Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man

Just. Too. Sexy.

2007-04-16T18:11:00.001+05:30

I know I haven't posted in awhile and this really doesn't count as a post but I swear i'll get back to regular updates soon. For now, just marvel at how hot SHE is.

Best in Film: 2006: Sound and Sound Effects Editing

2007-03-05T19:20:00.000+05:30

I've had a long day and I'm tired. Also, I'm woefully unqualified to really talk about sound mixing in detail. So I'm scrapping the full on explanation and just listing these. Next up is a biggie: Supporting Actor, where I'll be back to pointless droning on why exactly I picked the five candidates.

BEST SOUND MIXING

Apocalypto - Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Cámara
Yeah, it is an awful film but that doesn't take away from O'Connell (Oscar's biggest loser-19 times!) and Co's great work creating the atmosphere of the Mayan civilization. The quiet of the forest, the screaming of the pigs and the loud and textured sounds of the film's last half. Its loud but never blunt work.

Casino Royale - Martin Cantwell, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith and Mark Taylor
For creating a muscular, loud and energizing mix that threw the franchise back to life.

Children of Men - John Midgley, Chris Burdon and Tom Johnson
Stunningly detailed work: the ringing of the ears, the cat's meows while Theo and Jasper chill out, Theo's flip flops, his foot getting cut all mixed in with the sounds of warfare, a crumbling city and the myriad of languages (Including Sinhalese!) spoken at the edges.

Happy Feet - Wayne Pashley, Greg Fitzgerald, Phil Heywood, Phil Judd, Cory Mandel, Peter Purcell & Robert Sullivan
Musicals are always impressive. Animated musicals are whole other level of wow. Feet not only includes a deft mix of the sounds created to make the world come alive, Mumble's tapping feet and the big booming sound of the most oddly eclectic soundtrack of the year.

Superman Returns - Salty Brincat, John Reitz, Gregg Rudolff and David Campbell
Big, loud and majestic. Just as it should be.

BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
Casino Royale - Eddy Joseph
Monster House - Dennis Leonard and Randy Thom
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Christopher Boyes and George Watters II
Superman Returns - Craig Berkey
World Trade Center - Wylie Stateman and Michael D. Wilhoit

Best in Film: 2006: Costume Design

2007-02-28T14:40:00.000+05:30

I'm gonna try and do the ballot thingy a little differently this year, scrapping the pretty pictures and names and instead try to illustrate why I've chosen each of the films in each categories. Starting with Costume Design.

The Devil Wears Prada, Patricia Field

A designer's dream, Field (most well known for her work on HBO's Sex and the City) lucks out by costuming a contemporary film where the clothes themselves take centre stage. Luckily she takes the opportunity and runs with it, brilliantly assaying the journey each character (especially Andie) takes through the film and illustrating it in their wardrobe. Also, by using real couture Field creates an authentic fashion world instead of the deplorably fabricated ones we see on television. Miranda and Co. actually look like fashionistas and it gives them the credibility they need for the story to work. Bonus points for creating a singular style for each and every character (no two dress alike).

Dreamgirls, Sharen Davis

Another dream project for any designer. Davis gets to create literally hundreds of costumes for The Dreams, both on and off stage, encompassing over a decade of styles and fads and create them in all their dazzling technicolour glory thanks to the films 'shinier-is-better' mantra. Whilst Production Designer John Myhre is content to cut corners with curtains and lights, Davis is up to task and while it many not always be accurate to the era (neither is the music), it is always stunning.

Little Miss Sunshine, Nancy Steiner

I can sense a big 'WTF?' coming here, but give it a chance. One of my biggest problems with the costumer's branch of the Academy is how they constantly snub contemporary films (though they redeemed themselves by nominating two this year) in favour of period pieces. I'd like to announce that contemporary films have designers too and their job far harder to do and, most times, more impressive. See period pieces with their ornate costumes are definitely pretty but there is no attention paid to who is wearing the clothes. Switch those puffy pretty dresses around between actresses and it wouldn't make a difference, but in a film like Little Miss Sunshine it would be disastrous because each piece of clothing has been especially chosen for each character by taking into account their personality, income and how much attention they pay to what they wear. Look at Grandpa's leather waistcoat, Cheryl's low-key shirts and dresses, Olive's red cowboy boots, Richard's shorts and sandals look and Frank's crisp yet bland shirts. This is extraordinarily detailed work that does a lot to tell us who each character is.

Marie Antionette, Milena Canonero

So just after I dissed work on period pieces here I am nominating one myself. Yes, I think contemporary films are more of a challenge but period films that feature costumes this gorgeous deserve recognition (as they have, Canonero picked up an Oscar for her work). But these aren't your average period costumes. Not only is it an epic assignment for Canonero but it is breathtaking to watch how she devotes herself to Coppola's vision, creating candy-coloured dresses that speak volumes of the obscenity, arrogance, fun and wide-eyed wonder of the French Queen herself.

Prairie Home Companion, Catherine Marie Thomas

Beautiful, instantly iconic looks that never once overshadow the blissfully well-worn feeling of the film. The work is also nicely woven into the film: the way Yolanda chooses a top that gives her more cleavage, the Angel's white coat, Lola picking up her mother's shawl from before when she suddenly has to get on stage. Bonus points for Lily Tomlin's green jacket.

winners will be announced later

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-02-26T13:52:00.000+05:30

Oscar Predictions

2007-02-25T11:27:00.000+05:30

Picture: Babel (alt. The Departed)
Directing: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Actor: Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Actress: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Actor in a Supporting Role: Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
Actress in a Supporting Role: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Writing (Original Screenplay): Little Miss Sunshine
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Departed
Foreign Language Film: The Lives of Others
Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Animated Feature Film: Cars
Documentary Short: Recycled Life
Short Film (Animated): The Little Matchgirl
Short Film (Live Action): West Bank Story
Film Editing: Babel
Art Direction: Pan's Labyrinth
Cinematography: Children of Men
Costume Design: Dreamgirls
Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth
Score: The Queen
Song: "I Need To Wake Up" (An Inconvenient Truth)
Sound Editing: Letters From Iwo Jima
Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls
Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Go See This.

2007-02-20T00:03:00.000+05:30

Haven't posted about 'Chatroom' yet. Thought I should. Opening night is Friday. Tickets are available at the Wendy Whatmore Academy. Click the picture for more details.

50 Best: 2000-05

2007-02-17T13:38:00.000+05:30

01. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai)
02. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes)
03. Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier)
04. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann)
05. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater)
06. Russian Ark (Alexander Sokurov)
07. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch)
08. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee)
09. Caché (Michael Haneke)
10. The New World (Terrence Malick)
11. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)
12. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar)
13. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michele Gondry)
14. What Time is It There? (Tsai Ming-Liang)
15. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg)
16. The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach)
17. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee)
18. This is My Moon (Asoka Handagama)
19. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky)
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson)
21. Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel)
22. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
23. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson)
24. Kill Bill, Volume 1 (Quentin Tarantino)
25. Gosford Park (Robert Altman)
26. Under the Sand (François Ozon)
27. The Pianist (Roman Polanski)
28. Before Night Falls (Julian Schnabel)
29. You Can Count on Me (Kenneth Lonergan)
30. A Time for Drunken Horses (Bahman Ghobadi)
31. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola)
32. Mystic River (Clint Eastwood)
33. Elephant (Gus van Sant)
34. American Psycho (Mary Harron)
35. Good Night, and Good Luck. (George Clooney)
36. Junebug (Phil Morrison)
37. Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
38. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)
39. 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai)
40. The House of Mirth (Terrence Davies)
41. Monsoon Wedding (Mira Nair)
42. The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke)
43. Pride and Prejudice (Joe Wright)
44. City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
45. The Fog of War (Errol Morris)
46. The Aviator (Martin Scorsese)
47. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi)
48. 25th Hour (Spike Lee)
49. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff)
50. Wonder Boys (Curtis Hanson)

2007-02-17T11:42:00.000+05:30

Arun Awards

2007-02-06T01:43:00.000+05:30

In order to pass the time while this year's ballot fills up, I thought I'd put up my awards (?) from previous years. So far, we have 2005, 2004 and 2003. There's more to come. Also, remember to comment: Do you disagree with some of my choices? Hate some of the nominees? What would your ballot look like?

2005
2004
2003

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup...

2007-02-05T10:43:00.000+05:30

I'm not a huge Julie Taymore fan. I loved her production of The Lion King on Broadway, thought Titus was messy and Frida was dull. However they all showcased her amazing gift for visuals and spectacle. Now the trailer for Taymore's new project is online. Across the Universe is a musical that spans the cultural changes of the 60s and tells its story through Beatles songs. The film looks like it could either end up being a gigantic messy faliure or a truly visionary and brilliant film. Either way I'm excited. Beatles purists may complain about the classics being covered, but, honestly, they can go fuck themselves. I love the Beatles and even I can open myself up to new interpretations.

The film looks fantastically hokey (the main character's name is Jude) and, again, that scares me but all I have to do is think of Moulin Rouge! and how that film skillfully manipulated well-worn cliches to spin something truly original. Granted Taymore is no Baz Luhrmann, and I'd rather not go into this comparing it with that 2001 masterpiece but after two so-so efforts, Taymore's due for a(n artistic) hit. Here's hoping I won't be disappointed.

Watch the trailer here.

Scorsese wins the DGA!!

2007-02-04T13:53:00.000+05:30

Its been a long time coming but Scorsese finally won the Directors Guild Award after seven unsuccesful bids. YAY! YAY! YAY! This locks up the best director race (as if it wasn't locked before) nice and clean but the race for Best Picture race is still wide open. Which is refreshing since every other major category is locked up. But I digress, Scorsese is ONE STEP CLOSER. So fucking happy.

Just a Few More...

2007-01-26T19:21:00.000+05:30

Half Nelson is guaranteed a spot in the top 10

There's only a couple more films I need to see before I can comfortably post my top ten and Oscar ballot. Come on, pirates! Do your job!

I need:

INLAND EMPIRE

Pan's Labyrinth

The Fountain

Letters From Iwo Jima

The Last King of Scotland

Notes on a Scandal

anyone seen good copies of these anywhere?

Facts About the Nominations

2007-01-24T07:09:00.000+05:30

Dreamgirls managed 8 noms, yet was snubbed for Best Picture. While this has occoured in the past to films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, both those films recieved Best Director nominations and neither was the nomination leader of their respective years. Dreamgirls is the most nominated film this year, making this first time in history that a non-best picture nominee led the nomination count.
In terms of total nominations, this is the weakest Best Picture line-up since 1932 when there were only 9 categories. This also the first time since 1952 that no Best Picture nominee recieved more than 7 nods.
This is the first time since 1927 (!!), the first year of the Academy Awards, that not one single Best Actor nominee is from a Best Picture nominee. Also, with the exception of Blood Diamond, the other 4 films nominated for Best Actor recieved their only nomination in that category.
With his eighth acting nom Peter O'Toole, if he were to lose, will beat his tie with Richard Burton and become the most nominated actor to never win a competitive Oscar (he recieved an honourary award in 2002)
With her nomination for Little Children, Kate Winslet becomes the youngest actor ever to recieve 5 nominations. She is 31 years old, 2 years younger than previous record holder, Olivia De Havilland, who was 33. Winslet has only made 19 films, Havilland had made 33 by that time. This also means Winslet has been nominated for 25% of her filmography.

With her 14th nomination Meryl Streep continues her reign as the most nominated actor in Oscar history.
Judi Dench recieved her 6th nomination in only 10 years. Since 1997 only 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004 have been Dench-less years.
Alan Arkin recieved his first nomination since 1968, 38 years ago.
If you add up the grosses for all of the film's nominated for Best Picture: Babel ($24), The Departed ($122), Letters from Iwo Jima ($2), Little Miss Sunshine ($60), The Queen ($36) they all total $244 million -- the same number as Cars ($244) did in the US alone. Letters is also one of the lowest grossing, if not the lowest grossing Best Picture nominee (at the time of recieving nominations) in the last 20 odd years.
Penelope Cruz is the first Spanish actress to be nominated. Rinko Kikuchi is the first Asian actress to be nominated since Miyoshi Umeki won for Sayanora in 1957.

Dreamgirls is the first live action film to recieve 3 Best Original Song nominations. Two animated films can lay claim to the same record: The Lion King in 1994 and Beauty and the Beast in 1991.
Kevin O'Connell, nommed for sound mixing in Apocalypto, scores his 19th nom. He furthers his status as the Academy's most nominated individual who, so far, hasn't won. Distant runners-up are composer Alex North and art director Roland Anderson, at 15 each.

Oscar Nominations Announced!!

2007-01-23T19:40:00.000+05:30

Full commentary later...

Best Picture
Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima (they can't get enough)
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Obviously the biggest surprise is the Dreamgirls snub (YAY!!!!) for Letters.

Best Director
Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu, Babel
Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Paul Greengrass, United 93 (YAY!)

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond (sick! sick! I'm just going to pretend this is for that other film he was in this year)
Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson (YES! YES! YES!)
Peter O'Toole in Venus
Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz in Volver
Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren in The Queen
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet in Little Children

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children
Djimon Honsou in Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg in The Departed (YES!)

The big surprise here is that Jack Nicholson was traded in for Mark Wahlberg. Nicholson's on my ballot but I don't have a problem with the snub since Wahlberg is criminally underrated and (slightly) better in the film. Marky Mark's an Oscar nominee!

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barazza in Babel
Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi in Babel

Boring...

The other surprise is the nomination tally, with Dreamgirls coming out on top with 8 nominations despite being ignored for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay. Babel is next up with 7 bids, The Queen and Pan's Labyrinth each have 6. The Departed has a slightly anemic 5 while Letters From Iwo Jima and Little Miss Sunshine have 4. So there isn't any real consensus going in this year.

More bitching later. The full list is here.

Final Oscar Predictions

2007-01-22T18:32:00.000+05:30

The nominees come out tomorrow evening, so here's my final stab. Sorry about the lack of commentary but I'm tired.

Best Picture
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Best Director
Bill Condon, Dreamgirls
Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu, Babel
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Departed
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole, Venus
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Djimon Honsou, Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson, The Departed

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barazza, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Departed
The Devil Wears Prada
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal
Thank You For Smoking

Best Original Screenplay
Babel
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
United 93
Volver

Best Animated Feature
Cars
Happy Feet
Over the Hedge

Best Cinematography
Apocalypto, Dean Semler
Babel, Rodrigo Prieto
Children of Men, Emmanuel Lubezki
The Good Shepherd, Robert Richardson
The Illusionist, Dick Pope

Best Costume Design
The Black Dahlia, Jenny Beavan
The Curse of the Golden Flower, Chung Mang Yee
Dreamgirls, Sharon Davies
Marie-Antoinette, Milena Canonero
The Painted Veil, Ruth Myres

Best Art Direction
The Curse of the Golden Flower
Children of Men
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Pan's Labyrinth

Best Film Editing
Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
The Queen
United 93

Best Makeup
Apocalypto
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Best Original Score
Apocalypto, James Newton Howard
Babel, Gustavo Santaolalla
The DaVinci Code, Hans Zimmer
The Illusionist, Philip Glass
The Painted Veil, Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song
Bobby for 'Never Gonna Break My Faith'
Borat for 'O Kazakhstan'
Dreamgirls for 'Listen'
Happy Feet for 'Song of the Heart'
An Inconvenient Truth for 'I Need to Wake Up'

Best Sound Design
Blood Diamond
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Flags of Our Fathers
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
alternate: Babel

Best Sound Editing
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Cars
Flags of Our Fathers
Superman Returns
Poseidon

Best Visual Effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Superman Returns
X3: The Last Stand

sigh

2007-01-19T01:06:00.000+05:30

Globes Rundown

2007-01-16T09:44:00.000+05:30

Well, it seems as if it were a night of NO surprises. I scored 8/13 in my predictions which is not bad and 4 of my alternate picks made it in (the only category I completely missed was Best Picture-Drama). Dreamgirls picked up some steam, coming in with the most wins, 3, for Best Picture-Comedy/Musical, Best Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy and Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson). The Queen won two for Helen Mirren and Peter Morgan's screenplay. Everything else won one. Including Best Picture-Drama winner Babel, a win that came off looking more like a consolation prize for receiving the most nominations, rather than anything else. While the TV winners came out with some surprises (Yaay Ugly Betty and America Ferrera! Boo Grey's Anatomy!) including a wonderful makeup win for Emily Blunt (which I will of course pretend was really for The Devil Wears Prada), there weren't any shockers for the films. However, the lack of anything even near a sweep means that this year's Best Picture race is still wide open with The Departed, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine, Babel and even The Queen all looking like contenders for the big prize. And that never happens.

Best Win of the Night: It was a foregone conclusion but nothing makes me quite as happy as hearing Marty Scorsese's name read out at these things. I literally shouted out loud.

Best Speech of the Night: Without a doubt, Meryl Streep. America Ferrera and Sacha Baron Cohen put in some good tries. Peter Morgan's speech was wonderful but it was ALL Meryl. What a woman. I loved the 'Oh shut up, its not that long!'.

