We just finished the Golden Globes and for the most part, as an event I rate it as mediocre. I was not happy to see Argo get best picture nor Ben Affleck best director. I have a real problem with this typical Hollywood rewriting of an historical event, all done with far too much flag waving and the down playing of the important part that Canada played in the real story. Largely retold as a chase caper I thought it a disappointing choice given some of the other really remarkable films in this category. I'll hope for better from the Oscars.

The nominees for this years Oscars were just announced on January 10th. The 85th annual event airs on Sunday February 24th with Seth MacFarlane (creator Family Guy) and Emma Stone (The Help) acting as hosts.

Closer to the date we will have a more detailed post with links to titles that CPL carries. If you want to get a head start, pop in to the nominees link above, grab the titles and then cruise on back to our catalogue to see what we have available right now. As you know we constantly add new titles so remember to check back regularly.

And speaking of coming soon................................

Trevor has been guest blogging with us for awhile now, and Movie Maniacs is pleased to announce that he has agreed to be a regular contributor. I've popped in and had a peek at some of what he has ready to go for us and you won't be disappointed. If you want to catch up on some of his previous posts you can find them here, along with the always fun '6 degrees' by our other guest blogger, Alex. Or just jump in fresh and watch for his new insights and suggestions. Either way, we're happy to have him on board.

The Golden Globes air Sunday January 13th with funny ladies Amy Poehler and Tina Fey sharing hosting duties. Always more relaxed than the Oscars, they start off the awards season. Some people believe them to be precursors to nominations for Oscars, some find them entirely without merit, and some feel they heavily favour A-Listers, like when Angelina Jolie got a best director nod for the mediocre In the Valley of Elah. But this marks their 70th year, so they must be doing something right.

And with the Globes coming up, Oscar nominataions aren't far behind. In fact the nominees will be announced at 5:30 in the morning this Thursday. The actual event will air on Feb 24th with Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane sharing hosting duties.

Following is an abbreviated list of nominees, but for the full meal deal visit them at their official site. It is just loaded with all things past and present about the GG's. The nominations are for both feature films and television so it is quite a mixed bag. Many of the feature films nominated are still currently in theatres.

If it is in the CPL collection, either already on the shelves or on order and available to place on hold, it appears in bold.

Best Picture, Drama:
Argo, Django, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Les Misérables, Moonrise Kindgom, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Animated Feature Film:
Brave, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, Rise of the Guardians, Wreck-It Ralph

Best Television Series, Drama:
Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey: Season 2, Homeland, The Newsroom

Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical:
The Big Bang Theory, Episodes, Girls, Modern Family, Smash

Best Miniseries or Television Movie:
Game Change, The Girl, Hatfields & McCoys, The Hour, Political Animals

We are starting a second year of our popular Movie Night at Crowfoot. Over the past 12 months we have shown some wonderful films- blockbusters, new releases, things you meant to see at the theatre and just didn't get to.....

The titles are selected with care by yours truly, and are usually ones that you would have to place a hold on and wait several weeks for, if not months. So avoid the wait and come join us at Crowfoot this Thursday at 6:30 in our program room. No registration is required.

This month we have a truly charming and whimsical film. Copyright restrictions prevent me from naming the title in this post, but to find out just give us a call at 221-4125 and we will tell you all about it. I can tell you it is rated G and really is delightful.

Hope to see you on the 10th.

Benedict Cumberbatch is popping us everywhere these days. He is currently Sherlock in the very modern retelling of Holmes solving crimes in 21st century London. This is a popular series and we have blogged it more than once.

He is the voice of Smaug and The Necromancer in Peter Jackson's latest- The Hobbit. (Sherlock's sidekick John Watson is played by Martin Freeman, who plays Bilbo in The Hobbit). He is to be the next heavy in the new Star Trek. He had smaller roles in The War Horse, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy earlier this year. He's been in Atonement, The Whistleblower, The Other Boleyn Girl. With the exception of TTSSPY, I enjoyed everyone of these movies. He is a fine dramatic actor.

I quite liked The Last Enemy, a 2008 BBC mini series, which first aired on 'Masterpiece Contemporary'. He plays a disaffected researcher who returns from abroad after the death of his brother, only to find an England he barely recognizes. A government bent on controlling its citizens at all costs, information gathering technology run amok, and a deadly plague. What more can you ask for in a thriller?

