Rucker's Review of Disney Pixar's UP

Check out my review of Disney-Pixar's latest masterpiece, UP. I went to a midnight screening and pretty much couldn't contain my excitement for the rest of the night. URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

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Rucker Review: 17 Again starring Zac Efron

This past Friday night I forked over $9.50 (ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME, AMC?) to see the new ZACEFRON (pronounced as one robotic-sounding word (thanks, Heike for the nickname)) flick, 17 Again. Me and 400 million teen aged girls.

I was more than a little skeptical going in to the film. After all, I had spent the equivalent of 1 hour of time filing papers in a doctor's office on the ticket so I didn't just want to see High School Musical 4 (except secretly that would not have disappointed me at all). Luckily I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually a very entertaining movie worthy of my dinero!

So we all get the gist: Matthew Perry is about to get a divorce from his wife, he remembers the good old days when he was Zac Efron, cool and popular, and he gets transformed back to his 17-year-old self by a magical old janitor.

Zac Efron goes back to his high school, where his son and daughter currently attend, and gets to have all those great father-daughter/father-son moments with his kids, as a creepy 17-year-old classmate named "Mark" who is oddly interested in their lives. Sure, there were the token "Who do you think you are, my FATHER?!" moments that you would expect from any movie where a young girl's dad has transformed into her teen aged classmate who still disciplines her as if he were her father (it's funny because WE know, but SHE doesn't know that he IS her dad! Hee hee), but this cheesiness didn't cancel out the otherwise entertaining portions of the film.

Sidenote: the daughter was played by Michelle Trachtenberg, who apparently never ages because she's still playing teenagers in movies, and I was under the impression that she was like 30 by now. (She's 23.)

Zacefron also gets close to his wife who, though he is 17, is still 37. These scenes tend to be a bit creepy. At least for the younger viewers in the audience. But I definitely noticed the, let's say, "more mature" women in the audience get a little excited at the thought of slow dancing with the Zacefron. These scenes were reminiscent of the creepy scenes with Jamie Lee Curtis and Chad Michael Murray in Freaky Friday when Lindsay Lohan had overtaken Curtis's body.
I should also add that throughout the movie I almost never thought of Troy from High School Musical. Well, except for in the first five minutes of the movie when Zacefron played basketball, did a choreographed dance on said basketball court, and then said "We're in this together!" But other than that, there was almost no Troy in this movie.

Overall, the Zacefron did a great job as a 37-year-old in the body of a 17-year-old. His ability to escape the High School Musical trap pleasantly surprised me. There's also a dramatic scene at the end of the movie that I'm pretty sure had 2,000 girls surrounding me reaching for the Kleenex.

So all in all the verdict for 17 Again is: Go see it!

PS: One of my favorite lines in the movie was at the very beginning and spoken by one of the extras to a friend who had just gotten a promotion: "But it gets better- because we're going to T.G.I. FRIDAYS!"

I don't know why that was so funny to me, but it was.

What did YOU think of 17 Again? Leave your thoughts in the comments or @reply me on Twitter at Twitter.com/AdamRucker


URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

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We Like Dizney!

If you're reading this blog, you probably know that Urban & Rucker love everything about Disney. With that in mind, I penned a little song for us based off one of my favorite videos, "We Like Sportz" by The Lonely Island. Here's the source material:



And now, here's the world premiere of the Urban & Rucker version, "We Like Dizney:"

(phone rings)
SAM: Hello?
ADAM: Hi. Do you want to walk to class with me?
SAM: No, “Hannah Montana’s” on.
ADAM: Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be right there.

BOTH:
We like Dizney; we don't care who knows!
From the ears on our heads to the socks on our toes.
We like Dizney; we don't care who knows.
ADAM: Miley (Miley, Miley) !
SAM: Jonas!
ADAM: Pixar!
SAM: Bolt.

SAM: The movie is starting, everyone is here.
I got my snacks, my friends and my ears.
ADAM: Just two normal adults hanging out, having fun.
Right, Mouseketeer Number 2?
SAM: Yeah, Mouseketeer Number 1!

ADAM:
M to the I to the L-E-Y
It’s fun for us. Don’t ask why.
SAM: If you say that we’re lame we’ll call you a hater.
Now shut your kid up. We’re in a theater.

ADAM: Watching Disney movies is always fun.
Miley and the JoBros are number one.
SAM: Efron, Hudgens, Tisdale, Grabeel
After the movie, we’ll grab a hot meal.
ADAM: Confusing us with Dreamworks makes us mad.
“Kung Fu Panda” wasn’t Pixar, but it wasn’t bad.

