British Actor of the Month--Retro Time Travelin' Edition

This month's British actor is none other than

John Simm

Now, I, like many PBS-watching Americans, first noticed Simm in Doctor Who, where he occasionally guest-stars as the latest incarnation of the Doctor's arch-nemesis the Master. Simm plays this fellow renegade Time Lord more unhinged than his predecessors (Well, most of them, anyway, but we don't talk about Eric Roberts.), but, oddly enough, his hair-brained schemes seem a bit less hair-brained. Seriously, the Doctor had to pull a Tinkerbell!Jesus ex machina to defeat him in "The Last of the Time Lords." Simm brings a certain degree of mad humor to the role that made him an excellent foil for Tennant's Doctor, and hopefully we'll get to see him again the next time these old rivals' paths cross.

However, Simm first came to the attention of Doctor Who's producers through his starring role in the BBC series Life on Mars. Simm plays Sam Tyler, a Manchester police detective who gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. Is he crazy? In a coma dream? Or has he really travelled back in time? The show (At least what I've seen of it so far. I'm on Series 2, episode 4, so no spoilers, please! Unless you're going to tell me whether or not Ashes to Ashes is also awesome.) leaves this pretty ambiguous. In fact, at the end of the first series, I thought I had it figured out, but then they did something in the series two opener that's left me guessing. The show is totally worth checking out, if only to see Simm struggle to figure out his predicament and new surroundings and to bring a little compassion and justice to the retro police force. Also, the soundtrack rocks.

British Actor(s) of the Month: Twofer Edition

Since I sort of skipped January (stupid exams), this month you get two actors for the price of one! 

The double act is a long tradition in the history of comedy. Burns and Allen. Hepburn and Tracey. Stiller and Meara. So this month, I present to you

 

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost

Britain's Finest

Now, Pegg, if you're not familiar with the work they've done together, you'll at least recognize from some of the American movies he's made recently, in particularly a tiny little film that came out last summer called Star Trek. Frost, though, on this side of the pond, at any rate, is usually seen as Pegg's sidekick in things they've collaborated on with writer/director Edgar Wright. 

In cult classic Shaun of the Dead, Pegg and Frost play video gaming roommates trying to make it down to the pub amidst the zombie apocalypse. For a follow-up, the duo play partners--Pegg the perfectionist, by-the-book tough cop; Frost the juvenile, somewhat thick, junior officer--in the action movie send-up Hot Fuzz (see above). But their best pairing remains the cult show Spaced, about a group of 20-somethings trying their best to avoid adulthood. Pegg plays an aspiring comic book artist pretending to be married to an aspiring writer so they can rent a professional couples only flat. Frost is his gun-obsessed best friend. Trust me, it's hilarious.

Annual Arbitrary Oscar Predictions

Disclaimers: Ok, I suspect my subscribers know this already, but I hardly ever base my Oscar picks on any kind of knowledge or insight I've gained from my years studying film or my brief sojourn in Hollywood. Usually, I choose based on whether or not I can make a joke about why I chose it. And, since I only saw four new movies in 2009, this year's picks might be the most arbitrary yet!

The Noms Everyone Cares About

Best Picture

Avatar

The Blind Side

District 9

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

A Serious Man

Up

Up in the Air

Why? I'm in an anti-Avatar mood, and how good can a movie really be if they have to tell you in the title what the source text is? Normally, I'd go with Tarantino, but that spelling just makes me cringe. Also, this new ten nominee thing is just stupid.

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

George Clooney, Up in the Air

Colin Firth, A Single Man

Morgan Freeman, Invictus

Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Why? Because he's the Dude, that's why.

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Helen Mirren, The Last Station

Carey Mulligan, An Education

Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

Meryl Streep, Julie and Julia

Why? Sally Sparrow, FTW.

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon, Invictus

Woody Harrelson, The Messenger

Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Stanely Tucci, The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Why? Um... Gotta support my sort-of ex-boss??

Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz, Nine

Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart

Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

Why? Eanie, meanin, minie, Mo'nique. Normally, I'd pick Penelope Cruz, but I'm not sure how to feel about a musical remake of 8 1/2.

Best Director

James Cameron, Avatar

Katheryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

Why? In case you've somehow managed to miss every single news report about the Oscar noms that have mentioned this (and they all have), Katheryn Bigelow is James Cameron's ex-wife. In the battle of the sexes, I back the girl. Plus, she didn't marry that drip from The Terminator who can't act.

