Linker and Commander
Monday, January 6, 2014 at 11:11PM My New Plaid Pants the greatest "which is hotter?" of all time
Pajiba's bitch rankings for the new season of Downton Abbey. So happy it's back. Love Mary so much.
The Backlot Did Sir Ian McKellen out gay actors who everyone knows are gay even though they're not actually really out even though they're gay? The silliest "controversy" of the weekend. Gay gay gay
Awards Daily seems convinced that American Hustle is going to win Best Picture and everyone knows it. Ummm... we don't even have the nominations yet. I'd say the race is still on.
The Carpetbagger let's ask Siri about Samantha in Her why don't we? Yes, let's.
Variety Judi Dench, Bruce Dern and 12 Years get props from the AARP in their annual "best movies for grownups" list
In Contention oooh, it's BAFTA's rising star nominees! I always forget that they do that. The nominees are: Dane DeHaan (Kill Your Darlings), George Mackay (How I Live Now), Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave), Will Poulter (We're the Millers), and Léa Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color). They aren't nominated for those specific pictures but I just include them to remind you. Who would you vote for?
Best Read
If you haven't yet read this open letter to James Franco from The Village Voice's Amy Nicholson, titled "do the double dick dude" you absolutely must: hilarious, provocative, and smart.
Today in Randomness...
A happy 25th birthday to actor Max Pirkis. Remember how great he was opposite Paul Bettany and Russell Crowe in Master and Commander: Far Side of the World? I've been meaning to rewatch that for in forever. You never know with child actors if it's merely a great director, a natural gift, or a happy accident. Pirkis later had a supporting role on HBO's Rome as the evil Gaius Octavian (I only saw the first season of that show but I understand it was akin to a King Joffrey part?) but he's been absent from screens for all of his twentysomething years. He's returning to the movies this year in Flying Home (with Jamie Dornan) and the horror flick The Quiet Ones (opening in April) and we wish him well, especially if Master and Commander was indication of his potential. As I was typing this up I realized he was on twitter and twitter accounts from non celebrity actors are a peculiar joy. There you can sometimes spot actual opinions instead of careful PR positivity about everything. For example, he has Oscar opinions, didn't like whatever Jodie Foster was doing in Elysium (but who did, really?). And, this is my favorite, because I never quite understood why people were so gaga for The World's End (which I think is the worst of the Cornetto Trilogy and by a significant margin.
#TheWorldsEnd old fogeys trying to revive former glories by making a film about old fogeys trying to revive former glories #timepleasegents
— Max Pirkis (@Pirkky) August 1, 2013
Reader Comments (14)
He was so good on Rome. Not as creepy/loathable as Joffrey, but more layered and complex. Comically posh, but not a caricature; fiercely intelligent, but insecure and vulnerable. Probably my favorite performance on that show.
Rome was so good. One man's porn is another man's history porn and I was the latter though yes, the sexual elements helped too.
Oh boy, Pirkis you best check yourself if you're calling Pegg/Frost/Wright 'old'.
The Awards Daily piece is interesting. Really a take down of AH (most of which I agree with).
How did it take nearly a year for an interview outing Hobbits to make it from Germany to the US press? Slow "gay" week? And who cares anyway. Its not like any of it is news.
Loved Rome.
Amazing that, like clockwork, bloggers turn on a movie they liked when it is positioned as an Oscar threat- like their liking of the film never, ever happened.
Sasha never liked American Hustle as much as the other films. I believe that the film is a mess and shouldn't even be nominated.
sasha is probably doing the "I'll expect the worst, so I can be happy if it doesn't happen".
is A:OC really expanding this friday? boxofficemojo and rottentomatoes don't seem to think so... I still don't understand why harvey didn't take advantage of a christmas release.
I voted for Léa. Obviously. I hope you force all your readers to do the same ;)
OMG Lee Pace!
I'm with Peggy Sue. I'm pulling for Léa Seydoux for that BAFTA. Not just because she rules, though she does, but every time she gets an award this season it feels like sticking it to the man after the drama with the director and the press. Get it gurl!
LOL at the Which Is Hotter. Amazing.
wow! Lee Pace and Luke Evans are gay? fun!
Pulling for Lea Seydoux! Perhaps one of the most under appreciated performance this year.
As for American Hustle, it was good not great and J-Law seemed out of place. I have to agree with other people's critique of her performance; she looked and acted like she was playing dress up.
I wish I could change Siri to the voice of anybody I wanted. Who would you choose for Siri's voice?
CP - Just posted a similar thing in defense of Amy Adams, but I'll say it again here. The film is about deception, being something you are not, being out of place, or as the original title suggests, bullshit. Her character is supposed to be out of place. I love that you use the term "playing dress up" because that is literally the theme of the entire movie. All of the characters try to hide who they are through outfits, wigs, accents, hairstyles, intentions, etc. Even the FBI is shown as something that doesn't actually help anyone, just dressing up as something that does. So, I think the movie or some of the performances struck people as slightly off or pretending to be something it never should be, it did its job on you.
@Steve
Interesting you mention Amy Adams, because I actually think she deserves more recognition for her performance. I just didn't think Jennifer is as good as everyone makes her out to be in this movie.