Here is what I watched this week.  (I’m beginning to see why Netflix keeps recommending me “films with strong female leads”.)

Trouble the Water (dir. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, 2008)

The best documentaries follow larger-than-life individuals whose stories bring to the surface the very problems effecting everyday lives. There’s a reason why Time Magazine listed Kimberly Rivers Roberts as herself as one of the best performances from 2008.

Hunger (dir. Steve McQueen, 2008)

Michael Fassbender’s first collaboration with director Steve McQueen leaves you saying two words: “Holy. Crap.”

Maria Full of Grace (dir. Joshua Marston, 2004)

Catelina Sandino Moreno hasn’t appeared in many films since her breakthrough performance in Maria Full of Grace. But this is such a great role and performance, she doesn’t need too.<

Broken English (dir. Zoe Cassavetes, 2007)

Parker Posey is fantastic as Nora, an off-balance thirtysomething struggling with her relationships and career as all of her friends seem to be settling down. Posey’s performance is the only reason to watch this film. While rewatching this movie, I also realized why I recognized Melvil Poupaud (A Christmas Tale) and Jennifer Aniston’s latest boyfriend.

Girl, Interrupted (dir. James Mangold, 1999

Girl, Interrupted belongs to Angelina Jolie. She steals every scene she is in and the movie noticeably lags when Jolie isn’t on screen. I want Jolie, Winona Ryder, and Elisabeth Moss to have a Girl, Interrupted reunion and make a buddy film together.

Band of Angels (dir. Raoul Walsh, 1957)

Band of Angels has possibly my favorite tagline ever.

Margin Call (dir. J.C. Chandor, 2011)

I made a point to watch Margin Call after J.C. Chandor received an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. This is an intense and gripping film with a fantastic ensemble cast (Kevin Spacey! Jeremy Irons! Zachary Quinto!) that has you sitting on the edge of your seat.

Reality Bites (dir. Ben Stiller, 1994)

I have a strange relationship with Reality Bites. I don’t particularly care for any of the characters yet I relate to so much of what this movie is about. I’m looking forward to not being able to relate to these characters.

Happy-Go-Lucky (dir. Mike Leigh, 2008)

Poppy is one of my favorite characters from a recent film and Sally Hawkins is a delight in this movie. I literally squealed when I realized it was on Netflix Instant and could finally watch it again.

Gosford Park (dir. Robert Altman, 2001)

I love this movie. It’s one of my favorites. It took me far too long to realize that Julian Fellowes wrote it.

No Strings Attached (dir. Ivan Reitman, 2011)

I have no idea why I watched this again. Probably because I was cleaning and wanted some background noise.

I have a theory about What To Expect When You’re Expecting, which hits theaters in May. It is just like New Year’s Eve or Valentine’s Day (hello, ensemble casts) except it is a far more humiliating movie for all of the actresses involved.

The character posters for What To Expect When You’re Expecting don’t do any of these theoretically talented women any favors. (Sorry. I won’t accept this idea that Brooklyn Decker is an actress.) The posters play into terrible stereotypes, recycle the bad jokes about pregnancy, and are just embarrassing for everyone involved. Especially us. We have to look at them.

Cameron Diaz as Jules.

Of course there is a joke about how good your rack looks when you’re pregnant. This poster is hinting at the fact that Jules got “knocked up” unexpectedly. Actually, I know this is true because Matthew Morrison said in some interview recently that he is the baby daddy. I’ll wait while you laugh at the thought of Matthew Morrison impregnating Cameron Diaz.

Elizabeth Banks as Wendy

On Wikipedia, Wendy is described as “”author and owner of The Breast Choice boutique who is militant in her beliefs about what makes a good mother until she gets pregnant for the first time.” If this character is not a blatant parody of Megyn “I Love Maternity Leave” Kelly, then she serves no purpose.

Anna Kenrick as Rosie

Given Rosie’s young age and taste in jewelry, I’m assuming that she is a careless harlot who never heard of birth control. How else could a woman under thirty end up pregnant? Her pregnancy probably also derails any of her career ambitions because women under thirty can’t be successful and single mothers. (Please let this be Anna Kendrick’s one bad post-Oscar nomination role.)

Brooklyn Decker as Skyler

Wikipedia tells me that Skyler is married to a much older man, who is played by Dennis Quaid. Of course she is. I bet his children from his first marriage hate her and her crazy horniness causes her older husband to have a heart attack.  And since when is Brooklyn Decker famous enough to get her own character poster? Reminding us that Andy Roddick used to be a tennis player doesn’t make her a movie star.

