Distant Planets, Stunning Visuals, and The Next Big James Cameron Masterpiece.

Avatar

Directed By: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver

Rated: PG-13

2 hrs. 32 min.

James Cameron returns to blockbuster filmmaking with his latest (an expensive) effort, Avatar.

Paraplegic marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) heads to a distant planet called Pandora to complete an important mission. He must travel in a humanoid avatar body which resembles the natives, the Na'vi, who have their own unique language and culture. Upon becoming in tune with that local culture and one particular Na'vi, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), Jake becomes torn between his duty and his heart. When the head honcho of the marine force decides to take abrasive action. Jake must stand with the people of Pandora to save the fate of the planet.

Avatar is one truly outstanding film. If there are any people who had doubts that James Cameron could pull off another large hit like he did with Titanic, then this could be the film to change their minds. Although at first glance the story seems cliche and overdone (the military comes in, messes with a native "savage" culture, and mayhem and bombs and even love ensues), it is actually quite refreshing. Cameron has created an entirely new world and we can easily believe it and its inner workings. Some parts of the story do get a little boring, mostly parts where there is a little too much voice over by Jake or they are doing the same thing over (more flying, running around, etc); however, it never stayed boring for long and it is easily bearable (which is probably due to the stunning visuals).

The visuals are absolutely breathtaking. The animated bits seem real, and the colors are so bright and cool. There are many striking unique things about the flora and fauna of Pandora, such as the way some things glow in the dark as if they have been stuck under a black light. Overall, it is hard to tell where the live-action starts and the animation begins.

With sweeping visuals, mind-blowing effects and animation, and brilliant acting, Avatar is a must see for any movie goer, be it a sci-fi fan or not. Even though there are scenes that seem a little lagging, it is only for the shortest bit and by the time the action or story picks up you hardly remember you were even the slightest bored. I recommend, if it is feasible, seeing the film in 3D, and I guarantee you won't be bored then.

Grade: A

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2010 Nominations

The nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced today. Here they are (from the SAG official website):

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges - Bad Blake, "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

George Clooney - Ryan Bingham, "Up in the Air" (Paramount Pictures)

Colin Firth - George Falconer, "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)

Morgan Freeman - Nelson Mandela, "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Jeremy Renner - Staff Sgt. William James, "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock - Leigh Anne Tuohy, "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Helen Mirren - Sofya, "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)

Carey Mulligan - Jenny, "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious, "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Meryl Streep - Julia Child, "Julie & Julia" (Columbia Pictures)

Oustanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon - Francois Pienaar, "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Woody Harrelson - Captain Tony Stone, "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

Christopher Plummer - Tolstoy, "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)

Stanley Tucci - George Harvey, "The Lovely Bones" (Paramount Pictures)

Christoph Waltz - Col. Hans Landa, "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Penelope Cruz - Carla, "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)

Vera Farmiga - Alex Goran, "Up in the Air" (Paramount Pictures)

Anna Kendrick - Natalie Keener, "Up in the Air" (Paramount Pictures)

Diane Kruger - Bridget von Hammersmark, "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

Mo'Nique - Mary, "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

AN EDUCATION (Sony Pictures Classics)

Dominic Cooper - Danny

Alfred Molina - Jack

Carey Mulligan - Jenny

Rosamund Pike - Helen

Peter Sarsgaard - David

Emma Thompson - Headmistress

Olivia Williams - Miss Stubbs

THE HURT LOCKER (Summit Entertainment)

Christian Camargo - Col. John Cambridge

Brian Geraghty - Specialist Owen Eldridge

Evangeline Lilly - Connie James

Anthony Mackie - Sgt. J. T. Sanborn

Jeremy Renner - Staff Sgt. William James

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

Daniel Bruhl - Fredrick Zoller

August Diehl - Major Hellstrom

Julie Dreyfus - Francesca Mondino

Michael Fassbender - Lt. Archie Hicox

Sylvester Groth - Joseph Goebbels

Jacky Ido - Marcel

Diane Kruger - Bridget von Hammersmark

Melanie Laurent - Shosanna

Denis Menochet - Perrier LePedite

Mike Myers - General Ed French

Brad Pitt - Lt. Aldo Raine

Eli Roth - Sgt. Donny Donowitz

Til Schweiger - Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz

Rod Taylor - Winston Churchill

Christoph Waltz - Col. Hans Landa

Martin Wuttke - Hitler

NINE (The Weinstein Company)

