A Look Ahead to...February

I'm sorry for not updating since the SAG ceremony. No, Ruby Dee's win didn't kill me (at least not in the literal sense). I've just been busy to the point where I haven't even watched American Idol since last week. Oh, the horror!

Anyway, we'll get to Oscar updates on Saturday. In the meantime, here's a look at a couple movies that might interest you over the next 29 days.

In Bruges
Release Date: February 8th
Starring: Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes

I'm already sick of seeing this trailer in theaters, but the reviews have been pretty decent so far. Plus: it's been awhile since Colin Farrell did anything substantial, so maybe he'll surprsie us here.


Be Kind Rewind
Release Date: February 22nd
Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def

Early word leaves me worried. However, Gondry worked some early year magic with "Eternal Sunshine" a few years ago, so fingers crossed.

The Other Boleyn Girl
Release Date: February 29th
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Eric Bana

This could lean toward the campy side, but either way it's bound to be entertaining.

What about YOU? What February movies are you most looking forward to?

SAG Winners

Best Ensemble: No Country for Old Men
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood (incredible speech)
Best Actress: Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Ruby Dee, American Gangster (blargh---should've seen that one coming)

SAG Preview

The SAG awards air in just a couple of hours, so here's a quick rundown of what I expect to happen.

Best Ensemble: No Country for Old Men
---it's the only Ensemble that matched Oscar's Best Picture lineup, so expect NCFOM to take it. If not, look for a big ensemble like Hairspray to upset.

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
---I don't think there's any competition here. Day-Lewis wins in a cake walk.

Best Actress: Julie Christie, Away From Her
---I suppose Ellen Page could upset, but it's going to be tough to usurp a veteran like Julie Christie, who has dominated all season.

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
---I suppose one of the vets could upset, but at this point Bardem's role is too buzzed to be ignored.

Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
---With 2 nods, she'll (sadly) have to win somewhere and this is the easiest place for it to happen.

What about you? What are YOU predicting to win tonight?

Coen Bros. Win DGA

Awards Daily has the story.


I can't call this a surprise, but I'm still glad they won. After this, "No Country for Old Men" is getting closer and closer to a well-deserved Best Picture win.

Thoughts?

Weekend Screening Schedule

More January crap opens in theaters today. Among the new releases: "How She Move," the latest in the teen dance flick saga, "Rambo" (why?) and poor Diane Lane in the universally panned "Untraceable."

Sadly, not even my "She should have won the Oscar!" love for Diane Lane will get me to see "Untraceable," so I'll likely be skipping the theaters this wekeend. Instead, I'll try to sit down and watch "Shoot 'Em Up," which I still have from Netflix.

What about you guys? What do you plan on watching this weekend?

There Will Be Changes

I know I should be focused on the final leg of the race right but I wanted to give you a quick look at what might be in store over the summer here at Oscar and the City.

I've been meaning to re-design my website for about 6 years now (ha), and I think I might have finally found the right person to help me do it. I basically want to find a way to combine the blog and the main site---kind of what like Sasha is doing now at Awards Daily. If I have the tools to do, then that will the first and most important change.

I'd also like to incorporate more weekly/monthy features here so that you guys constantly have something to look forward to. I tested it out with the YouTube Clip of the Week, and I'd like to come up with more ideas like that.

I'm also hoping to bring back the Everything Oscar! Movie Club. I started it just as the Oscar race was picking up so I couldn't give it the proper attention it deserved. However, the summer would probably be a great time for a re-launch, as long as you all are interested in it.

Those are just some of the things that have been on my mind lately. And if you have any suggestions or ideas I would love to hear from it. I think we've slowly developed a strong community at this blog and I'm hoping to build on that and help to make this an even better place to visit.

/rant.

Remembering Heath Ledger

Before we get back to the Oscar race I thought it was necessary to take the time to remember the career of Heath Ledger, which was as accomplished as it was promising.