Best Dressed: Cameron Diaz was the only person who looked awful, with everyone else looking pretty hot. It amazes me how sexy Helen Mirren is at 61 but the cake has to go to Rachel Weisz. Why couldn't she look this hot last year when she was winning everything? Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Evangeline Lilly and Kate Winslet were also in various stages of hotness.

Most Drunk: An award that can only be given at the globes. This is year was a disappointment here. No one was OFF their face like, say, Sharon Stone or Jonathan Rhys-Meyers has been in the past and during the cut aways a lot of people looked pissed off. Particularly Diddy when in conversation with Jay-Z.

Table that Looked like the Most Fun?: Well, if you'd asked me before I'd have said the Fox table were Sacha Baron Cohen and Meryl Streep were seated would've been the best, but there simply weren't enough shenanigans to compete. I'd say its close between the Ugly Betty table, where everyone seemed to have a good time and genuinely like each other and the Warren Beatty/Annette Bening/Jack Nicholson table that was the centre of attention the whole night through.

The winners you ask?

Best Picture, Drama: Babel

Best Actor, Drama: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland

Best Picture Musical/Comedy: Dreamgirls

Best Actor Musical/Comedy: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Score: The Painted Veil

Foreign Film: Letters From Iwo Jima

Best Screenplay: The Queen

Best Supporting Actor - Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Best Actress, Musical/Comedy - Meryl Streep, Devil Wears Prada

Best Animated Film: Cars

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Original Song: Prince for 'Song From the Heart', Happy Feet

TV:

Best Actress, Comedy: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

Best Comedy Series, TV: Ugly Betty

Best Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Best Actress, Mini Series: Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I

Best Actor, Mini Series: Bill Nighy, Gideon's Daughter

Best Mini Series: Elizabeth I

Best Actor, Drama: Hugh Laurie, House

Best Supporting Actress - Mini Series: Emily Blunt, Gideon's Daughter

Best Actress, TV, Drama: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I

Golden Globe Predictions

2007-01-15T09:52:00.000+05:30

The Globes are on tomorrow morning, so I felt the need...

Best Picture-Drama: The Departed
Alternate: The Queen

Best Picture-Comedy/Musical: Little Miss Sunshine
Alternate: Dreamgirls

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed

Best Actor-Drama: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Alternate: Peter O'Toole, Venus

Best Actress-Drama: Helen Mirren, The Queen

Best Actor-Comedy/Musical: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat

Best Actress-Comedy/Musical: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada

Best Supporting Actor: Jack Nicholson, The Departed
Alternate: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Best Animated Feature: Happy Feet
Alternate: Cars

Best Foreign Language Film: Letters From Iwo Jima
Alternate: Pan's Labyrinth/Volver

Best Screenplay: The Queen
Alternate: Babel

Best Original Score: Babel
Alternate: The Painted Veil

Best Original Song: Happy Feet

A coupla changes...

2007-01-14T10:13:00.000+05:30

No need to be alarmed, folks. Just made some changes cause blogger was totally fucking up my template. So until it decides to calm the fuck down, we're gonna look like this.

Holy Shit. I know what I want for Christmas.

2007-01-10T23:12:00.000+05:30

Ladies and Gentlemen, the iPhone. Obviously it won't be compatible here for awhile but, goddamnit, I want it and I want it now.

Read more here.

Hikka: The Top Ten

2007-01-08T11:53:00.000+05:30

I know, I know, I'm late, fuck you. Without further ado, THE TOP TEN MOMENTS IN HIKKA

Yanik tries to act moody on the 1st of January, whilst inside his head, the piss maniacally laughs at him.

Yanik Wets His Bed
Yes, it is true, non-hikkas. In a two-parter for the new year, Yanik's face not only went through metamorphoses BUT in the morning he found himself in some 'damp' circumstances. I don't know who I feel worse for, the eighteen-year old bed wetter or Bianca who slept in the same bed with him. Yanik's stop at childhood didn't end there either, in an effort to clean up, he stashed the sheets and turned the mattress around. Only to find the dark spot and seeped into the other side of the mattress. Nothing says 'Happy New Year' quite like a bed full of piss, don't you think?

09. The Mad Boxer
So good it hurts me a little. This a dance move for the ages and, hopefully, thanks to Manekha, will stretch all the way over the globe to Charlotte's homeland.

Jenga and the Jenga Train
Was there a more perfect way to officially begin the trip than this? Never have I been so stressed out than when I breathlessly moved the pieces whilst being watched by the whole group, and the better part of Subha's entire brood. This was extraordinarily stressful and, yet, more fun than most people could ever ever have. The aftermath of the game, after I'd ruined it all by placing a block far too nonchalantly, where we designed the train track, the phone train that lit up and the traffic light was nothing short of genius. Genius, I say. Also, Asvajit gets special points for ALWAYS forgetting it was his turn during the game, and for coming up with the idea for the track.

The Bad Spelling
I briefly considered writing this paragraph with atrocious spelling but then I rethought it. After all, how could I possibly compare with the wordsmiths of Hikkaduwa. Be it the words in the pictured above, the Maccorni at Rita's, the Pranws, the Boille Chicken, Rice and Curr, the free lobster with chip and salad, or the Cordon Blue. And that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. I'm so glad that the little town of Hikkaduwa opened up its arms to a bunch of spoiled kids who take pleasure in making fun of other people's shortcomings. I truly Am.

Mon presents us with a Lucky Dip, Masks/Thinking Caps and Fring Squakers (and Yanik tries to destroy EVERYTHING)
*Sigh* Few times have I loved my sister more than when she presented us with the lucky dip. Sure, only Asvi, Subha, and I got a chance since her friends had already used it, but I felt that we came out on top. Mon with her Raccumin rat poison, Asvi's plastic trash bags, Subha's bar of soap and my Herbal Seyakkai Dye Powder. That's not even mentioning those BRILLIANT fring squakers that we so liberally used at Rita's, much to Asvajit's chagrin and even inspiring dirty looks from Mr. Rita, himself. Finally, there are those grand masks which were so many things: beautiful, helpful, useful, sexy, the list goes on and on. I haven't even gotten to how you could turn them around and make the thinking caps(!!!). Really, truly brilliant. A sidenote goes to Yanik's rampage to ruin the fring squakers out of jealousy (he was at the beach when this all took place) ripping Mon's one, shoving Annelie's in a bottle and doing several other unspeakable acts to the innocent squakers.

ENDANGERED!!!
Has there ever been a greater catchphrase? I think not. Keira changed the dynamic of the trip dramatically by uttering this single word and we are all better for it. It was also a damn crying shame that nowhere in that town, could you get a nice steak of Siberian Tiger- not one damn restaurant. I was ashamed to call myself a human being. We need to ask Deshan about t-shirts.

The Speakers on New Year's Eve
I'm not the biggest fan of trance and electronica in the world but I've been known to enjoy now and then, but never have I experienced it quite like I did that night. All of us dancing right slam next to those speakers, with every beat seeping into your body until you could not stop moving and everything around you was just blinking lights. This may not be high on the others' list but for me, it was the one thing my mind kept going back to.

My Little Caboose Doesn't Like the Juice in the Cafeteria
This story. Wow. How I lived in a world without these words of wisdom, from the now legendary Pamela Taft-Dick, before is beyond me. Grouped with the context of a school board meeting about budgetary concerns, the fact that caboose can mean one or two things, the story about Phil trashing his guitar and the one about him doing some gardening well into the wee hours of the morning make this line absolutely exceptional. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard.

yeah, fuck you too

Galvanize
So I know I basically covered the music on NYE in number 4 but this deserves its very own spot. I loved 'Galvanize', the Chemical Brothers song from their disappointing last album, the first time I heard it but I quickly grew to hate it's overplayed ass. I hadn't listened to it since early 2005 and when the DJ played the song, I initially refused to go to the dance floor. Forced by the others, I made my way to dance floor and OH MY GAWD. This was amazing. The song pulsated like it has never before and I was hooked. Suddenly we were all moving our limbs, our minds completely oblivious to anything else but that music, that synth, Q-Tip's thin little voice and everything in perfect synch. The moment when Asvi put his hands on our ears and the sound grew stratospherically? Flat-out fucking amazing.

Everyone Being So Damn Funny
OK, I know this is something of a cop-out but I warned you, didn't I? The best moment of the Hikka trip isn't even an actual moment. But it is awesome. Every Single Person on the trip was so fucking hilarious. There was not one weak link, not one person who didn't have a line that cracked every one up. I seriously cannot understand how other groups function. Does everyone have this good a time all the time? Honestly, do they? Because when I'm with the eight of you I cannot stop cracking up, and the reason this finds itself at number one is because more than anything, we made this trip what it was. That's why, for no particular reason, breakfast at Drifter's, on the 31st, always comes back to me. I can't remember any single detail about it but I remember laughing the whole way through. Be it because of a crack that one of us made, the way we spoke for much of the trip (hullo, yes men, nice to get out of the city, no/Your use is of no), Harlot or Mon saying something incredibly silly, Annelie with that damn camera, Bianca's sly musings, Asvi's bizarre jokes, Yanik's high-pitched voices or Keira's complete lack of bearings. I loved it. The whole damn thing, drinks at top secret, the stupid games, the in-jokes, it was all brilliant. So number 1 goes to all of us for being so damn good at having a great time. Love you all, can't wait for the next one.

honourable mentions
These were great moments that didn't make the cut:
the bad service, the nose bubble game, The Birds II, beach access road and the problem with getting mail, , the lechers on new years, practicing the countdown, Subha saying she and I were the life of the party ALL DECEMBER and her use of the word esoteric even when high off her face, Keira slaps the cat, Asvi’s failed movie, Bianca noticing Mon, Subha and myself moving to the music in synch, the completely wrong music at the drunken monkey, Xperiment Intershop and Coffeenet, follow the path, yanik being picturesque, the food comparison that Asvi and Yanik did of all the restaurants, the scramble for glowsticks, the shades that took up far too much of our conversation, the Rs 6000 tab, Mon buys the waving tuk tuk, sea urchins, the genius balcony at Rita’s, the vadday on the train and Asvi's obsession with them, the cards never being there when we wanted them, the new year comes and mon insisting it’s not, the career game (Mon as a midwife/photo-grapher/doctor cum pornstar), Yanik pours beer on Charlotte without even realising, Keira finds $20/Asvi finds money and, of course, Darius goes missing

Hikka: The Megapost

2007-01-06T12:08:00.000+05:30

So here it is, folks. Our few days in Hikkaduwa, glorified beyond belief, and made into a completely ridiculous, irrelevant and pointless list. I know. It is brilliant. A small apology to all those who weren't with us a) for this incredibly self-obsessed and masturbatory post and b) for not being lucky enough to spend the last days of 06 and the first of 07 with us. So without further ado, I present THE TOP 30 MOMENTS IN HIKKA

Keira as Keira Knightley
Keira, our friend who comes down from Boston once every year and insists that he always be just that, is blessed with this perfect name. So what do we do, masters of intellect and wit that we are? We constantly refer to him by his full name, Keira Knightley, of course. Special mention should go to Bianca and my conversation on the beach that went into detail about it was indeed KK, but without the good lighting and makeup, and, of course, the honour we felt in spending time with an Academy Award nominee like her/himself. + points go to Keira's confusion when he first heard somebody refer to him by his "full name".

Asvi Dares Yanik to Lick the Pervert's Hand
This is cheating in some way, since we were on the way home BUT since it is near classic status, I felt it deserved a spot. Who can forget sitting in the train when two guys decided to hang by window and ogle the girls. Subha felt so self consious that she moved to another seat and Asvi and Yanik took her place. It was then, when Asvi told Yanik that if he (Yanik) were to lick the pervert's hand, Yanik would recieve Rs 10, 000. Of course, the price steadily decreased when Yanik seemed like he might actually do it, until it went right down to 900. Needless to say, Yanik did not do it. Hey, at least Charlotte rolled her tongue and winked at them, right?

Arun Never Swims/"CORAL! CORAL!"
I'm forced to mash these two moments up because I wasn't present when the latter took place because of the former. Yeah, i love the water, and, yeah, I can swim, I just never really wanted to on these four days? I know everyone had varying degrees of bewilderment at this but y'know, fuck you. As for the latter, that would be a quote from a rat-haired Asvajit, decked out in shades (at least, that's what I heard) screaming in terror in the ocean. And no, he can't swim.

"I Thing, Therefore I Am"
Have greater words ever been uttered?

Annelie's Make-shift Lamp Shade
Where Annelie shows off her tremendous common sense and suggests using PLASTIC garbage bags to cover a fucking lamp. When that is vetoed she, of course, suggests a piece of cloth.

The Backwards Race (!!)
Most.Awesome.Race.Ever? Walking backwards on the beach is not easy, as any of us can attest. Negative points for Yanik for being a shitty navigator and trying to make us trip up, kudos to everyone else, who soldiered on and actually went the entire way backwards. And, yes, B, I am probably the most ungraceful backwards walker in the world.

Passion Pop at Rotty Stop
Yes, when this moment actually occurred none of us were too pleased, but in retrospect, I feel, it is certainly memorable. Think about it: Not only did we walk to every restaurant south of Top Secret and find them all closed, thus forcing us to eat at Rotty Stop for the THIRD night in a row, but, then we reveled in the irony of drinking champagne at rotty stop, only to then find that it was not, in fact, champagne but some awful passion fruit fizzy wine called, ever-so-cleverly, 'Passion Pop'.

The 'Who Do You Think...' Game
Yes, it quickly turned ugly and it wasn't exactly pleasant, but who the hell said a game where you guess which your friends will break up, divorce and become homeless first is? It started out with me asking Subha a SIMPLE question 'who do you think will be successful?' and then blew up into a game that would encompass much of the night. But look at what we've learned! TWIGGY will fall out of the group first, Bianca's the most successful and the most ruthless, I'm going to be the first one to get married AND be the first to get divorced and Asvi will be homeless before any of us will.

The Guy with His Trunks on Backwards
What a guy! So brave and brazen! This great moment would've only been better if Annelie's suggestion of how to alert this man of his mistake, had actually happened.

Asvajit: (standing next to the MWTOB) OHMYGOD! My pants are on the right way!
Annelie: (standing on the other side of MWTOB) Oh you're right Asvi, they are! That's amazing.

Bianca's MOODYNESS
Bianca's face and demeanor were constantly in a state of depression during the trip. She'd protest, meagerly, with "This is what my face looks like relaxed" or "I'm just thinking", which would, of course, provoke the question, "About what, the holocaust?". I'm happy to say she cleared up and became her normal self again but those were a weird two days. Perhaps it was the hair?

The Guess the Card Game
Kudos goes to Asvajit for conjuring up this game. So deceptively simple, yet almost epic in its execution. The twist that the game never actually ends and any points get carried on is borderline genius. The score now rests at Subha: 1, Yanik: 1, Arun: 1, Everyone Else: 0. Also, the speed round and the noises were, in a word, 'awesome'.

Keira Made to Sit Alone at Dinner
Aaah, good times. I was pleasantly surprised at how ruthlessly we all stuck to the rules of the 'I went to the mosque...' game with ONE NOTABLE EXCEPTION (coughyanikcough). The rule being that the loser would sit at a separate table for the remainder of dinner. So I offer congratulations to Keira, for sticking to the rules, and everyone else for making it happen, EXCEPT THAT ONE PERSON WHO BROKE THE RULES. Hmmm....

Humphrey the Bear and the Free Lion
Proof that Hikka is awesome? Where else but at Funky de Bar would you get a free bear AND a free Lion with every buffet ticket? hmm... My bear's name was going to be Humphrey but, alas, we never actually went and, thus, missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

Yanik' Face on New Year' Eve
This would probably be number 1 on a list of scariest things on the trip. I mean, seriously. Every time he came near me I thought he was going to come close and stab me repeatedly. The icing on the cake is when that face goes up to Annelie and asks her if she's doing ok.

The Toast to Having Wallets
What good times, eh? The alarm for 9:14 PM, the sarcastic remark Annelie made when she thought the alarm was a message, and then the toast to having a wallet. Glorious, if I do say myself. Also, the event that caused this to happen: Annelie losing her wallet 10 minutes into the trip is also worthy of mention.

The HoldingEachOther Dance
Hard to explain? Sure. I don't even remember what song we did this too. Billie Jean? All I remember was that it was awesome. All of us clutching each other, standing in a circle and swaying from side to side? Wow.

Rotty Stop vs Rotty Shop
The antagonism between these two was palpable. Two stores, serving the exact same thing across the street from each other? Who Was Better? Could Anyone Actually Tell the Difference? And who wins the war? Sure, Rotty Stop's rottys are softer and taste (marginally) better but at least the Shop is open for more that 5 hours a fucking day. You know where I stand, what about you?

Charlotte the Harlot
Yes, that's right folks: the girl herself earns a spot on the list. The only person to do so. If only, to encapsulate all the Harlot moments. Be it playing Connect-4 during the New Year's Eve party and thrashing her every opponent (that'd be Yahren) to the curb, MS DOS, the 12 of Spades or, most memorably, talking about her hair and then, out of nowhere and for no reason, slapping herself. The Harlot endeared herself to us as she never had before.

