Five Favourite French Language Films

France is a country with a huge cinematic history, (it's also a country where i lived for two years and where my parents live to this day, in fact, four of my great grandparents were french), France has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Feature more times than any other country, today their cinematic prowess has perhaps waned somewhat, and they haven't been nominated for the award since 2009. However countries like Switerland, Belgium and Canada still produce some fantastic films, hopefully giving some validity to this list.

• La Vie En Rose

Marion Cotillard makes this film, playing the famous french singer Edith Piaf, Cotillard's portrayal is intensely lifelike, and she takes on the difficult task of playing  Piaf from her beginnings in Paris as a young singer, living hand to mouth on the streets, through her stardom to her eventual death, Cotillard is forced to play both young and old, one of the most difficult things to do, and she pulls it off with outstanding aplomb. La Vie en Rose is a nostalgic dream, that could make anyone fall in love with the music of the little sparrow.

• J'ai Tué Ma Mère

I have made no secret of my love of Xavier Dolan, finding his films to be both powerful and beautiful. J'ai Tué Ma Mère (i killed my mother) was his first feature film, made on a shoestring when he was only nineteen, this film is a revelation. Based on Dolan's own experiences growing up, the film is about a young man, living with his divorced mother, who struggles to raise him, while dealing with his burgeoning sexuality. The film is highly personal both to Dolan and to me, and I Killed My Mother is touching and heartfelt.

• La Vie D'Adele

When this film came out last year, i quickly fell in love with it, La Vie D'Adele, or Blue is the Warmest Colour is an epic three hour film, which ventures into the love story of Adele and Emma, two young women who meet and fall in love in Lille, France. The film is long, however despite it's slightly bloated running time, the film flies by, and is ultimately heartbreaking. The film is shot in a very realistic way using extreme close ups and handheld cameras, the film is largely successful thanks to the outstanding performances of its lead actors, who are both superb in this indie epic.

• Les Amours Imaginaires

 Another film from Canadian film maker Xavier Dolan, here the subject of the film is infatuation, Dolan's first three films all deal with the concept of impossible or at least implausible love stories, and here, Dolan discusses two young people, a boy and a girl, who each fall in love with the same person, only to find that neither of their feelings are reciprocated. The film features superb performances from its three leads, and encompasses a subject we can all empathize with.

• Les Choristes

This little gem was released in 2004 to much acclaim, but since then has largely been forgotten, this comedy about a borstal in which a music teacher starts a choir. The music is by far the star of this film, and despite being butchered by Beyoncé at the academy awards (you tube it, it's really funny!), i listen to the soundtrack of this film to this day. The film is beautiful and strangely poignant, and features fine performances from its varied cast.

Five Favorite Non Disney-Pixar Animated Movies

• Chicken Run

Another stop motion film, directed by the creators of Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run is a movie about a group of chickens living on a battery farm in Yorkshire, led by Ginger, the chickens launch numerous attempts to escapee, all of which fail, until an american rooster named Rocky crash lands on their farm, having escaped from the circus, the chickens launch a plan to fly out of the farm. The film is a hilariously irreverent comedy, featuring quirky and slightly twee animation, and great voice work.

• The Adventures of Tintin

Stephen Spielbergs first animated feature, prodiced by Peter Jackson is a delight, adapted from the series of graphic novels by Hergé, the film uses motion capture to present a mixture of three of Hergés classic stories, woven together to create one exciting rollicking adventure. The film uses a hyperrealistic style of animation, bypassing the uncanny valley which befells so many motion capture films, and propelling it into a graphically stimulating adventure, which is a faithful update of Hergé's adventures.

• Frankenweenie

Tim Burton directed this stop motion flick, which is a light parody and homage to hammer horror films of the sixties and seventies. The film, which is completely shot in black and white, is about a boy who successfully manages to resurrect his pet dog, only for the dog to set in motion a series of cataclysmic events which will lead to the destruction of his entire home town, the film contains some of the most beautiful and fluid stop motion work ever seen on celluloid, and the film is a tremendous achievement, and one of the best stop motion work seen in the past decade.

