The Films and TV of 2010

Let the trumpets play and the virgins cry. I have returned.

I blamed being too busy with my new born son as the reason for not putting together the year end list, but in retrospect that was just a pile of malarkey (yup, I just wrote that…in 2011 I’m bring the word “malarkey” back). Truth is, I was just too lazy, and now that I look back at my past “year end” posts, I can honestly admit I wouldn’t want to read ALL that either (man I wrote A LOT).

Also, this year was easy. Since I started putting these lists together I can’t recall another year where there was a clear-cut #1 film and TV show. Both The Social Network and Breaking Bad were so far ahead of everything else that all the other films and TV shows just fell into place.

So for this year I’m going to keep it simple. Just the lists, with a few scattered comments. No full write-ups on each film and TV show.

Enjoy!

THE TOP 15 FILMS OF 2010 (ranked in order)

1. The Social Network

It’s Fincher’s best and most mature work. Mostly because it’s his most visually restrained film. He forced himself to tell a good story, and as a result brought Sorkin’s screenplay and the actors to the forefront. All of this is complemented and heightened by Trent Reznor and Attis Ross’ foreboding score. The Social Network focuses on a time, a world, and characters which don’t deserve a scripted movie treatment. But The Social Network is like a perfect storm of “film things”, and finds a way to connect with audiences. The film has hints of Citizen Cane, Wall Street, and The Graduate. And like those films, in time it will be thought of as an American Classic.

2. The Fighter

3. 127 Hours

For the vast majority of 127 Hours all the audience sees is James Franco immobilized and struck in one place. And yet, the film is as taught a thriller as I’ve seen in a long time. It’s unheard of in cinema to cut from a subject’s face…to the exact same face, but that’s all director Danny Boyle had. James Franco and a rock. And yet, Boyle found a way to cut from Franco, to Franco, and back to Franco for close to 80 minutes. Boyle was lucky though, he did have James Franco, who goes through almost every emotion possible in this film. It’s a stunning performance. 127 Hours is perfect collaboration between director and actor. Finally, too much has been made about “the scene”. For me, “the moment” is treated with respect and is never played for shock or gore. Boyle carefully uses all his tools as a director (particularly sound design) to constructs the scene to be a maximum release of tension.

4. Inception

5. Toy Story 3

6. The Kings Speech

This is a really nice “feel good” film. As expected the performances are terrific, but it’s Tom Hooper’s direction which makes this film great. As he did with HBO’s John Adams, Hooper has found a way to shoot “period” or “historical” films with a modern day filmmaking eye. He moves the camera, goes hand-held, and uses an array of different lenses. I’m a big fan of this guy and can’t wait to see more from him.

7. Blue Valentine

8. True Grit

9. The Town

Affleck is awesome. I hope he gets the opportunity to keep growing as a writer and director. He has a wealth of talent. The Town gets better every time I see it.

10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

11. Jackass 3D

This is the most fun I had in the theater all year, and is easily the best use of 3D since Avatar. Some of the sequences are damn near cinematic. Steve-O in the Porta-Potty is seriously gorgeous.

12. How to Train Your Dragon

13. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I’m immeasurably disappointed in all of you for not seeing this film in the theater, and thus letting it tank at the BO. Name one other film which was more creative and daring. Edgar Wright is a genius.

14. Easy A

I love Emma Stone. She’s suuuuper talented. Nuf Said.

15. Kick Ass

Honorable Mentions

The A-Team (yes, that one)

The Kids Are All Right

Year End Awards

Actor: James Franco (127 Hours)

Actress: Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Supporting Actress: TIE - Annette Bening & Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right)

Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)

Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network)

Original Screenplay: Lee Unkrich, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3)

Cinematographer: Jeff Cronenweth (The Social Network)

Honorable Mentions

Actor: Mark Whalberg (The Fighter) & Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

Director: David O. Russell (The Fighter) & Danny Boyle (127 Hours)

Supporting Actor: Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)

THE TOP 15 TELEVISION SHOWS OF 2010 (ranked in order)

1. Breaking Bad

I have nothing to add to the praises heaped on Breaking Bad. This show is The Wire worthy for me. When Breaking Bad finally concluded, I’m excited to follow everyone’s career, and will get excited to see them in other shows. I’m still tickled that this show was created by a former X-Files guy.

2. Community

Out of respect for all of you, I’m not going to even get started on Community. Those who know me are well aware that I bleed and sweat my love for this show…plus and I promised to keep this posting simple. I will say this though, my feelings for Community are getting close to Arrested Development levels.

3. Louie

I disagree with those who said the first season of Louie was uneven or meandering. To me, Louie is as close to a perfect show as there is on TV. It’s short (30 min programming slot) and each episode narratively travels on a razor thin line between hilarious comedy and raw drama. When in-season, Louie was always the first show to be watched on the DVR. I can’t wait for season 2.

4. Friday Night Lights

FNL had the toughest task of any show on TV this past season. It had to intorduce new main characters while phasing out old, and dearly beloved ones. And personally, I think they did a great job. The new students at East Dillon High are unique, nuanced, and real as the their predecessors. It also doesn’t hurt to have Coach Taylor and Tammie Taylor still around to anchor the show. I am going to truly miss this little slice of Texas when it’s gone.

5. Sons of Anarchy

6. Terriers

If you thought I was disappointed in you for not seeing Scott Pilgrim in the theater, well…don’t get me started on Terriers. With each passing episode this show became more engrossing. Creator and producer Ted Griffin along with series EP Shawn Ryan rolled out the season’s underlying plot organically. It was a beautifully paced build, which ultimately led to a very fulfilling climax. Terriers also featured the incredible chemistry between the main characters played by Donal Lougue and Michael Raymond-James. Although I am sad this show was cancelled, I’m going to be happy to think back at its thirteen episodes as one of the best mini-series I’d ever seen. Now, if someone could only tell me if they turned left or went straight.

7. Parks and Recreations

8. LOST

I liked the finale. I liked it because it allowed Damon and Carlton to go out the way they wanted. After 6 seasons of a show as detailed and dense as LOST, they deserved as least that. More than this, I think people’s complaints about not having all their questions answered is BS. If you really spend time connecting the dots, there was more revealed than one would think. It just wasn’t “talked about”, but many answers were given and the right connections were made.

9. Fringe

This show finally hit it’s stride with the alternate reality plot. It’s just too bad it happened so late. The show’s about to be moved to the Friday night death slot.

10. Boardwalk Empire

11. Modern Family

12. South Park

13. Party Down

Hey Starz. Are you really bursting at the seams with high quality (semi cheap) original programming to justify taking this show off the air? No? I didn’t think so. Then WTF?

14. Archer

I laughed out loud watching this show, than any other this year. When Archer is funny, it’s really really funny.

15. Justified

Year End Awards

Dramatic Actor: Brian Cranston (Breaking Bad)

Dramatic Actress: Katey Segal (Sons of Anarchy)

Supporting Dramatic Actor: TIE Michael Pitt & Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire)

Supporting Dramatic Actress: Jurnee Smollet (Friday Night Lights)

Comedic Actor: Steve Carrell (The Office)

Comedic Actress: Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreations)

Supporting Comedic Actor: Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreations)

Supporting Comedic Actress: Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope)

Writing Dramatic: Nicholas Griffin (“Asunder” – Terriers)

Writing Comedic: Louis C.K. (“Double Date/Mom” - Louie)

Directing Dramatic: Allison Liddi (“The Son” – Friday Night Lights)

Directing Comedic: Justin Lin (“Modern Warfare” – Community)

Honorable Mentions:

Mini Series: The Pacific

Dramatic Series: Rubicon (Cancelled too soon)

Comedic Series: Cougar Town, Raising Hope, The League

Actor: Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)

Actress: Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)

Supporting Dramatic Actor: Joseph Mazzello (The Pacific) & Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights)

Supporting Comedic Actor: Garret Dillahunt (Raising Hope)

Well...that's it. Short and simple. So until the end of 2011, this is Lieutenant Ripley, the last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off. (click)

August 9, 2010

I'm in pain.

Not just because I spent the whole weekend moving apartments, so my back, knees, and legs are numb. It's mostly due to the fact that as a result of said move, I've not had cable since last Friday night. And Time Warner cable does not hook me up till tomorrow. I'm missing shows and Yankee games man...not cool.

Alas. This brief impediment has not stopped me entirely…nothing…ever...will! (for the full impact of the previously written statement, please read while thinking of the determined voice of Lian Neeson's character in Taken).

THE OTHER GUYS:
How did this movie unseat Inception as the #1 B.O. moneymaker? Because it’s fraking hilarious, that’s why.

As Will Ferrell/Adam McKay movies go, it’s probably is their third funniest (my ranking, #1 Anchorman, #2 Step Brothers, #3 The Other Guys, #4 Talladega Nights), but as a movie (further critiqued on its writing, acting, direction, pacing, etc…), this one is by far their best. And don’t count this fact out. As funny as a movie can be, if all the previously mentioned traits are sub par, the time in between laughs can feel like an eternity.

There are rarely any moments to yawn at in this film. If you’re not laughing, you’re invested in the story. The majority of the credit should be given to McKay, but also to the chemistry between two leads.

Ferrell we know delivers time and again, but I'd like to single out Whalberg here. He literally steals the movie. Yes, he’s funnier than Ferrell. Heaps of praise should be given to Will and McKay who saw Whalberg's potential as a comedic actor. Kudos for casting him, but more so for making the decision to let Whalberg take the comedic lead in most scenes. Thus slotting Ferrell into the second seat. This is not saying that Ferrell isn't funny in the film (one of the funniest moments in the film comes when Will rants on his possibly injuries after almost being blown up), but it’s Whalberg who had the audience rolling in almost every scene.

As an actor, I’ve always been surprised Whalberg. He’s got a strange cadence when delivering his lines, which when placed in the hands of an inept director and/or editor, come off very wooden and almost phony (see Max Payne or Shooter). That said, it’s his intense commitment to every role and every moment which has continually kept me on his bandwagon. It’s this commitment which makes him so brilliant in The Other Guys. He plays every moment as if the film were a straight drama, and when inserted into the McKay/Ferrell this commitment only plays as comedy gold.

Another interesting element is the choice of “bad guy”. Instead of your commonplace cop movie drug dealer or terrorist, The Other Guys went with an evil investment banker (ala Bernie Madoff) who’s after the NYPD pension fund. It’s an inspired choice, and makes the narrative much more interesting.

A few extra thoughts…
- Like most Ferrell/McKay films, the supporting cast is incredible. Eva Mendes and Michal Keaton being the standouts. Mendes is hilariously self-deprecating as Ferrell’s wife. As for Keaton, it should not come as a surprise to say he’s hilarious because for a long while in the 80's the dude was once one of the best comedic performers working (Mr. Mom, Beetle Juice). But he’s been so absent from any form of quality content for so long that he seemed to have been forgotten. I’s it really good to see him kill it once again.
- The end credits of the film are fascinating. The filmmakers put together a bunch of animations chronicling and explaining the recent financial crisis. Make sure to stay till the end…and even after…there’s a great little blooper to cap things off.


