Sunday, January 4, 2009

Sunday Blessings - Jason Schwartzman


That's right, you read the title correctly. For this week's edition of Sunday Blessings, I'm devoting the post to Jason Schwartman. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, and yes, I realize he's not the sexiest person around, but I find him completely adorable. I thought he was adorable in I Heart Huckabees, and Shopgirl, and his short-live television series Cracked Up, and...well, okay, maybe not in Marie Antoinette -for some reason he seemed kind of off putting in that film - but I did find him adorable, once again, in The Darjeeling Limited, which he actually co-wrote. I just watched it on cable, either Starz of HBO, I can't remember, and I thought it was a really good film, so I decided to do a posting on one of its cast members. Owen Wilson was all banged up in the film, so I wasn't going to choose him, and Adrien Brody just seemed like an obvious pick. I mean, yes, he's utterly hot, and I would pounce on the man in a second, but again too obvious. That's how I came up with Schwartzman. What do I like about him, you may ask. Well, the nose, I love a prominent honker, the short height- I likes my men below 5'10'', and the general hairiness - fur, it keeps you warn. I also just find him cute in general. However, I do wish he'd cut his hair; it looks better short. So there you have it, Jason Schwartzman is the focus of this week's Sunday Blessings. Praise Jesus!


Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Busy, Busy, Busy

Oh how the holidays can keep a boy busy. I'll get back to posting sometime this weekend.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

10 Favorite Christmas Movies

It's Christmas Eve, and in celebration of my favorite holiday, here are my ten favorite Christmas movies. I didn't include any TV specials, but if I did A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! would both place highly.

10. Love, Actually
9. The Fabulous Baker Boys
8. White Christmas
7. The Muppet Christmas Carol
6. Die Hard
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas
4. Miracle on 34th Street
3. Edward Scissorhands
2. It's a Wonderful Life
1. Meet Me in St. Louis

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sunday Blessings - Javier Bardem


In today's edition of Sunday Blessings, we thank Jesus for Spanish actor Javier Bardem, one half of the hottest couple in Hollywood. That's right I said it. Cruise-Holmes and Pitt-Jolie don't have anything compared to Bardem-Cruz. I still haven't seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which, yes, I'm embaressed to admit. A Woody Allen film starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson - I should have been there opening night. Anyway, going back to just Bardem, I first took notice of him in Before Night Falls, the Reinaldo Arenas biopic by artist Julian Schnabel. Hollywood probably also first took notice of him in that film, as he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. I don't know how anyone could watch that film and not be sexually compelled by him. Oh, the charisma and starpower featured in that film, it'll make a grow man swoon. Of course I watched his subsequent films, as well as his earlier films, like Second Skin and Jamon, Jamon. Now Jamon, Jamon has some serious sexual magnetism between all the actors, which includes Cruz, and I highly recommend it to anyone. So, um, where was I going? Ah yes, No Country for Old Men. Everybody took notice of Bardem then. He became a household name, but not for a role that utilized his sexuality. His fame grew with his portrayal of a psychopath with a Dorothy Hamill haircut, and everyone I knew, who wasn't previously aware of Bardem, considered him a creepy actor. To which I always tried to steer them toward his earlier films. "Seriously, he's a sexpot! Believe me!" Upon seeing them, of course they agreed with me. Damn straight!


Saturday, December 20, 2008

Let's All Thank Seann William Scott

For showing his ass in his upcoming film Balls Out: The Gary Houseman Story. You can see the actual pics of his butt from the film here. I don't know what the film's about, and I don't really care, because I'll go watch it even if it's a piece of crap. Seeing Seann William Scott play tennis in a jockstrap, with his ass hanging out, is worth the price of the ticket, and the pornstache he's wearing is an added benefit. It was if the director went in my head, took one of my fantasies and placed it on screen. Again, thank you Seann for letting us all see your ass.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

New Oscar Predictions

With the Golden Globes and SAG nominations announced, plus all the critics awards, here's I how I see the Oscar race going.

Picture:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

Director:
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Chris Nolan - The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant - Milk

Actor:
Clint Eastwood - Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Actress:
Anne Hathway - Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Cate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Kate Winslet - The Reder

Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Original Screenplay:
Happy-Go-Lucky
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
WALL-E

Cinematography:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Revolutionary Road
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Editing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire

Art Direction:
Australia
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader

Costume Design:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
The Other Boleyn Girl
Revolutionary Road

Make Up:
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
The Reader
Synecdoche, New York

Original Score:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Milk
Revolutionary Road
WALL-E

Original Song:
"Down to Earth" - WALL-E
"Gran Torino" - Gran Torino
"Jaiho" - Slumdog Millionaire
"Once in a Lifetime" - Cadillac Records
"The Wrestler" - The Wrestler

Sound Mixing:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Iron Man
WALL-E

Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls
Iron Man

Animated Feature:
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

SAG Nominations and Chicago Winners

Sometimes the Screen Actors Guild provides surprises on nomination day, but this year, not so much. There's the continued clusterf*** over Slumdog Millionaire, with two nominations for the film, Best Ensemble (really?) and Best Supporting Actor, Dev Patel (isn't he the lead?). The rest of the ensemble nominations are for films aiming for Best Picture Oscar nominations. Couldn't the guild member's think outside the box? Where's the surprise nomination? Where's this year's Hustle & Flow, The Station Agent, or 3:10 to Yuma? Just because you love a film and think its amazing, doesn't mean it has the best ensemble performance. There's always talk about the Oscars adding a Best Ensemble category, but I'm kind of glad that they don't, because you know if they did, it would be the same exact linup as the Best Picture category.

The Nominations:

Ensemble:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

Actor:
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Actress:
Anne Hathway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Kate Winslet - The Reader


The Chicago Film Critics Association also handed out awards today. More Slumdog! Zzzzzzz... Their winners were:
Picture: WALL-E
Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Actor: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Actress: Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader
Original Screenplay: WALL-E
Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Cinematography: The Dark Knight
Score: WALL-E