This may be it...

As far as my Oscar posts go. This upcoming week/weekend somehow filled up and I just don't know if I'll make it to anymore movies. One thing I noticed this year is that not many of the nominated films are out on DVD. Last year there was a much more steady stream from week-to-week leading up to the awards. Either way, we've had a productive go since I last posted.

Last...Thursday, I believe, we rented "Frozen River." This was the one movie nominated that had not been on any of my previous lists and I didn't know if we were going to get a chance to see it. It's up for Best Actress (Melissa Leo) and Best Original Screenplay. It takes place in UPstate New York, and by that I mean - on the Canadian border. It follows two single mothers (one white, one Mohawk) as they become entangled and seek to provide at all costs for their children. It was only and hour and a half, but it was a little slow-moving. I did like it, though. I would categorize it with "The Visitor" - definitely could be classified as a commentary on immigration as well as tribal rights (something I know very little about). The two main characters move from the US, Mohawk land, and Canada across, you guessed it, a frozen river. Melissa Leo was great and the story was very original.

The next day we went to the Arbor (every movie they are showing right now is Oscar-nominated and most of the films we have set out to view are only being shown there - way to go, Arbor! Great and friendly staff, too.) to see "Frost/Nixon." I'll be honest with you, I was not that pumped to see this movie. It was lowest on my Best Picture list and it only won out because it was the only Best Picture film we had yet to see. I was actually going to go see it by myself until a friend who had seen it convinced my husband he should go with me. I was VERY pleasantly surprised!!! The movie was great. Outstanding performances - especially by Frank Langella (nominated for Best Actor). I was entertained the entire time and loved having this sort of window to look back on this event (I missed it the first time around). I would highly recommend it - it definitely moved up on my list.

Sunday we rented "Wanted." My husband had actually already seen this one in the theaters and I had pretty much vowed not to see it. But then it got nominated for the two sound awards and I am not one to discriminate. I still didn't like it very much. I really did try to be optimistic, but I generally don't like action movies that are made for the sake of being action movies. The violence was way too gratuitous, you pretty much dislike James McAvoy's character the entire time (or at least, I did), Morgan Freeman is a villain, and Angelina Jolie's range as an actress is way underused. Then there is this Loom of Fate subplot, could have been cool, not fleshed out at all. Overall, a disappointment with no real commentary on anything. But if you love action movies, this is your film.

So...what's left to even see, you ask? If I had it my way, we would really push to see "Rachel Getting Married," "The Wrestler," and "Revolutionary Road" in the the theater by Sunday evening. And if I was pressed to pick one it would be "The Wrestler" - I have heard nothing but raves about Mickey Rourke's performance and I feel like that's the only way I could accurately have an opinion on Best Actor. As far as renting goes, our only options are "Changeling" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." I have already seen "Changeling," and although my husband hasn't, it's kind of long and I don't think Angelina Jolie is going to win Best Actress. As I said earlier, I'm trying not to discriminate against films I generally wouldn't go see, but I didn't see the first "Hellboy," so...we'll see about that one. I may post my picks before the show, but if not I will definitely blog about it all afterwards.

TOTAL side note - anyone watch "The Bachelor" last night? I am embarrassed to admit that I do watch it, but it is my guiltiest of pleasures - I kind of love it. The elimination shocked me, but what I really want to discuss are the teasers for the finale and the "After the Final Rose" special. First - DeAnna - lame plot twist. We don't like her anymore, ABC! Second, Chris Harrison (who may have the best job in the world) and his "intimate, too dramatic" taping announcement kind of got to me - and I have to wait 3 weeks to find out. No thank you, but I will be watching. Dang it.

More and more Oscars!

