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2010 Oscar Nominations

2010 February 2
by TopIdol

Every year, I tell Oskar I will be having an Oscar party for him. And I never do. I always threaten to put the little guy in a bow tie, too.

Anyway, I’m a movie lover, so here are the 2010 Oscar nominations. Unfortunately, I don’t see movies as often as I used to, so I need to get cracking. I try and see all the Best Picture nominees before the awards, and this year are 10 (ridiculous idea). Actually, wait. I refuse to see The Blind Side and still have no clue how that ended up on the list while Star Trek did not — especially with District 9, Avatar and Up nominated. They could have put a little Star Trek love in there. I couldn’t even make it through the trailers for The Blind Side. And I love heartwarming sports films, as long as they don’t have bad accents, Denzel Washington and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Any movie that uses Ain’t No Mountain High Enough actually loses at least one star based on that fact alone. I sob during the last 30 minutes of Rudy and The Rookie. Hell, Field of Dreams still gets me. I even get slightly misty-eyed at the emotional climax of The Replacements. Heartwarming sports sagas are my Steel Magnolias, but when they look bad, they look bad. I’ve even always enjoyed Sandra Bullock to a large degree, but I am not watching The Blind Side. And I have no idea why she would get a Best Actress nomination with that mop of poorly-dyed hair (Really? With her coloring? Never!) and that accent which seems ridiculous for a woman who grew up and still lives in Texas.

The one movie I did see was Up In The Air. Recently, it’s caught a bunch of slack for being overrated, but I loved it. (The same thing happened to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and  Lost in Translation, among many others.) Absolutely loved it. And not even because it was mainly filmed in my hometown of St. Louis and starred George Clooney, but because it was one of those movies that stays with you. You think about it over the next few days and find you like it more than you thought you did upon leaving the theater. Up In The Air resonated with me on that level, much like Wonder Boys did ten years ago. Wonder Boys is one of my all-time favorite movies, and if you haven’t seen it (which is highly likely), you are truly missing out.

I may be most excited about the Best Supporting Actress category, as they all rock. While Nine is another movie I refuse to see, I’ve been a Penelope Cruz fan ever since the phenomenal Volver. Never saw what all the fuss was all about until I watched Volver. Volver was incredible, and she was amazing. So now I’m a Penelope Cruz fan. And if you tell me you hate her, I will ask, have you seen Volver? And if you reply no, I will say, come back to me after you’ve seen it.

Awards aside, my one big hope for the 2010 Oscars is that I don’t have to watch Jennifer Aniston make a complete fool of herself while the camera cuts to Angelina Jolie’s reaction several times. While the Oscars are never as exciting as I think they might be, this year might be okay. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are hosting, and while my ass crack would be more effectual and amusing than Billy Crystal, those guys are the shit.

Here are a partial list of nominees. If you want to see the Best Animated Short Films and Sound Editing stuff, the link is above.

BEST PICTURE:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

DIRECTING:
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
James Cameron – Avatar
Lee Daniels – Precious
Jason Reitman – Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
George Clooney – Up in the Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air
Mo’Nique – Precious

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Neill Blomkamp and – District 9
Nick Hornby – An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche – In the Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner – Up in the Air

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Mark Boal – The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon – The Messenger
Joel and Ethan Coen – A Serious Man
Pete Docter and Bob Peterson – Up

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
Ajami (Israel)
El Secreto de sus Ojos (Argentina)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
Une Prophéte (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of the Kells
Up

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from → Randomness

  • http://www.comingoutandhiding.blogspot.com Yo Mom

    I love Oskar

  • DFeel

    Agreed big time, TopIdol- Up in the Air/ Anna Kendrick is where its at!

  • pri

    volver is so sweet. i watched it with my mum and we both loved it. you should watch broken embraces. same director.

  • wino

    For a good Pedro Almodóvar movie…see Tie Me Up Tie Me Down, with a young and actually talented Antonio Banderas.

