exciting things on a worm farm. However, while we'll have to wait and see what Captain America and such do, I think this is a fine start to the season. Because, while this movie may have a hammer throwing Norse God (played by Chris Hemsworth) as the lead character, it's actually more exciting than my usual worm farm hangout. In fact, it's more of a human drama examining a fractured family, along with a guy who has come from the top of the ranks to being like us powerless creatures on Earth (just with a few more muscles). And, like always, there is a cute love story thrown in, between MC Hammer...woops, I mean Thor...and that crazy ballerina from Black Swan...woops, I mean Jane Foster (Natalie Portman). All in all, the story is actually quite good. I've always imagined what it would be like to be a Norse God coming to the abyss of our world.

We all know that Kenneth Branagh is a bit of a Shakespeare guy. And we all wondered whether the Shakespeare guy could make a highly-budgeted comic book movie. Yeah, I was a little bit sceptical, I'll admit. But Branagh did a brilliant job. Sure, there were a few niggles with his crooked angles and the fact that some of the action sequences were too dark to see in 3D. Branagh, however, may be more at home directing a blockbuster than other blockbuster specialist are themselves. He plays with the budget to get every intended effect that he wants, and there's that feeling that he did it out of true love, which is what many other blockbusters miss. I was surprised at how well he handled the mind-blowing action sequences. The early action sequences in the fantastic looking realm were superb, and definitely left me with little words to say other than "WHOA!"

Another thing I was sceptical about was the casting of Chris Hemsworth in the lead role. I know he was in Star Trek and whatever, but I'll always remember him as the hottie from Home and Away (a.k.a Australia's worst soapie) who was always in the teen mags I used to read. Here, he's piled on the muscles and put on a right majestic accent, and is virtually unrecognisable from those days. I quite liked his performance, it may not be earth-shattering, but he was actually really good. If I was expecting a flat performance, he certainly didn't give one of those. There aren't really any stand out performances here. Natalie Portman was pretty sweet in the love interest role, but that was pretty standard. Anthony Hopkins was barely in the thing but he was cool while he was around. Tom Hiddleston was pretty good as the villain in the family, and I can't wait to see more of this actor. Stellan Skarsgard was around for the ride too, and got a few funnies for himself. Kat Dennings got the most laughs, though, with her perfectly adequate depiction of generation technology. I liked it how a few of The Avengers crew decided to come to the party, reminding us that this is a part of something much bigger. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) popped up quite a few times, even referencing Tony Stark ("That guy never tells me anything!") while he was around. There were a couple of uncredited cameos from Samuel L. Jackson, in character as Nick Fury, and the brilliant Jeremy Renner, introducing his character of Hawkeye. That was a stroke of genius.

On a whole, Thor is a film which doesn't break barriers. There is that feeling that the film never really completes itself as it should, and I do admit leaving the cinemas feeling a bit empty. But hey, if someone had trouble with Iron Man 2, then this would be a much better film to go to. This one isn't as elaborate, and it doesn't have an overcooked amount of characters. Thor just sticks to simple storytelling, like having the main plot partly revolve around a family who doesn't really act like a family, and having the arrogant warrior stripped of his powers (the stuff of the fairytales I read as a child). It's a fun ride, yet it all means something. I imagine, if this film was a little bit longer, then it could have reached the epic heights it should have reached. Once the film ended, I wasn't sure of what I thought of the film. But as I walked out, someone waiting in the line for the next showing asked someone from my showing how they movie was. He said, with an enthusiastic voice: "Brilliant!"
At that moment, I realized I agreed wholeheartedly with that statement.

THE VERDICT: While Thor may not be as epic as it should be, it's an amazingly fun ride, packed with dazzling visuals, lots of wit and a brilliant human story. Let's just say: you may wanna see this instead of Kate Hudson's latest.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Classic--V for Vendetta

or: Remember remember the 5th of November...

One word to sum it up: Explosive.