Unfortunately, I'm not as familiar with Ledger's filmography as others are, but I'll still remember him for two performances: his breakout role in the teen comedy "10 Things I Hate About You" and of course his Oscar-nominated turn in "Brokeback Mountain." The latter performance is without a doubt the best performance of the decade, and will likely be even more treasured by film watchers following this untimely tragedy.


In any event, please feel free to share your favorite Heath Ledger performances and films. And for the best articles on Heath, check out the links I've posted below.

Oscar updates will be posted this weekend.

"Prince of Intensity With a Lightness of Touch" - A.O. Scott, The New York Times
"Brokeback Got Me Good. More on Heath Ledger" - Nathaniel Rogers, The Film Experience
"There Were More Than 10 Things I Loved About Heath" - Daniel Keaney, Awards Daily

RIP Heath Ledger. 1979-2008.

Breaking News: RIP Heath Ledger

According to USA Today, Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment this afternoon.

More details from The New York Times.

Pardon my language, but holy shit. I am completely stunned.

Oscar Rundown

We'll go into a more detailed analysis as we approach February, but for now here's a quick rundown of this morning's nominations:

Best Picture
:: Atonement
:: Juno
:: Michael Clayton
:: No Country for Old Men
:: There Will Be Blood

Thumbs up for...: Atonement. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood were expected nominees. However, after getting bitch slapped by the Guilds all season long, Atonement was poised to become this year's "Dreamgirls." Now it can call itself one of the year's 5 best.

Thumbs down for...: Juno and Michael Clayton, which were both "good but not Oscar-worthy" films in my book.

Best Director
:: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
:: Jason Reitman, Juno
:: Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
:: Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
:: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Thumbs up for...: Paul Thomas Anderson, who finally got his due.

Thumbs down for...: Tony Gilroy. "Michael Clayton" was an auspicious debut but it paled in comparison to more deserving contenders like Joe Wright and "Bourne"-alum Paul Greengrass.

Best Actor
:: George Clooney, Michael Clayton
:: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
:: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
:: Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
:: Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Thumbs up for...: Viggo Mortensen. We knew it would finally happen, but it's still nice to see nonetheless.

Thumbs down for...: Tommy Lee Jones. Jones gave a fine performance in "In the Valley of Elah," but his supporting turn in "No Country for Old Men" was far more deserving.

Best Actress
:: Cate Blanchett, The Golden Age
:: Julie Christie, Away From Her
:: Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
:: Laura Linney, The Savages
:: Ellen Page, Juno

Thumbs up for...: Laura Linney. She just missed my Best Actress ballot, but kudos to voters for remembering her wonderfully subtle turn in "The Savages."

Thumbs down for...: Cate Blanchett. One nomination is fine, but this is pushing it.

Best Supporting Actor
:: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James
:: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
:: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
:: Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
:: Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Thumbs up for...: Casey Affleck, who held on strong for the entire season.

Thumbs down for...: Philip Seymour Hoffman. Like most of "Charlie Wilson's War," Hoffman's servicable performance barely registered.

Best Supporting Actress
:: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
:: Ruby Dee, American Gangster
:: Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
:: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
:: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Thumbs up for...: Saoirse Ronan, arguably the best of the 3 Brionys.

Thumbs down for...: Ruby Dee, who was probably nominated more for her career than her underwhelming performance in "American Gangster."

Best Original Screenplay
:: Juno
:: Lars and the Real Girl
:: Michael Clayton
:: Ratatouille
:: The Savages

Thumbs up for...: Ratatouille & The Savages, two extremely well-written films.

Thumbs down for...: Michael Clayton, which had about one too many structural problems (meandering subplots, for starters).

Best Adapted Screenplay
:: Atonement
:: Away From Her
:: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
:: No Country for Old Men
:: There Will Be Blood

Thumbs up for...: Away From Her, a nice surprise nominee.

Thumbs down for...: none. This is a relatively strong category.

I have to say I'm pretty pleased with this morning's nominations. Yes, there were misses in every category, but overall I would say these are A LOT better than last year's.

What about you guys? How would you rate the 2007 Oscar nominations?

