The awards were relatively predictable, though I somehow lost my Oscar pool. The main highlights were the weird ‘Kanye moment’ when the Best Documentary Short winner’s off screen struggles hit the mic, Salon has some of the reported backstory. And when The Cove winners were cut short, was it because the Academy only allows limited time and a single speaker, or was it because one of the dudes pulled out a message to text Dolphin. And the drama around the memorial inclusions, they can’t include everyone but should they have included Farrah Fawcett instead of Michael Jackson?

But most importantly the fashion… no swans this year but a few hits and what I considered misses. I’m not a huge fan of the asymmetrical dress or the nude tones but Sandra Bullock was working it, love to see the best actress be in a stunner. I also dug the patterns of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams (who I somehow kept thinking was one of the Kates). And Carey Mulligan not only worked a fun classic silhouette with a twist, but in close up you could see the little scissors and forks that the little bejeweling on her dress were made up of, adorable. As for the misses, I could have done without the overdetailed Zoe Saldana, Vera Farmiga, Jennifer Lopez, and Charlize Theron.

And if you’re so inclined check out the full list of winners at Oscar.com.

• Avatar
• The Blind Side
• District 9
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
• A Serious Man
• Up
• Up in the Air

I do try to see the films that are nominated in the major categories (picture, director, actor/actress, screenplay) and so far am doing pretty well. I am at peace with my decision not to see animated films so I’m free on Up. Other than that I’ve been dragging my feet on Invictus, I missed The Messenger and its Netflix release date is still ‘unknown’, and The Last Station isn’t even out yet (um, it’s February).

So who will be the big winner? Avatar and Hurt Locker are tied with nine nominations each, and if you’ve been paying attention you know who I’m rooting for. The Oscars are March 7, so first I need to get objective for my Oscar pool… For the full list of nominations go to: http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees

Oh and Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow so we’re looking at six more weeks of winter. Cold weather is always a nice occasion to see a movie!

• Where the Wild Things Are – I will admit that I have a general weakness for creatures and although I can’t argue that everyone will love this film, I did, they created a beautiful world that felt true to spirit of the book (whose story was nearly all in the emotion of illustrations), particularly the way the characters conveyed moments of wondrous joy and frustration that is Max, and extra credit in my book for a risk that is pulled off, is Spike Jonze single?
• The Hurt Locker – A critical darling for good reason, the wonderful portrayal of the characters and situations of this bomb unit in Iraq, it focuses more on the small unit than the large battle and I was surprised at the tension and the suspense brought out in nearly each and every moment, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
• A Single Man – I love that fashion designer Tom Ford’s first feature was not only an incredible visual presentation of a tragically heartbroken man in the 60s, but was a touching moment of a story with incredible performances, particularly Firth in the title role.
• An Education – I would love to be won over by Peter Sarsgaard but watching a delightful young student well played by Carey Mulligan is almost as fun, the screenplay by Nick Hornby (another fav) brings us along for the ride in a fun and heartbreaking journey with the characters through England in the 60s, hmm maybe I like the 60s.
• Star Trek – Another soft spot for the Star Trek legacy but though they lost me on the last series of films this relaunch is quite fun, with nods to the original that don’t require a lifelong dedication to appreciate, the action and story stands on its own, thanks JJ Abrams.
• Sunshine Cleaning – Though put out early enough not to be on more folk’s radar, it was a wonderful small film where Amy Adams plays a single mom who was clearly trying to get it all together even if she’s often only almost successful, her move into the world of crime scene cleanup brings humor as well as poignant moments with a wonderful supporting cast.
• Up in the Air – Entering into the isolated world of downsizing and living on the road, or more aptly in the air, we catch George Clooney at a time where things could all change and we keep wondering if and how they will, Clooney leads a talented cast who is able to bring the humor and drama to moments well crafted by Jason Reitman.
• District 9 – Who doesn’t like a moral that is actually told through a well crafted engaging story (not pointing fingers at anything that rhymes with schmavatar), it was amazing to watch the totally unrelatable lead character transform himself literally and figuratively throughout his struggle, starting with the attempt to relocate a ghetto of aliens.
• Inglourious Basterds – I dragged my feet as long as I could, the previews of Brad, his accent, and that screaming Hitler just didn’t give me confidence that Tarantino hadn’t gone totally over the edge but this fictionalized look at WWII dragged me in with its characters, its scheming plots, and yes the Tarantino violence.
• Whip It/Zombieland – Sometimes a matinee, a fresh popcorn & soda, and low expectations are met with a delightful afternoon, and that’s what these two movies were, I just had fun at both of them, from girl power through roller derby (I almost walked out and got a shoulder tiger tattoo to match Wiig’s) to a few folks left to fend off the zombies, all you need is a good set of rules and a plan (always remember the double tap).