Yeah, most people would probably remember this film as the one where Natalie Portman has no hair. Can I just say that she still looked stunning? She wasn't the only stunning thing about V for Vendetta, though. I've really been getting into these dystopian movies of late, and the vision that this movie has for the future is a strange, but extremely vivid one. Basically, it is set in a futuristic Britain, which is controlled by a fascist government and normal society has become powerless. Evey Hammond (Portman), a normal working class girl who is saved by a masked person called 'V' (Hugo Weaving), becomes the person who could save her country by bringing down the overpowering government. As she learns more about V's past, she starts learning more about herself and the part she plays in doing justice for her country, and decides to form an ally with him to carry out his plot.

I love stories like this. I guess you could say I like to see a world that is far from the one we are living in. I thought the vision that V for Vendetta had for the future was a very believable one, since the government's power over Britain is one which isn't too far from our imaginations at all, since pop culture has been trying to push this theme on us and there are those haunting memories from past wars and stuff like that. But out of this vision came a charming tale of heroism and living life without fear, beautifully played out through the character of Evey. She's an unlikely heroine, but with the help of the charismatic V and a great performance from Natalie Portman, she becomes the symbol for a person who has let go of everything and tries to define the line between good and evil, even though she never really defines herself as either of those.

While I feel the film was slightly let down by a slow first half, I truly think this is a masterpiece of modern filmmaking. It seems to push all the boundaries, and doesn't stop at being a political allegory, it's also a visually stunning action film too. The fight scenes are really well done, and have some great colour and vibrancy added into them. It's what I would expect from a film written by the Wachowski brothers. I also really enjoyed the characterisation of V. While he isn't given any identity, he feels quite rich in personality, with his charismatic speeches. Given he has no physical appearance, it is hard to view him as a character as such. He becomes a symbol, if anything. A symbol of hope and freedom. But at the same time, he is a symbol of evil and violence. Which helps add a depth to the story which is constantly trying to figure out what is good and bad. Sorry if this is starting to sound like an English essay...it's that time of year.

If you don't want to be a brainless blockbuster, then what should you be? A thought-provoking film rich with underlying themes. This film succeeds with that when it delves into a story about a lesbian woman who was taken simply because the government felt that her type was not needed in their country. This story was unbelievably well written, and serves as a message to our current world: accept differences and move on. I always felt the movie was at its best when it was focusing on one life affected by this struggle, whether it be Valerie's, Evey's, or V's. When the film gets to it's final act, it is an astounding, uplifting spectacle which truly does go out with a bang. It's amazing what I felt at the end of the film. It may sound stupid, but I felt like I had been freed by this movie. I suddenly felt a rush of hope. Too few films do that for me.

THE VERDICT: V for Vendetta is as thought-provoking as it is visually stunning, which nicely compliments a brilliant characterisation of a masked man who really doesn't have an identity.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

AAN: And thus, my life goes back to normal again (Oscar talk)

This morning I said "By the end of the day I will either hate The King's Speech or start liking it again." Now the end of the day has come, I have gotten over my hating and started remembering small parts of it which were Oscar worthy. Unfortunately, I still can't see how it won. But it had it's time to shine, and it's no skin off my teeth.

I got 16 out of 21 predictions right. My last period at school was filled with happiness whenever I saw Inception winning anything and a huge gasp which stopped the whole class when I found that Melissa Leo won. Now my life is going back to normal, these films aren't feeling as relevant as they used to and I'm just waiting for the next lot of awards...and Christopher Nolan's upcoming win for The Dark Knight Rises (early prediction, bite me).

Anyway, thoughts on the awards given out:

-Best Picture went to The King's Speech. Thought having that movie be the most dominant in that little montage was a dead giveaway. While I'm not the only one bitter, and I still commend their achievements, it was so 'safe'. And there were so many films better than that one in the race. I still think, at the bottom of my heart, that Inception should have been the one that won. But of course, the nature of that film stopped it. The nature of The Social Network and it's youngness stopped it. While I'm happy for The King's Speech, this award simply should have gone to someone else.

