1. Do you like Family Guy and American Dad? (I’m not including The Cleveland Show because, let’s face, it is the clear dud of the three)
If you do, then chances are you’re more amenable to Macfarlane’s humor and therefore probably going to enjoy his hosting gig more. Of course I am sure that his monolog will be a bit more family friendly than the majority of the humor on Family Guy, but there is an attitude to his sense of humor that will come through. If you hate his shows, chances are, you’ll hate his hosting.
Not sure how you feel? This scene caused quite the stir when it aired and is a decent litmus test.
Note: it is worth seeing the whole episode, as this is wildly out of context.
2. Do you believe in the sanctity of the Oscars and believe this to be the one night a year that Hollywood should take itself seriously?
A lot of people seemed very bothered that during the nomination announcements, Macfarlane wasn’t reverential enough, that he seemed too jocular and disrespectful. I’m of two minds on this one:
First, this night honors the work of many artists both in front and behind the camera who labored – some for years – to create art they believed in. That itself is worthy of deep respect and appreciation.
However, that leads to me to my second opinion…with very few exceptions no event should be above humor and think itself too good for a gentle amount of self-mockery.
The general consensus is the reason that everyone loved Billy Crystal because he was one of them and he did the funny while still giving the night the honor it deserved. However, based on last year’s lackluster performance, Crystal isn’t really all that funny anymore. He’s definitely not “edgy” enough to bring in the younger demo that the Academy and ABC is dying for. James Franco was clearly a bit too out there and I do suspect Seth Macfarlane is a bit much as well, but the night can be a bit too pompous without someone deflating it just a little.
My guess is Macfarlane will be more like Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes, minus the accent, the booze, and grudging respect of the audience (at least during Gervais’s first year).
3. Is he too smug?
Yes. But that might work for him. A total and complete belief in his own abilities might play nicely or at least prevent him from crumbling once things start going south. Though too much smugness can become grating quite early in the evening and turn off viewers before we even get that far into the awards.
4. Can a host sink the evening?
A mediocre host can have a minimal effect on the night – a monolog with one or two mild chuckles and then a slew of unmemorable interstitials. A great host can keep the evening going, start it off with a monolog that everyone will be quoting the next day and enliven even the most boring of presenters.
A terrible host is something special. How much do we love a nice bit of schadenfreude? There is nothing quite like watching someone crash and burn over and over again. The flop sweat. The stammering. The piercing silence in the auditorium. On the down side, a terrible host is terrible. But on the plus side? A terrible host is TERRIBLE.
So where does this leave us with Macfarlane? As someone who enjoys his shows, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. His lifelong love of musicals and Frank Sinatra-type crooning indicates a higher level of taste than just fart jokes. And even though his comedy stylizing in the promos below are a bit touch and go, I am not wholly convinced the evening is going to be a disaster.
Worse comes to worst, we’ll all just mock him mercilessly on February 25th.
It’s that time of year…time when HBO will release teaser after teaser, getting us all hot and bothered for the new Game of Thrones season which doesn’t start until March 31.
And like the good little fan I am, I share it with all of you:
While it doesn’t really show us much of anything, there is something terribly foreboding about the three-eyed raven flying over totally empty cities. And of course, hearing the lines from the “Rains of Castamere” which everyone will remember Bronn singing in last year’s “Blackwater” episode really sets the mood.
And c’mon, it’s a three-eyed raven. That is the proverbial mascot of the show at this point.
Of course most of us probably won’t be able to weigh in intelligently on several categories (I’m looking at you Sound Mixing…), but with a little less then two months before the big night it’s never too early to start guessing.
In other news, I am dreading the influx of Oscar themed menus this year. The best picture nominees aren’t really food themed, though I suppose we can all have a loaf of bread in honor of Les Mis.
Pre-actual broadcast there was a press announcement that was basically “get the hell out by 7:30 or we will tow your cars” which is way classy, Oscar.
Oooh, snazzy intro! And here comes Seth Macfarlane who is mildly funny and Emma Stone who look particularly waif-ish but extremely funny. They have some good chemistry.
Well, then -Macfarlane is nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. “I get to go the Oscars!”
“You 5 ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein” – Macfarlane on Best Supporting Actress
“Last time Austria and Germany got together and co-produced, they produced Hitler” – Macfarlane on the fact that Amour is co-produced by both Austria and Germany.
Writers just copied from MSWord and pasted into Final Draft – how adapted screenplays are produced.
Whoa…Ben Affleck got dissed for Director as did Kathryn Bigelow. And Quentin Tarantino. Doesn’t bode well for their movies winning the Oscar.
And Joaquin Phoenix’s loud protestations didn’t stop the Academy from nominating him.
Yay for Quevenzhane Wallis! Youngest best actress nominee ever at age 9.
9 best pic nominees – that’s some restraint. From 10.
