How in holy, blazing, snowball devouring hell has Jeff Bridges never won an Oscar???

Finally. It’s over. The 2000s. The 00s. The aughts. Whatever the fuck you want to call it. We’re done. And with the close of the decade, comes the obligatory nostalgic look back. And while we’ve suffered through a lot of bullshit these past ten years, there is also much to be appreciated—especially when it comes to film.

When we sat down to compile the best of the aughts, our initial list was almost 300 strong. We were blown away by the sheer number of dope movies that had come out.

This decade: We were introduced to Rian Johnson and Jason Reitman. Danny Boyle got the props we’ve been saying he deserved for years. Christopher Nolan gave us a superhero movie that didn’t suck. Charlie Kaufman decided to actually direct one of his screenplays. The Oscars officially became a joke. And sexy gypsy was born.

A lot of coffee, cigarettes and Wes Andersen bashing went into making this list. But we’re happy with the way it turned out. Don’t expect to see dumb shit like The Lord of The Rings or Dream Girls here. Instead you’ll see films from The Coen Brothers, Jim Jarmusch and Takashi Miike. The few honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the cut are at the bottom of the post.

Anyway, without any further rambling, here it is. sexy gypsy’s Best of the Aughts…

(in alphabetical order)

1) Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)

I was 15 years old when Almost Famous dropped and changed my life. It was the first time I realized people would pay you to run around, listen to music and talk about it. So in a way, sexy gypsy wouldn’t even be here without this movie. It featured a great cast—Patrick Fugit (who shows up twice on this list), Zooey Deschanel, Anna Paquin, Frances McDormand aka Willem Dafoe (seriously, look that shit up. They look exactly alike. We still maintain they are the same person), Jason Lee, Philip Seymour Hoffman and even Jimmy Fallon. Add that to an immensely personal Cameron Crowe script, perfect music, and Billy Crudup screaming “I AM A GOLDEN GOD!” from atop a roof, and you have one damn fine film. —BIG

2) American Gangster (Ridley Scott, 2008)

3) American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000)

4) Anchorman (Adam McKay, 2004)

5) Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)

6) Audition (Takashi Miike, 2001)

7) Away We Go (Sam Mendes, 2009)

The Boondock Saints (Troy Duffy, 2000)

9) Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005)

10) The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson, 2009)

Last year, Rian Johnson’s Brick showed up on a sexy gypsy list of off-the-radar films, and we basically called it a one hit wonder. We officially apologize to Mr. Johnson. The Brothers Bloom, while very different from Brick, showed a matured sense of direction and style, with the same tone of homage and innovation, and a playful sense of humor. As an elaborate, yet completely character-driven con film, this is moviemaking at it’s finest. —GWG

11) Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, 2005)

12) Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006)

13) Choke (Clark Gregg, 2008)

14) The Chumscrubber (Arie Posin, 2005)

Teenage suicide is never a good thing. Unless it brings about the complete destruction of idyllic white suburbia. What’s interesting about this film is that it doesn’t show you underlying problems around the neighborhood, and then culminate with a death. The suicide happens at the beginning, and instead of being the breaking point, or even the catalyst, it is the loose thread that unravels everyone’s secrets and facades. It is beautifully written and acted, with a multi-generational, eclectic cast that actually fits very well together. —GWG

15) City of God (Fernando Meirelles, Katia Lund, 2002)

16) Coffee and Cigarettes (Jim Jarmusch, 2003)

17) Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004)

18) Crash (Paul Haggis, 2005)

19) Criminal (Gregory Jacobs, 2004)

20) The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

21) The Departed (Martin Scorcese, 2006)

The Departed is the only film on this list I had to fight for. The Great White Gypsy hated it. But he’s crazy, so I had to veto. Granted, I am a confessed Scorsese groupie. The man has never made a film I didn’t love. And I’ve seen them all. Even the obscure ones like Boxcar Bertha. So maybe I was a little biased with this pick. But to me, anytime you can put Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo DiCaprio in the same movie and not make people want stab themselves in the eye, it’s a fucking win. Bonus points for having Nas and Flogging Molly on the same soundtrack. —BIG

22) The Devil’s Rejects (Rob Zombie, 2005)

Admittedly, Rob Zombie’s first venture, House of 1000 Corpses, was retarded. However, with a little less Horror rip-off, and a lot more disturbing violence, the sequel was a cult classic opening weekend. Zombie knows how to work a camera, but this film is probably the pinnacle of his work with the soundtrack. It starts with The Allman Brothers’ Midnight Rider, swells with a violent sequence to the tune of Terry Reid’s To Be Treated Right, and finishes with the best use of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird to date. All of this is driven home by a sobering message: There is no ice cream in your fucking future. —GWG

