Wednesday, December 31, 2008

My Top Favorite 10 TV Shows of 2008

Unfortunately, 2008 was a sucky year for TV. It started with the 2nd half of the writers strike. Then, the 2007-2008 season ended with cancellations of several good or promising shows, including Beauty & the Geek, Jericho, Men In Trees, Moonlight, New Amsterdam, and Women’s Murder Club. Journeyman and The 4400, after half a season and four seasons, respectively, didn’t even make it to 2008, due to cancellation, and neither did Rescue Me, due to a strike-related delay.

In the 2008-2009 season, I couldn’t get enthused about new shows, I quickly grew tired of Ugly Betty and Fringe, Heroes had yet another disappointing volume, Boston Legal’s abbreviated fifth & final season did not quite live up to its bar-raising fourth season, and I didn’t even bother with any more of Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and especially the gaudy & morbid Pushing Daisies.

But, there were some bright spots. Lost redeemed itself with a fairly impressive season four, Battlestar Galactica delivered some interesting moments, I continue to like House’s new team better than his old team, Chuck and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles continue to increase in quality, and The Shield concluded its six-year run with some compelling and satisfying episodes.

So, without ranking them (because that’s just too hard to pull off), here’s my list of top 10 TV shows of 2008 in alphabetical order:

Battlestar Galactica
Sometimes this show is a little bit too serious and depressing for me. So, I don’t love it as much as most people. But, the show still delivers good drama, Emmy-worthy performances, lots of mystery, and shocking revelations. It may not be the most well-rounded show on TV, but it’s still currently the best made sci-fi show.

Chuck
So far, Chuck has not suffered from sophomore year slump. They continue to develop the characters’ relationships and backstories in a warm, comical, and intelligent way. It has a great mix of drama, comedy, action, and romance. And, the show has lots of potential directions it could take, such as the introduction of Chuck & Ellie’s long lost dad or Ellie learning about her brother’s secret life.

House
Some have criticized the new direction of the show with a new team and more focus on the support characters. But, I like it. Deep-thinking Taub and geeky Cutner are more interesting than Chase and Cameron. And, aside from House himself, Thirteen (a.k.a. Dr. Rema Hadley), the bisexual doctor dealing with a shortened life span due to her Huntington’s disease, has the best storyline of all. However, the budding romances between House & Cuddy and between Foreman & Thirteen might take further convincing.

Jericho
Cancelled after season one but brought back for a brief 2nd season due to fan outcry, the show ended its overall story arc in a fast-paced, action-packed way. While I did miss the quiet moments of drama and character development, it was still rewarding to see the show wrap up the bulk of its apocalyptic storyline instead of leaving us all hanging.

Lost
I liked the concept of the Oceanic Six and enjoyed the flash-forwards. The show continues to introduce new questions but is also providing answers to mysteries at a more reasonable pace. In fact, the show’s overall pace feels better now that there are around half a dozen fewer episodes per season. Unlike Heroes, which continues to decline, Lost redeemed itself after a disappointing third season.

Men In Trees
I might have to turn in my man card for saying this, but to me, this show was the new Gilmore Girls (and, I’m referring to GG’s first five seasons, when it was still excellent). It had great writing, quirky characters, an interesting setting, and a perfect blend of drama & comedy. First, ABC cut the first season of Men In Trees short but redeemed itself by just adding those episodes to a full season two and giving the show a post-Grey’s Anatomy timeslot -- for a while. But, then it was moved again, put on a hiatus, and finally cancelled without warning, so the series ended on a cliffhanger of sorts. I felt the quality of the show was just as good, if not better, than in its first season with the exception of Patrick’s amnesia storyline which messed up the relationship between him and Annie. Had the show survived, I’d like to think their relationship would have repaired itself unlike the bad direction Luke & Lorelai took in season six of Gilmore Girls (which made its last two seasons painful to watch).

