The Oscar Nominations: A Reaction

By Sean Knight

First let me apologize for my absence from the blog.  My computer is dead and will not be fixed until I have some extra income, in other words not until I get my tax return.  In the meantime Jeanette has been taking care of the blog and was kind enough to post my 2010 Knight Award nominations yesterday.  I am currently using whatever computer I can get my hands on in order to pop on here every once in a while and will continue to do so till my computer is fixed, so bear with me. 



I'm going to do this category by category.  As you can expect lots of bitching will ensue.  Read on after the jump.

The 2010 Razzie Nominations!!

The Razzie Awards are probably my FAVORITE award show out of them all. The Razzies pay tribute to the worst of the worst in movies and actors. The nominees are always announced the morning before Oscar Nominations are announced. Leading the race this year is The Last Airbender, Sex and the City 2, and that stupid Twilight movie. Oh, and Jessica Alba scored a worst supporting actress nomination for EVERY movie she made last year. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA. Check out the nominees after the jump!

The Official 2010 Knight Award Nominations!

As per tradition here are my 2010 Knight Award Nominations posted the day before the Oscar nominations. I didn't get to see everything that I would have liked before completing my list but that happens just about every year. It was an odd year at the movies and while there was plenty to like there was also plenty to despise. That being said, some of the greatest filmmakers working today delivered top quality work that expanded their own repertoire and, at times, the landscape of cinema itself. I will be very interested to see how Oscar fares this year and I'm sure that many of my nominees will be left off of their list. Such is life. The worth of film is in the eye of the beholder. As most of you know I do six nominations per category because I like even numbers and it's hard enough getting it down to that number let alone five nominations. I also have a limited role category that accounts for performances that fall below the screen time of most supporting categories, essentially they are great cameo roles. Unfortunately this year I had to discontinue my mixed media, or animated performance catergory, as I simply did not see enough of those types of films to fill it this year. Hopefully it will make a return next season. I hope you enjoy the nominations. The winners will be annouced either the day before or the day of the Oscar Ceremony. Feel free to comment in order to bitch and moan or to compliment. I like either one. Happy film year everyone and may the next one be better. Read on after the jump.

Big "The Dark Knight Rises" News!

Please tell me you've seen The Dark Knight?!!?!?

No? Why the fuck are you an idiot??!?!? Exit out of this blog, sign out of Facebook, and get your ass to a video store. Heath Ledger. He makes that movie. Watch it and get back to me.

If you answered yes to the original question then you'll be excited to know that Christopher Nolan and Warner's Brothers have FINALLY come out and confired that 1) CATWOMAN will be in the third movie and 2) We will also meet BANE. If you're not familiar with Bane, I urge you to watch Batman & Robin. Y'all remember that movie!!! It stars George Clooney (swoon) as Batman/Bruce, sweet little Chris O'Donnell as Robin, Cher aka Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA), Arnold Schwarzenegger.......You read that right. Mr. Freeze went on to become Governor of California......OH, and Uma Thurman was Poison Ivy. It's absolutely terrible. I've seen it about a thousand times. It's the worst Batman movie of the ENTIRE franchise (and I do include the cartoons). Anyway, Bane was in that movie. Oh, and apparently he broke Bruce Wayne's back....

Paramount also confirmed that Anne Hathaway will be taking on the role as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. First off, I bet Halle Berry is PISSED. Journey back with me to 2004. "Catwoman" graced theaters across the world and not one damn person was impressed. Y'all, it was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I'm sorry. I'm watching the trailer for it right now and....she has an Oscar?!?!)

Sorry. Ok, I like Anne Hathaway. I've watching her transform from a young up and comer (i.e. The Princess Diaries) to an Oscar Nominated Actress (i.e. Rachel Getting Married). I feel like I've really seen her grow into her talent. One my favorite movies that she did was Brokeback Mountain. I'm interested to see her become Catwoman. I think she'll be good. What do you think? Do you like Anne Hathaway?

Tom Hardy (that hottie from Inception) will be playing Bane. This guy could play a donkey and I would still go see him. LOOK AT THOSE LIPS Y'ALL. I'm still getting to know Tom Hardy. Any suggestions for films of his that I should check out? Shoot me an email! 

So friends, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree? I agree! I think both of these actors will bring a lot to this movie. The stakes are high and I think Nolan found two strong actors to take on two big roles!

(If you want a good laugh check out the Catwoman trailer after the jump.)

It's The Day of The Globes, Y'all!

Jammers here.

Tonight is the night! The Globes will be handed out tonight. This is one of my favorite award shows because it involves both movies and television and I love both! I've looked over the list of nominees countless times since they were announced and I have made some predictions.

