All Things Fangirl

The Third Annual Fangirl Awards - Nominations

2012-01-23T15:53:00.000-08:00

These nominations do not reflect the opinions of the editors at All Things Fangirl, but rather the Fangirl Academy, made up of over 100 lovely ladies who follow us on Twitter, read the blog, or know us in real life. In the case of a tie for the final slot in a category, the ATFG editors acted as the tie-breaker. Some ladies couldn't get their ballots in on time, but the everyone in the Academy will be allowed to vote on the winners.

Ballots to pick the winners will go out this week & the results will be announced February 24th!

* - Editor's Choice - Certain categories have an extra nomination. These additions represent something one of the editors at ATFG feels passionately about that we want to encourage you to check out! Often, the editor's choice was in 6th place for the nomination.

Enjoy!

Best Picture

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Drive

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Shame

Tree of Life

Honorable Mentions: We Need To Talk About Kevin, Captain America, 50/50

Best Actor

Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldider spy

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Joseph Gordon Levitt - 50/50

Michael Fassbender - Shame

Ryan Gosling - Drive

Honorable Mentions: George Clooney - The Descendants, Brad Pitt - Moneyball, Tom Hardy - Warrior, Leonardo DiCaprio - J Edgar

Best Actress

Kristin Wiig - Bridesmaids

Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

Rooney Mara - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Tilda Swinton - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Viola Davis - The Help

Honorable Mentions: Meryl Steep - The Iron Lady, Charlize Theron - Young Adult, Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene, Kirsten Dunst - Melancholia

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Rickman - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Albert Brooks - Drive

Andy Serkis - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Ben Kingsley - Hugo

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Honorable Mentions: Benedict Cumberbatch - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Patton Oswalt - Young Adult, Tom Hiddleston - Thor

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo - The Artist

Carey Mulligan - Shame

Jessica Chastain - The Help

Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Octavia Spencer - The Help

Honorable Mentions: Helen McCrory - Hugo, Shailene Woodley - The Descendants, Marion Cotillard - Midnight in Paris

Best Director

David Fincher - Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Martin Scorsese - Hugo

Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

Steve McQueen - Shame

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

Honorable Mentions: Terrance Malick - Tree of Life, Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

The rest after the jump!

Best Adapted Screenplay

Hoissein Amini, Drive

Tate Taylor, The Help

John Logan, Hugo

Aaron Sorkin & Steve Zaillian, Moneyball

Steve Zaillian, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Honorable Mentions: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Best Original Screenplay

Will Reiser. 50/50

Mike Mills, Beginners

Kristin Wiig & Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Diablo Cody, Young Adult

Honorable Mentions: The Artist, Shame

Best Score

Cliff Martinez, Drive

Chemical Brothers, Hanna

Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Howard Shore, Hugo

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Honorable Mentions: Jane Eyre, The Artist, War Horse

World I Most Want To Visit

The Wizarding World - Harry Potter: DHP2

The Train Station - Hugo

1920s Paris - Midnight in Paris

Asgard - Thor

Xavier Mansion in the 1960s - X-Men: First Class

Honorable Mentions: 1920s Hollywood - The Artist, Level 3 - Sucker Punch, Muppets Studio - The Muppets, Dirt - Rango

Best On Screen Animal

Snowy - The Adventures of Tintin

Uggie - The Artist

Cosmo - Beginners

Puss in Boots - Puss in Boots

Joey - War Horse

Honorable Mentions: Rango - Rango, Winter, Dolphins's Tale

Best Chemistry - Romantic - Film

Rooney Mara & Daniel Craig - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Kristin Wiig & Chris O'Dowd - Bridesmaids

Haley Atwell & Chris Evans - Captain America

Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling - Crazy Stupid Love

Anton Yelchin & Felicity Jones - Like Crazy

Carey Mulligan & Ryan Gosling - Drive

Mia Wasikowska & Michael Fassbender - Jane Eyre

Leonardo DiCaprio & Armie Hammer - J Edgar

Rupert Grint & Emma Watson - Harry Potter: DHP2

Emily Blunt & Matt Damon - The Adjustment Bureau

Honorable Mention: Ewan McGregor & Melanie Laurent - Beginners

Best Chemistry - Platonic - Film

Seth Rogen & Joseph Gordon Levitt - 50/59

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint - Harry Potter DHP2

Jude Law & Robert Downey Jr - Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

The Bridesmaids - Bridesmaids

Hugo & Isabelle - Hugo

Erik & Xavier - X-Men: First Class

Simon Pegg & Nick Frost - Paul

Steve Carrell & Ryan Gosling - Crazy Stupid Love

Brad Pitt & Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Tom Hardy & Joel Edgerton - Warrior

Voiceover Performance

Antonio Bandares as Puss - Puss in Boots

Johnny Depp as Rango - Rango

Jamie Bell as Tintin - The Adventures of Tintin

James McAvoy as Arthur - Arthur Christmas

Steve Whitmire as Kermit, Beaker, Statler, etc - The Muppets

Honorable Mentions: Eric Jacobson - The Muppets, Dave Goelz - The Muppets

Epic Fail Movie

Breaking Dawn Part One

Green Lantern

The Hangover II

New Years Eve

Sucker Punch

Best Characterization of an Established Figure

Marilyn Monroe - My Week With Marilyn

Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady

Magneto - X-Men: First Class

Lisbeth Salander - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Daenerys Targaryen- Game of Thrones*

Honorable Mentions: J Edgar Hoover - J Edgar, Dr Watson - Sherlock: Game of Shadows, Tyrion Lannister - Game of Thrones, Zelda Fitzgerald - Midnight in Paris, Ernest Hemmingway - Midnight in Paris

Best Fight/Battle Sequence

The Rainbow Bridge - Thor

Dom v. Luke - Fast Five

Battle of Hogwarts - Harry Potter: DHP2

Sherlock v. Moriarty - Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Hanna Escapes - Hanna

Honorable Mentions: Championship Fight - Warrior, Red Skull v. Captain America - Captain America, Jane v. Sabine - Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Best Animated Film

The Adventures of Tintin

Arthur Christmas

Kung Fu Panda

Puss in Boots

Rango

Best TV Show - Drama

Dr. Who

Downton Abbey

Fringe

Game of Thrones

Homeland

Honorable Mentions: Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, American Horror Story, Once Upon a Time, Walking Dead

Best TV Show - Comedy

30 Rock

Community

Modern Family

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Parks & Recreation

Honorable Mentions: How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, Happy Endings, Cougar Town

Best Actor - Drama TV

Matt Smith- Dr Who

Sean Bean - Game of Thrones

Peter Dinklage - Game of Thrones

John Noble - Fringe

Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Honorable Mentions: Damien Lewis - Homeland, Steve Bushemi - Boardwalk Empire, Evan Peters - American Horror Story

Best Actor - Comedy TV

Nick Offerman - Parks & Recreation

Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother

Jim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory

Ty Burrell - Modern Family

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Danny Pudi - Community*

Honorable Mentions: Don Glover - Community, Joel McHale - Community, Elijah Wood - Wilfred

Best Actress - Drama TV

Jessica Lange - American Horror Story

Anna Torv - Fringe

Emilia Clarke - Game of Thrones

Michelle Fairly - Game of Thrones

Claire Danes - Homeland

Honorable Mentions: Lena Heady - Game of Thrones

Best Actress - Comedy TV

Alison Brie - Community

Sofia Vergara - Modern Family

Amy Poehler - Parks & Rec

Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Zooey Deschanel - New Girl

Honorable Mentions: Alyson Hannigan - HIMYM, Casey Wilson - Happy Endings

Best Chemistry - Romantic TV

Eric/Sookie - True Blood

Chuck/Sarah - Chuck

Beckett/Castle - Castle

Tate/Violet - America Horror Story

Olivia/Peter - Fringe

Mary Margaret/David - Once Upon a Time

The Doctor/River Song - Dr. Who

Amy/Rory - Dr. Who

Mary/Matthew - Downton Abbey

Daenerys/Khal Drogo - Game of Thrones

Best Chemistry - Platonic TV

Abed/Troy - Community

Sam/Dean - Supernatural

Walter/Astrid - Fringe

Walter/Peter- Fringe

Amy/The Doctor/Rory - Dr. Who

Carrie/Saul - Homeland

Leslie/Ann - Parks & Recreation

The Boys/Jess - New Girl

Pete/Myka - Warehouse 13

Shawn/Gus - Psych

Best Guilty Pleasure

Revenge

The Secret Circle

True Blood

Glee

Sucker Punch

Honorable Mentions: American Horror Story, Fast Five

Actor I Most Want To Marry 2010

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Ryan Gosling

Chris Evans

Chris Hemsworth

Dan Stevens

Michael Fassbender

Tom Hiddleston

Benedict Cumberbatch

James McAvoy

David Tennant

Honorable Mentions: Nathan Fillion, Matt Smith

Woman I Most Want To Marry 2010

Emma Stone

Michelle Williams

Carey Mulligan

Tina Fey

Jennifer Lawrence

Marion Cotillard

Kate Winslet

Rooney Mara

Jennifer Brown Findlay

Alex Kingston

Most Underrated

Community

Fringe

Jane Eyre

Happy Endings

Hanna

Honorable Mentions: Eureka

Best Graphic Novel

Hark! A Vagrant

One Soul

Batman: Knight & Squire

Love & Rockets: New Stories

Habibi

Best Comic Series

Buffy Season 9

Justice League

The Walking Dead

Batgirl

The Unwritten

Honorable Mentions: Angel & Faith, American Vampire, Uncanny X-Force

Best Video Game

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Uncharted 3

Skyrim

Arkham City

Portal 2

Honorable Mentions: LA Noire

Best Villain

Loki - Thor

Voldemort - Harry Potter DHP1

Evil Queen/Regina - Once Upon A Time

Lannister Twins - Game of Thrones

Kevin - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Bernie - Drive

Moriarty - Sherlock: Game of Shadows

Victoria Grayson - Revenge

Thomas - Downton Abbey

Melancholia - Melancholia

Honorable Mentions: Rumpelstiltskin - Once Upon A Time, Red Skull - Captain America, Klaus - Vampire Diaries

Best Musician/Band

Florence & The Machine

Bon Iver

Foster The People

Adele

Childish Gambino

Best Book

Dance with Dragons - George RR Martin

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - Mindy Kaling

Bossypants - Tiny Fey

11/22/63 - Stephen King

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline

The Marriage Plot* - Jeffrey Eugenides

Most Anticipated Movie of 2012
The Amazing Spiderman
The Avengers
Brave
Cabin in the Woods
The Dark Knight Rises
Django Unchained
The Hobbit
Hunger Games
Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon)
Prometheus

Honorable Mentions: Les Mis, The Great Gatsby, Dark Shadows

Most Romantic Line EVAR 2011

"What would you do if you knew you only had one minute to live?...I'd kiss you again." - Colter Stevens, Source Code

"Steve Rogers: You know, I still don't know how to dance. Peggy Carter: I'll show you how. Just be there." - Captain America

"Stay with me. Okay? Kate, I love you…I Love you, Kate." - Rick Castle, Castle

"I'm so mad at you. I'm really mad at you for what you did. But I'm mad at myself too. Because I should have jumped out of that car - I should have fought for you. Because you fight for your soulmates." - Cal, Crazy Stupid Love

"I offer you my hand, my heart. Jane, I ask you to pass through life at my side. You are my equal and my likeness. Will you marry me?" - Rochester, Jane Eyre

“I won't keep you long. I have to go somewhere now. I don't think I can come back. I just wanted you to know, just gettin' to be around you, that was the best that ever happened to me”. - Driver, Drive

“Let the record state that I, Leslie Knope, love Ben Wyatt. I love him with all of my heart. Did you get that?” - Parks and Recreation

“I can go through this door alone. You'll never see me or the people chasing us again, or you can come with me, and I don't know what's on the other side, but you'd be next to me and that's all I've wanted since the minute I met you.” The Adjustment Bureau

“I will never stop trying. Because when you find the one… you never give up.” - Cal, Crazy, Stupid, Love

"That's my girlfriend, you nipties!" - Ron, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Best Fan Outreach

Game of Thrones Food Truck

Nerd HQ at Comic-Con

Harry Potter 3D Glasses For HP:DHP2 Midnight Shows

Adventure Time at Comic-Con

@TheLarmy

"Join SHIELD" Booths/Viral

Boardwalk Empire Cruise

Andrew Garfield's Speech at Comic-Con

Team Erik/Team Xavier X-Men Shirt Giveaway at Comic-Con

Hunger Games Mockingjay Pin Giveaway at Comic-Con

What's Joseph Gordon Levitt Been Up To Lately?

2012-01-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

Commissioned by and cross-posted on Film.com

Since reappearing on the film scene big time, Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been one of the most prolific and beloved actors around, rocking six projects in 2009, and five in 2010 (and winning the Fangirl Award for Actor I Most Want To Marry two years running, his crush-worthiness inspiring this article). But with only one 2011 release, 50/50, which hit theaters back in September, we can’t help but wonder, what has he been up to since? We took a look at his last few months and broke it down.

Shooting His Five 2012 Projects

From May to November, Levitt found himself shooting scenes for Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. I’m sure lots of people know who he is playing, or at least have an idea, but not me! After an initial casting rumor that he was stepping in as Alberto Falcone, most notably from The Long Halloween, I removed myself from speculation and have stayed safe from any and all news and rumors since. But in addition to that, he shot or began shooting Premium Rush, Looper, Lincoln, and Django Unchained. For those keeping track at home, that means in 2011 he worked with Chris Nolan, Steven Spielberg *and* Quentin Tarantino, just to name a few. Damn, boy.

Tweeting (though he hates that phrase)

Whenever you find yourself wondering what JGL might be doing with himself, you can always take to his verified Twitter account and/or tumblr. Mostly what he says is themed to hitRECord, his collaborative production company, with announcements about artists or shows, but every so often we also get treated to personal photos, musings (including a favorite tweet where he admits to being a bad Jew by eating latkes with ham and cheese) and favorite links, including this one which, if you like music at all, you should click on right now, recommendations (Movies: La Strada, Pizza: Antonio’s in the Valley), and pimping out his friends (see below), like any other Twitter account. This is easily the best way to stay connected to JGL during those long months when you can’t catch him on the big screen or on the red carpet.

Supporting Zooey Deschanel

JGL has tons of equally well known friends, but the one that by far gets the most love on his Twitter account and sparks the imagination of his fans the strongest, is Zooey Deschanel. He regularly posts about or in support of her. Join me over here for Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, and of course Exhibit D, which leads me to...

Singing

So much singing. Swoon.