Well, I think I am on pretty good pace so far this week as far as my Oscar viewing goes (not to mention I have been able to stay on top of my DVR as well, but that's another post). This week I tried something new with my husband and some friends - we headed down to the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar to watch the Oscar-nominated Animated Shorts. As a bonus, we were also shown some "Highly Commended" shorts - I wish I would have known this in advance so I would not have inhaled my 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico' salad to the point of discomfort, but what can you do.
The first short shown was "Lavatory-Lovestory" - the second-longest short. Very, very sweet as love stories should be, and yes, it is set in a lavatory. It was drawn in black on a white background, with color used for effect. A great start to our short-viewing.
Next was "Oktapodi" - computer-animated story about two octopi in love. I would have to agree with this sentiment from Vanity Fair's Oscar Blog (linked to at the end of this post): "one long action sequence of the type that Pixar does much better." This is true. It looks cool, but at two minutes it is just too short - especially when Pixar has an entry this year.
This was followed by "La Maison en Petit Cubes" - again, very, very sweet. I loved the idea and concept of literal reminiscing and it was pretty - hand-painted. Again - I defer to Vanity Fair's opinion on this, the best chance against Pixar's offering.
The next short, "This Way Up," was very weird, but in a good way. I found it reminiscient of "Not Without My Handbag" a short done by the team that does "Wallace & Gromit." It follows the trials and tribulations of a father-son undertaker team trying to deal with getting a casket to a cemetery. Cute, and may be my husband's fave.
The last short shown in the Oscar-nominated section was "Presto," done by Pixar. I'm sure this is the most widely seen short in either category as it was shown before "Wall-E" in theaters. I loved it when I saw it in the theater and wanted to be a short-snob and like one of the other ones more, but I really do love this one! Cute bunny! Magic! Foils! It is really fun and I have read it compared to old Looney Tunes cartoons. I would agree.
After that they showed some more shorts, mainly ones that I didn't get ("Varmints," anyone?). Maybe they were only 'Highly Commended' because they failed to get a narrative across in a short time? I don't know. There was one that was really cute called "John and Karen." I would say that is the only one worth watching outside of the 5 nominated ones, plus it's only 3 minutes.

We had planned on seeing the Live Action Shorts at the same theater last night, but plans fell through. Instead, we rented "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." This is a Woody Allen film that is up for Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz being the actress nominated. Confession - I have only seen two other Woody Allen movies and they weren't necessarily even his finest, so forgive me. First off, I liked the movie. It was narrated, so that really reminded me of "The Royal Tenenbaums." As in, the narration was spoken in such a manner that you felt like the story had already happened and was being recounted to you, rather than feeling like you're smack in the middle of an ever-unfolding plot. It is about two friends (Vicky and Cristina) who spend the summer in Barcelona and what and who they encounter there. Though the movie kind of peters out in a subtle way, upon further thought the ending is kind of shocking. The acting is stellar all around - the Golden Globes had it right nominating 3 of the 4 main actors. Penelope Cruz gives a great, spitfire performance as per usual, so it's no surprise she was nominated. I definitely recommend it.

This week we will probably rent "Frozen River" and we are definitely seeing "Frost/Nixon" on Friday. This will complete our Best Picture viewing. There has been talk of seeing another movie in the theaters on Saturday, but I don't know what yet. Also - I read that the shorts can be purchased on iTunes, so we may give the Live Action Shorts a go that way. It will probably cost as much as renting and much less than going out to see them, so that will be fun, I'm sure.

As promised, the link to Vanity Fair's take on the Animated Shorts:
Can Any Animated Short Take on Pixar?: Julian Sancton Vanity Fair#entry-more#entry-more#entry-more#entry-more#entry-more

Next Round of Films

Well, apparently I'm going to be doing these reviews in batches. Although I was out-of-town last weekend, we still made a lot of progress on movies. Let's get started!

"Milk" - This may be my favorite of the last few we saw. I didn't know much about Harvey Milk or the political climate of San Francisco/the country (give me a break - I was born in the 80's), so it was fascinating to learn about. I know a movie isn't fact, but in reading more about it after the viewing, it stayed pretty close. I was really impressed with the cooperative-ness of Harvey Milk's contemporaries in the production of the film. Anyways, the acting all around was great - Sean Penn in particular, and Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch were great as well. I have to say this is probably my runner-up to "Slumdog Millionaire."