23) District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009)

24) Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001)

25) The Dreamers (Bernardo Bertolucci, 2003)

26) Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg, 2007)

27) Equilibrium (Kurt Wimmer, 2002)

28) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)

29) The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2008)

This is one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen. Tarsem Singh makes a huge leap up from his very respectable 2000 debut, The Cell, and tells us an engaging story in ways never before seen. In a time of crazy, overdone CGI and generic plot, The Fall was refreshingly organic. Great acting, directing, cinematography, and everything in between. —BIG

30) (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)

31) Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004)

32) Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)

33) Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)

34) Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck, 2006)

35) The Hangover (Todd Phillips, 2009)

36) Havoc (Barbara Kopple, 2005)

37) High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000)

Like Almost Famous, High Fidelity was one of those life defining movies for me. He owned a record store, argued about top five lists with his friends, organized his music collection autobiographically and pined over beautiful women. That was his whole life. How awesome is that? Almost Famous made me realize I could write about music, High Fidelity made me realize I wasn’t alone in obsessing over it. —BIG

HIGH FIDELITY BONUS: TOP 5 SONGS TO PLAY AT MY FUNERAL:

1) Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones

2) Ready To Die - The Notorious BIG

3) Bullet With Butterfly Wings - The Smashing Pumpkins

4) Funeral - The Clipse

5) Angel’s Son - Snot featuring Lajon Witherspoon from Sevendust

38) High Tension (Alexandre Aja, 2005)

39) Humpday (Lynn Shelton, 2009)

One of the things I will always remember about this decade is my discovery of Mumblecore. I started with The Puffy Chair and soon devoured films like Baghead, Mutual Appreciation and Funny Ha Ha. Though not always the best executed films, the genre intrigued me. And with the success of people like Lynn Shelton and Mark Duplass, I hope more people discover it. Humpday is an experience. You’re in the room, a silent observer—not just someone watching a film. Effortlessly hilarious and purposefully awkward, it is one of my favorite films of this year and definitely deserves a spot on the list. —BIG

40) The Hurt Locker (Katherine Bigelow, 2009)

41) Ichi the Killer (Takashi Miike, 2003)

42) Imaginary Heroes (Dan Harris, 2004)

43) In Bruges (Martin McDonagh, 2008)

44) In Search of a Midnight Kiss (Alex Holdridge, 2007)

45) Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)

46) Jarhead (Sam Mendes, 2005)

47) Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)

48) Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2003, 2004)

49) Kingdom of Heaven (Ridley Scott, 2005)

50) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Shane Black, 2005)

“You look up the ‘idiot’ in the dictionary, know what you’ll find?”

“A picture of me?”

“No, the definition of the word idiot, which you fucking are!!”

This film never gets old. Raymond Chandler meets Abbott and Costello. The mystery itself isn’t anything amazingly unique, but it’s entertaining and solid enough to hold up a great cast, one of the best narrations ever, and almost as many quotable quotes as Anchorman.

“Talking money…”

“A Talking monkey?”

“Talking monkey, yeah, yeah. Came here from the future. Ugly sucker, only says ficus.”

—GWG

51) Knocked Up (Judd Apatow, 2007)

52) Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

53) Little Children (Todd Field, 2006)

54) Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2006)

55) Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)

56) Love Actually (Richard Curtis, 2003)

57) The Machinist (Brad Anderson, 2004)

58) Maria Full of Grace (Joshua Marston, 2004)

59) Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)

60) Milk (Gus van Sant, 2008)

61) Monsoon Wedding (Mira Nair, 2002)

62) Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)

63) 9 Songs (Michael Winterbottom, 2005)

A lot of people are quick to dismiss this film as unnecessarily explicit, self-indulgent, (not so) thinly veiled pornography. I couldn’t disagree more. Michael Winterbottom is a masterful storyteller, communicating an entire relationship with minimum dialogue and nine amazing songs. It’s an ambitious concept that in less capable hands would have failed miserably. But Winterbottom executes it perfectly. It’s on Netflix Watch Instantly right now. So if you haven’t seen it, do so now. —BIG

64) No Country for Old Men (The Coen Brothers, 2008)

65) O Brother Where Art Thou (The Coen Brothers, 2000)

66) Oldboy (Chan-wook Park, 2003)