-Thriller, with a full band including Sean Lennon on bass

-Doing a cover of Redneck Woman by Gretchen Wilson

-With Anne Hathaway

-An original song!

hitRECord – Website & Shows

The main focus of JGL’s 2011 was his website and arts collective of sorts, hitRECord. I’ve been a fan of hitRECord since its inception (see what I did there?) and seriously regret not participating more before it became as huge as it is now. The idea is simple – contribute your art. That’s it. A writer posts a poem. An actor submits a recording of himself reading the poem. An illustrator submits a series of illustrations. An animator animated them. A composer adds a score. Suddenly, a short film is created, the product of artists from all over the world, brought together thanks to one mister Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Ever seen theMorgan M. Morgensen shorts? All started (and ended) with hitRECord. Furthermore, hitRECord hosted a creative center called the RECroom at Sundance and is returning this year with a show, and JGL regularly puts on similar events where collaborative projects are screened and created, always featuring a few surprise guests and at least one musical number from JGL himself. I’ve been to two, one in New York and one LA, and have always had a great time. The Fall Formal, which boasted Anne Hathaway singing, also had Gary Oldman stepping in to do a reading (an activity that famous friends and audience members get to partake in from time to time) and a foray into scripted work done live, filmed, and later edited, like this scene with Neil Patrick Harris, written by Rian Johnson.

Occupying Wall Street

In November, Levitt spent some time Occupying Wall Street in NYC, and went on to turn the footage into a hitRECord project. The result will screen on January 26th at Sundance.

Releasing RECollection and the new edition of The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories

The Tiny Book Of Tiny Stories is a compilation of multiple stories made up of only a couple sentences, each written by a hitRECord member and illustrated by another. RECollection is a 64 page book, DVD and CD collection, comprised of work from 471 hitRECord artists. Badass.

All in all, the coolest thing about Joseph Gordon-Levitt is how active he is – CONSTANTLY – and it all stems from his true passion for art. I know people who have gone to hitRECord shows and found the whole thing a little self important, but frankly, the reason why thousands of people go to these shows across the world (yes, he had a show in London and Toronto for TIFF in 2011) is mostly because of *him*, and yet it exposes them to the art of people who aren’t famous and normally don’t get a showcase like this. And if JGL has an air of “what I’m doing is awesome”, well, that’s because it is. I recently had the chance to chat with Pete Forester, a filmmaker based in New York, whose piece Find the Sun was turned into a short film with hitRECord and played at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, who was able to speak brilliantly to this,

At the heart of all this is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, or as anyone from hitRECord knows him: Joe. Joe created the original website with his incredible brother, Dan, and has ushered it into the gigantic force it’s become. The way that he’s done this, though, has not been through talking about his indie accolades or the long list on imdb. He’s done this by caring about content and quality. Joe goes by “Joe” – sometimes “Regular Joe” – to make a point, I think. That when you sit down with him as a hitRECorder, you sit down with a fellow hitRECorder. Sure that fellow hitRECorder happens to be in the next Batman movie, but the discussion is about the short film you’re going to make together, not some study in celebrity. In 2010, anyone who came into the RECroom would have to take a second to find Joe – as we were all at our computers working as hard as we could to get done what we could. And Joe was there, in the trenches working with us – he blended right in: falling asleep at his computer and taking showers whenever there was a free minute. But what’s funny, from someone who was there, is that this isn’t remarkable at all to me – or to anyone else who was in that room. Because to me, to us, to the hitRECord community: Joe is Joe. He’s a worker, a curator, a fellow artist who is eking out the best that he can from us. He definitely acts as a shepherd to his flock, but he’s as elbow deep as anyone else.

I should say that Joe does use his celebrity in the hitRECord community. He uses it to inspire and to add volume to voices that would otherwise go unheard. He’s quick to mention that his career started because of a great number of variables that leaned beautifully in his favor. But he doesn’t think creative enterprise should be hampered by visibility. And the only way to change the system is from within – he’s our ace in the hole; he’s the mole. But it’s not a secret. You can see that when he has a mic in his hand: he speaks into it so more people can hear what others are saying. That’s Joe: turning up the volume on what he sees as beautiful.

So, to answer the question, what has Joseph Gordon Levitt been up to lately? A LOT more than anyone might have expected.

ARCHER GIVEAWAY CONTEST!

2012-01-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

You know you want this on your wall.

All Things Fangirl is happy to present the opportunity for you to own a jumbo sized edition of this poster from our friends over at FX. Two- that's right, TWO- lucky winners will be plastering this beauty all over their personal space.

Here's what ya gotta do to win.

1. follow our writers on Twitter
@Eruditechick
@Loquaciousmuse
@Castling
@TooAdorkable

2. Shoot an email to allthingsfangirl at gmail.com, containing your name and shipping address, with your favorite quote from Archer in the subject followed by #ArcherATF. Example:

"I'm gonna be a pirate king. - #ArcherATF"

3. Comment to this post with who your favorite member of ISIS is and why. This may or may not sway our judgement, as we'll be pulling names out of a hat. It may just make us happy because we love Archer so damn much.

In closing, look at this hot rolling slab of man:

Predicting The Top Line Oscar Winners: Six Week Mark

2012-01-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on and commissioned by Film.com

Oh Oscars. Here you are, a mere six weeks away! This time last year I was writing epic pieces on how The King's Speech didn't have a chance in hell of winning, and why The Social Network was the best ever and would easily walk away with the trophy. How quickly things turned around. This year no category is set in stone, though the Critic's Choice Awards would certainly like us to think otherwise. For those of you that aren't plugged into the scene, here's a look at what the safe bet predictions are at this time. Though, between you and me, I hope most of these drastically change by February 26th and below you'll also catch my two cents on the upset front. I should note: These were all the safe bet predictions BEFORE the Critics Choice Awards aired so….yeah. Let's just hope some of these are wrong and this year doesn't become another snoozefest.

Supporting Actress

Six Weeks Out Safe Bet: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Everyone loves The Help and Spencer was fantastic, providing a lot of the films comedy where Davis provided the heart, but still managed to be completely sympathetic in her…questionable practices. Personally, I think Chastain's role was a bit more of an acting challenge, but nailing a role simply is not something to be discounted either. Still, I wonder if a flashier role will end up upsetting come Oscar night. Something's got to be slightly unpredictable. Will this be the category to fulfill that duty?

But Don't Be Surprised If: Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

A lot of people are arguing that Melissa McCarthy has the potential to upset here, and while I think that is valid and possible, it also strikes me as just SO bizarre. Comedic performances should be appreciated and acknowledged more, yes, and McCarthy stole Bridesmaids out from under the whole rest of the cast. But to win? An Oscar? Seems more about riding the Melissa McCarthy train than really awarding her performance, and I would hate to see her reach the pique of praise in one year and than have everyone forget about her or call her overrated. Let's just calm down here a little bit, I think. Still, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't seriously acknowledge her dark horse potential. Assuming she even gets a nomination, I can see more passion behind Academy voters checking the box for McCarthy than for the other favorite to upset and critics prize leader, Jessica Chastain.

My Hope: A category where I doubt my two favorites will be nominated, so I don't really have much at stake, but both Spencer and Chastain were fantastic, I'm happy to root for The Help picking up an award here, especially if Davis ends up not getting Actress.

For Your Consideration: Vanessa Redgrave in Coriolanus gives one of the top five performances of the year, hands down. The fact that she isn't making most short lists is absurd, and every actor should be somewhere between ashamed and offended. I find it hard to believe that ANYONE would watch Coriolanus and think Redgrave doesn't deserve a nomination. If she doesn't make the cut, mark my words, it's because no one bothered to put on the screener. Carey Mulligan also deserves a nomination here for breaking out of the box so triumphantly in Shame. She defied all expectations of what she is and can do, thanks to this fearless performance. The fact that she isn't being more seriously considered is baffling. I never thought Janet McTeer was a man for a SECOND! Berenice Bejo didn't even have to memorize lines! (Okay, that's a cheap shot, cause she was top notch at what she did do, but STILL.) Fingers crossed the actors branch doesn't go the obvious route with nominations here.

More after the jump!

Supporting Actor

Six Weeks Out Safe Bet: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

A wonderful performance in a gem of a movie, Christopher Plummer completely vanishes and brings his recently out of the closet, dying, yet never allowing himself to not live life to the fullest Hal Fields alive in a touching, vibrant way. Every inch of his performance is grounded in reality, not remotely a stereotype, and he is a joy to watch. Plus, Plummer has never won an Oscar, only ever nominated for the recent The Last Station, and his speech at the Critics Choice Awards was aces.

But Don't Be Surprised If: Albert Brooks, Drive

Practically sweeping the critics picks, Albert Brooks is the clear upset choice here. I personally think most of the praise is coming from the fact that no one knew Brooks would or could play evil and he did it with such a surprisingly vigorous aplomb, for a lot of folks, he is the favorite to win.

My Hope: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

It's his year. Give the man an Oscar.

FYC: Nick Nolte deserves a nomination in this slot, easily over Jonah Hill, who was great in Moneyball, yes, but not Oscar great. If I had my druthers, Andy Serkis for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Viggo Mortenson for a Dangerous Method would end up in this category as well, but pipe dreams, pipe dreams all!

Actress

Six Weeks Out Safe Bet: Viola Davis, The Help

I have a small issue with this. Viola Davis is a BRILLIANT actress who should and will win an Oscar at some point, but her role in The Help, while expertly executed, doesn't feel like a lead performance by any stretch of the imagination. If my memory serves correct, didn't Octavia Spencer have more lines and screen time? Were Davis being nominated for Supporting, I would be rooting for her, but as a lead, the whole thing rings of that "put someone in the wrong category just so he or she can win" BS, which seriously rubs me the wrong way. Still, Davis is wonderful and not gonna lie, her speech at Critics Choice swayed me significantly. Oops. She has definitely become the one to beat.

But Don't Be Surprised If: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

I hate saying this, cause I want to predict Michelle as an upset over Meryl, since My Week With Marilyn was tolerable and The Iron Lady was IN NO WAY TOLERABLE, but alas, I must face the facts. Even though I actually am tempted to use the word "hate" here to describe The Iron Lady. Meryl was fantastic, but can we not finally give her another Oscar for a movie that really no one should be recommending to anyone? Come on. Meanwhile, Michelle Williams lives and breathes Marilyn Monroe and dares you not to fall in love with her. She has been sweeping the critics prizes, so I think she may have more of a chance than others do, though we'll see if that probability holds up. It's most likely Meryl's to lose. Sigh.

My Hope: This is another strange category for me. None of my actual favorites are nominated except Tilda Swinton, but she already has an Oscar, and I feel weird rooting for Williams, as much as I loved her, to beat Davis, when such a groundswell is beginning to form around the latter. I may just have to calmly let whatever happens happen here.

FYC: Glenn Close was great, and sure, it would totally suck for her to not get nominated for her passion project, but Charlize Theron, who I normally don't even LIKE, absolutely blew me away in Young Adult. The movie wouldn't have worked without her pitch perfect performance and I hate how much she is being over looked. My ideal Best Actress category would include Theron, Rooney Mara for her balls out portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Elizabeth Olsen for maintaining a steady quiet bubbling fear, confusion, sadness, and desperation underneath the surface for all of Martha Marcy May Marlene and Kirsten Dunst's career defining role as Justine in Melancholia, easily the best she's ever done, and if we get right down to it, probably the best of this year too, illustrating a descent into a depression the character thought she had controlled, in a heartbreaking and all too visceral way. If you don't feel like you've suffered a relapse into manic depression yourself while watching Melancholia, you're doing it wrong. I'm told I'd put Anna Paquin in this category for Margaret if I'd seen it…but alas.

Actor

Six Weeks Out Safe Bet: George Clooney, The Descendants

I'm not as big of a fan of Clooney's performance in this as others are. Matt Patches from Hollywood.com said it really well in a recent episode of the Operation Kino podcast - Alexander Payne managed to make Jack Nicholson completely disappear in About Schmidt, which is a big reason why the movie worked and why Nicholson's performance was so astounding. But Clooney didn't disappear here. For me, at least. He almost did, he was so close, and he really did try his damnedest, but ultimately, I saw Clooney in shlubby clothing, and I'm not sure that deserves an Oscar.

But Don't Be Surprised If: Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Whether or not the film gets a Best Picture nod may change the race here, in terms of the one who has the potential to overtake Clooney, but it could be possible the Academy goes another way with Adapted Screenplay (who am I kidding, no they won't, Aaron Sorkin doesn't not win awards) yet still wants to reward Moneyball, and this this could be how. On that note, if The Artist wasn't being overpraised and presumed to win everything else, I wouldn't be surprised to see Jean DuJardin take the prize here, a la Roberto Benigni. But Pitt's been around a while and gives a lovely, subtle, no frills, spot on performance as Billy Beane and definitely has a shot at the prize. And if my hope doesn't get nominated? Pitt's easily my hope to win.

My Hope: Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Could this be the repeat of the Nicholson/Day Lewis/Brody year we've all been dying for?! I sure hope so. I love surprises and someone not even considered in the running taking out the two front runners would be fun and fitting in this strange awards season. Plus, if George Clooney has two Oscars before Gary Oldman, it's gonna make me feel really awkward inside.

FYC: Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) and I repeat, Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), deserve nominations over almost everyone else currently fighting it out for a nomination in this category. Frankly, I think Tom Hardy deserves a little bit of consideration for Warrior as well, but I know there isn't a shot in hell on that front. But as stated, my secret hope is that Oldman not only gets nominated, but wins the sucker!

Director

Six Weeks Out Safe Bet: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

He won the Critic's Choice, predictable yet still somewhat shocking considering it came almost immediately after the impressive Scorsese tribute. Hazanavicius, whose name Jason Segel pronounced so hilariously, I've giggled every single time I've replayed it, and for all I know, it's the actual correct pronunciation, seems like a great guy, even acknowledging himself how "stupid" it is that he won Best Director, but the thing is, he's right. He brought a gimmick to life, which is cool, but I think his place as a "visionary" is being a bit overstated.