Oscar Nominations Announced

Best Picture
:: Atonement
:: Juno
:: Michael Clayton
:: No Country for Old Men
:: There Will Be Blood

Best Director
:: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
:: Jason Reitman, Juno
:: Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
:: Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
:: Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Actor
:: George Clooney, Michael Clayton
:: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
:: Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
:: Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
:: Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Best Actress
:: Cate Blanchett, The Golden Age
:: Julie Christie, Away From Her
:: Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
:: Laura Linney, The Savages
:: Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actor
:: Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James
:: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
:: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
:: Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
:: Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actress
:: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
:: Ruby Dee, American Gangster
:: Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
:: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
:: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Original Screenplay
:: Juno
:: Lars and the Real Girl
:: Michael Clayton
:: Ratatouille
:: The Savages

Best Adapted Screenplay
:: Atonement
:: Away From Her
:: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
:: No Country for Old Men
:: There Will Be Blood

Full list HERE.

Quick reactions:

I'm most happy for Atonement for Best Picture (it was looking more and more like Dreamgirls until the bitter end) Laura Linney (for the win!) and, to be a bitch, the lack of love for Into the Wild. I'm also loving the 3 nominations for "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Totally confused about Tommy Lee Jones' nomination, but it's an interesting one nonetheless. Did anybody see it coming?

I'll be back later this evening with full category updates. See you then, and feel free to continue discussing while I'm gone!

Open Thread

I'm off to bed in a second, but I wanted to keep a thread open for everyone to post their Oscar nod dreams and wishes. We're just 9 1/2 hours away from the nominations, if you can believe it.

See you at 8 AM EST, and best of luck with your predix!

Also: don't forget to check out my finalized predix in the thread below.

Predix Finalized

Head over to the MAIN PAGE to view my final predix of 2007.

I strongly advise that you take my Tech Predix with a grain of salt, as I basically pulled them out of my ass. Can you blame me, though? The techs have been so wacky the past couple of years that they're almost not worth predicting.

But I tried, anyway.


Also, you'll notice that I did something EXTREMELY bad to my Best Actress predix, but I have to keep the faith alive. Right, bloggers?

Don't answer that. ;)

Final Predix Begin

This page will be updated periodically throughout the night as I updated the Top 9. Techs will be added tomorrow night, but for now...:

Best Picture (10:30 PM)
Best Director (10:00 PM)
Best Actor (11:15 PM)
Best Actress (11:00 PM)* subject to change, but probably not.
Best Supporting Actor (10:30 PM)
Best Supporting Actress (11:45 PM)* subject to change
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Animated Feature (10:00 PM)

Latest updates:

This was the best I could do with Supporting Actress for now. I kind of still want to predict Macdonald for the hell of it, but I need to sleep on it. After Ronan's SAG snub it's hard for me to imagine her getting nominated, and being the only acting rep for Atonement. Weird.

I also need to sleep on the Cate Blanchett nod. I'm probably not going to predict her just to be an ass. Oh well. See you tomorrow evening.

Previous Updates:

I toyed with the idea of Gosling and Hirsch BOTH getting nominated, but that's probably one too many youngsters for Oscar. So I went with Hirsch, who is in the most popular movie. Plus, Gosling was just nominated last year so that might have been his due for now.

I could still see them both getting nominated, which would mean a snub for Johnny Depp. I actually think that's more likely than not, but I don't want to be the one to predict it.

Otherwise, Day-Lewis, Clooney and Mortensen look safe for nominations.
---

I really wanted to predict a Cate Blanchett snub. In fact, I still do. However, every time I go to do it I'm reminded of when I refused to accept Charlize Theron's nomination in 2005, even though she had hit all the majors (BAFTA, BFCA, Globe and SAG). As we know, Cate also received the same nominations, and it's tough to mess with history considering everyone who received BAFTA/BFCA/Globe/SAG nods in one year also went on to be nominated for an Oscar.

If there was no "I'm Not There" in the picture I might have done it. But alas, Oscar will probably vote the consensus as they normally do in this category. Still, my heart aches at the thought of an Amy Adams snub. I just don't see how anybody could see "Enchanted" and NOT vote for her. She was absolutely brilliant in the movie, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a surprise nomination.