    And for the record, whoever cast Natalie Portman in Closer should be banned from Hollywood. Look, the girl is beautiful and yes, she can act. However, she didnt have the emotional depth for that role, or the allure. It was a bit disturbing to see her and her 12yr old boy body try to be seductive in 5 inch heels. For a second I thought I was watching Dateline to Catch a Predator. Sick.

  • Trish

    OMG, OMG, OMFG!!!

    I’m listening to a repeat of Terry Gross’s recent Fresh Air interview with Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy!!!) because of his Oscar nomination, and she opens the broadcast with a clip from the movie from when Colin Firth’s character gets a phone call letting him know that his lover has died in a car accident. Guess who makes the call??? I recognized his voice IMMEDIATELY. Hint: Top Idol loves him more than she loves Kris Allen!!!

    Listen here to find out: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123284866.

    • TopIdol

      I heard about that…but had forgotten about it. So thank you!

      I really need to see this movie, especially b/c Tom Ford (whom I’ve always adored) directed. And well, Colin Firth is just Colin Firth…and the whole phone call thing :)

      • Trish

        Oh, make sure you listen to Terry Gross’s full interview with Tom Ford too. That was all kinds of awesome. I’m dying to see this movie. Have you seen it yet?

  • Trish

    Quick drive-by post:

    Up In The Air resonated with me on that level, much like Wonder Boys did ten years ago. Wonder Boys is one of my all-time favorite movies, and if you haven’t seen it (which is highly likely), you are truly missing out.

    Finally saw Wonder Boys for the first time a couple of months ago on cable and it now ranks as one of my most favorite movies ever too. Gotta see Up In The Air ASAP. Good movies always disappear (if they ever even make it out here in the ‘burbs) before I ever get a chance to see them.

    You almost convinced me, wino, to see that Sandra Bullock movie. Almost. And only if I can catch Up in the Air and Crazy Heart first.

    Still kicking myself that I never got to see Mr. Darcy in A Single Man or The Fantastic Mr. Fox on the big screen. Just bought Coraline for my kids and have pre-ordered Mr. Fox. Love great animated movies.

  • wino

    Ha, I went to a free screening of the Blind Side expecting to hate it. I just refused to buy into the hype of the movie and/or Sandra Bullock’s acting. But fk, it happened….I walked away actually liking this flick. And crap if I didn’t feel Bullock put a lot of oomph into that role. Having said that, the movie did not deserve the nod more so than say the Hangover. With District 9 nominated, no way the Academy would spread the love to Star Trek….it was a good franchise reboot but no way near the level of Batman Begins caliber. IMO I’m just excited Chris Waltz got nominated….well deserved acclaim for a fantastic role. That man was mesmerizing. BTW, Hurt Locker? Ummm, good flick, well acted and suspenseful, but extremely overrated. There was nothing original about the storyline or directing….Ugh, I just feel critics/people are itching for a good Iraq /Mid East drama and anything that comes close to good gets an overwhelming response. And Im done with the Best Song category. Must every fking nominated song belong to a Musical and/or Disney flick? WTF. What type of outdated rules are these voters going off of?

    • erinnthered

      They’ve had some good winners lately in Best Song. Disney always gets the nods, but they don’t automatically get the win anymore. “Hard Out Here For a Pimp” and “Falling Slowly” come to mind. I just think this is a weak year for that category. It’s a weak year all around except in the acting categories. I’m just sad the music from Where the Wild Things Are didn’t get nods.

      For anyone who cares, they just changed the rules for Best Song. Each eligible song is rated on a scale of one to ten. Only songs that score above a certain point can be nominated, and if there isn’t a song with a high enough score they won’t have the category that year.

    • TopIdol

      I might be the only person who prefers Batman Begins over The Dark Knight. Batman Begins was just all-around incredible.

      • jukejoint

        I hated The Dark Knight. It was just so unrelentingly DARK and kind of repetitive story-wise. I’m not at all sure why it is so beloved.

        I liked Batman Begins a lot, though. And the Star Trek reboot, even though I am not as big a Zachary Quinto fan as others. Love Leonard Nimoy, though. Whoever said he was the heart of the movie was dead on.