Jennifer Lopez as Holly

Since this is a movie about pregnancy, there has to be a barren woman who is fixated on adopting a baby. Holly is so obsessed with adoption, she doesn’t realize that her husband isn’t ready for a child. But she’ll plow through and adopt as a single mother so the audience can feel less sorry for her. I mean, look at this poster. Her empty womb makes us feel bad for Holly because not being able to carry a child of your own is a woman’s greatest failure. That and if you give birth Kevin from We Need To Talk About Kevin. It’s always the woman’s fault.

Earlier this morning the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards were announced. Hugo received 11 nominations while The Artist received 10. As usual, there were snubs (sorry Albert Brooks and Tilda Swinton) and surprises (GARY OLDMAN).

Some of the nominations have left me furious and the Best Picture nomination for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has made me throw things. Gary Oldman’s nomination as well as two other nominations for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy only slightly quell my rage. I’m also crushed that we won’t get to see which Haider Ackermann pantsuit Tilda Swinton was going to wear to the Oscars. And can someone please explain to me how and why only two songs were nominated for Best Song? The voting rules for that category need to be addressed.  The complete list of nominees is here and my snap judgments are below. Share your thoughts in the comments.

Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

I’m excited to see the inclusion of The Tree of Life. That is an unexpected but welcomed surprise.

I see every Best Picture nominee every year. I’m willing to see War Horse but there is no way I’m seeing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. [Read this if you want to know exactly why I refuse to see this movie.]

Best Director
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life

Happy to see the nomination for Terrence Malick.

Best Actor
Demián Bichir – A Better Life
George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt – Moneyball

GARY OLDMAN. GARY OLDMAN. GARY OLDMAN.

Am I okay with Michael Fassbender being left off the list? Not really, but Gary Oldman’s nomination balances it out. I am, however, ecstatic that Leonardo DiCaprio was not included. (Sorry Leo.)

Best Actress
Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis – The Help
Rooney Mara – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn

Tilda Swinton was overlooked in favor of Rooney Mara. Sigh. Gary Oldman still got nominated so I’ll live.

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill – Moneyball
Nick Nolte – Warrior
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Do you hear that sound? It is the cries of crushed Drive fanatics everywhere. I expected Albert Brooks to be overlooked; I dealt with those emotions months ago. 2011 was also a great year to be old and legendary.

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo – The Artist
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer – The Help

Melissa McCarthy! Every other nomination was predicted months ago.

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy deserves the award just for having Colin Firth utter the word, “Be-linda.”

Best Original Screenplay
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
A Separation

Excited to see nominations for A Separation and Bridesmaids. Man, I hope A Separation wins.

Best Animated Film
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

There’s a Kung Fu Panda 2? Puss in Boots is the Antonio Banderas movie with a nomination and not The Skin I Live In? Why have I not seen Rango yet? This category perplexes me.

Best Foreign Language Film
Belgium, “Bullhead” – Michael R. Roskam, director
Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar” – Philippe Falardeau, director
Iran, “A Separation” – Asghar Farhadi, director
Israel, “Footnote” – Joseph Cedar, director
Poland, “In Darkness” – Agnieszka Holland, director

I’ve only seen A Separation so far but I am doing the biggest dance because of it’s nomination right now.

Here is what I watched. Some wild Downton Abbey theorizing and Ted Mosby bashing follows.

Tiny Furniture (dir. Lena Dunham, 2010)

Lena Dunham might be the voice of her generation which is apparently my generation. Her new HBO show “Girls” (watch the trailer here) premieres on April 15. I’m either going to love this show or absolutely hate it. (I was somewhere in the middle with Tiny Furniture.)

Another Earth (dir. Mike Cahill, 2011)

Another Earth is an interesting companion film to The Tree of Life and Melancholia. It tackles the same themes while being less of an overreaching art film.

Beauty and the Beast (dir.  Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, 1991)

It’s a tale as old as time! In 3D! It was a magical and it all relates to Downton Abbey. (Seriously, it does.)

Desk Set (dir. Walter Lang, 1957)

Another Katharine Hepburn-Spencer Tracy film that just makes me giddy.

My Beautiful Laundrette (dir. Stephen Frears, 1985)

Possibly my favorite Stephen Frears movie.

