As I posted last night, I did watch the Oscars but skipped the red carpet. I also recorded it so I could fastforward through the rambling speeches and the commercials. I was able to watch the 3.5 hours in a little over one hour. By the way, it was scheduled to run only three hours and that's what my DVR captured. Thank goodness I was actually watching it while it was still recording. It was clear it was going to run late so I recorded the next program as well and managed to capture the most important part of the whole night.
I had only watched three of the nominated movies - Argo, Lincoln, and Brave. And yes, all three won something.
For the categories I'm recording:
Best Animated Feature - Brave
-This is full length feature. I actually did watch the winner for Best Animated Short - Paperman. It was really cute and is worth sitting through for the few minutes. Another nominee was Holy Guacamole - goofy but definitely not as good as Paperman.
Brave was a fabulous cartoon and it was nice to see one where the princess isn't an orphan or whose mother is dead. I has a great message about respecting and valuing your parents.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Les Miserables
-As I posted a few weeks ago, after watching the 1934 version of Les Mis I am very excited to watch this latest release. I was really pulling for Sally Fields in Lincoln to win supporting actress but just seeing Ann Hathaway in the snapshots it was clear she deserved the award. I like Ann Hathaway a lot and am very excited to see her win such a prestigious award. She has more nominations in her future, that's for sure. As for Sally Fields, she should be coming up for a lifetime achievement recognition, don't you think?
Best Actor in a Supporting Role -Django Unchained
-Coworkers saw this movie and were upset with the excessive use of the "n" word. It's a Quinten Terrantino movie and of course he took it too far, he always does. It took me over a decade to sit down and watch Pulp Fiction - when it first came out on VHS I had turned it off in the first 10 minutes, revolted by the gratuitous drug use. When I did watch it all the way through I understood the brilliance of this movie. Kill Bill vol 2 (saw 2 before vol 1) was an immediate hit for me, but I do understand why people hate the Kill Bill movies - excessive, grotesque violence. I'm prepared for excessive-ness in this movie. I will either love it or hate it - no in-betweens when dealing with ol' Quinten.
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Silver Linings Playbook
-This is another movie I would want to see even if it wasn't on my list.
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Lincoln
-Daniel Day Lewis was absolutely incredible in Lincoln. It was almost unfair to have anyone nominated against him. He transformed into Lincoln and was everything that an actor would want to achieve in their art. The movie was fabulous, but to see it just to witness Lewis' portrayal of Lincoln is worth the cost of an over-priced theater ticket. And yes, go now, while it's still in the theaters. Fabulous.
Just so you're not surprised like my husband, this is not a biography of Lincoln's life or a chronicle of the Civil War. It features the last months prior to Lincoln's death as he rallies the senators to ratify the 13th amendment. There is a good amount of back and forth and I really enjoyed watching Tommy Lee Jones kick ass in the senate debates. For some this could be a snooze-fest since there isn't much battlefield action, high speed chases, or random roundhouse kicks. You've been warned.
Best Movie - Argo
-As you can tell, I really liked Lincoln. I actually thought it was a better movie than Argo, but Argo was pretty gosh-darned good and clearly the judges at the Academy thought it was worthy of being the best movie of 2012. I won't argue too loudly, it was after all an intriguing story. It was incredibly suspenseful even though we know the outcome since it's a true story (they get out alive). Right up to the end, safe escape was a dicey prospect. For the diehard action fan, Argo may be somewhat "satisfactory" at least better than Lincoln, there is shooting, grumpy crowds pounding on a car, and yes a chase scene.
I have tossed around adding to my list the categories for Director or maybe Writing. I figure when I get close to exhausting the ones I've already added to my list then I can venture down this path - chances are they're already on my list for other nomination categories.
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Let's Talk Fashion
Before I get around to talking about the winners and losers of Oscar night, let's talk fashion. I first starting writing today's post about the movies and prefacing that I completely skipped the red carpet ordeal since I know that's the only part a lot of people watch on Oscar night. Then I started rambling in my head about my opinion on red carpet fashion.
For the most part I simply don't care. I don't know the designer names and a lot of the avant garde stuff doesn't dazzle me. My tastes are rather simple and straight forward. That's not to say I don't like the pretty dresses because I totally do. Unfortunately a lot of the red carpet dazzle are actors coerced to wear outfits not suited for them. I don't know who picks out these gowns but some of them are really dreadful.
Color is really important. Black or red are downright classic and it's hard to go wrong with either, although I have seen some whoppers in the Wrong Department. White is super dicey. Not everyone can wear the color, and not for reasons of virginity. I'm among the crowd of people who look wretched in white. And a lot of the white dresses have been downright funky. On the other hand, there have been some superbly beautiful white dresses. The rest of the rainbow tends to veer on the weird side.
Ball gowns or evening dresses? Either is fine, but can we please put the mini dresses away for a different night? This is a formal event where long dresses and tuxes are the dress code. Now, women wearing tuxes is perfectly fine in my book. I get there are women who do not feel comfortable in the swishy dresses and want to wear pants. I'm okay with that.
The sleek, form fitting evening gowns are for one body type and ONLY one body type - a slender woman with curves. Age doesn't matter in this department, just that she have an awesome body. Everyone else needs to move over to the full skirt or tuxedo racks.
Unfortunately the swishy, full skirt dresses are best when left to simple lines and no embellishments. I know that bores the crap out of the designers, but that's what I prefer.
In the end, I like simple lines and for the wearer to be elegant. Making a statement, showing off, or being obnoxious does not interest me. Be classy dammit.
For the most part I simply don't care. I don't know the designer names and a lot of the avant garde stuff doesn't dazzle me. My tastes are rather simple and straight forward. That's not to say I don't like the pretty dresses because I totally do. Unfortunately a lot of the red carpet dazzle are actors coerced to wear outfits not suited for them. I don't know who picks out these gowns but some of them are really dreadful.
Color is really important. Black or red are downright classic and it's hard to go wrong with either, although I have seen some whoppers in the Wrong Department. White is super dicey. Not everyone can wear the color, and not for reasons of virginity. I'm among the crowd of people who look wretched in white. And a lot of the white dresses have been downright funky. On the other hand, there have been some superbly beautiful white dresses. The rest of the rainbow tends to veer on the weird side.
Ball gowns or evening dresses? Either is fine, but can we please put the mini dresses away for a different night? This is a formal event where long dresses and tuxes are the dress code. Now, women wearing tuxes is perfectly fine in my book. I get there are women who do not feel comfortable in the swishy dresses and want to wear pants. I'm okay with that.
The sleek, form fitting evening gowns are for one body type and ONLY one body type - a slender woman with curves. Age doesn't matter in this department, just that she have an awesome body. Everyone else needs to move over to the full skirt or tuxedo racks.
Unfortunately the swishy, full skirt dresses are best when left to simple lines and no embellishments. I know that bores the crap out of the designers, but that's what I prefer.
In the end, I like simple lines and for the wearer to be elegant. Making a statement, showing off, or being obnoxious does not interest me. Be classy dammit.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Friday Fragments - February 22, 2013
For months I've been whining and bellyaching about how busy I am. Each day brought more tasks and the end of the previous tasks kept creeping further away. My stress levels were increasing and it was getting dangerous for my health. Then, my God-send of a supervisor stepped in. She helped me break down these overwhelming projects into smaller parts. Of course no one is taking any of these smaller parts away from me, they all remain mine, but there is something about looking at your big projects in little pieces. Oddly enough I'm getting a lot knocked out too. Maybe since I'm not meandering around not sure where to start I can now be productive. Whatever it is, my stress levels are dropping.
*****
We spent last weekend at my brother's house. We took my son who was fresh from the dentist's office with two pulled molars. Our expectation was that he would be laid up all weekend feeling like crap. Instead, he sat at the kitchen table most of the time (whining about his inability to eat anything substantial) while 4/5th's of their children suffered their own maladies. Three had fevers, one of which had two puking incidents, the fourth had an asthma attack, while the healthy kid escaped the house for a slumber party.
