Droppin' some knowledge...

While perusing one of my favorite blogs this morning (Pop Candy) and reading my favorite daily post, The Early Buzz (a round-up of pop culture-related links), I stumbled upon this: "12 Oscar Contenders to Watch for" - just a little something to whet your appetite for the fall and the eventual awards season.

One movie not mentioned (I guess because it's not making the festival circuit) is Warrior. To me it seems like this year's The Wrestler or The Fighter. It stars Tom Hardy (who you'll remember from Inception and will also be taking a turn as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises) and Joel Edgerton (the best character in Animal Kingdom) as brothers who end up MMA-fighting each other. Nick Nolte stars as their father. I think it looks good.

Otherwise, I haven't been to the movies in about a hundred years. The husband and I did go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 and people (person?), let me tell you - it is good. It's beautiful and so respectful of the world J.K. Rowling created over 7-ish books. I really recommend it if you love Harry Potter. Totally excellent ending.

So what's the plan going forward now that I appear to never go to the movies ever? Well, hopefully to see one over the long weekend, even if it's some good, long weekend fluff.

What are you planning to see next?

Just popping back in...

I have been negligent, but I wanted to pop in and pass along this article I came across today discussing changes in Oscar categories for next year. The most significant change? The Best Picture category will have from 5-10 nominees. Films that receive 5% or higher of the votes on the initial AMPAS ballot will receive a nomination (in past years this would have meant a field of 5-9 nominees). Thank goodness!!

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Nominations will be announced January 24, 2012 - mark your calendars!!

Round-up!!!

Generally the husband and I are able to at least round out the Best Actor and Actress categories each year, but this year we came up short. The week and weekend of the Oscar's was busy busy busy for us, but we were able to grab a couple more of the movies at home. The first was Animal Kingdom. This is an Australian film up for Best Supporting Actress for Jacki Weaver. Interesting tidbit - this film was nominated for 18 Australian Film Institute Awards (Australia's Oscar's) which is the most any movie has ever been nominated. It won almost everything with the exception of the Acting categories where more than one cast member was nominated (only one could win). Jacki Weaver plays the matriarch of an organized crime family. She has 5 sons and 1 daughter and when the daughter dies (of an overdose), Smurf (Jacki Weaver) takes in her grandson. The movie is a look at their family through his eyes. It is gritty and sometimes hard-to-watch, but it is interesting and it is good and Jacki Weaver just embodies the role. Definitely worth seeing.

Saturday night we watched Alice in Wonderland. I was eagerly anticipating this movie while it was being made because I love Tim Burton's eye, but then the reviews were pretty rough. The story meanders and feels a little disjointed - it takes elements from both books and the Disney cartoon, but is also a return to Underland for Alice - I didn't really get the framing. Either way, it does look GOOD. Colleen Atwood definitely deserved her nomination (and win) for Best Costume - I mean I wanted to wear every single thing Alice wore. But as far as this movie being something interesting or different in the Alice pantheon, I just kind of say, "meh."

SO the Oscars...I loved loved loved the idea of Anne Hathaway and James Franco co-hosting and I still think it could have been great, but somehow it just didn't quite pan out. I thought James Franco was super-stiff (and possibly high) and Anne Hathaway did her best to compensate, but it was just a bit off. I know a lot of people thought Kirk Douglas was super-charming and hilarious, but for me it was one segment that just drug on forever. His presentation coupled with Melissa Leo's long acceptance speech - I think 30 minutes ended up being dedicated to that award. I was disappointed that there were no real surprises in the winners. I really enjoyed both The King's Speech and The Social Network, but I was really hoping that by Oscar time everyone would have gotten over that and Black Swan and Darren Aronofsky could just be given their due. I was/am so happy for Natalie Portman and her win - the clip they showed from the movie made me emotional, so you can imagine I was even more so during her acceptance speech. Yay Natalie! I still think 10 Best Picture nominees is too much, but it was nice to see how spread out those films are across genre and appeal. Don't worry, Academy, I'll be back next year.

What's next now that the Academy Awards have passed? Well, Salt still arrived via Netflix, so at least one of us will watch that. Paul also opens in a few weeks and the cast is just irresistable (Seth Rogan, Simon Pegg, Jane Lynch, Jason Bateman - and those are just in the commercials I've seen).

Also - what did you think of the Academy Awards - show and winners?

Serious case of catch-up!

Well, the nominations have been announced and I am proud to say my husband and I ended up seeing all 10 of the Best Picture nominees! But goodness am I behind in telling you about them! And not to mention the other nominees we've seen.

The Fighter - Once again, annoyed by noisy patrons at the Arbor. What is the deal, people?! Anyways, I really liked the movie. Great acting performances and a really interesting story. I don't really follow any kind of fighting, so the plot was all new to me (it's the story of "Irish" Micky Ward). Christian Bale (Best Supporting Actor) certainly deserves the win and I was disappointed Mark Wahlberg didn't make the nomination cut. I read somewhere recently that Melissa Leo's (Best Supporting Actress) performance is kind of like, "Give me an Oscar!" and I do agree with that assessment. She's incredible, but she showed much more range and depth in Frozen River (her first Academy Award nomination). The sisters are as great as everyone says and Amy Adams (Best Supporting Actress) really holds her own as well. Good movie, but we'll get to my favorite movie set in Massachusetts in a minute.