The Noms I, At Least, Care About

Best Foreign Language Film

Ajami, Israel

El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Argentina

The Milk of Sorrow, Peru

Un Prophete [there's a missing accent mark on that first "e"], France

The White Ribbon, Germany*

Why? It's a Michael Haneke film. I'm slightly worried that if I don't pick it, mysterious video tapes will start appearing on my doorstep....

Best Animated Feature

Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Princess and the Frog

The Secret of the Kells

Up

Why? All the animation experts I know (all two of them) think highly of this one.

Best Documentary Feature

Burma VJ

The Cove

Food, Inc.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Which Way Home

Why? Mmm... topical... *drools Homer Simpson-esquely*

Adapted Screenplay

Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, District 9

Nick Hornby, An Education

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, In the Loop

Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Why? A movie about aliens that's supposed to be a political allegory... Sounds good to me. Someone remind me why I didn't see this? Oh, that's right, because grad school EATS ALL OF YOUR TIME.

Original Screenplay

Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker

Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, The Messenger

Joel and Ethan Cohen, A Serious Man

A Bunch of People, Up

Why? Anyone notice what box-office record breaking movie isn't nominated? There's a reason for that...

Original Song

"Almost There," Randy Newman (The Princess and the Frog)

"Down in New Orleans," Randy Newman (The Princess and the Frog)

"Loin de Paname," music by Reinhardt Wagner, lyrics by Frank Thomas (Paris 36)

"Take It All," Maury Yeston (Nine)

"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)," Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart)

Why? Disney's days of taking dominating the best song category are long gone. Also, I saw T Bone live and he ROCKS.

Well, Somebody Must Care....

Cinematography

Avatar

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

The White Ribbon

Why?? Finally, one I've seen!!!

Art Direction

Avatar

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Nine

Sherlock Holmes

The Young Victoria

Why? I've seen this one, too!!! Oh, and it was awesomely steampunk.

Visual Effects

Avatar

District 9

Star Trek

Why? If you have to ask why, just stay under that rock you've been living beneath.

Original Score

Avatar

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Hurt Locker

Sherlock Holmes

Up

Why? Does Robert Downey, Jr., being really awesome in it count as reason enough for this category?

Film Editing

Avatar

District 9

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire

Why? *Shrugs*

Sound Editing

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Star Trek

Up

Why? Here's the better question: Why wasn't this nominated for Best Picture? This was definitely the best movie I've seen this year. (Remember I've only seen four....)

Sound Mixing

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Star Trek

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Why? Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. Can you really have one without the other? Fun fact: despite having taken a class on film sound last year, I still don't understand what the difference between these two awards is.

Costume Design

Bright Star

Coco Before Channel

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Nine

The Young Victoria

Why? It's a movie about fashion. Maybe, just maybe, it's got a chance at winning.

Makeup

Il Divo

Star Trek

The Young Victoria

Why? One word: Romulans.

What, There's More???

Live Action Short

The Door

Instead of Abracadabra

Kavi

Miracle Fish

The New Tenants

Why? Say the magic word!

Documentary Short

China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province

The Last Campaign of Booth Gardner

The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

Music by Prudence

Rabbit a la Berlin

Why? Always pick the one with the most topical-sounding title.

Animated Short

French Roast

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

The Lady and the Reaper (La Dame y la Muerte)

Logorama

A Matter of Loaf and Death

Why? The title made me laugh.

*I started to type "Michael Haneke" as the country. Ironically, it would probably have made more sense had I left it that way.

British Actor of the Month--Out With the Old Edition

As New Years rolls around and we get ready to say goodbye to the tenth Doctor, I'd like to salute him while we prepare ourselves for the new guy. So, without further ado, I present you with:

Ten Things to Love About David Tennant

1) First and foremost, Doctor Who. Unless you've been living under a large, blood-sucking rock* for the last four years, then you're probably aware that Tennant is the most recent incarnation of that beloved time-space traveller. Tennant has become the most well-loved Doctor since Tom Baker, and has even supplanted ol' Teeth 'n' Curls himself in many fans hearts. And with good reason. Tennant brings not only humor, style, and brainy specs to the role, he also gives his Doctor an emotional depth that has helped the show's renewed popularity. Oh, and did I mention that he's dead sexy in pinstripes?

2) On a related note, Tennant is an uber-nerd whose passion for Doctor Who extends far back into his childhood. Seriously. Tennant has said that as a kid he decided to become an actor so that he could be the Doctor one day. Fanboy much?

3) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The first glimpse that many of us in the States had of Tennant was as the red herring bad guy in the fourth Potter installment. And with that leather jacket and, um, "interesting" tongue thing, he made it a good month for Death Eater recruitment.