      • Trish

        Oh, no your not. My kid and I both floved Batman Begins. He liked the Dark Knight, but I kinda hated it. There was way too little BATMAN in it for one thing, and it was so depressing.

      • wino

        nope, me too. batman begins is a well rounded movie…i thought the plot was much more focused and Bale seemed more into the role (if that even makes sense). his acting felt layered, whereas in Dark Knith it felt “empty”.

  • erinnthered

    My first Oscar season in LA, and I manage to sleep through the nominations. Go me!

    I love Wonder Boys so much. It’s also one of those few adaptations where I love the book and the movie equally. Have you read the book?

    I can’t believe most of you were only introduced to Penelope Cruz in Volver, and Pedro Almodovar with All About My Mother. Almodovar has been one of my favorites since Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Ironically, I think the only movies of his I haven’t seen (that are available) are All About My Mother and Volver, and that’s just coincidence.

    A few recs to maybe change your mind?

    See Penelope Cruz in Abre los Ojos. The brilliant film that Vanilla Sky totally crapped on. If you want to see her in a bizarre and kind of awesome sex farce with Javier Bardem try Jamon, Jamon. It was an early role for both. Bardem was predominantly a comedic actor before he came to the US.

    As far as Almodovar, I’m a fan, so I tend to love most his work, but I grew up watching him. He’s like the Spanish David Lynch, only a bit less conceptual. Women on the Verge is genius, and you actually get to see that Antonio Banderas can, in fact, act! My favorite is the slightly obscure High Heels. Talk to Her is my favorite of his more recent work, but I haven’t seen Volver yet.

    I’m not a Natalie Portman fan, and I totally agree that she was wrong for Closer. Still a good movie. I’d have loved to see Rupert Graves in the film. I had no idea he did the Broadway production. I had a terrible crush on him in middle school.

    I’m not anti-Denzel, but I am anti-Denzel’s bad Lifetime movies. He used to be able to pick a film. Training Day was the last one I could sit through.

    I don’t get the Sandra Bullock hate at all. I also love her. It’s Julia Roberts I don’t get. Pro tip: I understand the Wal Mart in Lago Vista is the place for Bullock sightings when she’s home. Supposedly she’s a very good neighbor, and I have yet to meet anyone who knows her who doesn’t say she’s just an awesome human being. Did they ever air her episode of Monster House ? Jesse James and she rebuilt their home for the show.

    Amazingly, as every year, I’ve managed to see exactly one of the best picture nods despite the increased number. Avatar, if you were wondering. Only this time I have the screeners of four others lying around the apartment. Unfortunately, I need to make it through Precious before I can see the rest. Ugh. Did I mention I can’t stand glorified Lifetime movies? Yeah, I’m not sitting through Blind Side.

    Not shocked at Star Trek‘s snub, but looking at the nominees, I can see the winds changing. It won’t be long before Sci-fi and Fantasy will be considered “normal.”

    So, so happy to see Vera Farmiga nominated. I’ve loved her since that US remake of Touching Evil.

    I had no idea about Stanley Tucci’s wife. I didn’t even know he was married when he hooked up with Edie Falco! Okay, am I the only person who loved his silly bad guy in Undercover Blues? I really want to see him win one, just because he’s one of the most underrated actors out there.

    I had no idea Nick Hornby adapted An Education. I’m not sure that makes want to see it more or less…

    • TopIdol

      ME TOO. I have always been a huge Nick Hornby fan.

      Obre Los Ojos is an amazing movie. I own the DVD. So much better than Vanilla Sky. But I didn’t really get the Penelope Cruz love until Volver. Now I get it, though, which is all that matters.

      And I agree. Its impossible to hate Sandra Bullock. But Julia Roberts can suck it.

      • erinnthered

        If you haven’t read Wonder Boys, you should. (Did the underline work? I’m testing my coding skillz.)

        And see High Heels if you can find it. It has a random musical number in women’s prison…plus the usual cross dressing, drag shows, and intrigue, but I doubt it’s anything like All About My Mother. It’s comic farce.