Milroy, the Hippow
Was he a cow? A hippo? I don't know. Was he a friend? Yes, indeed. I often thank my lucky stars that Bianca and I found him buried under the sand and left to die by those cruel hideous 'children' and that Annelie so kindly took him under her wing and that everyone bestowed him with the love and respect he deserved. Everyone say hello to Milroy Waldorf Hippow.

The Non-Laughing Game
Um, wow. Of every game (and there were many) that we played on this trip, no other was quite as brilliant as this. Apart from Charlotte, who for some reason preferred the non-speaking version, I think we all found the speaking version that much harder and that much more fun. Who can forget Asvajit losing over and over again, or how we all tried SO hard to keep a straight face when Annelie was telling Yanik and B that story. Now move along, and stop Gu-ffawing.

that's all for now, folks. I'm making you wait til tomorrow for the final ten + some other tidbits. Why? because I cannot be arsed. okbye.

Year in Music: 2006 - The Videos and the Producers

2007-01-04T10:06:00.000+05:30

Best Video

It wasn't a very good year for the music video. Artist after artist gave us interesting but ultimately uninspiring, and unoriginal works. Everything reaked of "we've seen it before". However, these five videos did, in some way, manage to bring some wit and perspective to their songs while being visually inventive, and one of them, stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Crazy, Gnarls Barkley with Robert Hales (director)

Here It Goes Again, OK Go and Trish Sie (directors)

Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward, Jenny Wilson with Andreas Nilsson & Johannes Nyholm (directors)

Wolf Like Me, TV on the Radio with Jon Watts (director)

Young Folks, Peter Bjorn & John with Graham Samuels (director)

and the winner is: Here it Goes Again, OK Go and Trish Sie

Producer of the Year

Danger Mouse
Pieces of the People We Love, The Rapture (track)
St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley (album)

Olof Dreijer
Silent Shout, The Knife (album)
What Else is There, Röyksopp (track)

Rick Rubin
12 Songs, Neil Diamond (album)
American V: A Hundred Highways, Johnny Cash (album)
Saints Are Coming, U2 and Green Day (track)
Stadium Arcadium, Red Hot Chili Peppers (album)
Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks (album)

David Andrew Sitek
Return to Cookie Mountain, TV on the Radio (album)
Show Your Bones, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (additional production/album)

Timbaland
Beg for It, Omarion (track)
FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake (album)
Get Down, Busta Rhymes (track)
Hey! (A Lil Gratitude), Bubba Sparxxx (track)
Ice Box, Omarion (track)
Let Me Luv U, Chingy (track)
Loose, Nelly Furtado (album)
Right Now, Danity Kane (track)
Wait a Minute, Pussycat Dolls (track)
Want It, Danity Kane (track)

The winner here seems obvious to me. No other producer did quite as much as Timbaland did. Sure, plenty of others were as ubiquitous (hell, if that were enough then Will.i.Am could win the whole damn thing) but no one created a marked sound like T. Mosely did. He not only resurrected Nelly Furtado's flagging career but did so for his own, rescuing him from simply being the best thing in 2003. Timbaland looked into his bag of tricks and pulled out the smoothest, funkiest tracks of the year that had you on the dancefloor all year long.

Tomorrow: Rock categories + the Hikka megapost

If Your Life Was A Movie, What Would the Soundtrack Be?

2006-12-21T19:56:00.000+05:30

It's time to hit the shuffle button again.

Here's how it goes:
1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the 'next' button
6. Don't lie
7. Answers either on your own blogs (link) or in the comments

Here's mine:

Opening Credits: Testify, Common

Waking Up: The Next Big Thing, Vince Gill

First Day at School: When the Sun Goes Down and the World Goes Down, The Magnetic Fields

Falling in Love: Can I Live, Jay-Z

Fight Song, Territorial Pissing, Nirvana (LMAO)

Breaking Up: Fallin’, Alicia Keys

Prom: Waiting, Girls Aloud

Life’s OK: Lips Like Sugar, Echo and the Bunnymen

Mental Breakdown: Tumbling Dice, Rolling Stones

Driving: Home, Dixie Chicks

Flashback: Hours, TV on the Radio

Getting Back Together: Smile Like You Mean It, The Killers

Birth of Child: Take Off Your Cool, Outkast featuring Norah Jones

Wedding: Safe From Harm, Massive Attack

Final Battle: Hide and Seek, Imogen Heap

Death Scene: A Day in the Life, Sean Connery (How fucking perfect is that? Brilliant)

Funeral: Baby Watch Your Back, Nellie McKay

End Credits: Atlantic City, Bruce Springsteen

So join in folks...

(Finally) Theena's Music Q

2006-12-21T11:44:00.000+05:30

1. CD or Vinyl?
Is this really relevant anymore? I can't remember the last time I used the former and I've never had the pleasure of using the latter. Ultimately, I'm not much of a purist so I'll go with CD.

2. An Album You've Been Meaning to Listen To?
Far too many to count. Off the top of my head, Pink by Boris, Get Lonely by The Mountain Goats, Silent Shout by The Knife and Sign O'the Times by Prince

3. Grammys- Important or load of bollocks?
Load of bollocks. The only thing that keeps me coming back to them is that I am an awards addict. Otherwise, I am routinely in awe of just how profoundly bad some of their choices are.

4. Your Favourite Album is?
Tough question. It's probably between Abbey Road by The Beatles, To Bring You My Love by PJ Harvey, Kid A by Radiohead, Nevermind the Bollocks by the Sex Pistols, and Surfer Rosa by the Pixies

scratch that- it's Astral Weeks, Van Morrisson. Perfection.

5. Invite 10 Music People for Dinner. Who are they?
Ok, Lennon, Thom Yorke, PJ Harvey, Prince, Phil Spector, Lou Reed, Bjork, Brian Wilson, Brian Eno, and David Bowie. phew.

6. Appropriate punishment for those who play Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ while pretending that its still 1998?
I'm gonna go with Asvi and say a patronizing pat on the back, but I would couple it with a stare that told them just how pathetic they are.

7. Choose your favourite instrument and its best player in your point of view.
This is a hard one. I don't play an instrument, see, so I don't feel like I could give an educated answer. I guess its between guitar and the voice. If its guitar it's Jonny Greenwood. If its voice, its either Tom Waits or Bjork.

8. One Piece of Music That Can Move You to Tears?
'Adagio for Strings' by Samuel Barber or 'Atlantic City' by Bruce Springsteen

9. You are an executive at a major label and have the power to green light one album a year. What would you do?
Fuck.

I would sit David Sitek and Thom Yorke down and try to get their heads together. Certainly ban any artist that tarnishes the good name of hip-hop (That's you 50 Cent/Black Eyed Peas/Busta Rhymes/Akon/etc.), get Jay-Z to record an entire album with Just Blaze. Get PJ
Harvey to pull out another awesome record. Slap the fuck out of Liz Phair until she realises that this 'pop exercise' is not working and try to get another Guyville out of her. Get Bjork and Timbaland to hurry the fuck up with that new album. AND FINALLY, get Lauryn Hill out of whatever fucking funk she is in and finally record a follow-up to that masterpiece of a debut.

Also, the Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Chiefs, [insert any random rock band that British rock critics have hailed as the 'second coming'], Jamie Foxx and other random boring R&B artists will be banned from making new albums until they can craft anything that is remotely original, doesn't sound like a 1000 other fucking bands and/or fun.

Time Magazine Names Me the Person of the Year

2006-12-19T12:32:00.000+05:30

I knew it was only a matter of time. Sure, I'd almost lost faith after numerous snubs, but they finally came to their senses. Read the full story here.

Thank You, Time Magazine!

Everyone Has to See This Film Right Now

2006-12-18T20:53:00.000+05:30

wow.

2006: Year in Music - R&B

2006-12-17T12:14:00.000+05:30

Best R&B Album
3121, Prince
B'Day, Beyoncé
The Breakthrough, Mary J. Blige
On the Jungle Floor, Van Hunt
Testimony, Vol. 1: Life and Relationships, India.Arie

the winner: B'Day, Beyoncé
This album really surprised me, a tremendous improvement on the scattered, overrated and only sporadically good Dangerously in Love. B'Day pulsates with big beats and one anthemic club track after another. But the moment you realise just how good the album is, is when 'Irreplaceable', one of only two slow tracks on the album, plays and it dawns that even the ballads are awesome.

Best R&B Song
Be Without You, Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan Michael-Cox and Jason Perry (Mary J. Blige) watch
Black Sweat, Prince (Prince) watch
Crazy, Brian Burton, Thomas Callaway, Gianfranco Reverberi and Gianpiero Reverberi (Gnarls Barkley) watch
Déjà Vu, Shawn Carter, Rodney Jerkins, Beyoncé Knowles, Makeba, Keli Nicole Price and Delisha Thomas (Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z) watch
Irreplaceable, A. Bjørklund, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Beyoncé Knowles, E. Lind, and S. Smith (Beyoncé) watch

Best R&B Male Vocal Performance
Being a Girl, Van Hunt
Black Sweat, Prince watch
King of the Game, Cody ChesnuTT watch
Save Room, John Legend watch
So Sick, Ne-Yo watch

Best R&B Female Vocal Performance
Alarm, Namie Amuro watch
Be Without You, Mary J. Blige watch
Beware of the Dog, Jamelia watch
Don't Forget About Us, Mariah Carey watch
Irreplaceable, Beyoncé watch

Best R&B Group or Duo Vocal Performance
Beautiful, Loved and Blessed; Prince and Tamar
Cruise Control, Teena Marie featuring Smokey Robinson
I Found My Everything, Mary J. Blige featuring Rapahel Saadiq
Love Changes, Jamie Foxx featuring Mary J. Blige watch
S.E.X., Lyfe Jennings featuring Lala Brown watch

Best Urban Alternative Music Performance
Bossy, Kelis featuring Too $hort watch
Crazy, Gnarls Barkley watch
Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry About Me), Outkast watch
SupaStar, Floetry featuring Common watch
That Heat, Sergio Mendes featuring Erykah Badu and Will.I.Am watch

Tomorrow: Music videos, songs written for films and producer of the year

I.Can't.Wait.

2006-12-16T02:21:00.001+05:30

Yeah, it looks a little generic, but Amy Heckerling knows how to avoid the pitfalls of mainstream comedy (see Clueless and Fast Times at Ridgemont High)and this is THE RETURN OF LA PFEIFFER after FOUR long, cold years. It reminds me of 'Something's Gotta Give' but even cutesier. Which I'm ok with. After all, we all remember what happened to Diane Keaton for that film, right? What? I can dream, can't I?

2006: Year in Music - Country

2006-12-16T00:42:00.000+05:30

and so it begins...one genre a day. winners in bold.

Best Country Album

American V: A Hundred Highways, Johnny Cash
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Neko Case
Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood
Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker, Willie Nelson

Best Country Song (songwriting category)
8th of November, Big Kenny and John Rich (Big and Rich)
Goodbye to My Mama, Garrison Keillor (Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin)
A Love That Will Never Grow Old, Gustavo Santaolalla and Bernie Taupin (Emmylou Harris)
Not Ready to Make Nice, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robinson and Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks) watch
Travelin' Thru, Dolly Parton (Dolly Parton)

Best Country Male Vocal Performance
Better Life, Keith Urban watch
He Was a Friend of Mine, Willie Nelson watch
Give It Away, Geogre Strait watch
God's Gonna Cut You Down, Johnny Cash watch
Settle for a Slowdown, Dierks Bentley watch

Best Country Female Vocal Performance
Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood watch
Kerosene, Miranda Lambert watch
John Saw That Number, Neko Case
A Love That Will Never Grow Old, Emmylou Harris watch
Travelin' Thru, Dolly Parton watch

Best Country Group or Duo Vocal Performance
8th of November, Big and Rich watch
Boondocks, Little Big Town watch
Leave the Pieces, The Wreckers watch
Not Ready to Make Nice, Dixie Chicks watch
What Hurts the Most, Rascal Flatts watch

Best Country Vocal Collaboration
Jackson, Jaoquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon watch
Love Will Always Win, Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks watch
My Minnesota Home (The Old Folks at Home), Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin watch
The Reason Why, Vince Gill featuring Allison Krauss watch
When I Get Where I'm Going, Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton watch

Tomorrow: R&B

Awards Update

2006-12-15T23:29:00.000+05:30

Helen Mirren is nominated thrice for this year's Golden Globes for The Queen and, for the television films, Prime Suspect 6 and Elizabeth I

Much has happened since my last update, with the big critics groups having announced their winners and the announcement of the Golden Globe nominations last night. Critics group wise, all you need to know is that everyone is split on the Best Picture race: the NY critics went for United 93 (which gives director Paul Greengrass a large push to get the lone director slot), LA critics repeated the Clint love for Letters but gave Greengrass their Best Director award. Scorsese took Best Director in New York. The Boston critics went crazy for The Departed and, surprisingly, gave their Best Supporting Actor award, not to Nicholson but, to co-star Mark Wahlberg (who's looking better and better for an Oscar nom). The Queen also recieved a major boost from the LA critics coming runner-up for Best Picture and winning awards for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Original Score. Speaking of The Queen, Helen Mirren has now won every single Best Actress award bestowed so far. Forest Whitaker's no slouch either, his performance as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland has won all but one prize. That was a minor critics group but the winner also tied with Whitaker for the LA Best Actor prize: Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat, who could turn out to be a major spoiler.

Now that's done, let's move onto the Golden Globe nominees:

Best Picture-Drama
Babel
Bobby
The Departed
Little Children
The Queen

The Departed and The Queen lead the race here with Bobby and Little Children being the major surprises. Could Bobby suddenly gather up steam and overcome tepid reviews. It's doubtful and we should all be thankful for that. Babel also did well gaining the most nominations (7), but it seems like it's more of an HFPA film rather than one the Academy will eventually go for.

Best Picture-Comedy/Musical
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
Thank You For Smoking

Pretty good category. No surprises but it is a strong lineup, nevertheless. Dreamgirls should bag this one easily seeing as it's this year's big Oscar dog but the shocking Best Director snub tells me either Borat or LMS could upset.

Best Director
Clint Eastwood, Flags of Our Fathers
Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Babel
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! FUCK FUCK FUCK on Eastwood double nom. So. Fucking. Unnecessary. Marty will probably win and the Frears nom just adds more steam to The Queen's rather formidable engine.

Best Actor-Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed
Peter O'Toole in Venus
Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland

It's nice to see Leo get double nominations here but it worries me. All this indecision between his two films means that his chances of getting an Oscar nomination are deteriorating. And damnit, HFPA, is it too much to fucking ask for you to nominate Ryan Gosling? assholes. At least, his Oscar hopes aren't too damaged.

Best Actor-Comedy/Musical
Sacha Baron Cohen in Borat
Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Aaron Eckhart in Thank You For Smoking
Chiwitel Ejiofor in Kinky Boots
Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction

Boring category: Depp and Ferrell's noms are dull and unimaginative. Good for Eckhart-he's a brilliant actor. Cohen takes this in a cakewalk.

Best Actress-Drama
Penolope Cruz in Volver
Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal
Maggie Gyllenhaal in Sherrybaby
Helen Mirren in The Queen
Kate Winslet in Little Children

Replace either Gyllenhaal or Winslet with Streep and you've got a good idea of who the final Best Actress lineup will be. This award already has Dame Mirren's name on it (the three nominations she recieved only helps her case). Unless the other Dame can get some last minute traction for, what is supposed to be, the best performance of her career.

Best Actress-Comedy/Musical
Annette Bening in Running with Scissors
Toni Collete in Little Miss Sunshine
Beyonce Knowles in Dreamgirls
Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada
Renee Zellweger in Miss Potter

Golden Globe, meet your new owner, Meryl Streep. This is hers, and deservingly so. Unless, he HFPA give into their usual starfucking and give it to Beyonce, eh. Love that Toni Collete got in but the Breslin snub is puzzling.

Best Supporting Actor
Ben Affleck in Hollywoodland
Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson in The Departed
Brad Pitt in Babel
Mark Wahberg in The Departed

Wierdly star-packed lineup. THRILLED that Wahlberg got in, he stole every fucking scene he was in. The Michael Sheen snub means nothing since Miramax submitted him in lead here and the LAFCA win has pretty much solidified his nom.

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barazza in Babel
Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal
EMILY FUCKING BLUNT IN THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA!!!!!!!!!!
Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi in Babel

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!!!!!!!!!! Cannot believe they actually went for Blunt's wonderful work. Streep wasn't the only one working her ass off and it's good to see Blunt get the recognition after critics pretty much ignored her. The rest of the category is a snorefest and I wouldn't worry about the snub for Catherine O'Hara for For Your Consideration. After all both Amy Adams and Catherine Keener were ignored here last year and O'Hara's pretty much in the same position.

Screenplay
Babel
The Departed
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal
The Queen

Again, the Little Children love is surprising. All in all, this is a good category.

Best Foreign Language Film
Apocalypto
Letters From Iwo Jima
The Lives of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Volver

The fact that Gibson and Eastwood were allowed to pass of their films in this category simply because their in a dead and foreign language, respectively, is utter bullshit. Letters will win unless the HFPA is feeling adventurous. Volver is divine and the other two films are said to be two of the best, if not the best, films of the year.

That's all for now, folks. Music year-end picks comes tomorrow.

