I know that I’ve been slacking on my pimping as far as movies go. I’ve been super busy with other projects and, honestly, August wasn’t a great month for film. However, September is jam packed with interesting and anticipated releases, and I couldn’t bring myself to skip it.

The American - Directed by Anton Corbijn, Written by Rowan Joffe
Corbijn may not have any films to speak of outside music videos. And Joffe’s only big one was 28 Weeks Later, but even the poster for this film - reminiscent of Peckinpah’s marketing - gets me excited. Clooney is an assassin doing his last job in Italy. The plot is really simple, but this is oldschool cinema at it’s best. I’m just hoping the cinematic maturity doesn’t hide a weak script. Looking forward to it.
George Clooney, Irina Bjorklund
September 1

My Dog Tulip - Written and Directed by Paul and Sandra Fierlinger
I’ve become a big fan of foreign animation over the years. This simple story of an old man finding a spirited canine companion, and the understated artwork seem like a cross between The Triplets of Belleville and Marley and Me, but with British sensibilities. And I’m willing to bet Rossellini does the voice of Tulip. Hey, it’s better than sex with insects
Christopher Plummer, Lynn Redgrave, Isabella Rossellini
September 1

Machete - Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, Written by Robert and Alvaro Rodriguez
I told you! If I put it in the last Coming Soon, it would get here faster. Finally, the wait is over for the craziest film to ever be based on a fake preview. Robert Rodriguez is a disturbingly cool individual and, though his producer presence wasn’t enough to salvage Predators, this is going to kick ass.
Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Steven Seagal, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan
September 3

The Winning Season - Written and Directed by James C. Strouse
Ok, so a movie about high school girls’ basketball doesn’t sound cool. But what if Sam Rockwell is the coach? and Rob Corddry is the principal? Even if this got a wide release, I probably wouldn’t shell out ten bucks for it. But those two actors are enough for me to catch it on OnDemand (or the internets, whichever comes first). My only hesitation is a guy who’s been a sex addict, a con man, and been alone on the moon probably shouldn’t be let near a high school. Just saying.
Sam Rockwell, Emma Roberts, Rob Corddry
September 3

The Afterlight - Written and Directed by Alexei Kaleina and Craig Macneill
Most of you will pass on this film, especially if you watch the preview. It could either be a super mature film (which is what the critics are saying) that builds slowly and pays off at the end. Or it will be a pretentious artsy film that tries to say things with its silence and fails completely. The themes involve letting go of the past, starting over, and human connection. If the critics are right, it’s a surprisingly mature film for rookie directors. Who listens to critics though? Wait…
Michael Kelly, Jicky Schnee, Ana Asensio, Rip Torn
September 10

I’m Still Here - Directed by Casey Affleck
I’m only including this one because I think everyone should be aware of it. Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck decided to make a documentary out of Phoenix’s attempt to shrug off what must have been a sad, deeply unfulfilling (successful) film career and become a rapper. The younger Affleck hasn’t even proved himself a consistent actor, and he’s directing things now? That and the title is ironically apt, since I’m kinda getting irritated that Phoenix just won’t FUCKING LEAVE. I’ll download it to watch him make an ass of himself, but please for the love of god, don’t give him your money; it’ll only encourage him.
Joaquin Phoenix
September 10

Lovely, Still - Written and Directed by Nicholas Fackler
Fackler’s first endeavor seems to fall somewhere between The Notebook and Away From Her. I will be the first to admit that those are both damn good films, but when you’re watching a movie about old people dating for the first time in decades, you kinda know how it’s going to end. That aside, this looks pretty heartfelt and young at heart. Awww. They’re old.
Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn, Adam Scott, Elizabeth Banks
September 10

Resident Evil: Afterlife - Written and Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
I know that all the Resident Evil video game fans are pissed that this franchise isn’t the spooky, dark horror gore-fest they were expecting. But the first two films were pretty damn cool. Third one, not so much. Unfortunately, this one looks one step above Ultraviolet (worst movie ever), but in the midst of the misguided gimmick that is Hollywood 3D, the handful that are actually intended to be 3D will always have my attention. Because whatever you tell other people, you know Avatar’s 3D was the shit, and everyone secretly wants to see Piranha 3D.
Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Spencer Locke
September 10

The Romantics - Written and Directed by Galt Niederhoffer
I really thought this was gonna be another dumb chick flick (no offense, chicks). But after reading about it and watching the trailer, I think there’s something there. Niederhoffer wrote the novel, and she’s produced some off-the-radar goodness (Trucker, Dedication, Grace is Gone), so we know she has her indie integrity and character insight intact. The cast definitely makes me wonder, but separately most of them have one or two solid projects under their belts. Still not an Akerman fan, though. I dunno.
Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman, Adam Brody, Elijah Wood, Jeremy Strong, Candice Bergen
September 10