-Despite the fact that he got the award for The King's Speech, I will forever think that the Oscar Colin Firth got this year was really for his performance in A Single Man. Bravo to that man. Can't say I didn't see it coming, though.

-Thank goodness Natalie Portman won Best Actress. Phenomenal work, phenomenal actress. God bless her.

-Unfortunately, Jesus Bale didn't trim his beard for his big moment. But how the fuck is this the first time he has gotten a win, let alone a nomination?! All I know is that I'm glad that he's finally got what he deserves.
-Okay so I knew Melissa Leo was going to win, so it wasn't much of a surprise. I suppose I was just angry that Jacki Weaver didn't win. Or Amy Adams. Or Hailee Steinfeld. Or Helena Bonham Carter. So much talent here, not enough Oscar to go around!

-Jeez, I nearly cried when Tom Hooper won Best Director. Academy, first you snub Christopher 'God' Nolan, then you give away David Fincher's Oscar to someone who didn't really need it yet in the first place. Yes, Tom Hooper has a lot of talent, but nothing compared to the talent and repertoire David Fincher has built up for himself. Oh well, the Oscars love new blood, and that is a damn fine achievement for Hooper. Damn fine.
-JESUS CHRIST OSCAR WHY DID YOU NOT GIVE THE AWARD FOR 'BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY' TO THE MOST ORIGINAL OUT OF THE LOT OF THEM?! Oh right, coz you hate Christopher Nolan. I still don't get how David Seidler's The King's Speech screenplay is original, since I saw some books called 'The King's Speech' and those words 'Now a major motion picture' floating around, but meh, it was obvious that they were going to go with the safe choice. And now everyone in NZ is going crazy over this win coz Seidler wants to come back to NZ and go tramping. Yeah thats great...we can move on now.
-Adapted Screenplay to The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin, you are still so amazing. If only your fucking awesome film could have won more, y'know?
-Best Animated Feature to Toy Story 3. That's how it should be.
-Best Foreign Film to In a Better World. I predicted it even though I haven't seen it!
-Same case for Best Doc. I predicted Inside Job without seeing it, and it won!

-Even though I'm eternally sad that Hans Zimmer didn't win anything for the most beautiful score I have ever heard in my life, I'm happy that The Social Network got this one. Absolutely genius score. But I'll still be playing 'Time' everyday and having the same chills everytime I hear it.
-I loved the song from Tangled, but of course Toy Story 3's 'We Belong Together' had to win. Surprisingly, out of 20 nominations, Randy Newman has only won twice.

-WALLY PFISTER FINALLY GOT AN OSCAR! He had been nominated four times, all for Chris Nolan masterpieces (Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight and Inception) and finally won. Feeling kinda sad for Roger Deakins and Matthew Libatique though, since they've gone home empty handed even though there work in True Grit and Black Swan was amazing, but Wally Pfister rules! Especially when he thanks his 'master'. Yes, Nolan has incredible vision.
-Art Direction to Alice in Wonderland? What?!
-Costume Design to Alice in Wonderland? It still kills me to say that this film won more Oscars than True Grit, which was nominated 10 times but didn't get any return.
-Visual effects to Inception! Yeah, like it had any competition.
-The Wolfman got an Oscar...just for makeup. I heard about Cate Blanchett's 'thats gross' comment. Must have been more priceless than the movie.
-Sound editing to Inception! Wooo!
-Sound mixing to Inception! Woooo! It got 4 Oscars!