4) Blackpool. Tennant plays a singing detective in this BBC musical cop show. Unfortuneately this isn't widely available in the U.S., but from what I've heard, it sounds delicious.

5) But have no fear, Tennant still graces the American screens as the host of PBS's Masterpiece Contemporary. What could possibly go better with quality television drama?

6) Casanova. No, not that one. The BBC production written by--surprise, surprise--Russell T. Davies and shown on Masterpiece, albeit with a few moderations. Tennant put his own twist on the legendary lover by playing him as a bit of a scrapper with a cheeky sense of humor. And boy, was he ever hot doing it.

7) To feature Tennant or not to feature Tennant. Is that even a question given item 7? Tennant has done many productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but in the summer of 2008, he fulfilled the ambitions of many an actor and played the Dane. Keep an eye on your TV guides, PBS is going to air his performance in Hamlet on Great Performances in the New Year.

8) The Rule of Austen. Remember, way back in the first British Actor of the Month feature, that any man who dates a Jane Austen heroine (or her sister) is OK in my book. Tennant used to go out with Sophia Miles, who played Fanny Price's younger sister in Mansfield Park. (She is also awesome as Madame de Pompadour in the Doctor Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace," where the couple met.)

9) He's Scottish. Need I say more?

10) He's also very funny. Seriously, go to YouTube, and check out the video clips of him on various U.K. comedy shows (and some shows that aren't comedy). Observe him and Catherine Tate in this clip from her Comic Relief (U.K.) special:

(For those reading via the Facebook thingy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxB1gB6K-2A)

Well, there you have it. And didn't even have to allude to him being nicknamed "Ten-Inch."

*Pretty funny, right, Old Skool fans?

Break Out the Kleenex, This One's A Bit Sappy

Now, everyone has their favorite traditions for the Early Winter Holiday of their choice. Spinning the dreidle, opening presents, spending time with family, telling Dad to stop reciting all the dialogue to White Christmas, beating the other little old Italian ladies at Caputo's to the artichokes, and the screaming, oh, Lord, the screaming. But I thought it would be best to profile all those one-of-a-kind moments that, for better or worse, will only be repeated as memories shared around a holiday table, perhaps sparking new special moments. Although, really, in my family, an argument is more likely.

10. The Time I Met Santa. For Real.

Ok, well, it was really my grandma's boss who'd been playing the Jolly Old Elf at a party, and thought it would be fun to drop in--in costume--on Christmas Eve. I remember him asking me if there was anything else I wanted to add to my list before he started doing his rounds, and I said that, yes, actually, there was this doll I saw on TV.... Naturally, every adult in the room cringed, and the next morning, beside the empty plate of cookies, "Santa" left a note--in handwriting mysteriously similar to my dad's--saying that he was glad Toys 'R' Us was open late.

9. The First Time I Got Freaked Out by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

I was about seven, and we were doing Christmas Eve at my great-aunt's. Because the conversation on that side of the family could be ever-so-scintillating (not), I was watching the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol in another room. When that final Ghost came on the screen accompanied by that weird, electronic music, my cousin Laura and I both screamed and jumped into her dad's lap. (Trust me, there was plenty of room for us both.) Even to this day, that part of the movie still scares me just a little bit.

8. The Cats Waste No Time Moving In

When I was six, my mom built me this huge wooden dollhouse. It was waiting for me under the tree on Christmas morning. However, by the time everyone got up on the 26th, the cats had knocked the widows out to give themselves easy access, thus beginning their takeover.

7. The Santa Files

It was third grade, and the debate over whether or not Santa was real was hot. I'd gone over to my friend Nicole's house so that our new American Girl dolls could play, and we started comparing notes. The evidence in St. Nick's favor didn't look to good, so we decided to confront our parents. So that evening I asked my mom, and got the truth. Did I cry? Get angry? No, I immediately went to the phone and called Nicole to report.

6. Yet Another Game We Don't Play Anymore

It's been a long-standing truth in my family that my father is unbeatable at Scrabble, and nearly unbeatable at Trivial Pursuit. (Only three people, myself included, have been able to do it.) So the after dinner games have, in recent years, tended more toward the likes of Monopoly or Uno. But one year, my aunt decided that we should try out Taboo. Dad and I teamed up and proceeded to wipe the floor with the rest of the family. Needless to say, we've since stuck to dominoes.