The Kids Are All Right - Super interesting movie. To me, the movie was really about the difficulties of a committed relationship, regardless of your gender or orientation. Of course, it is complicated by the fact there is a third unknown figure (the sperm donor) that doesn't exist in all relationships. It was kind of comforting (to me) to see the similarities in romantic relationships, rather than the overt ones that the movie addresses on the surface. I don't really think Mark Ruffalo should have been nominated for Best Actor - he's good, of course - but he doesn't really cover any new ground in this role. Annette Bening (Best Actress) and Julianne Moore are believable and I really commend this movie for its boldness. Definitely one to see.



How to Train Your Dragon - Super cute, nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Original Score. Very fun to watch, great message, but doesn't really hold a candle to Toy Story 3.



The Town - Now this is my favorite movie set in Massachusetts and in my opinion, the biggest snub by the Academy. Jeremy Renner, of course, deserves his nomination for Best Supporting Actor, but this film deserves so much more. Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay - you name it. We finished it and I wanted to watch it again. Really interesting action/crime/drama, but much less complicated than The Departed. Do yourself a favor and Netflix this one ASAP.



Biutiful - Thankfully, not disrupted by loud Arbor patrons! This is nominated for Best Foreign Film and Best Actor (Javier Bardem). Bardem portrays a criminal who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and sets about his life to make things right. I really don't want to give away too much and while my short summary is dismal, this movie really is good. The imagery is subtle, yet lovely, and you continue to root for Javier Bardem's character. There are some difficult scenes, but the beauty really does outweigh those. Keep an eye out for when you feel like watching a heavy, subtitle, yet rewarding movie.

Coming up? Turns out our life is pretty busy between now and the big show. Our current Netflix movie is Animal Kingdom (Best Supporting Actress - Jacki Weaver) and we have I am Love (Best Costume Design), Restrepo (Best Documentary-Long Subject), and Exit Through the Gift Shop (Best Documentary-Long Subject) all on streaming. Unfortunately, we missed Rabbit Hole (Best Actress - Nicole Kidman) in the theaters, so if we make it back to our dear Arbor it will be to see either Blue Valentine (Best Actress - Michelle Williams) or The Illusionist (Best Animated Film) - or both!

What are you seeing next?

Survival

This weekend brought 2 more Golden Globe-nominated, Oscar-hopeful movies. When I was thinking about blogging about these 2 movies together, their common thread dawned on me: survival - in 2 very different ways. The movies also have stellar performances and a real grittiness in common.

Friday night found my husband and I at the Arbor and as ready as we would ever be to see 127 Hours. While it was nice to be in a mostly empty theatre for a change, there were 2 LOUD women over my left shoulder. Listen, I gasped out loud a time or two and my husband and I whisper to each other, but this was like prolonged exclamations and repetitive conversations. If only I could have raised an order flag to alert my server. Alas...

Anyways - 127 Hours chronicles the 127 hours hiker Aron Ralston spent with his hand trapped between a boulder and a canyon wall in Bluejohn Canyon in Utah. I actually saw him on Letterman shortly after his ordeal, so I was really intrigued that they were making a movie about it. I was even more intrigued when I learned Danny Boyle was directing it. So basically Aron spends his weekends hiking and climbing and this particular weekend (seemingly due to his own sense of invincibility) did not let anyone know where he was going. Cut to mid-day Saturday and he is at the bottom of a canyon with his hand stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place (also the name of his book). If you don't know how this story ends - SPOILER ALERT. After some minor hallucinations and struggling to free his hand from the rock, Ralston decides to take fate into his own hands and frees himself - by cutting his arm off a few inches below the elbow. He then wanders for about 8 more hours, rappels down a cliff (WITH ONE ARM!), and is rescued by a Swedish family.

I heard this movie described as basically an acting master class by James Franco. This description is dead-on. He commits to this carefree character and really spirals into the depression, grief, and mania that this man went through. One particularly interesting scene is when Aron is interviewing himself as if on a radio show for hikers, Franco captures both charm and disdain in this exchange with himself. But even outside of Franco's performance, the movie is exceptionally crafted with an uplifting score by A.R. Rahman. Yes, the amputation scene is gruesome, but you get a really cathartic ending that is made all the better by the fact that this a true tale of survival and really coming out on the other side. He chose physiological survival and gained his life back.

