JERSEY SHORE Season 4 = Italy

http://www.tvline.com/2011/01/buzz-jersey-shore-will-storm-italy-for-season-4/

 

I have been waiting for this since the cast first said they were Italian. This is going to be AMAZING.

Oscar Nominations are In!

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/25/whos-up-for-an-oscar/?hpt=C1

 

Pretty much as I expected…. except THE TOWN being almost completely overlooked. That, my friends, is a crying shame. The film, the director, its star and its screenplay deserves better. 

On that note, looking at the Best Picture nominees… the AFI list was pretty much spot on (adding in THE KING’S SPEECH in place of THE TOWN). Looks like I’ll have to see 127 Hours and Winter’s Bone after all!

Oscar Watch 2010 Wrap-Up

Right around Christmas, I decided to go ahead and do what I did a couple years back: see all of the Best Picture nominees and contenders in time for the Academy Awards. Well, I actually one-upped myself, seeing most of the films widely regarded as contenders before nominations even came out. I’m proud of myself.

Before I get to the official timmmc.com OW2010 List, I must put down something of a disclaimer. I initially used the American Film Institute’s Top 10 of 2010 list as a guideline for my list. While the list isn’t necessarily an accurate indication of which films will be nominated (the 2009 list only featured 5 of the Oscar nominees), it seemed like a good list to build upon. I did omit two films from the list: 127 HOURS (this film did not interest me, and the much talked about climactic scene turns my stomach just thinking about…. so I’ll wait on that one) and WINTER’S BONE (again, the film just did not interest me). In exchange, I added two films of my own to it: A KING’S SPEECH (did not qualify for the AFI awards, as it’s a British film) and BLUE VALENTINE. I had also intended on seeing RABBIT HOLE, but since there are no theatres near me where I can see it… it must wait. 

After the jump, the official timmmc.com OW2010 List, plus my personal locks for Oscar nominations.

My review of BLUE VALENTINE

A gritty, real, honest portrayal of a relationship from start to finish… but missing something. 

My review of THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

As I get closer to the end of my quest, I come across THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, a comedy about a lesbian couple and their two children. Cute, but poses no threat. I wanted to love this movie. I really did… but I didn’t. I found it enjoyable enough, with a funny script and some very strong performances, but there seemed to be something missing. Perhaps it was that the plot never strayed from the predictable, perhaps it was the somewhat static and stock nature of the characters… but I wasn’t feeling it.

First look at Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man

I forgot to post this the other day.

I love everything about this photo. Andrew Garfield is going to be a FANTASTIC Spider-Man.

A reminder that the Oscars are more about politics than the films they award...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/race/kings-speech-beat-social-network-...

 

Not to make this year’s Oscar race into a fight between King George VI and Mark Zuckerberg, but this blog post by THR annoys me. I know it’s the truth, that producers jockey for position and hope to get that last lick in before voting closes…. but still, annoying. Shouldn’t the Best Picture Oscar be about, I don’t know, awarding the best motion picture of the year? All award shows are like this, I’m fully aware, but it’s just so… slimy. 

I have two more movies on my list that I intend to see, hopefully this weekend if I find the motivation: THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT and BLUE VALENTINE. Once I see those two films, hopefully before Tuesday’s Oscar nominations, I’ll post my picks. Fingers crossed!

*For those keeping track, I have indeed struck two movies from the AFI List from my own (preliminary) list: WINTER’S BONE and 127 HOURS. Should the nominations require I see these two, I’ll do it for completists sake, to accomplish what I set out to do, but for now, they are omitted.

American Idol S10: What's with the ju-ju-bees on your oo-oo-bees?

So, the 10th season American Idol premiered last night. I LOVE this show. I was at first skeptical of all the changes they made so quickly to the show, but as the hype continued to build, I began getting more and more excited. I figured that Steven Tyler was going to be a hot mess, and I was dying to see it.

The audition episodes are not my favorite in the least. To me, it’s more or less 3-4 weeks of noise, with a few standout auditions (for all the WRONG reasons). Sure, they show some really talented people, and quite likely the person that will be crowned the winner in May… but given all the crap auditions, I’m not likely to remember them when they get to the Hollywood round, let alone the actual performance shows. Because of this, I usually watch a couple shows when I can, but I don’t make them appointment TV.

This year, however? That may change. Why? Steven Tyler.

Bruno Mars is love.

 

Bruno Mars is, without a doubt, one of the most talented people in the pop music world right now. Yet, somehow, that world is ruled by a hack like Katy Perry. Terrible.

