This two and a half minute clip contains the best acting of any television show this year, comedy or drama. Alec Baldwin does more in this scene than most actors do during a full season.

I was going to post my top ten films of the year (and a few other favorite things from movies this year) but I have decided to wait. Obviously I am not going to be seeing anything else this year but I just read that There Will Be Blood will be in town this weekend and I also going to try and sneak at least one other movie in this week. Hopefully I'll post a wrap up for the year next Sunday. A little late but better than never.

Apparently, it is now illegal to copy music from a legally purchased CD and put it on your computer.

The LA Times has an interesting story on the marketing of Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind. The best part by far is what will be happening in New York's Deitch Projects art gallery.

And on Jan. 24, one day before "Be Kind" hits theaters, Gondry will also bring Sweding to downtown New York's hippest art gallery, SoHo's Deitch Projects. There, for the better part of a month, he will set up a temporary Sweding movie studio.

"Groups of people walk in and will have access to a workshop," Gondry explained. "There is a very simple protocol: You shoot in camera, edit while you shoot -- which means you stop the camera when you want to go to the next scene, you don't edit. Story lines last five to 10 minutes. And most of the exhibition will be a mini back lot with 15 little sets."

"In two hours, you can walk in, create a story, shoot a movie, watch it in the screening movie. Then you leave and take a copy."

According to this , Sacha Baron Cohen will portray Abbie Hoffman, a figure from the 1960s counterculture who used a series of pranks to campaign against the war, in Steven Speilberg's The Trial of the Chicago Seven. Who knows if this is true or not, I don't think the Times Online is known for breaking movie news.

The Chicago Tribune has an article up for what they think are a few of the best endings ever. You have your usual suspects (Some Like it Hot, The Sixth Sense) and some off the wall choices (You've Got Mail?), this list is by no means complete but a way to waste about five minutes. And just so you know, my favorite endings of 2007 were Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and The Bourne Ultimatum.

From the Hollywood Reporter the American Film Institue's list of significant events of 2007.

Adding its voice to the accumulating punditry summarizing the year that is about to end, the American Film Institute declared on Wednesday that the current writers strike tops the seven "moments of significance" that have had an impact on the moving image in the past year.

Describing the strike as "part of a larger paradigm shift," the AFI said the labor battle is part of "the ongoing digital revolution (that) has upended conventional economic models, and uncertainty abounds when attempting to project how an audience will receive its storytelling in the years to come and how creators will be paid for their work."

The other events cited by the AFI are:

-- The death of influential filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni on July 30.

-- The birth of the iPhone, which because of its ability to stream and download TV shows and movies is "a symbol of a public that demands its content where they want it and when they want it."

-- Films such as "In the Valley of Elah," "Lions for Lambs," "Charlie Wilson's War," "Grace Is Gone," "A Mighty Heart," "The Kite Runner" and "Redacted" that responded to the war on terror. "No other American war has inspired this deep a cinematic expression while the conflict is still taking place," the AFI said.

-- Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth" series, which it hailed as "landmark programming in high definition."

-- The hyper-tabloidization of TV news.

-- Summer programming on basic cable that is redefining the traditional TV season.

About one out of every three of these are funny. There is not really anything else to post, so you get stuck with crap like this.

U.K. poster for Juno.

This is an image from Death Race, a remake of Death Race 2000 directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. I will probably never see this but the one thing that did catch my interest is Jason Stratham's head. The whole thing looks separate from the rest of the picture, like it was photoshopped in later on. Sort of like those CGI head replacement scenes you can see in The Bucket List trailer.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has posted an article on the history of famous tracking shots, from Touch of Evil all the way up to Atonement. The real reason to head over to the site though is that it features a video showing a little under a minute of the Dunkirk beach sequence from Atonement. You have to sit through an annoying ad to watch but it is totally worth it to get a glimpse at the shot.

The first photo I have seen anywhere of Spike Lee's upcoming war picture, Miracle at St. Anna. Also, a plot description:

MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA chronicles the story of four black American soldiers who are members of the US Army as part of the all-black 92nd “Buffalo Soldier” Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II. They experience the tragedy and triumph of the war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy. Directed by Spike Lee from a screenplay written by James McBride, the author of the acclaimed novel of the same name, the film explores a deeply inspiring, powerful story drawn from true history, that transcends national boundaries, race, and class to touch the goodness within us all.

I completely agree with Jeffrey Welles over at Hollywood Elsewhere about Cloverfield. They should never show the monster, just little glances and the destruction it causes. Whatever they have come up with will never be as scary as what is in your mind, what you think it is. These things hardly ever live up to the hype and if the monster is sub par in anyway it could ruin the entire thing.

Before 2008 begins, a Cloverfield statement for the ages. I'm not saying the following will happen or that it needs to happen, but the highest expression of the Cloverfield idea would be to never show the beast. A bringer of horror and havoc that doesn't finally exist except in our heads. There's a way for a movie like this to be done right -- all omens and tremors and chaos-around-the-corner -- and if it was nailed just so, it could be beautiful. But of course, there's the moronic-masses factor to consider. 97% of the mob out there would revolt if Cloverfield played this way. JJ Abrams obviously (a) knows this and (b) wants to stay flush and keep crankin' out the Big Dreams, so that's the end of that tune.

This video takes a little while to start so don't worry if the screen is frozen for the first four or five seconds.

This list is too long for me to type out so I am just going to copy this from EW and include the link to the entire thing.

The Library of Congress can feel the power of love. On Thursday, the government body added 25 movies to its National Film Registry — most notably Robert Zemeckis' 22-year-old time-travel comedy Back to the Future. Other popular selections that the Library found to be ''culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'' were the 1968 Steve McQueen police thriller Bullitt, Steven Spielberg's 1977 sci-fi saga Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Terrence Malick's lush 1978 period epic Days of Heaven, and Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning 1990 Western Dances With Wolves. Older films inducted so as to be ''preserved for future generations to enjoy'' included 1932's Best Picture winner Grand Hotel, 1939's Wuthering Heights and The Women, 1942's Now, Voyager, 1957's 12 Angry Men, and 1962's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. With the addition of this year's entries, there are now 475 movies in the National Film Registry.

The Ain't It Cool Awards.

There isn't really movie news coming out right now and probably won't be until Sundance starts up next month. That being said, I heard something on the television this morning that I never thought I would. As the local NBC news crew is signing off they were discussing movies coming out this week, mentioning The Bucket List and Charlie Wilson's War and just before time ran out and The Today Show started the main male anchor uttered these five words:

"Michael Cera is my hero."