BOTH:
We like Dizney; we don't care who knows!
From The Little Mermaid to Direct Videos.
We like Dizney; we don't care who knows.
ADAM: Miley (Miley, Miley) !
SAM: Jonas!
ADAM: Pixar!
SAM: Bolt.

ADAM: Now when I say Lasseter, You say “rules.”
LASSETER!
SAM: RULES.
ADAM: LASSETER!
SAM: RULES! When I say Nickelodeon, you say “sucks.”
NICKELODEON!
ADAM: SUCKS!
SAM: NICKELODEON!
ADAM: SUCKS!

SAM: We go to Disney World because it’s cool.
It’s totally better than being at school.
ADAM: We get Fast Passes to save us time.
Why, you ask?
Check the line!

SAM: We're grown ups and we like Disney.
If you disagree, then we’ll give you the business.
ADAM: I'm dance captain and I choose you.
SAM: I'm the other dance captain and I choose you, too.

ADAM: We watch the DVD and the special features.
SAM: We learn the moves ‘cause Zac’s our teacher.

BOTH: Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance.
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance.

BOTH: We like Dizney; we don't care who knows!
From the awesome concerts to the super cool clothes.
We like Dizney; we don't care who knows.
ADAM: Miley (Miley, Miley) !
SAM: Jonas!
ADAM: Pixar!
SAM: Bolt.

ADAM: Print off the tickets.
SAM: Let’s go to the movie.
ADAM: Now burn me a CD.
SAM: Now burn ME a CD.


Next time we're in the same city, we should probably make this into a video.


URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

E-mail Us! UrbanAndRucker@gmail.com!
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All Time Greatest: Comedy Movie!

We've been pretty lousy bloggers lately. You know it. We know it. We've gotten caught up in schoolwork... and Twitter. So to make it up to you (and to give us something to post about), we're starting a new feature called "All Time Greatest."

We'll choose a category and Adam and I will pick our personal "all time greatest" of that category.

Today's category: All Time Greatest Comedy

Urban's Pick: "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." It's a recent choice, I know. I'm surprised, too. I thought about this for awhile. At first, I wanted to pick something showy, like a Buster Keaton silent film. But then I got honest with myself... and "Anchorman" makes me laugh more every time I see it.

It's my opinion that "Anchorman" is to the 2000s what "Dumb and Dumber" was for the 1990s. It's easily quotable and has a cast that just works incredibly well together. It's delivered a number of phrases that have seeped into our collective consciousness and become catchphrases unto themselves: "I'm kind of a big deal." "Stay classy." "I love lamp." Okay, maybe not that last one, but it's still a great line.

It's got goofy 1970s costumes, outdated sexist jokes, a great soundtrack, an epic battle, and even pandas. I think "Anchorman" is the all time greatest comedy.

Rucker's Pick: "Dumb & Dumber." This was a no-brainer for me. It's easily the most quoted film in my movie quote repertoire, though "Mean Girls" occasionally gives it a run for its money. D&D is smack in the middle of classic Jim Carrey movies-- after "The Mask" and before "Liar Liar." Carrey plays "Lloyd" opposite Jeff Daniels's "Harry." Plus I also feel a personal connection to this movie since nearly every time I get a haircut, I am called "Lloyd" by more than one family member because of my resemblance to Mr. Carrey.

The number of quotable lines in D&D is nearly infinite, including, but not limited to, such classics as:

• "We got no food, we got no jobs, our pets' heads are fallin' off!!"
• "Uhh, Harry, I took care of it!"
• "So you're telling me there's a chance!"
• A) "Don't go dieing on me!"
• B) "I was robbed by a sweet old lady on a motorized cart. I didn't even see it coming!"
• After seeing hitchhikers: "Pick 'em up!"
• "Pretty bird, pretty bird."

It wasn't just the outrageously ridiculous lines, but Carrey and Daniels's ability to deliver them hilariously without making them seem over the top. D&D is one of those movies that I will watch over and over (as I did last week when TBS showed it 4 times in a row), and that is why it is my pick for all time greatest comedy!

What Do YOU Think? Agree/Disagree with Urban&Rucker? Leave your thoughts and picks for All Time Greatest Comedy in the comments!

And for and endless flow of entertainment or to get in touch with us, follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/adamrucker and Twitter.com/samanthaurban!

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
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U&R's opinions on OSCARS 2009

Check out Urban&Rucker's thoughts on the 2009 Academy Award nominees on their respective blogs, Life on the Couch and Can I Please Just Say.

Leave your thoughts on the nods in the comments!

Follow Us on Twitter, Please! It'll make our days.
Adam's Twitter + Samantha's Twitter

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
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Benjamin Button: Super or Snoozer?

Rucker's Take: I went into this screening with a good amount of curiosity, and rightfully so, curiosity is built into the title, but I also didn't want to like this movie that much either. The trailer was terribly creepy, what with an old Cate Blanchett leaning down to kiss a toddler that she was in love with, and I'm not the biggest Brad Pitt fan. But I couldn't help but walk away thinking that this was a wonderful movie.

The film is a chronological retelling of Button's life by his daughter (who doesn't know she's his daughter, but come on it's not that hard) by way of his diary. Caroline (the daughter) is reading the diary to her mother, Daisy, played by a ridiculously old-looking Cate Blanchett.

The portion of the movie with Caroline and Daisy is set in nearly-present time in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina was just about to strike New Orleans, where the film is set. I didn't really understand the importance of placing the film at this time as the hurricane really had nothing to do with the story. I guess the filmmakers were just wanting to make some sort of statement since they were one of the first films to begin production in New Orleans following the storm. And that's fine and all, it just had nothing to do with the story, and the story was already nearly 3 hours long, and time is money folks.

There were a couple of parallels between BB and some other very popular stories. The old lady remembering everything from her life kinda reminded me of Titanic, except she didn't throw the Heart of the Ocean into the ocean at the end. Ohhhh- I just got the symbolism there! The beginning of the story was also kinda Wicked-ish-- a giant clock playing a significant role in the birth of a terribly deformed baby... But whatever, I'm probably the only one who noticed that.

Queenie, Benjamin's adopted mother, is my life. I loved her and I want to meet her. You will love her too, and that's all I have to say about that.

The movie was filled with great quotes, which now fill up the "favorite quotes" portion of my Facebook page:

"We're meant to lose the people we love.. How else would we know how important they are to us?"

"You never know what’s coming for you."

"We are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss."

My favorite part of the movie was a sequence in which Button recounts a series of events that lead to his precious Daisy being hit by a car. I always think about stuff like that, the whole Sliding Doors thing. Way interesting.

The visual effects and makeup in this movie were ridiculous. As the girl walking out of the theater in front of me said, "They are like, totally gonna win some award for best makeup or something."

I heard they used some sort of psycho technology to put Brad Pitt's old-looking face on different bodies to create Button when he was young/old. They did a fantastic job of aging and de-aging him. Also Cate Blanchett looked flawless throughout the movie. Well, except when she was lying in bed dying. Then she looked pretty bad.

The worst part of the movie, that I couldn't stand, were the voices. And I suppose if they were authentic accents to New Orleans there's nothing I can do about that, other than not be friends with people from New Orleans. But I didn't like Button's voice at all, which was unfortunate because he is the main character and narrates the whole film. And I also didn't like Daisy's voice when she's in the hospital because it's all accenty AND scratchy.

All in all though, this was a fantastic film.

Just go prepared to sit for almost three hours. That means NO drinks!

Enjoy!

Rucker's Rating: Soo Good

Urban's Take: I love love love this movie. I saw it yesterday and it's still weighing on my mind, as quality movies are prone to do. Rucker gave you the long and short of the plot, so I'll just provide you with my own opinions.

What I liked: Pretty much everything. I loved Taraji P. Henson, who plays Benjamin's adoptive mother, Queenie. I thought Brad Pitt did an excellent job throughout the movie and wouldn't be surprised to see his name on the Oscar nominations list, released January 22.

I adored all of the funny little things like the drunken sea captain or the elderly man who recounts having been struck by lightning seven times. In fact, the concept and execution of Benjamin growing up and growing old in a retirement home full of colorful characters never failed to make me smile. The supporting characters in this movie are what pushed it over the edge for me and set it apart from most dramatic fare this season.

Director David Fincher crafted a wonderful film - and though it's long, I can't think of much I would want to cut out. Mostly, I'm amazed that they took such a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and fleshed it out to be a beautiful opus about life, death, and the delicate dance between the two extremes.

What I didn't like: Cate Blanchett. I'll be honest and say that I'm not a huge fan of hers unless she's playing Queen Elizabeth. But especially in "Benjamin Button," she seemed to stick out. Her scratchy "New Orleans" accent she used when she's lying in a hospital bed is near impossible to understand. When I get the DVD, I'll have to use captions for every scene in that modern-day setting. And I didn't think that Cate and Brad really had any chemistry together whatsoever. Or rather, I always felt Benjamin's love for Daisy, but Cate always played Daisy as very cold, even during the parts where the two were supposed to be blissfully happy and in love. I enjoyed Brad's screen time with Tilda Swinton, who plays an English ambassador's wife, much more than his time with Daisy.