Grammy Nominations

2006-12-08T18:27:00.000+05:30

So the Grammy noms came out last night and...they weren't that bad? Yes, the Bob Dylan snub is unwarranted and the love for John Mayer, James Blunt and Stadium Arcadium is gross but I expected that, and the noms for the Dixie Chicks, Imogen Heap and Justin kinda make up for it? It's almost boring...

The noms in the big 4 categories are so:

Album of the Year
Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley
Continuum, John Mayer
Stadium Arcadium, Red Hot Chili Peppers
FutureSex/LoveSounds, Justin Timberlake

The biggest shock here is that the supposed mortal-lock, Bob Dylan, didn't make it for Modern Times-the best reviewed album of the year. The Mary J. Blige snub is also odd, considering her great year, the album's huge success and the love she got in other categories. I cannot begin to express my happiness that FutureSex/LoveSounds made it into the lineup. As I've said before, the album is an absolute must-have. THRILLED that the Dixie Chicks received representation, not just here (where it was expected), but in all 3 of the major categories. The Chili Peppers gain their first grammy nomination in one of the major categories and, in true Grammy style, its for a boring and bloated album that no one should care about and pales in comparison to their previous LPs. The St. Elsewhere nom is nice but dull and VOMIT on the John Mayer nom. Anyways, its between him and the Chicks to grab the gold.

Record of the Year
Be Without You, Mary J. Blige
You're Beautiful, James Blunt
Not Ready to Make Nice, Dixie Chicks
Crazy, Gnarls Barkley
Put Your Records On, Corrine Bailey Rae

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....A strangely chart-free line-up. Its like they went out of their way to ignore the major hits of the year: Hips Don't Lie, Sexyback, Promiscuous, etc. 'Crazy' deserves to win this, hands down: It stands head and shoulders above the rest. The Dixie Chicks' nomination is nice to see, especially considering the way it had trouble charting because of country radio's refusal to give it airplay. The James Blunt nomination is completely predictable and disgusting. That man needs to die. I'm 'ok' with the other two- nice songs, but nothing much else, certainly not among the best of the year. Winner? They always go safe here so it's between Rae and Blunt, I guess.

Song of the Year (the songwriting award)
Be Without You, Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jason Perry (Mary J. Blige)
Jesus, Take the Wheel; Brett James, Hillary Lindsey & Gordie Sampson (Carrie Underwood)
Not Ready to Make Nice, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison & Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks)
Put Your Records On, John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou & Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae)
You're Beautiful, James Blunt, Amanda Ghost & Sacha Skarbek (James Blunt)

'Not Ready to Make Nice' is the only one that really deserves to be here and even it is a little obvious. American Idol Carrie Underwood had a great single in 'Before He Cheats' but 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' is laughable dreck, so of course it gets nominated. Rae's song is tepid and uninspiring, while Blunt's ubiquitous hit is just asinine. Alright it wasn't a great year for songwriting but if you can honour 'Crazy' in Record of the Year, why not recognize that its the best written song of the year, by far? I couldn't give a fuck who wins (unless its the Dixie Chicks, of course).

Best New Artist
James Blunt
Chris Brown
Imogen Heap
Corrine Bailey Rae
Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood becomes the first Idol to be nominated in one of the majors, I expect she'll join Kelly and become the only two to win (but not here, her success will come in the genre categories). FUCK YEAH!! on Imogen Heap's nomination. I don't even care that she's actually been around since 1998, I'm way too happy about this out-of-the-blue nomination. The rest is crap.

Some "highlights" from the rest of the nominations:

Sexyback in Dance Recording is unexpected but nice. Also great to see Justin honoured in 4 categories and the Dixie Chicks in 5.
Good to see Madonna nominated. Also glad her Dance Recording nom is for the underrated 'Get Together' rather than 'Sorry' or 'Jump'. The snub for 'Hung Up' in Pop Female is odd though.
NO TIMBALAND FOR PRODUCER OF THE YEAR!?!? Bullshit.
WTF? Only one nom for Nelly Furtado?
'Not Ready to Make Nice' makes the lineup for Song of the Year but not Best Country Song? Also, Corrine Bailey Rae is nominated in 3 major categories but they couldn't fit her in the pop categories where she was submitted?
Pink is nominated? WHY!!!!!!!!! That idiotic 'Stupid Girls' video coupled with the completely hypocritical video to 'U and Ur Hand' should be enough to banish her forever. On the other hand, nice to see Natasha Bedingfield get her first nom.
Can we go through one year without noms for Sheryl Crow and Paul McCartney?
Daniel Powter should die.
LMAO about the Pussycat Dolls being Grammy nominees! For 'Stickwitchu' as well!
The rock nominees are, as always, laughable. Coldplay? The Fray? U2 and Green Day? 'Dani California'? 'Chasing Cars'? VOMIT. At least the Raconteurs and Wolfmother get much deserved attention. Still, it isn't enough.
Yay for Thom Yorke and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but the Alternative Music Album category is in serious need of a shakeup. Arctic Monkeys? Don't be fucking silly.
Can't believe I'm saying this but Beyonce didn't get nearly enough love. B'Day is a solid album and miles better than it's overrated predecessor.
Lionel Ritchie? You've gotta be fucking kidding me
Happy to see Prince copiously mentioned in the R&B categories and thrilled to see Mary J. Blige and Raphael Saadiq's 'I Found My Everything' get nominated.
Glad to see noms for the criminally underrated Lupe Fiasco and, also for, T.I. and Chamillionaire.
Eminem getting two nominations is just plain silly
They had better right Oscar's wrong and give Dolly a Grammy for the wonderful 'Travelin' Thru' which, btw, is miles better than 'It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp'. Even Chuck D thought so.
YES!! YES!! YES!! on OK Go's Best Video nomination for the brilliant 'Here It Goes Again'. My absolute favourite nomination.

The full list can be found here.

and the Awards Season Begins...

2006-12-08T11:01:00.000+05:30

The National Board of Review kicked off awards season as always by announcing there winners on Wednesday. The NBR is a 'critics' group of 'elite' movie-watchers who usually give their awards to whichever studio buttered them up the most, so the winners need to be taken with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, they have an impact on the race and officially start award season. The winners are:

Best Film: Letters From Iwo Jima (Warner Bros.)
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed (Warner Bros.)
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland (Fox)
Best Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen (Miramax)
Best Supporting Actor: Dijmon Honsou, Blood Diamond (Warner Bros.)
Best Supporting Actress: Catherine O'Hara, For Your Consideration (Warner Independent)
Best Foreign Film: Volver (Sony Pictures Classics)
Best Documentary: An Inconvenient Truth (Paramount Classics)
Best Animated Feature: Cars (Buena Vista Pictures)
Best Ensemble Cast: The Departed (Warner Bros.)
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson (ThinkFilm) (!!!) Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: (2) Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls (Dreamworks) and Rinko Kikuchi, Babel (Paramount Vantage)
Best Directorial Debut: Jason Reitman, Thank You for Smoking (Fox Searchlight)
Best Original Screenplay: Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction (Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Best Adapted Screenplay: Ron Nyswaner, The Painted Veil (Warner Independent)

The top 10 from the National Board of Review:

"Letters From Iwo Jima" (Warner Bros.)

"Babel" (Paramount Vantage)

"Blood Diamond" (Warner Bros.)

"The Departed" (Warner Bros.)

"The Devil Wears Prada" (20th Century Fox)

"Flags Of Our Fathers" (Warner Bros.)

"The History Boys" (Fox Searchlight)

"Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight)

"Notes on a Scandal" (Fox Searchlight)

"The Painted Veil" (Warner Independent)

The results pretty much launches 'Letters' position as big Oscar contender and makes Warner's last minute decision to pull it into a 2006 release a very smart one. 'Letters' is, of course, the second part of Eastwood's ambitious WWII project, the first being 'Flags of Our Fathers', which flopped at the box office, prompting the studio to quickly pull the even more ambitious 'Letters', which tells the Japanese side of the battle of Iwo Jima and is entirely in Japanese, into a one week qualifying run this year. I can't say I'm thrilled that this incessant Eastwood worship does not seem to have stopped. Just when it seemed like Scorsese was finally the frontrunner to win (and for a great film), Eastwood comes chomping back for his third serving. Scorsese's win is promising and is, perhaps, a hint of how the year may turn out: with yet another Best Pic/Director split.

Whitaker's win also brings him as formidable force in the race. The actor needs all the awards he can get, if he wants to regain any of the buzz he had two months ago. Mirren's win was a foregone conclusion and simply assures everyone that she'll be holding that Oscar come February. The supporting winners are the big surprises here but they possibly won't make too much of an impact in the race as NBR is never really on the same track as Oscar when it comes to these two categories. Still, it's nice to see O'Hara mentioned and can only help her towards Oscar.

As for the rest, 'Dreamgirls' manages one meager win for former-American Idol Jennifer Hudson bringing her one step closer to that inevitable Oscar. Rinko Kikuchi gets some nice ink and Ryan fucking Gosling (!!) gets recognized for his superlative work in 'Half Nelson'. 'The Painted Veil' mention is a surprise but seems to hint at what I've suspected for a while, this may become a big Oscar player. The biggest impression the awards have made is in leaving out gung-ho frontrunners 'Dreamgirls' and 'The Queen' out of their top-ten, neither is brutally hurt by this but both will need major support from other bodies to back up their 'lock' status in the Best Picture lineup. What's even odder is that both films have been passed over for lack-luster efforts like 'The Devil Wears Prada', 'The History Boys' and 'Flags of Our Fathers'. But if you look at the studios, you'll notice that most every award is divided between Fox and Warner and their independent divisions... so, again, a grain of salt.

Post on the Grammy nominations later today...

do you know these odd bods?

2006-11-29T14:20:00.001+05:30

Helen and Kieron show us how its done

One of the Greatest Filmmakers Ever Died Today

2006-11-22T04:10:00.000+05:30

I'm in shock right now...Robert Altman passed away today. We have lost one of the greatest talents in cinema today. It breaks my heart thinking about his speech, when accepting a Lifetime Achievement Oscar earlier this year, where he spoke about his new heart and new lease on life. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Prairie Home Companion without crying my eyes out. This man is a legend.

Do yourself a favour and go out and buy an Altman film. Nashville, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Short Cuts, Gosford Park, The Player, M*A*S*H*, 3 Women and The Company are all masterpieces. Glad that he went out on a high note with this year's remarkable Prairie Home Companion.

R.I.P.

Movie Questionnaire

2006-11-20T12:15:00.000+05:30

Nathaniel over at the Film Experience is passing these round. Thought I'd join in...

1. Popcorn or candy?
Popcorn. Always.

2. Name a movie you've been meaning to see forever
There's tonnes of these, but right now-sitting on my shelf is Scenes from a Marriage staring right back at me.

3. You are given the power to recall one Oscar: Who loses theirs and to whom? So so many...I'm going about this by process of elimination. First, elimanate those too recent: so bye bye to last year's debacle. Secondly, ignore those horrific snubs that are well known: Citizen Kane doesn't really need that Oscar, does it? The film itself is legend enough. Thus, I'm landing on my favourite obession: La Pfeiffer. Get that bitch Jessica Tandy's family to give back her Oscar for Driving Miss Daisy and give it to the rightful owner. You know that she deserved it for The Fabulous Baker Boys in 1989. Also, i'm cheating here, but make Robert Redford and Kevin Costner give their Best Director trophies to the God that is Martin Scorsese.

4. Steal one costume from a movie for your wadrobe. Which will it be? Err...not too much of a costume guy, so...I'll go with that yellow t-shirt with the bull on it from Elephant. So cool.

5. Your favorite film franchise is...
Not really a "franchise" per say but Before Sunrise and Before Sunset are near and dear to me. If not then the Burton Batman films or LOTR will do.

6. Invite five movie people over for dinner. Who are they? Why'd you invite them? What do you feed them?
Ok...first things first: I'm only inviting people who are alive (simply to narrow things down). We've got Martin Scorsese, because he's a genius, approachable and would make great conversation; Jack Nicholson, so that his coolness will rub off; Meryl Streep because she's super-smart and a riot; Naomi Watts so that I could pry her with liquor and convince her to leave Liev Schreiber for me and Paul Thomas Anderson, because he is just too damn cool and I'd expect we'd get along. I would serve them a cuisine of french toast, pasta with pesto and mash potato because that's all I can make and truckloads of liquor and coke to get the party started.

7. What is the appropriate punishment for people who answer cell phones in the movie theater?
Death. Slow and painful. Perhaps having their hands and feet tied to four wild horses who are then made to run in four different directions so that the person can slowly be ripped apart. Yes?

8. Choose a female bodyguard: Ripley from Aliens. Mystique from X-Men. Sarah Connor from Terminator 2. The Bride from Kill Bill. Mace from Strange Days
All the ladies are great but the Bride is the bitch you wanna have by your side-that woman can rip anything apart. Always and Forever.

9. What's the scariest thing you've ever seen in a movie?
This is actually pretty hard- for the life of me, I cannot think of anything substantial. So when in doubt I revert to my childhood and remember that the last scene in the godawful I Still Know What You Did Last Summer where Jennifer Love Hewitt gets pulled under her bed scared the fuck out of me.

10. Your favorite genre (excluding comedy and drama) is?
Does family domestic dramas/comedies count? I suppose it's a sub-genre. More than any other genre of film, I always get excited about these. No matter how many times I've been burned (I'm looking at you Little Children!), I just keep coming back.

11. You are given the power to greenlight movies at a major studio for one year. How do you wield this power?
First of all, I disallow Paul Haggis from ever working again. Then I greenlight any and all pictures helmed by Martin Scorsese, Wong Kar-Wai, Wes Anderson, Todd Haynes, Paul Thomas Anderson, Hou Hsiao-hsien and David Cronenberg among others. Try to speed up Wong in the filmmaking process and insist that Julianne Moore and Michelle Pfeiffer get first choice in the casting of every.single.film. Yeah, that's about it.

12. Bonnie or Clyde?
Bonnie

13. Who are you tagging to answer this survey?
Alright Suba, Asvajit, Yanik, Naz and Indi: you're it.

Best Lead Actress of Every Year: 2005 - 1927

2006-11-19T14:03:00.000+05:30

05: Joan Allen, The Upside of Anger

04: Julie Delpy, Before Sunset

03: Uma Thurman, Kill Bill, Volume 1

02: Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven

01: Naomi Watts, Mulholland Drive

00: Björk, Dancer in the Dark

99: Kate Winslet, Holy Smoke!

98: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth

97: Pam Grier, Jackie Brown

96: Frances McDormand, Fargo

95: Elisabeth Shue, Leaving Las Vegas

94: Isabelle Adjani, Queen Margot

93: Holly Hunter, The Piano

92: Michelle Pfeiffer, Batman Returns

91: TIE: Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, Thelma & Louise

90: Anjelica Huston, The Grifters

89: Michelle Pfeiffer, The Fabulous Baker Boys

88: Carmen Maura, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

87: Glenn Close, Fatal Attraction

86: Sandrine Bonnaire, Vagabond

85: Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple

84: Kathleen Turner, Crimes of Passion/Romancing the Stone

83: Meryl Streep, Silkwood

82: Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice

81: Susan Sarandon, Atlantic City

80: Sissy Spacek, Coal Miner’s Daughter

79: Sally Field, Norma Rae

78: Ingrid Bergman, Autumn Sonata

77: Diane Keaton, Annie Hall

76: Faye Dunaway, Network

75: Louise Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

74: Gena Rowlands, A Woman Under the Influence

73: Liv Ullman, Cries and Whispers

72: Cicely Tyson, Sounder

71: Julie Christie, McCabe & Mrs. Miller

70: Glenda Jackson, Women in Love

69: Jane Fonda, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

68: Catherine Denueve, Belle de Jour

67: (tie) Bibi Andersson/Liv Ullman, Persona

66: Elizabeth Taylor, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

65: Anna Karina, Pierrot le Fou

64: Anne Bancroft, The Pumpkin Eater

63: Shirley MacLaine, Irma la Douce

62: Jeanne Moreau, Jules and Jim

61: Sophia Loren, Two Women

60: Emmanuelle Riva, Hiroshima Mon Amour

59: Marilyn Monroe, Some Like it Hot

58: Elizabeth Taylor, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

57: Giulietta Masina, Nights of Cabiria

56: Maria Schell, White Nights

55: Grace Kelly, To Catch a Thief

54: Dorothy Dandridge, Carmen Jones

53: Audrey Hepburn, Roman Holiday

52: Jennifer Jones, Ruby Gentry

51: Vivien Leigh, A Streetcar Named Desire

50: Bette Davis, All About Eve

49: Katharine Hepburn, Adam’s Rib

48: Rita Hayworth, The Lady From Shanghai

47: Deborah Kerr, Black Narcissus

46: Ingrid Bergman, Notorious

45: Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce

44: Barbara Stanwyck, Double Indemnity

43: Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver

42: Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca

41: Bette Davis, The Little Foxes

40: Joan Fontaine, Rebecca

39: Vivien Leigh, Gone With the Wind

38: Katharine Hepburn, Bringing Up Baby

37: Greta Garbo, Camille

36: Louise Rainer, The Good Earth

35: Ginger Rogers, Top Hat

34: Claudette Colbert, It Happened One Night

33: Mae West, She Done Him Wrong

32: Marlene Dietrich, Shanghai Express

31: Norma Shearer, A Free Soul

30: Marie Dressler, Min and Bill

29: Luise Brooks, Pandora’s Box

28: Renee Maria Falconetti, The Passion of Joan of Arc

27: Janet Gaynor, Sunrise

Best Picture of Every Year: 2005 - 1927

2006-11-18T03:14:00.000+05:30

05: Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee)