Comfort me, bloggers. :(

---

Best Supporting Actor features my one surprise of the year (for now, anyway). While I expect PSH to make it in I'm gonna go ahead and predict Tommy Lee Jones instead. Not only did he get reassuring SAG and BAFTA nods, he also gave what I thought was the best performance in the film. So why not, bloggers? Right?

As for Best Picture: I'm kind of hoping for a "surprise" Diving Bell nod but I kept Juno in there instead. I'm also fearing a TWBB snub, but that's probably just in my head.

2007 Year in Review Ends (And So Has My New Years Resolution!)

There's a very bad reason why my official tech ballot wasn't posted until know. I won't exactly say WHAT it was, but I will say that it had a little something to with a very likeable Katherine Heigl in a very, very contrived and ridiculous romcom. Ugh.


But let's ignore all that and skip right to the good stuff: click HERE to view my picks for the best technical work of the year!

And once you're finished, post your nominees below.

Weekend Screening Schedule

I don't know why I'm doing this in January, but Cloverfield got relatively decent reviews so I figured why not? Let me know if any of you see it, because as for now I'm going to pass.

I'll also be passing on 27 Dresses and Mad Money, both of which did very poorly with the critics.


I guess this will leave me enough time to finish my ballot, which will be up late tonight. After that, look for finalized Oscar predix to be rolled out on Sunday night, with last minute changes on Monday night (if I have to).

What about you? What are you watching this weekend?

2007 Year in Review Continues with...

forum...top 8 nominations for the 6th Annual Everything Oscar! Awards.

Much agonizing went into selecting just five films and performances per category, so before we get to the actual list, here are a few that came THIS close to making it:

Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and The Savages
---Two outstanding performances in one hell of a year for Philip Seymour Hoffman. But how do you single out just one? I simply couldn't do it.

Best Actress
Laura Linney, The Savages
---When an actor has won your award in the past (2000, You Can Count On Me), it becomes just a tad easier to give them the snub (see: Kate Winslet in "Little Children" last year).


Best Supporting Actor
Armin Mueller-Stahl, Eastern Promises
---Both lovable and completely frightening. However, the field was just too crowded.

Best Supporting Actress
Marisa Tomei, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
---Of all the great performances in BTDKYD, Marisa's was oddly the most memorable, despite lack of screentime. I toyed with the idea of nominating her until the last minute, and I probably should have done it.

Now, onto the nominations. Click HERE to view the Top 8 in full!

And afterward, what do you think of my ballot? What made you happiest? What pissed you off? And most importantly: what does YOUR ballot look like?

BAFTA Nominations

Best Film
American Gangster
Atonement
The Lives of Others
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best British Film
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Control
Eastern Promises
This is England

Best Director
Joe Wright, Atonement
Paul Greengrass, The Bourne Ultimatum (OMG)
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Lives of Others
Ethan & Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

Best Actor
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Ulrich Muhe, The Lives of Others

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Chrsitie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Keira Knightley, Atonement
Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano, There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Kelly Macdonald, No Country for Old Men
Samantha Morton, Control
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Original Screenplay
American Gangster
Juno
The Lives of Others
Michael Clayton
This is England

Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
The Kite Runner
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Animated Film
Ratatouille
Shrek the Third
The Simpsons Movie

Full list HERE.

*grumble*

The annual self-doubt has kicked in as I finalize my 2007 Everything Oscar! Ballot. I have about 98% of it ready to go, but there are a couple performances I'm still debating over. I'm trying to avoid making the same mistakes I made last year (i.e., snubbing Daniel Craig. Why, Andy? Why!?), so bear with me.

The Top 8 will be up by 9 PM tomorrow, though (my official deadline). Then we'll roll out the techs on Thursday, and finalize predix over the weekend.

Can you believe the Oscar nominations are 6 days away? I still can't.

See you tomorrow for the BAFTA nominations!