I felt bad for sticking around, but the next day my beautiful, smart, sassy, fabulous, generous sister-in-law -- did I slather on enough praise? (she reads this so I have to really extoll her virtues) -- offered to do our taxes. (And really, it was an AWESOME offer) It could have gone a lot faster, she is a brilliant wiz afterall, but my spousal unit had to make the process slower so he could understand what was going on. So our messy taxes are out of the way and we got to spend some quality time with my brother's family, I can't even begin to express the value of that one.
*****
I'm gearing up for the Oscars Sunday night. I have it recorded and hope to see Lincoln and Argo win a few awards. The other nominees I haven't seen yet so it's hard to root for them.
*****
We spent last weekend at my brother's house. We took my son who was fresh from the dentist's office with two pulled molars. Our expectation was that he would be laid up all weekend feeling like crap. Instead, he sat at the kitchen table most of the time (whining about his inability to eat anything substantial) while 4/5th's of their children suffered their own maladies. Three had fevers, one of which had two puking incidents, the fourth had an asthma attack, while the healthy kid escaped the house for a slumber party.
I felt bad for sticking around, but the next day my beautiful, smart, sassy, fabulous, generous sister-in-law -- did I slather on enough praise? (she reads this so I have to really extoll her virtues) -- offered to do our taxes. (And really, it was an AWESOME offer) It could have gone a lot faster, she is a brilliant wiz afterall, but my spousal unit had to make the process slower so he could understand what was going on. So our messy taxes are out of the way and we got to spend some quality time with my brother's family, I can't even begin to express the value of that one.
*****
I'm gearing up for the Oscars Sunday night. I have it recorded and hope to see Lincoln and Argo win a few awards. The other nominees I haven't seen yet so it's hard to root for them.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Movie Monday - More Bette Davis
Okay, okay, maybe I've been a tad harsh on Bette Davis. Then again watching What Ever Happened To Baby Jane (1962) should not be one's introduction to the actress. Unfortunately the next thee movies featuring her were of similar caliber. Seeing Watch On The Rhine (1943) has changed my opinion.
I'm not sure what year it's supposed to depict, but I think it's before America entered WWII. An American woman (Davis) returns to her parents' home with her German husband and their children. They had been underground for several years part of the resistance against the Nazi's. Meanwhile another visitor to the home happens to be part of the American Nazi movement. Neither officially reveals themselves but a little poking around uncovers their secrets.
Bette still portrayed a wealthy woman from a well-to-do family, but she wasn't nearly as pretentious as she has been in other movies. Her character was a loving mother, a supportive wife, and a devoted daughter. This time it was her character's mother who was overbearing.
Besides seeing Bette Davis play a nice and charitable character, I liked watching this movie because it wasn't an eye-gouging drama. It was a suspenseful mystery and an overall good story.
Bette was nominated for best supporting actress, but Oscar went to Paul Lukas as best actor.
I'm not sure what year it's supposed to depict, but I think it's before America entered WWII. An American woman (Davis) returns to her parents' home with her German husband and their children. They had been underground for several years part of the resistance against the Nazi's. Meanwhile another visitor to the home happens to be part of the American Nazi movement. Neither officially reveals themselves but a little poking around uncovers their secrets.
Bette still portrayed a wealthy woman from a well-to-do family, but she wasn't nearly as pretentious as she has been in other movies. Her character was a loving mother, a supportive wife, and a devoted daughter. This time it was her character's mother who was overbearing.
Besides seeing Bette Davis play a nice and charitable character, I liked watching this movie because it wasn't an eye-gouging drama. It was a suspenseful mystery and an overall good story.
Bette was nominated for best supporting actress, but Oscar went to Paul Lukas as best actor.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Movie Monday - Top Hat
I really am unfair when sitting down to watch many of these movies. I'm quite prejudiced, ready to not like one because it's especially old, or has a certain actor, or is a dancing, singing frenzy. And then one creeps through the cracks and warms my frozen heart. And maybe this is the whole reason for my exercise in attempting to watch so many movies.
Top Hat (1935) is exactly one such movie. Despite over-the-top big dance productions that burst onto the scene out of nowhere only to highlight the brilliant dance moves of Rogers and Astaire, this was really a fabulously fun movie.
Fred Astaire meets up with a friend whose wife is bound to match him with one of her friends. There is a mixup and Ginger Rogers thinks Fred is her friend's flirtatious husband. I giggled more than once and was excited to see the truth finally reveled. Of course the dancing was necessary, I mean why else have the notorious dancing duo in a movie at all?
Best of all, a light and fluffy movie in the midst of personal loss and other dreary, sad movies seems to be the perfect fix for a gloomy day.
Top Hat (1935) is exactly one such movie. Despite over-the-top big dance productions that burst onto the scene out of nowhere only to highlight the brilliant dance moves of Rogers and Astaire, this was really a fabulously fun movie.
Fred Astaire meets up with a friend whose wife is bound to match him with one of her friends. There is a mixup and Ginger Rogers thinks Fred is her friend's flirtatious husband. I giggled more than once and was excited to see the truth finally reveled. Of course the dancing was necessary, I mean why else have the notorious dancing duo in a movie at all?
Best of all, a light and fluffy movie in the midst of personal loss and other dreary, sad movies seems to be the perfect fix for a gloomy day.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Friday Fragments - January 11, 2013
Okay, has everyone successfully transitioned to writing and typing 2013 instead of 2012? I'm doing okay so far, but of course I haven't had to write a check either. So we'll see how true this stands in a couple days.
Yesterday was the grand announcement of this year's Oscar Nominees.... AND I MISSED IT! I watch the news in the morning so I always hear when they make the announcement but yesterday I was busy watching Hello Dolly. grrrrr And then I spent all day with Hello Dolly humming through my head. While I was in bad mood. It's really a bad combination and will probably shade my review of it.
The movies nominated for best picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, and animated feature are as follows (in no specific order and several received multiple nominations, but I'll only list them once):
Armour
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Beast of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Django Unchained
Zero Dark Thirty
Les Miserables
The Master
Flight
The Impossible
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
The Sessions
I've only seen three so far.
Bad parenting admission: I like to scare the everliving shit out of my children. This is the stand-in-a-dark-corner-and-jump-out-at-them-screaming-BOOOO type of scaring. I'm sure it grew out of peek-a-boo when they squealed with delight as babies and then spiraled horribly out of control. It's an on-going game of gotcha, and yes, they get me plenty of times. An easy kill is quietly standing at the bathroom door and smile when someone opens it. You have to be super stealth quiet to pull that off, but that's not so hard if someone is finishing a shower, just be patient and the pay off is glorious. A few weeks ago, instead of standing at the bathroom door I hid behind The Teenager's bedroom door. And I had to wait a mighty long time because he decided to venture into the kitchen and lollygag. I was waiting so long that I was nearly about to burst into giggles and give myself away. But I got him and he responded with a fabulous high pitched yelp. So satisfying! And then there was this morning... oh this one will be hard to live down and I'm sure payback will be grand. I was just getting out of bed when I heard him come down to the basement (where I sleep). I hurried over to the laundry room door and stood in the dark. In the basement that terrifies my fifteen year old because he's convinced it's haunted and I can't really dispute that claim with mysteriously swinging doors and weird sounds that emit from exactly where I chose to stand. I didn't have to do a single thing, not even say "boo". And to see him jump out of his skin, stomp the floor ten times, and come up for air, was almost... ALMOST... pathetic. He didn't laugh; I had really rattled him and it was very early in the morning. But I'm sure he's plotting. Not that he has to work very hard at it, I am, after all, incredibly easy to startle.