Moonlight
A vampire show in the age of vampire mania with a vampire leading man and human leading woman that were declared hottest TV couple by TV Guide... And CBS cancelled it. Moonlight was just getting really good too and, if I understand correctly, wasn’t getting horrible ratings. Since CBS also cancelled Jericho and didn’t give Kid Nation a 2nd season, I declare CBS to be the new Fox. Moonlight lasted 16 episodes. The show that took it’s time slot in fall 2008, The Ex List, was cancelled after only four episodes. Good move CBS.

Prison Break
In a way, this show doesn’t deserve a top 10 slot. It’s a sometimes ludicrous show. Because it should have only lasted one season (and, its first season *was* great), it constantly has to re-invent itself to have lasted to its current *fourth* season. And, three years later, it still depends on fake outs, redirection, coincidences, double crosses, and a hefty suspension of disbelief. But, somehow, it still works. I still find myself curious every week to see what crazy thing is going to happen next. It’s not a soap opera or a reality show, but it has that same guilty pleasure feel to it.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Just when I started to worry this show would be a one-trick pony, it finds new ways to explore the Terminator universe. More people and cyborgs traveling back in time, including a female liquid metal terminator, Derek’s girlfriend, and her undercover companion. There’s also a deepening exploration of character psyches, and who would have guessed that Derek would be such a cool character when played by Brian Austin Green -- who was David Silver on Beverly Hills 90210. Somehow, I actually believe he’s a soldier from the future.

The Shield
This was a rough show that was sometimes a little too violent or vulgar for my tastes. But, I held on because the underlying story was based on rich concepts like family, friendship, loyalty, general morality, justice, ends vs. means, sacrifice vs. self interest, etc. And, I just had to find out how it would all end. Unfortunately, the support characters had mundane and open-ended conclusions. But, the storylines for the three remaining Strike Team members, Vic, Shane, and Ronnie, were wrapped up quite nicely in the 90-minute series finale. The final episodes are full of shock, irony, tension, and desperation. Not being a fuzzy, feel-good show, that kind of ending was just right.

Honorable Mentions
- Boston Legal (just short of the top 10 due to a lackluster final season)
- Stargate: Atlantis
- Women’s Murder Club (cancelled)

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Top 50 All-Time Favorite TV Shows

Ain't It Cool News has posted Empire magazine's list of top 50 all-time best TV shows. If you look at the plethora of comments by readers, you can tell it's a much disputed list.

The three most notable things about the list is that it has a fair amount of science fiction (something I don't mind); a few shows on the list are either old, obscure, or British (but not as many as you'd think considering Empire is a British magazine); and almost all the shows are from the 1990s or 2000s.

Lists are often fun to read, but they're also hard to create. There are always items that make the list or don't make the list on a technicality. Narrow the criteria for the list, and it's too hard to eliminate some favorites. Broaden the criteria and stuff gets in despite some flaws.

Below is my best attempt to list *my* Top 50 All-Time Favorite TV Shows. Since it's too hard to rank all of them or even pick a top ten, I have divided them up into categories and will also reveal some Honorable Mentions. I've never had premium cable channels, so The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Dexter, Rome, etc. are automatically missing.

My Top 50 All-Time Favorite TV Shows (for now)

Best of Science Fiction & Fantasy


  • Alien Nation

  • Babylon 5

  • Battlestar Galactica (2004)

  • Buffy: The Vampire Slayer

  • Crusade

  • Firefly

  • Heroes

  • Highlander: The Series

  • John Doe

  • Journeyman

  • Lost

  • Quantum Leap

  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

  • Star Trek: The Next Generation

  • Stargate: Atlantis

  • Stargate: SG-1

  • Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

  • The 4400


Babylon 5 is my #1 all-time favorite show out of all genres. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer was drastically disappointing in the sixth & seventh seasons, but the high quality of the first five years makes it too hard to eliminate entirely. Highlander: The Series was one of my favorite shows during college. Terminator: tSCC barely makes the list since it's only had seven episodes so far, but I think it has potential if renewed. Alien Nation, Crusade, Firefly, and John Doe were short-lived shows that deserved better. The 4400 lasted four years but was cancelled before it could get a fifth season or a proper series finale. Farscape probably would have made the list had I watched it more consistently, but I only caught it occasionally and was often lost when I did.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Farscape, Moonlight (current), New Amsterdam (current), Sliders
DIS-HONORABLE MENTIONS: Andromeda, Doctor Who (sorry, I just don't get it), Flash Gordon, Lexx, Painkiller Jane, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise

Best of Action/Suspense/Mystery


  • Chuck

  • Jericho

  • Prison Break


Chuck is the best new show of the 2007-2008 season. After fan support won the show a 2nd season of seven episodes, Jericho is once again and permanently cancelled by CBS. The creator of the show is shopping it around to other networks, but the future is bleak. Many criticize Prison Break for beating a dead horse. While it does seem to depend on coincidences, conventient (or sometimes inconventient) timing, unexpected double crosses, and gimmicky cliffhangers a bit too often, it's still a guilty pleasure that's hard to give up. Alias doesn't make the list or even the honorable mentions because I grew tired of it halfway through its run, but it's worth noting that its pilot episode was one of the best series premieres in the last eight years (surpassed only by Lost and maybe Chuck).
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Standoff (cancelled prematurely), The Pretender, Women's Murder Club (current)
DIS-HONORABLE MENTION: 24 (I didn't like the 1st season enough to stick with it)

Best of Drama


  • House

  • Rescue Me

  • The O.C.

  • The Practice

  • The Shield

  • The West Wing


Though not perfect (Rescue Me wasn't that good last season, The O.C.'s third season was hard to watch, and I took a sabbatical from The West Wing during seasons five & six and caught them later in repeats), all six of these shows have excellent writing. Despite the violence & harsh language, repeats of The Shield are surprisingly re-watchable because of the compelling downward spiral the main character, Vic Mackey, takes into corruption. House's procedural format somehow thrives in a world full of arc-driven shows. The recent cast re-shuffle on House may seem like a premature move at re-invention, but it's actually improved the show in its fourth year. The West Wing is a monument to class & intellect that NBC could have used more of in the last two years.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Brothers & Sisters (current), Commander-in-Chief (cancelled prematurely), ER (*only* because of its early years), Grey's Anatomy (current), L.A. Law
DIS-HONORABLE MENTION: Nip/Tuck (thank goodness I stopped watching after the identity of the Carver was revealed a few seasons ago; I've heard it's gotten even worse since then)

Best of Dramedy


  • Ally McBeal

  • Boston Legal

  • Gilmore Girls

  • Men In Trees

  • Picket Fences

  • Ugly Betty


Deserving of their own category, I love shows that blend drama & humor, especially in original, quirky ways. It's no coincidence that three of these shows (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, Picket Fences) are David E. Kelley shows. He's the master of blending biting social commentary, comforting humanity, and unbelievably eccentric yet relatable characters. Gilmore Girls (for a while there, my #2 all-time favorite show) caught "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Syndrome" and declined in seasons six & seven, leaving me with mixed feelings about the show as a whole. But, as with B:tVS, the brilliance of the Gilmores' first five years are impossible to ignore.
DIS-HONORABLE MENTION: Pushing Daisies (I'm the only person on the planet who doesn't like that show, and I gave it a chance too)

Best of Comedy


  • Cheers

  • Scrubs

  • Seinfeld

  • South Park

  • The Golden Girls


A few years ago, I decided to stop watching half-hour sitcoms. I didn't like the directions characters were taking on Friends, Niles & Daphne getting together took the fun out of Frasier, Spin City wasn't going to be the same without Michael J. Fox, and I simply lost interest in That '70's Show. But, I caught up on Scrubs when it went into 2nd-run syndication and repeats on Comedy Central. The writing on that show is extremely sharp, and it's nice not having the laugh track. South Park is hit & miss. It's sometimes too raunchy or juvenile, but other times, it's pure genius. Though they don't age well with time, I could't deny the enjoyment I got out of Cheers, Seinfeld, and The Golden Girls when they were current.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Frasier, Friends (*only* for its early years), Mystery Science Theater 3000, The Carol Burnett Show, The Cosby Show, The Muppet Show, Whose Line Is It Anyway