04: Before Sunset (Richard Linklater)

03: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson)

02: Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes)

01: In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai)

00: Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier)

99: All About My Mother (Pedro Almodóvar)

98: Festen (Thomas Vintenberg)

97: Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami)

96: Fargo (The Coen Brothers)

95: Dead Man Walking (Tim Robbins)

94: Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino)

93: The Piano (Jane Campion)

92: Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood)

91: Thelma & Louise (Ridley Scott)

90: GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese)

89: Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)

88: Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders)

87: Broadcast News (James L. Brooks)

86: Blue Velvet (David Lynch)

85: Ran (Akira Kurosawa)

84: Amadeus (Milos Forman)

83: Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman)

82: Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)

81: Body Heat (Lawrence Kasdan)

80: Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese)

79: Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)/Manhattan (Woody Allen)

78: Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick)

77: Annie Hall (Woody Allen)

76: Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese)

75: Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet)

74: Chinatown (Roman Polanski)

73: Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky)

72: The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)

71: A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)

70: M*A*S*H (Robert Altman)

69: Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone)

68: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)

67: Persona (Ingmar Bergman)

66: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols)

65: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Jacques Demy)

64: Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick)

63: 8½ (Federico Fellini)

62: Jules and Jim (Francois Truffaut)

61: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Blake Edwards)

60: Breathless (Jean-Luc Goddard)

59: Some Like it Hot (Billy Wilder)

58: Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock)

57: Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman)

56: The Searchers (John Ford)

55: The Night of the Hunter (Charles Laughton)

54: The Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa)

53: From Here to Eternity (Fred Zinnemann)

52: Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen/Gene Kelly)

51: A Streetcar Named Desire (Elia Kazan)

50: Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder)

49: The Third Man (Carol Reed)

48: The Bicycle Thief (Vittorio De Sica)

47: Beauty and the Beast (Jean Cocteau)

46: Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock)

45: Les Enfants Du Paradis (Marcel Carné)

44: Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder)

43: Heaven Can Wait (Ernst Lubitsch)

42: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)

41: Citizen Kane (Orson Welles)

40: Fantasia (James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe, Norm Ferguson, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts and Paul Satterfield)

39: The Rules of the Game (Jean Renoir)

38: Bringing Up Baby (Howard Hawks)

37: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Walt Disney and David Hand)

36: Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin)

35: The Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale)

34: It Happened One Night (Frank Capra)

33: King Kong (Merian Cooper and Ernest B Schoedsack)

32: Vampyr (Carl Theodor Dreyer)

31: City Lights (Charlie Chaplin)

30: Under the Rooftops of Paris (Rene Clair)

29: The Man with the Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov)

28: The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer)

27: Metropolis (Fritz Lang)

2006-11-16T08:28:00.000+05:30

Oh.My.Fuck.

Sorry...

2006-11-07T19:03:00.000+05:30

I've been ignoring the blog for a couple of days and I AM sorry. Had a Halloween party on Friday where I dressed up as a hunchback with a hook (I know-awesome) where by around 2 o'clock in the morning I found myself scaling the fence at a children's park. Also went to a Metronomy concert on halloween at Goldsmiths and had an awesome night.

Also went to see Borat with Kieron and Chloe the day before and nearly pissed myself laughing.

Can't believe I'm coming home on Thursday- I've been here for 5 WEEKS!! I'll see you all n Friday..

Love

Arun

Madonna, Tom, Cyndi and Michael

2006-10-23T06:55:00.000+05:30

Just got back from 80s themed partay...

l-r: helen, tom, mon and arun

having an awesome time/ma gets here tuesday morning/hope flake did awesome at onstage

Un/Lucky - Friday the 13th

2006-10-20T15:25:00.000+05:30

mon and ralph (the boyfriend)

arun and lucy

the dragon

sam, mon, riffa and tom

simon, ralph, mon and fred

chloe and arun

drunken tash

nina's "arse"

drunken arun

the pink flamingo

hey bitchez

2006-10-15T22:01:00.000+05:30

at greenwich market; l-r: kieron, arun and lucy

Hey guys...

chilling out here in Chloe's room cos my internet is currently fucked. Am very sorry that the posts aren't coming like they should be but I thought I'd bring everyone up to speed...Also, I'd like to apologise in advance for the staccato nature of the post but I'm having trouble putting my thoughts together with a tremendous hangover weighing me down.

Films seen so far:
The Departed
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen
Volver

thoughts on all of them will follow after I've spoken to my editors at LT on which they want for the magazine, etc.

Am coming off a very big hangover after the housewarming party here on Friday. The house was one big haze of smoke, booze and very excellent company. Seriously have not hung out with so many like minded people ever in my life. Everyone is just so cool (what can you expect? They're all art students)- met so many great people on Friday: everybody was so great to talk to.

Also should give you a lowdown on the housemates: Mon lives with Tom, Chloe, Lucy and Helen. The other half of her group live in a house closeby: Kieron, Ralph, Jon and Fred.
A far more detailed post about ALL the friends is in store.

I'm cutting down on my smoking some since I can't smoke in the house and Tash is determined to make me cut my intake in half by the end of the trip.

Missing all you guys and wishing, as I always do, that you all could be here. Will hopefully meet up with Westy and family next weekend.

Mostly been spending my trip lounging around, going out to parties and bars, and at the movies. Having a great chilled out time and very excited abt the Film Festival that kicks off on Wednesday(!).

Tried some new things that I can't divulge on the blog but that I'll share with the group when I get back.

Having an awesome time and i'll see you all in a couple of weeks...

london baby

2006-10-05T20:32:00.000+05:30

hey folks...

Writing from an internet cafe near Mon's since she doesn't have a connection yet. Did manage to steal a couple of minutes of surfing earlier by enjoying somebody else's Wi-fi that just popped up on the laptop. As E said 'illegal is best'...

Not much to say-got in at 6:15 and then took the train to Paddington. Then took the train with Mon and Ralphie to the house and capped the night off by going to Goldsmiths, the student bar. Alright night (great music-especially compared to the clubs back home) but I did not get anywhere near as drunk as I wanted (i.e. needed) to truly make an arse (that's right arse, I'm in England now) of myself. Will give lowdown of friends later.

The Departed opens tomorrow!!!

sorry...reviews start tomorrow and the wheels slowly start to move

Expect Asvajit to get off his arse and do his job as guest blogger sometime soon

Do you know how this beat is made in fucking London?

2006-10-03T08:52:00.000+05:30

Couple of changes coming to the blog since I'll be leaving for London in the early hours of tomorrow. Firstly, London blogging- I'll be keeping you updated on my trip and (if I can score tickets today) keeping you updated on the films at the London Film Festival. This means capsule reviews on most every big film this year, so expect word on The Departed, Little Children, Bobby, Venus, The Queen, Little Miss Sunshine, Still Life, For Your Consideration and Half Nelson, among others (and hopefully Breaking and Entering and The Last King of Scotland).

Also for those of you who know me, will do update (hopefully with pics) of Stewart, Rachel and baby Ella and also The Dwarf of Edingburough.

Secondly, two guest bloggers will be making the rounds here: Asvajit and one to-be-determined will be keeping you warm when I'm not around.

So I'll be trying to keep it busy on this blog for the next month...next update will come from Mon's house in New Cross Gate

We three kings be stealin' the gold...

2006-09-23T18:35:00.000+05:30

Tell Me Which Way You Like That

2006-09-13T22:28:00.000+05:30

Over the past few weeks I've been going around, risking any reputation of good taste I have/had, telling anyone who'd listen that the best album of the year thus far is none other than everyone's favourite N'Sync-er Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds. That's right- I said it. Now before you scoff and hit the back button, take a moment and open yourself up to the idea that just maybe this is indeed possible.

FutureSex/LoveSounds is an album that requires at the very least 2 listens. The first time, you will undoubtedly be turned off by the album's lack of warmth and the lack of traditional song structure. On the second listen, everything comes together and suddenly all of the beats make sense, you can't help but move and you realise you're enjoying yourself. On the 3rd try- you begin to notice Timbaland's rich and textured production (his best in years) and that Timberlake has finally grown into his persona of a playa and it actually feels natural. Unlike in his last B grade album, Justified, where the persona came off as forced and awkward at best, here the pop star comes into his own, as if he himself is finally convinced and therefore you should be two.

1. FutureSex/LoveSound 4:02 A +
The title track on the album is perhaps it's shining moment: It grooves along to a bassline that dictates to the rest of the song as Timberlake whispers along into your ears. It all blows along on that groove until the chorus where Timbaland changes it up ever so slightly while Justin sings that "She's coughed up for me/I've got her in my zone/Her body's whistled for me/I think she's ready to blow". The short blast of change quickly retreats to a hook that is to die for as Timberlake (with his vocals multitracked) as he coos "Tell me which way you like that" and it all comes together. The whole song is compact, the shortest on the album, giving you just enough and leaving you wanting more. It's quite possibly perfect and by the end, you've completely zoned out just moving your body and whispering that line over and over again.

2. SexyBack 4:02 A-
The title track suddenly stops to give way to the that noise and you know exactly what you're listening to. The song has divided both the public and critical community, mostly because it is rather unapologetic in it's lack of traditional melody. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who enjoyed it on first listen but in the 2 months it's been out its grown on me (and most everyone seeing as its number 1) and now the 'chorus' where Justin and co repeat the call and answer bit with Timbaland chanting "Go ahead be gone with it" over drums and synths slowly builds into a crescendo going higher and higher and then leaving you hanging. Sure, the lyrics are terrible but who the fuck listens to Justin Timberlake for the lyrics?

3. Sexy Ladies/Let Me Talk to You Prelude 5:32 B/B-
'Sexy Ladies' is possibly the least distinguished track on the album, content to be an average club song resting on a minimal slap bass and synth. That said, it is perfect to dance to and works in the capacity of a simple club track. The song gives way into the staple of the album- the interludes that play between songs. I usually hate interludes- they seem like unnecessary filler material, but on this album some of the best moments come from these interludes and also help to make the transition from one track to next smooth. The 'Let Me Talk to You Prelude' is crazy- a batshit insane cowbell and where Timbo and Timberlake spar on with abandon and flows perfectly into...

4. My Love (featuring T.I.) 4:36 A+
Timberlake is full falsetto mode with his voice in his highest register and Timberland employing a human beat-box for percussion. By the chorus where your ears are dripping in sound and the whole thing has turned symphonic. 'My Love' is like honey dripping out of your ears. The other great thing about the track is T.I. who manages to come in at the bridge and fall perfectly in line with all the other elements of the track- unlike most rap/sung collaborations where the two elements are at odds and take attention to themselves, T.I.'s rhymes are fucking melodic easily settling in with the rest of the song. Exquisite.

5. LoveStoned/I Think She Knows (Interlude) 7:24 A/A++
Words can't really express how LoveStoned works so well but Tom Breihan comes pretty close in The Village Voice of explaining just how the song snakes onto you: ""Love Stoned" starts out on some Medulla shit, with Timbaland building the track almost completely out of layered vocal noises: wicky-wicky cartoon-scratches, a hummed bassline, rhythmic breaths, all converted into a totally convincing club track. Then, on the chorus, a great Quincy Jones string flourish comes in and makes everything feel lighter than air while an awestruck Timberlake sings about clubbing as something like a religious experience: "Those flashing lights come from everywhere / The way they hit, I have to stop and stare." And everything keeps mutating and evolving; the Nile Rogers guitar-scratches and Latin-funk congas don't even hit until around the three-minute mark." That's right.

Then comes the interlude- where the thumping club track suddenly transforms into the most elegiac moment on the album. A guitar strums solemnly as Timberlake repeats the line from 'LoveStoned' but this time with an aching vulnerability. By the time he singing "I think that she knows" you are hopelessly hooked. The song is fucking ethereal. Timbaland and, especially, Timberlake work to create this gorgeous moment out of nowhere and by 6:32 where the strings go on and Timberlake simply hums over them, you are totally swept away.

6. What Goes Around...Comes Around (Interlude) 7:28 A+
This album's 'Cry Me a River', Timbaland employs a trick he knows well: the vaguely eastern synth. But instead of using it to for a club track- he uses it for this song where JT admonishes a cheating lover. The song comes off as average until the chorus kicks in and the Timberlake's voice on an overdrive of multitracking sweep you up creating something entirely unique: A slow number on an R&B record that actually stands up to (and in some cases, above) the fast tracks. The song flows seamlessly into the interlude where it the situation has worked itself around and now the cheating girl is being cheated on herself and the song aptly moves the tempo up a notch and Timbaland takes over the chorus over an ominous choir and Timberlake's taunts. In this case the song and interlude are clearly one and work together to create a brilliant, verging on epic, moment on the album.

7. Chop Me Up (featuring Three Six Mafia and Timbaland) 5:04 B
...And we're back in the club. Here Justin's joined by everyone's (or at least Paris Hilton's) favourite Oscar winners. The chorus with Timbaland ending each line up with his voice slowed down is all kinds of awesome and it actually namedrops Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives -which, you know, is something. The song works best when it's grimiest and dirtiest- a mode that Three 6 Mafia often work well in. It takes a little while to settle into itself but when it does it can trump most anything on the radio.

8. Damn Girl (featuring Will.I.Am) 5:12 B +
One of the few tracks on the album not produced by Timbaland, here Will.I.Am takes the reigns and the change is obvious. Gone is the tight, dark and sexy production, instead replaced with a more buoyant and colourful sound. The song works thanks to the space Will.I.Am gives to the production and the hook does make you want to sing along. Of course Will has to fuck it up by doing a guest verse which almost takes down the whole thing-luckily its a short one. Anyone else feel the similarity to 'Touch the Sky' by Kanye West?

9. Summer Love/Set the Mood Prelude 6: 24 C/C+
Summer Love is one of the of the few filler tracks on the album. At best, it can get you moving and is catchy. At worst, its uninspired and a little insipid. The handclaps and synths work well on the verse, as does the chorus, but again none of this is particularly new or interesting resulting in a rather dull track. 'Set the Mood' is a good track and does its job in setting us up for the shift in mood for the remainder of the album- not much else.

10. Until the End of Time (featuring the Benjamin Wright Orchestra) 5:22 C+
It has to say something for an album, when I don't want to shoot myself the moment everything gets gooey and romantic. 'Until the End of Time' doesn't tread new territory but it is completely inoffensive. The hook works well and Timbaland's production is languid and calming. The call and response at the bridge also helps to undercut the somber tone and by the song where three or four Justin's sing one last line, it's actually managed to sneak under your skin.

11. Losing My Way 5:22 A-
This song is quite possibly the testament to the album's success. Here Justin does what every pop star has done at one time or another- the song where the heart bleeds for those less fortunate. You know it- its the 'Another Day in Paradise' or 'Heal the World' of the album and somehow--somehow it doesn't make you want to vomit all over everything you own. The lyrics are heinous ("Hi my name is Bob/And I work at my job/I make 40 dollars a day" "Now I got a problem with that little white rock/See I can't put down the pipe") but Timberlake manages to sell it in his delivery. He's hopelessly earnest and the song never comes across as crass. Timbaland is the song's real hero, for he is the genius that decided to take this track and play it over a loop of him humming, drums and strings. Creating possibly the most sexy 'save the world' track ever. Towards the end of the song the choir jumps in and starts singing the chorus- which should be the point where you go to the bathroom and lean over the toilet. But Timbaland's got you hooked and by the time the choir kicks in, you're singing along like a fucking idiot...and enjoying it all the while.

12. (Another Song) All Over Again 5:49 C
Not too sure about this but I believe this is produced by Rick Rubin. The minimalist production is nice and the song itself is pleasant but it's a whimper of an end for a firecracker of an album.

Overall, the album is far from perfect and, indeed its position on my list has quite a bit to do with a rather disappointing year for long players, but it is certainly worthy of high praise. Timberlake is an ambitious artist and while FutureSex/LoveSounds doesn't reach its full potential, it gets pretty damn close and is proof that he has much more to offer as an artist. Also mark one more down for the Timbo comeback.

