Golden Globes afterthoughts

The good:
- Chris Colfer's supporting actor win for Glee! There's no doubt about it that he deserved the win. He's near perfection every single episode. Glee may not be a good show (come on, let's be honest, it's entertaining, but the writing is flawed. And that's an understatement), but Colfer is always great.
- Jim Parsons's Best Actor award for his hilarious role on The Big Bang Theory. The guy shows real commitment every single episode.
- Toy Story 3 Best Animated Feature. Despicable Me and How to Train Your Dragon are great too, though!
- Natalie Portman and Colin Firth. Was there any doubt?
- The Kids Are All Right wins Best Musical or Comedy. I think I would've murdered someone if this didn't win. The others don't even deserve to be nominated.

The bad:
- The Social Network wins Best Motion Picture Drama. Come on, it's not THAT good.
- The Social Network's Best Screenplay win. While I don't like Inception, at least it's original.
- Glee's win for Best Musical or Comedy. Both The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family deliver better quality.

Review: The Accidental Husband

IMDB tells me The Accidental Husband is set for a March, 2009 release. Why this movie keeps getting pushed back is beyond me, because it surely isn't the worst movie I've seen this year so far. In fact, I expected this romcom to be completely generic, but was pleasantly surprised that it had something more to offer.

That something more is Jeffrey Dean Morgan, best known for his recurring roles on "Grey's Anatomy" (playing Denny)and "Supernatural" (playing Sam and Dean's dad). To be honest, I never cared much for Denny in contrast to most "Grey" fans, so I wasn't sure if he would be leading man material. Denny fans can breathe a sigh of relief, because I can report that Jeffrey Dean Morgan is leading man material. He has the talent and charisma to carry the movie. Especially in contrast to both Uma Thurman and Colin Firth, who are incredibly bland in this. Which is the point, I know. Therefore, if someone less capable than Morgan had portrayed this role, this definitely would have been a generic romcom.

Uma Thurman plays Dr. Emma Lloyd, a radio talk show host who advises one of her listeners (Justina Machado of "Six Feet Under") to dump her fiancé Patrick (Morgan), which she does. Patrick wants to take revenge and with the help of his neighbor and some computer hacking, Patrick finds himself married to Emma, who is about to get married to Richard (Firth).

The movie is predictable as hell, but has its moments. Colin Firth's stress-eating moments are funny, as well as relatable. However, I'm kind of tired of seeing Firth play the same no nonsense Brit. Bridget Jones, Love Actually, What a Girl Wants, Mamma Mia!.. I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Uma Thurman is a fantastic actress (see Kill Bill), but is somewhat lacking in the comedic department. I think Amanda Peet would have been a good choice for this role as she can play both funny and serious.

Overall, the movie is fun and Jeffrey Dean Morgan shines. Come on, US, release the movie already! A 3,5/5.

Review: Mamma Mia!

Despite the super cheesiness of the trailer, I went to see Mamma Mia! a week before it officially opened here. How I suddenly got so excited to see this movie.. I don't know. But let me tell you this now, it's great!

Sophie (the luminous Amanda Seyfried) is getting married and dreams of finding her father. She invites her three potential dads (Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard and Colin Firth) to the wedding without informing her mother Donna (Meryl Streep). Singing, dancing, ABBA songs and hilarity ensues.

When I first heard about Mamma Mia! the movie and the cast was announced, I was really looking forward to it. Then I saw the trailer and I got a little scared. It just looked like this big cheese-fest. Since I was still recovering from last year's overly quirky Hairspray that left me with a toothache and in a vomit induced state, I was planning on avoiding this in theaters. But somehow I did end up watching it and I am pretty damn sure this movie will end up on my favorites of 2008 list at the end of the year.

I was hooked from the moment Amanda Seyfried starting singing "I have a dream..." She really impressed me. Sure she was fab as the ditzy blond in Mean Girls, but here she showed a lot of range. It was an endearing and brave performance. How could you not fall in love with her? Her voice was amazing as well. While Meryl Streep seems a bit old play Sophie's mother (if Sophie is 20, she should have given birth to her in her late 30s - so why wouldn't she be allowed to come home. She's an adult; old enough to make her own decisions), she IS Meryl "f*ckin" Streep and she can play whatever the hell she wants to play. And she was excellent and her singing was amazing too! I smell a Golden Globe. Supporting turns by Julie Walters and Christine Baranski as Donna's friends were great too. Both are funny ladies and Baranski especially impressed. Pierce Brosnan seemed a bit bland, but Stellan Skarsgard and Colin Firth seemed to have a good time and did the best they could do with their roles. Now that I think about it, all the male roles were a bit underwritten. Hmmm.. that probably explains why Dominic Cooper barely left an impression.

The writer did a good job including all those ABBA songs into the story. There's only one sequence that I thought was truly awful: the "Money Money Money" dream sequence. Yikes! The movie quickly recovered after that, but seriously, they could have left that part out. Overall, I really liked Mamma Mia! and my fellow audience members as well. If this movie doesn't want to make you sing and dance, you're dead inside. Probably the most enjoyable movie out there this summer. STAY FOR THE CREDITS! A 4/5.