Oscar Thoughts

Thoughts on the 2009 Oscars...
1) What the hell was Jessica Biel wearing? It looked like they sewed a sack to the bodice of her dress so that she had a place to stash her drivers' license, a spare lipstick, and another pair of shoes. Really, does she need to carry a purse, too? It seems a bit superfluous.
2) Ditto the WTF to Tilda Swinton. Great actress. And I know she doesn't have the most feminine silhouette. However, that doesn't excuse her Horrible taste in clothing.
3) I'm completely sick of the Forrest Gump/Benjamin Button comparisons. What's the difference between the two movies? I had absolutely no emotional reaction to Forrest Gump. On the other hand, I could barely watch the last half hour of Benjamin Button because I was a complete wreck.
4) My sweetie just made me a white knot. He even went to Michaels' and bought the white ribbon for it.
5) I was slightly confused when they didn't honor Heath Ledger "in memoriam." Then I remembered that they did it last year. However, I'm still mystified that they didn't give a posthumous shout-out to George Carlin. I mean, his performance in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" may not have been Oscar-worthy (nor his performances in some of Kevin Smith's films), but the man left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.
6) Now that I'm off my soapbox... Let me add that I'm absolutely thrilled that "Slumdog Millionaire" dominated the awards. It was truly a stunning film. And it made me think of one of my favorite songs-- Daler Mehndi's "Tanuk Tanuk Tun."

Enjoy!

There's actually a great story behind this video. If I get a chance, I may share it.

Farewell, Coach

I just read that Paul Newman died... and now I think I'll have to watch my favorite Paul Newman movie again tonight. No, not The Hustler. Or The Sting. Or even Butch Cassidy & The Sunshine Kid.

Those who know me well know that I believe Paul Newman's greatest accomplishment was as coach Reg Dunlop in Slap Shot.



About 15 years ago, I was watching the Today Show while they were interviewing Newman. Katie Couric asked him to look back on his career and tell her which movie was his favorite. Guess which one it was?

He said he'd never had so much fun shooting a movie as he had shooting Slap Shot.

We'll miss you, coach Dunlop.

Kicking the Bucket

Seriously, how long ago did the movie "The Bucket List" come out? Every week, when Cory and I are looking for a Sunday morning matinee to go to, I see "The Bucket List" on the showtimes, and I usually say loudly, "That's still in the theaters???"

Ok... I just checked... and it came out on Christmas. That's damn near four months ago.

I get it. We live in Florida... "God's waiting room." A lot of our neighbors are nearing Death's door and trying to fulfill their own 'bucket lists.' It's probably a pretty popular flick in our neck of the woods.

But four months? For a movie that was number-one for maybe a week or two? Really?

I don't get it. I guess you could say that seeing the movie "The Bucket List" isn't on my personal "bucket list."

But then again, I'm only 38. Ask me again when I'm 70,Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman's age. And by the way, Morgan is little more than a month younger than Jack. And Jack's birthday is next week. And I still don't want to see his movie. Especially four months after its release.

So there.

Random Thoughts

Because I don't have the energy to make a bunch of seperate posts:

1) I had a four-hour interview today for a job that I really, really, really, really want. It's down to me and two other people. And I'm afraid that if I don't get this job, I'm going to really, really, really, really lose my mind.

2) So, the New York Giants won the Super Bowl. Huh. I guess I have to stop thinking that Eli Manning is a marginal talent that's always skated by because his last name was "Manning." It's going to be hard-- I've felt this way for a long time.

3) Why is it that every time I log onto my computer, it sends me to a page detailing the Microsoft Service Pack #2 and #3. It's not asking me to download anything. It's not giving me any new information. And it's definitely not set as my internet homepage. And yet, every time I log on, it automatically sends me to that confounded page again.

4) Taxes are a pain in the ass.

5) Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, and our favorite local hangout had some kind of festivities with a buffet. I didn't go, because I had to be up ultra-early for the aformentioned job interview.

6) Cory's most recent job responsibility at work is to answer the "contest phone." Every night, his station is giving away $500 to a viewer, and the contest happens right before he gets off work. He's been in a great mood every night when he gets home from work because he just ended his workday by making someone's day. Hell, $500 would make my week.