Best of Talk, Reality, Nature, or History


  • Beauty and the Geek

  • Dirty Jobs

  • Mythbusters

  • Survivor

  • The Daily Show

  • The Presidents


Okay, so this is an odd Frankenstein of a category, but it's also a small list, so it was best to combine these shows somehow. Beauty and the Geek is a reality/competition show that depends on stereotypes at its core and yet still manages to be as heartwarming & relatable as it is sometimes frustrating & silly. The host of Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe, is quite possibly the most witty & likable person on TV. Mythbusters is both entertaining & educational, and I like how they respond on the show to fan feedback. Survivor, despite some often questionable casting, is an addictive and seemingly unstoppable cultural phenomenon. The Daily Show, while trying to be just a satirical comedy show, somehow manages to be informative & credible. I love presidential trivia, so for me, frequent repeats of the History Channel's mini-series, The Presidents, has high re-watch value.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Ebert & Roeper At the Movies, Face the Nation, Girls Next Door, Kid Nation (hopefully they'll try a 2nd season), Last Comic Standing, Late Show with David Letterman, Meet the Press, Man vs. Wild, Prime Minister's Questions, Who Wants to Be a Superhero

Best of the 1980s


  • Airwolf

  • Knight Rider

  • The A-Team

  • The Dukes of Hazard

  • Transformers

  • Voltron


Although these are shows that I haven't seen in a long time and probably wouldn't enjoy nearly as much today, I can't deny how iconic these were when I was growing up. In a list of *all-time* favorites, these shows win a place for their significance in the past.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: MacGyver, Little House on the Prairie (used to watch reruns of it in between classes in college; don't ask me why)

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Live Blogging: 80th Annual Academy Awards [Hour 4]

Harrison Ford is up to present Best Original Screenplay. Noms: Juno, Lars and the Real Girl, Michael Clayton, Ratatouille, The Savages. My pick: Juno. The winner: Juno!!! Yay! The screenwriter, Diablo Cody, looks a little like a weirdo, uh, I mean, free spirit, but she is talented to pull off the script that she did.

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Helen Mirren is up to present Best Actor. Is it just me or is Helen Mirren kind of hot for an old chick. I'm pretty sure I said the same thing last year. I loved the fact that after winning an Oscar, she didn't mind being in National Treasure 2. Noms: George Clooney (he was very good in Michael Clayton, the best part of the movie); Daniel Day-Lewis (for There Will Be Blood, my personal pick and sure winner); Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd (ugh, I'm not a Johnny Depp fan); Tommy Lee Jones (for the Valley of Elah; I didn't see that one, but he was really good in No Country for Old Men); Viggo Mortensen (for Eastern Promises). And the winner: Daniel Day-Lewis. No big surprise. Wow, his voice is very difference in real life. Just makes the performance that much more powerful.

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Best Director. Presented by Martin Scorsese. Noms: Diving Bell & Butterfly, Juno, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. The Coen brothers win for No Country for Old Men.

Best Picture. Presented by Denzel Washington. Noms: Atonement (my 5th choice), Juno (my 1st choice), Michael Clayton (my 4th choice), No Country for Old Men (my 3rd choice), There Will Be Blood (my 2nd choice). No Country for Old Men wins. Hmmm. I would say, "It was good, but I don't think it was quite *that* good," because frankly, I felt that way about all the entries this year. I think this was just an "off" year. As a normal, everyday, mainstream movie-goer, Waitress and Ocean's 13 tied as my favorite movies of 2007. I also really respect Juno, Charlie Wilson's War, and The Bucket List. So what do I know.

