This year, I'll be ready.

This year I'll be ready.

For class, for work, for everything, on time. Right.

This year I will be ready for Oscar season. That's about all I can guarantee.
A few friends and I have taken what we are calling The Oscar Challenge 2011: see all the Best Picture nominees before February 27, the night of The Academy Awards. There are 13 of us playing this game, and I've promised prizes for those who complete the challenge.

The nominations are not officially announced until January 25, but there are some strong contenders in the predictions already. What will likely be nominated, you ask? Well, obvious big productions like Inception, True Grit, and Black Swan. Toy Story 3 may get a nod as an animated film (following Up's lead from last year), and lots of people are talking about The Social Network, The Kids Are All Right, and The King's Speech.

Last year I had only seen 1 of the 10 nominated movies before the official nominations were announced. That gave me 9 to watch in only one month. I did it, but it was a little hard to get them all in. Add in classes and a longer commute this year, and I fear that would be impossible. So I'm trying to get a jump on the game, and have seen the following films already. Now let's hope they are actually  nominated!

I am looking forward to a few others that will likely be nominated -- True Grit, The King's Speech, The Fighter -- but hoping to be able to avoid the extremely depressing or disturbing (Rabbit Hole, Black Swan, Winter's Bone). What great movies have you seen, or are you looking forward to? Will you take The Oscar Challenge 2011?

Oscar Wrap-Up (a wee bit late)

Well, folks, Sunday night was glorious.

I am STOKED that Kathryn Bigelow won Best Director, and that The Hurt Locker won best picture.

Personally, I think Sandra Bullock should not have won Best Actress. I know I may be in a bit of a minority, there, but I think she was the safe choice. It was a good performance, but I think that this woman deserved the statue:

All in all, it was a fun show to watch, and I was surrounded by great friends and fellow movies-lovers for all 3 and a half hours of it. (And, in all honesty, most of the movies nominated for any award this year were worth watching, so hop on your Netflix account and add them to your queue (or visit an actual rental store *gasp*)!)

Ten is the Luckiest Number

Well, I've done it. I have seen all 10 Best Picture Nominees for this year's Academy Awards, just in time for the big night.

Last night my friend Rick was kind enough to join me in watching INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, the Quentin Tarantino film starring Brad Pitt. Thank you, Rick, for not letting me watch it alone. :)

I was pretty unsure about this one, of all the films, given my unfortunate experience of nightmares after every other Quentin Tarantino movie I've seen. I just do not do well with so much gratuitous violence, even when it is unbelievable. While there were moments that I had to turn away, BASTERDS was much funnier and more enjoyable than I was expecting.

I have to say, I am quite proud of myself for meeting this goal of seeing all 10 movies before Oscar night. And especially for doing it quite cheaply. (I only spent an average of $5.25 per movie! Hooray for Netflix, the Five Buck Movie Club, and friends who like to share!) My vote for Best Picture lies squarely with THE HURT LOCKER; to choose all your own favorites see the complete list of nominees here, and be sure to watch all the awards tonight!

Two More Down... Only ONE to Go!

2:30 pm
I have just gotten home from seeing AN EDUCATION with Jon & Christin, my partners in craziness of this quest to see all 10 Best Picture nominees. I now want to go to Oxford to study literature, or "read English" as one might say.

This is one of those movies that, if you know me, you would know why I would love it. It just is my type of film. It' s a Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity) screenplay, and full of wonderful British accents. Carey Mulligan was beautiful as Jenny, Peter Sarsgaard was entirely believable in his role, and who doesn't love Alfred Molina? (I can't forget my favorite: Emma Thompson!) It was really just a lovely movie to spend a Sunday afternoon watching.

So, why do I want to go to Oxford now? Well, see, that's my one big regret from my undergrad years: never studying abroad, and especially at the summer literature program at Oxford. And there might still be a Ph.D. in Victorian Lit somewhere in my future... We'll see.

But, for now, back to the kitchen (it's a cooking & baking weekend) until J & C come over to watch movie #9 in my quest - A SERIOUS MAN.