On Saturday we finally watched our Netflix movie - Winter's Bone. This story is set in the backwoods of the Ozarks and follows Ree Dolly. Ree is a 17-year-old who is primarily responsible for her younger brother and sister and her mother that has been pushed psychologically over-the-edge. The family barely has enough to make it day-to-day anyways, but then a police officer informs Ree that her crank-cooking father has put up their land and house for his bond and they lose it if he doesn't show up for court the next week. Ree must strike out on her own to track him down. She has to confront his family and rival "families," all the while caring for her own. Jennifer Lawrence (as Ree Dolly) gives a powerful and unapologetic performance in this "country noir" film. I ended up liking the movie although it was a little hard to follow due to the authentic accents and dialects. I also liked seeing the resilience of a teenager and her prevailing love for her family. Ree didn't pity herself or the hand she was dealt and that part of her character pushed her to take care of her family at all costs. Survival again!!

Coming Attractions - I'm hoping to see The Fighter this weekend and we'll finally get a new Netflix movie in the mail - The Kids Are All Right.

Good Start to a New Year

Somehow we made it to 2 movies in the first 2 days of 2011. We have since dropped off.

After a scrumptious day of football and New Year's food (...and mimosas), we made our way to the Alamo Drafthouse Village for a late showing of True Grit. Now I (nor anyone in my party, I believe) haven't seen the original or read the book that each movie is based on - just wanted to get that out there. That being said, I really enjoyed it. As expected all of the principal actors gave inspired performances and it was shot very beautifully by the Coen's (again, as per usual). I personally really enjoyed seeing the movie in a room full of Texans as Matt Damon's character is a Texas Ranger and plays that part as you expect. A little braggadocio and a lot of drawl. Fortunately we all found it humorous, but I did wonder what people in the rest of the country thought about that sort of portrayal and Texans in general. It probably just perpetuated the over-the-top, horse-riding, boots and hat-wearing stereotype - but at least he was charming, right? I also really loved the continuity of the musical theme of the hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." I'm not really sure why they chose Iris DeMent's version as their jumping off point, but she appears to be successful for some reason. Incidentally the composer's reliance on old hymns is what disqualified this film from being eligible for Best Original Score. Certainly deserves a nomination for Best Picture, don't know if it deserves to win.

The next day we traveled down to Alamo South Lamar for a lunch showing of The King's Speech. Great performances again - although I was most impressed with Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter as the once and future King and Queen. Colin Firth was a family and company man, but still likable and really displayed the true struggle that King George VI endured his whole life long. I have remarked to more than one person that it was so lovely to see Helena Bonham Carter not play a crazy-face. She was prim and proper and sweet and really added a great, supportive asset to the film. I also liked how the film explored Bertie's (Colin Firth) brother's abdication of the throne and the family issues that posed - not just overcoming a stammer. All in all a very interesting and good movie. The friend we saw the movie with asked us to rank this movie with others we've seen recently and it was hard because it really is a great movie, but it's not anything like Black Swan or even True Grit. Like how would you even compare? It's a great period peace that is impeccably crafted, but I wouldn't say it broke any new ground.

This afternoon I'm hoping to get out to see either 127 Hours or The Fighter. Don't worry - I'll check back and let you know what I think.

Black and Deathly

With the onslaught of movies opening in our fair city, the husband and I are trying to ease back into our crazy movie-viewing rhythm. Christmas somehow consumed all of December, so it's been slow going.

Against my better judgment, my husband convinced me that we should just screw it and go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I had laundry to do, birthdays to shop for, soup to cook - but somehow was swayed to spend at least 2.5 hours at the movies instead. Guess what, people? Totally worth it. I really liked the movie. I even liked that the money-grubbing powers that be decided to split the book into 2 movies. I think this decision will really do this final tale justice. The plot clicked along a little faster than in the book (but that's pretty necessary), but even so it was able to show the fact that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are blossoming adults, yet still awkward kids. These actors have really grown professionally and it's beautiful to see that as well. I was also very impressed with the cinematography - the wilderness scenes really achieve the desolation and isolation that the characters are feeling. They aren't just gorgeous settings in the UK. My favorite scene may have been the one in Godric's Hollow - it looked and felt just how I imagined it when I read it!!! Super eerie, yet weighted with fate and importance. It was kind of like when I saw the first movie and you came upon Hogwarts for the first time. Very exciting. I know one general criticisms of these movies is their disjointed nature for the viewers who have not read the books (like they plot doesn't connect well enough for them to really be stand-alone movies). But my husband hadn't read this book yet and he felt like he could follow it pretty well. I am anxiously awaiting Part 2! I know a few people are holding out on seeing Part 1 until the second part comes out so they don't have to wait for the end (a la The Lord of the Rings). While I understand that viewpoint, I was just too excited to see this one!

Once our 10-day Christmas celebration ended on the 26th, we dropped the dog off at home and raced over to the Arbor to see Black Swan. I was definitely nervous about being disappointed because there has been so much hype. The film is really a slow build, so for the first 30 minutes I was kind of like, "damn, over-hyped." But then, it kind of snuck up on me and I was right there in it. Flawless performances all around and really interesting through and through. It is much more than a dance movie and more than a thriller. It's one of those that you discuss at length with each person you encounter who has seen it as well. There are tons of nooks and crannies and possibilities to explore. And yes, the lesbian scene is pretty hot.