Marion Cotillard - Luisa Contini

Penelope Cruz - Carla

Daniel Day-Lewis - Guido Contini

Judi Dench - Lillian

Fergie - Saraghina

Kate Hudson - Stephanie

Nicole Kidman - Claudia

Sophia Loren - Mamma

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL "PUSH" BY SAPPHIRE (Lionsgate)

Mariah Carey - Ms. Weiss

Lenny Kravitz - Nurse John

Mo'Nique - Mary

Paula Patton - Ms. Rain

Sherrie Shepherd - Cornrows

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Kevin Bacon - Lt. Col. Michael R. Strobl, "Taking Chance" (HBO)

Cuba Gooding, Jr. - Ben Carson, "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story" (TNT)

Jeremy Irons - Alfred Stieglitz, "Georgia O'Keefe" (Lifetime)

Kevin Kline - Cyrano de Bergerac, "Great Performances: Cyrano de Bergerac" (PBS)

Tom Wilkinson - Salter, "A Number" (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Joan Allen - Georgia O'Keefe, "Georgia O'Keefe" (Lifetime)

Drew Barrymore - Little Edie, "Grey Gardens" (HBO)

Ruby Dee - Mrs. Harper, "America" (Lifetime)

Jessica Lange - Big Edie, "Grey Gardens" (HBO)

Sigourney Weaver - Mary Griffith, "Prayers for Bobby" (Lifetime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Simon Baker - Patrick Jane, "The Mentalist" (CBS)

Bryan Cranston - Walter White, "Breaking Bad" (AMC)

Michael C. Hall - Dexter Morgan, "Dexter" (Showtime)

Jon Hamm - Don Draper, "Mad Men" (AMC)

Hugh Laurie - House, "House" (FOX)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette - Allison Dubois, "Medium" (NBC/CBS)

Glenn Close - Patty Hewes, "Damages" (FX)

Mariska Hargitay - Det. Olivia Benson, "Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit" (NBC)

Holly Hunter - Grace Hanadarko, "Saving Grace" (TNT)

Julianna Margulies - Alicia Florrick, "The Good Wife" (CBS)

Kyra Sedgwick - Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, "The Closer" (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin - Jack Donaghy, "30 Rock" (NBC)

Steve Carell - Michael Scott, "The Office" (NBC)

Larry David - Himself, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (HBO)

Tony Shalhoub - Adrian Monk, "Monk" (USA Network)

Charlie Sheen - Charlie Harper, "Two and a Half Men" (CBS)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate - Samantha Newly, "Samantha Who?" (ABC)

Toni Collette - Tara Gregor, "United States of Tara" (Showtime)

Edie Falco - Jackie Peyton, "Nurse Jackie" (Showtime)

Tina Fey - Liz Lemon, "30 Rock" (NBC)

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss - Christine Campbell, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (CBS)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

THE CLOSER (TNT)

G.W. Bailey - Lt. Provenza

Michael Paul Chan - Lt. Mike Tao

Raymond Cruz - Det. Julio Sanchez

Tony Denison - Lt. Andy Flynn

Robert Gossett - Commander Taylor

Phillip P. Keene - Buzz Watson

Corey Reynolds - Sgt. David Gabriel

Kyra Sedgwick - Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson

J.K. Simmons - Asst. Police Chief Will Pope

Jon Tenney - FBI Special Agent Fritz Howard

DEXTER (Showtime)

Preston Bailey - Cody

Julie Benz - Rita Bennett

Jennifer Carpenter - Debra Morgan

Courtney Ford - Christine

Michael C. Hall - Dexter Morgan

Desmond Harrington - Joey Quinn

C.S. Lee - Vince Masuka

John Lithgow - Arthur Mitchell

Rick Peters - Elliot

James Remar - Harry Morgan

Christina Robinson - Astor

Lauren Velez - Lt. Maria Laguerta

David Zayas - Angel Batista

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)

Christina Baranski - Diane Lockhart

Josh Charles - Will Gardner

Matt Czuchry - Cary Agos

Julianna Margulies - Alicia Florrick

Archie Panjabi - Kalinda Sharma

Graham Phillips - Zach Florrick

MacKenzie Vega - Grace Florrick

MAD MEN (AMC)

