The Center Seat

OK, this is going to happen once in a while. I am currently buried at work, so you won't see anything earthshaking from me in at least a day, maybe two. I'll be back soon. Stay tuned for reviews of The Time Traveler's Wife, It's A Wonderful Life, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

This is a movie blog. But I'm gonna talk TV for a second.

Can I tell you how much I love, love LOVE Glee?

I don't watch a whole lot of TV. That's partly because I've got lots to do; partly because I hate commercials; but mostly because, frankly, TV is crap lately.

Not Glee. Only four episodes into its first season, Glee is on the FOX network (home of some of my three least favorite shows). In contrast to FOX's normal fare of escalating torture-based serials and tired reality shows, Glee incorporates humor, drama, and goosebump-y music in a way we've not seen in ages. Matter of fact, have we ever seen a television musical series that was actually good?

Glee centers on a high school teacher (played by Broadway vet Matthew Morrison) who is trying to relive some past glory by putting together a kickass show choir. The thing is, the fabulously singing students are a bunch of... well, freaks. The brat, the stutterer, the flaming gay boy, the sassy black chick, the jock, and the kid in the wheelchair are all relative unknowns. A few have done stints on Broadway here and there, or bit parts on the odd TV show, but this is the first time most of us have ever seen them. Together, they're absolutely magic.

The cast is rounded out by some fantastic villians: Jessalyn Gilsig (don't you remember Ms. Davis from Boston Public?) plays the teacher's spoiled wife, and the scene-stealing Jane Lynch is a nefarious cheerleading coach who wants nothing more than the demise of our little glee club.

If you haven't caught this show yet, it's on Wednesday nights on FOX... and you should definitely catch up by watching the first four episodes on Hulu. It's free, and no, Dad, it won't put a virus on your computer.

For now, enjoy Glee's football team and their rendition of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies".
...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

I realized something weird today. Out of the 172 posts I've written (yeah.), I've only featured two musicals. And I really love musicals. I can only think of one musical I didn't enjoy--From Justin to Kelly--and nobody enjoyed that one. I don't even think Justin and Kelly enjoyed that one.

So I'm going to be talking more about musicals I love, starting with Fiddler on the Roof. My parents brought me up on this one; I think I probably saw it for the first time in third or fourth grade, and then I think we came close to wearing out the VHS. My parents would close their eyes reverently when Isaac Stern would get going on his solo during the title credits, we'd all sing along with all the songs. And as part of his extraordinary parenting philosophy, Dad would spout Fiddler wisdom at really random times ("why, you ask? I'll tell you. I don't know"). It went well with his Rolling Stones wisdom ("you can't always get what you want") and his Pink Floyd wisdom ("if you can't eat your meat...")

Anywho.

For me, Fiddler is one of those classic movies, like The Princess Bride and The Wizard of Oz, that never fail to entertain and thrill me, even if I think I know the whole thing by heart. Of course it's got its classic moments: the parents singing "Sunrise, Sunset" at the wedding; the freakishly awesome bottle dancers (does anyone know if those bottles were somehow affixed to those hats? Mr. N and I had a bit of a disagreement about that); and my favorite part, the drunken inter-cultural dancing at the tavern.

What really sets Fiddler on the Roof apart, though, is its lush versatility. In one cinematic breath, it showcases the mundane life of a Russian turn-of-the-century peasant, and then knocks you over the head with huge issues like revolution and bigotry. This movie goes in a heartbeat from light comedic banter, to poignant longing for a simpler time, to plain awe at what makes life beautiful.

Most of all, I love to watch Tevye as he navigates the precarious tight space between his long-held beliefs and his love for his daughters. It mirrors what I've figured out in the past few years: just because you've believed something as long as you can remember, don't be surprised when you learn it's worthless in the face of real life.
...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

I didn't want to see The Proposal. I even (briefly) considered featuring it as a FWLFS. From the moment I saw that first trailer, the whole thing just felt... icky. The premise--a put-upon gopher is forced to get engaged to his abusive female boss so that she can stay in the U.S.--is classic, egregious sexual harassment. Would we laugh, I opined, if the genders were reversed, and a lecherous male boss did the same to his female subordinate? Of course not. Because it's awful.