        One more thing, am I the only person here who can’t it out of her head that Sally Sparrow just got an Oscar nod?

        • erinnthered

          ETA: It didn’t. How do you do an underlined text in XHTML then?

  • notarding

    yes i’ve seen volver and it was overly long and Cruz was ok. The chick that played her momma acted 10x better. If Christopher Waltz doesnt win then thats it. I totally agree about no love for Star Trek. It was awesome. Up in the Air seemed a totally bore fest and I love Clooney but wont watch that movie. The Blind Side looked aweful. Just some melodramatic crap. I loved Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes!!! Natalie Portman gets my love cause of Star Wars. We go to the movie every week. Lovely Bones and The book of Eli were just awesome movies.

    • TopIdol

      I was wondering about The Lovely Bones.

      Star Trek was a movie that surprised me. I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did, as JJ Abrahms sort of irritates me, and everyone said how great it was. I saw it a month after it came out. And it was definitely one of those rare cases where people were actually RIGHT. It was awesome. I didn’t even want it to end.

      • pattyluponey

        Star Trek was awesome, but my roommate and I kept laughing about Medea being at StarFleet (yes, we are children). I’m terrible about seeing movies. I have seen exactly none nominated this year. I spend all my money going to see my friends in regional theatre productions and playing with their bands in bars…

    • Lauren

      I promise you “Up in the Air” isn’t boring! I kinda only went to see it because my mom dragged me there but it ended up being REALLY good!

    • erinnthered

      Carmen Maura played the mother. She’s brilliant. She’s like the Michael Caine and the Meryl Streep of Spain all rolled into one. She’ll act in just about anything, but she’s amazingly talented.

      She’s been in almost all of Almodovar’s films. She’s his Diane Keaton, and Marisa Paredes is his Mia Farrow…only he never slept with either of them.

      Sorry, I used to watch a lot of Spanish cinema.

    • wino

      nooooooooo…Lovely Bones sucked. Horrible adaptation ( i have read the book), with too much time spent in the “in between” and not enough on the characters left behind on earth. the actors/characters were extremely one note…Tucci’s nom is a joke. oh look, i can part my hair and put on silly glasses and look like any pedophile. his part/acting was a bit of a caricature. and i wont even discuss Mark W’s acting and/or bad wig.

      • TopIdol

        I loved Rachel Weisz in “The Constant Gardener”. Loved that movie. Perhaps that’s why I was hoping for something worthwhile…but since I’ve heard nothing about it since its opening…

        • wino

          she was underused. such a beautiful, rich actress ( i see shades of kate winslet in her) yet peter jackson just wasted her role away.

  • Lauren

    You guys make me feel really out of the loop. I rarely see movies so the only one I have seen is “Up in the Air”. Which as TI said, was fabulous. Anna Kendrick did a great job. I hated her in “Twilight” but then again that might have just been because I despise the character she played.

  • deez

    Oh no. The Glamberts may get an Oscar Adam sighting after all:

    tiger92
    02/02/2010 at 1:48 pm
    from http://twitter.com/RyanSeacrest

    Talked to @annakendrick47..shes been buds w/ @adamlambert since 18. She might take him to oscars..
    6 minutes ago from UberTwitter

    • Pandora

      Kill.Me.Now.

    • TopIdol

      And I was just lauding her with excessive praise! NOOOOO!!!

      And won’t he be working the red carpet again?

      • 8sourcandy

        I was just trying to think of a way of pointing that out without gloating. :) He will be “working the red carpet” with his gal-pal. I hope he wears something extra sparkly.

    • Mary

      My god we just cannot get away from Adam Lambert, he’s officially the parasite of the entertainment industry

      Why do they always need to shove him down our throats? GRRRR it makes me hate him MORE!

      P.S. The Blind Side is a great movie…i was forced to watch it because Avatar was sold out, but I was pleasantly surprised, however I really don’t think it’s worthy of a Best Picture nomination, or a Best Actress nomination…Sandra Bullock was good but not AMAZING

    • wino

      she just lost major cool points.

