Oscar Predictions or How the Race comes to an end!

UPDATED WITH WINNERS IN RED 18/24

Snore. Wake me up when it's over.

Thank god for Hugh Jackman or else I'd ALMOST consider NOT watching the Oscars this Sunday... 

I steer within "consensus" for many of these, but what are predictions if not a place where we have the opportunity to be gutsy and blind in order to be able to "brag" about 'seeing that one coming' the next day? That said, a clean Slumdog sweep would not be unheard of (even if it'd be a travesty to think Slumdog being part of the 9 Oscar club) and the tech categories have never been my thing (and it's sad how I'm actually excited about the Sound Categories - which in my predicted ballot function as a 'here you go Blockbusters!' consolation prize)

The award that would make me giddy with joy: Wall-E taking Original Screenplay (*fingers crossed!* = I am such a geek!)

Best Picture 

Slumdog Millionaire

["It is written" snore...]

Best Director 

Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

[Because "it is written" snore...]

Best Lead Actor

Sean Penn (Milk - A)

[Or do we think Mickey's comeback narrative prevails? I'm not sold.]

Best Lead Actress 

Meryl Streep

Kate Winslet

[Even if I'm rooting for Kate...]

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

[Sorry for the snub TDK!]

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona )

[Cause she's hot and crazy and directed by Woody!]

Best Original Screenplay

Milk

[Because how can we not vote for the BP nominee in here?]

Best Adapted Screenplay

Slumdog Millionaire

[Because in a field so weak...]

Best Animated Feature Film

WALL•E

[Sorry for the snub!]

Best Art Direction

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[The pretty pictures!]

Best Cinematography

Slumdog Millionaire

[Who knew Mumbai was so colourful?]

Best Costume Design

The Duchess

[Cause corsets = Oscar gold!]

Best Editing

Slumdog Millionaire

[Cause there's lots of it]

Best Original Score

Slumdog Millionaire

[Rahman + M.I.A. = Oscar gold despite brilliant(er) work in the category]

Best Original Song

Down to Earth - Wall-E

Jai-Ho - Slumdog Millionaire

[Rahman and Newman split the Score/Song awards!]

Best Make-Up 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[Cause how else could they warrant Brad's nomination?]

Best Sound Mixing

WALL•E

Slumdog Millionaire

[Robot noises!]

Best Sound Editing

The Dark Knight

[Not that they usually do this, but I'm splitting the Sound categories]

Best Visual Effects

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[Cause how else can they warrant Brad's nomination?]

Best Live Action Short Film

Spierlzeugland (Toyland)

[Shooting blind here, people]

Best Animated Short Film

Presto

Maison

[As a 'sorry PIXAR for not nominating Wall-E for Best Picture']

Best Documentary

Man on Wire

[It is written, n'est-ce pas?]

Best Documentary Short

The Conscience of Nhem En

Pinki Smile

[Why not?]

Best Foreign Language Film

The Class

Departures

[If only because as Pan's Labyrinth showed us, there is nothing like a "lock" here, especially when you're dealing with a genre film - and yes, those old geezers at AMPAS do think of animation as a genre, ugh...]

Flight of the Conchords, or How I (heart) Michel Gondry!

In an episode that saw our Kiwi duo go out clubbing and had Jemaine date an Australian, we all learned a valuable lesson:

Michel Gondry + Flight of the Conchords = Bliss

Exhibit A: Too Many Dicks

Tell the players, make it understood
It ain't no good if there's too much wood
Make sure you know before you go
The dance floor bro-hoe ratio
5 to 1 is a brodeo
Tell Steve and Mark its time to go
Wait outside all night to find
20 dudes in a conga line

Exhibit B: Keitha ("That's a man's name!")

"Listen Big Jay, you can't get more Australian than me. My great-great grandpa was a rapist and they shipped him out to Australia, and that's where he met mah great-great grandma - she was a prostitute. You know, I said "met" but she raped her."

Exhibit C: Carol Brown

Loretta broke my heart in a letter
Told me she was leaving and her life would be better
Joan broke it off over the phone
After the tone she left me alone
Jen said she'd never ever see me again
When I saw her again, she said it again
Jan met another man

Exhibit D: The Hug

"Unfair, I'm not participating in this hug."

Kanye West, or How can I just say this?: HATE.HIM.

I never use "hate" lightly ... well, that's a lie. But rarely do I encounter a pop culture "icon" that I hate (I mean, I'm no big fan of the Jonas Bros but you don't see me hatin' on them; I don't really dig American Idol, but you don't hear me trashin' it) - spread/talk about things you love, I say (hence why my posts are solely dedicated to things I adore and think you should too!)