With my air of progressive hipster superiority fully satisfied, I happily shunned all opportunities (including a free preview) to see The Proposal. It was beneath me, don't you know.

But then some writers whom I actually respect (I'm looking at you, Jess!) had to go and say it wasn't that bad. So on my inaugural Wednesday night movie, I headed down to the Riverview and saw it for $3.

OK, seriously. The premise is awful. But looking past that for a second--can I just say how much I've missed Sandra Bullock? She hasn't been this yummy in a rom-com for at least nine years. And her chemistry with Ryan Reynolds was muy caliente.

So, really, this movie was saved for me by two things: first, the delicious cast (Mary Steenburgen! Betty White! Coach! Oscar from "The Office" doing a lap dance!); and, secondly, the hilarious script*. I have not laughed this much since Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Yes, The Proposal was a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, and yes, it followed a formula. You always knew what was going to happen next. But--it didn't suck. I was smiling as I walked out of the theater; and that, in itself, transcended my best expectations.

*"You know I can't swim!" "Hence, the boat." If you saw it, you know what I'm talking about. ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

Relationship Nayana has been beating the crap out of Movie Nayana. So last week that whole thing came to a head, I got upset, decisions were made. Relationship Nayana is still in charge, but she has to let Movie Nayana out once in a while. So...

Wednesday night is movie night! I'm gonna go, every week, by myself, to a movie in the theater. But here's the rub... I have no idea what I should see this week. I've been unplugged for far too long. I need your guidance, my bloggy friends.

Here are some of my options. Suggestions, please!

1. Food, Inc.
2. The Proposal
3. Public Enemies
4. 9
5. Extract
6. The Informant!
7. Inglorious Basterds
8. Julie & Julia

OK, lemme have it.
...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

I've had quite the struggle lately between the movie-lover me and the relationship me. It's not that Mr. Nayana actively keeps me from going to the movies per se... it's just that it hasn't occurred to me to get my ass to the theater when I could just hang with my best bud at home. Does that make any sense?

Anyway, this whole "I never go to the movies anymore" thing came to a head this week. More on that tomorrow. But Mr. Nayana, in his infinite sweetness, saw that I was upset and promptly decided to take me on a date. We saw (500) Days of Summer, which I had been itching for since I first read about it months ago.

First of all, it's definitely not your standard romantic comedy (which, honestly, was a huge part of its appeal for me). Secondly, it stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, both of whom I looooove.

The coolest thing about this movie is that it doesn't give us the normal crap we get about love from your standard commercial film:

Step 1. You meet someone of the opposite sex whom you immediately despise.
Step 2. Your quirky best friend helps you realize you actually are in love with aforementioned despised person.
Step 3. An unfortunate misunderstanding will drive the two of you apart.
Step 4. It all comes right in the end (thanks again to your quirky best friend).

This, as we should all know, is complete shit. And (500) Days of Summer--blessedly--doesn't do that. We are taken on a journey through a realistic relationship... the highs, the lows, the initial blush, the later disillusionment. And guess what? They don't like each other exactly the same amount! Sound familiar?

This movie was a beautiful, refreshing look at the real stuff we go through when we make the rash decision to allow another human being to become intimately close to us. It's not always pretty, but it's real life, not fantasy. And as for me, I'd much rather my film (or music, or art) reflect the life I actually lead.
...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

So, yeah. I haven't blogged in about a million years. (Five months is about a million years in bloggy time, isn't it?)

I think that may have a lot to do with the fact that my life has changed dramatically in the last year... but I do miss y'all. So I'm going to give The Center Seat a face lift and we're going to get going with a second wind. Hopefully this week, but I make no hard and fast promises.