This is from a Guardian article on the Coen Brothers. It focuses mostly on No Country but also goes into some of their previous work and attempted projects. The part that go me most excited though was the final paragraph.

"We've written a western," says Joel, "with a lot of violence in it. There's scalping and hanging ... it's good. Indians torturing people with ants, cutting their eyelids off." Ethan: "It's a proper western, a real western, set in the 1870s. It's got a scene that no one will ever forget because of one particular chicken."

Walk Hard

This film has it's moments and then some moments fall flat. There are definitely big laughs but other jokes miss by so much you wander why they were left in the movie. It also has the problem of seeming to move by too fast and yet the pacing is slow at times. Some scenes seem to linger, taking too long with too few jokes while the story just blows past certain situations that could be ripe with comedy. The music is fantastic though, funny yet never just about the jokes. These are real songs that just happen to feature outlandish lyrics. John C. Reilly does an admirable job and has the right tone throughout the entirety of the film. The best thing I can say is that it gets better as it goes along.

From the New York Times.

THE director Judd Apatow and the actress Leslie Mann have been married for more than 10 years. The following is a transcript of an argument they have two or three times a year, or whenever presents need to be given. This conflict will never be resolved.

JUDD

Let me explain this.

LESLIE

You are just going to try to make me look bad. You are wrong on this one.

JUDD

I am not going to try to make you look bad. You look bad because you are wrong. If you just admit you are wrong, then you will look like an open, kind person, but you are dug in. This is your Iraq.

LESLIE

Just explain it, and then I will point out the error of your thinking.

JUDD

One year, as a present, I got Leslie a trip to Italy. We had never visited Europe together, and it was something I knew she would love to do.

So I had a basket made with Italian bread, airline tickets to Rome, a guidebook. Stuff like that. Here is the shocking part: When I gave it to her, she got mad at me.

LESLIE

Why is that shocking? It was a terrible present.

JUDD

It was a great present.

LESLIE

Let me rephrase that. It wasn’t even a present. A trip is something we do together. It is something we would do whether or not it was a present for me. You get to go, so it is for you also. That means it is not a present. It is an activity that would happen anyway.

JUDD

That makes no sense at all.

LESLIE

Your idea of a present is getting me something that you want. The first year we were together for Christmas, you bought me a Tom Petty boxed set.

JUDD

A great gift. What, you don’t like Tom Petty?

LESLIE

Everyone loves Tom Petty, but I don’t want a boxed set for Christmas. You just wanted the boxed set, so you got it for me. Why don’t you just get me some Led Zeppelin records for my birthday? Or some autographs of the Marx Brothers? Those are presents you want, too.

JUDD

But we had never been to Europe before.

LESLIE

And we could have gone, but not as my present. How about this year for Christmas I get you some lotions? Some body lotions, some skin cream?

JUDD

I kind of see your point. My problem is that in the past I have failed to find the right present. Do you remember that one year I bought you all of those really ugly dresses because I thought it would be funny, and assumed you could return them and get credit, and then buy dresses you actually liked?

LESLIE

Yes, but you bought them at Fred Segal and I was only allowed to return them for credit at the section of the store that sold only ugly dresses. The credit was not transferable to the other parts of the store with pretty clothes.

JUDD

But the idea was good.

LESLIE

Maybe on paper.

JUDD

But you are impossible to buy presents for, because you don’t like anything.

LESLIE

I told you, I would be happy to tell you exactly what I want.

JUDD

But that is not a present because then you might as well just buy it for yourself.

LESLIE

But I feel less guilty if you buy it for me.

JUDD

Why don’t we just give more money to charity this year and not give each other presents?

LESLIE

How about we give more money to charity this year and still get each other presents? Now you are just bailing.

JUDD

Well, what exactly do you want?

LESLIE

After 10 years you don’t know me well enough to know what I would like?

JUDD

Fine. So, what are you going to get me?

LESLIE

The new Tom Petty documentary DVD and Van Halen tickets.

JUDD

I think I need more time.

I was apparently part of this film festive. You don't see my video in this one but you get the jest of the location. For the curious, my video was this one.

With a go-ahead from the WGA, Rainn Wilson will take on hosting duties for Film Independent's 2008 Spirit Awards.

Thanks to a waiver from the guild, Wilson, a Writers Guild of America member, will also help write jokes for the telecast. The Office star also briefly appears in multiple Spirit nominee Juno.

The ceremony will take place in a tent on the Santa Monica beach on Feb. 23, one day before the Oscars.

Sarah Silverman hosted last year.

Sacha Baron Cohen told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper that he is retiring his Borat and Ali G characters. ''When I was being Ali G and Borat I was in character sometimes 14 hours a day and I came to love them, so admitting I am never going to play them again is quite a sad thing," Cohen says in the paper's Friday edition.

The Writers Guild of America released a statement on Thursday night stating that they will participate in this year's Film Independent Spirit Awards. "Film Independent came to us before the strike, and the WGAW Board decided to grant an interim agreement allowing for writing services for the Spirit Awards," the statement read. (Organizers of the Golden Globes, which have not been granted the service of writers this year, must be kicking themselves for not similarly thinking ahead). The statement also sniped at the AMPTP, saying "the best way to get the awards season back on track is for the AMPTP to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair deal with the Writer's Guild to get this town back to work."

Margot at the Wedding

I really didn't like this movie. I'm not sure how you could with a central character so despicable. Nicole Kidman's Margot is full of hate and so self centered it makes every other character, who are by no means nice, look like saints. I know there are people like this in the world but I don't want to spend 90 minutes of my life watching them in a dark theater. Jeff Daniels' character in The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach's previous film) wasn't even this bad and at least at the end of that movie there was a little glimmer of hope. This film goes nowhere and it just a series of vulgar barbs spouted from character to character. Anytime there seems to be a moment of truth we are taken right back into the vicious circle.

At least Jack Black's character comes out of this a little unscathed. He seems to be the only one who sees the madness in all of this and tries to put it all in perspective. At one point he even says he wants to punch Margot (featured in the trailer) and I was hoping he would. Anything she has said up to that point is far more emotionally scaring than anything he could do to her physically. There is also a subplot featuring the worst neighbors of any film since The 'Burbs. Everything relating to them seems like it is out of a different film.