And speaking of The Hobbit, I saw it opening night — in glorious Imax, 3D, 48 frames per second. I am a rabid LOTR 's fan and was happy to return to Middle Earth with Peter Jackson at the helm- a few minor complaints such as it was a lot darker than I was expecting for the more light hearted Hobbit, but then that's P Jackson isn't it. Let me say this. While I enjoyed it very much, I do not feel compelled to rush right back to the theatre to see it again like I did with the other three LOTR installments.

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. REMEMBER TO CHECK BACK--TICKETS COME UP REGULARLY FOR MOVIE EVENTS

Let's start the new year with some free advanced screening passes. Short notice, but if you are free tomorrow (January 3rd) at 7:00 PM we have some passes for the new Matt Damon movie.

Promised Land is the new contemporary drama directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk). Matt Damon plays Steve Butler, an ace corporate salesman who is sent along with his partner, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormand), to close a key rural town in his company’s expansion plans. With the town having been hit hard by the economic decline of recent years, the two outsiders see the local citizens as likely to accept their company’s offer, for drilling rights to their properties, as much-needed relief. What seems like an easy job for the duo becomes complicated by the objection of a respected schoolteacher (Hal Holbrook) with support from a grassroots campaign led by another man (John Krasinski), as well as the interest of a local woman (Rosemarie DeWitt). Promised Land explores America at the crossroads where big business and the strength of small-town community converge.

To get your free double passes visit this external site and enter the code CALGARYLAND. Print your pass and take it to the box office ahead of time for redemption. Good cast in this, looks like it's got potential. Enjoy.

Back in my Halloween post a mere 6 weeks ago I mentioned Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter and how much I enjoyed it at the theatre. Well, it's available now so get your hold on. Once you accept that Abe wasn't just the 16th president of the United States, but a very accomplished vampire hunter, you're in for a fun two hours. I watched it again this past weekend and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. The cinematography is stunning. and the axe-work is pretty excellent as well. Abe sure can make those heads fly when his blade swings!

Expendables 2 -- didn't I just post about this one too when it first hit the theatres? Well, nothing says Christmas like a bunch of testosterone-fuelled mayhem with every action star of the last 30 years. Ditto The Dark Night Rises. The last in the Christopher Nolan trilogy, we see Batman battle against the latest threat to Gotham, the terrorist Bane, played to perfection by the very versatile Tom Hardy. If you've read my posts before, you know Batman is my least fave Superhero, but having said that, this latest is pretty good.

Tom Hardy's had a busy year. He is also in another new release, Lawless, with Shia Lebouef.

Men in Black 3 --much lighter than Batman and Lawless and nowhere near as bloody as Abe or Expendables, this is another fun way to spend two hours. I enjoyed this much more than MIB 2, and thought that Josh Brolin was brilliant playing a young Agent K. He absolutely nailed his impersonation of Tommy Lee Jones. I actually thought that they might have been dubbing his voice, but no, that is all Brolin.

On a much much lighter note, try Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep in Hope Springs.

And for the kids we have Paranorman, a misunderstood boy who takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. This was surprisingly intense so if you take it home take the PG rating seriously. There is also the rather quirky Disney offering, The odd life of Timothy Green.

Many of the branches have special holiday programming running for the Christmas break. Call your local branch to see what they have in store. Here at Crowfoot we have a special movie day scheduled for Friday December 28th at 10:30. We are featuring a wonderful all-age appropriate animated classic from Warner Brothers. If you want to find out the title give us a shout at 221-4122.We have other activities as well.

We posted this a while back, but thought you might enjoy it again. Hey you've seen It's a Wonderful Life a few times, right? This post lists some films that the holiday movie lover can sneak past the co-habitants with seasonal burnout. Speaking of bah humbug, I was previewing a new gadget and the tech told me that its bonus feature is that you can text and watch a show at the same time. "What if you disagree with that in principle?" I asked. To his credit, he didnt' back away slowly. One of the great joys of the season is going out and catching the new releases. Let's leave our holiday lights on the tree and out of the theatres. Please turn off your smart devices. Okay, that's enough grinch for now. Happy Holidays Everyone!

You can't get enough of the holiday's but your family is fed up...Try these non-Christmas movies with snowy Decembers and holiday settings...

