Great Names, Awful Movies: The Tourist and The Dilemma

I used to think that movies would be amazing because they had so many great names floating around them. I miss those days. Now it just seems like...well, there aren't any major components that could make you think a film is amazing even before seeing it.

Ah...so, I watched The Tourist and The Dilemma just recently and even though these films should be highly regarded due to their star power, the rest of the material doesn't possibly match up. In fact, the material is more disastrous than the average no-star straight-to-DVD flick.

The Tourist

The 'knowable' stars: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany.
The director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who directed the Oscar winning The Lives of Others.

What people would think of the cast: Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are probably the two most recognizable names in the world. Johnny's been sexy est. 1980-something and Angelina Jolie is the one with all the kids, yes? And, well, a lot of people stuck in the 90s think they're a pretty good looking duo. It probably helps that various set photos popped up in all the woman's magazines every week.
What it looks like: From the poster, one would think that The Tourist would be a suave, beautiful and elegant piece of expensive drama. Though, you could say, from a quick read of the synopsis, that this is a highly intelligent romance thriller harking back to the 60's.
What it actually is (in one sentence): A muddled thriller of sorts, with an awful twist...if this was supposed to be a comedy, it would succeed in the way it's unintentionally hilarious.
What's wrong with it: Mainly the chemistry between the stars. You'd think that the two would be professional enough to get a little bit of love between them, but they are like cousins from opposite ends of the family in this one. Speaking of those actors...their performances are absolutely terrible. Johnny Depp was as exciting as James Franco was at the Oscars. Angelina Jolie was half asleep and kept trying to do this sexy smoulder that looked like an evil squint. She just swanned around in gorgeous clothes like she owned the place...which unfortunately, she didn't own anything.

The script is a real clunker, too. A five year old could have written it better. Instead of being edge-of-your-seat stuff, it was more edge-of-your-sanity...the script was just atrocious to hear. The plot twist at the end was juvenile...absolutely juvenile. It was like something I thought of when I was 7 and playing an intense game of Saddle Club in the playground.
Did something go right? Yes. The cinematography was absolutely stunning and the music was very old fashioned, which was nice. It gave it a more stylish theme.
On a scale of 1-10, how ashamed should all involved be of this film? 8. But people still love Johnny Depp as long as he's being sexy and Angelina Jolie as long as she's with Brad Pitt.
Final words: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...how could you?

What I got:

The Dilemma

The 'knowable' stars: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah.
The director: Ron Howard, the Oscar winning director of A Beautiful Mind.

What people would think of the cast: It's a cast of levels. Vince Vaughn has a lot of fans, apparently. He's always starred in funny movies and even though he looks very serious, he's been like the more mature version of Adam Sandler. Kevin James has a big following, too, because he's down with the LOL fans. There's your funny leads. For the lady power, there is Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder. Connelly will always be the chick from Labyrinth and Ryder will always be the chick from Edward Scissorhands, but they've both grown up to be respectable actresses. On the next level are the funny little people who are given small roles. Channing Tatum is busy creating a strange resume for himself and a comedy surely wouldn't hurt his fans. Queen Latifah...well, if you put Queen Latifah in a movie, there is some chance of it being funny.
What it looks like: It looks like a nice comedy of errors which probably has a lot of memorable quotes. And plus, it has a familiar situation which is sure to get a few laughs.
What it actually is (in one sentence): An inconsistent mess that can't decide whether it wants to be a comedy or a drama...and it's really hard to get in to.
What's wrong with it: It's a premise which tires quickly, and it has a lot of feeble attempts at keeping the viewer in the film. You'd think it would be pretty funny, but it's hard to know when it's okay to laugh in this movie. There's a joke that seems funny at first, but then it has such a negative context to it you can't actually find the strength to laugh at it. It just doesn't feel right to call this a comedy at all.

There's a strange subplot about Ronny (Vaughn) having a gambling addiction. It just doesn't work with the rest of the film, because it seems too serious and when they do mention it, it's thrown around like a ball in the park. That only further shows that the movie is messy and it really doesn't have much control. Which is why it is so hard for anyone to get involved.
Did something go right? Enough. The cast are still likeable. Channing Tatum was particularly entertaining. And it wasn't exactly painful to watch.
On a scale of 1-10, how ashamed should people involved be of this film? 6. I doubt that this would even be popular, as it seemed to pass by somewhat unnoticed and everyone has forgotten about it now. I'm sure everyone will keep their cool and move on.
Final words: Ron Howard, it's nice to see your back doing comedy, but can you at least get the script proof-read first?

