The Movies People Actually Saw Awards

Ok, so I forced myself to sit through the Oscars again this year and I couldn't help but feel like they are getting more and more irrelevant as each year goes by. I wrote and talked about this to death last year so I will save you from that soap box again but it got me thinking.

In my humble opinion there are currently no relevant awards for movies. People Choice are too trailer trash, Golden Globes are too European, and the Oscars are too artsy fartsy. The closest we have are the MTV awards and of course there is no credibility there. I want a prestigious award for movies that people actually saw last year (you know, like the Oscars used to be).

So naturally, I had to come up with my own - The Movies People Actually Saw Awards or the MPASAs (pronounced: em-pah-sahs. You gotta give it that little Spanish kick!) Actually we can do this together. I will present you with my list of nominees and let's vote (I'll post the results next week on JustBeingJosh.com).

Looking back now, 2008 was a weird year for movies. While it was certainly better than 2007 (as proved by the nominees below), 2008 did see some of the WORST movies released in recent memory - I'm talking to you "Zohan", "Love Guru", and "Get Smart". We were a "Pink Panther 2" away from witnessing one of the most wretched collections of movies released in a single year ever known to man.

But let's focus on the good, shall we??

Here you go. the 1st Annual MPASA nominees (listed alphabetically). Looking forward to seeing your selections!

Best Movie
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Night
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire*
Tropic Thunder
*I know not everyone saw Slumdog, but you should. It wasn't nearly as good as "Ben Button" but it's still a great film

Best Actor
Christian Bale (Dark Knight)
Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man)
Brad Pitt (Ben Button)
Paul Rudd (Role Models)
Will Smith (Hancock)

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett (Ben Button)
Eva Mendes (The Spirit)
Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City)
Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!)
Renee Zellweger (Leatherheads)

Best Supporting Actor
Rob Corddry (What Happens in Vegas)
Robert Downey, Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
James Franco (Pineapple Express)
Heath Ledger (Dark Knight)
Steve Martin (Baby Mama)

Best Supporting Actress
Isla Fisher (Definitely, Maybe)
Taraji P. Henson (Ben Button)
Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
Amy Poehler (Baby Mama)

Director
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
David Fincher (Ben Button)
Frank Miller (The Spirit)
Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight)
Pete Travis (Vantage Point)