Top 10 movies of the year

Since it is that time of year, it is only fitting to post my top 10 movies of the year (of the movies I have seen).

#10 - 300. For men in loincloths, particularly Gerard Butler! Not a great script, but really compelling viewing (for Gerry's abs alone, worth the price of admission).

#9 - Om Shanti Om. For a hot Shah Rukh, great dancing, some of the best songs I have heard in ages, and that killer Bollywood number (bringing together many Bollywood greats on screen)!

#8 - Grindhouse. Two words: Zoe Bell! Josh Brolin's other great film this year.

#7 - Control. Powerful. Haunting. A spot-on performance by Sam Riley.

#6 - Lars and the Real Girl. With its premise, you think this is going to be comedy, but alas it is not. It is both heart wrenching and heartwarming. Another great performance from Ryan Gosling.

#5 - Waitress. What can I say, Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion have such great on-screen chemistry, how could this fail? And those pies made my mouth water.

#4 - Into the Wild. Wow! Beautiful cinematography, great screenplay, and amazing acting all combined for one of the most memorable movies of the year. Stays with you long after the movie has ended.

#3 - 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Blew me away. One of the only films this year to tackle the issue of abortion, and it was done so well.

#2 - No Country for Old Men. And I usually hate Tommy Lee Jones as an actor, but here he was so good. Great script, memorable performances from Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, and, of course Javier Bardem, and the sparse Texas landscape all come together to make one memorable film.

#1 - Juno. This was hands down my favourite movie of the year. Nothing else came close! It not only had Diablo Cody's fabulous script, but it also had amazing acting from both Ellen Page and Jason Bateman!

Honourable mentions: 2 Days in Paris, Away from Her, Chak De India, Death at a Funeral, Eastern Promises, Hot Fuzz, Talk to Me, American Gangster, Bourne Ultimatum

It was acceptable in the 70's

When fashions were loud and hideous, this jacket would have been totally acceptable (as would the rugged, Canadian looking sweater underneath), but today, on a man as hot as Gerry, unacceptable. Kickin' back in NYC with a lady no less, Gerry goes for a night on the town. Again, this whole ensemble would be acceptable in Saskatoon for a night out, but in NYC, perhaps we need to rethink this outfit. Perhaps Mr Butler wasn't thinking straight. Methinks he has had a few too many cocktails.

Digging out the snow

Well, I am not, but the city is! What a snowfall we got yesterday - 25cm (almost a record for December in Toronto)! Still, being the winter warrior I am, I ventured out into it. Neither the streets nor the sidewalks had been plowed, but public transit was running (not efficiently, but it was running), so I headed out to the mall to do some last minute shopping. For it being a week before Christmas, the mall was empty! Hooray! I was able to get my gifts, stroll at a leisurely pace, and then hop on transit back home. By the time I arrived back to my home subway stop (at 5pm), the roads and sidewalks still had not been plowed, so I trudged through snow once again and made it home in about 20 minutes (on a good day it usually takes 10). Is winter over? It hasn't even begun, it is still technically fall! How many more days of this kind of weather can we get? I don't even want to think about it.

Milo and Gerry together

Can a movie get any better than this????

Shah Rukh Khan

I go on and on and on about shirtless Milo, but really, I should be talking about SRK! A veritable Bollywood superstar, and, for the most part, deserved, SRK really pulled out the stops for his last film, Om Shanti Om. He really buffed up! According to the director, Farah Khan, who last directed SRK in Main Hoon Na:

I always wanted that before I retire from choreography I should at least do one song that I can have Shah Rukh as an item boy. And we had discussed during Main Hoon Na but then he had a back operation and could not work out. But he promised me if I will ever remove my shirt, it will be for you.

Well, he did it, through exercise and diet. And wow, did it pay off. When I saw the movie last week, I thought he was using a body double for Dard-E-Disco! Nope. It was all him.

Weighing in on the Writers Strike

Far too much real and virtual paper has been filled with thoughts on the WGA Writers Strike. I support the writers wholeheartedly. They aren't being adequately compensated for the work that they do when you factor in digital downloads, shows/movies on DVD, etc. Without the writers we wouldn't even have TV shows/movies (good or bad) to while away our days.

While I support the writers, I see both good and bad results. The good, less TV for me to watch on a weekly basis. The bad, more reality shows populating the screen (which may endanger the future of the TV writing business because even though these shows are scripted, the writers belong to a different union and can continue to work during the strike), and not all are up to the standards of The Amazing Race (you know who you are, Big Brother). More bad, some of the really good new shows this season, Pushing Daisies or Moonlight, might not get the chance to live on until next season (where will be bombarded with more Two and a Half Men (does anybody actually watch this show??))

Just settle the strike already!

Fully clothed Milo!

I bet you never thought you would read those words on this blog. But, wow, Milo is looking really hot in this pic, taken last night at the GQ Men on the Year awards. He truly is the celebrity man of the year in my world! Since he cut the hair, he has never looked better. It's the expression on his face, and the nice suit. He could have done with a better tie, but we can't be too critical.

unlike some of my other favourite 80's TV stars

Ken Olin has not aged well. As a 14-year old girl, I used to sit every week and watch the lives and loves of these 30-something characters, even though I couldn't relate, and couldn't even imagine myself as a 30-something. It seemed so far off in the future. But, I continued to watch every week because I thought Ken Olin was extremely handsome, had a great haircut, and dressed well! Yes, superficial, I know, but that's just how it was. Have I changed? Not much. I still watch shows because a favourite actor/actress is the star/supporting character in the show. Well, I hunkered down to watch Brothers & Sisters from this past weekend, and who should pop up on my screen, but a man I thought to be Ken Olin. I thought, no, it couldn't be him, but, sadly, it was. My first thought was, what is Patricia Wettig feeding him? Then I thought, no, he must be eating for the two of them? So sad.

As a 30-something Michael Steadman:














As 50-something Ken Olin: