Guilty Pleasures Blogathon

The lovely ladies over at Flick Chicks are hosting a new blogathon! They ask us to name some of our favorite guilty pleasures. Here are the rules:

1 - You can choose and discuss as many or as few movies as you like. We both did a Top 10, but you can just choose 1 movie if you like. Just tell us a bit about the movie and why you like it so much.

2 - Please create a new post for our Blogathon, rather than linking an old post you may have already done.

3 - Please include our Blogathon Banner anywhere in your post


4 - The deadline for entries is Sunday, 31st August, so there's plenty of time!

I used to post Guilty Pleasure reviews occasionally, but it's been over a year since I've done one. I decided to post a top 5 here, even though I'm sure I have many more.

1) Drop Dead Gorgeous

This 1999 comedy features some awfully over the top Minnesota accents, Kirsten Dunst and a blonde Amy Adams. It's one of my favorite chick flicks, yet most people that have seen it seem to hate it.

2) White Chicks

There are so many things that are politically incorrect with this movie, but it doesn't change the fact that it's fucking hilarious. 

3) BASEketball

Critics hated this film from the creators of South Park. Sure it was random, obscene, and made little sense, but it was funny and had a ton of great one liners. To me, it just proved that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are two of the funniest guys around.

4) Normal Adolescent Behavior

When this movie got released on DVD, it got re-named "Havoc 2" despite it having absolutely nothing to do with the original movie, or even a similar story for that matter. I think that automatically made most people hate it. The film has a lot of problems, but I still find it fascinating. 

5) Georgia Rule

This is the only film on this list that I don't really have a reason for liking. I think Lindsay Lohan was essentially playing herself in it, but for some reason whenever this film is on and I have nothing else to do, I'll watch it. 

Thanks for hosting, ladies!

Indie Gems: Summer in February

"I've made a huge mistake"

There's a point in this film where our lead, Florence (Emily Browning) has a total Arrested Development moment and realizes that she's just made an awful decision. I legitimately felt bad for her.

Florence is an aspiring artist who goes to live with her brother, Joey (Max Deacon) in Cornwall. I don't know a lot about British arts, but apparently this was the place to be in the early 1900's. She meets two men. There's Gilbert Evans (Dan Stevens) the man in charge of the prestigious Lamorna Esate. He's kind, gentle, and has an obvious crush on Florence. Then there's AJ Munnings (Dominic Cooper) a brilliant artist on the verge of being famous. Florence is drawn to him, even thought he is the 1900's version of a DudeBro. 

Admittedly, love triangles aren't really my thing, but Emily Browning is, so that's why I watched this one. I was pleasantly surprised. The movie was shot beautifully. They really found some lovely places in England to use, and the costumes were top notch. (How did The Invisible Women get an Oscar nomination and not this?)  Browning and Cooper were the standouts in this film. She's always been good, but her last few movies have not been worthy of her. Cooper was great at playing an asshole. This is one of the better period pieces I've seen recently and is definitely worth checking out.

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "I've made my bed, now I must lay in it." - Florence (Emily Browning)

FTS Presents: Quentin Augustino

The lovely bloggers over at French Toast Sunday are spotlighting director Quentin Tarantino this month! He's easily one of my favorite directors. I've decided to rank the films of his I've seen. (Jackie Brown and My Best Friend's Birthday are the only two films of his I've missed.) This was A LOT harder than I thought it would be, especially with my top three. I'm sure someone could ask me to do this again in a few months, and I'd rank them differently. I'm almost positive I've talked about this on my blog before and had picked a different favorite. It's hard when you love a director this much!

Honorable Mention: Sin City

He was only a "guest director" in this film, so I didn't put it on my list, but I love this movie and I thought the scene he DID direct (Dwight and Jackie Boy's head in the car) was brilliant.

7) Kill Bill vol 2

I went back and forth between this and Death Proof as my least favorite. I ultimately stuck with this because it was the least memorable for me. Kill Bill vol 1 was amazing, and this one just didn't feel up to par.

6) Death Proof

I always preferred Planet Terror of the two Grindhouse films. This film just felt a little too long. Normally, I love Tarantino's  scenes of characters talking, but I didn't really feel like any of the people in this film were talking about anything interesting.

5) Reservoir Dogs

One of his first features and definitely one of his most brutal. I love this little indie, and I think it's a great starting place for all his work.

4) Django Unchained

His most recent feature was risky, but it all paid off due to the great performances and the funniest shoot out in cinema history.

3) Pulp Fiction

This is one of those films that's almost universally highly recommended. It lives up to all those expectations. It also ages gracefully and it's one I can always go back to and find something new to like about it.

2) Kill Bill vol 1

Visually, I think this one is my favorite. I love a strong female lead and Kill Bill was an awesome cinema experience for me. The fight scenes in this film were brilliant, and that last scene with the falling snow: stunning.

1) Inglorious Basterds 

Even though Kill Bill is a close 2nd, I think Inglorious Basterds is my favorite Tarantino film. (today anyways) I just found it so rich and interesting. It introduced me to Christoph Waltz, showed me that Brad Pitt could put on one of my favorite movie accents in history, mixed two languages I love listening to (German and French) and gave me Shoshanna. The opening scene really sets the tone for how haunting this film is, it's a masterpiece, plain and simple. 

