It's Summertime and You Hate Yourself

It's almost summertime and you hate yourself. What should you do?

Well it looks like Hollywood has you guys in mind.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Rock of Ages.

Who doesn't want to see a bloated Alec Baldwin phoning it in? Also it's funny because, like, guys in 80's bands looked like chicks (long hair, lots of make up...if you don't get it I understand, it's a complicated joke). Don't forget Russell Brand, who taught us in last year's "Hop" that he can bring the PAIN at the movie theater. Seriously, if you fucking hate yourself, this is how you want to kick off your summer.

(And if this isn't enough to convince you, I don't know what will).

WHAT ELSE: Shitty Adam Sandler film No. 2039029329483

Normally I would say avoid things with Andy Samberg because he's one of these "funny, rising star" types, but Hollywood strapped human turd Adam Sandler to this project, so yeah, that ship is sinking. Good news for us! Last year's "Jack and Jill" had me on suicide watch for weeks, so I expect nothing less from whatever the hell this movie's called.

WHAT TO AVOID FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH: Battleship.

I know I know, this looks like the perfect movie -- stupid explosions, stupid dialogue, Rihanna saying "boom", but please, DON'T SEE THIS! I've been vomiting uncontrollably ever since I saw it a few days ago, and it doesn't look like it's letting up. The idea is perfect...take a board game about sinking ships and turn it into a blockbuster about sea Transformers from the moon and shit, but somewhere along the line this film became TOO shitty. It's kind of like auto-erotic asphyxiation for us people that like to punish ourselves with bad movies....sometimes you just have to stop yourself before it's too late.

WHAT I'M NOT SURE IS COMING OUT BUT PROBABLY IS SO LET'S JUST ADD IT TO THE LIST: Another Madea movie.

WHAT YOU SHOULD SEE IF YOU CAN ONLY SEE ONE MOVIE THIS SUMMER: Twilight 5

I hate myself, and these Twilight movies have been delivering for like 5 years now. Before I saw the first Twilight movie I used to drink and put myself in dangerous situations to bring my own pain to the surface and finally feel alive in my shame, but now that's all changed. Thank you Kristen Stewart. You rock!

Mad Men - "Signal 30"

"I have nothing, Don."



On the surface, this is quite possibly the most asshole-y thing Pete Campbell has ever said. He has a charming, beautiful, loving wife who even the hard-to-win-over Don likes, an adorable baby that instantly wins the adoration of both the Drapers and the Cosgroves, and a spacious house in the country that any well-off family would be proud to live in. But Pete Campbell has nothing...at least nothing that he really wants.

From the start of Mad Men, Pete Cambpell has been set on making a name for himself, and--essentially--becoming Don Draper. And now, six years later, it seems as though he's accomplished this in a lot of ways. He's successful at his job, he's married with a kid, he has people working under him, and he cheats on his wife. But Pete Cambpell can never be Don Draper because Don Draper never set out to please anyone. Pete Campbell's transformation into Don Draper Lite has been for the sole purpose of pleasing everyone, and now that's he's reached the pinnacle of what "success" should look like, he's discovered that it's not what he really wanted at all.

Although the central character of Mad Men is certainly Don Draper, Pete Campbell has had an equally fascinating story over the course of the show. His discoveries in "Signal 30" came quite stealthily when you think about it. When we first meet newlywed Pete Campbell on the show, it's clear that he's not in love with his new wife Trudy (although she is an extremely likable woman), and although it seems like he's grown fond of her as the seasons have passed, I think it'd be very easy to argue that Pete Cambpell has never really loved his wife. When the baby plot is introduced, it's clear that Trudy's the one who wants a child, and if I recall correctly the words "that's what married couples do" are even used. When they make the move out of the city, it's VERY clear that Pete would rather stay in the city...but again, successful couples aren't supposed to live in the city, so out he goes. Now that he has amassed all this wealth and success and should be content with having everything, he claims to have nothing. No matter how much you love to hate smarmy Pete and his weaselly ways...it's hard not to feel bad for the guy--and it's going to be hard to wait and see what the hell Matt Weiner and co. have in store for this character.

I predict, much in the fashion of the Don Draper he's wanted so desperately to become, he's going to crash and burn.

Other thoughts:
-it's nice to see than Ken Cosgrove's still writing, and, in the sign of a true writer, won't ever stop despite being told to by an authority. I had a feeling that Ken's mealy-mouthed confessions that he was doing it mostly for Cynthia were untrue, and in the episode's closing I was glad to see my theory proven.

-Lane and Joan? Not so much, but I love the respect those two have for each other. Joan would've been completely justified leaving the room or even smacking him across the face after that unwanted smooch, but she took the kiss for what it was (the finally victory lap for a guy who rarely wins at anything) and handled it with much class. Bravo, Joan.

-another sign that Pete is Don Draper Lite? Don Draper could've totally scored with that high school girl if he wanted to. Or, at least the Don Draper of the first few seasons.

What did you guys think? Any predictions for how the season might end for Pete Campbell?

Top 15 Films of 2011

Finally.

Yes, people. I made it through about one fourth of the jillion films that came out in 2011--and I feel like one fourth of a jillion is enough to scrounge a top 15 out of. I didn't do this last year, but before we get on with the list, I want to say a few things about 2011 as a whole.

By the fact that I upped my number from 10 to 15, it's fair to say that a high volume of good movies came out last year. But, while this may be true, the number of GREAT films released in 2011 was surprisingly low. All of the films on this list are good, but I'd argue that only one or two were truly great. For clarification, a great film is one that stays with me. I enjoy it long after seeing it and entertain the idea of watching it many, many more times in the future. 2011, while full of good movies, contained very few that I'd be interested in watching again.

Now, with that downer out of the way, here we go: my top 15 films of 2011!

15. ANOTHER EARTH
A film that explores the devastating consequences that just one mistake can make in someone's life. After Rhoda (newcomer Brit Marling) accidentally kills a mother and child while driving drunk, she tries her best to improve the crumbling life of the man most affected by that accident--the father. Throw in a subplot about the discovery of a planet identical to Earth floating in space, and you have one of the most original and effective films of 2011.

14. BRIDESMAIDS
This film about a woman who implodes after her best friend gets engaged received a lot of attention in 2011--and rightfully so. It's hilarious and, surprisingly, full of heart. While I think there are definite highs and lows to Bridesmaids (a very slow start...doesn't get hilarious until Melissa McCarthy shows up), the relationship between Kristen Wiig's character and Chris O'Dowd in this is so adorable it hurts (in a good way). So much attention was paid to the gags and the pooping in the sink that I think a lot of people missed that.

13. A DANGEROUS METHOD
An intense, sexy, and oftentimes disturbing look at the psychological world during the rise of legends Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. The acting from all the leads (Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, and Keira Knightly) leave nothing to be desired, and although the ending loses a bit of the momentum and fizzles out, it's still one of the most interesting and intense films of 2011.

12. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
I had high expectations for this film, and as someone who's read the novel by Steig Larsson, I have to say--Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo perfectly captures the tone of the original work. Unfortunately, much like the novel, the plotting is inconsistent. I chose not to blame the film, though, which beautifully executes the big moments in a way that left me completely satisfied. And the acting...just wow. Rooney Mara is definitely here to stay. Her potrayal of the damaged Lisbeth Salander paired with Fincher's distinctive style as a director gave us the most compelling slow-burn thriller of the year.

11. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PT. 2
A satisfying end to a mostly bumpy series of 8 films. While I have my personal objections to how faithful this movie was to the book (I am a nerd, after all), as a film it was an acheivement all around. It's one of the most action-packed, heart-wrenching movies of 2011...silly epilogue aside.

10. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Woody Allen's biggest hit in years that embraces the whimsy and beauty of Paris. I knew nothing about the plot going into this--and honestly, I think that's the best way to enter this film. It takes you places you don't expect to go, and for lovers of perfect writing, English Lit, and beautiful sets, Midnight in Paris is one you don't want to miss. As opposed to the several psychological thrillers included on this list, if you're looking for a lighthearted movie that will just make you feel good, I'd point you to this one.

9. SUPER 8
A big-budget action film that doesn't skimp out on heart or characterization for the sake of explosions. Super 8 was dismissed by a lot of critics as just another alien blockbuster, but at the center of this film is a story about young love, friendship, family, and J.J. Abram's adoration of filmmaking.

8. WAR HORSE
A lot of people have accused this film of over-sentimentality and falling into melodramatic cliches we've seen over and over again. And you know what? They're right. At the same time, if a formula works, it works, and the formula definitely worked for War Horse. I knew as a viewer that I was being manipulated by the dramatic score and the emotional monologues, but I honestly didn't care much. I loved that horse, dammit, and that's why this earns a spot in my top 15 films of 2011. Also, if you're not interested in the story, PLEASE watch this for the beautiful visuals. The last scene of this film is stunning.

7. DRIVE
Drive was 2011's sleekest and just coolest film of the year. From the beautiful look of the film, the minimal dialogue, the masterclass acting (Gosling, Brooks, and the oft overlooked performance by Bryan Cranston), the realistic violence, and the awesome soundtrack, Drive delivered on almost every level.

6. THE HELP
I've noticed that The Help is a film generally loved by the average viewer and criticized by your average film buff. I've seen this film criticized for its cliches and emotional manipulation (much like War Horse), but you know what? Just like War Horse, it works, so who cares? Yes, The Help is uplifting, and it's not unlike a few stories of the same nature that've already been told before, but, manipulated or not, I left this film teary-eyed and deeply invested in all of the characters. It's also a visually beautiful film with perfect acting across the board, specifically from Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis, who might both walk away with a golden statue later this month.

5. TAKE SHELTER
This film puts you in the head of its lead, played to perfection by Michael Shannon, and presents you with a question you will struggle to answer throughout the whole movie: is this man crazy or not? Curtis (Shannon, who deserved at least a Best Actor nod), keeps having violent dreams about an approaching storm. He hears and sees things that no one else can see. Frightened by this, he begins obsessively working on a tornado shelter for his family. Should you root for him or not? Should he continue funneling his struggling family's money into this shelter, or should he just declare himself cuckoobananacrazy and ship himself off to a clinic? We don't know, and that's what makes Take Shelter so fascinating.

4. X MEN: FIRST CLASS
Roll your eyes all you want: a superhero movie was one of the best films of 2011. With fully-realized characters and able acting from the whole cast (notably Fassbender, who blew me away with his portrayal of the personally divided Magneto), X Men: First Class is not about special effects or even these characters' abilities. It's about how these individuals, so outcast and so feared by the rest of society, deal with this rejection. Do you embrace your differences, or do you just try your best to fit in with everyone else? These are universal questions that everyone at some point in their lives are faced with, and that's why X Men: First Class is much more than a film about blue hairy dudes and chicks made out of diamonds.

3. BEGINNERS
You will only hear this film mentioned at the Oscars for one thing--Christopher Plummer's performance. While he was amazing and WILL win for his portrayal of a 75 year-old gay man just coming out after 44 years of marriage, there's a lot more to appreciate about Beginners. It's a story about love, death, friendship, and the overwhelming fear Ewan McGregor's character has of those three things. Also, I can't think of a movie that's made me wish I was in a relationship more. I mean, Ewan McGregor and Melanie Laurent in this? TOO CUTE FOR WORDS. Not to mention the dog. Cute overload, guys.

2. ATTACK THE BLOCK
This film flew through my local theater in the summer of 2011, and while I had heard some minimal buzz about it, I figured another alien movie wasn't worth the price of admission. Man, was I wrong. After seeing Attack the Block placed on so many Top 10 and Best of the Year lists, I finally shelled out the money to rent it--and discovered one of the most creative and well-executed films of the year. Like Super 8, Attack the Block elevated itself above the status of 'alien movie'. It has real characters, a handful of amazing young talent, and the best-designed movie creature I've seen in a long time. It also does more with its small-scale sets than the more expansive Super 8 did. For these reasons, Attack the Block edges out Super 8 as the best alien movie of 2011.

1. THE ARTIST
I know I've already gone on and on about how great this film is in a previous review, so I'll try to keep it brief. While the story going on in The Artist isn't very complex or even original (female on the rise, male on the way out, or vice versa), the way it's told makes this a film you will remember. You may hear people claiming that the only reason this film is receiving so much hype is because it's silent and stylized, but basically...you need to slap those people in the face. The stylization and beauty of this film are defintely plusses, but at the end of the day The Artist succeeds because its characters are fully-established and its actors are absolutely commited. It's one of the most touching love stories I've seen in a long time, and it's one I'll come back to long after it presumably wins the big award come Oscar night. It's also the best film of 2011.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:

JANE EYRE
A slow-moving but ultimately fulfilling adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic novel. If you aren't interested in period pieces or romance, check this film out for Michael Fassbender's performance--the one that started off his series of great performances in 2011.