The second film in Chan-wook Park’s Revenge Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), Oldboy features some original camerawork, really cool fight scenes, and an emotional yet disturbing story that would make David Fincher blush. The hallway fight, done in one continuous shot, is a staple of discussion. But there are so many great scenes, so many impressive technical aspects and character moments, that it definitely warrants multiple viewings. We did want to include the entire trilogy on the list, as there is a noticeable arc and underlying theme across all three films. However, they are all separate, unrelated stories, and Oldboy stands out as the strongest link. —GWG

67) Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006)

68) Purple Violets (Edward Burns, 2007)

69) Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)

70) Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000)

71) Revolutionary Road (Sam Mendes, 2008)

72) The Road to Perdition (Sam Mendes, 2002)

73) The Salton Sea (D.J. Caruso, 2002)

74) Saw (James Wan, 2004)

75) A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006)

76) Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)

77) Shopgirl (Anand Tucker, 2005)

78) Sin City (Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, 2005)

79) Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008)

80) Snatch (Guy Ritchie, 2000)

81) The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, 2005)

82) State and Main (David Mamet, 2000)

83) Sukiyaki Western Django (Takashi Miike, 2008)

What do you get when you mix Yojimbo, Django, and A Fistfull of Dollars? Actually, if you’re anyone but Takashi Miike, your head might explode. Lucky for us, the Japanese maestro of bloodshed helmed this crazy, entertaining, violent film about…Japanese cowboys? In Miike’s first American project, he decides to have Asian actors speaking John Wayne-style English while carrying six shooters and katanas. Oh yeah, and Tarantino has a couple cameos. Fucking great. —GWG

84) Surveillance (Jennifer Lynch, 2009)

85) Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008)

86) There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)

87) Thirteen (Catherine Hardwicke, 2003)

In 2003, a pre-Twilight Catherine Hardwicke gave us a film that would alter the existence of little sisters forever. I saw Thirteen and wanted nothing more than to lock my sister in a closet until she was 20. That was the only conceivable way to save her from the unbearable plight of the teenage American girl. Most of the credit for this film goes to Nikki Reed, who was 15 when she wrote it. Thirteen is an exceptionally honest and powerful directorial debut from a director that proved to be a one hit wonder. —BIG

88) 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2003)

Not many zombie movies offer much more than cheap thrills and bloody carnage. We’ll be honest, that’s why we love them. With Danny Boyle’s version, though, every aspect of the film is striking. The character development, the landscape, the music, and the balls-to-the-wall tension throughout make this film stand an infected, disembodied head above the rest in the genre. —GWG

89) 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002)

90) The United States of Leland (Matthew Ryan Hoge, 2003)

This film makes us miss the early 2000’s, when all-star casts could still deliver a patient, tempered, emotional film. As a whole, this movie exhibits the same complex subtleties as its main character, a simple-minded teenager accused of murder. Themes of perspective, miscommunication, self-examination and accountability underline interesting cinematography and a beautiful story. —GWG

91) The Wackness (Jonathan Levine, 2008)

92) The Way of the Gun (Christopher McQuarrie, 2000)

93) Wicker Park (Paul McGuigan, 2004)

94) The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)

95) Wristcutters: A Love Story (Goran Dukic, 2006)

96) Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Kevin Smith, 2008)

Honorable Mentions

Infernal Affairs (Wai-keung Lau, Alan Mak, 2002)

Though infinitely better than The Departed, this film had it’s share of problems, and spawned two unnecessary sequels.

Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)

The story may have been borrowed, and the score unoriginal, but the visuals in this film (as well as the 3-D effects) will revolutionize cinema as we know it.

Life as a House (Irwin Winkler, 2001)

An amazing character study that develops well, with solid acting and a decent soundtrack. The downside: Hayden Christiansen

Irreversible (Gaspar Noe, 2002)

Very similar to Memento, this reverse film is well acted and directed, but without the intense, realistic, extremely long rape sequence, it might not have as much effect.

The Anniversary Party (Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh, 2001)

Very well written and acted, even John C. Reilly tones it down a bit. Possibly a tad self indulgent, but the ecstasy scene is great.

Spartan (David Mamet, 2004)

Mamet’s esoteric uber-realism that doesn’t bother explaining itself to the ordinary viewer is the best and worst part of this film. It never stops moving, and maintains it’s staying power, it just doesn’t wait for anyone to catch up.

Layer Cake (Matthew Vaughn, 2004)

Great soundtrack, great acting, great story. Decent dialog, cinematography, cutting this one was hard, but just couldn’t stand up to some of the competition.