RUBICON (AMC, Ep. 1.1 & 1.2 “Gone in the Teeth”/”First Day of School”):
I was finally able to finish not only the first episode, but the second as well. I’m all in on this show. I have no idea what it’s about, but I am loving the ride so far. The show’s restraint is its best quality. There isn’t a ton of dialogue, and when there is, not many words are spoken, but the info delivered is immense (make sense?). The producers give the audience a lot of credit. They expect the viewers to be engaged and active participants in the actions unfolding (shades of The Wire here). I dig the characters, and really dig the way the first two episodes have skillfully begun to peel away the layers of the conspiracy in which the show is centered around. I can’t wait for more.


Now here's some stuff which caught my eye on the web...


SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA (premieres Wednesday, September 15 on CBS)
Yes!!! The new season of Survivor is almost upon us. After an amazing 20th season, the producers have gone back to “unknowns”, but have focused the tension on “Old vs. Young” (I have no idea what constitutes "old" by the way).

I just clicked through the cast, and it looks there are some great contestants this season. Outside of the already leaked and confirmed Jimmy Johnson. Here are my standouts and predictions.

- Jimmy Tarantino (48 year old Commercial Fisherman from Gloucester, Mass): From his photo he just looks awesome. I want him to have a THICK New England accent, and be constantly irritated with the younger Survivors. (Prediction – Makes it to the merge, no further than the final 6)

- Tyrone David (42 year old Fire Captain from Inglewood, CA): Physically, this guy seems to be an older James (he’s jacked). Being a physical threat might get him booted early, but I don’t think so. Firemen usually do well on Survivor, and if Tyrone can make it to the merge, I think he can go on a Tom like run for immunity necklaces. (Prediction – Makes it to the merge, final three).

- Wendy Desmidt-Kohlhoff (48 year old Goat Rancher/Retired Army Officer from Fromberg, Mont): I think she gets voted off in the first 4-5 episodes, but man, she looks like she’s going to be an awesome character.

- Yve Rojas (41 year old Homemaker, from Kansas City, Mo): Soley based on her photo, age, and occupation she my pick to win. She’s a hot mom from the mid west. No one is going to want to vote off their mom, much less a MILF. Probst should just give her the $1,000,000 now.

An extra thought…
I see the producers have found the obligatory skinny, blond, 20 year old nursing student, but where is the skinny, brunette, 20 year old pharmaceutical rep. Come on guys, you’re slipping.

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20354695_20408478,00.html


BLACKSTAR WARRIOR:
Another week, another Star Wars parody. This one is brilliant in concept (Lando Calrissian's own Blaxploitation spin-off movie), and half baked in execution. If you’re a Star Wars fan, it’s worth the 3 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NATeU-r0GDU&feature=player_embedded

Week of August 2, 2010

Frak me! It's been too long droogies. Did you miss me? Because I missed you (which is code for...I missed the exercise of mind vomiting through my fingers onto the interweb...OR...posting my opinions in an effort to have a feeling of self worth...either one...you choose). Why the absence? Well, I could chalk it up to major life changes, but I'm just going to pull my excuse out of the "I'm a lazy ass" bucket.

Regardless, "they" say, "time makes the heart grow fonder". And in my internet abcense I realized how much I really dug this. So I made the decison that I'd like to do it more, and this time around I am going to make every effort to post on a regular basis.

What does that mean? Well, I'm going to try like hell to post at least once a day (or every other day). It's going to be a broad smattering of stuff. From TV shows, to movies, web stuff, and probably some sports. And if I get lukcy, maybe be honored with some "guest" contributors. Basically, the I'm going to be dishing out my opinions on the pop culture I take in on a daily basis. I'll digitally bake everything, and serve it to you in easy to consume pieces.

But before I begin, I want to take a moment to mention one of the primary catalysts aiding me in my decision to start all this up again.

Someone recently been introduced to a blog written by what I can only describe as a "muppet of a fan-boy" (purposeley did not capitalize "muppet" as a formal liking with this guys would be an insult to the real Muppets).

What this dude does is simple, he posts his thoughts on all the TV and movies he sees. His blog consists of short, meandering, brain droppings which are just laughable for anyone plugged into the pop culture zeitgeist. I could go on and on about his sophomoric prose and misguided opinions, but I think the following example sums this fellow's blog up better...

Modern day filmmakers can be split into two types. There's the ones that go to film school to study visual composition, visual language, lighting, editing, and film theory. Then there are "film fans" who go to Best Buy and purchase a camera and feel like they can make a movies based on their self proclaimed vast knowledge of the form. It's Little Miss Sunshine coming out of Sundance vs. Joe Nobody's film being released for free on Youtbe after it wastes too many people's time at 4th rate film festivals and private screenings. It's a Spike Jonze film vs. a Brett Ratner film. The faux film geek in question is Ratner, his posts can only be viewed as comically absurd. (NO...I am not linking to his blog)

So after reading his shit (and I mean "shit" as in what comes out of a dogs ass, and not like, "Hey, I heard the new Eminem album. I dig his shit."), I, like any self absorbed 30-somthing in this digital age, figured I could do better. So here I am, typing away. I'm back bitches. And oddly enough, I guess I owe this douche nozzle a "thanks". So thanks for sucking buddy.

Now, enough about me...let's talk about the consumed content.


PREDATORS:
(Note: I am a little ashamed this is the first film being covered in my return blog...but it's the freshest...I did see it Tuesday night) Simply put, Predators is a missed opportunity. It had all the makings of a great summer cheese and blood fest. But in realirt, it's a film about a bunch of boring people walking through a jungle.

There’s barely any Predator action. For a 120 minute movie, I’d say the characters squared off with the Predators for maybe 30/35 minutes…total. What makes this film all the more disapointing is that it starts out great. The tone is set quickly, mostly due to the actors (including Academy Award winner Adrien Brody) delivering spot on retro-80's dialogue with conviction...

"Where are you going?"

"That way."

"Why?"

"So I can find out who dropped me out of a plan, and to get off this fucking rock!"

But then...oh, but then...the characters take s quick trip to Boring Town.

With each passing moment, the yawning quotient increases. The best thing I can say about Predators that it knows and respects where it came from. Of all the Predator sequels and spin-offs, this is the only one which pays the proper respect to the 1987 classic (it even has a nice homage to Arnold’s classic “Kill me now…I’m right here…DO IT!” moment). In short, this film has a lot of walking and talking, and not enough action, killing, and cheese.


RESCUE ME (FX, Ep. 6.6 “Sanctuary”):
The brilliance of Rescue Me is its ability to seamlessly transition from comedy to drama (and vice versa) in not only a single scene, but sometimes in a single line. The characters are so nuanced and truly feel like they exist in the Recue Me world.

After a subpar season five, Rescue Me returned to form with an amazing season six (so far). This season is about redemption and transition. As a result, the uber-dysfunctional and “I don’t know how their alive” alcoholic Gavin clan have been brought to the forefront of every episode’s “A” plot line.

This past week's “Sanctuary” was a rock solid follow up to last week’s “Blackout”. The narrative decision to turn Colleen into a drunk has been paying off in a big way. It's allowed the show to explore Tommy’s psyche from yet another angle. It’s been a long time coming for Tommy to see the err of his ways manifested in his offspring.

As a long time viewer of this show, I’ve come to understand that when the Rescue Me writers hit a dark patch with a character, they don’t just explore it, they keep digging until they hit the real pain. I am truly excited to see where this season goes.

A few extra thoughts…
- Rescue Me has one of the best ensemble casts on TV, and the scenes with the “guys” have been particularly good this season. It’s clear all the actors relish these scenes. They are so comfortable with each other, they know each other’s rhythms, and always find different ways to land a joke. The stand outs, as always, are John Scurti as Kenny/Lou and and Steven Pasquale as Sean. I don’t know if either of these guys will ever “break out”, but I can assure you that when this show is off the air, and I see either of these two guys in something else, I am going to react with the same excited as when I see actors/actresses from The Wire.
- If I had one complaint for season six it would be the little use of the super talented Callie Thorne's Sheila character. The only saving grace of last season was the fact that the writers gave her and Denis Leary one amazing…and I mean kick ass…no, I mean fucking the best shit ever…scene every week. These scenes were usually centered around a monologue for Thorne. And each week she killed it. In the season five episode titled “Sheila”, Thorne deilvers a six and a half minute monologue in which her characters recounts the day her husband (the firefighter) died at Ground Zero. It's a six and a half minute scsne, one shot, no cuts, just Thorne’s face. And through her pauses, tone of voice, and facial expressions, she delicers (in my opinion) one of best acted moments ever on TV. If I could create a spin off show after Rescue Me ends, I’d want to just do a bunch of unseen Sheila and Tommy moments from years past. I have the biggest acting crush on her. I need me some more Sheila.


LOUIE (FX, Ep. 1.7 “Double Date/Mom”):
This show is fantastic. Highlight of summer TV. If you’re not watching it…start immediately. If you think it’s too far gone, download all the episodes off iTunes. And if you just don’t have any interest…well, screw you, you’re dumb and we’re not friends.

It goes without saying the brilliance behind this show is its creator, main actor, writer, director, and editor Louis C.K. (yes…he does hold all those positions for almost EVERY EPISODE). For a long while C.K. has been the guy behind the guy. He was Chris Rock’s head writer for over a decade, and in certain circles is considered to be the finest live stand up performer working. With Louie, which is a mix of C.K.’s live standup pinned to correlating scripted narrative scenes, C.K. is able to shine the spotlight on himself and his truly unique sense of humor.

Like Rescue Me, Louie is able to effortlessly walks the line between humor and drama. As funny as this show is, the stand out moment every week is usually a single scene which can only be descibed as comically melancholy. This past week’s episode titled “Double Date/Mom”, contained two such moments. First, when Louie’s self-centered and distant mother informs him that she's a lesbian in a restaurant, and Louie follow up with a rant about how he never loved her.

The second moment comes at the end of the episode when Louie’s brother (played wonderfully by comedian Robert Kelly) begs his mom to tell him she loves him in public. And the mom’s reaction is simply, “I will not be bullied into doing something I don’t want to do.”

These moments are gut wrenchingly entertaining. They're brilliantly conceived and executed by C.K. The man does not hold back, and kudos to FX for giving him a platform to express himself without barriers. I’m thrilled it’s been picked up for a second season. I can’t wait for more.