The one thing I did admire about the film is the way it is photographed. Using hand held cameras and mostly natural light director Baumbach and director of photography Harris Savides create a naturalistic tone that is right for this story.

Two actors from NBC's Thursday comedy block, Scrubs star Zack Braff and The Office alum David Denman (Roy, Pam's ex), are uniting for Saint of Circumstance, a drama pilot for Fox.

The Hollywood Reporter says Braff is in negotiations to direct and executive produce and Denman is set to star in the pilot, which was written by Braff's brother, Adam.

The show centers on Wayne (Denman), a man going through a midlife crisis who quits his dead-end office job to be a paramedic on the night shift.

Below are the first photos I have seen from the Will Ferrel/John C. Reilly starring Step Brothers and Michael Cera's next, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. I wonder if Cera has it in his contracts that he has to wear a hoodie in all of his films.

Outside of the Oscars, probably my favorite list of the best movies of the year is Roger Ebert's top ten list. Here are his favorites for 2007, head over to his website to read what he had to say about his choices and to see the other awards he hands out.

1. Juno
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
4. Atonement
5. The Kite Runner
6. Away From Her
7. Across the Universe
8. La Vie En Rose
9. The Great Debaters
10. Into the Wild

Atonement director of photography Seamus McGarvey discussing that amazing 5 minute tracking shot from the middle of the film. This is an excerpt from an article at American Cinematographer.

Robbie and two fellow soldiers in his unit hide away in the French countryside and make their way toward Dunkirk, where the British forces are gathering after failing to quell the German push into France. Redcar, on England’s northeast shore, stood in for Dunkirk, and it was here that the filmmakers staged the long Steadicam shot that travels with the three soldiers as they uncover the scope of the scene before them.

Aware that the schedule would allow them roughly two days to shoot the sequence, Wright and McGarvey storyboarded the details they wanted the scene to convey. It very quickly became apparent that two days would not be enough, especially after a location scout raised concerns about the quality of light at the beach — McGarvey found it was only suitable at the end of the day. Mulling over this predicament, Wright began to reason that the best approach would be to cover the beach in one complex move; this would allow them to shoot when the light was at its best, and he also believed it would be an effective contrast to the quick cutting that characterizes many war films. “Our concern became how to choreograph the move and make it evolve in a way that would be interesting for the audience while communicating the chaos and waste of war,” says McGarvey. “At the same time, we wanted to stay with Robbie and maintain the sort of subjectivity and dreamscape atmosphere this section of the story had so far had.”

The art department created a detailed scale model of the beach that McGarvey and Wright could look at with “a little periscope finder,” says the cinematographer. “It allowed us to work out what we’d see at each point, how best to use our action vehicles, where to place fires, and where we would get the most out of the extras.” The beach had to be populated with more than 1,000 extras in period uniforms, and the first of the two shooting days was dedicated completely to rehearsal, which continued on the second day until the sun hit its mark in the late afternoon.

Flanked by McGarvey (who carried a remote iris-and-zoom control, plus a small monitor so he could see the shot), De Carvalho (pulling focus remotely), and two grips, Robertson began the shot riding on a small tracking vehicle that kept pace with the three soldiers as they entered the beach. After the soldiers passed a group of horses and rounded a beached boat, Robertson stepped off the vehicle and walked on the sand up to a bandstand. As the camera moved around the bandstand, McGarvey opened the stop from a T5.6 ½ to a T2.8 ½, stopping down again when the camera was clear of the stand. Meanwhile, Robertson reached the other side of the stand and moved down a ramp. Soon thereafter, actor McAvoy stepped into a close-up and Robertson stepped onto a rickshaw that was moved past a brief scrap Robbie’s compatriots have with another soldier and to the beach end of a pier. Then, Robertson dismounted the rickshaw and moved down the pier and past a bar, into which Robbie’s two companions have disappeared. The shot ends when “Robbie stays outside [the bar] and looks out over the scene he’s just walked through,” says McGarvey. “His gaze led the camera into a pan, and for the first time, in a big wide shot, we reveal the entire scene.

“In the end, we did three good takes, and on the fourth the light had become really bad, so we just abandoned it mid-flow. Take three was the one we went with, and there was a strange phenomenon that happened in it: cloud diffusion appeared in the atmosphere, creating a little rainbow band on the edge of the sun. It was a beautiful, delicate color, and the light was just exquisite.”

This is from the news section on IMBD so take it with a grain of salt. They report more on gossip than any type of movie or television news.

Woody Allen is abandoning his globe-trotting film making exercise to direct a new movie in his native New York. After shooting exclusively in Manhattan for all his career, Allen turned his back on the Big Apple to make a string of films in Europe - starting with 2005 release Match Point. But he is ready to return and will begin shooting his first movie back in New York in the New Year. It's rumored Allen lost his patience with Europe after Spaniards protested about government grants which aided the production of Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which stars Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson and was shot in Barcelona in the summer. But Allen says, "There were people in Barcelona who took issue. I don't really know what those issues were. That's always very removed from me."

Myspace has the teaser trailer for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, directed by Guillermo Del Toro. I never saw the first one but after Pan's Labyrinth I will give anything Del Toro makes a shot.

The trailer for Forgetting Sarah Marshall, starring and written by Jason Segel. Produced by Judd Apatow, Segel is the actor he always thought would be the breakout star from Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, not Seth Rogen. It also features Kristin Bell and the other usual members from the Apatow universe.

UPDATE: Here is a link to a better quality version of the trailer.

Finally the awards that everyone has been waiting for, New York Magazine salutes the best wangs of 2007.