  • auntieaimee

    By all appearances, it looks like it was a pretty weak year for movies. Avatar. Yuck. I have zero interest in seeing Avatar, and James Cameron seems like the biggest douchebag in the universe, so I hate to see it do so well. The Blind Side looks like it was made for Lifetime or the Hallmark channel. I’m one of those people who thinks Up In the Air was overrated. The Hurt Locker was excellent (it resonated with me), and I do want to see Crazy Heart, because I think Jeff Bridges is fantastic.

    • deez

      I was kinda “meh” on Avatar….the friends I saw it with all loved it, however.

      I really liked IB, and I didn’t think I would. “Up” is great.

    • TopIdol

      I think I liked Up in the Air so much b/c I saw it right when it came out. I tend to feel the same way about movies if I wait awhile to see them. It’s why I try to always see movies immediately, and since I’ve fallen behind, I haven’t caught up. Because I figure they will never be as good as I’ve heard.

      It’s the main reason why I only watched Braveheart for the first time in November. Too many people claimed that was one of the greatest movies ever made. I knew this was impossible the way it was talked up. So I finally watched it. It was good, but it wasn’t the greatest movie ever. Which I totally knew would happen.

      • Pandora

        I loved Up in the Air because every bit of it felt right. There wasn’t a scene that was awkward or out of place or false.

        • jukejoint

          I loved Up in the Air because they got the tone so right. It wasn’t flashy or “Look at us, we’re acting!” or “Look at all the splashy effects we can throw in your face!” or “Look how dark and dismal we can be!”– just spot on real and genuine. Plus the acting was really, really good. I’d never heard of Vera Farmiga before, and she was terrific.

          I think it hit all the right spots for me, but I can understand why it doesn’t for someone else.

          I hated the book “Accidental Tourist,” btw, and didn’t see the movie. Maybe I would’ve liked it better than the book.

          • TopIdol

            I liked Vera Farmiga in The Departed, too.

            That’s how I feel about Up in the Air, too. It was just this movie. A movie about people who could be living anywhere, and how technology brings us closer together but also disconnects us from everything. It felt very real for me, too. I can understand why some might not like it, but I loved it.

    • auntieaimee

      Don’t get me wrong, I thought it was fine, I’ve just seen many other movies cover the same theme (emotionally remote man has an epiphany and realizes that he needs to connect with other human beings), like The Accidental Tourist, About Schmidt, The Visitor, etc, so I felt like I had seen it before.

  • Kathy

    Oskar in a bow tie…. yes. Not a huge Trek fan but Zachary Quinto…love him. I haven’t seen Blindside either. Anyone who doesn’t cry during Rudy needs their heart checked :) I need to see Crazy Heart. Glad to see Jeff Bridges get some credit, I think he’s great. Matt Damon irritates me on site, not sure why. I will be shocked if Up doesn’t win Animated.

    Of the 10 BP noms I am like deez. I have only seen Up Avatar and IB.

  • jukejoint

    Just wanted to note that 2010 didn’t get nominated for anything, as far as I can tell. As predicted, it’s Randy Newman at the top of the Best Song list. His songs for the Princess and the Frog are really good, too. I don’t like the new Maury Yeston song (as opposed to the old Maury Yeston songs) in “Nine.” It’s a striptease. They added a frickin’ striptease for poor Marion Cotillard! BOOOOOO!!! At least it’s not the one Kate Hudson performed. (Psst… I hate her.)

    I think the Weary Heart song from the Jeff Bridges movie will win, though. But maybe the New Orleans song from The Princess and the Frog. *Love*

    In terms of movies, I am rooting for “Up in the Air” and “Up.” I loved both of those more than anything else here, although I haven’t seen “Inglorious Basterds” or “The Blind Side.” Love Sandra Bullock, don’t love football, don’t love manipulative Lifetime movies masquerading as feature films. Like TI, I love sports movies and am a sucker for a rousing Cinderella story (even wrote a book about one!) but this one didn’t hit the right buttons for me. Several people have told me I need to see it, it’s better than I think, but… So far, no dice.”