All in all, a boring, uneventful Oscars ceremony. Nothing wrong with it, just not exciting either. We need another Lord of the Rings movie. ;)

Live Blogging: 80th Annual Academy Awards [Hour 3]

After the commercial, Jon Stewart is seen playing Wii Tennis against a little girl. That's pretty funny.

Colin Farrell is up to present another nominated song, this one from Once, a movie I've heard good things about and may have to check out on video. The song sounds okay. The guys over at TheMovieBlog.com *hate* the live performances of Best Song nominees, calling it a waste of time. I disagree. Best Song is the only category in which you can enjoy the content live. For everything else, you have to have to have either seen the movie or gotten a good impression from the quick clip.

Jack Nicholson is up to present a montage of Best Picture winners throughout Oscar history.

Renee Zellweger is up to present Best Film Editing. My personal pick and the winner... The Bourne Ultimatum. Wow, Bourne may not be in the main categories, but it's cleaned up in the technicals it was nominated for.

Nicole Kidman is up to present... a freakin' huge necklace she's wearing. It looks like she fell through a chandelier on the way to the stage. Anyway, she's presenting Robert Boyle for an Honorary Oscar in art direction.

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Penelope Cruz is up to present Best Foreign Language Film. I actually saw one or two of the foreign language nominees last year, but last year was a good year. This year, not so much. An Austrian film wins. It's called The Counterfeiters.

Patrick Dempsey is up to present the final Best Song nominee, also from Enchanted. Continuing my earlier argument in support of the live Best Song performances, it breaks up the night. Without the songs, it's just awards and montages. And, frankly, it's the montages I'd like to get rid of.

John Travolta is up to present the winner for Best Song. The winner is the song from Once. Marketa Irglova is really pretty, but unfortunately she wasn't given a chance to say her thanks as her fellow music partner and co-star took up all the time. There's no way he hogged it intentionally. They just didn't give them enough time. When they have two people winning an award, they should let both of them talk, even if each person gets half the time.

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Oh, that's so nice. Jon Stewart gave Marketa her chance to say her thanks. She looks & sounds so nice. Nice job, Jon Stewart.

Cameron Diaz is up to present Best Cinematography, something she can barely pronounce, apparently. Noms: Jesse James, Atonement, Diving Bell & Butterfly, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood. My vote, Blood. And, it wins. Yay.

Hillary Swank is up to present the memoriam montage, the only truly worthy montage of them all. Dabbs Greer, the pastor from Little House on the Prairie. Lois Maxwell, Moneypenny from James Bond movies. Suzanne Pleshette. Ingmar Bergman (not familiar with his work, but his name is very recognizable). And, of course, Heath Ledger.

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Amy Adams is up to present... her really, really pretty, awesome good looks. She's so pretty. Such nice, long, silky, red hair. Such a sweet voice. What is she doing? Oh, she's presenting Best Original Score. Noms: Atonement, Kite Runner, Michael Clayton, Ratatouille, and 3:10 to Yuma. No strong preference here. Dario somebody won for Atonement. Okay. Bye, bye, Amy.

Tom Hanks is up to present U.S. soldiers in Iraq who are presenting Best Documentary Short Subject. That's pretty cool to do it that way. Tom Hanks gets to present the nominations for Best Documentary Feature, which all sound very serious. Taxi to the Dark Side wins.

Live Blogging: 80th Annual Academy Awards [Hour 2]

Nice montage of bincoulars & periscopes. Now one of bad dreams. I know they're just joking. But, I could do without all montages.

Keri Russell is up to present a song from August Rush, something I never got around to seeing but am still very tempted to. Keri Russell should be nominated for Best Actress in Waitress. Waitress is one of two great films sadly overlooked this year, the other being Charlie Wilson's War. Waitress ties with Ocean's 13 as my favorite movie of 2007, but Waitress would be far more Oscar-friendly. Unfortunately, it came out during the summer, so I guess it got forgotten by Oscar season. If I had done a top 10 list of 2007 movies, Charlie Wilson's War also would have been in the top 10, if not top 5.