9:30 pm
Well, A SERIOUS MAN this evening was not nearly as enjoyable as my earlier movie watching experience. Jon enjoyed it much more than Christin & I did. I was particularly dissatisfied with the ending, and lack of resolution. Mostly, I think I wanted a happier movie, after such a lovely one this afternoon.

Only one more movie to see: Inglorious Basterds!

Oscar Movie #7!

Last night I made it to movie #7 on the list of 10 Best Picture nominees. I joined my friends Christin & Jon for a viewing of THE HURT LOCKER in their fantastic home theater (I love friends with projectors in their living rooms!). It was definitely an intense movie, but I really liked it.

Kathryn Bigelow did a fantastic job with this war movie; it was a very different sort of story than I've seen before. I can't imagine doing what these guys do. There were only brief moments when I wanted to look away from the screen, and was surprised at how emotionally touching it was (especially the ending).

As always, it was a great evening of hanging out with Christin & Jon, and we had some great conversation about our church's Warming Center and community responsibility.

Tomorrow the three of us will rush out of church to make a 12:05 showing of AN EDUCATION, and then get together again for dinner and a viewing of A SERIOUS MAN. For me, that means only ONE MORE MOVIE and I will have watched all 10! (The final movie to see is INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, which I am pretty nervous about seeing, as I'm not a big fan of Quentin Tarantino movies...)

Movie #6: Precious

Last night (yes, a Thursday night!) I joined a friend on a trip to Lincoln Park to see PRECIOUS, the Golden Globe-winning and Oscar-nominated film from Lee Daniels.

This film, based on the novel Push, by Sapphire, was incredibly intense, at times uncomfortable, but beautifully and honestly acted. Mo'Nique deserves any award she is nominated for, as does Gabourey Sidibe. Paula Patton, as the teacher who helps Precious realize that she has potential in life, was also fantastic.

I read Push earlier this winter, as per my preferred method of seeing movies based on books only after reading the books. I can't decide if I am glad I was prepared for what I was going to see onscreen because, or if I wished I was a little more uncertain of how distressing it was going to be, so that I could feel the whole range of emotions for the first time in the theater. There is something to be said for the shock-value of the subject matter, especially when the story is told with this much honesty.

That's really the word that sticks with me: honesty. Brutal, but honest in telling the story of an abused young woman trying to figure out if her life is worth anything.

Next up: THE HURT LOCKER tonight and then AN EDUCATION and A SERIOUS MAN on Sunday (all with the McFadyen's!). All that remains after this weekend is INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, and then I will have seen all 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards! They should let me be the judge... :)

Halfway Through: Oscar Movie #5

Tonight's movie - DISTRICT 9 - was definitely not my favorite of the 10 Best Picture choices. Really, not the sort of movie I would ever choose to watch normally. Maybe it would have been better if I had read little bit about it before, or knew at all what sort of movie I was about to watch?

Instead, I spent a good portion of the film grimacing, and wondering if I should be covering my eyes. I'm just hoping I don't have nightmares. (And, yes, I am a wimp.)

I will say that there were some redeeming qualities of the movie... I never expected to feel any sort of sympathy for an alien family in a movie like this (where the aliens are the "bad guys"), or to be happy when they got away. Or, at one point, to root for the decimation of a human being. It was at least human on an emotional level, even if the rest of the story was a bit bizarre.

Up next: The Hurt Locker. Another heavy flick... it's going to be a rough next 5 movies, I think.

Best Picture Option #4: AVATAR

This weekend I took in the fourth in my list of 10 Best Picture nominees, along with my roommates and their significant others. Though I was not feeling the best, having already bought a ticket to see AVATAR in 3D at the Navy Pier IMAX was enough to get me out of the house for a few hours.

It was a beautiful movie, if nothing else. The graphics and 3D effects were fabulous - I'm so glad I chose to see it this way. The story line, while not horrible, was not what I want out of a Best Picture film to be. I think back to former Best Picture winners such as Out of Africa, Casablanca, The Godfather, Crash - and so many others - and just wonder if filmmakers are in a slump now. Or maybe the Academy Awards are reflecting the Box Office instead of great, all-around film making?

Now almost a quarter of the way through the 10 Best Picture nominees, I think my favorite thus far is UP. Still to come: District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, An Education, A Serious Man, and Precious. (Wow, that's a lot of movies to see in just a couple of weeks! Thank goodness for Netflix!)