We also attempted to see The King's Speech this week, but it was sold out. Attempt #2 is on Sunday. I'm also hoping to make it out for one more this week - True Grit, The Fighter, 127 Hours, who knows?

"If they invented facebook, they would have invented facebook!"

I was watching Conan last night and Jesse Eisenberg was one of the guests. This reminded me that I never posted a review of The Social Network.

My husband and I saw it at the Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek about a month ago and I remember really enjoying it start to finish. However, in the days and weeks since, it's been kind of clanging around in my head. But not in an interesting, let's-think-about-it way like Inception, more like it wasn't super-memorable. I've been wondering why. I know you're thinking it was the glass of wine or whatever I had during my dinner-and-a-movie, but my husband and I split a bucket of beer at Inception, and I remember a whole hell of a lot more about that movie.

Seeing Jesse Eisenberg on Conan was a great refresher. Jesse Eisenberg (and Justin Timberlake) is what made the movie so great. The movie, if you don't know, is about the beginning of facebook. How it came together at Harvard at the beginning of the decade and how it almost fell apart upon the business's move to California. Of course, it follows Mark Zuckerberg as well, as the two seem more and more inseparable as the movie rolls on. It's an interesting story of relationships and status (to be honest), and what else is facebook about really?

However, Jesse Eisenberg, though his character (Mark Zuckerberg) is somewhat unassuming, commands your attention throughout the entire movie. He is in such control of himself, his emotions, his speech, that you are really interested by this character/person. After watching it, though, I was kind of like, "yeah, he was good, but isn't he just like that?" He is not - is what I found out on Conan last night. He is awkward, unsure, and self-deprecating. And loves cats (he fosters cats, isn't that so nice?!). He seemed like such a nice guy, but not necessarily at all like the cocky programmer he portrayed on screen. The Oscar buzz for his performance is still strong, so you may want to head out and catch this one if you still can. It also features great support performances from Justin Timberlake (as Sean Parker), Andrew Garfield (the new Spider-Man), and this guy who plays the Winkelvoss twins. It's interesting for anyone who uses facebook, which is everyone (except my mom, thank God). At the very least watch the trailer, which may be one of my favorite trailers of all time.

On a related note, are you watching Conan? I am, and DVR-ing it as well. I really like it and I don't want to let Conan down like I did with the The Tonight Show (I only watched his first and last episodes, but to be fair, I go to bed at the time that show comes on; how my parents watch so much of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson - I will never understand). I'm ready for the show (so glad Andy Richter is back!) to get into a groove and get some recurring bits, but I'm sticking with it for now (I kind of miss watching Family Guy, though).

Re-invigorated?

I stumbled upon an article on msnbc.com last week about the dearth of "Oscar movies" so far this year. While reading the article I felt inspired to make an appearance on my long-neglected blog and regale you, my faithful readers (reader? singular?), with my thoughts. I was so inspired I even made a little trip over to my tried-and-true Oscar-watch blog, "Little Gold Men" on vanityfair.com to uncover some more possibilities for you. Alas - no Oscar bait over there yet. So we'll press onward with this little nugget.

Of the films mentioned - I've seen two. Oops! I need to continue to hang out at the Arbor after the first week in March, I suppose. Instead I (along with my husband and parents) made my way to the 4-screen theater in Bastrop (where my parents live) on a steamy July day to see Toy Story 3. Unfortunately, I missed the beginning of the short because at this particular theater I HAVE to get a refreshment from the concession stand. Why, do you ask? Because they serve Red Flash (Coca-Cola's answer to Big Red - I'll drink either). Anyways, once the children in the theatre settled down and I settled in (and stopped freaking out about the number of children in the theater), the movie swept me away. What a sweet, bittersweet, honest ending to a wonderful franchise. It was appropriate and fun and still had a great message. While I didn't get to see it in 3D (see aforementioned theater), I don't know that that could have made it any better. The article discussed that this may be another Pixar Best Picture contender now that the ban on animated films being nominated in that category has been lifted.

Towards the end of the summer, my husband and I began taking advantage of his summer off and my Friday afternoons off by catching a matinee movie at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. It was a really fun thing to do together. The film that started this date ball rolling was Inception, the psychological thriller by Christopher Nolan. I know the hipster thing to do is bash this movie, but I don't care. I loved it. I loved that my husband and I spent the whole weekend discussing it and turning it over and basically just thinking about it. I loved being able to suspend my disbelief for a few hours to enter Nolan's dreamworld, literally. The acting performances are excellent and include a well-rounded ensemble cast of characters from across the board. I definitely see the blu-ray of this movie sitting on our shelf in the near future.

The other films mentioned were The Kids Are All Right, Restrepo, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Winter's Bone, The Social Network, True Grit (filmed in and around Austin!), and Hereafter. I'll be honest with you, I've only even heard of half of them and I definitely missed The Kids Are All Right in the theaters. I have a feeling we'll get there, though.