Thanks for hosting, French Toast Sunday!

Review: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Anything can happen in Sin City

Following the formula of the first film. A Dame to Kill For shows four different stories all out of chronological order. Nancy (Jessica Alba) is still trying to cope after Hartigan's (Bruce Willis) suicide. She's turned into a hard drinker, and is hell bent on killing Senator Roark. (Powers Boothe) Marv (Mickey Rourke) is still beating people's asses whenever he feels like it. Dwight (Josh Brolin) is pulled back into trouble when a mysterious former lover Ava Lorde (Eva Green) reappears in his life. Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a hot gambler that challenges Senator Roark and pays the price.

I said going in that I wasn't going to be one of those people who said "they waited too long" to make this sequel. My interest in Sin City never waned. The first film is still among my favorite movies of all time. But the reality is they DID wait too long. Clive Owen had a scheduling conflict, so he couldn't cameo as Dwight with his new face. Michael Clarke Duncan, who played Manute passed away, so he was sadly re-cast. Not that the guy that played him was bad, it just made me sad not seeing Duncan. Brittany Murphy also passed away, so no Shellie. Devon Aoki, who played Miho was pregnant during filming, so she was replaced with Jaime Chung, who was horrible. How can a character with no dialogue be horrible you say? Just look at her face. Aoki's Miho was unreadable and a force to be reckoned with. Chung's looked permanently confused.

It's not to say this film is all bad. I enjoyed the addition of JGL and Eva Green. Juno Temple popped up for a second, and I did like seeing a lot of the original cast. The film was still very stylish and the cinematography and art direction were great, but a few gimmicks they used just flat out didn't work and looked too cartoony, even for a comic adaptation.

I guess they did wait too long, and the film suffered. It's a shame, because Sin City was always full of good stories.

Recommended: On DVD, perhaps, if you liked the original. Just know it isn't as good.

Grade: C

Memorable Quote: "You were the only man I ever loved, and you left me alone." - Nancy (Jessica Alba)

2014 Emmy Winners + my thoughts

After last year's Emmys made their theme about death, this year's was way funnier. Seth Meyers hosted, and I thought he was wonderful. There were a ton of great jokes and segments. Weird Al performed an awkward melody of some of the nominated show's theme songs. The only funny one was Game of Thrones when he told GRRM to "write them faster, write them faster" and proceeded to have someone hand him a type writer in the audience. There was also a touching tribute to Robin Williams. There were a few surprises with the winners too. The Normal Heart got shut out in the acting categories, and Sherlock won instead. Breaking Bad went out big just like it should've. Here's a list of the winners in bold, my thoughts as always follow in green.

Best Drama Series
“Breaking Bad” 
“Downton Abbey”
“Game of Thrones”
“House of Cards”
“Mad Men”

“True Detective”
I pretty much jumped for joy when this was announced. Breaking Bad deserved to go out on top. I bet HBO regrets submitting True Detective in the drama category now.

Best Comedy Series
“Modern Family” 
“The Big Bang Theory”
“Louie”
“Orange is the New Black”
“Silicon Valley”
“Veep”
I was really hoping Veep would take this, but the Emmys are still very much on the Modern Family train. This is their 5th consecutive win in this category.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad” 
Jeff Daniels, “The Newsroom”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Woody Harrelson, “True Detective”
Matthew McConaughey, “True Detective”
Kevin Spacey, “House of Cards”
I was so nervous about this one because I thought McConaughey would win, but they gave it to Cranston one last time. In his speech he said even he almost voted for McConaughey, and that he enjoyed his scenes with Anna Gunn in bed. Cranston was on fire tonight.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Julianna Margulies, “The Good Wife” 
Lizzy Caplan, “Masters of Sex”
Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Michelle Dockery, “Downton Abbey”
Kerry Washington, “Scandal”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Lead Actor, Comedy
Jim Parsons, “The Big Bang Theory” 
Ricky Gervais, “Derek”
Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”
Don Cheadle, “House of Lies”
Louis C.K., “Louie”
William H. Macy, “Shameless”
Another repeat. I'm happy for Parsons, but I was hoping Louis CK would take it.

Lead Actress, Comedy
Julia Louis Dreyfus, “Veep”
Lena Dunham, “Girls”
Edie Falco, “Nurse Jackie”
Melissa McCarthy, “Mike & Molly”
Amy Poehler, “Parks & Recreation”
Taylor Schilling, “Orange Is the New Black”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus looked SO HOT at the Emmys. When she was presenting with Bryan Cranston earlier, she told him she reminded him of a character she dated on Seinfeld. When Cranston said that was him, she looked all embarrassed. "We even had a kissing scene." Cranston pointed out. So when she run here, Cranston ran up to her and made out with her for what felt like minutes. I think it was the best part of the night.

Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: His Last Vow” 
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “Dancing on the Edge”
Martin Freeman, “Fargo”
Billy Bob Thorton, “Fargo”
Idris Elba, “Luther”
Mark Ruffalo, “The Normal Heart”
I did not see this coming. I thought Ruffalo had it. I would've been happy with any of these men winning, but I'm glad Cumberbatch finally got some recognition for Sherlock. I just wish he was there to accept it.

Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story: Coven” 
Helena Bonham Carter, “Burton and Taylor”
Minnie Driver, “Return to Zero”
Sarah Paulson, “American Horror Story: Coven”
Cicely Tyson, “The Trip to Beautiful”
Kristen Wiig, “The Spoils of Babylon”

Supporting Actor, Drama
Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”
Jim Carter, “Downton Abbey”
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
Josh Charles, “The Good Wife”
Mandy Patinkin, “Homeland”
Jon Voight, “Ray Donovan”
Yeah, bitch! He even plugged his wife's charity she runs. What a guy. (and seriously, Kind Campaign is legit. Lauren Paul seems like such a doll.)

Supporting Actress, Drama
Anna Gunn, “Breaking Bad” 
Maggie Smith, “Downton Abbey”
Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”
Lena Headey, “Game of Thrones”
Christine Baranski, “The Good Wife”
Christina Hendricks, “Mad Men”
Her speech was so sweet, and I'm glad she won. Still a little miffed at Melissa McBride not being nominated. I do have to point out Lena Headey, when she was presenting earlier Andy Samburg came out dressed as Joffrey and was trying to get her attention. "Not now, Joffrey." she said. Perfection.

Supporting Actor, Comedy
Ty Burrell, “Modern Family” 
Andre Braugher, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
Adam Driver, “Girls”
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, “Modern Family”
Fred Armisen, “Portlandia”
Tony Hale "Veep"
I was hoping for Tony Hale to win, but this was Ty's first time. His acceptance speech was long and stupid.

Supporting Actress, Comedy
Allison Janney, “Mom” 
Mayim Bialik, “The Big Bang Theory”
Julie Bowen, “Modern Family”
Kate Mulgrew, “Orange Is the New Black”
Kate McKinnon, “Saturday Night Live”
Anna Chlumsky, “Veep”

Reality-Competition Series
“The Amazing Race” 
“Dancing with the Stars”
“Project Runway”
“So You Think You Can Dance”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”

Variety Series
“The Colbert Report” 
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
“Real Time with Bill Maher”
“Saturday Night Live”
“The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon”

Miniseries
“Fargo” 
“American Horror Story: Coven”
“Bonnie & Clyde”
“Luther”
“Treme”
“The White Queen”
I'm happy Fargo took home the big price. It was deserved.

Television Movie
“The Normal Heart” 
“Killing Kennedy”
“Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight”
“Sherlock: His Last Vow”
“The Trip to Bountiful”
This was the Normal Heart's big win. The speech was very moving.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie
Martin Freeman, “Sherlock: His Last Vow” 
Colin Hanks, “Fargo”
Jim Parsons, “The Normal Heart”
Joe Mantello, “The Normal Heart”
Alfred Molina, “The Normal Heart”
Matt Bomer, “The Normal Heart”
This was another one that surprised me, but I'm happy for Freeman. I wish he would've been there.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie
Kathy Bates, “American Horror Story: Coven” 
Frances Conroy, “American Horror Story: Coven”
Angela Bassett, “American Horror Story: Coven”
Allison Tolman, “Fargo”
Ellen Burstyn, “Flowers in the Attic”
Julia Roberts, “The Normal Heart”
Allison Tolman was robbed! I love how the Emmys made this huge deal over Julia Roberts being there, then she lost. Even Kathy Bates looked surprised she won.

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
“Breaking Bad” - Ozymandias 
“Breaking Bad” - Felina 
“Game of Thrones” - The Children 
“House Of Cards” - Chapter 14 
“True Detective” - 
I'm so happy Ozymandias won here. It's the best hour of television I've ever seen.

Directing for a Drama Series
True Detective - Who Goes There - Cary Joji Fukunaga
Boardwalk Empire - Farewell Daddy Blues - Tim Van Patten
Breaking Bad - Felina - Vince Gilligan
Downton Abbey - Episode 1 - David Evans
Game of Thrones - The Watchers On The Wall - Neil Marshall
House of Cards - Chapter 14 - Carl Franklin
I was really rooting for Gilligan or Marshall here, but Fukunaga directed a fine episode of True Detective. (And he's seriously hot..)

Directing for a Comedy Series
Modern Family - Vegas - Gail Mancuso
Episodes - Episode 309 
Glee - 100
Louie - Elevator
Orange Is The New Black - Lesbian Request Denied 
Silicon Valley - Minimum Viable Product 
Another Modern Family Win. I saw the Louie and Silicon Valley episodes, and they were both hysterical. 

Writing for a Comedy Series
Louie -• So Did The Fat Lady 
Episodes - Episode 305 
Orange Is the New Black - I Wasn’t Ready 
Silicon Valley - Optimal Tip-To-Tip Efficiency 
Veep - Special Relationship 


Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
Sherlock: His Last Vow 
American Horror Story: Coven - Bitchcraft 
Fargo - The Crocodile’s Dilemma 
Luther
The Normal Heart 
Treme -…To Miss New Orleans 
Bitchcraft is the best episode title I've ever heard.

Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
Fargo - Buridan’s Ass 
American Horror Story: Coven - Bitchcraft
Fargo - The Crocodile's Dilemma
Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight 
The Normal Heart 
Sherlock: His Last Vow 

Writing in a Variety Special
“Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles” 
“67th Annual Tony Awards”
“Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays”
“The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards”
“The Beatles: The Night That Changed America”
I love that Sarah Silverman won here. That was a good stand up special.

Directing in a Variety Special
“67th Annual Tony Awards” 
“Six By Sondheim”
“The Beatles: The Night That Changed America”
“The Kennedy Center Honors”
“The Oscars”

“The Sound Of Music Live!”

1984-a-thon: Twist and Shout

Forgotten Filmz had a wonderful idea at the beginning of the summer to host a blogathon centered around the year 1984, his favorite year of movie making. I can't argue, a lot of great things came from 1984. Of course by the time my lazy ass got around to checking her email, all my favorite films were taken, so I had to do a little searching.

I landed on a Danish film called Twist and Shout. (Tro, håb og kærlighed) I've loved every film I've seen out of Denmark, so these seemed right up my alley. I had an interesting viewing experience ahead of me.

The film follows two teens, Bjorn (Adam Tonsberg) and Eric (Lars Simonsen) as they come of age and fall in love in the 1960's. Of course, nothing is that simple. The women they chase coudn't be more complicated, and they've already had some rough life experiences.

What I didn't realize when I picked this film out of obscurity was that it was actually a sequel to another film called Zappa that was released the year before. Netflix sent me Zappa in Twist and Shout's DVD sleeve in error, so that worked out for me in a way. I got to know Bjorn a little better. (And thank God Todd gave us all so much time to prepare for this since I had to send my DVD back and wait for a new one)

Twist and Shout didn't really bring anything new to the "coming of age" genre. Maybe it did back then, there's truly some hard scenes to watch, but it just didn't stick with me. Maybe I got my expectations too high. I was excited at the prospect of finding another foreign gem, then I got saddled with it's mediocre precursor first. That's not to say the film is bad. It isn't. The music was infectious and I enjoyed the two leads. I got Stand By Me vibes here and there, but ultimately this film was just okay. 

Thanks for hosting, Todd! This was a very interesting journey to find a film I had never heard of before.

Rambling TV: True Blood series finale recap.

True to the end? Well..not so much. I'm glad this show is finally over, and this finale, despite offering a happy ending was cheesy and disappointing. Click those gifs to be redirected to their makers.

So Eric and Pam decide now, only now, do they want to kill the Yakuza, they set Sarah free (but not before feeding her some of Pam's blood so she can always locate her) and then they kill them all in about 2 minutes. Eric even flew to Sookie's to off the ones on his way to her house before she even knew they were there. Later, Sarah asks Pam to turn her into a Vampire, which Pam laughs at, and drinks her for immunity.

So that showdown we thought we were going to get at her house? Nonexistent. We just got Bill telling Sookie that he loves her, he knows she wants a family and kids and he cannot give that to her. He wants her to use her fairy light to kill him and rid herself of being Fae. Because Bill Compton is SO FUCKING IMPORTANT that Sookie CANNOT function properly without him around. She can't be fae either, because vampires love that. Bill's superiority complex is annoying.

Back at Bills, Jessica and Hoyt show up, and Bill tells Jessica about how he never got to give her daughter away at her wedding, and he wants Jess and Hoyt to marry so he can give her away. They have a shotgun wedding officiated by Andy, with Sookie and Jason as maid of honor and best man. During the ceremony, Sookie actually hears Bill's thoughts. I briefly panicked because I read a theory where instead of Sookie's fae blood killing Bill with Hep V, it turns him back into a human (ala Beauty and the Beast or some shit) and for a second I thought they were actually going to go there. Bill's thinking about how much he loves Sookie and how he wants this for her. This felt forced. Bill hasn't loved Sookie for the past 2-3 seasons, yet now he's all head over heels for her again? 

Sookie confides in Jason about hearing Bill's thoughts, and gives Jason her blessing with Brigitte, who sucked up more valuable screen time this week while Lafayette got NO lines. None. Then she decides she'll kill Bill.

She meets him at the cemetery, but at the very last second, she says being Fae is a part of her, and she doesn't want to give that part up. She asks if he still wants to die, and he says yes. She tells him she loves him, then stakes him. That was the best part of the episode there. Bill is dead, but that actually ended up  not mattering to me because...

We get multiple flash forwards. The first is a year later, Eric and Pam are filming an infomercial about New Blood. 

Then we jump 3 years after that. Eric and Pam are millionaires because of New Blood, and are running Fangtasia again. Sarah is chained up in the basement and Pam is selling her for $100,000 per for 1 minutes to have vamps drink from her. She's also cursed with seeing Steve over and over. Compared to the overall happy tone of this episode, seeing Sarah like that felt kind of cruel, even if her character was bad. Eric sits at his thrown looking miserable. 

