Entertainers of the Year 2014

Chris Pratt
2014 was Chris Pratt's year. The awesome body, The Lego Movie, the top grossing Guardians of the Galaxy. Then on tv he hosted the SNL season opener and before the year end holidays, Parks and Rec wrapped its final season. Next up for Pratt, Jurassic World hits theaters June 2015.

Reese Witherspoon 

Witherspoon produced Gone Girl, produced and starred in Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild for which she has already received Golden Globe, SAG and Critics' Choice nominations. She is likely to obtain an Oscar nomination. While a much more under the radar film, her performance in The Good Lie was excellent. She also appeared in the awards fodder flick Inherent Vice, which reunited Witherspoon with her Walk the Line costar Joaquin Phoenix. Next year in May, Witherspoon costars with Sofia Vergara in the buddy pic, Don't Mess With Texas. 

Mark Ruffalo
Three superb roles across big and small screens. Ruffalo was heartbreakingly amazing in HBO's the Normal Heart. His performance earned him Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics' Choice TV and SAG nods. Begin Again with Keira Knightley was an indie delight. For his most recent work in Foxcatcher, Ruffalo received SAG, Critics' Choice Movie and Golden Globe nominations. An Oscar nom for Foxcatcher is likely. 2015 will have Ruffalo in the Avengers sequel in May and another indie in January.

Cameron Diaz
Diaz had the surprise spring hit The Other Woman and authored a wildly successful book about the female body. She was sitting pretty to weather the mediocre reception of Sex Tape in the summer. She hosted SNL for the fourth time just before the release of holiday pleaser, the Annie revamp. Diaz was on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon four times in 2014 and she even has her own door onto his set. Diaz produced the tv adaptation of Bad Teacher and it is rumored that Bad Teacher 2 will film in 2015.

Upcoming Oscar and Awards Season Important Dates

Dates for the Oscars and major awards season include:

• Friday, January 9th, BAFTA nominations announced
• Sunday, January 11th, The Golden Globes, 5pm NBC
• Thursday, January 15th:
• Oscar nominations announced 5am Pacific 
• Critics' Choice Movie Awards, 9pm on A+E
• Sunday, January 25th, SAG Awards, 5pm/8pm Pacific/Eastern TNT/tbs
• Monday, February 2nd, Oscar Nominee luncheon
• Sunday, February 8th, BAFTAS BBC America
• Tuesday, February 17th, Final Oscar ballots due, 5pm Pacific
• Saturday, February 21st, The Film Independent Spirit Awards 2pm IFC
• Sunday, February 22nd, the 87th Annual Academy Awards, 5pm/8pm Pacific/Eastern ABC

The Oscars are taking place, tied with 2009, the earliest in the year that they have been since 1932.

Neil Patrick Harris, the 2015 Oscar host

2015 Critics' Choice Movie Award Nominations

Thursday, January 15th at 9pm the Critics' Choice Movie Awards air on A+E and will be hosted by Michael Strahan. While a lesser known awards show with many categories, the Critics' Choice Awards definitely reflect on the attitudes of Hollywood and helps to predict the Oscar nominations. Awards are given by the Broadcast Film Critics Association. Birdman continues to dominate awards season and leads with thirteen nods. The Grand Budapest Hotel received eleven nominations and Boyhood eight. This is the 20th year for the awards and the first year that the awards show will air on television. This awards season marks the first year for several awards being televised; earlier in mid November the Hollywood Film Awards aired on CBS and Thursday, December 18th, the first ever People Magazine Awards air on NBC.

BEST PICTURE
Birdman
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
Whiplash

BEST ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, Inherent Vice
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Ellar Coltrane, Boyhood
Ansel Elgort, The Fault in Our Stars
Mackenzie Foy, Interstellar
Jaeden Lieberher, St Vincent
Tony Revolori, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Quvenzhane Wallis, Annie
Noah Wiseman, The Babadook

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Selma

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro G Iñárritu, Birdman
Angelina Jolie, Unbroken
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman, Alejandro G Iñárritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr, Armando Bo
Boyhood, Richard Linklater
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy
Whiplash, Damien Chazelle

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
The Imitation Game, Graham Moore
Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything, Anthony McCarten
Unbroken, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson
Wild, Nick Hornby

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Birdman, Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Robert Yeoman
Interstellar, Hoyte Van Hoytema
Mr Turner, Dick Pope
Unbroken, Roger Deakins 

BEST ART DIRECTION
Birdman, Kevin Thompson/Production Designer, George DeTitta Jr/Set Decorator
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Adam Stockhausen/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator Inherent Vice, David Crank/Production Designer, Amy Wells/Set Decorator
Interstellar, Nathan Crowley/Production Designer, Gary Fettis/Set Decorator
Into the Woods, Dennis Gassner/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
Snowpiercer, Ondrej Nekvasil/Production Designer, Beatrice Brentnerova/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
Birdman, Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
Boyhood, Sandra Adair
Gone Girl, Kirk Baxter
Interstellar, Lee Smith
Whiplash, Tom Cross

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel, Milena Canonero
Inherent Vice, Mark Bridges
Into the Woods, Colleen Atwood
Maleficent, Anna B Sheppard
Mr Turner, Jacqueline Durran

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
Foxcatcher
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
Maleficent

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

BEST ACTION MOVIE
American Sniper
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Edge of Tomorrow
Fury
Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Tom Cruise, Edge of Tomorrow
Chris Evans, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Brad Pitt, Fury
Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow
Scarlett Johansson, Lucy
Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Zoe Saldana, Guardians of the Galaxy
Shailene Woodley, Divergent

BEST COMEDY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
St Vincent
Top Five
22 Jump Street

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jon Favreau, Chef
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Bill Murray, St Vincent
Chris Rock, Top Five
Channing Tatum, 22 Jump Street

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rose Byrne, Neighbors
Rosario Dawson, Top Five
Melissa McCarthy, St Vincent
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
Kristen Wiig, The Skeleton Twins 

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Babadook
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Interstellar
Snowpiercer
Under the Skin

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Two Days, One Night
Wild Tales

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Citizenfour Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Last Days in Vietnam
Life Itself
The Overnighters

BEST SONG
"Big Eyes" Lana Del Rey, Big Eyes
"Everything Is Awesome" Jo Li and the Lonely Island, The Lego Movie
"Glory" Common/John Legend, Selma
"Lost Stars" Keira Knightley, Begin Again
"Yellow Flicker Beat" Lorde, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson, The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar

2015 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominations

Oscar Eve, or the 30th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards will air Saturday, February 21st at 2pm Pacific and 5pm Eastern on IFC.