Never Let Me Go - Directed by Mark Romanek, Written by Alex Garland
For those of you who don’t recognize the name, Alex Garland is a very talented screenwriter who teamed with Danny Boyle on The Beach, 28 Days Later…, and Sunshine. Granted, this coming of age story set at an English boarding school is a slight departure from zombies and space travel. And Romanek’s only film was One Hour Photo (Robin WIlliams’ continuing struggle to be taken seriously). But this could very well be this year’s Atonement, only with the welcome absence of Joe F-ing Wright.
Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins
September 15

Devil - Directed by Drew and John Erick Dowdle, Written by M. Night Shyamalan and Brian Nelson
The Good News: screenwriter Brian Nelson wrote Hard Candy and did work on 30 Days of Night, so we know he’s talented. Also, Geoffrey Arend is just funny no matter what.
The Bad News: The Dowdle brothers gave us Quarantine, which was a bullshit remake. Also, there is a complete lack of star power here.
The Worst News: Shyamalan is a fuckhead, and the twist is that he’s the devil, and the plummeting elevator is a metaphor for his film career. Fool me once, Shyamalan, shame on you. Fool me seven times…
Geoffrey Arend, Chris Messina, Bokeem Woodbine, Bojana Novakovic, Matt Craven
September 17

Enter the Void - Directed by Gaspar Noe, Written by Lucile Hadzihalilovic and Gaspar Noe
In Irreversible, Noe showed us the brutal side of life. His follow up attempts to tackle the beautiful side of death. A brother and sister make a pact to never leave each other. When the brother is killed in a Tokyo nightclub, he returns as a ghost to protect his sister. His last film was dark and gritty, but Void looks bright, colorful, and mesmerizing. A lot of cinephiles are already on its nuts, and I think I’m one of them. It will probably blow your mind.
Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta
September 17

The Freebie - Written and Directed by Katie Aselton
Aselton could arguably contend with Greta Gerwig for the title of Mumblecore queen. Acting, directing, writing; she does it all. The Freebie definitely classifies as Mumblecore. A young couple, in the face of a dwindling sex life, agrees to allow each other one one-night-stand to save their relationship. Dax Shepard always struck me as the poor man’s Zach Braff, but he puts on his serious face in this one, and it appears to work. Most likely won’t be coming to a theatre near you, but I’ll see it the first chance I get.
Dax Shepard, Katie Aselton, Bellamy Young
September 17

The Town - Directed by Ben Affleck, Written by Peter Craig, Ben Affleck, and Aaron Stockard
Say what you will about Ben Affleck the actor, but Gone Baby Gone was an impressive piece of directing. When you make a movie about goofily-masked bank robbers, you will inevitably be compared to Point Break. But really, Hall and Lively are both damn attractive, Hamm is spreading his Mad Men wings, and Renner is officially a fucking ganster now. Editor Dylan Tichenor and cinematographer Robert Elswit both worked on There Will Be Blood and Magnolia, and they each have an amazing resume besides. This is going to be a fun action movie no matter what.
Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall, Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite
September 17

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Written and Directed by Woody Allen
I’ve never been a huge fan of Woody Allen, but his last few attempts have been uncharacteristically subpar. This is his usual eclectic cast, interwoven stories and characters, quirky humor, and awkward moments. The cast is fantastic, and he seems to have returned to his usual tone. Unfortunately, that narration I’m not the least bit fond of is back in the trailer. I’m apprehensive.
Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Gemma Jones, Ewen Bremner
September 22

Jack Goes Boating - Directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Written by Bob Glaudini
It wouldn’t be the beginning of autumn without Hoffman and his talented, artsy antics. It is understandable that, for his directorial debut, he chose Glaudini’s play about offbeat working-class relationships in NYC. Hoffman starring in the lead is of course a plus. This is definitely his wheelhouse, but we’ll see if he can pull it off behind the camera.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz
September 23

Buried - Directed by Rodrigo Cortes, Written by Chris Sparling
It bothers me when an unknown writer and an unknown director put out a super low budget film and are immediately compared to Hitchcock. It’s almost blasphemous. As good as Ryan Reynolds is, there have been numerous thrillers in the last decade which take place in a figurative or literal “box” and are hyped up and compared to classics only to fail miserably. That being said, I can’t help but be intrigued by Van Wilder stuck in a box for 90 minutes. Maybe.
Ryan Reynolds, Samantha Mathis
September 24 (Limited)

