My 2011 Golden Globe Predictions

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
"Black Swan"
"The Fighter"
"Inception"
"The King's Speech"
"The Social Network"

BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Burlesque"
"The Kids Are All Right" 
"Red"
"The Tourist"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE
"Biutiful," Mexico/Spain 
"The Concert," France 
"The Edge," Russia
"I Am Love," Italy
"In a Better World," Denmark 

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"
David Fincher, "The Social Network" 
Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"
Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
David O. Russell, "The Fighter" 

BEST DRAMATIC ACTOR
Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"
Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"
James Franco, "127 Hours"
Ryan Gosling, "Blue Valentine"
Mark Wahlberg, "The Fighter"

BEST DRAMATIC ACTRESS
Halle Berry, "Frankie and Alice"
Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"
Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"
Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine" 

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Johnny Depp, "Alice in Wonderland"
Johnny Depp, "The Tourist" 
Paul Giamatti, "Barney's Version"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Love and Other Drugs" 
Kevin Spacey, "Casino Jack"

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right" 
Anne Hathaway, "Love and Other Drugs" 
Angelina Jolie, "The Tourist"
Julianne Moore, "The Kids Are All Right"
Emma Stone, "Easy A"

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, "The Fighter" 
Michael Douglas, "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"
Andrew Garfield, "The Social Network" 
Jeremy Renner, "The Town"
Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech" 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "The Fighter" 
Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"
Mila Kunis, "Black Swan"
Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"
Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

ANIMATED FILM
"Despicable Me"
"How to Train Your Dragon"
"The Illusionist" 
"Tangled" 
"Toy Story 3" 

SCREENPLAY
Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, "127 Hours" 
Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, "The Kids Are All Right" 
Christopher Nolan, "Inception"
David Seidler, "The King's Speech"
Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"

ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, "The King's Speech"
Danny Elfman, "Alice in Wonderland"
A.R. Rahman, "127 Hours" 
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "The Social Network"
Hans Zimmer, "Inception"

SONG
"Bound to You" (music by Samuel Dixon, lyrics by Christina Aguilera and Sia Furler), "Burlesque"
"Coming Home" (music and lyrics by Bob DiPiero, Tom Douglas, Hillary Lindsey and Troy Verges), "Country Strong" 
"I See the Light" (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater), "Tangled"
"There's a Place for Us" (music and lyrics by Carrie Underwood, David Hodges and Hillary Lindsey), "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" 
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" (music and lyrics by Diane Warren), "Burlesque" 

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

DRAMATIC TV SERIES
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Dexter"
"The Good Wife"
"Mad Men" 
"The Walking Dead"

BEST ACTOR, TV DRAMA
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire" 
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Hugh Laurie, "House"

BEST ACTRESS, TV DRAMA
Julianna Marguiles, "The Good Wife"
Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"
Piper Perabo, "Covert Affairs"
Katy Sagal, "Sons of Anarchy" 
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

TV SERIES, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"30 Rock"
"Big Bang Theory"
"The Big C"
"Glee" 
"Modern Family"
"Nurse Jackie"

BEST ACTOR, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" 
Steve Carell, "The Office"
Thomas Jane, "Hung"
Matthew Morrison, "Glee"
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

BEST ACTRESS, TV MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Toni Collette, "The United States of Tara"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock" 
Laura Linney, "The Big C"
Lea Michele, "Glee"

BEST MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"Carlos" 
"The Pacific" 
"Pillars of the Earth" 
"Temple Grandin"
"You Don't Know Jack"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hayley Atwell, "Pillars of the Earth"
Claire Danes, "Temple Grandin" 
Judi Dench, "Return to Cranford" 
Romola Garai, "Emma"
Jennifer Love Hewitt, "The Client List"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Idris Elba, "Luther" 
Ian McShane, "Pillars of the Earth" 
Al Pacino, "You Don't Know Jack"
Dennis Quaid, "The Special Relationship"
Edgar Ramirez, "Carlos"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hope Davis, "The Special Relationship" 
Jane Lynch, "Glee" 
Kelly Macdonald, "Boardwalk Empire" 
Julia Stiles, "Dexter" 
Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Scott Caan, "Hawaii Five-O" 
Chris Colfer, "Glee" 
Chris Noth, "The Good Wife"
Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family" 
David Strathairn, "Temple Grandin" 

My TV Premiere Week Recap

Oh what a wonderful time of year for TV junkies. Here is my recap of premiere week:

THE EVENT

NBC has been putting a lot of effort into marketing this potential hit show. Some people are hoping that this mystery-thriller will take over the Lost throne. I doubt it will be as good as Lost, but I was pleased with the first episode. I definitely think it has potential as the sizable early audience means it could be around for a while assuming it doesn't significantly drop off.

