It's Supposed to Be Oscar Season, Right?

Then where exactly are all of the Oscar contenders? How can it be November 7th and I'm deciding between seeing Role Models or High School Musical 3: Senior Year (for the third time!) this weekend? I don't live in a huge city so I'm not expecting to get something like I've Loved You So Long or Rachel Getting Married (although that would be nice) but come on, Hollywood. I know you're not exactly predictable or especially kind to people like me (you know, people who like serious films) but I'm dying here. Last year at this time, I was going to see Michael Clayton, Eastern Promises, Into the Wild and American Gangster and while none of them completely knocked me out, they were serious films made for grown-ups. Do you want to know the best grown-up film in my area? Changeling, and I'm really dreading seeing that since I'm not particularly fond of Clint Eastwood or Angelina Jolie (and I've heard it's not even that good anyways). On the plus side, I guess this means more time for playing catch up with movies from earlier this year that I missed. Yay?

The Campaign for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination for Ashley Tisdale in High School Musical 3: Senior Year: Review Headquarters

Ryan: "Sold out shows"
Sharpay: "Think bigger"
Ryan: "And the Oscar goes to..."
Sharpay: "That's better!"
~Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Gabreel, "I Want It All"

The reviews are pouring in for High School Musical 3: Senior Year (out tomorrow, in case you haven't heard) and they're predictably all over the place. It currently sits at surprisingly fresh 63% at Rotten Tomatoes, although that hardly matters because this juggernaut will make an assload of money no matter what. My primary concern, however, with these reviews is good press for my beloved La Tisdale and a strong start for her campaign for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. We all know that an Oscar campaign needs to start with some positive feedback from the critics, so I've decided to gather all the raves I could find and put them together on one page. And, bloggers of the world, when you write your review of HSM3 (and I know you'll have something to say one way or another) and you mention just how fabulous La Tisdale is in this film, either email me or I'll come find you and I'll link you here. We need all the support we can get for our glorious cause!

Thursday, 10/23: Okay, so we only have 4 mentions so far, but it's early yet and I know that we'll get more once the "regular" folk see the film (starting tomorrow, yay!).
Friday, 10/24: We have one more from a lovely reviewer in the UK!
Sunday, 10/26: While I'm heading out to finally see the damn thing in a couple of hours (yay!), here are three more mentions, plus a very complimentary one from Marcy in her review of HSM3. Thanks!
Wednesday, 10/29: I've seen two more La Tisdale mentions in the past couple of days, plus my own, so I've added the accordingly. Remember, it's never too late to spread the love for our beloved La Tisdale. I'll be updating this constantly!
Friday, 11/7: I can't believe I forgot to add Nick's ecstatic mention of La Tisdale! Sorry about that! Now it's up for everyone to enjoy.

"And the Oscar goes to…the star of this show, born and bred, La Tisdale, she knows it and she owns it. It takes a whole lot of skill to make what is essentially a villainous biatch into someone who you can’t help but root for no matter what. She brings her character to life without even opening her mouth, but when she does, you are seduced by her relentless enchantment, her bold and brassy effervescence and her epic brilliance."
~Nick Plowman, Fataculture

"There is no arguing that Sharpay is a stereotypical villain, but Tisdale constantly makes Sharpay something more. Sharpay's grand entrance into a typical East High morning contains as much unspoken drama as the character herself. But Tisdale's moment of glory is in the face of defeat. The audience wants to see Sharpay get back up again and when she does, we cheer for her--thanks to Tisdale--because she is every bit as vulnerable and human as the rest of us."
~Marcy, Because I Saw the Film

"So while we get more of Zac's pretty eyes, it prevents more time for the fabulous Ashley Tisdale as Sharpay Evans...Hey, now that this is one the big screen, does this mean Ashley Tisdale is eligible for an Oscar?"
~Vance, Tapeworthy