• Adventureland – PH, MP
• Amreeka – GA
• Avatar – CC, GG, PH, DE, AOS, Bafta
• Bad Lieutenant – RE
• Big Fan – GA
• Bright Star – SA, AOS
• Brothers – DE
• Cheri – MLS
• Coraline – AFI, PH, DE
• The Cove – PH
• Crazy Heart – RE
• The Damned United – PH
• District 9 – RC, PH, BM
• An Education – CC, SAG, RE, SA, BM, Bafta
• Everlasting Moments – DE
• Every Little Step – BM
• Fantastic Mr. Fox – RC, DE
• 500 Days of Summer – GG
• Food, Inc. – MLS, DE
• Funny People – MLS, AOS
• Gomorrah – AOS
• Goodbye Solo – AOS
• The Hangover – AFI, GG
• The Headless Woman – Sla
• The Hurt Locker – RC, AFI, CC, GG, SAG, RE, CFC, SA, NYFCC, BSFC, LAFC, SFFC, GA, PH, MLS, BM, Sla, NSFC, MP, AOS, Bafta
• I Love You Man – BM
• The Informant – SA
• Inglorious Basterds – CC, GG, SAG, RE, CFC, PH, MLS, BM, Sla
• In the Loop – BM, DE, MP
• Invictus – CC
• It’s Complicated – GG, SA
• Julia – Sla
• Julie & Julia – GG, SA
• Knowing – RE
• The Maid – GA
• Me and Orson Welles – MP
• The Messenger – AFI, SA
• Nine – CC, GG, SAG, SA
• Of Time and the City – RC, DE, MP
• Precious – AFI, CC, GG, SAG, RE, SA, PH, MLS, AOS, Bafta
• The Princess and the Frog – RC
• Revanche – MLS, Sla
• A Serious Man – AFI, CC, RE, CFC, SA, GA, Sla, DE, MP
• A Single Man – RC, AFI, MP
• Sin Nombre – BM
• The Stoning of Soraya M. – SA
• Sugar – AFI, BM, MP
• Summer Hours – MLS, DE, AOS
• The Sun – Sla
• Tetro – Sla
• Thirst – RC
• 35 Shots of Rum – Sla
• Two Lovers – MLS, Sla
• Tyson – DE
• Up – RC, AFI, CC, BM, MP
• Up in the Air – NBR, RC, AFI, CC, GG, RE, CFC, SA, PH, MLS, BM, AOS, Bafta
• Where the Wild Things Are – CFC, MP, AOS
• The White Ribbon – RC, RE

AFI, AOS – AO Scott for At the Movies, Bafta – British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BM – Ben Mankiewicz, BSFC – Boston Society of Film Critics, CC – Critic’s Choice Awards, CFC – Chicago Film Critics, DE – David Edelstein for New York, GA – Gotham Independent Film , GG – Golden Globes, LAFC – Los Angeles Film Critics, MLS – Mick LaSalle for SF Chronicle, MP – Michael Phillips for At the Movies, NBR – National Board of Review, NSFC -  National Society of Film Critics, NYFCC- New York Film Critic’s Circle, PH – Peter Hartlaub for SF Chronicle,  RC – Richard Corliss for Time, RE - Roger Ebert, SA – Satellite Awards, SAG – Screen Actors Guild (best ensemble), SFFC – San Francisco Film Critics, Sla – Slant Magazine (see site for full lists)

* As always the list isn’t comprehensive just those I’ve run across, feel free to add additional notes in comments.