"The Duchess" - Blah. I don't typically seek out period films when I'm selecting movies on my own, and I have figured out why. While the costumes were insane (that's what it's nominated for), the plot was terrible. I know that women didn't have many choices or rights or anything back then, but I certainly don't want to watch a glorified story about how she became a great wife by condoning the very thing her husband wouldn't let her have. Blah blah blah. I wouldn't recommend it.

"The Visitor" - Really good, undiscovered gem. Probably would have never stumbled upon it had it not been nominated. Richard Jenkins (best known to me as the dad from "Six Feet Under") is nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of a widowed, aimless professor. He comes upon some illegal immigrants living in his city apartment and embarks on their life with them. I really liked it. See it any time you can - it is a great commentary on immigration in our country.

"Iron Man" - I really wish we would have seen this in the theatre. I know we meant to, and heard we should, but somehow it didn't happen. So we borrowed it from my brother this week and watched it on our regular tv. It was cool and all, but I think it would have been a lot better on a big screen with loud sound. I read that Jon Favreau was looking for someone who could portray a "likable a-hole" and Robert Downey, Jr. really did the job. Plus Gwyneth Paltrow looked so young and fabulous! 'The Dude' (who I thought was John Malkovich for a while until my husband pointed it out) was unexpected and a good villain. This movie is nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing. Good shot at Visual Effects unless the Academy decides they like old Brad Pitt better. I will probably see the second one, but surely in the theater.

"The Reader" - We saw this last night and my husband and I discussed it for a while this morning. Kate Winslet is up for Best Actress for this one, and it's also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. This movie is very complex and they all pull it off. It's uncomfortable, but not in an off-putting way. The subject matter is tough (I mean Kate Winslet plays a former Nazi guard who was stationed at Auschwitz), but don't let that deter you. Kate Winslet and David Kross give powerful performances. I thought Ralph Fiennes was holding back, but maybe that was the point.

This upcoming week holds "Frost/Nixon" at the theatre and since we have the advantage of living in the wonderful Austin we may catch all of the nominated Live Action Shorts or Animated Shorts at the Alamo Drafthouse. Renting will probably entail "Vicky Christina Barcelona" and then probably either "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" or "Wanted" - seriously.

Oscars!!!

Last year I set a personal goal (and took my husband along for the ride) to watch as many of the Oscar-nominated films as possible in the month between the nominations announcement and the awards show. I can report that we saw all of the films that won in the major categories (excluding documentaries and shorts) except for one. Well, we're on again for this year!

I did more research throughout the year and tried to anticipate the films better. I don't know if I'm more ahead than last year - but I'm going to (try) to use this blog to report and review the movies we do see.

I do want to say that it may seem weird that I am determined to see movies that some other group said were must-see's. But last year I discovered some great films that I would not have seen otherwise. I definitely recommend "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "La Vie en Rose," and "There Will Be Blood." I'm hoping for some of that same inspiration this year.

Recap!

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" - Liked it. I thought Cate Blanchett was PHENOMENAL - too bad the Academy missed out on nominating her. Speaking of redheads, I also really enjoyed Tilda Swinton's performance. Though it's drawn a lot of comparisons to "Forrest Gump," I still liked the manner of storytelling - a long narrative told against/in conjunction with historic events. Amazing effects on Brad Pitt.

"Slumdog Millionaire" - LOVED it. A heart-wrenching and inspiring story with authentic performances. It's up for 10 including Original Score and Original Song(s) which is super because the music was great great. Recommended!!

"The Dark Knight" - Saw it in IMAX - a little intense that way. I do think Heath Ledger was an excellent Joker and unfortunately the franchise will suffer for his loss. It was a little unnerving to watch it knowing that this is his final complete performance - it was too hard to suspend that knowledge. I also thought that Aaron Eckhart was great and of course, the effects were great as well.

"Wall-E" - Again, LOVED it. So cute - I didn't know I could love a robot. Or two robots for that matter. I didn't mind what others are calling the "preachy" second half, I think it was a good wake-up call and reminder of what our duties are as caretakers of our bodies and planet.