And here are the lists that were just announced, a thank you to Deadline who put up the list that I am writing like one of those adapted screenplays:
Best motion picture of the year
“Amour” Nominees to be determined
“Argo” Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, Producers
“Django Unchained” Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers
“Les Misérables” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers
“Life of Pi”Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers
“Lincoln” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
“Silver Linings Playbook”Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
“Zero Dark Thirty”Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”
Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables”
Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master”
Denzel Washington in “Flight”
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin in “Argo”
Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained”
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour”
Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts in “The Impossible”
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in “The Master”
Sally Field in “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables”
Helen Huntin “The Sessions”
Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Achievement in directing
“Amour” Michael Haneke
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Benh Zeitlin (a real delightful surprise)
“Life of Pi” Ang Lee
“Lincoln” Steven Spielberg
“Silver Linings Playbook”David O. Russell
Best animated feature film of the year
“Brave” Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
“Frankenweenie”Tim Burton
“ParaNorman” Sam Fell and Chris Butler
“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” Peter Lord
“Wreck-It Ralph” Rich Moore
Achievement in cinematography
“Anna Karenina”Seamus McGarvey
“Django Unchained”Robert Richardson
“Life of Pi” Claudio Miranda
“Lincoln” Janusz Kaminski
“Skyfall” Roger Deakins
Achievement in costume design
“Anna Karenina”Jacqueline Durran
“Les Misérables”Paco Delgado
“Lincoln” Joanna Johnston
“Mirror Mirror”Eiko Ishioka
“Snow White and the Huntsman”Colleen Atwood
Best documentary feature
“5 Broken Cameras” Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
“The Gatekeepers”
Nominees to be determined
“How to Survive a Plague”
Nominees to be determined
“The Invisible War”
Nominees to be determined
“Searching for Sugar Man”
Nominees to be determined
Best documentary short subject
“Inocente”
Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
“Kings Point”
Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
“Mondays at Racine” Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
“Open Heart”
Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
“Redemption”
Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
Achievement in film editing
“Argo” William Goldenberg
“Life of Pi” Tim Squyres
“Lincoln” Michael Kahn
“Silver Linings Playbook”Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
“Zero Dark Thirty”Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg
Best foreign language film of the year
“Amour” Austria
“Kon-Tiki” Norway
“No” Chile
“A Royal Affair” Denmark
“War Witch” Canada
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
“Hitchcock” Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
“Les Misérables” Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“Anna Karenina” Dario Marianelli
“Argo” Alexandre Desplat
“Life of Pi” Mychael Danna
“Lincoln” John Williams
“Skyfall” Thomas Newman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Before My Time” from “Chasing Ice”
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from “Ted”
Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from “Life of Pi”
Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
“Skyfall” from “Skyfall”
Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from “Les Misérables”
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Achievement in production design
“Anna Karenina”
Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
“Les Misérables”
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
“Life of Pi”
Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“Lincoln”
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Best animated short film
“Adam and Dog”Minkyu Lee
“Fresh Guacamole”PES
“Head over Heels”Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly
“Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare””David Silverman
“Paperman”John Kahrs
Best live action short film
“Asad” Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
“Buzkashi Boys”Sam French and Ariel Nasr
“Curfew” Shawn Christensen
“Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)” Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
“Henry” Yan England
Achievement in sound editing
“Argo” Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
“Django Unchained”Wylie Stateman
“Life of Pi” Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
“Skyfall” Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
“Zero Dark Thirty”Paul N.J. Ottosson
Achievement in sound mixing
“Argo”
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
“Les Misérables”
Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
“Life of Pi”
Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
“Lincoln”
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
“Skyfall” Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson
Achievement in visual effects
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
“Life of Pi” Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
“Marvel’s The Avengers”
Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
“Prometheus” Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
“Snow White and the Huntsman”
Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson
Adapted screenplay
“Argo” Screenplay by Chris Terrio
“Beasts of the Southern Wild”Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
“Life of Pi”Screenplay by David Magee
“Lincoln” Screenplay by Tony Kushner
“Silver Linings Playbook”Screenplay by David O. Russell
Original screenplay
“Amour” Written by Michael Haneke
“Django Unchained”Written by Quentin Tarantino
“Flight” Written by John Gatins
“Moonrise Kingdom” Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
“Zero Dark Thirty” Written by Mark Boal
Lincoln leads the pack with 12 nominees…is it Honest Abe’s game to lose?
More thoughts on the nominees once I have fully digested.
It’s soon time for Oscar, Oscar, Oscar – who will be nominated?
While I would love to think that everyone lives and dies by the Oscars, as I do, I would never assume.
So this is my public service announcement: The Oscar nominations will be announced tomorrow, Thursday, January 10 at 8:30am EST (5:30am in LA) by Seth Macfarlane and Emma Stone. Macfarlane will also be hosting.
The award ceremony will actually air on Sunday, February 24.
This has been a great year for movies and I am having a tough time making guesses about what will end up being nominated…but here goes.
Best Picture Argo Beasts of the Southern Wild Django Les Miserables Life of Pi Lincoln Moonrise Kingdom Silver Linings Playbook Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor
Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings…)
Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln)
Denzel Washington (Flight)
Hugh Jackman (Les Mis)
John Hawkes (The Sessions)
Dark Horse – Jack Black (Bernie)
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)
Dark Horse – Helen Mirren (Hitchcock)
Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin (Argo)
Leonardo DiCaprio – or – Christoph Waltz (Django)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
Robert De Niro (Silver Linings…)
Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Dark Horse – Samuel L. Jackson (Django) — and yes I know this is controversial
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (The Master)
Anna Hathaway (Les Mis) – it’s hers to lose
Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
Maggie Smith – or – Judy Dench (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)
Sally Field (Lincoln)
Dark Horse – Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy) — this is based solely on buzz
Best Director
Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Ben Affleck (Argo)
Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)
Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
I’m stuck on a 5th director. It could be any of these:
David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
Quentin Tarantino (Django)
Tom Hooper (Les Mis) – which shouldn’t happen because his direction was atrocious
Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom)
I won’t even begin to start ruminating on the other categories. I’ll just wait till tomorrow and make all my on-the-spot judgements and recriminations then.
Borrowing the idea from Nerdist, rather than just do a list of the best movies and TV shows of the year, I’m going to some more random lists. Makes it more interesting for all involved.