Overall, this was a magically wonderful movie about the importance of every day and what you make of your life. I think that's why the modern-day portions of the movie took place during Hurricane Katrina - like Queenie says, you never know what's coming for you. The same could be said of that horrible storm and it's aftermath. "Benjamin Button" is likely to clean up at the Oscars and it will become one of my personal favorites, despite Blanchett. Many have made comparisons between this film and "Forrest Gump," and I can see how they would get there - but I thought "Benjamin" was a much more powerful film than "Gump," with more stunning visuals, interesting characters, and a more stirring plot than the 1995 Best Picture. (Although it's interesting to note that Eric Roth had a hand in writing both films.)

Urban's Rating: Sooo good

Rucker's Response: OK THANK YOU for also hating Blanchett's accent! I couldn't understand ANYTHING she said in the hospital either. I also agree that she never really seemed to connect with Button in their scenes together. I liked Swinton's part too, even though I had to keep reminding myself not to yell at the screen "It's the White Witch! Don't hook up with her!"

OK hear me out on this and see if you agree: did you, like me, look at this film almost like it wasn't just a movie, but like an entire miniseries condensed into one movie? Meaning, it had so many aspects to it, with the different characters and settings and times that we almost got 3 movies in one. Does that make sense at all?

Urban's Response: Honestly, Blanchett's accent was a huge drawback to the movie. Someone near me in the theater said, "If this chick doesn't start speaking English soon, I'm out." And I will always think of Tilda as the White Witch - but I only think I would have warned Benjamin if she had offered him Turkish Delight instead of caviar and vodka.

I DO agree about the miniseries thing! There were even parts where I was like, "that would make a good commercial break stopping point." (I'll try not to give anything away here...) The most noticable one is after Benjamin's experience with WWII, before he returns home for the first time. The next logical part would probably be when he returns home the second time with Daisy. So yeah, that definitely makes sense!

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
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Something to look forward to: Angels and Demons

Though it is still nearly 5 months away, I'm REALLY excited about the upcoming Angels and Demons. The movie, based on the novel by Dan Brown, is the prequel to 2006's The Da Vinci Code. Now, I totally admit that was not a great movie, but I still have high hopes for this one. Good news: they changed Tom Hanks's creepy/weirdo haircut for this movie, so it's already a step up.

If you haven't read A&D yet, READ IT NOW! You have time. It's a long book, but the pace of the story makes you race through it. I read it in just a few days. I even like it better than Da Vinci Code.

See you May 15th, Angels and Demons!

-Rucker

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
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Marley & Me!

Rucker's Take: Rucker family Christmas tradition has never included the apparently very popular practice of taking the family to see a movie. Typically we spend the morning eating breakfast, then opening presents, then having extended family over and repeating the process of eating food and opening presents. It's worked out pretty well for us.

This year however, was different. I mean we still ate all that food in the morning, but instead of stuffing our faces with more food in the afternoon, we went to a movie with the family instead. And the movie we chose was the Labrador retriever-starring Marley & Me, with Jeniffer Aniston and Owen Wilson.

Having already read the book, I knew that the story would resonate with my family, considering there were 5 dogs at my house on Christmas and 3 of them were labs. One of the pups, my brother's dog, Ripley, even reminds me a lot of Marley because of his.. "energetic" ways.

So first things first: thank GOODNESS we ordered the tickets online because this was definitely the movie of choice for families this Christmas. The movie was sold out and the line to get in the theater wrapped throughout the entire building. It would be no easy task to find all 11 of us seats. But instead of trying to find an empty row of 11 seats, we ended up sitting in several small groups of seats scattered around the theater, which ended up working out fine.

I was really excited about this movie. And I was EXTREMELY pleased with the final product. A journalism professor of mine once said, "You can never go wrong with a good dog story," but I think you can- by taking a good dog story and translating it poorly to the screen. Luckily that didn't happen with Marley & Me.

The movie is based on the book, Marley & Me, by John Grogan. The (true) story centers around Grogan, playing in the film by Owen Wilson, and the love he and his family develop for their rather mischievous dog, Marley. Wilson did a fantastic job as Grogan, the main character (besides Marley) in the story. I was glad to see Owen pull off a slightly more dramatic role than we're used to seeing him in.

Jennifer Aniston also did a great job as Grogan's wife Jenny, who has many emotional ups and downs throughout the story (which is told from the beginning of their marriage, through raising three kids). There were only a couple of occasions where I thought "Rachel!" but then again, who wouldn't? It's Jennifer Aniston.

Most dog movies use cheesy chase scenes and ridiculous scenarios to provide the entertainment, and don't get me wrong, M&M had some of these, but these types of gags weren't relied upon to carry the movie.

