Movies of a Petite Aspie

Despite having only seen a handful of the films, TV shows, and performances nominated for Golden Globes this year, I am going to do my best to predict the winners and runners-up for this year's Ricky Gervais-hosted -- and celebrity-roasting -- ceremony.   Best Motion Picture -- Drama Winner: Spotlight Runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road Best Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy Winner: The Big Short Runner-up: Trainwreck Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama Winner: Brie Larson -- Room Runner-up: Cate Blanchett -- Carol Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture -- Drama Winner: Leonardo DiCaprio -- The Revenant Runner-up: Eddie Redmayne -- The Danish Girl Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy Winner: Amy Schumer -- Trainwreck Runner-up: Jennifer Lawrence -- Joy Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy Winner: Steve Carell -- The Big Short Runner-up: Christian Bale -- ...

Yes, folks, it's time again to examine the Oscar race, as it currently stands -- I'm making my predictions based on early wins (like the Gotham Awards and the National Board of Review) and nominations (like the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globe Awards). Best Picture 1. Boyhood 2. Birdman 3. Gone Girl 4. The Imitation Game 5. Selma 6. The Theory of Everything 7. The Grand Budapest Hotel 8. A Most Violent Year 9. Nightcrawler 10. Whiplash Best Director 1. Richard Linklater -- Boyhood 2. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu -- Birdman 3. David Fincher -- Gone Girl 4. Wes Anderson -- The Grand Budapest Hotel 5. Morten Tyldum -- The Imitation Game Best Actor 1. Michael Keaton -- Birdman 2. Benedict Cumberbatch -- The Imitation Game 3. Eddie Redmayne -- The Theory of Everything 4. David Oyelowo -- Selma 5. Steve Carell -- Foxcatcher Best Actress 1. Julianne Moore -- Still Alice 2. Rosamund Pike -- Gone Girl 3. Felicity Jones -- Theory of Everything...

Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep, and Steve Carell Director: David Frankel Stars: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell  Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance Release Date: August 8, 2012 Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77% It's extremely difficult to review a movie when there is any type of bias involved, in terms of the reviewer's relationship to the film.  In this case, a great portion of Hope Springs was filmed in my hometown of Stonington, CT.  At times, I found myself focusing more on the setting than on dialogue and actual movie, and relished in recognizing shops, restaurants, and other sites that are only within a few minutes' walk of my home.  I had to exhibit quite a bit of restraint in the theatre to avoid squealing every time I spotted a street or other locale that I know so well.  I knew this was what it must have felt like to see Mystic Pizza in the theatre: feeling an astounding amount of pride for own's hometown is something that canno...

The Screen Actors Guild awards is similar to the Golden Globes, in that you never truly know who's going to win, and therefore, we can't use these winners as a guide to who will take the ultimate prize at the Academy Awards on February 26th.  I'm especially ignorant when it comes to predicting the winners in the TV categories, but I will give it my best shot.   Jean Dujardin and Uggie the dog in The Artist       George Clooney in The Descendants Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis in The Help Christopher Plummer in Beginners Best Cast in a Motion Picture Winner: The Artist Possible Spoiler: The Help Best Actor in a Leading Role Winner: George Clooney -- The Descendants Possible Spoiler: Jean Dujardin -- The Artist Best Actress in a Leading Role Winner: Viola Davis -- The Help Possible Spoiler: Meryl Streep -- The Iron Lady Best Supporting Actor Winner: Christopher Plummer -- Beginners Long-Shot Spoiler: Kenneth Branagh -- My Week with Mari...

Yes, folks, I'm back -- but I won't be posting reviews from screenings.  Long story short, I didn't have time to go to screenings, and now I'm moving from Boston to Stonington, CT.  But that doesn't mean I'll stop going to the movies!   Anyway, the Golden Globe nominees were announced yesterday morning, and there were many expected nominees with a few surprises throw in there.  Of course, there are a number of people who I think deserved to be nominated this year, and I'm clumping all snubbees [a word I just invented] into one category.   -Jennifer Aniston -- Horrible Bosses   [Best Actress, Comedy] -Steve Carell -- Crazy, Stupid, Love  [Best Actor, Comedy] -Jesper Christensen -- The Debt  [Best Supporting Actor] -Marion Cotillard -- Midnight in Paris  [Best Supporting Actress] -Armie Hammer -- J. Edgar  [Best Supporting Actor] -John Hawkes -- Martha Marcy May Marlene  [Best Supporting Actor] - Bryce Dallas Howard -- ...

Crazy, Stupid, Love does not dawdle in introducing its primary conflict: Emily (Julianne Moore) announces that she wants to divorce Cal (Steve Carell, away from his natural Office habitat) while the couple of 25 years is having an unromantic date, but she soon confides that she has been with another man (Kevin Bacon). Cal is far too stunned to react properly, and impulsively jumps out of a moving car.  He enters a local bar that he has passed numerous times, and he notices Jacob (Ryan Gosling, whose abs are indeed real), an overt flirt and expert ladies’ man who fawns over the Hannah (Emma Stone, lovely and charming), although Hannah is about to graduate from law school and is not intimidated or tempted by Jacob’s come-ons. Meanwhile, Cal and Emily’s son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo, embodying a hopelessly-in-love adolescent convincingly), is certain that his babysitter (former America’s Next Top Model contestant Analeigh Tipton) is his soul mate, and in a creatively romantic ...