• Slumdog Millionaire – This was just a great movie, the epic setting in India, the love story, and the method of telling the story of a dramatic past through the ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ answers was as entertaining as it was unbelievable.
• Milk – The movie did a great job of capturing not only Milk, Sean Penn did an amazing job, but the characters and flavor of the time, it might have been even more impactful as a SF resident viewer during Prop 8.
• The Dark Knight – I love Christian Bale and the whole new Christopher Nolan take on this franchise, and though I actually thought the last Batman was a better story, you can’t argue with the Heath Ledger Joker performance and Maggie Gyllenhaal was a refreshing change from Katie Holmes.
• Frost/Nixon – I might have liked this movie so much because I walked in expecting not to, reenacting the time around the famous interviews it was a piece of history I wasn’t as familiar with and a captivating story of these two well played men at a momentous time in their lives.
• The Wrestler – A rough look at the life of a has-been, and who better than Rourke to bring it to life, what’s painful, and therefore good, is seeing how it could go either way and seeing why it went the way it did.
• Changeling – This Clint film tells the ‘based on a true story’ that is just crazy enough to be interesting, beautifully set in the 20s with an impressive performance by Jolie as we look for her missing son and see her stand her ground with the police.
• Rachel Getting Married – Hathaway makes us feel incredibly uncomfortable as she returns from rehab for her sister’s wedding and we get a glimpse into the layers that can bring a family together and drive them apart.
• Speed Racer – Ok so this movie isn’t for everyone, but I was a fan of the original series (which i retried and is admittedly unwatchable), but I thought the update captured the sentiment of the original and by taking the cartoon aspect to a special effects crazy it made it a fun film.
• The Visitor – Jenkins’ character comes alive with the beat of the drum of illegal immigrants, whose lives he becomes enmeshed in, and watching the personal impact that the deportation can take on those around him was compelling.
• Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – I saw this movie early last year and just remember it being a delightful day to spend with McDormand and Adams, the romance, the period costumes, and the pursuit of true love just felt like an update to an old Hollywood film.

And for the record I haven’t seen everything, though I thought I did pretty well this year, and I’ve noted the critic’s picks that I’ve seen.

• Alexandra – MD
• Appaloosa – PE
• Ballast – ISA
• The Bank Job – SK
• Burn After Reading – EO, GG, NBR, OG
• Cadillac Records – AOS, DE
• Changeling – AL, CCA, NBR
• Choke – SA
• A Christmas Tale – SH
• The Class – DE, OG
• Cloverfield – EO
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – AFI, CCA, GG, NBR, PE, RC
• The Dark Knight – AFI, CCA, EO*, LS, MD, NBR, OG, PE, RS, SK*
• Death Race – SK
• Defiance – NBR 
• Doubt – CCA, DE, RS
• The Edge of Heaven – AL, AOS, OG, SH
• Encounters of the End of the World – MD, RC
• Flight of the Red Balloon – MD
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall – EO
• 4 months, 3 weeks, & 2 days – AL, RC, SH
• Frost/Nixon – AFI, CCA, GG, NBR, RS, SA
• Frozen River – AFI, ISA, SA, SH
• Funny Games – SK
• Gomorra – LS
• Gran Torino – AFI, NBR, PE
• Happy Go Lucky – AOS, DE, GG, LS, MD, PE, SA*, SH
• In Bruges – GG, SA
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – EO
• Iron Man – AFI, AL, EO, RC
• I’ve Loved You So Long – AL
• Kit Kittredge: American Girl – DE
• Lakeview Terrace – SK
• The Last Mistress – SH
• Mamma Mia – GG, OG
• Man on Wire – AOS, LS, RS
• Milk – AFI, AOS, CCA, LS, NBR, NYFC*, OG, PE, RC, RS*, SA, SH
• My Winnipeg – RC
• Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist – SA
• The Orphanage – AL
• Paranoid Park – MD
• Quantum of Solace – AL
• Rachel Getting Married – AOS, DE*, ISA, OG, RS
• The Reader – CCA, GG, SA
• Redbelt – SK
• Revolutionary Road – GG, RS, SA
• The Ruins – SK
• The Secret of the Grain – AOS
• Sex and the City – EO
• Shotgun Stories – DE
• Silent Light – AOS, MD
• Slumdog Millionaire – BFC*, CCA, DC*, GG, NBR*, PE, RC, RS, SA*, SK
• Speed Racer – RC
• Still Life – MD
• Synecdoche, New York – MD, RC
• Taxi to the Dark Side – DE
• Tell No One – OG, SH
• Tropic Thunder – EO, LS, SA, SK
• Trouble the Water – DE, LS
• Vicky Christina Barcelona – EO, GG, PE, SA
• The Visitor – PE, RS, SH
• Wall-e – AFI, AL, AOS, BFC*, CCA, DE, EO, LS*, NBR, OG, PE, RC*, RS, SH, SK
• Waltz With Bashir – DE, LS, NSFC*
• Wendy and Lucy – AFI, AOS, ISA, LS, MD
• We Own the Night – AL
• The Wrestler – AFI, AL, CCA, ISA, NBR, OG*