For Your Consideration: McLovin for Best Supporting Actor

Here are the television nominees for the SAG Awards.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
MICHAEL KEATON / James Jesus Angleton – “The Company (TNT)
KEVIN KLINE / Jacques – “As You Like It” (HBO)
OLIVER PLATT / George Steinbrenner – “The Bronx is Burning” (ESPN)
SAM SHEPARD / Frank Whiteley – “Ruffian” (ABC)
JOHN TURTURRO / Billy Martin – “The Bronx is Burning” (ESPN)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
ELLEN BURSTYN / Posey Benetto – “Mitch Albom’s For One More Day” (ABC)
DEBRA MESSING / Molly Kagan – “The Starter Wife” (USA)
ANNA PAQUIN / Elaine Goodale – “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” (HBO)
QUEEN LATIFAH / Ana – “Life Support “ (HBO)
VANESSA REDGRAVE / Woman – “The Fever” (HBO)
GENA ROWLANDS / Melissa Eisenbloom – “What If God Were the Sun?” (Lifetime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
JAMES GANDOLFINI / Tony Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – “Dexter” (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper – “Mad Men” (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Dr. Gregory House – “House” (FOX)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore – “Boston Legal” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – “Damages” (FX)
EDIE FALCO / Carmela Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker – “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – “Saving Grace” (TNT)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson – “The Closer” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 Rock” (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – “The Office” (NBC)
RICKY GERVAIS / Andy Millman – “Extras” (NBC)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold – “Entourage” (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – “Monk” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – “Samantha Who?” (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – “30 Rock” (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin – “Weeds” (Showtime)
VANESSA WILLIAMS / Wilhelmina Slater – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
THE CLOSER (TNT)
GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC)
MAD MEN (AMC)

Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo have signed on to The Secret Life of Bees, based on the Sue Monk Kidd novel. Dakota Fanning is in negotiations to star as the 14-year-old girl who flees her home and is taken in by an eccentric trio of beekeeping sisters.

Variety says Alicia Keys is also in negotiations to join the film, helmed by Love & Basketball director Gina Prince-Bythewood from a screenplay she wrote.

Set in South Carolina in 1964, the story centers on Lily Owens (Fanning), who escapes her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father by running away with her caregiver and only friend (Hudson) to a South Carolina town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Latifah, Okonedo and Keys would play the three sisters.

I am only posting this because at one point David Gordon Green was set to direct and write this. I'm not sure how far along he got in the production or if he actually ever wrote a script. If he did I wonder if any of his work will make it to the final product.

You can now watch Jackass 2.5 online for free right here. The film is a completely new series of gags composed of outtakes from Jackass 2. You have to register for some sort of viewing device, I haven't done it yet so I am not sure how the quality is. Eventually this will be coming out on DVD but I'm not sure when.

Here are the 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees. This is sort of the first real precursor for the Oscars, these awards are sort of if the actors ran the Oscars. If a film is nominated here and with the producers/directors guilds they are almost guaranteed a spot on the Oscar ballot. My reactions are below each list of nominees. I can't find a list of the television nominees, I saw who was nominated on the SAG website but am too lazy to type all of them out. I will copy and paste the rest when I find them later.

BEST ENSEMBLE
3:10 to Yuma (Lions Gate)
American Gangster (Universal)
Hairspray (New Line)
Into the Wild (Paramount Vantage)
No Country for Old Men (Miramax)

This is a weird group. Hairspray, really? I haven't seen it so I guess I can't complain. It seems like every year the SAG awards nominate something like this, something with a large group of actors. Good to see Into the Wild here since it has pretty much been shut out of all the awards lists so far. Odd that both Sweeney Todd and Atonement aren't here. In fact, both films were shut out of the awards completely. I would think this would have to make No Country For Old Men the front runner now. What doesn't make sense is that Michael Clayton was nominated in every other category it was eligible for but is left off this list.

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl)
Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild)
Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)

Again, this is a completely different group than what has previously been seen. Does this really mean that Ryan Gosling and Emile Hirsch can be nominated? They are both deserving so I hope so. Good that they left Denzel Washington off the list. Not that he is bad in American Gangster, he isn't, it's just something he has done before.

BEST ACTRESS
Julie Christie (Away from Her)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart)
Ellen Page (Juno)
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)

Honestly, the only movie here I have seen is Juno so I would give the award to Ellen Page.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men)
Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)

This list is perfect, I wouldn't change anything. This is easily the hardest category to pick a winner from, any of them deserve it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
Catherine Keener (Into the Wild)
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

I just realized that Into the Wild could really win the best ensemble. It has the most nominees here and it good to see Catherin Keener on this list. She is sort of the voice of reason in that film and is really great in the her short screen time. This has to come down to either Amy Ryan or Cate Blanchett.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE
300
The Bourne Ultimatum
I Am Legend
The Kingdom
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END

Is this a new award? I don't ever remember seeing this category before. Give it to The Bourne Ultimatum just for the shot of Matt Damon jumping across and alley with the camera following him.

Juno

I was worried walking into Juno that the filmed might have been ruined before I had seen it. That is had been over hyped and there was no way it could live up to it, or that it would be too clever, trying too hard to be "indie". I can honestly say I was wrong on all fronts. This is a simple, straight forward movie that has loads of style and never produces a wrong note. It's a real movie, if that makes any sense.

Everything you have read or heard about Ellen Page's performance is true, she is fantastic in this. So is everyone else though. J.K. Simmons, Alison Janney, Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, and Jenifer Garner are all just as good. These are 3 dimensional characters, fully formed by writer Diablo Cody. They act like real people, they drive cars that look like real cars, they live in houses that look like real houses. The whole movie is like an anti-cliche.

I don't want to spoil the experience of seeing this by revealing any of the films surprises or witty one liners. The film is not only about the plot but insights into the characters, their lives, with feelings that are just beneath the surface. When these feelings are revealed they seem inevitable, there was no other path for these characters to take.

Juno also has just about the most perfect ending of any film this year. Then again, everything about it makes it one of the years best films.

I took this from Hollywood Elsewhere.

"There's this whole school of thought that movies are always so great when you're 10 or 12 years old, and the reality of it is, when you're 10 or 12 years old, you've only seen 100 stories. By the time you get to be 25, you've seen 3,000. You've seen every permutation of every dramatic arc. And when somebody takes that and stands it on its head, that can be exciting." -- Zodiac director David Fincher to Variety's Justin Chang.

The one on top comes out next year, the one on the bottom came out earlier this year. Somebody is ripping somebody off.

Judd Apatow, Man of the Year.

I Am Legend

Everything in this film with Will Smith is great and I can't think of any other actor who could have carried this movie the way he does. I loved all his scenes alone (or with his dog) in his home or the city with him just going about his daily activities. There were moments where I was thinking this was the best movie of the year, but it only added up to individual scenes that are some of the best. It's when other characters show up that the problems begin (excluding the flashbacks which are handled well and not overdone). The basic struggle for survival is what interested me and not the action scenes.

The cgi for the abandoned Manhattan is great but the rest of the graphics are pretty sub par. The "Darkseekers" didn't bother me as much as I thought they would because honestly, they aren't in the movie a whole lot. When they are on screen they aren't convincing and actually become a little distracting. There are other little cgi flashes (animals and such) that are also handled badly and it takes you out of how realistic the surrounding area is.

