Deeper Thoughts of the Day, by Oscar

NEWS FLASH:  Sasha Baron Cohen to join Zac Efron, Ben Stiller and Miley Cyrus as Oscar presenters.  What the hell?

Roger Ebert gets computerized voice - plans on announcing Oscar predictions on tomorrow's Oprah.  More here. 

FUN FACT:Walt Disney has received the most nominations than any one individual in Oscar history.  How many?  A whopping 59!  Thought you might enjoy that after the last movie review. 

NEWS: Hurt Locker producer and financier Nicolas Chartier has found himself in some hot water, with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences considering legal action.  Chartier was caught sending several emails to academy members urging them to squeeze out Avatar and vote for the Hurt Locker for Best Picture.  According to academy bylaws, it is against the rule to "attempt to promote any film or achievement by casting a negative light on a competing film or achievement,"  Possible consequences - pull the movie from the category (highly unlikely), revoke his membership or worse, take away his Oscar tickets!  I actually think it's a good idea - we should start applying it to American politics.

Pew...what's that smell? Oh, it's just Robin Williams and John Travolta

Don't mind me, I'm just limbering up for my Monday morning work tantrum!  Who's ready to join me?   Now bend and stretch - really work those glutes so you can get the most out of your kicks once the alarm wakes you up.

Hope you enjoyed the weekend as we enter into TMMC's most important week of the year.  While I still haven't decided between my burgundy or powder blue tux or made my appointment with my plastic surgeon Dr. Nick, I'm still eagerly anticipating Sunday's upcoming festivities.  St ay tuned to TMMC all week for updates and the latest news coming out of the Kodak Theater.  And most importantly, don't forget to enter the Oscars Sweepstakes, for your chance to win a $50 gift card to Fandango.com or a movie theater of your choice.

Despite all this gold fever, who really cares about the Oscars when you've got the Razzies?  Let's be hoest, it's much more fun to harp on the worst than it is the best.  As we prepare to hand out the gold raspberries honoring the worst of 2009, last week TMMC posed the question, "which movie deserves the Razzie Award for worst film of 2009?"  And 45% of you readers selected...

Walt Disney's Old Dogs

Apparently you have really lost all hope in both Robin Williams and John Travolta!  I mean forget the Travolta, that was a lost cause years ago, but have you no reverence for Euphegenia Doubtfire?  Close behind, Land of the Lost received 36% of the votes and was just shy of taking the lead.  Now this one I'm not surprised about at all - I started feeling embarrassed for Will Ferrell ions ago with Bewitched.

Transformers 2 or Trannies Too (no, as long as this mockery of a franchist lives, my love for that joke will never die) brought up the rear with 18% of your votes.  And, interestingly, Sandy B's All About Steve and GI Joe received no votes at all.  Here's my take on this one...nobody saw or even heard of All About Steve, so you couldn't vote for that one, and you, like me, actually enjoyed GI Joe to some extent, even if it was flawed - and I'm being generous with that one.

My own thoughts?  Personally, I'm still pissed Nine wasn't nominated because I"m still reeling at the fact  they let Judi Dench embarrass herself like that with a microphone.  I'm sorry, but when a scene with Kate Hudson ends and you say to yourself, "that was actually the most entertaining part of this movie," you know you're potentially watching the worst movie ever made.  But, since Nine was totally overlooked for a Razzie Award (and consider yourself lucky this time Mr. Day-Lewis), I'd have to say I thought Trannies Too deserves the award for Worst Movie of 2009.  For some reason, this movie really got under my skin for being as bad as it was.  It was a Prime example of Hollywood caring nothing about a storyline or character or acting, but basing 2.5 hours on nothing but explosions and graphics.  And that was the part that bothered me most - 2.5 HOURS of that crap?!  Torture!  I was ready to stab pencils into my ears after hour 1!

Well thanks for voting in last week's poll and to further celebrate the Academy Awards, vote in this week's big water-cooler question!

TMMC Weekly Round Up

It's been a long week here at TMMC, so we'll keep this short and sweet so you can get back out and see some movies.  Here's your next installment of the Weekly Round Up and we've got some great news bits to share with you.  The biggest of course being the announcement of the TMMC Oscars Sweepstakes!  You've got a little more than a week left to enter to win the grand prize of a $50 gift card to Fandango.com or a movie theater of your choice.  That's how much I care for you, readers...I mean when was the last time you saw Arianna Huffington or Perez Hilton give anything to their readers!?  VOTE OR DIE!

So, here's what our trained monkey's picked out of their hair for you this week - hope you enjoy!

• The big match up between The Hurt Locker and Avatar heated up last Sunday at the BAFTAs (a.k.a.Diet Oscars, a.k.a. I Can't Believe It's Not the Oscars, a.k.a. the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards).  Hurt Locker takes the top two prizes with Best Picture and Best Director, leaving Avatar to take only two technical awards...ouch.  Oscar preview?  Read more here.
• My rage against Hollywood remakes and sequels continues, now with Zoolander 2.  With nearly a decade past the original, we apparently have so little creativity left in Hollywood we have to dredge Ben Stiller back up from oblivion.  Read more here.
• My obsession with Alice in Wonderland also continues as the battle between Disney and movie theaters around the world heated up this week.  A few Round Ups ago, I brought you a story in which Disney announced they were planning on shortening the theater run of AiW so they could rush deliver it to DVD, and make a bundle of money.  Well with movie theaters threatening to boycott the film, check out how the battle ended.  Who says David can beat Goliath?  Read more here.
• The Hollywood Stock Exchange will conduct live trading for the first time on April 20.  This means you'll be able to buy shares of movies before they hit the theater and may even have the opportunity to share in the profit.  Like we needed another stock market to crash.  Read more here.
• For the first time, Godzilla, 2012 and Independence Day director Roland Emmerich will not look to the sci-fi genre for inspiration, but rather look to the past as he prepares to make a period piece about Shakespeare.  The movie will explore the theory/conspiracy that Willy's plays were all really written by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.  Vanessa Redgrave plays Queen Elizabeth.  What...I didn't say this movie would be for everyone.  Read more here. 
• Test screening began this week for Captain America, with The Office's John Krasinski as a potential front runner.  Hmm...I don't know how I feel about Captain America shrugging awkwardly and looking into the camera every five minutes.  Read about who else is being considered. 
• And finally, Matt Damon is expected to play Robert F. Kennedy in an upcoming biopic.  Well at least he's already got the accent down, but does this mean Ben Affleck is playing JFK?  Read more here. 

That's all she wrote - have a great weekend and don't forget to vote in the weekly poll (only a few hours left) and the Sweepstakes.   

Academy Award Nominated Animated Shorts

On a whim the other day, I decided to head to the movies stag and catch something I normally wouldn't see.  I don't normally go to the movies solo, but since TMMC started I do it just to keep current and since I don't yet have a legit press pass to get me into sneak previews, I have to work twice as hard!  So I saw a poster for The Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films 2009 and thought, "Well there's always a fleet of creepy men that see cartoons by themselves...at least I'll blend in."  Have you ever noticed how many middle aged men go to see cartoons by themselves?  Maybe they're too embarrassed to ask someone to see it with them, but regardless, I'd move my child to the other end of the aisle just to be safe.

This movie was a fantastic collection of 8 animated shorts from around the world, 5 of which are nominated for Oscars and 3 of which received honorable mention.  Interestingly enough, the Disney/Pixar short submitted but the U.S. didn't get an Oscar nod, but just an honorable mention.  At first I thought it must've been a poor score from one of those bloody Russian judges, because no one lands a triple axle better than Disney.  I was sorely mistaken.

To those of you who think the extent of animated shorts are those five minute Pixar cartoons before feature animated films, you're going to be in for a big surprise with this movie.  Admittedly, before last night I was one of those thinkers.  Don't get me wrong, those are great, feel-good shorts filled with enough Disney sugar to make a diabetic go into shock, but if you want something more meaty and actually funny, you have to travel beyond the U.S. borders.

I was blown away at how much style, emotion and art could be jam packed into 6-15 minutes of animation.  Frankly, nearly each one of these shorts was better than any feature animated film I saw throughout all of 2009.  And being so short is a blessing and a curse - you may not have to develop a huge storyline to capture audiences for an hour and a half, but you only have a very short window to draw them in and get your point across.  By far, and it pains me to say this, I did find the U.S. entry was one of the most one-dimensional shorts in the lot.  The majority of the others either grabbed me emotionally or kept me hysterically laughing, and were dominated by strong themes such as poverty, death, violence and commercialism.  If left to the French, even Garfield would become a social commentary on American obesity.

My aforementioned comments pertain to all of the foreign entries except for Canada.  Not only are their sports teams flailing in the Olympics, but apparently their animated shorts are as well.  I'm shocked it even received an honorable mention!  The Smurfs had more legitimate storylines - particularly the episode where Papa Smurf becomes a Smurfling, and the Smurfs must find a way to restore him to normal with the help of Gargamel.  That was a very controversial episode.

While I would love to critique each one for you, that wouldn't only take way too long but also take some of the fun out of it for you and I really want you to see it because it's that good!  So since you already have learned which one I didn't like, I'll just point out some of my big favs and you can go see them for yourself and decide if you agree or not.

Film # 2 - La Dama y La Muerte (The Lady and The Reaper)

Submitted by Spain, fun, action packed and deserves a pause of reflection by the end. Check out the trailer!

 

Film #3 - A Matter of Loaf and Death
Submitted by the UK, 4 time Oscar winners Wallace and Grommit are back for another adventure in this UK entry.  Do I need to say more?  It's Wallace and Grommit, how can you not love them?  Check out the trailer!

#4 - Granny O'Grimm's Sleepintg Beauty
Ireland's 6 minute submission had the entire theater howling.  Hilarious and makes me happy I didn't have an Irish grandmother growing up!  Check out the trailer!

#7  - The Kinematograph 
To my utter surprise, Poland's submission didn't get nominated but received a highly commended rating from the Academy.  By far, the most beautiful and emotional of the lot.  Loved it throughout.  Check out the trailer!

The last movie of the group is pretty intense and somewhat a slap in your face. Submitted by France, this short even comes with its own warning - I'll tease you with that so you go see it for yourself.  This movie was a great find and it's only showing for a limited time, so I seriously encourage you to go while you can.  In the eternal words of Porky the Pig, P..p..p..pa...p..p..pay..p...p...p..PAY FULL PRICE folks!

Deep Thoughts of the Day, by Oscar

FUN FACT:  Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for $1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette.

LATEST NEWS:   Last week, the Academy unveiled the set for this year's show.  I dunno, seems a little Hollywood tacky to me, circa shoulder padded gowns and white suits with neon shirts.  Add a shag rug and it was my family basement for most of the 80's.

 

 

82nd TMMC Oscars Sweepstakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well really it's the first Oscar Sweepstakes, but let's pretend it's an institution shall we?  I know you've been going to the movies every night for the last three weeks just for this.  Well it's finally here!  All you sore losers from the Golden Globes Giveaway, it's your time to redeem yourselves.  In honor of the big day just a few days away, I'm ready to announce the TMMC Oscars Sweepstakes.

I toiled over what the big question should be.  I couldn't make it too easy, considering rumors have it that the acting categories are all but sewn up.  I'm still hoping for a fist fight between Meryll Streep and Sandy B, full of hair pulling and biting, but I'm not holding out for that one.  Plus I personally believe the Best Picture category is dominated by only two movies, so that's not fun.  And then I realized I probably rat on a movie's writing more than anything else in my reviews.  It all starts with good writing, and then it goes up or downhill from there.  And if Trannies Too director Michael Bay is directing, you've got an even greater chance of spiraling into cinematic abyss.  So, here it is...  

The Challenge - post a comment to this entry and vote on which two movies will win Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and Best Writing (Original Screenplay).  Don't forget to include your name! 

How To Win - correctly identify both winners and you'll be entered into the Grand Drawing. 

The Fine Print - If no one correctly identifies both winners, any entry with at least one correct guess will be entered into the drawing.  A representatives from Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants will oversee the validity of the Grand Drawing, which will take place on Sunday, March 7 following the Oscars.  The winner will subsequently be announced on TMMC. 

The Prize - a $50 gift card to Fandango.com or a movie theater of your choosing!  It's the Oscars people - you didn't think I was going to up the ante?

If you need a refresher of this year's nominees, here they are:

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• District 9
• An Education
• In the Loop
• Precious
• Up in the Air

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• The Hurt Locker
• Inglourious Basterds
• The Messenger
• A Serious Man
• Up  

Oh stop your whining.  I don't want to hear that you haven't seen these movies and you have no idea who to vote for.  Go on what movie poster you like most for all I care, just get out and vote!  You've got a decent chance of winning!  Plus you still have plenty of time to get your last licks in while Steve Martin tugs his face back so hard you bounce a quarter off it.  See a full list of nominees! 
And as we reach the final stretch to Hollywood's most self indulgent day of the year, stay tuned to TMMC for updates and fun facts each day.  Tom Cruise is so excited he even let Katie out of the basement for a few days.  Good luck and happy voting!

This Is It...No, Really THIS Is It!?!?!?

For better or worse, I took some time off of my mission to see all Oscar nominated movies to watch Michael Jackson's This Is It.  I know, shockingly Academy voters passed up this masterpiece for even one nomination so it's not on my list of must sees!  Full disclosure:  I've never been a huge, devoted M.J. fan - I like some of his music, but I never drank the Kool-Aid (Oh yeah) and I certainly didn't sob when he died, like certain others...ahem.  No, I never wanted or expected to have to watch This Is It, but Valentine's Day will make people do crazy things in the name of love...gag.