Before I get to that can we all agree that the Best Movie-Comedy/Musical category is a complete joke. Alice in fucking Wonderland was one of the worst pieces of shit to come out of Disney. I love me some Johnny, but this movie was one giant acid trip. The fact that it was nominated is a complete joke. Red and The Tourist were only nominated because the Hollywood Foreign Press is on a quest to see how many "big name" celebrities they can get in one room. The Kids Are All Right is going to win. If it doesn't win then the Hollywood Foreign Press is fucking stupid. And last but not least, BURLESQUE. BURLESQUE?!?!?! I really want to know how much dick Christina Aguilera sucked to get this shit show of a movie a nomination. She must be good at deep throating because this movie has no business being mentioned during award season. There were two good things about the movie-1)Stanley Tucci. and 2) The dude who was running the spotlight when Cher had that random "you can't bring me down because I'm Cher and I'm gonna be here forever" song in the middle of the fucking thing.

The other category that I could care less about is Best Performance by An Actor in a Comedy/Musical. Casino Jack and Barney's Version haven't made there way to Dallas yet so I have not seen either of those. I refuse to pay to see The Tourist so I could really care less if Johnny wins for it. Jakey G was sweet in Love and Other Drugs and he does look good naked so I'm gonna go ahead and give him my vote even though it'll probably go to Alice in the fucking acid trip that was Wonderland. I would have dropped that piece of cow shit and put Mark Ruffalo in the category for The Kids Are All Right but that's just me.

And just because someone got cancer doesn't mean you give him a nomination. *cough* Michael Douglas.

Anyway, my predictions are after the jump. What are your predictions?

The Critics Choice Awards

How y'all doing out there?!?! Jamie here. It's been one whirlwind of a week for both Sean and I so we've both been MIA. Our apologies. This was an interesting week in movies for me. I saw three films-The Fighter, I Am Love, and Blue Valentine. Check back later for my thoughts on each!

Friday night was The Critics Choice Awards and The Golden Globes are tomorrow at 7pm. It's awards weekend! I read over the winners from The Critics Choice awards and for the most part it went just as I thought it would go. The one category that I don't agree with is (**SPOILER ALERT) The Fighter winning for Best Acting Ensemble. I picked The Social Network because in my opinion the supporting cast gave stronger performances than the cast of The Fighter. But, I can see why The Fighter won.

Anyway, the winners are posted after the jump!

I'm back! Goodbye Willows

Well that was an emotional weekend.  The Wind in the Willows has closed so I can begin to put my focus back on the blog.  I'm sad that it's over though.  Doing that show was such a wonderful experience and that cast will always have a special place in my heart.  The amount of red wine drank at the closing night cast party yesterday was quite astounding and needless to say tears did flow.  This week is Golden Globes week.  I will have a few reviews to post over the coming days and Jeanette and I will have various posts about the nominees throughout the week.  And you may even be getting a video or two from us as well!  Stay tuned.  I'm glad to be back!

I miss these guys already...

Golden Globes!

What's up, y'all. Jamie here to give you the list of Golden Globe nominations. I'm sure you've seen them already (CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE BEST COMEDY CATEGORY?!?!?!) but if you haven't you can check them out after the jump.

Check back throughout the week as we spotlight the films we feel have the best chance at winning! Tune into the ceremony this Sunday January 16th at 7pm central time.

A Father's Thoughts.

Jamie here. This handsome man is my daddy, Greg. Like Sean and I he is a very opinionated movie fan. When Sean and I were planning the blog we talked at length about asking people we know to contribute insight into movies we are discussing. With the Golden Globes just around the corner I wanted to do an entry about one of the nominess that we really enjoyed. I am not the biggest Coen Brothers fan, but found True Grit to have the second best script of the year (1st place goes to The Social Newtork). Also, Hailee Steinfeld did an outstanding job at holding her place next to Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.  

True Grit, directed by Joel & Ethan Coen is a remake of the original that came out in 1969. John Wayne starred as Rooster Cogburn (the role Jeff Bridges plays in the 2010 version). My dad was around in 1969 and saw the original movie. I asked him to go back and watch it again and see which version he liked better.You'll find out really quickly that he is not the biggest John Wayne fan.  Read his thoughts after the jump. 

British Academy of Film and Television Arts Long List!

The BAFTAs released it long list of films that are up for nominations. Official nominations will be announced on January 18th. Awards will be handed out Feb. 13th. Check the list out after the jump.

I'm a fucking idiot.