M&M is a movie with true heart that will no doubt have you laughing one minute and crying the next.

After it was over and we all took a moment to compose ourselves, the 11 Ruckers regrouped and all agreed: Marley & Me was a fantastic. Everyone, whether they had read the book or not, really loved the film.

You definitely owe it to yourself (and Jennifer Aniston) to go see Marley & Me this weekend.

You'll be glad you did!

Rucker's Rating: Sooo Good!

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
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Golden Globes Predictions!

To start, we should just let you know that the Golden Globes are the sketchiest honors in Hollywood.

Just ask Sharon Waxman of The Los Angeles Times:

"The Globes have long been the entertainment industry’s dirty little secret. At the heart of the con is the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the tiny, cliquish group of foreign entertainment journalists – and I use each of those terms liberally – whose votes determine the winners.

The members of the association are not, generally speaking, film experts (like the people who judge the National Society of Film Critics awards) nor are they members of the creative community (like those who give out the Oscars). They’re not even representatives of prominent foreign publications, like Le Monde or the Guardian or Haaretz.

Only a handful are full-time journalists; the rest are freelancers for mostly obscure publications, and some are simply hanging on for the parties and movie stars. To maintain their status in the organization, they need only write four articles a year."

Thanks to AICN for posting the article, which you can find here.

That being said, here are this year's nominees for the Golden Globes, as well as Urban & Rucker's picks:

FILM

BEST FEATURE - DRAMA
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Urban's Pick: WHERE IS "THE DARK KNIGHT?" Where is it? It deserves to be on this list. Aside from that, I'm predicting a win for "Benjamin Button." (It's hard to pick when none of these have been released here in Dallas yet. They should release nomination lists later so we can properly make predictions.)
Rucker's Pick: Wait, can I first just say that WE write at least for articles a year for an obscure publication- I propose that we should therefore be allowed to vote for the Golden Globes! With that being said, I'm gonna go with "Revolutionary Road" for this one, based solely on the whole Kate Winslet/Leonardo DiCaprio reunion, since I know nothing about the story or quality of the film.

BEST FEATURE - COMEDY
"Burn After Reading" - Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal
"Happy-Go-Lucky" - Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films
"In Bruges" - Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features
"Mamma Mia!" - Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" - Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

Urban's Pick: Why is "Mamma Mia!" on this list? That's insulting. C'mon, it's a category just for comedy - they don't have to seem prestigious or indie-like. I'd have liked to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "Pineapple Express," or "Role Models" make this list. Still, I'm going for "Vicky" - that was yet another great film from Woody Allen, largely thanks to the performances - which were appropriately nominated.
Rucker's Pick: "Mamma Mia!" is the only film on this list that I've seen, and I totally agree Urban, what the heck? I won't go any further into it though as I'm pretty sure we made our opinion of that film loud and clear in our first post. And since I haven't seen any of the other films and none of them contain Kate Winslet, I am going to decline to choose a winner. HFP will probably go with "Burn After Reading" though.

ACTOR - DRAMA
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Revolutionary Road"
Frank Langella - "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn - "Milk"
Brad Pitt - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rouke - "The Wrestler"

Urban's Pick: Brad Pitt for "Benjamin Button." I just get the feeling that this movie is going to knock people on their butts. The trailers look remarkable.
Rucker's Pick: The "Button" trailer actually kinda freaks me out. It sort of reminded me of that movie where Nicole Kidman falls in love with the little boy who she thinks is her recently deceased husband reincarnated. I don't know WHY it reminds me of that, but it does. I think the award will go to Langella for this one. I mean, he's REALLY old, so why not?

ACTRESS - DRAMA
Anne Hathaway - "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie - "Changeling"
Meryl Streep - "Doubt"
Kristin Scott Thomas - "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet - "Revolutionary Road"

Urban's Pick: Kate Winslet for "Revolutionary Road." It's between Kate and Meryl, I think. My money's on Kate.
Rucker's Pick: I seriously hope Kate Winslet wins. She's ridiculously talented. So is Meryl Streep, but everyone already knows that. Kate could use some affirmation every once and a while.

ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Javier Bardem - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Colin Farrell - "In Bruges"
James Franco - "Pineapple Express"
Brendan Gleeson - "In Bruges"
Dustin Hoffman - "Last Chance Harvey"

Urban's Pick: Long shot, but JAMES FRANCO. His performance MADE "Pineapple Express." Without Franco, that movie would have been mediocre, at best. Franco took his stoner character to an amazingly lovable level.
Rucker's Pick: I've decided I officially have no business picking winners for these awards since I haven't seen any of the movies. But then again, the actual voters apparently don't have much business choosing the winners either. Bardem.

ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins - "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Frances McDormand - "Burn After Reading"
Meryl Streep - "Mamma Mia!"
Emma Thompson - "Last Chance Harvey"

Urban's Pick: Frances McDormand for "Burn After Reading." Her chemistry in that movie with every character she encountered was brilliant and hilarious.
Rucker's Pick: Just anyone BUT Meryl Streep. Please. Her getting paid to make this movie should be reward enough for her.

DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Danny Boyle - "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry -"The Reader"
David Fincher -"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard - "Frost/Nixon"
Sam Mendes -"Revolutionary Road"

Urban's Pick: People seem really keen on Danny Boyle right now, but I have to go with Ron Howard. I think it takes a talented director to move something from the stage to the screen successfully. But the Globes might pick Fincher just because the movie's effects are so complex, so it might seem like he did more work.
Rucker's Pick: I would WANT Opie to win this one, but I'm gonna guess that Fincher will win for "Button," just cuz it's so freaking weird. Those award people like that stuff.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Cruise - "Tropic Thunder"
Robert Downey Jr. - "Tropic Thunder"
Ralph Fiennes - "The Duchess"
Philip Seymour Hoffman - "Doubt"
Heath Ledger - "The Dark Knight"

Urban's Pick: It'll be another Hoffman/Ledger faceoff. You may remember that Hoffman beat out Ledger in the 2006 Oscars for Lead Actor when he won for "Capote," beating Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain." I can't compare the performances because "Doubt" isn't out yet, but I don't know if anyone can top the depth and nuance of Heath's "Joker." (And I have to ask: was it really necessary to pick two guys from "Tropic Thunder," esp. Tom Cruise? I would have rather seen Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent in "The Dark Knight" get some recognition.)
Rucker's Pick: If Heath Ledger's insane joker performance weren't in this category, I would seriously want Tom Cruise to win this cuz that movie and his performance in it were the most hilarious things I saw on a screen this year. But I mean, Ledger will take this one. Not just because he died, but because he actually deserves it. That Joker STILL creeps me out.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis - "Doubt"
Marisa Tomei - "The Wrestler"
Kate Winslet - "The Reader"

Urban's Pick: Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Like I said earlier, this movie was made great by its performers, especially Cruz.
Rucker's Pick: I really liked Amy Adams in "Enchanted," and I know I shouldn't award an award based on a different movie than the one she's nominated for, but I think she's a good actress and a good person. So, you go Amy Adams!

SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
Simon Beaufoy - "Slumdog Millionaire"
David Hare - "The Reader"
Peter Morgan - "Frost/Nixon"
Eric Roth - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
John Patrick Shanley - "Doubt"

Urban's Pick: Again, I ask, where is "The Dark Knight?" This is especially hard to judge without having seen the movies. I'll go with Peter Morgan for "Frost/Nixon," since it obviously worked well enough on stage that they made a movie out of it.
Rucker's Pick: Why am I even still doing this? "Slumdog Millionaire." Why not.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" ("Der Baader Meinhof Komplex")(Germany)
"Everlasting Moments" ("Maria larssons eviga ögonblick") (Sweden)
"I've Loved You So Long" ("Il y a longtemps que je t’aime") (France)
"Waltz with Bashir" (Israel)

Urban's Pick: Seriously? Um... the French one.
Rucker's Pick: I picked "Baader Meinhof" because it's "COMPLEX!"

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
"Bolt" - Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
"Kung Fu Panda" - DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures
"Wall-E" - Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Urban's Pick: WALL-E. No question. I want it to win and it will win. If there wasn't an animated category, I'd be complaining about it not being nominated in the Best Picture category. I'm 100% sure that Rucker and I will be unanimous on this one.
Rucker's Pick: Wall-E. Duh. I only wish it were possible for Wall-E to be nominated for Best Actor cuz seriously he was awesome. I mean, the emotion he conveyed without saying any words definitely deserves the highest honors. (I'm not joking.)

BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat - "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
Clint Eastwood - "Changeling"
James Newton Howard - "Defiance"
A. R. Rahman - "Slumdog Millionaire"
Hans Zimmer - "Frost/Nixon"

Urban's Pick: Another one that's hard to judge without seeing the movie. So, going on body of work, I vote for Zimmer for "Frost/Nixon."
Rucker's Pick: "Changeling" cuz Clint Eastwood did it and that just seems weird to me.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Down To Earth" from "Wall-E" - Music By: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman; Lyrics By: Peter Gabriel
"Gran Torino" from "Gran Torino" - Music By: Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens; Lyrics By: Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
"I Thought I Lost You" from "Bolt" - Music & Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele
"Once In A Lifetime" from "Cadillac Records" - Music & Lyrics By: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott Mcfarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street
"The Wrestler" from "The Wrestler" - Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

Urban's Pick: "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel from "Wall-E." That song gets stuck in my head for the rest of the day whenever I listen to it. Plus, I can always picture the great closing credits sequence from the film to go with the song.
Rucker's Pick: MILEY CYRUS!!! I'm one of the few in the country apparently who still likes Miley and I think there would be nothing better than for her to win this award and shove it in Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez's faces, which I'm 99% sure would ACTUALLY happen if she wins.