Regardless, I went into watching the movie with an open mind and hoped that as a documentary, maybe it would catch me by surprise and I might actually enjoy it; as long as there weren't any close ups of M.J.'s face because the likeness to the ghost mask in Scream gives me nightmares.  So we put in the Blue Ray, turned down the lights, and turned on the t.v. to a black and white montage of dancers talking about how much they loved being a part of the show and the M.J. legacy, a la Madonna's Truth or Dare.  After swallowing hard to prevent myself from being sick from self righteousness, I seriously questioned if love was really going to be worth the torment.

I can honestly say that for the most part it was what I expected, but it also impressed me at times....gasp.  No, I'm not a convert, M.J. hasn't saved me from the demons, but I did appreciate the interesting look behind the scenes at putting together a show of this magnitude, particularly the movies and sets that were produced but never saw the light of day.  I was taken aback at how involved M.J. was at every level of production, really getting into weeds about every detail.  He deserves a lot of credit for taking such a hands on approach, unlike many of the big talents today.  I was equally as taken back by how much ego could possibly fit onto one stage, I mean until I saw the 25th anniversary of We Are the World.  Without spoiling a thing, let me provide you with a portion of the transcript... 

Show director:  "Sorry Mr. Jackson, there's something wrong with your chair lift and it's not working.  We're so sorry, we'll get this fixed right way.  I'm so sorry Mr. Jackson.  You're still the greatest singer of all time and adored by everyone in the world."

M.J.:  "God bless you.  Really, God bless you.  I really wish it wasn't broken, but I know you're fixing it with l.o.v.e., love.  God bless you."  (now imagine that in a creepy soft tone, ten octaves higher.  It's o.k. to shudder a bit.)

Are you serious?  I can hand out some good bullshit, but I would last five minutes in this room before calling someone out.  There's handling someone with kid gloves, and then there's this.  If there was so much concern for the man, how could everyone have been so willing to send him on stage with enough pyrotechnics to turn him into a roman candle on the 4th of July? Wasn't flambeing his head once in the 80's enough?  Isn't that how this whole mess got started!?

While the up close look at the making of the concert was great, my biggest qualm was that there wasn't enough of it.  I would've loved a documentary film about M.J.'s final show, but unfortunately this was more a wannabe concert on tape.  It wasn't enough to be a full concert (thank goodness for me) and it was too one dimensional to be a good documentary, so it just stood in limbo between the two.  More narrative and context would have solved that easily, as well as a stronger focus on the creative process.

Don't get me wrong, I understand what the movie was meant to be, but they could've made it so much more which is disappointing.  They were very close to creating a fantastically interesting documentary as well as tribute - and that says a lot coming from someone like me.  As it is, it's more of a platform for obsessed fans than an actual movie - and even for them I think it can drag on and get a bit boring at times.  If all you wanted to do was listen to his greatest hits album... then why aren't you just listening to his greatest hits album?

Hence, I ended up saying to myself, this is it...This is IT!?  There was so much hype that I just expected a circus and as a result was underwhelmed to say the least.  No, this movie didn't thrill me at all and I don't recommend moonwalking to your nearest Blockbuster to rent it, but because of its attempt to show some part of the creative process, I'm comfortable in saying BREW AND VIEW IT!  Do it for the children.

Andrew Shepherd for Prez 2012!!

I'm sorry TMMC readers, I've neglected you.  Last week I was traveling for a big work event and as much as I tried, I wasn't able to do TMMC justice.  First I missed a movie review Thursday, then a Weekly Round Up Friday...I'm a hot mess.  Please forgive my neglect and do not give up on yours truly.  Soon enough we'll put this "work" hiccup behind us and move on with our lives.  I love you baby, Ike'll never hurt you again.  

The good news is the event was a huge success with an enormously pleased client, which means I fight off George Clooney and the unemployment line for yet another day.  Man, ever since Up in the Air, seeing Clooney is about as horrific as seeing the Grim Reaper headed down the street in your direction.

While many of you punished me for neglecting you, some of you loyal few still came out and voted in last week's poll.  When asked the question, "in honor of President's Day, what's your favorite presidential movie?" 50% of you responded...

An American President

While about as accurate a portrayal of the White House as GI Joe is of the U.S. Army, An American President proves a unique romantic comedy that has a decent plot is always a crowd pleaser.  Looks like it's a good thing Obama doesn't have to fear a challenge from Andrew Shepherd in 2012.  I have to admit, the movie is a TMMC dirty secret and I happily catch it any time it pops up randomly on the USA network.  Ironically enough, the movie's writer was Washington obsessed, West Wing creator Alan Sorkin, back when the West Wing was just a glimmer in his eye.  Perhaps that's why this movie appeals to many different types of movie goers, including people like myself that aren't romantic comedy fans.  It's just political enough to keep me interested, but just romantic enough to make every lady wish she too could dance at a state dinner.  Don't worry ladies, if we've learned anything this year it's you definitely don't have to be the President's guest to dance at one of his parties.

A distant 2nd runner up was JFK with 25% of the votes and Dave and First Daughter both received 12% of the vote.  I have a bone to pick with you TMMC readers.  How dare you put Dave in the category of First Daughter!  You put a pre-brainwashed Katie Holmes on par with Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver!?  For shame - Dave is a classic!  It's political, it's funny and it has a balanced budget, come on.  Obviously you can tell which movie I would've voted for...and I've never been much of a good loser. 

Understandably, W. was the only movie that received no votes - and deservedly so.  Too soon, too soon.  I mean they could've a least waited until the guy got out of office before they decided to do a factually inaccurate Democratic ad campaign disguised as a biopic.

Well as always, thanks to those who voted in last week's poll.  Hope you enjoy this week's as we prepare to honor the best and worst of 2009 - just two weeks away.  Make sure to stop by on Wed. for the announcement of the TMMC Oscar Sweepstakes!  I'll finally get up the review for This Is It tomorrow - better late than never - and to make up for last week maybe I'll even get a bonus review up there too.  It's all for you.

Coming Soon - This Is It

Hold your horses, it's coming.  It's not like he's going anywhere...please.

House of Mouse Wednesday

Last Wednesday, to celebrate my review of the Churchill biopic Into the Storm I brought you some new political thrillers to check out.  This week, in my review of District 9 I blew the lid off the Hollywood secret that the aliens are the long lost twins of Muppet character Pepe King of the Prawn.  In honor of this hard hitting reporting (eat your heart out Drudge Report), I decided to keep with the Disney theme and give you a sneak peak at what's going on in the House of Mouse.  Don't give me that face, they're not all  movies about homeless, carpetbagging nannies or woodland creatures that speak in tongues - there's a bit of something for everyone in this mix.