Biggest change: remember Nuevo Man? We have to change his handle, I think. On September 7 he asked me to marry him.... so maybe "Mr. Nayana", a la "Mrs. Fletch"?

I've had three Netflix movies sitting on top of my TV for the last two or three months... I'm in that weird Netflixian stage in which you never really feel like seeing what you've got, but you feel guilty returning them, so you're in Netflix limbo. Who knows how long this would have lasted if Nuevo Man hadn't sat down last night and watched one with me?

Our selection was, as my oh-so-brilliant readers have probably figured out by now, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It's always been in that category of classic movies that I've wanted to get around to, but never did. And now I have. Yay me.

Anyway.

If you are in the tiniest minority of film geeks who don't know this, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest centers on the population of a ward at a state mental hospital, circa 1963. The head nurse, Ms. Ratched, pretty much runs the show, though she chooses to accomplish that through intimidation and humiliation. Let's face it: her charges are easy victims. A monkey wrench is thrown in the proverbial works when Randle McMurphy (a young Jack Nicholson... mmmmm) comes to live on the ward. He's an habitual trouble-maker, but his playful needling of Nurse Ratched becomes personal when he recognizes the tyrant behind her calm, sunny disposition.

As some of you know, in my real life I've worked in the human services field for about a decade, specifically with people with developmental disabilities. The story of Nurse Ratched and her ward sounds horrific, and in many ways unbelievable, but I was struck with how much I recognized a lot of the behavior in this film. Often, it happens when someone has worked with the population for too long (everyone tends to burn out eventually), but not everyone can see themselves doing it. It is so easy, especially after several years of dealing with troublesome personalities or irritating behaviors, to become passive aggressive and controlling.

Now don't get me wrong... I've never actually met a real-life Nurse Ratched. That's what prison cells are for. And I certainly don't condone it; emotional abuse is still abuse. But I was astounded at how well this aspect of institutional life was captured in this film.

On a lighter note, I really enjoyed:

1. young Christopher Lloyd
2. young Danny DeVito
3. the aforementioned young Jack Nicholson (he used to be a great actor!)

So now I'm hoping to get to my final two Netflix movies. On top of the TV set at the moment are The Proposition and The Deer Hunter. Any suggestions? ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

Last weekend I discovered that one of my dreadlocks is shaped like the "crooked road" in Joe vs. the Volcano. Even my dreads are film geeks. I wonder if any of the other ones have a favorite film...

Will somebody please explain to me what is the big flippin' deal about Twitter? The media can't seem to shut up about it. I tried it long ago, and never got anything out of it. Truth be told, I am much more Facebooky. But seriously, if there's a reason I should care about this Twitter thing, would you please let me know?

So it's March 18. I'm not sure what March is like where you live, but in Minnesota it's like picking up the weather, rolling it up into a little ball, and throwing it on a giant cosmic roulette wheel.

Last Wednesday... March 11. I stayed home sick. Good thing, too, because the temperature didn't spend more than an hour or two above zero. That's air temperature. I think the windchill stayed at scary-below* all day.

Two days ago... Monday, March 16. I did not wear a coat. We hit the mid-to-upper sixties. I drove home with both car windows all the way down. I opened the windows at home... Zoe the Putty Tat finally got to breathe fresh air for the first time in six months. You know, you really forget how great ambient outside noises are until they're filling your apartment after a season of silence.

Today we're back to a normal March temperature... if there is such a thing in Minnesota. I guess it must be somewhere in the forties... all I know is that my insides seem to be thawing. And the big winter coat is still at home.

OK, I know it's a movie blog... and I'm essentially talking about the weather. It's really not meant to be bloggy small talk though. This is really the stuff that's guiding my psyche about now. In Minnesota it's ALL about the weather. We experience some pretty incredible extremes; actually, that's one of the things I love about living here. You see, it's really impossible to appreciate the hazy sweetness of the first spring rain if you didn't first go through an Arctic-ish winter. And the sound of a lawnmower... or a robin chirping outside your window. Or best of all... driving to work through a canopy of multicolored blossoms.