I had a margarita (*ahem of four) last night and did something really stupid. I was playing around on itunes and instead of downloading what I THOUGHT was the latest episode of 16 & Pregnant turned out to be The Other Guys, starring Will Ferrel and Mark Wahlberg. I can be such a fucking idiot at times. I don't want to watch this movie. I knew two seconds into the trailer that this movie was going to suck major dick. But I had no choice. I paid for the fucking thing so I had to watch it. Anyway, my thoughts are after the jump.

Some Funny Shit.

I have to post this video. I can't stop laughing.

Back to Work

Sean here. I'm going to be absent from the blog for a couple days because this weekend I will be doing the final four performances of The Wind in the Willows at City Lit. It's been a great run, but now it's time to move on to the next show. I'm going to be auditioning like crazy in the coming weeks. But not to worry, I've got plenty of posts coming up and next weekend is the BFCA and the Golden Globe ceremony. I'm sure Jeanette will have plenty to talk about to keep you entertained for the next few days. There is a lot to cover, so stay tuned. And as a little treat here is a clip from the 1987 Rankin and Bass animated version of The Wind in the Willows featuring the unintentionally hilarious song "Messing About in Boats". Enjoy!

127 Hours- My Thoughts.

I want to buy Aron Ralston a beer. This dude got his hand trapped under a boulder miles and miles away from anyone and all he had was a shitty little knife, some rope, a harness, and a video camera. He was trapped for five days. FIVE FUCKING DAYS. He finally freed himself by cutting off his forearm. This dude cut.his.own.arm.off. SAY WHAT?!?!?! Someone get this man a shot of Jack Daniels. He fucking deserves it.

Danny Boyle's interpretation of Aron's Story is what I like to call a cinematic orgasm. Boyle jizzed emotion all over this fucking thing. We know the magnitude of the situation this dude is in. He knows the instant that he can't move the boulder that he is trapped. I felt Boyle went a little over board in some of the flashbacks. I hated the one at the Utah Jazz basketball game where his girlfriend turns to him with tears in her eyes and says something like, "You're going to be alone forever Aron." To me it was cheesy. It was overdramatic and took me out of the movie at times. I don't need to see a little boy standing in a pool of sunshine to feel hopeful for Aron. That scene made me laugh. This kid sitting on a couch starring at Aron and willing him to live. Gag me with a fucking spoon. We all know how this story ends. I would much rather have James Franco and a video camera. The best moments of the movie are when James Franco is talking to the video camera. We see a real human who is coming to turns with death, yet still tries to be upbeat and even comical at times. James Franco does an excellent job of taking advantage of the intimate moments in the film. When he records messages on his video camera he tries to come off as upbeat when it's clear that he is teetering on the verge of breaking down. You see someone who always wants to appear to be brave when in reality is scared shitless. Franco shined in those moments.

I was so relieved when Aron finally decided to cut his arm off. I couldn't sit and watch someone die anymore. His suffering was killing me. Roger Ebert said something about it that really struck me. He said:

"Pain and bloodshed are so common in the movies. They are rarely amped up to the level of reality, because we want to be entertained, not sickened. We and the heroes feel immune. '127 Hours' removes the filters. It implicates us. By identification, we are trapped in the canyon, we are cutting into our own flesh. One element that film can suggest but not evoke is the brutality of the pain involved. I can't even imagine what it felt like. Maybe that made it easier for Ralston, because in one way or another, his decision limited the duration of his suffering."

At that point there really wasn't anything else he could do to survive. If I were in that situation I don't know if I could make that choice. I really want to shake Aron's hand. He's a courageous guy with a great story to tell.

Overall the movie was good, but not life changing like some are making it out to be. I don't think James Franco should win the Oscar for it. I think Colin Firth of Jesse Eisenberg will probably walk away with the trophy. Should Danny Boyle win for Best Director? No. Not at all. Have you seen the movie? What did you think?

Best,

Jamie

Some Last Minute Research!

The time has finally come! I'm off to see 127 Hours. I'm really interested to see what all this talk is about. James Franco has been on my list of under-rated actors for awhile now and I'm so glad that he is finally starting to get the notice I think he deserves. I was introduced to him when he played Daniel Desario on Freaks and Geeks. I really wanna know who the fuck thought it was a good idea to cancel that show?!?!?! WHOSE FUCKING IDEA WAS IT?!? If you've never seen the show your fucking stupid. It stars Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel. Watch it.

Anyway, I've been flipping back and forth between three reviews that I find to be very interesting. www.rogerebert.com, www.nytimes.com, and www.ew.com. I find that each of the sites offers an interesting insight into the movie. If you have a free moment I urge you to check them out! I've included links to the reviews for 127 Hours after the jump. Check back later tonight for my thoughts on the film.