7) Has anyone else seen the show "Dirt" with Courteney Cox? I've been trying to discover new shows (mostly on cable) since the writers' strike started, and I caught an episode the other night. Not bad. Not great, but not bad. I also watched the premiere of "Welcome to the Captain" last night. As far as I'm concerned, anything with Jeffrey Tambor's seal of approval is worth watching. This review, however, begs to differ. The way I see it, a pilot isn't supposed to be a show's best episode. I'll keep watching.

8) Speaking of Jeffrey Tambor, I heard that an "Arrested Development" movie could be in the works.

9) Oh, I'm reading a lot, too. Mostly non-fiction type stuff about public relations, marketing, and how-to books about job interviews. I'm also about a third of the way through "Water for Elephants."

10) I'm finally started to get interested in the presidential race. Once again, I don't really have any strong feelings in favor of one particular candidate-- but I think it's great that for the first time in my life, a convention might actually mean something!

11) Today was National Signing Day. And for the first time in seven years, I didn't have to spend the entire day driving from high school to high school, trying to beat the traffic and make it to six or seven schools, interview dozens of high school football players, and together a feature story at the last second. I don't miss it at all.

So there it is... a little mini update. Nothing earth-shattering.... at least not yet.

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

In just the last few days, Cory and I have seen a couple of promos for the movie "Sweeney Todd" with Johnny Depp. I honestly can't think of anyone better to play the role of the Demon Barber of Fleet street. He really straddles the line between cute and yet creepy, innocent and yet evil, better than any other actor I can think of.

I've seen the Sondheim Musical, Sweeney Todd, at a production at Oakland University back when I was a senior in high school. The main character was played by my drama coach, Tony (I can't remember his last name-- only that all of the girls in our class had an insane crush on him). The play was great. You don't see a lot of musicals about serial killers, after all-- let alone ones who get their ladyfriend to bake the victims into meat pies.

Without going into too much detail-- Sweeney Todd does it all to get revenge-- primarily against a particularly nasty judge who raped his wife, stole his child, and banished him. For more details, you can visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site.

I don't think there's anyone out there that hasn't fantasized about getting revenge against someone... though hopefully not through murder or human-meat pies. Really, though, I think revenge is a driving force for a lot of people. Seriously, think about it. You get told your whole life that you're ugly, and you dream of turning into a beautiful swan "just to show them that they're wrong."

So tonight, Cory and I were talking over a beer about revenge scenes in movies. I asked him which were his favorites, and he reeled off a lengthy list-- mostly from movies I've never seen. "The Godfather" (because waking up next to a severed horse's head definitely qualifies), "Hostel" (I've never seen it, but apparently there's a pretty amazing revenge scene which involves finger-removal), and "First Blood," the original Rambo movie, where he gets his revenge against the Sheriff (and most of the town, as well).

I brought up the movie "Fatal Attraction," but I refuse to discuss it any further because I don't want to think about what happened to that poor little bunny.

My favorite revenge scene doesn't come from a movie nearly as gory. I love the utterly stupid revenge that the Deltas get in "Animal House." Seriously. They get even with Dean Wormer, Faber College, ROTC, the Omegas, and even the Mayor-- simply by ruining the homecoming parade. Good times.

Well, sweeney Todd isn't in a fraternity, nor does he boil anybody's pet bunny. His revenge is a bit more bloody. And, from the looks of the trailer on the official website, also a bit more entertaining. Seriously... anything Tim Burton touches turns to gold-- even if it is a musical about a serial-killing barber.

Oh, and if you're feeling lonely, you can visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace. I bet if you ask really nicely, he'll even be your "friend."

Furry Friends

I've been informed that not everyone knows what a "furry" is. Rather than trying to explain it, I'll just let you watch and learn.