To start off, last week I brought you a news story previewing the upcoming Disney documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, chronicling the fall and rise and fall again of Disney Studios.  You know, the days before Cinderella was nip tucked.  While there's not an official trailer for the movie yet, there have been several clips that have been issued in advance of the March 26 release.  For fans of Disney animation, this is apparently a must see as audiences get to peak behind the PR at the less than magical underbelly of America's favorite rodent. Check out a clip.

With teasers flying around in theaters for the past few months, you're probably aware by now that Disney's milking every drop out of the Toy Story franchise with a third installment.  Just recently they released a new preview with added scenes, including how Ken and Barbie met and fell in love with themselves all over again.  Finally Disney's tapped into theMTV/ VH1 trashy dating show boom!  Next we'll see something like Quack of Love with Donald Duck, with an intoxicated Daisy tossing Snow White into a pool by her hair.  Meanwhile, back in Toy Story 3, the toys are left behind yet again (how original) and donated to a daycare program where they meet a whole new cast of characters.  You still have to wait until June 18, but until then check out the latest trailer.

So if documentaries and cartoons aren't your thing, you'll probably enjoy the upcoming remake Tron Legacy.  When I first heard of this movie I was convinced it was based off one of my old Atari games from 20+ years ago, and I'm still not convinced it wasn't inspired by Pong.  But apparently this is an original story based off 1982 movie of the same name.  The story - a computer gaming programmer gets sucked into the electronic world he created.  I don't know, I'm not sold, but it's there's a ton of online buzz around the movie because Disney's been so secretive about the project.  The CGI looks pretty crazy and for the moment, that's what everyone's interested in.  Take a gander at the featurette.  And someone please validate me - didn't Family Guy spoof this a few years ago with Peter as one of the racers?

And finally, I'm convinced Mickey dropped some more acid before he made the last movie I'll tease you with today.  The Sorcerer's Apprentice has evidently come a long way since Merlin hats and dancing brooms.  Now Nicholas Cage and his receding hairline are taking over and it looks like Merlin's been introduced to leather.  Updated, tricked out and hopefully not completely plot-less, the Sorcerer's Apprentice is NOT the Fantasia of yesterday - think more Mortal Kombat than hippos in tutus.  Jerry Bruckheimer produces and Jon Turteltaub directs (same team as the National Treasure movies) so this has the a potential to be National Treasure 3.  We'll see.  What do you think of the trailer?

Thanks for reading this MTV Cribs, featuring the House of Mouse - don't mind the playboy mice by the pool.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's post as TMMC keep's Muppet week going with a review of Michael Jackson's This Is It.

District 9...Nice Place to Visit, But I Wouldn't Want to Live There

In seeing District 9, TMMC gets to put another notch on the Best Picture nominee bed post.  Five down, five to go.  I admit I would've never seen District 9 if it weren't for the Oscars.  I vividly remember seeing the preview for the first time in theaters and turning to Ebert giving it a thumbs down.  That's what I've come to do during the previews - I turn to the person who's next to me and give them the thumbs up or down after each one.  Sure I look like rain man when I see movies alone, but it's still an enjoyable pass time before the feature film begins.

From the preview, I just thought District 9 looked a bit...cheesy, for lack of a better word.  Then of course came the announcement that it was nominated for Best Picture, making it a movie I would have to see and judge for myself.

Part mockumentary, part sci-fi, part social commentary, the movie takes place in South Africa in the not so distant future.  Once again, we see the nation with an apartheid.  Except instead of a race divide this time, there's a species divide.  Yes, aliens have come down to live among us mere mortals and not everyone's swaddling E.T. and taking him on bike rides through the night sky.

Within the first five minutes of the movie I started laughing out loud at how hoaky it all seemed (literally, not like when you text lol when you're not really laughing).  I truly couldn't tell if I was supposed to take the movie seriously or find it as hilarious as I did.  It had a bit of a Sci-Fi Channel t.v. movie feel about it, with the aliens just appearing a bit too much like Muppets characters.  In fact, the derogatory slang term for the aliens is 'prawns,' and if you're familiar with The Muppets you're familiar with Pepe the King Prawn.  So here I am watching District 9 half expecting this little Muppet shrimp to run across the bottom of the screen shouting in Spanish.  Long lost twins?  Decide for yourself...

As I wiped away my tears of laughter after the first ten minutes, all of a sudden I found myself completely engaged in the story and dying to see what unfurled next.  And that's when my feelings about District 9 completely changed.  It turns out, the movie has a great deal of heart and I ended up really connecting with the characters, especially the aliens - go figure.  Even though it would probably feel like an eight foot tall crustacean, I'd give one a hug - particularly if he came with cocktail sauce. My only objection was the movie didn't personalize more of the aliens.  They gave distinct personalities to two of them and made the rest just seem like the stereotypical, untrustworthy animals the movie was trying to make the audience see past.  I really wish that hadn't been the case because it made the themes less convincing.

Speaking of the movie's themes, they were so obvious they slapped you in the head with a frying pan.  I know we can be a dense at times, but give us a bit more credit than that - we don't need everything spelled out for us.  With commentaries on segregation, discrimination, racism, violence and terrorism, at times I felt that the writer took on a bit more than could be handled.  Particularly because somewhere in the middle, the themes became a bit muddled and I couldn't help but think if they wanted to make a statement, they took the story down the wrong path.

That said, District 9 kept me enthralled throughout and deserves kudos, particularly for some great cinematography and direction. It did nag on me, however, that the movie's nominated for four Oscars.  I kept mulling it over and over in my head why this would have received such critical acclaim while in theaters.  It was good - but one of the best in 2009?  It wasn't that poor of a movie year...was it?

And then it dawned on me - District 9 was the only sci fi movie in a while that didn't need over the top special effects or explosions to be make it good.  It had what most sci fi movies lack, thought with some solid writing to engage the audience and draw them into the story.  Let us not forget, District 9 came out over the summer competing against such mind numbing blockbusters as GI Joe and Transformers II (or Trannies Too) - movies whose only legs to stand on were the OOO, AHHH factors.  I'm sorry, when people say they love these movies because they can "unplug their brains and check out" doesn't that immediately mean the movie should come with a warning clearly stating "danger, may cause severe head trauma?"  There's a time and a place for them, sure, but that doesn't make them good.

District 9 was a solid movie that I do recommend checking out.  I think the fact that it held a coherent story plot with themes that ran deeper than "good vs. evil," it blew critics away believing it was far better than it really was.  But I don't think it was great and I don't think it made the lasting impression it wanted to.  Sorry aliens...I really don't mind that you love cat food as much as you do, but I still have to give you a BREW & VIEW IT!

Avatar - You're Officially Over It!