-JJ

127 Hours! The Anticipation is KILLING ME.

Be sure to check back later this evening for Jamie's review of 127 Hours. Have you seen the movie yet? Leave a comment and let us know what you think! In the meantime enjoy the trailer.

Barbra Streisand in Talks to Produce, Direct and Star in Film Remake of Gypsy WTF????

By Sean Knight

Every couple weeks or so there is news that comes along from Hollywood that makes you say - you've got to be fucking kidding me!

Mamma Rose???

Is this really happening? Playbill.com seems to think so...
Reaction after the jump.

My Favorite Oscar Wins: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

By Sean Knight

I can't think of a more deserving actor winning an Oscar in the past five years than Christoph Waltz (besides possibly Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight).  Read on after the jump.

Cheers to the Blog!

It's time to celebrate!

Cheers to all of our future readers and most importantly to Jeanette, without whom this blog would not be possible.  Time to get crunk! And watch a movie!

Why I Hate Hilary Swank as an Actress (A Quasi Review of Conviction)

By Sean Knight

This is the start of what I hope to be a series of articles about at least semi-respected actors and why we think they suck. They are to be taken with a grain of salt and are for amusement purposes only.  While we may think they really suck you don't have to.  But it's fun to pick on film actors.  Especially ones that have Oscars on their mantle.  The first victim is Hilary Swank after the jump.

The Producers Guild Nominations: A Reaction

Sean here.  The Producers Guild Nominations were announced this morning and all I can really say is that this race has become extremely predictable.  No surprises whatsoever unless you consider The Town, but let's be honest it was an above average crime thriller that did better than expected Box Office.  Of course the Producers Guild would like it.  And I expect the same thing to happen at the Academy Awards, but I really hope they throw in a few curve balls.  As much as I couldn't stand The Blind Side last year it was definitely a surprising if undeserving nominee that got people all a twitter.  The Nominations and analysis are after the jump.

WELCOME TO TWO OPINIONATED BITCHES ON FILM!

Welcome to the launch of our new blog.  This is a blog dedicated to me and my partner in crime's observations, thoughts, philosophies, rants, insinuations, and (most of all) our completely bitchy ass opinions on the art of filmmaking and the films themselves.  This will be a no bullshit blog.  In other words - anything goes.  We have been known to be two of the most vulgar and offensive people in a room and that isn't going to change with this blog.  If you are easily offended we may not be for you.  And as the title of the blog suggests we firmly believe that we are always right even when we both don't agree (which is frequent).  I'm sure this will cause many a wonderful and funny fight on the blog between us, but just know there is always love behind every swear word, insult, and fist fight (though those will be avoided since we are in separate states for the moment...). We plan to cover many a topic on this blog including (but not limited to) awards coverage, especially the Oscar race, actor profiles, movie reviews, great movie articles, and whatever projects we come up with.  The blog will expand and grow in the months to come and we hope you enjoy the journey with us.  We will also have frequent guest contributors that are personal friends of ours that share a similar obsession with filmmaking.

Now let us introduce ourselves as I am sure you are dying to know who the hell is writing this damn blog.