But then sometimes... people are just all up in your face and you have to say something. 

My message to Kanye: please shut up. I don't care.

On Kanye ready to pour all his “superhero” energy into conquering fashion: “Put this in the magazine: There’s nothing more to be said about music. I’m the f—ing end-all, be-all of music. I know what I’m doing. I did 808s in three weeks. I got it. It’s on cruise control. . . . Man, we talked about music for God knows how long! Now let’s talk about how my f—ing sweater didn’t come back right from Korea. That’s what’s interesting me.”

I mean, seriously?

[src via jjared]

Confessions of a Shopaholic, or How 15 Random Things about the best-seller adaptation

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Directed: PJ Hogan

Starring: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, Kristin Scott-Thomas, John Goodman, Krysten Ritter, Leslie Bibb, Fred Armisen & John Lithgow

15 Random Things re: Shopaholic

So I caught Isla Fisher's Shopaholic this weekend. It was fun in that chick-flick sort of way. No ground is broken (Prada was an instant classic in my eyes, but this other best-seller adaptation will have to settle for living under its shadow) but give me some Hugh, a good cast and a bearable storyline and you've got me happy. 

1. Isla Fisher is crazy. Don't believe, try watching the 'Miami dancing' sequence with a straight face.

2. This 'The Devil Wears Prada' is not. I don't know whether I really mean that in the worst possible way. Let's see if I can put it in more understandabl

e words: Pat Field on Anne & Meryl > Pat Field on Isla & Kristin.

3. Leslie Bibb will never not-play Brooke McQueen. If you just wondered out loud who that is, I ... well... I have no use for you. Do your homework!

4. Isn't this one the most accomplished comedic

 supporting casts, ever? John! John! Joan! Fred! I'm not saying they all get their due (seriously, can Joan Cusack get more work now? Also: 

5. Who knew Joan was 'mom' material? Not me really.)

6. Hugh is pretty. That's all.

7. Bruckheimer breaks ground... in the ad placement category. I only briefly caught the Prince of Persia poster - anyone else catch others?

8. No one does bitchy French better than Kristin Scott-Thomas. Okay, maybe Catherine Deneuve.

9. Why don't mannequins clap for me? Ah yes. I try to avoid $16,000 in credit card debt.

10. Seeing Gilmore Girls alumni makes me happy. Hello Krysten Ritter! I love your boho SoHo look!

11. "If the US Economy can handle its multi-million dollar debt, you can handle yours" (or something to that effect) is probably the greatest line in the film. Oh irony!

12. Where has Nick Cornish (pictured) been all my life? He's like a younger, hotter version of Gabriel Martinez so you know I mean business. That his imdb page show that he h

ad a role in one of my all time Buffy episodes (Helpless) only adds to my instant crush!

13. Isn't Stephen Guarino (ie. the receptionist) hilarious? Only acceptable answer: Yes.

14. I love movies that make me feel better about living in NYC. Sure, I don't live a life nearly as interesting as Isla's, but still! 

15. Isla Fisher is crazy. Sorry, but it's true. Don't believe me? Try watching the mailroom scene with a straight face.

Grade: B+

The (HD) Simpsons, or How say hello to a new credits sequence!

New credits sequence to celebrate The Simpsons on HD:

I Love You, Man, or How the Bromantic Comedy has arrived!

I Love You, Man

Directed: John Hamburg

Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, JK Simmons, Jon Favreau & Andy Samberg.

Yes, it's true. Mr Rudd and Mr Segel are in what can only be described as a "Bromantic Comedy": it's a boy meets boy story so blatantly structured as a 'run of the mill' Kate Hudson/Julia Roberts rom-com that you have to be amazed at how critical it is at once of heteronormative rom-coms and illuminating about straight men (ie: they're a different, lower, weird species!). 

What would be a silly 'concept comedy' (Dude, you know what would be funny? A dude on dude rom-com!) is actually very funnily executed (I mean, when you cast Rudd, Segel, Jones, Simmons, Priestly and Samberg, you know you at least have a good starting point!) and quite smart about its 'concept' (who knew "straight men" could be so complicated?) It's a bit too raunchy for my own tastes at times - jerk-off stations? "blowies"? but it does punch in the laughs and tug at the heart. B+

Awesome TV Week, or How 30 Rock + Dollhouse + BSG!

Eliza dancing!

- She's living the dream

- Yes, but whose dream?