Happy Valentine's Day!  Or maybe it's Happy President's Day!?  Or perhaps Happy Olympics!?  There's so much to celebrate this February, I can't keep it straight.  Really it all depends on when you're reading this and if you're as uncomfortable with a set malfunction on international television as Wayne Gretzky. Luckily, TMMC's not sweating nearly as much as Mr. Gretzky, but my Valentine's Day was a bit of an odd one nonetheless.  First we celebrated Chinese New Years with a parade in Chinatown, followed by a day of debauchery - and now I've come home with a one ball in my coat pocket and I didn't even play pool!  Hopefully you, like TMMC, have tomorrow off.

I have to apologize, but TMMC has to keep this post short as I'm writing this on Valentine's Day and Ebert might just leave me if I spend too much time at the computer this evening.  So without further a do, we'll get to the results of last week's poll.  Up on the chopping block, the question, "would you want to see Avatar II?"  And the results are in.... 

41% of you said "No thanks!  One was plenty!" 

33% said "YES!  Gimme more of those blue treehuggers!"  And 25% said "I didn't see the first one, why would I see the second?"  I think this poll was pretty telling for a few reasons.  1)   It looks like James Cameron should just stop his ranting right now, the world's not that interested in seeing another edition. And 2) it may be a phenomenon, but a good amount of people still don't care to see Avatar.  You can't blame them really.  Once you get past the amazing CGI, what are we left with?  Sigourney Weaver in another Alien movie without half the anxiety or drama? 

Where did TMMC fall in the mix?  I have to admit I, once again, agreed with the masses and felt that one was more than enough.  I liked Avatar, even with the awkward sex scene, but I let a lot pass because it was so groundbreaking.  And by a lot I mean a decent script with fleshed out characters.  A second one certainly wouldn't pass muster in my book...unless they actually hired writers this time around.  That said, Hollywood would make a bundle releasing Avatar II, just on name alone and regardless of the quality.  Therefore, we'll likely see one come out anyway.  I look forward to ripping it a new one.

Thanks to all who voted in last week's poll and don't forget to vote in this week's!  We have something very special, in honor of President's Day.  Also, stay tuned to TMMC because the announcement of the 2010 Oscar Sweepstakes will be coming real soon.  And remember, you gotta be in it to win it!  What will the prize be!?  What will the question be!?  As I said, stay tuned!

Coming up tomorrow, Oscar nominated District 9.  Until then, check out the trailer.

TMMC's Weekly Round Up

From the east, to the midwest to the south, chances are you saw snow this week or know someone who was buried underneath it.  While Prez Obama and Vice Prez Biden slipped into their matching leopard print Snuggies and sat by the fire sipping cocoa and watching the latest Maury Povich paternity tests, I hope you took the time on your snow days to catch up on the latest Oscar contenders.  Come on people, there's nothing worse then watching the Oscars with a bunch of people who haven't seen any of the movies!  Plus it'll come in handy when TMMC's Oscar contest rolls around.  Ooooo, ahhhhhhh.

Despite Snowmageddon 2010, Hollywood kept rolling right along like normal...or as normal as it can get with a population of people that can't smile without popping a stitch.  So there was no difficulty in compiling plenty juicy updates for this week's Weekly Round Up.  An interesting tid bit I came across while reading the Hollywood rags this week, Sony Pictures is campaigning hard on behalf of Meryl Streep for Best Actress.  There were ads on nearly every Web site I checked out, lauding her performance as everyone's favorite marble mouth Julia Child and begging Academy members to vote for her.  If Oprah throws her support behind Meryl soon, we all know how that's going to end for poor Sandra Bullock.  Ahhh, I love it when things heat up like this.  Without further ado, your round up.

Just when you thought there were no new ideas in Hollywood, you get a week like this to remind you you're right...

• Everyone's favorite Hobbit Tom Cruise returns for another installment of Mission Impossible.  J.J. Abrams will produce, but not direct, making the movie already less appealing.  If they learned anything from the last three, we'll likely see Cliffs Notes handed out to audiences as they enter the theaters to help explain what the hell's going on.  Read more.
• Remember those great National Lampoon Vacation movie classics?  Ahh the Griswold family memories...Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and a different set of kids in each installment.  Well, reminisce no more as New Line is bringing back the franchise, for better or worse.  Now Rusty's a dad himself, getting his budding family into a whole new set of shenanigans.  Oh Sparky.  Read more.
• Because something has to keep Orlando Bloom employed, casting has already begun for Pirates of the Caribbean 4: Arrrrrrright Already, Enough!  When in doubt, add some sex appeal...enter Penelope Cruz.  Read more.
• Do you like musicals?  Do you like whores?  What better a remake for both women and men than The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  The 1982 movie's getting a face lift and a new push up bra and coming back better then ever.  No news yet whether Dolly Parton, her lovely lady lumps, or Burt Reynolds will come back for round two...though I doubt that Universal Studios will be able to negotiate all four of those contracts.  Read more.
• The Disney animation documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty came out this week with a new poster that's caught my interest for sure...and not just because it features a cocktail napkin.  The documentary will cover the 10 years between 1984 and 1994 when the Disney animation went from dire straights to the top of the world and then back to desperation again.  A behind the scenes look at the boxing matches between Roy Disney, Michael Eisner and Jeffery Katzenberg, this one's on the top of my list.  Read more.
• It looks like my beloved and anticipated Alice in Wonderland will be a litmus test for shorter theatrical runs.  All studios have their eyes on this one as Disney rolls the dice and shortens the movie's stay in theaters just so it can turn it around quickly and make a bundle in DVD and VOD sales.  Interesting, we'll have to see how that works for them.  Read more.

 That's all folks.  Don't forget, only a few more hours to vote in this week's poll - do your civic duty and rock the vote.  Have a great weekend!

I have a serious problem with A Serious Man

A Serious Man was the latest stop on my march to see all the movies nominated for a Best Picture Oscar...all ten of them.  If the rest of the movies are like this one, it's going to be a long and arduous journey that I'm not sure I'm interested in anymore.  To put it in the only words I know possible...I hated it and I'm mad as hell at it.  I'm mad that it's nominated for Best Picture, I'm mad that it's gotten critical acclaim, and I'm mad that not one of those critics has yet to brand it as a Woody Allen wannabe without half the charm and wit.  

A sort of Hebraic My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this movie would've been more aptly titled My Big Sad Jewish Life.  Produced, written and directed by the Coen brothers, A Serious Man is supposedly loosely based on the brothers' childhoods growing up in a largely Jewish suburb in the Midwest.  What made them feel that would make for an interesting movie, I'm still trying to figure out.  Set in the mid 1960s, the movie features a middle age man whose life is crumbling around him and chronicles his search for answers in Judaism.  The serious problem - the movie is neither funny enough to be a comedy or poignant enough to be introspective.