AFI – American Film Institute, AL – Anthony Lane/New Yorker, AOS – AO Scott/NYT, BFC – Boston Society of Film Critics, CCA – Critic’s Choice Awards, DC – DC Area Film Critics, DE – David Edelstein/NPR, EO – eonline, GG – Golden Globes, ISA – Independent Spirit Awards, LS – Lisa Schwarzbaum/EW, MD – Manohla Dargis/NYT, NBR – National Board of Review, NSFC – National Society of Film Critics, NYFC – New York Film Critics Circle, OG – Owen Gleiberman/EW, PE – People Magazine, RC – Richard Corliss/Time, RS – Rolling Stone, SA – Satellite Awards, SH – Stephen Holden/NYT, SK – Stephen King/EW

BEST TV DRAMA
Dexter
House
In Treatment
Mad Men
True Blood

BEST TV COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock
Californication
Entourage
The Office
Weeds

BEST MOTION PICTURE / DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST MOTION PICTURE / MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

For a full list of nominations check the Hollywood Foreign Press Association site.

Anyhow, hopefully it’s been as fun to read as it has been to write. Thanks for all of your support, keep reading and watching. : )

xoxo

- the procrastinator

Roger Ebert has had health issues that have kept him off the show for a couple of years now and a cycle of guest hosts have kept Roeper company. I still found the thumbs up system (with a helpful tag of moderate or enthusiastically so) to continue to be a great awareness on a movie’s merit. But to be honest one of the main reasons I stopped tuning in was because they would give away too much about the movie whilst arguing its worth.

Well Roeper has decided not to/was unable to renew his contract and Ebert has decided that he no longer wants to be associated with the current Disney show and he’s taking his thumbs with him. Ebert and Siskel’s widow own the rights… He says the thumbs will be back and Roeper intends to join a new venture that maintains the early integrity that Siskel and Ebert set.

The final show will air the weekend of August 16. Then what do I do? Turn to the clapping or sleeping man in the Chronicle reviews?

Turns out although some folks consider favorite movies to be great films, most put their favorites as movies they just would watch again and again. Maybe because they’re great for what they are, maybe because of where you were at when you watched them first, and honestly often because they’re light enough to pop in on any occasion. This brought about the arduous plan of coming up with a top 5.

So here goes (as always I should caveat that this list could vary any time I made it): 

1. Gidget – I am often without the ability to name a favorite anything, it’s just too great a commitment to one thing and I feel like I am far to complex to have anything sum up my tastes, but… for movies I can honestly say that this is the one, it’s got whimsy, nostalgia, surfing, female empowerment, cute outfits and good old fashioned romance.
2. Buckaroo Banzai – I’m a fan of the sort of comic book film and this one, bringing a bit of sci fi and camp, was a delight and I am sad there was just the one, but I’ll always be a Blue Blaze Irregular at heart. Other comic flicks I enjoy include Batman Begins, Blade and Josie and the Pussycats.
3. Breakfast Club – Ah the 80’s and the brat pack and all that crap, I have to say of the teen flicks this one still holds water, though I have to admit that my Nicholas Cage crush began with Valley Girl, and of course who could resist Heathers.
4. Clueless – This is sort of what I consider the post-80’s 80’s movie, and there’s obviously something about the youngsters that can pull off the drama with a bit of timeliness and fun. Also in the fun category Cruel Intentions and Bring it On.
5. 13 Going on 30 – Who can resist a romantic comedy done right? It’s a pity they so rarely are but this film is delightful and brings it all together from start to finish.

And yes they’re all a bit fluffy, so with a quick stab at some of the movies that I recall enjoying immensely but wouldn’t necessarily make my top five (not comprehensive by any means and in alphabetical order):

American History X, Amores Perros, Being John Malkovich, City of God, Election, Freeway, Memento, Pan’s Labyrinth, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Riding Giants, The Wizard of Oz, Young Frankenstein