But Don't Be Surprised If: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Hugo tackled pretty much the same subject matter as The Artist, but did it SO much better. Hugo is made by a true master and it feels that way. It's use of 3D becomes integral to the message of the story itself in a brilliantly subliminal way. It speaks of the love of film and filmmaking in a way that looks forward while looking back, instead of simply looking back. It takes the past and roots it in the future, shows how far we have come, and yet how at its center, film can and has amazed as long as it's been around. Masters have always innovated and that innovation has always touched its audiences, has made people dream, has made the world a brighter place. If you want to be reminded of the greatness of burgeouning talkies, go watch an actual burgeoning talkie. The Artist is lovely, but a pale imitation of the real thing and it teaches us nothing, though does a handy job of making us think it did. Hugo and Scorsese's specific vision goes above and beyond to teach us about George Melieus' films, the power of his innovation in a time where black and white/silent was the standard, and the BEAUTY of that innovation by letting the audiences of today feel the wave of magic through the best on screen 3D yet, that Melieus' audiences themselves felt in the early 20th century through his experiments with stretching the boundaries of what movies could be. THIS is the true film for film lovers to come out of 2011 and Scorsese, fittingly, is the one who brought it to life.

My Hope: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

See above.

FYC: Lars Von Trier will never happen, I know, but it would be nice to honor one of the auteurs who made a film this year, especially because there were so many. A surprise nomination for Nicolas Winding-Refn for Drive or a slightly less of a surprise nomination for Fincher for Dragon Tattoo would definitely be welcome.

Picture

Six Weeks Out Safe Bet: The Artist

Ugh. The presumed victor, thanks to crafty Harvey and all the charm that could be possibly be stuffed into 100 minutes, The Artist is easily the correct bet at this time. It's easy, safe and friendly, disguised as new, interesting, and edgy. I found the film to be a delight, but a little cutesy for the sake of cute, gimmicky for the sake of gimmickry. I'm not sure what it said that Hugo didn't say 1000x better and in a much more relevant way, but The Artist is capturing the hearts of critics in that rare, indescribable way. I don't want to discount the love for it, as people I highly respect have named it their favorite movie of the year, it is just another case of a slight, irrelevant film drowning out something a lot better, mostly because of Harvey Weinstein.

But Don't Be Surprised If: The Descendants

Yes, The Artist was ineligible for WGA, but in any event, The Descendants is the only film to get nominated across the board by the guilds. It's beloved on a very personal level and would be a very cool win. War Horse was considered the favorite to potentially overtake The Artist a few weeks ago, but was then shut out by both the DGA and ASC awards, so it's no longer looking good.

My Hope: Hugo

A girl can dream can't she?

FYC: You know what would be *really* cool? If somehow Warrior or Melancholia made it on to the BP list. Will it happen? Never. Same with Harry Potter, which I hoped would take the genre slot in a 10 picture year, but seems so unlikely now, especially with the new rules, that I'll just have a sad about it. The way things are going in terms of guilds however, makes me feel very positive about Girl with the Dragon Tattoo nabbing a slot. But can the academy really feel guilty about not giving it to Fincher/Social Network last year by rewarding Dragon Tattoo this year, and still not realize they are repeating their mistake if they give BP to The Artist?

To stay tapped in to the Oscar pulse, I highly encourage you to follow the Oscar list I created on Twitter, which features major experts including Sasha Stone, Dave Karger, Nathaniel Rogers, Mark Harris and more. Keep in mind, some of this might change after Sunday's Globes, despite the fact that the Globes are nothing more than sycophants and celebrities drinking together in a room, but for now, this is a fairly accurate portrayal of the state of the race.

Armie Hammer, Finnick Odair And The Fan Hive Mind

2012-01-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on Film.com

Casting fan favorite properties has always been a beloved past time of mine, and I know I'm not alone. Especially when it comes to expansive universes (Game of Thrones) or casts that need actors of such a specific age that the best folks for the job are in constant rotation (Marvel's Runaways). Growing up in a media heavy environment, I am one of those folks whose brain tends to cast an actor immediately, if possible, to aid with the storytelling process when I'm reading. I know fans who disagree with this notion and don't even see adaptations so as not to tarnish their personal vision of who the characters are. Although I don't function that way, I admire that staunch loyalty to the written word. But for the fans out there who live to see something they love brought alive on the big screen, casting is major, and it's rare that we all universally agree that it has been done correctly. Even though most Captain America fans are on board with Chris Evans now, that was certainly not the case when he signed on. Same with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in the Hunger Games.

Which brings me the strange Hive Mind experience that occurred as I was finally reading Catching Fire this past week. There I was imagining Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Huchinson, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland in their respective roles, doing a great job, surrounded by mostly faceless blobs representing the other characters, my brain not finding it necessary to cast anyone particular yet, when all of a sudden I got to the character of Finnick Odair. The dashing charmer with a touch of cheese, the prince charming-ish looker who everyone assumes is a player, the classically beautiful golden skinned hunk. For some reason, my brain immediately went to Armie Hammer. Armie Hammer? He doesn't necessarily have golden skin. He certainly doesn't have bronze hair, though I suppose that could be fixed. But my mind had made its decision. Finnick would be played by Armie Hammer in my imagination and nothing could stop that. So I continued reading. And man, was Armie good. His build was perfect, so tall and muscular, his voice and eyes seamlessly making the transition from smooth and pompous to genuine and heroic. It felt so right in my bones.

So naturally, I took to Twitter to see what other people thought. Simply asking the question "Who did everyone cast as Finnick when reading Catching Fire?" and I was surprised to see multiple people respond, you guessed it, Armie Hammer. This was baffling to me. He doesn't really have golden skin or bronze hair. And yet so many of us went straight to his face. And then, the kicker. I was directed to this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArmieForFinnick. Yes, that's right. Completely unbeknownst to me when I randomly cast Armie Hammer as Finnick, there is already a Facebook movement going to get him cast. Not only that, but any Finnick page I could manage to get to while still avoiding spoilers, had Hammer in the profile picture or taking up a lot of space in the "Who should play him" section, easily more so than anyone else.

What does this all MEAN? Why did so many of us see someone, THIS someone, in this role immediately? Mirror Mirror, in which Hammer plays a prince, hasn't come out yet, and even if it had, when we first meet Finnick, we don't think of him as a genuine hero, we think of him as kind of smarmy. It's not like Hammer's role in The Social Network had anything in common with Finnick except, what, being popular? Normally if something like this happens, it's at least because the actor in question had just played a role of the exact same type. But this is not the case here.

To me, this is no doubt an example of the Hive Mind. Of course, unlike the Borg, we fans have our own individual identities and lives, but somehow, in this particular case, our brains linked up and decided collectively who should play the role of Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games. In all my years of being a fan and fantasy casting, something this peculiar and specific has never occurred before. The closest I've seen is Zach Levi circa Chuck season one for Yorick in Y: The Last Man, but that was because Chuck practically *was* Yorick, and in any event, that ship has long sailed. Perhaps none of this seems that bizarre or interesting to you, readers, but experiencing all of this myself hasn't happened before and I think it's pretty damn cool.

So this leaves me with one simple plea to whoever is casting Catching Fire. Though he may not seem totally right for the role, I encourage you to at least audition Armie Hammer for Finnick Odair. You don't want to see the Fan Hive Mind angry.

12 Most Anticipated Television Events of 2012

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on Film.com

We’ve discussed the big guns 2012 will be rolling out in cinemas, but the silver screen isn’t the only arena fans are itching to jump in to. Expect 2012 to also be a fantastic year for television, as we see the return of some of the greatest shows the small screen has to offer, as well as the launch of some major new programming.

1) The Long Awaited Return of Mad Men (beware spoilers)

I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY LONGER. Season 4, in my opinion the best season of Mad Men yet, turned just about everything on its head, a move that’s become somewhat of a tradition atMad Men, pressing the reboot button with every season. Who knows where Season 5 could possibly take us, but when we last left Don Draper and friends, our charming main character had just proposed to his secretary, the free spirited Megan. Can this work out even close to well for anyone involved? Anyone’s gotta be better than Ice Queen Betty, right? It’s been way too long since one of the best shows on television has actually BEEN on television and its return is one of the absolute most anticipated television events of 2012.

2) Game of Thrones Season 2

Can this be a close second? Game of Thrones season one took the EVERYTHING by storm with its groundbreaking guts, commitment to big budget genre and faithfulness to its material. It broke every rule in the book and did so with a beautiful gusto. Season two sees the introduction of a myriad of new characters, including one played by Rose Leslie formerlyDownton Abbey‘s Gwen, and the second book is supposedly so good that even old school fans of the book have been advising me to watch, not read, because seeing these events unfold for the first time on screen will be an unbelievable treat. Will I be wearing my Daenerys end of season one Halloween costume to the premiere party I’m throwing? You bet. Don’t worry though, it’s primarily a nude colored bodysuit. I’m not crazy.

3) Chris Meloni joining True Blood

Bringing some true class to the table, Veteran Purveyor of Awesome, Christopher Meloni, is joining True Blood for season 5. Season 4 graced us with sure to be an Emmy nominated performance by Fiona Shaw, so a gap had to be filled as far as brilliant guest star was concerned. Meloni, who will be playing “an ancient, powerful vampire who holds the fate of Bill and Eric in his hands,” more than fits the bill.

4) Downton Abbey Season 2 Comes to America, Season 3 Airs In Britain In The Fall

I obviously downloaded Downton Abbey Season 2 from across the pond as it aired, but LISTEN, it’s okay, calm down SOPA, I’m gonna buy the Blu-ray anyway AND watch it on American television anyway, so I repeat, everyone calm down. The Emmy winner for Best Mini Series that has since become a full fledged television series, is long form Jane Austen meets old timey British soap and it’s my favorite. Season 2 goes to some very dark, dramatic, pulpy places, which has turned off some viewers, but I’ve loved every moment. This is truly the best ensemble on television, and I encourage you to pick up season one, watch season two (and the christmas special!) and buckle up for season three come the fall. Mary and Matthew forevers.

5) Alcatraz

There has been lots of behind the scenes turmoil as far as this new offering from JJ Abrams and Elizabeth Sarnow (who has since left the show) is concerned, which has made the genre community start to worry, but I’ll be damned if I don’t give this new science fiction program a shot. This story about presumed dead Alcatraz prisoners reappearing in present day, having not aged one bit, stars newcomer Sarah Jones and everyone’s favorite magical island castaway , Jorge Garcia. I’m still hoping for the best, but won’t be surprised if it ends up falling just short of the mark.

6) Smash

Let’s be honest. Glee isn’t quite working out the way we hoped. They cut back on the number of songs per episode, which was always my favorite element of the show, and frankly, have ceased to make much narrative sense since season one ended, if it even made it to then. But I still love musicals, I still love song and dance, and oh yeah, I LOVE JACK DAVENPORT. Smash, from executive producer Steven Spielberg, looks like a show I will be obsessed with, but never admit to obsessing over. Since it’s about putting on a fictional Broadway musical (about Marilyn Monroe yet!), expect lots of fun New York locations and impressive theater related cameos. Oh and actual quality singing by professionals, none of this auto-tune crap. If you’re still “pshhhing”, it’s created by Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Theresa Rebeck, who also co-produced and wrote NYPD Blue and wrote forDream On.Yes, she also wrote the story (just the story, not the horrific screenplay!) of Halle Berry’s disastrous Catwoman, but hey, the exception that proves the talented rule, okay?

7) The River

The found footage horror-mystery that has been described as Lost meets Paranormal Activity (and created by Oren Pell, the man behind the Paranormal trilogy) that made a splash at Comic-Con by screening its pilot and handing out fun mini branded flashlights, makes its debut on ABC this February. Bruce Greenwood plays an explorer who vanishes under mysterious circumstances. Six months later his family sets out to find him, fully funded by the explorer’s former producer, in exchange for them filming the whole expedition. They are assisted by a collection of supporting characters including the lovely Eloise Mumford, from the short lived Fox series Lone Star, who I’m thrilled to have back on my television set. Fingers crossed the eight episodes ordered by the network stick the landing with audiences.

8) (Formerly the House of Lies slot...but the pilot aired before posting so...) COUGAR TOWN IS COUGAR TOWNY!

I totally forgot Cougar Town was coming back because it's been so long and my whole self is so saddened by the lack of Penny Can, Big Joe (RIP), Big Carl and The Larmy that my mind simply blocked it out so I wouldn't be upset every day. If you're not yet convinced that Cougar Town rules, need I remind you about last season's Community/Cougar Town crossover? Come on, if Abed loves it, you KNOW it's good. The show brazenly makes fun of its title every single week in the opening credits, and has really found its grove as a slightly absurdist show about a bunch of friends who drink a lot of wine. Sometimes while wearing snuggies. Season 3 will see a guest star in Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke as Bobby's recurring love interest and newcomer Briga Heelan as someone Grayson got pregnant years earlier. ABC may have cut the episode order down to 15 from 22, but this show has a rabid and loyal following who know that each of those 15 episodes will be hilarious. GET IT TOGETHER, ABC.

9) Awake

Perhaps my most anticipated new show of the mid-season, the show (known as REM when the pilot scripts were making the rounds) has gotten rave reviews over its season premiere, drawing positive Inception parallels when it comes to the subject of dreams versus reality, and it stars Jason Isaacs as a man torn between two worlds, one where his wife survives a horrific accident, one in which it’s his son that survives. But which is real? Also starring Laura Allen, Brooke English’s son who took Leo away from Greenelee on All My Children, and Jack Shephard’s son, Dylan Minnette. (This is how my brain works and I like it just fine.)

10) 30 Rock is Back!

30 Rock is one of those magical shows that is so good, I always doubt how good it is. I promise this makes sense. I always think to myself, there’s no way the show can STILL be funny. But it always is. Sure, there are off episodes and off storylines, every show has those, but ultimately, 30 Rock always brings the funny and it’ll be so nice to have Liz Lemon back in my life, making me feel a-ok about how much I love eating sandwiches and making noises instead of saying words.

11) Community Finishes up Season 3 and returns in the fall with Season 4

IF I SAY IT, IT WILL COME TRUE

12) Chuck and Desperate Housewives Come to an End

I have never seen an episode of Desperate Housewives. The fact that it is ending means nothing to me, but it was once a mega sensation, so its series finale is definitely worth a mention. The series finale *I* will be glued to the television for is none other than that of Chuck. Chuck lost me a little bit last season with the constant stream of EVERYONE’S A SPY! combined with EVERYONE’S A FAMOUS GUEST STAR! But this season has be right back on board and I’m loving every moment. I’m actually getting nostalgic for my deep obsession with the show and specifically Zach Levi that I felt during seasons one and two. I’m sad that it’s ending, but thrilled beyond belief that they squeezed five seasons out of NBC and are getting to finish the story they began. Jan 27, “Chuck vs. the Goodbye.”, I’m so there.

Honorable Mention: Paul Rudd comes to Parks and Recreation. Hat Tip: @oscar

Muse's Top Ten Movies of 2011

2012-01-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

Honorable Mentions: Warrior, Pina, Kid with a Bike, The Adventures of Tintin, The Trip, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Descendants, Beginners, 50/50, Rango, Tree of Life, Drive

Definitely spoilers, at least in the Favorite Scene sections!