SKINS hits the US....

Oh, SKINS. The UK version was totally a guilty pleasure for all the right reasons…. now it comes to the US. Ho boy. 

2011 GOLDEN GLOBES Instant Reaction

So, the Golden Globes just ended…. some quick thoughts.

Welcome to timmmc.com!

This here is the first post on timmmc.com!

I totally needed my own website, complete with domain name, right? The domain name was available, so I figured I should snag it while the going’s good. As you can clearly see, at this point it’s just my Tumblr with a (snazzy) new URL, but that may change. I have lots of free time, I may work on learning to create a whole new site… but whatever I do, it’ll be right here, on timmmc.com!

My review of THE KING'S SPEECH

Probably the most critically acclaimed film on my list…. and yep, I got it.

Spoiler: This is more acclaim.

My review of TRUE GRIT

I have a love/hate relationship with the Coen Brothers…. but fortunately this was more FARGO than NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN for me.

EPIC Fail

EPIC SADFACE.

My Kindle had a horrific fall today. And by fall, I mean I dropped it. At first I thought the casing just popped open a bit, but when I tried to pop it back into place, I realized that it was more than that…. and clearly, the screen was affected as well. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Then when I saw that my one year warranty expired right before Christmas, I was sad.

BUT. I call up Amazon to see how much it’d be to get it fixed, and they tell me there was no problem, they’d overnight me a new one, and to send the broken one back within 30 days. I’m not quite sure why, but I’m SO not complaining. 

I love Amazon.com.

Must-see BLACK SWAN International Promo Posters

http://www.firstshowing.net/2010/gorgeous-promo-poster-set-for-darren-aronofs...

 

My review of BLACK SWAN

My mind is sufficiently blown. (Pseudo spoilers within)

My review of TOY STORY 3

A completely fitting finale to a landmark trilogy. And a warning: this review is sappy.

My review of THE TOWN

I initially intended on these reviews being brief. I’ve failed at that thus far…. but I’ll try it here.

Blake Lively can act? Huh?

My Review of THE SOCIAL NETWORK

As previously noted here and elsewhere, I am a big ‘ole geek. A Facebook movie? WHERE do I get my tickets?

I am probably the most plugged in person I know, so the notion of a Facebook movie got me REALLY excited when it was announced. I mean, how awesome is that? After a bit of thought though, I began to wonder if Facebook really exciting enough to make a movie about. I knew about the lawsuits about it, but those were all settled with fairly little hoopla, so I figured the movie, unfortunately, would be a dud. Then, however, names came out of the people involved: David Fincher, Aaron Sorkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield… my excitement level was certainly piqued. The trailer came out, and suddenly it was official: THE SOCIAL NETWORK was my most anticipated movie of 2010. 

My initial concern with the movie starting out was the overall lack of conflict. Sure, the movie centers on a pair of high-stakes lawsuits Facebook faced as it took off, but neither lawsuits are really the stuff courtroom drama is made of. That, however, is the beauty of this movie: the absolutely brilliant screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin wove the past (2003-2004) and the “present” (2007) together beautifully, showing how “thefacebook” was born while simultaneously showing how it nearly died in court. Though any geek knows the basics of the Facebook story, Sorkin creates just the right amount of suspense needed to propel the film, building up to a quite appropriate conclusion. 

The other strengths of the film are its leading performances. I’d seen Jesse Eisenberg in a few movies before this one where he suffers from what I call ‘Nathan Lane Syndrome’ - the uncanny ability to play the exact same role over and over again, yet somehow making it completely appropriate for the movie (Michael Cera also “suffers” from this, in my book). In THE SOCIAL NETWORK, however, Eisenberg is transformed; the elements that make Eisenberg a likable actor are still there, but he was not playing Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. Wonderful performance. Justin Timberlake, too, was able to separate himself from his character, something I was not expecting. The real revelation, though, was Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, a role that could easily be played as a whiny, spoiled rich kid who pouts. Garfield, however, takes over the film, making the story as much about Saverin as it was Zuckerberg & Facebook. Wonderful stuff.

As noted, THE SOCIAL NETWORK was my most anticipated movie of 2010. In a year filled with some big time films for geeks everywhere, this was a pretty big thing, in my mind. Having seen them all, I would say that not only did the film meet my expectations, it vastly exceeded them. As I write this review, THE SOCIAL NETWORK stands as one of my top two favorite films of 2010, likely with the inside track for the Best Picture crown.