Now let's not get all crazy here. It is only March 18. That first rain hasn't quite happened... no lawnmowers yet, and only a few really brave robins. And those blossoms won't arrive till May. But I'm looking out the window onto a bare (read: no ice) road under a bright (not pale) blue sky. So all that other springy stuff can't be too far behind, right?

*scary-below: (adj) a blanket term Nayana uses to describe frigid, below-zero temperatures that are literally life-threatening (to any form of life stupid enough to be outside). ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

There are currently three projects on the way that fuse Pride & Prejudice (one of my most sacred cows) with sci-fi... basically zombies or aliens wreaking havoc on Jane Austen's most beloved cast of characters.

Do me a favor: read one or two (or all) of the following articles, then let me know what you think by answering the poll on the right.

• io9: THREE Jane Austen Science Fiction Movies in the Pipeline?
• EW PopWatch: 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' author talks about his literary monster mash-up
• EW PopWatch: Elton John to exec produce 'Pride and Predator'

1. I got 6 out of 8 of my predictions ("who will win") correctly. That's a heck of a lot better than I did last year! (Captain Crash slaughtered me, and his movie knowledge is about on the same level of my rugby knowledge.) I missed two categories: Best Supporting Actress, which was pretty much a toss-up anyway, and Best Actor, which was probably close, but I did list Sean Penn as my pick who should win. So I'm going to claim it as a modest victory.
   
   
2. I've heard some back and forth on this, but I fall solidly in the camp that loved Sunday night's show. We are so on the right track here. A few of the musical numbers seemed to start out a bit awkwardly, but always ended spectacularly. The structure of the show actually made sense (imagine that!), and I loved, loved, loved the idea of having previous winners pay tribute to each of the acting nominees. For the first time, the Academy put some weight behind the cliché that "it's an honor just to be nominated." I'd like to see this same idea implemented for some of the other categories (directing, writing), but I know that might be a little much.
   
   
3. I've gotta soapbox it for a second. Rant alert. I am getting so tired of hearing people talk about how boring the Oscars is, how it doesn't make for good TV, how the awards are not in touch with the masses, and how they should just not televise some of the less-than-sexy awards (Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, etc.) If you agree with all that, I'm going to talk directly to you for a second: Get over yourself. The Oscars do not exist to entertain you. It's not about the TV production, and it's much bigger than what you choose to watch on one Sunday night a year. The movie-making process is a gargantuan undertaking, and most of the really hard workers are already relegated to an untelevised "Scientific and Technical Awards Banquet". We only have a few, major-as-hell technical awards at the televised Oscars, and you can suck it up and sit through the award that goes to the guy that labored for months making your movies just perfect. We do not need our Oscars to be dumbed down.
   
   If it weren't for the Academy Awards, our film industry would be completely money-driven, as opposed to mostly money-driven. We'd lose all the art, in favor of a money-making machine. The Oscars, other awards, and the acclaim that go with them, are why little movies like Frozen River and The Visitor even have the chance to exist. If it were not for that, do you think studio executives would spend a dime on a production that wouldn't appeal to the masses? Remember, these are the same masses that helped Beverly Hills Chihuahua stay at #1 at the box office for a week last October. I don't want the Oscars to relate to those masses!!! OK, I'm calm now. But just one more thing. Remember 1984? Remember the Fiction Department, with the computer-generated plots, characters, and storylines? Take away our way to honor the art within film, and see how long it takes to get there. I'm just saying.
   
   
4. Finally, to end this post on a bit of a lighter note, I give you Pistola Whipped and her favorite Oscar moment, which was...
   
   

   "...when Jennifer Aniston was presenting with Jack Black and the camera cut away for an Angelina Jolie close-up. Her fake laughing should have stopped the ceremony so the producers could have grabbed the trophy from Penelope Cruz's hands and awarded it to Jolie. That was truly legendary acting. Her best ever."