The funniest part of this movie was the moment I realized my thoughts began sounding like Woody Allen whining in my head.  "Is this a comedy or a tragedy?  I'm so confused.  I don't know whether I'm supposed to laugh for cry.  Is my psoriasis flaring up again?" said my thoughts as they sat cross legged on the couch and fiddled with their glasses. 

Admittedly, I imagine if I were Jewish I would likely find this movie a lot funnier and endearing.  I'm sure many of the characters would be more relatable and amusing and I'm confident a great deal of cultural references went right over my head.  And who doesn't love to see their own culture displayed on the big screen...even I take a sad bit of Greek pride in My Life In Ruins.  Granted I'll never see it, but it's nice to know it's there.

This dark "comedy" is just plain sad and depressing.  The last Jewish movie I saw this depressing was Schindler's List, but at least in that case I knew what I was getting myself into from the start.  And the worst part was, I didn't find any character to be likable!  I mean I felt bad for the guy, how could you not, his life is falling apart in some of the most bizarre ways imaginable.  But I honestly didn't care about him enough to give it much thought myself.  And outside of him, I actually disliked pretty much everyone else.  And as irritatingly odd as it started, it ended...just like that...leaving my mouth gaping wide open in disbelief.

 I respect the Coen brothers, really I do.  Fargo, The Big Lebowski - genius.  But while this is being billed as their greatest movie ever, I'm left scratching my head and wondering why.  And don't try to tell me I don't get it...it's a modern day telling of the Biblical book of Job, I got it.  Because I enjoyed the book so much I needed to see it on the big screen?  Sorry, I don't need a movie to tell me how bad life can be and how meaningless it can feel - I too survived 2009.  If this is what's being considered good film making these days, than there's hope for my movie career after all.

I do, however, have to give kudos to the art department for some serious attention to detail in creating a 1960s era original, as well as to the cast's lead actor for pulling off a very believable role, even if I didn't love the character.  As for the laughs...eh; the writing...eh; the direction...eh; my overall movie going experience...eh.  In summation...EH.  I'm sorry you "real" critics out there, but I disagree with you wholeheartedly.

Clearly this movie benefited from the Oscars opening up the Best Picture category to 10 movies this year, and yet another reason why I feel betrayed by the Holy Grail of awards.  Now I know how what those poor South Park kids felt like after they saw Indiana Jones raped by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.  I don't know what you're up to Mr. Oscar, but I'm not liking it one bit.   You need to take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror and reevaluate.  Maybe I'm just a goyum, but this mashugana movie just drove me fakakta and therefore I'm giving A Serious Man a serious WAIT FOR VHS...seriously.

Seersucker Wednesday

The U.S. Senate has an annual tradition each third Thursday of every June, where they don the lightweight, striped fabric known as Seersucker in the spirit of traditional Southern clothes.  It's called Seersucker Thursday.  So you might be asking yourself why TMMC has decided to don his own Col. Sanders apparel on a snowy winter Wednesday.  No, I'm not having fried chicken for lunch, but rather I'm celebrating the new political thrillers I have to share with you today.

As I was perusing the aisles of the world wide web in search of new releases this week, I stumbled across two that jumped out at me.  By coincidence, they're both politically driven, but one is based on real events and the other is complete fiction.  While checking out the trailers, I came to the realization that if you're younger than 35 and couldn't stay awake during high school history, you may not be able to tell which is truth and which is fiction.  They say if it looks like a pig, and smells like a pig, then it's probably a pig.  Well if it seems outlandish and if it smells like a hoax, then it's probably political.

Just in time for his grand appearance back on U.S. soil, Roman Polanski's latest, and perhaps last, movie gets ready to open in theaters.  While he probably won't be doing to many appearances on Access Hollywood, at least not without an orange jump suit on, his movie does appear to be something worth taking note of.  Starring Pearce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor and an English accented Kim Cattrall, if you can imagine her wearing clothes for a change, this is the story of a ghostwriter who's hired to complete the memoirs of a prime minister who has more than a few skeletons in his closet.  As the writer falls down a lethal rabbit hole into a political chess match, he soon discovers his adventure is not nearly as fun as Alice's and may even cost him his life.  Full of suspense, The Ghost Writer is high on my list of upcoming movies, with a limited release date of Feb. 19.  If you like political thrillers, this appears to be right up your dark alley, so check out the trailer.

Our next tall tale strikes a little closer to home.  The Most Dangerous Man in America is a 2010 Oscar nominated documentary about Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times in 1971.  Blowing the lid off the truth behind the political lies about the U.S.'s involvement in Vietnam, the Pentagon Papers was a monumental political scandal that you'd expect to see on the big screen rather than unfold in real life.  Ellsberg has been called both a hero and a traitor and now you get the opportunity to hear his story from some of the players themselves.  Unfortunately, because this is such an underground and low budget documentary, it doesn't appear to have a national opening, so you'll have to check out the Web site to see if you're one of the lucky cities with the opportunity to check it out.  If you can, I recommend you do, and if you can't, go ahead and save it in your Netflix queue as I already have.  Check out the trailer.

Well it's a good thing we don't have a big election coming up, because I'm sure I've helped you take one step closer to hating politics more than you already do.  Maybe it's all this nonstop news about Washington being buried under snow (come on people, it's called a shovel), but politics was obviously on my mind when I chose these two trailers to feature today.  Needless to say though, they both look more than interesting and worth a mention.  And, if you see the documentary, you can cross one more movie off your Oscar list this year.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's review of another Oscar nominated movie, A Serious Man.  Not to be confused with A Single Man.  This one's about a Jewish man, not a gay man.  Insert your own punchline.

Into the Storm is all washed up

Into the Storm first entered my radar when it appeared on the Golden Globes, being nominated for several t.v. movie and acting awards.  Given my great reaction to HBO Films' Grey Gardens, and love for biopics, I immediately put it in my Netflix queue.  The movie spans Britain's early involvement in WWII through the first general election following the war, bringing audiences behind the scenes into the personal and professional life of Winston Churchill.  Or as I quickly came to regard him, Dick Cheney's impression of Batman's the Penguin...minus the quacking.  It's not a far stretch of the imagination, is it - you're visualizing it right now, I can tell.

This was one of the most striking things about the movie that I hadn't anticipated.  The parallels between Winston Churchill and Dick Cheney were palpable, whether intentional or not.  Both conservative, stubborn, patriotic, bullies who share a bit of a sleazy quality and pride themselves in being wartime leaders.  Both truly believed they were acting in their nations' best interests and in the concept of fighting at any cost to preserve their countries' legacies.  Plus they're both bald, both have last names that start with "C" AND both tend to favor the platypus' squatted waddle versus a gated stride.  

There was one scene where Mrs. Churchill talks about her husband being born for being a leader and he's like a little boy whose toy soldiers have come to life in an game of war.  No matter what side of the aisle we sit on politically, can't we all agree that at one point or another we've imagined Dick Cheney and George Bush in Star Wars pajamas, jumping up and down on their bunk beds while playing a game of Risk?