Outside of these films, the one we watched most recently was The Ghost Writer. This is a film directed by Roman Polanski starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, and Kim Cattrall (and her dreadful British accent). The film is based on a book by Robert Harris and is a thinly veiled criticism of Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister (so thin that I even picked up on it and I know precious little about international politics). It is a stark, muted movie set on the stormy Massachusetts coast and follows a ghost-writer (Ewan McGregor) working on the former British Prime Minister's (Pierce Brosnan) memoirs. As the writer stumbles on his predecessor's (recently deceased under suspicious circumstances) research into the underbelly of this politician's life, he discovers more than he bargains for and begins to fear for his life. It is a very interesting movie, albeit a slow build, but one worth watching. The scuttlebutt is that while some of the performances may get nominations for Academy Awards, no one would dare nominate Polanski or this film in their respective categories due to his recent troubles.

The other movie popping up around Austin with Oscar buzz is one called Get Low. This movie stars Robert Duvall and Bill Murray and involves a crochety old man (Duvall) planning his funeral to be staged before he dies. Some say there's a nomination in it for Duvall. I say, maybe it's time to head out to the Arbor...

Hmm...

Life has greatly slowed down our movie-watching lately. In between gigs for my husband's band and the Olympics, not to mention our regular schedule, our dvd players and movie tickets have been oh-so-lonely.

I don't think we will make it as far along through as many Oscar-nominated films as possible this year for a few reasons. #1 - We have been BUSY (see above)! #2 - It seemed that a smaller volume of the films came out on dvd before the award show. The last 2 years that has really allowed us to get a large chunk of them watched. #3 - If previous award shows and predictions are accurate, we've seen all of the winners. I think this is really what has kept my motivation low. We busted to see all of the Best Picture nominees and those that had already won acting awards, but last year we actually saw EVERY movie nominated for an acting award. This year I bet we've seen 30% or so? So speaking of Best Picture nominees...we finally saw the last one last night...

Netflix sent us A Serious Man at least a week ago. It's been sitting out neglected and alone (although protected from our cats and that is no easy feat). Yes, we're busy, but see my aforementioned statement concerning motivation. I hadn't heard anything that glowing about this film when it was in theatres (and Austin loves the Coen brothers), so I just haven't been too pumped about it (much more pumped about A Single Man - Best Actor nomination for Colin Firth, but alas, that was it's only nomination and down on the list you go).

I wouldn't say I'm pumped about it now after our viewing.

The film opens in turn-of-the-century Eastern Europe on a Jewish couple. This scene is spoken entirely in Yiddish and is a folk tale. FYI - it has nothing to do with the movie and merely "sets the tone," as the Coens put it. I wouldn't say it was as beautifully or lovingly done as the first scene in Inglourious Basterds, but it is neat (looking back) as a stand-alone vignette. This was how it was intended, so now you know (as I didn't) that it is not an integral plot device.

Someone I discussed this film with before I saw it put it this way, this is the Coen Bros.' "religious movie." They grew up Jewish in the Midwest in the '60's and this movie is about a Jewish man/father/husband/brother/professor in the Midwest in the '60's. In one sense, it is a re-telling of Job - but in a way it's not. And that may be what has left me so unsatisfied. Job is studied as a wisdom book in the Old Testament. Job is a most faithful servant of God and through a wager with Lucifer, an angel (widely believed to be the devil), God decides to test Job. God believes that no matter what Lucifer brings upon Job, Job will not turn away from the Lord. So Lucifer does just that. While Job becomes angry, he does not stray or blame God. At the end of the book (spoiler alert!), all of his life and luxuries come back and yay for Job!

While Larry (the focal character) is tested and tested and does not blame Hashem (God), Larry was never really that good in the first place. Not like Job is described to be. He is a physics professor, he owns a house, he has a wife and 2 kids, they go to temple - but there is nothing remarkable about Larry. He can't stand up for himself, he can't help his family. His defense for his troubles is: "I didn't do anything!" And that is precisely the problem - he has never done anything. He has just rolled with life without making a splash or being significant - to anything or anyone. I wish the Coen's would have explored that aspect, but except for the repitition it was left largely unexplored.

This movie definitely has its moments, but I am not sure why it is nominated for Best Picture. The main thing I got from this movie is - the Coens can pretty much make what ever they want at this point. That could be a good thing, but I remember feeling like this after seeing No Country for Old Men. Kind of like, how did we end up here? And where are we going?

Will we see anything else before Oscar night? I don't know. We may have time to grab a movie out over the weekend, or maybe we'll just make time watch Bright Star, the next film on our queue.

Any thoughts for an Oscar night menu?

14 down...

The husband and I made it another double feature night at the Arbor last Friday. Can I just say again how much I LOVE the staff there?!

