I don’t know how many of you have recently watched the 1964 claymation classic “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer“.  It was on TV recently, and I don’t know… it’s, well, it’s really creepy.  Did I not realize that when I was young?  The claymation is terrifying, there’s a strange shrill noise when Rudolph’s nose lights up, and all of the characters aren’t so much lovable, more like menacing.  Call me scrooge, but I think the movie-makers were on a drug trip.

Hermey attempting to get Rudolph to try Meth

The New York Times ran a story this weekend on Angelina Jolie titled “The Mommy Track”.   The article discusses her menagerie of children, the “Brangelina” effect, her upcoming Clint Eastwood-directed movie “The Changeling”, but also her strange place in Hollywood.  Citing her ability to become an A-list female actor without doing any romantic comedies, the author wrote: “Nobody is ever likely to call her America’s Sweetheart”.  

When I’ve had discussions about Jolie with people I’ve been surprised at the vehemence of some of the reactions.  Mostly the argument seems to be whether she has created and manipulates the media machine around her, or whether it’s far beyond her control.  Personally, I think if she and Brad can auction off some pictures of their Bennetton-like family with proceeds going to a charity, then more power to them.  Of course, I don’t think you get to their status without some large egos helping you get there, but still, they seem relatively genuine about their various causes, and the article makes it sound like being a parent is more important to Jolie than being a movie star.  Or is it all just to sell movies?   Thoughts?

Well, I saw it. It was fine.

“Fine,” meaning neither “great” nor “terrible” (much as this NY Times review tries to slam it into oblivion).

The fashion is zany, the apartments are glamorous (including one truly phenomenal walk-in closet), the ladies are still their same characters through and through.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised, since I’d prepared myself for the worst after hearing rumblings that the Sex and the City Movie was bad.  It’s not bad! It’s just not better than an episode, and it’s 5x as long.

That’s the biggest problem: the show had many episodes, some great and others not-so-great. Now imagine an entire season’s plotline in a single movie. It’s about as good as the average of an entire season’s episodes muddled together.

As Samantha says (a la Death of a Salesman), “Attention must be paid.” She’s right (She also happens to be surprisingly the show’s strongest film actress). You need to go to the film to see what happens in the next chapter of Carrie and her pals.

I’ve already gone twice.

I know that it’s getting bad buzz, they’re too old, blah, blah, blah…

WHO CARES?!?!

I am so excited for the Sex & the City Movie.

It’s been years watching and memorizing my well-worn DVDs, and it will be such a treat to see new plotlines, new jokes, and new shoes!

Even more exciting, as of tomorrow night I can emerge from the seclusion I’ve had to enter for the past two weeks to avoid reading any spoilers or seeing any previews. I’m going in pretty much blind, so I will report back fully after the movie.

And the glamor awards that we stay up late for to hear about. By the time they’re announced Jon Stewart will have used up his jokes, Sean Penn will have compared Bush to Ahmadinejad, and the television producers will have gone to a shot of Jack Nicholson grinning maniacally or napping at least 15 times. But us diehards will still be there for the presentations. And these two categories seem especially tough this year.

Achievement in directing

• “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, Julian Schnabel
  • This is the top movie on my ‘to see next’ list. It looks absolutely beautiful and original. But the Oscars seems to shy away from movies that have that ‘art-house’ feel, so I think Schnabel doesn’t win it.
• “Juno”, Jason Reitman
  • I didn’t see anything very special about the directing here. It was a good group of actors who pulled off an interesting script. It was thoroughly enjoyable to watch, but I certainly didn’t came away saying ‘wow’.
• “Michael Clayton”, Tony Gilroy
  • I haven’t seen this, but it’s interesting how much it hung around. But there’s zero buzz on Gilroy winning this.
• “No Country for Old Men”, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
  • I’m going on a limb here. I think the Coen Brother’s lose here, but the movie wins for Best Picture.
• * “There Will Be Blood”, Paul Thomas Anderson
  • While the Oscars clearly like the Coen Brothers, I think PTA should get rewarded here. He was nominated for Boogie Nights and Magnolia, both fantastic movies, and I think this one is even better. If he doesn’t win for this, when will he ever win? Of course, the same argument goes for the Coen Brothers, who won for their “Fargo” script, but not for directing. Still, I think There Will Be Blood was more impressive, and he gets my vote.

Best Feature Film

• “Atonement”
  • Maybe this is the dark horse that wins (see “Crash” from Oscar-past), but I doubt it.
• “Juno”
  • The Oscars never seems to reward comedies. I thought it was a ‘nice’ movie, but…
• “Michael Clayton”
  • I haven’t seen this…but it seems a little too ordinary of a movie to win against the last two nominees.
• * “No Country For Old Men”
  • Let’s be clear, these two categories are between this movie and There Will Be Blood. I just don’t see the Oscars going to a third movie. Both were incredible movies. They may not have always been easy to watch, but they were fabulous. The big question is whether it’s a sweep for one movie. My hunch says No Country was easier to understand and wins best picture.
• * “There Will Be Blood”
  • While I think the Oscar goes to No Country, I liked There Will Be Blood More. Daniel Day-Lewis was incredible, the entire movie looked gorgeous, and the soundtrack was stunning (by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, it was found to be ineligible for an Oscar because too much of the score came from previous pieces he wrote. Booo). In the end this movie might be a little too esoteric for the Oscars, but it’s got my vote for the ’should win’ category.

Just released: The first trailer for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”!!

Two quick thoughts: 1) I bet we’ll be able to craft a great drinking game based solely on how many “I’m too old” cracks Harrison Ford makes. 2) I know “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was clearly the best one, but am I alone in having a soft spot for “Temple of Doom”? I just can’t help it.

Sure, movies like “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” “Love Actually,” and “A Christmas Story” are fun when you want a holiday fix, but we’ve all seen those movies a zillion times!  Here is my list of movies that aren’t by definition holiday films, but give good holiday cheer nonetheless.  Unsurprisingly, a lot of them feature singing!

5. Father of the Bride (1991) - Though this movie really makes no mention of Christmas, it’s got a very holiday feel to it!  Maybe it’s the father-daughter basketball in the snow scene, but I get a distinct feeling of holiday happiness whenever I watch this film!

4. Beaches (1988) - While this movie is an admitted tear jerker (some might even call it depressing), it has a fantastic holiday scene! The two impoverished roommates in their little apartment sing “Adeste Fideles” with only the light of the Christmas tree. So sweet!

3. When Harry Met Sally (1989) - The New Years Eve scene at the end of this movie is awesome. What a build up and what a fantastic end to a movie! It makes me so happy every time I watch it.

2. Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) - This Judy Garland musical ends with the holidays, and includes Judy Garland singing a gorgeous “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” to her little sister while it snows.  The music in this film is really spectacular, and Garland has never looked better!

1.  Little Women (1994) - This movie is COZY. It has a few Christmas scenes, including one that will leave no dry eye in the house, thanks to Claire Danes. Such a perfect snuggle-up-on-the-couch-with-hot-cocoa movie!

My friend Michael came up with this subject heading. SO TRUE. This trailer gives us next to nothing, but I’m still so excited!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgDQJWFYX88]