5. Kitty's First Christmas

My cat Fern died shortly after Thanksgiving, so we went to the shelter and brought Lucy home just a week or two before Christmas. The house was already decorated, and the first thing she did when we let her out of the carrier was run over to and start climbing the tree. And, for an encore, she "helped" unwrap the package that held my mom's new coat with a fur-lined hood.

4. RJ Says What, Well, No One Was Thinking

Christmas Eve, my cousin RJ's in first grade. It's just him, his mom, dad, sister, and me, and we're in the overflow overflow mass service in the school gym. Presents have yet to be opened, and he's acting up. So my aunt whispers to him, "If you don't settle down I'll call Santa on my portable phone (this was back in the 90s, before there was a clear distinction between portable and cellular) and tell him to take back your presents." Perhaps he didn't hear her properly over the din, or perhaps he was just being perverse (my money's on the latter), but anyway RJ proceeded to shout, so that all could hear, "Santa works off a Port-a-Potty? SANTA WORKS OFF A PORT-A-POTTY!!!!!"

3. Toboggan Championship

The house my grandparents owned up on Lake Wisconsin holds a lot of heart-warming memories, holiday and otherwise. The one that makes the list, however, is from the first Christmas after they bought it. There was this ridiculously steep hill in the backyard that dropped off sharply to the lake. My aunt and uncle had given them a toboggan that year, so one night, either Christmas Day or the day after, the two of them, my dad, step-mom, grandpa, and I decided to try it out. On most trips down the hill, we landed on the ice no further than the end of the pier. But on the last run, the sled soared through the air, eventually crashing us into the brambles that lined the tiny island in the middle of the bay.

2. Even on Christmas, Irony Can Bite You in the Ass

My aunt and uncle moved into their mini-mansion a few weeks before Christmas, and were using the holiday as an excuse to show it off. On Christmas Eve, my aunt went to preheat the several thousand dollar professional oven to cook the ham, when it exploded. Oh, the delicious irony. Of course, it would have been funnier if we hadn't had to wait forever for my grandmother to take it to her house to cook it. I think there was a new family record for amount of pepperoni consumed that year.

1. The Best Christmas Surprise Ever

One year, my dad, for various reasons--including a huge ice storm, said that he wasn't going to be able to come home for Christmas. That Christmas Eve, as we were all seated for dinner, a car pulled up in the driveway. My aunt opened the door, and in walked Dad, carrying a sack of presents he picked up for everyone at a truck stop somewhere in Kentucky. (They were gag gifts. He'd already mailed the real ones.) He was really missing the family, so that morning he decided--weather be damned--that he was going home anyway. It was probably the best present everyone got that year.

Wow! What a list! And there's so many flaming turkeys, trees, and neighbor's roofs that didn't make the cut. Whatever you celebrate, have a happy holiday season, and go out there and make some priceless memories.

Kind of Like "High Fidelity," But Without Jack Black

So to what productive uses did I put my time tonight? Did I finish Heart of Darkness? Read for my exams? Continue the PhD program search? Wash the dishes?

No. I yanked every studio release off my cd rack and put them in order of my favorites. So not a complete waste of my time.

I'm presenting the list of all 99 here for you because, well, heck, why not? Perhaps one day I will be tempted to write a proper blog on the top ten or something. But until then, enjoy the list in an of itself.

Note: To avoid what could amount to months, if not years, worth of agonizing over which albums I like better, I made snap judgments. Plus, I was a bit tipsy. Furthermore, I reserve the right to change the order once I have given it more thought and/or sobered up.