Thank You for Smoking (Jason Reitman, 2005)

Jason Reitman can do no wrong. Possibly Eckhart’s best performance. Another tough choice, but Juno kinda kicked it in the pork sword.

Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005)

Few movies can make me cringe. 15-year-old Ellen Page threatening to castrate Patrick Wilson? Really, really uncool. Great acting and writing, but a bit limited in it’s scope.

Renaissance (Christian Volckman, 2006)

Black and white motion capture animation set in Paris, 2054. The story’s a little muddled at times, but it’s just frickin cool to watch cartoon Daniel Craig shoot people in the face.

Best Picture

Of the five films in this category, only two really have a shot. Frost/Nixon was a great stage adaptation with amazing performances and, while solid, was ultimately compromised by Ron Howard’s lack of technical abilities. The Reader was boring, poorly constructed, and probably the most overrated film in the last 20 years. And Benjamin Button was average at best.

That leaves us with Milk and Slumdog Millionaire. And it’s close.

Milk was perfectly casted, acted and edited. Thankfully, Gus van Sant showed enough restraint not to fuck it up with his usual annoyingly pseudo-artistic direction. Add to that the best performance of Sean Penn’s career and you have a serious contender for Best Picture.

But, unfortunately for Gus van Sant and Milk, 2009 is the year of Slumdog. With great music, flawless direction and screenplay, Slumdog Millionaire has finally brought Danny Boyle to the forefront of cinema. He’s a versatile director who can excel in any genre, and Slumdog’s complex, non-linear story line really allowed him to showcase his skills. The result was a beautifully executed film whose broad appeal, blending of cultures, and surprising rise to recognition puts it over the top.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Slumdog Millionaire

WHO WILL WIN: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor

Why is Brad Pitt in this category? He gave a much better, rounder performance in A River Runs Through It and is the weak link in this category with his one-note portrayal of Benjamin Button. Richard Jenkins is finally getting the love he deserves, after years of being “that guy”—you recognize him, know he’s in things, but you don’t know his name or why you seem to remember him (if you still don’t know who he is, he’s the dead father in Six Feet Under). Unfortunately, his well-developed performance will be eclipsed by the big three: Mickey Rourke, Frank Langella, and Sean Penn. This will ultimately be decided by politics: the resurrection of Mickey Rourke, the Nixon scandal, or the gay character post-prop 8.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Mickey Rourke WHO WILL WIN: Sean Penn, because the Academy loves him.

Best Actress

First off, the Academy needs to decide what constitutes a leading role, because Kate Winslet should have been up for Revolutionary Road, not The Reader, both for technical and performance-quality reasons. She’ll probably win, but only because Stephen Daldry is a marketing whore and has been politicking for The Reader like he was Blagojevich selling a Senate seat.

Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie both had great roles, but it was more the writing than they acting that made their characters special. While Angelina Jolie will get a nomination for anything in which she’s not half naked shooting at people, Streep didn’t bring the expected veteran-actress energy to an already well written character—and it fell short.

Melissa Leo in Frozen River was an interesting choice. A small, low-budget, independent film shot in 24 days spawns a Best Actress nomination? But it’s a well-crafted story—solid throughout. As for Melissa Leo’s performance, as good a job as she did, she’s not beating out Streep, let alone Winslet.

Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, deserves credit for nailing her part as a fresh-out-of-rehab junkie—a role often cliched, parodied, and overplayed. Sadly, no one saw Rachel Getting Married. It’s not a great film but Hathaway more than makes up for it (Plus, Tunde from TV on The Radio plays her brother-in-law-to-be!)

WHO SHOULD WIN: Anne Hathaway WHO WILL WIN: Kate Winslet

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Downey, Jr. is an amazing actor and definitely deserves some fucking recognition. But Tropic Thunder? Really?? It’s picks like this that make people clown the Oscar. Everyone else was solid, but Josh Brolin, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Michael Shannon picked a shitty year to be nominated.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was miscast in the role of Father Flynn, and he did the best he could. Still, his subpar performance paled in comparison to most of his other work. Josh Brolin, though slightly outshone by the rest of the supporting cast, was impressive in Milk. He just seems to have bad luck—going against Daniel Day-Lewis last year, and now Heath Ledger. Michael Shannon had three great scenes, and blew me away in Revolutionary Road. He was the most interesting character in a Sam Mendes movie, which in itself says a lot, and he had a huge impact in his 120 seconds of screen time.