Then we go to Sookie's, it's Thanksgiving. She's pregnant, but we never see the man she married's face. Jason is with Brigitte, and they have 3 kids. Sam and Girl I Don't Give A Fuck About are there, and they have 2 kids. All the other couples are still together as well. Lafayette and James, Jess and Hoyt, The Reverend and Lettie Mae, Holly and Andy, Adilyn and Wade, Arlene and Keith. Willa's there. They're all happy. Show ends.

I knew the show wasn't going to give me Eric and Sookie, and I know I shouldn't base my contentment with the finale over one relationship, but I can't help it. It sucks they didn't end up together. It sucks that Eric and Sookie apparently never spoke again after he dropped her off in the last episode. I was really hoping True Blood would give the readers of the Sookie Stackhouse novels the ending they really wanted, but got faked out on at the last minute. I also never thought I'd say this, but if Sookie wasn't going to end up with a vampire, what was the point of killing Alcide? Because she needed to fawn over Bill again? 

There was not enough Eric, Pam, and Lafayette in this finale. I can't even be happy that most of the characters I've grown to care about had a happy ending, because True Blood has been that big of a letdown. The best part of the finale (aside from Bill dying) is that I don't have to waste my time with this show any longer. 

2014 Blind Spot Series: 12 Angry Men

What I knew going in: That this film spends the majority of the time in one room.

I had a really strange experience while watching this film. There was the fact that I couldn't take my eyes off my computer screen while I was watching this. (It's on Netflix Instant right now) but at one point in the film, it starts raining, and I felt like I could actually smell it. Apparently it's possible to get TOO into a movie. Has that ever happened to anyone else?

12 Angry Men follows a jury as they deliberate over a murder charge. A young man from a troubled home as killed his father, and everyone except Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) thinks he's guilty. Now they must go over the facts and debate on whether or not that is the case.

Like I said, this film was fascinating. I imagine it's hard to make a feature length film in one location and have it work every step of the way. I've seen films like this before, but none as good as this one. I can see why so many people speak so highly of this.

Grade: A+

Memorable Quote: "You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?" - Juror #8 (Henry Fonda)

2014 Emmys: Who will win, who should win.

It's Emmy weekend! Here are my predictions. Normally, I find the Emmys to be fairly easy to predict, but last year they had so many surprises that I don't even know what to expect this year. I'm probably going to be wrong. I didn't include all of the categories in this post. Just acting ones.


Outstanding Drama Series
"Breaking Bad"
"Downton Abbey"
"Game of Thrones"
"House of Cards"
"Mad Men"
"True Detective"
Who will and should win: Breaking Bad. This game changing series deserves to go out on top, and I think it will do just that.

Outstanding Comedy Series
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Louie"
"Modern Family"
"Orange is the New Black"
"Silicon Valley"
"Veep"
Who will win: Modern Family. Unless Emmy voters decide to change and give it to OTTNB.
Who should win: Veep. It's the funniest show on TV right now, IMO.

Outstanding Miniseries
"American Horror Story Coven"
"Bonnie & Clyde"
"Fargo"
"Luther"
"Treme"
"The White Queen"
Who will and should win: Fargo

Outstanding TV Movie
"Killing Kennedy"
"Muhammed Ali's Greatest Fight"
"The Normal Heart"
"Sherlock: His Last Vow"
"The Trip to Bountiful"
Who will and should win: The Normal Heart

Best Actor - Drama
Bryan Cranston - "Breaking Bad"
Jeff Daniels - "The Newsroom"
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men"
Woody Harrelson - "True Detective"
Matthew McConaughey - "True Detective"
Kevin Spacey - "House of Cards"
Who will win: Matthew McConaughey. It really is his year.
Who should win: Bryan Cranston, because Walter White deserves another Emmy, damn it!

Best Actress - Drama
Lizzy Caplan - "Masters of Sex"
Claire Danes - "Homeland"
Michelle Dockery - "Downton Abbey"
Julianna Marguilles - "The Good Wife"
Kerry Washington - "Scandal"
Robin Wright - "House of Cards"
Who will win: Robin Wright
I don't watch any of these shows so I have no idea who actually should win. Lizzy Caplan because she's Janis Ian?

Best Supporting Actor - Drama
Aaron Paul - "Breaking Bad"
Jim Carter - "Downton Abbey"
Peter Dinklage - "Game of Thrones"
Josh Charles - "The Good Wife"
Mandy Patinkin - "Homeland"
Jon Voight - "Ray Donovan"
Who will and should win: Aaron Paul, bitch!

Best Supporting Actress - Drama
Anna Gunn - "Breaking Bad"
Maggie Smith - "Downton Abbey"
Joanne Forggatt - "Downton Abbey"
Lena Headey - "Game of Thrones"
Christine Baranksi - "The Good Wife"
Christina Hendricks - "Mad Men"
Who will and should win: Anyone who watched Ozymandias knows that Anna Gunn is already walking away with this.