An extra thought…
- If you do choose to try this show, the strongest episodes are “So old/Playdate”, “Travel day/South”, and “Heckler/Cop Movie”.


BURN NOTICE (USA, Ep. 4.9 “Center of the Storm”):
I’ve really been enjoying season 4 of BN. The subplot of Michael helping another burned spy get his life back (while not letting said burned spy find out that Michael was the reason for his “burning”) has been lots of fun.

I was originally interested in BN for one reason…Bruce Fucking Campbell is in it. And as much as Ash delivers week-in and week-out, I’ve truly become attached to all the characters on the show. This season, the show's creator and show runner Matt Nix, has allowed the characters overarching narratives to dictate the plots. Where in past seasons it seemed the writer were just throwing Michael, Fiona, Maddy, and Sam into whatever mess sounded fun.

With “Center of the Storm” the show took a nice step forward to reintroducing the evil genius/mastermind character of Simon. This gets me giddy. Simon is played by one of my all time favorite TV character actors named Garret Dilahunt. Dilahunt’s “that guy”. You’ve seen him in a ton of stuff, but you never knew what his name was. I can’t wait for the his return.

An extra thought…
- The news out of Comic Con was that during the show’s hiatus the producers are going to shoot a one-off movie about Bruce Campbell’s character Sam’s last days in the Navy Seals. My geek meter nearly exploded when I heard this. When plotting out this movie, I only ask one thing of the producers…can Campbell pick up a chainsaw once…just once. Please!!!


RUBICON (AMC, Ep. 1.1 “Gone in the Teeth”):
I can’t say much here as I am only half way through the first episode. That said, I am really liking what I’m seeing. Great cast, led by James Badge Dale (who was excellent as Lucky in HBO’s The Pacific). I love shows shot in NYC with gritty, muddled, visuals. The great TV director Allen Coulter helped the first episode (mostly know for his work on The Sopranos…but is also one of the directors on the upcoming Scorsese/HBO series Boardwalk Empire). I’m digging this show’s Three Days of the Condor/Da Vinci Code vibe. This seems like a show I’ll be sticking with for some time. Further thoughts as I ingest more.


Now here's some stuff which caught my eye on the web...

THE KNIFE SHOW (webshort)
One of the perks that comes with a new Will Ferrell movie is his unmitigated commitment to promotion (if you didn’t know, Ferrell has The Other Guys opening today).

To me if he's got a project to promote, Ferrell will go anywhere and do almost anything in an effort to build awareness. But Will doesn’t just show up, sit on a couch and answer questions. He usually has a plan, a skit, a bit, a song...something which makes his appearance unique.

Now these bits don’t always work (i.e. Ferrell went on Letterman this past week and did his own rendition of Send in the Clowns…not funny). Regardless, it’s always made clear that whatever he’s doing, he’s having fun. And if you like Will, it’s fun just to watch him have fun. I think it’s all great, god bless the guy.

Here’s one of the bits which worked from this week…

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/08/05/the-other-guys-will-ferrell-mark-wahlberg-knife-show/


JACKASS 3D TRAILER:
Jackass is one of my all time favorite TV shows, and the two films are some of the most fun I've had in the theater. I've always felt there was something "else" going on with everything Knoxville and the gang did. Something self-aware and intelligently subversive. So I can't wait to see what they do in 3D. I just hope I don’t vomit.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=106118900#pm_cmp=vid_OEV_P_P


CATFISH TRAILER:
I missed this film at Sundance, but hear it's pretty pretty pretty awesome. I know nothing about it, other than what I've learned from the below trailer. After screening, I am genuinely excited to see this film.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/universal/catfish/


A Kick Ass Video About Lightsabers (webshort)
Do I have to say more...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ey3g6BmuTI&feature=player_embedded


Well, that's it for now my Droogies. Till Monday ya'll. Have a great weekend everyone.

This is Lt. Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo signing off.

2009 Mid Year Report (sort of)

It’s now June, and as I have clearly not kept my New Years promise to post more regularly (and I think the only person who cared about that promise was me). So I figured having some free time on my most recent vacation, why not put finger(s) to key pad and work up a mid-year (kind of) mass catch up.

And as the announcement of the 2009 Emmy nominations are just around the corner, I figured, why not shuffles things up a bit and talk a little TV. Thus, as I do so diligently with movies, I have provided a list of my Emmy nominations (if I were ever so lucky enough to vote), and a few final thoughts before I close the book on the 2008 – 2009 TV.

But that’s not all my wonderful Droogies…I would be remiss if I didn’t chat flicks. So as a special bonus, I’ve done a quick overview of the Sping/Summer movies thus far.

But first up…

TV

With the 2008 – 2009 TV season we were introduced to some really promising new shows (Fringe, United States of Tara, East Bound and Down, Sons of Anarchy, and Better off Ted), and bid farewell to some old friends. Some said good bye on their own terms (The Shield and Battlestar Galactica) and some were taken away from much us too soon (Pushing Daisies, The Unit, and Life). And despite all signs pointing to the contrary, some show even found their way back to us (Friday Night Lights and Scrubs).

And unlike past years, when I open my little black notebook and look back at everything I watched in 2008 - 2009 I am comforted. Comforted in the fact that through all the muck that is lazy, uninspired, mind-gum TV (you know who you are Jon and Kate plus 8), some inspired content was made by some truly talented folks. And by made I mean, written, directed, acted, etc...

Now, I am not a hater of what has come to be known as reality TV. There are some interesting programs which label themselves as such (Survivor and Whale Wars being the ones still on the air). I, however, take offence too all the other shows which are basically video versions of US Weekly, Star Magazine, and The National Enquirer.

Right here, right now, I would like to take the “reality show” moniker and shatter it. Shows which actually make an effort to capture and present the human condition (30 Days, Long Way Round, Whale Wars) from this day forth should be referred to as “Docu Programming”. And anything produced by Bunim-Murray Productions (The Real World, The Duel, etc…) or any company which resembles 51 Minds Entertainment (Rock of Love, I Love New York, etc…) should be branded with big scarlet letters as “P.R. TV”.

“P.R.” having duel meanings. The first is obvious because anyone going on these shows is clearly operating under the assumption that any PR is good PR, and is undoubtedly most interested in making a name for themselves. And in it’s alternate definition, “P.R.” should be stand for “Pseudo Reality” because that is exactly what it is…simulated. It’s a bunch of self-centered delusional people thinking they are important because someone decided to point a camera at them.

Here in P.R. TV world there is an unfortunate inclination permeating the hoards of producers and studio executive to develop shows that are cheap, but have high returns. And between Satellite, Cable, and Fios having a gazillion channels looking to fill time at a reasonable price, the really good work is unfortunately being buried under the heap of cheaply made, cheap looking, and lazy P.R. TV.

And my dear Droogie Droogs, I am sorry to say that we are all to blame. WE, the audience watching all this “P.R. TV” are the reasons primetime on NBC now concludes at 10:00 PM. ER, LA Law, Miami Vice, these were all 10:00 PM shows on NBC, and are no considered TV classics…yes classics. But no more…now it’s Douche Bag Leno, his organ grinder and dancing monkey.

I am an unapologetic supporter and advocate for scripted programming. I don’t think capturing Paris’ Hilton’s latest quest to find a friend is on the same creative plane as figuring out the narrative complexities for an episode of Lost (even a sub par episode of Lost). I still consider writing and directing an art form, but in televisions current state where content is just produced and thrown out to a public who consumes it as fast as they forget it, really talented people are turning their back on their creativity and hence embracing the easy buck.

There are just too many outlets, too much content, and no proven or safe way for the quality “stuff” to separate itself from the pack. It’s gotten so bad that the great Joss Wheadon had to independently produce and independently release Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. And only because Joss leveraged his name did this (now incredibly successful) short film get seen.

And it doesn’t help that high quality and popular shows, which respected their audience’s intellegence like The Shield, The Wire, and Battlestar Galactica are going off the air. Well I say frack that Starbuck. Just take a look at my Emmy nominations below, there’s a lot of great stuff being produced, and it is up to us to make sure it gets noticed.

To quote my man Fox Mulder, “The truth is out there Scully.” We just need to wade through the mess to find it.

Outstanding Drama Series
1. The Shield
2. Friday Night Lights
3. House
4. Lost
5. Big Love (My Winner)
6. Rescue Me

Outstanding Comedy Series
1. The Office (My Winner)
2. Pushing Daisies
3. Californiacation
4. 30 Rock
5. South Park
6. United States of Tara

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
1. Kyle Chandler – Friday Night Lights (My Winner)
2. Hugh Laurie – House M.D.
3. Denis Leary – Rescue Me
4. Michael Chiklis – The Shield
5. Damien Lewis - Life
6. Bill Paxton – Big Love

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
1. Steve Carell – The Office (My Winner)
2. David Duchovny - Californication
3. Jeffrey Donovan – Burn Notice
4. Danny McBride – East Bound and Down
5. Lee Pace – Pushing Daisies
6. John Krasinski – The Office

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
1. Connie Britton – Friday Night Lights (My Winner)
2. January Jones – Mad Men
3. Cherry Jones - 24
4. Katy Segal – Sons of Anarchy
5. Mary McDonnell – Battlestar Galactica
6. Regina Taylor – The Unit

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
1. Tina Fey – 30 Rock
2. Anna Friel – Pushing Daisies
3. Jenna Fischer – The Office
4. Toni Collete – The United States of Tara (My Winner)
5. Natascha McElhone - Californication
6. Katlin Olsen – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
1. Walton Goggins – The Shield
2. Robert Sean Leonard – House M.D.
3. John Noble - Fringe
4. Michael Emmerson – Lost (My Winner)
5. Terry O’Quinn - Lost
6. Max Martini – The Unit

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
1. Ray Wise - Reaper
2. Chi McBride – Pushing Daisies
3. Steve Little – East Bound and Down
4. John Corbett – United States of Tara
5. Rainn Wilson – The Office (My Winner)
6. Callum Keith Rennie - Californiacation

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
1. Ginnifer Goodwin – Big Love
2. Chloe Sevigny – Big Love
3. Jeanne Tripplehorn – Big Love
4. CCH Pounder – The Shield (My Winner)
5. Callie Thorn – Rescue Me
6. Michelle Hicks – The Shield

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
1. Kristin Chenoweth – Pushing Daisies (My Winner)
2. Andrea Anders – Better off Ted
3. Rosemarie DeWitt – United States of Tara
4. Jane Krakowski – 30 Rock
5. Mindy Kaling – The Office
6. Madeleine Martin - Californiacation

