NYT Great Performances, or How look: gorgeous pics!

The entire NYT gallery "Great Performances" is gorgeous, but these three were my favorites (and that's not even going into the very ethereal "The Secret Lives of Girls" portraits which include 2009 it girls from Sidibe to Mulligan to Ronan).

Hunky "Brothers"

God! Julianne and Colin need to reunite ASAP (at least for another dance party, no?)

I don't know how I'm more jealous of.

Happy Valentine's Day, or How let's break it down by actors

There's no way to really review Valentine's Day (C) other than to say that it's the American long lost dopey mopey American cousin to the (far oh so very far) superior Love, Actually, with even less narrative structure and character development. But let's face it, you didn't really come to this movie for its character arcs or even for its plot. You watch movies like Valentine's Day because of its cast, so... what better way to "review" this movie than to examine its players?

Listed from worst ("What the hell? Get him/her off my screen NOW!") to best ("What would I have done with this movie without you?!")

Taylor Lautner

Okay, I get it. He's hot. He's ripped. But why is Taylor Lautner such a boring actor? (And why is this a trend with those effing Twilight boys?). No chemistry, no on-screen persona, no timing, no nothing. Waste of screen space.

George Lopez

There are few things I hate more than "dark-skinned token sidekicks." And really, that's all Lopez is here. That and the center of a couple of really unfunny bits.

Patrick Dempsey

Oh McDreamy. Go back to Grey's. And stop playing doctors. That said, if you wanna keep playing jerks, that's fine by me. It makes it easier for me to hate your on-screen persona.

Jamie Foxx

I can't stand Jamie Foxx. Don't know what it is. So me disliking him (and his lame ass storyline - Sports Anchor hates Valentine's Day, falls for a publicist...snooze) this came as no surprise even as the film tried hard to make him lovable.

Taylor Swift

I'll admit it: I enjoyed Taylor Swift on SNL. But I'll also admit that here, she's useless. Also, seeing her trying to be "funny" next to Jen Garner in close quarters (an elevator) only exacerbated her inadequacy and lack of comedic timing (on the other hand, Jen did wonders with just a cellphone as a prop).

Jessica Alba

I have decided something upon watching Ms Alba in this: I don't want to watch her on screen again until she dyes her hair back to a darker tone. Seriously, how is this the same girl who knocked my socks off in Dark Angel? I blame the hair colour, so Jessica, if you're taking notes: dye it back! And contact the guy who gave you your break, I hear he's doing pretty good for himself with that blue people movie of his.

Eric Dane

Okay, so his storyline is a wee bit interesting to see on screen in a big Hollywood ensemble romantic comedy, but other than some gratuitous shirtless scenes, he has little to do (He's a football player whose career is about to "change!"). Thankfully, he's in great shape so I wasn't complaining.

Kathy Bates

Oh Kathy, if you knew it was such a throwaway role, why'd you take it? Seriously, she has like...2 lines. None of which are particularly good or funny.

Queen Latifah

Ms Latifah clearly just cashed her cheque. She has little to do and she does even less with it (except for a couple of bloopers at the end). Good thing she has great on-screen chemistry with the camera (because of course she gets an off-screen "lover").

Hector Elizondo

Playing Shirley MacLaine's husband can't be that hard - she's lovely! She wears crazy outfits! She's an actress! (Actually that scene in the cemetery is pretty hysterical). Reliable and adequate - nothing to write home about.

Jessica Biel

Oh Ms Biel, at least here you seem more at home than in our sojourns into "costume drama." Neurosis suits you, even if you can do very little with it in the storyline given to you (she finds love while hosting her anti-V Day party in the unlikeliest of Oscar winners!)

Ashton Kutcher

I'll say this now: I hate Kelso. And Ashton has done nothing to dispel that persona enough for me to take him seriously as an actor. But here (Ms Garner does wonders for her co-stars, I guess) he's adequate enough as a fumbling romantic. He's dopey enough to be annoying but not annoying enough to be grating.

Bradley Cooper

Oh Bradley! You're so dreamy (yes, my love for Alias and its alums continues!). His scenes with Julia are great and the reveal at the end (take note gay blogs: there's a REASON /other/ than homophobia for keeping Bradley's storyline under wraps!) is just lovely (take note gay blogs: maybe take issue with the fact that the reveal only goes so far: where's the gay PDA?).