Owen Wilson is up to present Best Live Action Short Film. Needless to say, I didn't see any of these. The winner sounds like a French film. Whatever.

Jerry Seinfeld's character from Bee Movie is "up" to present Best Animated Short Film. Wow, bunch of foreign stuff here too. Something called Peter and the Wolf won. Looks like claymation. And, the makers are British this time. American short films must suck.

Alan Arkin is up to present Best Supporting Actress. Tilda Swinton won for her role in Michael Clayton. That's one of only two of the movies that I saw. She said she's giving her award to her agent for bringing her to America. She then jokes about George Clooney wearing the nippled Batsuit under his costume on the the set everyday. George looks embarrassed. But, even he mentioned the horrible movie Batman & Robin during the red carpet pre-show. I think he beats himself up quite a bit for that movie, but I don't blame him at all. I think all the blame rests with Joel Schumacher.

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Jessica Alba is up to present some of the awards already given out previously. Jon then makes a joke about Jessica Alba and Cate Blanchett both being pregnant but that with Jack Nicholson there, they may have to re-tally after the show. That's pretty funny.

Josh Brolin and James McAvoy are up to present Best Adapted Screenplay. Did Josh Brolin just call Jack Nicholson, Mike Nicholson? My pick here is There Will Be Blood. The winners are the Coen brothers for No Country for Old Men.

A boring business guy is up now to explain the voting.

Mylie Cyrus is up to present another song from Enchanted, this one sung by Kristen Chenoweth. Chenoweth is really pretty. She's wearing a pretty nice grey dress. I like grey dresses. Women should wear that color more often. The song, however, is not that great. The choices must not have been that good this year.

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Judi Dench and Halle Berry are up to present... wait, no they're not. Two big curly headed guys whose names I can't remember who starred in movies I can't remember are presenting Best Sound Editing. My vote is for The Bourne Ultimatum. Sweet!!! Bourne won!!! And, I just realized something. This is the only category, other than Best Picture, for which I had seen all five movies. I would have been okay with anyone of them, except Transformers, winning. There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men both had great sound.

Best Sound Mixing. Bourne Ultimatum is up for this one also, so are Old Men, Ratatouille, and Transformers, as well as 3:10 to Yuma which I didn't see. Sweet!!! Bourne Ultimatum won for this one too!!! Excellent.

Forrest Whitaker is up to present Best Actress. From this category, I've only seen Juno, so my vote is for Ellen Page by default. Though, it's not like Cate Blanchett can do any wrong. I also like Laura Linney even though I haven't seen her in much. Marion Cotillard won for La Vie En Rose, a French film. Eehhhh. Whatever.

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Live Blogging: 80th Annual Academy Awards [Hour 1]

The show is opening with computer graphic montage of images from various movies throughout history. Many of the images come from movies that were probably never up for Oscars, except maybe the technical ones. Lots of sci-fi images.

And, with no fanfare or buildup, here's Jon Stewart. He brings up the Writer's Strike first. "Welcome to the make-up sex," he says.

Jon comments about the focus on killers in several of the nominations this year. "Thank goodness for teenage pregnancy," he says, referring to Juno.

Dang, who is that with George Clooney. Is that his wife, his girlfriend, his cousin? Whoever she is, she's quite, quite nice looking.

Jon awkwardly throw in an Iraq War reference. Then he jokes about John McCain's age.

Jennifer Garner is presenting the first award. Nice dress; slightly weird hair-do. Best Costume Design. I only saw Atonement. The designer for Elizabeth: The Golden Age won. Although I didn't see it, I could tell from clips & previews that it's a pretty deserving movie for this category.

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George Clooney is up to... talk about something, I think the history of the Oscars. He looks less grey right now. I wonder if colors his hair in movies or in real life. Wow, these clips of past Oscars make me wish the more recent Oscars were more interesting.