I will give this movie credit for somewhat keeping the original tone of the books ending. It is unfair to sit here and compare and contrast the two but I was surprised that they went the direction they did, it was only what happened after this that doesn't really work. The conclusion is way too abrupt and is logically sort of impossible. They tried to keep the wow moment from the books finale but fell short.

I did really love one scene towards the end. Not to give anything away but it features Will Smith watching Shrek and is played perfectly.

NOTE: I saw this at the Hulen Movie Tavern, using my free ticket from the whole American Gangster fiasco. I knew there was something that I liked about the theater but I couldn't put my finger on, it just seemed that things moved more briskly. I finally figured it out last night, no commercials before the movies, they go from a dark screen directly into the previews. It put me home a full 20 minutes earlier than I expected You weren't completely exhausted by advertisements by the time the movie started.

The Austin Film Critic Awards:

Top Ten:
There Will Be Blood
No Country for Old men
Juno
Into the Wild
3:10 to Yuma
Knocked Up
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Atonement
American Gangster
Eastern Promises

Best Film:
There Will Be Blood

Best Director:
Paul Thomas Anderson, 'There Will Be Blood'

Best Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis, 'There Will Be Blood'

Best Actress:
Ellen Page, 'Juno'

Best Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem, 'No Country For Old Men'

Best Supporting Actress:
Allison Janney, Juno

Best Foreign Film:
Black Book

Best Documentary:
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Best Animated Film:
Ratatouille

Best First Film:
Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone'

Best Original Screenplay:
Diablo Cody, 'Juno'

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Ethan & & Joel Coen, 'No Country For Old Men'

Best Cinematography:
Robert Elswit, 'There Will Be Blood'

Best Original Score:
Jonny Greenwood, 'There Will Be Blood'

Breakthrough Artist:
Michael Cera, 'Superbad,' 'Juno

Austin Film Award:
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, 'Grindhouse'

A quote from Peter Jackson's manager:

"Peter won't be directing (The Hobbit) because he felt the fans have waited long enough for The Hobbit. It will take the better part of every day of the next four
years to write, direct and produce two Hobbit films. Given his current obligations to both The Lovely Bones and Tintin, waiting for Peter, Fran, and Phillippa to write, direct and produce The Hobbit would require the fans wait even longer."

Also, over at EW the have a list of the possible directors, or at least a wish list.

Directors Sam Raimi (Spider-Man), Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth), and Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men) are still the names that come up as alternate possiblities, but no official creative decision has been made.

Brad Pitt is in talks to star in Tree of Life, a drama written and to be directed by Terrance Malick. Pitt would replace Heath Ledger in the project, which also stars Sean Penn in a supporting role. The movie has been in the works for several years, and the plot is being kept under wraps. Shooting should start this spring.

Edward Norton is now leaving State of Play too. What was going to be a reunion of sorts for Fight Club is now turning into some a weird mix of actors with Brad Pitt leaving the film late last month. Ben Affleck is now in talks to replace Norton in the Kevin Macdonald directed film and I am actually more excited about this prospect, nothing I love more than a Hollywood comeback story. With this and Gone Baby Gone Affleck is entering a much more interesting part of his career than what anybody could have anticipated.

While Universal threatened legal action with Pitt, Norton's exit has no rancor. His problem: he had committed to follow State of Play by playing the dual leads in Leaves of Grass, an independent comedy written and to be directed by Tim Blake Nelson.

Pitt’s exit, and the courtship of Russell Crowe to replace him, moved the State of Play start date from mid-November into January. That created a clash, and the studio, working with Norton's and Affleck's reps at Endeavor, worked out an exit plan.

Now it will be Affleck who plays a fast-rising politician who is caught up in a murder conspiracy. Crowe will play a journalist who leads a newspaper's investigation into the killing. He's conflicted in that he once ran the politicians campaigns, and he is now romancing his estranged wife.

Still in the cast are Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman.

Below is a press release, don't really know why I am posting it but there it is. Basically is says that New Line and Peter Jackson have made nice and are gearing up to start work on 2 Hobbit movies. One will be an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. The second project is believed to be a bridge between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, taken from periphery/ancillary/notated material found in Tolkien's works.

At this point Jackson is only on board as a producer, nothing is mentioned of him directing. Rumours have had Guillermo Del Toro or Sam Raimi taking control behind the camera.

ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER PETER JACKSON AND NEW LINE CINEMA JOIN WITH MGM TO PRODUCE “THE HOBBIT,” EAGERLY-ANTICIPATED FANTASY ADVENTURE EPIC

NEW LINE AND MGM TO CO-PRODUCE AND SHARE WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS

PETER JACKSON AND FRAN WALSH TO EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO FILMS BASED ON “THE HOBBIT”

Los Angeles, CA (Tuesday, December 18, 2007) Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM); Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly announced today that they have entered into the following series of agreements:

* MGM and New Line will co-finance and co-distribute two films, “The Hobbit” and a sequel to “The Hobbit.” New Line will distribute in North America and MGM will distribute internationally.

* Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will serve as Executive Producers of two films based on “The Hobbit.” New Line will manage the production of the films, which will be shot simultaneously.

* Peter Jackson and New Line have settled all litigation relating to the “Lord of the Rings” (LOTR) Trilogy.

Said Peter Jackson, “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey.”

“Peter Jackson has proven himself as the filmmaker who can bring the extraordinary imagination of Tolkien to life and we full heartedly agree with the fans worldwide who know he should be making ‘The Hobbit,’” said Sloan, MGM’s Chairman and CEO. “Now that we are all in agreement on ‘The Hobbit,’ we can focus on assembling the production team that will capture this phenomenal tale on film.”

Bob Shaye, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO comments, “We are very pleased we have been able to resolve our differences, and that Peter and Fran will be actively and creatively involved with ‘The Hobbit’ movies. We know they will bring the same passion, care and talent to these films that they so ably accomplished with ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy.”

“Peter is a visionary filmmaker, and he broke new ground with ‘The Lord of the Rings,’” notes Michael Lynne, New Line Co-Chairman and Co-CEO. “We’re delighted he’s back for ‘The Hobbit’ films and that the Tolkien saga will continue with his imprint. We greatly appreciate the efforts of Harry Sloan, who has been instrumental in helping us reach our new accord.”

The two “Hobbit” films – “The Hobbit” and its sequel – are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, with pre-production beginning as soon as possible. Principal photography is tentatively set for a 2009 start, with the intention of “The Hobbit” release slated for 2010 and its sequel the following year, in 2011.

