I know I've been remiss in sharing movie news and whatnot but I've had some personal issues, the birthday, friends in town, caught up with another old friend who is going to be in a new Kristen Bell movie (congrats!), and then there was that small matter of the TONYs. So here we are back to normal. Eventually I'm getting to the Meryl Streep retro. I really am.
Cinema Blend Neil Patrick Harris has conquered TV, what's next for the movies? Empire cool illustrations from 9 (no, not Nine). That was a good short Buzz Sugar Javier Bardem and Julia Roberts will Eat, Pray, Love... at least we hope they will. Ryan Murphy has a way of announcing movies that never end up arriving. Have you noticed? See also: Dirty Tricks and Need. /Film on Puss in Boots the Shrek spin-off What's Good / What Blows explains the difference between the three TONY-winning Billys in Broadway's Billy Elliott Feminism to a Neurotic Extreme I missed this piece but they're kicking this summer's favorite punching bag Terminator Salvation while it's down. The reason? It's treatment of female characters. What they say is true but it's hardly surprising. Action directors (outside of James Cameron of course) aren't exactly known for caring about women beyond their common movie function as sexual window dressing. Film School Rejects a Heavy Metal reboot with A list directors already signed on? Weird. Wasn't that South Park episode enough of a nostalgia trip? Movie|Line terrific dish on Dawson's Creek and its "four monstrous actors" MTVBlade Runner web series Purefold in development. Better this than Ridley Scott continuing to fiddle with the relentlessly fiddled with movie.
Finally... today's must read I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing has a terrific brain vomit about the cancellation of a TV series (in this case Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles but it could be any show...)
<-- have you watched... Nurse Jackie? (password: shifthappens) It's quite good and promising. Edie Falco is 150% watchable but you knew that already. Haaz Sleiman is playing her gay friend. All television shows are required to have one. It's the law. I am happy to report that he seems nothing like the Haaz Sleiman we became acquainted with in The Visitor (i.e. different role = different performance). Good for him.
5:00 PMMickey Rourke (a lot more on him if you scroll down), Kerry Washington, Taraji P Henson, John Malkovich, Darren Aronofsky, Debra Winger, Rosemarie DeWitt... lots of famous faces flashing at us, some of them probably trying desperately not to think about the Oscars tomorrow. Ben Stiller is talking at us to introduce our host Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder, Hamlet 2). Why is it that I think Stiller is so funny when he's playing himself and not so funny in actual movie roles? Jokes about "most of us haven't seen these films"... why do I get so much flak for suggesting Hollywood types don't watch all the nominated movies and yet, they themselves joke about it constantly. (sigh) He's joking about how the Oscars are orgies of backpatting for beautiful people. At the indie spirits they're beautiful on the inside instead. People don't seem to think this joke is funny. Neither does the cameraman because they cut to Aaron Eckhart and Jenny Lumet (both classically beautiful, neither apparently amused)
...and then he's on to talking about Penélope Cruz and making lesbian jokes. Weird segueway.
5:10 Jonathan Demme is wearing an orange t-shirt. For a second I thought it had Obama's face stencilled on it. The face being inescapable. Even when we're celebrating movies.
5:20Best Supporting Actor goes to James Franco for Milk.Haaz Sleiman does not win but you can't really types "loses" when the subject looks like this...
<--- (yeah, like that) 5:25Best First Screenplay goes to Dustin Lance Black for Milk, beating Jenny Lumet for Rachel Getting Married (it's going to be a Milk day obviously. But then the Indie Spirits usually end up sucking up to one of the main Oscar nominees. Last year it was Juno for everything). Black gets political and says we can't wait 30 more years for equal civil rights for gay and lesbian citizens. It'll be awesome at the Oscars to hear this spoken aloud (since he'll win there, too).
5:30First Feature goes to Charlie Kauffman for Synecdoche New York. He thinks "best" is "crap"... I think that's a nod to his competitors but the speech is kind of jumbled so who knows. The speech is not circular or full of allusions or depressing or, in short, anything like his movies.
5:32Best Supporting Actress goes to Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She's the only Oscar nominee in this lineup so winning the Oscar isn't the same battle at all. But her speech (she hasn't prepared one is really fun) and I love the story about Woody Allen actually leaving the set to see his dermatologist (new freckle discovery) on the day she was making out with Scarlett Johansson. Debra Winger loves this story too. It's nice to see her laugh. I love that Misty Upham (Frozen River) is all dressed up. At the Spirits!
5:45 John Cassavetes Award goes to ??? I forgot already. This is the type of movie one senses the Indie Spirits exist for. But if they didn't include all the Hollywood stuff nobody would watch the show.
5:55 No fair. No song to introduce Rachel Getting Married. Just a song from the movie.
6:00Documentary goes to Man on Wire. Shortest speech of the night. Basically 'thanks'. It was presented by Batman and a fake Joaquin Phoenix. Kinda funny but I have to admit --you miss a lot when you live blog. I don't even know who that was making the Bale "we're done professionally" jokes. How fresh!