TELEVISION

TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
"Dexter" (Showtime)
"House" (Fox)
"In Treatment" (HBO)
"Mad Men" (AMC)
"True Blood" (HBO)

Urban's Pick: Excuse me, but where is "Lost?" (Haha. It's lost. LOLz.) But honestly - "Lost" had its best season since its debut. I don't watch any of the nominated series, so I'll go with my Emmy knowledge and say "Mad Men."
Rucker's Pick: "Mad Men." Dexter is too creepy and I don't watch any of the other shows.

TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
"30 Rock"
"Californication"
"Entourage"
"The Office"
"Weeds"

Urban's Pick: You all know my love for "The Office," but this has been Tina Fey and "30 Rock's" year!
Rucker's Pick: I THINK "30 Rock" will win, but I'd be completely satisfied if "The Office" won as well.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Gabriel Byrne - "In Treatment
Michael C. Hall - "Dexter
Jon Hamm - "Mad Men
Hugh Laurie - "House
Jonathan Rhys Meyers - "The Tudors

Urban's Pick: Again, I don't watch these series. But Jon Hamm won me over with his performance on SNL this season. He's a talented guy.
Rucker's Pick: I'm gonna go with Hamm. He is a freaky actor in that I actually believe that he's from the 60s, or 50s, or whatever time he's supposed to be from, both in his television performance and in real life. I refuse to accept that he is actually from our time. Probably because he isn't.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Sally Field - "Brothers And Sisters"
Mariska Hargitay - "Law And Order: Special Victims Unit"
January Jones - "Mad Men"
Anna Paquin - "True Blood"
Kyra Sedgwick - "The Closer"

Urban's Pick: Sally Field for "Brothers and Sisters." She's the anchor of that show, from what I've seen. Also, I can't stand Kyra Sedgwick's accent.
Rucker's Pick: Kyra Sedgwick's accent is just a half notch lower on the annoyance scale than Charlotte's accent on "Private Practice," if you've ever seen that show. I hope Sally Field wins cuz she seriously is awesome on B&S, but Mariska kicks it on SVU too and would please me just as much.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES -COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Christina Applegate - "Samantha Who?"
America Ferrera - "Ugly Betty"
Tina Fey - "30 Rock"
Debra Messing - "The Starter Wife"
Mary-Louise Parker - "Weeds"

Urban's Pick: Again with the snubs! Where is Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and Jenna Fischer for "The Office?" Debra Messing should not be nominated... I feel like the voters were just thinking, "Hey, I liked her in 'Will and Grace'..." My vote, of course, is for Tina Fey: Entertainer of the Year.
Rucker's Pick: Tina Fey, completely. Though if there were some sort of honorable mention ribbon awarded, I would give it to Christina Applegate because she and "Samantha Who?" always surprise me with how funny they are.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin - "30 Rock"
Steve Carell - "The Office"
Kevin Connelly - "Entourage"
David Duchovny - "Californication"
Tony Shalhoub - "Monk"

Urban's Pick: Ugh. I think Tony Shalhoub will still be nominated for this when the show's done and he's dead. Every year... sheesh. It's hard to decide between Baldwin and Carell, but like I said, it's the year of "30 Rock." I'm going for Alec Baldwin.
Rucker's Pick: Steve Carell, come on! He IS "The Office" and I think he should be rewarded for his efforts. I mean he's already been through enough this year, what with losing Holly and gaining back Toby. Cut him a break.

MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"A Raisin in the Sun"
"Bernard and Doris"
"Cranford"
"John Adams"
"Recount"

Urban's Pick: I didn't watch any of these. I don't have movie channels and I don't watch cable made-for-TV movies, unless they're on Disney Channel or they feature Nikki Blonksy scarfing ice cream while crying. So I vote for "John Adams" because I love Paul Giamatti.
Rucker's Pick: I watched "Raisin in the Sun"! So I vote for that! It was good!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ralph Fiennes - "Bernard and Doris"
Paul Giamatti - "John Adams"
Kevin Spacey - " Recount"
Kiefer Sutherland - "24: Redemption"
Tom Wilkinson - "Recount"

Urban's Pick: What did I just say? I love Paul Giamatti. And since he never gets Oscar love, he can at least get this runner up award.
Rucker's Pick: Kiefer! 24 is awesome! Though I'm not really sure his performance in it merits a Golden Globe, but whatever! 24 is awesome!