Emma Roberts

It must be in the blood: in one of the more touching romantic storylines (revolving around teenage premarital sex), Roberts (and her hunky co-star) hit all the right notes (take notes Taylors!) - at once awkward but also sweet.

Topher Grace

Okay, when did Topher Grace get hot and why did no one tell me? He was so gangly and dorky and adorably awkward in That 70s Show I was a bit disconcerted (albeit pleasantly surprised) when I saw him shirtless in this. Damn. He's proven before he can act (P.S., In Good Company) so that and his chemistry with Anne help in fleshing out a nicely drawn out storyline (can he date a girl who does something questionable for a living?).

Shirley MacLaine

At this point, Ms McLaine can do this role in her sleep. But why should we hold that against her? She's great as a wife with a past secret that will test her long marriage (and in turn serve as a "teaching moment" to one of the younger couples). So much learning always happens in these movies!: "We must love everything about the other person... love them wholly!"

Anne Hathaway

It's no overstatement to say that Anne Hathaway has grown into one of the most charming of actresses out there, right? Here she gets a chance to go "dirtier" than usual (she moonlights as a phone adult entertainer) which works very well as it disrupts our vision of "Annie" as "that girl from the Princess Diaries" without needing her to play a privileged brat going to her sister's wedding. Her and Topher have great chemistry and offer one of the more interesting plot lines the film has to offer.

Bonus points: all her accents and her creative use of office props for her phone calls.

Jennifer Garner

I've loved Ms Garner since her Alias days, and to this day I think she is one of the most charismatic actresses out there. That she can pull off Sidney Bristow as well as carry a film like 13 Going on 30 should still wow you, even if you're not a fan. In a storyline that mirrors a gazillion rom-coms out there (best friends find out they love each other, after finding out she's been dating a jerk), her smile and star-quality make her character vulnerable, funny and real.

Bonus points: Her scene at the restaurant (and then her scene with the piñata) were master-classes in comedy acting.

Julia Roberts

Okay, it's no surprise Julia tops my list, right? But seriously Ms Roberts does in six minutes what half of this cast wishes they could accomplish in an entire film. She's funny, she's effortless... yes, she's Julia Roberts but it's genuine and in a sea of thankless plots, she's always a breath of fresh air.

Bonus points: she was the only actor in this film to make me shed a tear (hers is the story that while seemingly trite and what is apparently a glorified cameo ends up having the most gravitas)

The Ghost Writer, or How look! Ms DeWitt! Samantha! Bond! Christian!

I rarely get excited over political thrillers (or thrillers or any kind) but something about Polanski's latest (The Ghost Writer) - namely, the cast (Olivia Williams, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattral and Pierce Brosnan) has me giddy with anticipation.

Toy Story 3 or How I can't wait!

Funny I was JUST talking about how much I can't wait for Toy Story 3 when the guys over at Vulture directed me to these new character posters from new toys "Peas in a Pod" and "Ken."

Adorable.

Can't. Wait.

The Dorys 2009, or How here's the best according to me!

I started the Dorys (pronounced Door-ees, get it?) last year as a way to put in my two cents as to what the best films are in a given year (I mean, last year I just had to interject between all the SLUMDOG!! SLUMDOG IS THE ONLY FILM EVER MADE I LOVE IT OMG IT'S SO GOOD LET'S GIVE IT ALL THE AWARDS POSSIBLE! This year, with the guilds and the critics and the groups all relatively screaming the same names, I find it refreshing to throw my own thoughts out there (though as you'll see, there are names that crop up even here that have been seen elsewhere).

Remember, the Dorys include Oscar's Big 8 + Ensemble (I don't consider myself a great judge of tech stuff to make an informed decision). Enjoy!

Outstanding Motion Picture

Up in the Air

A Single Man

Mary and Max

In the Loop

(500) Days of Summer

Outstanding Direction

Tom Ford (A Single Man)

Pedro Almodovar (Broken Embraces)

Neil Blompkamp (District 9)

Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Colin Firth (A Single Man)

Sharlto Copley (District 9)

Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Philip Seymour-Hoffman (Mary and Max)

George Clooney (Up in the Air)

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Maya Rudolph (Away We Go)

Julia Roberts (Duplicity)

Tilda Swinton (Julia)

Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones)

Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Alfred Molina (An Education)

Jake Gyllenhaal (Brothers)

Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

Alec Baldwin (It's Complicated)

Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia)

Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Julianne Moore (A Single Man)

Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds)

Marion Cotillard (Nine)

Monique (Precious)

Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)