Sean Knight

I first became obsessed with movies when I was around five years old.  It was when I saw E.T. The Extraterrestrial. As a child that movie captivated my imagination.  It told a story I could connect to on both an emotional and imaginative level.  When I was young my father was in the military and as a result the family moved around quite a bit.  I spent much of my youth overseas and though I would never want to lose or forget that experience I cannot deny that at times it was quite lonely.  I would make friends and then quickly lose them when we moved on to our next destination.  E.T. was a movie about friendship and it made me long for a friend from another world that I could have a deep personal connection with.  E.T. also sparked my imagination like no other film before or after.  I began to wonder what existed outside of my small world and the idea of space and other beings was fascinating to me and still is to this day.  But the thing E.T. really did for me was that it opened my eyes to the possibilities of filmmaking and the limitless imagination that could exist within the medium with the right man (or woman)  behind the camera.  As a result I wanted to become a filmmaker for most of my life.  In high school I attended The North East School of the Arts in San Antonio TX.  I studied college level film for four years of my life.  Many of my student films competed and were shown in film festivals all over the United States including the youth forum at the Sundance Film Festival.  I won a best directing award for the short film "Marian" at the Locomotion Film Festival.  But two thing happened my senior year of high school that changed everything.  The first was that I auditioned for the shows in the musical theater department.  I was encouraged by my partner in crime on this site to audition and as a result I was cast as Cinderella's Prince in Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods".  I had always admired theater as my parents had taken me to see quite a few Broadway touring shows in my lifetime and most of my friend had always been theater kids.  But now something clicked in me and I discovered that I actually really loved being on stage.  But more than that I connected with the music of Stephen Sondheim and I began to see the artistic possibilities that existed within the musical theater.  It was no longer about spectacle and chandeliers dropping.  It was about character, emotions, and story.  I was hooked, but I still wanted to make movies. But then something else happened that senior year that changed my life forever.  Right before graduation my brother Max died.  He had a rare heart defect and it took his life when he was only 30 years old.  It was a major blow to my family and it has taken us many years to heal from it.  I went off to the College of Santa Fe a few short months after his death to study film and found myself unable to cope.  I wasn't ready for the stress of college at the time and worst of all I had lost my passion for studying and making movies.  It wasn't a creative outlet for me anymore.  My heart wasn't in it.  I went home for a year and gave myself time to mourn and begin the healing process.  But that year I also made a decision. I was going to become an actor.  My brother himself had acted when he was young and he was apparently quite good.  It was both a way for me to move on and find myself again as well as a way to honor my brother.  I went to Columbia College Chicago and graduated with a BA in Musical Theater Acting in 2009.  For the past two years I have been a working actor in Chicago and have loved every moment.  But I'm still very passionate about film.  I have spent years reviewing films and spouting off my opinions to any friend or family member who would listen.  I'm sure I've driven quite a few of them insane and on more than once occasion I have been told that I should do it as a profession.  And while this blog is not quite a professional film reviewing site, it is a way for me to get my views out there.  But I do owe it to Jeanette (or Jamie as many others know her) as it was her idea to start this blog.  I have known her for over 10 years now and she is one of the great loves of my life, even if I don't find her sexually appealing (I happen to swing for the other team :) )  But I will let her introduce herself.  Enjoy the blog and thanks for reading!

Jamie (Jeanette) Link

Happy Feet is the scariest movie ever made. End of discussion. Robin Williams. Dancing Penguins. Couldn't do it. The first movie I ever saw in a movie theater was The Little Mermaid. I remember standing in front of my chair and Ariel was pressed free willy style on the rock. You know what scene I'm talking about. It's the reprise to Part of Your World and the wave is crashing up behind her. That one scene in that movie is what keeps me coming back. Movies make me feel like I'm on an adventure. It's a rush for me. Because of that I have very high expectations. Yes, silly movies are fun. I love stupid movies (just look at my movie collection). It's only in the last couple years that I have started to really nitpick. Sean, who you just met, is what I like to call a snob. His expectations are so high and he is so passionate about it. I love that about him. He's also really fucking headstrong. It took me a couple years to have the confidence to discuss a movie with him. Now? I could fucking care less if he disagrees with me. That's what makes for fun conversation! He has taught me a lot of film and the art of filmmaking. I value his opinion, I respect him, and I love him with all my heart. We may some pretty mean things to each other (and many that may offend people) but know that we don't mean a word of it. We've been best friends for 10 years now and it's been a fun journey.

 Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let me introduce myself! My name is Jamie (Jeanette) Link. I hail from the great state of Texas, but don't get it twisted, I don't do republican. I started acting when I was 7 years old. I started out working at San Pedro Playhouse in San Antonio, Texas. I was a member of the kid's acting troupe. I worked at that theater from the time I was 7 to when I turned 17. Through acting I was able to channel all my creative emotions into something. Creating characters became a fun adventure for me. It was through meeting other kids who were  involved with SPP that discovered my Alma Mater. I attended North East School of the Arts where I majored in Musical Theater. Attending an Arts High School was the best decision I have ever made. I was surrounded by other artists who were so comfortable with themselves. Individuality was encouraged and that is very rare in high school. I changed my name to Jeanette right before my freshman year. I figured I would spice things up a bit! I thought my middle name was so hot. HAHAHAHA. I met Sean on the bus one day my freshman year. I randomly asked him for his number and he looked at me like I was crazy. But, I still got those digits. I called him that night and asked some random question. That was 10 years ago and we've been best friends ever since. We balance each other out and that is one of my favorite things about our relationship.  We're two of the most offensive people when we get together. We're very blunt and are not afraid to challenge each other. Because of Sean, I have grown to become a HUGE movie buff. I mean, being best friends with a crazed movie fanatic will bring anyone to the dark side. We don't see a movie without consulting with each other. I really hope you find this blog entertaining. Please take everything we say with a grain of salt and know that we mean no offense. We're just two passionate movie people. Oh, and I'm a HUGE basketball fan. GO SPURS GO.

I'm also obsessed with Ryan Gosling.

....and Kate Winslet.