PGA Nominations

From Awards Daily:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood:

Full nominations here: http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=1158

Can The Diving Bell make it after all? Discuss.

2007 Year in Review: Top 10 List

I hate doing Top 10 write ups because I always feel like I'm one hyperbole away from self-destruction, but here it is: My Top 10 of 2007.

I'm not all that pleased with my list only because I wasn't as passioante about every movie mentioned as I was last year. But I still think it's a decent list nonetheless. 2007 was a pretty good year for movies.

What do YOU think of my top 10 list? What surprised you? What movies did I forget? And more importantly: what does YOUR top 10 list look like?

6th Annual Everything Oscar! nominations will be revealed on Tuedsay. They will have more personality, I promise. ;)

Golden Globe Winners

Press conference results via E!:

Best Picture (Drama): Atonement
---this shouldn't be a shock, but it sure does feel like one after the DGA/WGA snubs.
Best Picture (Musical/Comedy): Sweeney Todd
Best Director: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Actor (Drama): Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress (Drama): Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Actor (Musical/Comedy): Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Best Actress (Musical/Comedy): Marion Cotillard, La Vie En Rose
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Best Screenplay: Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Best Animated Feature: Ratatouille
Best Foreign Language Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Original Song: "Guaranteed" - Into the Wild.
Best Original Score: Dario Marinelli, Atonement

Quick reactions: Nice surprises from Schnabel and Cotillard, but that was one F-list press conference. They should've made a rule stating that the TV anchors are not allowed to comment while presenting.

Golden Globes Open Thread

While I'm working on my top 10 list, feel free to post any updated news, predictions, comments---anything you can find on what's going to happen tonight. I'm a little lost on the schedule if you can't alraedy tell.

If the Globes coverage takes up too many channels I'll probably just publish my list tomorrow. But either way, I'm working on it now, so stay tuned. I'll be back around press conference time.

Globe Predix

It seems a little frivolous to predict the Golden Globe winners this year, what with the writers strike and everything, but I figured I might as well. The whole "press conference" setup is sure to get more buzz than the winners, but we'll talk more about that tomorrow.

For now, here's what I expect to go down:

Best Picture (Drama): No Country for Old Men
Best Picture (Comedy): Juno
Best Director: Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Best Actor (Drama): Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress (Drama): Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Actor (Comedy): Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Best Actress (Comedy): Ellen Page, Juno
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Best Screenplay: Juno
Best Foreign Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille
Best Original Score: Dario Marinelli, Atonement (I guess?). Weird nominees.
Best Original Song: "Guaranteed" Into the Wild. (NO idea)

In other words, I'm expecting a very dull and predictable night.

With that out of the way I'm gonna start working on my top 10 list. If it's up tonight it'll be REALLY late. If not I'll publish it in the early afternoon hours. I still have a few placement issues to deal with, but I think the top 10 is set---well, the top 9 anyway. Ugh.

Feel free to post your Globe Predix in the meantime, along with your thoughts at what might make my list. I'm curious to see how well you all know me. ;)

WGA Nominations

From the Official Site:

Best Original Screenplay
Juno
Knocked Up
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
The Savages

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac

Good nominations overall. The Knocked Up mention made my day. Yay!

Best Picture & Director Updates

After months of bitching about how bad the Oscar race is this year I feel like I'm finally back. With help from the DGA nominations this morning, everything is slowly starting to fall into place. Of course, I'm not 100% sure that my latest updates (Best Picture, Best Director) are right, but at the very least I think we're down to a handful of contenders. This means good news for films like There Will Be Blood and Into the Wild, and very, very bad news for once Oscar frontrunners Atonement and Sweeney Todd.


What do you guys think? What are YOUR predictions for Best Picture and Best Director?

DGA Nominations

From the website:

Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel and Ethan Cohen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Micahel Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly


With the exception of Sean Penn these are pretty good. How well will this match Best Picture, though? Are Atonement and Sweeney officially dunzo?