By the time the two C's left office they were considered old order political landmines.  Little known fact, despite being a national hero in seeing Britain through the war, Churchill lost his Conservative party the first election following it, in a landslide victory for the liberal Labor party.  Anyone smell a hint of the 2008 U.S. election?  Paging Mr. Cheney...Mr. Cheney, your country will see you to the door now.

The commonalities between them made for a very interesting viewing experience, as I kept finding myself asking the question, "how will history judge Dick Cheney?"  Will we one day look back at him as a national hero in the same vein as Churchill?  If the parallels between the two continue, then maybe we will.  Though it's worth noting what separates them is the fact that Churchill was fighting the last traditional great war, where there were clear battle lines. Perhaps that small fact makes all the difference.

Obviously you can tell what I took away from the movie and the theme that interested me most, whether it was intentional or not (which I don't think it was).  Unfortunately, that's really all I enjoyed about it.  A++ acting, art direction and music, but writing and directing not only lacked, but flopped for me.

The movie is sloppily strung together in staccato five minute scenes, jumping in time and location, causing a real problem in trying to connect with any of the characters.  You'd get a bit about his relationships with his wife, colleagues, counterparts like FDR, but just when you'd get interested in a piece of the pie, five minutes later you were on the next one.  And the majority of the movie felt like one grandiose inspirational speech after another, like a greatest hits album, rather than showing in-depth scenes that advanced character.  The movie was a shallow peek into his personal life, without any heart, explanation or understanding.

It's like the director tried to paint a portrait of Churchill, one small brush stroke at a time.  Unfortunately when it's completed and you step back and tilt your head while taking a gander, it looks like a neon 80's Spin Art painting and you think, "huh?" 

Into the Storm left me thinking and talking about this movie for a while after seeing it, which normally I feel indicates a great movie.  Unfortunately, what I found most interesting was not what I believe was supposed to be the point.  Depicting a lion of a man, this was definitely a mouse of a movie  While you may have helped win the war Mr. Churchill, your movie certainly hasn't earned you a vote from me.  I say PUT IT IN YOUR NETFLIX QUEUE and good day to you, sir!

Results are in...

Congrats to first time Superbowl champs the New Orleans Saints, taking home a surprising victory in tonight's game.   Come on everybody...let's all say it together now...Katrina!!  That's right, the word that was on every sportscaster's lips throughout the game, proving a heartwarming story can be made out of any sporting event.  Warner Bros. has already bought the rights, Clint Eastwood's directing and Will Smith is playing Reggie Bush.  A disaster of monumental proportions, the city that survived and the football team that touched a nation....look for it in theaters Christmas, 2012.

Now on to last week's TMMC Poll of the Week.  The votes have been tallied and you like her, you really like her...well kind of.  Last week's poll asked if you felt Sandra Bullock deserved an Oscar and here are the results... 

IT'S A TIE! 

41% of respondents exclaimed, "Absolutely!  Give the gal a gold statue!" and another 41% said they "weren't sure what the hype is about."  Only 17% of you couldn't look past All About Steve, Miss Congeniality 2:  Armed and Fabulous, Speed 2: Cruise Control, The Lake House, Forces of Nature, 28 Days, Hope Floats - need I go on?  I think we can all agree Sandy's made some piss poor decisions in the past.

Where did TMMC fall in the mix?  I'd actually have to say I fell in the 41% that didn't know what the hype was about.  I'll admit, as a person I do like her a lot - I'll even go as far as to say she's a good actress.  But Oscarworthy?  And for Erin Brockovich II nonetheless?  I don't get it!  Fool me once Julia Roberts, shame on me, fool me twice Sandra Bullock...give it to Meryl.

Well once again thanks to all TMMC readers for voting in last week's poll, particularly you Richard Blake!  And don't forget to vote in this week's poll, exploring our feelings on Avatar, the Sequel.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's review of the Churchill biopic, Into The Storm.  View the trailer and prepare for war.

TMMC's Weekly Round Up

It appears the Oscar race isn't the only thing heating up this week - we've got ourselves quite a race going in TMMC's Poll of the Week.  It looks like readers are neck in neck in how they feel about Hollywood's latest darling Sandy B.  Will you end up siding with the Oscars or the Razzies?  Can you overlook Speed 2:  Cruise Control and just focus on Crash?  Only a few more hours left to vote, so get your last licks in now and come back on Monday to find out the official results.

Speaking of a few more hours, you've almost made it to the weekend.  Soon you'll be able to kick your legs up, fix yourself a stiff drink and forget about your inbox till Monday - just a little while longer, you can do it!

The TMMC team whined that they could barely find any juicy bits for you this week because of the dominant Oscar news.  So I strapped them in and forced them to watch the Rock's new movie The Tooth Fairy.  Following the screaming and clawing, they finally subsided and found you some interesting articles after all, proving sometimes you just need tough love.  Now then, here's your weekly round up...

• Once again those "other" Smurfs are dominating the movie news cycle.  Before we can even cue the music to end their acceptance speeches and usher them off the stage, Papa Murdoch has already announced his desire to see Avatar II.  Potential title - Avater II:  Now with Writers?  Read more.
• Da Vinci Code 3:  Keeping Tom Hanks Relevant, is also already in the works.  Move over Mr. President, Dan Brown's latest novel The Lost Symbol will hit the streets of D.C. soon enough.  With a writer now signed on, it'll take two days for a script, maybe two months of filming and we should see it by Christmas 2010.  God bless the Hollywood machine.  Read more.
• It's rumored that there will be more movie commercials during this year's Superbowl than ever before, previewing some of this year's biggest blockbusters.  Keep tight Wonderland fans, there's supposed to be a new trailer released during the game too!  Almost as interesting, Universal Orlando will air the first commercial ever for the new theme park, "Wizarding World of Harry Potter," expected to open later this year.  I'll be there faster than you can say merchandising - Mickey Mouse who?  Take a sneak peak.
• Johnny Depp takes his obsession with Keith Richards a bit overboard by directing a new documentary about the rock veteran.  Is it life imitating art or art imitating life? Regardless, if either one of them says aye matey, I'm turning it off.  Read more.
• Didn't see enough movies last year?  Tired of feeling left out of the Oscar circle?  Check out the Oscar-nominated short films, coming to a theater near you.  Since they're shorts, you can get em out of the way all at once and say you saw all the movies in at least one category.  Read more.
• Dreamworks is poised to turn the blog the Museum of SuperNatural History into a movie.  Sounds like David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson's careers may come back from the dead.  That would supernatural in and of itself.  Maybe one day they'll turn TMMC into a movie?  They can call it TMMC & Roger. Bon Cinema, I'm The Monday Morning Critic.  Read more. 