Love the nods for Obvious Child and Jenny Slate, this is the platform for the film to be given the recognition that it deserves. Birdman and Michael Keaton, Boyhood, Foxcatcher and Julianne Moore in Still Alice have shown up on all the nomination lists so far and that bodes well for their Oscar chances.

BEST FEATURE
Birdman

Boyhood
Love is Strange
Selma
Whiplash

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Ava DuVernay, Selma 
Alejandro G Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
David Zellner Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, Big Eyes
JC Chandor, A Most Violent Year
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive
Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias, Love is Strange

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer) 
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
White People
Nightcrawler
Obvious Child
She’s Lost Control

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Desiree Akhavan, Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo, Little Accidents
Justin Lader, The One I Love
Anja Marquardt, She’s Lost Control
Justin Simien, Dear White People

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer) 
Blue Ruin
It Felt Like Love
Land Ho!
Man From Reno

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive

BEST MALE LEAD
André Benjamin, Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman
John Lithgow, Love is Strange
David Oyelowo, Selma

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood 
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo, Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz, Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone, Birdman

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Riz Ahmed, Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Alfred Molina, Love is Strange
Edward Norton Birdman
JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Darius Khondji, The Immigrant
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
Sean Porter, It Felt Like Love
Lyle Vincent, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Bradford Young, Selma

BEST EDITING
Sandra Adair, Boyhood
Tom Cross, Whiplash
John Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Ron Patane, A Most Violent Year
Adam Wingard, The Guest

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer) 20,000 Days on Earth Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson

CITIZENFOUR
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky,  Stray Dog
Director: Debra Granik Producer: Anne Rosellini,  The Salt of the Earth
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders Producer: David Rosier, Virunga Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel Producer: Joanna Natasegara

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director) 
Ruben Östlund, Force Majeure (Sweden)
Pawel Pawlikowski, Ida (Poland)
Andrey Zvyagintsev, Leviathan (Russia)
Xavier Dolan, Mommy (Canada)
Lav Diaz, Norte, the End of History (Philippines)
Jonathan Glazer, Under the Skin (United Kingdom)

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD (Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon 

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18th Annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Chad Burris, Elisabeth Holm, Chris Ohlson

21st ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st Annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Director: Ana Lily
Amirpour H, Directors: Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia
The Retrieval Director: Chris Eska

20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th Annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
Approaching the Elephant, Director: Amanda Rose Wilder
Evolution of a Criminal, Director: Darius Clark Monroe
The Kill Team, Director: Dan Krauss
The Last Season, Director: Sara Dosa

Guardians of the Galaxy

It is no secret that Chris Pratt got ripped to portray Marvel comic book hero Peter Quill. His comedic skills are put to great use as well and he was perfectly cast as the lead. The ragtag team he works with include Zoe Saldana, trading her Avatar blue for green as assassin Gamora (though she does have a blue sister), Rocket Racoon voiced by Bradley Cooper and his muscle, Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel. Josh Brolin voices an uncredited role as Gamora's father Thanos, Benicio Del Toro portrays the Collector and Glenn Close is Nova Prime.

The movie balances sci fi, superhero, and comedy genres with special effects and excellent dialogue. The pop culture references begin immediately with the Awesome Mix Vol 1 mixtape (and subsequently a fantastic soundtrack) in the opening scene and proceed to include the Millenium Falcon, Jackson Pollock, Footloose, and John Stamos. While very mainstream, the movie is also offbeat at times and sometimes delightfully odd. The extensive backstories and amount of villains to keep track of would seem to indicate an effort to remain true to the comic book.

Like any smart Marvel project, sequels and a growing franchise seem definite. Special effect nominations are likely, the movie is short listed for a Best Visual effects nod, and due to the success of the blockbuster references and montage inclusion at the Oscars probable. Amy Poehler could get in some jokes about her Parks and Rec costar Chris Pratt at the Globes as well.

Shout out to the Lees for being able to enjoy Guardians on my new big tv with excellent sound. It's going to make for great Oscar viewing.

Just a couple of the best quotes...
"It's not a purse, it's a knapsack!"
"Well, on my planet, we have a legend about people like you. It's called Footloose. And in it, a great hero, named Kevin Bacon, teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that, dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is."

2015 Golden Globe Nominations

Birdman continues to gain momentum as awards season gets into full swing with this week's nominations. On the television side, award magnet Modern Family was shut out. Mark Ruffalo again received double nominations for film and tv. Julianne Moore was nominated in both drama and comedy categories and Bill Murray was acknowledged in both movie and television categories.

The nominees were announced by Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven, Paula Patton and Peter Krause Thursday morning, December 11th. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler return to host the Golden Globes for their third year in a row, Sunday, January 11th on NBC at 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern time.

MOTION PICTURES BEST DRAMA
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

BEST COMEDY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Woods
Pride
St Vincent

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava Duvernay, Selma
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo, Selma
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Ralph Fiennes, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Bill Murray, St Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix, Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz, Big Eyes

BEST ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Amy Adams, Big Eyes
Emily Blunt, Into the Woods
Helen Mirren, The Hundred-Foot Journey
Julianne Moore, Map to the Stars
Quvenzhané Wallis, Annie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
JK Simmons, Whiplash

BEST SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Force Majeure Turist, Sweden
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Ansalem Gett, Israel
Ida, Poland/Denmark
Leviathan, Russia
Tangerines Mandariinid, Estonia

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Big Eyes" from Big Eyes, Music and lyrics by Lana Del Rey
"Glory" from Selma, Music and lyrics by John Legend and Common
"Mercy Is" from Noah, Music and lyrics by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye
"Opportunity" from Annie, Music and lyrics by Greg Kurstin, Sia Furler, Will Gluck
"Yellow Flicker Beat" from The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1, Music and lyrics by Lorde

