His Gal Friday

Giving Me the Warm Squishies!

2009-10-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

So there's this site I pimped out a few months back, Pajiba? In addition to great movie industry news, reviews and random lists, the site has this great, loyal fanbase who make hilarious comments. (Pajiba even has a weekly feature "Eloquent Elegance" where they countdown the 10 best comments of the week. Awesome.) At least once a week they have this feature called "Comment Diversion" where someone comes up with a topic or question, usually, but not exclusively, movie-related, and the commenters have free reign. It's always a good place to find some distracting, time-wasting discussion for the night or weekend.

I just got around to last Friday's comment diversion and the topic was: last really great compliment you either gave or got (or both). And reading through everyone's stories about the things that inspired them, got them past an insecurity, comfort them to this day, was really just heartwarming to read. In the world of entertainment reporting, reviewing and blogging, where so many of us are bonded by the things we actually hate together (you know what I'm talking about - who hasn't been part of a Twilight, or Sex and the City, or Nicholas Cage bashing community around here? Sometimes combined hatred is more fun than agreement!) it was really nice to read about people being the best versions of themselves, and knowing that sometimes what makes you feel like a more worthwhile person is genuinely complimenting someone else. If you feel like getting a dose of sentimental goodiness, here's the link: Pajiba Weekend Comment Diversion.

In other internet wanderings, how scary is this photo?

And it has nothing to do with the weapons. It's the combined angry eyebrows. Reminds me of the awesome episode of "Angel" where he was turned into a puppet and had to fight a whole bunch of other puppets possessed by demons with red eyes who used people as human puppets. That was scary. Although puppet Angel turning into a vampire was mostly just cool. Anyways, this photo's giving me nightmares already. Ernie is soooo going to kill me in my sleep!

Have a great night! I'm off to watch Greek and Gossip Girl! (Why, oh, why did the CW have to move GG to 9pm so that it's once again on at the same time as Greek?)

Summer Bummer

2009-10-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile. I would say sorry for the lengthy absence, but it seems I'm not the only one around here who either took the summer off or really cut down on the production rate. We all seem to be dragging our asses. Wish I could say that I've been really busy with something important and cool, but the reality is I've been clicking my heels. But I didn't stop watching movies. So let's catch up, shall we?

Favorite Recent DVD Rental: The Wackness
Was not expecting to fall in love with this movie the way I did. Great recapture of 1994 New York and the revolutionary rap discoveries of that year, fab supporting turns from Ben Kingsley and Olivia Thirlby, and a fantastic, dorky, vulnerable, frontin' lead turn from Josh Peck, previously known as the fat comic relief on that Nickelodean show "Drake and Josh." Blew me away here, and has just about the greatest smile I've seen all year.

Favorite Movie I Saw in a Theater: 500 Days of Summer
To be fair, I only saw about 4 movies in the theater from July-September, and I'm ashamed that I still haven't seen The Hurt Locker. But this Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Zooey Deschanel vehicle completely lived up to the expectations I had based on that rocking teaser trailer back in March. It's definitely indie fare - look for the alt-approved soundtrack, use of side-by-side camera fantasies, dance sequence, animation coming to life, and repetitive editing - but the script and performances are so strong that these flashy technical devices enhance the film rather than become a crutch.

In celebration of that movie, and also of random dance sequences in general (still loving the ridiculous end of the Jim and Pam "Office" wedding) this is a music video starring Levitt and Deschanel. Yes, that's Deschanel singing as part of her indie group, She & Him. I watched this video repeatedly back in July when the film first came out. (Check out the serious acrobatic chops of Levitt!)

Favorite Movie I DVR'd: The Station Agent
Been trying to watch this for years but my local video store never carried it. It's written and directed by sometimes actor Thomas McCarthy, who also wrote and directed last year's wonderful The Visitor. It stars a somber, quietly sexy Peter Dinklage as a dwarf and train enthusiast who inherits a train depot in a small town. He eventually becomes friends with other small town prisoners Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Canavale, forming a bizarrely sweet threesome (of the friendship variety). It's a quiet film and I don't think it builds to any earthshattering revelations, but the characters are well-formed and excellently acted and it's one of those movies that I find comforting to come back to, almost like revisiting old friends.

Least Favorite Movie I DVR'd: Carmen Jones or A Woman Under the Influence
I've been marathoning through old classics and Ebert picks, and both of these films fall under the category of "Glad I saw it, never want to see it again, EVER." Carmen Jones has a modernized operatic score taken from Bizet's famous "Carmen" and an Oscar-nominated performance from Dorothy Dandridge, but man did I hate the lead character! And co-star Harry Belafonte was a total drip. Could not root for the romance, or revel in the downfall, at all! A Woman Under the Influence was a great acting vehicle for star Gena Rowlands (also Oscar-nominated) and very indicative of lauded director John Cassavetes' style, but the subject matter was just too real. Imagine a really great episode of "The Office," a fabulously uncomfortable one, but take away all the funny and make the characters mentally unstable, alcoholic and abusive. It's an actor's showcase and the subject matter was well-handled, but it was beyond uncomfortable to watch, and was just 2 and a half hours of the same problem being handled badly, though realistically.

Latest TV Discovery: "Arrested Development"
Completely late to the party here, but better late than never. My friend Abby has recommended this to me several times and I finally partook when I saw the entire first season was posted on Hulu. Fantastic group of comedic actors here, a completely ridiculous premise, and writers willing to venture into the absurd. I'm laughing aloud all the time watching this. It also has some of the very best continuity I've ever seen; if the writers created a phobia in episode one, it still exists in episode 22. And there are too many hilarious running gags to keep track of.

Current Song Obsessions: "Fire Burnin' on the Dance Floor" - Sean Kingston (love it so much! *hangs head in shame*), "I Drove All Night" - Cyndi Lauper, and "We Are Golden" - Mika, "Don't Dream It's Over" - Crowded House (gah, the surest way to turn me into a nostalgic pile of goo)

Books I've Read:

EPL: This was my lifesaver during a down time in July. Don't know if it would have meant as much to me in another stage of my life, but Gilbert's narrative was like finding an understanding kindred spirit.
Lucky: Really straightforward account of the author's true-life rape. It was obviously carefully constructed with as much attention to detail as possible while still maintaining a novelistic flow. The details of the rape and recovery are harrowing.
TTTW: Much less sappy that I was expecting given the target demographic. It takes a sci-fi premise and makes it relatable and believable within today's world. I appreciated the way the characterizations of Clare and Henry (the husband and wife) stuck to specific details and emotions. Neither character became a melodramatic plot device, but retained an authentic grounding force.

Can't Stop Playing: Sudoku
Andrea left a deck of cards with Sudoku games on them here and I can't stop completing the puzzles. I've already finished off the Easy puzzles and am struggling through the difficult ones (although I admit, I have to cheat occassionally in order to make progress on those - but only one number at a time!) I'm just so relieved to have actually figured out how these work cause I felt like a real dunce failing so spectacularly at them before.

Last Movie I bought on DVD: Away We Go
I can't decide if the overly broad characterizations of all the supporting characters are genius or a massive overstep, but that doesn't stop me from laughing. I love the soundtrack (which features a lot of great Alexi Murdoch) and as the lead couple John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph create a very touching warmth; I believe this couple is in love and that they make each other happy. Flawed, but ultimately worth it for me.

Rules of Nostalgia

2009-08-03T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's impossible to gage how others will react to films you loved at the age of 8. In many cases, you yourself no longer really like those movies, but the memory of how much you loved them carries you through. Case in point: Elizabeth *hated* Summer Magic, one of those twee Disney movies from the '60's starring Haley Mills, and I was rather flummoxed. How can you hate an old school Haley Mills flick? It has this fantastically ridiculous song called "The Pink of Perfection" and it ends with all the girls fancied up and on the arms of their beaus at a dance! But, unfortunately, my sheen of nostalgia would not transfer.

I may have mentioned this phenomenon before, but it was on my mind this week after I watched the new trailer for Tron Legacy. The original Tron was yet another twee live action Disney film from back in "the good ol' days" (you know, before Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and Drake and Josh ruled the Disney channel?) about a computer programmer who gets stuck inside a virtual reality program inside, much like a video game. It was one of the first, real CGI films I ever saw (I mentioned it's lack of special effects nomination in my 10 Most Egregious Oscar Snubs post last year) and as someone who isn't really that into video games, I get a little stoked talking about the neon characters and low-rent computer games that comprised Tron.

This is the teaser trailer: for those of you who didn't know, Jeff Bridges was the star of the original - the computer programmer sucked into the game - so seeing his character again is supposed to be a big thrill to those who saw the original. The landscape of the game is especially exciting to me because it looks exactly like it would have in the 1980's if CGI technology were yet capable of it. And YAY for the neon bikes! Hope I'm not the only person out there who's happy to see you again!

In other nostalgic news, I'm currently hooked on season 7 of "Beverly Hills 90210" airing on Soapnet. Turns out I did have a little crush on Jason Priestly back in the day. But I'm only watching until he and Kelly get back together. I swear.

Coming Soon!

2009-07-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

So no offense to the good movies that are out and about, but I feel like this summer really blows. I haven't seen The Hangover yet, which sounds worth it, but other than that, all I've really been interested in is Star Trek (seen it and loved it) and Away We Go (love John Krasinski) and I find myself scouring the movie sections and being thoroughly disappointed every week. But July and August have a lot of promising options. With that in mind, here's what *I think* I'm looking forward to for the rest of the summer.

Public Enemies (out now): If you would have asked me two weeks ago, this would not have been high on my list of priorities. But it's getting pretty rave reviews, has a stellar cast (Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard) and is directed by Michael Mann (Last of the Mohicans and Collateral). In the absence of any great, big, adult films coming soon, this will have to do.

Cheri (out now): It's a small film about French courtesans and love in the 19th century and the trailer reminds me a little of the adaptations of Oscar Wilde's plays, The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband. I feel like seeing something pithy and dramatic and old-fashioned. It also stars Rupert Friend, this up and coming British actor with God's gift to cheekbones, previously best known to me as Keira Knightley's boyfriend and Mr. Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. But then I caught most of this 2005 flick Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont starring Friend and Joan Plowright and kind of fell in love with him. And in this drought of a movie summer, I could use a little charming. Plus all the word about Michelle Pfieffer's performance is pretty outstanding.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (7/15): Well, duh! In truth with all of the expectation and impatience building up since they delayed the film in November, this is definitely the most anticipated movie of the year for me. The full length trailer looks absolutely fabulous, like they really did tell the entire story and not leave anything important out. It hits the Dumbledore and Harry beats, the Ron and Hermione beats, has sad Malfoy, and impenetrable Snape, and Fenrir Greyback and Slughorn and Death Eaters destroying London and the memories and the love potion and the cave and it all looks beautiful. I can't wait!

In the Loop (7/24): Small film, only read a little about it before looking up the trailer. It's got a great cast of British character actors (Tom Hollander is great) and it looks funny and clever. It's about the stupidity of political figures, I think.

500 Days of Summer (7/17): I posted the teaser trailer for this back in March and my excitement to see his has not yet abated. If not for Harry Potter this would be #1. Most of what I've read promises a real love story with a lot of quirk and some great performances. I'm so in.

Julie & Julia (8/7): I'm on the fence about this one. I love Meryl Streep and Amy Adams and there is something about cooking and using another person's book/receipes to help pull yourself out of our own head (I'm so getting that right now), plus it's directed by Nora Ephron and it would be nice to see her have a success here. But I think it will largely depend on the reviews that film gets.

Taking Woodstock (8/14): It's directed by Ang Lee, has a great supporting cast including Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, and Imelda Staunton, and it stars Demetri Martin, that comedian who performs deadpan with a guitar and an easel? Love him. And it's apparently the *true* story of how Woodstock came to be performed when and where it was. That means lots of hippies and great music.

The Time Traveler's Wife (8/14): Rachel McAdams. Eric Bana. He time travels without control, kind of like "Quantum Leap." It's a melodramatic weepie. I once read a Veronica Mars fanfiction using the premise of this book and I totally loved it.

The Young Victoria (out now?): This is a British movie that came out earlier this year but I have no idea if it already came out here or if it's ever gonna come out. I saw a TV movie about Queen Victoria and her husband Albert once and they were so adorable. Basically, they married for love. She was the Queen and her was her biggest support and when he died she spent years mourning him (think Judi Dench in Mrs. Brown). This film stars Emily Blunt and, again, Rupert Friend and I love period pieces about British royals.

Post Grad (8/14): This is Rory Gilmore and Matt Saracen go to college where they are best friends until his feelings for her cause a fracture in their friendship. It's also about how Rory can't find a job and about that period after college, but before you feel like a real adult. I dig that feeling. The trailer features Carolina Liar's "Showing Me What I'm Looking For." But you had me at "Rory Gilmore and Matt Saracen."

Fuck me, that was a much longer list than I had anticipated! Sorry! Anything I've left off?

Things Annoying Me Today...

2009-06-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Nancy Grace and her endlessly yapping mouth! I realize that the case of Caley and Casey Anthony (the 2-year old apparently killed by her mom) is hot news and right up Nancy's aisle of sensationalistic journalism revolving around the deaths of young children, but if I have to listen to her call Casey Anthony "tot mom" one more time, I'm gonna seriously slash my wrists. It's one thing to debate the case on your show, but shouting down anyone who doesn't immediately advocate for the death penalty and makes any point apart from "the prosecution is gonna slam dunk this case because "tot mom" is 100% guilty and there's nothing else to discuss" is getting so old. And her constant "tot mom" refrain just seems like a pathetic and demeaning attempt to make the story compact and soundbitey (similar to the horrendous moniker "Octomom").
All the press coverage of the Sascha Baron Cohen Bruno movie. It might be hilarious - I thought Borat was a riot - but I'm already sick of seeing this guy show up everywhere in character looking like a goddamn rejected stunt cupid with Zoolander face. It's making me not want to EVER see your movie, dude! The upside of Michael Jackson's death is that it's pushed this loser off the front burner on E News (not that I'm particularly proud I watch that), but now I'm sick of the MJ coverage on every single news station. Can't win.
Those Credit Report dot com commercials seem personally aimed at me in order to make me feel as pathetic as possible. Isn't it bad enough that I'm in massive debt without being reminded of the fact that I may end up a decrepit spinster as a result? "Hey loser, not only will you never be able to by a brand new car but your husband's gonna leave you!!! How do you like dem apples?!!?" What if I promise my future prospective husband that even though I'm his "dream girl with bad credit" we won't live in my parent's basement? (They don't have one, ha!) And what's really so bad about working at a Renaissance Faire anyway?
Is Pixar sexist? So that's a huge exaggeration of the issue at hand. Apparently a female writer at NPR posted an open letter to Pixar requesting a female lead in one of the upcoming films. (See the original letter here.) This has sprouted a lot of controversy and an extreme distortion of her request. Cinematical has covered this debate and links to another blogger's overly defensive response: "Dear Pixar, How about a Chick Flick?" (See that article with link to the "Chick Flick" post here.) So now both sides are getting overly reactionary. The feminists are complaining about the lack of female leads in the Pixar cartoons and the guys are complaining about feminist shit that wants everything to be politically correct. But here is what I think the actual point of that open letter was: Pixar, you make the best cartoons around. And though you have created a lot of great female characters, the stories haven't been theirs - they've been supporting characters. And since you're the best around, could you please make one of your future flicks about an awesome female lead who's not a princess, cause the lead female characters are always princesses. That's all. It's not a criticism of Pixar or their films, or a request for there to be an equal number of male/female films. Just that we'd like to someday see a Pixar cartoon where Ellie from Up or Violet from The Incredibles were the main character.

But there are a couple of redeeming bits of pop culture on the horizon...

I found this great clip of an SNL "Sex and the City" sketch with Christina Aguilera doing a kick-ass impersonation of Samantha. It gave me a chuckle. This is the only clip of it I could find.

I really liked ABC's recently canceled mid-season replacement show "The Unusuals." It had a great cast (Harold Perrineau, Adam Goldberg, and Amber Tamblyn to name a few) but the guy that stuck out to me was Jeremy Renner. I've seen this guy around a lot, mostly in small, forgettable roles, and Elizabeth likes to tell me he was terrifying in a movie about Jeffrey Dahmer (where he starred), but other than that, don't know much about the guy. But after watching him in "The Unusuals" he's on my radar, I have a little crush, like his ability to be tough and tender and funny and cute. His current film, The Hurt Locker, is getting great reviews, so be on the lookout for that if you're interested. (Reviews of The Hurt Locker: Stephanie Zacharek, Entertainment Weekly, Pajiba)

Reviews and Snark and Lists, Oh My!

2009-06-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

I found another dependable site for movie talk. It's called Pajiba - Scathing Reviews for Bitchy People and it has brought me a lot of honest joy over the last week as I have devoured their entire review index (the site only dates to about 2004, that's only about 4 1/2 years of reviews - didn't take long). The writers of this one seem more in my age range, and also seem to have a lot of my movie sensibilities. They're crass and they cuss and they're occasionally unprofessional (this site isn't affiliated with any major publication or news agency, so I guess they're free to stink it up) but that doesn't mean these people can't write or that they don't have some great insight. The fact is, they like most of the same movies as I do, only they're much more articulate about why which makes me feel smart and right. How very self-righteous of me. But it's a good feeling. As much as I love a good, serious film board - like the Scanners or The Cooler blogs - sometimes I just wanna feel validated and laugh. And this site offers that in abundance while continuing to adeptly analyze movies. (They also have a great group of readers/commenters who are inappropriate and funny and full of opinions, but don't take themselves too seriously and don't meanly jump on people who disagree - it's all plays out like warm banter.) Here's a smattering of quotes I really liked and agreed with:

From the review of Sideways:

The exuberantly physical Jack doesn’t hold himself back from Miles, as men in films (and life) usually do; he hugs him, he jumps on him, he mimes rutting on him when he’s teasing Miles about going to bed with a woman. It’s what saves Jack from being wholly unlikable: He loves this uptight sad sack and so, after a while, do we, so we forgive Jack for being coarse and selfish.

From the review of August Rush:

Because while August Rush is not an important film, while it is not a serious one, or an Oscar contender, or subversive, or destined to be a cult classic, it is a movie that — if you allow it — will liquefy your innards, that will make your small little atrophied hearts grow three sizes and then melt into a giant puddle of gop that those poor, put-upon theater workers will have to mop up while you’re out singing and holding hands with the denizens of Whoville. It is a magically romantic movie in the way that movies are meant to be romantic, a feel good movie that still feels good after you’ve taken stock, after you’ve digested it all and checked the undercarriage for faulty lines because you may just find that you’ve sprung a goddamn leak.

From the review of Brokeback Mountain:

Jack struts around like a stud horse, intoxicated with the idea of being a rodeo star and proving his worth to his disapproving father and, by extension, the world. Gyllenhaal’s performance at first seems a little out of place; everyone around him ... seems entirely at ease and unactorish, but on a second viewing I realized that what I was watching wasn’t Gyllenhaal’s performance — it was Jack’s. Jack is constantly trying to fill the role of Western hero, trying to impress; when we first see him he leans against his truck in an exaggeratedly casual posture, with a “hey, cowboy” leer. The pose seems tentative here, but when he strikes it again later, after he knows he’s won Ennis, it’s triumphant. Unlike Ennis, Jack knows what he wants and is willing to go after it, though he may be only a little better at understanding it.

From the review of Brick:

Brendan’s fights with the jock and Tug are fairly close together, and they’re disturbing in their visceral honesty. This kid just starts beating on people, and gets plenty bloody in the process. The fight scenes, and there are several more, are often completely free of music, and what few melodies do appear in them are far from the bass-heavy bombast of typical genre brawls. Composer Nathan Johnson, the director’s brother, interweaves spare melodies and reworks haunting themes for each of the characters, ranging from something like loose, instrumental indie pop to piano-based ballad lines that play like an uber-depressed Gershwin. But his silence in the fight scenes serves to ground the film even more in its own sad realism: We start to understand that, far from the neutered deaths of a Bruckheimer movie, these people might actually kill each other.

From the review of Wedding Crashers (confession - I can't even adequately describe how awesome Vince Vaughn is in this movie. He's on crack, in a good way.) :

The film is really about the interplay between Owen Wilson’s wise-assed honeyed drawl and the rapid-fire, morally valueless interjections from Vaughn, a comedy duo as energetically complimentary as Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell would have been if they were allowed to use verbiage from the Urban Dictionary. These two have played scene-stealing sidekicks for so long that the combination, at first, seemed unsustainable. But Vaughn and Wilson battle in a game of one-upmanship throughout, effortlessly competing in a volley of witty crassness that doesn’t let up (though, it is Vaughn who ultimately wins out), and in which the only danger is one of comedic over-stimulation.

From the review of Juno:

I’m almost at a loss for words to describe just how good — how deeply and honestly good — Juno made me feel, and how its big bright beating heart is capable of delivering moments of genuine love and heartache and confusion and the general feeling of being left to the cold mercy of the universe in the hell that is growing up.....There’s a moment in Juno when it becomes clear that the film will not walk the well-trodden ground of easy comedies that have come before it but instead aim for — and grandly achieve — something greater, and truer, and full of the shivering joy of life itself. And it’s a small moment, too. Juno shows up on Paulie’s lawn one morning and tells him she’s pregnant, deadpanning that her situation typically leads to “you know … an infant.” and Paulie pauses for a few moments before asking, “What should we do?” His eyes show just the barest glint of tears for the rest of the conversation, and you can tell he’s working through too many emotions to count. He doesn’t freak out at her, and he doesn’t swear at her; he doesn’t even ask if it’s his. He just knows, and acknowledges it, and in that moment he cements everything he feels about Juno and everything the film itself will be: blunt, funny, and warmly accepting.