I didn't really watch much of the awards, only from about Best Song onwards. I wept over The King's Speech, but that's all in the past now. James Franco was a pretty dead end host, but Anne Hathaway was gorgeous...in the million dresses she wore.
Speaking of gorgeous, I'll just post my three most favourite and three least favourite dresses:

Best dressed-

Jeez, Natalie Portman is glowing. She could have worn a brown paper bag and she would have looked amazing. That colour is so cool. Like, it's my new favourite shade of purple.
All through the awards season, the Black Swan ladies have been the best dressed. Lilac is a risky colour, but Mila Kunis is so beautiful that she could pull this look off. Sure, it's a lot of lace just draped in weird ways, but it is beautiful. Definitely my favourite of the night.
The only thing that could have made Hailee Steinfeld's dress better would be making it go all the way down to the ground. But having it cut like that is cute and young. She's so gorgeous. I just hope we get to see more of her around these awards in the future.

Worst dressed-

Yeah, I know that Scarlett Johansson is supposed to be the sexiest woman in the world but this dress? Table cloth made pink and wrapped around 100 times until it fits averagely. Boring and pretty ugly.
Marisa Tomei's dress looks as dull as anything. That thing forming on the bottom sure doesn't work.
Jeez, Jennifer Hudson has lost a lot of weight. Unfortunately, the weird squeezing and colour of this dress makes her look a little less than special.

So, that's my first Annual Awards Nerdism done for 2010/2011 (sob). Feeling a little less than satisfied with this years outcome, I will go on with my life waiting for 2011's version of Inception or The Social Network to come out. Was Annual Awards Nerdism a 'yay' or 'nay' for you? What about the awards? I love comments :)
Thanks for reading this, everyone! Now back to normal reviews and everything...

AAN: Oscar predictions - Acting

Welcome to Part Four of my Oscar predictions, the big one that Annual Awards Nerdism for 2011 has been leading up to.


Key:
My Leo – The actor who I want to win
My Zuck – The actor who my predictions want to win
My Steve – The actor who will go home empty handed

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

James Franco lost an arm,
Jeff Bridges lost an eye,
Colin Firth lost his ability to speak,
Javier Bardem probably dies,
Jesse Eisenberg lost his friend,
As you see in the end,
All these men lost something,
But one of them is sure to gain,
A little reward for all their suffering and pain,
It probably won’t go to the Zuck,
Bardem, Bridges and Franco are all out of luck,
Colin Firth will be the one they choose,
As there simply ain’t a way for him to lose.

Last year, Colin Firth was nominated for his first time for his career defining, breathtaking performance in A Single Man. Jeff Bridges won the award, as he was ‘overdue’. This year, Bridges is nominated, but won’t win, because now Firth is nominated, and it would seem that he is ‘overdue’ thanks to what happened last year. Previous winner Javier Bardem doesn’t stand a chance, either.
If I had a vote, it would have to go with either Jesse Eisenberg or James Franco. I feel like Eisenberg won’t have another chance like this, because his performance in The Social Network was like one of those once off kinda deals. I would like Franco to win, simply because he was given a D for an acting class assignment because he was filming 127 Hours. It would be like the ultimate shame if he won (for the marker, that is). But he should worry about hosting the show more.

My Leo: Jesse Eisenberg
My Zuck: Colin Firth
My Steve: Javier Bardem

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

A grieving mother in Rabbit Hole,
Nicole Kidman had the Academy sold,
A crumbling marriage in Blue Valentine,
Michelle Williams’ NC-17 rated film nearly crossed the line,
A girl trying to find her father in Winter’s Bone,
Jennifer Lawrence rose above the films dark tone,
A lesbian meeting her baby daddy in The Kids Are All Right,
Annette Bening may put up the fair fight,
A prima ballerina and the new swan queen,
Probably more famous for that lesbian scene,
Natalie Portman will win for Black Swan,
Unless the voters sanity has gone.