    I will also be rooting for Meryl Streep (she’s blonde and I like her, which is rare for me) and Stanley Tucci, not because of The Lovely Bones but because of Julie & Julia. And because I like him and his wife died and… He ain’t Gokeying up the place. He’s just brilliant.

    I think you can hand the award over to Mo’Nique right now. Ain’t no way she’s not winning. Best Actor will probably be Jeff Bridges for the same reason.

    I love the Oscars! Maybe you can put a ballot in front of Oskar and see if he can hock a hairball onto a few names and then you’ll know who wins the Oskars. (Is he named after a particular Oskar, by the way? Werner? Eustis?)

    • TopIdol

      Oh frak me.

      I HATE RANDY NEWMAN. I HATE THAT MAN. Like I just want to kick him in the nuts. I don’t even care that he wrote a song which could be interpreted to be about midgets, I still hate that bastard. And his music makes my ears bleed.

      And I often wonder what it is about Kate Hudson which makes her suck so royally. I don’t know anyone who likes Kate Hudson. Just like I don’t know anyone who could ever hate on Jeff Bridges…who I can’t wait to see win.

      • wino

        Kate Hudson sucks because she sucks. Thats it. There is no rhyme or reason. My good friend went to Crossroads HS with her…nothing positive to report on her personal experience with Miss Hudson. She’s just another bulimic/anorexic byotch. Oh, and again, i ranted about this in another post…why the Fk cant the academy think outside the box with the best song nominees??? im fking tired of randy newman’s old over-rated arse.

  • deez

    1) Bad accents: everybody talks about “bad southern accents” so much I’m beginning to think people don’t like southern accents in general. Trust me when I say the accents are genuine.

    Well there is a history of Reeaaallyy bad southern accents in film. Dan Akroyd in “Driving Miss Daisy” for one. I also (sacrilege) don’t care for Tom Hanks’ southern accent. Granted, there are several “southern accents”….people who aren’t Southern tend to think there is one…that “Scarlett O’Hara can’t pronounce my ‘r’s’ ” accent.

    I thought Jude Law did a good job in “Cold Mountain”, also De Niro’s in “Cape Fear” was good.
    I haven’t seen “The Blind Side” either…so I’ll have to reserve judgement.

    • margie

      Southern accents are most definitely not portrayed correctly in movies.

  • deez

    I wonder why they expanded Best Picture to 10 films? I’ve seen only 3 of them. (“Up”, “Inglorious Basterds”, and “Avatar”)

    I LOOOOVE Alec Baldwin, I used to love Steve Martin as well, but he seems to be making strange choices lately. Anyway, I was all excited b/c I thought this was the post for the long-awaited “Oskars”!!!!!

    • jukejoint

      I love Alec Baldwin, but he’s been winning too many awards at the expense of my beloved Steve Carell, so now he must go to the Not So Well Liked list.

      I do adore Steve Martin, though. He gets a free pass for life from me because “All of Me” is one of my favorite movies of all time.

      Steve Martin, Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell for hosting duties! All Steves, all the time!

    • TopIdol

      Those will happen, I swear. Perhaps the Quattos should be the day before the Oscars, like the Razzies.

  • on the edge

    Oh, now come on…I personally don’t think Blind Side has a chance in hell of winning (and only got nominated because they upped the number to ten this year) but let me refute your arguments one by one:

    1) Bad accents: everybody talks about “bad southern accents” so much I’m beginning to think people don’t like southern accents in general. Trust me when I say the accents are genuine.

    2) No Denzel Washington.

    3) No “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”…though there is a sing-along scene to “Bust A Move” so that could be a deal-breaker.

    4) As far as the bad-dye job? Lookie here:
    Leigh Anne

    That just plain what Leigh Anne looks like. The woman IS a living characature!

