My fellow blogger Andrew has been organizing something special with 1990s performances: he has them fighting eachother for the ultimate title of best of the decade. Click HERE for the blog.

I was invited to write a couple of words about some performances that have reached the second round.

Dianne Wiest for Bullets Over Broadway (competing against Julianne Moore for Boogie Nights)

When I think of great Oscar wins, I think of Dianne Wiest, both for her 1st and for her 2nd. Can anyone really argue with her stunning performance in Bullets Over Broadway?!

Woody might have had his personal trouble with women, but he wrote comedy for them like no other, and Dianne's performance here, helped by incredible dialogue, is a film-lover's dream.

She is funny like no other, her line readings are historical & hysterical, and it's a timeless performance that gets better with each viewing.

How often do you feel like getting up from your chair and shout: "I'm Helen Sinclair!!" Dunno about you, but to me it happens often enough. :) I DO ELECTRA! I DO LADY MACBETH!

My fellow blogger Andrew has been organizing something special with 1990s performances: he has them fighting eachother for the ultimate title of best of the decade. Click HERE for the blog.

I was invited to write a couple of words about some performances that have reached the second round.

Emily Watson for Breaking the Waves (competing against Frances McDormand for Fargo)

I just couldn't miss showing some love for Emily Watson's brilliant (I mean it & I know what I'm saying: BRILLIANT), Oscar-nominated performance in Breaking the Waves.

Lars von Trier is a controversial fellow, but he knows how to get incredible performances from his actresses, and this one might be the greatest, next to Bjork's Dancer in the Dark.

In a very difficult role to play, Emily shines from her first scenes of pure innocence to the finale of a different kind of innocence: the sacrifice out of love.

It's a performance that wins your heart and then breaks it without looking back, a carefully constructed performance that looks effortless, but announces the debut of a great actress.

My fellow blogger Andrew has been organizing something special with 1990s performances: he has them fighting eachother for the ultimate title of best of the decade. Click HERE for the blog.

I was invited to write a couple of words about some performances that have reached the second round.

Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth (competing against Brad Pitt for Fight Club)

Who doesn't love a diva, and I don't want anything else from an actress willing to play Elizabeth I. Sure, Cate gets to show the innocent side of Elizabeth, the struggle for what's right, the struggle not to disappoint, the lady becoming a woman and the woman in love discovering betrayal. All this is fun, beautifully played - I correct that: played in a fantastic way that feels natural, with little effort, but always eye-catching.

But I won't pretend like it wasn't the white make-up on her face and the arrogant look she shared with the world that had me thrilled with excitement. It's the transformation from nice lady to bitch that has me giggling with admiration.

My fellow blogger Andrew has been organizing something special with 1990s performances: he has them fighting eachother for the ultimate title of best of the decade. Click HERE for the blog.

I was invited to write a couple of words about some performances that have reached the second round.

Daniel Day-Lewis for In the Name of the Father (competing with Samuel L. Jackson for Pulp Fiction)

To ignorant eyes like mine, that assumed he's Irish, the role seemed a natural for Daniel Day-Lewis to play. OK, yes, he is Irish, but only half. The idea is that DDL can play almost anything, and I still have to see a poor performance of his. What makes this great is the passion he puts into playing this character, how focused & completely dedicated his performance is. While his acting is thrilling and engaging throughout the entire film, it's those scenes in jail shared with Pete Postlethwaite that are most touching, giving the opportunity to show a more vulnerable side of the character and simply making it all emotional & relatable, in a film meant mostly to induce anger. The performance stands very well among his less showy work.

My Top 10 for Sight & Sound

With the big buzz in the last couple of weeks (and especially today) being the Sight & Sound 2012 Greatest Films Poll, I've decided to post mine. I haven't done a ranking list like this in more than 5 years now... choosing only 10 was very very very difficult, so I sympathize with those critics that had to choose their favorites.

