Sunday, January 03, 2010

What Next?

Off to a late start today. My top ten list and the 10th Annual FB Awards begin this week. As usual, I'm arguing with myself when it comes to just about every category and just about every rank (especially the dread "fifth spot". My point is this: more coffee required.

Talk amongst yourselves. Here's a conversation starter:
  • Who are you absolutely obsessed with at the moment? I'm going through a Zooey & Joey phase. Hugh Dancy and Julie Andrews are also fighting for my brain space.
  • Do you find yourself resenting/rooting-against movies that don't open in your town when it comes to the Oscars?
Also help me plan ahead for 2010 by answering the following poll...

27 comments:

Hofverberg said...

It would be very fun if you would have some sort of Best Actress history like you did with Meryl Streep and her Oscar nominations, or maybe in the style of Nick over NickFlickPick where he writes about every Best Actress lineup?

Andrea said...

Obsessed - Last of the Mohicans. Being only acquainted with DDL's rip-roaring Bill the Butcher and Daniel "Milkshake" Plainview, I find him jaw-droppingly sexy in this. Plus I keep rewatching the last fifteen minutes of the movie, one of the best endings ever. Jodhi May's ending scene....the score....just mesmerizing.

Jude said...

Obsessed with Anna Kendrick at the moment. Really hoping for a career outside of Twilight in the years to come for her!

Janice said...

Darn, I would have voted for "silents" if I'd known that no one had voted for them yet.

(Of course in my little heart of hearts I'll always hope to see that MR essay completed. But I'm sure it's long since ceased to be an "obsession"....)

I've had Tilda on the brain - well, it seems she's always tucked in their somewhere, but your sly nod to "Julia" at the top of the Favorite Actress perf list brought her back to the fore.

And, Kidman in Birth since that was on the list as well (excellent call!) especially since I FINALLY saw that film just two weeks ago (Christmas gift.) I think of the three of her perfs you named on her list, that is the one that is the true keeper, (much as I love MR! and The Others) or maybe that's just because it's so fresh in my mind.

Runs Like A Gay said...

Obsessing about Helen Mirren, again.

We're still a month away from The Last Station opening over in the UK (I'm not bitter or resentful of any Oscar nod she might get as I know we always get films late over here and I understand it's not really opened in the States yet).

Should also get Love Ranch and The Tempest in 2010 - fingers crossed. As well as The Debt, remake of award winning Isreali film with Sam Worthington, Tom Wilkinson and Ciaran Hinds.

She's also being linked with the big screen adaptation of Magda Szabo's novel The Door. It's a tough read to be honest but Emerence is a part that could have been written for Mirren's brittle performance style.

By the way, I voted for you to surprise us, frankly if you reviewed the phone I'd still be reading the posts.

NATHANIEL R said...

Stella -- yeah. it's crazy that DDL never matched that sexiness again. so many of his other performances are rather asexual. and NINE could have definitely used some of that MOHICANS heat.

JL -- i definitely want to do something Oscar history. i just am trying to figure out how to do it (time wise and what format etcetera)

Janice -- moulin rouge! didn't stop being an obsession but i did take a long break from it. Can you believe that 2011 is its TENTH ANNIVERSARY. craziness.

Runs -- thank you sweetness. and i'm also really curious about her 2010 lineup.

Anonymous said...

Definitely Streep

Pf_Iggy said...

Voted for 30s & 40s films, interviews, vid & podcasts and personal canon.

I love La Sreep's work as much as everyone else, and thanks to your series I made up my mind to finally watching Sophie's Choice (I know, I should be ashamed I didn't do it earlier), but I think she needs a break or Meryl fatigue can come back. And anyway, if the race is finally her vs Mulligan vs Bullock, I think it will be her third as Nicholson's As Good As It Gets: a comic (?) performance in a somehow lesser movie (as compared to her own history).

I'd really love to hear/watch interviews with actors and actresses, there aren't many in movie blogs.

No obsessions right now, I'm just making my mind to not to care about Oscars any more. I said I would if Bullock got a nod, and as it seems more than likely right now... Which takes me to finally being grateful (for once) to international distribution policies, All About Steve never opened here and there's not release date listed on IMDB :))

Murtada said...

Im obsessing about Zoey and Joey too. Just saw (500) days on dvd last night. It was my third time and it just gets better.

Also Bigelow, added her old movies to my netflix que. Only saw Strange Days and Ponint Break in additon to Hurt Locker. Cant wait.

And please give us your Streep retrpspective. and more in that vein. How about Kidman? Winslet? the other Cate? Christie? Redgrave? Keaton?

NATHANIEL R said...