Best Actor - Comedy
Louis CK - "Louie" 
Don Cheadle - "House of Lies"
Ricky Gervais - "Derek"
Matt LeBlanc - "Episodes"
William H. Macy - "Shameless"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"
Who will win: Jim Parsons
Who should win: Louis C.K

Best Actress - Comedy
Lena Dunham - "Girls"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Julie Louis-Dreyfus - "Veep"
Melissa McCarthy - "Mike and Molly"
Amy Poehler - "Parks and Recreation"
Taylor Schilling - "Orange is the New Black"
Who will and should win: Julie Louis-Dreyfus. Taylor Schilling is a dark horse though. I'm not sure if the Emmys love OITNB as much as the general public does.

Best Supporting Actor - Comedy
Andre Braugher - "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
Adam Driver - "Girls"
Jesse Tyler Ferguson - "Modern Family"
Ty Burrell - "Modern Family"
Fred Armisen - "Portlandia"
Tony Hale - "Veep"
Who will and should win: Tony Hale. I don't see another Modern Family win in this category, I think he'll nab it.

Best Supporting Actress - Comedy
Mayim Bialik - "The Big Bang Theory"
Julie Bowen - "Modern Family"
Allison Janney - "Mom"
Kate Mulgrew - "Orange is the New Black"
Kate McKinnon - "Saturday Night Live"
Anna Chlumsky - "Veep"
Who will win: Kate Mulgrew, this category feels like a OITNB win.
Who should win: Anna Chlumsky, or Kate McKinnon, really.

Best Actor - TV Movie/Miniseries
Benedict Cumberbatch - "Sherlock: His Last Vow"
Chiwetel Ejiofior - "Dancing on the Edge"
Idris Elba - "Luther"
Martin Freeman - "Fargo"
Mark Ruffalo - "The Normal Heart"
Billy Bob Thornton - "Fargo"
Who will win: Mark Ruffalo
Who should win. I think ALL of these men are deserving. I wish they could all tie.


Best Actress - TV Movie/Miniseries
Minnie Driver - "Return to Zero"
Jessica Lange - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Sarah Paulson - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Cicely Tyson - "The Trip to Bountiful"
Kristen Wiig - "The Spoils of Babylon"
Helena Bonham Carter - "Burton and Taylor"
Who will win: Jessica Lange
Who should win: Sarah Paulson. Give her some love for once.

Best Supporting Actor - TV Movie/Miniseries
Colin Hanks - "Fargo"
Jim Parsons - "The Normal Heart"
Joe Mantello - "The Normal Heart"
Alfred Molina - "The Normal Heart"
Matt Bomer - "The Normal Heart"
Martin Freeman - "Sherlock: His Last Vow"
Who will win: Jim Parsons
Who should win: Either Hanks or Freeman.

Best Supporting Actress - TV Movie/Miniseries
Frances Conroy - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Kathy Bates - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Angela Basset - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Allison Tolman - "Fargo"
Ellen Burstyn - "Flowers in the Attic"
Julia Roberts - "The Normal Heart"
Who will and should win: Allison Tolman. Please!

Outstanding Variety Series
"The Colbert Report"
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
"Jimmy Kimmel Live"
"Real Time with Bill Maher"
"Saturday Night Live"
"The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
Who will win: The Colbert Report
Who should win: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

DVD Review: The People vs George Lucas

Star Wars fans are a passionate bunch.

I love Star Wars. I was born in 1987, so obviously I missed those films when they were originally released. I only had The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi on VHS, so when the Star Wars films were re-released in theaters in 1997, that's when I finally got to see A New Hope, and really started to fall in love with them. I remember being excited for A Phantom Menace when it came out. The theater was so packed I didn't even get to sit with my dad. I had to sit with a bunch of randoms. My initial reaction to that film, aside from Jar Jar and "Yipee!" being awful was that it wasn't so bad. Then I met up with my dad in the back of the theater. He fucking HATED it. And so my weird relationship with Lucas' films began..

This entire doc is about Fanboys/girls and their relationships with George Lucas. Most of which are pissed. Star Wars was their favorite, and they're not pleased with George Lucas essentially trying to "re-write history" by going back and making tweaks to his original movies. 

We've all heard the complaints,(Jar Jar, Han shooting first, medicholrians, "Noooo!") but there were a few brought up that I never really thought about until now. Lucas re-touched a lot of the special effects in the original trilogy once more CGI technology became available, but how would you feel if you were the one that did that work back then? The visual effects team got Oscar nominations, and now their hard work is being re-done. That's really shitty.

It's not all Lucas bashing, there's a few people that admit that some are too hard on him. Like the ones saying he "raped" their childhood. They brought up the episode South Park did right after Indiana Jones 4 came out. That's the only episode of that show I've ever felt uncomfortable watching.  They also give him credit for encouraging fan made contributions on his website.

This is on Netflix Instant right now, and I thought it was a good watch. Since Star Wars is the subject, it's not going to be for everyone. But the contributors are funny and come on, you know you heard "The Phantom Menace" for the first time and was like "wtf is that?"