What I got:

AAN: Good choices win over silly nominations (Golden Globes gabble)

After the Golden Globes, will there be any surprises left for the rest of the awards season? Will Inception continue to be snubbed in all the big categories? Will The Social Network end up taking over the world? Well, at least the Hollywood Foreign Press Association managed to pick the right winners over it's shoddy nominations.

It looks like the main awards have been sorted out, even if the HFPA don't usually have the best ideas. Christian Bale got the first award for his performance in The Fighter, and it feels like a certainty that Monsieur Bale will get the award. The only surprises to come out of that category will be who gets nominated at the Oscars. I hope Andrew Garfield gets in, even though he failed to get a Screen Actors Guild nomination. Natalie Portman got Best Actress Drama...they may as well just give her the Oscar now and get it over with. Colin Firth, by no surprise, got Best Actor Drama for The King's Speech. As for the winners in the comedy/musical section, do they stand to upset Portman and Firth? Annette Bening has a good chance. But who saw Paul Giamatti winning for Barney's Version? One would have thought that Johnny Depp would have won against Johnny Depp. Then again, Paul Giamatti seems like a good choice, but I doubt he'll even make it to the Oscars.

Melissa Leo...scared of her own Golden Globe.

The category that could have offered the biggest surprise was the Best Supporting Actress one. Helena Bohnam Carter, Mila Kunis, Jacki Weaver and Amy Adams all stood fantastic chances of winning. But who did? Melissa Leo. I wasn't convinced by her Critics Choice win, but maybe my opinions have changed. I still think Amy Adams could sneak the upset, or will she become the next Kate Winslet? Even though Jacki Weaver didn't get the SAG nomination, I'm still rooting for her to get something. And howsabout that bitchy eyeroll Helena Bohnam Carter did during Leo's acceptance speech. We get it. We know your jealous. But maybe if you matched those shoes, more people would have voted for you?

With all the shitcakes on display, you would have thought at least one of them won something, right? I mean, one would have thought the Depp would have won for Alice in Wonderland or Burlesque may have gone in for a major upset (far-fetched...but perfectly possible). Well, Burlesque won one award for Best Original Song, not that that really counts. It's just sad that they kept pushing The Tourist and Alice in Wonderland into the spotlight thanks to their multiple 'nominations'. I mean, on the radio, they kept talking about how The Tourist and Burlesque were the big nominees, with no mention of Inception or even The Social Network. Just shows how obsessed with starpower the HFPA really are. Luckily, the voters pushed The Tourist out, and I bloody hope that they never make a mistake like that again. Anyway, I thought The Tourist was more of a drama?

David Fincher turns up to see his film win big...it is his film, right?

Someone arose an issue with a very interesting tweet (I know I shouldn't listen to these, but #thesocialnetwork was trending so I had to check it out): "Now it seems like more people are bashing The Social Network and praising Inception." Just before awards season started, and particularly around the time everyone was doing their top films of 2010 lists, there was so much hate for Inception going around. Now The Social Network is winning all these awards, there is a lot of hate circling that film and all this "where the hell is Inception?" chatter going around. You may think I'm saying this because I'm obsessed with him, but Christopher Nolan deserves the accolades for Best Director a lot more than David Fincher does. You look at the scale of Inception. It ain't your average blockbuster. It's a grand epic, and Nolan directed, wrote and produced it by himself. This is something which isn't taking into consideration a lot. Fincher directed The Social Network with style, but didn't add anything great (apart from maybe the regatta sequence), like Nolan did. Oh well, TSN will end up taking all the prizes, and Inception is left to get all the technicals, and hopefully a Best Original Screenplay award for God. To conclude this topic: Why the hell did Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross beat Hans Zimmer? I love The Social Network's score, but Inception's has all these great songs, and ends with 'Time', quite possibly the best song I've ever heard.