• The LEGO Movie

One of the newer films on this list, and i can't escape the feeling that i am shooting myself in the foot as in five years this film will already seem dated, however despite it's obvious status as a marketing gimmick, The LEGO Movie is a fantastically fun film, whilst not shot in stop motion, the film attempts to replicate the look of a stop motion film, and does this surprisingly well, the film is colorful, fun and irreverent.

• The Nightmare Before Christmas

Another film by Tim Burton, this time directed by Henry Selick,The Nightmare Before Christmas was one of the first commercially successful stop motion films released, the story of a land where is is always Halloween, and a man who is the master of ceremonies, Jack Skellington uncovers a land called Christmastown, where it is always Christmas, and he attempts to bring this tradition to Halloweenland, an endeavor ending in disaster. The film features exquisite animation, and fantastic music by regular Burton collaborator Danny Elfman.

Five Favourite Movies Your Mother Would Like

• Ladies in Lavender

This quirky little known british drama, directed by Charles Dance, knwon to younger viewers as Tywin Lannister, stars Judy Dench and Maggie Smith, both incredible actresses, this film does little to stretch their dramatic chops, and in spite of it's simpering, the film is really rather good, Dench and Smith star as two sisters who find a young man on the beach, and manage to bring him back to health. The film is a fantastic vehicle for two magnificent actresses, both in their prime, and is a soothing and comforting watch.

• Calendar Girls

This is one of my favorites, starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, and based on the true story of a group of womens institute members in Yorkshire, who decide to create a nude calendar to raise money for the cancer wing of their local hospital, and are met with much opposition. Julie Walters is one of my favorite comic actresses, her performance in this film is great and she is hysterical, the film is also a great showcase for the comic talents of Helen Mirren, who is not usually known as a comic, but who shines in this film, there is a twee provincialism to this film, and a comfort also present, the film is joyous and funny, and it's lead actresses are superb.

• Quartet

The directorial debut of actor Dustin Hoffman is a surprisingly british affair, the story of four musicians living in a nursing home in the english countryside, who were previously in relationships, and who have all given up their music, reunite for one magnificent performance. The film stars Maggie Smith, Billy Connoly, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins, the film, like most of the others on this list, is a perfect vehicle for it's stars, and despite the story being a little pedestrian, the chemistry and connections between the four leads is palpable and mesmerizing.

• Mamma Mia

The fact that this is a musical based upon the songs of ABBA makes Mamma Mia a perfect addition to this list. the music is fun and energetic, and the film overall has a great sense of energy and joy. Meryl Streep leads a superb cast of thespians, and the film does a fantastic job of adapting the show to the big screen.

• Pride and Prejudice

The 2005 version of this film, whilst not perhaps as beloved as the television serial starring Colin Firth, is still pretty fantastic, Kiera Knightley is by far the best Elizabeth Bennett seen on film, and the fest of the cast is just as excellent. Donald Sutherland stars as her father, and Judi Dench as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Pride and Prejudice is a sumptuous and beautiful adaptation, that faithfully captures the romanticism and beauty of Jane Austen's superb novel.

Five Favorite Gay film portrayals

• Harvey Milk played by Sean Penn in Milk

Sean Penn was rightly awarded an oscar for his performance in 2008's Van Sant directed Milk, and the film is a tremendous achievement. Penn plays Harvey Milk, known as the first gay councilman elected in the United States.Penn's performance is special, not only does he successfully incarnate the politician visually, but he also manages to successfully portray the hope that Milk gave the gay youth of the world, the way he was able to inspire change and the way he allowed people to come out. The portrayal is lving, nuanced and slightly satirical without being caricatured.

• Jack Twist played by Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain is a hugely important gay film, and the portrayals within it are superb, Gyllenhaal plays Jack Twist, a rancher and rodeo cowboy from Texas who goes to Wyoming to ranch sheeep on brokeback mountain. He soon falls in love with Ennis Del Mar, an engaged shepherd who falls equally in love with Jack. Jack Twist is a complex character, and his sexuality, while explored, is never really explicitly stated. Gyllenhaal's performance is nuanced and complicated, his overwhelming love for and chemistry with Ennis is palpable, and his performance is superb.