Little Children

2006-09-01T03:47:00.000+05:30

wow...I can't fucking wait

Watch the trailer here

Emmywatch Part II

2006-08-28T22:17:00.000+05:30

So I didn't do too well on my predictions scoring 3/10 and also picking Mullally as the dark horse, but then again no one really did well. That aside, the night was pretty mixed up- I LOVE the wins for 24, The Office, Keifer Sutherland (finally!), Jeremy Piven and My Name is Earl but the rest is a mixed bag. I'm alright with Julia Louis-Dreyfus' win because she's one of my all time favourite TV stars and I'm thrilled that she's finally broken the Post-Seinfeld curse, even if Old Christine is a little generic. Same for Megan Mullally: she totally didn't deserve it, especially over the competition, but I always felt she should've gotten more than 1 emmy for Will and Grace. The Sopranos continuing it's stronghold on Writing for a Drama Series was a treat since, despite a weak season, 'Members Only' was a great episode. As for the rest? It's all varying shades of mediocrity...Tony Shaloub? Are you fucking kidding me, how can a performance this dull and unpopular win THREE emmys!? I'm ok with the wins for Alda and Hargitay since they're both good on their shows but the wins feel so dull and lifeless. Ditto for Blythe Danner winning back to back Emmys for the underseen Huff (which is playing on HBO right now-check it out)- she's good but didn't really stand out this year. Also, Stephen Colbert, Hugh Jackman and Letterman losing to Barry fucking Manilow- give me a fucking break.

I am now officially excited to see the HBO mini-series Elizabeth I with the always brilliant Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons, which airs on Hallmark next month. The film picked up four Emmys including Best Mini-Series, Best Actress in TV Film and Supporting Actor in a TV film. I'm ok with the win for The Amazing Race but it's getting ridiculous that neither American Idol or Project Runway have won yet. I am thrilled that My Name is Earl got it's just desserts after the cruel snub in the series category by doing a Malcolm and winning both Directing and Writing for a Comedy for the brilliant Pilot episode. I was worried for a minute there that The Office would not prevail but I'm overjoyed that it managed to snag the Emmy. As for 24, well, it's been a long time coming. Very very pleased at it's wins, especially for a season that rivals the first as the best the show's produced: Easily the best moment of the whole ceremony.

And fuck yeah on the Piv's win. "Let's hug it out bitch!"

Full list of winners here.

Emmywatch

2006-08-24T19:43:00.000+05:30

So the Emmys are this weekend and I thought I'd plough through the crap and make some predictions. Before I start I should clarify how the Emmy voting system works. Unlike other shows, the Emmys make those who vote sign a an affadavit saying they have watched the given sample episode(s) from each of the nominees. These sample episodes are chosen by the nominees, 1 episode for those in Lead, 2 for those in supporting, and each series picks 2 pairs of 6 episodes. Got it? ok

Drama Series
24
Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
The West Wing
We can start off by cutting House and The Sopranos from the list-neither have the tapes to win. House got in on the strenght of one great episode, 'Autopsy', and they don't really have anything else to offer. The Sopranos just isn't what it used to be and this years half-season had it's moments but didn't really stand up. That leaves The West Wing looking to get it's fifth (that'd be a record) win and 24 and Grey's Anatomy, neither of which have won before. The latter two will battle it out with the edge going to Grey's. 24 is always at a disadvantage at the Emmys since the stand-alone episode system doesn't work given the show's premise (people who don't watch regularly will just be confused). That leaves that annoying super-hit to clean up the awards with it's hit status, media attention and tapes that scream Emmy (particularly the two-parter It's the End of the World...As We Know It). Meaning that, yet again, the Emmys will be a celebration of medioctity.
Will Win: Grey's Anatomy
Dark Horse: The West Wing
Should Win (out of the nominees) : 24
Should Win (overall): Battlestar Galactica

Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men
This is actually a pretty great lineup, save for the hideous Two and a Half Men. Who'll win? Nothing's written in stone but The Office is the only show currently at it's peak- the second season was golden and they really could've picked any 6 episodes from the season and still had great submissions. Tapes wise, they're in the lead but look out for the only traditional sitcom of the bunch, Two and a Half Men, to possibly upset.
Will Win: The Office
Dark Horse: Two and a Half Men
Should Win (out of the nominees) : The Office
Should Win (overall): The Office

Best Actor-Drama
Peter Krause in Six Feet Under
Denis Leary in Rescue Me
Christopher Meloni in Law and Order: SVU
Martin Sheen in The West Wing
Kiefer Sutherland in 24
I pretty much like this everyone this category, they've all been great at one point or another during the entire runs of their shows. Looking at the tapes it seems like Denis Leary's brilliant work on his show might just take the win. Which is wild since even his nomination wasn't a sure thing. His tape, the second season finale (which should air on AXN in the next few weeks), is everything an actor needs: big drama (his son is killed), range (he goes from grief to anger to quiet realisation) and empathy (the last scene is a killer). Sheen is the other popular choice for the win since, despite being the star of a show that's won 4 times and that has a cast that has together amassed 8 emmys in 5 years, he has never once won. I hope this won't happen since his placement here is ridiculous since he was hardly there this whole season.
Will Win: Denis Leary
Dark Horse: Martin Sheen and Peter Krause (I'm going out on a limb)
Should Win (out of the nominees) : Denis Leary
Should Win (overall): Michael C. Hall in Six Feet Under

Best Actress-Drama
Frances Conroy in Six Feet Under
Geena Davis in Commander in Chief
Mariska Hargitay in Law and Order: SVU
Allison Janney in The West Wing
Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer
This category blows chunks. Fucking big ass chunks. Geena Davis? Kyra Sedgwick? Hargitay? zzzzzzzz. I love Allison Janney but she's won FOUR of these...however, if anything holds true with the Emmys: If you've won once, you'll win again. My heart goes to Frances Conroy but her submission, the show's emotional series finale 'Everyone's Waiting', didn't really give the voters what they like. Janney seems like she's headed for the win yet again with a great tape in 'Institutional Memory'. Sedgwick could possibly upset in a situation quite like Patricia Arquette's surprise victory last year, since her show has ardent fans.
Will Win: Allison Janney
Dark Horse: Kyra Sedgwick
Should Win (out of the nominees) : Frances Conroy
Should Win (overall): Frances Conroy

Best Actor-Comedy
Steve Carrell in The Office
Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kevin James in The King of Queens
Tony Shaloub in Monk
Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men
Shaloub is the only previous victor here, having won twice, so it's up to a newbie. There are only two good nominees here: Larry David playing himself and Steve Carrell rounding out a hell of a year. The noms for James and Sheen are big gaping holes of what the fuck. It seems like, by some fluke, the man who really deserves it will walk away with the win. Carrell probably should've submitted 'Booze Cruise' which gave his character some much-needed sympathy, but 'The Injury' where his character burns his foot on a George Forman grill is hilarious and will probably end up putting an Emmy in his hands.
Will Win: Steve Carrell
Dark Horse: Steve Carrell
Should Win (out of the nominees): Steve Carrell
Should Win (overall): Steve Carrell

Best Actress-Comedy
Stockard Channing in Out of Practice
Jane Kaczmerak in Malcolm in the Middle
Lisa Kudrow in The Comeback
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in The New Adventures of Old Christine
Debra Messing in Will and Grace
Another wtf lineup. Dreyfus is the only one of the five whose show returns for another season with both Malcolm and Will and Grace having given their swan songs and both and The Comeback and Out of Practice being put out of their own misery. Kaczmerak looks like she's finally set for the win after 6 straight losses in years before. Her submission, 'Lois Knows Best', is very well liked. So is Kudrow's, who gives a brilliant performance on a terrible show and is terrific in her tape, 'Valerie Does Another Classic Leno'. Watch out for her to sneak up behind Kaczmerak. That said, Kaczmerak is the only woman of the five to have never won an Emmy for anything which could very well help the sympathy votes usher in.
Will Win: Jane Kaczmerak
Dark Horse: Lisa Kudrow
Should Win (out of the nominees): Lisa Kudrow
Should Win (overall): MARY-LOUISE PARKER in WEEDS (!!!!!!!!!!)

Best Supporting Actor-Drama
Alan Alda in The West Wing
Michael Imperioli in The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin in 24
Oliver Platt in Huff
William Shatner in Boston Legal
First off, Imperioli and Platt are out. Past winner Imperioli didn't have much to do this year and Platt's show isn't well known and he doesn't really have the tapes. Of the other three, Alda could ride the coattails of a West Wing sweep but I feel the other two have a better chance. Itzin is downright chilling on 24 as President Logan-it is an electrifying performance that's reflected in the two episodes he submitted. His scene where he confronts his wife in the finale should get him an Emmy alone. But the emmys, for some unknown reason, have decided to honour Captain Kirk twice before for playing Denny Crane on Boston Legal, so who's to say they won't do it again?
Will Win: William Shatner/Alan Alda
Dark Horse: Gregory Itzin
Should Win (out of the nominees) : Gregory Itzin
Should Win (overall): Gregory Itzin

Best Supporting Actress-Drama
Candice Bergen in Boston Legal
Blythe Danner in Huff
Sandra Oh in Grey's Anatomy
Jean Smart in 24
Chandra Wilson in Grey's Anatomy
There's only one real standout in this lineup and that's Jean Smart who's five kinds of awesome as the First Lady on 24. Her tapes are pretty great but I fear that she doesn't have too much screentime in her first tape. Bergen has one good tape as does Globe winner Oh, but both of them don't have a killer second tape. Oh's co-star Chandra Wilson's tapes seem like winners. In her first tape she loses an old patient of hers and in the second gives birth while her husband lies on an operating table- tough stuff. Ultimately its a toss-up, and I'm going with...Wilson? Smart? Bergen? Oh?....Danner???
Will Win: Chandra Wilson
Dark Horse: Jean Smart or Sandra Oh
Should Win (out of the nominees) : Jean Smart
Should Win (overall): Jean Smart

Best Supporting Actor-Comedy
Will Arnett in Arrested Development
Bryan Cranston in Malcolm in the Middle
John Cryer in Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes in Will and Grace
Jeremy Piven in Entourage
Let's get Arnett, Hayes and Cryer out of the way first. Arnett has one great tape and one that's so-so, so despite my absolute love for this nomination I'm going to pass on him. Hayes and Cryer's noms are horrible, as are they're tapes. The Piv is my pick of the year for his superlative performance as the agent Ari Gold, and both his tapes are killer. 'The Bat Mitzvah', where he balances being a father and an agent and 'Exodus', the best half-hour of comedy this year, where his plans to stage a coup at his agency go awry. I haven't seen Cranston's tapes but word is they should get him the emmy easily. Of these two men, I'll go with Cranston, since he and his show have passed their peak and I prefer Piven and if I've learned anything from watching the Emmy's those two are almost pre-requisites for winning an Emmy.
Will Win: Bryan Cranston/Jeremy Piven (Cranston's got the edge)
Dark Horse: Will Arnett
Should Win (out of the nominees) : Jeremy Piven
Should Win (overall): Jeremy Piven

Best Supporting Actress-Comedy
Cheryl Hines in Curb Your Enthusiasm
Megan Mullally in Will and Grace
Elizabeth Perkins in Weeds
Jaime Pressly in My Name is Earl
Alfre Woodard in Desperate Housewives
As long as the voters watch the tapes this race belongs to just one woman, Jaime Pressly. Pressly has managed to leave her Maxim model days behind and craft an inspird performance as Joy, Earl's trailer-trash ex-wife on My Name is Earl. My heart belongs to Elizabeth Perkin's lunatic bitch-fest on Weeds but she, like all the other nominees, seriously botched up her submission.
Will Win: Jaime Pressly
Dark Horse: Megan Mullally (due to sentiment)
Should Win (out of the nominees) : Elizabeth Perkins
Should Win (overall): Elizabeth Perkins

Who's Next?

2006-08-22T18:33:00.000+05:30

I'm feeling it...

Arun Ashwini Asvajit Bianca Danielle Hiran Juhani Kanya Natasha Subha Twiggy Vicknesh Yanik

are you?

As always, thank you to Yanik (and Bianca) and Indi for the photographs

Me and Zooey McGee??

2006-08-22T07:36:00.000+05:30

Excuse the horrible title of this post but I needed something. I'm sure you've already read this everywhere else on the interweb, but Zooey Deschanel will be playing Janis Joplin in the long-planned bio-pic titled Piece of My Heart. While I'm not ecstatic about the news, I do think Deschanel is a better fit than also-rans Renee Zellweger and Pink. None of the three really fit the role but Deschanel has something in her that tells me she could do it. And really, all I'm thankful for is that it's not some 2-bit pop star or a (used-to-be-great) actress who looks she'd fly away in the wind. It is a shame that Courtney Love got fucked up again, since she could nail this: voice, experience, looks and, most importantly, a fuckload of talent (don't act like The People Vs Larry Flynt never happened). Even my beloved Frances McDormand, but she's probably too old for the part.

Anyway, I digress, the real focus of this post is to profess my love for Zooey Deschanel. I always knew I liked her and I always knew she was special but it was only yesterday, while steering through the ultimate shit-storm of a movie, that it all clicked. My first major date with Zooey at the cinema was most people's first as well, her brilliant work in All the Real Girls where she gave a touching and elegiac performance. After that, critical kudos followed and Zooey's profile became more popular resulting in small but funny roles as the sidekick or girlfriend in big studio comedies like Elf, Big Trouble, Hitchhiker's Guide, etc. Now, I know I should be crying out for her to get roles with some meat on them (which she finally is) but it was in all these little roles in bad films (and sometimes good ones like Almost Famous and The Good Girl) that my heart grew fonder. I finally fell for her yesterday when I saw the aforementioned crapsterpiece Failure to Launch with that visionary thespian Matthew McConaughey front and centre. I wasn't really expecting that much of anything from the film, until Zooey walked on playing that stock Rom-Com role of the weird roommate. Zooey never lets that get her down though, single-handedly elevating the sub-par material and giving the film it's only laughs. She's a gem and I ♥ her. Next up for her is a film that seems to star every actor I love, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (is that not a stunning title?). So everyone go see the movie at the end of the year or just rent any of the previously mentioned films (All the Real Girls! All the Real Girls!) and say hi to my new girlfriend Ms. Zooey Deschanel.

Just Passing the Time

2006-08-08T03:23:00.000+05:30

I've added my noms and winners for 2004 and 2005 (revised) to the sidebar
Check it out.

Every Sperm is Sacred

2006-08-07T17:48:00.000+05:30

Top 100 Male Performances 2000-05 Part III

2006-08-05T12:48:00.000+05:30

and so it continues...

80. Paul Bettany, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Bettany makes his second appearance in the top 100 with his subtle and quietly breathtaking work in Master and Commander. As Dr. Stephen Maturin Bettany finds the perfect role, he takes the character and imbues him with an intelligence and humour that may have been lost in the hands of another. He never misses a beat, finding a perfect balance with Russell Crowe, thus making the film a perfect balancing act between the two men. Master and Commander has a tendency to meander and Peter Wier seems to be an overkill mode throughout but Bettany always has his eye on the goal, grounding the film with a sense of reality. Then there's the scene where he operates on himself....wow.

79. Jamie Foxx, Collateral

The other Foxx performance of 2004 was indeed rewarded with an Academy Award nomination but in the WRONG category, by no stretch of the imagination is this a supporting role. Foxx is, without a doubt, the lead of Collateral, and rightly so, gone are the tics of his work in Ray instead replaced by an actor presenting a real character. Foxx's Max is a man who holds certain ideals close to him and lives his life the best way he knows how, suddenly thrown into a situation where he's in over his head. The actor gives a calm and quiet performance, allowing his co-star to soak up the spotlight with the flashier role. That isn't to say that Foxx doesn't stand out, in fact his workman-like performance is the real gem of the piece: perfectly in step with Michael Mann's vision of the urban vastness of Los Angeles. Jamie Foxx is a man with an insufferable ego who can easily grate on an audience but in this film, stripped of his 'look at me!' attitude, he gives a performance that easily justifies his star status.

78. Naseeruddin Shah, Monsoon Wedding

What's not to love about this film? Mira Nair's film is positively bursting with joy, and Shah is right at the centre. The veteran actor embraces his role of befuddled father and brings out the joy and warmth in Sabrina Dhawan's screenplay. He mixes the high comedy and dramatic gravitas of his role expertly, grabbing the audience and refusing to let go. A work that will bring a smile to your face and leave you in tears by the end.

77. Hugh Grant, About a Boy

Who'd have thought Hugh Grant had this in him? 8 years after he exploded on the scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Grant finally proves to us that there's a real actor hiding in there. While Grant's Will is hardly new territory for the actor: the self-conscious tics and stammering are still there, but Grant adds an acidic edge to the whole act. The greatness lies in how it is not only Grant relying on these tics but Will Freeman himself and when the character is forced to break out of his constraints Grant does too. His remarkably charming performance helps carry the movie and, alongside the Weitz brothers' brilliant screenplay and great supporting work from Toni Collette, keep it far and away from becoming the cutesy, sentimental fair it could've so easily have been.

76. Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai

You know you're doing something right when your starring opposite the biggest movie star in the world and you're the one everyone's talking about and that's just what happened to Ken Watanabe here. While Cruise sleepwalks through his role, Watanabe stands on the screen dripping in charisma. His Katsumoto is a stoic symbol of a dying Japanese culture: commanding and understanding. Watanabe is in complete control of the audience and it is quickly apparent that this is a star we are watching. He's so good he makes you forget just how horrifyingly awful the film really is-- and that is quite a feat.