"...but seriously... not enough of La Tisdale! As HSM2 proved, she can hold the entire movie together. In HSM3 she has great scene-stealing moments (her entrance with her FABULUS car, her "single spotlight" moment and of course her crashing down on Brit-clone's Sharpay's number at the end) and what she doesn't get in script she makes up for in facial expressions and overall attitude. Oh to be Sharpay: never to be outdone, outwitted or outdressed!"
~mB, A Blog Next Door

"I could go on for days about how much I loved La Tisdale here. She proves, without a doubt, that she is infinitely worthy of that Oscar nomination that I keep pushing for her...she sparkles the entire film--from her divalicious entrance to her final curtain call--even when HSM3 keeps pushing for Troy and Gabriella to be the main focus. Relegated to the background, La Tisdale does her best work, rolling her eyes like she's been taking lessons from Michelle Pfeiffer and turning such minor quips as "Genius" when Ms. Darbus announces the name of the spring musical or her sarcastic "Yipee!" when the Wildcats decide to join the musical into perfect bon mots worthy of Margo Channing...we realize that La Tisdale's Sharpay is sort of like Scarlett O'Hara in that nothing will ever keep her down and we want to see her succeed, no matter how wicked her ways are. It's due to La Tisdale's epic performance that Sharpay stands out as more than just an annoying bitch stereotype and always comes out looking like the high priestess of the theatre that we've all seen in real life but that we can still, against all odds, still root for in the end."
~Dame James Henry, Rants of a Diva

"...the breakout star is Ashley Tisdale, whose Sharpay makes narcissism a goofy, bedazzled pleasure."
~Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

"...Ashley Tisdale, a lone standout as the mildly mean girl Sharpay..."
~Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly

"Tisdale makes a meal of her spoiled-fashionista role..."
~Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"...Ashley Tisdale, having fun as always."
~Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

"...it's up to Ashley Tisdale as the uber-bitch Sharpay to provide light comic relief, which she does with good humour and great timing."
~Wendy Idle, Times

"In terms of pure razzle dazzle, though, it's Tisdale and Gabreel who stand out."
~Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee

"Tisdale is the better singer [than Hudgens], but she gets fewer songs."
~Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

"The comedy standouts are Tisdale and Gabreel..."
~Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Weekend Rental Picks

A weekly series in which I try to help emerging cinephiles reduce their anxiety by pointing them in the right direction at their local Blockbuster.

Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
With the election still on everyone's mind, Altman's multi-character drama set in the country music capital is a great film to keep you in the political mood. Don't worry, the film's not overtly, jam-it-down-your-throat political; it merely uses the presidential campaign of a third party nominee named Hal Phillip Walker merely as a starting point to get the characters involved with each other and, eventually, unites them all. No matter who you are, you will find a character (or two) you can relate with and/or find really fascinating (My favortites? Ronee Blakely's damaged country Queen, Barbara Jean and Henry Gibson's paternal King of Nashville, Haven Hamilton).

The Gold Diggers of 1933 (Mervyn LeRoy, 1933)
And while the economy is going to shit, enjoy this gem of a Warner Brothers musical which tackles the Great Depression head on with fabulous costumes, bitchy actresses, fantastic songs and breathtaking Busby Berkley choreography. A lot of people prefer 42nd Street, but I don't think that film can begin compare with The Gold Diggers of 1933, which hides a tough interior underneath all of the frivolities of a 30's musical.

The Cranes Are Flying (Mikhail Kalatozov, 1957)
Didn't think the Soviets could make a moving romance? I didn't, well, at least until I saw The Cranes Are Flying a few months ago. I was absolutely transfixed by everything concerning this film: the deep focus photography is to die for, the acting is fantastic and the romance actually moves and doesn't just feel like an after thought. Now, if only Hollywood would take lessons from this film on how to make a proper romance and not stick us with crap like The Notebook.

Have I Ever Mentioned How Much I Love the British?

About a week ago, I was rummaging around Vera's Big Gay Blog (a great source for hunky boys and models, by the way) and I found a link to photographer Kai Z. Feng's website. I had vaguely heard of him before, but I wasn't at all familiar with his portfolio. Needless to say, I was very impressed. I'm not an expert or anything, but I know what I like, and Feng is absolutely wonderful. I was particularly taken with his work on a few young up-and-coming British actors. The actors may not be that well known in America, but Feng certainly knows how to make them look good. Simply beautiful.