10. Tie: Girl With The Dragon Tattoo & War Horse (dir. David Fincher & Steven Spielberg)

Whaaat?! I know, outrageous! But for realsies. While Tattoo is not Fincher’s best and War Horse is not Spielberg’s best, both films demonstrate why the two men are masters at what they do and I loved each. War Horse is Spielberg’s old fashioned epic, paying tribute to one of his own favorite directors, John Ford, and he achieves the schmaltzy tear jerking results of this horse’s story in a completely genuine way. I was swept away and an experience that strong shouldn’t be discounted. Fincher elevates a fairly pedestrian murder mystery with a dark sensuality and the moody, raw precision he always brings to the table and creates an energy between Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth and Daniel Craig’s Mikael that make their scenes together crackle. Mara is a revelation and her Lisbeth is the heroine I’ve been waiting for.

Favorite Scene: Lisbeth takes her clothes off and tells Mikael what’s about to happen. She continues on the path towards claiming her power by claiming her sexuality and Mikael is drawn to her intensity as much as we are.

Favorite Scene: Wire cutter scene. Wire. Cutter. Scene.

9. Footnote (dir. Joseph Cedar)

From AFI Wrap Up:

As a Jew who went on birthright this year, I have no qualms about calling this movie, Israel’s official foreign language selection for the Oscars, one of the most delightfully Jewish pieces of fiction I’ve seen in years. It’s witty, intelligent, moving, and riddled with guilt and inferiority complexes. This story about a father and son, Professor Shkolnik and Professor Shkolnik, who both work at Hebrew University in Jerusalem studying the Talmud, asks the question, when does a role model become a rival and the student become the competition? It presents the theory that in a battle of egos, he who realizes humility first is always the winner. Expect your loyalties to fly all over the place in this smart, whimsical, and ultimately tragic intellectual comedy from acclaimed director Joseph Cedar. Inventive storytelling, a jaunty score, and top-notch performances help elevate an already brilliant script (it won the Screenplay award at Cannes) to even greater heights. To delve too much into the specifics of why this tale is so riveting would be to give too much away, but it’s an absolute must-see.

Favorite Scene: It involves Uriel (the younger Shkolnik) and a tiny room full of scholars and a lawyer, and is one of the only sequences in the entire film where the score drops out completely.

8. Young Adult (dir. Jason Reitman)

A film I wasn’t expecting to make it onto my top anything, due to the fact that I tend to dislike both Jason Reitman and Charlize Theron. But leave it to Diablo “Jennifer’s Body is highly underrated and I love it” Cody to bring them together in a fashion as exciting as Young Adult. I’ve encountered more people who hate this film than perhaps any of the smaller divisive movies this year, and that’s the way it should be. The protagonist, if one can even call Theron’s Mavis Garry that, is an awful human being, and represents all that we keep repressed (and for good reason). Whether or not people this awful actually exist is beside the point. The whole movie is one ballsy choice after after, one tip of the hat and then slap in the face to every cliche that could exist in a film like this, and climaxes with one of the most upsetting scenes on the big screen this year when Mavis has a conversation with someone stuck in the same arrested development that she is (played fantastically by Collette Wolfe) and we see her grip on the doorknob to reality slowly start to loosen. We see the hero’s journey on the screen all the time, but how often do we see the hero take the journey and get talked out of learning anything from it? Controversial, and to many a poor choice, to me, was exciting and fresh, and has stuck with me weeks and weeks after seeing the film.

Favorite Scene: At the child’s naming ceremony, we find out why Buddy and his wife have been so nice to Mavis.

7. The Loneliest Planet (dir. Julia Loktev)

From AFI Wrap Up:

The winner of the Grand Jury prize at AFI, and for good reason, this story about the notion of what is masculine and feminine and the roles their fluctuation plays in our lives and relationships connected with me on a deep and immediate level. Nica (the charming Hani Furstenberg) and Alex (Gael Garcia Bernal) are on a backpacking trip together in the Republic of Georgia, happily engaged to be wed. She is goofy yet tough, he is strong yet caring, and they are the picture of perfection. While in the mountains with their tour guide, Dato, a moment occurs that is so small, so brief, so fleeting that if you look down at the wrong time you *will* miss it, but a moment so powerful that it dramatically alters the dynamic of this perfect couple, perhaps forever. Guilt, shame, resentment, and passive aggression swallow the second half of the movie, a sharp contrast from the light, adventurous beauty of the first half. A landscape which at once seemed so freeing and filled with potential becomes claustrophobic and uncomfortable. A film like this, with little dialogue and almost no action, could have easily crashed and burned in lesser hands, but Loktev’s confident direction has you completely enraptured, aching for a satisfying resolution but unsure if one could ever be possible. In a year filled with films about the huge ramifications of something tiny (A Separation, Margaret), The Loneliest Planet got to me the most.

Favorite Scene: Directly after the “incident,” Nica and Alex walk on opposite sides of the screen, a range of emotions hanging in the air, the only sound to speak of coming from the repetitive plodding of their shoes in the muddy terrain.

6. The Skin I Live In (dir. Pedro Almodovar)

My favorite of Almodovars oeuvre, this mad scientist tale about power and identity with a B horror movie spin immediately entered my top ten the moment it ended. Beautifully stylized and disturbing in all the right ways, this is not only one of the best by Almodovar, but it also manages to comment on our expectations of him while combining many of the themes and motifs he holds so dear. The first half of the film, he takes great care to convince us he might be headed one way, a way we would expect, and then turns our expectations so on their head, it’s a type of shocking I didn’t know existed. One of many films this year that deals with the relationship between father and daughter and mother and son, but the only one featuring synthetic skin, most beautiful woman in the world, Elena Anaya, Antonio Bandares scaring the bejesus out of me, wardrobe by Gaultier, and perhaps my favorite score of the year by Alberto Iglesias, stop whatever you’re doing and go find it now before it leaves theaters.

Favorite Scene: We are simultaneously relieved and horrified to discover Vera is not Dr.Ledgard’s daughter as Almodovar had been leading us to believe, but the boy who unwittingly sexually assaulted her. Best. Revenge. Story. Ever.

5. Take Shelter (dir. Jeff Nichols)

This real world telling of the week leading up to the apocalypse and the man who sees it coming (or such is my interpretation) hit me very strongly. Michael Shannon as Curtis won we over right away. No matter how drastic or crazy his actions may have seemed to everyone else in his small town, I was with him from start to finish. The differences between dream, hallucination and reality are all in the details in a film like this and the clues are there if you can catch them. A wonderful little film with a powerful lead performance by Shannon, supported by the warm, effective Jessica Chastain, nailed exactly what it set out to do. I love it when stories are “secretly genre”. About time travel, about aliens, about a man becoming a prophet, whatever it is, but set in such a real world setting that we as an audience question which direction it will head in until the very end. Unlike movies which call themselves “superheros in a real world” but clearly exist on another plane of reality, movies like Take Shelter ring home and ring true because it’s so far from typical genre fare. The fact that it is all a strong metaphor for how the economic crisis is affecting families across the country makes the film not only powerful on its own, but a true signifier of the times, tapping into our current collective fears on the basest of levels. A wonderful outing by Nichols. I look forward to his work in the future.

Favorite Scene: We start to shift from thinking he is crazy to thinking he might be right when a lightening storm reflects on his face. If he is hallucinating, how is this visible when the camera turns around? He asks “Is anyone seeing this?” And the remainder of the film hurtles toward a conclusion that supports this glimmer.

4. Midnight in Paris (dir. Woody Allen)

We all have a tendency to think we belong in another time period. That people used to have it so good. That we don’t belong here. When the fact of the matter is we are the masters of our own universe and are always capable of reaching the magic of our fantasies in the present. Owen Wilson’s Gil goes through a lot to get there. I see Midnight in Paris as almost a personification of a man going on an educational journey of sorts, reading all the greats in fiction and theory, in finding a journal of someone majestic and inserting himself into her life. But seeing his learning process played out in reality with these famous figures, and with this woman, makes the process of a life lesson all the more enjoyable. Gil learns a lot on his magical journey, but most of all that he can apply everything he has gained into the present as well and make the most of what he has and can have. Paris is the film this year that brought me the most pure joy. A brilliant company of actors having the time of their lives, locations to die for, dialogue an actor must ache to say, this charming Woody Allen flick is easily one of the best of the year.

Favorite Scene: In a clever storytelling move, Gil goes back with Adriana to her favorite era, the 1890s, and makes the decision to return to the present.

3. Melancholia (dir. Lars Von Trier)

I saw this film the earliest of every movie on this list, and it’s one that has stuck with me most through thick and thin over the past several months. From the stunning opening, to the longest wedding scene since The Deer Hunter to the inevitable inching closer of the Melancholia we all try to battle away and cope with in our own ways, the film is at once depressing and uplifting. Even if Melancholia impacting our lives and existence is inevitable, it is up to us how we respond to it and Lars Von Trier presents us with an array of attitudes to adopt and ways to go: the fatalist, the coward, the optimist, the innocent, etc. Ultimately, dealing with tragedy with a curiosity, an honesty, and an understanding are the methods that stand out most. And perhaps the best part of Melancholia? Everyone has a different interpretation and each one I read affects me just as much as the last. With stellar performances all around, deserving of a Best Ensemble award as much as any other film this year, and using the medium of cinema to its fullest degree, Melancholia would be my choice for the “artsy fartsy” slot at the Oscars,though I know it will most likely go to Tree of Life, with an outside chance of it being Drive, if any "artsy fartsy" film is rewarded at all.

Favorite Scene: Justine’s forelorn new husband says goodbye to her as she is overwhelmed with her depression and he realizes it just won’t work. Her disinterest and his heartbreak are palpable.

2. Hugo (dir. Martin Scorsese)

Scorsese’s latest was an unexpected joy this year. A love letter to cinema much more than the other ode to silent film out this year, for the first time, a director utilizes the medium of 3D as an integral part of storytelling, perhaps only rivaled this year in necessity, though for different reasons, by Wim Wender’s Pina. Telling a story about a man who dreamed big and put those dreams on celluloid, inspiring the rest of the world is one thing. To use the newest form of technology we have in cinema today to actually make us *feel* how Georges Méliès’ audiences felt when watching his innovative films that pushes the boundaries of what movies could be? That takes a master. We learn about one of the true early auteurs who shied away from the art he loved so for reasons based in upsetting reality, and get to see a beautiful take on this alternative universe tale of the boy who helps him rediscover his passion and the impact he made on the world. This is the film for anyone who has lost sight of their dreams, and in today’s world, that’s just as important as a movie that makes us think about war, about humanity, about the economic crisis, about family, and more, because ultimately, dreams are what keeps us going and Hugo explores this beautifully.

Favorite Scene: Hugo, Isabelle and Rene show up at Méliès’ house and play the film for his wife. Everyone in the room and the audience is moved and reinvigorated.

1. We Need to Talk About Kevin (dir. Lynne Ramsey)
No amount of nurture seems to be able to bring the titular boy in Lynne Ramsay’s bold return to the silver screen out of the darkness. This is a film so relentlessly upsetting that to even think about it is to rip a tiny tear in your soul. Tilda Swinton plays Eva, a mother dealing with her son’s unquenchable thirst for destruction. Screaming nonstop as a baby and staying in diapers till well into elementary school are signs pointing to a defect in the boy, but all the doctors deem him normal. Still, Eva sees a side to him hidden from the rest of the world. The rot inside of him seems aimed solely at his mother and taking her down one notch at a time. But no matter how disturbed she gets by his actions, and how designed he is to ruin her, he is her son, she loves him, and nothing means more to her than his acceptance, no matter the cost.

Ultimately, Kevin feels the same way about his mother, seeking a deeper connection to the person he felt never truly loved him, as he was initially unwanted and the reason why his mother’s passion for travel had to come to an end. I’ve heard the the film described, specifically by David Ehrlich at Movies.com as a “lovestory” between Kevin and Eva,and I couldn’t agree more. Because we see the film from Eva’s perspective, we relate to her exasperation with him and it isn’t until the movie is long over that we begin to think back on her mothering skills and wonder how much they may have affected Kevin’s outcome and his idea of how to connect with her.

Tilda Swinton bears her soul with the performance of her career, John C. Riley does a fine job as her optimistically oblivious husband, and Jasper Newell and Ezra Miller shine as Kevin. Both (along with toddler Kevin Rock Duer) are stunningly beautiful and portray their up and down moments with a twisted believability.

Favorite Scene: Kevin gets sick to his stomach and for a brief evening, shows his mother the love she craves. Although he resorts to his cruel tendencies the next morning, their bond on that night has repercussions for years to come. Whether his behavior was genuine or part of a plan to upset his mother further is left to the viewer, as all dissections of the emotions running so high in this film are, but no scene better captures the heartbreak of a parent’s worst nightmare coming true, than this all too momentary look into what Eva’s life could have been.

List of films I’ve seen this year can be found here.

12 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012

2012-01-04T18:36:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on and commissioned by Film.com

Somehow 2011 is just about over. I know, this seems absurd, what is time? But fret not! Yes, we’re all about to get one year older and the world’s about to end, but we also get to see The Avengers together on the big screen for the first time, so EVERYONE CALM DOWN. It’s actually a great year in many respects, and we’ve decided to break down what we’re looking forward to the most. First up, the movies.

Honorable Mention: G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation (June)

I am one of three people who loved 2009′s G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra and am greatly looking forward to the 2012 sequel, which sees the return of Channing Tatum and Ray Park and introduces a whole bunch of new characters and actors, including Bruce Willis, The Rock, *and* Arnold Vosloo, aka the Mummy himself. Listen, I’m telling you, sneak a six-pack of beer into the theater with you, exercise the third greatest gift on Earth (#muppetsreference), and enjoy. How can it not be brilliant?! Not to mention the trailer kind of makes the film look like the G.I. Joe movie everyone was hoping for in the first place, so who knows? This one might jump past ironic and go straight into great action movie territory.

12. Disney 3-D Re-releases Galore! (All of 2012)

A few months ago, I went to go see The Lion King 3-D with 14, yes FOURTEEN, friends of mine opening weekend. We wept, we sang, we reminisced, and perhaps the best part of the whole thing? Sitting near little kids who would ask their parents questions like “Will Simba come back?” and “Why is the birdie so mad?” It really seemed like the film was designed with 3-D in mind, and I can’t wait to see how Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Monsters Inc. fare with the same treatment. I’m sure Finding Nemo will be beautiful as well, but the film itself doesn’t carry the same nostalgic weight for me or my generation, so that one may not make the opening weekend cut.