• Robert Frobisher played by Ben Whishaw in Cloud Atlas

Robert Frobisher is a composer and amanuensis working for a blind and ailing composer in Scotland, whilst composing a piece of his own, The Cloud Atlas Sextet, Frobisher is a remarkable character, having left his lover behind in Cambridge, their love affair is narrated in their correspondence by post. This character is typical of a new queer character, in that although he is gay, this not defined by his sexuality in any way, and this is merely a facet of his characterization.

• Andrew Beckett played by Tom Hanks in Philadelphia

One of the first films to deal with the AIDS epidemic, Hanks plays a lawyer who is fired from his job when it is revealde that he has HIV. The film then depicts Becketts courtroom battle with his employers to keep his job and be compensated, while dying of AIDS. Becketts story is based upon a true life case, and the film is a tremendous achievement. Hanks again goes through a huge transformation throughout the film, going from a healthy man, to a waif riddled with Kaposi sarcoma lesions and weak from his disease. This transformation is enough to warrant a place on this lift alone, and Hanks performance is heartbreaking.

• George Falconer played by Colin Firth in A Single Man

A Single Man deals with a widowed english professor, living in Los Angeles, and depressed from the death of his partner. The film recounts his last day, when he decides to kill himself, and goes through the motions of wrapping up his life. Firth was rightly nominated for an oscar for his performance, and his portrayal of George is an impressive undertaking. Firth plays George with a nuance and subtlety which is impressive, and he imbues the character with a sensitivity and a heartbreak which is at times breathtaking.

Five Favourite Monarchic Portrayals

• Tyrion Lannister played by Peter Dinklage

Tyrion Lannister, while not a monarch himself, is the hand of the king for much of the series, and belongs to a royal family, the House of Lannister, his nephew Joffrey, rules over Kings Landing and sits on the iron throne. Dinklage's portrayal is fascinating, given his size he is limited from using force, and so he has to fight battles with his tongue and not his sword. Tyrion is quick witted and sharp, and Dinklage gives him a sense of humanity that is missing from the rest of the House of Lannister. Tyrion Lannister is a fascinatingly complex character, and his portrayal by Dinklage is one of the best performances currently on television.

• George, The Prince Regent played by Hugh Laurie

  Unlike the other performances on this list, this portrayal is atypically comedic, Lauries portrayal of The Prince Regent portrays him as a buffoon with little respect for the troubles of his subjects. George is seen as a fool, who spends far to much time and money of frivolities like socks and clothes, expressing an attitude that one can never have enough socks, his seem to go missing like teaspoons. Lauries George is a fantastic creation, a bumbling idiot who thinks the dictionary is a terrible idea, and who seems to be astonishingly incompetent, being unable to even put on his trousers by himself, (he eventually winds up putting them on his head).

• Queen Elizabeth II played by Helen Mirren

Mirrens performance as our current queen is one of the greatest of all time, she portrays the queen at one of the most difficult points of her reign, after the death of Princess Diana, when she was being incredibly criticized for her actions. Mirren portrays the queen as an incredibly complex and conflicted person, a woman who wants to do the best for her country and her people, while at the same time struggling to reconcile her feelings for a woman she loathed, and yet who was beloved by her subjects. Mirren allows us to be a fly on the wall, and her portrayal is starkly lifelike, and spellbinding.

• Jadis, The White Witch played by Tilda Swindon

  Jadis, while not explicitly stated to be a queen, wears a crown of icicles, and appears to have almost total control over the peoples of Narnia. Jadis wears a robe of icy blue burnt wool, and stands incredibly tall, she seems to be half giant. Swindon paints Jadis to be the picture of evil, and sees no need to give her any humanity. The White Witch is a woman we can really hate, a woman motivated by greed, anger and irascibility. Jadis is a loathsome character, terrifyingly beautiful and rotten to the core, she is the greatest antagonist one could wish for, and Swindon's portrayal of her is terrifying and delightful in the same breath. Swindon portrays a villain we all love to hate.

• Queen Elizabeth I played by Cate Blanchett

 Blanchett deserved to win an Oscar for her portrayals, her performances as the virgin queen are visceral and real, she has the advantage of portraying the queen over many years of her reign, playing her in two movies, and so we see the emotional and intellectual growth from a young girl pushed into power to a woman sitting strong on the throne. Blanchett transforms into a formidable queen who, while fair and just, is not to be crossed, and will treat anybody who opposes her with swift justice. We also see Elizabeth take a stand as a warrior helping britain to defeat the spanish armada, rallying the troops, and Blanchetts performance is stirring and moving. In Elizabeth and its sequel, Blanchett is, as always, stellar.