75. Russell Crowe, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Crowe and I have a love/hate relationship. See, I'm all for Crowe of the late 90s, the charismatic actor in L.A. Confidential and The Insider, but I couldn't run further away from the Crowe of this decade, the pompous, arrogant movie star of terrible films like A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, and Gladiator. So it was a pleasant surprise when the Crowe I once admired was back in Peter Wier's adaptation of two Patrick O'Brien novels. The actor gives a brilliant, understated turn as Jack Aubrey, exuding charisma but never showboating. Its hard to find performances that are this intelligent. Crowe and Wier work perfectly in synch, creating a classic hero with all the trappings but always keeping him in the realm of reality.

74. Jamie Bell, Billy Elliot

Its easy to make the mistake, when watching most movies, that in order to be a child actor one must not have any talent whatsoever. Hollywood is littered with kids who couldn't act out of a paper bag so when someone this special pops up its time to sit up and take notice. Jamie Bell is, of course, no longer a child at 20 but he was a mere 14 when he gave this terrific performance. Under the guidance of director Stephen Daldry, Bell infuses the film with its inspiring spirit- he's at the core of this story and for it to work in any capacity, the performance had to be nothing short of fantastic. Bell is admirably up to the task and manages not only to hold his own against acting greats like Julie Walters but to show them up from time to time, proving that perhaps he too will one day be just as esteemed.

73. David Carradine, Kill Bill, Volume 2

It couldn't have been an easy task playing the titular character in Quentin Tarantino's gargantuan film, not only was there the expectation of a new QT film- this was the second part and after the whirlwind of Volume 1, expectations were sky high for the second volume. There's also the small matter that we never saw Carradine's face in that first film, only that sandpaper voice ordering people around and, even then, only for a few minutes. But Carradine delivers the goods without breaking a sweat: his Bill is cool, calm, funny and warm- from that first scene onwards, Carradine shows the audience why the Bride trusted him in the first place, all the while never forgetting to remind us just how sinister Bill really is. Carradine instantly suggests the nature of his relationship with Bride and creates a complexity that I feel may not have been there on paper. He is devious, devilish and quiet- giving a quintessential Tarantinoian performance. The very definition of cool.

72. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator

The success of The Aviator is often attributed to one man: the GREAT Martin Scorsese and sometimes that bracket is stretched to include Cate Blanchett. Poor ol' DiCaprio is often left out in the cold, like a distant (and ugly) third cousin. This is highly unfortunate (and foolish) as the film would be nowhere near as good as it is without DiCaprio's contribution. The performance is important in many ways: amongst them were the public finally getting why Scorsese had decided that his new De Niro would be DiCaprio and the acceptance of DiCaprio as a serious actor yet again. Another reason is because it is a damn good performance. The actor acutely maps out Howard Hughes' rise into the world of the rich and famous, his searing ambition and his eventual fall into mental disarray due to OCD. In scenes like the one in which Hughes locks himself in the car all the while creeping into dementia, or the heartbreaking scene where Blanchett's Katharine Hepburn comes to visit Hughes, whose locked himself up in his room, DiCaprio is downright chilling. The Aviator gives solid proof that Leonardo DiCaprio is not only a bona fide movie star but one of the best actors of his generation.

71. Owen Wilson, Zoolander

Owen Wilson, like most of the 'big' comics, has a film persona that he rarely deviates from, that of the laid back stoner. The difference between his shtick as opposed to, say, Ben Stiller's is that Wilson's never feels like it. He has the uncanny ability to read every line in a fresh and new way and constantly surprise his audience. Zoolander marks the birth, if not the zenith, of this persona. Wilson plays Hansel, the new top male model who's "so hot right now", and embraces the character completely. He never condescends or tries to explain and even though Stiller has the 'funnier' character, its Wilson who gets the laughs. A truly inspired comic turn.

[click here for the full list, so far, of Arun's Top 100 Male Performances from 2000 to 2005]

Who'd Play You - Part II

2006-07-28T13:16:00.000+05:30

So I'm finally getting down to it...

Hiran: Re-evaluated

Hiran gave me a whole lot of shit about who I chose for him in the first post and after I thought about it I found that it was actually Jason Schwartzman who was perfectly suited for him. Think about it: the eyebrows, the height, that slight awkwardness, that aura of being permanently unimpressed. If anything, Schwartzman may be a little to whimsical to play Hiran, but then again this is a guy who calls them 'sweeties'. That second photo represents possibly the most inspired casting choice for Hiran.

Manekha

When choosing someone to play my sister, I'm of two minds: do I play to her bubblier girly side or to this newly found bohemian attitude? Or is there an actress who exemplifies both? While Kate Winslet would get down the boho spirit and artistic temperament, I find a her little too severe to play Mon. Kate Hudson, on the other hand, has just the right mix of Boho chic and sprite-like aura to get down my sister.

Ma

Hiranti Welandawe's a lot of things: mother, architect, businesswoman, she's at once level headed and overly dramatic, which requires the talent of an actress able to scale that fine line without tipping into hysterics. There's only one actor I can think of who can tap into characters with a tendency to be drama queens, without chewing the curtains, all the while imbuing them with a great intelligence and grit and that actor is Annette Bening.

Pa

This is quite possibly the easiest casting choice I could think of. Jeff Daniels has the look, mood and temperament to get Madhura Prematilleke down exactly. There's the air of intelligence, a dry dry sense of humour, the positive outlook- its all right there. I'd say this match was perfect.

Jenny

Jenny, my step-mom, was one of the harder to cast. Jenny has a real sense of warmth in her which is no small part due to her distinct voice. I needed an actress who certainly had that earthy quality as well a more vibrant brighter side. Julianne Moore with her bright red locks, high voice, and explosive talent would probably get every single beat right.

Shaneen

Uhh...I just can't take how much they fit. The look, the voice, the temperament. Shaneen is Sandra Bullock and Sandra is Shaneen. Nothing more needs to be said.

Bugoy

Aaah..It was pretty hard to find anyone who really encapsulated Boogie, or the phat one as he's know in the blogsphere, completely. Philip Seymour Hoffman was the name people came up with most of the time, but anyone who knows Bugoy would see that there's very little similarity. Harvey Firestein, on the other hand, has just the kind of vibrancy and larger than life attitude that Bugoy has. He could easily portray the unhinged exuberance that Bugoy exudes. However Bugoy also has bouts of sadness and a vulnerability that is at once hidden but also visible, and I doubt Firestein would have the dramatic chops. Perhaps, Hoffman wasn't a bad suggestion after all.

Tashi

For Tashi I've chosen two actresses who could probably do well in portraying that child-like aura she gives out. Sissy Spacek made her name playing characters like that (so much so that as she grew older she found it hard to find parts) and her striking beauty and charisma make her even more suitable. Winona Ryder seems to radiate that same sort of other-worldly quality that Tashi does too.

Ashira

When choosing an actress for Ashira there was certain criteria they needed to meet: talent, beauty, intelligence, a slight naivete and that fast talking urgency that she has. Toni Collette's enormous talent meets all this criteria. Collette especially has the urgency to play Ashira's almost one track need to know everything and her tendency to carry all the weight of her problems herself. Reese Witherspoon becomes the first actor to be mentioned twice. Her performance in Election has me convinced that she'd know exactly how to portray Ashira.

Bianca

For B there's only one actor I can think of that has the accent, the mannerisms and the open vulnerability. That actor is the little-known Lysette Anthony who you may remember as Sidney Pollack's girlfriend in Husbands and Wives or as John Travolta's boss in the awful Look Who's Talking Now. Anthony just seems to have a quality that screams Bianca. If there is anyone else then its probably, the brilliant, Mary-Louise Parker who also possesses the same lackadaisical charm that B does.

Tharika

Chloe Sevigny and Sarah Polley seem like perfect fits for Tharika. There's the droll, docile and almostpermanentlyy stoned quality juxtaposed with that girly-ness that I feel lies somewhere in Tharika. Both actresses seem to have all these qualities down but Polley is probably a better fit, she seems to find a balance between the traits whereas Sevigny is far more the former than the latter.

Mika

Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) seems like the perfect fit for Mika:statuesquee, beautiful, intelligent, and funny. She could probably hit every single note right, perfectly portraying every facet of Mika's personality.

Chanch

The thing that strikes me most about Chanchala is that she seems like she's knowledgeable about most everything. With that in mind I chose two actresses who possess that same quality but also had an undercurrent of emotions floating around to portray Chanch's almost unstable hold of her emotions. Those two women and are Hope Davis and Laura Linney.

Adam

Adam is Ashton Kutcher. The voice, the look, the attitude- this is a cake walk. Even someone as talentless as Kutcher could pull this off.

2006-07-26T09:48:00.000+05:30

Twiggy is an artist.

Twiggy has a blog.
Go There. Now.

That's All

2006-07-25T19:48:00.000+05:30

I ♥ Meryl

Marie Antoinette (Sofia Coppola, 2006)

2006-07-24T21:30:00.000+05:30

I just watched the film and I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I think what surprised me most about it was the general lack of plot. The film is almost entirely shots of Antoinette hanging around Versailles and throwing parties. That's not necessarily a bad thing but the film does seem to lag in certain points and, at times, lack direction. There are some sequences that were stunning, especially Antoinette's 18th birthday party, however the film goes up and down in terms of quality: some scenes are brilliant whereas others don't make any impact at all. It's certainly gorgeous to look at, Milena Canonero's costumes, the photography and production design are all breathtaking and I loved the use of modern music (one scene where Coppola uses The Strokes is particularly effective).

The performances were good throughout even though the decision to use the actor's real accents was a little jarring at first: After all the King of France speaking in a thick American accent is anything but normal. The performances that I enjoyed the most were the smaller ones from Judy Davis, Molly Shannon and Shirley Henderson.

Overall, I enjoyed the film but I couldn't wholly embrace it. I found it hard to understand the point of it all: what's Coppola trying to say here: That the French nobility were like a bunch of high school kids? What's the point of making a film about it? That was my main peeve, other than that I did enjoy it. I'll probably need to think this over again before I really know how I feel about it but the more I do the more I like it...

2006-07-20T11:58:00.000+05:30

(left to right: me, Tharika, Natasha's arm and leg, Asvajit, and Yhevin, standing: Bianca) photo by Yanik Tissera

I went to m****e and bought a thumby cap, a trishaw, a handbag, a carton of ice cream, a TRUCK, a toothbrush, a Mohini, a Jihad, a PANT, a Papa Oalof, a Tesh, a motherboard, a flower, a Banga, a blade of grass, some sex, a statue of the Virgin Mary, a poster of Britney Spears, a kilo of beef, a bucket of salt, ONE MORE PANT PLEASE, GG's ****, one packet of potato WEDGIES wrapped in one more pant please!, a monkey, a twig, a fig and a basketball.

So Frackin' Good

2006-07-14T18:20:00.000+05:30

I really don't know if I can take how good these two shows are, I just watched Lost's second season finale, 'Live Together, Die Alone' and, as they say in the 12 colonies of Kobol, frack me.

DO NOT SCROLL DOWN IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE SPOILERS OF THE LOST FINALE

Seriously, I can't deal.

Emmy Nominations

2006-07-08T10:15:00.000+05:30

So the Emmy nominations came out on Thursday and of course they sucked big motherfucking balls. This year's list is actually worse than I can ever remember and its all due to the new voting process. The Emmys have the problem where they always nominate the same shows year in and year out, always honour the same actors and are always late to catch on to either the hot new shows or that formally hot shows have now fallen past there prime. So this year a new system was developed where everyone would vote and then the top 15 vote getters would each submit one episode of their work to a panel of judges, who view all the tapes and then decide on the top 5. The system was invented to help out the smaller networks like UPN and The WB, who do have some good (even great) shows that are never recognized, but this is the Emmys so it of course worked the wrong way and instead helped out the smaller shows on the 3 Big networks...

The Good

24 being the most nominated show- especially great noms for Gregory fucking Itzin and Jean Smart
Arrested Development, The Office (US version) and Curb Your Enthusiasm all made the comedy lineup
Lots of love for Stephen Colbert
Six Feet Under manages to get some great noms for it's stunning last season (Alan Ball for directing and writing the finale, Krause in actor, Conroy in actress and the divine Patricia Clarkson for guest actress)
Denis Leary for Rescue Me
Lisa Kudrow's nomination for the now defunct The Comeback, Julia Louis-Dreyfus back at it with Old Christine, Jeremy Piven's awesome work on Entourage
Elizabeth Fucking Perkins for Weeds, Jaime Pressley in My Name is Earl and FINALLY a nom for Will Arnett's tremendous work on Arrested Development

The Bad

Not one single Housewife was nominated- after getting 3 of the 5 slots for Best Actress in a Comedy and Huffman winning, they snubbed all of them. I haven't been a fan of the wildly uneven and boring second season and the total snub of the show in EVERY major category is actually something I'm pretty happy about but no nominations for the Actresses, especially over wtf noms like Stockard Channing in Out of Practice and Debra Messing for Will and Grace is ridiculous
Too much love for Grey's Anatomy- I like the show but I do not get why people are so crazy about it
Two and Half Men for Comedy Series and the general overwhelming number of laugh-track sitcoms that got noms
House gets in for Drama Series but you don't nominate Hugh Laurie??? He is the show, how is it possible not to give him a nom.
Law & Order: SVU manages noms in acting for their blatant Emmy bait
Great new shows like Rome, Big Love and Everybody Hates Chris have to deal with just a few noms here and there
No Jason Lee for My Name is Earl in the Best Actor lineup is just wiered and where in FUCK is Jason Bateman??

And the Motherfucking Ugly

No Lost for Drama Series!! The only drama this year that was consitstently brilliant, so far and beyond better than anything (at some points even better than the Sopranos) on television and last year's winner gets snubbed. Not only is there no Series nom, they only got one single acting nomination and that was a Guest Actor nod for the guy who plays Desmond.
The Sopranos gets is in for Drama Series but they don't fucking nominate James Gandolfini and Edie Falco- the two people other than David Chase that make the show so great. Falco's snub, especially, considering her stunning work in Carmela's dealing with Tony's illness, is shocking.
No Mary-Louise Parker or Lauren Graham for Best Actress-Comedy!! The system was invented for Graham's brilliant work on Gilmore Girls to finally get some recognition after 5 years of snubs and she still didn't get in. Considering all the love for Weeds, you'd have thought MLP's Globe winning work would get a mention, but no- they just had to nominate Jane Kaczmerak's dull work on Malcolm in the Middle.
Charlie Sheen? really?
The one person to get an acting nom for Desperate Housewives is Alfre Woodard! I love Alfre Woodard's work elsewhere but she was ridiculously underused on the show, missing for episodes at a time and when she was on, her work was insipid and dull. The nomination is utterly pointless.

You can see the whole list here

Ok, rant over.

As a sign off, here's my picks for this past 05-06 season

Drama Series
24
Lost
Six Feet Under
The Sopranos
Veronica Mars

Comedy Series
Arrested Development
Entourage
Gilmore Girls
The Office
Weeds

Best Actor-Drama
Matthew Fox, Lost
James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Michael C. Hall, Six Feet Under
Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
Hugh Laurie, House
Denis Leary, Rescue Me

Best Actor-Comedy
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Zach Braff, Scrubs
Steve Carrell, The Office
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Jason Lee, My Name is Earl

Best Actress- Drama
Kristen Bell, Veronica Mars
Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Rachel Griffiths, Six Feet Under
Polly Walker, Rome

Best Actress-Comedy
Tichina Arnold, Everybody Hates Chris
Lauren Graham, Gilmore Girls
Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives
Eva Longoria, Desperate Housewives
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Best Supporting Actor-Drama
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agabje, Lost
Naveen Andrews, Lost
James Cromwell, Six Feet Under
Gregory Itzin, 24
Terry O' Quinn, Lost

Best Supporting Actor-Comedy
Will Arnett, Arrested Development
Michael Cera, Arrested Development
John Krasinksi, The Office
John C. McGinley, Scrubs
Jeremy Piven, Entourage

Best Supporting Actress-Drama
Lauren Ambrose, Six Feet Under
Lindsay Duncan, Rome
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Jean Smart, 24
Emily VanCamp, Everwood

Best Supporting Actress-Comedy
Kelly Bishop, Gilmore Girls
Portia De Rossi, Arrested Development
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Jaime Pressley, My Name is Earl
Jessica Walter, Arrested Development

oh and while we're on the subject of TV, anyone know where I can get season 1 and 2 of Battlestar Galactica?

Top 100 Male Performances 2000-05 Part Deux

2006-07-06T17:39:00.000+05:30

The next 10 are (finally) up

90. Dustin Hoffman, I ♥ Huckabees

Its been a long while since Hoffman has given a performance that impressed me, in fact, save for the minor bright spot Wag the Dog, the last time Hoffman was truly Hoffman was Tootsie, twenty-four years ago. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to see his work in David O. Russell's film. Hoffman's work may not take centre stage but he manages to turn out an absolutely ebullient performance. His Bernard Jaffe, spouting on about transcending space and time and interconnectedness, is an absolute joy. He seems to sing every one of his lines, perfectly in touch with the nuances of Russell's writing and direction, adding to both the role and the film tremendously.