We started off with "An Education" in the late afternoon. This film stars Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard and is set in London in the early 1960's. The story follows Jenny, a prep-school student whose whole life is centered around getting into Oxford. The focus doesn't seem to bother Jenny as she looks forward to her time at Oxford as a time to escape her parents and eventually move to Paris and listen to French pop music. Her life is intersected by David (Peter Sarsgaard) a worldly gentleman with a penchant for showing young women the school of life. The movie (with screenplay adapted by Nick Hornby - !!!) is enjoyable and actually much funnier than I thought it would be. Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams, Cara Seymour, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, and Emma Thompson shine in their supporting roles and Carey Mulligan really treads the line between 16-yr-old schoolgirl and "young woman" very well. I don't think this is Best Picture, but Mulligan and Hornby's contributions are delightful and worthy of accolade.

We then moved on to "Crazy Heart" - Jeff Bridges' tour-de-force as an aging country singer-songwriter. Thank you, director, for opening the movie at a bowling alley - you know we all wanted it, thanks for delivering. Word of warning - this movie is INTENSE! Maybe not "Precious"-intense, but intense in its own way. I knew the film was about the redemption of this man, but I didn't know we were going to follow him all the way down to the bottom, and then lower than that. The music really takes center stage and I think that really added to the authenticity and credibility of the film - not to mention the actors doing their own vocal and instrumental performances. Who would've thought?! The cameos are so outstanding that I won't ruin them for you. Of the two from our double feature - I would recommend this one over "An Education." Can't wait to watch The Dude accept his Oscar. And Ryan Bingham (fellow Austinite!!! or former, at least).

I had Monday off in honor of President's Day, so I decided to catch up with my husband on our Oscar quest (he was 2 ahead of me!). So I headed down to South Austin to catch "The Blind Side" at the AMC at Barton Creek Square Mall. Foolish me forgot about "Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief" opening this past weekend - I just about had a heart attack standing in line to buy my ticket. No fear upon entering my theatre, just me and old people. Not gonna lie - I really enjoyed this movie. I thought Sandra Bullock was great as a tough, but soft Southern mom and I'm glad this story got told on the big screen. Some critics have branded this film as racist, and I do see that. But at the end of the day, isn't it just about reaching out and helping someone who is down-on-their-luck even though they're not like you? Again - not Best Picture, but a good movie about football and family.

So on Tuesday it was time to catch up on our neglected Netflix and watch "In The Loop" - nominated for Best Original Screenplay. This one is a government satire about miscommunication and power plays eventually leading to declaring war - all in about a week. It involves both British and American politicians and I just don't know if I got it. I would maybe want to watch or discuss it with someone who knows anything about the inner workings of politics (*cough*Will*cough*). It was pretty funny for the first half and then I just got really confused - and kind of ended up not liking any of the characters. Apparently the movie is spun off from a show on the BBC - sadly British humor does not always translate for me. But how awesome was it to see Anna Chlumsky again?!

The future holds "A Serious Man" - coming in our Netflix today. This is the last Best Picture nominee for us to view. Not sure what we'll see in the theatre next - "Nine" has the most nominations of any movie we haven't seen. But "Shutter Island" opens this weekend and I want to see that...who knows...

Would I have seen these otherwise?

This past week or so, the husband and I covered a few more Oscar possibilities via Netflix and the Alamo Drafthouse Village. Let's see what I think...



"District 9" - I am pretty sure there is no way I would have ever chosen to see this movie. It ended up on the list because it was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay award at the Golden Globes. The movie is set in Johannesburg, South Africa (it took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to remember where Johannesburg is) and centers around a 'mother ship' that stalls and hovers over the city. Once agents break in, they discover a race of aliens that are malnourished and proceed to bring them down to Earth and set them up in a tent city deemed "District 9." The aliens, termed 'Prawns' in a derogatory fashion, are unable to leave and as the weeks, months, years progress the tent city slides into a clapboard slum and the Prawns wreak havoc on the human population. Once I figured out the movie was set in South Africa, I found the parallels between the alien treatment and apartheid very fascinating. The cast and crew are all South Africans and of course, the parallels were the point. I was also really fascinated by the idea of inter-planetary diplomacy (has any other alien movie addressed this possibility?) and the natural decision to house and care for these unknown creatures - and then once it becomes permanent there is a slippery slope. I really feel like that is acccurate as far as human nature is concerned. The movie is set up in a documentary style and follows a South African man who is an international agent dealing with District 9. The movie was a bit gruesome, but the writing/concept/acting/action were great. Recommended if you like aliens and stuff like that.



"Avatar" - I mean, I had to see this one, right? Yes yes, we saw it in 3-D. So I really did like the movie. It was entertaining the whole way through and it just looked cool. It was entirely in 3-D - not just for shock value (no snakes striking in your face, Thank God), and I really liked his idea for Pandora and the Na'vi. It should probably win all of the special effects awards. But at the end of the day, this movie is really just "Fern Gully" meets "The Matrix." - my mom threw "Dances With Wolves" in there, too, but I haven't seen that. The story was pretty basic - nothing new there, and the acting wasn't anything special - although the guy who played the main character did a good job. We saw it on Sunday night rather than watching the Golden Globes. The Globes were finishing up when we got home and we saw the last award - Best Picture, Drama. It went to "Avatar." Didn't really agree with that. "Inglourious Basterds" was much better. GO SEE THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW IN 3-D. It's totally worth the experience. Good movie, just not Best Picture great.