Top 5 TV Shows That I Will Watch Live
1. Game of Thrones – Even though it is repeated later that night, ad naseum throughout the week, is available OnDemand and on HBOGo, I try my darndest to watch it live – every single episode. Mostly because I can’t wait to find out what happens next (even though I’ve read all the books), but also because otherwise I would have to avoid the internet the next day and that’s just nigh impossible.
2. Breaking Bad – There is so much crazy that goes down on this show every single episode, I can’t bear not to see it as soon as it happens.
3. Happy Endings – There’s no worry of spoilage here. I just cannot wait to watch the latest shenanigans of Max, Penny, Dave, Alex, Brad, and Jane. Need I say more than, Mandonna:
4. Bob’s Burgers – Another show that just fills me with so much joy, that I cannot wait to watch it. Season three has been really strong and I’m just delighted that we are getting a season 4. Crisis crayons for all!
5. Parks and Recreation – So this one watched live partially because I love it so, but mostly because of the high volume of shows I record on Thursday nights. The first minute and last minute tend to get cut off by my DVR (damn you NBC!), so watching it live is the only way of seeing the show in its entirety.
Honorable mention: Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, Girls, How I Met Your Mother, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, American Horror Story: Asylum
Top 5 Movies That Entertained Me *note these aren’t the “best” movies per se, but the movies that entertained me most
1. The Avengers – Inconsistencies and stupid plot points be damned! This was just an insanely good time.
No real spoilers here…though if you haven’t seen it yet, move along.
2. Cabin In the Woods – Another fantastic Joss Whedon film. This was so funny and so surprising that I was very sad when it ended. Plus we got Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins being awesome.
3. Breaking Dawn Part 2 – Hear me out with this one. Yes, it was a terrible, terrible film. BUT — the theater was filled with other adults who just came to laugh at and mock this terrible film, which made the entire experience a delight. We were all able to laugh as much as wanted without fear of some pre-teen telling us to shut up because we were ruining the romance. Also, that twist at the end got us all.
4. Premium Rush – An all-around solid film. It didn’t change the world for me, it didn’t show me something new about cinema…it was just a good good time.
5. Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson managed to get this exactly right without becoming too twee. He got 2 fantastic leads with Kara Hayward (Suzy) and Jared Gilman (Sam), and then filled in the rest of the cast with stellar actors. I love when I can love Bruce Willis in a film.
Honorable Mention: Looper, Win Win, Argo, Django Unchained, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Top 5 Things That Disappointed Me
1. The Simpsons – I feel like this is a given. Considering how important this show has been to me during my life, some of the worst episodes the series has ever done aired this year – notably “Lisa Goes Gaga” the season 23 finale. Pair that with “Moonshine River”, the season 24 premiere, and it is a wonder I still watch the show at all. It has totally forgotten its heritage and has turned its back on what made the show great in the first place. A constant and continued disappointment.
2. Hitchcock – Anthony Hopkins. Helen Mirren. Alfred Hitchcock. Psycho. All the ingredients for a much better film are there somewhere. Just not on the screen.
3. Golden Globe Nominations – How can you ignore one of the best seasons Mad Men has ever had? How can you ignore the brilliant acting going on in Parenthood? How do you continue to pretend that Louie, Community and Parks and Rec aren’t breaking comedy ground? Hollywood Foreign Press, you disappoint me.
4. Carnage – Again something that had great source material in the play God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, a brilliant director in Roman Polanski and an absolutely outstanding cast with Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, and James Gandolfini, but it just couldn’t put it all together. What was full of fire and recrimination and vitriol on stage, was limp and uneventful on screen. It is a real shame…and it makes me hope they aren’t thinking of turning another utterly riveting play of hers, Art, into a film.
A load of 8-bit fun!
5. Animated films – Apart from Wreck-It-Ralph, there wasn’t really anything that truly grabbed my attention. Pixar did OK with Brave, but Cars and Cars 2 aside, shouldn’t we be expecting more from Pixar than just OK? I didn’t see Hotel Transylvania or Rise of the Guardians, but neither seemed engaging enough to get me to the theater. I was really looking forward to both Paranorman and Frankenweenie, but both didn’t deliver the way I’d hoped. I adore animated films and was hoping for another How to Train Your Dragon or Coraline, but not this year.
Honorable mention: Last season of Jersey Shore, America’s Next Top Model, the TV viewing audience of Honey Boo Boo and every single Real Housewives show,Coming to America, people who use their cell phones at the movies
Top 5 Things That I Finally Discovered
1. Breaking Bad – How I didn’t watch this before 2012 is an absolute, gob-smacking mystery to me. This show is unbelievably awesome. Even knowing the end of season 4 didn’t ruin a moment for me. And I cannot believe we only get 8 more episodes. DING DING DING!!
2. Justified – Another shocker for me. I love Timothy Olyphant, Elmore Leonard writes a good tale, and Graham Yost has a good track record. It just somehow never happened for me. Until my brother got on my case about it and I finally gave in. Thank Mags Bennett I did. What a well-crafted, well-acted show. Super excited for the new season in a few weeks.
3. The Bugle – I haven’t really written much about podcasts, but as of right now, that is primarily what I listen to when I’m on the go. I listen to all the usual ones like This American Life, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, The Nerdist, Doug Loves Movies, WTF, but somehow I was unaware of what is possibly the funniest podcast out there. Andy Salzman and John Oliver (from The Daily Show) give some of the most outlandish and sarcastic commentary on world news. Their podcasts on the Olympics, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the elections, and of course Silivio Berlusconi are so hysterical, I have to check myself when I listen in public.