BEST SCORE
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Gone Girl
Birdman
Interstellar

TELEVISION
BEST TV COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Girls
Jane the Virgin
Orange Is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent

BEST TV DRAMA
The Affair
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
House of Cards 

BEST ACTRESS IN A TV DRAMA
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Robin Wright, House of Cards 

BEST ACTOR IN A TV DRAMA
Clive Owen, The Knick
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist
Dominic West, The Affair

BEST ACTRESS IN A TV COMEDY
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Gena Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black

BEST ACTOR IN A TV COMEDY
Louis CK, Louie
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Ricky Gervais, Derek
William H Macy, Shameless
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

BEST MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Fargo
The Missing
The Normal Heart
Olive Kitteridge
True Detective

BEST ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Frances O'Connor, The Missing
Allison Tolman, Fargo

BEST ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TV SHOW, MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Allison Janney, Mom
Michelle Monaghan, True Detective

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TV SHOW, MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Colin Hanks, Fargo
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

2015 SAG Award Nominations

The SAG Awards got the jump on the Golden Globes nominations by one day, announced live by Eva Longoria and Ansel Elgort the morning of Wednesday December 10th. Birdman led the movie nominations with four and Modern Family television, also with four. Boyhood, The Imitation Game, and The Theory of Everything each received three film nominations. HBO led the networks with fourteen nominees. Jennifer Aniston received best female actor nomination for her much buzzed about performance in the movie Cake. Mark Ruffalo was nominated for both his work in television and film. The SAG film nominations provide a solid gage of the potential Oscar nominees, sometimes even more than the Golden Globes.

The confusion and debate about what qualifies a television program as a series or a miniseries is exemplified by the Outstanding Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries and Male Actor in a Drama Series categories with the SAG Awards. Both Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey received actor nominations in the drama series category for True Detective but Billy Bob Thornton was nominated for Fargo in the tv movie or miniseries category. Fargo had ten episodes and True Detective had eight. The Golden Globes have chosen to address this issue by renaming the miniseries category, Limited Series, which will include True Detective. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has stated that the limited series category will be based on story and content, not on length or number of episodes. Earlier this year the Primetime Emmys had the same designations for True Detective and Fargo as SAG. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has a pretty specific definition for miniseries, "A miniseries is based on a single theme or storyline, which is resolved within the piece. In a single awards year, all of the parts must be presented under the same title and have continuity of production supervision. A miniseries consists of two or more episodes with a total running time of at least four broadcast hours (at least 150 program minutes)." Sounds simple enough but there is an additional rule that a miniseries can not include a 'created by' credit, which explains why True Detective lands in the full series category at the Emmys. As television evolves -- see also streaming content and its crop of nominees, the categories of awards shows will continue to change with the times.

There is also a television Stunt Team category that 24: Live Another Day, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Homeland, Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead were nominated for. Should be The Walking Dead all the way. The stunt categories will be announced as part of the live red carpet coverage.

The SAG awards will air live on tbs and TNT on Saturday January 25th at 8pm Eastern and 5pm Pacific. The Golden Globe nominations will be announced tomorrow morning by Kate Beckinsale, Peter Krause, Paula Patton and Jeremy Piven at 8:20 and 8:35am Eastern time from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Hollywood.


MOVIES
OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Edward Norton, Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
JK Simmons, Whiplash

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, Birdman
Meryl Streep, Into the Woods
Naomi Watts, St. Vincent

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Jennifer Aniston, Cake
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

OUTSTANDING CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything

TELEVISION
OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Adrien Brody, Houdini
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Flowers in the Attic
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge
Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Louis CK, Louis
William H Macy, Shameless
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Modern Family
Orange Is the New Black
Veep

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Robin Wright, House of Cards

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards

STUNT ENSEMBLES
OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Fury
Get On Up
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
X-Men: Days of Future Past

OUTSTANDING ACTION PERFORMANCE BY A STUNT ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY OR DRAMA SERIES
24: Live Another Day
Boardwalk Empire
Game of Thrones
Homeland
Sons of Anarchy
The Walking Dead

SAG LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Debbie Reynolds

2014 Hollywood Film Awards

The Hollywood Film Awards were televised for the first time Friday, November 14th. A little known precursor to awards season, nominees were not announced, only winners presented. All the winners knew ahead of time. This was the 18th annual ceremony for the Hollywood Film Awards and it has previously been a private Hollywood event.

Awards season's opening ceremony, self proclaimed Official Launch of the Award Season -- trademark -- it is the first stomp on the campaign trail to the Oscars. The number of A List actors in attendance and presenting awards seemed confusing for an event with little prestige. Almost as confusing was when the "winners" would say what an honor it was to receive the award. There does seem to be plenty of easily googled photographic evidence of previous awards seasons' top winners appearing at the Hollywood Film Awards first.

Angelina Jolie was a combination of sincere and stern as she described casting Jack O'Donnell in the film Unbroken, which she directed. Johnny Depp was completely wasted when he presented the best documentary winner to Shep Gordon.

A bright spot was Geena Davis' introduction to Michael Keaton's career achievement award and the accompanying montage. The minimum of three shots of Ben Affleck seeming to worry if he'd be a good enough Batman the whole time was also quite amusing. Keaton's performance in Birdman looks to have strong traction for an Academy nod.

All the films and roles honored have good early buzz for awards season. The event seemed like the epitome of Hollywood's self congratulating and endless award shows that many criticize. Great movie montages though. It looks to be as strong of a season as any.

A list of the winners follows the red carpet looks. Best Dressed goes to Reese Witherspoon in J Mendel.