Five Favourite Television Comedies

I love comedy, but not really on film, although this summer i have woken up to the idea of film comedies this summer as you can see, however i have always loved comedies on television, and comedy is one of the few genres at which network actually excels over cable. Whereas very few of the films i watch are comedies, i would say a majority of the television series' i watch are comedy series. TV has produced some truly iconic comedies, from the highs of Seinfeld and I Love Lucy, in fact cable TV has yet to produce a truly iconic comedy series, and many cable shows fall more into the 'dramedy' category. For this list i am selecting pure comedies only, so more drama oriented shows like Girls or Sex And The City, while great, will not be included here.

•  Absolutely Fabulous

One of my absolute favourite comedy series, this show is delightfully camp,written by Jennifer Saunders and starring Saunders herself and Joana Lumley, the series revolves around Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone, over the hill career women hanging on to youth and trying to stay fresh and trendy, the pair are looked after by Edinas daughter Saffy, who has become bitter and tortured by her mothers antics. The pairs toxic relationship provides much of the comedy for the show, and the way the characters are penned and executed is spot on, the backdrop of the series is specific and hilarious, and even more than twenty years on, the show hasn't aged a day.

• Parks And Recreation

I love Amy Poehler, and this show is a fantastic vehicle for her, Poehler plays Leslie Knope, a mid level government employee working in the parks department of a small town in indiana, the show commenced as a spin off of The Office, but later grew beyond it's spiritual predecessor, and while the show does take it's mise en scene from the mockumentary style of The Office, Parks has grown beyond it with it's use of current issues, and it's charismatic cast, the show also stars Nick Offerman who is superb as Ron Swanson, the shows breakout character, Chris Pratt plays Andy Dwyer, an amiable albeit dim slacker, who is married to Aubrey Plaza's character, April Ludgate, a lazy and possibly psychopathic intern. The show succeeds mainly because it is really really side-splitting, and because the characters and the town of Pawnee in which it is set are all really well defined, and because it's cast are talented and appealing.

• Arrested Development

I have often spoke of my love for this show, in fact about a year ago i named it the greatest TVshow of all time, a statement i still stand by, Arrested Development tells the story of the Bluth family, a group of feisty and eclectic misfits, who previously survived off their fathers money, and who now have to support themselves, all told through the eyes of their brother, Michael. The show was, and still remains a cult classic, the whole affair is kitsch and full of inside gags, only discernible to  longtime fans of the show. The cast of the show is also great, from the overbearing matriarch played by Jessica Walter to the irresponsible patriarch played by Jeffrey Tambour, to the group of children played by Jason Bateman, Portia DeRossi, Will Arnett and Tony Hale, the show was funny, self referential and is now iconic, good work for a sitcom less than a decade old.

• 30 Rock

Another iconic show, built around her experiences as head writer on Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey plays Liz Lemon, writer on a small sketch comedy show, who is confronted with a new boss and a new star. Fey created and wrote the show, which also stars Alec Baldwin and Jane Krakowski, in addition to Fey's SNL alum Tracy Morgan and Jack McBrayer. The show is hysterically funny, and is a loose satire of the network television system, the show not only shows behind the scenes of a sketch comedy show, but also behind the scenes of the running of a network. The show lampoons the network system and the idiocy of a TV channel being owned by an electrical company. Walking a fine line between polite farce and genuine criticism, 30 Rock remains one of the greatest TV shows of the modern era.

• The Vicar of Dibley

Another favourite,  The Vicar of Dibley catapulted it's lead actress, Dawn French to stardom when it launched in 1994. The show stars French as a female vicar who is assigned to a small town in Oxfordshire. The show is a pastiche of life in a small town, making fun of such events as the town council, songs of praise, town fetes and the entire religious institute. The film had a cast of typical buffoons, centered by a surprisingly level headed Gerry Granger, the town reverend. Written and produced by Richard Curtis, the show is now iconic, like many on this list, and although it contains many of the same hi-jinks as the other shows on this list, the whole show has a calmer, quieter feel, much like the village in which it is set.