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Judi Dench - "Cranford"
Catherine Keener - "An American Crime"
Laura Linney - "John Adams"
Shirley Maclaine - "Coco Chanel"
Susan Sarandon - "Bernard And Doris"

Urban's Pick: Um... Laura Linney or Catherine Keener... because I can't imagine them being bad in anything.
Rucker's Pick: If Judi Dench wins just because she's a "dame," I'm seriously gonna kick some Hollywood Foreign... nevermind. I shouldn't say that. Who knows if there will come a day that I need the support of the HFP. Laura Linney is my pick. I feel like I could have her over for dinner and she'd just be like "Oh hey, what's up!" and not be all stuck up and "dame"-y about it.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Eileen Atkins - "Cranford"
Laura Dern - "Recount"
Melissa George - "In Treatment"
Rachel Griffiths - "Brothers And Sisters"
Dianne Wiest - "In Treatment"

Urban's Pick: This is a pretty broad category, don't you think? I think it's kind of unfair to sandwich all the supporting roles together like this. I pick Dianne Wiest... because "Wiest" is fun to say.
Rucker's Pick: I vote for Rachel Griffiths, but not because I think she should win, but because I think Calista Flockhart should win and since she wasn't nominated and is on the same show, I cast my vote for Rach.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Neil Patrick Harris - "How I Met Your Mother"
Denis Leary - "Recount"
Jeremy Piven - "Entourage"
Blair Underwood - "In Treatment"
Tom Wilkinson - "John Adams"

Urban's Pick: Jeremy Piven will probably win it, as usual. And I'm fine with that because he's incredible - and the only reason "Entourage" is worth watching. But I'd love to see it go to Neil Patrick Harris, who is one of the world's most hilarious guys and least messed-up child stars.
Rucker's Pick: OO- that'd be awesome for NPH to win. "How I Met Your Mother" is a seriously under appreciated show and deserve some love from the good old HFP.

See who's the most right when the Golden Globes air live on NBC Sunday, January 11. (And just guessing based how intelligent our answers sound, it's probably totally gonna be Urban.)

Also, just a general statement to all the losers: Don't feel bad if you lose. The Golden Globe is one of the more ugly trophies that you could receive and also the least-identifiable so it's all good if you lose.


URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

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007: Quantum of Solace

Rucker's Take: So I finally joined the crowd and went to see the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace last night with my dad. First thing's first: we decided to go to Galaxy 10 (which is only relevant to Dallas movie-watchers), but just know that it is one of the older theaters around here and therefore not "cool" for the middle schoolers to go to. Excellent choice. There were no cell phone/texting annoyance issues to speak of.

Moving on to the movie: it was really good. I can't remember Casino Royale too much since I haven't seen that since I saw it in theaters, but I think I liked that one a little bit more than this one. But that's not to say this one is bad.

QOS is chock full of action sequences, beginning with a long car chase at the open of the movie. There's a boat chase, a foot chase, a plane chase and really any other type of chase that exists-- except a dog chase. There is NO dog chase in this movie. Sorry guys. See: BOLT if you're looking for that sort of thing.

Because I hate spoilers and I have a pretty terrible memory, I have no tick-tock recap of the film for you. What I will say is that one of the girls dies covered in oil. It's a little reminiscent of those ducks dieing on Saved By the Bell when those big bad oil guys started drilling at Bayside.

I did not like the opening song by Jack White and Alicia Keys. First of all, Alicia Keys was big stuff several years ago. I'm not really sure why she's on the main track all of a sudden. Except for the fact that Amy Winehouse was supposed to do it and, well, she's crazy, and they had to replace her. Still, I think crazy Amy might have made a better song...
The actors, Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, among others, did a great job of making the ridiculous things they do seem legit and not over the top, though I would have liked to see Dench kill a few more people (she killed none, sadly).

I also enjoyed the scenery from around the world, Italy in particular was nice. Oh and they have this ridiculous computer system that, had I not already seen it in CSI: Miami would have mesmerized me. Still, it was pretty cool.

I would definitely recommend seeing QOS, if only for one extremely memorable moment involving an ax and someone's foot..

Though I would go soon because it's slowly getting shafted to the smaller theaters with each passing day.

Rucker's Rating: Soo Good.

URBAN'S BLOG: Life on the Couch
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

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