Rambling About "Blue Valentine"

God, I feel like I've been waiting forever for this film. And technically, I have. When I heard about this film back in 2008, I was already pumped. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in a movie together? I'M THERE. It premiered earlier this year all the way back in January at Sundance. It was then picked up by The Weinstein Company only for them to give it the worst possible release date for an impatient fan like me i.e. Dec. 31st.

But hey, you know, whatever. Of course this didn't stop critics and film industry insiders from getting a peek at the film. So there were a couple of articles, tweets, and basic word-of-mouth about how great the film was especially the tour-de-force performances from the two leads. Drove me absolutely insane. Fast forward to October and the craptacular MPAA gave the film an NC-17 rating supposedly for an intense sex scene between the two married characters.

The blogosphere was collectively outraged especially those who had already seen the film unable to figure out what the hell the MPAA was thinking or which scene(s) could've possibly merited that harsh rating. Both actors spoke out against the seemingly sexist decision. Of course, in a twist of fate, this controversy probably gave the film some free publicity as it trudged along its last-day-of-2010 release date. They even released a poster playing up the sexy.

Today, however, there was some good news for fans, actors, and filmmakers alike, as the MPAA overruled their initial NC-17 rating after an appeals process that forced Harvey Weinstein to make a direct plea. The film will now carry the more appropriate R-rating enabling it to be shown in a lot more places. This should also boost the award chances for Gosling and Williams as they should be.

With all of that out of the way, I'm still waiting to see the damn thing. So while it may be 17 days until Christmas, it's 23 days until Blue Valentine and I need it in my life more.

Looking Forward To...

The Fighter
Release: December 10, 2010
Distributor: Paramount
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams

Dexter Renewed For Sixth Season

[Read only if you have seen the most recent episode of Dexter. No finale spoilers, but I speculate on what's to come...]

Now what?

Sure it's doing gangbusters in the ratings for Showtime and the quality has been top-notch especially following a phenomenal season last season. Michael C. Hall is especially wonderful day in, day out as the titular character Dexter Morgan more so this season as we see how Rita's shocking death affected his whole being. We see him as a father to not only Harrison, but Rita's other children. We see him organically and beautifully move on with kindred-spirit Lumen. All of this while he continues killing those bad guys!

But I repeat my initial question, now what?

Can anyone really expect this show to go on for much longer? And when, not if, it does end, will there be any ending that satisfies everyone? Doubtful. Will other people know about his secret? Will he ever get redemption/comeuppance? Will he die? Will he be happy? What DOES it mean to be happy for him?

All of these questions are there waiting to be answered, not just for next season or the eventual series finale, but also for the upcoming season finale in a couple of days. Already Lumen's fate is all anyone can ponder about ever since she entered his life and made it better. Her death seems logical, right? Everyone who has found out about Dexter in the past have died and a few more people he cared about have also died because of his secret. Lumen is both and thus she is doomed.

But does that have to happen? Is Dexter unable to find real happiness? Of course, we have to get into the whole question "Is Dexter really happy right now with Lumen?" but I would like to believe he is. I personally feel that killing Lumen would be awfully redundant in terms of character development for Dexter and not just because I absolutely love the character and Julia Stiles. I mean how different would her death be to him especially after the deaths of Miguel Prado (partner in crime) and Rita (lover) from the last two season finales?

And then there's the issue of someone else finding out about Dexter aka his sister Debra. I can't be the only person who keeps seeing foreshadowing or even little nudges this season to point to Debra finally finding out about Dexter. If there's one person that needs to find out about his secret before the season (and definitely series) ends, it's her. Even if it doesn't happen in this year's season finale, she must find out and I'm looking forward to seeing how Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter act the HELL out of that scene.

Of course, Lumen could still survive into the next season and Debra could find out about his secret. What would that mean for Dexter and his elusive quest to fill the dark void within himself? We have at least one more season to find that out!

TV Guide Goes Supernatural

Supernatural beat out the likes of Chuck, Castle, Bones, How I Met Your Mother, and Smallville to become the first TV Guide Fan Favorite winner. A total of 5.5 million votes were cast by fans for the past few weeks with the race more or less contested between Supernatural and Chuck, shows which both have a rabid and loyal fanbase.

It's a great honor for this under-appreciated CW show now in its sixth season about two brothers, played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, who entangle with demons, angels, and other things that go bump in the night to grace the cover of TV Guide Magazine for the very first time ever.

