2010 Oscar Nominations

The Following are the 2010 Oscar Nominations (well, the big ones). My Predictions are in Bold:

Actor in a Leading Role:
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film
“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
“Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction
“Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography
“Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing
“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)
“Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
“The Cove” Nominees to be determined
“Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
“Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Film Editing
“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Sad day for Jim.

After reviewing all of the local websites, there are no hotels in Punxsutawney, PA available for Groundhog Day...

My dream will have to wait another year.

:-(

Upcoming 2010 films and how Jim feels about them,

I like to make stupid lists...Here is the following:

15 movies I am looking forward to in 2010 and why (in no particular order)

1. Iron Man 2 - Are you kidding me? Worship Downey Jr. WORSHIP HIM!!!
2. Clash of the Titans - Looks like a fine remake. Trailers is great, and Neeson is Zeus. Noff said.
3. Harry Potter 7/1 - Yep, I enjoyed the books and I like the films. Call me a sheep. Bah..
4. Kick @$$ - Looks like and incredible amount of fun.
5. Daybreakers - Killing Vampires who don't sparkle...Thank you.
6. Tron Legacy - It's got Bridges and Boxleitner. I'm there!
7. Legion - Bettany as a Angel...Did you need a futher explantion?
8. The A-Team - Really clever cast and a mindless enough property to provide a good blank slate for a story.
9. Jonah Hex - Good Comic + gnarly concept + Brolin = fine movie.
10. The Expendables - Greatest action cast ever...
11. Priest - Bettany fighting evil - See #7.
12. The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Cool Trailer. Even Cage looks like he is having fun.
13. Rapunzel - Disney seems to be back on the traditional animation train. So am I.
14. B!tch Slap - Just awesome...
15. Shutter Island - Scorsese. I am a fan.

15 movies that should just die in 2010 and why (in no particular order):

1. Tooth Fairy - Oh, Rock. Go back to wrestling...please!!!
2. Cop Out - I know, it's Kevin Smith. I should be bowing at it's alter. The trailer is completely uninspiring. This movie will blow.
3. Alice in Wonderland - My antipathy for Tim Burton's later work is well know. If I have to hear that this is perfect Burton material one more time, I swear I'm gonna... Let me say, the Mad Hatter is NOT a central character in Alice in Wonderland, but appears to be in this film. Tim, if you have such a hard on for Depp, just have him play Alice. Not that's a movie I'd go see!
4. The Runaways - The broad from Twilight (Kristin Stewart) is, without a doubt, the least convincing, laziest actress I have seen on film since Kirsten Dunst in Spider man 2 and 3, and at least Kirsten looked stoned. This broad just looks horribly vapid and deserving of midget porn.
5. Tyler Perry's Why did I get Married Too - Just pry my eyes out with a fork right now. Do people of color really think this guy is funny!?!?!
6. Shrek Forever After - really? I just don't see why another one is necessary. But then again, I didn't see why the first sequel was necessary either.
7. Sex and the City 2 - Gays and put upon ladies, unite against this film!!! They are trying to cater to your lowest common denominator. You are better than this drek!
8. Marmaduke - Why does Marmaduke talk in this film?
9. Twilght: Eclipse - See #4 for my opinion on Kristen Stewart. Add Robert Pattinson, the worst source material on earth, and inept directing, and you get the teen sensation of the moment. Go I can't wait until this series ends and is forgotten. I can only dread what the vapid tween market will embrace next...
10. Little Fockers - Die, just die...
11. The Karate Kid - If they called this the Kung Fu kid, and marketed it as it's own film instead of a remake, possibly citing inspiration from the original, maybe I'd be OK with this.
12. Killers - Kutcher + Heigl = Kill me
13. Saw VII 3D - Didn't the killer die like four movies ago???
14. Jackass 3D - Somethings don't need theatrical releases, or 3D.
15. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead - Enough with the freakin' Zombies, already!

15 movies that I could care less about in 2010 and why (in no particular order):

1. Green Hornet - I like Seth Rogen. I like Kung Fu. I could care less about Green Hornet.
2. Book of Eli - Beat em up, Denzel!!! Looks like The Road with Kung Fu.
3. The Wolfman - This movie has been in development so long, that I have completely lost interest at this point.
4. Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps - Another example of a movie that doesn't really need a sequel.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street - I like Jackie Earle Haley. This will probably be good, It may even end up in my NetFlix cue, but I am not clamouring for it.
6. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief - I have absoultely no connection to this source material, although my wife says it's fun.
7. The Last Airbender - I also have no connection to this property. Trailer looks cool.
8. Predators - I am so burned on this series that normally it would end up on the list above. But Robert Rodriguez is involved in the production of this films, so there might be hope.
9. Red Dawn - Another needless remake.
10. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - Believe or not, I have never played this game.
11. Narnia: Dawn Treader - The preceding movies were meh. This should be as well.
12. Death at a Funeral (2010) - Didn't Frank Oz make this movie in 2007? WTF?
13. Knight and Day - I am a Thomas Cruise Maporther IV fan. I admit it openly. I don't give a damn if he is crazy. I don't give a damn if his wife is a Scientologist comfort woman. I also don't give a damn about this movie.
14. Dinner for Schmucks - I know nothing about this film. But it's called Dinner for Schmucks. It must be on this list.
15. Hairspray 2 - Sure, make a sequel. Who cares? I give up...

Your comments are appreciated...

Post Party thoughts...

After Saturday Nights successful Elmwood Holiday Christmas Party, I have taken away a few thoughts:

1. Captain Morgan is my good and trusted friend. Captain Morgan 100 proof is my Lord and Savior.
2. I made too much chicken.
3. My friends are many and varied, and I am very lucky to have such a motley array of people in my life.
4. Note to self - Next time, start Strings earlier, that way there is a chance that I will be sober enough to watch it. Fortunately, Jon left it at the house, so I will be watching it...
5. Christmas isn't about gifts, or stress, or commercialism. It's about togetherness, peace, and a mutual hope that we as the Human Race can strive to be better than what we are...

Yeah, and I am sober typing this :-)

Merry Christmas

Ya know what I hate...

...I hate it when people misspell things on Internet posts when they are telling other people that they are stupid or uneducated.

Another installment of Jim's medical woes...

...is actually a positive one!

My hip has been bothering me for about 6 months now. In August, I was diagnosed w/ Bursitis and painful but non threatening inflammation of something or other. Well yesterday I got a Cortisone shot in my hip and, much to my surprise, the hip feels better. I am sore, probably from the shot, but the hip itself is better.

Yipppeeeee!!!!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled complaining.

So,

I have no health issues today, no earth shattering home issues, no bouts of crushing depression (at least not yet today).

Therefore, I can now return to bitching about my favorite subject...

...Have I mentioned how much I hate my job lately?