Sometimes one award will do...
Saving its only win for the end, The Hurt Locker upset heavily-nominated Inglourious Basterds and Avatar for Best Picture of 2009 at this year's Sullivan-Gooley Awards. While it may not be as technically brilliant as Avatar, (which took home 5 technical awards and Best Director), or insanely clever as Inglourious Bastards (chosen by you, the readers, as the Viewer's Choice Award for Best Picture of 2009), its tense premise and edge-of-your-seat execution proved worthy of the year's top honor.
The SG Awards, which only agreed on 6 Oscar winners this year, chose to share three of the most prestigous honors with the Academy. Along with picking The Hurt Locker for Best Picture, SG tipped the hat to Jeff Bridges as Best Actor, who delivered the performance of a lifetime in Crazy Heart, and Christof Waltz as Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Jew-hunting Nazi in Inglourious Basterds.
Below is a recap of all nominees, with the winner in italics.
Top 10 Films of the Year
1. The Hurt Locker
2. The White Ribbon
3. Up
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Up in the Air
6. (500) Days of Summer
7. Avatar
8. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
9. A Single Man
10. Where the Wild Things Are
Actor
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
George Clooney - Up in the Air
Colin Firth - A Single Man
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
Sam Rockwell - Moon
Actress
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Melanie Lauron - Inglourious Basterds
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carrie Mulligan - An Education
Gabriele Sabide - Precious
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
Supporting Actor
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Jonathan Mackey - The Hurt Locker
Brad Pitt - Inglourious Basterds
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Christof Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
Supporting Actress
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Diane Kruger - Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique - Precious
Julianne Moore - A Single Man
Director
Katheryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon
Spike Jonze - Where the Wild Things Are
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
Original Screenplay
(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Serious Man
Up
Adapted Screenplay
Crazy Heart
District 9
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are
Animated Feature
Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up
Art Direction
Avatar
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon
Cinematography
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
A Single Man
The White Ribbon
Costume
Inglourious Basterds
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek
Where the Wild Things Are
The White Ribbon
Film Editing
(500) Days of Summer
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Makeup
Avatar
District 9
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Star Trek
Zombieland
Score
Coraline
The Informant
Up
A Single Man
Where the Wild Things Are
Sound Mixing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Up
Star Trek
Sound Effects Editing
Avatar
District 9
Up
Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek
Best Foreign Film
A Prophet
The White Ribbon
Viewers Choice
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. The Hangover
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Up
5. Up in the Air
Monday, March 8, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Top 10s of Cinema, 2009
Top 10 Films:
#1: The Hurt Locker
#2: Up in the Air
#3: The White Ribbon
#4: (500) Days of Summer
#5: Inglourious Basterds
#6: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
#7: Up
#8: Avatar
#9: A Single Man
#10: Star Trek
Runners-Up: The Hangover, Where the Wild Things Are, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Knowing, and Crazy Heart
Top 10 Scenes:
#1: The First Ten Minutes, Up
#2: Opening Scene, Inglourious Basterds
#3: "You Make My Dreams Come True," by Hall & Oates, (500) Days of Summer
#4: Slideshow/End Credits, The Hangover
#5: Natalie Fires an Older Man in Detroit, Up in the Air
#6: The Last Battle, Avatar
#7: Rules to Live By, Zombieland
#8: Expectations vs. Reality, (500) Days of Summer
#9: Opening Scene/"Sabotage," Star Trek
#10: Sniper Staredown, The Hurt Locker
Top 10 Favorite Films:
#1: (500) Days of Summer
#2: Inglourious Basterds
#3: Zombieland
#4: The Hangover
#5: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
#6: Star Trek
#7: The Hurt Locker
#8: I Love You, Man
#9: Up in the Air
#10: Avatar (3D IMAX only)
Top Ten Performances:
#1: Christof Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
#2: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
#3: George Clooney, Up in the Air
#4: Colin Firth, A Single Man
#5: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
#6: Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
#7: Sam Rockwell, Moon
#8: Adam Sandler, Funny People
#9: Anna Kendrick & Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
#10: Brad Pitt, Inglourious Basterds
(Note: at the time of this article, I have not seen Precious, An Education, or The Last Station)
Ten Biggest Surprises:
#1: Star Trek (cheesy trailer with no A-List star usually spells disaster, but instead proves to be my #10 Film of the Year)
#2: The Hangover (surprisingly very well-made, perfectly complemented with classic humor and the emergance of Zach Galifinakas, or however you spell it)
#3: District 9 (loses its zest on repeat viewings, but I'll never forget trying to guess what's going to happen next)
#4: A Single Man (thought it would aim for Milk's over-the-top homosexuality, but succeeded in telling a basic story on lost loved ones, and the process of grief) #5: Knowing (expecting corn-ball sci-fi, but Knowing's third act takes it to an entirely different level)
#6: World's Greatest Dad (a Robin Williams movie you never heard of ... but should have heard of. Now you've heard about it. Go watch it. Quite possibly the darkest comedy of the last decade)
#7: Zombieland (good cheesy, not bad cheesy. See G.I. Joe for bad cheesy)
#8: Law Abiding Citizen (expected big-time cheesy, and almost got it; however the surprising evolution of Gerard Butler's character keeps the suspense alive)
#9: Terminator Salvation (totally thought it was going to suck without the Governator, but turned out to be pretty decent)
#10: The Fantastic Mr. Fox (wasn't a fan of the trailer, but Wes Anderson has done it again)
Ten Biggest Disappointments:
#1: Watchmen (If you didn't read the book, you wouldn't know where to begin. Don't watch it, unless you like blue penis.)