I do have to ask though, was this really the best cover they could've come up with? Nevermind that Misha Collins, who plays the fan-favorite Castiel on the show, a series regular, is not on the cover. They probably wanted to focus on the two leads from the very beginning. I can live with that. So now they have these two very handsome young men and so what do they do? They Photoshop them to death. So instead of looking like the hot rugged men that they are, they look like plastic Ken dolls ready to strut their stuff on the runway Zoolander-style.

So congratulations to the fans who voted and the cast and crew for this honor, but someone fire the cover designer. Or at least sic Crowley or the yellow-eyed demon at them.

TV Report: Quick Catch-Up

Haven't talked about TV for a few days which puts me severely behind. So just a few very quick thoughts.

Community - Loved this episode. Wished it lasted an hour. Couldn't even tell you my favorite part, but kudos to Alison Brie and Don Glover especially. Oh and Abed ignoring the gay flirtation to talk about a sci-fi show is basically MY LIFE.

30 Rock - I shouldn't have liked the episode, but for some reason I did. Usually hate Kenneth, but his pig-daddy story was oddly hilarious, and Alec Baldwin saved the mess that could've been Tracy's storyline.

Grey's Anatomy - Kind of wish Christina would just get over it already. But she cried so that's a step! No comment on Lexie/Mark, but Arizona is back! Yay! Callie why did you close the door on her? ARGH! You are usually amazing, but not at that moment!

Fringe - Great episode! The Olivia's are back to the universes they belong in. The only thing it cost was Alt-Broyles' life (RIP) and a lot of angst from the Bishop men. Walter gets kudos for coining the term VAGENDA and Peter... oh Peter, next week is going to be brutal for him.

Supernatural - Castiel was on-form and awesome. Let me list the ways: bones on fire, pizza guy, angel boner, and demon make-out session. Perfect. RIP to Crowley, but glad they're moving the plot forward. But what to make of Sam's soul being Lucifer's chew toy? Intriguing!

Brothers & Sisters - Appreciate the appearance of Ryan Devlin. He's everywhere on ABC! Kevin on drugs was a bit slapstick-y and the whole episode itself wasn't that great to begin with. Oh well.

Amazing Race - Final three was decided last week with Nick/Vicki majorly screwed up. If they caught the same flight out, MAYBE they could've caught up, but doubtful. Two of the three final teams are all-female teams. I will be rooting for one of them to win!

Serbia Wins First Davis Cup Title

Led by a strong Novak Djokovic, Serbia wins its first Davis Cup title edging out 9-time champion France in the finals.

Even though it was the country's first final, many had felt that Serbia was the overwhelming favorite heading into this weekend's final. So when Gael Monfils defeated Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets during the first match, it was a bit of a surprise. Djokovic made sure to win his first match against Gilles Simon to get Serbia level after day one. The match of the weekend, however, was the next day in doubles when Nenad Zimonjic partnered up with Viktor Troicki to go up 2-0 in sets against Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra, one set away from having a 2-1 lead heading into day 3. The French team, however, staged a monumental comeback to win it in an exhausting and thrilling five-set match.

With his country's fate on the line, Djokovic once again showed his consistency as team captain to level by defeating Monfils. It all came down to the fifth and final game against Troiki and Llodra, who both took part in that exhausting doubles game the day prior. Youngster Troiki, however, bolstered by his hometown crowd kept focus and destroyed Llodra giving Serbia its first Davis Cup title, the 13th country to win this tournament.

While Troicki provided the final win and Djokovic went undefeated in Davis Cup singles play, Tipsarevic and Zimonjic won important matches throughout the year to help them reach this stage. These four men together won Serbia this award, plain and simple, winning against USA, Croatia, and the Czech Republic. The only thing left to do was keep an old promise to shave their heads after they win. They did so, like champions.

And thus begins the incredibly short tennis off-season. See you in like 2-3 weeks.

National Board of Review Winners

The National Board Review, one of the first major precursors to Oscars, has released the films, actors, and other filmmakers they loved during the past year. Note that last year, all of the acting winners were nominated, but ultimately didn't win the big prize at the Academy Awards. Furthermore, 8 of the last 10 Best Film winners have gone on to lose at the Oscars (Slumdog Millionaire and No Country For Old Men were the exceptions).

And the winners are...