The Strange Case of Angelica (dir. Manoel de Oliveira, 2010)

I love Manoel de Oliveira’s films and this is no exception. The Strange Case of Angelica is charming, funny, and mystifying. He’s also an adorable old man.

happythankyoumoreplease (dir. Josh Radnor, 2010)

Ted Mosby made a movie. It’s not that good. I wanted Marshall and Lily to smack some sense into these awful characters.

Love Me Tender (dir. Robert D. Webb, 1956)

In his first movie, Elvis plays Clint Reno, the youngest of four brothers who stays home during the Civil War to care for his mother and family farm. When one brother, Vance (Richard Egan) is mistakenly reported as killed, Clint marries his brother’s girl. Drama ensues. Elvis sings. I tried hard not to laugh.

Submarine (dir. Richard Ayoade, 2010)

A quirky, entertaining coming-of-age film.

A Separation (dir. Asghar Farhadi, 2011)

This is one of the best familial dramas I have ever seen.

Far From Heaven (dir. Todd Haynes, 2002)

I hadn’t seen Far From Heaven since I was about 14 and now I have mixed feelings about it. Stylistically, it’s great and Julianne Moore is fantastic, but something about it doesn’t hold up. Or maybe, Mad Men has left me jaded.

When I saw Beauty and the Beast (in 3D! It was magical!) yesterday, a brilliant thought crossed my mind. Every servant in Beauty in the Beast is the animated version of every servant in Downton Abbey. So naturally, I wasted hours photoshopping pictures and shared them on Tumblr. The photo set has been received more notes than I ever expected, making me realize “Crap, maybe I should I explain my reasonings.”

So here they are: Every servant in Beauty and the Beast as a servant on Downton Abbey.

Carson and Mr. Carson

Cogsworth is the “very serious” servant who is loyal to the Beast and (tries to) control the servants. Just like Carson. Cogsworth also has a flair for dramatics. Just like Carson.

Lumiere and Bates

This is the most questioned comparison. “Oh, Mr. Bates is not Lumiere. Lumiere is Thomas.” (I said that in Ricky Gervais’ voice, by the way.) Although their personalities don’t quite fit, Lumiere is Bates. Neither is particurly conniving, they’re loyal, and they are in love with Fifi (Anna).

Fifi and Anna

Because they are both maids and have a relationship with Lumiere (Bates). Bates would save Anna from being plucked by a villager. (That’s what she said.)

Mrs Potts and Mrs Patmore

Mrs. Potts and Mrs. Patmore are exactly the same person. Sometimes I forget that Lesley Nicol plays Patmore and not Angela Lansbury.

Chip and Daisy

Daisy is not Mrs. Patmore’s child but they have a very obvious mother-child relationship. Especially when it comes to dealing with Daisy’s relationship with William.

Wardrobe and Mrs. Hughes

While Mrs. Potts gets to sing all the songs, the Wardrobe is the lady-in-waiting. She runs the household and comforts Belle in her time of need. And if Downton Abbey ever came under attack, Mrs. Hughes would kick some serious ass. (The Wardrobe could also be O’Brien. But I don’t like O’Brien.)

Forte and Thomas

In Beauty and the Beast no servant is evil enough to be Thomas. Cogsworth and company just want to be human again! Thank goodness Disney made those sequels no one watches. Forte is the main antagonist in Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. He enjoys being a giant pipe organ and being the Beast’s main confidante. Naturally, Forte tries to ruin Belle and the Beast’s relationship and fails miserably. So Forte is Thomas, with a dash of O’Brien. (But I don’t like O’Brien.)

This leaves one question: Which Beauty and the Beast servant is O’Brien? Let me know in the comments.

But geeze, the Golden Globes were boring this year. I dozed off several times. Something was missing and it wasn’t just Mandy Patinkin’s beard. To be fair, it was a fitting ceremony given the serious lack of exciting film nominees… and the serious lack of exciting films in 2011. (I’m really not hyped about any movies this awards season.) Thank goodness for drunken celebrities. They are single reason to watch the Globes each year and some stars really brought their A-game.

Meryl Streep

Somehow Meryl is shocked that she won even though she wins a Golden Globe practically every year. Look at Don’s face. It says what we all are thinking: “Bitch, please.”

Tilda Swinton

Tilda Swinton covered her face when Colin Firth read her name. Fortunately, Rob Lowe was there.