BFCA Winners

Winners:

Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
Best Director: Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Best Actress: Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best Documentary: Sicko
Best Family Film: Enchanted
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille
Best Foreign Film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Best Song: "Once" - Falling Slowly
Best Composer: Johnny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood (sweet)
Best Comedy: Juno
Best Young Actor: Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, The Kite Runner
Best Young Actress: Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray.
Best Screenplay: Diablo Cody, Juno
Best Ensemble: Hairspray

All the News That's Fit to Blog

Lots of stuff has been going on over the past couple of days. You've got your Best Makeup Shortlist. Your ASC nods, and your VES. The DGA announces tomorrow, and I'll be up at 10 AM EST to post them live. The BFCA's are broadcasting as I type.

And then there's the Golden Globe drama. I don't know what to say except that I'm sad we're not going to get a ceremony. No offense to the writers, but hey. When you watch the Globes year in and year out it's hard not to get a little upset. Hopefully something will be worked out in time for the Oscars next month.

What do you guys think?

2007 Year in Review Begins!...

...With my picks for the Worst Films, Performances and Cringe-Worthy Moments of the Year!

Disclaimer: As with every year, I wore out my Netflix account by catching up on all the bad flicks I missed in theaters. However, the screenings eventually became so unbearable that I had to skip a few turkeys. So to Adam Sandler, Kevin James and everyone involved with "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," consider yourselves saved.

Anyway, onto the awards:

It's that time of year again: time to take a closer look back at the year in film. Some claim 2007 was the best year for movies since 1999, but we'll get to all that positive crap next week. For now, let us dishonor the worst films and performances of '07, as judged by yours truly.



Enjoy. And remember (as always): it's all in good fun.

Read the rest HERE.

---

What do you think bloggers? What are your picks for the worst films, performances and cringe-worthy moments of '07? Is there anything on my list that you agree with? Or better yet: anything you vehemently disagree with? Discuss it all in the comments section below!

Globes May Proceed Without Telecast

So says Variety.

Wuh-oh.

BAFTA Shortlist; Plus: YouTube Clip of the Week

I know it's a day late, but here's a quick look at the films on the BAFTA shortlist (or is it longlist??):

FILM
“American Gangster”
“Atonement”
“The Bourne Ultimatum"
“Charlie Wilson’s War"
“Control”
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
“Eastern Promises"
“Into the Wild"
“Juno“The Kite Runner”
“The Lives of Others”
“Lust, Caution”
“Michael Clayton”
“No Country for Old Men”
“There Will Be Blood”

Full list HERE.

---

Atonement was expected to do well here, and it obviously did. I'm still thinking it might be snubbed by Oscar, though. I just can't shake the feeling that the BP nods are going to be really safe, and really, really, really bland. Am I crazy?

Anyway, my 2007 Worst of the Year awards begin tomorrow, and I'll have everything up either bright and early in the morning or very, very late at night, depending on how busy I am. But to keep you guys interested, here's a short clip from one of the films that drove me nuts this past year:



Ugh!

USC Scripter Nominations

From Awards Daily:

Atonement
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac



Interesting. Remind me to watch "Zodiac" again before I publish my Top 10 List.

Happy New Year! Plus: Slight Oscar Tweaking

Happy New Year, bloggers! It's time for new hopes, new dreams, and of course, new resolutions.

Last year, my resolution was simply to see more movies. I stuck with it all year long, and in doing so I realized that it might not have been the best thing to do after all. Movies like Because I Said So, Georgia Rule and Premonition did not deserve my $11, and with ticket prices now reaching $12, I feel like I'm entitled to wait for certain flicks to come out on DVD.

We'll see how long it lasts, though. That 27 Dresses promo does look tempting.

In the meantime, I went ahead and updated Best Actress, which is looking to be more predictable by the day. I'm still hoping for a surprise nomination for Amy Adams or Keira Knightley, but if Cate gets a BAFTA nod (she will) I'll crumble.

What about you bloggers? Who are you predicting for Best Actress? And what are your New Years Resolutions?