The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I was supposed to feel bad and the irony of it is that I never felt so good, in every possible way.

Oscar Season

Always consistently hilarious Melissa McCarthy on her Oscar Nomination!

And about Brad and glowing Angelina Jolie, and Meryl...

Flawless

Little by little I'm convincing myself that I just can't create any feelings towards 'some' projects...Because maybe, if it happens, I'll be watching them by the end of 2023. The fact there's a still must be good news.

No way...

Picture Moment -

Sundance Days

"Smashed"

"Your Sister's Sister"

Liv with a beard.

Lizzy Caplan...

...with Kirsten Dunst.

"Bashelorette"

And the guy with the hat...one more time!

Oscar Season

Now I'm EXTREMELY bored.
The Academy Awards nominations were announced and obviously I'm at the same time surprised and really upset...

Starting with an Epic Fail:
Were they sure? Is Chastain nominated for The Tree of Life or The Help? For seconds I was happy.
Actually I never thought she would get an Oscar nomination. I knew she had a lot of films but I never thought she would get this far.

Melissa McCarthy - Hilarious and deserving...Janet McTeer, again I'm just close minded about the whole thing around Albert Nobbs. But I'm not saying she wasn't great. And the soon winner Octavia Spencer, for The Help.
Shailene Woodley, I'm sorry. I really liked you in The Descendents. You were great. Great role and great performance.

Best Supporting Actor -
Left out - Albert Brooks. I think it' fair.
Surprises - Max von Sydow (it's his second Oscar nomination) and Nick Nolte (the comeback).
Christopher Plummer, Jonah Hill and Kenneth Branagh were already in.

I shouted "ROONEY MARA", and five seconds later I think of Keira Knightley, Tilda Swinton, Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg and other outsiders. But I guess its ok. There's been always a new face coming around over the past few years.
Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Michelle Williams are naturally in. The question is - Will Viola Davis be the surprise???

They said Demian Bishir and I thought, "Bye, Leo" the Academy clearly overrates you. But I didn't thought MICHAEL FASSBENDER would be left out and Gary Oldman would be in. Common. What a shame. And where is Ryan Gosling? Nothing? At least Brad Pitt is in.
I kind of knew it. They always choose an indie outsider. Always. Like Melissa Leo in Frozen River, like Jennifer Lawrence, like Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson. Now I have to watch A Better Life.

Best Picture
War Horse (Bullshit)
The Artist (Winner?)
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life (The Surprise)
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud (Between Scott Rudin's 'Dragon Girl' and this one - they chose the worst.)


Where is 'Drive' for instance? 'Win Win' is better than 'Extremely Loud' but that doesn't matter at this point. Even Melancholia, The Kid with a Bike. I don't know, who cares!

Best Achievement in Directing

The french outsider will probably win.

Adapted Screenplay.

Original Screenplay.

'Pina' got a nomination for Best Documentary and that's it. She was also in consideration for Best Foreign Language Film.
Belgium, Poland, Canada, Israel and Iran are the five foreign countries. 'Bullhead', 'In Darkness', 'Monsieur Lahzar', 'Footnote' and 'A Separation'.

So, the win win scores:
Versatile George Clooney got two nominations - Best Actor (The Descendents) and Screenplay (The Ides of March).
Brad Pitt - Best Actor and Best Picture (Moneyball).


John Williams - Two times nominated for 'Tintin' and 'War Horse'. So it's his one hundred and tenth nomination. Probably more. He already has five Oscars in his fireplace.


Cinematography Wins - 
The Tree of Life - Emmanuel Lubezki.
War Horse - Janusz Kaminski. He's funny!

!!

Midnight in Paris - Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay.


Terrence Malick wow...that was surprising. I don't know...


Kristen Wigg and Annie Mumulo for Best Original Screenplay.

(I couldn't help it)

Asghar Farhadi - A Spearation. You know what I'm thinking...accent pronouncing joke.

One thing is certain - there are lots of veterans in this year's Oscars. From John Williams to Robert Richardson (double Oscar winner Cinematographer) to Thelma Schoonmaker (double Oscar winner Editor). Sandy Powell (three time Oscar winner!), Dante Ferretti (double Oscar winner Production Designer). And so on.


Losers -
No nomination in Score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ for Dragon Tattoo.

'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' - Not an entire looser, technically speaking. David Fincher was left out though. Probably unfair. Again. Ok, it is a looser. When Extremely Loud and War Horse are in and this one is not, the film becomes a looser.


What the hell happen with BEST DOCUMENTARY nominees? 
Where are Project Nim and Senna and Bill Cunningham New York...

Steven Spielberg, I guess. And 'Tintin'.

Quite surprising - the Animation nominees.

Whatelse? Oh, THE ARTIST got, I don't know, twenty five nominations? He got ten. Not bad. 
HUGO is the winner, with eleven nominations. I definitely want to see it. I'm not very confortable with 3D, though...

Here's what I'm asking to the Hollywood Gods - please give me some surprises. Please.

Ron Swanson

Chris Traeger: Ron Swanson! How are you?

Ron Swanson: Present.

And here he comes again. 

Chris Traeger: Ron Swanson! I want to thank you for being so ruthless and cruel in the meeting the other day.

Ron Swanson: You’ll have to be more specific.

Chris Traeger: With the public works department about the dam.

Ron Swanson: Ah!

I mean, I just don’t have a way to explain these moments. Please watch Parks & Recreation, for your own good!