As I said, yesterday was not really a good day for me so I insisted that my coworkers go out for Mexican. It was a brilliant move. Four of us crowded in a booth at a modern looking taco shop, laughing as if we were tipping back margaritas. It was cathartic and definitely made the rest of the day go smoother. I declared that Mexican food is happy food. By the way, in the same conversation we decided that Chinese food is comfort food. Do with that what you will, but on this day I needed a boost of happiness. It worked.
Yesterday was the grand announcement of this year's Oscar Nominees.... AND I MISSED IT! I watch the news in the morning so I always hear when they make the announcement but yesterday I was busy watching Hello Dolly. grrrrr And then I spent all day with Hello Dolly humming through my head. While I was in bad mood. It's really a bad combination and will probably shade my review of it.
The movies nominated for best picture, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, and animated feature are as follows (in no specific order and several received multiple nominations, but I'll only list them once):
Armour
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Beast of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Django Unchained
Zero Dark Thirty
Les Miserables
The Master
Flight
The Impossible
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph
The Sessions
I've only seen three so far.
Bad parenting admission: I like to scare the everliving shit out of my children. This is the stand-in-a-dark-corner-and-jump-out-at-them-screaming-BOOOO type of scaring. I'm sure it grew out of peek-a-boo when they squealed with delight as babies and then spiraled horribly out of control. It's an on-going game of gotcha, and yes, they get me plenty of times. An easy kill is quietly standing at the bathroom door and smile when someone opens it. You have to be super stealth quiet to pull that off, but that's not so hard if someone is finishing a shower, just be patient and the pay off is glorious. A few weeks ago, instead of standing at the bathroom door I hid behind The Teenager's bedroom door. And I had to wait a mighty long time because he decided to venture into the kitchen and lollygag. I was waiting so long that I was nearly about to burst into giggles and give myself away. But I got him and he responded with a fabulous high pitched yelp. So satisfying! And then there was this morning... oh this one will be hard to live down and I'm sure payback will be grand. I was just getting out of bed when I heard him come down to the basement (where I sleep). I hurried over to the laundry room door and stood in the dark. In the basement that terrifies my fifteen year old because he's convinced it's haunted and I can't really dispute that claim with mysteriously swinging doors and weird sounds that emit from exactly where I chose to stand. I didn't have to do a single thing, not even say "boo". And to see him jump out of his skin, stomp the floor ten times, and come up for air, was almost... ALMOST... pathetic. He didn't laugh; I had really rattled him and it was very early in the morning. But I'm sure he's plotting. Not that he has to work very hard at it, I am, after all, incredibly easy to startle.
As I said, yesterday was not really a good day for me so I insisted that my coworkers go out for Mexican. It was a brilliant move. Four of us crowded in a booth at a modern looking taco shop, laughing as if we were tipping back margaritas. It was cathartic and definitely made the rest of the day go smoother. I declared that Mexican food is happy food. By the way, in the same conversation we decided that Chinese food is comfort food. Do with that what you will, but on this day I needed a boost of happiness. It worked.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Movie Monday - Les Miserables
Shhh... I know it's really Thursday, sorry.
Maybe I was watching something different? I could have sworn I had seen Les Miserables - a black and white film about a drab court case in old timey France over a stolen loaf of bread. It could have been something else, I fell asleep. I have no idea what I'm confusing this with. And this is why I keep a detailed spreadsheet.
Then the 1934 version of Les Miserables appeared on TCM. Robert Osborn gave an introduction before the movie rolled and he explained this was actually THREE movies, accounting for the four hours. And it was in French with subtitles. Mon Dieu!
So let's quickly summarize the 900 reasons I was going to hate this movie:
1. I had "seen" a later version and hated the story
2. 1930's version - movies before 1940 are typically difficult for me to enjoy with over-the-top, gushy acting.
3. Subtitles
4. LONG ASS MOVIE
5. Did I mention subtitles?
Ready to snuggle down to a snooze-inducing event, I resigned myself to finally watch this movie.
And damn, if I didn't absolutely love it.
It did take several days to make my way through the four hours... remember I spare the men in the house from enduring my Oscar movie indulgence by watching my movies in the morning before I leave for work. The Teenager just walked through the livingroom asking why I watch so many Barbara Streisand movies (I'm currently watching Hello Dolly)? Purely by accident, I assured him. Although I am impressed that he knows Barbara when he sees her.
Back to Les Mis, I haven't seen the stage production. I never understood the hype. Like I said, I thought I had already seen the movie. It did take four hours to showcase a man released from prison, change his thieving ways, and be constantly pursued by a cop determined to put this criminal (once a criminal, always a criminal) back behind bars. Meanwhile, the havoc wrecked by another swindling man who destroys everyone in his path. Who is the real criminal?
I hopped over to Wikipedia to ensure I had a few facts correct about this movie and I realize that what I watched was the 1934 longass version, not the 1935 Oscar nominee. You know what? I don't regret it. As Wikipedia explains, this 1934 version is the most true adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel. Since I didn't read the novel, having seen the truest film adaptation is a good thing. Now I feel I will better appreciate any of the other versions, and evidently there are several? And to be honest, I'm sort of excited to see the latest version now hitting the screen. Of course I won't see it in the theater - yeah good luck pulling The Husband in for that!
Yes, look this up and watch it. It's a really good story, well told. If you hate subtitles like I do, they're a minor inconvenience. Or learn French.
Maybe I was watching something different? I could have sworn I had seen Les Miserables - a black and white film about a drab court case in old timey France over a stolen loaf of bread. It could have been something else, I fell asleep. I have no idea what I'm confusing this with. And this is why I keep a detailed spreadsheet.
Then the 1934 version of Les Miserables appeared on TCM. Robert Osborn gave an introduction before the movie rolled and he explained this was actually THREE movies, accounting for the four hours. And it was in French with subtitles. Mon Dieu!
So let's quickly summarize the 900 reasons I was going to hate this movie:
1. I had "seen" a later version and hated the story
2. 1930's version - movies before 1940 are typically difficult for me to enjoy with over-the-top, gushy acting.
3. Subtitles
4. LONG ASS MOVIE
5. Did I mention subtitles?
Ready to snuggle down to a snooze-inducing event, I resigned myself to finally watch this movie.
And damn, if I didn't absolutely love it.
It did take several days to make my way through the four hours... remember I spare the men in the house from enduring my Oscar movie indulgence by watching my movies in the morning before I leave for work. The Teenager just walked through the livingroom asking why I watch so many Barbara Streisand movies (I'm currently watching Hello Dolly)? Purely by accident, I assured him. Although I am impressed that he knows Barbara when he sees her.
Back to Les Mis, I haven't seen the stage production. I never understood the hype. Like I said, I thought I had already seen the movie. It did take four hours to showcase a man released from prison, change his thieving ways, and be constantly pursued by a cop determined to put this criminal (once a criminal, always a criminal) back behind bars. Meanwhile, the havoc wrecked by another swindling man who destroys everyone in his path. Who is the real criminal?
I hopped over to Wikipedia to ensure I had a few facts correct about this movie and I realize that what I watched was the 1934 longass version, not the 1935 Oscar nominee. You know what? I don't regret it. As Wikipedia explains, this 1934 version is the most true adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel. Since I didn't read the novel, having seen the truest film adaptation is a good thing. Now I feel I will better appreciate any of the other versions, and evidently there are several? And to be honest, I'm sort of excited to see the latest version now hitting the screen. Of course I won't see it in the theater - yeah good luck pulling The Husband in for that!
Yes, look this up and watch it. It's a really good story, well told. If you hate subtitles like I do, they're a minor inconvenience. Or learn French.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Movie Monday - Nuns and Christmas!
I've watched two movies, almost back to back, about nuns. They were aired by TCM as part of their celebration of Christmas. I'm not so sure what either of these two movies had to do with Christmas other than Christianity.
Let me step to the side and discuss Christmas movies. I never wanted to like It's a Wonderful Life mostly because everybody and their dog loves it - pretty much a formula for me hating something. But dammit, I really do like It's a Wonderful Life. It's a nice wholesome story, with a nice message. It's funny, and heartfelt, and just... nice. And in case you are thickheaded like me, it's a twist on A Christmas Carol with a more modern theme and less spooky - those ghosts always freaked me out.
Elf is another family friendly movie, driving home the Christmas message of brotherly love. It's super cute and very funny but I fear a lot non-kid-toting adults may have missed it. Basically a child ends up being raised as an elf in Santa's workshop, but when he grows up he decides to find his biological family. He is a misfit in both worlds.
The one movie could watch any time of the year, over and over and over again, is Christmas Vacation. I laugh my ass off every single time. The Griswold gang is their crazy selves but my favorite is the crazy aunt with her cat and that jello mold with Meow Mix. I don't know how you can't laugh.
So, about the nun's... like I said I'm not sure what either of these have to do with Christmas, but I liked both of them.
The Nun's Story (1959) takes Audrey Hepburn's character leaving her family's home to join a convent through her struggles as a novice and assuming her vows. This happens before World War II and deals a little bit with the impact of war. This is quintessential Oscar material as it shows a person's growth, development, and questioning her life path. It bored the ever living snot out of my husband as he walked through the room and tried to avoid the screen. Yeah, it was a little slow, and it was heavy on the churchy music. What I found intriguing, though, is the process of becoming a nun. I'm not Catholic and the chicks in the penguin get-ups are more than a little mystifying to me. In the end, I decided, you know besides not being Catholic, that I would really suck as a nun. I am really bad about following rules and they are really strict about them rules! It was intriguing, educational (to me), and overall a nice story.
Come To the Stable (1949) was soooooooo not the movie I was expecting. I thought it was going to be about the birth of Christ. Nope, nothing of the sort. At the end of World War II, two french nuns arrive in Bethlehem, New York and end up staying in a converted stable on a mission to build a children's hospital. The one nun is completely driven by faith and seems to bulldoze everyone in the sweetest manner possible. As the owner of the stable asks, "you don't expect to stay here?" the nun responds, "why thank you for asking!" And she manages to do that to everyone she encounters. I liked this movie almost as a natural follow-up, sort of, to The Nun's Story. It's like the first one is about going to school and the second one is what you do after you graduate. That's rather simplistic, but the two do fit together. This one has a lot of humor and even though you're pretty sure they will succeed in getting the hospital built, it's not a clear path.
Let me step to the side and discuss Christmas movies. I never wanted to like It's a Wonderful Life mostly because everybody and their dog loves it - pretty much a formula for me hating something. But dammit, I really do like It's a Wonderful Life. It's a nice wholesome story, with a nice message. It's funny, and heartfelt, and just... nice. And in case you are thickheaded like me, it's a twist on A Christmas Carol with a more modern theme and less spooky - those ghosts always freaked me out.
Elf is another family friendly movie, driving home the Christmas message of brotherly love. It's super cute and very funny but I fear a lot non-kid-toting adults may have missed it. Basically a child ends up being raised as an elf in Santa's workshop, but when he grows up he decides to find his biological family. He is a misfit in both worlds.
The one movie could watch any time of the year, over and over and over again, is Christmas Vacation. I laugh my ass off every single time. The Griswold gang is their crazy selves but my favorite is the crazy aunt with her cat and that jello mold with Meow Mix. I don't know how you can't laugh.
So, about the nun's... like I said I'm not sure what either of these have to do with Christmas, but I liked both of them.
The Nun's Story (1959) takes Audrey Hepburn's character leaving her family's home to join a convent through her struggles as a novice and assuming her vows. This happens before World War II and deals a little bit with the impact of war. This is quintessential Oscar material as it shows a person's growth, development, and questioning her life path. It bored the ever living snot out of my husband as he walked through the room and tried to avoid the screen. Yeah, it was a little slow, and it was heavy on the churchy music. What I found intriguing, though, is the process of becoming a nun. I'm not Catholic and the chicks in the penguin get-ups are more than a little mystifying to me. In the end, I decided, you know besides not being Catholic, that I would really suck as a nun. I am really bad about following rules and they are really strict about them rules! It was intriguing, educational (to me), and overall a nice story.
Come To the Stable (1949) was soooooooo not the movie I was expecting. I thought it was going to be about the birth of Christ. Nope, nothing of the sort. At the end of World War II, two french nuns arrive in Bethlehem, New York and end up staying in a converted stable on a mission to build a children's hospital. The one nun is completely driven by faith and seems to bulldoze everyone in the sweetest manner possible. As the owner of the stable asks, "you don't expect to stay here?" the nun responds, "why thank you for asking!" And she manages to do that to everyone she encounters. I liked this movie almost as a natural follow-up, sort of, to The Nun's Story. It's like the first one is about going to school and the second one is what you do after you graduate. That's rather simplistic, but the two do fit together. This one has a lot of humor and even though you're pretty sure they will succeed in getting the hospital built, it's not a clear path.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Movie Monday - Animated Feature
Animated Shorts has been an Oscar category for decades, but the feature length animation has only been a category since 2001. And that is a crime. All of those fabulous full-length cartoons denied recognition. Such a shame.
One of the all time best animated features, in my book, is Aladdin (1992). Aladdin and The Little Mermaid (1989) were constant fixtures in my home - books, tapes, blankets, sheets, pillows, pillow cases, action figures, stuffed animals, balls, cups, bowls, plates, socks, pants, shirts, bookbags, folders, pencils, Christmas ornaments, underwear, hats, temporary tattoos, stickers, balloons, gift wrap, and maybe a few other items that escape my memory. Of course both movies were played ad nauseum for many years at my house. My daughter is still gaga over The Little Mermaid and the songs linger in my memory. But Aladdin was the superior movie, and ranks over any that I've seen. We had the great fortune of seeing Aladdin in the theater in 1992. While nearly every movie I see is via rental viewed on a television, some are simply meant to be seen on the big screen. When the opportunity presents itself through a re-release, make a point of seeing Aladdin IN the theater. The first time the genie rises out of the bottle is one of the most impressive things you'll ever see in a movie. He is HUGE and totally fills the screen. It's incredible.
Toy Story also missed nomination contention because it came out in 1995. It too was a spectacular film with a great story. There were many other animated features that missed the opportunity. At least Shrek (2001) received its proper recognition and was the first to win "Animated Feature". I think, though, Toy Story was the one that finally broke the Disney domination of the animation field opening it up for Oscar consideration. Last year Toy Story 3 was the first animated feature to receive a best picture nomination. I suppose that may have been to make up to Pixar Studios for not nominating the first Toy Story - it did deserve it, too.
I'm still muddling through the other nominees. Wallace and Gromet, Cars, Happy Feet have been fun to watch. The Triplets of Belleville (2003), however, was pure torture. There was no dialog, this is even worse than being foreign language with subtitles! You're forced to watch it. I decided since there was no dialog that I could fast forward and still catch the essence. It's about a little boy who wants to ride in the Tour De France and is kidnapped by a bookie. It's convoluted and stupid.
I can't wait for the 2012 nominees. I haven't seen any new animated features this year so... oh wait, I just watched Brave. I bet it receives a nomination, it was really cute and FINALLY the princess isn't an orphan (a running theme of all princess cartoons). The other nominees will be entertaining to watch, I'm sure.
Most people without small children don't watch cartoon movies and they are truly missing out. The big Disney and Pixar movies are really great stories that have a lot of adult humor and are not dumbed down for the sake of their younger viewers. I strongly insist everyone take a trip through the children's section at their video store (or Netflix) and pick up some of these titles.
