George Clooney must be a pretty happy bunny; both The Descendants (in which his starred) and The Ideas Of March (which he starred in and directed) are up for Best Drama, with his performance in The Descendents getting him a nomination for best actor. He’s also up for Best Director for Ides , the clever dog.

He’s joined in the Best Actor- Drama category by Leo DiCaprio for J Edgar, Michael Fassbender for Shame, co-star Ryan Gosling for The Ides Of March and Brad Pitt for Moneyball.

Gosling also got himself nominated for Best Actor – Comedy/Musical for his performance in Crazy, Stupid Love, alongside Jean Dujardin for The Artist, Brendan Gleeson for The Guard (hurrah!), Joseph Gordon-Levitt for >50/50 and Owen Wilson for Midnight in Paris.

In terms of the ladies, Best Actress – Drama nominations went out to Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis for The Help, Rooney Mara for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady and Tilda Swinton for We Need To Talk About Kevin. For performances in comedy/musical, nods went out to Kristen Wiig for Bridesmaids, Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn, Charlize Theron for Young Adult, with Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster both getting nominations for their roles in Carnage .

Tate Taylor’s saccharine drama The Help got itself four nominations – A Best Picture, Best Actress and two Best Supporting Actress nods, while silent-film phenomenon The Artist picked up a stonking six nominations – Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (for Michel Hazanavicius), Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor and Best Film – Musical/Comedy.

Good to see support for the brilliant Moneyball – it picked up nominations for Best Screenplay, a Best Supporting Actor nod for Jonah (well deserved, in our opinion) as well one for Best Actor (for Brad Pitt) and Best Drama.

There are an interesting lack of nominations for the critically acclaimed Drive – it got just one nod, and that was for Albert Brooks’ supporting role. That means it got the same number of nominations as Madonna’s W.E. Just saying.

For a full list of nominations, click here and go to town. What were your favourites of 2011?

Before we start, a few facts. 1) Birdwatching, or ‘birding’ as the Yanks call it, has a small but dedicated following Stateside. 2) The ultimate aim for any American birder is to complete a Big Year – that is, to spot as many birds as they can in the United States in one calendar year. 3) The record US Big Year was achieved by Kenny Bostick (Wilson), whose 732-bird score remains unbeaten. That is, perhaps, until this year.

Unfulfilled divorcee Brad Harris (Black), who lives at home with his parents and spends his spare time learning bird calls, has dreamed for most of his life of completing a Big Year – the only problem is that he’ll have to do it in his weekends and on a shoestring budget. Meanwhile, company director Stu Preissler (Martin) is finally retiring so he can attempt his first Big Year while evading the anguished calls of his executives. And Bostick himself is once more taking to the road to check out the competition and make sure nobody’s got a chance of touching his record – regardless of what his neglected wife Jessica (Rosamund Pike) thinks about it. As Brad’s ringtone will remind you every six or eight minutes, “A-well bird bird bird, bird is the word…”

I know, I know – The Big Year sounds utterly shit, doesn’t it? And objectively, there’s no reason why it’s not. The theme is so odd that it requires a massive whack of exposition right at the start, which is then periodically topped up by Jack Black’s endless bloody voiceovers. The jokes never really make it above chuckle standard, the plot is relatively predictable and the ending is quite unforgivably schmaltzy. Why on earth should you watch it? As far as I can work out, it’s because although nothing about The Big Year is particularly edifying (or, truth be told, particularly hilarious), it’s hugely satisfying.

Most of this, of course, comes down to the reliable and well-written central triumvirate. The main characters are genuinely beautifully crafted and very well cast – it’s always nice to see Jack Black doing something that feels a bit more like Real Acting, whilst Owen Wilson continues his run of really quite good performances and even Steve Martin summons up a ghost of the actor he once was. A variety of conflicts, alliances and so on bubble up and die down with commendable realism, somehow injecting a reasonable quantity of legitimate drama into what would otherwise be an impossibly fanciful film. The rest of the casting is solid too, although Christ only knows whose idea it was to cast Rosamund Pike in such a pointless little role – still, she’s as excellent in it as she is in everything *swoon*. Elsewhere, Brad’s obligatory love interest Ellie (Rashida Jones) is charming and very watchable, and there’s an unexpected but spunky turn from Anjelica Huston as the no-shit-taking captain of a wildlife-spotting boat.

It goes without saying that if you’re into birds you’re going to absolutely bloody love The Big Year. If you’re not (probably a fair assumption), your best bet is to avoid the trailer altogether and just give it a shot. You might find yourself getting into birding after all, just as Jack Black’s dad does just in time for their inevitable reunion (told you it was predictable); but even if you don’t, there’s plenty to enjoy in this inoffensive little film.