Yet as good as they were, Brolin and Shannon especially, no one is beating Heath Ledger. A solid, completely immersive portrayal of a psychotic clown in a movie that destroyed box offices everywhere? He deserves the award no matter what, and it only helps that he’s dead.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Heath Ledger (but only because he’s dead) WHO WILL WIN: Heath Ledger (but only because he’s dead)

Best Supporting Actress

How long do you have to be in a film to fulfill the “supporting” criteria? Viola Davis, though very emotional, had one scene in Doubt. However, she was just as memorable as Michael Shannon in her limited screen time. Penelope Cruz didn’t have a much bigger role, and she’s only here because she played a cup full of crazy in a Woody Allen movie, and her crazy wasn’t as good as crazies in the past (Wilkinson in Michael Clayton). But Amy Adams is a head above the rest in this category, and hopefully that’s enough.

Taraji Henson is here just because the Academy loved Benjamin Button, but it wasn’t a great film and she wasn’t all that good in it. Outside of Cruz, she’s the weakest nominee in this category. It was like she played the great-great-grandmother of her character in Hustle and Flow.

Marisa Tomei is the dark horse here. She gave an incredible performance in The Wrestler and she’s still ridiculously hot.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Amy Adams WHO WILL WIN: Penelope Cruz

Best Director

If you’ve ever read sexy gypsy, you already know our pick for Best Director. Motherfucking Danny Boyle.

Stephen Daldry is now on my shit list for The Reader—even more so for plugging the fuck out of an inferior movie and tricking everyone into thinking it was great. Who the fuck does he think he is, M. Night Shyamalan?

David Fincher is a great director with some amazing movies under his belt, but the travesty of Curious Case of Benjamin Button is not one of them. The sequence with Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt was the only time you really saw Fincher’s influence, and it was the best part of the film.

Ron Howard is still Hollywood’s golden boy, so it’s not surprising he was nominated for Frost/Nixon. Aside from persistent anachronisms and mishandling of time, Howard preserved the spirit of the stage play and the camera work was excellent.

Gus van Sant finally decided to humble himself and make a solid, consistent film, and is really the only one who could challenge Boyle. The Academy loves him, and could look to make up for robbing him of Best Director in 1997, plus some Prop 8 guilt could come into play. This is definitely a category to watch.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Danny Boyle (with an honorable mention and apology to Sam Mendes) WHO WILL WIN: Danny Boyle

Conspiracies

• Who did Sam Mendes piss off? He is a great filmmakers and Revolutionary Road, though disturbingly depressing, was an amazing film. Camera work, editing, score, acting, screenplay—all great. Yet the Academy left him out of the running and even changed the nomination for Kate Winslet, calling her performance in The Reader a lead—a role which the HFPA considered a supporting a few months ago. I think he’s in the doghouse for some reason, and Michael Shannon’s nomination is an apology. I suspect that, though Ledger has it locked, they might upset everything and give it to Shannon, just to show there’s no hard feelings.
• Amy Adams deserves to win best supporting, but everything in Hollywood is political (which could also explain Winslet’s bump to lead role after Daldry’s whoring). My guess is that Cruz could walk with this one because the Academy loves Woody Allen and they’re sorry he made a dumb movie they can’t nominate for anything else.
• Again making up for its past mistakes, the Academy has shown major love to Benjamin Button. They want so badly to let Pitt have one, but Babel just wasn’t that good. And Zodiac, Fincher’s first Academy-worthy film, just came out too early for Oscar consideration.
• 4.) Robert Downey, Jr. has been in some great movies, always does his roles beautifully, and the Academy thinks he’s due for something. But since Charlie Bartlett got impatient and fucked off what could have been a serious, profound ending, he couldn’t get anything for that. And Iron Man was entertaining, but no actor will ever get an Oscar for playing a superhero. Downey’s next film is The Soloist with Jamie Foxx, directed by Joe Wright. It would have been a contender for the Oscars but was pulled from its November release date and slated for early March, 2009. So now it comes down to Tropic Thunder.

Here at sexy gypsy, we’ve never really been into the Golden Globes. Call us pretentious, purists, elitists; but there have always only been two categories: The Oscars, and everything else (Golden Globes, MTV awards, Darwin awards, etc.). This year, however, we decided to pay attention.

We stand corrected.