- Who's next?

How dare you say that in front of the statue of Santa Lucia, the patron Saint of judgmental statues!

And of course:

Welcome back Ellen... 

[I am still deciding how I feel about all this and I doubt this episode helped me made up my mind at all, but a lousy, didactic and schematic BSG is better than most TV]

Best Lead Actor, or How 'Man' is the Word

A Blog Next Door's Oscar coverage 2009: for the lit theory junkie in me and the Oscar watcher in you.

Best Lead Actor: 'Masculinity Crisis'

A Nominated Leading Man is a Nominated Leading Man is a Nominated Leading Man. Bored yet? Well, that's what Leading Men tend to be for me. Maybe it is because 'Men' are so boring but lumping them into one theoretical framework is much easier than with the ladies: how else to describe the Leading Men but to explore the lineup as a continuum of masculinity? Or better yet, as experiments in different models of (albeit, American) masculinity?

Nixon, Randy, Harvey, Benjamin and Walter are all models of contemporary masculinity. Oscar seems to be asking: which one are you?

Frank Langella - "Richard Nixon" in Frost/Nixon

I am a political man.

Where else to start? Here is a man's man - only not a fighting debonair one, but a political bureaucrat (he doesn't even dare try and wear loafers - in Kevin Bacon's words, they're very effeminate). Nonetheless he sees most things as a duel - as a fight. Add to that the fact that Mr Nixon cannot distance himself from his political image (as a strong anti-Communist man, all the time brushing a chip off his shoulder in being compared to the 1960s political beau: Kennedy) and that he is put in a position of always needing to prove himself and it is hard to see Langella's Nixon as anything other than a man in crisis.

Mickey Rourke - "Randy the Ram" in The Wrestler

I am a fighting man.

Randy is a man's man: he fights, he fucks. Here is the brass, American masculine ideal taken to the ultimate degree (and subsequently mauled and aged accordingly). What to say of a man who we seldom meet outside of a strip bar or a fighting ring, who is utterly uncomfortable playing the subdued, 'domestic' role of a grocery store aid and whose last moments are a gasping for air and bravery to seemingly face his death in what can only be described as a coming together of hubris and catharsis - though ultimately engineered by notions of 'masculine' roles? Exactly.

Brad Pitt - "Benjamin Button" in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I am a passively young-ing man.

But probably the most controversial of the models presented by this lineup is Ben Button. He is the epitome of passivity - indifference would be too strong a word, but appropriate nonetheless. Benjamin is an observer of life, love and even sex (at least he finds a tutoress in Ms Swinton) who seems to have no agency: he inherits, he travels, he sails; but never do we experience that Benjamin is capable of any action. This is the model of a man whose life is a series of events that pass him by and willingly submit to them. Indeed, the film seems to exult this to the degree that the film itself is so captivating and visually lush that it suggests Fincher, Miranda and Roth have concocted a vibrant world for Benjamin only to have him inhabit it without ever doing anything with it.

Sean Penn - "Harvey Milk" in Milk

I am a gay man.

How captivating that if we were to pick out the most wholly practical and praise-worthy masculine model we go to the 'gay man': Harvey is a late bloomer who finds his footing well into his life and when seeing imperfection in the world around him all he can think to do is act. If Benjamin is a model of passive agency (so seldom revered in masculine figures), Harvey is a man who can't stand still when faced with the world around him. He's like an action hero; or like an activist hero.

Richard Jenkins - "Walter Vale" in The Visitor

I am a frustrated man.

Throughout our cinematic encounter with Walter, we find that he is living an unfulfilling life - his book is nowhere near completion, he's seemingly detached from his work. In a way we could Walter as an academic version of Randy; here is what every want would want (a job, economic stability) but we have none of the satisfaction.

See? Even the write up bristles with dull and boring language and little or no deep analysis; these boys just don't do it for me...

Next up: Desire and the Supporting Ladies

Kate and Penelope, or How I swear I'll stop posting Kate pics soon...

... As long as she stops looking gorgeous:

And some Penelope so that I'm not all about the Kate love:

[source]

Best Lead Actress, or How Mum's the Word

A Blog Next Door's Oscar coverage 2009: for the lit theory junkie in me and the Oscar watcher in you.