Alexa Alemanni - Allison

Bryan Batt - Salvatore Romano

Jared S. Gilmore - Bobby Draper

Michael Gladis - Paul Linsey

Jon Hamm - Don Draper

Jared Harris - Lane Pryce

Christina Hendricks - Joan Holloway (Harris)

January Jones - Betty Draper

Vincent Kartheiser - Peter Campbell

Robert Morse - Bertram Cooper

Elisabeth Moss - Peggy Olson

Kiernan Shipka - Sally Draper

John Slattery - Roger Sterling

Rich Sommer - Harry Crane

Christopher Stanley - Henry Francis

Aaron Staton - Ken Cosgrove

TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

Chris Bauer - Andy Bellefleur

Mehcad Brooks - Eggs

Anna Camp - Sarah Newlin

Nelsan Ellis - Lafayette Reynolds

Michelle Forbes - Maryann Forrester

Mariana Klaveno - Lorena

Ryan Kwanten - Jason Stackhouse

Todd Lowe - Terry Bellefleur

Michael McMillian - Steve Newlin

Stephen Moyer - Bill Compton

Anna Paquin - Sookie Stackhouse

Jim Parrack - Hoyt Fortenberry

Carrie Preston - Arlene Fowler

William Sanderson - Bud Dearborn

Alexander Skarsgard - Eric Northman

Sam Trammell - Sam Merlotte

Rutina Wesley - Tara Thornton

Deborah Ann Woll - Jessica Hamby

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK (NBC)

Scott Adsit - Pete Hornberger

Alec Baldwin - Jack Donaghy

Katrina Bowden - Cerie

Kevin Brown - Dot Com

Grizz Chapman - Grizz

Tina Fey - Liz Lemon

Judah Friedlander - Frank Rossitano

Jane Krakowski - Jenna Maroney

John Lutz - Lutz

Jack McBrayer - Kenneth Parcell

Tracy Morgan - Tracy Jordan

Keith Powell - Toofer

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (HBO)

Larry David - Himself

Susie Essman - Susie Greene

Jeff Garlin - Jeff Greene

Cheryl Hines - Cheryl David

GLEE (FOX)

Diana Agron - Quinn Fabray

Chris Colfer - Kurt Hummel

Patrick Gallagher - Ken Tanaka

Jessalyn Gilsig - Terri Schuester

Jane Lynch - Sue Sylvester

Jayma Mays - Emma Pillsbury

Kevin McHale - Arty Abrams

Lea Michele - Rachel Berry

Cory Monteith - Finn Hudson

Heather Morris - Brittany

Matthew Morrison - Will Schuester

Amber Riley - Mercedes

Naya Rivera - Santana Lopez

Mark Salling - Puck

Harry Shum, Jr. - Mike Chang

Josh Sussman - Jacob Ben Israel

Dijon Talton - Matt Rutherford

Iqbal Theba - Principal Figgins

Jenna Ushkowitz - Tina

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

Julie Bowen - Claire Dunphy

Ty Burrell - Phil Dunphy

Jesse Tyler Ferguson - Mitchell Pritchett

Nolan Gould - Luke Dunphy

Sarah Hyland - Haley Dunphy

Ed O'Neill - Jay Pritchett

Rico Rodriguez - Manny Delgado

Eric Stonestreet - Cameron

Sofia Vergara - Gloria Delgado-Pritchett

Ariel Winter - Alex Dunphy

THE OFFICE (NBC)

Leslie David Baker - Stanley Hudson

Brian Baumgartner - Kevin Malone

Creed Bratton - Creed Bratton

Steve Carell - Michael Scott

Jenna Fischer - Pam Beesly

Kate Flannery - Meredith Palmer

Ed Helms - Andy Bernard

Mindy Kaling - Kelly Kapoor

Ellie Kemper - Kellie Erin Hannon

Angela Kinsey - Angela Martin

John Krasinski - Jim Halpert

Paul Lieberstein - Toby Flenderson

B.J. Novak - Ryan Howard

Oscar Nunez - Oscar Martinez

Craig Robinson - Darryl Philbin

Phyllis Smith - Phillis Lapin-Vance

Rainn Wilson - Dwight Schrute

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Public Enemies (Universal Pictures)

Star Trek (Paramount Pictures)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

24 (FOX)

The Closer (TNT)

Dexter (Showtime)

Heroes (NBC)

The Unit (CBS)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Betty White

The SAG Awards will air Live simultaneously on both TNT and TBS on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010 at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT/6 pm MT from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center.

http://www.sagawards.org

Frogs, Jazz, and a Classic In the Making

The Princess and the Frog

Directed By: Ron Clements and John Musker

Starring: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos

Rated: G

1 hr. 37 min.