    • TopIdol

      I was thinking about the movie Remember the Titans, which has since caused me to be an uppity hollier-than-thou bitch every Xmas when the topic of films come up with my sisters. I can’t believe I even watched that shit knowing full well I don’t have anything in common with my sisters. They loved it. Obviously, they were super psyched to see The Blind Side. My one sister, upon seeing Closer a few years back commented, I hated it. The way they talked to each other. Oh, of course you love it. I know if I hate a movie you will love it. (Speaking of Closer, I still wonder how much better that movie would have been if Cate Blanchett had not been forced to leave the project after getting pregnant, causing Julia Roberts to take over. Cate Blanchett is arguably one of the greatest actresses of all time. I would pretty much watch her do anything.)

      The same sister was also semi-mad at herself for really enjoying Mr. & Mrs. Smith, as Angelina Jolie is horrible and Jennifer Aniston is awesome. To which the other sister commented, Angelina Jolie is just a whore.

      Denzel Washington drives me nuts. He thinks he’s the baddest ass muthafucka. I wish him and his BFF Julia Roberts would be placed in a rocket and shot to the moon. They think they are the coolest, most talented kids to ever be on film. Granted, I would take Denzel over Will Smith any day, and I was not making the comparison because they are both African-American, but b/c they do similar films.

      I think the last Denzel Washington movie (on cable) I watched involved New Orleans and time travel? It wasn’t excruciatingly terrible. Out of Time? Was that it?

      Obviously, another film which should be burned and buried is Stepmom. I don’t care how adorably twinkly Ed Harris’ eyes are. Julia Roberts + upper middle class suburban tearjerker + Ain’t No Mountain High Enough = FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL

      (And Leigh Anne scares me…which is probably why I still won’t see this movie. Plus, you guys no about my admitted aversion to anything Jesus.)

      • haha

        I saw The Blindside with my parents over the holidays – call me a sucker, but I really liked it. I also thought Sandra Bullock was great, but I’ve always liked her. She will lose to Meryl Streep anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.

        Penelope Cruz – I’ve only seen her in All About My Mother. She is talented, but I think the Hollywood love for her is over the top. I can’t see Volver because after seeing Talk To Her, I cannot bring myself to see another Almodovar film. But she will lose to Mo’nique, so it doesn’t matter.

        I am psyched about Jeremey Renner’s nomination, because I remember when he was on that Bravo reality show years ago called “The It Factor,” which followed struggling actors trying to get their big break. He got his during the filming of that show – he played Jeffrey Dahmer – and it’s been off to the races since then. Exciting.

        • TopIdol

          I have to post the photos I took of Jeremy Renner getting shot behind my apartment. Yeah, that was a movie spoiler. I don’t know if Jon Hamm shoots him, but he was involved in the shootout.

          I have always liked Sandra Bullock, too, and I HATED HATED HATED All About My Mother. Hated that movie. Vowed to never ever see another Almodovar film. EVER. And I ended up watching Volver, which obviously involved mommy & daddy issues with some sick/quirky twists, but for whatever reason, Volver is awesome. I just loved that movie, so I totally urge you to just try it. All of his other stuff, screw it. But for whatever reason, Volver was incredible.

          I don’t see how Mo’nique won’t win, but Anna Kendrick was pretty damn good in Up In The Air. I think its difficult to play someone tightly wound and utterly irritating, yet, completely sympathetic and worth rooting for. The scene when she finally implements her plan of firing people via satellite (or in this case the next room) was incredible.

          But come on, Meryl Streep is amazing, but she can’t win for Julia & Julie? Maybe she can. But I also love me some Helen Mirren. I think her husband is a shit director (Taylor Hackford) but she’s incredible. And I want to look like her when I’m 60.

          • auntieaimee

            I loved Volver, too! I used to think Penelope’s acting was for shit, but I was wrong. She just needs more Spanish speaking roles. I can deal w/ subtitles.

          • 8sourcandy

            “I think its difficult to play someone tightly wound and utterly irritating, yet, completely sympathetic and worth rooting for.”

            You would know. :)

      • abu

        I thought I am the only one who couldn’t stand Denzel. Clooney, too, for me.

      • deez

        Hate “Closer”??? How can anyone hate anything with Clive Owen in it? I would watch Clive Owen test pattern.

