The Oscar
nominations this year are kind of a snoozefest. Is there anyone that was nominated that was really a surprise? Though big yays for Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, and John Hawkes, even though none of them will probably win. Also, Ryan Gosling, Andrew Garfield, and Matt Damon snubbed; the Academy is clearly biased against the dreamy!
So in opposition to the stodgy and predictable Oscars, I created my own alternative Oscars with slightly different categories. Also, some TV awards are thrown in for good measure:
Funniest Movie of the Year:
The Other Guys. If this was best comedy,
Easy A would win hands down. It's a better executed film, but it's hard to resist the silliness of a Will Ferrell and Adam McKay joint. Which is why it's the movie that I laughed the most at this year. Mark Wahlberg gives a hilarious performance as Will Ferrell's side kick. And Michael Keaton is straight up awesome in this!
Find it in the catalog!
Best Romantic Comedy:
Going the Distance. Granted there's not a lot of competition for this slot-
Killers?
The Bounty Hunter? Come on! But romantic comedy or not, this is a pretty hilarious movie. I love the scene with Jim Gaffigan and his sandwich!
Find it in the catalog!
Most Enviable Wardrobe, Female Performance: Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olsen on
Mad Men. Secretarial goddess Joan (Christina Hendricks) used to have the wardrobe to envy, but Peggy seemed to have a gotten a makeover between Seasons 2 and 3. She now has a flirty and fun work wardrobe that seems more modern than Joan's.
Most Enviable Wardrobe, Male Performance: Joseph Gordon-Levitt in
Inception. Sure, he may still look like a teenager, but he can pull off a three piece suit in a way that would make your grandfather jealous. Dude knows how to dress like a grown-up.
Find it in the catalog!
Best Supporting Performance, Eye Patch: Rooster Cogburn's eye patch in
True Grit. "I thought you were gonna say the sun was in your eyes. That is to say... your eye."- LaBouef (Matt Damon).
In theaters now.
Dreamiest Performance by an Actor in a Television Series: Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt in
Parks and Recreation. State auditor Ben is probably one of the most sincere and nice characters Adam Scott has ever played, even if he is usually the bearer of bad news. It's hard not to admire Ben's harsh doling out of truth, compared to his coworker Chris, who is super-positive but afraid to be the bad guy. Also, Ben has amazing chemistry with nemesis/ love interest Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler).
Breakout Star (of My Dreams): Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin in the
Social Network. Garfield has loads of nerdy charm, so it's hard not to fall for him, even when he's done something
unforgivable. But Eduardo is just an all around nice guy and he's the heart and soul of the
Social Network. Garfield plays Eduardo as geeky, awkward and super relatable. It's a testament to Garfield's performance that I found myself siding with privileged Eduardo over a middle-class self-made man-boy like Mark Zuckerberg. Also, he is soooo cute!
Find it in the catalog!
Also worth mentioning, mainly because it involves robots, is Garfield's performance in Spike Jonze's cautionary robot love story and PSA against Of Montreal concerts,
I'm Here. He plays a shy, sweet robot named Sheldon, who is probably one of the cuddliest cinematic robots outside of Wall-E. Sheldon works as a library assistant, which only endears himself to me more.
I'm Here is equal parts romantic and devastating and Garfield as Sheldon will break your heart.
Find it on the web! (Warning: Website sponsored by
Absolut, must be 21 to enter site. Strange as robots don't drink vodka...)
Breakout Star, Female Performance: Mia Wasikowska as Joni in the
Kids are All Right. She gives a realistic performance as the smart and well-adjusted daughter of a lesbian couple. Bonus points for her cool Polish last name!
Find it in the catalog!
Most Improved Performance: Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker in the
Social Network. Before this movie, the only acting performances I've enjoyed by JT were the music videos he's made for Saturday Night Live with Andy Samberg. Congratulations JT, you have redeemed yourself from the
Love Guru.
Find it in the catalog!
Hunkiest Performance by an Actor in a Good Motion Picture: Mark Ruffalo as Paul in the
Kids are All Right.
Find it in the catalog!
Hunkiest Performance by an Actor in a Not-So-Good Movie: Matthew Goode as Declan in
Leap Year. I am certainly not recommending that anyone run out and see
Leap Year. But Goode gives a charming performance as a cantankerous bar owner.
Find it in the catalog!
Best Culkin: Kieran, who was great as Wallace in
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Find it in the catalog!
Best Dance Sequence:
Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer in
Iron Man 2. Take that Natalie Portman!
Find it in the catalog!
Best Underminer: Mila Kunis as Lily in
Black Swan. Her character definitely has bad girl tendencies, but she also seemed cool-- especially compared to little miss perfect Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman). I guess it says something not nice about me that I was actually rooting for Lily.
In Theaters Now.
Best Soundtrack:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. For more high praises, check out
Danielle's post on this soundtrack!
Find it in the catalog!
Best Ensemble Cast:
The Social Network. Yeah, I accept that the Oscars only chose to nominate Jesse Eisenberg for the movie (totally deserved, btw). Even though Armie Hammer and Andrew Garfield deserve to be nominated too. Maybe they just couldn't decide who deserved the nod the most. Also, lest the men get all the glory, Rooney Mara gives a short but sweet performance as Mark Zuckerberg's ex-girlfriend.
Find it in the catalog!