Best Lead Actress 2009: 'The Freudian Mum'

AMPAS loves them some actresses. Or maybe I love me some actresses which is why I find the Actress categories much more interesting than the Actor ones (I mean, Kate and Meryl and Anne in one category easily trumps any lineup with Sean, Brad and Mickey, no?). Sadly when you think about it, the roles that AMPAS singles out in the actress categories are usually obscenely narrow (nuns! mums! whores! - did I miss any? I kid, I kid!) That said, to take the list of women that make up this list is to be immersed in a world of familial ties, exploring the tenuous relationship between women and children. Freud 101 if you will.

Kym, Christine, Sister Aloysius, Ray & Hannah are a motley crew of women that represent different ways in which society models motherhood and the care for children.

Anne Hathaway - "Kym" in Rachel Getting Married

Why didn't you take care of the child? Kym decries.

Of course at the heart of Demme's film there's an absent mother and a lost child. There's always an absent mother and/or a lost child when families are so fractured and seemingly happy but actually imbalanced as we have here. Kym is a wounded girl because she carries with her both the burden of her [SPOILERS - but not if you saw The SAGs clips for Best Actress] brother's death and of her mother's absence. The former is what gets the dramatic push, but the latter is what stays with you (bless you Debra Winger). Kym is a motherless young woman and it is that loss which resonates throughout her behaviour and which gets oddly displaced in the form of alcoholism and a drug addiction, showcasing a broken familial unit because of the inability of one woman to maintain her 'Mother' role. A 'mother' is all Kym wants, is all Kym needs/ed.

Angelina Jolie - "Christine MY!SON!BACK! Collins" in Changeling

I just want to take care of MY son! screams Christine.

If there is a prototypical 'woman' in this lineup, it is Ms Collins who lives and breathes (and works, and skates, and yells, and breaks plates) for her son. This is the 'Mother' par excellence - no wonder the characters around her can't seem to understand why she wouldn't just nurture a kid who's the closest thing to her son (aren't they exchangeable?). Make what you will of potential arguments about patience, willpower or even conviction in Christine but beneath it all here we have a tale of a woman who's incomplete without motherhood, without her child even when the possibility of reconstructing the familial structure she had before is beyond her reach. A 'mother' is all Christine knows what to be, is all we expect her to be.

Meryl Streep - "Sister Aloysius" in Doubt

I WILL take care of children - whatever it takes, Sister Aloysius says to herself.

While Father Flynn construes her as a 'hungry dragon,' Sister Aloysius is the nurturing figure of the schoolyard. Whether it'd be with her fellow (at times blind) nuns, or with a particular black boy in class and church, Sister Aloysius takes it upon herself to be the earthly Mother Mary to those around her. Fixated on a rigid structure of what mothers should and should not do (roughly matching her static and somewhat 'traditional' mores and values), Sister Aloysius cannot understand the pragmatism and (alleged) indifference when encountering Donald Miller's mother. A 'mother' is all Sister Aloysius expects from women with children,

Melissa Leo - "Ray" in Frozen River

I make the decisions that need to be made to take care of my kids, Ray needs to tell herself.

Working in the same vein as Christine, Ray is a woman whose socio-economic circumstances thrust her into a world where what she is and how she needs to survive is underscored by her duty to her children and her family. The man leaves, but it is the woman who cannot escape the familial ties to her children and who takes the reigns of her life and job (yeah, let's call it a 'job') in order to be able to provide for her children. Out of all the women in this lineup it is she who most mirrors the type of woman we should admire. Courtney Hunt does my work for me stating that in making this film she wanted to 'break down audiences' cultural assumptions through the universal language of a mother's love' [src]. A 'loving mother' is what Ray exemplifies.

Kate Winslet - "Hannah" in The Reader

Come in, I'll take care of you, kid, Hannah says.

And then we come to the ex-Nazi prison guard. (I tell ya, had they nominated Winslet for her turn as April Wheeler in Revolutionary Road, this mini-essay would write itself: for what is April but the prime example of a woman actively refusing the 'motherhood' label society springs on women?) But Hannah - she becomes a sexually active nurturing figure in Michael's life - not so much a mother as a sexual mentress (yes, I'm making up words today). But hidden within the ambiguities of the film and the moral minefields of the narrative is the hidden assumption of shame in the relationship between a mature woman and a younger boy. This of course derives from both 'traditional' relational models between young men and older women (usually recasting a mother-son relationship - hey, even among males and females of the same age!) and yet Hannah never succumbs to treating Michael as anything other than a 'reader' and a lover. A 'mother' is what we might expect from Hannah but she escapes such 'paint by the numbers' relation with Michael.

Next Up: Leading Men and American Masculinity

Dustin Lance-Black or How Vogue Hommes sexies him up

It's not only the actresses who show some skin to get to the golden boy, thank god!