4. The Vampire Diaries – Perhaps I’m a little less proud of this discovery as I am of Breaking Bad, but this is such a wonderfully pulpy, campy show I refuse to hide my love for it. At this point, I wouldn’t even call it a replacement for True Blood as the characters actually seem to a bit more depth to them. And even though Ian Somerhalder is absolutely hammy, you can’t help but love him and the vampire mythology the show has created is actually pretty interesting. I’ve decided not to let the fact that it’s on the CW distort my feelings.
5. Friday Night Lights – Thanks to Netflix I watched the entire series run of FNL in just a few weeks. I know why I didn’t watch it when it was on — I hate sports. I mean, seriously, absolutely, without reservation, hate sports. But enough people both in person and in the interwebs telling me how brilliant the show was finally pushed me to give it a try. And all I can say is Tami Taylor is my role model.
Honorable mention: borrowing Kindle books from the library, the glories of Apple TV, how much I really love Matt Smith as the Doctor, that there’s no shame in seeing 2 movies in the theaters on the same day or three movies in the theaters over the course of a weekend.
And finally…
The Top 6 Things I Am Looking Forward to in 2013
1. Pacific Rim – Giant monsters. Giant robots. Charlie Day. Idris Elba. Guillermo Del Toro. Please tell me exactly what is not to look forward to here?
2. The Following – Not only is this Kevin Bacon’s first TV show, but it actually looks intriguing. Plus, I love a good serial killer story – James Purefoy is the perfect choice for the villain who is a professor who is not only a serial killer himself, but has figure out how to inspire the same deeds in those around him. It looks creepy and wonderful.
3. The return of Arrested Development – Do I need to give any explanation here?
4. Man of Steel – That full trailer recently released really knocked me in the gut. I truly hope that this is the Batman Begins remake of Superman not another Superman Returns remake. Henry Cavil looks like Superman and my god whoever cast Michael Shannon as Zod should be given a laurel and hardy handshake.
5. Monsters University – This time Pixar won’t disappoint me…right? RIGHT?
It has the same fairy tale-like quality that the best of Gaiman’s works possess
6. The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Neil Gaiman’s first new adult novel since Anansi Boys. As much as I love his young adult fiction (though really, everything he writes should mostly just be called “fiction” since you cannot tell me that The Graveyard Book wasn’t really for adults as much as for kids), I have been craving something akin to American Gods for a long time. Amazon describes the plot of the book as “This bewitching and harrowing tale of mystery and survival, and memory and magic, makes the impossible all too real…” While that doesn’t give us anything, it does pique my interest.
Honorable Mention: the return or Cougar Town (now on TBS), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, Beautiful Creatures (god save me, the tween book was actually pretty good and it’s got Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson!), the rest of season 7 of Doctor Who, The Carrie Diaries, Ender’s Game
I think that about covers it for now. There’s always a lot more to be said, more digital ink to be spilled, but I’ll save some of that for the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
The Kyle Maclachlan SNL episode from 1990 is really the gift that keeps on giving. I previously posted “All Things Scottish” and now for the sketch that I can’t remember anyone else ever referring to – outside of my own family.
I figured with the preponderance of musical numbers with hosts, it’s nice to see a sketch like this: less tongue in cheek, a host who sings it straight forward, cast members who don’t fall apart laughing, an appearance by G.E Smith, and some great references to the abattoir.
The line “And then they cut from his sternum to his uvula…” always cracks me up. Every single time.
Film. Lifeblood of the movies until digital totally takes over.
101 movies is a lot to go through, so I’m breaking my list up into two parts.
For a formal introduction to this list and for movies 1-50, please click here.
Now for movies 51-101…
51. The Amazing Spiderman (AMC) – As much as I loved Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, I do wonder why this was made at all. Also, that lizard was just awful.
52. Coming to America (Amazon streaming) – I disappointed many friends when I didn’t fall in a swoon over this movie. Some are still questioning my taste.
53. To Rome with Love (CC) – This was fine. No Midnight in Paris, but fine.
54. The Dark Knight Rises (AMC) – Many people have pointed out that this was actually a lot more flawed than any of us movie nerds would like to admit. But was I there at 9 am to see the movie on IMAX? You bet I was and I don’t regret it for a second.
55. The Watch (AMC) – Meh. Richard Ayoade deserves better.
56. Beasts of the Southern Wild (AMC) – Definitely another film in the running for one of the best I’ve seen this year. Is it an oxymoron to call this quietly epic? Every drop of praise this movie has gotten is absolutely deserved. Lyrical and powerful, life affirming and deeply sorrowful. Absolutely one of the best films of the year.
57. The Bourne Legacy (AMC) – As I titled my review, almost but not quite. Jeremy Renner deserves better. So does Rachel Weisz.
58. Paranorman (AMC) – Good, but I wanted this to be better than it was. Coraline is still the superior stop-motion film.
59. Celeste and Jesse Forever (AMC) – Was not expecting Andy Samberg to pull this off, but he does. I loved his relationship with Rashida Jones, but in the end the movie really belonged to her – it was about her journey from that marriage. Very well done.
60. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (AMC) – This was just so good. A wonderful sort of melancholy that captures a certain time, a certain moment with perfect clarity. Stephen Chbosky was on hand afterwards for one of the better Q&A’s I’ve been to. Now I have to read the book.