Grade: B

Memorable quote: "This is a crucial scene, and you fucked it up! How are you going to un-fuck this?"

Review: What If

Men and women cannot be friends.

According to rom coms that is. Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) is a Brit transplant living in Toronto who's finally just getting back into the social scene after a nasty breakup. His obnoxious roommate, Allan (Adam Driver) introduces him to his cousin, Chantry (Zoe Kazan) at a party, and they hit it off. The only problem is, she has a boyfriend. She proposes friendship, but can they really just be friends when Wallace as feelings for her?

Rom coms are NOT my thing. In fact, the only reason I went to see this was because I'm a fan of Radcliffe and Kazan. Had any other actor I was impartial to been in this, I never would've went. I didn't hate it, but I did get annoyed with the rom com cliches that it checked off.

1) Boys cannot be friends with girls. Check

2) Friendzone boy is painfully awkward. Check

3) Boyfriend is a douchebag. Check

4) Friendzone flies cross country to win back girl. Check

5) Girl has a slutty friend/sister. Check

6) Jobs always complicate things. Check

It did manage to do a few things right. There were a lot of legitimate laughs, and some of the conversations Chantry and Wallace had were amusing and felt like the actors ad-libbed it all. The cast was good. Some decent advice was given, and we had convincing leads. The ending was incredibly predictable, even though I still held out hope that it would've been different. If you're into rom coms, this is probably one of the better ones out there. If you're not, well, there's still something there. A little something, anyways.

Recommended: Yes.

Grade: B-

Memorable Quote: "One thing I like about getting married is that you get to stand up in front of everyone you care about and state for the record that you believe in the best case scenario." - Nicole (Mackenzie Davis)

Rambling TV: True Blood recap

Robb Stark is gorgeous and yes I'm aware this has nothing to do with True Blood.

There's only one episode left! One more and True Blood will be completed for good, and judging by the previews, I'm probably going to hate it. Tonight's episode felt like it spent most of its time fucking around, but they did manage to have a few heartfelt moments, and one hilarious one. 

We'll start in Fangtasia. Jess and Sookie are pissed about Bill's decision, but he refuses to back down from it. Sookie slaps him a few times and Jess demands to be released. After Bill leaves, Sookie holds on to Eric and cries, and Pam actually gives Jessica a hug to comfort her for being released. Then tells her she's paying for her shirt if she bleeds on it.

Later, Eric visits Bill again to try to talk him out of this (ugh) Bill tells Eric that he needs to do this FOR Sookie. That's she's drawn to vampire's darkness the same way they are drawn to her light. Bill says Eric knows this is true (but something in Eric's face tells me he DOES care for Sookie beyond that.) He asks Eric to talk to Sookie for him and to let him call on her. Eric will do this, but he's not a fucking marriage counselor. 

Sookie for some reason takes Jess to Sam's trailer, only to find out he's moved out with Girl I Don't Give A Fuck About. Apparently we WILL see Sam again judging from the preview, but this was a let down. I've always loved Sam, and this entire arc was beneath him. He leaves Sookie a heartfelt letter, and leaves Andy a short one saying he resigns.

Arlene is hosting a dinner at the restaurant, Sookie breaks the news that Sam is gone, Jessica apologizes to James for being a shitty girlfriend, and Arlene gives Sookie a much needed pep talk about starting over. She knows if Sookie gives her heart to someone else again, she'll give it her all. 

A good 30 minutes of this episode was spent with Jessica/Hoyt/Jason/Brigette, and it was too much. Hoyt and Bridgette fight some more, Jessica confesses their past to Hoyt. Hoyt punches Jason, who takes Brigette home with him. The only redeeming part of all this was Jason telling Brigette about Hoyt and Jessica's romance while it was being intertwined with scenes of Hoyt and Jess having sex. (In true Deborah Ann Wohl has a no nudity claus fashion) The rest of it felt too long, and I much rather would've spent it with Eric and Sookie.

accurate gif of the True Blood writers when they know they waste an entire episode on unnecessary bullshit.

Eric takes Sookie home after meeting her outside of Arlene's party. She invites him inside, but he declines and says Bill will be there soon. (ugh) He goes back to Fangtasia and finds Ginger who yells at him for not telling her she was cured. He's in such a bad mood that he wants to have angry sex, and agrees to make Ginger's dreams come true. They go to his throne, she says she's hep V positive, but he mentions he's now immune. (So that's how that is going to work. Eric CAN be with Sookie) He rips her panties off, and she orgasms before he can even get inside her, then she falls off the chair and falls asleep. That is some of the funniest shit I have seen on this show in a LONG time. Honestly, it almost made the whole episode worth it. This was the look on Eric's face afterwards:

Earlier, Pam was dying Sarah's hair back blonde and telling her she's going to sell her like a trollop to the highest bidder since she is a full on cure, but when Eric goes to find Pam, Mr. Gus has her chained in the basement. He demands to know where Eric went. When Eric admits he saw Sookie, and she knows about Sarah, he ominously asks where Sookie lives. Cut to Bill arriving at her house, and the episode ending.