Occasionally the reviews are fucking hysterical, like this following excerpt from the review of The Lake House. (Disclaimer: I don't actually think Keanu Reeves is the worst actor in the world, but this cracked me up nonetheless.)

But then again, I suppose if Hollywood scriptwriters (or in this case, South Korean scribes) abided by the rules of logic and common sense, then we’d never be treated to pointless bullshit romantic sci-fi films like The Lake House, in which the only moments of amusement come when Keanu Reeves is asked to sneeze or cry onscreen — two actions that look remarkably similar when Neo is trying to sell his dramatic talents. Granted, I’ve been a fan of Reeves since he provided unheard-of levels of unintentional comedy in Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing, but Keanu’s talents do not run toward weepers, where his tears look about as natural as Ashlee Simpson’s new nose, and whatever chemistry he shared with Sandra Bullock in Speed was clearly eradicated when that bus fell below 55 miles an hour.

Also found this great little gem in the review of Sex Drive - it has nothing to do with the movie, but everything to do with the certainty one feels as a teenager when the first movies you see and love will always be the best"

Of course, as a product of the late ’80s/early ’90s, I like to believe that I grew up on the golden age of teen comedies, but I’ve come to the realization that, for most folks, the teen comedies they were given when they were teens are the ones they are most fond of (this explains, in my mind, the inexplicable fascination with Empire Records, for those who were born between 1978 and 1983, and also why I don’t get Fast Times at Ridgemont High as much as people who are a little older than I am do.). So, essentially, what I’m saying is this: Modern teen comedies need to be judged, not against Say Anything or Pump Up the Volume (do today’s teenagers even know what a short-wave radio is, or a boombox?), but against the teen comedies of the era they grew up in because those are likely the only ones modern teenagers are familiar with. After all, I doubt there are a lot of high-school sophomores troubled with the derivative nature of Superbad. Movie critics, on the other hand, are going to shit all over Sex Drive because they’ve seen it too many times already. But if you’re 16, fuck the critics. You know why most of them loved The 40-Year-Old Virgin? Because it spoke to them. And they’re still pissed off that John Hughes promised dorks all that trim and didn’t deliver, and now they’re too bitter to see a new generation of sex comedies with fresh eyes.

My favorite part of that passage is the section about Empire Records; I heard about this movie all over the place in 7th or 8th grade and it used to play on our one movie channel all the time (probably Encore) and I fucking loved it. Seeing it today I can admit the plot is ludicrous and the acting mostly absurd, but the music is fun and I'll always remember loving it then. And you just can't explain that to someone who didn't know at the time. (I wonder what my kids will think of Titanic. How can I possibly explain the beauty and freshness of a young Kate Winslet when she will be well into her 40's before I even conceive? And how can a child of of the 2020's possibly understand why Leonardo DiCaprio was such a phenomenon, or why those special effects were amazing? By 2020 we'll be on Transformers 5: Decepticons Go Nuclear on Our Asses; all special effects, no plot, for two and a half hours. We're talking gooooood special effects. Titanic's gonna look pretty lame in comparison. Especially if my kid's a fucking boy.)

Other favorite part about this site? They make lists!!! That's actually how I found it in the first place; I clicked a link to their most recent "Seriously Random" list, which I can't remember right now - I think it was either the 15 Mot Influential Classic Movies of All Time or the Best Movie Dweebs - and I found this great site. Other favorite lists include the 5 Most Unattractive Hot Women, Men Heterosexuals Believe Gay Men Love, Best Coming of Age Movies (which included personal faves Billy Elliot, Almost Famous and What's Eating Gilbert Grape), If They Have to Remake The Breakfast Club Dream Cast, and the Biggest Paycheck Whores. A little something for everyone and good time suckage during a slow day.

Father's Day Top 10

2009-06-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

After I made my mom pick her 10 favorite movies, I thought it was only fair to subject my dad to the same treatment. Lucky for me, dad and I have already talked about our favorite movies enough that I knew he'd be able to come up with a list without me coaxing it from his soul. He even ranked them for me! Thanks dad!

10 - The Mexican (2001): If it didn't have so much cussing in it, dad would undoubtedly find a way to show this in his classrooms every year as a "treat." In my opinion, it's pretty funny, perhaps overly maligned by critics, Brad Pitt is actually really funny and should play comedy more often - he's good (see Burn After Reading), and I love the James Gandolfini/Julia Roberts dancing, handcuffed together, to '80's classic "Safety Dance" scene - you know, "you can dance if you want to..."?
9 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969): It's been a lotta years since I was familiar with the early James Bond catalogue (I used to regularly watch my dad's collection and even though they sucked, I had a fondness for Live and Let Die and The Man With the Golden Gun) but my dad and I have always liked the sole George Lazenby entry the best. The plot is equally ludicrous, but hey! Telly Savales was Blowfelt and Diana Rigg was Bond girl Tracy, whom Bond MARRIED. I loved that. Apparently it's still dad's favorite Bond movie (although his favorite Bond will always be Connery). As for me, Casino Royale blew the other Bond movies out of the water for me. I still think Connery was the best, but I never wanted to sleep with him the way I do Daniel Craig. Brosnan didn't do it for me either.
8 - Quigley Down Under (1990): Never seen this one though dad frequently talks to me about it as though I have. Just yesterday, actually, he started talking about how much he likes Laura San Giacomo's character in this (you know, the awesome Kit DeLuca in Pretty Woman?) and he started being all, "you know" about specific scenes, and I had to remind him for the zillionth time that I've never actually seen this movie. Very similar to his music quizzes: he likes to ask my sisters and I random classic rock/pop questions when certain things come on the rasio, but then completely forgets having already asked about that song before. Example: without fail, everytime "Incense and Peppermint" plays he will quiz, who sang this one-hit-wonder, and we'll roll our eyes and respond, "Strawberry Alarm Clock, duh. You've asked this question a million times. I know this answer better than my social security number." But it's sweet.
7 - Notting Hill (1999): Yes, my dad really likes romantic comedies. That Reese Witherspoon.Mark Ruffalo bomb Just Like Heaven? Probably in his top 20. But Notting Hill is definitely number one. Loves Julia Roberts. Loves Hugh Grant. Really loves Rhys Ifans. Favorite scene: probably the dinner party where they all tell their sad stories to win the last brownie. He also really likes the scene where Anna asks Will if he wants to come up to her hotel room because she's so nervous and vulnerable, but asks him twice anyway because that's what she really wants. He also psycotically loves the songs "She" by Elvis Costello, and "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone," as well as the visual scenes changing scene that accompanies it.
6 - Live Free or Die Hard (2007): I can't believe this is here instead of the original Die Hard, which is vastly superior, but never underestimate my dad's love for Justin Long. Bruce Willis is the man, and dad loves the character of John McClane, but this one wins because he thinks Long is hilarious. (I kind of agree, my crush on Justin Long is definitely coming along and I love those Mac/PC commercials despite being a proud PC user.) Personally, I think Kevin Smith is awesome in this, because you know in real life he's totally that guy, sitting in his Lazy Boy in the basement, lamenting the end of Star Wars. But, hot as he is, Timothy Olyphant is no Alan Rickman. Too bad.
5 - Gattaca (1997): I've written about this before (see it here) and dad pretty much agrees with me. Great atmosphere, interesting futuristic premise, asks a lot of good questions, Jude Law as Eugene is awesome, fantastic montage at the end with triumphantly sad score and good voiceover. If I had to guess, his favorite scene (excluding ones with Law) would be Vincent's nighttime swimming race against younger, genetically superior brother Anton. Anton can't believe Vincent's winning and he asks him how he does it. Vincent's reply: "You wanna know how I did it? This is how I did it Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back."
4 - Blade Runner (1982): Confession time: I have never particularly warmed to Blade Runner. I get it's visionary qualities and the way it has influenced all future sci-fi flicks, and the story is interesting, but I just always come aways thinking, "Is that it?" However I won't deny the awesome cinematography and set design, or the great performance of Rutger Hauer as replicant Roy Batty. The final fight between him and Harrison Ford in the rain is touching and cuts to the heart of the material. I also enjoy a younger and skinnier Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) as this mysterious figure in a trenchcoat, dropping origami all over the place. And remember when Sean Young had a promising career?
3 - A Hard Day's Night (1964): Ah, the Beatles. Dad's a huuuugggge Beatles fan. They are gods. Can do very little wrong. He has all the cartoons and decorates his classroom walls with posters and clippings of their careers (he still has the original "McCartney Quits" article from 1970), so of course he adores their first feature. I do too. There are no bad scenes in this movie. All of the songs are lip-synched but the Beatles still perform them with joy. The train, the "clean" grandfather, Ringo's lonely montage, George at the ad-man's, John in the bathtub, it's all gold.
2 - Arsenic and Old Lace (1944): Most critics would consider this one of Cary Grant's lesser films. It's a little too broad and slapstick for their sensibilities, but I suspect that's why dad loves it: it is so very ridiculous. There's a criminal who looks like Boris Karloff and uses Peter Lorre as a sidekick, two dotty aunts who are sweet as pie but poison people, and have their mentally impaired brother, who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, bury them in the basement, which he thinks is the Panama Canal. Cary Grant is the poor nephew who's just trying to introduce his fiance to this mess of a family and cover up all of their misdeeds before anyone finds out. It's a mad scramble and very funny.
1 - Dances With Wolves (1990): I've talked about this one plenty too, both in my Top 100 and my best Bromances list, so I don't have much to add. Let's just say that dad used to play the soundtrack for this movie ALL THE TIME. I think John Barry's a great composter too, but damn, did I get sick of this one. To this day I still get this score confused with his score from Out of Africa - they are remarkably similar. Kind of like how all of Rachel Portman's (Emma, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, etc.) scores use the same instruments and rhythms. Lately I've run into a lot of criticism of this film from writers I respect, but I still get choked up watching this movie, so I'm just gonna take that con-crit with a grain of salt.

While on Vacation...

2009-06-13T17:16:00.000-07:00

I found some art I absolutely fell in love with. ("With which I absolutely fell in love"? Why do so many sentences naturally end in a preposition?) When we were down in San Francisco for Andrea's graduation we skipped over to Sausalito (which is like a fab combination of Ashland and Newport) for a day and I popped into this art gallery (The Fingerhut) which was showing a Dr. Seuss collection (pretty fun stuff - I always wanted a poster size print of the Friendly Lorax). But I stumbled across this other artist, Victoria Montesinos, and I want to make out with her work. That hasn't happened in forever. If I had had $2,000, I would have plunked it down then and there. Her pieces are mostly just big florals, but the colors are amazing in person. And she does this airbrush lace detail that is totally lost in thumbnail form. Here's a sneak peak:

I don't want to post all the pieces I like cause I'm pretty sure it's copyrighted, but here's the link to her work at the gallery. My favorites are "Lillies Become a Dream" (which is beyond beautiful in person, I stared at it for at least 10 minutes) and "Let's Dance." For some reason my favorites were the yellow and blue ones, despite the red/orange/hot pink family being more my style.

New Show Alert!!!

2009-06-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

Anyone watching "American Idol" this season probably saw the promos for the new Fox series "Glee." I fully intended to watch the pilot after the performance finale of Idol, but fell asleep at 8:30pm like the freak of sleeping nature that I am (because I'm up til at least 2am every other night, of course). The show had a lot of buzz because it's from Ryan Murphy, the creator of the WB's cult hit "Popular" and FX's "Nip/Tuck." Both of these shows are primarily known for their outrageousness, so combining that kind of balls-to-the-wall crazy with a high school music club? Seems like a winner.

I finally got around to watching the pilot on Hulu this weekend and it was even better than I thought it would be. Not only does it have all those fantastic musical aspects of "High School Musical" (yes, I really like those movies) but it combines it with the darkly humorous voice-overs and characterizations of Election (Reese Witherspoon has never been better) and the oddball misfit vibe from "Freaks and Geeks" (and shocker, I LOVE that series too!) It's a pretty winning combination. I think the humor of the show could stand to be improved a bit in certain areas, but I also unexpectedly snorted soda out of my nose in others, so it's doing something right. I also look forward to seeing the writers flesh out more of the characters. The show has been criticized for ripping off the HSM premise (popular jock wants to sing and dance too, faces scorn of teammates) and to a lesser extent, as I mentioned, Election (overachieving lead female character who is often unlikable/main character teacher with occasionally underhanded practices, etc.) but because the tone of the show mixes elements from all of these inspirations, it still feels vitally different from those original premises. However I'm glad to know that the teacher has an adorable soulmate in a fellow teacher, and that the other members of the Glee Club (an assortment of oddballs) have personalities that can be fleshed out in a series.

"Glee" doesn't officially premiere until next fall; for whatever reason, Fox decided to air the pilot now to take advantage of the post-Idol glow and pick up some momentum. Unfortunately, that means there are no other episodes to watch except the pilot. It's still available on Hulu (for at least a couple more days, I think) and I'm embedding it here in hopes that some of you will check it out. At least skip ahead to 39:42 in the episode for the showstopping number of "Don't Stop Believing." Yes, that Journey. It's meant to show what's possible in the future for the Club and I'm telling you, the enthusiasm is infectious. (Not to mention, that song will be stuck in your head for days.) Please enjoy!

Other fun things I've found this week:

Lost: The Finale

2009-05-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

ETA: This wasn't supposed to get so long, but I had a lot to say, so read in increments if necessary.

I haven't been writing much about Lost lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching. The problem is, recapping every episode is just so draining because that show was completely PLOT PLOT PLOT this season and trying to sift through the meanings and surprises every week was just too much - more strenuous than just picking Chuck's best outfit, for example. But I've been riveted and totally enjoyed the season. I just hope that next year slows down just a little bit and focuses on character a little more. That would make me happy.

With that in mind, what do we all think about the game-changing season finale? Or was it even game changing? One of the initial complaints I read about the finale was that after Juliet hits the bomb, the show fades to white and there's no "skipping ahead, we have to go back to the island Kate, OMG that's Locke in the coffin" kind of moment. We can't really speculate as to what might happen, or what might have happened, because we didn't get a little peek at what next season entails. I didn't see this at first - there's plenty to guess about with NotLocke and Jacob and "the incident" - but the truth is we have absolutely no idea what's coming. There were no clues.

For example, Miles could be totally and completely right: maybe them setting off the bomb is what causes the damaging, plane-crash inducing energy in the first place. In which case, nothing changes. They just set in motion what was already going to happen. But then the story doesn't move because they all either die in 1977, or they don't, but the past doesn't get rewritten. I doubt this is the way it will go because if setting off the bomb is the actual catalyst for the future, and not the source of it's change, then that means Juliet, Sayid and most likely (because of their proximity to the bomb) Jack, Kate and Sawyer are all dead, yo. They're not killing off half the main cast in 1977 if they're not bringing them back at LAX in 2004. Also, the bomb could have blown up the entire island (possible?) and that kills 90% of the original Lostaways. The bomb had to have changed something in the future.

But what does that mean? Desmond no longer comes to the island? Juliet is still stuck working on the Others' fertility issues? Or did the Others all blow up too? Will Jack and Kate and Sawyer and Hurley get off the plane in 2004 not knowing each other, but feeling some inexplicable pull to one another? Does this mean we'll be seeing Boone, Shannon, Michael, Ana Lucia, Libby, Mr. Eko, Claire and Charlie again? (Maybe Daniel, please? And how would they recast young Walt?) Will the original cast all be called back to work? Cause I see only two possibilities: Either the bomb worked and they do end up back at the beginning (everyone), or it didn't and Sawyer, Kate, Jack, Hurley, Jin and Miles are still stuck in 1977 trying to find another way back to Sun, NotLocke and Ben in 2007. But I just don't see that happening. Especially if it means Sayid and Juliet (and Locke?) stay dead. Basically it's impossible to know how to discuss next season and it's possibilities until we know what that bomb actually did. (Although, if it did work and they all land in LAX, it won't be about the island anymore. Will Jacob be coming by, somehow drawing them all to the island another way? Will they have strange dreams? Or will the plane crash on Craphole island anyways - without Desmond's button-not-pushing energy pulse? I just don't see how this will happen and it's driving me nuts!)

Mystery crap aside, I thought the episode was pretty well-done, with one glaring exception: character motivations! It's all well and good for the love triangle/quadrangle to be alive and very present in the 1977 happenings. And for the most part, I think it's been well-handled. I understand the confusion Kate and Sawyer feel about seeing each other again - both still have feelings but Sawyer obviously loves Juliet and is committed to her regardless of his feelings for Kate, and Kate is reeling from the confusion of her relationship with Jack and grieving the loss of Aaron (btw, thanks for finally doing the right thing in that regard, Kate. I almost liked you for minute) - I love that Juliet and Kate are being very mature with each other and not on the verge of a passive aggressive catfight every minute, and most of Jack and Sawyer's pissing contest has had more to do with their leadership roles than any kind of fight over Kate or Juliet. Basically, I like that these relationship ties are present, but aren't overwhelming the show at every turn.

Which is why Jack and Juliet's motivations in the finale pissed me off so badly. It's all well and good for Juliet to notice the lingering attraction between Kate and Sawyer, but does it have to be the catalyst for all of her decisions involving detonating a hydrogen bomb. There were plenty of reasons for both stopping Jack and helping Jack and none of them had to do with Kate and Sawyer:

Pros for Stopping Jack: He doesn't know what he's doing and is reacting to a lack of purpose and destiny, he may very well cause the event he's trying to stop, he may blow up the entire island pointlessly killing thousands of innocent people (i.e. children and spouses of Dharma Initiative assholes, Rose and Bernard - btw, thanks for finally showing us what happened to them!).

Pros for Helping Jack: Daniel was right, the entire destiny of the passengers of Oceanic #815 has been caught in a bloodbath between Charles Widmore, Benjamin Linus and the mysterious deity of Jacob, Jack, Kate, Sawyer and everyone else were never supposed to come to the island so it is only right to stop the cycle before half of them die.

Do you see "Because Sawyer still kind of has feelings for Kate" on that list, Juliet? No.

But Juliet's reasons for initially helping Kate stop Jack seemed to be that she wanted Kate and Jack out of their hair so she and Sawyer could escape without guilt, and her reason for the sudden about face was that Sawyer looked at Kate and Juliet realized she didn't want to one day lose him to her. AHHHHH!!!! Why writers??? I think rather than have Juliet shift allegiances so quickly based on a look, it would have been perfectly reasonable for her to notice the looks between Kate and Sawyer, say nothing about them, and instead be swayed while talking to Sayid and Hurley (while Jack and Sawyer are talking in the woods), because Sayid could certainly explain the pros of the Help Jack plan more clearly than Jack (even with a bullet in his gut) and Hurley could bring up the possibility of having his friends Claire, Charlie and Libby not die needless deaths. Juliet's decision could easily be a combination of doing the right thing and knowing that she has to let Sawyer go to potentially save his life so he never has to come to Craphole island. Knowing how much she loves him, this seems like a more reasonable reason for her change of heart than all this "If I never meet you then at least I'll never have to lose you" crap. The love between Sawyer and Juliet will still be well established by the end of the episode with that heartbreakingly tragic crying and falling into the hole death of hers.

And Jack's reasons aren't any better. For all his talk about finally knowing what he was supposed to be doing there, and his new special destiny (God, was he jealous of Locke), when it boiled down to it, he just wanted Kate back. And somehow wiping out all their history and leaving it to fate (a fate that possibly brought you to Craphole in the first place) will win her back. Well, I'm with Sawyer on this one: "Well damn, Doc, she's standing right on the other side of those trees. You want her back? Just go and ask her." Seems a lot easier than blowing up an entire island, especially since it seems like Kate would probably take you back with minimal groveling on your part. See? There were plenty of good reasons for Jack to blow up the island (saving the lives of all their fellow passengers and friends who have died on this island for no good reason seems like a perfectly valid argument to me) but it has to be about Kate. Wouldn't it be more bittersweet and touching if he were blowing up the island, changing their futures, for the right reasons, to save lives, to make their lives better, and doing so with the knowledge that he might lose her forever as a consequence of the right thing, rather than just so he gets a cosmic clean slate with Kate? I was kind of like, "You had me, Jack. Then you lost me."

And why didn't anyone but Kate ever bring up the valid reason they shouldn't change their futures: that they won't know each other anymore. (Okay, yes, Sawyer brought that up briefly as well.) I'm not saying that it justifies all the deaths, but without the island, Jack never would have made internal peace with his father because he never would have heard what Christian said to Sawyer about loving his son. Kate would most likely have gone straight to jail and without Jack's character testimony, the infamy of being one of the Oceanic 6, and being a (false) mother, Kate would be rotting in jail right now. Sawyer would still be a no good conman, without a chance to work for redemption. Charlie would have probably died anyways, of an overdose. Hurley would be crazy and friendless and still convinced he's bad luck in a mental institution. Rose would have died of cancer. Locke would be rolling around, without purpose, in a wheelchair. And Sun and Jin would be distant and out of love and she never would have gotten pregnant because in the real world Jin is sterile. About the only person who comes off that plane the better for never having gone to Craphole is Sayid. He never would have become a killer again. So I as least understand why he's doing this. But everyone else's motivations are suspect. I have no problem with what they all eventually did, but their reasons were so badly written.

Wow, sorry for the rant, but I couldn't believe no one brought all this up on the show. That is straight where my mind went.