Sawyer, & Oscar Movie #3

First of all, a big welcome to the world to Sawyer, the brand-new son of Sarah & TK! The fabulous friends of mine from both work and church are going to be amazing parents to this precious baby boy!

As Sawyer was adjusting to life outside the womb, I viewed my third of the 10 Best Picture nominees with my roommate, Lindsey, last night. THE BLIND SIDE, starring Sandra Bullock, is a touching story about a family that just does the right thing.

I guess I should start by saying that I really am a sucker for high school sports movies and television shows. Among the many I have seen, this stands out as maybe some of the best acting, but its story is similar to so many others. It is a feel-good film, where the characters confront major economic, social, and racial obstacles, but a young man's outstanding athletic ability opens doors for him. In this case, though, I would like to believe (as the film tries to prompt) that doing the right thing for this young man is not only the choice because of his on-field abilities. Instead, it is just the right thing to do. And, for that, I would say it is worth watching.

(And, who doesn't love seeing a bunch of awkward, real-life football coaches "acting" on the big screen?)

Check out Wikipedia for a little more information on the real story of Michael Oher.

The Road to the Oscars

This year, for the first time, the Academy Awards have nominated 10 movies for Best Picture. Though it's a bit crazy, some friends and I have decided to try to see all 10 of them before Oscar night.

So far, I've seen 2:

UP: Such a cute movie! I don't generally enjoy animated movies, but this was far from the typical Disney cartoon. A lovely story, and so well made!



UP IN THE AIR: I just saw this movie last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending was not quite what I expected, but George Clooney and Anna Kendrick were a great pair!

Up next will be THE BLIND SIDE, which I'm seeing on Tuesday with my roommate. It seems, from what I have heard, a bit of an odd choice for a Best Picture nomination. So we'll see. Then, next Saturday, my roommates and I are going to see AVATAR in 3D at the Navy Pier IMax theater!

The remaining nominated films are: A Serious Man, District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire, and An Education. Many are out on DVD (or will be within the next month), but both Precious and An Education will be a bit more difficult to see before the March 7th festivities.

(For those that are wondering how I can stomach spending so much money on movie tickets, here's my secret: the Five Buck Club. It's a great deal from Kerasotes Theaters, that is free and easy to sign up for. Check it out!)

Labor-less Weekend

This weekend I had the good fortune of being invited to a friend's family home in Galena, Illinois. Well, more precisely, in the Galena Territory, near the town of Galena, Illinois. We had a lovely weekend of friends, great food, relaxation, seeing some local sites, a farmer's market, board games, a winery, and more food. Plenty of time to sleep and read. Pancakes for breakfast. Not much else this girl could ask for.

While away, I finished reading Julie Powell's Julie & Julia, the memoir that inspired the movie of the same title. It was such a fun book, and quite a bit crazy, as well.

Today I completed the long weekend by sleeping in, watching old episodes of ER, last week's Project Runway, and going to see Taking Woodstock with some friends. Demetri Martin was pretty great, though the Liev Schreiber/Henry Goodman duo stole the show a little bit. All in all, pretty entertaining.

Today I also made an incredibly easy, but simply delicious cauliflower soup. Check it out over at Smitten Kitchen.

I hope your holiday weekend was as great as mine!

The Time Traveler's Wife

Thanks to my friend Jen, I was able to score a pass to see an early screening of The Time Traveler's Wife last night. A very enjoyable night at the theater.

I'm always skeptical going to movies based on books that I loved. And, let me tell you, I loved this book when I read it a few years ago -- Audrey Niffenegger wrote a fantastic story that I just couldn't put down! I thought the film did a great job being true to the novel, and Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana were great. Well worth the viewing time, in my opinion.

Movies Make Me Want to Eat

Thanks to my friend Leigh, I was able to see a screening of JULIE & JULIA last night. I left the theater wanting to eat. A lot. And to cook even more.


Now, this is not unusual for me. Food is often present for the events that are the most important and the most fun. Days often revolve around meals; I almost never show up somewhere without a dish or a dessert. It only makes sense that a movie such as this - fun, funny, and all about food - would make me want to eat. And also to take up some crazy project like cooking my way through "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone."