#2: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (I expected bad, and it just got worse.)
#3: Invictus (Eastwood doesn't know who his main character is. If it starred Matt Damon and centered around the rugby team ... and Morgan Freeman came in with pin-point motivational speeches as Nelson Mandela, this would be a classic sports film; and Morgan Freeman would be giving Christof Waltz a run for his money as Best Supporting Actor. Instead, Freeman somehow got an Oscar nomination for Lead Actor in a role that was so underdeveloped that it was painful to watch. The film mirrors that performance, and shows that Eastwood would rather finish a film that's under budget than ... well ... finish a film.)
#4: Angels & Demons (Knew Ewan was bad from the beginning. Could you fix NOTHING from the Da Vinci Code?)
#5: The Informant (Total miss in marketing. Never advertise a semi-dramatic character study as a screwball comedy. Everyone will leave the theatre pissed.)
#6: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (AKA, X-Men: Mike's Last Stand)
#7: Funny People (Jared Apatow's Citizen Kane falls short due to his overambition and inability to edit out useless subplots. While the 40 minute segment with Leslie Mann and Eric Bana had its moments, it could have been completely removed from the plot and the film would have served the same purpose. See my review for other details.)
#8: Julie & Julia (Why wasn't it just called Julia?)
#9: A Serious Man (Study the book of Job and learn Yiddish before watching this)
#10: Public Enemies (with Michael Mann, Johnny Depp, and Marion Cotillard, I expected golden statues. It looks good, and it features good performances, and has all the ingredients of a classic. It's just missing the chemistry needed for a crime-centered love story to succeed. Beatty and Dunaway had it; and director Arthur Penn knew it. Depp and Cotillard could have had it, but Michael Mann focuses on making a technically brilliant film instead of a truly brilliant film.)
#1: The Hurt Locker
#2: Up in the Air
#3: The White Ribbon
#4: (500) Days of Summer
#5: Inglourious Basterds
#6: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
#7: Up
#8: Avatar
#9: A Single Man
#10: Star Trek
Runners-Up: The Hangover, Where the Wild Things Are, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Knowing, and Crazy Heart
Top 10 Scenes:
#1: The First Ten Minutes, Up
#2: Opening Scene, Inglourious Basterds
#3: "You Make My Dreams Come True," by Hall & Oates, (500) Days of Summer
#4: Slideshow/End Credits, The Hangover
#5: Natalie Fires an Older Man in Detroit, Up in the Air
#6: The Last Battle, Avatar
#7: Rules to Live By, Zombieland
#8: Expectations vs. Reality, (500) Days of Summer
#9: Opening Scene/"Sabotage," Star Trek
#10: Sniper Staredown, The Hurt Locker
Top 10 Favorite Films:
#1: (500) Days of Summer
#2: Inglourious Basterds
#3: Zombieland
#4: The Hangover
#5: The Fantastic Mr. Fox
#6: Star Trek
#7: The Hurt Locker
#8: I Love You, Man
#9: Up in the Air
#10: Avatar (3D IMAX only)
Top Ten Performances:
#1: Christof Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
#2: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
#3: George Clooney, Up in the Air
#4: Colin Firth, A Single Man
#5: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
#6: Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
#7: Sam Rockwell, Moon
#8: Adam Sandler, Funny People
#9: Anna Kendrick & Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
#10: Brad Pitt, Inglourious Basterds
(Note: at the time of this article, I have not seen Precious, An Education, or The Last Station)
Ten Biggest Surprises:
#1: Star Trek (cheesy trailer with no A-List star usually spells disaster, but instead proves to be my #10 Film of the Year)
#2: The Hangover (surprisingly very well-made, perfectly complemented with classic humor and the emergance of Zach Galifinakas, or however you spell it)
#3: District 9 (loses its zest on repeat viewings, but I'll never forget trying to guess what's going to happen next)
#4: A Single Man (thought it would aim for Milk's over-the-top homosexuality, but succeeded in telling a basic story on lost loved ones, and the process of grief) #5: Knowing (expecting corn-ball sci-fi, but Knowing's third act takes it to an entirely different level)
#6: World's Greatest Dad (a Robin Williams movie you never heard of ... but should have heard of. Now you've heard about it. Go watch it. Quite possibly the darkest comedy of the last decade)
#7: Zombieland (good cheesy, not bad cheesy. See G.I. Joe for bad cheesy)
#8: Law Abiding Citizen (expected big-time cheesy, and almost got it; however the surprising evolution of Gerard Butler's character keeps the suspense alive)
#9: Terminator Salvation (totally thought it was going to suck without the Governator, but turned out to be pretty decent)
#10: The Fantastic Mr. Fox (wasn't a fan of the trailer, but Wes Anderson has done it again)
Ten Biggest Disappointments:
#1: Watchmen (If you didn't read the book, you wouldn't know where to begin. Don't watch it, unless you like blue penis.)