I don't know if this really is my Top 10, I haven't seen a couple in years, but this is what I would've sent, had I been invited. They are in alphabetical order, not by ranking:

Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)

All About Eve (Joseph L. Mankievicz, 1950)

All About My Mother (Pedro Almodovar, 1999)

Cries and Whispers (Ingmar Bergman, 1972)

Death in Venice (Luchino Visconti, 1971)

The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001)

A Man and a Woman (Claude Lelouch, 1966)

Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)

So here they are. This is how I feel about it today, August 16th, 2012. :)

Slowing down and Meryl...


I'm writing to let you know that I won't be posting so much in the next couple of weeks. I hope to catch up, but work has been really taking over my time for the past 2 weeks and on Monday I'm going to Athens for about a month or so, which means even more working hours...

I'm also behind on Oscar movies... like never before.

That being said, I want to congratulate Meryl! I SO hope she'll get to hold the Oscar 10 days from now. I love it that we won't know until the envelope is open. It could go any way.

Have a nice weekend!!

Your Alex.

Celebrating 100 profiles



As you can see, this is a special post, dedicated to the achievement of writing here, on this blog, about 100 Best Actress nominated performances. There’s still plenty to go, that’s for sure. But I thought it’s a good time to name my favorite 5 performances that I’ve discussed here, and also remember the 5 that I thought least deserved their nominations.

It is also a good time to make some corrections in the number of stars I’ve given over the years. I feel I was too judgmental with 2 performances, and at the same time too generous with one other.

So here we go.



1. Top 5 performances from the 20 Best Actress years analyzed so far

They are in chronological order. Personally, I know which is the best so far (no, it’s not the one you think), but I’d rather keep that to myself as I truly LOVE all these 5 performances. There were plenty of runner-ups, but I’m confident I’ve chosen the ones I love the most:







Bette Davis, in All About Eve (from the Best Actress 1950 nominees)













Elizabeth Taylor, in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (from the Best Actress 1966 nominees)












Ingrid Bergman, in Autumn Sonata (from the Best Actress 1978 nominees)












Geraldine Page, in The Trip to Bountiful (from the Best Actress 1985 nominees)












Marion Cotillard, in La vie en rose (from the Best Actress 2007 nominees)







Not much to say about these performances, right?! One has been with me for most of my lifetime, one I’ve discovered while writing for this blog, but I really respect and admire all of them.

Now let’s go to the less fortunate:





2. Least deserving 5 performances from the 20 Best Actress years analyzed so far

The same, they are in chronological order:

Irene Dunne, in Cimarron (from the Best Actress 1931 nominees)
Jennifer Jones, in Love Letters (from the Best Actress 1945 nominees)
Vanessa Regrave, in Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (from the Best Actress 1966 nominees)
Gena Rowlands, in Gloria (from the Best Actress 1980 nominees)
Anne Bancroft, in Agnes of God (from the Best Actress 1985 nominees)


No mystery on who I think is the worst here, given that Anne Bancroft’s Agnes of God performance received the only 1 star I’ve ever given.
Also: Andrew, sorry for including Vanessa, I know you like her performance, but it just didn’t work for me. :(





3. Some corrections

Because it’s a milestone in my Best Actress series, I’m giving myself the chance to correct 3 of the ratings I’ve given for the past 3 years. These changes do not affect the rankings of the performances in their individual Best Actress years. I just think I should’ve given a different number of stars:

Moving up:
- Catherine Deneuve for Indochine (1992 race): from the current moving up to .
- Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008 race): from the current moving up to .


Going down:
- Ellen Burstyn for Resurrection (1980 race): from to .




And that’s about it.
Thanks for stopping by!
And the Best Actress discussions will continue!

I wish I had more time to write more about dear Deborah Kerr, who would’ve turned 90 today… I said I was gonna post about her, and I’m keeping my promise by remembering a bit her Heaven Knows Mr. Allison performance.


While I’m not one of her most devoted admirers, and I still have plenty performances of hers to see, I surely think she hold her own place in film history and in Hollywood history, by inspiring a certain style: beautiful, delicate, sometimes mother-like figure, very elegant, and a lady to be respected, if there ever was one. She seemed to have lived her career with a lot of class, probably her most distinctive quality.