...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

As of last night, I've finally done it! I've had the chance to screen every movie that's nominated for a major Academy Award this year. And so, here you go: my Oscar picks for 2009.


Best Picture

Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ~ Frost/Nixon ~ Milk ~ Slumdog Millionaire ~ The Reader

Who will win: Slumdog Millionaire. It's an underdog that's not under anything anymore. It's got 10 nominations overall, and has largely swept the awards circuit, getting major awards from BAFTA, the Golden Globes, the National Board of Review, the Producers Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild, among others. Plus, it's a great flick. This won't break my heart.

Who should win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Despite everything I just said, Benjamin Button was the film that captured my heart this year. I've heard a lot of people deride this movie as slow, weird, the second Forrest Gump... whatever. It was beautiful, and it touched me. That plus Cate Blanchett is all I need for a Best Picture. Besides, it didn't end with jazz hands. WTF, Slumdog?


Best Director

Nominees: David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ~ Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon ~ Gus Van Sant for Milk ~ Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire ~ Stephen Daldry for The Reader

Who will win: Danny Boyle. Besides the fact that Oscar likes to give Best Director and Best Picture to the same film, Boyle really did do a fantastic job with this one. On the other hand, it's cool that Stephen Daldry has gotten his third nomination...for his third film! No other director of at least three films has ever been nominated by the Academy for his entire body of work. Even so, Daldry will have to be happy with that. The Oscar goes to Boyle.

Who should win: David Fincher. Everything fit so well together in this movie: the flow of the story, the performance of the actors, the special effects, the overall feel. It was seamless, and for that I give credit to Fincher.


Best Actor

Nominees: Richard Jenkins for The Visitor ~ Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon ~ Sean Penn for Milk ~ Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ~ Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Who will win: Mickey Rourke. Everyone loves a comeback. And I'm thinking a lot of people just want to see what he'll do at the podium when he wins.

Who should win: Sean Penn. In all honesty, I think Sean Penn is kind of a tool. He's one of those people who takes himself way too seriously. But he can act. And he did a great job acquainting us with the flawed, brilliant, trailblazing Harvey Milk. Though I'm not a fan of his, Sean Penn did his job, and he deserves to be rewarded for it.


Best Actress

Nominees: Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married ~ Angelina Jolie for Changeling ~ Melissa Leo for Frozen River ~ Meryl Streep for Doubt ~ Kate Winslet for The Reader

Who will win: Kate Winslet. She's been previously nominated for her acting five times, and has yet to win an Oscar. Besides, her performance was brilliant, conflicted, and moving. I'll be happy for her.

Who should win: Angelina Jolie. I have similar feelings for Ms. Jolie as I do for Sean Penn: not a big fan of her personally, but I can't deny her acting ability. She knocked me on my ass in Changeling. By the way, I'd also be thrilled if Anne Hathaway took this one home. Her performance was powerful, touching, and (it may seem weird to say this about an Oscar nominee) underrated.


Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Josh Brolin for Milk ~ Robert Downey, Jr. for Tropic Thunder ~ Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt ~ Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight ~ Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Who will win: Heath Ledger. It was an astounding, buzzed-about performance before Ledger's tragic death, and when he passed on, it became legendary. Voters will want to give him the Oscar he should have received for Brokeback Mountain.

Who should win: Heath Ledger. OK, I'll go along with that.


Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Amy Adams for Doubt ~ Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona ~ Viola Davis for Doubt ~ Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ~ Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

Who will win: Viola Davis. She's a long-respected theater actress, and she blew our minds with just one scene. She managed to take a position which was unthinkable and make it relatable.

Who should win: Amy Adams. Same movie, not as flashy... but perfect. Plus, I gotta root for my hometown girl.


Best Original Screenplay

Nominees: Courtney Hunt for Frozen River ~ Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky ~ Martin McDonagh for In Bruges ~ Dustin Lance Black for Milk ~ Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, and Pete Docter for WALL-E

Who will win: Dustin Lance Black. The Academy won't want Milk to go home empty-handed, and Best Actor is not necessarily a lock for Sean Penn.

