Miniseries and TV Movies
When I think of TV movies, Lifetime always pops into my head. They are so good at creating such awful disease of the week features as well as anything involving a woman being involved in either a sex scandal, blackmail, some domestic dispute, a robbery, sex-related blackmail, or something kinda true but then becomes grossly exaggerated just to see if they can lure viewers in.
Fake titles that could have already been made by Lifetime, Television for Women.
Kidnapped: The Jessica Smith Story
Cheated Hearts: The Jan Samson Story
Baby for Sale: The Susan Lee Story
Bad Hair Day: The Tonya Lee Jenkins Story
Southern Fried Horror Show: The Shelley Becky Ann Allen-Carson Story
Luckily, the Academy acknowledges decent-quality TV fare. Often, the miniseries/movie categories are the only categories that they tend to not screw up.
MINISERIES OR TELEVISION MOVIE
"American
Horror Story" (FX)
"Game Change" (HBO)
"Hatfields & McCoys" (History)
"Hemingway and Gellhorn" (HBO)
"Luther" (BBC America)
"Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia" (PBS)
"Game Change" (HBO)
"Hatfields & McCoys" (History)
"Hemingway and Gellhorn" (HBO)
"Luther" (BBC America)
"Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia" (PBS)
Who should
win: Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia. If you haven't watched this
modern-update on Sherlock Holmes (a role that the wonderfully-named Benedict
Cumberbatch was born to play), then you have not experienced Sherlock.
My second
choice: Game Change
Who will
win: Game Change
Sin of
omission: The Hour
LEAD ACTRESS-MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Connie
Britton as Vivien Harmon in "American Horror Story"
Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in "Game Change"
Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Ashley Judd as Rebecca Winstone in "Missing"
Emma Thompson as She in "The Song of Lunch"
Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in "Game Change"
Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Ashley Judd as Rebecca Winstone in "Missing"
Emma Thompson as She in "The Song of Lunch"
Who should
win: Nicole Kidman. I do enjoy her scenes as the elderly Gellhorn, though that
could be because I am a sucker for actors in prosthetics for old age.
My second
choice: Julianne Moore. Her Sarah Palin
tends to be gimmicky and strained at times, much like the real-life woman who
almost became one heartbeat away from the presidency.
Who will
win: Kidman or Moore (or a two-way tie. That would pretty cool.)
Sin of omission: Emily Watson for
"Appropriate Adult"
Random note: I thought "Missing'' was supposed to be a TV series. When I saw a couple of movies at AMC earlier this year, I caught previews of the show in those behind-the-scenes featurettes they play before the trailers. Did the show even make it on-air? I don't remember when it aired. Did anyone see that show/miniseries/thing?
Random note: I thought "Missing'' was supposed to be a TV series. When I saw a couple of movies at AMC earlier this year, I caught previews of the show in those behind-the-scenes featurettes they play before the trailers. Did the show even make it on-air? I don't remember when it aired. Did anyone see that show/miniseries/thing?
SUPPORTING ACTRESS-MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Frances
Conroy as Moira in "American Horror Story"
Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon in "American Horror Story"
Sarah Paulson as Nicolle Wallace "Game Change"
Mare Winningham as Sally McCoy in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Judy Davis as Jill Tankard in "Page Eight"
Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon in "American Horror Story"
Sarah Paulson as Nicolle Wallace "Game Change"
Mare Winningham as Sally McCoy in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Judy Davis as Jill Tankard in "Page Eight"
Who should win: Sarah Paulson
My second choice: Judy Davis
Who will win: Jessica Lange. She seems
more like a lead, though that could be the result of her effective
scene-stealing throughout the first "anthology" of AHS.
Sin of omission: N/A
Random note: AHS is now an anthology. And "Downton Abbey" is now a ol' fashioned drama series.
Last year (at the Golden Globes) their genres were the exact opposite. But those guys still think Laura Linney's "The Big C" is a comedy. What weirdos.
TV is weird.
Random note: AHS is now an anthology. And "Downton Abbey" is now a ol' fashioned drama series.
Last year (at the Golden Globes) their genres were the exact opposite. But those guys still think Laura Linney's "The Big C" is a comedy. What weirdos.
TV is weird.
LEAD ACTOR-MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Woody
Harrelson as Steve Schmidt in "Game Change"
Kevin Costner as 'Devil' Anse Hatfield in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Idris Elba as John Luther in "Luther"
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Kevin Costner as 'Devil' Anse Hatfield in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Bill Paxton as Randall McCoy in "Hatfields & McCoys"
Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Idris Elba as John Luther in "Luther"
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Who should win: Benedict Cumberbatch. His
name alone deserves to be said more than once. Say it with me. Repeat. He is also according to some people, "sexy as an otter".
My second choice: Clive Owen
Who will win: Clive Owen. The
biographical performances always win. 8 out of the past 10 winners in this
category went to portrayals of real-life men. His performance is remarkable. The man has a knack for portraying less than flattering men. (See "Closer", where he tries to become intimate with Natalie Portman at a strip club).
Sin of omission: Dylan McDermott for
"American Horror Story". How a performance that involved crying while masturbating (in the buff) failed to get a nomination is beyond me.
SUPPORTING ACTOR-MINISERIES-MINISERIES OR
MOVIE
Denis O'Hare
as Larry Harvey in "American Horror Story"
Ed Harris as John McCain in "Game Change"
Tom Berenger as Jim Vance in "Hatfields & McCoys"
David Strathairn as John Dos Passos in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson in "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Ed Harris as John McCain in "Game Change"
Tom Berenger as Jim Vance in "Hatfields & McCoys"
David Strathairn as John Dos Passos in "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson in "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Who should win: Ed Harris
My second choice: Martin Freeman
Who will win: Ed Harris
Sin of omission: Ralph Fiennes for
"Page Eight"
Random note: It's very eerily how Harris, one of the finest underrated actors of all time (how he hasn't won an Oscar yet is beyond me), does not mimic the senator yet doesn't pull a Daniel Day-Lewis and crawls into the man's skin. (I think this is how he became Lincoln in Spielberg's newest movie)
Random note: It's very eerily how Harris, one of the finest underrated actors of all time (how he hasn't won an Oscar yet is beyond me), does not mimic the senator yet doesn't pull a Daniel Day-Lewis and crawls into the man's skin. (I think this is how he became Lincoln in Spielberg's newest movie)
DIRECTING-MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jay Roach,
"Game Change"
Kevin Reynolds, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Philip Kaufman, "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Sam Miller, "Luther"
Paul McGuigan, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Kevin Reynolds, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Philip Kaufman, "Hemingway and Gellhorn"
Sam Miller, "Luther"
Paul McGuigan, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Who should win: Jay Roach
My second choice: Paul McGuigan
Who will win: Jay Roach. He won in this
category for the superior "Recount", the 2008 telefilm about the 2000
recount in Florida.
Sin of omission: N/A
Random note: Did you know that Roach directed Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, and all three Austin Powers movies?
Random note: Did you know that Roach directed Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, and all three Austin Powers movies?
WRITING-MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Danny
Strong, "Game Change"
Ted Mann, Ronald Parker and Bill Kerby, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Abi Morgan, "The Hour"
Neil Cross, "Luther"
Steven Moffat, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Ted Mann, Ronald Parker and Bill Kerby, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Abi Morgan, "The Hour"
Neil Cross, "Luther"
Steven Moffat, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia"
Who should win: Sherlock: A Scandal in
Belgravia
My second choice: The Hour
Who will win: Game Change
Sin of omission: N/A
Tomorrow: We look at the drama categories.
No comments:
Post a Comment