Here are my thoughts on the winners (excluding TV...not my area):
-I let out a shriek when The Social Network won Best Picture-Drama. I thought it was so cute when Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield stayed sitting down when everyone else got the award, but then producer Scott Rudin told them to get up. Jesse got up, and then literally hauled Andrew out of his seat. At which point the producer commented joyously "The extraordinary right brain left brain of Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield!" Bromance of the century, I tell you. But it puzzles me as to why David Fincher didn't go up. He just feels so detached from this picture.
-Watching the nominees for Best Picture-Comedy/Musical was painful. I think I actually tweeted before the winner was even announced that The Kids Are All Right won.
-Gah. I love Colin Firth, but I thought he could just not win this award so Jesse Eisenberg or James Franco could win. Just to show everyone that Jesse isn't the new Michael Cera and that James isn't really a stoner (or worthy of the D he got given in an acting class because he was filming 127 Hours). But Colin deserves it, most definitely.

-Natalie Portman. Your Oscar is awaiting you...
-Just before they announced the winner for Best Actor-Comedy/Musical, I sent my friend a txt, saying "Can Johnny Depp beat Johnny Depp? No." That was a joke, honestly, I thought he'd win for Alice in Wonderland. Little did I know I was right, and my prediction was wrong. Bravo, Paul Giamatti!
-Obviously Annette Bening was going to win for Best Actress-Comedy/Musical, but the ghost-looking Emma Stone should have. Mind you, this is the first of many nominations for her!

I'm pretty sure he could fit his little awards collection in his hair.

-I give up on Best Supporting Actor. Andrew Garfield is never going to win, Christian Bale is going to continue trying to look like Jesus...the future's looking dim.
-Look above for thoughts on Best Supporting Actress. I thought Jacki Weaver had this one. Time for her to threaten the awards voters with "You've done some bad things sweetie."
-At least David Fincher was there to get his award. You're a great director, but when I see Christopher Nolan and the geniusness that radiates off him, he's always the winner in my heart.
-Aaron Sorkin and his bloody good dialogue skills. Even I admit that he deserved the award over Christopher Nolan and Inception.
-Burlesque and 'You Haven't Seen the Last of Me' gets the award for Best Original Song. Which isn't great if you consider the former but fantastic if you consider the latter.
-Why is there all this sudden love for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross? Let me say this: their score is great, but there are few standout songs. Hans Zimmer's Inception score, however, is epic...and as I write this, I'm listening to Time, which gives me the chills and makes everything more epic. I'm so glad they played that song when they were announced Inception as a nominee for this category. Hans Zimmer deserved it. Hopefully he'll get the Oscar, because Ross and Reznor's score wasn't as amazing as this one.
-Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Picture. Well, no shit. That film is bloody fantastic.

Susanne Bier (director of In a Better World): happy for all of us that I Am Love didn't win.

-I was so glad that I Am Love didn't win Best Foreign Language. However, this morning I said that In a Better World didn't stand much of a chance. So then it comes out and wins. I have got to see this one.

Other thoughts on the show:
-Michael Douglas getting a standing ovation was amazing. But his line was even better: "There's just gotta be an easier way to get a standing ovation."
-Did they have to play 'Hand Covers Bruise' everytime The Social Network got a mention? Seriously, that was one of the worst tracks. 'In Motion' or 'A Familiar Taste' would have been better.
-Ricky Gervais is funny, but I found him to be a bit arrogant and annoying. Tone it down next time, Mister.

Just beam that cute smile and everyone will forget your mistake...

-When Andrew Garfield got hung up on the word 'inspiringly' while presenting The Social Network, I fell in love with him even more. He's human, and he pulled that off without even visually breaking a sweat. Oh, how I love that beautiful man.
-Justin Bieber should not have presented an award for a brilliant film like Toy Story 3. Seriously, he's not even an actor. GET OUT!

WARNING: Do not mess with this man.

-I think Ricky Gervais learnt the hard way that you do not mess with Robert Downey Jr. Gervais tried to jab Downey with several 'jokes' about his porn-ish movie titles and then his former residence at a rehab centre. At which point Downey comes out and starts off by saying "I don't think an actress has done her best work...until she's slept with me." He goes through all of the nominees of the Best Actress-Comedy/Musical category, concluding by saying "I'd give it to all five of you...at once." Totally stole the show.
-Matt Damon hadn't heard of Robert De Niro until five years ago. You are kidding.
-Robert De Niro made a joke about the badness of Little Fockers. I expected him to understand.
-A bad actress presenting a bad film...Megan Fox and The Tourist.