Cue Marley And Me: The Puppy Years, a fun kids prequel which swiftly rectifies the situation. Marley is alive and well, a young puppy with an away-from-home adventure (bye bye, Wilson and Aniston!) that will satisfy even the most hardcore doggy fans out there. And, as Marley chatters away in that familiarly frisky voice, we come to realise that… wait, what?

Right. Marley can talk now. That was unexpected but, to be honest, it’s high time we got his point of view across to the camera. Need I remind us of the original film, in which Marley was cruelly silenced by Wilson and Aniston, who monopolised almost all of the good lines? Exactly. It’s Marley’s turn now. And, boy, does he have a LOT to say with that moving CGI mouth of his.

Marley is being watched over by Bodi (Turner) and the pair are sent to spend some time with grandpa Fred (Rhodes). Bodi wants a dog of his own. Badly. But his mother, villainous witch that she is, doesn’t think that he’s responsible enough, so he strikes a deal with her. If he can train Marley in just four days then he can have a dog. She agrees. WHAT ARE YOU DOING BODI!? DON’T YOU KNOW THAT MARLEY IS THE MOST MISBEHAVED DOG IN THE WORLD?! Ahem. Luckily, chance would have it that there’s a dog competition involving an obstacle course pretty close by. Guess who gets entered?

If you were worried that there weren’t going to be enough puppies in this movie, you’d be wrong. Marley teams up with Fuschia (Lavoie) and Moose (Grantham), neighbourhood hounds who come to blows with a group of miniature Doberman Pinscher puppies. Those mini Doberman Pinschers will stop at NOTHING to win… but they’re still cute, so don’t worry about them spoiling the aesthetic of the flick.

Ruff-going for normal people (like me) but paw-fect for puppy fans everywhere, this story of friendship has far more in common with Disney’s Snow Buddies than it does Marley And Me. Saccharine shots of puppies (in swimming pools, in goggles, in a bed of flowers…) reduces the film to nothing more than a collection of moving pictures. Who needs a screensaver, eh? The human characters are wooden, with little depth or emotion, and the plot is easily predictable. But the pack of speaking puppies will charm the socks off of younger audiences, making this the perfect stocking-filler for mini mutt lovers everywhere. Just don’t offer to sit down and watch it with them…

They’re really covering all bases in this film. You’ve got your old white American man (Steve Martin), your younger white American man (Owen Wilson) and your fat white American man (Jack Black) and they all love birds. There’s literally something for everyone! “I’m worried no one will like this film. LOL JK EVERYONE WILL LOVE IT!” – David Frankel.

This trailer really does have all the key moments, though:

- Fake beginning: “Oh what is this? An action film right? Because of the music and the…OH WAIT HAHAHAHAHAHA IT’S ABOUT BIRDS”

- Big promise: our fave three no-hopers are going to have a Big Year (bonus points for squeezing in the title) “This is tense now that they’ve made that promise to have a big year”

- Hilarious moments: people falling over! Jack Black doing a victory dance! “Omg so funny!”

- And the serious line: “Most people wake up one day and realise they didn’t do all the bird stuff they wanted to do”. Both touching AND true to life!

But you know what the most offensive part of this trailer is? Right at the end when Jack Black says “this is great, unless a freak blizzard happens” and then it cuts to a freak blizzard. You know what, that’s OK. But then Jack Black says “I shouldn’t have said that thing about a blizzard. I jinxed it.” WE GOT THE JOKE. Come on, people.

So are you as excited for The Big Year as we are? Let us know below!

When asked about how far into the Zoolander 2 the team were, Wilson had this to say:

“Where it’s at is we’ve completed the script, Justin Theroux and I, and handed it into the studio. Now the studio has the script and we’re at that point where we’re waiting to see what they want to do.

Their lives have changed and they’re not really relevant anymore. It’s a new world for them. Will Ferrell is written into the script and he’s expressed interest in doing it. I think Mugatu is an integral part of the Zoolander story, so yes, he features in a big way.”

He also mentioned that the catalyst for the story’s sequel centres around Hansel suffering from a hideous, disfiguring injury – meaning he has to re-think his career as the world’s most beautiful man.

Watch this space. For serious.