And it might be just the right time to throw in a fragment from my profile of Deborah Kerr in Heaven Knows Mr. Allison:

…Then it’s time for her acting skills to inject intelligence & emotion in this otherwise dull-written character. The result is a believable Sister Angela and although the performance doesn’t steal the show, it’s great subtle work. I also suspect it’s that type of actress-magic performance that grows with time. I truly believe Deborah had fun with it; a relaxed performance I have most respect for.


Happy Birthday, Deborah!


For more on this blogathon, go to Waitin’ on a Sunny Day, where Sophie is the expert.

Best Actress: Special Emmy Edition – Episode 2/2: Drama

If you’ve missed my ranking of the Best Actress in a Comedy Series, just go to the previous post. As always, these are the Emmy rules:

To vote the winner of the category, you don’t have to see all the episodes from the season. Just one episode that the nominee submits. (that’s why it’s such an important decision). So, just like any other voter :P I’ve watched the tapes of the nominees and I am ready to judge.

Here are the nominees:

Kathy Bates – Harry’s Law (“Innocent Man”)

Connie Britton – Friday Night Lights (“Always”)
Mireille Enos – The Killing (“Missing”)

Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order: SVU (“Rescue”)

Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (“In Sickness”)
Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men (“The Suitcase”)

The only show I follow regularly is Mad Men.

This line-up is called Every vote counts.
To me, the first 3 performances are equally good and ranking them was very difficult.

MY ranking, based on the episodes:

1. Elisabeth Moss – Mad Men (“The Suitcase”)

The episode: I’ve seen every episode of Mad Men and I really like it. Elisabeth submitted perfectly, as The Suitcase is one of the best drama episodes of the past years. Sure, Jon Hamm is fantastic in it, but Moss is also very good and gets her own moments. I doubt she’ll ever get such a good chance to win.

The performance: I will have the same 4/5 rating for the first 3 performances here, so I need to justify why this is a bit above Margulies & Enos. What I liked most is the versatility that she shows, and which is completely favored by the writing. She gets to cry, she gets to be angry, she confronts Don in a scene we’ve waited for a long time (those who watch it regularly), she’s quite funny, she’s very empathetic, brings new stuff to the character and shows subtle emotion when remembering the child she gave up for adoption. It’s a fine piece of acting. And she always remains likeable. 4/5

2. Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (“In Sickness”)

The episode: I don’t watch this, but this episode reminded me why I should. I can tell it’s a damn good courtroom procedural, with very well constructed characters. It was very pleasant to watch and it kept my interest all the way to the end. I hear she submitted the best possible episode, which has plenty of drama, tears & meaning.

The performance: As I said, it’s all here: terrifying news, betrayal, emotion, life-changing decisions, tears, scenes with kids… what it lacks (and Moss has) is a versatility in the character’s emotions. It’s not Julianna’s fault, she does convincing drama, but she’s so damn sad and depressed and depressing all episode – I liked what she does acting-wise, but I don’t love it, because in the end I thought maybe her character was exaggerating, I didn’t completely agree with the actions. 4/5

3. Mireille Enos – The Killing (“Missing”)

The episode: I don’t watch The Killing, and this episode wasn’t even about the victim so much. It was focused on Mireille’s character, the police detective investigating the crime who, in this episode, tries to find her own missing son. It was well-written and quite interesting. We see a lot of her character.

The performance: It’s a damn subtle performance; had she had one flashier scene, with the camera completely on her, then she might’ve been a bigger threat. I liked it, I really did, I think she carried the story nicely and beautifully showed the character going from bitchy to honesty, humility and a mother’s despair. However the screenplay wasn’t as demanding at all times. 4/5

4. Kathy Bates – Harry’s Law (“Innocent Man”)

The episode: Well, I can tell the show sucks. It’s pretty bad procedural, and it’s unusually kitschy. Kathy plays Harriet Korn, the tough lawyer, and in this episode she tries to get an innocent man out of prison. She doesn’t appear in the whole episode, and you can tell she’s above the material. Don’t know if this was the best submission, but she does get one or two key moments.