Five Favourite Pixar Films

I love Pixar, as do many others, and this should be a fairly easy list to compile, despite Pixar having produced only 14 films, they are mostly excellent, and even if they haven't produced a really good film since 2010's Toy Story 3, up to that point all their films were excellent, and there is a wide variety of films to choose from, in addition to their narrative successes, Pixar's films are also visually stunning, use a subtle blend of photo-realism and quirky distinctive character animation.

• The Incredibles

Pixars first film featuring entirely humanoid characters, The Incredibles  are a group of superheroes, who attempt to live covert, undercover lives, hiding their powers. The Incredibles is a fantastic example of why animation is so important, as this film could just as easily be a live action film, the film walks a fine line between a parody and an homage to superhero films and comic book adaptations, the fact that it is an animated film makes that all the more clear, and gives it a fun twist. The Incredibles features some of the most well rounded and imaginative Pixar characters ever, creative and subtle, these characters have sets of well defined powers, and are an almost iconic crime fighting group.

• WALL-E

The opening hour of this film is a testament to the beauty of Pixar's character animation, despite being anthropomorphic, the characters do not communicate with human voices, but instead with gestures, subtle facial changes and sounds. The two characters of the film, despite not being able to speak, are really well rounded and subtle, and despite not containing any speech during its first hour, it is gripping and subtle, and it is the best silent film work since the thirties. The rest of the film is a testament to our future if we do not change our ways, a future where we are fat, emotionless, and when we will have to leave earth because of our reliance on consumerism and commercialism. WALL-E is beautiful, poetic and nostalgic.

• Up

The first Pixar film to be nominated for best picture at the oscars and only the second animated film ever to be nominated. Up is a film about life, a film about never giving up on life, and never stopping the adventure of life, beautifully animated and heartwarming, the opening sequence alone, showing Carl and  Ellie falling in love and growing up makes it worthy for this list, the film is winsome, fun and emotional, visually beautiful and thrilling, Up is truly a classic film.

• Finding Nemo

Setting an animated film entirely underwater is tough, Disney have done it only once with The Little Mermaid, and particularly doing it in a photorealistic way is virtually impossible. With Finding Nemo, Pixar succeeded with this whimsical treasure, a visual delight featuring a fully realized underwater world, of colourful creative characters. This film also features some fine voice work, Albert Brooks plays Marlin, Nemo's father, and Ellen DeGeneres plays Dory, a regal blue tang with short term memory loss, her performance is hilarious and distinctive, and was partially improvised. Finding Nemo features a stunning, expansive ocean as a backdrop for its complex subtle characters.

• Ratatouille

In my mind this is the best Pixar film, and one of the best films of all time, food is incredibly difficult to animate, and to make it look appetizing, and rats are hard to make look cute, however amazingly this film successfully does both, the film is a foodie's delight, featuring inventive and elegant dishes, and the fact that the two main characters never speak to each other, yet have an intimate connection is impressive. Ratatouille is an odd children's film, from the outside it seems difficult to market or merchandise, as neither rats nor food are particularly appealing to children, however the film succeeds despite all these obstacles, and Ratatouille is witty and charming.

Five Favourite Kate Winslet Performances

Kate Winslet is one of my favourite actresses, in fact, tied with Meryl Streep she may be my favourite actress, she has been in a wide range of roles, nominated for six oscars with one win, winning two golden globes in the same year, and with such a wide range of characters portrayed, it would almost be a crime not to compile this list.

• Clementine Kruczynski in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

This may be Winslet's most gonzo performance yet, her scene stealing performance as the quirky and unbalanced Clementine is at times breathtaking, far removed from the period housewives and corset queens she in known for playing, the dyed hair and neurosis. Winslet plays Clementine with a vulnerability and a pathos that is commendable.

• Juliet Hulme in Heavenly Creatures

Winslet's screen debut, directed by Peter Jackson and based on a true story, Winslet plays Juliet Hulme, a fourteen year old english schoolgirl living in New Zealand who makes a plan with her best friend to murder her friends mother. The relationship between the two girls is platonic, though bordering on obsessive, and Hulme comes off as being controlled, poised and manipulative. Winslet shows herself as being a natural in front of the camera, and her performance in the film is surprisinly elegant for an actress so young.