HOLLYWOOD FILM Gone Girl
HOLLYWOOD ACTOR Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER Guardians of the Galaxy
HOLLYWOOD DOCUMENTARY Mike Myers, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS Julianne Moore, Still Alice
CAREER ACHIEVEMENT Michael Keaton 
HOLLYWOOD ANIMATION How to Train Your Dragon 2
HOLLYWOOD COMEDY FILM Chris Rock, Top Five
NEW HOLLYWOOD Jack O'Connell, Unbroken
HOLLYWOOD ENSEMBLE Foxcatcher
HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
HOLLYWOOD SONG Janelle Monae, "What is Love?" Rio 2
HOLLYWOOD SCREENWRITER Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
HOLLYWOOD BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE ACTOR Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
HOLLYWOOD BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR Jean-Marc Vallee, Wild
HOLLYWOOD Supporting Actress: Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
HOLLYWOOD BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE ACTRESS Shailene Woodley, The Fault in Our Stars
HOLLYWOOD SUPPORTING ACTOR Robert Duvall, The Judge
HOLLYWOOD CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman
HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AWARD Jing Tian
HOLLYWOOD VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD Scott Farrar, Transformers: Age of Extinction
HOLLYWOOD FILM COMPOSER AWARD Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
HOLLYWOOD COSTUME DESIGN AWARD Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
HOLLYWOOD EDITING AWARD Jay Cassidy and Dody Dorn, Fury
HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION DESIGN AWARD Dylan Cole and Gary Freeman, Maleficent
HOLLYWOOD SOUND AWARD Ren Klyce, Gone Girl
HOLLYWOOD MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING David White (Special Makeup Effects) and Elizabeth Yanni-Georgiou (Hair Designer and Makeup Designer), Guardians of the Galaxy

Jimmy Fallon hosts 160th Tonight Show and Great Lip Syncs

The 160th Tonight Show hosted by Jimmy Fallon is currently airing in the Pacific time zone. That's fourteen more shows than Conan hosted during his brief tenure as host of the Tonight Show. Conan lives on well on tbs.

This makes me think of some of the best lip synced movie scenes and the best time transitional scene ever. That of course is Hugh Grant in Notting Hill as Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" plays along his walk through a year's worth of seasons.



The dark comedy It's Kind of a Funny Story features a fantasy lip sync to Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" with Zach Galifianakis, Keir Gilchrist, and Emma Roberts.



The only clip available of the awesome Starship "Nothing is Going to Stop Us Now" lip sync between Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig in Skeleton Twins is in the movie's trailer. I will find the full clip when the movie is released on DVD and to streaming.

This Is Where I Leave You

I have anticipated seeing This Is Where I Leave You before I even saw a trailer for it. The movie met all my expectations and was hilarious. The film is now among my favorite dysfunctional family flicks. It's right up there with Home for the Holidays, the Family Stone and the Royal Tenenbaums. The tagline is great, Welcome Home. Get Uncomfortable. I was also lucky enough to see the movie at a screening before its wide release Friday September 19th. The excellent cast is so large that not all of them are featured on the movie poster.

Jane Fonda shines as the matriarch of hilarious siblings, Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, and Adam Driver. Bateman and Fey need no introduction. Stoll was Hemingway in Midnight in Paris and one of the angry passengers in Non-Stop. Driver is best know for Girls and is in the new Star Wars. Rounding out the supporting cast are Rose Byrne, Timothy Olyphant, Connie Britton and Kathryn Hahn.

The writing is fantastic. It is the kind of movie that you know you will have to rewatch so that you can catch the dialogue that you were laughing over. The screenplay was written by Jonathan Tropper, the author of the novel the film is based on. I can not wait to read the book. There is also a great soundtrack.

The movie balances snark and heartwarming in just the right way. If the tone were focused on one more than the other, the result could have been mean spirited or corny. If you love a good dysfunctional family comedy, you will really enjoy This Is Where I Leave You. 

66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards

Seth Meyers opened the show poking fun at why the Emmys were airing on a Monday night. Apparently it was because the MTV Video Music Awards, on a network that no longer airs music videos, were on Sunday and to proceed football season (because actors run away from jocks). It did seem unusual to watch an awards show that began airing while the work day was still wrapping up in the Pacific time zone. Meyers did a great job with the monologue, engaging both the home audience and the audience in the Nokia Theater, while making timely jokes like streaming being the new cable. Netflix had a total of 11 nominations and HBO had 36 nominations, 19 for Game of Thrones.

Jimmy Kimmel presented the second award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy series and he took the opportunity to give Matthew McConaughey a hard time. Kimmel teased him for gaining back the weight he lost for Dallas Buyers Club and for being greedy to want an Emmy five months after winning an Oscar. Capped off with "Alright, Alright, Alright, Already...now get out of here and take Julia Roberts with you." Speaking of Julia Roberts, it was disappointing that she did not win for the Normal Heart because she gave a powerful performance that deserved the recognition. The McConaughey jokes continued when the Modern Family writer won for comedy and said she had to look at McConaughey because if she looked at her cast, directors or producers, she would cry. The Normal Heart did receive recognition for best television movie and Ryan Murphy gave an impassioned but not preachy acceptance speech.

Billy Crystal paid homage to Robin Williams and said, "It's very hard to talk about him in the past because he was so present in all of our lives. For almost forty years he was the brightest star in a comedy galaxy."

Breaking Bad cleaned up with it's final season and Modern Family nabbed the top comedy award again.

Red carpet coverage was minimal due to the showtime. Preceding the full list of winners, are my best dress choices. Julia Roberts in a beaded Elie Saab and Kaley Cuoco's Monique Lhuillier are my favorites.

DRAMA SERIES Breaking Bad 

COMEDY SERIES Modern Family 

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad 

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife 

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES  Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad 

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory 

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep 

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES Ty Burrell, Modern Family

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES Allison Janney, Mom 

WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES Louis CK, Louie 

WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES Moira Walley-Beckett, Breaking Bad 

DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES Gail Mancuso, Modern Family 

DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES Cary Joji Fukunaga, True Detective 

REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM The Amazing Race 

MINISERIES Fargo 

TELEVISION MOVIE The Normal Heart 

LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow 

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven 

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Coven 

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE Martin Freeman, Sherlock: His Last Vow 

WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL Steven Moffat, Sherlock: His Last Vow 

DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL Colin Busksey, Fargo

VARIETY SERIES The Colbert Report

WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL Sarah Silverman, We Are Miracles 

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES Glenn Weiss, The 67th Annual Tony Awards

Wish I Was Here

Zach Braff waited ten years to make his second writing and directorial effort after Garden State. His use of Kickstarter for funding Wish I Was Here was very publicized. The movie is certainly independent and in keeping with the tone of Garden State, it has a solid soundtrack featuring the Shins. Josh Gad of Frozen Olaf fame is his younger brother and Kate Hudson portrays his wife. Mandy Patinkin gives a powerful performance as the ailing patriarch. Jim Parsons has a small and fantastic role as one of Braff's character's peers. With this film and the Normal Heart, Parsons has really been proving that he has the strong acting chops to play more than just the Big Bang's Sheldon Cooper. Braff inner circle members Donald Faison and Michael Weston make short appearances in the film as well. On a side note, Weston's name always confused me because the name is also the main character in Burn Notice and the actor was also a traumatizing character in Six Feet Under. Pierce Gagnon is an amazing young actor with a lot of screen time as Braff's precocious son.