The performance: Unlike the show, the performance is subtle, intelligent and surprisingly quiet even in big scenes. Kathy is a great actress, and when the camera’s on her she takes control of every piece of dialogue; that being said, the screenplay could’ve helped more. Good effort, anyway. 3/5

5. Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order: SVU (“Rescue”)

The episode: Many are outraged by this nomination, that seems to happen every year. But guess what: this time she doesn’t have a bad episode. A Law & Order franchise episode rarely gets fantastic writing, this one doesn’t have it either, but it shows Detective Olivia in a nice, almost-maternal situation. Definitely better than last year’s submission.

The performance: She is not bad, and the episode starts with lots of potential for her character. Sure, it loses a lot of focus by the end of it, but Mariska gets a couple of good scenes, as she gets attached to the kid of a junkie, a boy that now lives with her. Maria Bello is a scene-stealer here, but Mariska can hold her own. Maybe not as worthy of a nomination, but she’s shown us worse. 2/5

6. Connie Britton – Friday Night Lights (“Always”)

The episode: It was the season finale of FNL, a show I’d never wanna see. The episode itself is a great one for Kyle Chandler, and just an ok one for Connie. As the wife of the coach, she gets to almost cry in a restaurant scene and raise her voice once or twice. As the ranking might show, I wasn’t that impressed.

The performance: What I remember the most is her Babe!, Realllly, Babe?, Babe? – and other variations of such, delivered in an annoying voice. I dislike the character, and Connie isn’t helping me much. She gets one or two ok scenes, but I completely forgot them by the end of a veeeeery long series finale. Must be some kind of a sentimental nomination. 2/5

Objectively judging their chances of winning:

1. Julianna Margulies – I actually had her as my favorite last year, and I predicted her, but she lost to Kyra Sedgwick (which had a great episode, and I called her the dark horse of the race). This time, I feel again like it’s happening, because she has a very flashy submission, she is popular, the show is popular and there’s lots of good energy around her. And she hasn’t won since 1995. But it’s a tight race.

2. Elisabeth Moss – Because she’s so damn good in her episode, and the episode itself is a classic. She has a fantastic scene partner and lots of screentime. And Mad Men will probably win Drama Series. It could all happen.

3. Mireille Enos – Because it’s a shinny new show, even though it didn’t score that well nomination-wise. She has a good episode, and she might actually be the dark horse of the race.

4. Kathy Bates – Not because of the show or the episode, but because she’s Kathy Bates, she has like 9 nominations or so, and has never won an Emmy.

5. Connie Britton – She seems to have her fans, but I really really doubt a win here. She should be happy she got nominated.

6. Mariska Hargitay – Not happening because most people really are over her show, and the tape needed to be fantastic to get noticed.



I think it will be a very tight race; I predict Julianna, but of course wouldn’t be upset if my Moss wins.

Last year I predicted a win for Julianna and didn’t happen – click HERE to see my ranking back then.

It’s a difficult one to predict, right?

Best Actress: Special Emmy Edition – Episode 1: Comedy

It’s the 2nd year I’m watching the episodes and putting up my ranking and my predictions. It’s fun, and not difficult to do. I’m posting again the rules from last year, as it’s important to know that the voters see just one episode, and not the series:

To vote the winner of the category, you don’t have to see all the episodes from the season. Just one episode that the nominee submits. (that’s why it’s such an important decision). So, just like any other voter :P I’ve watched the tapes of the nominees and I am ready to judge.

Here are the nominees:

Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie (“Rat Falls”)

Tina Fey – 30 Rock (“Double-Edged Sword”)
Laura Linney – The Big C (“Pilot”)
Melissa McCarthy – Mike & Molly (“First Date”)
Martha Plimpton – Raising Hope (“Say Cheese”)

Amy Poehler – Parks & Recreation (“Flu Season”)

The only show I follow regularly is 30 Rock.
This line-up is called Laura Linney & the rest of the girls.