One of the all time best animated features, in my book, is Aladdin (1992). Aladdin and The Little Mermaid (1989) were constant fixtures in my home - books, tapes, blankets, sheets, pillows, pillow cases, action figures, stuffed animals, balls, cups, bowls, plates, socks, pants, shirts, bookbags, folders, pencils, Christmas ornaments, underwear, hats, temporary tattoos, stickers, balloons, gift wrap, and maybe a few other items that escape my memory. Of course both movies were played ad nauseum for many years at my house. My daughter is still gaga over The Little Mermaid and the songs linger in my memory. But Aladdin was the superior movie, and ranks over any that I've seen. We had the great fortune of seeing Aladdin in the theater in 1992. While nearly every movie I see is via rental viewed on a television, some are simply meant to be seen on the big screen. When the opportunity presents itself through a re-release, make a point of seeing Aladdin IN the theater. The first time the genie rises out of the bottle is one of the most impressive things you'll ever see in a movie. He is HUGE and totally fills the screen. It's incredible.
Toy Story also missed nomination contention because it came out in 1995. It too was a spectacular film with a great story. There were many other animated features that missed the opportunity. At least Shrek (2001) received its proper recognition and was the first to win "Animated Feature". I think, though, Toy Story was the one that finally broke the Disney domination of the animation field opening it up for Oscar consideration. Last year Toy Story 3 was the first animated feature to receive a best picture nomination. I suppose that may have been to make up to Pixar Studios for not nominating the first Toy Story - it did deserve it, too.
I'm still muddling through the other nominees. Wallace and Gromet, Cars, Happy Feet have been fun to watch. The Triplets of Belleville (2003), however, was pure torture. There was no dialog, this is even worse than being foreign language with subtitles! You're forced to watch it. I decided since there was no dialog that I could fast forward and still catch the essence. It's about a little boy who wants to ride in the Tour De France and is kidnapped by a bookie. It's convoluted and stupid.
I can't wait for the 2012 nominees. I haven't seen any new animated features this year so... oh wait, I just watched Brave. I bet it receives a nomination, it was really cute and FINALLY the princess isn't an orphan (a running theme of all princess cartoons). The other nominees will be entertaining to watch, I'm sure.
Most people without small children don't watch cartoon movies and they are truly missing out. The big Disney and Pixar movies are really great stories that have a lot of adult humor and are not dumbed down for the sake of their younger viewers. I strongly insist everyone take a trip through the children's section at their video store (or Netflix) and pick up some of these titles.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Movie Chat - Oppressed People
You would think the topic of oppressed people would be a favorite subject of the Oscar nominating committee, but overall that is not the case. We don't see much about the oppression, war, and extermination in Bosnia. There are a few movies nominated such as Hotel Rwanda (2004) and Invictus (2009) about the brutalities and inequity found in Aftrica. American slaves and Indians both seem to be missing from the rolls while the plight of southern blacks in the first half of the 1900's is only recently getting attention The Color Purple (1985) and The Help (2011). Slumdog Millionaire (2008) is the only one about India since the 40's.
Yet the nominating committee does salivate over Nazi's and their concentration camps. I gave that issue a lot of pondering and have come to the slightly unfair conclusion that it's because the movie production companies been dominated/owned by Jews. It's not that these movies are undeserving, they are poignant stories performed by very talented actors, just that we are lacking representation of all of the other oppressed, repressed, and outright down-trodden people of the world.
Of the movies I've seen, these are somehow associated with the Jewish experience in World War II:
Ship of Fools (1965)
Voyage of the Damned (1976)
Cabaret (1972)
The Boys From Brazil (1978)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - reviewed November 9
Life is Beautiful (1998) - reviewed on November 23
The Reader (2008)
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
There are more, these are only from a quick scan of my geeky list.
Oh yeah, Sofie's Choice (1982)
Seriously, I watched The Reader today and when the Nazi trial came up I literally groaned. Remember, I don't typically read the synopsis before watching because I like the surprise (ha). So when I find a movie that highlights a different group I get a little excited.
One like, Persepolis (2007), has been lingering in my head since I watched it. First I have to warn you why I shied away from this movie for a very long time - it's a foreign language cartoon, an artsy one at that. I have tremendous disdain for the artsy crap - just tell the story without the interpretive dance and goofy symbolism... I like thoughtful, intelligent symbolism, not goofy symbolism. When the girl was deflowered, there were flowers falling from the sky. Seriously, blah!!! And then subtitles???? Come on. That means I have to read and watch? How can I play on the internet with all of that going on?
And yet
I liked it. It is about a girl in a very liberal, 1970 something, prewar Iran and how she had to adjust to the new rules of an increasingly oppressive regime. It really made me consider what people living in Iran have had to cope with over the years, that not everyone is crazy, anti-American, bomb-toting maniacs. Maybe a cartoon... sorry, "animated feature"... is the only medium to properly tell her story. My imagination managed to fill in the gaps and I guarantee the picture I built in my mind is as strong as anything I've ever watched on a screen. If for no other reason, you must watch this movie to fall in love with her grandmother who puts jasmine blossoms in her bra every morning and soaks her breasts in ice water to keep them perky! Grandma was loaded with all sorts of fabulous advice and lived a no-nonsense, take no crap, life. With women like that in your life, you're doomed to be headstrong and independent. And I do like stories about strong, feisty women, even if they're told through sub-titles in an artsy monochrome cartoon.
Yet the nominating committee does salivate over Nazi's and their concentration camps. I gave that issue a lot of pondering and have come to the slightly unfair conclusion that it's because the movie production companies been dominated/owned by Jews. It's not that these movies are undeserving, they are poignant stories performed by very talented actors, just that we are lacking representation of all of the other oppressed, repressed, and outright down-trodden people of the world.
Of the movies I've seen, these are somehow associated with the Jewish experience in World War II:
Ship of Fools (1965)
Voyage of the Damned (1976)
Cabaret (1972)
The Boys From Brazil (1978)
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - reviewed November 9
Life is Beautiful (1998) - reviewed on November 23
The Reader (2008)
Mr. Skeffington (1944)
There are more, these are only from a quick scan of my geeky list.
Oh yeah, Sofie's Choice (1982)
Seriously, I watched The Reader today and when the Nazi trial came up I literally groaned. Remember, I don't typically read the synopsis before watching because I like the surprise (ha). So when I find a movie that highlights a different group I get a little excited.
One like, Persepolis (2007), has been lingering in my head since I watched it. First I have to warn you why I shied away from this movie for a very long time - it's a foreign language cartoon, an artsy one at that. I have tremendous disdain for the artsy crap - just tell the story without the interpretive dance and goofy symbolism... I like thoughtful, intelligent symbolism, not goofy symbolism. When the girl was deflowered, there were flowers falling from the sky. Seriously, blah!!! And then subtitles???? Come on. That means I have to read and watch? How can I play on the internet with all of that going on?
And yet
I liked it. It is about a girl in a very liberal, 1970 something, prewar Iran and how she had to adjust to the new rules of an increasingly oppressive regime. It really made me consider what people living in Iran have had to cope with over the years, that not everyone is crazy, anti-American, bomb-toting maniacs. Maybe a cartoon... sorry, "animated feature"... is the only medium to properly tell her story. My imagination managed to fill in the gaps and I guarantee the picture I built in my mind is as strong as anything I've ever watched on a screen. If for no other reason, you must watch this movie to fall in love with her grandmother who puts jasmine blossoms in her bra every morning and soaks her breasts in ice water to keep them perky! Grandma was loaded with all sorts of fabulous advice and lived a no-nonsense, take no crap, life. With women like that in your life, you're doomed to be headstrong and independent. And I do like stories about strong, feisty women, even if they're told through sub-titles in an artsy monochrome cartoon.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Lincoln
We went to see the new movie, Lincoln, yesterday. My husband hoped it was going to be more of a biography of his life. Instead it was about the last few months prior to his death and the political back and forth of getting the 13th Amendment passed. Needless to say, Hubby was disappointed. I, however, thought it was great.
As soon as I saw previews for it this summer I knew I wanted to see this movie. Then a few weeks ago Jay Leno was talking about it and said he thought it was one of the best movies he's ever seen and knew it was going to be an Oscar contender.