• Mildred Pierce in Mildred Pierce

Winslet's performance in this piece is fascinating simply because there is so much of it. A six hour miniseries, Mildred Pierce is the story of a woman living in the depression, divorcing her husband and struggling to feed her family. Mildred Pierce spans multiple decades and multiple husbands, and we are really able to see the emotional maturing of a woman finding her independence and her feet, and making something of herself in the world. Mildred is a woman who adores her daughter to a fault, and who will do anything for her, even to the point of losing everything. Joan Crawford truly would have loathed her.

• Hanna Schmitz in The Reader

Winslet won an Oscar for her portrayal of Hanna Schmitz, a former Nazi SS agent on trial for her involvement in the deaths of many prisoners during the second world war, earlier, before the war, Hanna started an affair with a fifteen year old boy, and as he watches her trial, he realizes certain truths about her. Winslet's portrayal is perfect, her german accent is on point, and she comes off as a woman hiding a terrible secret, more important than her involvement in the deaths of concentration camp prisoners.

• Iris Murdoch in Iris

Here Winslet plays the 20th century philosopher and novelist Iris Murdoch. Winslet plays the character in flashback, the younger version of Judi Dench. Her role in the film is small, and despite being overshadowed by Judi Dench, she manages nonetheless to imbude the role with an ingenuity and a charm that is lost in the older Iris. Winslet's Iris has a free artist's spirit, and a sexual promiscuity that is refreshing, and she portrays the character as a little naive, but with a huge personality.

Five Favorite CGI Visual Worlds

Computers are now more important in cinema than celluloid, and binary code is replacing real sets, some films eschew sets all together and use actors in front of a green screen preferring to create the visuals of the film in a computer, i don't resent this change, and i think it brings a fun visual flair to modern movies that used to be missing. Films made in this way are often visually stunning, eccentric and artistic. I am here listing my five favorite CGI environments, excluding animated films, because that's a post for another time.

• Gravity: This is a film which was created almost entirely in a computer, and yet it is almost impossible to believe that this film wasn't actually shot in space, the film's vision of outer space is so complete and detailed, and the CGI environment matches so perfectly to the lighting and cinematography used on the film, that the film is a seamless blend of live action and a visual environment. Gravity is a film created as much in a computer as on a sound stage, and the film is visually striking and highly detailed.

• 300: Another adaptation of a Frank Miller classic, this film was again shot on a digital backlot, and the film goes so far as to replicate various cells from the comic book frame for frame, the film creates a visual world that is highly defined, the geography of the battle field is strongly located, and the film is stronger because of this. The film uses a highly unique colour processing and the color red is used as a marker in the film, 300 is a film which is visually highly unique and which has inspired many other Hollywood productions.
  

• Mary Poppins: true, this is a film which is significantly older than the others on this list, and it is the only to use the sodium screen technique, Disney was a pioneer in this method, and this was one of the first films to use any kind of superimposition, and the film allows the characters to jump into Bert's street paintings, and for the characters to interact with the environment, the scene is iconic, and differs from the other selections shown here in that it was created without the use of a computer, and in that it's use was pioneering.
  

• Alice in Wonderland: This film differs significantly from the others on this list, as it incorporates the films characters into the environment, the film features some characters who are entirely animated, and others who are live action, but altered or colored with CGI. The film is visually a treat, and the production used sets covered with green screen, allowing the characters to interact with their environments. The environments used in this film are dark yet colorful, and the film uses the CGI to it's full extent, and created a world impossible without the use of a computer.
  

• The Matrix: The Wachowski's invented a CGI technique called bullet time, using cameras mounted 360° round the performer able to capture from any angle, over a green screen, so that a digital environment can be superimposed onto the action, and the performance can be sped up or slowed down as needed, this technique has been much imitated and copied in the years that have followed, however the technique is best seen in it's original form, and here the effect is used to show the nature of time in this stimulated reality.

66th Primetime Emmy Awards

This post will attempt to strike a balance between prediction and opinion, I'm going to attempt to half heartedly predict the winners of the upcoming Primetime Emmys, whilst also telling you all who i would like to win, i won't predict direction or writing, as this is tedious, but i will predict all the acting and most of the producing categories.