89. Topher Grace, In Good Company

In Good Company is a film that means terribly well but can never seem to get off the ground. All the ingredients for success are there: good writer/director, good cast, good story, but the film ends up less than the sum of its parts: plodding, uneven and, it its final third, falling back on cliched ideas. None of this, however, is the fault of Topher Grace. The young actor wipes clean the dreaded memory of That 70s Show with one fell swoop. He imbues the film with an energy otherwise missing, giving in a performance that crackles with energy, spark and wit- it seems like the role Grace was born to play. There's a moment in Ocean's 12 where Grace playing an exaggerated version of himself says, mid-breakdown, that he phoned in "That Dennis Quaid movie"-- that line couldn't be further from the truth.

88. Jamie Foxx, Ray

This performance is listed here almost despite itself. During the whole Oscar hoopla in early '05 where you couldn't watch an award ceremony without seeing Jamie Foxx do that call and response thing and bring up that damn dead grandma of his, my feelings on his performance went from kinda liking it to an absolute all consuming hatred. Foxx's Oscar is not the product of his work here but simply that it checks all the boxes necessary: play real person, play real dead person, play real dead person who just died, actorly mannerisms (read: mimicry), media worship, previously undervalued actor makes good. Despite all that I can admit that this IS a good performance, Foxx is engaging and charismatic and he certainly channels Ray Charles perfectly. But, alas, it is just that: Foxx acting just like Charles is no great feat, all the actor is doing her is mimicking without giving the audience any real character to grasp. Why people always confuse this sort of thing with great acting continues to astound me.

And now I just read this and realised that I haven't really given any reason why this performance made this list at all. The thing is it is enjoyable: Foxx has the charisma to carry the plodding film and to entertain. I most surely like this performance (maybe even quite a bit) but it is vastly overrated.

87. Paul Bettany, Dogville

Lars von Trier's Brechtian condemnation on American society and, in fact, society at large is an enthralling iconoclast piece of work that, while far from perfect, is certainly chilling and mesmerizing. This, of course, is in no small part due to the wonderful cast of actors he has lined up: Nicole Kidman, Patricia Clarkson, Lauren Bacall, James Caan, Chloe Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Gazzara, Harriett Andersson, Philip Baker Hall, the list goes on and on. The cream of the this bountiful crop is Paul Bettany. The actor, who constistenly turns in wonderful work, takes the role of Tom Edison and milks it for all its worth: embracing the character's false sense of entitlement and superiority, his delusions on who he is and creating a performance that despite the very nature of the exercise taking place manages to connect with the viewer on both an intellectual and emotional level and thus make a remarkable impact.

86. Leonardo DiCaprio, Catch Me If You Can

Leonardo DiCaprio's renaissance as both an actor and a star is possibly one of the most wonderful turn of events I can think of, for he is so consistently undervalued. Now I know that sounds ridiculous but its true, while he's certainly not undervalued as a star (there's a good reason every one got sick of him and that reason is called Titanic) but he is, at least in cineaste circles, underrated as an actor. He is not always at the top of his game but when his is, as in this joyous Spielberg film, he more than proves his worth. As Frank Abagnale, Jr., DiCaprio brings all the charm, cunning and whimsy needed to make this a bravura turn. He spins a web so delicious that you instantly understand just how this young guy can get away with everything he does. This is a performance that perfectly illustrates not only DiCaprio's generous talent but his charisma and star quality as well.

85. Kevin Bacon, Mystic River

Kevin Bacon's work in Mystic River is almost always overlooked. Who can you blame though? In a cast as rich as this its easy for different people to be affected by different performances, but while everyone was salivating over Tim Robbin's Oscar-winning performance, I was enraptured by Bacon's quiet and slowly brewing work as Detective Sean Devine. Consider the scenes where Devine sits alone in his apartment talking to his wife over the phone even though she won't answer back or his first scenes scanning the crime scene of his friend's daughter's death. Both are razor sharp depictions of a man who at first appears stoic but in reality is almost bursting at the seams. Bacon is perfect at playing these sort of characters, knowing just how to create a balance between emotion and reserve- Its just as Robert De Niro once said "It's important not to indicate. People don't try to show their feelings, they try to hide them,". Bacon understands this completely.

84. Steve Coogan, 24 Hour Party People

I've already gushed about Steve Coogan in the last post so I'll try to keep this short:

This performance is too fucking awesome for you to handle.

There. I'm exaggerating, a little, but who the fuck cares?

83. Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man

Here's where we start to raise eyebrows. Some of you may scoff and others may simply dismiss me as an idiot, but I ask you: how could Maguire have performed this character any better? The most fascinating thing about Spider-Man is Peter Parker and Maguire understands this and puts his energies into creating a fully fleshed-out characterization. His big blue eyes immediately convey all the innocence, burden and openness that are the core of this character. Finding the perfect amount of vulnerability that is so necessary for this confused teenager. That isn't to say that there isn't anything else, when he's all suited up in his costume swinging from skyscraper to skyscraper and saving Mary Jane from the clutches of the Green Goblin, Maguire shows that he's upto the task of being an action hero perfectly; at ease both in and out of the costume.

82. Mike White, Chuck and Buck

This film is possibly one of those on this list that most people have assuredly not seen and that, my friends, is a great pity. Few films can create the strange sense of whimsy and uneasiness that Chuck and Buck pulls off. While director Miguel Arteta deserves a handful of the credit, so does Mike White who not only stars but wrote the film too. The performance is a dangerous wire act and White is careful not to ever empathize with Buck but also never condescend to him. White also manages to convey all the longing and desperation in the character all with a few glances, never retreating into full-blown histrionics. However, the true wonderment in performance is how White never becomes self-aware, he portrays Buck throughout the film as the man-child who refuses to understand what he is doing and the consequences of his actions.

81. Tony Leung, 2046

Tony Leung's performance in this film is of course a sequel to his work in In the Mood for Love. Leung is however too great an actor to simply give the same performance twice. He understands the great changes Mr. Chow has gone through and ages him appropriately. There's very little left of the nice young man who rented an apartment all those years ago and Leung perfectly illustrates the erosion of happiness in the character. The new Mo Wan is sullen and loveless , treating all the women that he meets with contempt and a hint of misogyny- it seems that now that his Great Love is gone, he has very little left to make him happy. It is in his scenes with Faye Wong's character that Leung is truly inspired: as the young girl enthralled in love confides in him, Leung shows us flashes of the old Mo Wan- still the hopeless romantic.

Top 100 Performances of the 00s

2006-06-25T00:12:00.000+05:30

I'm back readers. Sorry for the huge delay but exams and laziness are a deadly combination. Anyway, to mark my return I've decided to start off a list... My top 100 Male Performances from 2000 to 2005... This list is not permanent and I'll probably feel differently about it a week from now but here goes...

To start us off - 100-91

100. George Clooney, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Aaah...The Clooney Factor. I know love for George is high right now considering his fantastic year but my level of affection for him has always been rather low. He's a nice guy, a great movie star and a very good actor but he never flat-out impresses me, save for this wonderful performance. Working with the Great Coen Brothers (who also produced Clooney's other great performance in Intolerable Cruelty) Clooney crafts a delectable performance as Ulysses Everett McGill. The actor is fresh, funny and so gloriously over-the-top that this performance glows. Most importantly (and characteristically of Clooney's work) the actor looks like he's having so much fun playing the part that it becomes infectious.

99. Steve Coogan, Coffee and Cigarettes

Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes is a sweet little film that benefits as much as it suffers from the great shifts in mood from vignette to vignette- while it lends a casual and off-beat rhythm to the film it also makes it feel disjointed in parts and dull in others. It would be easy for an actor get lost in a film of what is essentially a series of 5 minute scenes but Steve Coogan is up to the task of standing out. Playing an exaggerated version of himself opposite Alfred Molina, Coogan stars in the best skit of all 'Cousins'. Sure, he's playing on the usual time tested jokes about celebrities being crude and snobbish but Coogan adds such a slyness and wit to his performance that its like we've never heard em before. The final twist in the scene in its final minutes is hilarious and this is in no small part thanks to Coogan, who's aching desperation is both funny and bitterly elegiac. This coupled with his equally stunning work in 24 Hour Party People puts Coogan right in the race for the best comedic actor working today.

98. Adrien Brody, The Affair of the Necklace

This may surprise some since Brody is thought of as pretty much a one-hit wonder so far (and that performance will feature on this list much, much later), but his sly, greasy and sensual turn in this 2001 period piece clunker is like watching the birth of the star. Albeit, it can't be hard to grab the screen when you're sharing space with such deadweights as Simon Baker and ol' horse face but that shouldn't take away from his achievement here. From the moment he walks on screen Brody owns this little movie, cavorting around, stealing, bedding virgins and generally being an asshole, he breathes life into an otherwise trite piece of trash.

97. Paul Giamatti, American Splendor

American Splendor is one of those films that I want to love so bad but I just can't. The film's cold demeanor that may work for some just leaves me that: cold. However that has nothing to do with Giamatti's performance, he's crafting a persona that will no doubt haunt his career forever: the cantankerous, sloppy loner. The performance is mesmerizing, as Harvey Pekar, Giamatti seemed to have found the perfect role, equal parts his public persona and a characterization. It is a joy from start to finish.

96. Jessie Eisenberg, Roger Dodger

I mentioned this film in an earlier post, talking about how much I identified with this character, the thing is I can't see any teenage boy not being able to identify with Eisenberg's longing, nervous and vulnerable teenager trying so desperately to be cool in front of his uncle while at the same time failing so dearly. In fact I can't see anyone not being able to identify with his work because despite material squarely in guy territory, Eisenberg's openness as a performer can resonate with any viewer, regardless of sex.

95. Ben Stiller, Zoolander

Is there a funnier performance? Probably. Is there one so completely infectious, self-effacing and unafraid to project a character's negative traits so completely? Still probable, but Stiller's work here is so flat-out laugh out loud that it deserves mention. Stiller directs himself here and it seems he's the only director willing to let himself out of that rickety old prissy-Jewish guy persona he has in every other film. Big bonus points for "Merman! Merman!", "Eugugalizer' and, of course, "WHAT IS THIS, A CENTRE FOR ANTS?!"

94. Dario Grandinetti, Talk to Her

Pedro Almodovar is quite easily the most consistently brilliant director working today. In this new decade he's been doing particularly well giving us no less that 2 masterpieces and 1 great film since '99 (with one more apparent masterpiece on the way) and his most superlative talent is his ability to write great parts for women. Ironically, it was in Talk to Her that Almodovar wrote two of his greatest male characters. Marco Zuluaga is a wrenchingly distraught man, suffering because the woman he loves, a bull fighter, is comatose but Almodovar and Grandinetti, in a flawless performance, lend so much joy and life to the character that you never feel bogged down by the morbid subject matter. The first shot in the film is Grandinetti's tear stained face and it marks a superb moment. For an actor to be able to move his audience so thoroughly with just one look is a true mark of talent, here's hoping we see a lot more of this particular one in the future.

93. Clifton Collins, Jr., Capote

Capote was one of the most celebrated films of '05 with two deservingly Oscar-nominated performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener, but behind the gargantuan buzz for PSH's snide imitation was the film's ethereal murderer. Collins takes what could've been a stock role in the hands of a lesser actor and creates a full blooded character. He brings to life every single contradiction in Perry Smith's character thus creating the film's most heart-wrenching moments. This is a star waiting to happen.

92. Don Cheadle, Traffic

Don Cheadle is often given the mantel of 'Most Underrated Actor' and, I admit, I am guilty of having undervalued his talent. Even though I'm not as continuously impressed with his work as others are, when he does hit it home I still tend to dismiss it. This is quite possibly because Cheadle is one of those actors that never seems to break a sweat- he's effortless, walking on screen and grounding whatever film he's in. Traffic is a film filled with great characterizations but Cheadle stands out. His funny, sardonic and sly performance is perfect foil for the grim subject matter. Note an early scene where Cheadle and his associate, Luis Guzman, are in an office and Guzman decides to tell a bad joke-watch Cheadle's face: there lies everything you need to know about the scene.

91. Emin Toprak, Uzak

Uzak's title translated into English reads 'Distant', and that is exactly fitting. Nuri Bilge Ceylan's wonderful film is cold and bleak, it's humour comes not from one-liners and sight gags but from separating the characters on screen so far from the audience that every day life begins to create its own humour. Playing Yusuf, an out-of-work rural born twenty-something who is so disenchanted and detached from life that he can't seem to get himself started, Toprak finds a humour and warmth in his character that works for the film. This is, of course, a miraculous achievement since the film relies most sternly on it's cold mood and lack of warmth and humour but Toprak is (or rather, was) one of those actors who can find the exact balance between shining in their own right and serving the film throughout. Tragically, Toprak died in a car accident shortly after filming ended, lending the performance a greater poignancy.

That's it for now, 90-89 will be up in a couple of days

Best of the 70s

2006-06-07T19:08:00.000+05:30

First, a disclaimer, my choice for who should play Ishara was not based on Ms Hilton's overexposed sex life but simply a question of intelligence.

Moving on...

Best Films

01. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
02. Days of Heaven (Terrence Malick, 1978)
03. Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979)
04. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)
05. Solaris (Andrej Tarkovsky, 1972)
06. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
07. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)
08. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)
09. Network (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
10. Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1973)

Best Performances

(one performance per actor)
01. Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver
02. Ingrid Bergman in Autumn Sonata
03. Marlon Brando in The Godfather
04. Al Pacino in The Godfather
05. Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
06. Meryl Streep in The Deer Hunter
07. Diane Keaton in Annie Hall
08. Liv Ullman in Cries and Whispers
09. Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver
10. Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now

Who'd Play You?

2006-06-04T12:06:00.000+05:30

I decided to do the age-old practice of seeing which actors would play my friends and I in a movie. In order to accurately get everyone's character down- I've thrown both race and age out the window- If you have a problem with that fuck you.

Arun

Initially I felt that Jessie Eisenberg would have been perfect seeing as how much I relate to him in every role (Roger Dodger and The Squid and the Whale perfectly encapsulate moments in my life) but after a little thought I realised that both Paul Rudd and Peter Sarsgaard pretty much had me down. Both have a smug quality and a certain aura of intelligence (or pretentiousness, your pick) to them that fits perfectly. While Rudd could throw in some humour to my neurosis, Sarsgaard would use his tremendous talent to portray every last feeling running through me.

Asvajit

For Asvi, I found I needed 3 actors all to portray different sides of him: Alessandro Nivola could perfectly get down the charisma, while Jim Carrey would be needed for the more manic qualities and Jake Gyllenhaal would have to be brought in to portray that slight neediness hiding in there (Though after Eternal Sunshine, Carrey could probably do this too).

Kanya

I've said this over and over again but whenever I see an episode of Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica Parker is on-screen (so that would be often) all I see is Kanya. So many of the mannerisms, speaking tones and personality traits are alike it's uncanny. At the same time a young Diane Keaton circa 1977 (the Annie Hall days) would be the perfect combination of naivete, neurosis, beauty and intelligence.

Ashwini

For Ashwini a trio of actresses who all possess the same qualities (but certainly not the same talent) Brittany Murphy, Anna Paquin and Samantha Morton all project a certain unstable charisma that is bursting with joy but hints at something darker down below. Morton's talent shadows the other two but it's the least talented actress, Murphy with her big bug eyes, who I think would perfectly portray Ashwini's zest for life.

Yanik

Orlando Bloom was the first person I thought for Yanik. The pretty boy looks, the refined manner of speech, skinny frame, and the playful demeanor are an exact match for Yanik. Topher Grace could probably do the job a little better though, all his performances reek with an enthusiasm for life that just screams Yanik.

Danielle

Flanni will probably tell you she looks like Salma Hayek but in reality she's closer to Parker Posey with the attitude to match. Posey is perfect at playing characters like Danni, who derive joy from using their acid tongue to put people down to size. Juliette Lewis could bring out her more irreverent side while Catherine Keener has made a career out of playing Danielle.

Natasha (Melbourne)

I'm resisting the temptation of casting an Australian here or even Meryl Streep in A Cry in the Dark (that's where "A dingo stole my baby!" comes from, btw) and gone for America's Sweetheart Reese Witherspoon. There were flashes in Witherspoon's work in Walk the Line that showed me that she could nail Natasha's quiet and watchful manner- if she could do the skankyness is another story...

Juhani

Is there anyone more suited to play Juhani than a young Dustin Hoffman? The nose, the awkwardness, the nice-guy appeal? It's perfect.

Twiggy

Heath Ledger's revelatory performance as Ennis Del Mar has me thinking that he could nail Twiggy's equally nervous and stammering nature. If not Ledger then perhaps an actual twig?

Hiran

Hiran's a hard one to peg: mysterious (certainly on the interweb), sarcastic, intelligent, funny, political and ambitious. Ralph Fiennes' chilling performance in Schindler's List has me thinking that he could get the intensity down but Andy Serkis (and his eyebrows) could put up a good fight.

Vicknesh

Nobody could capture the wannabe posturing, good intentions and attitude like last year's New Big Thing Terrence Howard. He could accurately portray the overwhelming need to be a 'Gangsta', the lackadaisical attitude and harsh surroundings that envelope our Australian friend.

Electra

E is probably one of the few people I could attach the word 'charming' to, but the truth is there's no better word. Her intelligence and wit seem a perfect fit for Julie Delpy's talent, but her slight flashes of vulnerability hint that she's closer to Judy Davis.

Ishara

Most inspired casting choice ever?

So, who would play you in a movie?