(I should add, at this point, that while I do have a mild fascination with mascots, I don't think I quite qualify for "furry fandom." I just like to watch them dance at sporting events. And ice skate. I love an ice skating mascot)

By the way, why couldn't Cory and I have come up with this idea for a documentary? Every now and then, we'll come up with what we think is a great idea (like a documentary about Bingo), only to have our hopes dashed by the discovery that it's been done before. One of these days, though... we'll come up with our million-dollar idea.

The Mist

When I was ten, I saw "The Shining." You know-- the one with creepy Jack Nicholson typing "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" over and over and over again.

It was, by far, the scariest movie I'd ever seen. I think it was probably at that moment that I understood the phrase "edge of your seat," because I was literally there for most of the movie. It still gives me the heebie-jeebies.

After that, I started reading a lot of Stephen King books-- and then becoming more and more disappointed every time I saw the film adaptations. I think the last straw was probably "Maximum Overdrive," which my friend Emma and I went to see in high school, mostly because Emilio Estevez was in it. Even a brat-packer couldn't disguise the fact that the movie was horrible, and at that point, I stopped reading King's books-- and swore off his movies.

But then, something happened. People started making good adaptations of King's novels (and novellas). Movies like "The Shawshank Redemption," and "The Green Mile." Movies I loved.

Today, I watched the trailers for The Mist by Stephen King and it looks pretty good. First of all, I love Marcia Gay Harden-- she's a great actress. The plot looks pretty cool, too. A weird mist envelops a small town, and traps a bunch of people in a supermarket. They're pretty sure there's something evil in the mist... but inside the market, there's a different kind of evil.

I haven't read King's novella, so I don't know what the payoff is. There's some shots of giant bugs and some kind of tentacled thing-- I hope the effects don't make the movie cheesy. I really like a good psycho-drama, and I hope this one doesn't disappoint me. At least, now that I've seen the trailer, I know it'll be better than "Maximum Overdrive." When you get a chance, check out the trailers online (The Mist by Stephen King). I'd like to hear what you think.

Sadly, Cory and I have only gone to about five movies since moving to Florida, so I'm not sure if we'll make it to this one. Sigh.

A girl can dream about a movie date with her husband, right?

Golden Anniversary

Fifty years ago, a cinematic masterpiece was released. It didn't win an Oscar, didn't star Katherine Hepburn or Kirk Douglas. It didn't even last seven minutes. But it's been one of my favorites for at least half of those fifty years, and I know that a lot of you love it, too.

This afternoon, I read a fantastic article in the Star, celebrating Chuck Jones' Wagnerian Masterpiece, "What's Opera Doc?"

To quote Steve Watt, the article's author:

"Bugs Bunny cartoons are not supposed to feature a lisping Viking rabbit hunter enthusiastically professing his operatic love for a bunny in drag."

And yet, when it happened, it became recognized as the greatest cartoon in history.

Take seven minutes, and check it out:


Eat your heart out, Anna Russell.

An Inconvienent Truth

Ok, so I'm behind the times yet again. But last night, Cory and I finally got to see "An Inconvenient Truth."

It was excellent.

No, it didn't teach me much that I didn't already know. The earth is hotter. A lot hotter. And it's our fault. Many politicians and most corporations say we shouldn't worry about it. And they're wrong.

The only problem with the film? The people who really need to see it won't see it. And that's a damned shame. Because this planet is going to hell in a handbasket until we all figure it out.

So, if you can, see the damn movie. Even if you think Al Gore is a damned hippie freak. Even if you love driving your gas-sucking SUV. Even if you think recycling is for pansies. Just do it.

For extra credit, you can read this book: Ishmael.

Marketing 101

How do you market a movie that nearly every man, woman, and child in the civilized world has already seen?

Just ask the ad wizards at TBS.

Movie Night

Cory and I hit the ol' Hollywood Connection tonight for a movie. And without going into too much detail (because I could talk about the superiority of French documentary films all night), let me just say this:

Baby penguins are quite possibly the cutest thing on the entire earth.

Tomorrow, the lovely Deborah and I will be seeing a late afternoon matinee of Wedding Crashers. Anyone else care to come along?

