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After going to see a more serious film yesterday, I got to see previews for films that looked pretty good, and some that could even potentially get some consideration come Academy Award season. I enjoy the popcorn movies of the summer, but come August I need movies that are a bit deeper and that don't ignore the screenplay, or just focus on the special effects. The previews yesterday made me start thinking "Who will get nominated this year?"
Most journalists and pundits everyone is face with the pressure from outsiders to start the season and make some "predictions" but these "predictions" are are more like educated guesses. In their own predictions two of my favorite websites awardsdaily.com and goldderby.com have made predictions or started out potential contests but have also stated that making guesses at this point in the year is almost impossible! However, I would like to highlight the actors who have strong potential to be nominated this year.
The year of the men from the Oceans films: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Matt Damon all have major Oscar buzz films that will be released this year. This trio of men has ten Academy Award nominations between the three of them and I think that nomination tally will grow this year.
George Clooney has the best shot at nominations. Clooney is starring in, directed, wrote the film Ides of March, a political thriller that looks like that could have the potential to be an audience please and critically acclaimed. Clooney is also set to star in the film The Descendants directed by Alexander Payne about a man who attempts to re-connect with his daughters after his wife dies.
Depending on how the Academy feels about The Tree of Life Brad Pitt could score a nomination for his best dramatic performance to date. Pitt also has a film that will be a more crowd pleaser in the vein of The Blind Side, the film Moneyball where Pitt's character attempts to save a struggling baseball team (and its a true story!)
Matt Damon has three films released this year. Contagion where he plays a man grieving the loss of his wife from a deadly virus. Margaret (2011) the long awaited Kenneth Lonergan film about where a young women (Anna Paquin) witnesses a bus accident and caught up in the aftermath. Damon's role doesn't seem like this could get him a nomination. Damon is also going to be in the Cameron Crowe film We Bought a Zoo about a man who moves his family to California and buys a zoo.
Clooney and Pitt have a great shot to be back, I think Damon may have to wait another year or two.
The Streep Factor: Meryl Streep will be playing the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher. The role itself has the potential alone to score anyone a nomination, and with Streep attached it almost seems guaranteed. Phyllida Lloyd is attached as the director (which scares me) but hopefully she doesn't make this an over the top portrayal. Streep is a great actress, and once the full length trailer is out I will be able to figure out if this film will soar or sink.
The Titanic Twosome: Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet will be back in the Oscar race this year. These two have become the most bankable and worthwhile actors to watch (who would have thought that after their performances in Titanic).
DiCaprio will star in the biopic about famed FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in the film J. Edgar directed by Clint Eastwood. The film focuses on the controversy surrounding his career along with his private life as a cross dresser, and his gay relationship.
Winslet has two role this year, one in Contagion, which looks to be a smaller role and will not likely garner her a nomination; she will also be one of the foursome in the film Carnage based on the Tony award winning play God of Carnage. Carnage has an amazing cast, and tony award winning plays of this calibre have done a good job garnering award nominations for actors like Frost/Nixon and Doubt.
The New Faces to the Oscar Game: Every year there are new faces that enter the Oscar game that come out of no where like Gaborey Sidibe in Precious who was an unknown before this role, shocking potential nominees like Mila Kunis (who would have thought Jackie from That 70's Show had it in her), or the great character actor finally getting their due like Stanley Tucci finally getting a nomination for The Lovely Bones.
Michael Fassbender is one of the character actors of the year and a lesser known actor who has a great shot of getting a nomination. Fassbender has three even four roles that I would consider Oscar worthy this year. Fassbender was amazing in Jane Eyre as Rochester, and helped give new life to the X-Men franchise as Magneto in X-Men: First Class. Fassbender has the most potential playing Carl Jung in A Dangerous Method, and could also garner buzz for his playboy role in the film Shame.