Needless to say, our expectations for this are a little low. Steve Martin will be snide yet endearing. Owen Wilson will say things that will only register with you as being funny several minutes later. Jack Black will end all of his lines with ‘Sha-na-na-na-naaa’, and at some point he will plug the new Tenacious D album. The film will get 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, and one day, years from now, you will be in HMV and you will see it for £2.99. You will buy it, and you will never take it out of its plastic. Every now and then you’ll pick it up and think “Why do I have this? When did I buy this?” and then you will put it back down again.

On the plus side, Anjelica Huston is in it.

Specifically commending his performance in Zoolander, Stiller will receive a Britannia Award on November 30th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles. Come on, Zoolander? Really? Sure it was fun and all that, but is Blue Steel really award-worthy? We can’t help but think he put in a far better performance in the utterly wonderful Tropic Thunder (though to be fair, Robert DJ’s epic White Man As A Black Man skills completely stole the show) and his disgruntled self-parody in Extras showed he’s capable of much more than gurning his way through Dodgeball-eque flicks.

Calling Stiller a “master” of comedy seems an exaggeration, but heck, his movies have grossed more than $5 billion woldwide – who are we to decide, eh?

Europe: Kevin and Perry Go Large (Ibiza)

Oh yes, we’re starting our trip in style and heading to the one and only Ibiza, ready to soak up those tacky European beach vibes while we can. This movie was, shall we say, A TOUR DE RUDDY FORCE. It had sun, sex, sand, mopeds and vomming in public – everyone needs a holiday like that at somepoint, right? So get your glowsticks/whistles/boobs out and get ready to party like it’s the mid-nineties. Meet you at the minibar.

Middle East: Sex and the City 2 (United Arab Emirates)

Fear not, BFF followers, we haven’t gone insane and actually started liking SATC2. We just thought it was our responsibility that – going on a round the world film trip and all that – we should probably drop into Abu Dhabi and 1) give them all an ‘I’m not angry I’m just disappointed’ glare, 2) try to demonstrate how absolutely ridiculous they look in their ‘Arab-chic’ get-ups by dressing four camels in cocktail dresses, and 3) implore Michael Patrick King to never, ever, inflict this torture on us again.

Asia: The Darjeeling Limited (India)

Well there’s only one thing that can save us after a run in with the SATC lot, and that’s a well organised but somehow also rowdy train-trip around India. And who could possibly be a better bunch of chaperones than Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody and Jason Schwartzman? From the moment we saw this classic by Wes Anderson we immediately wanted to get on the next fight to India and buy some snakes, have an affair, take unprescribed pharmaceuticals, get thrown off a train, and generally be really really really cool while doing so. Everyone! Get your swag on, quick snap! Next stop Darjeeling, baby!

Australasia: Wolf Creek (Australia)

Bet you thought we were going to say Australia didn’t you? Well no, because we don’t want Hugh Jackman flexing his muscles anywhere near our trip of a lifetime. Instead, we’re going off the beaten track to Wolf Creek. It scared the bejesus out of us and, while we don’t really fancy running into horror-hound Mick Taylor, we do like the look of the Wolf Creek meteor crator so let’s bloody well risk it eh? Although we must insist on prior-prepping with plenty of reserve gas, at least six spare tyres, and a Bear Grylls-like fascination with eating lizards and drinking our own piss.

South America: The Motorcycle Diaries (Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela)

Everyone has to do a bit of volunteering when they go off round the world don’t they? And there’s surely no better way than cuddled up to Gael García Bernal as he drives us around moaning about the exploitation of the Latin American workforce. Oh yes, you never know what’s going to happen on the continent of passion and politics – some of it might even rub off on us as we start running amuck and stickin’ it the man. But if we don’t end up Marxist revolutionaries? We’re just totally ready to get our tequila on.

North America: Thelma and Louise (USA)

Sorry lads, but it’s gyals on tour while we head up to the U.S. of A! There were plenty of movies to choose for this one, but what better than the probably the best road trip film ever? (Arguments below!) We’re fastening our headscarves and donning our shades as we zoom off towards the American sunset and start shooting every gosh darn thing in sight. We’re ready to run from the law while becoming oh just the best of friends and it’s gonna be the best weekend EVER. We do draw the line at driving off a cliff, though. That’s not going to happen.

Africa: Madagascar/Madagascar 2: Escape To Africa (Come on, think!)

Get ready everybody for possibly the greatest holiday of all time. And no, we’re not thinking about the food or the sunshine or the beautiful landscapes or even that perfect holiday romance we’ve always dreamed of. It’s for one man and one man only – King Julien. Just like him, we like to move it move it. And there’s no better way of seeing Africa than a good old fashioned safari, so get your binoculars out everyone. Last person to spot a gazelle is buying the drinks.