"Doubt" - Also great. Since it was adapted from a Tony-winning play I knew it would hinge on great acting - and of course, it did. All 4 actors deserved their nominations, as well as John Patrick Shanley's Adapted Screenplay nomination. I would have to say that Meryl Streep was my fave of the 4.

"Changeling" - I wanted to like it more. I did think Angelina Jolie was very good in it (and I am firmly on Team Jen), but I think the hopelessness of the story kind of sucked the life out of the rest of the film.

"Tropic Thunder" - I would like to state that I preferred Robert Downey, Jr.'s, Jay Baruchel's, and Matthew McConaughey's performances to Tom Cruise's. In particular, I did love Robert Downey, Jr., though - he trod the line between parody and seriousness well. The movie is funny and I thought the second half was much better than the first.

"In Bruges" - Watch it with the captions on, I had a hard time keeping up with the accents. The movie really surprised me - there was much more to it than the trailers let on. I guess that's why it's nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

"Kung Fu Panda" - Super cute! I still think/hope that "Wall-E" will win for Best Animated Feature Film, but this one is of high quality for an animated film. I really recommend it for a fun watch.

So...those are the ones I've seen so far. Tonight we're going to see "Milk" and then only 16 more to go!!!

"Top Design" 10/22/08 - contains spoilers

One thing I have not addressed on this blog thus far is my love for all things Bravo-related (I am not ready to discuss the move of "Project Runway" to Lifetime). So it should not be suprising that I follow all of their reality competitions. The edition on tv right now is "Top Design" - a design competition for interior designers. My husband and I faithfully watched the first season (Go Matt!) and have followed suit with the second season. I like it - but do not love it as much. I believe the changes have been somewhat detrimental and they follow as such:

1 - Todd Oldham has been demoted (in my opinion) to only a mentor and not host + mentor. He has wonderful insight and is one of the most prominent designers (again in my opinion as a Target shopper) in the country right now. Mr. Oldham is currently relegated to about 5 minutes per episode, if that. Shame.
2 - The addition of India Hicks as host and possibly head judge. My husband hates her accent and, according to Wikipedia, her father was a designer. This fact seems to be her main qualification for the show, although they did mention this week that she has some design books - did not know that before. A sidenote to this point, if she is the head judge that means that Jonathan Adler is not - which would also be a shame. As with Todd Oldham, he has a great eye and he is hilarious!
3 - The sheer volume of team challenges. I really feel like the first individual challenge was the First Annual Top Design Triathalon (3 episodes ago). What a relief that episode was! Finally the designers could stand on their own merits and not whine about how inept their teammates were at life in general.
4 - No carpenters. I miss the carpenters that were featured heavily along with the contestants last season. I thought they were a realistic addition that represented all of the work that goes along with a great design and a great room. Plus they provided my favorite line from last season, courtesy of Carissa: "This is 'Top Design,' not 'Top Karl'!" Priceless.

Onto this week's episode!!!

First of all - this challenge hearkened back to what I loved about the first season of "Top Design." Each contestant had their own 3-walled room down one hallway, not a corner as with previous challenges. They were given their largest budget yet and beautiful Swarovski crystal chandeliers with which to work. We got to see their painting ideas and watch them shop for furniture in showrooms I will never shop in. There was the rush to finish and the examination by the judges - though all with a little less drama. Plus the guest judge was Jonathan Adler's husband, Simon Doonan who is the creative director at Barney's - I know and love him from "I Love the 70's'" on vh-1.