Best Film
The Social Network

Top Ten Films
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Out of the top 11 films listed, I've only seen 6 of them. Still not sure what that win for The Social Network means. Is it another No Country for Old Men or will be be another Up in the Air? At the very least, its Oscar nomination is pretty much locked already. The list itself isn't as shocking as year's past. They still love them some Clint Eastwood. Notable snubs include Blue Valentine, Black Swan, 127 Hours, and The Kids Are All Right.

Best Actor
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Best Actress
Lesley Manville, Another Year

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress
Jackie Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Breakthrough Performance
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone

Best Ensemble Cast
The Town

Again, an acting win here doesn't necessarily mean they're all now the front-runners in their respective categories, but it definitely helps get their names out there especially in a year where it seems like every category will be a fight to the death. At least that's what I'm hoping for. But man look at Jennifer Lawrence go. Also, great support for The Town.

Best Director
David Fincher, The Social Network

Spotlight Award for Best Directorial Debut
Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo

Best Original Screenplay
Chris Sparling, Buried

Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Special Filmmaking Achievement Award
Sofia Coppola, Somewhere

Best Animated Feature
Toy Story 3

The Social Network really won big with the NBR. Along with Best Film and an acting coup for Eisenberg, the two "stars" of the film aka director Fincher and writer Sorkin were also honored by the group. No comment on the other awards except to ask where did Chris Sparling come from?

Top Ten Independent Films
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt

Last year, District 9 made this list on its way to an Academy Award Best Picture nomination. Anything here looking to be that film? Again, I'm shocked not to see Blue Valentine or 127 Hours here. I mean, Youth in Revolt? I've only seen 4 of the 10 films listed--Youth in Revolt, Greenberg, Ghost Writer, & Please Give.

Best Foreign Film
Of Gods and Men

Top Five Foreign Films
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material

Best Documentary
Waiting For “Superman”

Top Five Documentary Films
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story

Out of the 12 films in Documentary and Foreign Film, I've seen a total of 1 film and that is the Tilda Swinton star-vehicle Italian film I Am Love, which I very much enjoyed.

William K. Everson Film History Award
Leonard Maltin

NBR Freedom of Expression
Fair Game
Conviction
Howl

So in summary, NBR really loved The Social Network. The actors who won today should be happy though not TOO HAPPY if their end goal is to win an Oscar. It can still very much happen for any of them, but this awards season is a long one and anything goes. I mean did you know last year Sandra Bullock actually won an Oscar... for acting? I KNOW RIGHT?!

Anyways, don't forget to check out my thoughts from earlier this week on the Independent Spirit Award nominations. And for any other posts concerning the awards season, hit up the Awards Season tag in the coming weeks/months!

TV Report: Fringe, Chuck, Glee, Dexter, & Misfits

Just a couple of TV related things in my head at the moment. It includes me being excited about Fringe tonight, my thoughts on this week's episode of Glee and Chuck, my plea to the TV gods about Dexter, and my new TV obsession (Misfits).

Everyone Watch Fringe Tonight!

Every TV critic and non-critic alike who have somehow already seen tonight's episode of Fringe is freaking out about it saying how amazing it is. My level of excitement is already at an all-time high, but they better damn deliver. Not that I don't think they will since I have LOVED what they have done so far this season. But this upcoming episode seems to be the climactic resolution to the big arc started late last season, so it should be good. Apparently, it's also a good episode to jump into if you've never seen the show before, which frankly is making me freak out a bit. What does THAT mean? But if you're so inclined, it airs on FOX at the super competitive 9pm hour.

Chuck Vs. What Should They Do Now?

Just a quick note on the fall finale of Chuck. First the positives. I loved Tim Dalton and Linda Hamilton and can't wait to see them back in any capacity the show finds for them in the future. Dalton in particular flexing his comedic muscle once again (that charade scene) is probably the best thing about Chuck this season other than Morgan's character growth. With that said, I'm so over the Buy More shenanigans. Actually, I've been over them two seasons ago, so probably won't go anywhere anytime soon. Plus I found the whole "Chuck doesn't have the Intersect" storyline undeveloped, or at least a bit lacking. What did we learn from these 2-3 episodes? That he couldn't really be a spy without it because his girlfriend and everyone else had to rescue him. Yay? Plus was it just me or was the whole laptop deal a bit of a convoluted mess of a plot point?