The topic of the movie alone isn't really something that would perk the nominating committee's interest - politics and slavery. But they will enjoy the struggle and negotiations it shows. For that alone it will get a best picture nomination, you know, forget that golden child, Steven Spielberg, produced it.
Where this movie really stood out and no doubt will sweep the Oscars will be with the actors. Daniel Day Lewis LOOKED like Abraham Lincoln and by all accounts sounded and behaved just like him. I believed I was watching President Lincoln, it was an incredible performance. Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones were both absolutely stunning.
Unfortunately, this is a fairly boring moving. My inner history geek thought it was great, but a lot of the beauty of this movie will be lost on the masses. They may admire the fantastic performances by the entire cast (truly, ALL of them were awesome) and they may think the debates were somewhat amusing, but the struggle to significantly alter our Constitution and the work that went into it will be only an interesting side note, if even that. And that will be the real crime. I don't know how to make political debates any more interesting than what I saw on the screen yesterday - they were brilliant. Thaddius Stevens was merely an interesting name that somehow hung in my memory from college, but I didn't know how or why he was important. I'm sure some droll instructor covered him in one of many lectures. It's probably scribbled in one of the notepads I've kept. I'm quite sure no one told me of his linguistic artistry, but the man could make a point and drive it home. His significance in history was lost on me until yesterday. He was a passionate abolitionist and kept the slavery issue on the table at incredible odds. Without his passion and convictions Lincoln would not have had the backing necessary to write slavery out of the Constitution.
The one thing I do remember from high school, however, was the name Seward. He was Lincoln's Secretary of State (something that also didn't stick in my memory). The reason I remember him is that he was the guy who managed to bring Alaska in as a territory to the US and the newspapers called the deal "Seward's Folly".
There you go, a history lesson for the day. You're welcome.
What? The history geek doesn't remember these significant fellows? Nope. I hated history in high school and didn't discover its intrigue until college. So, yeah, lots of important stuff slipped in one ear and out the other.
Back to the movies, I have a couple of other nomination titles I've jotted down:
The Forger
Magic Mike - yes, I think supporting actor is due here
Being Flynn
Ruby Sparks
We are at the beginning of block buster season where many more titles will bubble to the surface. I can't wait to see The Hobbit. By all accounts it will be as amazing as the Lord of the Rings trilogy that each received their own nominations.
We'll have to wait until January to see how my predictions turn out.
As soon as I saw previews for it this summer I knew I wanted to see this movie. Then a few weeks ago Jay Leno was talking about it and said he thought it was one of the best movies he's ever seen and knew it was going to be an Oscar contender.
The topic of the movie alone isn't really something that would perk the nominating committee's interest - politics and slavery. But they will enjoy the struggle and negotiations it shows. For that alone it will get a best picture nomination, you know, forget that golden child, Steven Spielberg, produced it.
Where this movie really stood out and no doubt will sweep the Oscars will be with the actors. Daniel Day Lewis LOOKED like Abraham Lincoln and by all accounts sounded and behaved just like him. I believed I was watching President Lincoln, it was an incredible performance. Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones were both absolutely stunning.
Unfortunately, this is a fairly boring moving. My inner history geek thought it was great, but a lot of the beauty of this movie will be lost on the masses. They may admire the fantastic performances by the entire cast (truly, ALL of them were awesome) and they may think the debates were somewhat amusing, but the struggle to significantly alter our Constitution and the work that went into it will be only an interesting side note, if even that. And that will be the real crime. I don't know how to make political debates any more interesting than what I saw on the screen yesterday - they were brilliant. Thaddius Stevens was merely an interesting name that somehow hung in my memory from college, but I didn't know how or why he was important. I'm sure some droll instructor covered him in one of many lectures. It's probably scribbled in one of the notepads I've kept. I'm quite sure no one told me of his linguistic artistry, but the man could make a point and drive it home. His significance in history was lost on me until yesterday. He was a passionate abolitionist and kept the slavery issue on the table at incredible odds. Without his passion and convictions Lincoln would not have had the backing necessary to write slavery out of the Constitution.
The one thing I do remember from high school, however, was the name Seward. He was Lincoln's Secretary of State (something that also didn't stick in my memory). The reason I remember him is that he was the guy who managed to bring Alaska in as a territory to the US and the newspapers called the deal "Seward's Folly".
There you go, a history lesson for the day. You're welcome.
What? The history geek doesn't remember these significant fellows? Nope. I hated history in high school and didn't discover its intrigue until college. So, yeah, lots of important stuff slipped in one ear and out the other.
Back to the movies, I have a couple of other nomination titles I've jotted down:
The Forger
Magic Mike - yes, I think supporting actor is due here
Being Flynn
Ruby Sparks
We are at the beginning of block buster season where many more titles will bubble to the surface. I can't wait to see The Hobbit. By all accounts it will be as amazing as the Lord of the Rings trilogy that each received their own nominations.
We'll have to wait until January to see how my predictions turn out.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Movie Monday - Illnesses
Okay, it makes sense to finally devote a day to discuss my movie finds, so come back every Monday to read my recaps.
I'm amazed how I watch movies in the same time frame that have similar topics. This makes sense if TCM (the source of most of my old movies) is having a week long devotion to Nazi movies or a tribute to Bette Davis, but my movies do not all come from the same place. Some I stream online, others I rent from the video store, and then of course there are other channels.
Within two days I watched
Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
Awakenings (1990)
I knew the premise of Lorenzo's Oil, a sick boy whose parents went to extraordinary lengths to find their own cure. I dreaded this movie. DREADED IT. I had absolutely no idea about the plot of Awakenings before I watched it - a boy starts to lose function of his limbs and eventually becomes catatonic. Years (decades) later a doctor searches for a cure. I groaned as it started to watch it. Who wants to see a movie about a sick kid? True stories about sick kids? And here I was watching TWO of them back to back.
UNCANNY isn't it?
Even more uncanny was how beautiful and perfect these movies were. I liked them! Yes, they tugged at the heart strings, but not miserably so.
I should have known better with Lorenzo's Oil. It had Susan Saranden and I have yet to see a movie with her that I didn't like (you have seen Rocky Horror Picture Show, haven't you??? Yeah, I should have listed that on Friday with musicals I absolutely love, oh but it's not an Oscar nominee. Sometimes you need brain candy.) Lorenzo's Oil was a true drama with lots of back and forth and arguments and people pushed to their emotional and physical limits.
Awakenings was funny - of course, it had Robin Williams! There were lots of in-your-face victories and interesting twists.
Without giving away the endings of either, one was happy, the other not exactly so. Despite that I walked away fulfilled by both.
I'm amazed how I watch movies in the same time frame that have similar topics. This makes sense if TCM (the source of most of my old movies) is having a week long devotion to Nazi movies or a tribute to Bette Davis, but my movies do not all come from the same place. Some I stream online, others I rent from the video store, and then of course there are other channels.
Within two days I watched
Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
Awakenings (1990)
I knew the premise of Lorenzo's Oil, a sick boy whose parents went to extraordinary lengths to find their own cure. I dreaded this movie. DREADED IT. I had absolutely no idea about the plot of Awakenings before I watched it - a boy starts to lose function of his limbs and eventually becomes catatonic. Years (decades) later a doctor searches for a cure. I groaned as it started to watch it. Who wants to see a movie about a sick kid? True stories about sick kids? And here I was watching TWO of them back to back.
UNCANNY isn't it?
Even more uncanny was how beautiful and perfect these movies were. I liked them! Yes, they tugged at the heart strings, but not miserably so.
I should have known better with Lorenzo's Oil. It had Susan Saranden and I have yet to see a movie with her that I didn't like (you have seen Rocky Horror Picture Show, haven't you??? Yeah, I should have listed that on Friday with musicals I absolutely love, oh but it's not an Oscar nominee. Sometimes you need brain candy.) Lorenzo's Oil was a true drama with lots of back and forth and arguments and people pushed to their emotional and physical limits.
