2009 Calvins: Eric Hughes' Ballots

March 2, 2009

The past year, chronicled in the most recent edition of BOP's Calvin Awards, was a fairly typical one in entertainment. We had our share of great movies (The Wrestler and Slumdog Millionaire) and some truly awful, vom-worthy schlock (Tropic Thunder and whatever M. Night wants to put out nowadays). Spankin' new TV shows (True Blood) and returning favorites (The Office, 30 Rock) shined on the small screen, while new releases from established artists (Gnarls Barkley and Sons and Daughters) were absolute candy to my ears. All of it made for some interesting Calvin voting on my end.

Below, a selective analysis on how I came to vote the way I did.

The Wrestler: My favorite movie of the year, and I'm fairly certain one of the best films I've seen to date (slotted just underneath American Beauty, which I can't seem to ever shake from my top spot), The Wrestler is a powerhouse conglomeration of terrific acting and impressive storytelling. When Mickey Rourke failed to strike gold at the Oscars, my heart died a little inside. I wanted to see the man win more than anything else on Sunday night for two reasons: (1) to make up for the film's failure to garner more nominations (what happened to Bruuuce?), and (2) to complete Rourke's triumphant return to acting.

Viola Davis: It's hard to believe the woman appears in Doubt for maybe five minutes or so, but nevertheless she definitely deserved all the praise she received for her abbreviated performance. Viola proved she can handily win a screaming match against queen bee Meryl Streep, even when snot is steadily dripping between her nose and upper lip.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: Surprisingly an entertaining and funny movie. Michael Cera plays the same guy he always does, and up-and-comer Kat Dennings (you may remember her from The 40-Year-Old Virgin) excels as his eventual girlfriend/playmate. And hey, with music contributions by Mark Mothersbaugh, you really can't go wrong.

(Speaking of breakthrough performances, check out Summer Bishil in Towelhead. The movie is OK, but the young actress stands as one of the film's only redeeming qualities).

Music: I found a lot of enjoyment in 2008's music releases. Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple is just as addicting, if not more so, than their debut release, St. Elsewhere. (See tracks "Going On," "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)" and "Surprise" to get a taste of what I'm talking about). Sons and Daughters' This Gift is nonstop rock from beginning to end and The Ting Ting's We Started Nothing is pure musical fun. None of their songs really mean anything, but the beat's good enough so I'm sold. (Plus, "Great DJ" and "Shut Up and Let Me Go" make excellent running music).

Tropic Thunder: Ick. This thing was just plain dreadful. I admit I found Tom Cruise dancing around in a fat suit hard to resist. But other than that, I'm shamed to have even seen this one.

Kate Winslet: I've decided I'm ending this thing on a positive note. Kate Winslet was brilliant this year on the big screen. Though she picked up her first Oscar on Sunday for her performance in The Reader, many would agree she was even better in Revolutionary Road. Truly, it's a shame these two movies had to come out in the same year. Her Revolutionary Road performance definitely would have challenged Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose for the 2007 prize.


See more individual ballots and complete results at the 2009 Calvin Awards page

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