That's all folks - have a great weekend and get your movies on!

Invictus, Even Better than Cool Runnings

I actually had no real desire to see Invictus when it first came out, but as it's picked up some steam and I keep hearing great things about it, I decided to see it on a whim.  And I'm quite glad I did.  Not to be confused with a Harry Potter spell, Invictus is about Nelson Mandela's rise to power and how he helped unify a divided nation with the help of Matt Damon.  I mean the South African Rugby team.

Admittedly, I didn't know too much about Mandela before seeing this movie, other than the basics - guy was imprisoned for 27 years, apartheid ended, guy became president, problems solved.   18 years of U.S. public education will unfortunately do that to a person.  Ask me about Paul Revere, Abraham Lincoln or FDR and I'm set, but heaven forbid we made it past 1965, let alone past our own borders.  I didn't even know about the Berlin Wall until it was halfway down.  Remember how every year in public school you started out the year with the American Revolution, taking things at a nice easy pace - then all of a sudden June came and the teachers were like "oh shit, we're only at 1960!  Well lots of other stuff happened after that.  Enjoy the summer, get out of my sight."  But I digress. 

Just in time for the Olympics, this movie is not just about a sport you know little to nothing about.  Its about the national spirit sports can evoke and, even more interestingly, how it can be used as a political tool.  Luckily Mandela's behind the wheel, so his manipulation was for a good cause. It's easy to see how rallying behind the fledgling South African Rugby team during the 1995 World Cup could really help the ailing nation.  They weren't even expected to qualify and...well just in case you forgot what happened, I won't spoil it.  Let's just say not since those famous Jamaican bobsledders have I rooted so much for a team in a movie.  Ya, mon.

How can you not get excited and root for your country during international sporting events.  Do you think I particularly care for curling?  No, but in the next few weeks I'll be watching shuffleboard on ice with my face painted red, white and blue screaming my ass off.  It just happens.  Sports have the ability to transcend and hold great meaning for people, even if you're not a big sports nut, and there's something magnetic about that.  I think at the crux of it, that's what Invictus reminds us.

It drives me nuts that this movie wasn't nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, particularly since they opened up the category to include some really undeserving films.  Maybe there was only room for one sports movie in the category, but it sure as hell should have been this one, not the Blind Side.  Sorry Sandy, but it's true.

This movie is all about the Freeman.  He was blow-it-away fantastic and even though he probably won't win an Oscar for Best Actor, he's certainly now my favorite in the category.  You really forgot you were watching an actor and thought it was Mandela himself making his way into your heart.  I've never seen him deliver a finer performance.  Damon definitely brought in a strong performance, but was overshadowed in my opinion - will not win the Best Supporting Actor gold.

If I had to guess why this one missed the mark a bit it would be because of some sloppy directing, which was very surprising for Clint Eastwood.  Are the Hollywood grandfather's Depends starting to show?  Is he losing his golden touch just a bit?  The middle of the movie just dragged on at times and it should've been tightened up in the editing process to make it run a bit smoother.  It suffered a bit from towing the line between biopic and sports movie, instead of committing to one or the other, but I think some small tweaks could've made a big difference.  In the end it's good, but failed to hold enough drama to be great.

Morgan Freeman carries this movie for sure - certainly it could have been a disaster without him.  Most importantly because of his portrayal, I want to learn more about Mandela the man and the history, which is the most inspiring thing a movie like this can do.  So, feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, it's rugby time...DO A MATINEE!  I mean Cool Runnings!

2010 Battle Royale: Saints vs. Colts vs. Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker

Thank goodness for some good grudge matches this winter to heat things up, particularly if we're looking at 6 more weeks of winter - damn groundhog.  First up this weekend, the XLIV Superbowl this Sunday, shaping up to be a great head to head match of two of the best teams in the NFL.  And if pigskin isn't your thing, now you've got Avatar vs. The Hurt Locker to look forward to, with the announcement today of nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards.  Football fans fear not, this will surely be just as bloody as the Superbowl, as directors James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow (no relation to Deuce) fight it out with both their movies nominated for 9 awards.  And to add to our cage match, they're ex-husband and wife!  Oh Shakespeare, what you could've done with this story.

I was a bit surprised of The Hurt Locker appearing as the dark horse this year.  All of a sudden I'm hearing all over the news that it's the best war movie of all time.  Really?  Where the hell was the buzz when it came out in theaters?  I certainly don't remember hearing anything about it - do you?  Honestly, tell me - am I the only one that heard nothing about this until award season?  I think the big question will be if it can clinch the top Best Picture award.  The last "greatest war movie of all time" Saving Private Ryan, ended up losing the big prize to Shakespeare in Love. Is it payback time?  What an upset THAT would be.  It would certainly prove it's not how much money you have to make a movie, as long as you can afford to pay one good writer.

The other big surprise this year, at least for me, was that the Academy has opened up the Best Picture category to not five, but TEN nominees.  The last time they pulled a move like that Roosevelt was in office - literally, 1943 was the last time so many movies were nominated for Best Picture.  I mean come on, what'd you just get lazy people?  Who do you think you are trying to please everyone...Barack Obama?  I could've easily helped whittle some of those down for you - The Blind Side...Up...District 9!!??  I mean kudos to Up for being only the second animated movie to get nominated for Best Picture, but it's not Best Picture material if you ask me.  Maybe if they had taken that obnoxious dog out back and shot it at some point for dramatic effect, but otherwise...no.

Of course all the talking heads are saying this year's nominees are a snapshot of today's society...taking on race, war, unemployment and poverty.  I'm not sure what that says about Inglourious Bastards, but perhaps there is some truth to the others.  Oscar does like to pretend it's socially conscience and reflects the real world, but I think that's just over compensation for his lack of gold genitalia.

On the whole not too many surprises, particularly in the acting categories, but there are a lot of random films nominated across the board, versus a few big movies dominating all categories.  It's nice to see a variety of movies recognized and that will certainly make for an interesting night, but it makes TMMC's job a hell of a lot harder.  Anyone interested in helping by submitting guest reviews?

In other news, Sandra Bullock had both the best and worst day of her life, nominated for Oscar's Best Actress the same day she was nominated for the Razzie's Worst Actress, for her role in that smash flop All About Steve.  If you've been out of the loop for the last 30 years, The Razzies are like the Oscars, except they celebrate the worst in movies. Land of the Lost and Transformers 2 (or Trannies, Too) both lead the awards with seven nominations and both deservedly so.  Check out all of this year's nominees of movies you wish were never made.

Just over a month away until the big night when all our predictions will be answered.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are co-hosting, so it'll either be really good, or really bad.  I'm sure they won't be bitter at all that their movie It's Complicated was nominated for...well, nothing.  TMMC will certainly cover all the news and announcements till then, but for starters, check out a full list of nominees and start heading to the movies to try and play catch up!