-I wish I was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He got to introduce Inception, quote Bette Davis and praise Christopher Nolan. Lucky guy.
-I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg is taking notice of all The Social Network buzz?

What did you think of the Golden Globes? Comments please...I'm still begging!

AAN: Guessing the Golden Globes

ANNUAL AWARDS NERDISM delves into the guessing game of predicting the winners of Golden Globes, which are today. Guess who's back to help me rank my predictions? None other than Leo, Zuck and Steve. What will they be doing? Here's the key:

Strutting Leo: Who I'd like to win, my personal pick.

Mark 'You have my attention' Zuckerberg: Who is going to win in reality.

Steve from Legion: The longest of shots.

BEST MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA

There aren't any long shots in this category, as The King's Speech, Black Swan and The Fighter are all pretty much on the same level. Could Inception win? It would take a miracle. Especially with The Social Network dominating.

BEST MOTION PICTURE-COMEDY/MUSICAL

I haven't even seen The Kid's Are All Right, but I'd be happy to see a 96% movie win over all the other rotten yahoos anyday. If 20% The Tourist wins, then that will show just how dumb the Hollywood Foreign Press really are.

BEST ACTOR-DRAMA



As much as I'd like to see young Jesse Eisenberg win at least one award for his stunning performance in The Social Network, it's gotta go to Colin Firth, so he can continue his Oscar campaign for A Single Man The King's Speech. I suspect Mark Wahlberg was thrown in there for starpower at the awards ceremony.

BEST ACTRESS-DRAMA

Since I hear Natalie Portman is beyond good in Black Swan, I'd be happy to see her win. Not sure about Halle Berry for Frankie and Alice, as I hardly think this will make it to the Oscars.

BEST ACTOR-COMEDY/MUSICAL

It may have worked for Heath Ledger in 2009 for The Dark Knight, but I doubt Johnny Depp's make-up disguised turn in Alice in Wonderland will generate any Oscar buzz. Soak up all the glory now, Johnny, coz you won't be going any further. His normal performance in The Tourist is a longshot, simply because the film isn't that great. I just love Jake Gyllenhaal, so he's my preferred.

BEST ACTRESS-COMEDY/MUSICAL



Emma Stone definitely had the best comedic performance I'd seen last year  in Easy A, but Annette Bening has been generating Oscar buzz since The Kids Are All Right came out. She probably has the better chance between her and co-star Julianne Moore. Angelina Jolie just got the nod because she's in The Tourist and it would be unfair if they didn't nominate her royal highness. I can't see Anne Hathaway upsetting for Love and Other Drugs, but I'd be happy to see her coming away with the award.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Extreme weight loss will be on everyones mind when they vote for this category throughout awards season, so it looks like Christian Bale should continue his campaign with the win for The Fighter. If the Golden Globes were to surprise, you could easily see Andrew Garfield, Jeremy Renner or Geoffrey Rush (probably most likely choice) come through for the win. Michael Douglas seems like a bit of a longshot, and probably more deserving of a nomination for Solitary Man rather than Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. But as Gordon Gekko would say, 'Greed is good!', and this may work in Douglas' favour.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Since I love Animal Kingdom to death, I'd love it to pck up one big award, particularly if it's for Jacki Weaver and her marvellous performance as the matriach of a family full of crims. No one can really pick this category, as the 'fight's' between The Fighter co-stars Melissa Leo and Amy Adams. I'm not convinced by Melissa Leo's win at the Critics Choice Awards, and could see Amy Adams going in for the award, particularly because she's been nominated in this category three times since 2005. Mila Kunis, apparently not as deserving as other Black Swan actress Barbara Hershey, probably won't get the award, unless the HFPA are feeling generous. I love her for getting a nomination though.