Edward Speleers
Apparently, he was in that completely awful-looking Eragon movie from a couple of years ago. I'd still bone him, though.

Nicholas Hoult
He played the young boy in About a Boy and stars in the controversial BBC teen drama Skins, which supposedly makes Gossip Girl look tame, now airing on BBC America (damn, I wish I had this channel right now).

This last one is currently the background on my computer. Love it!

Mitch Hewer
He also stars on Skins, apparently as Nicholas Hoult's boyfriend (correct me if I'm wrong).

Alex Pettyfer
He's done a couple of British movies and some movie with Emma Roberts, Julia's niece, but he's still really good looking.

Alphabet Meme

I was tagged by J.D. to do this meme created by Fletch of Blog Cabins. How incredibly lovely! This one looks like fun. Let's get to the rules:

1. Pick one film to represent each letter of the alphabet.

2. The letter "A" and the word "The" do not count as the beginning of a film's title, unless the film is simply titled A or The, and I don't know of any films with those titles.

3. Return of the Jedi belongs under "R," not "S" as in Star Wars Episode IV: Return of the Jedi. This rule applies to all films in the original Star Wars trilogy; all that followed start with "S." Similarly, Raiders of the Lost Ark belongs under "R," not "I" as in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Conversely, all films in the LOTR series belong under "L" and all films in the Chronicles of Narnia series belong under "C," as that's what those filmmakers called their films from the start. In other words, movies are stuck with the titles their owners gave them at the time of their theatrical release. Use your better judgement to apply the above rule to any series/films not mentioned.

4. Films that start with a number are filed under the first letter of their number's word. 12 Monkeys would be filed under "T."

5. Link back to Blog Cabins in your post so that I can eventually type "alphabet meme" into Google and come up #1, then make a post where I declare that I am the King of Google.

6. If you're selected, you have to then select 5 more people.

Let's get started, shall we?

Annie Hall
Bringing Up Baby
City Lights
Duck Soup
Erin Brockovich
The Four-Hundred (400) Blows
Gone With the Wind
High Noon
It Happened One Night
Jaws
Kill Bill Volume 1
Libeled Lady
Mommie Dearest
Nashville
Ordinary People
Psycho
Queen Christina
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion
Singin' in the Rain
Top Hat
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Vera Drake
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
The OX-Bow Incident (I don't like X-Men, so I had to cheat. Oh well.)
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Zodiac

And those who are tagged:
Michael - My Stuff and Cr*p
RJ - The Rural Juror
Slayton - PUXZKKX
Vance - Tapeworthy
Kayleigh - Shiny Happy Blog

My Cousin is an Idiot, The World Loves Obama, Jake Gyllenhaal is Hot, etc.

So I wake up this morning, log on to Facebook (like I normally do) and find this lovely status from my cousin to greet me:

Matthew is ummm....basicalllllly, Fuck America and Obama, I hope he dies in office.

Ummm, yeah. Talk about a sore loser. I can understand if you're upset at McCain's loss last night (Lord knows I was about Kerry in 2004) but, seriously, do you think wishing death on someone will make it better? I hate Bush but I would never think, "Things would be so much better if he just died." Jesus, have some respect.

In other news, I was flipping around last night trying to find the best channel to watch the election coverage (I settled on CNN when I realized that Anderson Cooper was there) and I ended up on the French channel- TV5 Monde- for a little bit. To my surprise, they were covering the U.S. presidential election hardcore. I just find it kinda funny that people are around the world are just as excited about Obama winning as we are. Can you imagine Americans tuning in- or even caring- to the next presidential election in France? I don't even think 1/4 of the country could name their current president. I know it's Nicholas Sarkozy, but that's only because I took French a couple of semesters ago. There's no way in hell I could tell you who's running the U.K. The last guy I remember is Tony Blair but I think he resigned or something. So, my point is, congratulations, world: once again you prove how much smarter than we are by pointing out our ignorance. But, hopefully in the New America under President Obama, we can change that- and I'll finally learn the Prime Minister of the U.K.

