The 2007 Golden Globe nominations have been announced. A lotta love for 'Babel' and 2 nods for 'Borat' as well. On the TV side, one of my favorites, 'Weeds', picked up 4 nominations as well. Fans of 'House' will see a well-deserved Best Actor nomination for Hugh Laurie.
http://www.hfpa.org/news/id/42

On a side note, Clint Eastwood's 'Flags of Our Fathers' opens today in Istanbul.

Most of it's rubbish; this year has been one of the most lacklustre years for film.

Flags of Our Fathers opened last Friday.

My comments:
* Quality: let's wait for Januray.
* Babel is a very compelling film (much more compelling than Crash for example). It ranks alongside the Constant Gardener as the best film that I have seen in 2006. Have you seen it yet, Ali?
* a clap for the very well put together the Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep's performance was excellent.
* I agree with you Burbaco about Hugh Laurie. I LOVE HOUSE. Whoever (Simon? Emma? ValVal? BenBen?) told me I would like this was spot on. I do not agree with you Burbaco about Weeds. It's charmingly quirky but that's about all.
* Interesting to see Patric Marber of Alan Partridge fame nominated for best screenwriter.
* Also interesting to see the BBC featuring with Bleak House (supposed to be wonderful and I will definitely be it bringing back from London).
* To see: the Queen (for the fantastic Helen Mirren) and the Departed.
* Biggest bafflement: is Clint Eastwood a really great director?

I hated Babel. The Departed is better, but only in the way that going to the dentist for a simple filling is better than going there for root canal.

The Devil Wears Prada was fun.

House is OK (the penultimate episode of Season One is one of the finest hours of television). I love Hugh Laurie's performance (even though he seems to sport an accent from nowehere in particular), but there are way too many episodes that are just, well, boring. And they seem to use the lumbar puncture on every single patient at the end of every episode to finally get to the root of the problem. Just use it at the beginning, and get it over with. My feelings on Weeds are similar.

Patrick Marber is a highly accomplished playwright. He was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2005 for his adaptation of his brilliant play Closer, as well (the film wasn't half-bad, either).

Clint Eastwood is a great director. Flags of Our Fathers, however, is not a great film. It's not even a good film. Some might say it's not even a film at all.

The Queen, which you are more than welcome to borrow, by the way, is brilliant. Absolutely fantastic.

I can't wait to see Bleak House. Along with A Christmas Carol, I rate it as my favourite Dickens.

JC, just curious if you have seen Eastwood's Unforgiven?

Little Children starring Kate Winslet and Jennifer Connelly and directed by In the Bedroom's Todd Field looks to be one to catch.

Yeah, that, and Little Miss Sunshine are the two flicks I'm looking forward to.

Not seen the Unforgiven Burbaco but have heard great things. Just find it difficult to believe that Clint is a great director. Perhaps, as you hint, the Unforgiven will change all that.

[prepare for liberal use of innuendo]

Arikan, how did I know that the Queen would be right up your avenue? Must have been from your time in Royal Holloway (anyone unfamiliar with the British penal system- which of course Mr Arkian is very familiar with- will not understand this). I would very much like to borrow it in return for either:
(a) the Jeeves and Wooster boxed set.
(b) the Alan Partridge boxed set; or
(c) the life and death of colonel blimp.

Musulko, after your comments about lawyers, I sentence you to watch Bleak House. It at least shows that we have got slightly better.

PS I have had a lumbar puncture and it was indeed very climactic.

I'd love to borrow the Jeeves and Wooster boxset. Great stuff.

I have all the Alan Partridge stuff on tape (everything but BBC Four's On the Hour). I love it with the heat of a thousand screaming nuns.

And I have Colonel Blimp somewhere, too. Not the video, the actual colonel.