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
1. Michael Rymer – Battlestar Galactica (episode “Daybreak” pt. 1 & pt. 2)
2. Paul Edwards – Lost (episode “The Variable”)
3. Dan Attias – Big Love (episode “Come, Ye Saints”) (My Winner)
4. Michael Waxman – Friday Night Lights (episode “Hello, Goodbye”)
5. Greg Yaitanes – House M.D. (episode “Simple Explanation”)
6. Peter Tolan – Rescue Me (episode “Iceman”)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
1. Bill Lawrence – Scrubs (episode “My Finale pt. 1 & pt. 2”)
2. David Rogers – The Office (episode “Employee Transfer”) (My Winner)
3. Steve Carell – The Office (episode “Broke”)
4. David Gordon Green – Eastbound and Down (episode “Chapter 4”)
5. Beth McCarthy – 30 Rock (episode “Reunion”)
6. Lawrence Trilling – Pushing Daisies (episode “Circus, Circus”)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
1. Doris Egan – House M.D. (episode “Both Sides Now”)
2. Jane Epenson – Battlestar Galactica (episode “Deadlock”)
3. Kerry Ehrin – Friday Night Lights (episode “New York, New York”)
4. Melanie Marnich – Big Love (episode “Come, Ye Saints”) (My Winner)
5. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz – Lost (episode “The Variable”)
6. Denis Leary, Evan Reilly, and Peter Tolan – Rescue Me (“Sheila”)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
1. Mind Kaling – The Office (episode “Golden Ticket”) (My Winner)
2. Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky – The Office (episode “New Boss”)
3. Trey Parker and Matt Stone – South Park (episode “Fishsticks”)
4. Chad Gomez Creasey & Dara Resnick Creasey – Pushing Daisies (episode “The Legend of Merle McQuoddy”)
5. Tina Fey – 30 Rock (episode “The Reunion”)
6. Bill Lawrence – Scrubs (episode “My Finale pt. 1 & pt. 2”)

Now, before I wrap this section, I just want to throw out a few more thoughts…

1. For those who know me, there are very few shows I love more than Lost. So it comes as no surprise when I say that I thought it was absolutely brilliant. I understand that I am in the minority here, but for me the time traveling raised the dramatic stakes, and deepened the themes of destiny and mortality for the show. I’ve heard a lot of folks complain that all the sci-fi moved the show’s focus away from the characters. I disagree, Team Darolton gave us four hearty seasons of character development, and in season 5 they asked us to apply everything we’ve learned to highten our appreciate of the current storyline. On a narrative arc diagram Season 5 of Lost was the denumont. I am in utter awe of Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, Lost is the most thoroughly constructed and produced show – everything means something. The show constantly challenges the viewers, and clearly does not treat them like passive viewers. Other than the brilliant and gone-to-soon The Wire, Lost is the pinnacle of TV programming. I am just saddened by the fact that we only get one more season. (Side note…I guarantee The Man in Black is the Smokey, and he/it is behind everything that has happened on and off the island, but what he did not expect is that Jacob was always one step - and touch - ahead of him. Bring on Season 6!!!)

2. On a similar note…As much as I love the guy, JJ Abrams has to STOP incorporating time travel and alternate realities into his content. In 2008 – 2009 all three of his projects contained this devise. On TV it poked its head out on Lost and Fringe, and then on the big screen in his Star Trek film. JJ, it’s enough already, we love you, but find another dramatic …I am sick and tired of explaining to my wife and mother what they just saw by drawing the same Back to the Future 2 Doc Brown alternate 1985 timeline. May I suggest zombies…everybody loves zombies.

3. No matter how far people go up the backside of 30 Rock, there is no doubt in my mind that The Office is still the funniest show on TV. Why? Because it’s never turned it’s back on what made it great. 30 Rock made the awful mistake of doing high concept shows with big guests for the first half of this past season, and the shows suffered. Tina Fey, my advice to you is to keep the action in the studio…you named the show 30 Rock after all. The Office rarely ever leaves “the office” and when they do it’s for work. (Btw…neither show holds a candle to Arrested Development…Viva la Bluths…and when the hell am I going to get my AD movie?)

4. It is so sad that Pushing Daisies is gone. Brian Fuller created a real gem with this show and I truly believe that if the writers strike hadn’t cut the 2008 TV season short, PD would have built a more than solid audience to keep it around. Such a shame.

5. I am really going to miss The Shield and Battlestar Galactica. Starting in 1999 with the Sopranos TV has seen a decade of high quality programming which rivaled the best stuff released in theaters. Over time, the last 10/11 years of TV will be looked upon the way 1907’s American Cinema was…as a revolution. A time when shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, House, Lost, Mad Men, BSG, and The Shield, brought a certain “filmic” quality into people’s households.

6. Kanye West like fish sticks. (And if you got that reference then you and I are cool for life!)

SPRING SUMMER MOVIES

Before I bit you all a fond Adu, I want to quickly touch on the Spring/Summer movies…what’s been good, what’s been fracking awful, and what’s coming up.

I don’t want to go into too much detail here as there’s been a whole lot of reading already, but I figure a once over of the 2009 Spring/Summer flicks (thus far) is innocuous enough.

- State of Play –I give this film a lot of credit for trying to pick up and run with the “political thriller” torch left behind by the great Alan J. Pakula (All the Presidents Men, The Parallax View, and the Pelican Brief). And in many respects, this film is a success. It’s a good movie, which I think a lot of people will like. Too bad nobody saw it in the theater.

- Observe and Report – I went into this film totally bought into the hype that this was a movie which pushed the envelope, contained mean spirited humor, and was unapologetic to anyone it offended. I walked out upset. Upset at a wasted opportunity, the film does contain all the ingredients to make the previously mentioned statements true, but the filmmakers never went far enough. As a result, this is an entirely unremarkable and unmemorable “blah” comedy.

- I Love You Man – Funnier than expected. I laughed out loud. I am not the biggest fan of Jason Segal, but Paul Rudd and the supporting cast really make this a half-way decent comedy.

- Fast and Furious – I am a fan of these films, if only for the always interesting style over substance visuals and booming soundtrack. FF 4 was definitely the second best in the series. A fun, and mindless, hour and a half in the theater.

- X Men Origins: Wolverine – Oh boy, what a wasted opportunity. There is a very disconcerting trend seeping into mainstream films these days, and this summer Wolverine is just “Exhibit A”. Too many films this summer have started off (relatively strong), with a strong concept and an interesting basic premise, but ultimately disregarding it all for pointless, long, drawn out action sequences. There’s no journey, no dramatic peaks or valleys, just snazzy camera work, and special effects. And what’s worse is that the people working on and ultimately promoting these films try to pass them off as high quality projects. Always saying something like, “Well, after The Dark Knight, we knew we could finally make this film. It’s heavy. It’s dark.” And as consumers, we’re supposed to eat this up, and think, “OOOOOHHH, you’re edgy, and mature.” If it looks like shit, smells like shit, and tastes like shit…it’s proabaly shit. The only difference is that this shit is hiding behind a $70,000,000 marketing budget. Honestly, at least FF 4 knew what it was, and didn’t take itself seriously. Such a disappointment, Weapon X deserved more.

- Star Trek – Fun and Awesome. JJ Abrams showed promise as a visualist and storyteller with Mission Impossible III, but unfortunately that films was a muddles mess. Well, he did his homework, and really came into his own with Star Trek. JJ was not only able to tell an intricate story clearly, but more impressive is the fact that he was able to distance HIS Star Trek from the deep seeded “geekdom” of the previous incarnations. Ultimatley making is it semi-cool again. Plus, the film was in-fucking-credible in IMAX.

- Angels and Demons – Here’s the good, A&D is WAY better than the DaVinci Code film. The bad, in movie form, the narrative of A&D is absolutely ridiculous, and at points laughable. The two best elements of the film are Hans Zimmer’s score, and the fact that Ewan McGregor is so deliciously over the top cheesy, he practically plays his role as if it were a comedy. This is a good Saturday night, nothing going on, oh look A&D is on movies on demand rental. Don’t pay the $10.

- Terminator: Salvation – If Wolverine was “Exhibit A” for the aforementioned and unfortunate trend this summer, Terminator is “Exhibit B”, and in many ways even worse than Wolverine (seriously, I would like to apply everything I wrote in the Wolverine section here as well). The premise, on paper, for the new Terminator is actually very good, the script is not that bad, and lord knows they got solid actors …but boy did they frack themselves when they hired McG to direct this film. It’s not every often one walks out of a theater and can clearly blame the shortcomings of a film on the director. Usually a bad film is made up of a combination of things, but man-oh-man…did McG just disregard his story and just visually masturbate on screen.

(Personal Note to McG - I only have room in my heart for one noisy robot film this summer, and Transformers 2 already made a reservation. At least Michael Bay has come to grips with the fact that he’s all style and no substance. You on the other hand ask us, the paying public, to take you and your film seriously. Why because you think it follows in the tradition of James Cameron. Dude, you are no James Cameron, no wonder Christian Bale lost his shit on the set, I would too. Please stop making movies. Go away, and leave us alone.)

- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – “Exhibit C”. The first film was a clever little adventure, and a surprisingly entertaining movie for both kids and adults. It was more mature than most “kids movies”, and did not pander (too much) to a younger crowd. But this new smoldering pile of vomit was clearly just a paycheck for all those involved. And he fact that is was written by Thomas Lennon and Ben Garrant from The State, just kills me. Please disregard this film, and try to forget it was ever made.

- Drag Me to Hell – I am not going to go into the history or details of my pure unadulterated love for Sam Raimi (for those of you who work with me, that obsession is now a thing of office legend). But to talk about this movie is to talk about Raimi’s brilliance. Raimi is the only (and I mean only) director can make an audience scream with terror and a second later have them screaming with laughter. My experience with Drag Me to Hell was what I was hoping for from last summer’s Indy 4. I wanted to go into a theater and feel like I did when I first saw Indy crack a whip as a kid. Unfortunately all I got was Indy hiding in a refrigerator. With Drag Me to Hell, I was pleasantly reminded of what it was like when I saw Evil Dead 2 or Army of Darkness for the first time; and in turn reminded why I fell in love with Raimi in the first place. As much as I’ve enjoyed his first two Spiderman films, it’s clear Sam’s truly imaginative technical skills were laying dormant throughout those productions (minus the 4 minute “Doc Ock wakes up in the hospital” sequence). But Drag Me to Hell Raimi brings those skills out in full force, and just purges the horror and funny on the screen. The film just screams, figuratively and literally, “Come get some!”

- Up – When PIXAR releases a films it’s almost a given that many reviews will contain the phrase, “PIXAR’s Best”. It’s true, their films do keep getting better, but is one really better than another. They are all so different. In my opinion, Up is not PIXAR’s best (I still think it’s a tie between Wall E and The Incredibles), but this is not to say it’s a bad film. Up is a marvelous film, it’s a wonderfully heartwarming and fulfilling movie. The one thing that does separate Up from the other PIXAR films is that it’s by far their most mature; in subject matter and execution. Regardless, Up is a film everyone should see.