Awakenings was funny - of course, it had Robin Williams! There were lots of in-your-face victories and interesting twists.
Without giving away the endings of either, one was happy, the other not exactly so. Despite that I walked away fulfilled by both.
Friday, November 09, 2012
Friday Fragments - November 9, 2012
I completed my video class and I'm rather pleased with the outcome. I kept in mind that the goal was the learning process, not so much the final product so I didn't have over-the-top expectations. I think that lack of needing perfection made it better. Yes, there are all sorts of flaws, but those mistakes were a necessary part of the learning process. I will post a link to it probably in a few weeks. In the meantime, new video opportunities have popped up. I will definitely be able to apply my newly learned skills right away.
In a perfect world I could launch into those new projects, but other ones have to be completed first. We have a new logo at work and that means the web mistress has to reconfigure the web page accordingly. Some people are under the impression that the change is as simple as "dropping in" the new logo.... uh no. Our web page is old school html coding and while I hold my own doing this, I'm not quick about it. The whole header has to be re-done, requiring me to slap on my graphic designer hat then flip back to web master to make it fit. The part that has been most challenging is screwing with the new color palate. Before I left work today I sent off what I believe will be the final version. Hopefully everyone who needs to have a voice in this will approve it. I'm ready to move onto other activities.
Ready to talk movies? It's been a while since I've posted about my journey through watching all of the oscar nominated films.
First, my confession... I don't like musicals. Of course there are always exceptions like Wizard of Oz, I mean who can resist Somewhere Over the Rainbow???? And I really like the Lollypop Guild. Oh hell, I love all of it. I also can't stop singing through Mama Mia and Muriel's Wedding (waiting for me on DVR to watch tomorrow morning), but neither of these are oscar worthy movies and honestly the stories are rather weak. Anyone who knows me understands my love for those movies has to do with ABBA, not storyline. But other musical movies? Some can be a challenge for me. So for me to find ones that are better than bearable is almost exciting.
Gigi (1958) was downright pleasant. I'm not too wild about the premise - a young Parisian girl coming of age and being taught to attract a man with money. Yet, with Gigi skipping around and singing her heart out, I actually had fun watching it.
Even more fun was The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). I wouldn't mind watching that a few more times. Molly was sassy and a real go-getter. She had more than a few lessons to learn, and some the hard way, but she took them head-on and without looking back. And remember, she was a survivor of the Titanic. I'm pretty sure the makers of Titanic saw this movie when they wrote Molly's character. This one is highly recommended!
Cat Ballou (1965) wasn't exactly a musical, as in the characters didn't burst into song and dance, instead there were two guys with guitars strolling through town singing her story. And it was a pretty shitty story with an upbeat tempo. Her father was wronged and died so she wanted to get revenge by holding up a train. It has a good twist at the end, but I don't see how this was nomination worthy (won best actor).
All That Jazz (1979) belongs on the stage, not the screen. It was an artsy piece about theater and this guy's relationship with his wife. The story jumped around and had a spooky ghost-chick as his conscience? I really did not like it at all and it had a dreadful ending.
For non-musical movies I watched Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). It was about the war crimes tribunal of the Nazis, specifically the judges who sentenced people to death. This was more of the caliber of movie one would expect for oscar nominations. It dealt with difficult topics, people's histories, and personal growth. I liked it and think it's worthy of recommending. You may want to remember that I'm a history junkie and usually liked the movies shown in history class.
Now a side-note to my movie watching hobby - I do not like Bette Davis. Her characters are shallow and her voice grates. I've seen four or five of her movies and just do not get her fame. It seems more constructed than anything.
Movies have been a pleasant distraction this week. My ex's father went into hospice last week and then passed away on Monday. It's been a tough time for my family as this gentle man touched all of our lives. He was a fabulous grandfather to my children, ensuring they knew they were loved and adored. My mom was long-time friends with him and I have always felt kinship with him. I may have divorced his son, but I definitely did not divorce the whole family. Yesterday was the funeral and it was a difficult good-bye. I have so much more I could write, a whole eulogy has rambled through my head, but I'm not ready.
Again we are reminded to tell those around us how much we love and appreciate them, to take time to enjoy what life puts in front of us, to make an effort to be pleasant, find ways to see the silver lining, laugh, love, and most of all - trust God's wisdom.
In a perfect world I could launch into those new projects, but other ones have to be completed first. We have a new logo at work and that means the web mistress has to reconfigure the web page accordingly. Some people are under the impression that the change is as simple as "dropping in" the new logo.... uh no. Our web page is old school html coding and while I hold my own doing this, I'm not quick about it. The whole header has to be re-done, requiring me to slap on my graphic designer hat then flip back to web master to make it fit. The part that has been most challenging is screwing with the new color palate. Before I left work today I sent off what I believe will be the final version. Hopefully everyone who needs to have a voice in this will approve it. I'm ready to move onto other activities.
Ready to talk movies? It's been a while since I've posted about my journey through watching all of the oscar nominated films.
First, my confession... I don't like musicals. Of course there are always exceptions like Wizard of Oz, I mean who can resist Somewhere Over the Rainbow???? And I really like the Lollypop Guild. Oh hell, I love all of it. I also can't stop singing through Mama Mia and Muriel's Wedding (waiting for me on DVR to watch tomorrow morning), but neither of these are oscar worthy movies and honestly the stories are rather weak. Anyone who knows me understands my love for those movies has to do with ABBA, not storyline. But other musical movies? Some can be a challenge for me. So for me to find ones that are better than bearable is almost exciting.
Gigi (1958) was downright pleasant. I'm not too wild about the premise - a young Parisian girl coming of age and being taught to attract a man with money. Yet, with Gigi skipping around and singing her heart out, I actually had fun watching it.
Even more fun was The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964). I wouldn't mind watching that a few more times. Molly was sassy and a real go-getter. She had more than a few lessons to learn, and some the hard way, but she took them head-on and without looking back. And remember, she was a survivor of the Titanic. I'm pretty sure the makers of Titanic saw this movie when they wrote Molly's character. This one is highly recommended!
Cat Ballou (1965) wasn't exactly a musical, as in the characters didn't burst into song and dance, instead there were two guys with guitars strolling through town singing her story. And it was a pretty shitty story with an upbeat tempo. Her father was wronged and died so she wanted to get revenge by holding up a train. It has a good twist at the end, but I don't see how this was nomination worthy (won best actor).
All That Jazz (1979) belongs on the stage, not the screen. It was an artsy piece about theater and this guy's relationship with his wife. The story jumped around and had a spooky ghost-chick as his conscience? I really did not like it at all and it had a dreadful ending.
For non-musical movies I watched Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). It was about the war crimes tribunal of the Nazis, specifically the judges who sentenced people to death. This was more of the caliber of movie one would expect for oscar nominations. It dealt with difficult topics, people's histories, and personal growth. I liked it and think it's worthy of recommending. You may want to remember that I'm a history junkie and usually liked the movies shown in history class.
Now a side-note to my movie watching hobby - I do not like Bette Davis. Her characters are shallow and her voice grates. I've seen four or five of her movies and just do not get her fame. It seems more constructed than anything.
Movies have been a pleasant distraction this week. My ex's father went into hospice last week and then passed away on Monday. It's been a tough time for my family as this gentle man touched all of our lives. He was a fabulous grandfather to my children, ensuring they knew they were loved and adored. My mom was long-time friends with him and I have always felt kinship with him. I may have divorced his son, but I definitely did not divorce the whole family. Yesterday was the funeral and it was a difficult good-bye. I have so much more I could write, a whole eulogy has rambled through my head, but I'm not ready.