Yes We Can

The best words one could ever expect to hear from the mouth of the yummy Anderson Cooper:

"We are now projecting that Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States."

After that amazing speech tonight, I seriously want to have this man's babies. How can any one person be this amazing? (It's no wonder Oprah likes him). A couple of months ago, I was ready to move to Canada to get away from the awful country, but now I feel like we have a chance. Good call, America. After two fucked up elections, we finally got one right!

Au revoir, Bush! Bonjour, President Obama!

"Oh, No Comeback? Ya Burnt!"

"If the president is so serious about the war on terror, why doesn't he hunt down and capture Barack Obama before he strikes again? It's time for a change, America. That's why I'm voting for Osama in 2008!"

Please don't make the same mistake as our dear Jenna Maroney when you are going out to vote today!

Obama=Good
Osama=Bad
Obama does not equal Osama

And just for fun...



You're welcome!

Don't See This Movie!

If anyone asks, "Do you want to watch Ma Mère?" please, for God's sake, run in the other direction. I don't care if they try to entice you with the promise that the film has extremely graphic and kinky sex, don't even bother. If you want to get off, go watch some porn. This film won't do anything for you except possibly give you a headache. Nothing in this film makes the slightest bit of sense. Characters and motivations do a complete 180 scene by scene, the plot (if there is one) makes absolutely no sense to any sane person and the only thing that you will feel at the end of this film is that you need to take a shower. Ma Mère thinks it is saying something important or interesting about sex or incest or life or God know's what else, but the film is just a sloppy, self-important mess with gratutious sex thrown in just because it can. I'm almost certain that this film is one of the ten worst I have ever seen in my life. It's that bad. I stopped it about half way through and when I came back I just wanted to shut the whole damn thing off. F


In other news, Louis Garrel also has my shoes! First Zac and now Louis...I guess I really do have good taste!

I won't let you whip me with a power cord, but I'll be willing to be angsty with you...perferably naked.

"There Once Was a Girl Named Regina..."

This clip was from Saturday Night Live two weeks ago when Jon Hamm hosted and, for God knows what reason, it wasn't posted anywhere online until a couple of days ago. It's quite a head scratcher since I thought it was the funniest sketch of the night. Who knew that Jon Hamm could do such an uncanny James Mason impression? That's not exactly in everyone's repetoire. And Kristen Wiig's Gloria Swanson/Norma Desmond was genius ("I'm a pirate, AARRRRGH.") even if the accent sounded a bit like Katharine Hepburn.

In other Jon Hamm related news, The Ausiello Files is reporting that he is in final negotiations join the cast of 30 Rock for a multi-episode storyline as Tina Fey's love interest. Hell to the yes! This news is so epic it makes Lawrence of Arabia look tiny. I only have one request: can Christina Hendricks get a part, too?

"Oprah is Coming!"

Only three more days until Oprah unites with Tina Fey and company on 30 Rock for the greatest episode in the history of television!

Confession Sundays

For the lapsed Catholic in all of us- a new series in which I confess my deepest, darkest secrets before Oprah and The Madonna and wait for my atonement.

I think that Shia LaBoeuf is one of the skankiest, ugliest people I've ever seen and can't understand why so many people find him attractive.

I know that this confession won't make the most popular kid on the playground, but I can't deny what's in my heart. Everything about him just gives me the creeps, from his grotty slicked back hair to the child molester facial hair in the above picture to the dirty aura he radiates like an alcoholic hobo. Yuck. I guess I should mention that another reason I don't like him is because he reminds me of one of my best friend's completely awful ex-boyfriend who she went out with twice (even when I told her not to!) and treated her like shit. A bit biased? Maybe, but I'm allowed.

I Don't Know, Where to Go, What's the Right Link?

Rural Juror gets political for a moment about Proposition 8, the California proposition on the ballot that wants to ban gay marriage in the state. If you're a traitor, then so am I!

