CineDrunk: Favorite Actors Without Oscar Nominations

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Credit: Elizabeth Perrin

Credit: Elizabeth Perrin

Another month, another random match-up to determine our favorite... something. This time, it's our favorite actors who have yet to receive an Oscar nomination.

Our criteria: actors must be alive and working, and have come close to an Oscar nomination in the past or at least been in the awards conversation at some point in their career. Many were considered, but to narrow the field we had to leave a great many talented folks off the list (sorry, Kevin Bacon, Lisa Kudrow, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw).

Our 32 finalists are listed below. Have a listen to discover who emerged victorious!

Modified Martinez
adapted from Saveur

2 oz gin
2 oz dry vermouth
3/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
a splash of Unicum

Measure all ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass and enjoy.

Jamie Bell • Maria Bello • Gael Garcia Bernal • Paul Bettany • Emily Blunt • Jim Carrey •
Jeff Daniels • Julie Delpy • Cameron Diaz • Kirsten Dunst • Colin Farrell • Richard Gere •
Jeff Goldblum • John Goodman • Hugh Grant • Oscar Isaac • Allison Janney •
Scarlett Johansson • Michael B. Jordan • Steve Martin • James McAvoy • Ewan McGregor • Catherine O'Hara • David Oyelowo • Guy Pearce • Sam Rockwell • Meg Ryan • Andy Serkis • Martin Sheen • Donald Sutherland • Kristen Wiig • Shailene Woodley

Jim Carrey's 10 Greatest Performances

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Jim Carrey's 10 Greatest Performances

As we near the end of Eternal Sunshine Week here at CineMunch, I thought I'd take a moment to highlight who I think gives the best performance in the film (and this is a film featuring several 'best' performances): Jim Carrey as Joel Barish. Kate Winslet may get all the praise (and Oscar nominations), and, indeed, she turns in a stellar, uninhibited gem of a performance that even she agrees was a turning point in her career, but it's Carrey who grounds the film with his expressive face and beating heart. I fall for him every time.

Though I've always loved Jim Carrey. His ascendance in 1994 with Dumb & Dumber, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and The Mask was catnip to my 10-year-old self. I watched The Mask on repeat, and I even dressed as Ace Ventura for Halloween that year (though at the last minute I decided I didn't like the mask that came with the costume and instead opted to be a butterfly -- the gay in me won out on that one, I guess). His exaggerated comedic style really clicked with me (as I'm sure it did with many young men), but as I aged, so did Carrey as an actor. 

His days as a titan of the box office are likely behind him, but over the years he's proved his worth as more than just a celebrity. He continues to pick interesting projects (though more I Love You Phillip Morrises than Yes Mans, please), and I have hope that one day he'll get the respect as an accomplished actor that I think he deserves (or at least an overdue tip of the hat from Oscar). 

Not to bury the lede, but we all know what #1 is. Join me anyway as we count backwards through Jim's ten best screen performances.

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot: 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot: 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'

We've been superfans of The Film Experience for years (thank you, Nathaniel, for introducing us to the term "actressexual"). So now that our own blog is up and running, we're thrilled to finally participate in the TFE series Hit Me With Your Best Shot, in which the film blog masses share their favorite shots from selected movies.

Conveniently for us, the first movie this time 'round is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (our defining film of the 2000s). So here and now, in the middle of our week-long celebration of its 10-year anniversary, let's give thanks for the visual richness that helps make Eternal Sunshine the surrealist/realist work of art that it is.

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The Defining Film of the 2000s

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1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

This Wednesday, March 19, marks the 10-year anniversary of the release of one of the greatest films in the history of humans, and, for me, the film that most defines the first decade of this century. It's almost unfair how perfectly every element of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes together to create one of the most profound, stimulating, and moving pieces of art I'm likely ever to experience. From the mind of known genius Charlie Kaufman, the script alone would rank as one of mankind's greatest achievements, but when visionary director Michel Gondry put those words to the screen (with an incomparable cast led by two of my favorite actors of all-time, Jim Carrey & Kate Winslet), it was transcendent. I could never erase this film, these images, those characters, that music from my mind - Eternal Sunshine is a part of me.

So: Happy Eternal Sunshine Week! We'll keep the celebration going all week long with various features and commemorations, so stick around and cancel that appointment at Lacuna, Inc. 

Catch #10-#2 of the decade here.