As for the Jacob, NotLocke, Ben stuff, I really don't know what to make of all that. It was great to finally see Jacob, get some idea of who he is, but I don't know how that will play out next season. Is he good or bad? He certainly seemed like a decent guy, it seemed like he was looking out for all of our Lostaways at various points in their lives, he was calm and reasonable and didn't like Ben. All good points. But were the Others and Richard always taking their orders from him? Did he really have Ben gas the entire Dharma Initiative and then live in their houses? (Now that I've met the Dharma Initiative I'm less upset about that, but still, that was harsh!) Did Jacob really tell Widmore to steal Rousseau's baby? It's impossible to know whether we can trust Jacob or not until we know exactly what he has ordered and why and exactly what his purpose on the island is. And who are these new people on the island who're supposedly the "good guys," and who are there to help Jacob. What's their deal? I'm at a loss.

As for the guy who hates Jacob? (Don't know his name - IMDb doesn't have a name listed - but the writer at TWoP has cleverly been calling him Esau. Check your bible stories about the birthright between brothers Jacob and Esau to see what that's all about, although I have no idea if that's what the Lost writers intended since I don't know if that's his real name. Would be cool if it was.) Apparently he hates Jacob and has been trying to figure out a way to kill him for centuries. And now he finally found a way: get Ben to do it. But Ben was only doing it because he thought this guy was Locke, which is wasn't, and because the Smoke Monster told him he has to do everything Locke says. But the writer at TWoP had another theory: what if the the Smoke Monster is this Esau/Not Locke guy. And I also think he's been masquerading as Christian Shepard, giving bad advice, stealing Claire's soul, etc. But what is his beef? I don't know. Does Jacob need to be killed? Is he actually a bad guy? No idea. (See the ep recap, which includes all the theories, here.)

So the finale sets up this great reveal about NotLocke (and btw, kudos to Terry O'Quinn for playing him so well because he was still Locke-like but with this greater confidence and kind of creepy edge and it's been so fun to watch), that he's trying to kill Jacob and that Locke is really dead, but we know next to nothing about these characters and how they really fit into the story. So the episode felt like it simultaneously spent too much and not enough time on these guys. Also, if the great Bomb-Time-Reset of 1977 works, doesn't that just wipe out the killing of Jacob? Is that what Jacob meant when he said, "They're coming" or was he talking about the Shadow of the Four-Toed Statue people? I'm so confused. Did Jacob bring everyone to the island to save himself from this killer? AHHHHHH!!!!! I don't know what any of this means.

Final thoughts:

1.) I really enjoy Miles as a character and a second source of comic relief. Keep him around. Although I still want Daniel back - he was fun and strange and twitchy. 2.) Favorite moment was definitely that tragic Juliet and Sawyer scene. Fantastic acting from both. First time I cried all season. 3.) Please find a way to keep Sayid and Desmond around more next season. I just plain like Desmond and Sayid is about the only character I always trust. 4. I hope we do see Charlie again next year. I liked him. Or maybe I just like Dominic Monaghan. 5.) I felt for Sawyer being yanked around all episode. His incredulousness to Juliet after she changed her mind was priceless. 6.) That fight with Jack was awesome and a long time coming. 7.) Never make me watch that asshole Radzinsky ever again. Hate. With the fire of a thousand suns. 8.) I feel a little cheated out of a Jin and Sun reunion. An entire season and the only scene they shared was the flashback to their wedding day (where they did look fantastically happy). 9.) I actually really liked the moment when Jack dropped the bomb and him, Kate, Juliet and Sawyer looked so hopeful and sad at the same time.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with the season and though the season was a tad plot heavy, I enjoyed every minute while it was happening and really appreciated getting answers about the Dharma Initiative, the island, Jacob, the Others, and just having the characters talk about whether they have a choice in all this or not. And I think the finale has set up next season nicely, I just have no idea what that will be. So if the show will just slow down a little next year and allow me to like some of the characters again, that would be really nice.

This Week in Chuck...FINALLY!!!

2009-05-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I submit the following evidence:

THANK YOU! About freaking time! Yes, after an entire season of ups and downs (mostly downs, although lots of sexy ones) Chuck and Blair have finally, almost equally, declared their love for each other. There were times when we thought we'd poke out our ears if we had to hear one more unreciprocated "Three words, eight letters, say them and I'm yours, I LOVE YOU!" on this show. Thankfully that time has passed and we can look forward to lots of happy-in-love snarking and scheming from the scariest twosome to ever grace my screen. Yay! (A Warning, writers: break them up anytime before I die and I will cut you. DEAD.)

In all seriousness, the Chuck and Blair scenes were by far the highlights of the episode. They continue to have insane chemistry and drag continuous emotion from what seems like a dead horse. And that last scene? Made of yummy goodness. When was the last time Chuck Bass smiled that big? I think early first season. His "I love you, too," was of course no where near as wonderful as Blair's earlier confession of "Chuck Bass, I love you. I love you so much, it consumes me. I love you." (She said it all in a very convincing, serious, tearful voice - looks ridiculous on paper, but was perfection in execution.) However, the fact that he repeated it several times while they were making out ("I love you, I love you, that's three, four, I love you, etc.") more than made up for the initial lackluster phrasing.

The most major kudos must be given to Leighton Meester. Blair remains the most multi-faceted, fascinating, endearing, compelling character on that show. Other than the Chuck and Blair goodness, the only scenes that really lifted off the ground during both of the last two episodes were moments involving Blair - a couple great Blair and Serena moments, Blair's crazy prom conviction, the queen speech to Jenny, her "not enough" to the mean girls, and of course the insanely happy Chuck and Blair streetside makeout - when was the last time Blair was that genuinely happy? (And can't forget her conviction in that silly, yet sexy, stripping scene - it would have been easy for that one to go so wrong.) Also loved yet another Non-Judging Breakfast Club scene from the finale. Seeing Serena, Chuck, Nate and Blair on the steps plotting together really never gets old.

It does, however, show that Nate needs a personality upgrade. Serena kind of does as well. I think the last few eps have really proven that Chuck is the only person who ever gets anything done and Blair is the heart of their group. So while Serena showed great initiative in her plot to reveal Gossip Girl, she had absolutely no follow through. And poor Nate has been playing the fool for quite awhile now, asking questions all over the place and suggesting they just leave things alone. He never really brings anything to the table; they just keep him around cause he's cute and they love him. I did love how at first he thought that Dan was GG, then hilariously said, "They're a team?" when Blair and Jenny entered together. Oh, Nate. Get a clue.

Winner #1: (From episode 2.24 "Valley Girls") Thank God, these last two eps brought the return of color to the wardrobe of Chuck Bass. This is the suit he wore to prom (I wish we had gotten to see it more) and it was a ridiculous homage to that great season one blue suit I loved so much (see it here.) Well done, costumers. That is exactly what Chuck Bass would wear to prom.

Winner #2: (From 2.25 "The Goodbye Gossip Girl") Later in the episode Chuck did wear this fantastic black suit with a fuscia, paisley tie, and man, it fit him to a T. Dude seriously looked like an old-fashioned movie star. But it was just a black suit and those never translate as well in photos; have to see it in action on the show for it to really have an effect. So I'm going with the color again (was there ever a doubt?), and Bass didn't disappoint in this loud oranage shirt with matching tie and fab brown suit. With matching pocket squre - yay!

P.S. I fully intend to write something about the season finale of "Lost" - in fact I might just write something about Season Finale season in general because I feel like this one has been particularly contentious - but I just haven't gotten to it yet. I'll be out of town for the next few days but I hope to have the Lost piece up on Monday or Tuesday - like two weeks after the fact, go me! Oh well. Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Happy Mother's Day Movie List

2009-05-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not very good at getting original gifts for Mother's Day (and usually don't have the cash anyways) so cleaning the house is about all my mom can expect from me today. But I do have a blog so I'm gonna post her 10 favorite movies. In no particular order (because just getting her to narrow the list to 10 was enough of an ordeal without her having to organize it), and with several appearances from films in my Top 100, here are my mom's favorite 10 movies (as far as she can remember):

The Way We Were (1973): Let's get this out of the way early: My mom is a huge Streisand fan. Huge. Ask her what kind of music she likes and she'll hem and haw and the only fact you'll be able to discern is that she loves Barbra Streisand. She's pretty keen on '70's golden boy Robert Redford as well. And who wasn't? Hubble Gardener is completely gorgeous. Truth be told, I love this one too. Streisand's passionate Katy is one of her best performances. The title song is sentimental, but effective. And the girls on "Sex and the City" all love so it must be great!
Monsters Inc. (2002): I didn't know my mom liked this one that much. At least not enough for a desert island Top 10 list (which I had to really explain to her in order for her to just tell me the must-have movies and not the ones she likes, just, you know, okay.) I presume her regard has a lot to do with Boo, the cutest cartoon girl ever, and her adorable laugh. (Wait, she just informed me that she also thinks it's very clever, with the closet doors and all, and that she likes how Sully learns that he's actually scaring the kids and feels bad about it. Look for "reform" to be a big idea later on the list.)
Rear Window (1954): My mom's a total Hitchcock junkie, which is actually very good taste. (I really don't give her enough credit for that; I assume most people have lesser tastes than myself, which is the only acceptable attitude for self-declared cinephiles to take, isn't it?) But really, the list could have just been 10 Hitchcock movies and it would have been pretty close to the mark. But this really is one of her favorites, as well as one of mine. Somehow Jimmy Stewart watching all the action happen through binoculars from wheelchair never gets old. Plus mom really likes Grace Kelly, thinks her character is "spunky" and really likes her wardrobe (which seems unusual for my mom to even notice, so kudos!)
Pride and Prejudice (2005): Damn mom, stop picking movies I like. I've already written about them! As mom put it, this is a movie she can watch "any time, all the time." She's never sick of it. I don't blame her; the love/hate romance that develops between Elizabeth and Darcy is a true blue classic. Mom's also a big fan of the recent OPB miniseries "Jane Eyre," which for my money, presents the only version of Mr. Rochester that was ever worth all the effort. Toby Stephens is actually damn sexy in the role. Mom and I watched that mini at least 4 times in the 3 months after it premiered.
Far and Away (1992): All anyone ever remembers about this is that Tom Cruise has a crappy Irish accent. I suppose that's true; it's definitely not an award winner. But he and Nicole Kidman have really great chemistry (another love/hate relationship) and I enjoy the tension in their class differences. I actually remember seeing this one in the theater (probably one of my first "grown-up" movie experiences; I was about 10 at the time?), and I saw it with both of my parents. The credits feature that great Enya song (yes, Enya - we love her) "Book of Days" which directly led to my purchase of "Shepard Moon" for my 11th birthday. You can pretty much guarantee my mom will always be in the mood to watch this one.
Beauty and the Beast (1991): I also saw this in the theater with my mom (and her best friend and all the kids - it was a full group endeavor), and as I've said before, nothing is as magical as the opening prologue of this film. That beautiful score playing while telling the story through stained glass panels was sublime. Mom likes it because Belle isn't just a fairy princess; she likes to read, dammit! And mom's also a sucker for the Beast redeeming himself. And in another show of good taste, her favorite song is the clever and operatic opening number "Provincial Life" which is probably is most fun to sing along with (except for maybe "Gaston" which is my personal fave).
Notorious (1946): Her favorite Hitchcock. It took us a really long time to track a copy of this one down so I only saw it for the first time this past year. I liked it so much I wrote a Check This Out blog about it. Mom likes seeing Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant play slightly against type (they were usually so charming that it's initially a little off-putting to see them be so callous to one another) and once again she's attracted to the idea of characters who redeem themselves. She also finds the whole plot involving Claude Rains as a Nazi sympathizer particularly compelling. (For those of you who were wondering, her short list also included Hitchcock's Rebecca, Dial M for Murder, North by Northwest and Shadow of a Doubt.)
The Fugitive (1993): My mom's a nurse so she works with a lot of doctors and she is just relieved to see a nice doctor in Richard Kimble finally portrayed on film. :) Obviously this movie has more going for it than that, like a great action/thriller plot, Harrison Ford's humble performance as the harried everyman, and a great ensemble cast of "characters" led by Tommy Lee Jones brillinat portrayal of Sam Gerard. I, of course, love this one too. And I am still unable to adequately explain why. This film's perfection just defies my comprehension.
Funny Girl (1968): More Streisand. Proving herself one of silver screen's most adept comedienne's, she won Best Actress for her portryal of Fanny Brice, the early 1900's songstress who became a Ziegfield folly. And Streisand is charming. Look at her then, with her creamy skin and violet eyes (I know that supposed to be Liz Taylor's bag, but there are scenes here where I swear Steisand deserved the title) belting out vulnerable emotion in "People" and "My Man", only to turn and deliver pratfalls and adept comedic timing while singing, skating and dancing. It's truly a tour-de-force performance and mom's prerequisite musical on the list.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003): I think this is one she really likes to watch with dad. There's enough suspense and action to make this a guy movie (although my dad's tastes are much broader than that - he has 4 daughters, they'd have to be) but it's really a character study. As a family, we love the A&E Horatio Hornblower flicks about the Royal Navy, and Master and Commander is right in line with that, only sporting more spectacular scenery and a lot more portentious gloom. At it's heart it's about the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and Doctor Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), their differing ideologies and their complementary bond. Really is a great flick for married couples - a little something for everyone.

So, Happy Mother's Day Mom! And next time I give you flack for not "knowing" as much as me, or for having inferior taste in film, you can just throw this list, which includes at least 5 movies from my top 100, back in my face and tell me to shove it!

(But I know my mom will probably never read this because she still can't figure out how to use a computer search engine! So HA! I win! :) )

This Week in Chuck...

2009-05-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Damn, that was a good episode! Possibly one of the best ever, but certainly one of the best of the season. I've had a hot and cold relationship with Michelle Tractenburg's Georgina Sparks in the past but have really enjoyed her as a wide-eyed religious convert. If course, she's even better when she's bad and her "Tell Jesus the bitch is back" sent chills down everyone's spines. It's just so nice to be able to root for bad Georgina since she's not after our gang this time. Go get Poppy!

I also love episodes that manage to incorporate all the characters in the main plot, especially when they're doing a sting operation. Honestly just get the Non-Judging Breakfast Club (that's Nate, Chuck, Serena and Blair) in a room together and I'm happy. Although it was a bonus to have Dan there as well when Georgina made her scary and hilarious debut to shouts of "Crazy Lady!," "Bass, are you trying to kill me!", "Everyone calm down!" and "What the hell is she doing here, Chuck?" I had a long, hard laugh over that scene. And kudos to one of the better episode endings since "All About My Brother." Serena getting her mug shot taken while Chuck attempts to find dirt on the police, Nate begs his grandfather for help, and Blair pleads Serena's innocence to anyone within earshot; I love it when these 4 act like the lifetime friends they actually are.

This episode also brought us the best Blair and Chuck shipper moment we've had in ages. Obviously their romance wasn't over, and the tension in the triangle with Nate has been handled fairly well thus far, but I wasn't expecting a big, emotional scene from them before the finale. As much as the writers have had them up and down throughout the season, constantly on the Blair and Chuck roller coaster, the actors still deliver the goods in scenes together. Great faces from both and their best scene since the funeral episode. (Also, kudos to Chace Crawford for the "Make up your mind, Chuck, because I want her!" moment. I kind of wanted Nate to win there for a minute.)

Winner: Just another well-tailored suit. But hey, I found a pretty great picture of him in it; you can see the shoes and everything.

My New Cinematic Crush

2009-05-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

So lately I've just been finding myself inexplicably drawn to the lovely Rosemarie DeWitt. Apparently I was exposed to her on "Mad Men" as Draper's Season 1 mistress, Midge, but I didn't recognize her. Then I saw Rachel Getting Married where she plays the Rachel of the title, the responsible, burdened sister of Anne Hathaway's narcissistic former druggie, Kym. Now Anne Hathaway got most of the praise for this flick (and all of it was well deserved) but for me the movie just wouldn't work without the performance of Rosemarie DeWitt. Although the film is mainly about Kym and a family trying to move past grief and into forgiveness, the film's primary relationship is between Rachel and Kym. When I'm watching this movie (one of my favorite from the past year) I'm rooting for Kym. But Rachel is the character I'm most intrigued by; there are countless stories in her eyes and expressions.

It's not even that I'm crushing on DeWitt's character (which she plays so beautifully), but I really like watching her as an actress. Part of me really wants her character's wedding, part of me covets her hair, and part of me is bizarrely attracted to her eyes and smile. I finish the film every time and just want to keep following Rosemarie DeWitt. Stay with her! I find her an absolutely stunning actress; every moment with her feels real and interesting. Don't know how better to describe it; it's not a romantic crush at all, but I feel absolutely enchanted by her. Hope to see a lot more in the future.

This Week in Chuck...

2009-04-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Long absence on the "Gossip Girl" front - I have three weeks worth of Chuck outfits to cover!

Winner #1: (From 2.20 "Remains of the J") This boy apparently has a wide and varied collection of smoking jackets and pajama sets as he has been sporting them all over the place lately. What really makes this one the kicker is that the robe is red velour and he's wearing these super manly slippers. Not.

Winner #2: (From 2.21 "Seder Anything") There was another lovely morning robe this episode, but I find that as much as I love Chuck Bass in a great bowtie, I almost prefer him untidy and rumpled with his shirt untucked and his hair mussed. Maybe just cause he's usually buttoned up so so tight it's good to see a little release.

Winner #3: (From 2.22 "Southern Gentlemen Prefer Blondes") The boy actually played basketball in an entire velour sweatsuit (indigo in color) this episode, but I couldn't really get a good picture. It's an idea that really sounds funnier in theory than in practice. So I went with the prerequisite suit, pink shirt and bowtie. On the plus side, only Chuck Bass could wear so much pink and purple that they seem kind of boring. (And you should know that in this scene Chuck swishes mouthwash and spits it into a champagne glass - I love that detail.)

Also have to gush a little about how great this week's episode was! The show has been on a great upswing ever since they came back from winter hiatus, but this week's really took the cake. After some fabulous set-up last week (wherein Nate and Chuck discussed Blair, Blair and Nate made great progress, Dan and Serena proved they are more entertaining as step-siblings than as a couple, and Chuck and Jenny finally discussed his quasi attack on her from the pilot - yay for continuity!) this week took it to unheard levels of awesome! The Chuck/Nate/Blair triangle continues to work because all of the rampant jealousy (and from the austere Mr. Archibald no less) has been so long in coming. Last season's rushed finale seemed to settle the triangle but there was so real satisfying resolution. So I am beyond glad that this second (or is it third?) trip to Nate and Blair fantasyland has resulted in growth for all three characters, Chuck and Nate actually talking about the elephant in the room, and Blair and Nate having to deal with her connection to Chuck.

The Gabriel/Poppy/Serena set-up (modeled on poor Anne Hathaway's eurotrash boyfriend's dilemma) is also really working. G/P are a wicked pair, it caused some good conflict between Blair and Serena, and Gabriel's obvious scam is now involving Serena, bringing Chuck and Blair closer, involving Lily and Bass Industries (which also means fucking with Chuck's money), completely duping Rufus and his entire life savings (which will then involve Dan and Jenny), and best of all, is bringing back Georgina Sparks, that love-to-hate-her bitch, but this time she appears to be fighting on the side of good! (Or Jesus. Can't tell yet!) So excited for all the delicious drama to play out!

FNL: Top 10 Favorite Season 3 Moments

2009-04-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we bid a fond adieu to the third season of "Friday Night Lights" (thank GOD there's going to be another one!) and the last few episodes were just cram-packed with tearful, heartstring-tugging moments (at least for me). And since it's been awhile since I did a proper Top 10 list, here we go...