Programs

Outstanding Comedy Series: Since 2010 Modern Family has had this in the can, this past season was significantly less well received than other seasons, however i believe that the academy will still, honor Modern Family this year.

Outstanding Drama Series: Given that this year represents the last year of eligibility for Breaking Bad, and given that the last season was so highly acclaimed, it seems unlikely that this fantastic drama series would miss out on the trophy this year.

Outstanding Miniseries: This is a tough category to predict, as none of the nominees have been nominated before in this category, and many of them are new shows, i think Fargo is probably the most acclaimed and most widely seen of the nominees.

Outstanding Television Movie: Again, this category did not exist last year, and none of the films have been nominated before, the only film that received high acclaim was The Normal Heart, if this film is snubbed, the only entry that could possibly scoop it is Sherlock: His Last Vow, whose entry in this category, is, frankly confusing.

Acting

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: This is almost certainly a two horse race, it is between Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory, who has won the award three of the past four years, and Louis C.K. who has never won, and whose show was particularly acclaimed this year.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won this award for two years straight, and she may clinch it again this year, however the grounded performance of Taylor Schilling is a refreshing change from the usual hijinks in this category, and seeing as this is her first year of eligability, she is untested in this category.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: There is absolutely no question here, Breaking Bad has officially ended and thus this award is Bryan Cranston's from the get-go.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: This is more opinion than prediction, but i really hope that Lizzy Caplan is awarded for her performance in Masters of Sex, Caplan has the kind of natural ability in front of the camera that a young Joan Crawford had, and her performance in this series is stunning.

Five Favorite Cinematic Superheroes

This may come to a surprise to my readers, but i am actually a huge fan of superhero movies, these tentpole flicks have come to be the highlights of the summer movie season, and now prop up studio finances. There have been a great number of superhero movies over the years, and the pace is only increasing, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the new DC shared universe and spider-man properties comic book adaptations are as popular as ever. This is a list of the best super heroes to have been portrayed on film, over multiple franchises and multiple movies, sometimes by multiple actors. I will be posting my favorite actors to have incarnated these roles below!

• Iron Man portrayed by Robert Downey Jr

Iron Man has only been portrayed in one franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and only by one actor, the character, who in spirit could be likened to Batman, is differentiated by the east coast setting and the virtual butler, J.A.R.V.I.S. Iron Man is a fantastic hero visually, and the long ariel fight scenes taking place over the ocean are glorious and kinetic.

• Batman portrayed by Michael Keaton and Christian Bale

One of the most represented heroes on screen, Batman has a long and cherished screen history, originally incarnated by Micheal Keaton in Tim Burton's Batman, and recently played by Christian Bale, Batman has offered some of the greatest superhero movies, and some of the worst. Batman is a fantastic hero on screen, given his dark nature, and the original Batman film set the stage for some of the most visually ominous superhero films to date.

• Mystique portrayed by Rebecca Romijn and Jennifer Lawrence

One of my favorite X-Men villains, Mystique has confusingly been played by two different actresses in one franchise, first by Rebecca Romijn, in the original X-Men trilogy, and subsequently by Jennifer Lawrence in the prequel series and Days of Future Past. Mystique is a fantastic fighter, a skilled martial artist and has blue skin, which is pretty cool!

• V portrayed by Hugo Weaving

Despite having appeared in only one film, V is already an iconic and beloved character, he acts as a consciousness of the people, fighting for their freedoms and becoming a symbol of hope. V is the only character on this list, and perhaps the only superhero in cinematic history to be actively political, and the use of guy fawkes masks by various groups protesting censorship and government control is a testament to the iconic status of the character.

• The Joker portrayed by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger

 Nicholson played the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman and was rightly lauded for the role, his performance is magnetic and captivating, and he successfully looks into this psychopath's head, however far more magnetic is Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight. Ledger's, performance, which is surely one of the best performances of all time, is stunning because he transforms into The Joker, he becomes the character, manages to transform himself into this maniac, and the results are impressive. The Joker is an interesting villain, because he seems to be without boundaries, he is not motivated by money or power, only by explosions and death, he kills for the sake of killing, and is the perfect antidote to Batman's poised control.