Howl - Written and Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
I feel like anytime you make a film about a compelling historical figure during a pivotal cultural period, James Franco needs to be involved. This feeling is apparently shared by newbies Epstein and Friedman (too easy). Franco plays Allen Ginsberg, the American poet who was put on trial for obscenity after publishing the poem “Howl”. This was a big hit on the festival circuit, and the supporting cast is near perfect. Can’t wait.
James Franco, Mary-Louise Parker, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Alessandro Nivola, David Strathairn, Treat Williams
September 24

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole - Directed by Zack Snyder, Written by John Orloff and Emil Stern
Animated features continue to surprise me these days. So it’s no surprise that they’ve upped the ante by placing the now-infamous Zack Snyder at the helm of this book adaptation featuring warrior owls. It reminds me of Watership Down and The Secret of Nimh, which is a good thing. The animation and 3D effects already look fantastic. Pixar has some competition this year.
Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Helen Mirren, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, David Wenham, Abbie Cornish, Ryan Kwanten
September 24

Like Dandelion Dust - Directed by Jon Gunn, Written by Stephen J. Rivele and Michael Lachance
This story is a little Lifetime network for me. But the preview seems to hint at a more in-depth analysis of human nature, love, and family. Pepper’s character is thrown in jail, prompting his newly pregnant wife (Sorvino) to give the child up for adoption. When Pepper finally gets out, the couple begins a campaign to reclaim their son. But his new parents are, on the surface, a much more stable and privileged family. It’ll be on cable before you know it, but don’t dismiss it too quickly.
Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper, Cole Hauser, Kate Levering
September 24

Waiting for “Superman” - Directed by Davis Guggenheim, Written by Davis Guggenheim and Billy Kimball
The director of An Inconvenient Truth is back to remind us that America is ruining the world with this bold and honest documentary about our education system. Most likely lacking in “new” or “groundbreaking” information, this will probably end up sweeping the nation much like its predecessor. The inclusion of Stock George Reeves Superman footage concerns me. But hey, it’s a step up from Futurama and Al Gore.
September 24

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps - Directed by Oliver Stone, Written by Allan Loeb and Stephen Schiff
As much as I dislike Oliver Stone, he’s not fucking around this time. Not only did he put a heavy hitting cast together (and Shia LeBeouf), but he got the scribes of Lolita and Things We Lost in the Fire to pen his script. The “new face” of Wall Street doesn’t really do it for me, and the mobile phone gag from the preview is a bit clumsy (Hey, remember Wall Street from the ‘80’s? I directed that! This movie is like that movie! Sequel!), but after being delayed for four months, I admit I’m eager to check it out.
Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella, Eli Wallach, Charlie Sheen
September 24

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

Mesrine
This two-part story has been getting unanimously rave reviews since its premiere in 2008. French criminal mastermind Jacques Mesrine (Cassel) runs rampant across the country, robbing, killing, and becoming infamous. This is actually a true story from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. I finally found this online, and since it’s not coming to a theatre anywhere near me, I don’t feel bad watching it for free. There are plenty of American films like this, but the French have a way of making, uh, good films, while we make Public Enemies. If you get the chance to see either of these, take it.
Killer Instinct - Directed by Jean-Francois Richet, Written by Abdel Raouf Dafri
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Gerard Depardieu, Cecile De France, Elena Anaya
August 27 (Limited)
Public Enemy #1 - Directed by Jean-Francois Richet, Written by Abdel Raouf Dafri
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Matthieu Amalric, Samuel Le Bihan
September 3 (Limited)

Suck - Written and Directed by Rob Stefaniuk
I am freaking sick of vampire movies, and I never want to watch another one. Unless it manages to get Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, Moby, Malcolm McDowell, and the bassist from Rush on screen together. Good job, Rob Stefaniuk. This is artsy, ridiculous horror comedy at it’s best. Me and the half of Canada that isn’t starring in this film are going to love it. Screw everyone else.
Malcom McDowell, Dave Foley, Jessica Pare, Nicole de Boer, Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, Moby, Alex Lifeson, Carole Pope
September 2 (Limited)