MY ranking, based on the episodes:

1. Laura Linney – The Big C (“Pilot”)

The episode: It was one good piece of dramedy: very good character introduction, even though the subject is a bit depressing for me to wanna follow the series. Laura plays a woman diagnosed with untreatable cancer, who decides to have a less tragic perspective on the disease.

The performance: Laura Linney is FANTASTIC. She’s in every scene of the episode and it’s a great showcase of what the amazing actress can do. She creates a very likeable character, she knows how to do sarcasm, gives a reassuring feeling of intelligence and is often funny. Her breakdown in the final scene with the dog is pure talent. 5/5.

2. Edie Falco – Nurse Jackie (“Rat Falls”)

The episode: I guess the episode was ok, nothing groundbreaking, and just as in the case of The Big C, it’s dramedy done well. Edie plays Nurse Jackie, the drug-addicted nurse with a good heart. In this episode, she’s dealing with a very depressed patient and a rat that’s eating her hidden pills.

The performance: I knew she’d probably never match last year’s episode (the pilot) that won her the Emmy. She was incredible in that… now, the writing is not that good and she doesn’t get one big emotional scene to fully win my heart. But she gives a solid performance, and you know how fabulous Edie is with those quiet scenes. She also does sarcasm very well, really knows the character and it’s a subtle, yet solid performance. 4/5.

3. Tina Fey – 30 Rock (“Double-Edged Sword”)

The episode: It so happens it’s one of the two best episodes of the past season of 30 Rock. It’s funny as hell, but only half of that because of Tina. Most of my love went for the scenes with Alec Baldwin & Elizabeth Banks, but Tina & Matt Damon do a great job on their side. Tina, of course, plays Liz Lemon, headwriter for a weekly variety show. In this episode she has a conflict on the plane with her boyfriend, who’s the actual pilot. It’s hilarious.

The performance: The fact that it’s so well-written helps a lot. Tina IS Liz Lemon and her performance here is showier that usual, which is good for an Emmy submission. She goes from trying to play the nice girlfriend, to her usual stubborn-self; the exaggerated situations she deals with on the plane are the perfect platform for Tina to play a very overwhelmed Liz. It’s the best performance coming from the submitted sitcoms. 3.5/5.

4. Amy Poehler – Parks & Recreation (“Flu Season”)

The episode: I actually saw it twice to make sure I got everything in. The parts with Amy Poehler and the scenes with Rob Lowe and the nurse-chick are fine, but the rest seemed boring. I’m also not sure it’s a great submission for Amy. She plays Leslie Knope, the small town public official; in this episode, she gets the flu, right before she’s suppose to give an important speech.

The performance: It’s subtle, that’s why I liked it more the 2nd time around, when I noticed elements of the performance that I ignored at first. It’s not my type of performance, I like them flashier, but you can tell she’s trying her best, and she IS believable, likeable and even funny at times. She has a fast way of delivering the lines, and she definitely elevates the episode – even though I still believe they don’t explore her full potential. 3/5.

5. Melissa McCarthy – Mike & Molly (“First Date”)

The episode: It’s the 2nd episode from a first season sitcom; which usually means it’s gonna be bad. But surprisingly, I didn’t find it awful – sure, it hasn’t gained much courage yet, the screenplay is shaky, but it could’ve gone much worse. Melissa plays Molly, a young woman falling in love with a police officer; in this episode, they have their first date, which goes wrong when Molly takes some crazy-inducing pills.

The performance: It’s meant to be flashy, and it is. I didn’t dislike the overacting, because Melissa is very charismatic and sweet, and there’s some emotional stuff behind the wackiness. I like it how she brings emotion to the character; sure, the writing doesn’t help as much, and the show still needs wings to fly, but it’s a sweet, touching, sometimes funny performance. 2.5/5.

6. Martha Plimpton – Raising Hope (“Say Cheese”)

The episode: I can’t believe I sat through this. I thought it was poorly written, with plenty dislikeable characters, lots of predictability and overused sentiments. Seriously, if this were a film, I’d rate it a 2 out of 10… Martha plays Virginia, a very young grandmother with an attitude problem; in this episode, she remembers the history of their family photos, taken every year.