It is true that the Globes are a little more mainstream, and a little more forgiving. They stick to the basic categories (best picture, director, actor, screenplay) and they differentiate drama and comedy, allowing questionable films a place on the red carpet (the day Tropic Thunder is nominated for an Oscar, we’ll be passing out razor blades). This ceremony also focuses on television, a medium that many people still hesitate to consider legitimate art. For those of you on the fence, we have six words: Dexter, Entourage, Weeds, Californication, True Blood. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizes these actors, actresses, writers, and directors in a way the Academy never will. However, even the HFPA makes mistakes.

David Duchovny,’s Hank Moody (Californication) is one of the best characters on television, in a show that features the best writing in years. Alan Ball, creator/writer of Six Feet Under, has switched genres and brings us the amazing and addictive new vampire drama True Blood. Yet Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, and 30 Rock swept the comedy awards, while AMC’s lackluster (this season at least) Mad Men beat out two of HBO’s heavy hitters, True Blood and In Treatment. And, even though the HFPA gave due credit to Anna Paquin (True Blood) and the epic miniseries John Adams (HBO), they need to work on their judgment.

As far as the film awards, the phrase, “It’s about damn time” immediately comes to mind. After so many years of being underappreciated and overlooked, Danny Boyle, Mickey Rourke, and Kate Winslet finally got what they deserved.

Danny Boyle, though having a unique and amazing career, has never been nominated for a Globe or an Oscar. This year, his film took home four (Best Director, Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score all for Slumdog Millionaire).

Mickey Rourke (Rumble Fish, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Sin City) has been getting a raw deal since his Razzie Award for Desperate Hours in 1991 (hence the substance abuse). 18 years later, the HFPA finally gave him Best Actor for his amazing performance in The Wrestler.

Kate Winslet has come close with 5 Oscar nominations and 7 from the Golden Globes (including 2 this year), but this was her first win. And she won both Best Actress for Revolutionary Road and Best Supporting Actress for The Reader.

Colin Farrell even graduated from the Teen Choice Awards, and brought home a Globe for his surprising work in In Bruges (Brendan Gleeson probably deserved it more, but whatever).

The most glaring problem this year was, sadly, unavoidable. It has apparent that everyone in Hollywood wants to fellate Woody Allen for everything he does. Because Vicky Cristina Barcelona was weak-sauce, and it still won Best Comedy (um, hi…not funny).

Overall, the Golden Globes made some good choices this year, at least for film. We only hope it’s an indication of the approaching Oscar nominations

And to anyone who would speak ill of Heath Ledger’s posthumous Best Supporting Actor award for The Dark Knight, shut your mouth until March, there’s already an Oscar with his name on it, and he fucking deserves it.

by The Great White Gypsy

White people are crazy.

I never really got into wrestling.  I know, it’s real, they are like stuntmen, and people have died in the ring.  But it’s scripted, it’s retardedly violent in a white trash kinda way, and they wear tights.  So when I saw the poster for The Wrestler, I wasn’t really interested.  Then I read that Robert D. Seigel wrote it (his only credit so far is The Onion Movie) and I got less excited.  Then I learned that Darren Aronofsky directed it, and Mickey Rourke was the main star.  So I went right out and watched it.  Ten minutes in, one single thought was creeping around in my head:

White people are crazy.

Watching Rourke jump off the ropes onto a guy’s head, seeing them using ladders, chairs, barbed wire and staple guns on each other (yeah, staple guns…in the face), I felt slightly detached from the story; I couldn’t identify with these kind of people.

Then I saw Mickey Rourke cry, and I was moved.

The premise has been done before in sports films.  Rourke is The Ram, an aging wrestler who at one time was as big in underground circuits as Hulk Hogan.  He now plays smaller venues; high schools, civic centers, YMCA type stuff.  Then he has a heart attack, and the doctor tells him he can never wrestle again.  So he reevaluates his life, tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), and form a meaningful relationship with a stripper (Marisa Tomei).  Sounds like a Ron Howard movie, right?

Wrong.  Darren Aronofsky is a fairly young director.  However, even with only three films under his belt (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain) he has proved that he can carry a project, and do it well.  Possibly his best trait is he uses the camera like an extension of his mind.

Requiem for a Dream was one of the first films to use a camera strapped to the actor’s waist while they were running.  He complimented that with close-up shots of irises when drugs were being used, and a Danny Boyle-style way of making a cramped apartment seem vast and lonely (which he also used in his fantasy love story, The Fountain). 