The Oscar-winning, critically-acclaimed LOTR Trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box-office. In 2003, “Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the eleven categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The Trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

For more information about “The Hobbit” films, please visit http://community.thehobbitsite.com.

Over at MSN Movies they have put up Moments Out of Time 2007, a list of the best moments from the year in movies. Some of my favorites from the list:

Cellophane wrapper, lately crushed in a monster's fingers, uncrimps on the counter as Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) teaches a gas station owner (Gene Jones) to value the remarkable quarter that has entered his life in "No Country for Old Men"

What pubescent Briony (Saoirse Ronan) saw in "Atonement": a beautiful emerald-green butterfly impaled on the library wall ...

In "Breach," the last, long look passed between the CIA spy (Chris Cooper) and the "son" (Ryan Phillippe) who's unmasked him ... "Pray for me."

In "Into the Wild," Alexander Supertramp (Emile Hirsch) looking up from a ravine to see the roof of a bus, where no bus ought to be in Alaska ...

In "No Country for Old Men," Llewellyn's (Josh Brolin) truck on the horizon behind him; him looking back to see another truck pulled up beside it; the boil of backlit dust after he goes over the rim and into the river ...

In "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," the pebbles sliding away from the vibrating rail as Jesse's boot rests there, waiting to stop his last train ...

In "Ratatouille," the remembrance of things past courtesy of the eponymous dish: the critic's flashback to childhood ...

Vince Vaughn's rapt, crazy gaze as Emile Hirsch raves about heading "Into the Wild" to escape "sick society": "Hell of a young guy!" ...

The first getting-to-know-you-and-your-music duet in "Once," one of the purest distillations of rapport ever ...

In "Zodiac," the irrational, absolute terror that overcomes both reporter Jake Gyllenhaal and the viewer as he waits in the theater operator's cellar ...

And on the other all-American hand, the surprisingly actorly presence of James Carville investing the governor of Missouri with civility and gravitas in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" ...

Cate Blanchett's eerie channeling of Bob Dylan, hers the only mask that really counts in "I'm Not There"

Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) giving up a tattered shoe to a ghost in "Rescue Dawn" ...

Briony grown old (Vanessa Redgrave), explaining her final act of "Atonement": "I gave them their happiness." ...

When Bourne (Matt Damon) wonders why the CIA operative (Julia Stiles) who once set him up is helping him now, she answers with what passes for a declaration of love in the killing environs of "The Bourne Ultimatum": "You were ... hard for me." ...

In "No Country for Old Men," Carla Jean Moss' (Kelly Macdonald) refusal to call the coin toss; Chigurh then coming out of the house, pausing on the porch to check the soles of his boots ...

"Pedro Almodóvar's next film will be Los abrazos rotos, a 'four-way tale of amour fou, shot in the style of 50s American film noir at its most hard-boiled,' in Almodovar's words, starring Penélope Cruz, Blanca Portillo and Lluís Homar," reports John Hopewell for Variety.

Ben Affleck can't catch a break (click on the image to make it bigger).

Variety reports that Ewan McGregor will play the romantic lead opposite Jim Carrey in I Love You Phillip Morris, a dark comedy that marks the directing debut of Bad Santa screenwriters Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.

Carrey stars in the fact-based tale as Steven Russell, a married father whose conman ways introduced him to the Texas prison system. There, he fell in love with cell mate Phillip Morris.

His love for Morris motivated his escape from prisons four times, once by using a green pen and bucket of water to change his prison outfit into what appeared to be surgical scrubs, another time by faking his death from AIDS and signing his own death certificate. Morris eventually got out, but Russell's escapades got him a 144-year sentence.

Ficarra and Requa wrote the script, based on a book by Houston Chronicle crime reporter Steve McVicker.

Worst poster of the year?

Over at EW you can vote in a tournament bracket for the years best viral video. There were some tough first round match ups such as that little yellow dancing ball from the Spoon video versus Clark and Michael or the drumming gorilla against Werewolf Bar Mitzvah. I had Dick in a Box taking the title, barely beating The Landlord.

This is from EW.

Millions sat with their jaws agape waiting to hear who would win $100,000 as Survivor China's most popular contestant on the series' reunion show Sunday night (it was James) -- but perhaps none was more agape than Nancy T. Lane's. Lane is the superintendent of the Douglas Public Schools in Douglas, Mass., and she says that her employee, "lunch lady" contestant Denise Martin, lied on Sunday's live broadcast when she stated that she was not given her job back as a cafeteria worker upon her return from taping the reality show and instead was made to "clean the toilets" as a janitor working night shifts. At the end of the show, host Jeff Probst gave Martin $50,000 on behalf of producer Mark Burnett to help get her life back on track.

"Yeah, I watched my own jaw drop when she said that, because it's absolutely not true," Lane told Hollywood Insider. Lane released a statement on Monday, on the Douglas Public School District website, explaining that Martin was actually promoted to the position as custodian –- a promotion Lane claims Martin asked for herself. Reached for comment, CBS responded: "The comments made by Ms. Martin on the program were compelling and sympathetic. If these statements were misleading or false, we hope that she will take immediate and public steps to clarify her remarks."

Lane's statement says that "Martin held a full-time position as a custodian prior to her participation in the series, and she returned to this same position upon her return from China." The statement continues, "Although Mrs. Martin was a cafeteria employee prior to her selection as a contestant, she asked to be considered for a promotion to full-time custodian, and was promoted to this position on March 30, 2007. This promotion came with additional benefits and a higher salary. Following her leave, she then returned to this same position." Martin has held the new position since August, when she returned from taping the show, up until last week, when she traveled to California for the live Survivor broadcast, according to Lane.

"I can empathize, having been a working mother," Lane said. "It's tough to work those night shifts. But she took the job; that's the job she took leave from [to do Survivor]. If she wants to go back to the day shift, she should apply when one comes open."

Lane says she spoke with Martin on the telephone on Monday afternoon and that the show's fourth-place finisher was apologetic, but that "she did not explain why she said that to my satisfaction," Lane explained. "It's difficult to grasp. We did nothing but encourage her. She took leave for almost three months, she was given additional times off when ever she needed it. Now she says this on national TV.... Douglas is a nice little town. Everybody was rooting for her, the local paper was bending over backwards with positive articles. Then to have it end this way. Talk about a letdown."