Tomorrow, When the War Began - Written and Directed by Stuart Beattie
Though response to this film has been lukewarm, I’m freaking excited about it. This may be Beattie’s directorial debut, but his writing credits (Collateral, Derailed, Pirates of the Caribbean, 30 Days of Night, Australia) speak for themselves. It is about a group of friends in Australia who return from a camping trip to find their country has been invaded by an anonymous foreign power. They must use every tool and weapon they can find to fight for their homeland. Possibly too serious for a fun teen movie, and too flashy for a serious adult film, this character study in friendship and patriotism might struggle to find an audience, but I’m hoping for the best.
Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis, Deniz Akdeniz, Phoebe Tonkin
September 2 (Australia)

A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop - Directed by Yimou Zhang, Written by Jianquan Shi and Jing Shang
This is probably the film I’m most excited about this month. The director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers is remaking The Coen Brothers’ first film, Blood Simple. How fucking cool is that? It takes place in China in the late 1800’s, but the story is the same. This girl pays this guy to kill her husband, but this girl doesn’t know that this guy hired that guy to kill her and her husband, and nobody knows that the husband actually put a hit out on both of them. Admit it, it’s fucking cool.
Honglei Sun, Dahong Ni, Ni Yan, Xiao Shen-Yang, Xiaojuan Wang
September 3 (Limited)

Heartbreaker - Directed by Pascal Caumeil, Written by Laurent Zeitoun, Jeremy Doner, and Yohan Gromb
As romantic comedies go, I have to say I liked Hitch. So I am kind of curious to see this film about the anti-Hitch, a man who is payed to break couples up. He zeroes in on his target, only to fall in love over a shared obsession with Dirty Dancing. French people reenacting those famous scenes and singing ‘80’s music is amusing to me.
Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis
September 10 (Limited)

The Hideaway (Le refuge) - Directed by Francois Ozon, Written by Francois Ozon and Matthieu Hippeau
The director of the sexy Focus Feature Swimming Pool is again stranding his characters in a summer house. After a woman and her husband overdose, the husband dies and the wife realizes she’s pregnant. Unwilling to comply with his family’s requests to abort the child, she heads to a cabin accompanied by her brother-in-law. The two must come to terms with the loss of their loved one, the presence of the baby, and their feelings for each other. Steamy.
Isabelle Carre, Louis-Ronan Choicy
September 10 (NY)
September 17 (LA)

The Kid - Directed by Nick Moran, Written by Kevin Lewis, Nick Moran, and Mark Thomas
This is the gritty true story of Kevin Lewis, who was constantly beaten by his mother, and then acted out violently against everyone who cared about him later in life. We all know Natascha McElhone as the hot, patience-of-a-saint ex from Californication. So seeing her as a frumpy, ugly, abusive mother is a bit of a stretch. But the stark realism and honestly are compelling.
Natascha McElhone, Ioan Gruffudd, Rupert Friend, David O’Hara
September 17 (UK)

First and foremost, we would like to thank all of you who supported us on Sunday and followed the live blog. It was a big day for Sexy Gypsy, and it really set the bar high.

Unfortunately, the Academy set the bar pretty low for hosting this year. Hugh Jackman, while slightly entertaining and charismatic at first, bored us to death with the constant musical numbers. This is the Oscars, dammit, we didn’t watch the Grammies for a reason. Also, the new format for actor awards runs a little long for our taste. Do we really need past winners standing up there talking one by one about the nominees for this year? We know Heath Ledger was an amazing Joker, do we really need Kevin Kline to tell us again? And if Cuba Gooding Jr. wants to be on stage at the red carpets, maybe he should be in a movie that doesn’t suck ass.

So despite some random last minute decisions, Sexy Gypsy did pretty well in predicting the Oscars this year. Our preview was right on the money for the big categories, even if our ballots weren’t. Unlike past years, there were no really big upsets. So let’s recap:

Best Picture: We all knew that Slumdog Millionaire was going to sweep the awards again. Milk was an amazing contender, but couldn’t stand up to the sheer brilliance in editing, direction, sound, and writing that Slumdog brought. Well deserved.

Best Director: David Fincher and Ron Howard have done better work. Stephen Daldry’s presence, not only in this category, but also in every other category The Reader was nominated, was a ridiculous, unwarranted usurping of Sam Mendes’ rightful seat with Revolutionary Road. Van Sant gave him a good run for the money, but Danny Boyle couldn’t be ignored any longer. Well deserved.

Best Actor: Minus Brad Pitt, this category was stacked. Jenkins, Langella, Penn, and Rourke all gave amazing performances. But it really came down to the latter two, and even though Prop 8 could’ve pushed Penn to the win, he was fantastic, and at least Rourke is again on the radar. Questionable, but well deserved.