The performance: Martha is an ok actress, but this role seemed very dislikeable to me. I hated this woman, thought she was a crazy bitch, and not in a good way. Partly, it’s the screenplay’s fault, but come on… Martha could’ve tried to make her not so ridiculously stubborn. Didn’t find it funny, nor emotionally endearing. 1.5/5.

Objectively judging by their chances of winning:

1. Laura Linney – because she’s so DAMN good, and the judges won’t ignore that. They like her, they like dramedy, and it’s the pilot episode with a very good character introduction.

2. Amy Poehler – because it’s Amy Poehler and she’s very popular in the industry. The show gained a lot of buzz lately, she’s never won an Emmy and many feel it’s her time to shine.

3. Tina Fey – because this is a very funny episode of 30 Rock and Tina gets to act next to Matt Damon, which helps (because she’s just as good as he is). It’s the best writing of the episodes submitted and Tina does it justice.

4. Edie Falco – because she’s last year’s winner, however she doesn’t have an episode as fabulous as that one. She also owns something like 4 Emmys, which is a lot.

5. Melissa McCarthy – I’m sure her role in Bridesmaids helped to gain the nomination, and she seems to be popular (really hard to dislike her). But I doubt they care too much about the show and the performance doesn’t feel like a winner.

6. Martha Plimpton – no chance in hell, because she’s so damn dislikeable in her episode. She tries to bring dramedy emotion, but can’t match Linney or Falco, not even close.

I think it will be an easy win for Laura Linney, if they actually watch the episode.
Last year I correctly predicted a win for Edie Falco – click HERE to see my ranking back then.


What do you guys think? Did you also watch the episodes?

Andrew, I know you like Poehler a lot, sorry I don’t feel exactly the same. :)

My favorite thing. Updated Oscar predictions

It was April 3rd when I've made my first predictions for this year. I always update them gradually, but I've figured now it's time to also post the changes. To check the previous predictions, click HERE.

Just a couple of things to mention before getting to the categories:

- YES, I still believe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is gonna be nominated for Picture, Director, Screenplay, because I know it's gonna be a fantastic thriller, and it will have no problem in getting the 5% it needs. It's also Fincher, and I'm sure the directors will reward him with a nomination after last year's fiasco.

- I am not buying Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, or whatever the name is. Yes, Daldry is a fabs director, but the project just seems wrong to me. So don't expect to find it anywhere on my list.

- I still DON'T understand the buzz over The Artist, the silent black-and-white film with nobody famous, that looks like a rip-off of A Star Is Born. I have it on the list with just one nomination.

So let the games begin. What is in bold represents who I think will win the category. On the side, the rest of the nominees, in order of their chance of getting nominated.

Best Picture: War Horse (The Ides of March, J. Edgar, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Young Adult, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drive, Carnage)

Best Director: Steven Spielberg - War Horse (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Ides of March, Drive, J. Edgar)

Best Actor: Leonardo Di Caprio - J. Edgar (George Clooney - The Descendants, Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Ryan Gosling - The Ides of March, Brad Pitt - Moneyball)

Best Actress: Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs (Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady, Charlize Theron - Young Adult, Jodie Foster - Carnage, Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt - The Tree of Life (Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn, Jim Broadbent - The Iron Lady, Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Ides of March, Armie Hammer - J. Edgar)

Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave - Coriolanus (Viola Davis - The Help, Andrea Riseborough - W.E., Naomi Watts - J. Edgar, Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs)

Best Original Screenplay: J. Edgar (Young Adult, Martha Macy May Marlene, The Iron Lady, Midnight in Paris)

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Ides of March (Carnage, War Horse, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)



Best Cinematography: War Horse (The Tree of Life, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

Best Original Score: War Horse (The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Super 8, The Artist)

Best Original Song: Happy Feet 2 (Cars 2, The Muppets, Captain America, The Help)

Best Editing: War Horse (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Drive, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, J. Edgar)

Best Art Direction: Hugo (War Horse, Harry Potter, A Dangerous Method, Sherlock Holmes 2)

Best Costume Design: Hugo (War Horse, My Week with Marilyn, Jane Eyre, W.E.)