The Overdue Factor: There actors in Hollywood that have never won an Oscar, or never even been nominated, and then suddenly late in life the academy decides to reward them with a nomination or a win. Christopher Plummer never received an Oscar nomination until his role in The Last Station two years ago. James Coburn won his Oscar because of a divided category, and the reward of a good performance that represents a career achievement.
Glenn Close has been nominated for five Academy Awards: The World According to Garp (83), The Big Chill (84), The Natural (85), Fatal Attraction (88), Dangerous Liaisons (89). I would argue her nomination for The Natural was on name alone, but this year she will most likely garner her sixth and potentially seventh nomination for writing and starring in the film Albert Nobbs. If this film is great and Close scores a nomination she could pose a huge threat because she has never won this award.
There are many other players in the Oscar game this year. Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and so many more. This year is going to be filled with a lot of younger talent, and new blood, and I looked forward to an exciting competition.
Directed by: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris),
Written by: Dan Fogelman (Cars, Bolt, Tangled)
Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone
The film starts with Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) out to dinner, and her pronouncement that she he wants Creme Brulet while she wants a divorce and she cheated on him. Carell agrees to divorce and heads to a bar in his New Balance sneakers and clothes that don't fit. While at the bar Jacob a regular at the bar and playboy notices Cal and decides that he wants to take him on as a project. Jacob also meets Hannah (Emma Stone) at the bar and they have their own romantic story. Like within most romantic dramadies there are moments that cliche (which the film points out cleverly in the screenplay) and moments that come unexpectedly.
This film did a great job of making me think a little deeper about love, understanding relationships, and the role maturity plays in decision making. There are good moments that are incredibly funny as well. The highlight of this film is Ryan Gosling; he is charming, funny, and continues to prove what a terrific actor he has grown into. The ensemble is well used. Carell, Moore, and Stone were great as usual. The actor who plays Carell and Moore's son Robbie is younger actor to watch for. Some of characters were not fleshed out enough. Kevin Bacon and Marissa Tomei's characters were plot devices that were not fully developed enough to be useful. The film ran a bit long towards the end and felt like a merry-go-round, and the screenplay could have been trimmed.
The film was solid, and I got down on my knees thanking the movies Gods that there was a solid film that involved no explosions to go to during the summer months. I love and hate the sumer months because I feel people skip quality films like this where there isn't a robot that transforms, an adventure on the high seas, an action hero of some form, or that isn't a pointless sequel. This is not the best movie of the year, but it has quality, and is somewhat original. I am tired of the sequels they drive crazy and make me feel stupid, unlike this film
After watching Pam and Jim get married in the episode "Niagara" it made me cry, smile, and just fell allwarm inside! I made a list of my favorite film couples of all time, and now since my blog has expanded to all things pop culture, I figured I should pick my favorite TV couples of all time as well. There is no surprise that Jim and Pam are easily my favorite on screen couple of all time, but the other interesting factors about my favorite couples is that most of them are from situation comedies.
1-Jim and Pam (The Office USA-NBC) Their storybook romance is infamous to people who don't even watch the show. In season one and two it was apparent that doe eyed receptionist Pam and the paper salesman Jim had eyes for each other, but their strong friendship, and Pam being engaged prevented this from happening. After Pam and Jim kissed at the end of season two and Jim was rebuffed he moved to Connecticut. Finally at the end of season 3 their was an offer on a date and my favorite couple started their courtship that would end up with their nuptials in Niagara Falls and then Pam giving birth to their first child.
Jim: [regarding Pam's father] What did he say? Is it my fault?
Pam: Yeah. He said that you told him how much you love me. About how you feel when I walk in a room. And about how you've never doubted for a second that I'm the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with. I guess he's never felt that way about my mom, even at their best.
Jim: You okay?
Pam: Yeah. [Cut to talking head] When you're a kid, you assume your parents are soulmates. My kids are going to be right about that.