Anne Hathaway and Steve Carrell are up to present Best Animated Film. Steve was "thinking" he was presenting Best Documentary. Anne corrected him. Did Steve Carrell just say, "Shit"? My vote goes for Ratatouille, but just barely. I think it was good but over-rated. Truthfully, I didn't see Surf's Up, and I wouldn't want to see Persepolis. Ratatouille won. Whatever.

Katherine Heigl is up to present Best Make-Up. She looks pretty nice. She apologizes, saying she's not very good at this and incredibly nervous. I thought she was joking, but maybe not. She pretty much just presents the nominees, and she does look & sound genuinely nervous. La Vie En Rose won for Best Make-Up. Ehh, whatever. This was not a compelling category this year.

Amy Adams is up to sing a nominated song from Enchanted. I like Amy Adams. She was about the only thing I liked about the movie Junebug, and she also played a nice yet under-used character in Charlie Wilson's War. I've heard good things about Enchanted, even from a few male critics, but I haven't brought myself to see it yet. Maybe I'll break down and rent it one day.

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Dwayne Johnson is up to present Best Visual Effects. Noms: Golden Compasss, Pirates 3, Transformers. My picks is Golden Compass. And, it wins. Whoa. I was a little worried it would go to Transformers. Granted, Golden Compass wasn't a great movie (neither is Transformers), but specifically in terms of visuals, I had more problems with Transformers.

Cate Blanchett is up to present Best Art Direction. Noms: American Gangster (probably should have caught that one), Atonement, Golden Compass, Sweeney Todd, and There Will Be Blood. My pick is Golden Compass again. Ugh. Sweeney Todd got it. I didn't see that movie, but I could tell just by looking at it that I wouldn't want to.

Jon is joking about the wide acting range of Cate Blanchett, saying that the pitbull in No Country for Old Men was even played by Cate Blanchett. He then says that even he, right now, is being played by Cate Blanchett.

Jennifer Hudson is up to present Best Supporting Actor. Noms: Casey Affleck, Javier Barden (he'll probably win and is deserving), Phillip Seymour Hoffman (my personal pick), Hal Holbrook, and Tom Wilkinson (good but not super). The winner is: Javier Bardem. No big surprise. Is it just me or does Javier Barden look a lot like Jeffrey Dean Morgan (I think that's the right name of the actor who played Denny in Grey's Anatomy)?

2008 Oscar Picks

The Oscars are tonight. Real quick, before they air, my wishes and predictions are below.

Best Picture


  • Atonement

  • Juno

  • Michael Clayton

  • No Country for Old Men

  • There Will Be Blood

I'm not as enthused about the Oscars this year, so this was the only category in which I was determined to see all five nominees.

1st Choice: Juno
2nd Choice: There Will Be Blood
3rd Choice: No Country for Old Men
4th Choice: Michael Clayton
5th Choice: Atonement

Achievement in Directing


  • Joel & Ethan Coen -- No Country for Old Men

  • Paul Thomas Anderson -- There Will Be Blood

  • Tony Gilroy -- Michael Clayton

  • Jason Reitman -- Juno

  • Julian Schnabel -- The Diving Bell and Butterfly

I'd be okay with any of the four I've seen (all but Diving Bell). No strong preference, but I'd say Paul Thomas Anderson is most deserving out of the four.

Best Original Screenplay


  • Juno

  • Michael Clayton

  • Ratatouille

  • Lars and the Real Girl

  • The Savages

My pick, by far, is Juno. Not a perfect movie or even a perfect script, but one of the sharpest and wittiest scripts to come around in a while.

Best Adapted Screenplay


  • Atonement

  • Away From Her

  • No Country for Old Men

  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

  • There Will Be Blood

My pick is There Will Be Blood. Old Men & Atonement both had problems, and I didn't see the other two.

Best Actor


  • George Clooney -- Michael Clayton

  • Daniel Day-Lewis -- There Will Be Blood

  • Johnny Depp -- Sweeney Todd

  • Viggo Mortensen -- Eastern Promises

  • Tommy Lee Jones -- In The Valley of Elah

Only say Blood & Michael Clayton, but I'd say this has to go to Daniel Day-Lewis.