UK: Carry On Camping (England)

So we’ve touched down on home turf. But before we board the Stansted express and weep into our sand-filled backpacks all the way to London and our dreary, rainy lives, we have one more stop to take. We’re going to Carry On Camping! No-one in the world except Kenneth Williams can soothe us from our post-holiday blues and after a few days down at Paradise campsite we’ll have completely forgotten we even left. Oh the fun, the frolics. There’s no place like home, eh?

Well that’s our summer holiday over. We wish it could’ve lasted forever but hey, the memories certainly will. Can you think of somewhere for next year? Let us below, travel fans!

Oh Pixar, what happened? Having created such movie marvels such as The Incredibles, Toy Story 1, 2 AND 3, Wall-E, Monsters Inc. and Up, surely the newly released Cars 2 should be given a chance, right?

Well, apparently not. This shiny, just been waxed animated endeavour has been critically slammed and has been labelled as various examples of unflattering fruits; a ‘lemon’, and a ‘rotten tomato’ from, well you guessed it rottentomatoes.com (who consequently have awarded the latest Pixar creation a stinky 33% rating).

Though, with Cars being the lowest rated Pixar film on Rotten Tomatoes (74%), what were the American big-wigs really expecting with a rusty sequel that, according to cinemablend is ‘one of the worst reviewed computer animated movies of all time’? Now even though no one said it directly, and even though we tried to approach it with the utmost optimism (despite the slightly dodgy trailer), we couldn’t help but fear Cars 2 was going to flop.

New York Times critic A.O. Scott said “I doubt anyone will protest much, but Pixar has now found its redneck Jar Jar Binks.” Not a good comparison for a leading car.

But don’t despair yet, it’s not all bad news. Out there – somewhere – are positive reviews.
The Times’ Kenneth Turan gleefully wrote that “with engaging characters, a plot that ensures energy, and such a wealth of auto references … ‘Cars 2′ has a smooth, easy way about it.”

But never-the-less, with Cars 2 being described as marking ‘the end of their unprecedented run’, Pixar appear to have stalled big time with this one.

I could – and probably should – spend the first few paragraphs of this review comparing Midnight in Paris to any number of Allen’s other works, only I haven’t actually seen any. With only Match Point as a measure, I was surprised to find myself investing entirely in the director’s latest offering; part dramedy, part timey-wimey Twilight episode, Midnight in Paris is a wonderfully electric cross stitch of celebrity cameos and creative conjecture that places this oddity somewhere between Hot Tub Time Machine and the director’s own Vicky Cristina Barcelona (or so I have been lead to believe).

Boasting a career-best performance from a surprisingly capable Owen Wilson, and letting Rachel McAdams get her bitch on for the first time since Mean Girls, our fable finds a strong emotional centre in Wilson’s ex-Hollywood screen-writer before his struggling nomance inevitably hits the TARDIS for act 2. With Sheen dispensing meddlesome factoids with entertaining glee, Allen ensures that his audience remains invested in both timelines simultaneously, his eye for comedy ensuring that the tone remains delightfully whimsical throughout.

It is when the narrative relocates to the 1920s, however, that Midnight in Paris comes to life. Corey Stoll and Adrien Brody lead the way as Ernest Hemingway and Salvador Dali respectively, making way for the likes of Kathy Bates, Tom Hiddleston and Allison Pill to work wonders as Gertrude Stein and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, even giventheir admittedly limited screen-time. Even charisma vacuum Marion Cotillard can’t throw proceedings off course as perennially damp love interest Adriana, although what is otherwise smooth sailing does hit turbulence in a last act plot development that smacks uncomfortably of Inception‘s Russian Doll approach to dreaming.

Where Midnight in Paris runs aground, if it does at all, is in the sheer contrivance of its set up. While initial talk of psychological defence mechanisms and Golden Age Syndrome hint at a psychological complexity in the vein of Black Swan, any extra dimensionality is quickly stripped from the narrative in Allen’s haste to colour within the lines and outline the narrative with unfortunate precision. What at first feels like a quirky tale of wish fulfilment is soon robbed of all ambiguity, leaving the sheer volume of celebrity encounters to take on a farcical air of incredulity.

Nevertheless, Midnight in Paris tells its story with a verve and emotionality that handles the rampant nostalgia with expert precision. While it will unlikely appeal to all, Midnight in Paris boasts enough wit, charm and cameos to keep even the stubbornest Francophile entertained, quickly atoning for the bloated pictorial prologue that precedes it. And, if nothing else, it’s much, much better than Match Point.