I’ve heard a lot of people saying ‘Natalie Portman won’t win!’ this week. Where is this coming from? Not only has she won like every award, she has the most amazing performance out of the lot of them. The only reasons I can think of that will see her not winning are she’s either too young or an ‘overdue’ Annette Bening could win. I don’t want Annette Bening to win. Her character is just too bitchy.
Jennifer Lawrence is awesome in Winter’s Bone, so I can’t exactly write her off. Having not seen Blue Valentine or Rabbit Hole, I can’t really comment on Michelle Williams and Nicole Kidman being nominated. I respect them both as actresses, and I wish them well. If Natalie Portman doesn’t win? The voters have gone as insane as Nina.

My Leo: Natalie Portman
My Zuck: Natalie Portman
My Steve: Nicole Kidman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Jeremy Renner got the sole nomination for The Town,
In Winter’s Bone John Hawkes liked to frown,
Mark Ruffalo donated sperm,
Geoffrey Rush’s voice techniques helped the King learn,
But did any of these actors lose lots of weight?
Christian Bale’s nomination has come a tad late,
There’s no way that he can’t win,
Even if this isn’t the best film he’s ever been in.

Yeah so, Christian Bale will win. The only competition he has is Geoffrey Rush, who won the BAFTA. But that can’t really taint his chances, surely?
I may have doubted John Hawkes before, but since seeing the film I thought he rocked. Though, I could have replaced him for an Andrew Garfield nomination. I haven’t seen The Town, but I’m glad that Jeremy Renner got another nomination for the second year in a row. He’s such a brilliant actor. Mark Ruffalo is awesome, too, but I’m more surprised that this is his first nomination. Maybe I overrate his brilliance, but the guy could be classed as ‘overdue’ too.
Christian Bale deserves it most, though.

My Leo: Christian Bale
My Zuck: Christian Bale
My Steve: Jeremy Renner

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

I’m Team Jacki Weaver, all the way,
But an Amy Adams win shouldn’t be far away?
Helena Bonham Carter is an amazing royal,
Melissa Leo plays a mum tough and loyal,
Hailee Steinfeld is cute and sweet,
Even though she plays the lead,
But who could win, I don’t know?
Melissa Leo will probably steal the show,
Unless the photo controversy hurts her odds,
So, Academy...you know I love you lots,
Leo and Carter are good, but don’t pick either,
Go for the underdog, JACKI WEAVER!

It’s the same everywhere. Anyone who has seen Animal Kingdom will agree that Jacki Weaver delivers the best performance out of all of these lovely ladies, but the size of the project and perhaps the country it hails from hurts her chances. My next choice would have to be Amy Adams. She has been nominated three times, in this very category, without any luck. With this being her best performance, surely they would give her the gong? Well, I hope they do. But her costar Melissa Leo will get it, as she has got everything else, unless her self-advertising controversy stalls her.
Hailee Steinfeld is becoming a likelier choice by the day. The problem is, she is essentially the lead role, so she should have been nominated there, and it just won’t seem fair if she wins. Helena Bonham Carter is also likely, after her BAFTA win. She could have the ‘overdue’ cloud hanging over her, which could get her the votes that Melissa Leo lost. Maybe I just don’t want Leo to win.

My Leo: Jacki Weaver
My Zuck: Melissa Leo
My Steve: Jacki Weaver

There's todays lot...the second time I've written it (stupid Blogger deleting it all as soon as I published it). Tomorrow I will rank the Best Pic nominees. See you then!

AAN: I think the Brits might like The King's Speech (BAFTAs banter)

The lengths I go to for my obsession with movies. It was only this morning I realized that the BAFTAs were on in the morning, during school time. What was I to do? Well I got the tweets from BAFTA through my phone, but it was even luckier that the majority of the awards happened during first period, in which case I was in ICT (computing class). Unfortunately, two of the main awards, best actor and film, spilled over into period two, when I had English, and it was virtually impossible to sneak a peek at my phone the whole hour. When it came time for interval, though, all hell broke loose when I found that The King's Speech swept up, leaving The Social Network nowhere to be seen. But then I realized, those British people really liked The King's Speech, and hopefully that won't be the case at the Oscars (two weeks!).