"The Hurt Locker" - I'm still really trying to process this movie. It is about the Iraq war and follows an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) unit during the last 40 days of their tour in 2004. The movie is a string of their disposal outings as well as a small look at day-to-day life on the base. What really struck me is how accurate that portrayal seemed. My husband's best friend has served two tours in Iraq as a Marine and after his 2nd tour he showed us about 4 rolls of film he took during his time there. It was mostly he and his buddies rough-housing, funny pictures of livestock, and photos of Iraqi citizens he got to know. I think the movie was good and bold and I think it's important to show that war is a drug for some people. Maybe I just didn't get it - but it's all still kind of ruminating up there wondering if I liked it or not. I thought Jeremy Renner was great and I find it very interesting that this movie was directed by a woman. Interesting little tidbit...Kathryn Bigelow (the director of this film) was briefly married to James Cameon. Nuts, right?!


So would I have sought any of these movies out on my own? Probably not - but I did end up enjoying these movies, so - good for me!

Double Feature

This past Friday afternoon my husband surprised me by suggesting we make our evening a double feature. We had already planned on going to the movies, so once he took a look at the times he said, "if we leave now, we can see Up in the Air at 4:10 and then Precious at 7:50." He continued, I'm sure after seeing the stunned look on my face, explaining, "I feel like if I just don't go see Precious now, I'll lose interest and I just won't see it." So off we were, that moment, to the Arbor Movie Theatre.

The Arbor is a Regal Cinema in North Austin that really showcases indie/arthouse movies - maybe even better than the Dobie Theatre on the UT campus. Next to the Alamo Drafthouse, it's my favorite place to see movies in Austin. It's not stadium seating or anything super-special, really, it has maybe 6 screens. But the feel is so laid-back and the staff are SO friendly, that it's a pleasant experience, nonetheless. We find ourselves there particularly often during Oscar-time. Onto the movies...

We started with Up in the Air - all-star top-to-bottom. Directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking and Juno), written by him and his father (Ivan), starring George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Bateman. Featuring Zack Galifianakis, J.K. Simmons, and Danny McBride. My brother and sister-in-law categorized it as more like Thank You For Smoking than Juno, and they were right. What started out as a satire (in its early stages of writing) became an interesting look on our life in America now - downsizing, obsessions with things and relationships, 'greener' business practices (referred to in the movie as 'glocal' - very clever, I thought). I did like the movie, although it wasn't as hard-hitting as his first 2 movies, but that may be the point. Right now, we're all just kind of up in the air...

If you're looking for hard-hitting, though, look no further than Precious. This movie grabs you by the face from the get-go and doesn't really let go. Some of the situations border on gratuitous, but don't go that far because, unfortunately, it feels believable. The movie runs you ragged with Murphy's Law - everything that can go wrong, does. However, it does end on 50% of a good note. One thing to be discussed is the acting performances. The actresses in this film deserve every accolade they have received. They deliver powerful performances and really become their characters. Like really, you don't think about the fact that Mariah Carey is sitting there playing a social worker - and that is good directing. At the end of the day, though, this may be a little too real for the Academy as it doesn't have the hopefulness of otherwise tragic movies - like last year's Slumdog Millionaire.

What's next? Well, the husband and I will be sitting down to "District 9" this evening and then "The Hurt Locker" is next on our Netflix queue. Our weekend has opened up a little, so maybe we'll make it back out to the cinema again...

Chasing down a Globe...

Over the holiday break or so, I managed to catch 3 films that are nominated for Golden Globes - I would say 2 are easily on the Oscar shortlist. Did you know they aren't announcing Oscar nominations until Groundhog Day?! I'm going to have to do a lot of guessing until then. But without further ado...



"Inglourious Basterds" - This film was best summed-up by my father-in-law: "I don't know what I was expecting, but that wasn't it." And that is in a good way. I suppose I was expecting another World War II movie - but hello - first and foremost this is a Quentin Tarantino movie - and I liked that!! This film is his spaghetti western re-imagining of the end of WWII and was very interesting and evocative and fun and tense, all at the same time. The first scene is artfully and meticulously done - you won't breathe the entire time. The casting was right en pointe - Brad Pitt is delightful and Christoph Waltz (a well-known German actor) is Col. Landa to a smarmy tee. I would say B.J. Novak was under-used as one of the Basterds, but he makes it count when he is on-screen. Of the 3 movies reviewed here, this is the one I would say, "run out and see it right now. NOW." I'm only disappointed that I hadn't seen it before Christmas Day.