10 - Landry and his band playing "Vaseline" (ep. 7): Landry singing has always been particularly adorable, but his moments interacting with Devin, the new female bassist, are beyond cute. First, she plays The Flaming Lips' "Vaseline" to try and cheer him up, and later he starts it up on his guitar at band practice to let her know they're all cool after she rebuffed his advances (she's a lesbian, the cutest one ever!) I really just love this song with it's bizarre lyrics, but totally fun, laxadaisical attitude. Been listening to it plenty ever since.9 - Tim's college acceptance apology (ep. 9): Tim and Lyla had a lot of sweet moments this year (Tim is well on his way to becoming the BEST BOYFRIEND EVER!), but my personal favorite is when he apologizes to a hungover Lyla for not taking his college options seriously. It's all in Taylor Kitcsh's delivery: "One - I'm sorry. Two - I mean it, I'm really sorry. Three - Thank You. Four - I wanna celebrate..." etc. It's the sweetest, cheekiest, yet most heartfelt apology ever. And to top it off, he then kisses Lyla and realizes her breath could get him drunk, which makes him even happier.
8 - Tami and Coach "I'm behind you" (ep. 13): This couple is so consistanly awesome and together that it's damn difficult to pick one moment where they out-awesome themselves. But I'm going with the season finale where Tami stands by her man in sexy, calm, grown-up, ever-supportive fashion when the ungrateful people of the Dillon school board fire Coach from his job. Uncalled for! But seeing the way Tami is just solidly there for him, and the way he obviously takes comfort in that was a highlight.
7 - Coach and Tami's reactions to the Matt/Julie sex (ep. 10): This storyline really brought the funny and the poignant. First Coach accidentally walks in on Matt and Julie in a post-coital glow, but doesn't explode, just leaves wordlessly and stews on it for a few hours. He takes his anger out on the barbeque grill a few days later. Then Tami gets to have the ubiquitous-on-television talk about sex with Julie, and damned if she didn't make me cry. Tami has superpowers, I swear! She's emotional and worried about her daughter, but doesn't yell, just makes sure Julie has been careful and is in love, but still wishes she had waited because she doesn't want her to get hurt. Doesn't every parent want that? And Julie's tearful little, "I didn't want to disappoint you," just broke my heart.
6 - Matt and his Grandma (all episodes): I can't pick one moment with these two - they all seem to bleed together; one leads right into the other. Matt dealing with his Granma's progressing dementia has always been one of the cornerstones of the show, but this season really went full throttle. He became an emancipated minor, had to seek out and deal with his long-lost mother, handle freakouts about slippers, convince his grandma that going to college in Illinois was the right thing to do, and then take her to a rest home and leave her there in a move that just about killed them both. So when Matt decides to stay in Dillon with her, saying, "You're the only one who's never left me. I'm not gonna leave you," I'll admit I was crying like a baby. Who knows if it's the right call, but that is a decision that encompasses the entire series, everything that Matt and his Grandma have been through, and him making that call didn't feel like a cheap ploy to keep his character around next season (even though it probably was); it felt like a genuine decision because Matt loves nothing more than he loves his Grandma.
5 - Panthers lose State (ep. 12): It would have been awesome, but kind of unrealistic for them to win State again, wouldn't it? But what really makes this moment shine is the way it was filmed, the choices made with the sound, and the lingering close-ups on everyone's faces. For once the big game doesn't come down to something that Matt and Riggins do (although their second half comeback was a joy to watch, loved the music choices, and "Suck That!" J.D.!), but to the defense. And once the opposing team is in field goal range, there's nothing anyone can really do. Everyone knows they're gonna lose. And it all kind of goes into slow motion. We see Tami and Grandma and Buddy Garrity in the stands know it. We see it on Coach's face. And we see Landry and Matt and Riggins holding hands on the sidelines and you can see it on all of their faces. And the music (another sublime piece of score by Explosions in the Sky) is soft and sad and resigned. And for some reason it just feels so right that they don't win. That this is how it all goes down. And then Riggins leaves his cleets on the field. Gahhh! Perfection.4 - Street and Riggins goodbye (ep. 8): I love the friendship between Jason Street and Tim Riggins. LOVE IT! So I'm so glad we got to see an entire episode of them bumbling around New York in typical bumpkin fashion with Riggins being Street's cheerleader every step of the way. He drops him off in Jersey with one last feeble 'Texas Forever" and from there on out, I'm all tears. Street gives a great speech to the mother of his child, but what really gets me is the moment after. Street gets his hug, has been accepted into his new life, and then we cut back to Riggins leaning against the taxi. He has tears in his eyes and he takes one big, shuddering breath, like he's been holding it right along with Jay, waiting for her answer, and then he smiles a really sad smile. Because he's so happy for his friend, so relieved that he's gonna get exactly what he wants, but also sad to know that this is the end of their dream. That Street is gonna stay here without him. It's a beautiful episode between the two of them, but Taylor Kitsch just steals the scene there at the end. 3 - Matt and Julie, the morning after (ep. 6): I have a soft spot for all interactions between Matt and Julie. I am so relieved they got back together. They spend a fantastic day together at the lake, have sex (her first time!) and the morning after is so sweet and vulnerable. They're driving back in his car, and the light is that perfect pre-dawn, blue-gray tinge, and she's leaning on his shoulder. When he drops her off, they just stare into each other's eyes with the faintest hint of an ecstatic smile, she walks inside and looks at herself in the mirror to see if she looks different. Later at church, they are sitting in pews on opposite sides of the aisle, but they can't stop looking at each other and smiling big, dopey smiles. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!2 - Tyra's College Essay (ep. 12): Tyra's never been my favorite character (and she's been too all over the place this season) but her college essay was perfect, right from the moment she brought up Jason Street getting paralyzed. That was the starting place for all of us with this show, and her talking about it just brought it all full circle. I love that that was the beginning catalyst for change. And her speech it just so simple and hopeful: "Two years ago, I was afraid to want anything. I figured wanting would lead to trying and trying would lead to failure. But now I find I can't stop wanting." GAH! "I want to win and have people be happy for me. I want to lose and get over it. I want to define myself instead of having others define me. I want to not be afraind of the unknown." Don't we all. "I want to grow up to be generous and big-hearted, the way that people have been with me." Like Tami, and Julie and Landry. "I want an interesting and surprising life. I don't think I'll get all of these things, but I want the possibility of getting them. College represents possibility to me. The possibility that things are gonna change. I can't wait." I can empathize with that.
1 - Smash's exit (ep. 4): Smash is another character I wasn't really sure I'd like at first. He was too cocky, too much a showboat, and all his storylines were related pretty directly to football (except maybe Waverly). The steroids and racism plots, while well-handled, all seemed a little too obvious at first glance. But when the show took away his dream of college and professional football, I couldn't believe how broken hearted I was for this character. Which is why his exit from the show was so well-handled. So perfect. He works his ass off. He sheds some of the cockiness and shows some real vulnerability. His absolute, all-consuming joy when he achieves it is so rewarding. I was crying this entire episode. His tryout, celebrating with his mama, his heartfelt thank you to Coach (ahhh!), and his final scrimage with the boys on their high school field. Gaius Charles has this huge smile (maybe the biggest I've ever seen) and he's fronting in the end zone, all "Where you at, baby? Where you at?!"

Also, shoutouts to Matt's wide receiver tryout with the Taylor's, Street singing "There's a Hole In My Bucket" to his son, Lyla getting drunk with Mindy Collette, Tim and Billy bonding over trucks and having babies on the side of the road, and Tyra sharing her college acceptance letter with Landry.

Any of your favorites that I missed?

No Particular Pattern

2009-04-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been so dormant. As I may have mentioned before, the house is going through some major remodeling. The construction has been done for about a week and as defacto, self-appointed interior designer, I've kinda gone off my nut with the decorating and fixing up. You'd think it was my house for all the thought and work I've been expending. So I've kind of screwed the pooch on the posting lately. I won't bore you with another list of the stuff I really really am going to write about (it's safe in my head), but here are a few random things I've been thinking about this last couple of weeks.

"Friday Night Lights" got renewed for 2 more seasons! I was absolutely expecting this to get cancelled (especially as NBC is giving Leno the entire 10pm time slot next year, meaning fewer shows are gonna get picked up), but was so pleasantly surprised that they worked out the 2-year deal with Direct-TV. Both seasons 4 & 5 will be 13 episodes, and air first on Direct-TV, just like this season. YAY! Still don't know what the story's going to be about as the end of this season brings about the graduation of Saracen, Tyra, Riggins and Lyla (that's more than half the teens! plus Street and Smash left this year too!). I'm hoping we'll see a little bit of all these characters next year, even if they won't be returning as series regulars. At least we still have Coach and Tami!
Just watched the original Die Hard over the weekend and forgot how fucking awesome it is! Bruce Willis is amazing. I remembered he bloodied up his feet, but I had forgotten he was barefoot for the entire movie. Alan Rickman's villain is a classic (just made EW's Top 20 Villains list), and "Yippie Kai Yay, Mother Fucker" is one of my favorite lines ever. When we visited Grauman's Chinese Theater on my senior class trip, I took a picture of Bruce Willis' handprints just because he has written that quote on the cement! And there is really something to be said for the slow, deliberate pacing, the so '80's references and music, and even the random topless nudity at the Christmas party - reminded me of the random topless nudity at the beginning of Lethal Weapon - I think that was a late '80's/early '90's trend. I caught Die Hard on TV - on one of our new channels in the improved cable package (we also finally have DVR!) and it was so great I had to put in on again later that night. Needed to savor it a little more. Also, how creepy is Alexander Godunov as henchman Karl? With the long, flowing, bleach-blonde hair. So handsome, yet in an entirely unappealing way. I spent years thinking that he was actually Dolph Lundgren - my bad!
Speaking of good ol' Alex, have you seen the trailer for the new Sandler/Rogen flick Funny People? Check it out here - contains an amazing shoutout to Alexander Godunov in my favorite joke of the trailer, as well as featuring Ringo Starr's song "Photograph." Yes. Plot doesn't look particularly original, but I like Sandler when he tones it down, I am disturbingly in love with Seth Rogen, and Eric Bana is the bad guy/tool in a seriously amped up Austrailian accent! Love it!
Have been listening to LIVE's "Hold Me Up" non-stop (also Beyonce's "Halo," but for reasons I'd rather not get into. I'll just say shipper...). It plays over the intimate sex scene in Zach and Miri Make a Porno and surprisingly works really well. Which has me thinking: awhile back I was listening to Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" while talking with Abby about making the Ultimate Makeout Mix Ever (it was a rather grandiose dream). "Comfortably Numb" made me think of it because every time I hear that song, I rememer how hot Leonardo DiCaprio is in the sex scene from The Departed; therefore, instant makeout classic. Other obvious choices would include "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye and "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green. On the basis of the sex scene in Zack and Miri I am seriously considering including "Hold Me Up." Also, there's this great Coldplay song called "Sex with White Folks" that is supposedly playing in the background of the Mexican threesome scene of Street, Lyla and Riggins in season 2 of "Friday Night Lights" but I can't find it anywhere. You guys have any suggestions for The Ultimate Makeout Mix?
I fell in love with another paint splattered Beauty Shot on "America's Next Top Model." Part of me really wants to get a hold of these shots and display them as art, but since I've had to actually watch these girls on a reality show and have regrettably learned way too much about their annoying personalities, I couldn't actually do that. But maybe I could get some paint-splattered pictures taken of myself? Or of someone I know? I've always thought my sister Andrea was beyond beautiful...maybe she's be willing to fierce it up like this:

(Sarah, I found this interview with Nathan Fillion at EW and it make me giggle. Just for you.)

20 Favorite Actors

2009-03-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

I did my 20 Favorite Actresses a few months ago and felt the need to list my favorite actors as well. It's not a terribly surprising list, lots of obviously good actors, but it's who I'm feeling right now and it's the actors that appear in my favorite films. Someday I hope to be discerning enough to have a few "What?" picks on the list. It would be nice to throw in a Philip Baker Hall or a George Sanders sometime and mean it. But for now, here's who made the cut, as well as my favorite role they've played.

Paul Bettany: A Knight's Tale
I wish this guy worked more often. His role as Chaucer in Knight's Tale absolutely stole the show. He's charismatic and sexy, and has the greatest hangdog eyes. Also love watching him play tennis in Wimbledon and he matches really well with Russell Crowe in Master and Commander.

Jeff Bridges: The Fabulous Baker Boys
Has absolutely incredible range. He's the cocky, shrewd President in The Contender, the man-child alien of Starman and smolders, mostly silently, playing the piano in Baker Boys. (And of course, no one can forget, he's also The Dude. Dude!)

Russell Crowe: L.A. Confidential
Everyone already knows he's one of the best actors of his generation. Again, range. First noticed him as Bud White in L.A. Confidential, who remains one of my favorite film characters of all time. For such a fearsome actor, I'm amazed at his gentleness in Cinderella Man.

John Cusack: High Fidelity
Love his line delivery; it sounds intentionally funny, but off the cuff and like he's musing it over internally at the same time. The way he talks to the camera in High Fidelity clinches that movie as one of my faves, but I can't forget him as the ultimate underdog Romeo in Say Anything either.

Daniel Day-Lewis: Last of the Mohicans
He looks and sounds so refined (part of the reason I love him as Newland Archer in The Age of Innocence) but has wells of anger and passion simmering in his eyes. I will always love him best as Nathaniel in Mohicans, but am so impressed by the diversity of characters he's played in My Beautiful Laundrette, Gangs of New York, A Room with a View, and There Will Be Blood. (Still haven't seen My Left Foot, his first Oscar-winning performance.)

Johnny Depp: Benny & Joon
Such a chameleon. Love him in sensitive roles like What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and always thought his ode to Keaton in B & J was underrated by the general public. Fantastic physical comedy.

Leonardo DiCaprio: The Departed
Sentimental vote for sure; I've loved him almost as long as I've loved movies. His roles in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Departed are the most obvious examples of his skill and range, but I also thinks he pretty fantastic in Titanic (I know), and Catch Me If You Can. Revolutionary Road is just the most recent example of his willingness to get emotionally naked and ugly for a part.

Harrison Ford: Star Wars
He's pretty underrated as an actor, but he's got the nuances of the tough guy role down. He just is Han Solo or Indiana Jones, he's so great in Witness and The Fugitive, but I love the comic chops he's shown in personal guilty pleasures Hollywood Homicide and Six Days, Seven Nights.

Morgan Freeman: Kiss the Girls
We all know he's one of the best. I would have picked his Oscar-winning role in Million Dollar Baby, but it's been too long since I've seen it. I always had a pesky affection for this underappreciated crime thriller, which coasts on Freeman's ability to make the ridiculous plausible and very scary with his deep intonation and quiet, serious delivery.

Paul Giamatti: Sideways
He's accused of only playing sadsacks, but I don't think that's true. Yes, his character in Sideways is rather pathetic (but he does it so beautifully, with such subtlety of feeling in his eyes), but he is a pillar of strength in Cinderella Man and the HBO miniseries "John Adams", has amazing comic abilities that usually go unmentioned, and likes to tackle different roles in films like The Illusionist and Shoot 'Em Up. (He's also one of the early "Hey, it's that guy(s)!" for his unnoticed roles in everything from The Truman Show and My Best Friend's Wedding to Saving Private Ryan and Donnie Brasco.

Jake Gyllenhaal: Moonlight Mile
He's got that innocent vibe, true, but displayed some creepy skill in Donnie Darko, and is the true romantic of Brokeback Mountain. His best role in my opinion is the almost completely-by-eye acting he does as the bereved fiance' in Moonlight Mile. I'm excited to see what he does next.

Heath Ledger: Brokeback Mountain
His Joker is amazing, but it was his charismatic turn as Patrick Verona in 10 Things I Hate About You that caught my eye. He's beyond beautiful in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot, but turns in really great supporting performances in Monster's Ball and Lords of Dogtown. Of course, Brokeback Mountain will always be the most impressive, in my opinion; it was the first time we really sat up and said, "Damn, look at what he can do!"

James McAvoy: Atonement
This guy is so my new favorite. In a very short time he's already played so many different kinds of characters, my favorites being the idealistic and romantic Robbie Turner of Atonement and the immobile, but fiercely individual Rory O'Shea in Inside I'm Dancing. He looks more like a character actor than a leading man, and I think that will help him continue to play a variety of roles and not be typecast in the future.

Viggo Mortensen: Lord of the Rings Trilogy
This is a guy with genuine presence. His roles in LotR, Eastern Promises and A History of Violence are mostly quiet, inner performances, carried off with minimal dialogue, and yet you know each of these characters so well. Mortensen is able to completely change by altering his bearing and physicality.

Paul Newman: Cool Hand Luke
I think this is one of his best performances, although I love Cat on a Hot Tin Roof best, but that's really Liz Taylor's movie. I love his partnership with Redford (The Sting nose-flick is one of my faves) and his performance in Nobody's Fool is amazing.

Joaquin Phoenix: Signs
I sure hope he hasn't really retired and isn't as crazy as he appears. Another actor with a lot of range, some of his most memorable roles have been dark sociopaths, but I will always prefer him as the honest, reliable, unintentionally funny Merrill Hess of Signs, one of my favorite film characters.

River Phoenix: Running on Empty
Another talented career that was cut short, Phoenix was one of the most promising actors of the '80's and early '90's. He's a standout in Stand By Me, and won accolades for his offbeat performances in My Own Private Idaho and Dogfight. In Running on Empty he's quiet and odd and bares emotions so vulnerably. He was an actor who knew how to play a hard character and still realistically expose the soft underbelly.

Brad Pitt: Fight Club
Yes, he's very pretty. But dammit if he isn't scary and hilarious as Tyler Durden. He puts that beauty to good use as the tortured "bad boys" of A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall, and his ability to access a lot of raw emotion is always impressive. (Plus, I want to see him in more comedies - his turn in Burn After Reading was outstanding.)

James Stewart: It's A Wonderful Life
The only "classic" actor on my list. He was just such an "Aww, shucks," nice guy. He played idealistic early in his career, starred in one of the best films ever (It's a Wonderful Life) and then did a really creepy turn in Vertigo as an obsessive P.I. Really love his voice.

Vince Vaughn: Wedding Crashers
Not someone I generally consider, but his performance in this is one of my favorites, ever. God, that motormouth just goes and goes and goes and forces this manic energy out and I laugh at this role every single time. He really earned it in this one.

Just Missed the Cut: John C. Reilly, Alan Rickman, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Grant, Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray.

This Week in Chuck...

2009-03-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thank God Chuck is back to interacting with Serena and Blair. Didn't hate Vanessa or Dan for the 2nd week in a row. Nate and Blair!!! OMG! Didn't like them together at all beginning of season 1, but they kind of make sense now. And that scene of them talking was so sweet and vulnerable!

Winner: This...is much better. Love that kid in bowties!

Saying Goodbye to BSG

2009-03-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

This is what I wrote on Friday morning, 12 hours before the series finale of "Battlestar Galactica" aired:

I originally wanted to do a post of predictions for the finale. But I'm not creative enough to come up with anything other than "Adama and Roslin die. Tigh dies. Chief kills Boomer, then himself. Helo and Athena die, leaving Caprica Six to raise Hera with a newly reformed Gauis Baltar, fulfilling the Opera House visions. Lee becomes President officially." Those are pretty pessimistic predictions, and not even remotely inventive. And even if a lot of cast members die (which I really am anticipating and preparing myself for) the show will do beautiful and satisfying things with their deaths - things I can't even remotely fathom.

I didn't post it because this was all I could come up with, and it didn't merit an entire post. So I watched the finale, sat and thought about it, and tried to ignore the word that kept coming to mind: disappointing.

You don't know how much it grieves me to say that.

It didn't completely suck, but for a show that's been as consistently dark, complex and willing to take risks, the entire finale just felt a little too cut and pasted. Too straightforward - let's get to that happy ending!

THINGS I LIKED:

Sam Anders made me happier than just about anyone, which is surprising given that I didn't even really dig the character until the 4th season. But his flashback was the most perfectly concise and presently relevant: "It's about those moments when you...when you feel the perfection of creation. The beauty of physics. The wonder of mathematics...you know, the elation of action and reaction. And that is the kind of perfection that I want to be connected to." And he was. And it was beautiful and simple. And his final line was the heartbreaking goodbye, "See you on the other side," to Starbuck, which completely made me tear up. If there was ever a moment where I completely believed they were meant to be together, that was it.
Roslin's death. We knew it was coming, so I'm glad we got to see it. I'm glad she died peacefully, with Bill at her side, knowing her people had found home. Of all the characters, her dying without seeing her people at rest would have been wrong.
Saul and Ellen Tigh. I would have liked a little more interaction with them and other characters, but I enjoyed the last flashback to Ellen and Tigh in that night club, delirioiusly in love, Ellen so happy and excited just to have time with her husband. And now they have all the time they want.
"What do you hear, Starbuck?" "Nothing but the rain." So beautiful. And in an episode that spelled out far too much, I like that Starbuck just disappears. We don't know how she came back, or if she was really just an angel, and in one second she's just not there anymore. And Lee says, "I won't forget you." I prefer that ending for her.
Caprica and Baltar found their way back to each other. I was most pleased by the redemption of Gauis Baltar. We've already seen Caprica Six made some sacrifices, some amends, for her prior wrongs. She has suffered and handled it with grace. Hearing her say, "I always wanted to be proud of you," just about broke my heart. And Gauis breaking down as he tells her, "I know something about farming..." was the perfect place to bring his character. Back at peace with his roots. No longer needing the adoration of many, he is content with the love of one.
Boomer's End. It was the logically conclusion of her story. I still wish she could have been happy, but since they made her kidnap Hera, there wasn't much chance of that. So I'm glad she bonded with the kid, saved her from Cavil and brought her back to Athena. She didn't beg or argue, just accepted her punishment (from Athena, which seemed right) and died. The flashback to her meeting with Adama and Tigh was really great - it'd been so long since she was Sharon "Boomer" Valeri, and I loved that she remembered her promise to pay him back when it mattered.
The Opera House visions. I really liked the way they played out visually. I loved the way Roslin, Athena, Baltar and Caprica were just all, "Holy Shit! It's actually happening!" I loved that Galactica substituted for the Opera House, and the way the Final Five were standing on a higher ledge, bathed in white light. It was a very visually arresting sequence.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:

Why did they have to find a second Earth? I knew they were gonna find some planet - the show obviously wasn't gonna end with the fleet still wandering aimlessly through space - but having them now find the "real" Earth just cheapened the fabulous midseason fail of "Nuclear Earth." That midseason finale was such a fabulous risk and resonated so deeply (I mean, Dualla killed herself because of "Nuclear Earth" - it was such a great idea), but now it's all, "hey, no problem, that wasn't really Earth. Kara Thrace has led us to the real Earth." It seemed like such a copout. Especially since I feel like Starbuck could have fulfilled her destiny without cheapening the original Earth reveal.
It was too easy for them to take out the Colony. They were heavily outnumbered, but Starbuck and her one raptor full of people were able to navigate the maze sooooo easily. I mean, Baltar and Caprica didn't even have to get off the ship and help; they got to wait for the retreat. I know that the Raptor crews sustained heavy losses, but we never saw any of them except for Racetrack and Skulls (who lost my sympathy in the mutiny, so who cares), all we got was a "I guess we were the only ones who made it." LAME. This was the ultimate showdown and it felt too light, yet still too long, and had too much fruitless action for it to be wholly satisfying for me.
Not enough people died. The only ones who died were either "bad" (Cavil, Boomer, Tory) or already dying/dead (Anders, Roslin, Starbuck). There were no surprises on that front. Nothing felt truly at risk. I didn't want everyone to die or anything (for example, if either Helo or Athena had died that would have broken my heart), but they took a small crew up against the ENTIRE COLONY of Cavil's, Simon's, Doral's and Centurions; there should have been heavy losses and that should have meant someone we cared about bit the dust. Not having a significant or shocking death in that attack made the whole thing feel too easy and unrealistic, like nothing was really at stake. (For example, in the finales of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," main characters Spike and Anya died, and in the "Firefly finale" movie Serenity, Shepard Book and Wash both died in really touching and tragic deaths. I know, nitpicking cause at least 5 major characters died, but we already KNEW they were gonna die. (Except for Tory, but no one liked her, so no one cared.)
I have no problem with the ChipSix and ChipBaltar being actual angels; the show has really been heavy on the religion throughout, especially this season, so those two being actual agents of whatever God is out there didn't bother me. I don't require a scientific explanation. But if they've been there all along just to lead Caprica and Baltar to their destiny of "keeping Hera safe," then doing so should require more than just picking her up, bringing her directly to the fight, and having a corny conversation with Cavil. That entire reveal lacked some dramatic weight.
What on Earth was Lee smoking? After all the thoughtful exploration of issues on this show it all comes down to "Technology Bad"? They spend four years hoofin' it through space, only to find a great planet and say, "Let's just live like savages. No good comes from technology." That's ridiculous and overly reactionary. And then they spread out all over the planet, hardly anyone together? I get they don't wanna build another replica Caprica City, but after all these people have been through together, they're just gonna spread out like nomads? What? Doc Cottle couldn't come on the "suicide mission" because the fleet needed him, but now we're gonna spread over seven continents where the doctor won't be able to get to us anyways. Great idea, Lee.
Helo gets shot in the leg at about the 54 minute mark, exposits that he might bleed out and die, and then we don't see him again until the last 5 minutes of the damn show? You kept me on the edge of my seat for over an hour waiting to find out if he freaking died! WTF? That pissed me off. Way to treat one of your main characters. By all means, lets see Adama say goodbye four freaking times, but we're gonna hold off telling you whether Helo was left dying in a ship's corrider.