Martin was still in California on Monday, but Lane says her job is waiting for her when she comes back home on Friday. "I told her, 'I think we have a few things to go over,'" Lane says. "I might have a few things I'd like to talk about."

Rachael Harris (Evan Almighty, ABC's Notes From the Underbelly) has joined a movie I am now really looking forward to after seeing Atonement, the musical drama The Soloist, The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, and Catherine Keener. Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement), it is based on a series of columns written by the Los Angeles Times' Steve Lopez (played in the movie by Downey Jr.) about a homeless, schizophrenic musician (Jamie Foxx). Harris will play a Lopez's coworker. Production is set to begin next month.

Alec Baldwin has joined Cameron Diaz, Dakota Fanning, and Elle Fanning in what sounds like the most convoluted plot I have ever heard in My Sister's Keeper, director Nick Cassavetes' adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel for New Line. Baldwin will play the attorney who represents a child (Elle Fanning) who is suing her parents for emancipation on the grounds that they bred her to be a genetic match that could help her cancer-ridden sister (Dakota Fanning). The girl's mother (Diaz) is a former trial lawyer and represents herself in court.

From the NBC press office:

Conan O'Brien Statement

"For the past seven weeks of the writers' strike, I have been and continue to be an ardent supporter of the WGA and their cause. My career in television started as a WGA member and my subsequent career as a performer has only been possible because of the creativity and integrity of my writing staff. Since the strike began, I have stayed off the air in support of the striking writers while, at the same time, doing everything I could to take care of the 80 non-writing staff members on Late Night.

Unfortunately, now with the New Year upon us, I am left with a difficult decision. Either go back to work and keep my staff employed or stay dark and allow 80 people, many of whom have worked for me for fourteen years, to lose their jobs. If my show were entirely scripted I would have no choice. But the truth is that shows like mine are hybrids, with both written and non-written content. An unwritten version of Late Night, though not desirable, is possible – and no one has to be fired.

So, it is only after a great deal of thought that I have decided to go back on the air on January 2nd. I will make clear, on the program, my support for the writers and I'll do the best version of Late Night I can under the circumstances. Of course, my show will not be as good. In fact, in moments it may very well be terrible. My sincerest hope is that all of my writers are back soon, working under a contract that provides them everything they deserve."

Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” will also return, writer-free, on the same date.

David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants is seeking a separate deal with the striking Writers Guild of America that would put “The Late Show” and “The Late Late Show” back into production with its writing staff intact.

2007 Dallas Ft. Worth Film Critics Awards

Best Films

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Juno
3. There Will Be Blood
4. Atonement
5. Michael Clayton
6. Into the Wild
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8. The Kite Runner
9.The Assassination of Jesse James
10. Charlie Wilson's War

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress
Julie Christie

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton

Best Director
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Screenplay
Juno, Diablo Cody

Best Animated Film
Ratatouille

Cinematography
Roger Deakins, Assassination of Jesse James

The association voted ONCE as the winner of the Russell Smith Award, named for the late Dallas Morning News film critic. The honor is given annually to the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film.

All the rumors that Survivor 16 would be another All-Stars edition turned out to be half right. On the Survivor China reunion show, Jeff Probst revealed that Survivor 16 would actually offer one of the most unique twists ever on a reality TV show.

But Probst went on to reveal that these super fans would be playing against favorite Survivor castaways from the past. Probst also revealed the official title for Survivor 16 as Survivor Micronesia: Fans Vs. Favorites. While Probst did not tell who exactly would be among the favorites, he did offer up that at least one of the sixteen members of the Survivor China cast would be returning next season.

One more trailer, this one for Wall E, a film with some of the best looking animation I have ever seen. Pixar can also do more with their company logos than most production houses can do in entire movies.

I'm not sure how long this will last and it has already been pulled from it's original site but Latino Review has the trailer for Hancock, the superhero comedy starring Will Smith. This is supposed to be one of the best unproduced scripts of the past few years, except now I guess it is produced so it has that going for it.

Here is the very good trailer for The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins. Two things I like about this: they are sticking with the title and not adding Batman anywhere to it and Heath Ledger. His Joker is already leaps and bounds creepier than Jack Nicholson's.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR--OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD
THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
INTO THE WILD
JUNO
KNOCKED UP
MICHAEL CLAYTON
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
RATATOUILLE
THE SAVAGES
THERE WILL BE BLOOD

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR--OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

DEXTER
EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
LONGFORD
MAD MEN
PUSHING DAISIES
THE SOPRANOS
TELL ME YOU LOVE ME
30 ROCK
UGLY BETTY

I don't know anything about this movie but I like the poster.

EW gets a new columnist, Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody.

I finally realized I didn't have Pet Sounds on my iPod and couldn't seem to find my old cd so I went and downloaded the 40th Anniversary Edition. The download came with a digital booklet filled with various liner notes and photos, nothing I hadn't seen or read before. Something I hadn't seen in previous releases were these hand written notes from the surviving members of the band. Just like his ego, Mike Love needs to tone down his cursive and Bruce Johnston writes like a 12 year old girl.

The trailer for George Clooney's football comedy, Leatherheads. Also directed by Clooney is the costars are Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski, Tommy Hinckley and Wayne Duvall. I also saw Beau Bridges and Stephen Root in one of the shots. For some reason the streaming quality for this is really bad so try and download it in HD if you can.

Jeff Bridges gets the award for most creative celebrity website. That link is to the blog, which is the best part. The home page has more links and general information about him.

Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first official photo of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, opening in theaters on November 21.

An article on the bizarre last few years of Wesley Snipes life.

A new show I had little interest in seeing has somehow made me curious about it now. The new Knight Rider TV movie/series has announced that Will Arnett (Gob from Arrested Development) to play the voice of the car, KITT. I wonder if they will have the car be the comedic relief or are they going to have Arnett playing it straight? Either way, I hope that at some point KITT breaks out in the chicken dance.

Here is a photo of the new car and hero of the show. One of them looks an awful lot like Macgyver.

This is Roger Ebert's opening paragraph for his review of Juno. It only serves to build my anticipation for the film.

Jason Reitman's "Juno" is just about the best movie of the year. It is very smart, very funny and very touching; it begins with the pacing of a screwball comedy and ends as a portrait of characters we have come to love. Strange, how during Juno's hip dialogue and cocky bravado, we begin to understand the young woman inside, and we want to hug her.

I hate to say this, but I had completely forgot about this movie. It is the other David Gordon Green movie coming out next year, the one that will probably make about as much at the box office as his previous efforts (which means about nothing).