The King's Speech mob and their mob of awards.

Notes on the winners:
-I don't care how great everyone thinks The King's Speech is. It is a fantastic movie, but it is my least favourite out of the nominees here, and the nominees I have seen at the Oscars, for that matter. Oh well, I'm happy it won, but The Social Network is better.
-You know what's cooler than winning Best Film? Winning Best British Film, too. The King's Speech did that.
-I guess Jesse Eisenberg went the whole awards season without winning anything. In fact, I'm sure every actor in the lead role went the whole award season without getting anything. Congrats, Colin Firth. Though I still think you are getting all these awards for your work in A Single Man.
-You go Natalie Portman. YOU ARE THE SWAN QUEEN!
-Geoffrey Rush for Best Supporting Actor? He was excellent, but he was just there. I was sure the BAFTAs would have gone with Christian Bale like everyone else, or Andrew Garfield since they really like him. But they go with an Australian? Hmmmmmm...
-This was a WTF moment for me. Helena Bonham Carter is great and all, but I thought they would have gone with Amy Adams. Then again, HBC probably won't upset Melissa Leo's Oscar campaign.


Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg hold David Fincher's award very tightly in fear that Tilda Swinton may steal it.

-I love that David Fincher won Best Director. I mean, there's supposed to be that film/director thing going on, right? Well Finch broke that right up. It would have been better if Christopher Nolan won, though. -Everyone except the Writer's Guild will keep ignoring Christopher Nolan's script for Inception and keep going for David Seidler's 'original' one for The King's Speech. Sweet as then, brothers.


Aaron Sorkin and his bagillionth award...and Julianne Moore.

-Who won Best Adapted Screenplay? I'll give you a clue: it wasn't The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. -The cinematography seen in True Grit really stood out for me, but no love for Wally Pfister and Inception? I sense another winless year for Mr. Pfister...
-The editing in The Social Network is good. I don't mind this award going to them.
-That's how we do it. Inception for Best Production Design. Go Ariadne. (Wait...she wasn't really the architect? We need to go deeper...)
-Costume Design for Alice in Wonderland. Seriously? Hasn't everyone forgotten about that movie now?
-I give up on campaigning Hans Zimmer's amazing Inception score to win. It never gets me anywhere. Thanks to no The Social Network, The King's Speech gets its sticky beak in here, too.
-Makeup/hair for Alice in Wonderland? Guess that makes partial sense.
-Best Sound for Inception. Just because everyone knows its amazing.
-Inception gets Special Effects, too. Because it actually looks real, y'know.
-It makes me laugh that The Secret in Their Eyes didn't win Best Foreign Film even though it won an Oscar last year. Well deserved win for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though.
-SHOCK! Toy Story 3 won Best Animated.
-N-n-n-noooo Andrew Garfield for Rising Star? Sad. But Tom Hardy is a good choice, since we'll be seeing him everywhere soon.

Notes on the bits I saw of the show:
-Did anyone bother to turn up? Like, 50% of the people I saw winning awards couldn't be there. Natalie Portman is understandable though, since she is preggers and all.


Random hobo Gerard Butler with Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman's award.

-On the subject of Portman, the speech Darren Aronofsky gave on her behalf was awesome. So true that she didn't have to thank anyone. -Colin Firth is a funny bugger. Tom Hooper is apparently as thorough as his routine health check.


I wish I could be Amy Adams.

-Amy Adams is beautiful. Particularly in that dress.


Rosamund Pike and Dominic Cooper with original screenplay winner David Seidler

-Rosamund Pike was funny. So was the crack Gerard Butler made at her.
-Helena Bonham Carter's speech was perfect. Love her.

That's a wrap for the BAFTAs. Now only the big one to go. Is The King's Speech going to continue sweeping up there?

Just because it is Nicholas Hoult in a suit and it's Valentines Day and I am lonely :( HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MY LOVELY READERS!