BEST DIRECTOR

I still think Christopher Nolan could win this award for his work on Inception. I mean, on a poll on IMDb that was asking for predictions, God was leading with 5500 votes, followed Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan with 1800, and then David Fincher for The Social Network with 1500. Mind you, no one listens to that, so David Fincher will get the win for his least Fincher film. Tom Hooper doesn't stand a great chance against those three, but David O. Russell is probably the weakest of the lot, considering he took the Coens or Danny Boyle's spot.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Shit. Put Christopher Nolan's screenplay for Inception in the same category as Aaron Sorkin's screenplay for The Social Network and Inception is dust. In fact, everything is dust when you compare it to The Social Network. The King's Speech may have gotten Best Original Screenplay at the Critics Choice, but it doesn't stand a chance. Nor does the 127 Hours script. And it would have to be a real upset if The Kids Are All Right got the award.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Even though Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won the Critics Choice Award for their great The Social Network score, Hans Zimmer's Inception score is by far the best. God, I've listening to the score nearly everyday since like August, and I must admit, it's one of the best I've ever heard. And wouldn't it be nice if Inception could get at least one award? Alexandre Desplat and A.R. Rahman always do great work, and I'm sure this won't be the last we hear of The King's Speech and 127 Hours' scores, either. Danny Elfman's score was one of the best things about Alice in Wonderland, but I can't see it going much further than this nomination.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Jeez, if Toy Story 3 doesn't win this category, then there'll be a huge upset on our hands. Plus, why wasn't this nominated for Best Comedy? Are they trying to say that a 99% movie is worse off than a 20% one? How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled and the widely loved French film The Illusionist will all fight the fair fight, with Despicable Me being the longshot (even though it's fantastic) since it wasn't as well-received as the rest of them. But I think everyone knows that Toy Story 3 was the only animated pic this year.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Javier Bardem's outing in the 'depressing' film Biutiful directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu has been generating a lot of Oscar buzz, and probably has the best chance here. If I Am Love wins, someone is going to get shot. Yeah, I know most people love it, but it is so damn overrated. Former Basterd Melanie Laurent stars in The Concert, which is a longshot since it's only rated 58%, just a few points off being fresh. Kray (The Edge) and In a Better World have barely been viewed enough to take the award.

Got any predictions of your own? Check back for my conclusion on the winners sometime tonight!

My thoughts on the Golden Globe nominations

Some were well deserved, some were down right shocking...but my reaction alone can't sum up some of the nominations. So I've got my friends to help me: Strutting Leo, Mark 'You have my attention' Zuckerberg, and random guy from Legion (let's call him...Steve).

Here's the rating system:

Strutting Leo represents general happiness with the nominations...like the stuff they actually got right.

Mark 'You have my attention' Zuckerberg represents a 'meh' sort of attitude towards the nomination.

Steve represents a 'holy fuck!' approach to the nominations. Almost like I had a heart attack when reading the nomination.

 
And away we go...
 
BEST MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

 

While there were lots of snubs in this category (namingly 127 Hours and True Grit), these are some fine movies, and definitely deserve their place. I guess when it comes to Oscar time, the ten movie category will help some of the other films that missed out...but we all know that these are the best. Thank God Inception was nominated. I see these awards won't be making the same mistake as they did two years ago with that Batman movie (I still hate you for that.)

 

BEST MOTION PICTURE-MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Alice in Wonderland

Burlesque

The Kid's are All Right

Red

The Tourist

 

Oh hell. Did these nominees seem to forget all the other good comedies that came out this year? No Scott Pilgrim? No Kick-Ass?! Oh no, just stick in three movies which are all rated rotten. Alice in Wonderland was an eyesore...how did that shit get nominated? Just because Burlesque is a musical, did it have to be nominated or something? The Tourist has Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in it...*INSTANT NOMINATION*. How did RED get in there? I know it's better than the rest of them, but it wasn't particularly memorable. Looks like The Kid's are All Right will win, by a landslide.

 

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA

Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network

Colin Firth for The King's Speech

James Franco for 127 Hours

Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine

Mark Wahlberg for The Fighter

 

This is a pretty well nominated category. To be perfectly honest, I think the main competition will be between Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth, and though I wish that Colin Firth would win an Oscar, I'm really rooting for Jesse Eisenberg. In saying that, I would love to see James Franco shine through for 127 Hours. Mark Wahlberg is an odd choice, and I would have thought that Leonardo DiCaprio may have taken that spot for his work in either Shutter Island and Inception. If Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth were the only actors in the category, I would be completely happy, but the odd choice of Mark Wahlberg kinda drags it down a bit. Overall, I'm pretty happy.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE-DRAMA
Halle Berry for Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine

I wonder who could win this one...? We all pretty much know that Natalie Portman is the go here, and will probably make it to that little golden man come Oscar night. Jennifer Lawrence and Nicole Kidman are a couple of names which have been circulating the awards talk for quite some time now, and have some promise against Portman. Michelle Williams is so deserving of an Oscar nomination for a leading role, that I hope her campaign with Blue Valentine works in her favour. I don't really understand the nomination of Halle Berry, as I haven't really heard that much about Frankie and Alice, but I guess time will tell...