Best Sound: War Horse (Hugo, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Drive, Super 8)

Best Sound Editing: War Horse (Hugo, The Adventures of Tintin, Transformers 3, Rise of the Planet of the Apes)

Best Visual Effects: Harry Potter (Transformers 3, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Super 8, Pirates of the Caribbean 4)

Best Makeup: Green Lantern (The Iron Lady, J. Edgar)

Best Animated Feature: Rango (Happy Feet 2, Arthur Christmas, Kung Fu Panda 2)




So that's about it. Yes, I think War Horse will get a whole bunch of them.

Andrew is celebrating the television shows of the past season, and he has prepared a blogathon. This post is my contribution. And the question asked was rather simple: what episode from the past season of any current show do I feel like writing about. Considering I’ve stopped watching so many shows because of the limited free-time, I immediately went for 30 Rock.

30 Rock is the only sitcom I still watch regularly and I’ll write something about my favorite episode of the part season, called: Everything Sunny All the Time Always (Season 3, Episode 21).




The plot:
When Avery is kidnapped while on assignment in North Korea, Jack turns to an old girlfriend to get her released. Meanwhile, Tracy makes the entourage recreate an inside joke, and Liz wages war on a plastic bag in a tree outside her window.


Thoughts on the episode:

• The storyline with Tracy is clearly to be ignored. The ones that got my interest are Liz’s attempt to take control over her life and especially the interaction between Jack & Avery.

• The screenplay is very funny, probably the best of the season, next to Double-Edged Sword. I always love Jack & Avery and their Republican jokes, and this episode delivers a lot of incredibly funny one-liners.
  
  


• Condoleeza Rice is a brave woman for accepting to Guest-Star as herself. She was good.
  



• And the whole North Korea thing is hilarious, especially the inspired, mocking way to portray dictator Kim-Jong Il. :)) They often cut to the character, and the lines are outrageous. The music, the direction – they’re all perfect. Just look at how funny this clip is:
  






• It’s funny how once in a while there’s an episode to remind us how hilarious 30 Rock can be, and how damn creative. I hope they keep Elizabeth Banks around, she’s fantastic as Avery. And that line with the North Korean Emmy – priceless :))

Go to Andrew’s BLOG for more on the Blog-a-thon and feel free to contribute.

This week my life-saving blog turned 3 years old. :D

I initially planed a photo shoot, special editions & something like that, but who has the time. :) I'd more rather focus on catching up with my Best Actress posts.

Anyway, being Alex in Movieland's birthday and all that, at least allow me to make a recommendation.

I love Jane Fonda. And this is the BEST interview I've ever seen on Inside the Actor's Studio. This woman is a treasure. See all 5 parts for fantastic words of wisdom and some great Hollywood memories.

Hey, guys! I'm on twitter now, because I'm tired of reading so much stuff and not being able to reply! :)

So tell me: who else is outthere. Let me know! :D

If interested, you'll find the Twitter button on the right or just go at my link here:

http://twitter.com/#!/AlexInMovieland

At one point (I think like 2 years ago!!!) I said I was gonna see all Best Picture winners chronologically and rank them on the other blog. I knew it would move slow, but not THIS slow. Anyway, I've seen All the King's Men (1949) again, so I've updated my ranking on My Latest Oscar Film.

You can click HERE and see how Casablanca did. Is there anyone who doesn't respect this film?!

Oscar's Best Foreign Language Film

It's the 2nd year I'm seeing all of Oscar's nominees for this category: again, some surprises and a dreadful film. I've written about them on my other blog, My Latest Oscar Film.

Last year I went with Ajami (Israel) as my favorite. Here's my ranking for this year. You can click on the name of the film to get to my short review.

1. Biutiful - from Mexico


2. In a Better World - from Denmark


3. Dogtooth - from Greece


4. Incendies - from Canada


5. Outside the Law - from Algeria

It might not seem a big difference by the way I rated them, but Biutiful was an easy winner for me.