61. Red (HBO) – Bruce Willis. Helen Mirren. John Malkovitch. Morgan Freeman. And a whole lotta shoot ’em up.
62. The Sessions (CC) – I’m kind of surprised this movie didn’t get more of a buzz. Sure, it got good reviews and there’s Oscar buzz, but I mean audience buzz. This was a wonderful film and far funnier than it had any right to be. Plus it let me love John Hawkes again after Martha Marcy May Marlene and Winter’s Bone.
63. Guinevere (HBO) – I vaguely remember when this one came out in the theaters. But it was always a movie I meant to see. Sarah Polley and Stephen Rea are gangbusters together and even though the end isn’t a shocker, it is very satisfying.
64. Pitch Perfect (AMC) – This was just so much fun. As un-Gleelike as it needed to be while still giving us that sing-a-long thrill we get from Glee. And it helped Rebel Wilson on her way to becoming a household name. Just great.
65. Looper (AMC) – Through a genius marketing campaign, you never really know what to expect when you sit down to watch this. Yes, you get Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon Levitt’s brilliant version of him. But the movie is actually more than that. To say anything else would be to ruin one of the great twists you’ll see this year.
66. Premium Rush (AMC) – This movie was released at the wrong time. Had it come out at any other time than the dog days of summer, it might have found an audience. Hopefully it will find one on DVD/OnDemand/iTunes, etc. A hell of a lot of fun.
67. The Master (City Cinemas Village East) – Like so many others who have seen The Master, I am not quite sure what to make of it. Meandering, confusing, startling. All of that. But no one can deny the power of the performances.
68. Argo (CC) – A Hollywood film at its finest. Ben Affleck crafted a thriller that kept me riveted and still gave me a good laugh. Alan Arkin and John Goodman steal every scene they’re in.
69. Frankenweenie (AMC) – Alas, another film I wanted to be better than it was. Enjoyable to watch, but faded very quickly after viewing.
70. Sinister (AMC) – Not afraid to admit this – Sinister scared the crap out of me. Super super creepy. Plus we always knew kids were evil, right?
71. Possession (AMC) – I can’t turn down a horror film with a Jewish bent.
72. Seven Psychopaths (AMC) – Like Premium Rush, I wish this had found an audience. Colin Farrell andSam Rockwell are both totally on point and this was, finally, a movie that figured out how to best use Christopher Walken. See this one when it’s out on DVD. Seriously.
73. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Netflix) – Yes, this is just as good as everyone says it is. But I found myself more conflicted about the nature of Jiro’s relationship with his oldest son. It cannot be easy living in the shadow of such a famous and revered father, one whose shadow the son will probably never escape.
74. Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (OnD) – Exactly what you think it is.
75. Lincoln (AMC) – Even though the movie should have ended about 10 minutes before it did, and even though Spielberg can’t help but shmaltz it up, Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance combined with the brilliant House debate scenes made Lincoln rise above what it could have been. Seriously, who would have thought the House of Representative debates used to be so lively…
76. Cloud Atlas (AMC) – Having not read the book, I didn’t come into this with any theories on what I should be watching. It is bombastic as you would expect from the Wachowskis but it worked for me. Let me restate: it worked for me as long as I ignored some of that ridiculous makeup.
77. Wreck-It-Ralph (AMC) The better animated film in 2012. I have no soft spot for video games, but I knew enough to get the visual jokes. Sweet without being cloying with a sense of adventure and humor. I really loved this movie.
78. Skyfall (some theater in Portland, ME) – Is this the best Bond film? Best one I’ve seen, hands down. Is the end essentially Home Alone with firearms? Yep.
79. Flight (some theater in Portland, ME) – Denzel Washington gives a stellar performance in a movie that meets the level of his performance. The crash sequence is indeed terrifying (but I’ll still step on a plane) but what is more frightening is the swift downward spiral Denzel’s Whip Whitaker is on. What do you do with someone who knows they are alcoholic, but doesn’t want to be saved?
80. Anna Karenina(AMC) – Another solid Keira Knightley performance. It is a strange film, using the conceit of everything taking place on and off a theater stage, but Joe Wright made it work for me. But the movie was stollen by Matthew Macfayden as Oblonsky and his spectacular mustache.
81. Breaking Dawn Pt 2 (Fenway) – Until that sweet twist at the end, this was just as bad as every other Twilight film. But I’m a completist – I saw all the others, you’d best bet that I was going to see this one. Also? The demon CGI baby. If ever there was a baby that needed an exorcism…
82. Silver Linings Playbook(AMC) – I’m on the fence as to whether this is as good as I think it is. Jennifer Lawrence just shines, Bradley Cooper redeems himself after The Words, and Robert DeNiro acted for the first time in years. But was the movie really that good? I think I need to see it again to really judge.
83. Life of Pi (AMC) – Gorgeous. Just stunning. And it made me care about a tiger.
84. Men in Black III(iTunes) – Even Josh Brolin’s xerox-copy performance as a younger Tommy Lee Jones couldn’t save this piece of crap.
85. Bernie (Netflix) – Is this another movie that you should be watching? Yes. It is.
86. Warm Bodies (AMC) – OK, this hasn’t actually come out yet, but I got to see a sneak preview. I’ve been referring to this as “the zombie rom-com you’ve been waiting for” – and if you haven’t been waiting for it? Go see it anyway. Nicholas Hoult is on the verge. Also see him in A Single Man.
87. The Hobbit (AMC) – No, this is not Lord of the Rings trilogy the second. But I think The Hobbit is still worth seeing. I love PJ’s Middle Earth, and delighted in being back there again. Martin Freeman is perfectly cast as Bilbo and the Sherlock fan in me cannot wait to see him and Smaug (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) together. Overall, the high frame rate didn’t bother me. Need to see this again in IMAX.