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
A nerve-grating, intense psychological thriller about a young woman's attempt to reenter normal society after escaping a dangerous cult. It's one of the most uncomfortable films of 2011 to watch, but it's also one of the most compelling. I am honestly shocked neither John Hawkes or Elizabeth Olsen received an Oscar nomination for their roles in this film. For shame!

SHERLOCK HOLMES: GAME OF SHADOWS
A fun, loud, brilliantly-acted action movie starring mega babes Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. An improvement over the first film in the series as well.

CRAZY STUPID LOVE
Unexpectedly funny and heartfelt. Also, I think this is where we might be able to pinpoint the beginning of the OMG SHIRTLESS RYAN GOSLING madness.

THOR
Despite the painfully-forced romance between Thor and Natalie Portman, it was still another solid Marvel film. Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, might also be the most captivating of all the Marvel villains.

THE DESCENDANTS
While this film is extremely overhyped and has a good chance of winning some awards it doesn't deserve come Oscar night, it's still a good film with a wonderful performance by George Clooney.

MONEYBALL
A smart, funny script and talented actors made a film about baseball interesting to me. It's a miracle.

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
The movie that everyone expected to be awful actually turned out to be pretty great, huh? Rise of the Planet of the Apes was this close to landing on my list--it was just barely beat out by everything else. Because of a commitment from all the actors, including the outrageously snubbed Andy Serkis as Caesar, Apes wasn't campy or cheesy at all. It was one of the best films of the summer.

WHAT YOU EXPECTED TO SEE BUT DIDN'T:

THE TREE OF LIFE
Just don't even get me started, okay? Pretentious crap that's being lauded for it's attempt at breaking film boundaries and being grandiose. I'm sorry--an attempt is just an attempt. And The Tree of Life failed.

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
I wanted to love this movie so much, but despite my efforts, I could not care. At all. The film makes no effort to connect you to its characters or its spy plot. It simply plods along with no regard for the audience whatsoever.

WHAT I MISSED:

MELANCHOLIA, HUGO, SHAME and YOUNG ADULT. All of these films are stuck in that terrible limbo between their theater run and DVD release. I hope to see all of these as soon as humanly possible and will alter my top 15 if necessary.

IN CONCLUSION, my Oscar predictions:
BEST PICTURE: The Artist
BEST ACTOR: Jean Dujardin
BEST ACTRESS: Viola Davis
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Christopher Plummer
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Octavia Spencer
BEST DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese (for Hugo, which I haven't seen)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

When did decent movies start winning Oscars?

THE DESCENDANTS IS THE BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!1

...that's what we've been hearing ever since this movie showed up in theaters a few months ago. Usually when a film gets such a generous amount of praise, I remember it. I tell myself, "Self, you've got to watch this movie before awards season so you know what's going on, okay? You don't want to be the only loser come Oscar night who hasn't seen The Descendants."

But then I watched the trailer, and I thought...meh. This just looks like your standard "family drama". So weeks and weeks passed, and I kept pushing it off in favor of other films that looked to be more up my alley.

Then, finally, I went to see The Descendants last night. And I'll tell you what--it might just be the most decent film of 2011.

That's right. Decent. There's nothing terribly wrong with this film, but at the same time there's nothing to write home about either. The Descendants is about a man, played by George Clooney, whose wife falls into a coma after knocking her head in a jet-skiing accident. For the "juicy drama" part, we find out the wife was cheating on him before the accident. After hearing this news, Clooney, with his two rebellious daughters in tow (and some random stoner character I assume we're supposed to find endearing), go on a mission to find this man and...well...he's not entirely sure what he's going to do after he does. It's a situation rife for drama, and The Descendants capitalizes on it completely. The performances are about as good as can be, particularly Clooney, and it brings into question the fragility of family relationships.

Is there anything special about The Descendants? No. It's a well-executed take on a story that's been told many many times before (not necessarily the coma part, but the 'omg my spouse is cheating on me' part). So why does this film have such good odds of winning the Oscar later this month? Is it because Hollywood is so scared of recognizing genre films (Drive and Super 8, for example, which I would argue were much better than The Descendants) that they'd rather fill up their queue with completely ordinary films?(*) Or are they just so far up George Clooney's ass now that anything he's in automatically gets placed in the Best Picture pool? (hint: the answers are yes and yes)

[*Not that there's anything wrong with ordinary films. If we're describing ordinary films as non-genre or non-stylized movies, than The Help falls into the category of ordinary films--and The Help, too, was far better than The Descendants.]