Joey King is making quite the career for herself. Co-starring as Braff's daughter in Wish I Was Here, she was also Colin Hanks' daughter on the FX Fargo series this summer. In 2010 she played Romona, one of the beloved characters in the movie adaptation of the Beverly Cleary books. The film also has the pop culture humdinger of Carrie Bradshaw and Mr Big exes, Aiden and Natasha, portraying Romona's parents. John Corbett and Bridget Moynahan as a couple has always seemed like a crazy pop culture crash and it taking place in Portland always made it seem like a secret joke written for me. It was also a nice adaptation of the beloved Beverly Cleary books. King was also in Crazy Stupid Love as one of Steve Carell's children and in White House Down as Channing Tatum's little girl. King has certainly had some amazing movie dads.

Back to Wish I Was Here, while an emotionally engaging film with many comedic moments, part of it fell flat for me. There were a couple of scenes that just felt heavy handed and as if they were trying too hard to resonate in a certain way. I also never really bought Hudson as Braff's wife. Overall I enjoyed the movie but it was not quite what I hoped for. To date the film has made 3.5 million dollars and has a 76% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sex Tape

Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel star in the latest R rated comedy to hit theaters this summer. Segel co-wrote the script and executive produced the movie. Reuniting his stars from Bad Teacher, Jack Kasdan directed. Reactions via imdb and Rotten Tomatoes were poor and critical reviews were unfavorable. Entertainment Weekly sent a mixed message of a C+ rating and yet included the movie in its Must List in the movie's release week. With a domestic opening weekend box office just under 15 million, Tammy fared better in its recent opening Independance Day weekend with 21 million. I found myself laughing much more at Sex Tape than I did at Tammy. While criticized for being uneven in tone, I found the juxtaposition of raunch and heart warming moments provided a good balance. I am the comedy lonewolf this summer. I did not enjoy 22 Jump Street as much as everyone else -- I liked it, but I did not love it; I would be happy to keep rewatching the first one. I actually thought Sex Tape was good, and I am among the few. Diaz and Segel's characters were sweet and there was a good supporting cast in Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper. There were also a couple of fantastic surprise cameos.

This summer my comedy conclusion is that the success of comedies is one of the most difficult of genres to predict. Horror movies always make money. That's why there are always so many sequels. They are cheap to make and bring in box office regardless of star power or quality. Next up in the R rated comedy releases is Let's Be Cops. That movie would not exist without the success of the Jump Street movies.

If asked prior to both of their releases, I would have thought Sex Tape would be Cameron Diaz's big comedic hit of 2014, not The Other Woman. Both Diaz and Segel have solid enough careers as stars and in their behind the scenes work to weather the weak reception of Sex Tape. The movie has also made back the money it cost to make it in two weeks' time. Diaz is still having an amazing year with her movie releases overall and the huge publishing success of The Body Book. Girl has her own door on the Tonight Show, come on.

Begin Again

Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley make for unexpected musical collaborators in Begin Again, the best kind of indie -- really unique and difficult to put into a box. Some of the most refreshing things about it can not be specified in an effort to avoid spoilers. Often said but there really was a very strong cast. Adam Levine has a solid acting debut, though his role as a musician is not too much of a stretch. British actor James Corden is a great friend to Knightley's character and Hailee Steinfeld and Catherine Keener are equally believable as Ruffalo's estranged family.

No one can play a sympathetic screw-up like Mark Ruffalo. Somehow he manages to make each of his characters fitting that description different from the last. Ruffalo may very well be an Entertainer of the Year with HBO's the Normal Heart and now Begin Again. While he may be the current in a long line of Hulks, he still maintains his indie roots.

It looks as though Begin Again is kicking off an excellent year in independent film. Wish I Was Here, Zach Braff's second directorial effort, opened in limited release this week with solid reviews and Obvious Child was another indie great thus far into 2014. In the fall, the Jason Bateman/Tina Fey family comedy-drama This Is Where I Leave You opens in September, Laggies, also starring Keira Knightley arrives in theaters in October and the Thanksgiving indie Hollidaysburg fittingly debuts in November. God Help The Girl and The One I Love also look promising. Should be a particularly interesting year at the Independent Spirit Awards.

Tammy

Melissa McCarthy stars as Tammy in the type of role for which she has become famous. Wacky and unique, the characters are well developed with extended back histories. More along the lines of Identity Thief than the Heat, Tammy is not bad but it is not really great either.

It is more than a stretch to believe that Susan Sarandon is old enough to be Melissa McCarthy's grandma. They did a solid job with Sarandon's hair and wardrobe to age her but it was not enough to suspend one's disbelief. With Allison Janney as Tammy's mom, it seemed to shed even more light on the ages being implausible. Sarandon is only thirteen years older than Janney, Janney only eleven years older than McCarthy. The ages are so off, it almost suggests that it was done on purpose, like some kind of Bad Grandpa routine, though I am still missing why.

Opening July 2nd for the Fourth of July weekend, in its five days in release, Tammy has made 33 million dollars, 21 million of it just during the weekend. Released almost exactly a year apart, the Heat made 39 million in its opening weekend last summer. That is not a huge difference considering the Heat also starred Sandra Bullock. Even with mediocre reviews, Tammy has already made millions more than its budget.

Tammy was written by McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone, who also directed. Falcone often cameos in McCarthy's films, most memorably in Bridesmaids and also in the Heat and Identity Thief. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay also produced. 