88. Hitchcock (CC) – This was not good. It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t good. Helen Mirren was the only truly good thing about a film that meandered and went to weird places that just didn’t work. (Ed Gein, I’m looking at you)
89. This is 40 (AMC) – Like all Apatow films, This is 40 is very funny, with a heart, and about 40 minutes too long.
90. Les Miserables (Fenway) – When the movie ended, I just kept saying “Poor sad Russell Crowe” because I felt that this movie did him no favors. If he didn’t have to sing, he would have been a great Javert. But woe to him, he did have to sing. Anne Hathaway all but put a lock on the Best Supporting Actress Oscar with a raw and deeply emotional version of “I Dreamed a Dream” and Eddie Redmayne got me with his performance of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” which is a song I never much found moving before. Hugh Jackman was exactly what you’d think.
91. Lockout (Netflix) – I only finished this because I’d started it and I only started it out of morbid curiosity. I shouldn’t have.
92. Django (CC) – I get why there is such a hubbub over Django. It’s violent. And difficult to watch. And gives us some very uncomfortable characters. But it also doesn’t flinch in the face of a really violent and ugly period in American history. And Tarantino helps Leonardo DiCaprio give one of his better performances, let me like Jamie Foxx once again, and allowed Samuel L. Jackson to be intensely controversial. As with Inglorious Basterds (possibly my favorite Tarantino film, with Pulp Fiction of course) Christoph Waltz proves himself to be debonaire and verbally adroit enough to sell Tarantino’s dialog better than anyone ever has.
93. The Host (Netflix) – A Korean creature flick from 2006 that I enjoyed, but I felt just went on for too long. Moral of the story? Don’t dump formaldehyde into the Han River.
94. The Deep Blue Sea (Netflix) – It was a surprise when Rachel Weisz got the Golden Globe nomination but after watching the movie, it’s no longer a surprise. Reminded me a bit of End of the Affair with fewer religious overtones. Tom Hiddleston is charming to a fault, as is necessary, but it’s Weisz’s film from start to finish.
95. A Royal Affair (CC) Can I admit I don’t know anything about Danish history? So I don’t know how true to history this period piece is. But I can say that it’s thoroughly engaging and I didn’t feel the length (over 2 hours) at all. Plus, it has Le Chiffre!
96. Take This Waltz (Netflix) – Add Away From HerAto Take This Waltz and you realize the depths of Sarah Polley’s talents. And as much as part of me feels this movie went a full 20 minutes longer than I would have expected, those extra 20 minutes gives us a very sobering look at the overall outcome of what we think love is and what it becomes.
97. The September Issue (Netflix) – I know nothing of fashion. I would wear jeans and t-shirts every day if I could. Yet, I was still fascinated by this behind-the-scenes look at Vogue, Anna Wintour, and specifically Grace Coddington. So much more interesting than I would have thought.
98. Bachelorette (OnD) – As much as I wanted it to be, it wasn’t as good as Bridesmaids. Still funny though…
99. Our Idiot Brother (HBO) – What does it say about this movie that I know I saw it within the past few months, yet totally forgot I’d seen it till yesterday, and I don’t remember a ton about it. If it helps, I do remember enjoying it while I watched it.
100. Rock of Ages (some free screening) – Loved the musical. Did NOT like the movie. So not what it should have been.
101. Ira & Abby (Netflix) – I really like Jennifer Westfeldt. I love Kissing Jessica Stein, I liked Friends with Kids, and Ira & Abby is more of the same, in a good way. Her dialog is verbose but sharp, and her characters are neurotic without becoming annoying. Ira & Abby is what Dharma and Greg wishes it could be.
So. There you have it 101 movies seen for the first time. This doesn’t count the movies I saw more than once, the movies I’ve seen a million times that I re-watched. That would just be a bit too embarrassing to share.
Now it is time for me to sift through all this and figure out the best, the worst, the most disappointing and the most surprising.
(But first I have to finish re-watching Pitch Perfect….)
Movie theaters – where we can lose ourselves in the dark. With popcorn.
It’s 2013 today, so I can now officially look back at the past 365 days.
I saw a lot of movies. How many you might ask? Well, it depends on how you decide to count. In January 2012 I decided to count thusly: movies I will be seeing for the very first time. This includes both movies I saw in the theaters as well as movies I saw on Netflix, On Demand, Amazon streaming…as long as it was for the first time.
Counting like that, I saw 101 movies in 2012. That averages out to 1 film every 3.6 days. 101 is a figure that is both impressive and underwhelming. And I’m not quite sure on which side of that equation I wanted to end up.
I am going to post these 101 movies in mostly chronological order of when I saw them. I’m also include where/how I saw the film. (The end of the list gets a bit fuzzy; I was trying to get to 100 and realized I’d missed some titles) Short comments or judgements where applicable.
1. Melancholia(Coolidge Corner) – gorgeous to watch, but too long. Kristen Dunst was surprisingly good.
2. Haywire (AMC/Boston Common) – I love when Soderbergh does genre.
3. Sundance Shorts (CC)
4. The Grey (AMC) – I really wanted this to be called “Wolfpuncher” until I actually saw it. Much more a story of Man vs Nature and Man vs Himself then Liam Neeson fights a wolf.
5. The Artist(AMC) – A movie that I loved when I saw, but it faded a bit as time went out. 2011 wasn’t a great movie year so I guess it’s OK this won Best Picture. At least it introduced me to Jean Dujardin.