I think the question Hollywood needs to ask itself is what are they giving out awards for: films that push boundaries and do something different, or films that do the same thing we've been seeing for decades now really, really well? Well folks--if The Descendants wins Best Picture this year, I think we have our answer.

4/5

The Artist: A Rare Case In Which Hype Is Deserved

There's a distinct moment in The Artist where I stopped just liking the film and decided that I loved it.

I won't spoil what happens, but when that something does happen, the soundtrack borrows a bit from Bernard Hermann--and the moment that familiar score started, my heart basically melted and I fell completely in love with this movie.

The Artist is Exhibit A of how far talented actors and a great story can get you. Sure, it's stylized, but while this film gained a lot from it's silent film format, it also lost some things. Particularly, it lost a lot of things modern films rely on. For example, we take for granted how much an actor's voice can elevate a scene. If a character's distressed, the extra tremor or melodramatic crack in their voice automatically effects us and let's us know that "things just got real". The sound of crying, also, is a great aid in dramatic scenes. We don't really know how important these things are in a film until they're gone.

And yes, these things are certainly gone in The Artist. But did the film suffer? Absolutely not.

Back to my point about talented actors and good stories. Jean Dujardin, who I SINCERELY hope is the next Javiar Bardem (non-American actor who breaks into Hollywood), can tell us everything we need to know just with his facial expressions. When he breaks, we don't need any dramatic howling or loud sobs--all his pain is conveyed to us just by the look on his face. And that, my friends, is talent. The same goes for Bérénice Bejo. The both of them together in this film leave nothing to be desired; I never MISSED the spoken-word dialogue for one second because I didn't need it. I don't know about you, but I can't think of very many actors who could carry a film like this.

The Artist, while it has its plot about the transition from silent film to talkies and the way this radically changed Hollywood and blah blah blah, is above all a love story. We have two magnetic characters meant for each other going down these two separate paths, both effected differently by this change in the industry. The movie isn't about the change, though--it's about them. It's always about them, and I think that's why The Artist has so much heart. For example, by the time the film is halfway over, I think it's impossible not to care about George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). When the climax begins (and that sweeping Bernard Hermann score takes over), I was a nervous wreck--and you know why? Because I cared. And really, when I think about it, I rarely care anymore when I go to the movies.

It's nice to care.

Before watching this movie, I felt wary about all the insane, seemingly out-of-left-field buzz. One minute we were all talking about War Horse, and then out of nowhere this unknown film is sweeping up award after award at the Golden Globes. I went into The Artist with this same attitude, ready to pffft at it heartily and deem it overrated. I figured that all the people raving about the film were only doing so because it was different, and like, you can look super intellectual if your favorite movie of the year was black, white, and silent.

Thankfully, that's not the case. The Artist deserves every last iota of hype it's received this awards season, and I honestly can't think of a film (or a pair of leads) more deserving of an Oscar--specifically Jean Dujardin, who is extremely talented and attactive. I feel like I haven't stressed this enough. I mean, he makes me want to learn French.

RATING: 5/5

Unwatchable.

It should be pretty clear to most of you all that I like movies. I like to watch them, I like to talk about them, and I like to write about them. Usually, even if the movie's bad, I can appreciate something about it--some stinkers have good acting, for example, or some movies are so bad that they're ridiculously entertaining.

But what do you do when a movie is SO bad and SO devoid of anything worthwhile whatsoever? Well...you turn it off.

Which is what I did with The Tree of Life. I just want to say that this is NOT something I normally do. I've struggled through an endless number of 'meh' movies just because there was a *slight* chance of something interesting happening. I knew within 10 minutes of this thing that that just wasn't going to happen. There just wasn't anything worth waiting for.

What's so bad about The Tree of Life, you ask? Everything.

Very soon after popping this DVD in, a word appeared in my mind and started flashing over and over again in pink neon lights.

**PRETENTIOUS. PRETENTIOUS. PRETENTIOUS.**

Oh hai, my name is Terrence Malik, and I'm a pretty well known director. My movies are ART, and if you don't understand them, you just don't appreciate ART. Now look at this 4 minute-long shot of lava coming out of a volcano.