Murtada... i think her best prior to HURT LOCKER is NEAR DARK (give or take the absurdly undervalued Strange Days... which has problems but still... many lesser films have a stronger rep) so excited to hear what you think of that.

Sammyray said...

Funny you should mention Julie Andrews, Nathan. I just posted this video of her on my site taken from VICTOR/VICTORIA ... I use it in reference to the lack of adult conversations in films these days.

http://sammyray.com/876/adult-situations/

Julie Andrews is one of the most wonderful creatures to ever grace a movie screen.

Anonymous said...

what happened to all the interviews? is that only an awards-time thing?

notanotherblog said...

I'm obsessing on Naomi Watts right now. Mulholland Drive pis playing in rep theatres three times for the next two months. Luck-y!

And I'd wish for more opening weekend/festival coverage, but that would just make me jealous that I'm stuck in Canada. So I chose the mystery box.

Christine said...

If you do go with silent films (which doesn't seem likely given how the voting is going), I vote for a review of "The Unknown": Joan Crawford is the beautiful circus performer afraid of men's arms and Lon Chaney is the (supposedly) armless knife thrower who loves her! The best Tod Browning film ever.

But I agree with Runs. The ideas you come up with for posts are always interesting.

OtherRobert said...

I'm on a Roger Corman kick. I'll have to watch A Bucket of Blood or Creature from the Haunted Sea later to try and push the distraction away.

Paul Outlaw said...

Obsessing about how interesting the Oscar race is right now, despite the fact that I don't think of any of this year's candidates as "Best Pictures," nor am I a fan of most of the presumptive nominees.

Which means I'm also obsessing a little about whether my favorites, Where the Wild Things Are, A Serious Man and The Messenger, will even get a seat at the final ten table.

Spencer said...

i really hope you continue writing about whatever is interesting you at the moment. its really refreshing to read something different every day and not just lists of who's nominated for what and predictions for who's gonna be nominated for what ! (like some other sites i won't mention ;)
i also LOVE how you incorporate a sprinkling of LGBT film chatter once and a while ;) its always very interesting. im from canada so we're used to a lot of LGBT films here, lol

also, i'm totally obsessing over Nicole again! i saw nine, and as much as she's absent for 2/3 of the film, when she was onscreen, she had this glow that i can't describe. and then i just realized how incredible (almost) ALL of her performances are !! and im obsessed with lady gaga but thats not film ;)

Sean said...

Gah! I'm so excited for your top ten list and the Film Bitch Awards this year. I've been a way more active cinephile this year than last, though I do wish I could have caught 'Bright Star.' It sounds beautiful.

I would love to see more Personal Canon this year.

cal roth said...

Obsession?

CAREY MULLIGAN.

Lorena F. Pimentel said...

I love the idea of you discussing 1920s to 1980 movies, or anything that's of your personal canon.

I should also mention how ridiculously giddy it makes me to see you mentioning Julie Andrews - or that picture, anyway. Doesn't she pass as a hot Victor?

Julie Andrews is absolutely made of love!

kent said...

i cannot stop thinking of zoe saldana in AVATAR. i thought she was pretty great in her CGI performance.

also, marion cotillard has been lingering in my mind with her songs in NINE. i hope she gets nominated oscar morning.

Jim T said...

Nathaniel, was it Two Lovers that reminded you of Sound of Music and Julie Andrews?

Jim T said...

By the way, my obsession is Mina. Non-cinematic but not far from it.

Y Kant Goran Rite said...

My God, Nathaniel, your readership frightens me sometimes. The message I'm getting here is "We want to know nothing about older films unless they bear Ampass' stamp of mediocrity."

Colin Low said...

@Y Kant Goran Rite: As someone who voted only for "Streep @ 60", "personal canon", "Oscar history" and "podcasting", I want to defend that I was voting not for what I want to see most from movie blogs in general, but what I think Nathaniel does best.

Rebecca said...

I am obsessing about Viggo right now. I recently rewatched the entire 'Lord of the Rings' series, and he just is so amazing, even though most of that is due to him looking so good with slow-mo, soft focus, long wavy hair, chest open costumes, and the wind blowing around him.

As for what to write about next, anything that you want to and I will read it! However you can write about your actressexuality, whether it is revisiting favorite performances, revisiting Oscar's choices, writing on performances you don't love despite consensus, or whatever way you approach it.

Shazzy said...

I just don't understand this obsession with Oscar coverage!

Please, please, please cover more of foreign films and silent cinema or even others like film bios and classics. I love this site. Those who feel that Oscars aren't covered enough on other sites, magazines and TV please go to oscar.com and jerk-off.