ON THE FENCE ABOUT...

The way Adama leaves. I really thought he was gonna go down with his ship. So seeing him get to be with Roslin when she dies was a bonus. But why did he have to leave Lee behind? Laura dies about 10 minutes later, and he goes off the live next to her grave and die alone? I would rather he had flown their raptor into the sun and died with her than live like a hermit, leaving his only son alone. Especially since Starbuck disappeared mere seconds after Adama's departure, meaning Lee lost his father, mother figure, and sister/lover/best friend all in the space of minutes. That seemed wrong. Adama should come back and be with his damn son!
Tory's death. I was really excited to see the Airlock of Cally come back to haunt her. I love it when long buried secrets resurface. So in theory, I have no problem with Chief throttling her. But it left her character firmly in the "bad" category, which I don't think is fair. Fans didn't like her (I wasn't particularly fond of her either) so having one of our favorites (Tyrol) kill her so brutally seemed kind of like an interactive audience gift; like, "you want a death? Here, take Tory Foster, and we'll really make her pay!" I don't think she deserved that. The way she killed Cally was cold, as is her character most of the time, but she did it to protect the Final Four from certain death from Cally's cylon-hating ways. And after all the talk Ellen did about how close she was to all of them ("imagine if there were only 5 of you left? how close you would be?) she doesn't really seem to care. I know she would forgive Chief, but no talking about it, all let's just get to the happy ending and not dwell on the fact that two of my family members (Anders and Tory) died recently?
Starbuck punching in the code. I loved the music (whenever they bring in "All Along the Watchtower" the show seems freaky cool), and the moment seemed momentous, but after all that, her father's music held the code and Hera knew it too and she just punches it in and they get to Earth? Seemed to easy and obvious. No nuance. (Plus I would have loved to see her have one more conversation with Leoban. He was non-existent in this finale.)
Cavil's death. I'm no big fan of his and he has done some terrible things, but he has some legitimate complaints about his creators. He's screwed up majorly, but that doesn't make the Final Five right about how they went about things. I thought it was kind of funny that chaos erupts and he just says,"Oh, frak!" and shoots himself in the mouth, but again, seemed to easy. Perhaps there could never be a peace between the two factions, but having Cavil off himself and the rest of the colony conveniently thrown into a black hole was too black and white. This was a show where black and white didn't really exist. Where there was no pure evil (although Cavil was close), and no pure good. All of the characters had points. So where was the debate, really? It was too easy to just write off the 1's, 4's, and 5's and be done with it. Yeah, that solves it all, doesn't it. Good guys win. Bad guys dead. Yay. (Please note sarcasm).
The Kara/Lee flashbacks. I loved the chemistry. I loved the things they talked about. I love him stumbling back to his house drunk and seeing the bird that represents Starbuck. But were they really gonna screw on the dining room table with his brother/her boyfriend passed out mere feet away? I know they were drunk, and yes, that's kind of in character for Starbuck, but there was something about it that I really didn't like.

We're at the end. I had a lot of thoughts about this. But in spite of all my complaints and the rather large disappointment of the finale, I'm still so grateful to have found this show. I still haven't seen many episodes from the first two seasons ("33," "Resurrection Ship," and "Pegasus" among them - I know, some of the best!) so I'll be enjoying that in the future and forget all of the things about this finale that left a bad taste in my mouth.

This Week in Chuck...

2009-03-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

"The Age of Dissonance" wasn't quite up to 1st season expectations (Chuck still being involved in the stupid Eyes Wide Shut storyline ruined all chances of that), but this was a vast improvement. I'm still frustrated that the "Minions" (Penelope, Hazel, Nelly Yuki) can't seem to decide if they hate Blair or want to follow her (the writers change their motivations way too often), but I do like where the episode brought Blair. Looking forward to her shame spiral.

Really liked Dan Humphrey for about the 3rd time in history, just for telling off Rachel Carr and giving Blair the ammunition in such an offhand, "Oh yeah, we had sex in costume closet," way. Still adoring Nate, Vanessa is finally likable! (I love her being friends with Serena), and happy for the reappearance of Carter Baizen (love continuity!). However, the real showstopper (and reason this episode eventually rocked) was the play! Blair and Dan having a full argument in the middle of a fabulous set, while performing the play's most intimate scene was stupendous (especially the moment Blair threw him down in what looked like a passionate embrace). And the moment everyone broke character and shouted their complaints was so wonderful, especially with Nate leading the charge in Chace Crawford's most charming, loose and teenage performance. Loved it!

Winner: Chuck's still dressing like Chuck, but as I've mentioned before, I miss the really crazy outfits. So the winner is this kinda weird plaid coat, lavender shirt and purple tie. Fruitier than your average businessman, but no where near the outrageous ridiculousness he's capable of. Less of this:

I want more of this:

Friday Night Lights: The Lighting!

2009-03-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a little background on the way this show is filmed. It's made on location in Austin, Texas (so the outdoor scenes are definitely accurate Texas weather and lighting) and most, if not all, the shooting is done in actual locations/houses/restaurants/etc. and not on fabricated sets, lending the setting a definite air of authenticity. I don't know for sure how much of the lighting is natural and how much is set up, but the lighting all looks natural, as if the sun is sneaking in the windows and illuminating only portions of the rooms. If this was reality there would probably be a lot more fluorescent lights in the school, but for the sake of beautiful shots, I'm glad they used mostly unfiltered (or manufactured) sunlight when filming indoors.

Another big bonus, the actors have no marks. They just get inside the scene and walk and talk wherever they want. They don't have to worry about where to stand or where the light will hit (which is another clue as to the natural lighting). That really frees up an actor to perform exactly as he/she thinks the character would. And how do they capture all that movement without marks? I'm not sure exactly how many cameras they use on a given location, but I know they have multiple cameras catching the action simultaneously from all directions so the performances match, and they catch just about everything going on. I watched an extra on the DVD where the Assistant Director was giving instructions to the extras about how they had cameras everywhere, so no one could slack off on the acting, thinking that it wouldn't make it on film; they catch everything.

So in addition to really freeing up the environment and making great use of natural resources, this makes the show much less costly to produce; they don't have to spend hours setting up the lighting, they don't have to do as many takes, so they don't waste as much film. I think that's pretty neat. I have "prepared" a ridiculously long pic spam of all the great shots/lighting/camera angles I've noticed in the show so that you guys might see how technically admirable the filming of this show is. I'm sure there are many other TV shows that have great lighting, angles. etc. ("Battlestar Galactica" and "Veronica Mars" spring to mind), but this is one of the first that has really captured my attention. Just going through screencaps to find examples was an arduous process because there were too many great examples to choose from.

Natural Lighting/Backlighting: Like I said, I don't know how much of this is genuine natural light, but the way the show captures backlighting and shadows on the actors faces is really impressive. Much of it plays like the light in a real environment, especially in a sunny location.

Aimee Teegarden has the most fabulous hair for lighting. There were too many to choose from for her.

I love it when the sun goes directly into the lens, distorting the image; it's how our eyes often work.

So gorgeous. Captures the light reflecting on his face from the dash as well as the cloudy sunset in the background.

His face would be in total shadow if not for the light reflecting on either his desk or the floor.

This is exactly what school hallways looked like first thing in the morning (especially my junior high). Those fluorescent lights on the ceiling would get more use in reality that they do on the show, but I love the reflected light from the doorways.

So many of the conversations on the show are filmed in closeup like this, and often with similar lighting. One person's face gets full light in their face (which then gets fabulously shadowed when the other person's head dips into their light) and the other is nicely backlit.

This light is actually coming from a porchlight.

This is actually a slightly metaphorical shot; the charac ter is coming from lightness into the black and his character is currently filled with guilt, which the darkness of his silhouette pretty aptly represents. But I mostly like it cause it's pretty. :)

Cars/Reflections/Windows: There's probably nothing really new or innovative about the way they're shooting through car windows or glass reflections, but I really dig the car shots on this show. I love that the windows are almost always reflecting the setting, or cover ed with dew or mud. I like that these cars aren't always clean. And I like the composition of shots within the cars as well; they really represent the space. And as I said, I have a thing for the Mirrors/Windows/Reflections so I just grouped all that together.

With the darkness and the condensation on the window, it's hard to make out the actor's expression, but that's what I love about this; the show trusts it's crew and actors to get meanings across without having to spell them out in a brightly lit shot.

I love the blurriness in the corners of the frame.

You can see the whitish reflections of everyone inside against that great blue wall, but that doesn't take any of the focus away from the actress' expression.

See how dirty the car looks?

This is just a fantastically cool angle (and use of a mirror).

Magic Hour: The time between dawn and sunrise, or between sunset and dusk. It's the time photographers are always scrambling to get before the light "disappears." I have a thing for clouds and sunsets and that bright sunrise light (my phone is full of pics I took of the sky while driving!). Not only does the show capture many sunrises and sunsets, but I films in that post-sunset light, where everything in tinged in blue. It's beautiful. I know lots of show like this light, but FNL uses it more often than any other I've ever seen. They take full advantage of Texas' flat landscapes and big open sky and I ki nd of love them for that.

The Elements: So I'm totally stretching with this category, but I love that while watching the show, I feel like I'm in a real place. The light changes. The wind is sometimes strong. It's damp, or hot. It rains and leaves puddles. The cameraman and director of photography can't take credit for the weather, but I can thank them for filming it so well. And for doing a kickass job with the manufactured rain.

Art Direction/Sets: Even if the crew uses real homes to film in, they still do their own set dressing. This show takes place in a relatively small town and most of the characters are low-middle class. So instead of fancy mansions like on "The O.C." or even the tastefully decorated homes on "Gilmore Girls," these homes look like regular middle America and that just cements the reality all the more.

The wood paneling. The haphazard knick knacks. Ugly printed furniture. And you can't really see it, but that wall going off the screen on the right is wallpapered in a green/white plaid print.

There's an old swingset in the yard. The hose is spread around the lawn. The house really needs a paintjob. As Matt is one of the poorer characters on the show, and is pretty much the man of his house, it makes sense that the house would be in need of repairs and that the yard needs some sprucing up.

This is a perfectly middleclass kitchen. Especially the cabinets - from an older home that hasn't been remodeled. And of course, the lighting is once again perfect.

The Riggins have a bachelor pad. The walls are pretty bare except for a dartboard and a swimsuit model cardboard cutout. The couches are built for comfort and the tables are usually strewn with empty beer bottles and automobile magazines.

The Taylors live in one of the brighter homes on the show. The white walls reflect the light soooo well. I love that the bookshelf isn't really filled and that all the books are falling over. Their house is rather genarically decorated, like people who don't have the time for a huge decorating scheme.

The Riggins TV (Continuity!): In season 1, the Riggins brothers get into a rather knockdown, dragout fight and they knock over their TV in the process. A couple episodes later, we get a look at that TV (the 1st picture) and see they've had to duct tape the top and side to keep it working. Flash forward two years and in season 3 we get another look at that TV which, God bless the continuity, is still broken and still duct taped. I love it!

Camera Placement: You've probably already gotten a good idea of the angles the show likes to shoot from the pictures above. But just to drive it home, I love the extreme closeups shot during conversations. The camera usually goes over the shoulder of one person and the face of the other of often obscured. It feels intimate. They often shoot through obstacles like fences (or windows) which makes the show feel like it's occuring in an authentic place, and also like we might be spying on the moment. Altogether, the style gives the show a very close, real feeling, like it's taking place right now. Once in a while there's a musical montage, but the show feels like it's unfolding in real time, without a lot of fancy showboating.

Hope you enjoyed some of that! Again, the screencaps were taken from Home of the Nutty's FNL Screencap page.

What I Love Right Now: Friday Night Lights

2009-03-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

People have been telling me to watch this show forever, and I was never quite sure why I waited so long. It was recommended by trusted friends who know my tastes. The premise and setting always intrigued me. The show has been a critical darling from day one, and is much lauded by my go-to site, Television Without Pity, with whom I share deep love for other favorites "Battlestar Galactica," "Gossip Girl," and "My So-Called Life." Why did I only start watching now? Well, for one, I live in Nowheresville, USA and they don't carry much TV at my video store. For two, I didn't know Hulu was such a magical gift to television freaks until a month ago (thanks, Sarah) where you could find entire series of cancelled shows such as "Square Pegs" (cult 1980's show starring Sarah Jessica Parker), "Kitchen Confidential" and yes, the current series "Friday Night Lights."

But I think the real reason I held out so long was because I knew this would happen: I would become an obsessed freak. My first love may be movies, but those things are only two hours and then they're over. Even if you watch them more than once, that's nothing compared to 4 seasons of 22 episodes of a television series. I've always been a little bit fanatical about my TV watching - it started when I was 16 and the first show to grab hold and never let go, "Dawson's Creek." Today I can frequently be found trolling fan sites, watching shipper videos, and forcing marathons on anyone I can get to watch a season of my latest TV fave.

And now we're here, a place where in the span of 3 weeks, I have probably learned more about this show than any of the people who recommended it ever knew, and where I will be forced to gush at length about it's brilliance in not one, but two posts (it will be up tomorrow - lots of pictures) because not only do I love the plot and characters, but the technical aspects are a marvel to behold and I must share. Are we ready?!!?

"FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS":

THE PLOT: Based on the 1990 book by H.G. Bissinger, which was first made into the 2004 film starring Billy Bob Thornton, "Friday Night Lights" takes place in a small(ish) Texas town where football is king. Seriously, high school football is the most important thing that takes place all year. Obviously, this level of football mania puts quite a strain on the ulcer of Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler), a first time head coach who spends the entire first season placating the boosters (who are up his ass every single day), being pressured by the parents, battling his assistant coaches for control of his own team, mentoring his lot of troubled players, and dealing with a season in which just about every single thing that can go wrong, does go wrong. This is one very stressed out man. Luckily he has the most awesome wife in the world, Tami (Connie Britton), and the two of them form this amazing little unit of marital bliss, who frequently stop to give advice and pep talks to the wayward youth of Dillon, Texas (the wife's a guidance counselor and magic!). Now, lest you think this is all about football, don't fret. As Smash says in Season2, "Neither of us can be who we are without football. It's the keys to the ignition." That is the point. Lots of other stuff happens, but football is the lens through which the show is shaped. And it must be said, that I cried during each and every one of the first season episodes. That is high praise. But let's move on to the people!

THE CHARACTERS: In addition to crusty Coach and the magically delicious Tami, there's an entire cast of troubled teens and disgruntled townsfolk. Coach and Tami have an artsy daughter Julie (Aimee Teagarden) who has a lot of disdain for football, but is one of the most realistic portraits of teenagerdom I've ever seen. She's vulnerable and difficult and sarcastic and always trying to point out the hypocrisy of her parents actions, but you know she's a good kid and loves them. My personal favorite is 2nd string quarterback Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), a shy, bashful kid, responsible for more than any 16-year-old should have to handle, who over the seasons quietly develops into a tough, direct man. (He's not quite there yet, but the writing of his character has really handled these changes effectively.) Others on the team include Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch, see more on him below), and Brian "Smash" Williams (Gauis Charles), the star running back and a cocky little thing with a million dollar smile, all bluster and show. I didn't get Smash at first, but the writers eventually fleshed out his character and revealed that beneath all of Smash's talk, his heart is true blue. Plus, Charles is a first-rate actor, and Smash's storylines are the most directly related to football of any of the characters.

Jason Street (Scott Porter) is the quarterback, the best in the nation, and he dates the scrumptious Lyla Garrity (Minka Kelly), head cheerleader. At first glance, these characters seem like wholesome cardboard cutouts of beautiful people, but they face a lot of adversity in the first season and the actors have a chance to build a lot of layers into these goodie two-shoes. Matt's best friend is the all-together lovable Landry (Jesse Plemmons) who provides a majority of the comic relief in the first season. And we mustn't forget Tyra (Adrienne Pallicki), the resident "white trash" - stunninly beautiful and 8 feet tall, but white trash - who is brash and tough and badass. The acting amongst the teens isn't always top-notch, but they are aided by wonderful writing that renders some of their inexperience a little less noticable, and by Season 3, they have all grown into these characters. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to find another cast that is so uniformly lovable. I also have to give the show major kudos for it's supporting cast. All of the players on the team, the parents, the siblings, the important people in the town, are played by the same actors throughout and they add marvelous color to the show. Even if you only see them in the stands during a game for a spilt second, it really helps cement the reality of the show that they're there. (My favorites are Smash's mama, Corinna, and Buddy Garrity, whom I originally loathed, but now can't imagine the show without!)

The real foundation of the show is the marriage between Tami and Coach Taylor. It's realistic, but realistically ideal: they argue, they worry about their daughter a lot, they sometimes hurt each others feelings, but they always talk things out, put their family first, and come to each other with problems. That is at the heart of the marriage: that they are friends first. They're in love too, but when Coach is stressed about the team, he can go to Tami and ask her opinion and she will give it to him straight, with a lot of love, and respect for the man he is and how the decision affects him, not just the team or their family. These are two people who genuinely like each other and respect each other as people. It's hard to watch this family interact and not be kinda jealous. They emanate an endless warmth.

THE FOOTBALL: I'm not a football moron, but I can't say I love it. I'm one of the few people in America who *doesn't* watch the Superbowl. So imagine how surprised I was to find myself completely invested in the fictional games of an imaginary team on a television show. I'm on the edge of my seat during every game. It helps that the flow of the game, or the player that gets to make the big play usually correspond with that week's development of the characters personal lives, but that's okay. Like Smash said: "Football is the keys to the ignition." If there are people out there who know how unrealistic some of the plays, calls, decisions, or outcomes of the games are, I don't wanna know! Every show distorts reality to some degree, and so many of the other elements are spot-on real, I'm not gonna complain about idealizing the football games, especially when they are so entertaining. I know that not every game is gonna end with a crucial, last-minute play, but it makes the games a little more exciting. So for those of you who have dismissed the show because of the football aspect, don't fear. There's a lot more going on and the football can be enjoyed by non-footballers.

THE RELIGION: I tend to hate religion in movies and TV. Apart from my personal conflicts involving, in particular, Christianity, it so often feels like a plot device. Either a character (usually supporting) is so involved in their faith they become a caricature, reacting not like a person, but like an agent of the script, or I feel like I'm being preached to (like all those Hallmark movies). But "Friday Night Lights" has managed to incorporate deep and prominent faith within a community into it's show without feeling cheesy or manipulative. It feels as much a part of this show's reality as the football. The players kneel and pray before games, sometimes practices, and it feels like more than habit. We frequently see almost all of the main characters in a church on Sunday mornings, singing hymns and listening to sermons, and I think, "that's exactly where they would be." Several of the characters have Christianity embedded into their character's basic makeup: Landry in particular is a character that has a Christian screamo band called Crucifictorious (awesome! - check out the tee-shirt), frequently cites being "a Christian" as his reason for doing something nice or right (and it feels natural and true coming from him), and has a major moral quandry in Season 2 because he can't reconcile spiritual law with governmental law. Smash and Lyla are other characters that have deep faith and it feels as much a part of their character as their love lives or career asperations. So I applaud the show for helping me enjoy religion as a part of telling good stories.