In the wrestler, you could tell it was Aronofsky behind the camera.  In the first five minutes Rourke is on screen, even though it is well shot and acted, you don’t see his face.  The camera is always behind him.  This may seem simple, but it was actually profound.  Not only did this provoke a feeling of anticipation watching The Ram walk through hallways before emerging into the main room to the sound of screaming fans, but it made every situation he got into a wrestling match.  This technique was used when he was going into work at a deli, when he was walking up to his daughter’s house for the first time in years, when he was walking into the strip club to see his only “friend”.  It also established the character very well, giving the feeling that he turned his back to most of the world, hiding his face and his fears.

When I first saw the trailer, I assumed (maybe because it’s Mickey Rourke) that the main character would be an asshole.  That he’d be an alcoholic, a drug addict, a slave to the chanting masses.  He’s none of these things.  He’s actually a really cool guy, but he just can’t get his life to work right.  He tries, he really does.  And despite my detachment from his profession, I really felt for the guy. 

But I guess that’s Aronofsky in a nutshell.  He has extreme, unrelatable settings (everyone’s a drug addict, or traveling through time in search of love, or putting a drill to your head), and yet, somehow, the characters are so compelling and real that nothing seems that outrageous.

Perhaps even more impressive is that, at age 52, Mickey Rourke does most of his own stunts, jumping off the ropes, doing crazy acrobatics.  He really was a wrestler.

If there is any decency left in the Academy, this will get nods for best actor, director, picture, and screenplay.  If not, at least Marisa Tomei will inexplicably walk with a Best Actress nomination.

Final Grade: A-

Gran Torino – Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood has been hit or miss as a director, and his acting these days borders on the chronically cranky.  This one is a hard call.  First he doesn’t like Asians or children, then he does, then he protects them from other Asian children.  Then he works on a car.  Then he takes a nap.
Clint Eastwood
January 9

The Unborn – David Goyer
Goyer has had several successes as a writer. (The new Batman franchise, the Blade Trilogy, Dark City), but as a director, he’s still shaking out the kinks.  This does look much better and creepier than the rest of the teeny-bopper Japanese remakes, and the effects look sweet.  Plus Gary Oldman seems like a smart guy.
Odette Yustman, Gary Oldman, Carla Gugino, James Remar, Idris Elba, Jane Alexander, Meagan Good
January 9

Defiance – Edward Zwick
Most people don’t know Edward Zwick’s name.  But Legends of the Fall, Courage Under Fire, The Last Samurai, and Blood Diamond are all solid, violent dramas with great character development.  Daniel Craig headlines this WWII film about hiding from Nazis, and then killing Nazis.  And really, who likes Nazis?  No one.
Daniel Craig, Jamie Bell, Leiv Schreiber, Alexa Davalos
January 16

My Bloody Valentine 3-D – Patrick Lussier
When a mediocre horror movie needs a sequel directed, they call Patrick Lussier.  A couple Dracula 2000 sequels, White Noise 2, and The Prophecy 3 haven’t made for a bright career.  But really, are we going to this movie for the production value, the script, or the performances?  No, we’re going because 3-D horror movies are sweet, and there hasn’t been a good one since Friday the 13^th part 3.
Jaimie King, Kerr Smith
January 16

Notorious – George Tillman Jr.
I’m going to guess right now that this film is going to exaggerate Biggie’s hard upbringing, and focus on his gangstericity.  However, the lack of known actors intrigues me, and BIG was one of the greatest rappers of all time.  It won’t be Walk the Line, but it’ll be good.
Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie, Naturi Naughton, Angela Bassett
January 16

Killshot – John Madden
This movie has been in production for like 3 years, and I’ve been waiting the whole time.  Mickey Rourke just rocked us in The Wrestler, and Gordon-Levitt just keeps getting better.  But also, this is an adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel (He wrote Get Shorty, Be Cool, Out of Sight, Jackie Brown, etc.)  Thomas Jane has been surprisingly good the last few years.  It’s about damn time.
Thomas Jane, Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson
January 23

Che – Steven Soderbergh
The character is an icon, and always a good story.  Benicio Del Toro is a great actor.  However, I’m concerned because, even though Soderbergh directed Traffic, and I haven’t forgotten that, he also directed Ocean’s 11…and 12…and 13…and I haven’t forgotten that either.  I also haven’t forgotten that writer Peter Buchman’s only credits are Jurassic Park III and Eragon.  Hopefully, this will be an amazingly detailed and entertaining film (It’s being released in two parts.), But don’t be really surprised if it ends up being like Medellin from Entourage.
Benicio Del Toro
January 24