11. Wreck It Ralph (November)

What? What is this doing here? The movie that almost stole D23 with its unexpectedly awesome presentation, I’m certain this film will surprise audiences just as much as it surprised the press in Anaheim. Wreck It Ralph tells the story of an 8 bit video game villain, Wreck It Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly, who is sick of being the bad guy and goes on a quest to become a hero instead. The premise is smart, the voice cast fantastic, the animation creative and fun, and all in all, the film seems fantastic.

10. Prometheus (June)

The long awaited is-it-a-prequel-or-isn’t-it-but-really-it-is to Alien, shot in 3-D and directed by the man himself, Ridley Scott, starring Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Patrick Wilson, Idris Elba, and the list goes on. Written by Damon Lindeloff and boasting some impressive yet elusive preview footage, this film has fans everywhere, myself included, eagerly awaiting its release.

9. Cabin in the Woods (April)

FINALLY. How long have I been waiting for this damn movie? Written by Joss Whedon, directed by the dark, tall, handsome and talented Drew Goddard and starring a collection of stellar 20-somethings, including Thor‘s Chris Hemsworth, Grey’s Anatomy‘s Jesse Williams, Dollhouse‘s Fran Kranz, and mark my words — breakout star Kristin Connolly. And don’t forget about ringers Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. I’m avoiding the trailers for this one, as I’ve heard it gives away a bit too much, but no matter what, I will be seeing this opening weekend. Plus, word on the street is the movie’s fantastic. The countdown has begun.

More after the jump!

8. World War Z (December)

I’m a bad fangirl. I haven’t read World War Z yet. But that still doesn’t stop me from being ecstatically excited to see a serious, large-scale zombie story come to the big screen.World War Z, based on the book by Max Brooks, follows the format of a UN rep interviewing people about the zombie apocalypse, aka — you guessed it — World War Z. The zombie comedy has been mastered, as has the zombie horror, but a full-blown zombie EPIC? Starring Brad Pitt? Bring it on.

7. Skyfall (November)

The long awaited third in the Daniel Craig Bond series will see Sam Mendes trying his hand at a large-scale action film. This installment has a bit more of a focus on M’s backstory, which should be fun, and better yet, Javier Bardem will soon be adding Bond Villain to his impressive resume. While I’m not big on action movies, I am HUGE on spy action movies, and with a November release date, I wonder: could this Bond movie end up on some end-of-year best lists? I mean, Mission Impossible 4 has. Whether or not Bond has a future at the Oscars, expect him to take in huge numbers opening weekend.

6. Django Unchained (December)

Do I need to say anything other than “Tarantino”? The man responsible for a solid handful of my favorite movies returns in December 2012 with this story about an ex-slave who becomes a bounty hunter and sets out on a mission to save his wife from a villainous plantation owner. The film is speckled with folks from Tarantino’s repertoire (Sam Jackson, Christoph Waltz), along with a slew of fresh faces (Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Sacha Baron Cohen). I am decidedly not a fan of Jamie Foxx, but if anyone can turn me around on anything, it’s Tarantino.

5. Hunger Games (March)

The first in a trilogy based on the young adult series by Suzanne Collins, if marketing picks up its game in the new year, we can only hope Hunger Games will reach Twilight levels of success. It has the love triangle AND an actual story! A compelling one! And stars an Oscar nominee! All of the ingredients seem to be coming together to create something incredible, if the trailer is any indication. There are still plenty of skeptics out there and all too many who don’t even know what Hunger Games is, so what happens here will definitely be something to watch.

4. The Amazing Spider-Man (July)

The buzz out of Comic-Con was split between overwhelmingly positive in regard to Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s portrayal of Peter and Gwen and director Marc Webb’s ability to bring out their chemistry, but was negative surrounding the Lizard test that was shown. Hopefully soon, we’ll get a look at how Lizard has changed since the unfortunate fan reaction, and get even more of a sense of how perfectly Peter Parker Garfield is. I’m in the camp of AHHH CAN’T WAIT for this one, and I hope the unconverted eventually get there too.

3. The Avengers (May)

The Joss Whedon-helmed superhero extravaganza impressed at New York Comic Con with fantastic and reassuring footage that showed off the detail Whedon is clearly giving to character and relationship dynamics. The cast seems like they had the time of their lives, and Tom Hiddleston is just about the best villain there could ever be anywhere for anything. I have beyond high hopes for this one, specifically for Whedon proving to all the naysayers that he has what it takes to deliver such a massive project.

2. The Dark Knight Rises (July)

I saw The Dark Knight four times in theaters. I’m so excited for the last in the Christian Bale trilogy that I refuse to watch any trailers, read any casting news, anything, other than allowing myself the six-minute Bane-arific prologue that played in front of Ghost Protocol. I know I’m seeing this and am determined to remain unspoiled, like I was with The Dark Knight. Because of this fact, I can’t tell you MUCH about The Dark Knight Rises but frankly, I think that’s just fine.

1. The Hobbit (December)

Few films, let alone entire film series, are as magical as the Lord of the Rings, and it was a gift from the universe that Peter Jackson ended up coming on board as director for the two installments of The Hobbit. Perhaps the film on this list that will have the widest appeal, considering the box-office and home-video success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the newfound mainstream embracing of fantasy, it’s difficult to argue that any film on this list is being anticipated more across the board. Yes, it’s been a while since the Lord of the Rings films took the globe by storm, but I’m fairly confident that the fervor is still there and will only grow over the next year. Sure, The Dark Knight Rises is the hot ticket right now, but The Hobbit trailer played three times at BNAT earlier this month, causing an explosion of positive buzz on Twitter — and the real promotion for it hasn’t even begun. Stay tuned, folks. This one’s gonna be huge.

Heavy Fire Afghanistan: PS Move Saves A Mediocre Shooter From Total Damnation

2012-01-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on and commissioned by Gaming Blend

With motion technology becoming more and more a part of at home gaming, we are beginning to see an influx of more arcade style titles. The latest is the railed shooter Heavy Fire: Afghanistan, which essentially exists just to try and capitalize on the success of the Call of Duty franchise. Unfortunately, this isn't Call of Duty: Motion Sensor, it's Call of Duty Knockoff: Motion Sensor, so it leaves a lot to be desired.

First off, the game opens with a painfully disconnected voiceover paired with a painfully pedestrian backstory. Yikes. Not a good sign. Both a Bukowski quote and the line "My name is Will and this is my story" make an appearance. The graphics are a little 2008, but they get slightly better in the gameplay, once you're past the insufferable cut scenes. All of the humans look more or less like cardboard, but this game isn't about humans it's about inconsequential gunfire!

There are 24 missions in total, 12 in Rookie and 12 in Veteran. This will run you under five hours to play the whole game. Though it is designed for repeatability, giving you the stat screen after every mission with your rank, your accuracy percentage, time played, rounds fired, headshots, etc, I can't imagine anyone caring enough to actually go back and attempt to beat a score.

I get the intention, I get the conceit, and for that arcade rush, Heavy Fire is certainly a fine enough time. The controls are very instinctual, I figured out how to shoot, reload, take cover and throw a grenade without ever consulting a guide of any kind, but the gameplay gets a bit bizarre when using the PS Move for anything other than combat enters the equation. A water tower is about to fall on you, move your controller to the right to not die! Move up to jump! Repeatedly move the controller vertically in an upwards motion to climb the ladder! And so on. Sure, they created a game based around a new technology, so they wanted to use it as much as possible, but honestly, these bits here and there did absolutely nothing to make the game more fun, if anything, the added movement hindered the experience, confusing me every time an icon said to move the controller in a random direction. And when I didn't do it, were there even consequences? At least thanks to the PS Move having lots of awesome potential with its accuracy, the gun movement is exceptionally fluid and stands out as easily the best aspect of the game.

Every two missions you beat, you get an armory point, which allows upgrades like holding more grenades and clips, faster reload, extra health, so on and so forth, for you to choose from. So once you're past the basic beginning levels, things get a little more exciting, as you actually have some options. The game starts to engage you a little bit more by, for example, having an enemy with a machine gun be killable by blowing up the car beneath him. This shooter, while mostly blah, does allow some room for strategy in terms of where you throw a grenade or how quickly you can take out the guys before they take cover or what parts of the environment you can destroy to make taking the enemies out happen a bit more efficiently. Little things that move it beyond being god-awful.

But being happy that a game has a sliver of strategy, strategy that doesn't even enter the gameplay until halfway through, isn't saying much. Aside from the accurate gun controls, the game is pretty worthless. As if the laughable voiceover and "storyline" weren't bad enough, there's never a sense of danger. The enemies just look like they are holding sticks that light up, and if their guns are making any sounds of any kind, it's news to me. I never thought the enemies had the potential to kill or even damage me until the last level. But after being so used to flying through the entire game, the sudden repeat deaths of the final level made me lose all interest entirely. Consistency, people. At least put health out when we need it instead of arbitrarily or try BUILDING in difficulty to adapt the player to what is to come.

Would I recommend buying this? No. Would I recommend renting it? If no other PS Move shooter is available and you're dying to try out the controls, well, sure. The shooting is great fun and that's no easy feat. I've played my fair share of frustratingly impossible-to-handle motion based games this year, so props to Teyon for their work in that department at least. Ultimately though, as much as it pains me to give a hard time to a small company, Heavy Fire: Afghanistan is a completely run of the mill knockoff filled with a little too much Marine propaganda for my taste. Your time can definitely be better spent elsewhere.

Players: 1-4

Platform(s): Playstation 3

Developer: Teyon

Publisher: Mastiff

ESRB: Teen

Rating: 4/10

Movies I've Seen This Year

2011-12-30T10:26:00.000-08:00

Top ten coming soon. Ending 2011 with 95 films, though expect to add many more to that with screeners in January. But the pool my top ten will come from is below!

After the jump, natch :)

No Strings Attached
Red Riding Hood
The Adjustment Bureau
Battle: Los Angeles
Hanna
Sucker Punch
Jane Eyre
Thor
Something Borrowed
Attack The Block
X-Men: First Class
Super 8
Bridesmaids
Green Lantern
Transformers 3
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two
Captain America
Melancholia
Cowboys & Aliens
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Crazy Stupid Love
Drive
Bellflower
Paul
Rango
Miss Representation
Fright Night
Finding Joe
The Roommate
The Sound of My Voice (2012)
50/50
Lion King 3D
Abduction (Because I had to. I promise.)
Moneyball
What's Your Number
The Dead
Like Crazy
Green
The Loneliest Planet
With Every Heartbeat
Beyond The Black Rainbow
The Adventures of Tintin
Extraterrestrial (2012)
Kill List
Light of Mine
Footnote
Haywire (2012)
Into the Abyss
Pina
Oslo, August 31
Target
Coriolanus
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Kid with a Bike
The Dish and the Spoon
Michael
Jeff Who Lives At Home(2012)
Carre Blanc
Spark of Being
Shame
Attenberg
Kinyarwanda
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Griff the Invisible
Immortals 3D
Breaking Dawn
The Muppets
Hugo 3D
Midnight in Paris
The Guard
The Descendants
Albert Nobbs
A Dangerous Method
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Beginners
The Help
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
The Iron Lady
My Week With Marilyn
War Horse
Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol
The Ides Of March
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Young Adult
Margin Call
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Take Shelter
Tree of Life
Horrible Bosses
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Artist
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Certified Copy
The Trip

Additional:
New Years Eve
Puss in Boots
Warrior

Win Win
Carnage

The Definitive Differences Between Tintin and Rin Tin Tin

2011-12-25T15:02:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on and commissioned by Film.com

Image: alittlewhitenoise.com

With The Adventures of Tintin opening this week, I keep encountering lots of folks asking questions like, “What is it about? A dog? So what?! Who cares?!” “Yes, there’s a dog in it, but — stop — you’re thinking of Rin Tin Tin, aren’t you?” And I realized that way too many people actually don’t know the difference between Tintin and Rin Tin Tin. When I got to thinking about it, I didn’t really know the difference when the Tintin movie was first announced either. To add to the propensity for mixing the two up, a few months ago Susan Orlean’s Rin Tin Tin biography was released to stellar reviews and jumped to the top of the best-seller charts. So we figured it was time to break it down so no one will ever make this mistake again.

-Tintin is a fictional boy who owns a fictional dog.
-Rin Tin Tin is a real life German Shepherd dog who played fictional dogs, and was succeeded by Rin Tin Tin Jr., Rin Tin Tin III, Rin Tin Tin IV … you get the idea.

-There is a lot of debate over where the name Tintin came from. It was a popular name at the time, and there are quite a few theories as to why the boy scout meets detective meets reporter ended up with the name he did. Some say it is an homage to Benjamin Rabier’sTintin lutin, others think it’s simply short for Martin or Augustine, and some believe the name signifies “nothing,” referencing Tintin’s purposeful blank slate and cryptic nature. A popular theory is that the name is not even the character’s real name, but a pseudonym used to protect his identity. But, fun fact: Snowy the dog was supposedly named after one of Herge’s ex-girlfriends.
-Rin Tin Tin was named after Rintintin and Nénette, the woolen dolls that French children gave to soldiers in the war as good luck charms.

-Tintin is from Brussels, Belgium, and was created in 1929.
-Rin Tin Tin is from Lorraine, France, 193 miles away, born in 1918.

-Corrected: From the comments section, Tintin was a comic, then 2 plays, then a stop-motion film, then an animated TV show, then another animated TV show, then 2 live-action films, then 3 animated films, then 3 more plays, then a video game, then a third animated TV show, then 4 more video games, then a sixth play, then two musicals, and then a mo-cap movie and accompanying video game. Also 2 short films and 3 magazines.
-Rin Tin Tin appeared in a series of movies and was the subject of three radio series. After his death, other dogs took over and one of these starred in a ’50s TV series entitled The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Rin Tin Tin and his ancestry also had many the endorsement deal.

-Tintin was its most popular in the ’50s.
-Rin Tin Tin reached true popularity in the silent movie era of the ’20s — other German shepherds would later take his name and continue the tradition, but the true one, from a litter of shell-shocked pups found in WWI, only lived from 1918 to 1932.

-Tintin was translated into 80 languages and has sold over 350 million books.
-Rin Tin Tin was a huge star of silent film (and four color features!) and is credited with saving Warner Brothers from bankruptcy.

-Tintin solved the Secret of the Unicorn, found Red Rackham’s Treasure, and went to the moon. In Herge’s comics.
-Rin Tin Tin has a star on the walk of fame, a key to the city of New York, and was supposedly the true winner of the first Oscar for Best Actor by write-in vote. In real life.