Defamer has pictures from the Zac Efron shower scene that was cut from High School Musical 3: Senior Year. This better be on the DVD or I am going to throw a bitch fit.

A Blog Next Door hates The Rocketman in HSM3. I didn't find him as annoying as most people did, but I can see why people were annoyed with him. I was more offended by Tiara and the fact that Disney thinks she's a worthy replacement for La Tisdale. Are you serious? Did you listen to her "sing" during her musical numer? I'd rather listen to Vanessa Hudgens.

Fataculture links up to the brand new The Reader trailer. Despite all of the controversy surrounding it (the deaths of producers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, the epic battle between Harvey Weinstein and Scott Rudin and Rudin's eventual departure from the project), the trailer doesn't look too shabby, although I'm concerned that it looks a little bit like The Hours 2, with its pretty cinematography and cross-cutting across different time periods.


Vera's Big Gay Blog finds this picture (and about 10 more) of British actors Aaron Johnson and Ben Smith having a good time. I have no idea who these two are, but, for some odd reason, I find this picture really hot. I guess I'm a little kinky, what can I say?

Stale Popcorn hates people, but loves Sally Hawkins and Happy-Go-Lucky.

Valley Dreamin' is having a Zacgasm. My friend totally had one during the "Scream" number last night.

PUXZKKX and I have a friendly argument over Miranda Richardson in Louis Malle's Damage in the comments. I still can't believe she was nominated for this and not The Crying Game in 1992.

Rants on Latter Days

There have been countless surveys counting down the greatest gay films ever made (the most recent being AfterElton's) and, for some reason or another, Latter Days (C. Jay Cox, 2004) is consistently high up on the list. It's not exactly a horrible film- there are certainly worse gay films out there *cough*Big Eden*cough*- but Latter Days isn't exactly the type of film I want to represent my people (for lack of a better word). Can the gays like a film that doesn't rely on stock characters, damaging stereotypes of gay life, horrible dialogue and generic, way too obvious themes? I know they can (Brokeback is number one for God's sake) but sometimes I wished they embraced the better ones a little more.

In short, Latter Days is about a Mormon missionary, Aaron, who moves in next to gay party boy Christian (way to be obviously ironic, screenwriter!), the relationship that blossoms between the two and the conflict between Aaron's faith and his orientation. When we meet Christian, we are automatically introduced to one of the main flaws of the film: the fact that his character perpetuates every stereotype that we've not only seen in the movies for 20 years, but also what uber-right wing conservatives think every homosexual's lifestyle is. Not only is Christian vain and superficial, but he also parties it up every night, sleeps with a new guy and every night and is intent on "converting" straight boys. In fact, Christian's almost a dangerous stereotype in the context that people who might glance at this film will start to think that every gay man acts like him, when in reality, most don't. The fact that we have to spend a majority of the film watching his totally superficial, telegraphed right from the get-go transformation really pissed me off. You mean I had to spend 20 minutes listening to Christian's angsty drivel delivered through crappy poetry when sweet Aaron was getting his testicles electrocuted? The other characters that are in this film are also stereotypes of the most tiring sort who get in the way far too often: the Sassy Black Friend, the religious bigot, the HIV victim who spreads pearls of wisdom like fairy dust (and who's inclusion in the story was shameless in the highest degree) and the wise older role model (in this case, provided by the beautiful and glamorous Jacqueline Bisset, who deserves much better than this awful role- she's worked with Truffaut for Christ's sake!)

I was actually surprised to find out that writer/director Cox actually grew up a Mormon like Aaron because, for the most part, the screenplay felt like Mormon 101 and skirted some in-depth issues I would have loved to have seen covered. There's this scene toward the beginning where Christian and his Sassy Black Friend (I seriously don't remember her name) invite Aaron and Elder Ryder (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, totally adorable even when an intolerant Mormon) to give them the Mormon lecture about how great the religion is and why they should convert, etc. It's starts off innocently enough, with Christian making a small joke about how he would be considered crazy if he heard the voice of God in the way that Joseph Smith did, but then, all of a sudden, it just explodes with the Sassy Black Friend bitching about the church's stance on black people, JGL retaliating with something about gays are evil and Christian defending himself while beating the church down. If Cox had taken a second and not gone straight for the easy target, he could have something special in this scene. A civil, semi-intelligent conversation with a point about religion and homosexuality would have made this scene so much more interesting. Instead, we're left with the tired "God hates homos" and "You're a bigot" arguments that I could have surmised on my own without this movie.