I do, however, think that The Event will have a harder time keeping people interested in the same way that Lost did. The main difference that I see so far, is that in Lost almost all of the characters had no idea what “the secret” was, while in The Event a good majority of the characters seem to know “the secret.” It is harder to continue on with using that ploy in this manner because it ends up becoming more aggravating.

It is okay to slowly reveal a secret to both the main characters and the audience at the same time, but if you hold the audience out while the characters know, it makes the audience start to hate the puppet masters.

The “secret” in The Event seems less likely to be sustained over the long haul because of this and that may dampen the show's prospects. I am rooting for it to succeed, however.

UNDERCOVERS

This NBC venture backed by J.J. Abrams seems like a cheeky good time, but is really nothing particularly new or inventive. I think the whole balancing-family-life-with-being-an-awesome spy-thing has been done before.

I am also rather distracted by the bulbous shaved head of Boris Kodjoe (Steven). It is tepid fun and I don't know that this is a show that can hold up over time, especially on a broadcast network.

It seems like something the USA network would have better luck with – although it is nowhere near the fun of shows like Burn Notice or Psych.

HAWAII FIVE-O

The pilot featured some pretty high production values, including tons of stuff blowing up, plenty of helicopters and wonderful cinematography.

This may be a pilot spurge, but I think a new audience should always be concerned about the production costs of a show. It is hard to sustain a show in later seasons if it is not economical.

I thought the pilot was relatively fun, but I think a lot of my fun came from the highly-produced action. Take that away and I am not sure I will enjoy it as much.

The biggest treat of the show so far is Daniel Dae Kim (Lost).

GLEE

I was happy to be back in school for another year of watching the Glee kids and visit with Brittany. She had some priceless one-liners, including “Stop the violence” and “People thought I was on vacation but I just got lost in the sewers.”

Overall, it was a decent episode to set up the second season trajectory.

RUNNING WILDE

This show has probably been overlooked already. I didn't notice it until I saw it on Hulu the other day. It stars Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Keri Russell (Felicity). I liked the pilot and could see myself getting into this show.

I have to say, however, it was significantly helped by David Cross (Arrested Development) who appeared in the pilot. I say check it out. It is worth 20 minutes on Hulu. Also check out, what seems to be a companion series that will air on IFC this fall, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret.

That show stars David Cross with a supporting role from Will Arnett.

CHUCK

I am so happy that Chuck is back for another round of mayhem. The premiere hasn't captured me in the same way that it did last season. However, I am excited to see where the show takes us this year.

I very much hope that Chuck and Sarah are together for the entire season. It is time for them to take their relationship to the next level. Maybe a proposal by season's end? Also, Morgan needs a serious love interest for the season (just sayin').

COMMUNITY

Hey, it is America's sweetheart, Betty White doing a guest spot in the season opener of Community! That is a major plus, but the return of last season's breakout hit was sub par.

I was hoping for a little Jeff and Annie relationship fun this year after their make-out session in last season's finale -- doesn't look like we are going to get it though. Still I am glad this show is back because when it is good, it is really good.

30 ROCK

Again, I thought the season opener of this great show was also sub par compared to the standards it has set for itself over the years.

It featured a nice guest spot by Matt Damon, who is Liz's new boyfriend.

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

What can I say about this show which has been so hyped by critics in recent weeks? Nothing much original other than to note that yes it does live up to the hype so far. It is really movie quality entertainment.

It is a must watch.

TRAILER TUESDAY: Is 127 HOURS going to be another Danny Boyle Classic?

127 HOURS
****
Opens November 5, 2010

Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) says he never wants to make the same movie twice. I think it is safe to say by his resume that he has accomplished that.

This new movie is again, something completely different. This is the true story about the guy who had to cut off his own arm to save himself from dying.