-Tintin’s sidekicks were a terrier named Snowy and a drunken captain named Haddock.
-Rin Tin Tin had a variety of sidekicks in his films, but in life was loyal to one Lee Duncan. On television, Rin Tin Tin IV’s human companion was named Rusty.

-When Tintin creator Herge died in 1983 at age 75, he made it clear that the comic would not go on without him, but gave Spielberg his blessing to make a movie long before then.
-Rin Tin Tin allegedly died in Jean Harlow’s arms at age 13.

-Tintin can now be found on the big screen in The Adventures of Tintin, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, and Daniel Craig.
-Rin Tin Tin was buried in the famous pet cemetery in Asnières-sur-Seine, Cimetière des Chiens, and the current Rin Tin Tin is 12th in the line, the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of the original. He still makes personal appearances.

It should also be noted that when pronounced with a proper French accent, Tintin *sounds* a lot more like any number of other words, but especially Tauntaun, a white furred biped native to the fictional planet Hoth, most famous for providing Luke Skywalker with a warm bed for the night after being attacked by a Wampa. While mixing up Tintin with Rin Tin Tin has become an acceptable reality, confusing Tintin with a Tauntaun is just plain silly, if not more aurally accurate. To diffuse further confusion, Tintin should also not to be confused with Tun Tun, who is known as the first woman of Hindi comedy; Tenten, a popular supporting character from the manga series Naruto; Tonton, a muppet in the Jordanian version of Sesame Street; or Tantans.com, your number one stop for indoor tanning lotion, dark tanning lotion, sunless lotion, and self-tanner!

Geek Gingerbread Creations

2011-12-16T15:39:00.000-08:00

I have the most awesomely geeky friends.

Battlestar Galactica Themed Creation by me and @thedanifesto

Game of Thrones Themed Creation by @scarletscribe

December at the Movies

2011-12-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on and commissioned by Film.com

Well folks, this is it. The last month of 2011. In which we are bombarded with dozens of movies and told each one is the best of the year. So which of the vast variety of films being released in December should make it on to your radar and which should you leave behind? Take a look at our preview below.

A Break From Oscar Madness

A Warrior's Heart (Dec 2nd)

I don't even want to tell you, I just want you watch the trailer. Is that mean? Okay, fine. This is a film about a kid acting out cause his dad died in war, so he gets sent to Lacrosse camp. It stars Kellan Lutz as the slightly normally named Conor, Ashley Greene as the slightly ridiculously named Brooklyn, and Chord Overstreet as the okay-who-wrote-this-named Dupree. The quote ON the official apple trailers page is "Twi-hards out there are going to love this!" from PEREZ HILTON. Oh and the movie is rated PG. Gold. It's all gold.

Am I seeing it? Under no circumstances.

New Year's Eve (Dec 9th)

It's like Valentine's Day, but on New Year's Eve! And somehow, even knowing what Valentine's Day was and being fully aware of its (lack of) quality, 137,000 major stars still signed on. Some folks even RETURNED, like Jessica Biel and Ashton Kutcher. This time around though we get some Seth Meyers and some strange Zac Efron/Michelle Pfeiffer May/December action, so all is not lost. Oh wait, I forgot Lea Michele is in this. Yeah. All is lost.

Am I seeing it? Let's be honest. I saw Valentines Day opening weekend. So. Yes.

The Sitter (Dec 9th)

Inspired by the 1987 classic Adventures in Babysitting, but with a hard R edge, this comedy follows Jonah Hill on a wild night of babysitting. It's also the last film Hill shot before beginning his journey towards massive weight lost, so enjoy it while you can, folks. I love Pineapple Express, but am still pretty burnt from Your Highness, so I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this latest offering from David Gordon Green.

Am I seeing it? I've been terrible about seeing raunchy comedies this year, so probably not in theaters, but I wouldn't be against a rental down the line.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Dec 16th)

These just keep happening, don't they? I haven't seen one yet and I probably never will (although The Chipmunk Adventure from 1987 is awesome), but man do kids LOVE these. In this, the third in the new Chipmunks series, the Chipmunks and Chipettes get stranded on a desert island and inevitably, wackiness ensues.

Am I seeing it? Why no, I am not.

Thrilling Thrillers!

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Dec 9th)

British espionage thriller set during the Cold War, based on the novel by John le Carré, which was also the source material for the 1979 mini series starring Alec Guinness. It stars a collection of fantastic actors featuring Gary Oldman being awesome in the leading role, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, and more. Oh and the director is Tomas Alfredson aka the genius behind Let The Right One In.

Am I seeing it? Oh yes, loves me a good spy movie

More after the jump

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Dec 16th)

A sequel to Sherlock Holmes! Yay? The first one was just fine, so….sure! But in all honesty, I think this is some of Jude Law's best work, getting to kind of dork out, Downey is always fun to watch, and Jared Harris RULES. He's a great pick for Moriarty. Should be a great deal of fun in any event.

Am I seeing it? Sure! Just not necessarily opening weekend.

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (Dec 21st)

The fourth mission impossible movie with a stellar cast including Tom Cruise refreshingly not being stupid, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Josh Holloway. In this installment, the IMF is shut down, so Ethan Hunt and his posse go rogue to restore honor to their organization. Mmm. I love the word rogue. The trailer is increda-balls, but watching it once was enough. I'm convinced I want to see it, but don't want the chance to watch it again and accidentally start figuring out plot twists.

Am I seeing it? Date night!

The Darkest Hour (Dec 25th)

In this action/horror/sci fi flick inexplicably coming out in December, a bunch of twenty somethings try to survive after an alien invasion hits Russia. The young cast includes Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Rachael Taylor and Max Minghella and not gonna lie, the film actually looks pretty scary and much better than Skyline, the film to which many critics are drawing comparisons based on the trailers.

Am I seeing it? I'm interested, but whether or not I bother to see it in theaters will depend on what I hear about the 3D.

Acting 101

Shame (Dec 2nd)

Steve McQueen's follow up to 2009's Hunger, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan in this harrowing tale about the tolls sex addiction can take on a person's life. A difficult but beautiful film which such subtly magnificent performances, I fear they, along with McQueen's direction, will be all too ignored come Oscar time. A must see.

Am I seeing it? Already did and loved it

We Need To Talk About Kevin (Dec 2nd)

Tilda Swinton stars as a mother living her worst nightmare in this brilliantly acted and directed film. According to an interview conducted by Movies.com's David Ehrlich, director Lynne Ramsay has said if We Need to Talk About Kevin were named as Shame was named, it would be called Guilt or Pride. And that is all I think I want you to take with you when you see this movie for yourself. Because you simply MUST see this movie as soon as possible.

Am I seeing it? I've seen it, it's one of the best of the year, and I can't wait to see it again

Young Adult (Dec 9th)

Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's latest about a writer who goes back to her small hometown after her divorce, and sets her eyes on her now married high school sweetheart, starring Charlize Theron in what seems to me, the role she was born to play. I'm normally very "meh" when it comes to Theron, but I love everything she's doing in the trailer and film itself seems like a hoot.

Am I seeing it? As soon as I can.

I Melt With You (Dec 9th)

Four friends meet up for their yearly debauchery, but an incident forces them to think about the lives they've led and who they've become, starring Rob Lowe, Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven and Christian McKay. But hey, it's mostly four guys talking and doing drugs, so it's probably fascinating from an acting point of view.

Am I seeing it? Let's just say, something major was spoiled for me that turns me off 100% from the film so….no. I'm not really interested in a bunch of men going through a mid-life crisis anyway.

Carnage (Dec 16th)

Roman Polanski's adaptation of the Tony winning play God of Carnage, about two sets of parents who meet up to talk after their kids get into an altercation at school. featuring an all star cast of Oscar nominated actors, three of them previous winners - Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C Riley. I've heard mixed things about the film, as it's a story about rather unlikeable people and those kinds of movies aren't for everyone, but if you have an interest in watching great actors work their craft, this is the film for you.

Am I seeing it? Not rushing out to or anything, but yes

Albert Nobbs (Dec 21st)

Glenn Close dresses like a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland in this film based on true events, also starring Aaron Johnson, Mia Wasikowska and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. It appears as though Wasikowska's character is involved in a love triangle with Close and Johnson which is all kinds of I've Gotta See This. Plus, Close is a shoe-in for an Oscar nod.

Am I seeing it? Between the great acting and Aaron Johnson playing a 19th century playboy? Of course!

The Iron Lady (Dec 30th)

The Margaret Thatcher biopic we've all been waiting for! Yes, that was sarcastic, but there's some truth hidden in all sarcasm, right? Frankly any opportunity to get to see Meryl Streep act her face off is one I will jump at, especially when she is portraying the only female Prime Minister in UK history. Plus, Tony Head is in it! Hashtag Buffy alums!

Am I seeing it? But of course! Love Meryl. Yeah. I call her Meryl.

Oscar Talk

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Dec 21st)

Based on the Swedish novel by the same name, starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, directed by David Fincher, this was my "the Oscars just ended and I hate everything" prediction to win the big prize this year. Yes, I was laughed at, and yes, I was probably wrong, but a part of me wants this movie to be so brilliant, that Fincher gets nominated two years in a row and stupid Tom Hooper can just sit around and feel stupid with his stupid Oscar and everyone can think about how stupid The King's Speech is. Erm. Point is. I love David Fincher and I can't wait for this movie.

Am I seeing it? Yesssssss

Pina (Dec 21st)

This 3D documentary from Win Wenders chronicling the art of Pina Bausch is a majesty to behold. It's stunning, innovative, stirring, sad, joyous and wonderful. It moved me, someone who has no interest in dance whatsoever, so I have every confidence that it will move others as well. It's on the Documentary short list for the Oscars, and I hate to think it wouldn't get a nomination. Please go see it when it opens in limited release - unless you own a 3D television, this is *not* one you want to wait and see on DVD.

Am I seeing it? I already did and I adored it.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (Dec 21st)

What happens when Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright team up? Nothing short of magic. This huge leap for both 3D and motion capture is the best kind of head trip, fun, if not a bit frenetic, from start to finish. Kids will eat it up, but there is plenty in there for adults as well. Could an animation Oscar be in Tintin's future?

Am I seeing? Already did, but absolutely want to see it again

We Bought a Zoo (Dec 23rd)

The return of Cameron Crowe! Huzzah! This drama is an adaptation of Benjamin Mee's memoir about a family who moves into an old zoo, starring Matt Damon, Thomas Haden Church, Scarlett Johansson, Patrick Fugit, Elle Fanning and more. There's lots of googley eyes and wild animals and Matt Damon looks fanTASTIC. The buzz has been pretty mixed, but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.

Am I seeing it? Yesss, I want to see it nowwww, tigers and lionssss!!!

War Horse (Dec 25th)

Based on the children's novel of the same name, which the Tony winning play was also based on, and Spielberg's second movie of 2011. Ultimately it's a war movie about the bond between a young man and his horse. And Tom Hiddleston is in it! And Emily Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch, but the horse is clearly the star. Looks like a classic Spielberg epic that is going to be gorgeous and awesome and make us cry. Oh and SCORE BY JOHN WILLIAMS duh.

Am I seeing it? YES. And in theaters. On a giant, pretty screen.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Dec 25th)

A story about dealing with grief from overrated director Stephen Daldry, who always gets nominated for an Oscar. Always. Like literally, he is 3 for 3. This is a 9-11 movie starring a little kid and based on an acclaimed novel, so expect major water works and lots of Oscar prognosticators having a grand ol time debating whether or not this will the first year Daldry doesn't get a directing nod. Remember when I said expect waterworks? The trailer just made me cry. Starring Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock playing an age appropriate role and newcomer Thomas Horn, who won Teen Jeopardy in 2009. Fact.

Am I seeing it? Yes. With tissues.

A Separation (Dec 30th)

The Foreign Language Oscar submission from Iran that I have heard nothing but wonderful things about. I missed the screening at AFI, but am eagerly awaiting the next opportunity to catch this film about a married couple who have to make a very difficult decision.

Am I seeing it? Definitely.

Other December Options:

The Lady (Dec 2nd)

W.E. (Dec 9th) (Oscar qualifying run)

Corman's World's: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (Dec 16th)

Holiday Gift Guide: Music, Book & Theater Edition

2011-12-07T15:50:00.000-08:00

It's the giving season again! And if you're a procrastinator like me, then you're still trying to get your holiday gift shopping list together. So let me help you expedite that process! Here are my top gift recommendations for the art lovers in your lives:

Music:

Florence + The Machine's Ceremonials

Florence Welch is a rock-pop machine and Ceremonials is one of my favorite new album of the year. While lacking the raw, punk-like energy of the bands first album Lungs, the new album is a more polished and whole achievement. All the songs sound connected and they flow to form a broodingly beautiful album that still makes you want to dance and sing along with at the top of your lungs. It's my wonderfully odd dark, upbeat soundtrack to the upcoming winter season. I couldn't recommend it to you more--buy it as a gift for yourself and your loved ones!

Books:

The New York Times Magazine Photographs

Aperture and The New York Times Magazine present this awesome photo book that surveys the photography published by the magazine over the years. The New York Times Magazine Photographs is this holiday season's ultimate coffee table book.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

From the Pulitzer Prize winning author who gave us Virgin Suicides and Middlesex comes a new novel about Madeleine--a 1980s college student deconstructing 19th Century English novels with marriages at the center of their plots. She finds herself examining not only fictional marriage plots but also modern love and relationships. As an English major, this is the book I bought as a holiday gift for myself to read over my winter break. But if it's anything like Eugenides' previous novels, I suspect that it'll be popular with a diverse range of readers.

Theater Tickets:

Tickets to live shows make for the best gifts; you're giving entertainment and helping to create singular memories. So this year, consider giving the gift of theater! Already seen Sleep No More (a few times)? Looking for another off-Broadway gem? Go see New York Theatre Workshop's production of Once, a musical based on the film of the same name. This insanely popular show has been recently extended to January 15th. Get your tickets before they sellout!

Once
Based on the Film Written & Directed by: John Carney
Directed by: John Tiffany
Book by: Enda Walsh
Lyrics by: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová
Movement by: Steven Hoggett
Featuring: David Abeles, Claire Candela, Will Connolly, Elizabeth A. Davis, Steve Kazee, David Patrick Kelly, Cristin Milioti, Anne L. Nathan, Lucas Papaelias, Andy Taylor, Erikka Walsh, Paul Whitty, J. Michael Zygo

For tickets, performance schedule, and more info, go here.