Taken – Pierre Morel
The last time Morel directed a Luc Besson screenplay was District B-13 (pretty sweet stunts), so this could be really good.  Neeson’s daughter gets kidnapped, but he’s a crazy ex-operative, and decided to kill people rather than pay.  Too bad he’s not intimidating in the least (anyone can slap Orlando Bloom around, you don’t scare me Liam).
Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Xander Berkeley, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser
January 30

by The Great White Gypsy

Cadillac Records – Darnell Martin

It seems that musicals and music industry biopsies (no, I don’t mean biopic, I’m being ironic) are the new trend.  This appears to be closer to Walk the Line than Dream Girls, at least I hope so.  It’s fun to see modern musicians play old school legends (Beyonce as Etta James, Mos Def as Chuck Berry), and there’s even a tie-in with the Rolling Stones.  Plus Cadillacs are pretty.

Adrien Brody, Beyonce Knowles, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, Gabrielle Union

December 5

Punisher: War Zone – Lexi Alexander

I’m sure anyone who read Punisher comics sees how cool it is to transition from Thomas Jane to Ray Stevenson.  It’s the difference between a pissed off widower and a badass mercenary for justice.  My only concern is admittedly misogynistic.  Chicks don’t watch action crap like this, so why did a chick direct it?  Her last film about soccer hooligans beating the crap out of each other (Green Street Hooligans) had a bit more heart and substance than necessary for hitting someone in the face with a brick.  We’ll see.

Ray Stevenson, Dominic West

December 5

Dark Streets – Rachel Samuels

Film Noir meets musical with a little flair in this murder mystery based on the play by Glenn M. Stewart.  Writer and director are newbies, but there’s some talent in the cast, and the art direction.  The soudtrack and musical numbers are done by classic blues and jazz artists.  Worth a try, since I missed Repo.

Gabriel Mann, Bijou Philips, Elias Koteas

December 12

The Day the Earth Stood Still – Scott Derrickson

Remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic, the visuals and special effects look pretty sweet, and Keanu Reeves’ career can only be helped by a role as a Vulcan-esque alien.  Not sure why this is coming out in December instead of summer, but maybe the lines at the theater will be shorter.

Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates

December 12

Timecrimes – Nacho Vigalondo

It’s true, there really hasn’t been a good time travel movie since Back to the Future II.  Even Ray Bradbury and Ben Kingsley couldn’t save A Sound of Thunder.  But if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that foreign directors can generally add substance and art to dead sub-genres.  Vigalondo is fairly new to feature films, but the premise looks promising.

Karra Elejalde, Nacho Vigalondo, Candela Fernandez

December 12

The Wrestler – Darren Aronofsky

Most people over the mental age of 15 don’t take wrestling seriously.  However, it appears a second-rate wrestler is the perfect character juxtaposition for Mickey Rourke, one of the most underrated actors ever.  It looks like a film with substance and style, which should be no surprise given Aronofsky’s resume (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain).  Might not blow up the box office, but could get some Oscar credit.

Mickey Rourke, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei

December 17

Seven Pounds – Gabriele Muccino

Muccino directed the original Last Kiss, and worked with Will Smith on The Pursuit of Happiness.  Smith has been slowly yet steadily broadening as a actor.  The exact plot is somewhat vague through the previews, but quests for redemption always tug at our heartstrings and guilty wallets.  Myself included.

Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Barry Pepper

December 19

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – David Fincher

I’m still confused.  Are you sure it’s Fincher directing this?  I mean, he’s a great director, works well with Brad Pitt, but this really has a Tim Burton feel to me, in style and story.  Confusion aside, it looks really cool.  Brad Pitt ages backwards, it looks dark and eerie, with a soul.  David Fincher got robbed of any Oscar credit last year (Zodiac came out too early in the year.), let’s hope this one is his ticket to the red carpet.

Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett

December 25

The Spirit – Frank Miller

Sin City was groundbreaking in story and visuals.  Sin City 2 and 3 are currently in production.  Frank Miller is a talented writer and director, but The Spirit, though intriguing, looks like space filler from a one trick pony.  300 stood out by itself, I’m not sure this one can, but I’ll give it a try.  I owe it to Frank, 300 is the reason I have a gym membership.

Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes

December 25

Revolutionary Road – Sam Mendes

Although it made everyone sick to enjoy it, Titanic was the last time DiCaprio and Winslet were on screen together, and there’s some chemistry there.  More importantly, after seeing what Sam Mendes does to modern suburban life (American Beauty), I can’t wait to see what he does to the suburbs in 1950’s Conneticut.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates

December 26