THE RIGGINS: He's only one character in a fantastic show, but will you look at this man? I have yet to come across a single female who doesn't think he's just about the most beautiful man in the world. Don't be discouraged if you don't see it yet; I'd only seen pictures of him before and thought, "yeah, he's cute, whatever." But then I watched him in action. I don't know how he does it. He mostly growls his lines and makes searching looks with his eyes, usually with a sheaf of hair in his face, but the overall effect it rather intoxicating. His character is Riggins, and he is the resident bad boy. He drinks too much, doesn't live up to his potential, has slept with half the female population of Dillon, and doesn't do any of his own homework. But he's actually a pretty nice guy. (I love that in Texas, or at least the Texas of the show, even the "bad" kids like Riggins and Tyra say "Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir." So respectful. Great detail.) He's a first rate charmer, all tortured on the inside, and his friendship with best friend Jason Street is one of my favorite parts of the show. (I am really obsessed with the guy friendships - I'm all about Chuck/Nate on "Gossip Girl", Duncan/Logan on "Veronica Mars", and am waiting in earnest for the Cappie/Evan reunion on "Greek.") Even if you don't like the character (go ahead and try!), at least enjoy the prettiest in what is already a very damn pretty cast!

Honorable Mention: Jesse Plemmons' face. Definitely stands out as different from all the models in the rest of the cast. He's still very attractive, but there's something about that really heavy brow, and those squinty eyes, not to mention he's the only one with realistic teenage acne, that is just unusally fascinating to watch. This guy can change his expression and the feeling in his eyes with only the tiniest shift. Such an expressive face.

(I got all these screencaps from Home of the Nutty's FNL Screencap page.)

Who I Love Right Now: TV Leading Men

2009-03-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

Nathan Fillion:

I've known about this guy for awhile now, but I just ended up watching almost everything he'd been in over a week and a half span and I was feeling kind of in love with the guy. For those of you who don't know, his most famous role came in the 2003 Joss Whedon series "Firefly" where he played snarky, badass rebel Captain Mal Reynolds in a futuristic space opera heavily influenced by the Old West. He later reprised the role in a movie based on the series, 2005's Serenity. (Btw, Sarah, this first pic is totally for you, the only person who will get and love the 'SHINY' reference on his shirt!)

If you've never checked this show or movie out, I would highly encourage it. I'm already Joss Whedon's bitch (what with his ability to assemble great ensemble casts, create kickass female characters, right clever dialogue, and occasionally do amazing musical episodes!) so of course I loved the show, but if you like his sense of humor and some space drama, check it out. Fillion is one of the highlights. The character of Mal is familiar; he's a loner and a rebel, willing to die for his beliefs and wary of trusting anyone. (There are also echoes of Han Solo in his sense of humor.) But what makes the character stand out in an already impressive cast is that Fillion inhabits him so entirely. He's deadly serious every minute he's playing Mal, but he's also so funny. (And I love his wardrobe, especially the jacket he's not wearing in this picture. Whoops!) The character's so good Empire's (admittedly a total fanboy site) poll of the 100 greatest movie characters of all time placed Mal at #51. (Check out the entire list here. It's pretty great.) Also, I swear I came up with the Han Solo comparison on my own, but I see it's also written on the Empire blurb, so maybe I subconsciously stole it. Who knows? I'm copping to the possibility right here!

He was also one of the odder characters (and that's saying something) in last year's delightful pie comedy Waitress, one of my new favorite movies. During the writer's strike he played the vain tool Captain Hammer on Joss Whedon's wonderful "Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog." (You should also check this out if you're a Neal Patrick Harris fan. It's over here...) And last Monday night I watched him in the premiere of the ABC show "Castle." The show was only so-so (too much procedural for me), the witty banter only occasionally witty, but at least the leads (Fillion as crime writer Rick Castle and Stana Katic as policewoman Kate Beckett) had some chemistry. I'll probably keep watching if only for Fillion's charm and charisma.

Jon Hamm:

I've already raved about this man in connection to his breakout role as Don Draper on "Mad Men." (Seriously one of the tightest and most subtly scripted shows around.) I already knew the man was a great actor and a stone fox. Just look at the way he wears a suit. Meow! (I know it's totally corny, but I have so much fun saying 'stone fox.' Mock if you must.)

But I had no idea how adept his comedic skills were. First I saw his SNL guest appearance back in October:

Then I caught his great guest-starring role as Tina Fey's neighbor and potential love interest on "30 Rock," specifically where they have their first date on Valentine's Day and everything that can go wrong, does. Hey, it let me embed the entire episode! What!

And just this morning I stumbled across this video on "Funny or Die" where he plays Lex Luthor, navigating the financial crisis in a bad skull cap. Hilarious!

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm from Jon Hamm

So I'm pretty much in love with this guy now too! (Also, Heather, the FNL post should be up on Sunday.)

That's My Girl!

2009-03-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

The last episode of "Gossip Girl" didn't blow me away. If we're being completely honest, it's been a little off ever since it came back from Christmas break. But check out the new promo:

That's the show I love! As long as all this random craziness has that underlying character and emotional storyline intact, I'll be a happy girl. Plus, it looks like pompous Dan gets the slap he's always deserved! Yay! It'll be back next Monday, March 16th!

Navigating the Mind-Fuck

2009-03-06T19:00:00.000-08:00

Well hot damn! if Lost and BSG haven't just been a roll this season! I wish I could just marathon it all cause I'm sitting there at the end of each episode feeling like it's only been 20 minutes and suddenly the show is over and I have to wait another week to find out what happens. Soooooo much information!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:

This show has been information overload and with only 3 episodes remaining (though the 9th is a three-parter - so 5 hours left) I just don't see how they're gonna tie all this up! The fact that the Final Five were the creators of the other 8 - and yes, that there's an eighth model, #7, that was permanently boxed - was just such a doozy! Caprica Six lost her baby, Ellen Tigh is just as crazy as ever, Anders is in a freaking coma, despite seeming the most well-adjusted of the Final Five - the most helpful! - and now we've got freaking Boomer screwing with Chief's mind, fucking Helo, and kidnapping Hera - for what? How is Hera gonna help Cavil? Is she a bargaining chip to force the Final Five to recreate resurrection? I know there are answers, but 5 hours seems like a limited time to put it all together!

(Also - Jacob at TWoP had an interesting theory about that boxed #7, Daniel: what if he is Kara Thrace's father? I don't know the timeline of when he was boxed and it seems a stretch, but that could partially explain Starbuck's strange incarnation, plus that would make her the first Cylon/Human Hybrid - basically a foreshadowing of what Hera will be? And last week's episode where it seems both her father and that song he taught her tied into the Final Five and Hera. Don't know how it all adds up, but it's plausible. Can we just figure it out so that Starbuck can go back to being awesome and sure of herself and a little emotionally fucked up? I miss that girl!)

Still to be handled:

The Opera House Visions: they stopped when Caprica Six was pregnant, but she lost the baby. Then Laura passed out when Hera was kidnapped. Will they be starting up again? Will we finally understand all that bull about Hera being Caprica's child and how Baltar fits in with all that? And why Roslin is there too?
The Angel Caprica Six/Gauis Baltar: She's been gone for a will, but Gauis finally saw another Caprica vision two weeks ago. What is their purpose? Are Caprica and Baltar just batshit crazy? If not, WHO ARE THOSE FREAKING PEOPLE IN THEIR HEADS AND HOW DID THEY GET THERE? WHAT DO THEY WANT?
Is Galactica out of commission now? I love the way they've progressed this development, especially how is relates emotionally to Bill, and I never thought that would be a deciding factor in their future; that Galactica would just break down. That moment when Boomer jumped and the side blew was devastating.
Showdown with Cavil?: Now that Hera's been taken, there has got to be a confrontation of some sort. But will Galactica even be able to compete? Will it be the Basestar with the 268's that will lead the charge, cause they seem mostly eager to get the hell out of Dodge and avoid Cavil.
I will be really disappointed if most of the remaining major characters die in some violent series finale. A showdown, a fight, yes! And things don't need to be all wrapped up in a shiny bow for me. But I want some of these characters to have some satisfying closure, and there to be hope for the future. Right now, everything's looking a little dismal.

I was really rooting for Chief and Boomer to finally have some happiness and peace together, but I guess Boomer is too screwed up for that. Part of me really wants to hate her now, but part of me remembers all the crap she's been put through, how her identity has been changed for her dozens of times and she doesn't know who to trust, where to turn, and how to go back. And it seems so unfair that she's held solely accountable for the shooting of Adama (she was programmed - by who? Perhaps some of the Cylons they are currently in an alliance with?), and for the Cylon Civil War. Yes she took Cavil's side, but does that make her actions war crimes? I'm sure she and Cavil see the destruction of the Hub as a war crime comminted by the Rebels. It doesn't seem fair that she is the vessel in which all of this blame is to be placed and judged. So she's sticking with Cavil. I guess I can't blame her.

But then she went and screwed Helo and that pisses me off! Seriously, first Helo/Sharon sex scene we get in 4 years and it's actually Boomer??? So fucked up! Also, hating the writing a little bit that has neither Helo or Hera able to recognize the slight differences between their wife/mother and Boomer, but having Chief able to recognize her at first sight after not seeing her for 4 years! That just doesn't seem fair.

LOST:

I've been really impressed with the rhythm of the show this season. I like that we're skipping around in a lot of different groups and the show is providing some answers, and then bringing up a lot more questions. I don't mind viewing this show like a big puzzle; I like being challenged every week. What will piss me off is if when we reach the end of the series, there's a lot of hanging shit that isn't explained or doesn't fit with the answers that were provided. I love "Roswell" but halfway through Season 2, they just up and changed the mythology of the show and it never made sense again. Took my right out of that reality - couldn't believe it anymore. As long as "Lost" stays true to the facts and reality they have already established, and continues to explain and unfold the mysteries of this island, I'm there.

*Episode 6: "316": This is the only episode that seemed a little off kilter. We start with Jack back on the island, so we know we'll be there by the end of the hour, but all of the events that take place within that 24 hours are confusing as hell. The sideplot about of Jack's grandfather seemed a little forced, but it was really satisfying to see everyone back on that plane, heading back, for some reason. But so much left unexplained: Why was Kate so upset, wouldn't talk about Aaron, and why did she immediately jump Jack's bones? That felt odd and their relationship is just so dark and twisty. Who got Hurley out of jail and convinced him? How? It couldn't have been Ben cause Hurley does NOT trust Ben. Sayid is the only person I see him trusting at that point, but Sayid was also completely against the idea. But then Sayid shows up onboard with a Marshal - what did he do? Was that all staged? So there are three members of the Oceanic 6 who apparently did a 180 in 12 hours and there are no explanations.

Then we see Ben looking all bloody and messed up out by the marina - what was he doing? There's been speculation that he went after Penny - who is living with Desmond and little Charlie on a boat - but I pray that didn't happen! Either way, no idea how all these people got there together and for many of them, why? I'm sure we're gonna get a bunch of flashbacks in future episodes that will explain it all, but by the end of that episode I was feeling a little pushed around.

I did love that Frank Lapidus was the pilot - that part seemed unforced and a little magical, plus I like the character and want to know more about him. I also loved Hurley buying up as many seats as possible to protect innocents from getting involved in the island mess. Very in character.

*Episode 7: "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham": Locke frequently frustrates the hell out of me with his unfailing and crazy faith, but he's seldom dull. Most of his storylines are fascinating and this was no different. It was great to see Abbadon again and understand part of his role in all this. And Charles Widmore is just such a mystery to me. He definitely seems more on the level than Ben, but it just seems like those two men are in a full-out blood war and using our guys as pawns - just like Desmond said! If Widmore was the leader of the Others, well that doesn't make him the good guy just because Ben unceremoniously outsted him, and the fact that he hired Martin Keamy and sent him to the island to kill Alex is just sketchy as hell.

It was sad to see Locke so disheartened, and even though Jack was perhaps unduly harsh, it was great to see Locke's special destiny called out. What makes him special? I don't necessarily doubt it (and don't blame Jack for doubting it), but all the people who tell him that are connected to the island in crazy ways: Widmore, Ben, Richard Alpert, Abbadon, Jacob, the spirit of Christian Shepard - can you trust a thing any of these guys says? I intially thought that Locke was gonna kill himself in good faith that is would bring everyone back together and to the island (which is of course what eventually ended up happening). But he was really just killing himself. He had given up. And it was so sad to see Locke without his faith. But of course Ben killed him! What a sneaky, selfish, manipulative bitch! He's the only person the island doesn't need back but he killed Locke after getting the information he needed and got himself on that plane and is headed back to a place he's not meant to be. What an egomaniacal fuck!

*Episode 8: "LaFleur": I loved seeing Sawyer taking charge and making a credible leader. I've always had a soft spot for this character in spite of his laconic attitude, sneaky tendencies, and hot-headed stupidity, so it was nice to see him playing with the big boys. The cover story about the shipwreck was clever, the way he went head to head with Alpert was impressive, and the overall steadiness of his character throughout the episode was refreshing. Sawyer and Juliet make a kinda cute couple! I wasn't expecting to like them so much. I guess after all the Jack/Kate/Sawyer mess, it was nice to see Sawyer and Juliet just being happy together. They are both much more straightforward about their feelings than either Kate or Jack, so I'm glad they are in a reciprocal relationship for once. I just hope that the return of Kate doesn't meen a whole new love triangle - or square.

The thing that intially confused me about the episode was the time shift; I was sure once Locke fixed it, they would be back in the present. But they're in the '70's? So strange. But then I thought, of course, that's perfect. From Day 1 the show has been building the mythology of the Dharma Initiative, so why not go back and see it all first hand, especially if it turns out that our Losties are actually a big part of that. And since it seems like both Charlotte and Miles births could be traced to the island and the Dharma Initative, is makes sense for Daniel and Miles to be there as well. According to Alpert and Widmore, Locke was supposed to be the leader of the Others way before the present, and Ben was not. Ben also wiped out the Dharma Initiative. So by taking us back to the '70's, killing Locke and having him also return at this time, before Ben's rule, it's almost like the island is trying to fix that mistake. Here in 1977, Locke can become the leader of the Others like he's supposed to (?), and Ben can be contained. This is also sets the story prior to the time when pregnant women and their babies always died (as we saw in Juliet's storyline), so the island is perhaps trying to alter whatever significant event set that chain of events in motion. All I can say is I'm stoked. I like this idea.

Final thoughts: I wanna know more about Horace Goodspead. Sawyer needs to grow the facial hair out again. We need to know more about Miles backstory - why did he come to the island originally? I'm curious to see how Desmond will once again come into play. Everyone else is now in 1977 - how does Des get back there?

ETA: I've been on a "Friday Night Lights" marathon this last week, so it was especially funny to me to see random Dharma Initiative employee Jerry (actor Kevin Rankin) running around on the island when he also plays the wheelchair bound Herc on FNL. So random.

Top 10 ANTM Photo Shoots

2009-03-05T17:45:00.000-08:00

In honor of the 12th cycle of "America's Next Top Model" (premiered last night!) I thought I'd indulge one of my lesser guilty pleasures with this month's Top 10 list. We all know the best part about that show (except for the crazy and the catfights, if you're into that sort of thing) are the photoshoots! In fact, I don't really care if I miss the rest of the episode, as long as I'm in time to see panel look at the photos. (Okay, the other awesome part is playing a drinking game where you drink everytime Tyra talks about herself, her life as a model, or turns someone else's story into an anecdote about her own life!) So here are my favorite 10 photoshoots over the last 11 cycles.

#10. Season 10, Paint Faces: A different take on the "beauty shots" they do every year, they just poured neon paint on their foreheads and let it run, with mostly successful results.
#9. Season 7, Bullfighters: Sorry, hard to see in miniature, but if you can, do a closeup on Eugena's face (the one on the left) - it was the only good photo girl took all year! Up on her toes, fire in her eyes - love it!
#8. Season 4, African Wildlife: For some reason, one of my favorite seasons (yes, I really did like Naima and Kahlen - thought they rocked!) The girls dressed up as African animals and posed as that animal over a crocodile with fantastic results! Keenya as an elephant was the only photo I didn't like and that's probably because I hated Keenya!
#7. Season 3, Cover Girl Ads: They do the Cover Girl ads every season, and 90% of the time, one photo rocks and the other two suck ass. But in Season 3 (the first year CG was a sponsor) all 3 were gorgeous. I was happy with all of them, wanted to put them up on my wall, but it was Eva's (left) that was the prettiest and won her the competition.
#6. Season 10, Through Water: Didn't even remember this shoot until I was going through every season yesterday, but it's one of the artiest things they've ever done. The girls were shot from underneath as they layed and posed on a plastic sheet covered with water. Interesting results. I'm contemplating printing these out as art for my wall - I like them a lot.
#5. Season 11, On Boat: I just like shoots on boats. There was another one from Cycle 10 with the girls in lingerie, looking taller that the skyscrapers, but I like the flowy dresses and wind in these ones. Plus I really like all of these girls (Analeigh, McKey and Marjorie - McKey has legs for days!)
#4. Season 6, Riding Elephants: Could not find bigger versions of this shoot, but if you can zoom in on their faces, they are stunning. Another shoot where every single girl had a good shot, although my favorite (and my pick to win that season, though she didn't) was Joanie in her fab yellow dress and intense eyes.
#3. Season 8, School Cliches: Another one of my favorite seasons (along with Season 6, there were 2-3 shoots from each I almost chose) this was only the second photoshoot. The girls had to embody cliches such as "Valedictorian", "Nerd", "Weirdo", "Class Clown", and "Flirt." Great lighting choices.
#2. Season 1, Snake Necklaces: I love the differing make-up in this shoot (seriously in love with winner Adrienne's purple eye-mask) and the way they played with the textures and colors of the snakes to coordinate.
#1. Season 9, Flowers: I just like flowers. A lot. Don't you all wanna dress up like a flower? (Or a plant - bamboo, moss, and ivy were all options as well!)

Just Missed: Season 6's "Falling Fairy Tales" and "Dolls", Season 8's "Dead Models", Season 10's "Music Genres" and Season 11's "Supermodel Natural Disasters." (Also, possibly, Season 3's "Spider Jewelry" and Season 4's "Seven Deadly Sins."

I also must confess that I really love Cycle 2, even though none of the shoots made my list. Yoanna, Mercedes, Shandi and April is my favorite Final 4 ever! Other favorite seasons include 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9. Not really fond of 5 or 7, though that hasn't stopped me from watching marathons of them at all!

Coming Soon

2009-02-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Trailer time! I've been wanting to do one of these forever, but with the writers strike making next year's release schedule a little sparse, and the Oscar season leaving only upcoming Oscar-nominated films in the previews, I didn't have many options. But I've finally compiled a list of upcoming releases that I really want to see. Check them out.

Watchmen: So this comes out really soon (like next week), and you've probably already seen the TV spots a billion times, but the more I see and read about this story, the more it sounds freaking awesome. These superheroes are kinda evil and massively screwed up. It takes place in a 1985 where Richard Nixon is still president. The big blue guy (Dr. Manhattan) won America the Vietnam War by single-handedly wiping out the Vietcong. In real life, Nite Owl is impotent. The Comedian kills for hire. Rorschach is a vigilante (superheroes are now outlawed) who wears a creepy, ink blotted mask and runs around dispensing bloody, medieval justice. It has origin stories for most of the "superheroes." The visuals look great. I have more...

17 Again: When I first heard about this movie, I didn't think it sounded that good (it's Big in reverse, starring Zac Efron). But I saw the trailer recently and it really cracked me up. Efron displayed some decent comic timing and charm, his wife is played by Leslie Mann (Mrs. Judd Apatow) who is a great comedic actress, and I would really like to see a light, fluffy comedy that doesn't blow.

500 Days of Summer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt has the potential to become one of my favorite leading men, and Zooey Deschanel is almost always vibrant and likable. I love this trailer for not having any dialogue and for intriguing me with it's music, the juxtaposition of it's beautiful shots, and the seeming absurdity of it's story (was there a musical number outfitted with a cartoon bird?) Needless to say, I am damn anxious to see a movie that looks this offbeat, yet sincere.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: I thought the X-Men movies were only so-so, but this trailer made me really excited. And now that Hugh Jackman has completely won me over with his awesomeness, I'm there. It also stars Liev Schieber (with fantastic sideburns) and Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights" fans!) carrying a magical, light waving stick (or something). The trailer completely energized me.

Adventureland: Love this cast (Kristin Stewart is always worth watching, plus that's Martin Starr, otherwise known as Bill Haverchuck, the best character on "Freaks and Geeks"), love this atmosphere (for a second, I desperately wanted to work at a theme park), and the comedic tone is right up my alley. Where do I screen?

Star Trek: Geeky revelation time - I am a huge fan of some of the original Star Trek films, namely 2, 4, & 6, and used to watch "Star Trek: The Next Generation" rather faithfully. I'm stoked to see this reboot that boasts an interesting cast, some great visuals, and the promise of something unexpected.

State of Play: Great cast (Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren), tight suspense, and Ben Affleck in a supporting role as a possibly crooked politician. I really like that. It's good to see him back in front of the camera in something that looks reputable. It's also based on a critically praised BBC show that once starred James McAvoy (although, sadly, he's not in the movie).

Oscar Wrap!

2009-02-24T07:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry I'm a day late with this. The way Academy Award buzz goes, everyone's probably over it now. But the house is being remodeled right by the office and I couldn't get this out yesterday.

The OSCARS! As predicted by almost everyone, Slumdog swept just about everything it was nominated for. It wasn't my favorite movie of the year (as I've said before, I felt this was a year with a lot of good films, but not very many great ones), but I won't deny that is was fun and inspiring, and well-acted. So while I would have preferred Milk (one of the only movies that really stuck in my gut) I can't really begrudge Slumdog for it's success. Probably because all of the cast and crew involved look so grateful and thunderstruck and excited to even be at the Academy Awards, let alone sweeping the prizes. Seriously, those kids? So adorable and did such a great job in the film. And Dev Patel and Frida Pinto just seem like really sweet, humble people. Can't help but be happy for them. So, well done, Slumdog Millionaire.

