Awards Watch: Nominations for the 2010 Dorian Awards

The Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (of which yours truly and my fellow Movie Dearest Men on Film Chris Carpenter and Neil Cohen are members) has announced its nominations for the group's second annual Dorian Awards, celebrating the best in film and television for 2010.

In 17 categories, including new ones this year for documentaries and "unsung" movies, GALECA has nominated a wide variety of films and TV programs, both with and without GLBT themes. Titles with multiple nominations include such big screen hits as Black Swan, The Kids Are All Right and The Social Network, while The Big Bang Theory, Glee and Modern Family represent the small screen.

See the comments section below for the complete list of nominations. Winners will be announced January 18 in Los Angeles.

Couch Time with Sheldon

By no means is this a complaint but movies show up at my door constantly. I am rarely without something to screen when I look for something to watch. Why then did I find myself at the video store this weekend renting a bunch of movies when I already had a bunch at home? I guess I'm insatiable that way.

It isn't going to get any better either with releases like what I'm about to divulge to you coming soon. The hilarious comedy that is hip enough for teens but smart for adults, EASY A, drops right in time for Christmas on December 21. One of 2010's most celebrated adult dramas, THE TOWN, just a few days before that on December 17. James Franco plays Allen Ginsberg in the obscenity obsessed docudrama, HOWL, hitting stores on January 4. And looking a little further to the spring, Disney will be bringing BAMBI to blu-ray on March 1. (Click any film title above, save for BAMBI, for a full review.)

And now, back to the couch ...

SEX AND THE CITY 2

The girls are back where they belong, in my living room. It is so much easier to forgive writer/director, Michael Patrick King's ridiculously outlandish production and nonsensical plot when I'm lazying around in my jammies in the couch. At least watching it this way means I don't have to get dressed all pretty and trek myself over to the theatre to sit there for 2 1/2 hours. No, this way I can drink as many cosmos as I like during the film to make it even more plausible. In all honesty, the second "Sex and the City" movie has its moments. They are not particularly deep or insightful and they certainly don't hold any of the gravitas that they would have years ago when the series was running but they are amusing. If you miss the girls, check them out. You will laugh plenty and the regret will be minimal. Click here for the full Black Sheep review. (Warner Brothers)

LEAVES OF GRASS

How could a movie starring well liked thespian, Edward Norton, go straight to home video? This Tim Blake Nelson film played at TIFF in 2009 and was intended for a theatrical release this fall so what went wrong? Allow me to tell you, pretty much everything. Norton plays twin brother, one is professor of philosophy and the other is a pot dealer. The professor goes home to the middle of nowhere for the first time in ages to play a little identical twin trickery, as if this were a television sitcom or something. As competent as the players are (rounded out by Susan Sarandon and Keri Russell), something always feels off and amateurish in this film. It could have been interesting but never quite gets there. (First Look)

THE SECRET OF KELLS

I'm so happy to have finally gotten around to seeing THE SECRET OF KELLS, the surprise Oscar nominee in the Animated Feature category last year. A young lad named Brandon, who has never been outside the walls that surround Kells, must challenge himself to be the best he can be in order to bring order to a chaotic world. It plays out like a fantasy quest film where the meek must triumph over tragedy and all things evil. This will likely play better to adults fans of the fantasy genre than to attention deficient children but this fable will certainly enchant anyone with an appreciation for breathtaking and imaginative animation style. Give in to Kells and it will show you all the secrets it has to offer.

(New Video Group)

If you're stopping by the video store, there are a ton of brand new first run titles available for rental or purchase this week. Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, etc. get together for the reunion comedy, GROWN UPS ... Jim Carrey's holiday leftovers from 2009, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, are now available for your consumption ... Lars Von Trier's latest, ANTICHRIST, gets the Criterion treatment ... Cutie, Zach Efron's big dramatic turn as CHARLIE ST. CLOUD is now available for slumber parties and drinking games ... It's supposed to be great family fun for RAMONA AND BEEZUS ... Or how about a supposedly dreadful prostitute drama with Helen Mirren and Joe Pesci running the LOVE RANCH ... And finally, most of you missed this in theatres but you had better get out there and watch one of the most exciting and hilarious films on the year, SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD. Don't make Michael Cera come after you. (Click here for the Black Sheep SCOTT PILGRIM review.)

See you on the other end of the couch ...

Source: Blu-ray.com

Couch Time with Sheldon

Welcome to COUCH TIME WITH SHELDON, a brand new feature on Black Sheep Reviews. Well, it's mostly brand new. Essentially, this feature will replace BLU-TUESDAY. Rather than simply focus on the releases of the day, Black Sheep will take a look at a handful of titles each week, ranging from brand new releases to catalog titles, based on what Sheldon has actually watched recently. In case you don't know it, Sheldon is that little sheep you see everywhere on the site. He would also be my alter-ego I guess but that's not something I'm ready to deal with just yet.