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE-MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Johnny Depp for The Tourist
Johnny Depp for Alice in Wonderland
Paul Giamatti for Barney's Version
Jake Gyllenhaal for Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey for Casino Jack

Well well...here we go with the shambolic (yes I made that word up) mess of the Comedy/Musical section again. Every one of these movies, apart from Barney's Version, is currently rotten on Rotten Tomatoes. The Tourist is death defyingly rotten. But will the non-love for these movies prevent these actors from getting the gong? Who knows. I couldn't tell you who would win this award, but I think I'll stick with Jake Gyllenhaal. Coz, y'know, he still deserves something for his often forgotten work in Brokeback Mountain from all those years ago. And also, he deserves an award for sticking through the mess that was Prince of Persia. Even though Johnny Depp has gotten two nominations, he won't be winning either of them, as I'm pretty sure those noms are just place fillers. Again, we could have seen some love for Kick-Ass, or maybe newish comedies like How Do You Know or Somewhere. But never mind voters...give the underdogs a go this year :/

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE-MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Annette Bening for The Kid's are All Right
Anne Hathaway for Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie for The Tourist
Julianne Moore for The Kid's are All Right
Emma Stone for Easy A

OMG would The Tourist just GO AWAY already?! I know you just want some extra star power for your little show, but there are more deserving actresses that could easily have taken Ms. Jolie's spot. Other than that slight hiccup, I'm pretty happy about the lineup here. Annette Bening and Julianne 'Hurry up and give me an Oscar already!' Moore have the best chance here. If they weren't there, then Emma Stone would win. Thank God someone finally recognized her for her unbelievably amazing work in Easy A. See that? Teen comedies can have good actresses in them. Anne Hathaway is sorta the wildcard here, but I love that she got nominated. Any nomination for Anne is like a little miracle for me.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Christian Bale for The Fighter
Michael Douglas for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Andrew Garfield for The Social Network
Jeremy Renner for The Town
Geoffery Rush for The King's Speech

You know in the trailer of The Fighter how it says "Academy Award nominee MARK WAHLBERG", and then it has just "CHRISTIAN BALE" after it? That is so sad. Christian Bale is easily the most dedicated actor out there (a little too dedicated if you ask me), and it certainly shows in the stuff I've seen of The Fighter. It's about time this guy got something. Anyway, I need to get something off my chest: ANDREW GARFIELD IS NOMINATED! ANDREW GARFIELD IS NOMINATED! ANDREW GARFIELD IS NOMINATED! Right, now that is settled. Yeah, I'm rooting for my future husband Mr. Garfield to win, even though I know he doesn't have as bigger show as Bale. But my God, I am so HAPPY he got nominated! Jeremy Renner, the most underrated actor of the century, continues his run with the awards circle, deserving another nomination. As for Michael Douglas...well, I didn't even know he was in the supporting role of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. I thought the movie was about him? Geoffrey Rush is pretty much in there because The King's Speech is in everything else, and I don't have a problem with that. But where the hell is Mark Strong for Kick-Ass?! Or am I the only person who thought he was amazing in that movie (or everything else he is in)? I'm 'Strutting Leo' for the Bale and Garfield noms, but I'm still feeling 'meh' about the category in general.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams for The Fighter
Helena Bohnam Carter for The King's Speech
Mila Kunis for Black Swan
Melissa Leo for The Fighter
Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

Australia, though it pains me to say this, for once you have done me proud. Jacki Weaver is so completely and utterly deserving of that nomination for Animal Kingdom...what can I say? Her performance was one of the best female performances I had seen in a while. This category is pretty good, actually. Again, an actress who continues to make little miracles for me every time she gets nominated, Amy Adams, makes her way into the supporting category for the third time. Melissa Leo, probably the best bet here, gets in for The Fighter too. Helena Bohnam Carter continues The King's Speech reign (haha, get it?) over the Golden Globes, and better make it to the Oscar, coz my goodness, she deserves it. Mila Kunis is definitely the most surprising, but nonetheless deserving addition to this category. It's about time the girl got this sort of attention. Not only is she the perfect pin up girl, but she's a damn good actress, which is usually a pretty rare combination. My only snitch is that Chloe Moretz is getting recognized for Kick-Ass. Yes, I know I am going on about Kick-Ass a lot here, but what do you expect? The movie was bloody marvellous, and it got snubbed in every single category.