        • jukejoint

          I want the NY stage “Closer.” It had Natasha Richardson instead of Julia, and Anna Friel instead of Natalie Portman. I like Natalie Portman, but she’s all wrong for that role in my head. Not as wrong as Julia Roberts, but still… Not right. And Ciaran Hinds in the role Clive Owen played in the movie. Clive Owen was in the first London one, but in the other role (the one Jude Law played in the movie) and Rupert Graves took that role in NY.

          I do heart Clive Owen, but Natasha Richardson and Anna Friel? I mean, come on!

          • deez

            I love Anna Friel! She is woefully underused in well…everything!! I think I’ve seen her in 3 films (?) a BBC miniseries, and “Pushing Daisies”. Natalie Portman gets on my nerves, I can’t say why.

          • auntieaimee

            I can’t stand Natalie Portman. Or Jude Law for that matter. That guy gives me the creeps.

          • Pandora

            Julia Roberts is wrong for every part except the one she played in Pretty Woman.

          • TopIdol

            I didn’t think Natalie Portman fit the part, either.

            Natasha Richardson and Anna Friel? Wow. Wish we could see it. :(

          • jukejoint

            I know. I want them to have been in the movie so those performances would’ve been preserved.

      • Mary

        Denzel is one of my favourite actors!! Every movie I’ve watched of his is awesome….however Julia Roberts= overrated!

        You should watch the Taking of Pelham 1,2,3—he was awesome in that movie..and John Travolta was creepy

        • jukejoint

          I thought he was really good in the Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson “Much Ado About Nothing.” He had better chemistry with Em than her (at that time) real-life husband did.

          Otherwise… I haven’t seen that much he’s done, so I don’t really know what I think.

          • Lauren

            I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      • wino

        I loved Out of Time!! Such a good, small flick. It was the last Denzel movie Ive enjoyed (not sure if it came before or after Training Day). Anyhoo, he and Eva Mendez had great chemistry. Oh, and you know he cheated on his wife with the actress who played his gfriend/mistress…Sanaa Lathan. But of course, the white media never really reports on the romantic lives of black actors or even athletes unless they involve other white folks/women. Thats why nobody cares Michael Jordan is a whore, sleeping with young white chicks before/after his divorce.

        • TopIdol

          But Tiger Woods is different, b/c you know, he’s kind of white. And was with a really white woman. ;)

          (I’ve had a few drinks. I’m feeling sassy. But Michael Jordan is all sorts of…personally, I’ve always loved Charles Barkley more. And I my love has increased ever since he got pulled over for a DUI and told the cop he ran the stop sign b/c he was in a hurry to get a blow job. Honesty rules.)

          • deez

            And he decked Barney!!! More points for that! (the “Round Mound of Rebound”…that’s going WAY back!)

          • haha

            All this Julia Roberts talk made me think more about why Sandra Bullock has been getting so many awards for The Blindside – it dawned on me that her character is a lot like Erin Brokovitch. Which Julia Roberts obviously won an Oscar for. I think Hollywood likes it when chic, glamorous movie stars play tacky women (or ugly woman – see Charlize Theron in Monster). When you can play “ordinary people,” I guess you really deserve to win. Or if you play another celebrity (Capote, Harvey Milk, etc.). I’m about to go on my rant about how the Oscars of late like to reward impressions, not acting – but I’ll stop. That’s an entirely different problem.

            TI, if the urge ever hits you, DO NOT under any circumstance EVER see Talk to Her. It’s like, 8000000000000 times worse than All About My Mother. It involves raping a comatose woman and impregnating her, and then casting it as somehow ROMANTIC. WTF?? I was so offended, and I’m not generally a pearl-clutcher – but it was beyond gross. I hated it.

          • wino

            haha, thats right! charles barkely owns it…..hey, you gotta respect a person for being honest. play on player

        • notarding

          Wino, u speak the truth. I have to go to black tabloid sites to read about black celebrities. not as if I care really. Closer was sooo good, but yeah natalie’s acting wasnt so hot, but love Clive Owen.