Movie Night

Cory's been saving his free movie tickets (a six-year anniversary present from work) for a month to go see War of the Worlds. Last night (opening night), we drove past the theater, saw about a jillion cars in the parking lot, and decided to forego movie night and just get a nice cold Labatt at Buffalo Wild Wings instead.

Tonight, we went to the movie. And it was awesome. I kept catching myself clutching Cory's arm through the whole thing. I strongly recommend seeing it.

But something even more exciting happened before the movie started. I saw a trailer for this movie. And I actually teared up, I was so excited. Sure, I'll have to wait 161 more days to see it, but it gives me something to look forward to. Until then, I'll be watching the trailer. Repeatedly.

Star Wars Part III

So, Cory and I finally got to see Revenge of the Sith tonight. I have to say, it made me a little sad. Every time the music swells and the words "STAR WARS" burst on the screen at the beginning of the movie, I feel like I'm seven years old again.

Anyway, I can review the movie in three words:

Needs more Wookiees.

Other than that, it was pretty good.

For the Birds

Sure, some people are excited about the Revenge of the Sith. Others are waiting to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Me? I'm waiting to see the feel-good love story of the summer: The March of the Penguins. You have to watch the trailer (and if you have Windows Media instead of Quicktime, you can see it here). I laughed, I cried, I said "aaaawwwww."

And speaking of the Revenge of the Sith, a couple of weeks back, I was listening to the Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio as I was driving across Alabama. The listener poll that day was, "Which is more annoying: Fantasy baseball nerds? Or Star Wars Geeks?"

So I called in to to the show, and told him I deserved sympathy because my fiance is both. It was a funny little conversation. Of course, Cory was back at work, listening to the show with several people in the newsroom. They teased him the rest of the night, of course.

So, yeah... I told a nation of sports fans that my fiance is a geek. And get this: He still loves me.

Nerd Alert, Vol. II

I've spent much of the last several days avoiding the computer. It brought me such terrible news last week, and every time I log on, I've automatically headed over to Mike's blog, and checked out the new comments left for/about him (87 at last count). His mom left a lovely post today, saying that when she walked out to her garden this morning, there were a few tiny flowers blooming. In the next day or so, I'll write about his funeral.

But that's not why I'm writing tonight. I'm writing because the computer brought me a nice surprise today... the theatrical trailer for the new "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" movie. Check it out.

Two Down, Three to Go...

Cory and I went to see "Million Dollar Baby" tonight. Fortunately, this time, the fine folks at Carmike Cinemas managed to start the movie at the correct time, and we didn't see the last ten minutes of the movie first. That would seriously have sucked.

So now, we've seen two of the 2005 Oscar nominees for "Best Picture." And as much as I loved "Sideways," I think "Million Dollar Baby" is my front-runner right now.

Nerd Alert

Last week, Kat blogged about Douglas Adams.

Then, sitting in the theater, waiting between the end and the beginning of "Sideways," a trailer for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" movie, coming out in May. Am I a total nerd because I'm looking forward to this? (And by the way, it comes out two weeks before Revenge of the Sith).

The answer, by the way, is 42. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, I guess you'll just have to read the book.

Sneak Preview

Cory and I finally got a chance to see "Sideways" tonight. First of all, if you haven't seen it, I highly reccommend it. I laughed, I cried. Seriously.

But one really bizarre thing happened. The movie was scheduled for 9:30. Now, much like in most places, that means the movie will actually start sometime between 9:40 and 9:50, after about a zillion commercials and trailers. So, we always go to movies a little bit late. Every now and then we get burned and miss the first minute or two, but usually, we get to the movie ten minutes late and still have to endure about ten minutes of trailers. I remember one time, we arrived for a 9:30 movie (13 going on 30) and still waited until 10:10 for the actual movie to start.

But, since Cory and I have been eagerly anticipating this movie's arrival for months, and because only had to work a half day (a long story), we actually arrived at the Carmike 15 on time. We paid for our tickets, walked to the correct theater, and were stunned that the movie had actually already started by 9:32. Actually, we were a little pissed off that it had already started.

So, we found a couple prime seats right in the middle (though we had to cut in front of a couple of people to get there). We felt a little releived that another handful of people walked in a minute or two after we did, and that we weren't the only losers that missed the beginning of the film.