"Fantastic Mr. Fox" - I wanted to go to the movies on the day after Christmas with the husband to unwind a little bit and it was so overwhelming because there are just so many movies I want to see right now! We came across "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and realized it was only showing at one theater in town - so we snatched those online tickets right up. As with "Inglourious Basterds" I was expecting an animated, fun kid's movie; but was pleasantly surprised that first and foremost, it was a Wes Anderson movie. Same look, same feel, same cast of characters - it was charming and homey all at the same time. I think Kylie, the opossum was my favorite character. I was also able to enjoy Mrs. Bean's Mulled (non-alcoholic) Apple Cider with my meal. We are so lucky to live in Austin.



"(500) Days of Summer" - Santa brought my husband Netflix for Christmas and last night was our maiden voyage. This movie is nominated for 2 Golden Globes which surprised me because I hadn't heard many good things about it. But still we wanted to see it because we're both suckers for Zooey Deschanel and the hipster-related things. I thought the movie was ok. As it claims at the beginning, it's not a love story, but you just can't help but think of it that way. So you kind of bump along watching this look back at a relationship and break-up and kind of go with it, and then it ends with this total eye-roll moment. I like the idea of the movie in the abstract, but I just think it could have been done much better. I would say no Oscar noms in sight for this one, nor will it win anything from our friends at the Hollywood Foreign Press. Sorry, Zooey and Joseph, you tried.



I don't think I'll be able to get back to my Oscar quest until after the long New Year's weekend. My husband and I will be traveling out-of-state and will probably get to hole up on some family's couch in Birmingham and spend the weekend watching old movies and college football. Sounds perfect to me!!!

The ballots are in...

and one girl had to win ("Bring It On," anyone?)!

Anyways, the long-anticipated Academy Awards aired last night from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Clocking in at 3.5 hours, it felt a little eternal. How did I fair in my movie-viewing, you ask? How were my predictions? What did I think? Don't worry, readers, you are about to find out.

First off, as far as all of the big awards go (not including documentaries, foreign language, and shorts) - we did see all of the movies that won. I did not think that was going to happen because I was almost FOR SURE that Mickey Rourke was going to win for "The Wrestler." I did see all of the animated shorts (shocked by that win, but I should have seen it coming, I'm just a sucker for rabbits), but none of the others. Biggest upset of the night - "Departures" over "Waltz With Bashir" in the Best Foreign Language Film category, I had read some articles arguing that "Waltz" should be eligible for Best Picture. Period. It looks violent, but I imagine we'll see it when it opens in Austin.

So my husband and I printed out scorecards and filled them out while watching the red carpet coverage. We came up with a scoring system that entails making up to two selections for each category - what WE want to win, and what we think the Academy will pick. Last year we had 3 categories - what we wanted, what should win, and what will win (I think it was because of our love for both "There Will Be Blood" and "Juno", and the inevitability of "No Country for Old Men") - this proved to be too complicated. So for scoring you got 2 points if you accurately selected what you thought the Academy would pick and 1 point if what you wanted to win did in fact win. For instance, I thought that the Academy would pick Mickey Rourke for Best Actor, but I personally thought Sean Penn would win. Since Sean Penn won, I got one point. Conversely, I thought the Academy would pick Kate Winslet for Best Actress, but I thought Meryl Streep gave the best performance. Kate Winslet won, so I got 2 points. I ended up with 36 out of a possible 48, while my husband got 26. A few I was just totally wrong on - Best Costume, Best Animated Short - and a few I just didn't amply use my 2 selections (Best Original Song). I was overall happy with all of the awards - especially the sweep by "Slumdog Millionaire." Everyone that won was gracious and I almost choked up a few times (Dustin Lance Black's win for Best Original Screenplay - phenomenal and well-deserved, plus he looked all of 15!).

The show itself...was okay. I thought Hugh Jackman was a good host. Each of his musical numbers went on a little long (plus we all just really wanted to see Beyonce do "Single Ladies"), but they were fun. As per usual, WAY too many montages. I think it's honorable that the Academy was trying to recognize films that were not nominated, but the Oscars are not about those movies. Mostly that was 15 more minutes of blah blah blah. I did like the vignette with James Franco, Seth Rogan, and the DP guy - especially when he told this year's best cinematographer to suck it. I appreciate the "In Memoriam" montage each year, but this year they were trying to do all of this artful camera work to keep Queen Latifah in the shot and you couldn't read all of the names. Cyd Charisse just deserves a little more remembrance than that. The 5 actors/actresses things was kind of cool, but I was disappointed because I had tried to pick out in each movie we saw what scene they were going to show for each nominee as they were announced. I'll just have to assume I was right.

Everyone looked great, no blatant missteps. Didn't love Sophia Loren or Jessica Biel. Lies - Miley Cyrus' dress was terrible. Mickey Rourke was right on and I loved his tribute to Loki, his chihuahua. I mostly didn't like getting to bed after 11, but I don't think this sort of thing will ever change.

To look forward to...maybe some commentary on "The Girls Tell All" tonight, definitely a "Top Chef" wrap-up, the promised look into "Last Restaurant Standing," and I believe Tuesday night will become movie night at our household - so there are still movie reviews on the horizon. Thanks for reading!

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!!!