- Monsters vs. Aliens – Funny but forgettable. Great voice casting, but that only goes so far. Compared to Up, MvA is a Saturday morning cartoon.

- Land of the Lost – Don’t believe everything you hear, Land of the Lost is not that bad. In fact there are some seriously funny moments. What amazes me most about this film is that I have not heard more complaints about it’s PG-13 rating. This film could easily have been an R, there is some seriously raunchy and mature stuff in there. If you live Ferrell and McBride, make sure to rent this film. You won’t be disappointed.

- The Hangover – Not the best made film, but not many great comedies are. Take a good look at Airplane!, the production is pretty amateurish. That said, like Airplane! when the Hangover is funny…it’s fracking gut busting funny. This is a perfect summer comedy which will no doubt launch its three leads to stardom. What’s more Warner Brothers were smart enough to know they had gold in their hands and have already green-lit a sequel, so more Hangover funny is coming soon.

- Taking of Pelham 123 – I am still surprised that I liked this movie. Wait let me rephrase, I really really really liked this movie. I did not have a lot of faith walking in as this flick was a remake of a film that I didn’t think needed remaking. But at its core, this current incarnation of Pelham is a throwback to the summers when films like Crimson Tide, Cliffhanger, and The Rock were released. For some reason those films took great care in making sure the audience was told an interesting and engaging story. They films had no misconceptions about what they were, and they didn’t think they were going to win any awards. They were made to be pure fun, and for this reason actors, real actors, like Gene Hackman, Sean Connery, John Lithgow all came aboard. This Pelham has a snappy screenplay by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential), and the reunion of Denzel with director Tony Scott (Crimson Tide). But what makes this film truly shine is the larger than life performance of John Travolta. Back in the bad guy role which he so amazingly played in John Woo’s Broken Arrow and Face/Off. I recommend this film to anyone and everyone, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Biggest surprise of the summer for me.

- Whatever Works – Best Woody Allen comedy in 9 years (I am one of the few who really liked Small Time Crooks). My first reaction to Whatever Works is that it felt like a script he’d unearthed from the 70’s, and guess what…it is. This is vintage Woody.


COMING SOON

- Away We Go – The new (comedic) Sam Mendes film. Written by David Eggers, and starting Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski (by the way…I think Mr. Krasinski is making some very interesting, and good career choices. Watch out for this guy)
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdqpX9fc6hM)

- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – It’s Bay-hem baby! Nuff said. Bring Tylenol, headache guaronteed.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_Veo0G2qfY)

- Year One – To me, this is the biggest risk of the summer. Will audiences want to see a comedic film about the bible? Probably not. As good as they are, you can’t just sell this film on Jack Black and Michael Cera. It better be hilarious if it’s going to have a shot.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTNBwIAY9Zo)

- Funny People – Judd Apatow’s third film. I’m in. I just hope he keeps it under 2 hours (his films are LONG), but the rumor is he hasn’t. Uggg.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24VVnvrjI8w)

- Public Enemies – Johnny Depp as Dillinger…I’m in! Oh wait, Christian Bale is in it also, and it’s directed by Michael Mann. Joy-gasm!
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uclFxBFbAQ)

- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – Best book in the series, and with David Yates back as director, it has the potential to be the best film.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4GsxcRiGuc)

- Bruno – Sacha Baron Coen up to no good is totally worth the price of admission. Plus he tea bagged Eminem.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idV1iZkEoYM)

- G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra – I don’t say this often, so savor this folks…I will not see this film. The trailer alone makes me mad. I wish for Stephen Sommers and McG to pull a Thelma and Louise for my birthday this year.
(I will not even share the trailer…if you want to see this shit, you find it on your own)

- Julie and Julia – Just nominate Steep and Adams again. I don’t even need to see the film, but I will.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvJHsJD8ic&feature=fvst)

- District 9 – Best trailer of the summer. Creepy as hell. I am very intrigued. Can’t wait to see the final product
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZnpzfcMheA)

- Inglorious Basterds – Quentin is one of the few directors I will follow anywhere. In its most traditional sense, he is a true Auteurs. And if these three words don’t get you interested then nothing will…Tarantino, Nazis, Revenge. Bring it on Quentin.
(Trialer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sQhTVz5IjQ)

- Taking Woodstock – Ang Lee’s new film. Some people would be excited about that. I’m not. It’ll probably be great though, and I’ll probably be pissed when I wind up loving it. Ang Lee is turning into Ron Howard for me, all he does is make films he thinks will win awards. So sad.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Iq8z2WDbKo)

- The Time Traveler’s Wife – I don’t know much about this film outside of the fact that it’s based on a book a lot of people really dig, and it stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. So I guess the one thing I can tell you if that it has a really good looking cast.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu8lYr0kf7g)

- The Boat That Rocked – From the team who brought us the underrated and sadly forgotten Love Actually, comes this dramedy about Britain’s most famous pirate radio station. The film has an unbelievable cast, featuring the likes of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans, and Kenneth Branagh, this film is set up to be the “feel good” flick of the summer.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnQc3lO4JDs)

- Extract – Lot of folks say that Mike Judge is never going to top Office Space. I disagree. I think Judge looks at the human condition in a very unique way, and as a result I believe he has another few more great flicks in him. And with Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, JK Simmons, and Kristen Wiig, Extract looks like Judge is going to have another solid outing.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzJI08YUNik)

- The Cove – The talk of Sundance 09’, and what looks like hard core doc filmmaking. Great stuff.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQhfw5U7Ahc)

- Jennifer’s Body – Diablo Cody’s first produced script since Juno. Will is be good? Will it have a hamburger phone in it? All we know about this film is that Megan Fox gets naked. Not off to a good start.
(No trailer available)

- The Invention of Lying – Ricky Gervais’ first directorial effort, about, well…The Invention of Lying. Ummm. Hell Yes!
(No trailer available)

- Shutter Island – Martin Scorcese’s return to the B movie thriller genre. Last time he did this we got Cape Fear, so expectations are high. Is it me or does this film have a has a strange Black Narcissis feel to it? Which is odd since Marty’s editor (the legendary Thelma Schoonmaker) was married to the director of that film. Oh, and Leo’s back…of course.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wWCQyHczx4)

- Toy Story 3D – Upon it’s release PIXAR will be 11 for 11. This is a sure fire hit.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXJEDUainX4)

- The Informant – This film has been labeled a comedy, crime, drama, thriller. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and staring Matt Damon (who gained 40 pounds for the role), this film is about the U.S. government deciding to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusations. Sounds interesting to me.
(No trailer available)

- Couples Retreat – Written by Jon Faveau and produced by Vince Vaughn, this comedy centers around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. Also stars Jason Bateman. Could be some funny in there.
(No trailer available)

- The Road – This post apocalyptic thriller staring Viggo Mortensen from a novel by No Country for Old Men’s Cormac McCarthy was supposed to be a major Oscar contender last year, but for reasons unknown it was held for Oscar consideration this year. It don’t matter to me, the trailer looks great. I can’t wait to see this thing.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHYZ7xDyBEw)

- Where the Wild Things Are – This film can’t come soon enough. Off set and editing turmoil is now a thing of Hollywood legend (supposedly in the first test screening every child in the theater was either crying from fright or sadness…and of course the studio freaked). The good news is, what we will ultimately see if Spike Jonze’s vision. And after such imaginative gems as Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, I am sure we’re all in for a treat here.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NOkQ4dYVaM)

- Sherlock Holmes – Guy Ritchie’s hyper kinetic camera work, Robert Downey Jr. with a British accent and nude, Jude Law being sarcastically English, and Rachel McAdams in a corset. Sounds like fun to me.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQbmFAE5WI)

- The Box – Richard Kelly made Donnie Darko and everyone flipped. I was one of the few who thought that film was way overrated (and his follow up Southland Tales barely made it to the screen). Regardless, Kelly has grown a cult like following so it would be silly not to mention his new movie. At least it has James Marsden in it. I like him.
(No trailer available)

- The Wolf Man – I can’t wait for this film. The intense method acting of Benico Del Torro as the wolfman in Rick Baker makeup combined with the fact they set the film in its traditional turn of the century England. Huge risk, but for me…oh boy…gimme gimme gimme.
(No trailer available)

- A Christmas Carol – Robert Zemeckis’ once again decides that traditional filmmaking is stupid and opts to create a weird and amateurish motion capture digital world for his reimagining of this classic tale (Bob…The Polar Express and Beowulf sucked…real people, real sets…they just work better). The only glimmer of hope is that not only is Jim Carrey playing Scrooge, he’s also playing all the Ghosts. That’s pretty cool.
(No trailer available)

- 2012 – Guess what this film is about? Here’s a clue, it’s from the director of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. Yup, you guessed it – the world coming to an end in the year 2012. Now here’s the weird part, it stars John Cusack. Huh?
(No trailer available)

- Fantastic Mr. Fox – Wes Anderson (Rushmore and The Royal Tennenbaums) has been working on this stop motion Roald Dahl film for 5 years, and I for one and truly curious what the final flick is going to look like. Let’s just hope it’s better than The Darjeeling Limited.
(No trailer available)

- Nine – Oscar winning director Rob Marshall (Chicago) returns to the musical with the screen version of one of Broadway’s most beloved plays. The “Nine” refers to the nine women a stressed out film director (modeled after Fellini) must find harmony with. Interested? Well, the legendary Daniel Day Lewis plays the lead role…so yeah, he sings and dances. Now I KNOW you’re interested.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkNP0kbRrAE)

- 9 – Yup, there’s another film coming out in 2009 titled 9/Nine, and this one could not be more different than the previous mentioned flick. This is an animated action movie about a post-apocalyptic earth where tiny cloth creatures try and save humanity. Produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), this film looks very interesting, but not likely to find an audience.
(Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoJecu9e7c)

- The Lovely Bones – Not much is known about this new Peter Jackson film other than it’s based on a much beloved novel and centers on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family - and her killer - from heaven where she must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal. Sounds like Jackson is heading back into Heavenly Creatures territory, and that’s very exciting.
(No trailer available)

- Alice in Wonderland – If there was ever a story Tim Burton was born to make, this is it. I have very high hopes.
(No trailer available)

Well…that wasn’t as short as I thought it was going to be. And I am sure there are things I am going to be kicking myself for leaving out, but oh well. Hope ya’ll enjoyed it.

Till next time my lovely Droogies, this is Lieutenant Ripley, the last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.

2008 Year End Spectacular

Good day my loyal Droogies. It is I, your humble na-rrator.

It’s been a year since my last correspondence, and I feel just terrible that you’re lives have been absent of my ego boosting critiques of pop culture and unsuccessful attempts at scripted sarcasm.