Exit Carolyn at The Drilling Company Theatre

2011-12-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

Sans A Productions and the Drilling Company Theatre present Exit Carolyn, a new play about loss and grief.

Lorna and Julie, lifelong best friends and current roommates, are coping with the death of their mutual best friend Carolyn in extremely opposing ways. Lorna masks her sadness by overworking and obsessively multitasking, while Julie wallows in hers by wasting her time away getting high (and a little fat) on the couch. Lorna fools herself into believing she's ready to move on from Carolyn's death, as Julie feels she's too paralyzed to do anything because of it.

As the play's plot unfolds, we discover that Carolyn was the middle, conjoining member of their group, and that Lorna and Julie both individually loved and depended on her charisma and strength. Without her they must reexamine their lives and decide who they are outside of their broken threesome (and if they even want to stay friends with each other). They must decide if they want to merely fill her void or truly deal with their grief and learn to live with themselves in Carolyn's absence. In the midst of Lorna and Julie's grief and dilemma, we're introduced to Carolyn's brother Matthew who is dealing with the immensity of his sadness. Matthew brings up some insightful questions as to the authority of grief; he wonders if it's appropriate for a brother to be so sad at the loss of a sister or if only parents and female loved ones (like Lorna and Julie) have the right to be as upset as he is.

Exit Carolyn captures the strange and chaotic layers of grief, while still managing to be a comical and warm show. The one outsider character, Avery, played by the freshly expressive Lauren Blumenfeld, offers some quirky lightheartedness. Laura Ramadei wonderfully embodies Julie's simultaneously funny and tragic slobbish couch-ridden state. For a play dealing with such a heavy theme, Exit Carolyn does a solid job of striking a believable balance of drama and comedy.

Exit Carolyn
Written by: Jennie Berman Eng
Directed by: Adam Knight
Featuring: Lauren Blumenfeld, Jake Loewenthal, Anna O’Donoghue, and Laura Ramadei

The Drilling Company Theatre for New Plays
236 West 78th St. (between Broadway & Amsterdam)
New York, NY 10026

Performance Schedule:
December 8-11 at 8pm
December 15-17 at 8pm

For tickets, go here.
And for a limited time, catch Thursday performances for just $10 (enter discount code: Danish)!

What Should Be Considered A Spoiler? Musings From A Spoiler-Sensitive Blogger.

2011-12-03T00:45:00.000-08:00

Cross-posted on and commissioned by Film.com

Spoilers.

What sensation just went through your body reading that word? For me 12 years ago, it was a sensation of excitement. Now, it's a sensation much closer to terror.

In my youth, I loved television and film just as much as I did now, but I wasn't concerned in the slightest with the element of surprise. Knowing what was coming never bothered me. I eagerly awaited the next installment of Watch with Wanda (now Watch with Kristin, on Eonline), would read plot summaries of episodes of Buffy and Felicity well ahead of when they aired, and would religiously check soap spoilers to see if this would finally be the week that Mike and Carrie on Days of our Lives would make love. (What? I was 13.) To me, spoilers were just an elongated version of "Next time on____" that prepped me for what was to come and filled me with anticipation.

Now, however? Completely different story.

Maybe it's because television has changed and Buffy was certainly a part of that (when I hit high school, I started skipping over the Buffy spoilers in Watch with Wanda), with mystery and development of story becoming a more integral part of television than simply being entertained. Maybe it has to do with the internet being so willing to reveal twist endings at the drop of a hat. But something has shifted. Over the span of 12 years, I've gone from a 13 year old who lives for spoilers to a 25 year old who lists "spoilers" as a legitimate fear when pressed. But maybe the difference is that spoiler means something different nowadays. With endless avenues of communication, constant advance screenings and screeners, and the weight that is now put on experiencing something fresh in order to have an honest opinion, the tiniest bit of information can now affect us as much as reading an entire, multi-page plot summary of a film we haven't seen.

Very often I get into arguments on Twitter about spoilers. Bloggers have gotten better about not straight up revealing plot points, but I, and bear with me here, happen to consider pre-release discussion of themes and lengthy, detailed opinions spoilers too.

Whaaaaat? I know. This is a little extreme. But listen.

The rest after the jump

It used to be a given that when you saw a movie, it was with relatively fresh eyes. Maybe you read a review in the paper. Maybe. Maybe you've seen the trailer, but trailers used to, you know, not reveal everything about the whole movie. But it was your choice. No one was bombarded with opinions, no one accidentally caught an entire online exchange on the themes and hidden meaning of a film weeks before its release, no one knew already going in the third act stumbles, but the twist ending sort of makes up for it.

In this increasingly technology based community of movie bloggers and movie fans, so much information is thrown our way, often completely unsolicited, that it becomes a hazard to even USE the internet if you wish to experience something fresh. And because now, analysis and discussion of a film happens so regularly before its release, I believe they have become as detrimental to the viewing experience as spoilers in the form of opinion free plot points. Controversial maybe, but I'm not the only one in this boat, and perhaps this is a good standard to consider.

Recently, there has been a lot of hubbub over folks who got to see The Muppets early spoiling cameos. Some argue "How can naming an actor who is in the movie, whose name is on IMDB as in the movie, be a spoiler?", but this disregards where the Muppets come from (a world with no IMDB, a world where every cameo was a surprise and was *meant* to be a surprise) and disrespects anyone who wished to preserve the experience. Sure, you personally may think reading the last line of a book makes reading the whole thing more exciting, but does that give you the right to tell everyone else what the last line is?

Thanks to carefree spoiling like this, I now feel like it's pointless to watch Dexter because so many twists have been accidentally revealed to me over the years. What's the point if some of the things that make the show so great (the shocks) have already been ruined for me?

I've heard "Oh, she dies in the first five minutes of the movie" so many times in regard to one movie released this year, I haven't seen yet. My question is this - did the first people who saw this movie know this person died in the first five minutes? No. So why is it okay that I know?

In line for an AFI screening a couple weeks ago, a woman I didn't know said to me "I bet he commits suicide in the end" - Not a typical spoiler, no, but putting thoughts in your head about what you think is going to happen puts those thoughts in your head, and when it actually ends up coming true (it did), you feel like your experience was spoiled.

Long story short, I think nowadays in this climate, anything about a movie can be considered a spoiler - it's a personal thing, and better to be safe than sorry. At least check with the group you are chatting with before diving into talk about a movie someone present hasn't seen yet, and for the love of god, just adhere to the standard internet spoiler rules if nothing else. Quickly - a week for television shows, a day for competitive reality shows and until the DVD comes out for movies. Gawker's manifesto nails it for the most part, as at least a place to start, although be warned, there is a season one spoiler for Treme in there, one that the author thinks shouldn't be considered a spoiler anymore because it aired so long ago.

Of course, we all stumble from time to time, sure. Earlier this year in a coffee shop, a friend asked me to explain why Rise of the Planet of the Apes was so awesome. She was never gonna see it and wanted to know. So I explained the whole movie. Unfortunately, there were some people near us in the coffee shop who hadn't seen the movie yet and were visible upset that I had just divulged the entire plot, and I kicked myself for being so blind and inconsiderate. It may help to think that being a part of Twitter is like being in a coffee shop. With 10 million people. If someone has their feed open, it's like someone walking in to take an order in a coffee shop. If you're standing right there, wouldn't you stop for a second and lower your voice, making the conversation more private aka taking it to DM?

Am I a lot more sensitive than your average blogger when it comes to spoilers? Abso-freaking-lutely. But hey, I know some people that consider running time a spoiler. Do I think that's lunacy? Yes. But I've learned when seeing movies with this person to keep the running time to myself. One gal's basic facts are another gal's spoilers, and when you really think about it, isn't our responsibility to preserve the experience for movie goers as much as possible? In a review, all bets are off, throw in a spoiler alert if you're worried, someone can choose whether or not to read a review, but on Twitter, Global Filter only works so well, so like in life, try to be careful and conduct yourself with respect towards your followers.

How that ultimately manifests is up to you, and my sensitive standards may go too far, but you know, waiting until, say, the week of release at least before openly analyzing a film and generally refraining from openly spoiling plot points and surprises aren't going to hurt anybody.

How about you, readers? Where is the spoiler line drawn for you? Without revealing the spoiler itself, has any important movie, tv show or book ever been unwittingly ruined by someone else? Very interested in your thoughts on this one.

Cameos, Music, Puns, Oh My: Dissecting The Tropes Of The Muppets

2011-11-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Crossposted on and commissioned by Film.com

Before the fantastic reviews for The Muppets came flooding in, the concerns among fans included questions like, "Will this be the Muppet movie we've been waiting for" and "Will this be a real Muppet movie?" Even if the movie is indeed great, there are still certain elements fans will be keeping an eye out for - the elements that actually make a Muppet movie a Muppet movie. So what are the tropes that define these films and what notes does the new one have to hit to fit in properly with the Muppet movies of yore? We took a look at each of the six theatrical Muppet releases and created a refresher for you. Take a look below for the results.

The Muppet Movie (1979)

The first, the original, the classic, featuring the stellar tunes of Paul Williams and all star cast featuring every single person who was famous in 1979, The Muppet Movie is widely considered the best of the bunch. Perhaps the darkest as well, the film features a villain whose goal ends up being to KILL Kermit. This first movie sets up the foundation of what makes a proper Muppet movie, including meta jokes, puns, the aforementioned celebrity cameos and an ultimately heartwarming message. This story of Kermit deciding to go into show business not for fame or fortune, but to make people happy, and refusing to sell out in the process, is still poignantly relevant, and combining motifs from westerns, 30s gangster flicks and 60s road movies helps add to the films timelessness. All the original muppets are in the house for this movie about a movie about a movie, including a couple brief appearances from Crazy Harry, the muppet who has an affinity for explosives, who was more or less put into forced retirement over the next several films. Self-referencial, violent, and sweet without being saccharin, The Muppet Movie is a rare gem.

Cameos: Everyone was in this. From Steve Martin to Richard Pryor to Johnny Carson to Mel Brooks to Mr Television himself Milton Bearle, the list goes on and on and on until we get to the final cameo of the film from Orson Welles. Can't handle it.

Meta Humor/Breaking the Fourth Wall: Tons of it. It does feature movie within a movie within a movie after all, framed around the Muppets watching The Muppet Movie at a cast & crew screening. Perhaps the best use of breaking the fourth wall in the movie within a movie is Electric Mayhem following the script to know where they are supposed to pop up next. A narrative paradox!

Puns: Tons, perhaps my favorite being when Fozzie declares "drinks on the house!" and all the shady bar patrons run up to the roof, this classic from Kermit - "That's pretty dangerous building a road in the middle of the street. I mean, if frogs couldn't hop, I'd be gone with the Schwinn." or of course, the visual pun of an actual fork in the road.

Heartwarming Message: Making people happy, not selling out, staying true to you and your dreams will come true. This film perfectly meshes subversive humor with a genuine message.

Running Gag: Several here, all fantastic. The best appears three times, the first at the very beginning, Bernie: "You, you with the banjo, can you help me? I seem to have lost my sense of direction!" Kermit: "Have you tried Hare Krishna?" The second time it's mentioned, Kermit even *refers* to it as a running gag. It finally appears on a sign in front of a church, reading "Lost? Have you tried Rev. Harry Krishna?". Another great running gag is the classic Carol Kane "Myth" "Yeth?"And of course Sweetums chasing after the group of Muppets to go with them to Hollywood.

Sesame Street Cameos: The original and the best - Kermit and Fozzie run into Big Bird on the road, and offer him a ride, but he tells "No thanks! I'm on my way to New York City to try and break into public television!" Brilliant.

Musical Numbers: ALL great. Music by Paul Williams and the world's introduction to karaoke staple The Rainbow Connection, though my personal favorite is Moving Right Along

Dark Moments: Pretty dark in general, with Charles Durning wanting to kill Kermit, Mel Brooks trying to lobotomize him and so on. But rather than just one or two moments, the whole film has an edgy vibe.

Piggy fight scene: Piggy takes Kermit by utter surprise and beats up all of the bad guys. Amazing.

Slapstick Humor: In the bar, Kermit and Fozzie getting violently thrown around, Gonzo gets lifted by balloons and drops onto Fozzie's Studebaker, etc.

The rest after the jump!

Great Muppet Caper (1981)

The second in the series, this film follows the Muppets to London where identical twin reporters Kermit and Fozzie and their photographer Gonzo try to solve the mystery of who took Lady Holiday's jewels, ultimately joining together with the band of misfits working and living at the Happiness Hotel to take the culprits down. The Great Muppet Caper still has a lot of the same charm as the one, while being slightly bigger budget. I found it a little too focused on one character (Piggy) with not enough of the side characters. Even Fozzie sort of gets the shaft, seeming more grumpster than waka wakaster. But some fantastic Gonzo humor, amazing throwaway lines, and a delightfully oddball performance from Charles Grodin keep it one of the best. Plus, Sgt. Floyd Pepper gets some screen time and that's *never* a bad thing. Oh, and it features GROUP bike riding!

Cameos: John Cleese and Peter Falk do the best work here as a bored old man and a homeless guy trying his watch sales pitch on Kermit to less than stellar results. Mostly, I simply didn't recognize anyone else.

Meta Humor/Breaking the Fourth Wall: The most meta film of the group, perhaps. The whole opening number over the credits is a comment on itself from start to finish, and hilariously so. From this exhange: Fozzie: "Nobody really reads those. Do they?" Kermit: "Sure they do. They all have families." to this when "BSC" is listed after a crew members name, Fozzie: "What does "BSC" stand for?" Kermit: "I don't know". and more. Later, when Lady Holiday explains a lot of information about her life to Piggy, Piggy asks "Why are you telling me this?" Holliday responds "It's plot exposition, it has to go somewhere" But my favorite moment of breaking the fourth wall is during an argument between Kermit and Piggy where she is begging for his forgiveness which turns into an epic aside between the REAL Kermit and Piggy about her overacting, wherein she threatens to walk off set. Genius.

Puns: Not as many in this one as in the previous, but still some. The one I remember best is when Kermit tells Piggy she is "hamming it up" during the aforementioned meta-fight.

Heartwarming Message: Honestly not so sure about this one. Perhaps they went full subversion with this film? If anything, it's the usual, stick with your friends, be honest and true, etc. etc.

Running Gag: A running gag about getting caught "red-handed." While in prison for being framed, Piggy jokes "What color are their hands now?", knowing it's a silly joke. Later, cab driver and Happiness Hotel resident Beauregard asks the question and means it, therein acting as the perfect follow up to Piggy's "in on the joke" set up earlier. At the end of the movie, a "Caught Red Handed!" headline is featured in the paper.