The Holiday: Two couples, a house exchange, and unrequited love. Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law star.

Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason starring Renee Zellweger ends in the wintry English countryside, especially timely since there's actually been snow there in recent Decembers.

Love, Actually a huge cast of British actors star in this charming look at relationships from multiple perspectives. Hugh Grant stars as the British Prime Minister. If you're not a fan, don't worry, this is a "vignettes" film.

Trading Places: For those who prefer a belly laugh, Dan Ackroyd and Eddy Murphy in their 1980s heyday star, and they are great together. Corporate sabotage forces Ackroyd's character out of his executive role and homeless Murphy into the big kahuna position.

Your family won't notice the holiday themes...Besides, Ukrainian Christmas is not until the 6th!

Movies abound with end of the world scenarios and quite a number of them feature destruction by asteroids, comets or meteors. Just think of Deep Impact, Armageddon and Day of the Triffids. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a different take on this theme. There are no near misses nor lucky survivors, no space miners sacrificing themselves for the rest of mankind. We know going into this movie that destruction is inevitable.

Dodge and Penny are an unlikely couple thrown together to try to navigate their way through the last days before the end. They manage to do so with charm, humour and grace. I enjoyed this way more than I expected and thought that Steve Carell and Keira Knightley hit all the right notes.

If you are a believer you only have a few days to watch this...

WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED. When this ad appears in a newspaper, three investigative journalists set out to see what's what.

This is another movie that I found quietly compelling. Part comedy but with a serious note running throughout, coupled with some very engaging characters. Plus it is not weighed down by any of the space/time paradoxes that often leave me yelling at the tv ' oh yeah, that wouldn't work and here's why...'. A quirky and satisfying ending.

Just a little interesting side note I came across in the news today: 93 people in China were arrested for spreading Mayan calendar doomsday fears.

Another fun post from our frequent guest blogger, Trevor. I had seen all of these except for Wild target, which I immediately placed on hold and enjoyed immensely. I had more than one laugh out loud moment at the absurdity of it all. Thanks for the recommendations Trevor!

Much as our society abhors killing and murder, there is still something inherently fascinating about assassins. Hiding patiently in the shadows, pulling the trigger at the perfect moment, and then nonchalantly escaping the scene…in terms of pure coolness, a well planned assassination is second only to walking slowly towards the camera while an explosion goes off in the background. These are not your typical hitman films however. Quirky, untraditional, and neurotic, they put the humor back into contract killing.

In Bruges is a film that balances between whimsy and melancholy. After a bungled hit leads to the death of a child, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson have to lay low in the quaint, fairytale-esque town of Bruges. What follows is a hilarious romp that involves midgets, soul searching, shootouts, romance, and a great deal of profanity.

Grosse Pointe Blank

Not many high school yearbooks have a category for those “most likely to become paid killers” but if they did, few people would have voted for Martin Blank (John Cusack). Yet here he is, returning to his home town for his 10 year high school reunion, with a hit contract on the side to take care of as well. Equal parts comedy, action, and nostalgia, Grosse Pointe Blank hits its mark. Cusack actually has a black belt in kick boxing, so the fight scenes look great.

The Whole Nine Yards

What do you do when your new neighbor is a mob hitman turned mob snitch? Do you play it cool and relaxed? Or do you head to his old hunting ground on behest of your greedy and spiteful wife, search out his former employer, and try to collect a finder’s fee? As you might expect, this course leads our mild mannered protagonist Oz on a laugh-filled downward spiral of murder, mayhem, and mobsters. With Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry.

Wild Target features the always excellent Bill Nighy as an aging perfectionist assassin. His orderly, lonely existence changes however, when he not only fails to kill his beautiful and intriguing mark (Emily Blunt), but kills the killer sent to replace him. Quirky and absurd in a way that only British comedy can manage, Wild Target shows us that one need not have a cold heart to be a cold hearted killer.

And last but not least, what happens when killing for money starts to lose its lustre? When hits don’t bring the same happiness that they used to? When the thrill of the hunt isn’t quite so thrilling? These are the questions that Julian, an aging and jaded hitman, is forced to ask in this funny and engaging tale starring Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan (who’s much more interesting as an aging hitman than he is as a prim and pressed British spy). The Matador.