How about Hugh Jackman? Where has he been hiding all this charismatic musical talent? I know he's done stuff on Broadway (even hosted the Tony's) but I was not expecting to be so charmed. I couldn't understand everything in that opening number, but it was still really fun to watch, and he was by far the best belter in the 'ode to musicals' number. I just wish we had seen him a little bit more. He seemed to disappear for long stretches of time, where at previous shows, the host was around for just about every segment. I would have loved to see a little more off-the-cuff Jackman humor. Definitely wouldn't complain about having him back again.

As for the other changes in format, I'm really torn. Like just about everyone else, while I didn't mind Queen Latifah singing during the memorial montage, why was it filmed so disastrously??? The camera kept cutting to her instead of just focusing on the images. I couldn't read several of the names and that seems a rather huge guffaw when they're supposed to be being honored. The many montages were at least fresh (they didn't roll out the usual images of Charlie Chaplin, Singin' in the Rain, or Gone With the Wind) and celebrated films from this year, but they were still too long and often drew attention to films that were better left forgotten (Space Chimps?) We're supposed to be celebrating the best here, people! However, as someone who loved Pineapple Express, I really enjoyed the short film of Seth Rogen and James Franco watchind and commenting on movies in character. Right on spot!

With the format for the Acting Awards presentation, again, not sure. I like the look in theory, having 5 former winners come out and really honor each of the nominees. That made it feel like a real honor to be nominated, even if it was just glorified ass-kissing. In some cases, it really worked - Shirley McClaine to Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard to Kate Winslet, Robert De Niro to Sean Penn - the tributes seemed honest, heartfelt and touching. But in many of the other cases, the presenter was so clearly reading off the telepromter, not speaking to the nominee, that the format felt rather stiff. And they took so long! I don't know. I missed seeing clips of the performances.

I did, however, love the way the presented the Best Picture nominees. Rather than role out a clips package for each film throughout the broadcast, scenes from the nominees were mixed with clips from former Best Picture winners and nominees that had similar subject matter, tone, themes or dialogue that applied. Like cutting Frost/Nixon with clips of All the Presidents Men and Apocalypse Now, or The Reader with other May-December romances from The Graduate and Lost in Translation as well as WWII/Holocaust material from Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List. They mixed Milk with Norma Rae, Braveheart, and Network's infamous "I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore." Benjamin Button went with Shakespeare in Love, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and A Beautiful Mind. And my favorite bit was editing relating the theme of destiny in Slumdog Millionaire with similar scenes from Forrest Gump, Casablanca and Million Dollar Baby. Can you tell that this technique was my favorite? Here's video if you want a refresher:

Onto the fashion. TOO MUCH WHITE! I think I said this last year too. I like color. I want more color. That said, most of the white/silver/cream/"barely mint"/pale pink dresses were lovely. My favorite whites were Taraji P. Henson and Anne Hathway, and I loved Natalie Portman for using a daring color and looking fabulous.

Favorite of the Night: Kate Winslet. Are you surprised? Of course not. Truth is, I don't even really like the dress, and from certain angles the hair looked too severe. But when I saw her in motion, no one looked lovelier. She had a Grace Kelly thing going and put all together, she was the Queen of the Night for me. I feel really bad about some of the bashing I've read about her speech. At the Golden Globes, she won twice, was completely shocked and teary, and it came off fake to a lot of people. I can't believe that of her. I choose to believe that she was genuine. I don't remember her speeches at the SAG's or BAFTA's so I don't know if she acted "surprised" at those occasions either. But I felt that her speech at the Oscar's was completely charming, genuine and heartfelt. There's a difference between being surprised and being overwhelmed. I didn't see any fake emotion, or overdone blubbering, or false surprise. But she just won an Academy Award after having lost 5 times before, and after having dreamt of it most of her career; isn't the lady allowed to be overcome a bit? To cry a little? I thought she seemed very happy, grateful, humble and excited and none of it seemed false or overdone to me. And I was watching for that too. The whistle to her dad was great.

On the male side, did you all see Robert Downey Jr.? Wowza! That man is hot! Look at the cleanup between the Golden Globes and now. And he's 44! WTH! Beautiful man.

Love this man! ------>

Side note: I have fallen in love Tilda Swinton and the wonderful, bizarre things she wears. I read Go Fug Yourself daily and they freaking love her. They have decided that she should just go by SWINTON (in caps) because she's so freakishly odd and unique, and that moniker just tickles me to no end. Elizabeth and I have taken to shouting it whenever we see her. On anyone else, this ensemble is crazy, but on SWINTON it is freaking fabulous. (Check out all the things Go Fug Yourself has to say about SWINTON here.)

That's all for me this year! Here's hoping next year is much better and that I'm feeling more inspired to write about it. I missed doing my Oscar buildup and lists, but really just couldn't muster up the CARE this year. Please enjoy the SWINTON!

Lost/BSG

2009-02-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

LOST:

So who called Ben as the person behind Kate's legal problem? My mom and I both suspected Sun at first, then I was completely thrown by the appearance of Claire's mom, but once she was cleared, I knew it had to be Ben. How else would they get Kate to go back to the island with them? And how are they gonna convince her now? (Though I loved Jack being, "No, he wouldn't" and Ben just goes, "No. You're right. It was me" with no guilt or shame. Psychotic as he is, I love the way Michael Emerson plays him!)As for Ben and his lying, manipulating ways, I'm sure he can't be trusted and that he's really only looking out for himself and/or the island's well-being, but I still think they should all go back. Regardless of Ben's motives, they have to go back and save their friends - they can't leave Juliet and Sawyer and Rose and Bernard there. (Or they could go back and finish whatever purgatory they're supposed to live - whatever happens first.)

Looks like the nosebleeds are catching up with everyone. Daniel says it has to do with how much time you've spent on the island: more = quicker dying from the time shifts. So Charlotte was supposedly born there, that explains her, and Juliet was an Other for years, that explains her, but what about Miles? I'm beginning to suspect that he too was born on the island and is the son of Dr. Chang from the Dharma Initiative videos. That would explain the opening of the season premiere with Chang feeding his child.

I don't really care about the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle because Kate deserves neither of them, and Jack kinda reminds me of Dan Humphrey sometimes (ever so obliquely) but I really like Sawyer. He's a stupid hothead most of the time, but his heart is in the right place. So I was kinda broken for him last night, sharing emotions all over the place, and oh my goodness, the sadness on that face as he watched Kate help Claire give birth! That was beautiful...

(It has been theorized that those whispers in Seasons 1-3 that always presaged "the Others" may actually be our intrepid time travelers moving through the jungle, avoiding changing the past. Doesn't really seem likely when I think about it, but it's a nice theory.)

JIN'S ALIVE! JIN'S ALIVE! JIN'S ALIVE!!! I am so relieved. Just don't let Sun go crazy and do something she'll regret once she finds out!

Everyone else say "Rousseau!" the second you heard those castaways speaking French? What I'm really loving about this season is the way it is exploring where these historical island figures originated and how their history make have intersected with the Losties before.

Something I read on EW: Check out these photos of 1950's Other Ellie and who is presumably Eloise Hawking, Farraday's mother. Same person? Would explain Daniel's comment about Ellie looking familiar. Also of note, the TWoP recap posited this theory: Widmore and Ellie/Eloise are siblings. The way he said "Shut it, Ellie." The fact the he was Daniel's benefactor and covered his mess? Could be reaching, but I like it.

BSG:

ZARECK KILLED THE QUORUM!?!?!?! WHAT THE HELL?

I know this is a mutiny, but damn, that was a radical step. Shocked the hell out of me! Are they even gonna bother reorganizing a democratic system now? Their "disposal" does clear the way for Adama/Roslin to lead the entire fleet as they see fit, without a whole lot of checks and balances. Something tells me they'll take a little time to get the Quorum up and running again. Also, whatcha wanna bet Lee becomes the new Vice Prez...

Quick thoughts: Is Sam okay? I'm assuming yes, but we didn't see it. How awesome is Romo Lampkin? That bugger is consistently entertaining, loved his assessment of the "trial" and thank GODS he stuck around to help Kara. And a big GO TYROL!!! Everyone played an important part, but I'd say Tyrol was the hero of the hour, even if no one else knew it! I also loved his "You got me" laughing scene with Kelly. But what was up with the tear on the wall of Galactica's engine room?

After last week's excellent build-up, I felt like this episode wrapped things up a little too quickly and cleanly. I understand the time constraints, but I felt more time and planning should have been given to plotting how Adama/Tigh/Kara/Lee got so many people together so quickly, to specific motivations for some of the mutineers (they gave us a nice Narcho moment, but how about some time with Racetrack, Connor, people on the command deck, like Hoshi?), and a resolution that didn't feel so rushed. I have no problem with what actually happened in the episode, but the pacing in the second half felt off. (I'm just nitpicking, because the fact is, this two-parter was absolutely stellar!)

I am really glad that Gaeta had a moment with Gaius there at the end. As much as the mutiny was in many ways a selfish cover to assuage his guilt over New Caprica, I do believe that Felix did it for many of the right reasons, at least to himself. It wasn't a power hungry move on his part, like it was for Zareck, and there were many instances of Gaeta trying to avoid bloodshed tonight. I really liked that last conversation with Gaius - whom Felix started out idolizing - where you at least partially understand the pain of this character. I was relieved that Gaius said the right thing - that he knows who Felix really was. That's a good send off for the character, and the beginning of a redemption arc for Baltar. (How awesome is it that less than 2 hours after being saved from a bloody coup, Baltar is already sexxing up a Six!) But I did appreciate his realization that he is responsible for the Baltar Harem Cult and he can't abandon them. Some growth!

Here's hoping we will see some actual repercussions for this event dealt with - not just for those guilty of mutiny, but for Adama, Roslin and Lee to figure out a better way to lead these people, and for individual conflicts to be addressed within the fleet and our main characters.

P.S. Adama and Roslin were really on their game tonight. Welcome back Madame Airlock! As for Adama, as usual TWoP put it best: "Also not rolling over: Admiral William Adama, who literally spends the entire episode telling every single person in the world to fuck off as loudly as one can through one's dentures. He is a Lean, Mean, Fuck You machine. It is amazing. Turns out his Bucket List has one item on it, and that item is: Everybody Goes To Hell. Bill's Care Bear Glare powers have never been so magically delicious. He tells Gaeta to cram eleven things up his ass, invites Zarek to blow him, calls his lawyer a pimp, tears holes in the hull using his glare... A couple of lieutenants actually cry, because he's that scary. Finally they have no choice but to tie him to a chair in front of a firing squad. Then he just starts spitting at people."

This Week in Chuck...

2009-02-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

Last night's episode was kind of a disaster. And apparently the show is skipping over February sweeps and coming back in March instead. Interesting. Jacob said it best: "Not exactly a high note to leave on, but the show's been off its game -- and seemingly rewriting itself every week -- since around the time Jack showed up. I'm willing to wait for it to right itself." Right there with you, buddy.

I hate Ms. Carr. I hate her tiny face and her big, innocent doe-eyes, and the way she seems incapable of realizing that even though she wasn't fucking her student (yet), privately meeting him in secluded coffee shops all over town is not appropriate! Letting him and Serena call you "Rachel" is not appropriate. You're crossing lines all over the place here, lady, and encouraging Dan to continue writing and praising his unimaginative, hack short stories definitely counts as a crime against humanity! And both you and Dan need to grow up and stop accusing the Internet of slander for posting a rumor that has a partial basis in reality. No one was in danger of getting fired until you brought it to the Headmistress. GOD!

Jacob had this amazing thing to say about the commencement of Dan and Ms. Carr's affair: "Then, at this precise moment in time that they are boning Letourneau style, the Doppelqueller decides not to fire Rachel after all, and Serena decides for the one billionth time that she didn't actually mean to break up with Dan, so by their own actions they have turned him and Rachel into an entire episode of Tyra without their knowledge, which means that once again Dan is fucking it up for everybody, but this time it is awesome because he's not even doing anything bad, and nobody even knows that the thing that was made up at the beginning of the episode is now totally true, just because Blair Waldorf imagined it hard enough. This is why you don't fuck with Blair Waldorf: she can actually will you into being a pedophile."

SUGGESTIONS FOR YOUR RETURN:

When Blair promises to go "black ops" that should mean something better than sending the same old shit to Gossip Girl.

Rufus - get over yourself. It's your fault Dan is so horrible.

Blair needs a big, messy meltdown, stat!

Apparently Chuck has also been banished to the world of non-existent storylines involving no major characters and no interesting information along with Nate and Vanessa. Please reincorporate these characters into the show - you know, the one at high school, where they know other people like Serena and Blair and Jenny. (Honestly, that Eyes Wide Shut parody was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Don't do that to my Chuck!)

Winner: Again, nothing crazy. But he does look damn sharp in this black, velour suit and navy shirt. It's better than his storyline.

Answers on "Lost" and Mutiny on BSG

2009-01-31T00:45:00.000-08:00

Spoilers Ahead!!!!

LOST:

An episode without Jack, Kate, Sayid or Hurley - when was the last time we had that? I'm glad the show is going to focus on those on the island and Desmond equally, cause honestly, Kate and Jack are not my favorite characters right now. And I want more on those Freighties.

Any episode with a focus on Desmond rocks. He and Penny are the OTP of this show for sure. I'm glad that she's decided to go with him and not force an issue between them by being difficult. And how cute is it that their kid is named Charlie? Makes me wanna watch the Season 3 finale all over again! (Although, someone did point out that her father is also unfortunately named Charles, but we all know it's really after our Charlie!)

Kudos to those who called "Other" island man-Jones as actually being Widmore. At least we will start to understand how Widmore knows of the island and why he might want to get back there. Still don't get how Richard Alpert doesn't age, but we do now understand why he came to see Locke as a child and why he thought Locke would pick the compass. That's all a little clearer now.

As for the Freighties, Miles consistantly cracks me up, I have loads of questions about Charlotte and why the time shifts are affecting her differently than everyone else, and I find Daniel Farraday fascinating. I want more of his backstory, as I'm not sure whether to believe him 50% of the time. But I'll give it up for Jeremy Davies: those eyes are doing some fine acting.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:

Firstly, last week's episode about the political climate was so great. As someone who's instinctively anit-military control, I understood why democratically the Quorum was so opposed to the Cylon alliance. Zarek and Gaeta have some good points, and yes, the Cylons did try to kill them all 4 years ago. If I were a civilian in this fleet, I would most definitely be confused and probably side with Zarek against the Cylons.

But as most of my favorite characters are either Cylon, or somewhat Cylon sympathizers (Tigh, Helo, Tyrol, Athena, Adama, Starbuck - not really a Cylon sympathizer, but would never betray Adama) I can't get on board with this mutiny. Like it or not, unfair as it is, the fleet is not on a situation where they have the luxury of voting everything democratically; the military has to be given some sway, especially as they've been the ones protecting everyone's ass for the last 4 years. Adama and Roslin have made mistakes, but they've rarely been selfish ones. They don't keep power just for the sake of power. Adama does what he thinks is right, and Roslin did everything she could to help them find Earth - and they did. Who could have known it would be destroyed? And I can't believe that after all this time, they fleet doesn't trust them a little more. I get that these are trying times, but I feel like they've earned a little faith, even in the face of this most recent devastation.

(Who else is really feeling for Chief Tyrol right now? His inability to use the right pronoun ("us...them, you....we, uh, I...they....dammit!"), not knowing at all where he fits in (he was so awesome on Galactica tonight, helping out, and then having to find out that Nicky isn't his?!?!?!?! Holy Crap! The TWoP recaplet said it great: "is the revelation that Hera is still the only Shape Of Things To Come, since Cally continues to suck hilariously from beyond the grave. Nicky's dad is actually Brendan "Hot Dog" Costanza, and not Galen at all, which means not only is he a weird-looking kid, but he can't even blame it on being half-Final Fiver. Galen doesn't get to give any more speeches about how she smelled like cabbage, but he does spend the entire time trying to reverse his pronouns and remember he's a Cylon and totally into doing Cylon shit and reading Cylon books and going to Cylon rock and roll shows, even though he's the least Cylony Cylon of all the Cylons.")

With that said, how awesome was tonight's episode? It was like the first hour of a great thriller. Again, while I understand at least Gaeta's motivation, this is just unacceptable!!! I was cheering Starbuck on everytime she shot someone down! They were gonna shoot Lee in the face! Racetrack and Skulls? And they rounded up my favorite family, the Agathons, and beat up my beloved Helo, and threw them in the brig, with a promise to rape his Athena! WTF??? Why does every really anti-Cylon person feel the need to rape them? That is really fucked up! You don't have to like them, I understand why you don't, but there's something sick about the constant threat of rape.

Loved seeing Starbuck and Apollo back together. I really don't care whether they are a couple or not, but something just feels right when they've got each other's back. Also, Adama and Roslin as this affectionate supercouple is really working for me. Her promise to take Gaeta out in the preview for next week was terrifying! Also, about that preview, how ironic is it that Gaeta is (or at least threatening to) giving Adama an unsanctioned trial and blowing him out the airlock (like what was almost done to him) when it was Zareck who originally okay-ed those trials, not Adama. It seems strangely amusing to me.

Favorite Line last episode: "Sometimes I really hate this job." - Adama

Oh, That Guy!: Academy Awards Edition

2009-01-28T06:45:00.000-08:00

MICHAEL SHANNON:

Currently nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Revolutionary Road, here's where you may have seen this character actor before:

1. Chain Reaction (1996)..............................D.C. Flower Delivery Man
2. Jesus' Son (1999).....................................Dundun
3. Cecil B. DeMented (2000)........................Petie
4. Tigerland (2000).....................................Sgt. Filmore
5. Pearl Harbor (2001)................................Lt. Gooz Wood
6. Vanilla Sky (2001)...................................Aaron
7. High Crimes (2002).................................Troy Abbott
8. Kangaroo Jack (2003).............................Frankie Lombardo
9. Bad Boys II (2003)..................................Floyd Poteet
10. The Woodsman (2004)..........................Rosen
11. Criminal (2004).....................................Gene
12. "Law & Order: SVU" (2005).....................Avery Shaw
13. Bug (2006)............................................Peter Evans
14. World Trade Center (2006)....................Dave Karnes
15. Shotgun Stories (2007).........................Son Hayes
16. Lucky You (2007).................................Ray Zumbro
17. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead......Dex (2007)

RICHARD JENKINS:

You're sure to notice this character actor from something, he pops up all the time. This year he's getting his first nomination for Best Actor in The Visitor.

1. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986).................Dr. Wilkes
2. The Manhattan Project (1986).................Radiation Control Officer
3. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)...............Clyde Alden
4. Little Nikita (1988)..................................Richard Grant
5. Sea of Love (1989)...................................Gruber
6. Blue Steel (1990).....................................Attorney Mel Dawson
7. "Queen" miniseries (1993).......................Mr. Benson
8. Undercover Blues (1993)........................Frank
9. Wolf (1994).............................................Detective Bridger
10. It Could Happen to You (1994).............C. Vernon Hale
11. The Indian in the Cupboard (1995)........Victor
12. How to Make an American Quilt............Howell Saunders (1995)
13. Flirting with Disaster (1996)..................Paul Harmon
14. Absolute Power (1997).........................Michael McCarty
15. Eye of God (1997).................................Willard Sprague
16. There's Something About Mary (1998)...Psychiatrist
17. The Mod Squad (1999)..........................Det. Bob Mothershed
18. Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)...............Sheriff Art Moran
19. Random Hearts (1999)..........................Truman Trainor
20. Me, Myself & Irene (2000)....................Agent Boshane
21. Say It Isn't So (2001)............................Walter Wingfield
22. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)........Walter Abundas
23. Changing Lanes (2002).........................Walter Arnell
24. Stealing Harvard (2002).......................Honorable Emmett Cook
25. The Core (2003)...................................Gen. Thomas Purcell
26. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)...................Freddy Bender
27. Cheaper By the Dozen (2003)...............Shake
28. I Heart Huckabees (2004)....................Mr. Hooten
29. Shall We Dance (2004)..........................Devine
30. North Country (2005)..........................Hank Aimes
31. "Six Feet Under" (2001-2005)...............Nathaniel Fisher
Fun with Dick and Jane (2005)...................Frank Bascombe
33. Rumor Has It...(2005)..........................Earl Huttinger
34. The Kingdom (2007)............................Robert Grace
35. Step Brothers (2008)............................Dr. Robert Doback
36. Burn After Reading (2008)...................Ted Treffon

SAG Fails & Wins

2009-01-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

FAIL: I no longer blame Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt for shunning Ryan Seacrest and E! News on the Golden Globes red carpet. Last night at the SAG awards, the superstar couple made every effort to grant interviews to E! and were accosted with ridiculously personal (and lame!) questions. Rather than talk about their nominations, working with Clint Eastwood & David Fincher, what their favorite films of the year were, E!'s Juliana Rancic went out of her way in an embarrassing display of callousness to plead of Angelina, "How has Brad made you a better woman?" and to query of Brad, "Do you still pinch yourself getting to wake up next to that every day?" Both Angie and Brad were obviously uncomfortable with the onslaught of intimate (and none-of-your-business) questions, but handled the hack reporter with graciousness, however little she deserved it. Now I just feel sorry for them. Seriously reporters, let it go! They're actors too; why don't we focus on that for awhile.