Best Actress


  • Ellen Page -- Juno

  • Julie Christie -- Away From Her

  • Marion Cotillard -- La Vie En Rose

  • Cate Blanchett -- Elizabeth: The Golden Age

  • Laura Linney -- The Savages

Ellen Page, by default. Juno is the only one of the five I saw. I've probably only seen a couple movies with Laura Linney, but I just like her for some reason. So, I'd be okay if she won even though I don't know what The Savages is about.

Best Supporting Actor


  • Javier Bardem -- No Country for Old Men

  • Tom Wilkinson -- Michael Clayton

  • Philip Seymour Hoffman -- Charlie Wilson's War

  • Hal Holbrook -- Into the Wild

  • Casey Affleck -- The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Bardem will probably get this, and that will be okay. But my personal preference is for Hoffman to get it. Charlie Wilson's War deserves more credit.

Best Supporting Actress


  • Cate Blanchett -- I'm Not There

  • Tilda Swinton -- Michael Clayton

  • Amy Ryan -- Gone, Baby, Gone

  • Saorise Ronan -- Atonement

  • Ruby Dee -- American Gangster

Not much prefernce. I'd say Tilda Swinton was probably a little better than Saorise Ronan and had a bigger role in her movie.

Achievement in Cinematography


  • Atonement

  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

  • No Country for Old Men

  • There Will Be Blood

  • The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Tough call between Blood & Old Men, but I lean toward Blood.

Best Film Editing


  • The Bourne Ultimatum

  • No Country for Old Men

  • Into the Wild

  • There Will Be Blood

  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

It would be awesome if Bourne Ultimatum won, and I think it should.

Achievement in Sound Editing


  • There Will Be Blood

  • The Bourne Ultimatum

  • Ratatouille

  • No Country for Old Men

  • Transformers

Another Blood vote. As long as it's not Transformers.

Achievement in Sound Mixing


  • The Bourne Ultimatum

  • Ratatouille

  • 3:10 to Yuma

  • No Country for Old Men

  • Transformers

3:10 was the only one I didn't see, and I don't have a preference. Just to make a choice, I'll vote toward No Country for Old Men. As long as it's not Transformers.

Best Art Direction


  • Atonement

  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

  • There Will Be Blood

  • American Gangster

  • The Golden Compass

Not a great movie, but a good look... I say The Golden Compass.

Best Animated Feature Film


  • Surf's Up

  • Persepolis

  • Ratatouille

Didn't see Surf's Up; wouldn't want to see Persepolis; thinking Ratatouille is over-rated. Rat movie gets my vote by default.

Achievement in Costume Design


  • Atonement

  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

  • Elizabeth: The Golden Age

  • Across the Universe

  • La Vie En Rose

Only saw Atonement, but I'd say it's deserving enough.

Best Visual Effects


  • The Golden Compass

  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

  • Transformers

Wouldn't want to see Pirates; was disappointed in the other two. My preference leans toward The Golden Compass.

Movie Review Catch-Up: Just the Scores for Now

Unfortunately, I've gotten waaay behind on blogging, in general, and more specifically, I haven't been reviewing the movies I've been seeing. Maybe it's a habit I'll bet back into. I definitely hope so.

I may catch up on full reviews or at least brief reviews of the movies I've seen over the past few months. But, with the Oscars coming tonight, I thought I would at least give my scores & ratings for each movie.

Michael Clayton


Story / Script
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/ Overall

Beowulf


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/ Overall

No Country for Old Men


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/ Overall

The Golden Compass


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/ Overall

Alien vs. Predator 2: Requiem


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/ Overall

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets


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/ Overall

I Am Legend


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/ Overall

Juno


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/ Overall

Charlie Wilson's War


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/ Overall

Cloverfield


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/ Overall

Atonement


Story / Script
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/ Overall

There Will Be Blood


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/ Overall

The Bucket List


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/ Overall

Vantage Point


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/ Overall