Here's Milk's Dustin Lance-Black shot by Milk's Gus Van Sant.

[source]

Sam and Kate, or How VF pairs 'em together

Gorgeous, no?

[source]

Best Supporting Actor 2009 or How 'Madness' is the Word

A Blog Next Door's Oscar coverage 2009: For the lit theory junkie in me and the Oscar watcher in you.

Best Supporting Actor 2009: 'Madness and Civilization'

We all know that Oscars are about many things, least of 'em being anointing what is 'actually' the Best of the Year. They celebrate 'careers' (LMS's Alan Arkin), achievements (NCFOM's Javier Bardem), a wonderful year (S's George Clooney). But mostly they also celebrate great characters and in any given year we could ask: what is it about these characters that gets AMPAS all riled up? To take the list of men vying for Heath's er... I mean the Supporting Actor Oscar is to be immersed in a Foucaultian World. (I told ya I'd be tapping into my inner Academic; y'know, what I actually do for a living!)

The Joker, John Givings, Dan White, Father Flynn and the 'dude playing the dude disguised as another dude' are all men at the fringes who explore and enact what it means to inhabit a body that is over and over branded as Other.

Heath Ledger - "The Joker" in The Dark Knight

You are what we are not, Gotham declares.

Gotham's scariest villain is as much a product as he is a symptom of the ailing world that Batman is trying to salvage. Where Batman is order, The Joker is chaos. Heis himself the fringe, the limit and with his scars, his cackle and his relentless cruelty he showcases everything we seemingly purge from society but by his very being Heath's Joker reminds us that we have never escaped our own bruised society. He may seem like a force of nature, but he's ultimately the suppressed culture coming back to claim the center of society from which he has been banished. 

Michael Shannon - "John Givings" in Revolutionary Road

You are not what we want to be, Suburbia pronounces.

Suburbia's most threatening force finds it's home in the mental patient John Givings who spouts truth wherever he goes but because society (pristine, pure and orderly as April's dresses, Mrs Givings yard and Milly's snacks) has decided it is unseemly to say sun things, John's words are lost in the deluded void that is his father's hearing aid and his mother's natural deafness to truth. His mental health is as much a lie and a construction as April and Frank's ideal home, but while a 'normal' society sees the Wheelers as a necessary aspect of life, John and his kin are labelled and discarded into the 'Mental Institution' where they're words can be sanitized with the language of Science. 

Philip Seymour Hoffman - "Father Flynn" in Doubt

You are not what we are about, sentences Sister Aloysius.

Father Flynn is a curious case becuae of the relentless ambiguity of Shanley's script (though sadly not his direction). Here is a man conflicted by the accusations headed his way and potentially by a sexuality that his own Church deems deviant an therefore imperfect. It is thus why we get the sermons on Doubt and Gossip and why sideway glances at young boys are so suspect even for us as an audience. But in a religious world that requires moral certainty, Father Flynn has no place. But more importantly thy Sister Aloysius cracks Father Flynn's facade with hollow accusations and a made up phone call only bring to the forefront the double world of Father Flynn. This is a world that does not take him for who he is, nor for who he fashions himself to be. 

Josh Brolin - "Dan White" in Milk

You are what I am not, says Dan to Harvey with a couple of shots to the chest.

Dan White is also a curious character because just as Father Flynn he has internalized a set of rules and 'Thou Shall Not's that disable him from full-fledge happiness. In Harvey he sees everything he wishes banished from his own body (remember that sad moment of him naked and desolate). As Harvey's self-apointed foil he cannot function without seeing what he could (have) be(en). And so begins a cruel derailment into violence - the only way he sees as an escape from that cultural iron cage which society has built and nourished for him. 

Robert Downey Jr - "Kirk Lazarus" in Tropic Thunder

You are not what we are, but we'll gladly watch it and award you for it, says Kirk's audience.

And then we have the performer of the crowd: Kirk Lazarus playing Sgt Lincoln Osiris. But compared to the deranged and damaged souls of Gotham, Suburbia, the Church and (hetero)Society, what to make of this ironic blackface performance? In a way it returns us to a more racially tinged version of the other characters. Physically transforming himself into Osiris, Lazarus is at once enacting and commenting on the hierarchical race relations of America. All the actors in Tropic Thunder to an extent shine a light on the way the 'fringes' of society are easily sanitized and commodified (I'm looking at you Simple Jack), churning out Hollywood Oscar-bait flick after Hollywood Oscar-bait film. It isno wonder that the 'performer' in the crowd offers the meta commentary on the Foucauldian project that I see (quite glibly) taking shape in the Best Supporting Actor Category. 