Sesame Street Cameos. Oscar the Grouch hanging in the trash outside (Truck Driver: What are you doing here? Oscar the Grouch: A very brief cameo. Truck Driver: Me too)

Music numbers: Many lavish musical numbers, emphasis on LAVISH, including the opening, Piggy swimming, Piggy in the ballroom and more.

Dark moments: Gonzo. In general. Plummeting joke, (Gonzo: I'd like to try this without a balloon. Kermit: Try what? Plummeting? Gonzo: Yeah. Kermit: I suppose you could try it once. and Gonzo: I wonder how far you could plummet before you blacked out. Kermit: Uh, don't try it, Gonzo. We need you for this movie. Gonzo: Sure is tempting.) jumping in front of a cab, getting his nose stuck in elevator and liking it, his obsession with poultry...he's WEIRD. And I love it. One of the strongest elements of the film.

Piggy Fight Scene: She saves the day by taking down the bad guys in the end!

Slapstick Humor: Gonzo, Kermit and Fozzie keep getting thrown from high distances i.e. off a plane, on a pretty regular basis

Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

The first slightly Hollywood one of the bunch, despite taking place in New York City, everything is just a tad more glossy. More sentimental, less subversive. It also is the first to appear to be a story that actually takes place currently, about The Muppets themselves, instead of being a movie within a movie or having a bookended meta-structure. The comedy is a bit more deliberate and the cameos a little more scene-chewy. This is also the first time we see humans as benevolent co-stars. Here, we have a diner owner and his daughter helping them along the way, and later, Broadway star Lonny Price. This also the first time Rizzo begins to have his own wise cracking personally on screen. This was a chance for characters to stretch, as Jim Henson himself touches on in his interviews packaged in the special features on the DVD. Still, despite the sentimentality, it has some truly stand out moments, including introducing the Muppet Babies to the world in one of the best sequences in film history. ... What?

Cameos: 19 year old Brooke Shields is a great one here, rendering Masterson Rat speechless with her beauty and sass. Other cameos include Gregory Hines, Dabney Coleman, Joan Rivers and Art Carney.

Meta Humor/Breaking the Fourth Wall: When the group isn't being successful, someone remarks "Kermit, should we change the script?" and during the wedding, Kermit inquires, "Piggy? I thought Gonzo was going to play the minister." But overall, there is VERY limited meta humor in this one, "I'm a frog" after meeting Jenny could possibly count, but for the most part, it's played as an actual story. Our biggest clue that this is muppets playing themselves in a movie is the fact that the film opens with them in college, and we all know they mostly met during a road trip thanks to The Muppet Movie.

Puns: Oddly not many, though there is this: Pete: "Is grits! Grits! Hominy grits!" Rizzo: "How should I know how many? Count 'em yourself. "

Heartwarming Message: Treasure your friendships, support each other, stick together to follow and achieve your dreams

Running Gag: GREAT gag of Pete the diner owner giving incoherent advice a couple of times. (Hey, I tell you what is. Big city, hmm? Live, work, huh? But not city only. Only peoples. Peoples is peoples. No is buildings. Is tomatoes, huh? Is peoples, is dancing, is music, is potatoes. So, peoples is peoples. Okay?) Also, continuing a joke established in The Great Muppet Caper, the group is chatting and everyone gets silent just as Janice reveals something personal about herself. Even better the second time around. "So I told him 'Look, buddy, I don't take my clothes off for anybody, even if it is artistic,' and... Oh"

Sesame Street Cameo: A lot in this one! Puppets of some Sesame Street characters on a Manhattan street corner, Big Bird toy in the Muppet Babies sequence, and the whole cast attending Kermit and Piggy's wedding.

Music numbers: Many, as usual, but Together Again, the opening/closing number is the one you'd remember most, especially after Kermit plays the main notes on his cups at the diner during his reunion of sorts with the gang. Obviously the Muppet Babies number is my favorite because it's the MUPPET BABIES and is 50s themed, since that's the decade when they would have been born.

Dark moments: The darkest moments in this one involve Dabney Coleman getting into an all too physical altercation with Gonzo and Camilla, construction guys whistling at Piggy, and Animal chasing after women yelling "WOOOMMAAANNN!!". Overall, a lot less subversive than the first two, but still has a pretty grim plot line with Kermit losing his memory and the gang trying to find him.

Piggy Fight Scene: She bends metal, chases down the man who steals her bag and later hits Kermit's memory back, but no actual fight scene. But still enough strength that she feels like the real Miss Piggy.

Slapstick Humor: The Dabney Coleman fight and most of Miss Piggy's antics fill the category here

Muppet Christmas Carol

The first Muppet film of the 90s, the first produced without Jim Hensen, and the first co produced and released by Disney, Muppet Christmas Carol displayed a marked difference from the previous three installments. Genuinely frightening and sweet, this film is probably one of the best Christmas Carol movies, if not a "true" Muppet movie. It does away with many of the classic Muppet tropes and instead opts for a relatively faithful retelling of a classic story, peppered with light Muppet humor. This film also features the return of Paul Williams, is the first with a human as a main character, has a cast of principles and extras seeming to be a mix of muppets and humans, instead of mostly humans, and is the most cinematic yet, even opening with a long tracking shot (how did they do it?!) Rizzo makes the official jump to Gonzo's bff, as the two narrate the story we're watching. Overall, the characters are a little more subdued, and a little less in Muppet character. Oddly enough, the ones most true to their characters are folks who normally don't get major roles like Statler and Waldorf and Sam the Eagle, all of whom have full fledged roles here.

Cameos: One of the Muppet staples that is completely done away with in this film, as the goal is to do a faithful retelling of this story, with some muppet humor and muppet brand thrown in, (making it not a traditional muppet movie)

Meta Humor/Breaking the Fourth Wall: Credits have muppets as characters right off the bat, including Gonzo as Charles Dickens, framing the story, who Rizzo calls out for not actually being Charles Dickens. Something is noted at one point as being"for dramatic emphasis" and Rizzo comments on Gonzo's omniscient storytelling by calling him a "Hoity Toity Mr God-like smarty pants" One of my favorite moments is when Sam as Scrooge's old headmaster, lets his patriotism seep through a bit, so Gonzo has to correct him. ( Sam: It's the American way! Gonzo: Sam... Sam: It's the British way!) I also love how it ends with Gonzo noting "If you like this, you should read the book!"

Puns: The only one I noticed was the rats who work for Scrooge saying, "Our assets are frozen"

Heartwarming Message: It's A Christmas Carol. The heartwarming message is built in. The true meaning of Christmas and what not! We must always be loving and giving and caring.

Running Gag: Another trope somewhat done away with unless you consider Rizzo being kind of an idiot to be a running gag

Sesame St Cameo: Zip zero none.

Musical Numbers: Paul Williams is back, so naturally this film has the best music since The Muppet Movie. Much more the structure of a musical, with the intro song introducing the main character, sung by the whole ensemble, and songs spread throughout at proper intervals to advance the story.

Dark Moments: Dark is built in with a retelling of Christmas Carol. Scrooge says the homeless should die if they don't want to go to a shelter. His family compares Scrooge to a cockroach, rat and leech. The only time we revisit Gonzo's weirdo leanings is with his line when Rizzo falls and lands on a hot flaming goose, "Aw, you have all the fun"

Piggy Fight Scene: Not even any crazy strength for Piggy in this one, she just plays the part of loving wife to Kermit's Bob Crachett, but she does start to get violent at the very end when Scrooge shows up at their house unannounced on Christmas, in a nice nod to Piggy's true character.

Slapstick Humor: Mostly centered around Gonzo and Rizzo falling and breaking things. Everyone else is too concerned with telling the story at hand.

Muppet Treasure Island

The second directed by Brian Henson, and second that features the Muppets retelling a classic story. This one is less concerned with following the letter of the story however and takes more care into trying to be a classic Muppet movie, acting as more of a send-up of Treasure Island, reintroducing some previously absent tropes, and showcasing more of the Muppets themselves. And it's actually better than I remember it being! Once again we get Gonzo and Rizzo as themselves, with their relationship and humor even more defined and Rizzo finally becomes who we know him to be now and gets some of the best lines of the whole movie. Interestingly enough, Muppets seem to make up most of the universe, in a complete 180 from The Muppet Movie, with humans only appearing in the beginning, as the main lead and main villain, and popping up as pirates here and there.

Cameos: Listed as actual roles, but Jennifer Saunders and Billy Connolly are in the first fifteen minutes

Meta Humor/Breaking the Fourth Wall: Significantly more than in Manhattan or Christmas Carol, mostly in the form one one liners, including Rizzo - "He died? And this is supposed to be a kids movie!" Statler and Waldorf - "It could be worse, we could be stuck in the audience" , Zoot: Hey man, I can't figure out what side we're on. Are we with the pirates or the frog captain? Floyd: Oh, hey, man. Just play the gig. Never get involved in politics. Animal: Politics! Politics!", Long John Silver: Upstage Lads, This is my only number" and when Swedish Chef randomly shows up on a Pig island, a veggie he is about to chop notes "How else did you think we'd get him into this movie?" Oh and how can we forget the rat tour to the set of Muppet Treasure Island?

Puns: The film goes more for topical/cultural humor (Mickey Mouse, NBA, Evita, Marlon Brando etc.) than nailing a good pun, and where they exist, they are more visual than verbal. Still, there's this:

Benjamina Gunn: You left me standing at the altar. Captain Abraham Smollett: I was on a ship headed for Zanzibar. I got cold feet. Benjamina Gunn: You're a frog. You're supposed to have cold feet.

Heartwarming Message: You should always be honest and true, that's what it is to be a real friend and a hero? That's what I decided anyway.

Running Gag: The closest I could find was the vacationing rats and how everyone goes to or wants to go to Zanzibar. Other than Kermit mentioning it to Piggy, we get this sort of exchange a couple of times:

Jim: "Wherever the wind may take us!" Gonzo: "Off to Zanzibar to meet the Zanzi-barbarians!" Rizzo: "Oh brother, here they go again...

Sesame St Cameo: Again, none. A trope left in the 80s.

Musical Numbers: Yup! The best is Tim Curry's number about being a pirate. The worst is the bizarre Cabin Fever.

Dark Moments: The return of weird Gonzo! Gonzo "He's got demons?! Cool!" "He said he'd throw a line out the back and let me drag along the bottom!" While being tortured, "Look at this I'm taller, this is so cool!" And of course this exchange, Gonzo: "It feels weird...My pants are filled with starfish" Rizzo: "You and your hobbies" Plus, the film has all of the dark elements of the adventure story, including mutiny, kidnapping, torture, and off screen massacres.

Piggy Fight Scene: She HI-YAs Kermit when they first see each other on camera, then she and Kermit fight the pirates together with the rest of the group in a massive fight scene.

Slapstick humor: Once again, Gonzo and Rizzo mostly hold down this fort. But the blind muppet pulls some weight too at the beginning and there is plenty in the ending fight scene.

Muppets From Space

Perhaps the only film that actually takes place in the Muppet's real life (maybe denoted by the fact that it's the first that isn't a musical), this film, which reveals what Gonzo actually is, is known as the worst of the bunch. Here, all of the Muppets live in a big house together and Gonzo and Rizzo are roommates, carrying on their friendship from the previous two nineties films. New characters from Muppets Tonight pop up here, including Clifford, Pepe and my favorite, Bobo the Bear. As much as it may nuke the fridge in its final act, points must be given to the film for returning to a more classic type of Muppet Movie with an original plot, starring the muppets, filled with celebrity cameos and featuring a human in a main role only as a villain. Still, it misses a lot of the charm and subversion of the original Muppet films and seems way too commercial. When there's only one SHOT of Electric Mayhem, you know there's a problem.

Cameos: They're baaaack. Featuring F Murray Abraham as Noah (yeah, the kids will definitely get THAT one), Jeffrey Tambor, Kathy Griffin, Ray Liotta, David Arquette and Rob Schneider, Hulk Hogan and Josh Charles, the best is Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes appearing IN CHARACTER as Pacey and Joey from Dawson's Creek.

Meta Humor/Breaking the Fourth Wall: Breaking the fourth wall: Piggy says to the camera "Aw please, you think Ted Kopel never gets excited?" Then nothing until Pepe points out to Joey and Pacey that they are in a Muppet Movie. For the most part, this would lead me to believe this takes place in the actual Muppet universe.

Puns: Actually not many, but a great one is Jeffrey Tambor asking Gonzo, "No nostrils. How do you smell? and Rizzo responding, "Awful. I'm his roommate" Much more of a focus on cultural humor. Spice Girls, Oscar Meyer, HMOs, and film references to Independence Day, Star Trek, Field of Dreams and The Shawshank Redemption replace puns and wordplay.

Heartwarming Message: Power of friendship and accepting yourself, Kermit: "He's one of us and no matter what, we never forget one of our own"

Running Gag: Really not much, actually, the closest being Pepe and Rizzo tricking Gonzo into building a jacuzzi by pretending the aliens asked him to, and Gonzo never figuring out why the aliens wanted him to build it.

Sesame Street Cameo: Will they ever return?

Musical Numbers: First muppets movie that isn't a musical, opts for soundtrack filled with classic songs instead. The closest musical number is to "Celebration" by the aliens at the end. Ugh. Oh. God. it's awful.

Dark Moments: Since this IS a movie about Gonzo, there are still quite a bit of weird Gonzo moments. Someone mentions to him, "You never miss an opportunity to shoot yourself out of a canon", Gonzo reads "insanity faire" he tells Rizzo he had "that weird dream again", and Rizzo asks if it's "the one with the goat and the dwarf and the jar of peanut butter", and so on. Plus Sam the Eagle ogles a woman in a bikini and Pepe hits on Katie Holmes. Odd.

Piggy Fight Scene: Fights a sexy Josh Charles, her platinum belt vs his black belt. Pretty awesome.

Slapstick Humor: Exploding oven, Piggy falling down while strutting, Jeffrey Tambor during the whole ending. The aliens end up finding him "amusing" because of his series of accidental physical gags and ask him back to their planet with them.

So will The Muppets, opening this week, nail everything that makes a Muppet movie true? Will it be more in line with the edgier Muppets of the 70s/80s or the more kids-friendly Muppets of the 90s? Will Rowlf and Floyd get lines? Will Crazy Harry make an appearance? Will Miss Piggy kick some ass? Will Gonzo demonstrate strange and unhealthy behavior? If I've forgotten any tropes or examples of them appearing in any of the films that are your particular favorites, feel free to mention them below!

(And head here for my dissection of tropes in Werewolf movies. Like the Muppets, but not!)