You will not have to rewatch this movie to catch the dialogue that you laughed over, my desired experience in a comedy, but it is not a bad flick either. The extended cast is peppered with recognizable faces and does have a certain charm.

22 Jump Street

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill have made Jump Street a lucrative franchise. The sequel made $20 million dollars more domestically in its opening weekend than 21 Jump Street. Always poking fun at itself for being a sequel, the movie is very self aware, even more so than the first flick was for making a movie out of an old tv show. 22 follows sequel conventions like doing the same thing as the original, but with a twist, bringing back even minor characters and aiming to go bigger than the first movie.

From the box office results and the opinions of other viewers, the sequel has been very well liked. 22 Jump Street has a 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8/10 on imdb. Personally, I was underwhelmed. While I appreciate the nods to Hollywood's predictability at turning out sequels and unoriginal material, there was a non-related long running joke that did not relent and it just got old. Next time I will have to give myself my "manage expectations" pep talk right as the movie starts (seems to work best on comedies). Of course, watching some Channing Tatum is always better than not watching some Channing Tatum.

The movie seems to indicate that there will not be a 23 Jump Street. However, I couldn't help but wonder, would a third Jump Street be like part three of the Hangover trilogy or Oceans 13? Redeeming? Interestingly, those franchises' third entries shared a return to their original locations, in Vegas. To take from the sequel debate in the second Scream movie, the third movies in a film franchise tend to be better and the seconds weaker. Hollywood can not seem to resist milking a concept until it no longer generates a profit, so maybe in the Summer of 2016 there will be a 23 Jump Street: Medical School.

Maleficent

Angelina Jolie successfully embodies Disney villainess Maleficent and the storytellers behind the movie provide a fascinating backstory. Jolie dances the perfect line between honoring the iconic role that is so well known and making it her own. She was perfectly cast and gives great depth to the character.

The production value is fantastic. Jolie's make-up and costumes as Maleficent are breaktaking. The look achieved draws on the classic images of the character while adding a fresh twist. There is also story to back up the stunning looks and accessories. The sets and special effects are of the highest quality. Big imagery for story's sake, not just for flash. It seems likely the movie will receive technical nominations for its efforts.

There is much more humor in the dialogue than I would have anticipated and Linda Woolverton wrote an excellent script. The story remains true to the Disney canon while bringing the anticipated new perspective to the movie. A satisfying backstory is provided; it is not sped past too quickly nor dwelled on for too long.

Live action adaptations of fairy tales continue to be an increasing trend in Hollywood, albeit with mixed results. For every Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, there is a Red Riding Hood movie no one can recall and Snow White stories to be mixed up. Disney has many additional projects in production in what has become a genre of its own. Alice Through the Looking Glass has a scheduled 2016 release. The truest teaser trailer ever edited can be seen before Maleficent; only a glass slipper is shown and not even the movie's title is displayed. It is of course for Cinderella. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, featuring Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother and Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother, the movie will arrive in theaters March 2015. Live action adaptations of The Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast, and Cruella are also in the works.

Jolie served as an executive producer on the film and to date it has made almost half a billion dollars worldwide. Maleficent is visually stunning and has the substance to support it. Without revealing any plot points, there are modern twists to the story that when paired with the plot of Frozen, seem to signal a change in the predictability of Disney fairy tales.

Obvious Child

Jenny Slate stars along with Jake Lacy and Gaby Hoffmann in an unconventional indie comedy. Broken down to one phrase, the film is a comedy about unplanned pregnancy. It's really a glimpse at the life of a young comedienne at a time in her life when all she is being handed are lemons. The movie title comes from the Paul Simon song of the same name that is featured in the trailer and in the movie.

The cast is very strong. You might recognize Jenny Slate from Parks and Rec or her one season on Saturday Night Live. She infamously dropped an f-bomb in her first SNL sketch. Gaby Hoffmann was thankfully nothing like the character she played on the past season of Girls and is a realistic best friend (Slate too has guest starred on Girls). The love interest in the movie is played by Jake Lacy, who you might recall as "New Jim" from the Office. Slate's character's closest comedian friend is portrayed by Gabe Liedman and he gives a standout performance. Liedman and Slate are the comedy duo Gabe and Jenny in real life and have been friends since college. Richard Kind plays the Jim Henson like dad of the main character, Slate's Donna, and her elegant professor mother is portrayed by Polly Draper. Personal trivia, I actually met Richard Kind in a bar in downtown Portland the week that I turned twenty-one.

I hope that Obvious Child gets some attention at the Independent Spirit Awards. It seems like this year's In A World... Written and directed by Gillian Robespierre, the film was originally shot as a short film in 2009 and starred Slate as Donna. I had never heard of the movie prior to Emily getting screening passes for it but I hope it does well because it is a really good film.



**UPDATE** excellent interview of Jenny Slate on Late Night with Seth Meyers, though the Obvious Child stuff is missing, in its entirety, it's the best Meyers' interview to date. 

Neighbors

Neighbors is the comedic romp of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne's young family up against their new neighbors, a frat led by Zac Efron and Dave Franco. I had high hopes for this one and it did deliver the laughs. The promotional oversaturation of all new releases more often than not begs the question, "are all the good parts in the trailer?" Particularly with comedies, one often can't help but wonder if all the funny parts are in the previews too. I am happy to report that there are many more jokes than in the trailers. And the jokes from the previews pass mostly at the very beginning. Rose Byrne was great in it, she held her own against the guys and it was fun to hear her Australian accent for a change. There are plenty of cameos early on and one casting choice that was a surprise to me. I loved that actor popping up. As I like to do, I will leave it as a surprise here. If you know me, you will know exactly why I was so tickled when you see the character.

There was only one, maybe two, scenes towards the end that could have been shorter. That's really the only criticism I have. You get what is advertised, a funny R Rated comedy with Seth Rogen doing what he does, this time as a new dad. The fraternity movie stereotypes were all present but they had a fresh coat of paint and a different angle. See the "How To Make the Ultimate Greek Movie" article from last week's Entertainment Weekly to jog your memory. The print version does have some excellent visuals and sidebars that are missing online -- it's the EW with Orange is the New Black on the cover (so you should be reading it anyway, but that's a post for another day...). There are tons of pop culture references throughout the dialogue of Neighbors, which I very much enjoyed, and the soundtrack is fantastic. Lots of good party music and well timed musical cues.