#2: G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (I expected bad, and it just got worse.)
#3: Invictus (Eastwood doesn't know who his main character is. If it starred Matt Damon and centered around the rugby team ... and Morgan Freeman came in with pin-point motivational speeches as Nelson Mandela, this would be a classic sports film; and Morgan Freeman would be giving Christof Waltz a run for his money as Best Supporting Actor. Instead, Freeman somehow got an Oscar nomination for Lead Actor in a role that was so underdeveloped that it was painful to watch. The film mirrors that performance, and shows that Eastwood would rather finish a film that's under budget than ... well ... finish a film.)
#4: Angels & Demons (Knew Ewan was bad from the beginning. Could you fix NOTHING from the Da Vinci Code?)
#5: The Informant (Total miss in marketing. Never advertise a semi-dramatic character study as a screwball comedy. Everyone will leave the theatre pissed.)
#6: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (AKA, X-Men: Mike's Last Stand)
#7: Funny People (Jared Apatow's Citizen Kane falls short due to his overambition and inability to edit out useless subplots. While the 40 minute segment with Leslie Mann and Eric Bana had its moments, it could have been completely removed from the plot and the film would have served the same purpose. See my review for other details.)
#8: Julie & Julia (Why wasn't it just called Julia?)
#9: A Serious Man (Study the book of Job and learn Yiddish before watching this)
#10: Public Enemies (with Michael Mann, Johnny Depp, and Marion Cotillard, I expected golden statues. It looks good, and it features good performances, and has all the ingredients of a classic. It's just missing the chemistry needed for a crime-centered love story to succeed. Beatty and Dunaway had it; and director Arthur Penn knew it. Depp and Cotillard could have had it, but Michael Mann focuses on making a technically brilliant film instead of a truly brilliant film.)
Why Have a College Football Tournament?
submitted by Chris Miller
The conversation regarding a college football playoff has been heating up recently, and with the Obama Administration taking an interest, this is the first sign of life for those in favor of a tournament.
But why have a tournament?
What about the kids, who need to go to class?
What about the fans who will have to travel to more games?
Will the Universities be worried about losing money if bowls no longer exist?
All great questions. Let me provide the answers. And just think about my idea for a playoff. Does it excite you as much as cheeseburgers excite Terrance Cody?
Forget the "settle it on the field" argument that is so common. America has an obsession with tournaments. The annual college basketball tournament is an event that almost everyone has an interest in, mostly due to office pools and gambling. Rick Neuheisel even lost his job because of it (but he's in L.A. now, so advantage Neuheisel). The playoffs for each of the four major sports are always the most-watched and most exciting times of the season.
And think about this: two of the most-watched primetime reality shows this season, "The Bachelor" and "American Idol," are tournaments. (Look it up; they trumped the Olympics). One is a dating tournament, the other a singing tournament. Both of them have made substantial amounts of money (as evidenced by multiple seasons of success for each show), so there's certainly a guarantee that the tournament will be more than slightly profitable.
Can you only imagine a college football tournament?! Startin' to smell good, right?
Onto my playoff proposal ... all the questions listed at the beginning of the article are about to be answered.
Each of the six BCS conference winners will have automatic bids. There still must be SOME perk for playing in the six most profitable conferences in college football; and no matter how bad one conference might suck that year, they'll still get an automatic bid.