So, we watched for about five minutes. Then a funny thing happened. The screen went black, the house lights came up, and the credits started rolling.

That's right. The previous showing of the movie was just ending. We had watched the last five minutes of the film. But did anyone bother to tell us that they weren't seating for the next showing yet? Nope. Thank goodness it wasn't a mystery, or else we would have known who dunnit.

Of course, we double-checked our tickets. Just as promised, they were for 9:30. And yet, at 9:40, the previous showing had just ended. At least we weren't the only ones duped by it. We shared a laugh with the people in the row behind us, who had also just watched the end of the movie. All in all, there were about fifteen people in the theater who just had the same experience that we did.

Then we had to sit there for ten minutes, endure another fifteen minutes of trailers, and then watch the movie. And yes, it really, really, really bothered me that I already knew how it ended.

Break Out Your Vintage Valentino...

...It's officially "Awards Season!"

It started last week, with the Golden Globes, and Star Jones Reynolds providing the worst pre-event coverage I've ever seen. If you didn't see it, only two words can be used to accurately describe it: Train Wreck.

Today, the Oscar nominees were announced, and they have a few people, my pal Mike included, up in arms.

Me? I'm more excited about the nominees for the 25th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards.

Drumroll, please.....

WORST PICTURE
ALEXANDER
CATWOMAN
SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2
SURVIVING CHRISTMAS
WHITE CHICKS

WORST ACTOR
Ben Affleck / JERSEY GIRL and SURVIVING CHRISTMAS
George W. Bush / FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Vin Diesel / CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK
Colin Farrell / ALEXANDER
Ben Stiller / ALONG CAME POLLY, ANCHORMAN, DODGEBALL, ENVY and STARSKY & HUTCH

WORST ACTRESS
Halle Berry / CATWOMAN
Hilary Duff / CINDERELLA STORY and RAISE YOUR VOICE
Angelina Jolie / ALEXANDER and TAKING LIVES
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen / NEW YORK MINUTE
Shawn & Marlon (The Wayans Sisters) / WHITE CHICKS

WORST SCREEN COUPLE
Ben Affleck & EITHER Jennifer Lopez OR Liv Tyler / JERSEY GIRL
Halle Berry & EITHER Benjamin Bratt OR Sharon Stone / CATWOMAN
George W. Bush & EITHER Condoleeza Rice OR His Pet Goat / FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen / NEW YORK MINUTE
The Wayans Brothers (In or Out of Drag) WHITE CHICKS

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Carmen Electra / STARKSY & HUTCH
Jennifer Lopez / JERSEY GIRL
Condoleeza Rice / FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Britney Spears / FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Sharon Stone / CATWOMAN

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Val Kilmer / ALEXANDER
Ah-Nuld Schwarzenegger / AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAZE
Donald Rumsfeld / FAHRENHEIT 9/11
Jon Voight / SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2
Lambert Wilson / CATWOMAN

WORST DIRECTOR
Bob Clark / SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2
Renny Harlin and/or Paul Schrader / EXORCIST 4: THE BEGINNING
“Pitof” / CATWOMAN
Oliver Stone / ALEXANDER
Keenan Ivory Wayans / WHITE CHICKS

WORST REMAKE OR SEQUEL
ALIEN v PREDATOR
ANACONDAS: HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAZE
EXORCIST 4: THE BEGINNING
SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED

WORST SCREENPLAY
ALEXANDER, Written by Oliver Stone, Christopher Kyle and Laeta Kalogridis
CATWOMAN, Written by Theresa Rebeck and John Brancato & Michael Ferris and John Rogers
SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2, Written by Steven Paul and Gregory Poppen
SURVIVING CHRISTMAS, Written by Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont and Jeffrey Ventimilia & Joshua Sternin
WHITE CHICKS, Written by Keenan & Shawn & Marlon Wayans and Andy McElfresh, Michael Anthony Snowden and Xavier Cook

Today's Sign of the Apocolypse

Some ingenious hollywood-type is planning to make a movie version of "The A-Team."