Hey, That’s My Name

THE NOMINEES

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married – A couple of months ago it seemed like Anne Hathaway might take this one, but in the time since then, we’ve seen the incredible momentum of Kate Winslet grow, in addition to that of Meryl Streep. It true, this category does have a history of awarding young ingenues, but it’s looking like this isn’t going to be one of those years after all. In this crop of roles and nominations, Hathaway is actually my favorite. I like the movie, I like the part and I think she does a very good job in what could have been totally overacted. It is, of course, only her first nomination, and at 26, if she keeps picking smart roles like this one, I’m sure we’ll see her here again eventually. Let’s just hope she doesn’t have to wait quite as long as Winslet did.

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THE NOMINEES

Courtney Hunt, Frozen River – One of the reasons the Best Original Screenplay category is always one of my favorites at the Oscars is because small movies like Frozen River usually get squeezed in. Still, in my eyes, Frozen River is very comparable to another movie that I’ll discuss in “The Forgotten” section below, and I do think that this one isn’t as good, so I’m less thrilled about its presence in this category. It’s chances of winning are pretty slim and it doesn’t really deserve to. It mostly seems like it’s here to throw a bone to the independent crowd (and also to make the screenplay categories a little less boy-only).

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In case you missed this on my Twitter stream earlier this week, I’m going to take this oppotunity to plug my interview with Tahmoh Penikett, star of Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse. It is now live at the Time Out Chicago blog, so you should go read it and if you like it, leave a comment.

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As someone who recently tore through all five season of The Wire and was very impressed by Generation Kill, I am 100% on board for whatever David Simon does next. Well, it seems that now we know.

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The answer: I didn’t get a chance to meet them. I know, you probably didn’t either and you’re wondering why I’m so friggin’ special. Well, occasionally, I am afforded the extreme privilege of attending early movie screenings for soon-to-be-released films and, even more occasionally, writers, directors and/or actors are scheduled to appear at those screenings for Q&A sessions after the film. However, when you live in a city prone to unpredictably extreme weather and one of the worst airports in the country, sometimes things don’t work out too well, especially when such events are scheduled during the winter months.

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