A committee similar to the college basketball selection committee will select ten at-large teams to comprise a 16-team bracket. The committee will also seed the teams 1-16. BCS conference winners will not necessarily get the top six spots. Example: 2009 Florida would get a higher seed than 2009 Cincinnati, although Florida didn't win its conference title. If you have to ask why, logic is not your strong suit. (See Sugar Bowl). Also, non-BSC schools may be ranked above BCS conference champions. TCU and Boise St. were arguably better than Georgia Tech last year, and should be reflected as such when seeding begins.
Here's where it gets fun (and where university presidents will be pro-playoff).
The top eight teams in the tournament will host a HOME PLAYOFF GAME for the first round. This means increased revenue to schools with strong regular season performances, and a chance for those same top-eight teams to stay in school that week. Two birds, baby.
Next, let's say for argument sake that there are five BCS bowl venues: Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and Cotton (gotta love that new Cowboys' Stadium).
Two of these locations will be featured for the Elite 8. On quarterfinal weekend, each day will have a double-header. On day 1, Site A will host an afternoon game and Site B will host a primetime spot. On day 2, Site B will host the afternoon game while Site A gets the night game. That should yield enough time to clean up and re-paint each endzone with new team colors.
The Final Four will be held at BCS Sites C and D; and the Championship will be held at Site E.
So, let's look at a hypothetical based on last year's end-of-refular-season results.
BCS Conference Winners: Alabama (SEC), Texas (Big XII), Georgia Tech (ACC), Oregon (Pac-10), Ohio State (Big Ten), and Cincinnati (Big East).
Ten At-Large: Florida, TCU, Boise State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, LSU, Penn State, BYU, Miami, and West Virginia
I would seed them this way.
1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Cincinnati
5. TCU
6. Oregon
7. Ohio State
8. Boise State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Iowa
11. LSU
12. Penn State
13. Virginia Tech
14. BYU
15. Miami
16. West Virginia
Round 1 Games:
16 West Virginia @ 1 Alabama
15 Miami @ 2 Texas
14 BYU @ 3 Florida
13 Virginia Tech @ 4 Cincinnati
12 Penn State @ 5 TCU
11 LSU @ 6 Oregon
10 Iowa @ 7 Ohio State (The Big Ten needs a title game, anyway)
9 Georgia Tech @ 8 Boise State
Just look at those matchups. Sexy, isn't it.
Elite 8 Matchups:
Fiesta Bowl (University of Phoenix Stadium, Glenwood, AZ)
Saturday, 3:30pm: #1 Alabama vs. #9 Georgia Tech
Sunday, 7:00pm: #4 Cincinnati vs. #5 TCU
Cotton Bowl (Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX)
Saturday, 8:00pm: #2 Texas vs. #7 Ohio State
Sunday, 3:30pm: #3 Florida vs. #6 Oregon
Final 4 Matchups:
Sugar Bowl (Superdome, New Orleans, LA)
Saturday, 8:00pm: #2 Texas vs. #3 Florida
Orange Bowl (Orange Bowl, Miami, FL)
Sunday, 7:00pm: #1 Alabama vs. #5 TCU
Championship Game:
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
#1 Alabama vs. #3 Florida
What's not to like? The top eight schools, due to their hard work during the season, get the opportunity to increase their revenue and keep their students in school; BCS sites still get to host the biggest games, the little guys get to play their way into the seeding (and quickly filtered out if they're not legitimate); and other great bowl games like the Outback, Capital One, and Emerald bowls can still exist outside the playoff formula.
Are there any arguments against it?
Can we convince EA Sports to let this be an option next year?
Somewhere in rural Alabama, will Bubba look up from his fishing pole and thank Obama for the successful implementation of a playoff?
Just call me Terrance Cody with a lifetime supply of McDonalds, 'cause I'm excited.
The conversation regarding a college football playoff has been heating up recently, and with the Obama Administration taking an interest, this is the first sign of life for those in favor of a tournament.
But why have a tournament?
What about the kids, who need to go to class?
What about the fans who will have to travel to more games?
Will the Universities be worried about losing money if bowls no longer exist?
All great questions. Let me provide the answers. And just think about my idea for a playoff. Does it excite you as much as cheeseburgers excite Terrance Cody?
Forget the "settle it on the field" argument that is so common. America has an obsession with tournaments. The annual college basketball tournament is an event that almost everyone has an interest in, mostly due to office pools and gambling. Rick Neuheisel even lost his job because of it (but he's in L.A. now, so advantage Neuheisel). The playoffs for each of the four major sports are always the most-watched and most exciting times of the season.