6:05Melissa Leo wins Best Actress for Frozen River. Rachel Getting Married is going to lose everything but great films are their own reward. I'm watching this show with two friends one says "She made her dress from the Golden Girls couch!" The other says "She looks like a Relief Society President" You'll get that if you're Mormon but otherwise you're out of luck. But maybe you know enough about Mormons to know. They're taking over. Mormon raised at least: Amy Adams, Aaron Eckhart, Eliza Dushku, Dustin Lance Black. They're everywhere! When I was a wee tyke the only celebrities who were "a little bit" Mormon (past or present) were Donnie & Marie.
at some point in this presentation Teri Hatcher did a really disturbing "Bitch is Back" number celebrating Wendy & Lucy. I don't think Michelle Williams knew what to make of it but since she isn't exactly a "loud" actor or a "loud" personality it's anyone's guess what she was feeling.
6:11 Some woman won some award. That's all I know. See what I mean about missing things while live-blogging. She's from Seattle. There's some specificity for you!
6:15 I want this to be over.
6:somethingor other Rosie Perez is presenting something and says 'I hate Penélope Cruz.' I love Rosie Perez. Why doesn't Hollywood? 6:29 The Class won foreign film. Yay! So I got to see my silver medal director Laurent Cantet.
6:30 Cinematography goes to Maryse Alberti for The Wrestler. Director Darren Aronofsky accepts. I love that he always says "I'm Darren". For a brilliant auteur he sure doesn't waste a lot of time selling himself. Could you imagine M Night Shyamalan's trademark intro being "Hi, I'm M"?
6:32 Cameron Diaz gives the Robert Altman Award for to Synecdoche New York. Great cast that movie had. I just wish someone else had directed it. I love Kauffman's writing but I feel like his writing is too self-devouring for the same person who dreamt it up and wrenched it out of its creative womb to also try and visualize it. Just my take. Obviously, others disagree.
6:38 Rainn Wilson does a musical number for The Wrestler. I shan't torture you with a photo but Darren Aronofsky and Rachel Weisz find it amusing.
6:42 Laura Dern THE FACE presents Best Actor which goes to Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. I don't know if y'all checked that link the other day about "hair" and Oscar winners but if he wins tomorrow he'll be only the second Best Actor winner ever to win for a long haired role (the only other one was Jon Voight in Coming Home. His speech is on fire and it's spreading. It starts with a tribute to another 80s up and comer who never quite became what he was supposed to become (Eric Roberts -- Julia's brother, yes -- last seen in The Dark Knight) and I have to agree with him there. Someone give Eric another great role. If you've seen Bob Fosse's Star 80 you'll understand Mickey's shout out.
This might be the craziest longest most train-of-thought speech since Ally Sheedy won for High Art.
Update: Here is the whole thing...
To Darren Aronofsky ,who is worried about actors being scared away from working with him because of Mickey's story about how "tough" Darren is:
If they aint got the balls to bring it, then fuck 'em
He's crazy. He totally gets the room going. He cracks Laura Dern and Philip Seymour Hoffman up. He scandalizes Anne Hathaway with a story about wrestler's "banging chicks in the ass in the bathroom". Well done Mickey. This is what the Indie Spirits live for.
6:53 John Waters and quirk queen Zooey Deschanel make jokes about inflated budgets on these so called "indies". It's mildly amusing.
6:54Tom McCarthy wins Best Director of The Visitor. He's worried about following Mickey Rourke. No kidding. I love this guy although I wish the beard would go. He thanks "Dickie Jenkins" Hee. Richard seems very happy for him. And this also means more shots of Haaz.
6:59 Best Picture goes to The Wrestler. I'm happy for them. Darren... Just "Darren" please ... gets a full kiss from Mickey and the cheek kiss from his partner Rachel Weisz. Thank you. Darren calls The Wrestler a "Passion piece. We all bled to get here" It shows. Damn what a movie it is. I hope you've seen it by now. Twice. I'm not even that mad that Rachel Getting Married lost everything tonight. Because at least the awards went to fine films.
Too darn hot. They're having a heatwave. Et cetera.
I meant to toss this out on Wednesday but here are my choices for sexiest of the year. Yes, I'm back to the FB Awards. Gotta wrap these up. Medalists in every category have to be announced a week from today!
I decided to give Daniel Craig a vacation this year (no blue speedo. no nomination!) even though he's already a double medalist in this category. Who I really wanted to include was Haaz Sleiman from The Visitor. That was a good film but while we're wading into shallow waters, wouldn't it have been a better film if he had drummed in his underwear in every scene. Haaz doesn't make the nominee shortlist because carnality seemed to be the last thing on his mind in the film (legal troubles will kill the sex drive). The choices might seem a bit more obvious than in past years, but sometimes obviousness hits the spot.
Finally... today's must read
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