6. Dale and Tucker vs Evil(Netflix) – Too bad enough people didn’t see this when it came out. Alan Tudyk continues to just be made of awesome and the movie itself was one of two films this year that turned the horror genre on its head.
7. The Help (OnDemand) – Read the book and dreaded seeing the movie. It ended up being just as pat as I had expected, despite some good performances. Is “White Savior” the opposite of “Magical Black Man”?
8. Carnage (AMC) – Having seen the very very sharp witted play, I was anxious to see how such a great cast would do on the big screen. Sadly, I was ultimately disappointed. Even a brilliant cast can’t always make a play live outside the theater.
9. A Dangerous Method (CC) – Far less scandalous than the trailers would have you believe. Viggo Mortensen and Michael Fassbender were both excellent. Kiera Knightley was the surprise – overplayed it a bit, but overall better than I had expected.
10. This Means War (Regal Fenway) – If I had payed to see this, I would be deeply embarrassed I’m still pretty embarrassed that I went to a free screening of this crap.
11. The Woman in Black (AMC) – Interesting post-Harry Potter choice for Daniel Radcliffe. Nice and atmospheric.
12. Iron Lady (Regal DC) – Meryl Streep 100% deserved the Oscar for Best Actress. The rest of the film, while decent, wasn’t up to her performance.
13. Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts(CC)
14. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (AMC) – Since this was from the same people who did the amazing Drive Angry I really expected more.
15. Warhorse (AMC) – God, I hated this movie. The boy/horse love affair made me uneasy.
16. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (AMC) – A light, entertaining film. But honestly? Not worthy of a Best Comedy nom from the Golden Globes.
17. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (AMC) – Another movie nominated for Best Picture that just angered the blood. Awful just skims the surface.
18. Wanderlust (AMC) – I remember laughing…but not much else.
19. Drive Angry (HBO) – You know how a movie is so bad it becomes excellent? And then it continues to get worse so it becomes too bad to be good? This movie goes even further. All I’m going to say is redneck orgy. This is a must see.
20. Game Change (Fenway/HBO) – I’m listing this since I actually saw it in the theaters as a free screening before it aired on TV. Maybe that’s cheating.
21. Friends with Kids (AMC) – A rom-com that had a bit more bite and filth.
22. Silent House (AMC) – The first of several disappointing horror films I saw in 2012. The end was just so…stupid. Just so so stupid.
23. 21 Jump Street (AMC) – Man, I loved this. Much more than I had expected to. Channing Tatum really stole the show from Jonah Hill. True story: at work one of my co-workers didn’t know that this was based on a TV show of the same name or that Johnny Depp became big while on said show. I felt really really old at that moment.
24. Green Lantern (HBO) – Was this as bad as everyone said? Pretty much. Glad I didn’t pay any extra to see it. And it’s too bad since I like Ryan Reynolds.
25. Jeff Who Lives at Home (AMC) – The Duplass brothers give us a complicated brotherly relationship that I would watch again. Jason Siegel and Ed Helms are both quite good.
Ok. Time for an intermission.
And now back to the list.
26. Love and Drugs(HBO) – Good chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Oliver Platt. Jake’s chemistry with Anne Hathaway was pretty OK too.
27. Hunger Games (AMC) – I was so looking forward to this one. The trailers gave me chills and I even organized an outing with some friends to go see it. But as with the first few Harry Potter films, it was too true to the books (with some exceptions) to really take off the way it should have. Here’s hoping Catching Fire is better.
28. Wrath of the Titans(AMC) – Another movie I saw for free that I’m really glad I saw for free. This was just. so. silly. But I enjoyed it while watching it.
29. Footnote (CC) – I was lucky enough to have seen this again recently. The father/son dynamic is examined in a new way in this Israeli import. The film has a dark humor that I found just as amusing during the second viewing. I recommend highly.
30. Cabin in the Woods(AMC) – This movie is so good that you would not have believed it languished on the shelf for several years. Thankfully this holds up on multiple viewings. The year’s second film that really takes the idea of a horror film and utterly dashes it on the floor, exposing the known tropes in a new light.
31. Mirror, Mirror (AMC) – Eh.
32. Country Strong (HBO) – I don’t hate Gwyneth Paltrow but I don’t have a great love for her either. All told, she wasn’t too bad in this. The movie itself was passable.
33. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope(CC) – Having never been to SDCC, this was all vicarious living for me. That Morgan Spurlock did a Q&A afterwards was just the icing on the nerd cake.
34. The Room (CC) – In my review I called this an “American classic” and I stand by that. If you have not yet seen this, get thee a midnight screening!
35. Tintin (OnD) – I have no background knowledge for this. I never read the original comics and knew precious little about them before seeing the movie. If you asked me to tell you the plot now, I would be hard pressed to do so.
36. The Five-Year Engagement (AMC) – I love Emily Blunt and Jason Siegel. And Allison Brie and Chris Pratt. In fact, I love pretty much the entire cast of this one. It was just, in the end, a bit too long to really take flight. Sweet though and worth a watch if you’re in the mood for that sort of thing.
37. The Avengers (AMC) – Are there massive inconsistencies and giant leaps of logic in this? Absolutely. Is there a reason that this is the highest grossing film of the year? Absolutely. I just had a blast watching this.
38. Dark Shadows (Regal E-Walk) – Tim Burton and Johnny Depp really need to know when to quit. Before this movie would have been a good time.
39. The Dictator(AMC) – I know Sasha Baron Cohen meant…well? ill? funny? Without Jason Mantzoukas this would have been a total loss.
