Director James Cameron poses with the award for best motion picture drama for "Avatar" backstage at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A while ago, a fellow writer friend mentioned she enjoys watching the Golden Globes because everyone gets drunk.  Last night definitely lived up to the billing.  Even the greats including Meryl Streep and Harrison Ford seemed as though they’d indulged in more than a few cocktails during the event, and there was lots of giggling during post-show interviews.

“Avatar” was the big winner, snagging both Best Director and Best Motion Picture Drama.  Although this style of movie seldom gets the big awards, I was not surprised at the win.  Avatar fits perfectly with Hollywood’s political views of the day; it represents the future of movie making and it’s making quite a lot of money.  The Golden Globe judges (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) aren’t usually concerned with the amount of money a film makes, but this year it seems they kept it top of mind.

Sandra Bullock walked away with her first Globe for her role in the mega-hit “Blind Side.” Blockbuster movies did well all night. Other mainstream winners included:

Meryl Streep – Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical for “Julie and Julia”

Robert Downey Jr. – Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for “Sherlock Holmes”

“The Hangover” – Best Motion Picture Comedy Musical

Does this mark the end of the independent film?  The independent film has been dying a slow death for years.  As bigger and bigger names got involved in so-called independent projects, the genre has taken on a much less indie-feel.

Jeff Bridges did pick up a Best Actor in a Drama Golden Globe for his role in “Crazy Heart,” the story of a broken down country music singer.  ”Crazy Horse” isn’t really an independent film, but it has had a much more limited release than the other winners, playing mostly at theaters such as the Esquire in Denver.

As far as Golden Globe fashion, I was rather under-whelmed.  It seemed the eighties are back, including shoulder pads, which should only be worn by football players.  Hopefully the Academy Awards, airing on March 7, will prove to be a better night for fashion and perhaps a better night for the great films of 2009, including “An Education” and “Up in the Air.”

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Now that the Golden Globe nominees have been announced, I am inspired to blog about my disappointment in this year’s movie award season. I’ve never been a fan of the Golden Globes. I feel it’s the dumb kid brother to the more grown up and classy Academy Awards.

That being said, this year the Academy has decided to dumb down too. They’ve decided to amend the Best Picture category to include ten nominees instead of the standard five. Yes, ten. That’s 1-0. Ridiculous? Most definitely. Most years it is hard to find five movies good enough to qualify for the category.

So why is Hollywood doing this? Well, they do like to pat themselves on the back, just look at how many awards shows exist. There are the two most famous, the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, but then there Sundance, Cannes, the Independent Spirit Awards, the MTV Movie Awards, and a plethora of film festivals throughout the country. I know of no other industry who gives themselves such a vast array of parties and award ceremonies.

I believe there are two main reasons the Academy decided to expand the Best Picture category. First, they want to boost the ratings. If people hear that their favorite movie has been nominated they will be more likely to watch the Oscars to see if their favorite wins. So no doubt, with ten nominees, the Academy will be able to reach a much larger audience of potential viewers.

Secondly, the movie industry wants to make more money. Many of us will go a film if it has been nominated for Best Picture. My husband and I are fairly religious about doing this, and we usually manage to see all the Best Picture nominees in the theater. Now we go to a lot of movies, so getting to five specific films isn’t terribly difficult, but ten is going to be much harder. We have decided we aren’t even going to try.

So take that, you arrogant members of the Academy! We aren’t falling for your tricks.

Rated R

Directed by Stephen Daldry

Starring Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Hannah Herzprung, Karoline Herfurth

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 3

Word of Warning: Graphic sex scenes, this one is not for those who blush easily. 

Rated R

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Judah Friedlander, Ajay Naidu

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 4.5

Word of Warning: This is a movie for adults and the R rating is appropriate.

Complete with solid writing, a believable storyline and outstanding performances, I believe “The Wrestler” is one of the best movies of 2008. The movie opened in limited release, but with critical acclaim growing daily, it is now playing almost everywhere.

Read the rest of this review HERE.

The big news? Kate Winslet probably won’t be winning an Oscar, now that she’s finally walked away with an award – two actually. She won Best Supporting Actress for “The Reader” and Best Actress for “Revolutionary Road,” leaving the door wide open for a most deserving Meryl Streep to win the Oscar.

Winslet was surprised by the second win and had a terrible time getting through all her thank you’s, though having a British accent always makes a person seem proper, even when they are in a state of disarray. She confessed her “13 year” love of co-star Leonardo DiCaprio – thankfully she quickly followed up by adding how much she loves her husband and “Revolutionary Road” director, Sam Mendes.

“Slumdog Millionaire,” one of my favorites, was the surprise big winner, walking away with Best Screenplay, Best Musical Score and Best Picture.

Best Actor went to Mickey Rourke for his performance in “The Wrestler.” A seemingly sober Rourke tripped on the stairs, but then regained his composure enough to deliver a very good acceptance speech, which even included thanking his dogs (something most dog people will appreciate).

Not a surprise, Best Supporting Actor was given posthumously to Health Ledger for his portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

Best Actor in a comedy or musical went to Colin Ferrell, who looked dapper in his suit, but was annoyingly fidgety during his speech. Best Actress in a comedy or musical went to relatively unknown British actress, Sally Hawkins for her role in “Happy Go Lucky.”

Television awards do not interest me, so you’ll have to search elsewhere for who won on that front.

Now, bring on the Oscars!

Rated PG13

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 3.75

Word of Warning: Some war scenes and tame sexual situations.

After watching months of previews for this movie, I had had enough of the storyline and when it finally arrived in theaters I didn’t go to see it right away. However, when I finally decided to see “Benjamin Button,” the story had me captivated from beginning to end. As I walked out of the theater I didn’t even realize the movie’s running time had been nearly three hours.

Read the rest of this review HERE.

Rated R

Heidi’s Illustrious Rating: 4

Word of Warning: Scenes of tragic poverty and violence.

This movie is now playing at Lyric Cinema Café on Mountain Avenue in Fort Collins. Englishman Danny Boyle directed this Golden Globe Best Picture winner. “Slumdog Millionaire” has also been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Picture category, along with receiving nine other nominations in various categories.

Read the rest of this review HERE.

With award season just around the corner, movies are hitting theaters fast and furious – and so am I.  

Frankly, I couldn’t be happier about it. Finally, there are some great movies being released!

Because of the amount of movies needing to be reviewed, some of my reviews will be a bit on the short side so that I can review two at a time for the newpaper to which I contribute.

The Golden Globes will be held on January 11th. The Golden Globes do not excite me; I’ve always thought of it as Oscar’s slightly less talented little brother. However, I am a fanatic about the Academy Awards. This year’s Oscars will be held on February 22, hosted by Hugh Jackman. When the nominees are announced, usually four weeks prior to the awards, I will make it my mission to see all of the picks for “Best Picture.” And I will work tirelessly to keep my readers apprised of my top picks in all the categories.