Now, I don't think I possess the willpower to actually cook everything in Deborah Madison's book. It is enormous. 752 pages of meat-free goodness. But I do think I should dive in a little deeper. I do own the book, after all. Perhaps a recipe each week? We'll see.

Also, I do think this is a worthwhile movie. Great fun. See it when it's out in theaters!

Awesome.

If you're an X-Men fan, go see this.
If you aren't a fan, you need to become one.

And, for those Friday Night Lights fans out there,
our pal Riggins is fantastic as Gambit.

An Entertaining Month

The past month has been one without obligations for school. Ideally, this would mean that I had caught up on my ever-lengthening reading list, caught up with all my long-distance friends, and finished at least a couple of the many projects I have started over the last year. What actually happened was more along the lines of adding more books to the reading list (though reading a few), and unsuccessfully catching up with people or projects as I found myself sucked into the world of entertainment. I watched several movies, both in theaters and via the wonders of Digital Video Disc, played a decent amount of Nintendo Wii, and kept up with all the online news about our economic and political climates.

Most notably, I think, and also what will leave a large void in my life (at least temporarily, while I get used to it) is that I completed watching all 7 seasons of The West Wing. Rest assured, I DID NOT watch all 7 seasons in the past month (more like over the past 9 months), but I did knock out a large chunk of them. And just this afternoon I put in the final disc of season 7, traveling nostalgically through the memories over the 8 years of the Bartlett White House along with CJ Cregg, Josh Lyman, Toby Zeigler, and President Josiah Bartlett. I am a little sad that I missed the West Wing boat when the show was actually on television, but I truly enjoyed all the hours I devoted to Netflix-ing the series. I even cried a few times, particularly in the incredibly sad final episodes after John Spencer passed away in real life, and so had to be written off the show.

Other notable entertainment pursuits included seeing Slumdog Millionaire (fantastic!) and Seven Pounds (meh) in theaters, and watching Beetlejuice for the very first time. It is true; my roommate was astounded that I had never seen it. Especially seeing as that she has owned the movie for most of the 8 years I have known her.

And, finally, over the 2nd weekend of January I traveled to my sister's home in Kansas to celebrate my nephew's first birthday, and the addition of a puppy to their family. It was a good weekend, and I can hardly believe that K is already a year old! (Or that they decided a puppy was a good idea, frankly, but that's another topic all together.) So, as everyone thinks pictures of babies are a good idea, I will leave you with a couple from K's 12th month of life:

Book Review: Admit One

Admit One: A Journey into Film
Emmett James
Fizzypop Productions, 2007; 197 pages

I really wanted to like this book. It combines two of my favorite things in the realm of multimedia: memoir and film. While in college I took as many film classes as possible - production, general study, the relationship of film and theology - the phenomena of Hollywood and motion pictures is endlessly fascinating to me. I am captivated by culture.

And this is what I was expecting to read on the pages of James' memoir. And it is generally what was there... though I was less than inspired by most of it. Perhaps I have been too deadened to the simple memoir by the rowdy likes of Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris, and the politically charged thoughts of Anne Lamott; but in the realm of these writers with some seriously messed up lives that they bare for all to see, Emmett James seems pretty "every man."

And perhaps that is the point? Maybe he wanted to write a story that could be each of our own stories?

There were definite moments within the narrative that made me chuckle with familiarity; I know full well the overwhelming desire to emulate favorite movie characters. I understand the importance, above all else, of getting that Millennium Falcon toy - and the necessity of the Star Wars movies in inspiring this need in young children all over the world.

Overall the narrative is easy to read (proved to be a great airport book for my bookends of delayed flights this weekend), and ends in a fairly convincing, potentially refreshingly simple, "aha" moment of James' life. Certain chapters would have been excellent companions to some of the more dry texts in a couple of my film classes, specifically in the discussions of how people watch movies.

The Beginning of a Great Love

Tonight I was privileged to watch this movie with Ann-Marie. It is WONDERFUL! Why was this kept from me for so long? Great acting, great writing, great editing, great music - it's just GREAT! Thanks, AMO, for a great evening!