And think about this: two of the most-watched primetime reality shows this season, "The Bachelor" and "American Idol," are tournaments. (Look it up; they trumped the Olympics). One is a dating tournament, the other a singing tournament. Both of them have made substantial amounts of money (as evidenced by multiple seasons of success for each show), so there's certainly a guarantee that the tournament will be more than slightly profitable.
Can you only imagine a college football tournament?! Startin' to smell good, right?
Onto my playoff proposal ... all the questions listed at the beginning of the article are about to be answered.
Each of the six BCS conference winners will have automatic bids. There still must be SOME perk for playing in the six most profitable conferences in college football; and no matter how bad one conference might suck that year, they'll still get an automatic bid.
A committee similar to the college basketball selection committee will select ten at-large teams to comprise a 16-team bracket. The committee will also seed the teams 1-16. BCS conference winners will not necessarily get the top six spots. Example: 2009 Florida would get a higher seed than 2009 Cincinnati, although Florida didn't win its conference title. If you have to ask why, logic is not your strong suit. (See Sugar Bowl). Also, non-BSC schools may be ranked above BCS conference champions. TCU and Boise St. were arguably better than Georgia Tech last year, and should be reflected as such when seeding begins.
Here's where it gets fun (and where university presidents will be pro-playoff).
The top eight teams in the tournament will host a HOME PLAYOFF GAME for the first round. This means increased revenue to schools with strong regular season performances, and a chance for those same top-eight teams to stay in school that week. Two birds, baby.
Next, let's say for argument sake that there are five BCS bowl venues: Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and Cotton (gotta love that new Cowboys' Stadium).
Two of these locations will be featured for the Elite 8. On quarterfinal weekend, each day will have a double-header. On day 1, Site A will host an afternoon game and Site B will host a primetime spot. On day 2, Site B will host the afternoon game while Site A gets the night game. That should yield enough time to clean up and re-paint each endzone with new team colors.
The Final Four will be held at BCS Sites C and D; and the Championship will be held at Site E.
So, let's look at a hypothetical based on last year's end-of-refular-season results.
BCS Conference Winners: Alabama (SEC), Texas (Big XII), Georgia Tech (ACC), Oregon (Pac-10), Ohio State (Big Ten), and Cincinnati (Big East).
Ten At-Large: Florida, TCU, Boise State, Iowa, Virginia Tech, LSU, Penn State, BYU, Miami, and West Virginia
I would seed them this way.
1. Alabama
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Cincinnati
5. TCU
6. Oregon
7. Ohio State
8. Boise State
9. Georgia Tech
10. Iowa
11. LSU
12. Penn State
13. Virginia Tech
14. BYU
15. Miami
16. West Virginia
Round 1 Games:
16 West Virginia @ 1 Alabama
15 Miami @ 2 Texas
14 BYU @ 3 Florida
13 Virginia Tech @ 4 Cincinnati
12 Penn State @ 5 TCU
11 LSU @ 6 Oregon
10 Iowa @ 7 Ohio State (The Big Ten needs a title game, anyway)
9 Georgia Tech @ 8 Boise State
Just look at those matchups. Sexy, isn't it.
Elite 8 Matchups:
Fiesta Bowl (University of Phoenix Stadium, Glenwood, AZ)
Saturday, 3:30pm: #1 Alabama vs. #9 Georgia Tech
Sunday, 7:00pm: #4 Cincinnati vs. #5 TCU
Cotton Bowl (Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX)
Saturday, 8:00pm: #2 Texas vs. #7 Ohio State
Sunday, 3:30pm: #3 Florida vs. #6 Oregon
Final 4 Matchups:
Sugar Bowl (Superdome, New Orleans, LA)
Saturday, 8:00pm: #2 Texas vs. #3 Florida
Orange Bowl (Orange Bowl, Miami, FL)
Sunday, 7:00pm: #1 Alabama vs. #5 TCU
Championship Game:
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
#1 Alabama vs. #3 Florida
What's not to like? The top eight schools, due to their hard work during the season, get the opportunity to increase their revenue and keep their students in school; BCS sites still get to host the biggest games, the little guys get to play their way into the seeding (and quickly filtered out if they're not legitimate); and other great bowl games like the Outback, Capital One, and Emerald bowls can still exist outside the playoff formula.
Are there any arguments against it?
Can we convince EA Sports to let this be an option next year?
Somewhere in rural Alabama, will Bubba look up from his fishing pole and thank Obama for the successful implementation of a playoff?
Just call me Terrance Cody with a lifetime supply of McDonalds, 'cause I'm excited.
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