BEST DIRECTOR-MOTION PICTURE
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
David Fincher for The Social Network
Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan for Inception
David O. Russell for The Fighter

So, of course, I'm gonna have to get this off my chest: CHRISTOPHER NOLAN GOT NOMINATED! CHRISTOPHER NOLAN GOT NOMINATED! CHRISTOPHER 'GOD' NOLAN GOT NOMINATED! I know this ain't quite Oscar territory yet, but OMG he got nominated! You have no idea how happy this makes me. He's never been recognized for his directorial work at the Golden Globes (or Oscars) yet...you know how sad that is? Before I go on a rant about how Master Nolan deserved nominations years ago, I will go on about the other nominees. Darren Aronofsky is another director who has never been recognized for his amazingly artistic directorial efforts, and could nab the award. Tom Hooper is in with The King's Speech, which is likely to sweep the whole awards season, but I'm thinking he could miss out. David O. Russell, too, despite the critical rep he has gathered from The Fighter, could miss out on the award. Lets just hope he doesn't try to headlock Christopher Nolan again so he can get the award. I think the biggest threat to this category, however is David Fincher. Snubbed so many times, now is the right time for him to win some awards. His effort on The Social Network was so damn good, too. It's hard when you're two favourite directors are battling it out for an award they both really deserve...

BEST SCREENPLAY-MOTION PICTURE
127 Hours-Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy
Inception-Christopher Nolan
The Kid's are All Right-Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko
The King's Speech-David Seidler
The Social Network-Aaron Sorkin

Here's the last category which I will be attacking, which also happens to be my personal favourite out of the lot. I promise not to go psycho over the Christopher Nolan nomination like I did last time. But in this one, he truly deserves the award on a original and creative basis. That's why I can see him already with the golden man in his hand, as he wins the award for Best Original Screenplay. However, the thing that gets in his way here is Aaron Sorkin and all his big words. There is no denying it, his script for The Social Network was simply amazing. Listening to those great actors spit out his words at 100 miles an hour was worth the price of the ticket alone. It would be a real surprise if he didn't take this award home (unless Nolan bet him). The rest of the category is made up of well deserving films: 127 Hours, The King's Speech and The Kid's are All Right. I couldn't be any more happy about this category. Every film deserves the award, but it's really the great war between Inception and The Social Network that is the clincher here.

IN CONCLUSION:
5 Strutting Leo's.
3 Mark 'You have my attention' Zuckerberg's.
2 Steve's.
Seems like I'm pretty happy with this years lot at the Golden Globes. Apart from the horrible abominations that were the Musical/Comedy sections and The Tourist's 50 nominations. But hey, if my idol Nolan is nomination, I am there!

Check back for some more ratings on awards nominations when they come up. You'll be seeing a lot of Leo, Zuck and Steve this awards season!

Top 10 critical disappointments of 2010.

2010 has been a year where I went on Rotten Tomatoes, and often found these movies with strangely low ratings which surprised me a little. Well, some, I knew were gonna be bad, but not quite as bad as it's Tomatometer rating said it was...

Please note: This isn't the 'worst films of the year' list. I've barely seen enough 2010 movies to make that list. And also, I haven't seen many of these films, so I'm not judging them on my opinion only, but mainly the critics who savaged them.

10. Love and Other Drugs

44%--It's a pleasure to see Hollywood produce a romance this refreshingly adult, but Love and Other Drugs struggles to find a balance between its disparate plot elements.

I wanna see Love and Other Drugs for a few reasons: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Edward Zwick directing a rom-com. Also, this looks pretty different than all the other romantic shit coming out. I mean, this could have easily been awards material, but the critics may suggest otherwise. I guess this won't be so out of the ordinary after all.

9. Due Date

40%--Shamelessly derivative and only sporadically funny, Due Date doesn't live up to the possibilities suggested by its talented director and marvelously mismatched stars.