40. Moonrise Kingdom (CC) – Possibly my favorite film of the year. Sweet, funny, sad, touching, quirky, and wholly Wes Anderson. Everything about Moonrise Kingdom worked for me. I mean, c’mon, there’s actually a character whose name is “Social Services” and that character is played by Tilda Swinton. Just fantastic.
41. Snow White and the Huntsman (AMC) – I think I liked this; I just can’t remember why.
42. Prometheus(AMC) – I’m still conflicted about this one and very much want to see it again. It was so infuriating as it was so close to being great at times. But damn if Fassbender’s David wasn’t the best thing about that movie.
43. Madagascar 3 (AMC) – Does it mean anything if I say I enjoyed this more than Madagascar 2?
44. Safety Not Guaranteed (AMC) – Another small film that had good heart but never became amazing.
45. Ted (AMC) – Filthy. Filthy and funny. And for once, I really liked Marky Mark.
46. Brave (AMC) – Better than Cars for what it’s worth.
47. Win Win (HBO) – I’d heard how great this movie was when it came out, but didn’t get to see it till it hit HBO. This is exactly what I want from an indie film: great cast, quiet but moving plot, and an ending that ties everything up in a not-exactly-neat bow.
48. Runaway Jury (HBO) – No clue why I actually watched this one.
49. What’s Your Number (HBO) – I wanted to like this because I like Anna Farris. Emphasis on “wanted to.”
50. Magic Mike (AMC) – Another Soderbergh genre film that succeeds. Channing Tatum was quite good, but we all know this movie belonged to Matthew McConaughey.
Yeah. I know.
I haven’t written in ages…sorry.
But we’re headed into “End of Year” territory, so I’m hoping to go back on the wagon.
Golden Globes, all shiny and waiting to be handed out by the offspring of someone famous.
In the news today, the Golden Globe nominations were announced and now we just wait for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host what will be the greatest awards show this year.
Overall I don’t have a ton of complaints with this list. A few surprises, and a major snub (no Mad Men for Best Drama?? You replaced that with The Newsroom? Really??) but nothing else egregious.
Movies Best Picture, Drama:
“Argo”
“Django Unchained”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Zero Dark Thirty”
Best Picture, Musical or Comedy:
“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
“Les Misérables”
“Moonrise Kindgom”
“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” (good film, but wasn’t something I’d have expected)
“Silver Linings Playbook”
Best Director:
Ben Affleck, “Argo” (go Ben go!)
Kathryn Bigelow, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Ang Lee, “Life of Pi”
Steven Spielberg, “Lincoln”
Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”
Best Actress, Drama:
Jessica Chastain, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Marian Cotillard, “Rust and Bone”
Helen Mirren, “Hitchcock”
Naomi Watts, “The Impossible”
Rachel Weisz, “The Deep Blue Sea” (Haven’t seen this but I’ve heard she’s fantastic. Still a surprise)
Best Actor, Drama:
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Richard Gere, “Arbitrage”
John Hawkes, “The Sessions”
Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
Denzel Washington, “Flight”
Best Actor, Musical or Comedy:
Jack Black, “Bernie” (So glad about this one. A very underrated film)
Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Hugh Jackman, “Les Misérables ”
Ewan MCGregor, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
Bill Murray, “Hyde Park on Hudson”
Best Actress, Musical or Comedy:
Emily Blunt, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”
Judi Dench, “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Maggie Smith, “Quartet”
Meryl Streep, “Hope Springs” (Just because she’s Meryl Streep doesn’t mean she ALWAYS has to be nominated, folks)
Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams, “The Master”
Sally Field, “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway, “Les Misérables ”
Helen Hunt, “The Sessions”
Nicole Kidman, “The Paperboy”
Best Supporting Actor:
Alan Arkin, “Argo”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Django Unchained”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz, “Django Unchained”
I think this category above is the hardest one to decide. All amazing performances (so I hear about Django, haven’t seen it yet) so maybe this is the wildcard category this year?
Best Screenplay:
Mark Boal, “Zero Dark Thirty”
Tony Kushner, “Lincoln”
David O’Russell, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Quentin Tarantino, “Django Unchained”
Chris Terrio, “Argo”
Best Foreign Language Film:
“Amour”
“A Royal Affair”
“The Intouchables”
“Kon-Tiki”
“Rust and Bone”
Best Animated Feature:
“Rise of the Guardians”
“Brave”
“Frankenweenie”
“Hotel Transylvania”
“Wreck-It Ralph” (I know Pixar will have it in the bag, but I really loved Wreck-It-Ralph)
Television Best Television Comedy or Musical:
“The Big Bang Theory”
“Episodes”
“Girls”
“Modern Family”
“Smash” (No, no, no. A thousand times no. Replace this with Happy Endings! The revolution has begun!)
Best Television Drama:
“Breaking Bad”
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Downton Abbey”
“Homeland”
“The Newsroom” (Again, this over Mad Men is just a travesty)
Best Actress, Television Drama:
Connie Britton, “Nashville”
Glenn Close, “Damages”
Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Michelle Dockery, “Downton Abbey”
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife”
Best Actor, Television Drama:
Steve Buscemi, “Boardwalk Empire”
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”
Jeff Daniels, “The Newsroom”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Damian Lewis, “Homeland”
Best Miniseries or Television Movie:
“Game Change”
“The Girl”
“Hatfields & McCoys”
“The Hour”
“Political Animals”
More comments and thoughts as I digest…
Also, this list was stolen directly from the New York Times. Credit where credit is due.
Movies, TV, and all things Pop Culture 