Disney returns to the classic 2d animation style with a new twist on the classic tale The Frog Prince. Tiana, a waitress in 1920s New Orleans, dreams of owning a restaurant. Prince Naveen comes to town to attend a masquerade held by the richest man in town, and ends up under a spell, transformed into a frog by local voodoo priest Dr. Facilier. When Tiana gives the Frog Prince a kiss in hopes that he will transform back into a human, things do not go quite as planned...

It is about time a Disney film wasn't completely CG animated; the studio finally successfully returns to the style of animation that made it the empire it is today. The colors within the film are dazzling and the music, which includes gospel and jazz influences, is sensational. All of the songs are sure to be sing-a-long favorites along with the classics such as "Under the Sea" and "Bibbity Bobbity Boo."

The Princess and the Frog is a classic-in-the-making, and is sure to be among the group of already-classics like "The Little Mermaid," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," and "The Lion King." While the ending is predictable, one must consider the fact that this is typical for a Disney film and is, after all, intended for families and children of all ages. Hopefully there will be more animated features such as this in the future.

Grade: A-

Golden Globe Awards 2010 Nominations

The nominations have been announced for the 2010 Golden Globe Awards. Here is the list of nominees:

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA:

Avatar (Lightstorm Entertainment; 20th Century Fox)

The Hurt Locker (Voltage Pictures; Summit Entertainment)

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg GmbH Production; The Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures)

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Group Production; Lionsgate)

Up in the Air (Paramount Pictures)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Emily Blunt - The Young Victoria

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

Helen Mirren - The Last Station

Carey Mulligan - An Education

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

George Clooney - Up in the Air

Colin Firth - A Single Man

Morgan Freeman - Invictus

Tobey Maguire - Brothers

BEST MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

(500) Days of Summer (Watermark Pictures; Fox Searchlight Pictures)

The Hangover (Warner Bros. Pictures)

It's Complicated (Relativity Media, Scott Rudin Pictures; Universal Pictures)

Julie & Julia (Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing)

Nine (The Weinstein Company/Relativity Media/Lucamar Productions/Marc Platt Productions; The Weinstein Company)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Sandra Bullock - The Proposal

Marion Cotillard - Nine

Julia Roberts - Duplicity

Meryl Streep - It's Complicated

Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Matt Damon - The Informant!

Daniel Day-Lewis - Nine

Robert Downey Jr. - Sherlock Holmes

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - (500) Days of Summer

Michael Stuhlberg - A Serious Man

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Penelope Cruz - Nine

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air

Mo'nique - Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Julianne Moore - A Single Man

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Matt Damon - Invictus

Woody Harrelson - The Messenger

Christopher Plummer - The Last Station

Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing)

Coraline (Laika Inc.; Focus Features)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (American Empirical Picture; Twentieth Century Fox)

The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Up (Walt Disney Pictures/PIXAR Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Baaria (Italy) (Medusa Film; Summit Entertainment)

Broken Embraces (Spain) (El Deseo SA; Sony Pictures Classic)

The Maid (La Nana) (Chile) (Forastero; Elephant Eye Films)

A Prophet (Un Prophete) (France) (Chic Films/Page 114/Why Not Productions; Sony Pictures Classic)

The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band - Eine Deutsche Kindergeschichte) (Germany) X Filme Creative Pool/Les Films Du Losange/Lucky Red; Sony Pictures Classics)

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

James Cameron - Avatar

Clint Eastwood - Invictus

Jason Reitman - Up in the Air

Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE

District 9 - Written by Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell

The Hurt Locker - Written by Mark Boal

Inglourious Basterds - Written by Quentin Tarantino

It's Complicated - Written by Nancy Meyers

Up in the Air - Written by Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE

Up - Composed by Michael Giacchino

The Informant! - Composed by Marvin Hamlisch

Avatar - Composed by James Horner

A Single Man - Composed by Abel Korzeniowski

Where the Wild Things Are - Composed by Karen O and Carter Burwell

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE

"Cinema Italiano" - Nine (Music & Lyrics by: Maury Yeston)