Okay, so it would have been hard for Todd Phillips to possibly live up to his The Hangover success so soon after it's release. But he could easily have done that with great leads like Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianikis. No such luck though, as some critics have been unashamedly harsh on this film, which leads me to wonder how The Hangover 2 will be.

8. For Colored Girls

32%--Tyler Perry has assembled a fine cast for this adaptation of the 1975 play, and his heart is obviously in the right place, but his fondness for melodrama cheapens a meaningful story.

Remind me never to judge a movie by it's cast or posters again. The cast looks pretty great, and the posters really caught my eye, too. However, by reading some scathing reviews on this one, it looks like Tyler Perry is still incapable of making a good film. And to be perfectly honest, this film just looks like another Precious wannabe.

7. Hereafter

48%--Despite a thought-provoking premise and Clint Eastwood's typical flair as director, Hereafter fails to generate much compelling drama, straddling the line between poignant sentimentality and hokey tedium.

Clint Eastwood is a great director, and Matt Damon is a great actor. The story sounds pretty interesting, too. And hey, it's still out to get Oscars (there are quite a few FYC campaigns for this film on the loose at the moment). It just shows that even the masters can't always make great movies, and Hereafter will probably disappoint. Guess I'll just have to wait and see for myself in February.
(Side note: Is anyone else insanely jealous of Bryce Dallas Howard's hair in that picture? Geez, I want it!)

6. Jonah Hex

13%--Josh Brolin gives it his best shot, but he can't keep the short, unfocused Jonah Hex from collapsing on the screen.

Yeah yeah, it's based on a video game and what not, but I thought Jonah Hex would take. Coz, you know, it has Josh Brolin in it, and he usually picks the right films (apart from that horrid movie W.). It's a western, too, and how often do we see them around? Not often, but when they do come, they are usually pretty good. Oh well, I guess it's just a case of Megan Fox coming to ruin everything.

5. My Soul to Take

9%--Dull, joyless, and formulaic, My Soul to Take suggests writer/director Wes Craven ended his five-year filmmaking hiatus too soon.

I'm not sure that many people saw My Soul to Take, the first film for Wes Craven since the reasonably good Red Eye, and I doubt that we will be getting it here any time soon. It just goes to show that no matter who the director is, a horror movie that is made into 3D for 'extra thrills' will always be a load of crap. And here was me thinking that Wes Craven was better than that.

4. The Bounty Hunter

8%--Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston remain as attractive as ever, but The Bounty Hunter's formula script doesn't know what to do with them -- or the audience's attention.

It seems to me that some of the most highly publicized movies (i.e. set pictures arriving in every womans magazine possible) happen to be the most disappointing. That was certainly the case with The Bounty Hunter, which was given so much publicity thanks to the relationship between Aniston and Butler: the two guiltiest parties of bad comedies. I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't know it was going to be bad enough to garner 8%. After seeing the movie, I can now understand why it deserved that rating.

3. You Again

18%--No consensus.

I don't know what I'm shocked most about: This film passing as a G rated here (I mean, WTF?! Not even a Disney fantasy movie could pass with that rating!), or, that this film only got 18%. Was I the only one that thought the trailer delivered promise? It has Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis in it for Christ's sake! Is there no one who can make a good mainstream comedy these days?

2. Sex and the City 2

16%--Straining under a thin plot stretched to its limit by a bloated running time, Sex and the City 2 adds an unfortunate coda to the long-running HBO series.

I may have been one of the few people who thought the first one was actually pretty good, and one of the few people who thought Sex and the City 2 would get around 50%. Upon seeing the critics savaging and dismissing this film, I was more than surprised. I know that chick flicks aren't usually good, but they usually ain't that bad either. When I saw SATC2, I was less than impressed. It just ruins everything that came before it. Let's hope they don't make another mistake like SATC3. The poor ladies are getting old and too tired to act.

1. The Tourist

20%--The scenery and the stars are undeniably beautiful, but they can't make up for The Tourist's slow, muddled plot, or the lack of chemistry between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

Here is another movie which was heavily publicized, and failed to give. I always knew there was something iffy about it's trailer, but I never expected such a critical uproar over it. If anything, the names Depp and Jolie will sell, but it looks like it was a waste of their talents and the opportunity to have them together in a film. Is it just me, or is Johnny Depp's career rapidly going downhill? Well, it looks like The Tourist might just back that idea up.