I love that Danny Boyle is directing this movie. Without him, this would be probably be a TV movie. I am also interested to see James Franco play this role.

My Defense of SERBIS -- Why It Is Not a Craptastix

This week on the InstaFlicka Podcast we reviewed the movie Serbis. I gave it a tepid three stars out of five, but spent a good portion of my time defending it.

I am under no delusion that there are very, very few people that will like Serbis -- hell, I am not sure I even like it -- but I feel it needs some defense. Here is my written review of the movie:

If you are not deeply committed to independent cinema or perhaps deeply into Asian pornography you won't like this film, but if you are... then I say give it a try.

Serbis -- a Filipino film with subtitles -- tells the story of a three-generation family living in and running a rundown former family movie theater that now runs soft-core porn and caters to a largely homosexual and illicit crowd. The dark movie house is filled with prostitutes, johns and who knows what else. It is all very unseemly in a movie theater that is just as disgusting as the things that go on there.

Throughout the theater there are signs that read “No pissing here.” It is fairly likely that wads of cum are as essential as mortar in holding the rather large and decrepit theater together.

We follow the family as they struggle to survive together and cope with the utterly un-family friendly confines that they are housed. The setting puts everyone's sexual desires and perversions on display for everyone else and especially the viewer.

The director spends a lot of the movie following his characters walking up and down the numerous stairways in the winding and expansive theater as if they are walking through a macabre maze. But no one seems to be getting out and the dead-ends lead to desperation, resignation and exploitation.

The whole thing is carnal, sad and darkly humorous. That last bit is important to note because it may not be altogether clear that this movie tries to be funny. It is easy to lose the humor while reading the subtitles.

If you approach this movie as if it were some kind of odd and disturbing telenovela, you are likely to have a better viewing and maybe even revel in some of the quirky melodrama.

Still, for many, this movie is painfully slow and perhaps unwatchable. I can understand that. There are many flaws. The sound editing is substandard in several patches; the camera work struggles mightily in some stretches, although it is competent in others places; and the dialogue is a little banal.

There is also an uneven -- or maybe just confusing -- tone to Serbis. I mentioned that you can get some delight out of the melodrama, but it is not hard to get thrown for a loop by what seems to be fits of earnestness.

There are moments that make you feel like Serbis is too serious to get away with some of its comical gags, yet there are also moments that make you feel like it is too ridiculous to be taken seriously. These shifts not only confuse the viewer but make one incredulous about the director's intentions.

Is it okay to laugh or should I feel bad that it made me laugh? How should I feel about being titillated by the non-simulated sex scenes? Is this film nothing more than a gritty porno about pornography? Does the director want me to be conflicted?

If this film wasn't worth anything I wouldn't be asking those questions, and if it was better crafted I might know some of the answers. The bottom line is that this venture demands some thought and an opinion -- good
or bad -- and that is more than I can say about a lot of things that flicker on the screen.

Starz's New Mini-Series THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH is Ambitious and Delicious

Starz's new historical fiction mini-series, The Pillars of the Earth, about medieval England sets the desires of good men and women against the desires of bad ones.

The characters constantly struggle with the question of when it is better to acquiesce or stake their life on things that they want the most.

They are forced to pick their battles wisely as each fight could mean the death of their life and legacy. For some that legacy is the thrown of England. For others it is building a masterpiece cathedral.

The internal and external nature of these struggles add a certain amount of grandeur to the show's scope of storytelling and accentuates the central historical conflicts of the time.

Pillars starts as King Henry I loses his only legitimate son, and heir to the thrown, to a shipwreck. Without an heir, those around him start angling to fill the power vacuum that would be created if the King should die.

Battle lines are drawn between the King's daughter, the young Princess Maude, and his nephew Stephen. When King Henry meets his end, Stephen is handed the crown with the backing of the church.

But Princess Maude, a new mother to a son and potential heir, resists. She raises an army with the help of those loyal to the late King. What follows is a time in England's history referred to as “The Anarchy,” in which the two sides fight for power over nineteen years.

At the heart of this series, however, is the story of Tom the Builder and his quest to build a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. The building is not only a means to feed his starving family, but also something greater than himself. His plans are beautiful and architecturally revolutionary.

Yet Tom's goal, supported by the local religious authority Prior Phillip, is caught in the middle of the political strife. Tom and Phillip are the underdogs. They struggle to find out if it is possible to make a beautiful piece of work in a time of complete upheaval. They find out that there will be costs in both blood and treasure.

While the building of the cathedral is certainly the emotional center of Pillars, the struggle for power is given just as much weight. This forces the show to handle a variety of important story lines in quick succession, all while jumping years in time from episode to episode – there are only eight.

Those, however, are not the only story lines. Several other important and enjoyable subplots drift through the series, but it would be too encumbering to list them all here.

Pulling all those story lines together in an eight episode mini-series takes precise writing and memorable acting. And for the most part the writers and cast of Pillars exceed in crafting scenes and characters that are endearing, devious and fierce.

Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is especially brilliant as the scorned and underestimated Princess Maude. Rufus Sewel's (A Night's Tale) turn as Tom the Builder is as handsome and as strong as he as ever been; while Ian McShane (Deadwood) as the corruptible Bishop Waleran Bigod, continuously makes me desirous for more episodes of the short-lived NBC's drama Kings.

Pillars may not be as slick as Showtime's The Tudors or as genius as HBO's Rome – two notable fictionalized, but historically-conceived shows from recent years – but it is just as ambitious.

Its hefty and surprising cast propel this mini-series to succeed more than it fails. The Pillars of the Earth, based on the 1989 novel by Ken Follet, is available streaming online through Netflix.

I'm on a podcast... yes, I am that cool. You have no idea. Check it out.

Okay, I may not be as cool as advertised but this podcast is pretty cool.

It is called InstaFlicka and it is all about trolling through the golden nuggets and crap that is in the Netflix Watch Instantly library.

I did a guest spot this week and they asked me to come back next week. I think that means I was worth the pay of the three Lienies that it took to keep me in front of the microphone for the hour.

It was good fun and co-hosts Phil Butcher and Jonny Gausewitz were fun to rant with. Go to the InstaFlicka website or find it on iTunes.

My Top 25 Television Shows of the Year

In honor of the recent announcement of the Emmy Award nominations I thought I might create a list of what I think are the best scripted shows from the last year. I watch a lot of TV, but I haven't seen everything, so there may be an unreasonable snub here and there.

I also have a bias against cop, nurse or lawyer shows and anything with a laugh track -- so keep that in mind.

Here are the Emmy nominations if you are interested:

http://www.emmys.com/nominations

1-5 | House (Fox), Lost (ABC), Dexter (SHO), Big Love (HBO), Mad Men (AMC)

Hugh Laurie and company have created one of the best TV characters ever and the writers continuously take chances and keep things interesting. What a great show.


6-10 | Spartacus: Blood and Sand (SHO), Chuck (NBC), Breaking Bad (AMC), Glee (FOX), Community (NBC)

I think many people might be surprised with the number six entry of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, but this show really captured my attention. The first episode was ridiculous and kind of bad, but as the series went along into its first season things really got juicy. “Jupiter’s cock” is my new favorite profanity. This show might not be in the same league as HBO’s Rome, but Spartacus is quite good.


11-15 | In Treatment (HBO), Friday Night Lights (NBC), Burn Notice (USA), Breaking Bad (AMC), East Bound and Down (HBO)

Every show listed in this range are must watches because of their amazing acting performances. Over a mix of genres, these shows are powered by their amazing casts.

16-20 | Entourage (HBO), Parks and Recreation (NBC), 30 Rock (NBC), The Office (NBC), Psych (USA)

Welcome to the comedy block. These shows gave me some of my best laughs over the last year. I wonder how high on the list The Office will be if Steve Carell leaves?

21-25 | Party Down (STARZ), Fringe (FOX), True Blood (HBO), Royal Pains (USA), Bones (FOX)

Why, oh why, did Starz go and cancel Party Down. What a fun show that was. I can’t believe it was an expensive show to produce but Adam Scott is kind of blowing up lately and I understand it is hard to keep him around. Also, I know that it isn’t ground breaking television, but I really enjoy tuning into Royal Pains and Bones.

Honorable Mention | Californication (SHO), Dark Blue (TNT), Leverage (TNT), V (ABC), Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX), In Plain Sight (USA), Modern Family (ABC), Castle (ABC), Monk (USA)