In watching press for Neighbors, it was discussed on the Graham Norton Show, when Seth Rogen and Zac Efron were guests, that there are no fraternities in Canada or the UK. The flick is also called Bad Neighbors in its UK release. Rogen gave the explanation that frats are like rugby teams, guys drink and beat up the littlest guy. Rogen and Efron also appeared in Jimmy Fallon's "ew" bit and it is hilarious. Efron nailed his role in a similar style to when Channing Tatum did the sketch with Jimmy. Rogen has a full beard and is in no way a convincing tween girl. How bad he is at it, makes it good. The selfies and the dancing are the best parts. 
If you are looking for a crazy comedy that has the heart to ground it, check out Neighbors.

The Other Woman

Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton star as the trio of unlikely gal pals plotting revenge on the philanderer that deceived all of them. Hijinks ensue. There was a feeling that was reminiscent of The First Wives Club, this time with all three women out to get the same creep. The physical comedy of Diaz and Mann was hilarious and somehow the friendship between the women was believable. Yet even more surprising was the continued believability of the relationships with the addition of Upton's stereotypically ditzy character. She seemed more like their kid sister than a recently discovered second mistress.

Taylor Kinney plays Leslie Mann's brother in the movie and he definitely stands out. Kinney stars on tv's Chicago Fire. The hunted husband is portrayed by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from HBO's Game of Thrones. While I was not aware of either actor prior to this movie, Coster-Waldau slipped into another accent by mistake a couple of times leaving a less than stellar impression. Nicki Minaj, who always seemed annoying, was funny in her supporting role as Diaz' assistant. The casting of Diaz' lothario father was an amusing surprise so I leave that for the reader who has not yet seen the movie as well.

Nick Cassavetes directed. He is best known for directing The Notebook and previously Cameron Diaz in My Sister's Keeper. His father was independent film legend John Cassavetes. While the score did not particularly stand out, it was good and the soundtrack was very strong.

At the box office The Other Woman has been dubbed a surprise hit. Despite negative reviews from critics, the movie led last weekend's box office against Captain America and has made more than 47 million worldwide. My friend saw a screening of the movie and had been disappointed that it was not as funny as she had hoped. This lowered my expectations and led to me enjoying the movie much more than I would have without that warning. There was also a really great Sopranos joke that I think much of the audience I was in missed.

As April ends, the slump that follows Oscar season and precedes the summer blockbusters, is coming to a close. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens this Friday, May 2nd, X-Men: Days of Future Past opens May 23rd and Maleficent opens May 30th to name a few.

Non-Stop

The action thriller genre Liam Neeson has claimed as his own since the release of Taken hits a fairly high note in Non-Stop. Director Jaume Collet-Serra has worked with Neeson before in this genre in Unknown and has a further background in horror films. The script by John W Richardson and Christopher Roach is both their first features with not much other writing to speak of between the two of them. Neeson is a Federal Air Marshall, threatened on an international flight to London. Julianne Moore brings additional acting gravitas to the movie and brief appearances by the now Oscar winning Lupita Nuong'o as a flight attendant are a sweet treat for her fans. The flight attendant with a considerably larger role is Downton Abbey's Michelle Dockery.

For some reason thrillers that take place on a plane tend to be really good. For example, in the past both Red Eye with Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy and Flightplan with Jodie Foster were strong thrillers. This must be because it is a situation that we are all familiar with and it plays on common fears of flying and security. Non-Stop creates the reaction that any good thriller should, it gets you theorizing, trying to figure out whodunit and gives your body a rush of adrenaline. When well executed, it is a genre that is kind of exhausting to watch and Non-Stop achieves that. Good acting and writing make the movie and minimal disbelief to suspend sustains it. A run time just over an hour and a half is also key. Crisp editing keeps it from being too long; not knowing when to call it quits can plague action and thriller flicks.

No critical darling, audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, imdb and Fandango have given their approval. Opening weekend Non-Stop was number one at the box office and fell to third in its second week of release. This past weekend it dipped to number four and current estimated domestic grosses are 71.5 million dollars. The flick cost 50 million to make with another 63.4 million in foreign sales thus far. It will see another drop this weekend with the opening of Divergent and the Muppet movie. Non-Stop no doubt will keep Neeson's action streak alive. Taken 3 is in pre-production and has been announced with a January 2015 release.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Taking place in 1930s pre-war Europe, in the fictitious country of Zubrowka, The Grand Budapest Hotel features Ralph Fiennes as concierge extraordinaire M Gustave. The screenplay was inspired by the writings of Austrian novelist and playwright Stefan Zweig and filmed entirely in Germany.

The Grand Budapest Hotel stands to be Wes Anderson's magnum opus. The Royal Tenenbaums remains one of my favorite movies and certainly my favorite work of Anderson's but The Grand Budapest Hotel is an artful execution of the best of his storytelling devices, clever casting and colorful, frosting like visuals. As Jake Coyle of the Washington Post said, "Anderson, like few other directors, has perpetually kept critics and moviegoers off-balance with his idiosyncratic blend of orchestrated whimsy, deep-rooted melancholy and deadpan slapstick." Part of what makes the film stand out in Anderson's repertoire is the unique timeline and narration style. For the viewer familiar with Anderson's previous films it also seems like a culmination of all his work with allusions to his previous features.

The cast includes many of Anderson's now usual suspects, a growing troupe that increases with each of his films. Although some have very brief appearances, all are memorable and often amusing. The typical list of extended cast members is omitted here in the hope that as an actor appears on screen it will surprise and delight the reader as it did me. The score by Alexandre Desplat is also remarkable. Desplat also did the music for Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom and Fantastic Mr Fox and has received six Oscar nominations for his work, including this past year's Philomena.