So without the usual drivel that makes up my normal introductions to this blog, and because I know (or would like to believe) that the jigsaw puzzle space in your brain and heart would not be complete without the little piece of the puzzle shaped like my opinions…I am happy to bring you my year end wrap up bonanza, wrapped in a spectacular, tied up with a celebration colored ribbon, and topped with a awesomeness bow.

THE FILMS OF 2008

THE TOP TEN FILMS OF 2008

10. THE BANK JOB – Looking at the poster for THE BANK JOB, one might get the wrong idea about this film. Yes, Jason Statham is in it, but in this movie he never takes off his shirt, he does not shoots guns whilst flying through the air, and does not round house evil do-ers into giant piles of cargo boxes. No, with THE BANK JOB, Statham "regresses" back to the actor he once was, and happily becomes one of many textured characters in this thoroughly entertaining crime story. Expertly helmed by veteran director Roger Donaldson, THE BANK JOB takes the unfortunate recent trend of British crime films with too much style and no substance, and delivers a taught caper film filled with great twists and textured characters. What’s more, THE BANK JOB is based on a true story of Britain’s most famous….yup, you guessed it…bank heists. Like any good crime film THE BANK JOB contains layers upon layers of crooks, thieves, corrupt cops, dishonest politicians, etc…but it’s the script and Donaldson’s direction which separates this film from other crime yarns. Here the "job" itself is secondary to the textured reasoning, planning, and the inevitable implications and effects of a successful robbery. If you missed this film in the theater, go out and rent it, you won’t be disappointed.

9. NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST – To best describe NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST, I would have to equate the film to a theoretical emotional moment…the film is like reconnecting with your high school crush in the basement of your parents house, while curled up in your warm childhood blanket. The film is caringly directed by Peter Sollett and deftly written by Lorene Scafaria (based on the book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan). Michael Cera gives his best performance to date, and Kat Dennings’ Norah is the coolest and most honest portrayal of a "tween" on the presipus of adulthood since Ione Skye in SAY ANYTHING. NICK AND NORAH’S takes what could have been a cookie cutter high school "relationship" movie and adds, the often forgotten element of maturity to it. The film taps into that often overlooked part of the human emotional subconscious, the one that develops up until we’re 17 and then sort of freezes in time. It’s films that understand and hone in on this part of the mind that connects the generations, which make the parents (even though they won’t admit it) identify and connect with the emotional themes the teenage characters are going through, and in some way makes see the film like their teenage son or daughter. NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST is that film. It keep the bloodline of Heckerling and Crowe in tact and pushes it forward into the iPod generation.

8. TROPIC THUNDER – Ben Stiller is not given enough credit for the films he’s directed. REALITY BITES was a defining film for specific moment in time. It was a call to the Kurt Cobain slackers to evolve or be left behind in a changing cultural, social, and economic landscape. THE CABLE GUY, was an unfortunately little seen film and a cautionary tale to a generation of sheepish TV watchers. It came out almost a decade before the film’s warning actually became a frightening reality. And finally ZOOLANDER...the fact that this film is still watched and quoted speaks to the film’s place in history. Which finally brings us to TROPIC THUNDER, Stiller’s fourth directorial effort. There are far too many elements (script, cast, visuals, etc…) to praise for a short year end write up like this, so I am going to stick to Stiller’s most impressive accomplishment with THUNDER, and the one "thing" that separates the film from other traditional comedies. Similar to ZOOLANDER, TROPIC THUNDER is a film about the inner workings and absurdity of a specific ego driven industry (in this case the film business). Growing up in the business, Stiller is keenly aware of how Hollywood thinks it has sense of humor about itself, loves it when it’s roasted. This may be the case, but audiences rarely respond to these kind of projects. They can’t connect with the action because the majority of film goers don’t live "Hollywood" lives. They get their "Hollywood" from People Magazine and Entertainment Tonight, in the form of sound bites, caricatures, and picture captions. These "insider" films usually only appeal to the folks who work in Hollywood, and see it’s ridiculousness on a day-to-day basis. So the brilliance of TROPIC THUNDER is that the film works on two different satiric levels. Each level traveling independently down the same narrative path, but every intersecting every so often with each other to blur the two lines into one. The first level being a traditional "insider" Hollywood satire, incorporating inside jokes and nuances which people working in "the business" would find amusing. The second level is again a Hollywood satire, but this one cleverly constructed and grounded in the elements that most audiences identify with - the sound bites, the caricatures, and the picture captions. And the blurring of the two narrative lines is perfectly illustrated by the character of Les Grossman, the studio executive, played by Tom Cruise. Starting on the second level, the casting of Cruise in this role to any audience member outside the "industry" would come off as intriguing. Cruise’s Grossman is zany enough for any general audience, they like watching Cruise play "against type". But on the first level, Cruise’s portrayal is biting, brutal, and a scarily accurate depiction of the people who run Hollywood. The dialogue Cruise speaks could be interpreted as hyperbolic, but in reality could possibly be overheard in any board room in Studio City. And the casting of Cruise is almost tragic, he plays the role in reaction and defiance of everything he’s been through over the past few years (tabloid and all). It a nutshell, Grossman’s character is like THE MUPPET SHOW, colorful and screwball enough to entertain the kids, but subversive and funny enough to keep the parents entertained. As the co-writer, director, and producer of TROPIC THUNDER, Stiller is well aware of the textured film he’s produced, and his greatest achievement is that although it was made from the inside, it still feels like it was made by a bunch of outsiders. (By the way…please excuse all the quotation marks. I know how annoying it is.)

7. RELIGULOUS – I have to be honest, I’ve struggled with this write up for a week now. Started and stopped multiple times. In fact, as I type these words, the entire rest of the blog is complete, ready to post, minus this section. I just am unable to formulate sentences around my feelings for this film. Not because it is so great, but that my experience with RELIGULOUS was such a personal one. So outside of the personal stuff, what would I have written about the film? I would have tried to go into great detail about how I think Bill Maher is one of the more important voices of my generation. How this film has been erroneously labeled as anti-religion, when all it does is pose questions. I’d praise the fearlessness of both director Larry Charles and Maher for not compromising on their vision for the film. And finally, talk about the structure of the film, how it effortlessly beckons the audience in with laughs and absurdity, while slyly allowing the real issues of responsibility, accountability, and morality to ooze their way to the surface. I truly wish I could delve deeper into how this film made me feel on a personal level. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I am still working out my thoughts/feelings and don’t want to put anything down that I truly don’t stand behind. What I can say is this (and I do apologize if this comes off as cryptic and/or vague), but RELIGULOUS came to me at a time in my life when I was taking stock of my surroundings, the possible future, and this film was able to both challenge me and slightly shoved me in a directions I was already leaning but afraid to go. Now this won’t be the case for all of you, if anything, the film will at least get you talking…and that’s a great thing.

6. IRON MAN – For all the hubbub following the release of THE DARK KNIGHT (more on this later), there was another high quality comic book film released during the summer of 2008…IRON MAN. There’s a lot of good reasons the film’s world wide gross was $572,000,000, but the best reason I’ve heard came from a film school buddy of mine…"It’s just a good f@!%ing movie". Where THE DARK KNIGHT is a brooding character piece, IRON MAN is an astutely constructed film, cleverly disguised as high priced, summer, pop corn schlock. IRON MAN is Marvel Comics’ first fully financed film under the new Marvel Films shingle. When the Marvel Films brand was launched, the company made the decree that their super heroes were to be stars of their movies, not the actors or other talent involved. As a result, it gave the studio (yes, they are a studio now) the freedom to cast the best possible actors available because, in Marvel’s mind, there is no star out there bigger than one of their super heroes. Especially the ones who’ve been around since the 1960’s. Marvel also made a very concerted effort in hiring young directors who actually read and cared for the comics, because what Marvel didn’t want was paint by numbers action films that just so happened to have super heroes in them. Marvel wanted all their films to feel as part of one giant Marvel universe. So they hired directors early on in the process, made them producers, made the creative talent feel responsible to keep true the source material. And boy, did it pay off for them with IRON MAN. Just take the top players involved…Jon Favreau directing Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, and Terrence Howard…those names, in those roles, sounds more like a director and cast for a film being released at Sundance. But no, that’s who Marvel put in charge of their $140,000,000 freshman effort into cinema. Nice job Marvel, I am dying for the sequel.

5. WALL E – To all other animation houses, PIXAR Studios is the Saturday Morning Cartoons equivalent of all the evil geniuses coming together to gang up on the hero, but in this cartoon, the evil geniuses win and there are no heroes left. Every time they release a film it winds up on my top ten list. PIXAR is just that good. In fact, WALL E might be PIXAR’s best film to date. Take the fact that the first 40 minutes of the film contain little to no dialogue, and yet, the audience gets completely sucked in anyway. This is visual story telling at its best. And the choice to have a hand held style in an animated film is one of the most brilliantly overlooked decisions of the year. The shaky frame, and the power zoom through the vastness of Wall E’s world, played a huge part in adding to the film’s charm and intimacy. Aside from the wonderful direction by Andrew Stanton, the real star of this film is Ben Burtt. Burrt is considered the Godfather of modern sound design. He was the sound designer for all the Star Wars, and went on the develop and oversee the sound studio at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). For his work, Burtt has been nominated for an Oscar 8 times, and has won twice. For WALL E, Burtt has many credits, but the most important one is that he is singled out as the voice of Wall E himself. Which brings me back to those first 40 minutes. For as much as Wall E is animated (literally) as a character, it was Burtt’s sound work that gave the robot life, and allowed a world to connect with a rusted and forgotten garbage machine. I love this film.

4. THE DARK KNIGHT– What new praise could I possibly heap onto this film that hasn’t already been said or written? There’s not much. So I’m just going to pick apart and analyze 30 seconds of the film, and in doing so hopefully illustrate why this film is more than a comic book movie, but also one of the most intelligently put together films of the year. The scene…The Joker has called the local press to alert them that he is intending to blow up Gotham Memorial Hospital within the hour. The building is clearing out, there is mass hysteria everywhere, utter chaos. The Joker, dressed as a nurse has made his way into the hospital, and after having a cunning heart to heart with Boy Scout DA Harvey Dent, exits the hospital carrying the bomb’s detonator. The critique…Director Chris Nolan chooses to shoot this scene in the distinctive IMAX format which, even when down-converted to 35mm, captures every last detail of the mis-en-scene, and adds an off-putting perspective to the image. Creepy even. In one of his more quiet moments (in an otherwise brilliantly verbose performance) Heath Ledger’s Joker walks away from the building, twitching, and muttering under his breath. The camera tracks back as Ledger walks forward on the right side of the frame, franticly clicking the bomb’s detonator, but there’s just one thing…no explosion. The nurse outfit, mixed with the sadistic clown look, and the physical eccentricities in Ledger’s performance, all combine to embody the one of the film’s overarching themes of duality. All of a sudden, in the same shot (there has not been a cut yet, this is all one take)…BOOM…the bomb goes off, finally Nolan cuts (still in the IMAX format) to a God like high angle shot that gives the audience a freighting view of the entire hospital being swallowed up by a monstrous mushroom cloud of smoke and fire. Then, cut to the Joker standing with his back to the explosion as debris falls everywhere. It is a beautifully well constructed scene, where every choice made by the director, cinematographer, actor, and all those involved was the right one. THE DARK KNIGHT, as a whole…is filled with such brilliant choices.