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman could care less about all of you.

Nicole Kidman

Her face is so frozen.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

No, JGL isn’t being goofy. This is his mating call with Zooey Deschanel. Also, the 50/50-Beginners table was probably the party table.

Ben Kingsley

Ben Kingley is wasted. Whatever. He’s Sir Ben Kingsley. He can do whatever the hell he wants.

Uggie

Uggie should accept all of the awards for The Artist. Only then I will accept its inevitable best picture win.

And  my favorite awkward pan and lingering shot of the night happened as Julian Fellowes accepted the award for Best Miniseries:

The Americans are coming!

Rob Lowe and Julianne Moore are joining the cast of Downton Abbey for the third season.

The Golden Globes are mere hours away. Are you excited? Have you poured your first drink yet? I have… because I’m watching the Red Carpet on E! right now and it is torture. As usual. (Why do I put myself through the misery of watching Guiliana Rancic and the Seacrest every year?) Anyway, on Friday’s episode of the Ally and Joanna Show, Ally and I already revealed our preferred Golden Globe winners. But in case you don’t care to listen to a 40 minute podcast, here are my predictions for the film categories.

Best Picture – Drama:
Should Win: The Descendants Will Win: The Help

Best Picture – Musical or Comedy:
Should Win: Midnight in Paris Will Win: The Artist

Best Actor – Drama:
Should Win: Michael Fassbender, Shame Will Win: George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Actress – Drama
Should Win: Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin Will Win: Viola Davis, The Help
(Look, I’m Tilda’s #1 Fangirl. I always pick her no matter what!)

Best Actor – Musical or Comedy
Should Win: Jean DuJardin, The Artist Will Win: Jean DuJardin, The Artist

Best Actress – Musical or Comedy
Should Win: Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids Will Win: Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor
Should Win: Christopher Plummer, Beginners Will Win: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
(Because I’m a sap for giving old and legendary actors awards late in their career.)

Best Supporting Actress
Should Win: Octavia Spencer, The Help Will Win: Octavia Spencer, The Help
(I love Viola Davis but Octavia Spencer was why I enjoyed The Help)

Best Director
Should Win: Martin Scorsese, Hugo Will Win: Michel “What’s His Name?” Hazanavicius, The Artist

So yeah, those are my picks. How do you think will win? And most importantly, if you’re playing a Golden Globes drinking game – be honest, you are – it is mandatory that you drink every time someone mispronounce “Hazanavicius”.

Here is what I watched this week.

La Vie En Rose (dir. Olivier Dahan, 2007)

I have now seen La Vie En Rose twice in the last six months. That is twice more than I ever intended.

Senna (dir. Asif Kapadia, 2010)

Senna lacks standard documentary markers (no talking heads; no narration) and makes Formula One racing interesting. Senna stands out as one of the best recent documentaries.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (dir. Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, 1938)

Errol Flynn will always be the best Robin Hood. He wasn’t the first but it is hard to imagine the character without Flynn’s boundless charm. Actually, it is easy to picture that Robin Hood because it is Russell Crowe.

Atlantic City (dir. Louis Malle, 1980)

The romantic pairing of Susan Sarandon and Burt Lancaster oddly works.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (dir. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1943)

This isn’t my favorite Powell-Pressburger film but like all of their work, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp boasts a great story with much more than beats the eye.

Heavenly Creatures (dir. Peter Jackson, 1994)

With a film like Heavenly Creatures, the real life story it is based on can easily overshadow the film. But the performances by Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey pushes this film over the edge, making it an intense and fascinating ride.

The Killing (dir. Stanley Kubrick, 1956)

One of my favorite film noirs and one of my favorite films directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Adam’s Rib (dir. George Cukor, 1949)

This is my favorite Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn film. I have a copy on VHS that I can’t part with and when I was younger, I would watch the tape over and over again. The gender politics are years ahead of its time. Adam’s Rib is Tracy and Hepburn at their best.

Notting Hill (dir. Roger Michell, 1999)

I went on a huge Downton Abbey binge this week, which led me to watching Notting Hill. Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham Hugh Bonneville plays one of Hugh Grant’s friends and he is responsible for one of my favorite scenes in the movie.

I recently saw Tinker Tailor Solider Spy. Again.