The movie is Snow Angels and the trailer is here.

This seems to be much more in the same tone as his previous films but the trailer is cut in a sort of conventional manner. I'm sure I will watch it a couple ten or so more times and decide it is my favorite movie of all time before I have even seen it.

It does look to feature a knockout performance from Sam Rockwell, though.

This is better than I thought it would be. The best thing about this movie (sight unseen) is that it starts Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker, it also features a young actor named Denzel Whitaker.

Starting December 19 you will be able to download Jackass 2.5 (a quasi sequel to Jackass 2 made up entirely of outtakes) for free at Blockbuster and its new online property Movielink, which will exclusively host the 64-minute film. The offer will last two weeks, where the film will then transfer to pay services like iTunes and DVD. In addition, the movie launch will be a curtain-raiser for JackassWorld.com, which will establish a permanent online home for the franchise beginning Feb. 9.

This is a great and bold idea, skipping all the usual distribution methods. My only problem with it is that watching Jackass is a sort of communal experience and I would much rather be able to show it on my television than have everyone crowd around my laptop. It being free though, I can't really complain.

Here are the television nominees for the Golden Globes. It is really hard to take these seriously without The Sopranos nominated for best drama and The Office shut out for best comedy.

BEST DRAMA TV SERIES
Big Love
Damages
Grey's Anatomy
House
Mad Men
The Tudors

BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIES
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
Extras
Pushing Daisies

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
Bill Paxton, Big Love
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Patricia Arquette, Medium
Glenn Close, Damages
Minnie Driver, The Riches
Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
David Duchovny, Californication
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY TV SERIES
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE
Ted Danson, Damages
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Andy Serkis, Longford
William Shatner, Boston Legal
Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE
Rose Byrne, Damages
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Katherine Heigl, Grey's Anatomy
Samantha Morton, Longford
Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl

BEST MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
5 Days
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
The Company
Longford
The State Within

BEST ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Adam Beach, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Jim Broadbent, Longford
Ernest Borgnine, A Grandpa for Christmas
Jason Isaacs, The State Within
James Nesbitt, Jekyll

BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Bryce Dallas Howard, As You Like It
Queen Latifah, Life Support
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Sissy Spacek, Pictures of Hollis Woods
Ruth Wilson, Jane Eyre

Here are this years Golden Globes nominations. It seems like they said to Hell with it and basically nominated every drama this year, they have a total of seven films up this year but still couldn't find a place for Into the Wild. They also have the strange rule of not allowing foreign films into their best picture category. This is why you will see Julian Schnabel's name up for best director but not The Diving Bell and the Butterfly up for best film.I am most upset at the best comedy category. I haven't seen all of these films but I fully expected Knocked Up or Superbad to be among the final five. I guess they should have seven nominees too so that these two could sneak in. I should probably write more reactions to these nominees but the Golden Globes have always been more about getting big stars to show up to their party than to recognizing great films.

BEST MOTION PICTURE DRAMA
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST MOTION PICTURE MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Across the Universe
Charlie Wilson's War
Hairspray
Juno
Sweeney Todd

BEST DIRECTOR
Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Ridley Scott, American Gangster
Joe Wright, Atonement

BEST ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE DRAMA
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
James McEvoy, Atonement
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington, American Gangster

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Jodie Foster, The Brave One
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley, Atonement

BEST ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages
John C. Reilly, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Amy Adams, Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta, Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson's War
Saiorse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

BEST SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno
Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Aaron Sorkin, Charlie Wilson's War

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France/U.S.)
The Kite Runner (U.S.)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)

BEST SCORE
Atonement
Eastern Promises
Grace is Gone
Into the Wild
The Kite Runner

ORIGINAL SONG
''That's How You Know,'' Enchanted
''Grace Is Gone,'' Grace Is Gone
''Guaranteed,'' Into the Wild
''Despedida,'' Love In the Time of Cholera
''Walk Hard,'' Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Time Magazine's top ten lists.

Richard Corliss:
10. Beowulf
9. Waitress
8. In the Valley of Elah
7. No End in Sight
6. Persepolis
5. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
4. Atonement
3. Killer of Sheep
2. The Lives of Others
1. No Country for Old Men

Richard Shickel
1. Michael Clayton
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
4. After the Wedding
5. Black Book
6. Breach
7. The Savages
8. In the Valley of Elah
9. There Will Be Blood
10. Dan in Real Life

Yahoo has thetrailer up for You Don't Mess With the Zohan and, eh. At least Adam Sandler appears to be trying to do something else with his performance. I can't really say the movie looks any different than his usual fare though.

Getting closer, not quite there yet.

There Will Be Blood
Grace is Gone
The Savages
Youth Without Youth
Charlie Wilson's War
The Bucket List
The Great Debaters
The Kite Runner
Away from Her

The soundtrack cover for Juno, you can see a track listing over at Amazon.

A new photo from Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are.

I'm Not There

You will believe that an 11 year-old African American boy can be Bob Dylan! You will believe no other person than a British woman could portray the American folk singer so authentically! You will believe that no other filmmaker other than Todd Haynes could have made this film!

All the previous statements are true but as much as the last one. Haynes has made everything from the biopic Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (starring nothing but Barbie dolls) to the 1950's melodrama Far From Heaven and they all seemed to be preparation for this film. A free form movie that glides from one genre to another all while fitting, somehow, within a whole.

This film is probably more about Bob Dylan than any straight forward biopic could have been. It not only covers the many personas that he has appeared as, in some cases, covers a persona of his persona. We are told lies and half truths and it all makes you know more about Dylan than you ever expected.

This is also a film lovers dream, with numerous homages to various films and eras. You almost feel like you are watching a Fellini film one moment, only to switch gears and be treated to something that feels like a Sam Peckinpah western. Not that Haynes has left his own style out, he takes all these tributes and makes them his own. This feels more like a French New Wave film than anything since Pulp Fiction. Something Godard could have made about one of his American musical idols.

Not that the film is perfect though. Just like any Dylan album there are certain sections that are better than others but there are so many individual scenes or shots that completely make up for any dip in entertainment. A few of my favorites; Jim James singing at a small girls funeral, Cate Blanchett's entire performance, Christian Bale as a born again Christian singing to his congregation, The entire sequence starring Christian Bale and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Richard Gere's final words to his dog, Marcus Carl Franklin and a whale, Allen Ginsberg, The Band with sub machine guns...