Again we are reminded to tell those around us how much we love and appreciate them, to take time to enjoy what life puts in front of us, to make an effort to be pleasant, find ways to see the silver lining, laugh, love, and most of all - trust God's wisdom.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday Fragments - October 12, 2012
Sorry I'm posting this on Saturday - I feel like I'm cheating or something.
Last night my Facebook feed was lighting up with posts about the Cardinals pulling ahead in the game... we were playing? So hubby decided to pull up the game. Clearly neither of us are fanatics. He actually has a certain level of disdain for the St. Louis Cardinals, but is amazed how this team consistently "pulls it out of their ass" every year. At some point between discovering there was a deciding game in the works with the Cards behind at 5-7, and finding who was airing the game, the Cards somehow managed a few hits and were ahead 9-7 at the top of the ninth. Even for little ol' me, the non-sports fan, this was a nail-biter.
A quick look to Facebook and all of my St. Louis friends were posting their building excitement, burying any other topic. And then... and then... WE WON! Literally seconds later I could hear fireworks being shot off in my neighborhood. No, these aren't professional displays. Some yahoo stocked up during 4th of July sales. That same guy who put on a big block party despite it being illegal in the county, managed to save back a few sticks of dynamite or whatever for just such an occasion. And he still hasn't exhausted his supply because there are a few more celebrations to be had in baseball land alone. Imagine if the Rams do something amazing. Of course he will set them off for New Years too. Better yet, "he" somehow lives in every single neighborhood in the metropolitan area as everyone was reporting fireworks going off near their homes.
St. Louis LOVES its sports.
I can only imagine the melt-down old St. Louie would suffer if the Blues actually won a Stanley Cup!
By the way, NOBODY here calls this town "St. Louie". We cringe when newscasters from other towns say it and we know in a heartbeat you're "not from here" if you say it. So please, never ever call this town St. Louie Missouri. It's Saint Lou IS.
Speaking of out-of-towners, a Facebook friend I met a year ago was in town again so hubby and I met him for dinner. I knew he liked microbrews so I thought we should go to Schlafly Brewry as they have pretty decent burgers at their restaurant. But there happened to be a baseball game in town so I suggested something NOT downtown. We ended up at a different microbrewery, Trailhead in St. Charles. Anybody who visits the region really ought to find time to visit old town St. Charles. All of the shops are in buildings from colonial days. This is where Lewis and Clark launched their expedition and up on the hill is the first Missouri state capitol. We had a good meal and fabulous conversation. You all know what a shutterbug I am yet not a single picture was taken!
So here's a picture I took several years ago
Oscar movie recommendation for the week? As I write this I'm watching French Connection (1971) and it's a decent cop/chase movie. Going My Way (1944) was with Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley. I liked the movie but found Bing's bursting into song not really necessary. Cactus Flower (1969) had Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn in a complicated May-June romance/love triangle as he asked his dental assistant Ingrid Bergman to pretend to be the wife he was divorcing. It was funny and filled with twists and best of all had a happy ending.
Last night my Facebook feed was lighting up with posts about the Cardinals pulling ahead in the game... we were playing? So hubby decided to pull up the game. Clearly neither of us are fanatics. He actually has a certain level of disdain for the St. Louis Cardinals, but is amazed how this team consistently "pulls it out of their ass" every year. At some point between discovering there was a deciding game in the works with the Cards behind at 5-7, and finding who was airing the game, the Cards somehow managed a few hits and were ahead 9-7 at the top of the ninth. Even for little ol' me, the non-sports fan, this was a nail-biter.
A quick look to Facebook and all of my St. Louis friends were posting their building excitement, burying any other topic. And then... and then... WE WON! Literally seconds later I could hear fireworks being shot off in my neighborhood. No, these aren't professional displays. Some yahoo stocked up during 4th of July sales. That same guy who put on a big block party despite it being illegal in the county, managed to save back a few sticks of dynamite or whatever for just such an occasion. And he still hasn't exhausted his supply because there are a few more celebrations to be had in baseball land alone. Imagine if the Rams do something amazing. Of course he will set them off for New Years too. Better yet, "he" somehow lives in every single neighborhood in the metropolitan area as everyone was reporting fireworks going off near their homes.
St. Louis LOVES its sports.
I can only imagine the melt-down old St. Louie would suffer if the Blues actually won a Stanley Cup!
By the way, NOBODY here calls this town "St. Louie". We cringe when newscasters from other towns say it and we know in a heartbeat you're "not from here" if you say it. So please, never ever call this town St. Louie Missouri. It's Saint Lou IS.
Speaking of out-of-towners, a Facebook friend I met a year ago was in town again so hubby and I met him for dinner. I knew he liked microbrews so I thought we should go to Schlafly Brewry as they have pretty decent burgers at their restaurant. But there happened to be a baseball game in town so I suggested something NOT downtown. We ended up at a different microbrewery, Trailhead in St. Charles. Anybody who visits the region really ought to find time to visit old town St. Charles. All of the shops are in buildings from colonial days. This is where Lewis and Clark launched their expedition and up on the hill is the first Missouri state capitol. We had a good meal and fabulous conversation. You all know what a shutterbug I am yet not a single picture was taken!
So here's a picture I took several years ago
Oscar movie recommendation for the week? As I write this I'm watching French Connection (1971) and it's a decent cop/chase movie. Going My Way (1944) was with Bing Crosby as Father O'Malley. I liked the movie but found Bing's bursting into song not really necessary. Cactus Flower (1969) had Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn in a complicated May-June romance/love triangle as he asked his dental assistant Ingrid Bergman to pretend to be the wife he was divorcing. It was funny and filled with twists and best of all had a happy ending.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Friday Fragments - October 5, 2012
So I got thrown a curve ball earlier this week - a five week video course starting.. today. I'm a little miffed over the communication and approval in my office over this, but it's an incredible opportunity for me and our agency. Every Friday for five weeks I attend an all day session working on compiling and editing a 3 minute video. It is sponsored by our local PBS station and will be published on their website.
Today, was our introduction class. This morning was mostly a waste of time for me as it was "introduction to the macintosh computer". uh yeah, I don't exactly need a refresher course in THAT. But I behaved as my classmates learned basic navigation. On the upside, I got a tour of their facilities, including their on-air studios.
Oscar Movie recommendation this week: The Mirror has Two Faces (1996). Robert Redford and Barbara Streisand in a quirky but sweet love story. This is totally a chick flick as Barbara transforms from frumpy to gorgeous. So if you're not a chick flick fan then skip it, but I liked it.
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Today, was our introduction class. This morning was mostly a waste of time for me as it was "introduction to the macintosh computer". uh yeah, I don't exactly need a refresher course in THAT. But I behaved as my classmates learned basic navigation. On the upside, I got a tour of their facilities, including their on-air studios.
Oscar Movie recommendation this week: The Mirror has Two Faces (1996). Robert Redford and Barbara Streisand in a quirky but sweet love story. This is totally a chick flick as Barbara transforms from frumpy to gorgeous. So if you're not a chick flick fan then skip it, but I liked it.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Movie Recommendations
Building off yesterday's post...
Forcing myself to watch movies with titles and descriptions that would normally make me run in the other direction, I have managed to find some fabulous titles.
Manchurian Candidate (1692) - Good intrigue, crazy twists and simply a good story.
The Bishop's Wife (1947) - The absolute best Christmas movie out there - seriously. It's about the true meaning of Christmas, not the Santa Claus crap (and trust me, I adore that dude).
Little gems like that are probably what push me through all of the not so entertaining titles.
Forcing myself to watch movies with titles and descriptions that would normally make me run in the other direction, I have managed to find some fabulous titles.
Manchurian Candidate (1692) - Good intrigue, crazy twists and simply a good story.
The Bishop's Wife (1947) - The absolute best Christmas movie out there - seriously. It's about the true meaning of Christmas, not the Santa Claus crap (and trust me, I adore that dude).
Little gems like that are probably what push me through all of the not so entertaining titles.
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