Outstanding Adapted Screenplay

Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)

Tom Ford & co (A Single Man)

Nick Hornby (An Education)

Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire)

Armando Iannucci & co. (In the Loop)

Outstanding Original Screenplay

Michael H Webber & Scoot Neustadter ((500) Days of Summer)

Pedro Almodovar (Broken Embraces)

Tony Gilroy (Duplicity)

Pete Docter & co. (Up)

Adam Elliot (Mary and Max)

Outstanding Ensemble in a Motion Picture

A Single Man

An Education

Duplicity

In the Loop

Nine

Tally of Nominations

A Single Man 6

Up in the Air 5

An Education 3

In The Loop 3

Duplicity 3

Mary and Max 3

(500) Days of Summer 2

The Hurt Locker 2

Nine 2

Broken Embraces 2

Precious 2

Inglorious Basterds 2

District 9 2

Julie & Julia 2

Up 1

It's Complicated 1

Brothers 1

Away We Go 1

Julia 1

The Lovely Bones 1

Julia Roberts, or How I wonder which Julia you are...

This all started from me feeling too much like Julianne Potter lately, and then my friend saying he was just more of a "Pretty Woman"-type of guy. So I want to know, what kind of Julia Roberts you are.

Are you...

...just a girl in front of a guy?

...a hooker with a heart of gold?

...unable to commit because you don't know how you take your eggs?

...just trying to be the best (step)mom you can be?

...a heinous conniving bitch who just wants to be loved?

...a firecracker with political leanings?

...always falling for the wrong (sized) guys?

...committed to a great social cause?

...a romantic at heart with family dreams?

...a chronically depressed married woman?

...that girl who used to be overweight?

...on the wrong side of the border?

...always scheming and two-timing?

...an inspiration to young minds?

Top 50 Films of the 2000s part 3, or How the 'best of' continues

TOP 50 FILMS OF THE 2000s

This is obviously a biased list of titles that range from Oscar winners to animated gems, and the only criteria I used was: "movies that I have thought about, have rewatched over and over again and which have stayed with me in one way or another." It's a "best of" list only in the sense that that 'best' is utterly subjective.

[Check out parts 1 and 2 here]

10. Pan's Labyrinth

Few directors could do the dazzling and gorgeous effects we see on screen in Pan's Labyrinth at the cost that Guillermo del Toro did them. Even fewer are able to seamlessly merge effects and good storytelling to great effect. This dark fairy-tale for adults (or really mature and violence-ready children) is one of those films I come back to time and time again. It works on so many different levels I'm always scared of flattening it: is it an allegory of Franco's regime? Is it an assault on storytelling in the face of cruelty? Is it a moratorium for fantasy or a redemption of it? Is it a great gothic story or an Alice in Wonderland for Franco's Spain?

9. Volver

The movie that turned Penelope Cruz from a beautiful Spanish actress making bad choices when it came to Hollywood movies to a gorgeous Spanish actress earning her first Oscar nomination for an Almodovar film and seeing her become an actress to be reckoned with. Almodovar's film is so sumptuous (no wonder it's obsessed with food!) and so funny and so heartwarming (that you forget it opens with an episode around child-molestation and murder!) it gets me every time.

8. Revolutionary Road

It's an unpopular film with some from a director that has polarized opinions about his work ever since he won the Oscar for (the still undervalued) American Beauty. And I'll say it now: Sam Mendes is a director that enthralls me. What others decry as his stylistic obsession (with perfectly calculated frames and shots that might feel stifling in their exactness) is what draws me most to his oeuvre. Adapting Richard Yates's bleak and unforgiving look at American suburbia in the 1950s, Mendes - reuniting a 'titanic' pair (Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio), creates what is to me a 50s tragic melodrama that stifles the viewer in order to mirror the claustrophobia April and Frank Wheeler experience.

7. Mullholland Dr.

Many of these films on my list I loved on first viewing. Not this one. But then, first-viewings rarely do David Lynch films any favours. The distorted, fractal, dream-like structure of Mullholland Dr is no difference. Here was a movie that captivated my thoughts and haunted me for weeks on end, demanding a reviewing - not for mere understanding (for how futile and thankless that would be) but for the joy of reliving the carefully calibrated experience of the film. Naomi Watts has never been better than here, embodying the fragile and yet cunning nature of her ephemeral character (what are Lynch's characters but mere shadows, mirrors and dream images?).