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway hasn’t been as typecast as most people believe. Her role in Havoc was enough for us to take her seriously. Unfortunately, she was up against two major actresses (not counting Melissa Leo or Angelina Jolie). However, Streep has had her Oscar recognition, and Winslet was due after so many dead end nominations. Well deserved, wrong film (should have been Revolutionary Road).

Best Supporting Actor: If you read our preview, you know our conspiracy theories in this category. But there was only ever a slight doubt in anyone’s mind that Ledger would walk with this one. His “eclectic” career aside, this was not only his best performance, but one of the best of all time. Hey Downey, why so serious? Well deserved.

Best Supporting Actress: This category wasn’t really stellar, but everyone did a good job in their roles. Amy Adams, however, was definitely a head above the rest, in emotion and in screen time. Predicting this one was disappointing, because we knew Cruz would take it for being involved in an otherwise-not-nominated Woody Allen film. Undeserved.

Other categories of interest

Foreign Language: Waltz with Bashir should’ve taken this, and most people thought it would. Always gotta be on the lookout for the underdog.

Shorts: It is surprising that On the Line or Manon on the Asphalt didn’t take it, considering they were more the Academy’s usual taste, but Toyland was interesting and well edited, and the only WWII film even nominated this year. Also surprising, but definitely exciting, was the Academy’s decision to look past Pixar’s usual animated brilliance and give the Oscar to La Maison en Petits Cubes, the emotional Japanese film with a French name.

Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire was an amazing adaptation, as shown by its eight wins this year. However, we still believe that, with any other director, the script would have fallen short. Doubt, though sub par in acting and directing, was an amazingly well written film, full of amazing dialogue. Milk was the obvious choice for Original Screenplay. It built and developed all the characters for the actors to round out, and there wasn’t a weak link in the bunch.

Another surprise was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. All three of this film’s awards (Visual Effects, Art Direction, and Makeup) beat out The Dark Knight, which was a thousand times better in all of them. This is either an apology to Fincher for ignoring Zodiac, or an apology to Brad Pitt that he will never, ever, ever be Batman. Robin, maybe, but not The Dark Knight.

Overall, a good year for movies, and a solid Academy Awards ceremony. We will of course be starting this all over again next November, but for now we return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Thanks for the support.

-Sexy Gypsy

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.

It’s 2009. The Golden Globes have come and gone. Obama is officially president. We can finally put 2008 behind us, right? Wrong. Tomorrow, the Academy will announce its nominees for the 2009 Oscars ceremony on February 22. Which means for the next month, you can add, “So who do you think will win best sound mixing?” to your repertoire of suave pick-up lines.

As we said, we’ve never really paid attention to the Golden Globes. Around this time of year, we’re usually already trying to predict not only the Oscar nominees, but also the winners. However, after the surprising sweeps by Slumdog Millionaire and Kate Winslet, we decided to read up on the HFPA and compare them with the Academy. We found some interesting stuff.

2006 was the year of Crash, at least for the Oscars. Strangely enough, it didn’t even get nominated for a Golden Globe, which went to Brokeback Mountain (over A History of Violence) and Walk the Line (over The Squid and the Whale). If that wasn’t weird enough, George Clooney and Rachel Weisz undeservedly won both awards for best supporting (Syriana and The Constant Gardener respectively), and Ang Lee won both for Brokeback Mountain (also undeserved).

2007 saw some interesting competition. Little Miss Sunshine, Thank You For Smoking, The Departed, Babel, The Queen…the list goes on. The Academy was, if nothing else, consistent in its awards (The Departed won a couple…). The HFPA, on the other hand, gave best picture to Babel and Dreamgirls, the latter actually cleaning up the Golden Globes, with Eddie Murphy winning best supporting actor (Alan Arkin wasn’t even nominated, seriously?) and Jennifer Hudson getting supporting actress in both ceremonies, which is just silly.

2008 was the closest race in recent years, so we can’t be mad at either group. Atonement got the Globe for best picture, No Country for Old Men got the Oscar. Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) won a director Globe, The Coens scored the Oscar. The only travesty was Tilda Swinton winning a best supporting Oscar for Michael Clayton.

What we found interesting was that, in all three years, every Oscar winner for actor and actress also won the Golden Globe. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) and Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) in 2006. Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Helen Mirren (The Queen) in 2007. Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood) and Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) in 2008.

So what will happen in 2009? Will Danny Boyle finally grab the gold? Will Mickey Rourke finally give an acceptance speech (it sure as hell better not be Colin Farrell). Or will the Academy condemn the HFPA for not at least giving Woody Allen or Sean Penn a reach-around for being overrated?

We’ll see tomorrow.

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.