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
RUCKER'S BLOG: Can I Please Just Say...

E-mail Us! UrbanAndRucker@gmail.com!
Pass it On:

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...

E-mail Us! UrbanAndRucker@gmail.com!
Pass it On: