Top picks from Hollywood Today’s writers

By Loren Lankford

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 5/1/07 — “Juno” was the top film and “Pushing Daisies” the favorite TV show for Hollywood Today writer Loren Lankford, a young East Coast hipster whose tastes run to the edgy and original. In our ongoing series profiling our writer’s top choices for the films and TV shows about to be honored in countless award shows, we present her take on the best of the best of 2007.

Juno

Diablo Cody’s new film gem is the kind of movie you dream about seeing. The witty script is hilarious, the actors are spot on and the music is the kind that makes you run out to the local CD store right after the show- no matter how late. Critics are calling it this year’s “Little Miss Sunshine,” but in my opinion its way better. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll be quoting it for months.

Waitress

Every year there is a film that I absolutely love until the ending almost kills it. “Waitress” was so good that even though I admittedly hated the ending, I still loved the film. The story was the perfect blend of funny and sweet while being so realistic about a women unhappy about her pregnancy that I literally wanted to get out of my seat and cheer. If Keri Russell isn’t nominated for her leading role, it would really be a shame.

Across the Universe

The trailer was one of the best I’ve seen in years and I’d rarely been so excited about a new release. To my happiness, all of my expectations were fulfilled in this highly original, beautiful movie musical. It may help that I love the Beatles (but, uh- who doesn’t?) and that the actors’ voices were amazing but more than anything, maybe I’m amazed at the way such a story was crafted from all of the songs. My one letdown? Although many of the bands hits were used, the film left audiences happily debating which of their faves should have been included. Mine: “I’ll Love You More.”

Ratatouille

I’ve been a nanny for years and as caretakers can agree, seeing every children’s film that comes out in theaters is sometimes a drag. They are almost always horrible (but the kid loves anything, so you go anyways). “Ratatouille” broke all of those rules, creating a film that truly embodies the old adage “a film kids and adults can both love!” Mixing childlike fantasy with lessons only an adult can truly understand, the film is beautifully made and a joy to watch.

Once

Coming from someone who generally hates musicals, its surprising that I have two musical films on my list. Thankfully, “Once” is a different kind of musical and doesn’t include characters breaking into random song every fifteen minutes. The film follows two people falling in love while writing and recording music together. The music created (both for the film and in their real life band) is beautiful and the film is simply made yet deep with emotion, a hard find in the blockbuster world we live in.

Grindhouse

Duh. Say what you want about him, but Quentin Tarantino is my God. The man shoots action like no one alive and writes dialogue so good it makes my head spin. Just the fact that he brought back the double feature (with killer trailers to boot) made my cinephile self tingle with excitement. I loved both installments (Robert Rodriguez’s half had the better plot) and have never seen an audience troop through so many hours of film while cheering and laughing so much.

2 Days in Paris

Julie Delpy can do almost no wrong in my book, so when I heard she was writing/directing her first feature I was stoked and the film was everything I thought it would be. The acting is superb (Adam Goldberg is another underappreciated actor), the writing is hilarious and the story hits home so much that it’s all enough to make you remember that you really aren’t the only one with all those relationship problems.

The Martian Child

I’ve been known to have the habit of paying for an early morning movie and then spending the day sneaking around to other movies in order to take in as many possible after paying the inflated ticket price of $11.75. On one of these such days, I snuck into “Martian Child” and left me emotionally drained and filled at the same time. After being critically shunned and talked about by literally no one, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d already seen a couple of great films that day (“Dan in Real Life” and “Lars and the Real Girl”) but this by far and away blew them out of the water. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and maybe it was only because I felt like such an outsider myself as a child, but “Martian Child” was a well crafted and beautiful film.

Enchanted

It wasn’t the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen and I definitely wouldn’t say I totally “loved” it but after getting dragged to this film it was much better than I expected it to be. Disney really took a chance at poking fun of itself and the movie was both hilarious and the right amount of cute. Plus, the dress Amy Adams wears at the end is by far the movie dress of the year (sorry, Kiera) and there is a small role played by Idina Menzel. Had it been about 20 minutes shorter, I might have been truly head over heels.

The Bucket List

Every year I go out on a limb and save my last slot for a film awaiting release. I was thinking about throwing “Sweeney Todd” in there, but it seemed to obvious for me and there seems to be a lot of chance that it could go off the deep end. A safe bet lies in the Christmas release, “The Bucket List.” I have on of them myself and as a lover of coming of age/coming of heart movies, I’m excited to see it. Sure, it looks cheesy, but it will probably be good anyways and who doesn’t love a life affirming heart warmer on the cheesiest day of the year.

Top 5 T.V. Shows

Pushing Daisies

Tinseltown isn’t sure how it feels about this show which centers on a man who can revive the dead momentarily, some are calling it the best new show of the season, others are calling it overly sentimental and cutesy. but I can tell you that how I feel about “Pushing Daises” borderlines on obsession. Case in point: I recently walked out on a date who admitted that they “didn’t really like the show, or get it, for that matter.” For those that do get it, the fantastical world of Ned and Chuck of the Pie Hole restaurant (pictured) is charming, romantic and whimsical. It’s so beautiful you’d swear Tim Burton made it and it’s so well written and so sugary sweet you’d swear it came out of your childhood fantasies.

Gossip Girl

I’m probably way to old to still be watching the CW, but I have to admit this show caught my eye. The show is exactly what you’d expect it to be, but I have to give props to the creators for having the crushing characters pair off into a healthy, normal relationship right from the get go. No fussing over will-they-or-won’t-they for five seasons with unbelievable drama. It’s cute, it’s hip and I’m not alone in thinking so because it was the first new show picked up for a full fall order.

Moonlight

I’m a sucker for vampire flicks (haha) but was still surprised at how much I enjoy this show. It’s one of the only good shows on Friday nights and although it does exactly what I just complained about (dragging out a romance we all know will happen eventually), it’s pure entertainment follows the kind of pace where each episode tells its only little story, allowing you to tune in and out week to week.

Californication

If you don’t have Showtime you may have not even heard of it, but “Californication” is one hot show. Starring the ever appealing David Duchovny as a has been writer trying to settle his new book deal and raise his teenage daughter while stopping his ex from marrying the wrong guy. It’s probably the smartest show on television while being funny, sexy and never boring (think about it, that’s rarer than you think). It’s definitely the thinking man’s television series and I’m surprised it hasn’t had more chatter around it. Every time I watch the show I can’t help thinking about all of the people that enjoy listening to Meredith Grey whine on “Grey’s Anatomy.” And laughing.

October Road

It started early this year and opened with it’s second season a few weeks ago and even though I call it my guilty pleasure, I don’t even know how guilty I feel about it. The show runs pretty personal for me (it’s about a small town guy who runs off to the big city, writes a novel about his friends back home and returns home to face them, to mixed reactions). It’s honesty about what it is (a sappy soap opera about small town life and love) but it reminds me of home and what can I say? There is nothing wrong with watching something that just makes you feel good.

Other good new T.V. shows: “Big Shots” (which has already been cancelled), “Dirty Sexy Money”, “The Big Bang Theory”, “Aliens in America”, “Samantha Who?” and “Notes From the Underbelly.”