3. MILK – You will be hard pressed to find a more Oscar ready, yet Oscar worthy film. Over the past few years, Gus Van Sandt has drifted away from the typical main stream flair (PRANOID PARK, LAS DAYS, ELEPHANT). This journey back into the independent film world, in many ways, has helped him become a more focused and nuanced filmmaker. And with his return to a more star driven and widely appealing type of film, Van Sandt has produced MILK, a wonderfully nuanced character piece of a somewhat forgotten American civil rites icon. The film is placed on the shoulders of and successfully carried by Sean Penn. Who channels all the humor, playfulness, and love of Jeff Spicoli; and combines it with the maturity and sense of activism we see from Penn the human. It’s a wonderful performance that is only heightened by his supporting cast. Josh Brolin caps off a solid year with his portrayal of the conflicted and tragic Dan White. James Franco gives the performance of his career by subtly playing what some would consider the "wife" role. Sprinkle in Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, Dennis O’Hare, and Victor Garber and you’ve got the best ensemble of 2008. I have heard many dissenting voices to the structure of the film, which gives away the ending at the beginning, but I thought it was a very wise choice. This narrative choice helped force the audience to focus their attention on the film’s journey and overall message, which with Prop 8, is oddly more relevant now then when Van Sandt started shooting the film.

2. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – In my opinion, the hardest thing to capture on film is emotional brutality. It’s easy to shoot physical violence, but emotional aggression is much harder. In most arguments and domestic verbal fights depicted on the screen, loudness is usually equated to effectiveness. This is rarely the case. It takes a combination of talent on the writing, directing, and acting side to truly make words and emotions act like daggers and bullets. To make the audience feel like sadistic voyeurs, who happen to be catching a glimpse of two people who really want to hurt each other. Physical hurt can heal over time, but mental and emotional scars are much harder to mend. Although REVOLUTIONARY ROAD contains many "loud" moments, here "loud" is used as the hand that twists the knife deeper into an already punctured emotional skin. If it weren’t for a certain film about an Indian game show (see my #1 film), REVOLUTIONARY ROAD would be my choice for best film of the year. The greatness of this film is a very simple combination of three elements. First, a sharply written and pointed screenplay by Justin Haythe. Second, the subtle and caring direction of Sam Mendes. And finally, the a cast of actors who are not afraid to be raw, and pick at, and open very emotional scab in this two hour punch to the gut. Mendes is the master of taking silent action moments and transforming them into scenes rich with subtext, and when it comes time for the dialogue, as multi-Tony winner, he understands how to give his actors a safe space to perform. As a result, he’s able to capture a perfect mixture movement and emotion. Which leads me to Dicaprio and Winslet. In this film, they both give, what I consider to be, their best performances (and this is saying a lot for two such storied performers). Dicaprio goes to places physically and emotionally that are haunting to this day.

1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Let me set the scene. The year is 1997, I am a freshman in Syracuse University’s film program. Like many film schools, on the first day, the faculty makes everyone go around the room and introduce themselves by saying their name and their three favorite film directors. Now, to those who don’t know, for a any film geek, seeing someone’s collection of DVDs or hearing a "Top List" is the equivalent of normal people opening up a host’s medicine cabinet at a dinner party. You learn A LOT. So around the room it goes. Scorsese is said more times than can be counted, a few Spielbergs, a few Stones, and then comes me. My top three directors - Peter Jackson, Sam Raimi and Danny Boyle. People looked at me like I was nuts…their faces said it all…"Horror film directors?", "Why not Scorsese?", and "Do I really have to spend four years working with a guy who’s ambition is to direct EVIL DEAD 4?" Well, soon after I graduated in 2001, Peter Jackson produced trilogy of films about some small people and a ring that did pretty well, and Sam Raimi went off and made three moderately successful films about a guy who thought he was a spider. Was I vindicated? Not at all. There was still the grossly overlooked Danny Boyle. Who’s filmography is as diverse and underrated as anyone’s I have ever seen…SHALLOW GRAVE, TRAINSPOTTING, A LIFE LESS ORDINARY, THE BEACH, 28 DAYS LATER, MILLIONS, and SUNSHINE. So I am sure it comes as no surprise to everyone that I chose SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE as my number one film of the year, especially since it’s a Danny Boyle film. But in all honestly, I did think long and hard about this one. I took a good long look at the other films on my top ten list, and honestly could not find one reason to not to pick SLUMDOG as my number one film of the year. The acting, the writing, the direction, the cinematography, the costumes, the music…SLUMDOG is as close to a perfect film as one is going to find. What separates the film, and places it above all the rest is the fact that it’s not a message film, it doesn’t want to go back and explore a political moment in time, or famous icon. Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine put it best, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is a "is a buoyant hymn to life, and a movie to celebrate." This film makes you want to love somebody, and that is very rare.

(Note…If There were more numbers between 1 and 10, the other films on this list would be…FROST/NIXON, IN BRUGES, THE FALL, MAN ON WIRE, THE STRANGERS, THE WRESTLER)

THE BOTTOM TEN FILMS OF 2008
Up until this year I have never walked out, fell asleep in, or turned off a movie. As a result I have lost days, upon weeks, of "living hours" of my life in chunks of 90 to 120 minutes at a time. But in 2008, I witnessed three of the WORST films I have ever seen. Technically this isn’t even accurate…in 2008 I saw pieces of three of the WOEST films I have ever seen…because I either, walked out, fell asleep, or turned off the DVD.

10. SEMI PRO
9. 27 DRESSES
8. LEATHERHEADS
7. DRILLBIT TAYLOR
6. JUMPER
5. THE HAPPENING
4. WHAT JUST HAPPENED
3. 10,000 B.C. (fell asleep in the theater)
2. MAMA MIA (turned off the DVD after 29 minutes and 45 seconds)
1. THE LOVE GURU (turned off the DVD after 12 minutes and 17 seconds)

MY OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Best Picture
1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (My Winner)
2. REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
3. MILK
4. WALL E
5. THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Actress
1. Angelina Jolie - CHANGELING
2. Kate Winslet – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (My Winner)
3. Meryl Steep - DOUBT
4. Kate Winslet – THE READER
5. Emma Thompson – LAST CHANCE HARVEY

Best Actor
1. Mickey Rourke – THE WRESTLER
2. Michael Sheen – FROST/NIXON
3. Sean Penn – MILK
4. Josh Brolin – W.
5. Leonardo Dicaprio – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (My Winner)

Best Supporting Actor
1. Robert Downey Jr. – TROPIC THUNDER
2. Heath Ledger – THE DARK KNIGHT (My Winner)
3. Frank Langella – FROST/NIXON
4. James Fanco - MILK
5. Philip Seymour Hoffman - DOUBT

Best Supporting Actress
1. Amy Adams - DOUBT
2. Marisa Tomei – THE WRESTLER
3. Rosemary Dewitt – RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (My Winner)
4. Ahney Her – GRAN TORINO
5. Penelope Cruz – VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA

Best Director
1. Christopher Nolan – THE DARK KNIGHT (My Winner)
2. Danny Boyle – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
3. Gus Van Sandt - MILK
4. Andrew Stanton – WALL E
5. Sam Mendes – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Best Screenplay
1. Dustin Lance Black - MILK
2. Ben Stiller, Etan Cohen, & Justin Theroux – TROPIC THUNDER
3. Robert D. Siegel – THE WRESTLER
4. Martin McDonagh – IN BRUGES
5. Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, & Jim Reardon – WALL E (My Winner)

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Simon Beaufoy – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (My Winner)
2. Peter Morgan – FROST/NIXON
3. Justin Haythe – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
4. Lorene Scafaria – NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST
5. Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan – THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Cinematography
1. Anthony Dod Mantle – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (My Winner)
2. Maryse Alberti – THE WRESTLER
3. Roger Deakins – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
4. Colin Watkinson – THE FALL
5. Wally Pfister – THE DARK KNIGHT

Best Original Score
1. A.R. Rahman – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2. Ramin Djawadi - IRON MAN
3. Theodore Shapiro – TROPIC THUNDER
4. J. Ralph – MAN ON WIRE
5. James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer – THE DARK KNIGHT (My Winner)

OTHER FILM AWARDS FOR 2008

ACTORS OF THE YEAR – ROBERT DOWNEY JR. (IRON MAN and TROPIC THUNDER), JAMES FRANCO (PINEAPPLE EXPRESS and MILK), JOSH BROLIN (W and MILK)

ACTRESSES OF THE YEAR – MERYL STREEP (MAMA MIA & DOUBT), ANNE HATHAWAY (GET SMART and RACHEL GETTING MARRIED), and KATE WINSLET (REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and THE READER)

BEAKOUT MALE TALENT – DANNY MCBRIDE (TROPIC THUNDER, THE FOOT FIST WAY, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, DRILLBIT TAYLOR) "Mother Nature Just Pissed Her Pants Suit!!!"

BREAKOUT FEMALE TALENT – ELIZABETH BANKS (ZACH AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO, W, ROLE MODELS)

BEST THRILLER – THE STRANGERS

BEST CRIME MOVIE – THE BANK JOB

BEST ACTION MOVIE – IRON MAN

BEST COMEDY – STEP BROTHERS

BEST COMIC BOOK ADAPTATION – THE DARK KNIGHT

BEST BOOK ADAPTION – NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST

BEST MUSICAL – HAMLET 2 ("Rock Me Sexy Jesus!")