To say that there is a story to this movie is beyond a stretch. In the 40 minutes that I suffered through this turd, this is what was clearly communicated: Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain are a married couple raising children in what looked like the late 60's or early 70's. One of their children dies, and they're devastated. We don't know HOW the child died--we just see the mother character open a letter and start sobbing. Keep in mind there's VERY minimal dialogue in all of this. I guess spoken-word is a little too mainstream? Most of the speaking is done in the narration, which skips between a female and a male voice. Had I not had the movie on subtitles, I wouldn't have known that [MOM'S VOICE] was the female and [SON'S VOICE] was the male. There's a great big monologue about how there are 2 types of people in the world: nature vs. grace. It's all very existential and "deep".

While I enjoyed none of this part, at least it was something resembling a movie. Then it all just went to hell.

The next part skips ahead in time to Sean Penn's character, who is one of the sons we saw in the first part. You know how I know this? Because I read the synopsis. The movie does not communicate this to you AT ALL. He says nothing in the whole ten minutes of this segment. We see him wake up, walk around his house, walk around at work, and look distressed. WAIT--he did say something! One of his coworkers looks at him strangely and he mumbles something about "this day". That's all that's said, and I GUESS this is implying that it's the anniversary of his brother's death? I'm sorry, but this is where the movie became unwatchable for me. Nothing is happening! What is going on? I don't know--nobody knows!

*cough cough* I MEAN...I guess I just don't understand the "art".

The next 10 minutes completely convinced me to eject the disc. Seriously, from that point on, it was nature shots. Ten minutes of NATURE SHOTS. Lava emerging from the dome of a volcano. Water rushing over a bed of pebbles. Some swirling nebula in space.

DINOSAURS TROTTING NEAR A BABBLING BROOK.

What. The. Hell. Is. This. <--- (that's what I said)

I'm sorry, but cool graphics alone aren't gonna cut it. Sue me, but when I walk into a movie, I expect established characters, DIALOGUE, and a plot that makes sense. It's not asking for much, really. I'm not even asking it be done well! The Tree of Life attempts to do none of these things because it's "art", and like...if you don't like it, you just don't get it, okay?

If you had a different experience with this movie, go ahead and share it with me, although it's hard for me to believe that this movie is watchable without lots and lots of drugs. For me, I have to agree with a reviewer who said on Amazon that this movie was, quote: "A reinvention of the screensaver". That just sums it up perfectly.

Y U NO HAVE TOP 10 YET?

This short post is directed to the ENDLESS NUMBER OF PEOPLE (no one) demanding to see my Top 10 of 2011 list. I mean, I had my Top 10 of 2010 ready at the beginning of January last year--what's the hold up this time?

I'll tell you what the hold up is: about a jillion movies came out in 2011.

For the first time that I can remember, there's not really a clear sense of what movies/actors are going to win what awards. This time last year, the list of award-winning movies was pretty clear and straightforward. We knew the race for Best Picture was going to be between The Social Network, The King's Speech, and The Fighter. Can I say that for this year? Absolutely not.

I have no idea what's going to be nominated, let alone what's going to win. You might say, "Leah, didn't you watch the Golden Globes?" Well, yeah, but I really don't think that served as an indicator this year. There is no way that THE DESCENDANTS is the best movie of the year--and there is no way that it's going to win Best Picture at the Oscars. You can quote me.

You might also be saying, "Leah, who cares what's going to win awards? It's YOUR top 10 list, just make it already!"--and to that, I respond with: how am I supposed to know what to watch? Generally, I get a sense of what movies are worth watching based on critics' feedback. So many movies were reviewed positively this year, and without a narrower list of well-received movies, I've basically got to watch them all. Which is what I've been trying to do.

There are a number of movies that I feel like I have to see before I can make a top 10 list. Some of these I unfortunately won't have a chance to because I missed their run in theaters and they won't be coming out on DVD until long after the Oscars have aired. MELANCHOLIA, for example. Other movies will either be coming to theaters near me soon (THE ARTIST) or will be coming out on DVD soon (DRIVE, 50/50).

Basically what I'm trying to say is that I'm going to watch the most movies I can before the Oscars and write my top 10 list at that point. Okay? Now will you all stop BUGGING ME!? (no one cares, Leah...)