This adaptation of John Le Carre’s espionage novel is one of my favorite films from last year and one of the few I actually want to watch again. (There are not that many. 2011 was such a meh year for movies.) Director Tomas Alfredson and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema have made an exceptionally well-crafted film. And then there is Gary Oldman; his performance as George Smiley is quietly powerful and those are the best kind of performances. These are a few thoughts about what stood out to me about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy the second time around.

1. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is packed with multiple plot lines and characters, some who appear for seemingly no reason. This is almost too overwhelming and distracting the first time you watch the movie. At times, the film’s pacing feels a little rushed because the writers were trying to condense and cram so much into a two hour window. I’ve read that the 1979 BBC miniseries is a better adaptation of the novel. Given the length of the feature film compared to the length of the miniseries, this isn’t a surprising observation.

2. Seeing this film a second time allowed me to focus less on the plot and more on the film’s style. Much of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is about how it looks compared to other spy thrillers. The composition of every shot oozes with a 70s style. This is by far my favorite aspect of the film.

3. Alberto Iglesias’ score for Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is a delight, perfectly fitting with the action on the screen.

Iglesias also composed the score for The Skin I Live In. These are two of the best scores from 2011.

4. The song played during Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy‘s final moments is Julio Iglesias’ “La Mer”. It is a noticeable change from Iglesias’ score and even from the opening sequence that the finale more or less replicates. The addition of “La Mer”, which Alfredson described as “everything that the world of MI6 isn’t”,  to the finale gives a sense that the Circus is about to change for the better. This feeling might also have to do with the fact that George Smiley is at the helm.

5. When analyzing performance in film, more credit is given to flashy roles than is deserved. Almost as if the more dialogue an actor has the better. But when a character is silent and their actions are more subdued, the performance is more easily forgotten. Gary Oldman’s performance is restrained. George Smiley shows little emotion and only raises his voice once. His job as a spy (and why he is an effective one) is to listen and fall into the background. Oldman was interviewed on Fresh Air yesterday and this same point came up. This is how Oldman describes Smiley:

He listens. He sees everything and he hears everything but there’s an action in the listening in a ways it’s very active. It’s not just with the ears. It’s a complete physical thing with Smiley. He’s very, very restrained emotional. He is the spymaster. He has been over his career a wonderful interrogator and this is what makes him dangerous. He’s the leopard in the foliage, in the jungle. He’s the one you don’t see coming.

This is why, for me, Oldman’s performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy stands out. I’ll remember it far longer than any other acting performances this year.

Are you as fixated on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as I am? Or did you not care for it? Should Gary Oldman be winning all of the awards? Or is that just me being crazy? Sound off below.

Don’t worry. I have broken down LOL (colon) Laughing Out Loud for you.

This is Lola aka Lol. She’s at that “special age”

LOL also stands for Lola. And that feeling you get any time you're reminded of Miley Cyrus' existence.

LOL has a boyfriend. He breaks her heart. Because she’s 15, she reacts irrationally.

No one ever told LOL to avoid guys named Chad and to never use permanent marker.

This is LOL’s male best friend. They get into trouble together.

Male BFF is enigmatic and stuff. He plays the guitar and wears sunglasses. Lola decides she loves him.

Demi Moore is LOL’s mom

Parenting 101 according to teen movies: Stern parents who can't control their children always wear glasses.

LOL is acting out. She gets bad grades and throws wild parties.

Fortunately for Mama Demi, LOL also keeps elaborate journals that illustrate her bad behavior. (Please tell me you LOLed at the scene of Demi angrily waving a box of condoms in Miley's face.)

LOL uses the internet to plan a jaunt to Paris.

Because the best coming-of-age stories always take place in Europe. I want to know how LOL and company get away with this.

LOL’s male BFF/crush is a musician.

Someone should tell LOL that the second you show up at your boyfriend's gig with your iPhone and flashiest groupie outfit, the second you start setting yourself up to be miserable. Because he will always choose music over you. (I have no experience in this matter.)

LOL and friends judge other girls for having “skankville” underwear.

The filmmaker's intend for this cliche locker room scene to be ironic.

LOL is desperately seeking something. Hopefully it is Susan but it is probably just love… and drugs.

Most likely, it is love. How can you not love this face?

Verdict: I love coming-of-age teen dramedies as much as the next person (probably more) but LOL looks like the demented love child of Skins. The American version of Skins. The characters seem poorly imagined and like every other character in every other poorly imagined teen comedy. That is unfortunate.