WIN: Meryl Streep's acceptance speech for Best Actress in Doubt was by far the highlight of the broadcast.

Things I Missed, Pt. 2

2009-01-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

See, I told you it would be up soon! Trust, people, trust.

James Bond and the Quantum of Solace: So it's not even in theaters anymore (unless you live in Eugene and it's at the $1.50 theater!) but I just have a couple things to say. The first thing I said when the credits rolled was, 'Well, I kinda loved it." Having had more time to mull that over, I must confess that while I loved the experience of watching it for the first time, it's not a film I'm eager to revisit. I loved it for the emotional continuity (after 20 films where Bond beds girl after girl, it was nice to see him mourning the loss of Vesper for more than a day and being scolded for his disregard for the women he carelessly seduces), the credits were in the old-Bond style and that's always fun, and reminiscient of Bourne or not, I highly enjoyed the action sequences. But this isn't going to stand out as one of my favorite Bond films, whereas Casino Royale will. Quantum of Solace was fun, but as many critics pointed out, is relied too heavily on the quick-cutting action and the less than memorable plot to be really recognizable as a Bond film. I liked everything about this movie in theory - the second it was over I could name all the cliches I was pleased they avoided and the continuity they included was much appreciated. However the overall effect of the film hasn't stayed with me when it should and I was more impressed with these positives on a checklist than I was in practice. I have no problem with the fallible hero showing more emotion, but I think next time they're going to have to bunker down and embrace just a little bit more of the campy side of Bond. A funny name or two, a kick-ass Bond girl, and a more memorable villain's scheme. (Like the poker game of Casino Royale, which had a great villain, was definitely in the realm of reality, and yet was more thrilling to watch than the water-supply scheme of Solace.) Both Ebert's and The Cooler's reviews were throughly disappointed in the Bourne similarities (Ebert shouted, "James Bond is NOT an ACTION HERO!!!), while Stephanie Zarachek of Salon.com praised Daniel Craig's more emotionally resonant Bond. I've linked each of these reviews which are all great reads, regardless of whether the film is out of theaters now.
"Gossip Girl" Makes Entertainment Weekly's Best Performances of the Year Section: Every year EW comes out with an issue devoted to top 10 lists - movies, TV shows, episodes, singles, albums, pop culture moments, and performances. The performances list is not limited to film actors, but to online, television, movie, concert and music video offerings. This year (among Beyonce's tour, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, and Tina Fey on SNL) they also singled out Chuck and Blair from "Gossip Girl." As much as I am a fan, I wouldn't presume to place the show in the top tier of television programs, even though it's addicting and soapy fun. But week in and week out, I love to watch the performances of Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick, so I think it's great that the performances of actors on a "teen drama" are being recognized for the heartfelt entertainment they are. This is what EW had to say:

"Who knew a non-romance between sworn non-daters would be the sexiest thing to nearly overheat our televisions this year? With their relentless flirty games, Gossip Girl's Blair (Meester, 22) and Chuck (Westwick, 21) twisted their high school soap into a delectable hour of romantic torture. Indeed, who could blame Blair — after months of not quite admitting that the two were in love — for taking matters into, um, her own hands? ''You can't put a finger on what makes two characters connect,'' says Westwick. ''It's just chemistry. We have it. We feel it.'' We do too."

Burn After Reading: I can't understand why so many critics gave this a poor review. Yes, it's a little darker than I was expecting (if I hadn't been warned beforehand, the deaths would have really shocked me), but it's one hell of a funny black comedy. It boasts a top-notch cast including Frances McDormand, John Malkovich (the way he speaks is just perfect), Tilda Swinton (she just screams "BITCH") and a sublime cameo by J.K. Simmons. McDormand's performance in particular is perfectly calibrated on the edge of the ludicrous. But the standouts were George Clooney and Brad Pitt. We know they can be funny, Clooney most memorably in other Coen Brothers fair like Intolerable Cruelty and O Brother Where Art Thou, and Pitt in 12 Monkeys and The Mexican, but they have never made me laugh like this before. Clooney boasts a cheesy grin and dandies about cruising the Internet for dates with a lascivious gleam in his eye. Later in the film his character becomes unbearably paranoid and the image of Clooney's eyes bugging out of his head in petrified fear is not something I'll soon forget. Pitt plays an airhead fitness instructor with a bodacious quaff of blond hair, a limited vocabulary, and an enthusiastic regard for doing pumped up dances to music. His character is the perfect blend of empty moron and lovable doofus. I was surprised by how much I came to like his character. And he has one moment in a car where the expression on his face carries the entire scene: He's trying very hard to be serious (obviously having just watched some gangster films for tips) but's he is so stoked to be in this situation he can't keep his face straight and his narrowed eyes keep slipping up. Add these performances to a story about a stolen CIA memoir that somehow includes plastic surgery, the Russian government, and an experimental sex toy and you have one pretty inventive ride.

Commercials I Hate/Love/Am Creeped Out By: I suppose they must be dealt with. The following are the most memorable outings I've seen lately.

HATE: Yes, because most women would try to pass of a Glade candle as a high falutin', spendy French piece of crap. I assure you, we're not all this ridiculous. Some of us are not ashamed of buying cheap things that smell good and admitting it.

LOVE: If this were supposed to be serious, it would blow. But any commercial that goes to these lengths to mock speed commercials, and then calls it's creation "the rabbit-panther thingie" deserves some serious praise.

CREEPS ME OUT: I just can't look at their hands. It makes me hate texting and all who text. SHUT UP!!!

The Visitor on DVD: Rent this movie, please. There's now much greater incentive with Richard Jenkins' brilliantly nuanced performance being nominated for an Academy Award, but the film as a whole is a delicate and empathetically told story about isolation and the fragile bonds we forge. It presents obviously political views about illegal immigration, but grounds them in an entirely human story - no one ever feels like they're preaching or acting from a script; their actions are entirely motivated by genuine emotions. Jenkins, who has long been a dependable "Hey, it's that Guy" character actor, anchors the film without seeming to do much. He's remote, but accessible; still and quiet but able to communicate huge changes in the character with subtle facial expressions. He is aided by a colorful and sturdy set of supporting actors with engaging personalities, the greatest of which is Hiam Abbass as a Syrian mother who forms a tentative and tender friendship with Jenkins emotionally distant professor. Please check it out.

I'm Ashamed That... : 1) I think Brody Jenner is hot. I'm sure he's a spoiled brat player, but I can't deny that his smile is adorable and his bod is tight, and I perk up when he meanders over to "The Hills" to give Lauren some tough love. I am however, happy to report that I don't watch "Bromance" no matter how attractive the lead douche is. (Not watching "The City" either! Yay!) 2) I am in love with this incredibly cheesy Nickelback song "Gotta Be Somebody." I know most of their songs sound alike, maybe this one too, but it's so fun to listen to on repeat. I even made a Chuck & Blair shipper vid to it - which turned out pretty damn good, considering my crappy technology. 3) Why do I still watch "The Hills"? To be fair, it might be over, so no temptation now, but it's usually pretty boring, Audrina is dead inside, and if I hate Spencer and Heidi as much as I claim, how can I justify watching their skanky asses every week? 4) I never watched "Pushing Daisies," by all accounts a lovely and whimsical show deserving of millions of viewers and starring celebrity crush Lee Pace. And now it's canceled. It will probably be one of those shows I fall in love with on DVD and bemoan never having watched when it was new and I could make a difference, just like "Veronica Mars" and "Freaks and Geeks". Damn me! 5) I still haven't jumped ship on "Grey's Anatomy." Izzie's sleeping with a ghost, George is hardly ever around, I don't care about any of these new people or Meredith and Derek's ridiculous relationship, and even the ever-awesome Bailey and Christina are starting to grate. About the only thing good is Mark and Callie's awesome friendship. Yet I continue to watch.
New Critic: I've discovered a new film critic I can't stop reading over at Salon.com. Stephanie Zacharek is someone I'd heard of before, but I had never actually taken the time to read her reviews. In Entertainment Weekly they have a graph showing a list of new releases and the grades 8 critics have given them. Zacharek rarely grades anything higher than a B, and frequently lower. I couldn't understand how she didn't like anything, so I never clicked over and read the reviews. That was stupid of me. After all the time I've spent reading Ebert's reviews, I should know by now that the grade or star rating given to a film has little to do with the what a critic really sees and thinks about a movie. And that's what Zacharek's reviews proved to me. (To be fair, the review that finally made me check her out was the entry on Twilight; while most critics gave is a modest dismissal, Zacherek gave it a B+ - huge for her. Had to see what that was about.) I can't say I agree with all her unfavorable reviews (she seems to have great disdain for all the films directed by Sam Mendes, she's sick of Judd Apatow - maybe she's got a point there, and she didn't like Titanic or L.A. Confidential) but the reasons for her disregard are usually reasonable. She's very articulate about the reasons for her discomfort and sites many principles of filmmaking and technical guffaws that undermine both the meaning ans story of a film. She also notices lots of small moments that influence her readings of the films, and those are what touch me the most. Agree or not, her reviews make me appreciate film more than I did before reading them. I also love that her reviews are never the same length. They're often 1 page (online) but when she finds a film that inspires her own memories (like Milk) or inspires her (like all of Sofia Coppola's films) she goes with it. There are riches to be found there and I have spent the better half of the last 2 weeks mining the site for old reviews.

This Week in Chuck

2009-01-23T07:30:00.000-08:00

Let's talk this week's "Gossip Girl", shall we? This episode did several important things: 1) it made me remember how awesome Lily can be 2) it made me fall in love with Nate Archibald and 3) it reminded me of the scary love I have for Blair Waldorf when she's especially crazy. Lily stepped up, was an actual friend and parent to Chuck (how awesome was his list of ways to discredit Uncle Jack? loved it!) and their relationship was pretty much the highlight of the episode.

As for Nate, while his gosh-darned cuteness has never been in question, I don't usually miss him when he's gone. But let me tell you, his attempt to hide that beautifully amused smile while Vanessa gawked at their opera companions just about did me in. Please show, do me a solid and let him interact with Blair, Serena and Chuck more - I miss it. Nate shouldn't be banished to Vanessa-land; he's done nothing to deserve that. Especially when Dan Humphrey is still in the picture.

Finally, while her bi-polar reactions to the college admissions process were insane, I love it when Blair loses it. The single best line of the episode was her delivery of "Witchhunts are my valium, Serena" in the deadest, creepiest voice I have ever heard. Elizabeth and I rewound that scene about 10 times.

Which reminds me of a 4th amazing quality to this episode - Eric. He's the MVP of the entire show. Not to mention a conscience and the only character who has unparalleled goodwill and heart. His one liner to his mother (caught making out in the kitchen with Rufus, post-coitally, ick) was a stunner, as was his entire, German-infused opera tutorial for Rufus. I'm so glad he's been around more this season.

Winner: Honestly, there wasn't much to choose from this week. While Chuck continues to dress in a manner befitting an earnest, equestrian enthusiast, he's not wearing anything crazy. The last outfit that really screamed "Chuck Bass" was the plaid jacket in episode 9. (We're now on episode 16.) I guess the sparkle tux kinda fits. But all I can say about this week's winner is that at least it's pink and the socks match.

Sci-Fi Premiere Week!

2009-01-22T20:15:00.000-08:00

If you haven't watched the season premieres of "Lost" or "BSG", beware! Spoilers abound!

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA:

Where to begin?

Earth is a nuclear wasteland leaving everyone in a deep depression. Roslin loses all faith in herself and in her Pithian prophecies, going as far as actually burning her bible. That's heartbreaking to watch. And Adama loses a daughter, sees his lover giving up, and decides to make Saul Frakking Tight shoot him in the head by making slanderous and mean comments about Ellen. Nice, Bill, real nice. Watching Roslin and Adama be so weak is not fun. At least one of them always has to be strong.

Starbuck creeped out the uncreep-out-able Leoban by finding her destroyed Viper and her own dead body inside. "What am I?" she asks. Hell if I know. I feel for you, girl! And what is this "harbinger of death" thing all about. I won't pretend to understand all of the prophecy and religious hoopla and destiny that this show spouts, but I am really confused as to what Kara can possibly be. She's not a Cylon, so how is she still alive? She's not a ghost. What the hell is going on?

After bucking up Lee and sharing one final kiss for old times sake, Lieutenant Anastasia Dualla smiles are herself in the mirror and shoots herself in the frakking head. Someone as strong as her committing suicide, completely giving up, is disturbing to say the least. Definintely one of the most shocking moments the show has ever had, and sure to leave it's mark on Adama, Lee and Felix, who was the last one to talk to the seemingly happy Dualla before she blew her brains out. I thought this meant she might be a Cylon (remember when Boomer shot herself in the face in Season 1) but alas, she's not coming back.

The 5th Cylon is none other that Ellen Tigh, which Saul figures out in a flashback to his time on Earth 2,000 years ago. Yep, that's right. Saul and Ellen Tigh, and the other final 4, all remember parts of the lives they led on a solely Cylon populated Earth 2,000 years ago. WTF? Cylons were the 13th tribe, not humans. That means that the humans on Caprica didn't really create the Cylons, at least not when they thought they did, because they existed before that. And from Tyrol's flashback, there were more than 12 models. Which makes me wonder - are the 12 models all that's left of the survivors from Earth's nuclear attack, or are only the Final Five from Earth? The humanoid models of Cylon - who created them? And where did Ellen download? How did the Final Four get reborn 2,000 years ago and end up on Earth? I am so confused, but hungry for the show to provide some answers, which I have no doubt they will.

LOST:

A very satisfying 2-hour premiere. I'm glad the show isn't just focusing on the Oceanic Six, but also simultaneously showing what's happening on the island. I was afraid we'd go through 4-6 episodes just showing Jack and the rest getting to the island, then do a full flashback episode showing what the island has been going through in the meantime. I like it better this way.

I don't know about Ben. He seems to have the best intentions for gathering the Oceanic Six and Locke's body together, but an interesting point of contention: Alpert told Locke that the only way to save the island was for them to come back, not that they could save their friends if they came back. So Ben's intention is to save the island right? Save it from what - what happens to it? I'm also confused as to why they have to come back to save the island when it seemed like Ben turning the wheel, not them leaving, is what led to this skipping through time hellhole?

I love seeing Hurley and Sayid together - as usual Hurley has a lot of mood-lifting lines and his flashback was hilarious and crazy. Although how are they gonna get him out of the murder rap now? (How cool was Sayid using the dishwasher as a weapon?!!?) Shouldn't it be evident that the deaths in the safe house were self-defense, not straight out murder? As for Kate, I was getting some seriously creepy undertones from Sun that make me think she has crossed over to the dark side and may not have forgiven Kate at all. I really hope Jin is still alive out there.

Also hoping that we see more of magical, able to change time Desmond in the future. The show is always better when he's around.

Some questions: Who is trying to kill the Oceanic Six? Is it Widmore trying to get to Ben? Does Sun know?

When Locke skips through time on the island, the Others don't. Why not? Are they too connected to the island? Is that why Alpert doesn't age? I don't get that.

Also, does Locke manage to get of the island pretty quickly, during one of the time skips to the present, or has everyone on the island been skipping through time for 3 years? Has it felt like 3 years to them?

I'm sure most of this will get explained, but for now I'm hooked.

Academy Award Nominations

2009-01-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

In a year of many good films, but few spectacular ones, I don't think the Oscars could possibly have gotten it right; the nominations don't contradict that. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button continues to ride its win-less but hypnotic wave all the way to 13 nominations. The nods for all things technical, it deserves; Best Picture, while not surprising, not so much.

What was surprising is The Reader claiming the 5th Best Picture and Director slot. I haven't seen it, but no one saw that coming. It didn't get overwhelmingly positive reviews and most had written it off. However, it is a Holocaust movie (thanks Ricky Gervais) and director Stephen Daldry is a former two-time nominee (for Billy Elliot and The Hours). I disappointed that WALL-E didn't get a Best Picture nod, and surprised that The Dark Knight or Doubt didn't take the fifth slot. Even Revolutionary Road; they all seemed more likely choices than The Reader. Another big surprise was Kate Winslet; after winning two Golden Globes, the Academy deemed her role in The Reader to be leading rather than supporting, so she only got one nomination, and not for Revolutionary Road. I think this is probably fair, but I really wanted her to get the double nod, and I think she had a better chance of winning that way. I don't know if she can compete with Anne Hathaway or Meryl Streep in Best Actress.

There were a few pleasant surprises: Richard Jenkins stole the 5th actor spot from Clint Eastwood, with his beautifully subtle performance in The Visitor and Melissa Leo got the last Best Actress slot for her much-praised work in the indie Frozen River. The only downside is that her inclusion left Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) out in the cold. I would have liked to see both of them nominated and Angelina Jolie left out (although I haven't seen Changeling so I really shouldn't judge; just going off what I've read). Michael Shannon's (Revolutionary Road) inclusion in the Supporting Actor category was also a welcome addition given buzz about his performance and a lack of buzz about the film in general.

Overall, most of the nominations don't surprise me. But they don't quite thrill me either. Which may mean I'll actually get to watch the Oscars in relatively indifferent peace this year. The only two films that really knocked me on my ass were WALL-E and Milk, so I'll just cheer any awards that come their way, root for Kate Winslet, (and secretly root for Mickey Rourke). Full list of nominees here.

New Year's Non-Resolution

2009-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

I'm typically not one to make any resolutions because I am acutely unable to stick to them. I know this about myself and I respect that. I'm not going to resolve to lose weight or to read more books because that is the one way to be sure I won't. But that doesn't mean I don't have goals or that I don't intend to try and better myself. So although I wouldn't call it a New Year's Resolution, my goal is to stop posting only 5 blogs a month. I used to have a pretty good average going, 12-20 regularly, and I have been heartily ashamed of myself for slacking so monumentally (look for reasons for that in the upcoming post "I Am a Hack"). So, in the coming months, here are some features you can expect to see (I won't put down a timetable as I would be sure to break it):

REVIEWS: And I mean a lot of them! I'm sure you've forgotten I ever did this, and though the stress of it is partly why I haven't written one in forever, I can't let that stop me. I'll never get better it I don't keep writing, so write I must. I already have outlines for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, Doubt and Twlight, and there are plans to see and review Revolutionary Road, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, and The Wrestler in coming weeks. That's a lot of reviewing with me being crusty and all, so I may only end up writing reviews on 3/4 of these films. However, there will be reviews!
TWILIGHT FEVER: I finally relented, saw the movie (which I enojoyed) and read the books (which, as I suspected I might, I loved more that I should have). I don't know why I'm surprised: I love "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (human/vampire hookups are so tortured!) and my favorite movie in the 4th grade was the Zefferelli version of Romeo and Juliet. Obviously this franchise would appeal to my melodramatic inner child. I won't be joining a Twi-hards cult and Robert Pattinson is not my new celebrity crush, but there will probably be a post or two about why I loved the books so much when they are no where near the quality of my beloved Harry Potter series.
THINGS I MISSED, PT. 2: This one is almost done and will probably be the first or second thing posted. I know, I've said it before, but I swear, it really is almost done!
20 FAVORITE ACTORS: Because that favorite actresses list got me thinking and I can't resist a list...
I AM A HACK: A full post in which I explain all of my petty insecurities. Can you wait?
OSCAR MONTH: I am finally getting in the swing of Awards Season, though with considerably less zeal than usual. But I'm not going to let that stop me. I had a lot of fun writing some Oscar posts and doing Oscar Top 10-lists last year, so I'm going to try and emulate some of that fun again this year. Last year I wrote about the rules for song/score nominations; this year I may try and dig into the criteria for foreign film or documentary entries (every year it seems the Academy misses something that most critics are flabbergasted to explain, and I'd like to understand why). As for the lists, I did my favorite topics last year, but I may try one on the worst winners or the most hideous fashion. I guess we'll see.
100 FAVORITE FILMS: I did this last year too, so it's hardly necessary for another compilation, but I kind of like the idea of adding new entries every year and tracking my film-loving trajectory. Just indulge me.

In the meantime, here are some videos I love:

Found this on another blog. It's Kate Winslet's guest appearence as herself on the British sitcom "Extras" in 2005. Remember at the Golden Globes when Ricky Gervais teased her about doing a Holocaust movie? Here's why. Very funny.

I know I haven't gotten to BSG yet, and this video will do little to appease Damon, but it's just a little Apollo/Starbuck shipper vid to Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know." Well-edited, and maybe you'll like it, Sarah!

This Week in Chuck

2009-01-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

Winner #1: Still in the midst of a suicidal breakdown, Chuck wasn't looking too hot this episode. There was still the untidy hair (and I was getting a huge Joker-vibe from his unsteady prancing on the ledge) but no outfit really screamed "I'm Chuck Bass." So we're going with this rather modest suit because I love the red socks.

Winner #2: The British Flag cuff links Chuck sported last night. Another perfectly chosen detail, it's also a nice inside joke as actor Ed Westwick is actually a Brit. And I can't fail to mention the best line of dialogue from last night: mimicking his father's disappointment in him, Chuck spouts of list of choice complaints ending with, "why do you wear so much purple?" Love it!

Kate Finally Wins!!!

2009-01-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

Should have posted this yesterday. True, she actually did win the Broadcast Critic's Award as Best Supporting Actress for The Reader this past Thursday, but winning two Golden Globes in a night like this was just amazing. And I won't deny being awfully moved by her acceptance speeches (especially the shoutout to Leo - those two are just adorable!) I'm just so happy that she finally got a moment in the sun! I'm no longer as concerned with whether she wins an Oscar (it will happen, if not this year, then eventually) because at least she's won something now. I can sleep.