Antecipating

They keep coming. Antecipating films from this year's Sundance Film Festival.

"Nobody Walks"
Written by Ry Russo-Young and Lena Dunham.

Synopsis: A 23-year old artist arrives in LA to stay in a family's pool house as she finishes her movie, but her presence brings out warring impulses in everyone around her.    

Cast (of personal interest) - Jane Levy.

"The End of Love"

I know this is nothing like Blue Valentine, but reminds me a little. Mark Webber writes and directs the film and it sounds heartbreaking.
Synopsis: An out-of-work actor is forced to become a single father when his son's mother suddenly passes away.
Stars - Mark Webber and his son.

"Smashed"
Synopsis: Kate & Charlie, a hard-partying, borderline alcoholic married couple, have their relationship tested when Kate decides to get sober.

Cast (of personal interest) - Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Nick Offerman (RON FUCKING SWANSON), his wife Megan Mullally and Octavia Spencer.

"The Words"
Synopsis: A struggling writer passes off a lost manuscript as his own, only to find the decision coming back to haunt him.

"Shadow Dancer"

I’m so interested in this film’s story, besides being directed by James Marsh. One the most interesting films I’m looking for this year.
Synopsis: A single mother in the IRA is captured by MI5, and forced to turn informant against her terrorist colleagues.

Antecipating

Sundance Film Festival 

It starts tomorrow until January 30. Unfortunately I won't be able to look at it carefully on a daily bases, but I will be doing some antecipating. 

Here's some of the films (not necessarily in order of interest):

Arbitrage

Brit Marling - she came and just ripped off my guts. Maybe too much. But I definitely like her. She likes to believe in the possible intervention of films and its themes in society. 

Synopsis: On the verge of his sixtieth birthday, hedge fund king Robert Miller tries to sell his company before his terrible fraud can be discovered.
Cast (of personal interest) - Besides Brit Marling, Laetitia Casta...

"Bachelorette"

The film that comes 'after' Bridesmaids. Kirsten Dunst couldn't control her laugh as she was mentioning this film in an interview; it was really funny and she had a great time doing it.
Synopsis: Three friends discover that the girl they tormented as 'Pig-Face' in high school is getting married before them, and that they've been asked to be bridesmaids.

Cast (of personal interest) - Lizzy Caplan.

"For A Good Time Call"
It looks really fun, because it can go anywhere, really. Written by Lauren Miller and Katie Anne Naylon.

Synopsis: Two college acquaintances move in together only for one girl to discover that the other has a secret job...

Stars - The writer Lauren Miller and her boyfriend Seth Rogen. Among others.

"Hello I Must Be Going"

Synopsis: A divorced 35-year-old moves back in with her parents, only to begin a relationship with a boy close to her half her age.

Cast (of personal interest) - Melanie Lynskey.

"Liberal Arts"
I really enjoyed his last film and this story keeps me interested.
Synopsis: An uninspired, drifting thirtysomething goes back to his college to bid farewell to a famous professor, only to meet, and fall for, a precocious young sophomore.
Cast (of personal interest) - Martha Marcy...I mean, Elizabeth Olsen.

L'apollonide

L'Apollonide (Souvenirs de la maison close)

I was so anxious about watching this film, not only because it marked a really precious moment - the first time I would see Adele Haenel in a big screen - but the film itself.

My eyes couldn’t handle so much. I was overwhelmed. And the women in the film, they’re crazy. What are they made of? The film surely is a tough one, but god I was in heaven…

Do you remember last year? Around May? I was excited - Extremely.

Her presence in a scene is always way too strong.

Oh Adele, Adele, Adele.

I feel like writing an adoration letter...

Let's Laugh

Oh, Brad!

I loved Moneyball.

Oscar Season

Since I don’t have time for anything more, here’s my favorite moment in this year’s Golden Globes:

Tanner Hall

Making sure there is a Rooney Mara before The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

There is indeed a leading Rooney Mara before there is only Lisbeth Salander. Actually, I think it was a lucky strike for the creators of Tanner Hall when they cast Rooney, even if the story isn’t strong enough Rooney carries it beautifully. 

I’m on your side, girl.

Antecipating

The old year ends with lists and the New Year starts with other lists. I will not make one though; I’m just going to mention some films and I choose this one as the first – “Haywire”.

I don’t know, it seems…Ok, who am I kidding? A leading girl kicking ass that looks actually tough (at this point, I don’t really care if the story is superfluous). Seriously, it looks really cool and I’m dying to see it.

Here’s what Soderberg told a film journalist when he asked him if he met Gina. “Don’t say the wrong thing, she’s very strong”!

Since I’m talking about Soderberg, here’s one of the most curious films I’m expecting this year.

Magic Mike – it’s about a male stripper that is taken under the more experienced colleagues.

What? You’re not curious? Not every day you see stories about male strippers. 

It's already making me laugh.

Time for...

Trailers! Trailers! Trailers!

Since I don’t have time for anything these days I show you some trailers I find worth taking a look. I needed at least fifty five hours a day to keep up with this month. I’m afraid to look at the calendar and I think not sleeping at night is still a myth for me, so…shit!

I definitely want to see it, looks both funny and endearing.

This one comes from another world.

Sundance Pick.


Also:

Les adieux à la reine

First Look.

Léa Seydoux and Diane Kruger, in case you're wondering.
My mistake - That's Virgine Ledoyen in the picture. But Léa Seydoux is also in the film.