The previews for next week's episode (which is running against the Emmys) look like Bill and Sookie will indeed be endgame, and that there won't be a lot of room for Eric and her. I hope that's misleading like most previews are.

What are your predictions for the series finale?

Indie Gems: Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

It's a victimless crime.

Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has been embezzling money from his employer to cover his drug habit. When an upcoming audit is going to expose all that, he convinces his also hard up for cash younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) to help him rob their parent's jewelry store. They will use fake guns, do this when neither of their parents are working, and insurance will cover them. It's a win all around. Hank decides to act first without Andy's consent, and things go horribly wrong.

It's taken me a long time to finally see this movie in one sitting, and I don't know why because it was so fascinating. Admittedly now after Hoffman's death, watching him play a drug addict is really hard. That thought pulled me out of the film a few times. 

Hoffman and Hawke give great performances, along with Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney in supporting roles. The film has a quick pace and never drags.

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "I feel like less of a fuck up when I'm here." - Gina (Marisa Tomei)

Rambling TV: True Blood recap + thoughts on Jonah From Tonga

So I'm super late with this recap. I was out of town for work over the weekend, and didn't get to watch this until last night. I'm torn about the dumb fuckery in this episode. Some things I found really sweet, others were so fucking stupid I can't even believe True Blood wasted 8 episodes getting to that conclusion. 

Oh wait, yes I can.

Eric drinks from Sarah's blood to cure himself from Hep V. He was about to just kill her, when Pam threatened to kill herself if he does. That gif above is when she's watching him get cured. That's also the face I'm going to make when Eric and Sookie finally have sex again.

They're informed by Mr. Gus that he doesn't want to distribute 'New Blood' as a total cure. He wants it to be something vamps need to take over and over so he can make more money. Pam and Eric are fine with this because it's more money for them too, but there's one little problem. Bill.

Earlier Bill and Sookie are talking about what Sophie Anne actually wanted to do with Sookie once Bill found her. Apparently she wanted to breed her. Sookie is understandably disgusted. Bill also says he didn't give her up because she made him feel his human heart again. Eric wanted Sookie to know he was cured, so he pays her a visit at Bill's, Sookie drops the bomb that Bill is sick, and Eric is now in a hell of a predicament because New Blood isn't going to be a flat out cure anymore.

Violet has Adilynn, Wade, Jessica and now Jason tied up in her dungeon and she's going on about the various ways she's going to torture them...only to be shot by Hoyt. This entire scene was about 2 minutes. Nice fucking build up there. I didn't care about Violet enough so I'm glad she's gone and won't waste anymore screen time, but now what are these people going to do?

In the midst of all this, Jessica and Hoyt meet again, and he's obviously smitten for her. Mind you, earlier in the episode his girlfriend and him get in a fight over not wanting kids, so she sticks to Jason for the rest of the episode. (He wants kids) I liked seeing Jessica and Hoyt together again. That was really sweet, but how is Jessica going to keep what happened in her past to herself?

Lafayette and Lettie Mae are still digging around in the yard of her old house. The Reverend shows up, and James convinces them all to go on a V trip to see Tara. They do, and we're "treated" to a flashback of Tara's dad being a total a-hole, and Tara actually considered killing him as a child with his own gun, but she buried it instead. She wants Lettie Mae to let her go.

What a fucking waste of time. I was hoping Lettie Mae had actually staked her, and this was Tara's way of letting Lafayette (the medium who apparently now needs V to see the undead) but no, we get some soap opera shit instead. Who did Rutina Wesley piss off exactly? 

Sookie shows up at Fangtasia to talk to Eric, but the Yakuza question her. Eric pretends to glamour Sookie to get her to leave (that scene was actually pretty funny) but instead she sneaks in through Fangtasia's tunnel to find out Sarah Newlin is the cure. "Even when you're the cure, you're still the fucking problem." she tells her. Later, she brings Bill and Jessica to the basement to meet Eric and Pam, who are pissed she came and want this to be done quickly so they all don't get killed.

Bill decides he doesn't want the cure. 

Now I'm convinced Bill will die. I figured he would live and he and Sookie would be together, but now I'm not so sure. Ausiello over at EW said "the most anticipated sex scene ever" is coming up. Is that Sookie and Eric with his memory intact? Pam and Eric? Sookie and Sam? Who knows. Another theory a friend on another forum threw out is: What if Sookie's blood ends up turning Bill back into a human instead of killing him? I will fucking rage if this happens, but it's True Blood so that is honestly a possibility.

Jonah From Tonga

Last Year when Ja'mie: Private School Girl premiered on HBO, I was introduced to Australian national treasure Chris Lilley. This guy is fucking hilarious, and Jonah from Tonga so far is living up to the high bar Ja'mie set.

God I hope my own kids don't end up like Jonah when they're older. So many awful dick jokes. 

Here's a picture of Melissa McBride as Carol on The Walking Dead. She's absolutely stunning. How many women in their 40's in film rock their grey hair? And some people within TWD fandom have the nerve to call her things like "sea hag," "lunch lady arms," "old bitch" etc. Fuck them. Team Carol.