BEST ANIMATED MOVIE – WALL E

BEST DRAMA – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

BEST LOVE STORY – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

BLOODIEST MOVIE – RAMBO (could be bloodiest ever)

BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY MOVIE – HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY

BEST HORROR – CLOVERFIELD

BEST DOCUMENTARY – RELIGULOUS

BIGGEST DISAPOINTMENT(S) – INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, THE HAPPENING, WANTED, SEMI PRO, VALKYRIE, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE – BOLT, STREET KINGS, WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS

MOST UNDERRATED FILMS – IN BRUGES, THE FALL, SPEED RACER, THE INCREDIBLE HULK

MOST OVERRATED FILMS – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, GRAN TORINO, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

BEST TRAILER – PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

BEST CHARACTER – Rhino (BOLT)

BIGGEST MAN CRUSHES – Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright (Because I can’t stop watching SHAUN OF THE DEAD, HOT FUZZ, and SPACED)

BIGGEST FEMALE CRUSHES – TIE - Freida Pinto (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE) & ELIZABETH BANKS (Just for being her)

BIGGEST CHILDHOOD FEMALE CRUSH REKINDLED – Karen Allen (INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL)

FILMS OF 2008 I JUST REFUSED TO SEE – TWILIGHT, SEX AND THE CITY, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOOD STILL, CLONE WARS

FILMS OF 2008 I MISSED – BOTTLE SHOCK, SWING VOTE, SEX DRIVE, PRIDE AND GLROY, MAX PAYNE, SEVEN POUNDS, FOUR CHRISTMASES, SUPERHERO MOVIE, THE ROCKER, CHARLIE BARTLETT, BODY OF LIES, BEDTIME STORIES, MARLEY AND ME

TOP TWENTY MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS OF 2009
1. INGLORIOUS BASTARDS
2. WATCHMEN
3. THE WOLF MAN
4. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
5. STAR TREK
6. TERMINATOR: SALVATION
7. THE YEAR ONE
8. PUBLIC ENEMIES
9. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE
10. STATE OF PLAY
11. SHUTTER ISLAND
12. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
13. THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
14. SHERLOCK HOLMES
15. AVATAR
16. FUNNY PEOPLE
17. BRUNO: DELICIOUS JOURNEYS THROUGH AMERICA FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING HETEROSEXUAL MALES VISIBLY UNCOMFORTABLE IN THE PRESENCE OF A GAY FOREIGNER IN A MESH T-SHIRT
18. DUPLICITY
19. THE LOVELY BONES
20. DRAG ME TO HELL

WHAT DAN WANTS THE MOST IN 2009 – An Official Announcement and Start of Production on the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MOVIE


THE TELEVISION OF 2008

THE TOP TWENTY SHOWS OF 2008 (Twenty is a lot, so I am only going to write about the top five. If you want to know my thoughts on the rest…email me, I am happy to elaborate)

1. THE WIRE – The best all around show ever made said goodbye for good, and although it’s fifth and final season had a few more than usual melodramatic moments, THE WIRE went out on it’s own terms and will forever be the standard that all shows much reach to be called "great".

2. THE SHIELD – The second best all around show also said goodbye for good. THE SHEILD is a much more traditional TV show. Traditional in structure, but not content. THE SHEILD always pushed the envelope with their storylines and visuals, and had one of the best all around casts a TV show has ever and will ever see.

3. LOST – Since Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse announced the show would end after the sixth season, LOST was rejuvenated because it was building to a true conclusion. What LOST did in season four was remind audiences why this show lends itself so well to obsession. There were more clues, answers, and questions in this shortened 16 episode season then in any of the first three. What’s more, we were also given one of the finest stand alone hours of TV with "THE CONSTANT" episode.

4. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – FNL returned as is the lackluster second season was just a patch of crab grass on the Panther’s field. The show went back to basics and are digging deeper with more compelling storylines with heightened stakes. As always Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton prove they are the two best actors on TV, and their scenes together is season 3 are better than ever. It’s just a shame that when FNL returns to NBC in January fans will be seeing truncated episodes from DirecTV ones. Let’s just hope we get a fourth season.

5. HOUSE – Still the most consistently good show on TV. Each week it’s pretty much the same, sick patient with multiple symptoms, doctors search for clues, and in the end Dr. House figures it all out. It’s what this show does in the in between these formulaic moments that make it still one of the best shows on air. The subtlety of the drama, the unique personal narratives of the main characters, and of course everything is held together by the indispensable Hugh Laurie. Also, if you want to see stellar acting go back and watch Robert Sean Leonard in the final episode of season 4…utterly gut wrenching.

6. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
7. THE OFFICE
8. PUSHING DAISIES
9. SOUTH PARK
10. MAD MEN
11. CALIFORNICATION
12. 30 ROCK
13. THE UNIT
14. SONE OF ANARCHY
15. ENTOURAGE
16. BURN NOTICE
17. IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA
18. LIFE
19. PRISON BREAK
20. THE DAILY SHOW / THE COLBERT REOPRT
20 ½. DR. HORRIBLE’S SING ALONG BLOG

OTHER TV AWARDS FOR 2008

TOP FIVE MALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Michael Chicklis – THE SHIELD
2. Hugh Laurie – HOUSE
3. Kyle Chandler – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (My Choice for "Best")
4. Dennis Haysbert – THE UNIT
5. Damian Lewis - LIFE
(Honorable Mention to the entire cast of THE WIRE. How do you choose just one? They are all incredible. OK, maybe Omar Little. May he rest in peace.)

TOP FIVE MALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. David Duchovny – CALIFORNIACATION
2. Steve Carell – THE OFFICE
3. Jeremy Piven – ENTOURAGE
4. Jeffery Donovan – BURN NOTICE
5. Lee Pace – PUSHING DAISIES (My Choice for "Best")

TOP FIVE FEMALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Connie Britton – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (My Choice for "Best")
2. Katey Segal – SONS OF ANARCHY
3. CCH Pownder – THE SHIELD
4. January Jones – MAD MEN
5. Regina Taylor – THE UNIT

TOP FIVE FEMALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. Anna Friel – PUSHING DASIES
2. Kristin Chenoweth – PUSHIN DAISIES (My Choice for "Best")
3. Natascha MeElhone - CALIFORNIACATION
4. Tina Fey – 30 ROCK
5. Sarah Chalke – SCRUBS

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Walton Gogging – THE SHIELD
2. Michael Emmerson – LOST (My Choice for "Best")
3. James Callis – BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
4. Vincent Karthheiser – MAD MEN
5. Robert Sean Leonard - HOUSE

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING MALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. Callum Keith Rennie – CALIFORNIACATION
2. Tracy Morgan – 30 ROCK (My Choice for "Best")
3. Ed Helms – THE OFFICE
4. Kevin Dillon – ENTOURAGE
5. Chi McBride – PUSHING DAISIES

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMERS (Drama)
1. Sarah Sahi - LIFE
2. Anne Dudek – HOUSE
3. Michelle Hicks – THE SHIELD
4. Mary McDonell – BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
5. Elizabeth Moss – MAD MEN (My Choice for "Best")

TOP FIVE SUPPORTING FEMALE PERFORMERS (Comedy)
1. Amy Ryan – THE OFFICE (My Choice for "Best")
2. Angela Kinsey – THE OFFICE
3. Madeleine Martin - CALIFORNIACATION
4. Pamela Adlon - CALIFORNIACATION
5. Katlin Olsen – IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA

BEST ENSAMBLE CAST (Drama) – THE WIRE

BEST ENSAMBLE CAST (Comedy) – PUSHING DIASIES

BEST SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – LOST (4.5, "The Constant")

BEST SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – SOUTH PARK (12.8, "The China Problem")

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – TIE - Robert Sean Leonard, HOUSE (4.16, "Wilson’s Heart") & Henry Ian Cusick, LOST (4.5, "The Constant")

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – Steve Carell, THE OFFICE (4.9, "The Dinner Party")

BEST WRITING FOR A SERIES (Drama) – THE WIRE

BEST WRITING FOR A SERIES (Comedy) – CALIFORNICATION

BEST WRITING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – Lisa Albert, MAD MEN (2.2, "Flight 1")

BEST WRITING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – Trey Parker and Matt Stone, SOUTH PARK (12.12, "About Last Night…")

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SERIES (Drama) – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SERIES (Comedy) – THE OFFICE

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Drama) – Dean White, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (3.3, "How The Other Half Live")

BEST DIRECTING FOR A SINGLE EPISODE (Comedy) – Paul Feig, THE OFFICE (4.14, "Goodbye Toby")

BEST NEW SHOW – SONS OF ANARCHY

BEST REALITY SHOW – WHALE WARS

BEST RE-BOOT OF A FRANCHISE – PRISON BREAK

BEST SHOW WE LOST – TIE – THE WIRE & THE SHIELD

BEST SHOW WE LOST BECAUSE IT WAS CANCELLED – PUSHING DASIES

BEST SHOW WE ALL NEED TO FIGHT FOR OR WE MAY LOOSE – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

SHOW I AM STILL ON THE FENCE ABOUT – FRINGE (The first 5 episodes were awful, but the last 6 were terrific, X-FILES esque. Maybe the show has hit its stride, or maybe it will slide back into mediocrity…we’ll just have to wait and see. Either way, if they do cancel it, FOX at least has a terrific spin off show…one solely focusing on Joshua Jackson and John Noble’s characters. They are the reason I tune in every week. Anna Torv, the woman who plays the lead role, is just horrendous, completely embarrassing. For J.J. Abrams, a guy who clearly knows how to cast unknown female leads better than ANYONE in Hollywood…Kerri Russell in FELICITY, Jennifer Garner in ALIAS, and Evangeline Lily in LOST…he went horribly wrong with Torv…horribly wrong.)

BIGGEST SAVIOR DURING THE WRITERS STRIKE – DR. HORRIBLE’S SING ALONG BLOG

BIGGEST MAN CRUSHES – TIE – KYLE CHANDLER (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) & HUGH LAURIE (HOUSE)

BIGGEST FEMALE CRUSH – CONNIE BRITTON (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS)

MOST ANITICIPATED RETURNING SHOWS IN 2009 – LOST, BIG LOVE, BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA, RESCUE ME, 24

MOST ANITICIPATED NEW SHOWS OF 2009 – DOLLHOUSE and EAST BOUND AND DOWN

WHAT DAN WANTS THE MOST IN 2009 – An Official Announcement and Start of Production on the ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT MOVIE

That’s it…2008 is in the books. A year filled with industry crippling strikes and reality show hosts at the Emmys. Let’s hope 2009 will be just as, if not more interesting. I know most of you don’t care, but my New Years resolution to you all is to post more often.

If only to dump these brain droppings somewhere other than unwanting ears who just happen to be passing by. And with this pledge now written in cyber-stone, let me tease three upcoming blog topics that have been rumbling around the pop-culture wormhole I call a brain…

1. The New Holy Trilogy: How Peter Jackson did the impossible, and made us geeks hate George Lucas

2. Hollywood’s New Casting Agencies: Apatow, Stiller, Ferrell, and Associates vs. Clooney and Soderbergh Inc.

3. It’s Not TV, it’s not even HBO, it’s Showtime

I hope to have at least one of these three entries posted by February (but don’t hold me to it…for all we know, you won’t hear from me again till the end of 2009).

So my loyal Droogies, with this all said…I your humble na-rrator bid you a fond adu.

This is Lieutenant Ripley, the last survivor of the Nostromo signing off…(click)