The film opened March 7th in four theaters in New York and LA and continued to expand its limited release on the 14th. The movie is currently only playing in one theater in Portland, Cinema 21 on NW 21st. There are many showtimes but they are very crowded. Their website offers helpful tips on parking and easy online ticket purchasing. Even with a pre-purchased ticket, arrive with enough time to wait in line. If you wish to take advantage of the concessions that include beer and wine, give yourself extra time for the long lines and crowds. The film is now playing in 66 theaters nationwide and has made 4.8 million dollars domestically. Globally, the movie has already made an additional 20 million dollars. It was initially unclear to me at this point in Anderson's career why his films are still released to limited theaters and then expanded. I remember fighting opening crowds and sold out showings for The Royal Tenenbaums in Portland and then again back at school in Eugene to see it a second time weeks later. That was more than twelve years ago and five films later. Perhaps it is the way Anderson remains independent but most likely it is because while his films all make money and are critically acclaimed, they are not blockbusters. Not to be grandiose but if that preserves the artistic integrity of his films, so be it. The Grand Budapest Hotel won its first award, the Silver Berlin Bear Award at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival. I suspect many awards and nominations are to follow.

Mark Wahlberg

Once rapper Marky Mark, Wahlberg has become a major Hollywood player producing television shows for HBO (Entourage, How to Make It in America, In Treatment and Boardwalk Empire) as well as Oscar nominated films like The Fighter. He has even expanded into reality show turf with the A+E show Wahlburgers. The show chronicles the activities of the Boston restaurant he owns with brother Donnie and brother Paul runs. The Entourage movie is currently filming and Ted 2 has been announced. Wahlberg has appeared in three David O Russell directed movies, Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees and The Fighter. He has received two Oscar nominations, the first for Best Supporting Actor in The Departed and second as producer for The Fighter's Best Picture nod. His career is very diverse at this point and it was difficult to select which movies to highlight.

The Perfect Storm
A true story about the Andrea Gail which was caught in the Perfect Storm of 1991, the movie is based on the 1997 book by Sebastian Junger. The crew of the ship is portrayed by George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John Hawkes, William Fichtner and John C Reilly. The ensemble cast also includes Diane Lane, Karen Allen, Cherry Jones, Janet Wright and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. It was nominated for two Oscars for sound and visual effects and it won a BAFTA for visual effects. The characters have enough depth to root for them and elevate the movie to more than just a special effects showcase. The Perfect Storm is available to rent OnDemand and has been airing on IFC.

The Italian Job

A remake of the 1969 original, The Italian Job is a fun action comedy with a strong ensemble cast that includes Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland, Jason Statham, Seth Green, Mos Def and Edward Norton. The characters and plot of the two versions are very different. The movie is a solid, fun caper in the genre of the Oceans movies and the Fast and the Furious franchise. The reboot pays homage to the original and both share the use of Mini Coopers for use in big heist scenes. The remake came out in 2003, at the time of a rebranding and expansion of the Mini under new distribution and production by BMW as the MINI. The new movie was a critical and commercial success and there has been a rumored sequel, The Brazilian Job, for years. The Italian Job is streaming on Netflix.

The Fighter
David O Russell directed the true story of two boxing brothers from Lowell, Massachusetts, Micky "Irish" Ward and Dicky Eklund. Christian Bale lost significant weight to look like the emaciated Eklund who struggled with drug addiction. The movie received seven Oscar nominations including Best Supporting Actress for Amy Adams. Both Bale and Melissa Leo won Oscars for their supporting roles. The list of ways to earn an Oscar nomination like adapting an accent, significant weight loss or gain, and/or pretty girls gone ugly, now seems to include being directed by Russell. The film is a powerful story of Micky's drive to succeed. His family is at the same time supportive and a hurdle to his success. The Fighter is available to rent OnDemand. 

The Fighter is also the degree to the next artist in the Six Degrees Series, Amy Adams. Adams and the next two actors in the series have also all starred in David O Russell pictures. 

David O Russell

First up in the Six Degrees of Katie at the Movies series is writer and director David O Russell. Each post in the series will spotlight a different artist and the next entry will have one degree of separation from the previous, as collaborators. I have prepared a list of 37 artists or castmates and at least one project that links them.

David O Russell was born and raised in New York. He won Spirit Awards for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay for the independent and dark Spanking the Monkey. Between I Heart Huckabees and The Fighter, Russell wrote Nailed with Kristin Gore, a political comedy starring Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tracy Morgan, Catherine Keener, Paul Reubens, Josh Brolin, and Kirstie Alley. The film has never been released and is not expected to be. Russell is the only director to have two consecutively released films, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, that were nominated for Academy Awards in all four acting categories.

Three Kings
Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube, this 1999 flick had the tagline, "They're deserters, rebels and thieves. But in the nicest possible way." Best known as a writer and director, Spike Jonze also co-stars. The film takes place at the end of the Gulf War and was filmed in Arizona, California and Mexico. Many extras were real life Iraqi refugees. This was early in Clooney's movie career but it seems to have set the tone for the sort of political, writer/director and team focused projects that he selects or now creates. Three Kings is available on Streampix OnDemand.

Flirting with Disaster 
An independent film from 1996, Flirting with Disaster stars Ben Stiller as Mel who is married to Patricia Arquette's Nancy. Mel is unable to name their newborn baby before finding his birth parents. Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal co-star as Mel's wacky adoptive parents. Téa Leoni works for the adoption agency Stiller's character has contacted to find his birth parents. After leaving their home in New York to meet Mel's newly located parents, a road film ensues. Richard Jenkins and Lily Tomlin who appear in Russell's I Heart Huckabees also co-star, as well as Alan Alda and Josh Brolin. Flirting with Disaster is available for streaming on Netflix.

I Heart Huckabees
My favorite of all Russell's pictures, Huckabees seems to be, for at least the time being, the last of his really wacky and truly independent films. A tone of that quirk is present in all his movies with his flawed and honest characters. The movie begins with Jason Schwartzman's work with existential detectives played by Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin, and then their partnering of him with Mark Wahlberg's firefighter who is obsessed with fossil fuels. One of my all time favorite movie quotes is Wahlberg's "But there's no way I could stop its use in my lifetime is there? I mean, Jimmy Carter would have an electric car by now. I could have a Cadillac Escalade and it could be electric." You have to see the 2004 film to find out how their unique characters all connect to Jude Law's megastore executive and Shania Twain. I Heart Huckabees is available to rent on Amazon Instant View.

Next up in the series is frequent Russell star, Mark Wahlberg and the Fighter.