If anything in the film works well, credit that to Steve Sandvoss' performance as the achingly sweet gay Mormon Aaron. While most of the actors in the cast are coasting on stereotypes, Sandvoss delivers a performance that makes me feel for the character and helps me understand his relationship with Christian- both central to a romance and both equally hard to do. I don't know how he did it, but Sandvoss made me, a sarcastic, mean-spirited Athiestic Catholic who prays to Oprah before exams, deeply empathize with this devout Mormon who wouldn't say or do a mean thing to anybody. Sandvoss is especially great with the details, whether it's his dorky, do-gooder aura he gives off when he talks with Christian in the laundry room (come on, we've all met deeply religious people who act just like that when socializing) or his scene with Jacqueline Bisset where he actually listens to her problems and doesn't simply offer some weak, low-blow, "Come join our church!" bullshit. And then there's that ending when he comes back to Los Angeles after going to the institute to "change" his sexuality- oh boy, that's an emotional suckerpunch. He wanders the streets, like a hollowed out Holocaust survivor, just trying to find his way back to Christian and nearly collapses when he can't find him at his house. It's all due to Sandvoss that these moments are actually heartbreaking and not merely a stop-over to the inevitable conclusion. For all of Latter Days problems, I actually find myself wanting to see this film again, just to watch this performance again and fall in love with Aaron all over again. Unfortunately, one great performance can't save an entire film. C-

Can You Fix My H-E-A-R-T, 'Cause It's D-A-M-A-G-E-D?

I changed my banner about a week ago. Did anyone notice? Well, it's okay if you didn't, I'm not hurt...really, I'm not. It's just that after having my lovely Stolen Kisses banner up there for months (longer than any other banner I've ever used), I would think that someone would have said something, anything about it.

Excuse me while I run off and cry.

Just kidding, everyone. As much as I loved my old banner, I decided it was time for a change and after watching both Ordinary People and Equus in the same weekend, I finally figured out my new theme: damaged boys. As Jack McFarland once said on an episode of Will & Grace (I believe it was the one where Michael Douglas guest starred, but don't quote me), "I love me some crazies." Well, I stand by that quote and here are four damaged boys that I just want to reach out and make better.

River Phoenix, My Own Private Idaho: I haven't seen this movie in awhile, and even then I wasn't sure how much I liked it, but one thing that will always stick with me is River Phoenix's legendary, achingly sweet performance. That camp fire scene where he just wants Keanu Reeves' character to hold him is one of the most endearing things I've ever seen. I'll hold you if you want me to!

Timothy Hutton, Ordinary People: I just bought a copy of Ordinary People and I'm still not sure why because every time I watch it, I'm an emotional wreck for days afterwards, courtesy of Hutton's psychologically damaged Conrad Jarrett. How can his mother not love someone as vulnerable and needy as him? I'll listen to the story of why you tried to commit suicide and I promise I won't start laughing when those obnoxious guys come in.

Jean-Pierre Léaud, The 400 Blows: Antoine Doinel is pretty much the original damaged teen, right? He lies, steals, plagarizes and runs away from home and yet we still love him throughout the entire film. How is this possible?! Because we want to fix him (well, at least I do) and he's not really that bad of a kid on the inside, just misguided.

Peter Firth, Equus: So he gets sexually turned on by horses, that's not so unusual, right? Well, maybe it is, but that doesn't mean we can't try to fix him. He's arguably the most damaged of the four and it would definitely take the most work, but isn't it worth it? I think so. I feel like a perv for saying this, but that scene where's he's riding that horse naked was very sexual even when it shouldn't have been.