98. Bob Dylan--Christmas in the Heart

97. ""--Good as I Been to You

96. Jakob Dylan--Seeing Things

95. Billy Bragg & Wilco--Mermaid Avenue Vol. II

94. Bob Dylan--Together Through Life

93. Pearl Jam--Ten

92. Train--Drops of Jupiter

91. Norah Jones--Come Away with Me

90. Jet--Get Born

89. The Wallflowers--Red Letter Days

88. Flogging Molly--Drunken Lullabies

87. U2--No Line on the Horizon

86. The Wallflowers--The Wallflowers

85. Billy Bragg--The Internationale

84. Tie: U2--Boy and War

83. The Traveling Wilburys--The Traveling Wilburys

82. The Killers--Hot Fuss

81. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes--Are a Drag

80. Bob Dylan--"Love and Theft"

79. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes--Love Their Country

78. Faculty Lounge--Faculty Lounge

77. Bob Dylan--Oh Mercy

76. ""--World Gone Wrong

75. Led Zeppelin--Led Zeppelin

74. The Raconteurs--Broken Boy Soldiers

73. Joni Mitchell--Court and Spark

72. Bob Dylan--Bob Dylan

71. U2--The Joshua Tree

70. Bob Dylan--Planet Waves

69. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young--Deja Vu

68. Crosby, Stills and Nash--Crosby, Stills and Nash

67. Bob Dylan--Nashville Skyline

66. Joni Mitchell--Ladies of the Canyon

65. Bruce Springsteen--Magic

64. Green Day--21st Century Breakdown

63. Bob Dylan--Street Legal

62. The Beatles--Magical Mystery Tour

61. The Rolling Stones--Beggars Banquet

60. Bob Dylan--Time Out of Mind

59. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes--Blow in the Wind

58. Green Day--Dookie

57. The Beatles--Beatles for Sale

56. The Wallflowers--Bringing Down the Horse

55. Simon and Garfunkel--Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

54. Bob Dylan--The Times They Are A-Changin'

53. Neil Young--Harvest

52. Bob Dylan--Another Side of Bob Dylan

51. Van Morrison--Moondance

50. Alanis Morissette--Jagged Little Pill

49. Foxboro Hot Tubs--Stop Drop and Roll!!!

48. Bob Dylan--Modern Times

47. David Bowie--Aladdin Sane

46. Nirvana--Nevermind

45. Carole King--Tapestry

44. Bruce Springsteen--Born to Run

43. The Beatles--Let It Be

42. ""--Please Please Me

41. Bob Dylan--Desire

40. U2--All That You Can't Leave Behind

39. Led Zeppelin--Led Zeppelin II

38. The Doors--The Doors

37. The Wallflowers--Rebel, Sweetheart

36. Simon and Garfunkel--Bookends

35. The Beatles--With the Beatles

34. Bob Dylan--John Wesley Harding

33. David Bowie--The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

32. The Sex Pistols--Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols

31. The Wallflowers--(Breach)

30. Paul McCartney and Wings--Band on the Run

29. Led Zeppelin--Led Zeppelin IV (a.k.a. ZOSO)

28. The Beatles--Help!

27. Bob Dylan--The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

26. U2--How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

25. George Harrison--All Things Must Pass

24. The Rolling Stones--Exile on Main Street

23. ""--Sticky Fingers

22. Bruce Springsteen--We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

21. The Velvet Underground and Nico--The Velvet Underground and Nico

20. The Who--Who's Next

19. The Rolling Stones--Some Girls

18. The Beatles--A Hard Day's Night

17. Simon and Garfunkel--Bridge Over Troubled Water

16. Fleetwood Mac--Rumors

15. Bob Dylan--Blood on the Tracks

14. The Rolling Stones--Let It Bleed

13. Green Day--American Idiot

12. The Beatles--Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

11. ""--The Beatles (a.k.a. The White Album)

10. The Who--Tommy

9. David Bowie--Hunky Dory

8. U2--Achtung Baby

7. Bob Dylan--Bringing It All Back Home

6. The Beatles--Rubber Soul

5. Bob Dylan--Highway 61 Revisited

4. The Beatles--Abbey Road

3. The Clash--London Calling

2. Bob Dylan--Blonde on Blonde

1. The Beatles--Revolver

See one of your own favorites on the list? Appalled that I don't own White Light/White Heat? Outraged that Led Zeppelin only comes in at #75? Feel free to comment.

British Actor of the Month--Cracked* Edition

What's hotter, a rock star or a British actor? Answer: a rock star who is also a British actor.

Since I'm doing papers this semester on glam rock and 80s fantasy films, this month's featured fella is none other than

David Bowie

OK, you probably know Bowie as the aging rocker who used to wear women's clothes and pretend to be an alien now married to a supermodel, but unless you've been floating around in space for the past 40 years,** you're probably at least somewhat aware of his acting career. While many of the other guys on this list learned acting at RADA or Cambridge, Bowie had mime training. (No, seriously. Stop laughing.) Though Bowie's tours from his Ziggy Stardust days could be pretty theatrical, he first gained attention as an actor when he played the lead in Nicholas Roeg's The Man Who Fell to Earth, an arty sci-fi critique of American life and imperialism. Since then, Bowie has had roles as diverse as his music, playing the title character in The Elephant Man on stage, the Goblin King in nerdy fan-girl favorite Labyrinth, and most recently as Nikola Tesla in The Prestige.

Of course, it's always fun to see him make cameo appearances as himself, so enjoy this clip from Extras:

*See Aladdin Sane.

**Haha. Get it?