We will continue to highlight what has come out on DVD and Blu-ray each week, as well as continue to look at what has been announced but the focus will be more on what Sheldon has seen rather than what he intends to.

Speaking of announcements, check these out ... Warner Bros. brings out two 1970's classics, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN and NETWORK on February 15, 2011. Alliance will release the George Clooney film, THE AMERICAN, on December 28th of this year. 20th Century Fox has THE A-TEAM cashing in on the holidays on December 14th and the indie comedy, CYRUS (click for review) hits the week before. And here's the exciting news ... Disney will be releasing their superhero hit, THE INCREDIBLES, in the spring of 2011.

And now, I invite you to spend a little couch time with Sheldon ... Here's what everybody's favorite sheep saw in the last little bit.

FROZEN

I love indie films like this one, that get picked up (in this case by Anchor Bay Films) and manage to find an audience they would never have found, and actually deserve it. Horror director, Adam Green, has created a truly horrifying experience with FROZEN. Three college-aged skiers decide that they need to get one last run in before the end of their day. There is a lesson to be learned about being greedy though because the chair lift stops on their way up and before it gets going again, all the lights go out and everyone else goes home. There are no scary monsters or psycho killers with hooks for hands here. No, the only enemy here is nature itself and that level of reality is what had me freaking out for about a good hour straight. If you're looking for something offbeat to both scare and impress your Halloween guests, check out FROZEN. Be warned though, you might not go skiing for a little while afterward.

PLEASE GIVE

Don't let this atrocious cover art fool you. PLEASE GIVE is an excellent indie comedy that Sony Pictures is now just trying to push to as wide an audience as possible by capitalizing on the film's stars. This Nicole Holofcener film features Catherine Keener and Oliver Platt as a married New York City couple who run a trendy Soho furniture store. Keener's character has some issues with how they run their show though, as the majority of their pieces come from the misfortune of others. They buy pieces from people who have recently passed away and then resell them for exorbitant prices. They are also waiting for the elderly lady next door to pass away so they can take over her place and expand on their own. This fascinating exploration of white upper-class guilt is refreshingly honest and surprisingly funny. With the cast rounded out by Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall, you can't go wrong.

LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES (HEARTBEATS)

There has been a lot of talk recently on Black Sheep for Xavier Dolan's second feature, LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES. After having the chance to interview him at TIFF (click here for interview), I feel like I have an all new approach to his work. Just from sitting across from him for 20 minutes, you can tell that Dolan is an insightful person who feels a great deal. Those personality traits are abundant in LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES, now available to rent or own on DVD only from Alliance Films (with English subtitles). Fans of the French new wave and Wong Kar-Wai will love Dolan's latest work. Two great friends, Marie and Francis (Monia Chokri and Dolan) both fall for the same guy (Niels Schneider) and Dolan the director explores the highs and lows of falling in love, or more specifically, of falling in love with the idea of being in love. The results are honest, enlightening and will be understood by anyone who has ever chased after someone without really knowing why. (Click title in body for original review.)

Thank you for checking out the first COUCH TIME WITH SHELDON feature. The feature will run regularly on Tuesday's from here on in. In the meantime, here is a list of other titles available this week to rent or own ...

BACK TO THE FUTURE TRILOGY (Blu-ray)

ALIEN ANTHOLOGY (Blu-ray)

SEX AND THE CITY 2

(click title for review)

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE

(click title for review)

WINTER'S BONE

(click title for review)

Source: blu-ray.com

MD Poll: The Man of Your Dreams

With close to half of the total votes, Inception's dreamy Tom Hardy was easily your "Boy of Summer", Class of 2010.

Wolfboy Taylor Lautner was a distant second, followed by Tom's fellow dream teamer Leonardo DiCaprio. See the comments section below for the complete results.

MD Poll: The Boys of Summer 2010

The end of the summer movie season is almost upon us, so it is time for our annual look back at the film actors that made it so memorable ... and judge them on their looks alone and anoint one the hottest cinematic hunk of the past four months or so!

This year's batch is filled with some familiar faces (Leo, Jake, the Twilight guys) alongside some "fresh meat" (Inception hottie Tom Hardy, Sex and the City 2's sizzling Max Ryan), plus a surprise stud who is technically nearing 50 years old.

Take your pick and place your vote in the MD Poll located in the right hand sidebar. The ultimate summer movie hunk, class of 2010, will be crowned September 25.

UPDATE: This poll is now closed; click here for the results, and click here to vote in the latest MD Poll.