Next: Freud and the Leading Ladies

Watch Out for 2009, or How what are you looking forward to?

Okay, so 2008 is far behind us, and it didn't quite make an impression on anyone (can someone tell me why Slumdog is taking every and all prizes other than because its competition is horribly weak?) In any case: let's look ahead people! I mostly look forward to films because of the people involved so that's why the list skews more towards films made by/starring people I love. "Big Movies" and the "Blockbusters" don't really get me excited though I do end up watching them, so that's why stuff like Watchmen, Terminator and Avatar don't quite make it to the list. Without further ado:

Top 20 Films I'm Most Looking Forward to

20. Cherie (Stephen Frears)

Michelle Pfeiffer in a costume drama. Need we say more?

19. Shutter Island (Martin Scorcese)

Despite The Aviator I still look forward to any Leo/Marty pairing.

18. Duplicity (Tony Gilroy)

You had me at Julia Roberts headlining a film. Add in Tony 'Bourne/Michael Clayton' Gilroy and a shirtless scene with Clive Owen and you've got me really intrigued for this film.

17. A Single Man (Tom Ford)

You have to give props to Mr Ford for bringing together three stars I love: Julianne, Lee & Colin. Also, I love the original story so I'm interested to see how this turns out.

16. An Education (Lone Scherfig)

If there was one deafening pronouncement coming from Sundance this year, it was the breakthrough of a certain Ms Carey Mulligan in this Nick Hornby-penned film. Add in Peter Saarsgard and an academic environment and I'm sold.

15. Rudo y Cursi (Carlos Cuaron)

Gael. Diego. 'Nuff said.

14. Brothers (Jim Sheridan)

Is it just me or was this supposed to be an '08 release? In any case, this remake of a Danish film of the same name has me intrigued, mainly for the talent involved (Ms Portman, Jake and Tobey).

13. Ponyo at the Cliff (Hayao Miyazaki)

I'm an animation freak, so of course I would be

looking forward to Miyazaki's new retelling of Anderson's Little Mermaid. Also, is this not the best voice acting cast since... ever? You had me at Tina Fey.

12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (David Yates)

This was on my list last year: Warner Bros better make our wait worth while!

11. Los Abrazos Rotos (Pedro Almodovar)

Penelope. Pedro. 'Nuff said.

10. The Princess and the Frog (Ron 'n John)

These are the guys that brought us The Little Mermaid, Hercules and Aladdin, and while I'm unsure about the whole 'Randy Newman writes New Orleans tunes' is gonna work out, I have high hopes for this return to form among the Disney crowd.

9. Away We Go (Sam Mendes)

This is why doing research for upcoming films is fun: you realize John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cheryl Hines, Alison Janney and Catherine O'Hara are starring in a new comedy film by Sam Mendes!

8. Julie and Julia (Nora Ephron)

Meryl. Amy. 'Nuff said.

7.The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson)

The novel tells the story of a girl who watches from heaven as her family deal with her murder. Intriguing no? We'll see what Mr Jackson cooks up for us.

6. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (Edgar Wright)

Have you really not picked up the wonderful comic books that trace the trials and tribulations of a certain Scott Pilgrim? What is wrong with you? And now, with a wonderful cast, I can't wait to see what this film looks like.

5. Sunshine Cleaning (Christine Jeffs)

Amy. Emily. 'Nuff said. (This film also closes the Amy-Emily-Meryl-Anne square - wait no. Amy and Anne now need to star in something...)

4. 500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb)

I already talked about how much I was looking forward to this film starring Zoey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt here.

3. Nine (Rob Marshall)

Nicole. Penelope. Kate. Sophia. Judi. Marion. 'Nuff said. Well, no - add to it the directorial vision of Rob Marshall and you've got yourself the most anticipated musical this year.

2. Talking Woodstock (Ang Lee)

When has Mr Lee disappointed us? (If you're answer was "Hulk" please go skulk in the corner right now, shame on you!) Also: Emile, Paul (Dano), Liev, Imelda, Demetri Martin (just saw him on Flight of the Conchords - so cute!) and Jonathan 'Spring Awakening' Groff!

1. Up (Pete Docter)

Is this a surprise to anyone? Of course PIXAR's latest installment would make my number 1 (the fact that Ratatouille and Wall‧E were my top picks for the last two years proves that I have yet to be disappointed by Lassetter & co).