Golden Globe Nominations

And so the Oscar race officially begins.  I'm not sure why the Golden Globes are considered an early indicator to what's going to be nominated come Oscar time, and it's especially true when you have strange nominations like Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock on the list for "Duplicity" and "The Proposal" (respectively), but they are here and you can discuss to your hearts content.  Will discuss some of the highs and lows for me either later tonight or early tomorrow:

Motion Picture, Drama
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up in the Air
Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical
500 Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine
Actress, Drama
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabby Sidibe, Precious
Actor, Drama
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Tobey Maguire, Brothers
Actor Comedy/Musical
Matt Damon, The Informant
Daniel Day Lewis, Nine
Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes
Joe Gordon Levitt, 500 Days of Summer
Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
Actress, Comedy
Sandra Bullock, The Proposal
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Julia Roberts, Duplicity
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated
Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Clint Eastwood, Invictus
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo’nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Screenplay
Neill Blomkampt & Terri Tatchell, District 9
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Nancy Meyers, It’s Complicated
Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Original Score
Michael Giacchino, Up
Marvin Hamlisch, The Informant
James Horner, Avatar
Abel Krozeniowski, A Single Man
Karen O. and Carter Burwell, Where the Wild Things Are
Foreign Language Film
Baaria
Broken Embraces
The Maid
Un Prophete
The White Ribbon
Original Song
“Cinema Italiano,” Nine
“I Want To Come Home,” Everybody’s Fine
“I See You,” Avatar
“The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart
“Winter,” Brothers

Cruz Is Going For Double With "Elegy"

Another movie I saw fairly recently (but forgot to mention) is the dark and sexy "Elegy." Starring Ben Kingsley as a man who go through women like they were disposable newspapers, the movie is a gripping and captivating tale about an unconventional relationship. Though the acting is universally excellent, I think the stand out performance in this movie is Penelope Cruz, who gives a lot of depth and personality to this character that could have easily been lost. Not only is her character an interesting person, but (and this is not meant to be be offensive) the Academy LOVES to nominate sexy whores for Oscars.

Now I'm not saying Ms. Cruz (or her character) are really whores, but how many times have you seen a woman play a sex pot/prostitute/adulter and get an Oscar nomination? Well, just ask Julia Roberts, Halle Berry, Laura Linney, Kate Winslet, Annette Benning, Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Jane Fonda, etc, etc...really folks, if you're a woman in the Hollywood business, the best way to get an Oscar nomination is to play a whore with a heart of gold. But yes, it's a good performance. I'm going to list multiple actors for potential nominees here, but I believe Cruz's will stick around the most. Which would be funny because then she could potentially pull off a double nomination. The trailer is below (Note: I can't post the red band trailer for obvious reasons, but it's out there for you to find):