But what I didn't like and what I want to spend the rest of this post examining is my issue with Andrea. Andrea, if you didn't know (which would be unimaginable because it was the first thing she ever said on the show ever and what she mentions at least once every episode), is married to Rick Schroeder of "Silver Spoons," "Lonesome Dove," and "NYPD Blue" fame. I have seen none of these. She put her family first and is only now realizing her dream of becoming an interior desiginer. She has done ok on the show. As Margaret Russell (judge and editor of "Elle Decor" magazine) pointed out last night, she has scraped her way into the Top 5. She is in the bottom two almost every week - "demoralizing," Ms. Russell called it. Each week she laments about missing her 4 kids and husband and how all of her responsibilities at home are what she's really about and she feels guilty taking time for herself. That very well may be, but you're here - make the best of it! Now, in all fairness, I thought her room was awesome this week. She had this gorgeous emerald column chandelier that she built a vintage Hollywood glam room around. She got slammed for her lack of proficiency in styling, but my husband and I didn't notice that (we're amateurs). When the contestants assembled in front of the judges, she completely fell apart, went into this family sob story, and kind of uloaded on Margaret Russell. Ms. Russell gave her some inspiring words and then the judges settled into make their decision. THIS IS CRAZY how it ended up! They gave her the option to stay or go! She was in the bottom two due to her styling limitations, but the judeges really felt she did justice to the chandelier (which is what the challenge was about). So their decision was to send Ondine home. HOWEVER, they let Andrea choose whether or not she wanted to stay and Ondine just had to stand there and take it. Andrea decided to go back to her family, not before asking Ondine for her opinion (are you kidding?!). I mean good for Ondine because she wanted to stay, but I still have a few questions.

1 - You're in the Top 5. Last season they whittled it down to two and then gave them months to prepare for the final challenge at home. So you would have to stay for like 5 more days - max - right?
2 - And then also - aren't all of the contestants sequestered after they are kicked off for confidentiality reasons? Or is that just for the "Amazing Race" and "Survivor"?
3 - What does this mean for the notion of women being able (or not being able) to have it all? Can you be an attentive mother and wife plus have a career of your own? I felt like her decision to leave was a setback in that "have it all" ideal. I would hope (for my own life) that having it all would include a family that supported my career or other aspirations and would understand my absence. That's not to say that Andrea doesn't have that, but she did seem to lack the confidence to strike it out on her own. I don't think I will solve this conundrum on this blog.

Either way, you couldn't stick it out for just a very few more days?!

On a related note, if you saw the challenge where they worked with the "Project Runway" designers, you remember that Andrea worked with Daniel from seasons 1 & 2 and they styled a window around a pretty serious yellow dress. Did you know that Andrea wore it to the Emmy's? She looked good, I must say.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

I caught this movie on Friday night at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. My husband and I barely sneaked in for the sold-out 7:20pm showing, thanks to a very sweet and helpful Drafthouse employee. Thank you!

Well, I really enjoyed this movie, but before I get to that - here is one thing to keep in mind: this movie is a romantic comedy (or rom-com, a term I learned this week). It is cleverly disguised as your typical Judd Apatow movie (and it is just as raunchy), but be present with the fact that the basic formula is rom-com (like how I used that already?!).

Now...to my thoughts...

• HILARIOUS. I have not laughed this much in a theatre probably since I saw "Superbad" last year. It is really funny and Jason Segel's attention to detail really makes the movie flow and that makes for a lot of enjoyment. Definitely super-quotable.
• COMMITMENT. The actors really committed to their characters, even though they were somewhat stereotypical (stuck-up tv actress; over-sexed, pantheistic British alt-rock frontman; slacker). I was really convinced of realness of the characters - in part to the attention to detail I mentioned earlier and quality performances from the actors involved.
• HONESTY. I thought this movie really provided and honest insight into what happens after (and during) the break-up of a significant relationship. It does not gloss over the why or the how - I appreciated that they could stick with some reality through all of the shtick.

Cautionary thoughts...

• My husband enjoyed the movie as much as I did, but he did find it predictable (see romantic comedy comment above).
• I read a review that asked why the movie was not rated NC-17. There is nudity and copious language. Just a forewarning.

I say - go see it! We'll probably buy it on DVD when it comes out.

Welcome!

This blog marks my first foray into actual blogging (myspace doesn't count!).  I'm going to try out a blog of reviews - of things I do.  Movies and TV shows I watch, music I listen to, books I read, events I attend, restaurants I eat at and such.  I think you get it.  I've been searching for blog inspirations for at least a year now, so I'm pretty excited about this new venture. I hope you enjoy what you find!

Some reviews to expect in the near future:

• "Lars and the Real Girl"
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" ~ Stephen Chbosky
• "Raise the Dead" ~ Phantom Planet