I may have The Office on the brain but I have several other favorite television couples here are the rest:
2-Buffy Summers and Angel-Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB) I know most Buffy fans enjoy the Buffy and Spike pairing more (which was fun) and similar the relationship of Sookie and Eric Northman in True Blood, former enemies become lovers, but I love Buffy and Angel. I remember watching their first interactions and realizing there was something more to Angel (of course he was a vampire), but their chemistry was white hot. Buffy was tasked with killing vampires, but Angel was different and they fell in love. There was also the season when Angel became a bad vampire and Buffy had to fight, kill, and send him to hell. I think I remember sobbing when that happened. In their epic battle Buffy plunges a sword into her beloved because she has to kill him in order to let him go, the tears stream down her face and she lives town on a bus without a word to any of her friends. This was one of my favorite shows growing up, and my second favorite pairing.
3-Claire and Cliff Huxtable-The Cosby Show (NBC) Their chemistry was impeccable; she was this smart attorney who was well like by everyone and was put together while he was this goofy doctor who was great with young kids, and couldn't fix anything. Throughout the the show they talked about their courtship and how everyone was amazed Cliff got Claire, but their love goes beyond what people think. These two characters show true deep emotional care for one another and Phyllicia Rashad and bill Cosby had some amazing chemistry. In the last episode as the two of them looked with pride at their son graduating from college and danced on screen I knew these two characters would leave a lasting impact on television history and myself. To this day (and when I was younger) I always said I wanted them to be my parents, and I think that is a testament to the proof that I understand their "love" for one another.
4-Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper-The Wonder Years (ABC) Young love at its best! No show has ever been able grasp what young love means as well as this show. The turmoil of the 60s helps set up the back the story but this young love transcends the time period. I loved watching their love grow and change throughout the years, and how adolescence and growing up can change love. You want these two to end up together, but you realize that as they grow up or as young people grow up they develop, change, and become different people.
5-Monica Gellar and Chandler Bing-Friends (NBC)-Everyone always focuses on Ross and Rachel, but in the end the show did a much better job bringing Monica and Chandler together. When these two accidentally drunkenly slept together at the end of season five, I was shocked! Looking back there were some signs of chemistry, but the writers created this brilliant idea to construct this couple and it worked. The flashbacks also made it worth watching, when Monica heard Chandler calling her fat and then one year later Monica's plan for revenge forced him to lose his pinky toe. Their hilarious back story helped provide great context for their story. With their wedding and the quest to have a baby these two created a lasting funny and beautiful memory about how love is not perfect and how you have to work hard to be with someone.
3-Claire and Cliff Huxtable-The Cosby Show (NBC) Their chemistry was impeccable; she was this smart attorney who was well like by everyone and was put together while he was this goofy doctor who was great with young kids, and couldn't fix anything. Throughout the the show they talked about their courtship and how everyone was amazed Cliff got Claire, but their love goes beyond what people think. These two characters show true deep emotional care for one another and Phyllicia Rashad and bill Cosby had some amazing chemistry. In the last episode as the two of them looked with pride at their son graduating from college and danced on screen I knew these two characters would leave a lasting impact on television history and myself. To this day (and when I was younger) I always said I wanted them to be my parents, and I think that is a testament to the proof that I understand their "love" for one another.
4-Kevin Arnold and Winnie Cooper-The Wonder Years (ABC) Young love at its best! No show has
5-Monica Gellar and Chandler Bing-Friends (NBC)-Everyone always focuses on Ross and Rachel, but in the end the show did a much better job bringing Monica and Chandler together. When these two accidentally drunkenly slept together at the end of season five, I was shocked! Looking back there were some signs of chemistry, but the writers created this brilliant idea to construct this couple and it worked. The flashbacks also made it worth watching, when Monica heard Chandler calling her fat and then one year later Monica's plan for revenge forced him to lose his pinky toe. Their hilarious back story helped provide great context for their story. With their wedding and the quest to have a baby these two created a lasting funny and beautiful memory about how love is not perfect and how you have to work hard to be with someone.