"I See You" - Avatar (Music by: James Horner and Simon Franglen; Lyrics by: James Horner, Simon Franglen, and Kuk Harrell)

"I Want to Come Home" - Everybody's Fine (Music & Lyrics by: Paul McCartney)

"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" - Crazy Heart (Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett)

"Winter" - Brothers (Music by: U2; Lyrics by: Bono)

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

Big Love (HBO) (Anima Sola Productions and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment)

Dexter (SHOWTIME) (Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions)

House (FOX) (Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions)

Mad Men (AMC) (Lionsgate)

True Blood (HBO) (Your Face Goes Here Productions in association with HBO Entertainment)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

Glenn Close - Damages (FX NETWORK)

January Jones - Mad Men (AMC)

Julianna Margulies - The Good Wife (CBS)

Anna Paquin - True Blood (HBO)

Kyra Sedgwick - The Closer (TNT)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

Simon Baker - The Mentalist (CBS)

Michael C. Hall - Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Jon Hamm - Mad Men (AMC)

Hugh Laurie - House (FOX)

Bill Paxton - Big Love (HBO)

BEST TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

30 Rock (NBC) (Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.)

Entourage (HBO) (Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Productions)

Glee (FOX) (Twentieth Century Fox Television)

Modern Family (ABC) (Twentieth Century Fox Television)

The Office (NBC) (Universal Television Studios, Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Toni Collette - United States of Tara (SHOWTIME)

Courtney Cox - Cougar Town (ABC)

Edie Falco - Nurse Jackie (SHOWTIME)

Tina Fey - 30 Rock (NBC)

Lea Michele - Glee (FOX)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock (NBC)

Steve Carell - The Office (NBC)

David Duchovney - Californication (SHOWTIME)

Thomas Jane - Hung (HBO)

Matthew Morrison - Glee (FOX)

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Georgia O'Keefe (LIFETIME) (Sony Pictures Television)

Grey Gardens (HBO) (Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films)

Into the Storm (HBO) (Scott Free and Rainmark Films Production in association with the BBC and HBO Films)

Little Dorrit (PBS) (Masterpiece/BBC Co-Production)

Taking Chance (HBO) (Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures in association with HBO Films)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Joan Allen - Georgia O'Keefe (LIFETIME)

Drew Barrymore - Grey Gardens (HBO)

Jessica Lange - Grey Gardens (HBO)

Anna Paquin - The Courageous Heart of Irena (CBS)

Sigourney Weaver - Prayers for Bobby (LIFETIME)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Kevin Bacon - Taking Chance (HBO)

Kenneth Branagh - Wallander: One Step Behind (BBC)

Chiwetel Ejiofor - Endgame (PBS)

Brendan Gleeson - Into the Storm (HBO)

Jeremy Irons - Georgia O'Keefe (LIFETIME)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Jane Adams - Hung (HBO)

Rose Byrne - Damages (FX NETWORK)

Jane Lynch - Glee (FOX)

Janet McTeer - Into the Storm (HBO)

Chloe Sevigny - Big Love (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES, OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Michael Emerson - Lost (ABC)

Neil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

William Hurt - Damages (FX NETWORK)

John Lithgow - Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Jeremy Piven - Entourage (HBO)

CECIL B. DEMILLE AWARD

Martin Scorsese

The Golden Globe Awards air on Sunday, January 17th, 2010 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on NBC from the Beverly Hilton.

http://www.goldenglobes.org

A Classic Tale, Motion Capture, and Many Jim Carreys

A Christmas Carol

Directed By: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth

Rated: PG

1 hr. 38 min.

The classic Christmas tale by Charles Dickens is retold again through a new Disney animated feature by the director of The Polar Express.

The animation seemed to have been improved a little bit from The Polar Express, in which the people looked slightly creepy and unreal. Through motion capture, the animators have successfully caught Jim Carrey's caricatures of Ebenezer Scrooge and the three Ghosts of Christmas who visit him. Carrey is a delight in each of the characters he portrays; each character has a unique personality and a different look.

This new take on the classic tale is another brilliant retelling, and should be remembered along the lines of the version featuring George C. Scott.

Grade: A