Don't Kill Off Every Guest Star on Dexter

I haven't been talking about Dexter here, but I have been watching all season and I have been loving it. Granted the first few episodes started out slow and I'm actually hating anything that has to do with Quinn, Lindy, and LaGuerta which pretty much comprise of the B-storyline in every episode. And yet even with all of that crap, I am loving Lumen and Dexter together so much that I'm this close to declaring it my favorite season. Add in the insane Jordan Chase into the mix, and the past 2-3 episodes have just been amazing. Granted Johnny Lee Miller probably won't make it past this season, but I plead to the TV gods, DO NOT KILL LUMEN. I love Julia Stiles too much to see her go! I mean Dexter getting close to somebody and them getting killed? THAT WAS SO LAST SEASON (and the season before that and the season before that...)!

Are the Dog Days Really Over for Glee?

Not really sure what I thought about Glee's sectionals episode this year. Maybe after the Christmas episode/fall finale next week, I'll be able to take better stock on my feelings about this show. For now I want to say, that there was something missing from this episode. A certain magic, if you will, with the group. I get that the plot point was all of them being in discord with each other, but if it had cost them the win, it would make some sort of narrative sense. Instead they tied with the Warblers and even that reveal was a bit anticlimactic as even the show itself didn't dwell on the results at all. Huge props though for finally, finally putting Rachel and Kurt together as they should be, catty BFFs. They're both usually so insufferable as to be unwatchable, but together they are perfect. Rachel telling Kurt to smile from the audience is probably my favorite Rachel moment in the show's history. And speaking of favorite moments, Blaine subtly guiding Kurt on not to use hand movement during his Evita audition is one of those moments that's blink if you miss, but adds so much to the show. I'm starting to get slightly uncomfortable with how dumb the show is making Brittany to be, but her moments with Artie were still damn sweet. Then her dance moves with Mike Chang? HEAVENLY. Shuester annoyed me in the episode, but what else is new, right?

Finding Out about Misfits

I've already told you guys I have a tumblr right? Well, the people I follow there keep posting about this Brit show Misfits so I finally suck it up and COMPLETELY CAUGHT UP with it on Sunday. Not too difficult since they've only aired nine episodes. Anyway, it's kind of awesome. If you know both shows, then it's pretty much Skins meets Heroes. Quick synopsis: A group of juvenile delinquents forced together to do community service get hit by magical lightning and they now have superpowers. The cast is wonderful though I'm totally obsessing on one particular character, Simon played by Iwan Rheon. But pretty much in less than a week I went from not knowing anything about this show to feeling withdrawal symptoms about not having a new episode available RIGHT NOW. Oh the life of a TV addict.

ATP World Tour Finals: Finale

Roger Federer ended his year the way he started it, on top. Federer defeated his arch-rival and year-end no. 1 Rafael Nadal at the ATP World Tour Final 6-3 3-6 6-1 for his 5th year-end title and 66th title overall. He also slightly improves his lopsided H2H record against the Spaniard to 8-14, 3-0 on indoor hardcourts.

Federer played flawlessly and, more importantly, aggressively throughout the match using his serve and, shockingly, his backhand to great effect. Nadal was able to change the pace in the second set forcing Federer to become more defensive, but it was all Federer and his attacking game in the final set. It was a virtuoso performance from a player many thought were down and out especially against the opponent he was facing.

After winning his 16th Grand Slam title at the beginning of the year in Australia, it seemed like Federer was going to have another great year. Unfortunately for him, not only did he not win another title until August, but he crashed out in the quarterfinals at the French Open and Wimbledon. Since Wimbledon, however, he put up a magnificent 35-4 record (21-2 post-US Open) capturing four titles including the year-end championships. In fact, in an odd quirk, all five of his titles this year came at different levels (Grand Slam, World Tour Final, Masters 1000, ATP 500, and ATP 250).

Don't feel too bad for Nadal. Even if Federer had double-bageled him, Nadal is still the undisputed player of the year, winning seven titles including three of the four Grand Slams. Plus relative to his performance at the World Tour Finals last year, when he went 0-3 in the RR matches, reaching the finals and taking a set off a fiery Federer is cause for much celebration to him and his camp.

Both men, as has been the case for the past 5-6 years now, will look to dominate again in 2011. Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, who both couldn't even win a set against either Federer or Nadal at the year-end championships, are still looking in from the outside. Djokovic probably had the excuse of being distracted by the upcoming Davis Cup finals against France, but Murray's continued hometown troubles may be cause of concern.

Looking Forward To...

Black Swan
Release: December 3, 2010
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Natalie Portman, Sebastian Stan, Vincent Cassel, and Winona Ryder

Note: The posters for this film have all been magnificent. Click here to see the complete set.