6. Amélie

Few films can pull off a suicide and milk it for laughs without seeming grotesque or unseemly. Yet this Jean Pierre Jeunet film strikes that fine balance between dark humour and light-hearted tone when it comes to things as death, sex, love and relationships. Amélie won many hearts upon its release (mine included) and there's no shortage of reasons why. Here was a visually stunning film with a truly magnetic lead whose 'fabulous destiny' (as the french title dubs it) is a joy to watch. The colours pop, the dialogue snaps and the blend of romance, humour and urban-fairy-tale style are hard to resist.

5. The Hours

The cast list alone would have secured this film's presence in this list, yet if films like Evening have taught us is that regardless of the strength of your cast, you need a good film behind them to make it work. Carefully adapting Michael Cunningham's novel of the same name, Daldry & co created a three-pronged meditation on writing, reading, living and breathing using Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway as both its center and end-goal. Meryl, Nicole and Julianne each command the screen and embody these characters with the pathos of womanhood - those close ups that Daldry privileges so much are only stunning because these three actresses can emote widely and subtly without succumbing to mere posture. That each is given juicy scenes (Nicole in the train station, Julianne and Toni's scene in the kitchen, Meryl's meltdown) with literate and awfully eloquent writing only helps elevate this great adaptation.

4. WALL-E

It's no surprise a PIXAR film made it to my Top 5. Six of their seven releases would have easily made it to a Top 25 list (Cars still ranks as my least-favorite PIXAR film and the only one I never saw in theaters) but to keep things fair, I restricted myself to only one in the Top 10. Andrew Stanton's Sci-Fi romantic 'green fable' film is not only gorgeous but a master-class in animation. To make the two protagonists as emotive as they are, able to convey as many emotions as they do without falling into the Dreamworks-like anthropomorphism we are so used to is a feat in itself. Part Buster Keaton, part Woody Allen and part Johnny 5, WALL-E is a character that became an endearing part of my life last year (just ask any of my friends how many times I use "EEEE-VAAH" in normal conversation). For showing how astounding PIXAR can be and bringing to fruition almost ten years of film-making, WALL-E deserves as spot in my Top 5.

3. Closer

I'm probably in the minority when it comes to my undying love for this Mike Nichols's film. But no other film has tapped into my feelings about relationships as well as this stage-to-film adaptation. It destroys me emotionally every time I watch it. You may deem it misanthropic (and I would agree) and you may claim its cold and unflinching in its portrayal of these mostly dysfunctional and mean-spirited characters (and I would agree) but there is something oddly familiar to me about Anna (the understated and undervalued Julia Roberts), Alice (the explosively sexy Natalie Portman), Dan (a meek and miserable Jude Law) and Larry (a frightening and cunning Clive Owen). That probably says more about me than about them, but I feel at home with these characters and Marber's script, with its stagey/Mamet-like dialogue punches me in the gut every time. And I love it for it.

2. Moulin Rouge!

This list is mostly about films who have stayed with me over the years. I still remember the first time I saw Baz Luhrmann's musical. I remember being rapt with awe in front of the TV (silly of me to have missed this in the big screen!) and knowing that I had found a film that I would never forget. From its sumptuous costume design and visual flair, to its modern re-working of vintage songs, to its by-the-numbers star-crossed-lovers plot, to its obsession with intertextuality and meta-drama, it felt like finding a cinematic soulmate. My love for Ms Kidman found its start here (I vaguely remembered her as 'that girl from Batman Forever, can you believe it?) and the Tango of Roxxane shot up to being my number one movie scene of all time (such choreography! such editing! such passion!) This is a movie I watch every couple of months and while it may have its flaws, it's a movie I know I could not live without.

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Picking my number one film of the decade was probably the easiest choice of the entire list. Michel Gondry's visually inventive and stunning film, working from an off-beat (and brilliant) Charlie Kauffman script is a wonder of a movie. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey, as Clementine and Joel, give performances that feel real even when the situations around them are crazy (I particularly love the scene in Joel's childhood kitchen with Carrey making good use of his comedic chops playing a four year old version of Joel, while Clementine can't help but bask in the stylish 60s setting). This is most likely the greatest contemporary romantic comedy because dysfunction and the quotidian take front and center, eschewing rom-com staples like "platonic and idealized romance" as well as an unambiguously happy and hopeful ending. Joel and Clementine's relationship (and our experience of it) fractures and frames our viewing experience, so as to let us experience the highs as well as the lows without polishing or organizing them to make them feel cinematic.