Who should win: Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, and Pete Docter. A story almost without dialogue that moved audiences so profoundly; this hasn't happened since The Red Balloon.


Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ~ John Patrick Shanley for Doubt ~ Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon ~ David Hare for The Reader ~ Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire

Who will win: Simon Beaufoy. Slumdog'll sweep it.

Who should win: David Hare. I was a fan of the book, The Reader, and Hare didn't make me hate the film. It's a rare achievement (adapted screenwriting is harder than anything most of us will ever do), and it should be rewarded.


Best Animated Film

Nominees: Bolt ~ Kung Fu Panda ~ WALL-E

Who will win: WALL-E. Pixar has never made a bad film; in fact, they seem to get better and better. This romantic, touching fable deserves an Oscar sweep.

Who should win: WALL-E.

So, there you have it. Tune in Sunday night to see how it all unfolds... and then come back here next week to see me gloat... or, more likely, take my lumps. ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

Note: this post was part of an annual feature at the LAMB entitled "LAMB Devours The Oscars". Each day one blogger discussed one category of the Academy Awards. To read more of the entries, click here.

As I've complained ad nauseum on The Center Seat, I've been a very bad film geek this year. I'll spare you the gory details, but life has conspired... and I've actually had to make a conscious effort to see all the 2009 Oscar films. But still, I thought I was doing pretty well... until Fletch assigned me Best Actress, a category in which I had, at that point, seen only one of the nominated films!

Actually, it was a good thing. I got off my booty and went to the theater (and, in one case, Blockbuster), and now I can hold my head up in the LAMB's distinguished company. So, here we go.

Melissa Leo, Frozen River

This was a gripping story about a recently single mother who resorts to border smuggling to pay the bills--and it's the Canadian border. Cool twist, right? We're saturated with Mexico border stories, so this was refreshing. And I have to say... maybe it was the snowy backdrop, or the northern accent, or the raw desperation to keep her head above water, but I saw a lot of people I know in Melissa Leo's character. She's real, frank, unadorned, the anti-glamour-puss. Of course a lot of the credit for that must be shared with the person who created the character: screenwriter Courtney Hunt, who is also nominated.

Leo is fairly unknown; a quick perusal of her IMDB page reveals lots of guest stints on Law & Order and CSI, and roles in various obscure films, perhaps the least obscure of which is Mr. Woodcock. Did you see that one? Yeah, me neither.

I'm actually really cool with Leo's obscurity. How great would it be if relative unknowns were nominated at every Academy Awards? Of course she doesn't have a chance in hell, but it'll be nice to see her there Sunday night.

Meryl Streep - Doubt

Meryl Streep has gotten fifteen Academy Award nominations. Fifteen. That's more than any other actor or actress in the history of the Oscars. I'm sure there's a chair somewhere in the Kodak Theatre with Meryl's ass-print permanently molded onto the seat.

Still, it shouldn't be a surprise. Girlfriend can act. Overall, Doubt was a bit depressing for me (it's the story of a priest who may or may not have misbehaved with one of his school's young male students), but it was one of those movies that seemed custom-built as a showcase for great acting. And, naturally, Streep didn't disappoint. She portrayed a harsh, militant nun who suspected the priest of wrongdoing and did all she could to prove herself right. That character had so much potential to be flat and uncomplicated, but Streep gave her flashes of humanity, with a fleeting look of uncertainty or a slight shaking of the hands. This is one case in which the actress seems to have made the character who she was. But, fairly or not, that's what we've come to expect of Meryl Streep. Anything less than perfection in her would be a disappointment. Kind of a tough place to put her in, huh? Whatever. She's got fifteen Oscar nominations.

Kate Winslet - The Reader

I came to this movie with the distinct disadvantage of having read the book. We all know that books tend to far surpass their movie adaptations. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this movie, with its raw sexuality and complicated morality.

It's hard to think of a more complicated, conflicted character to challenge Kate Winslet. In this movie, she played an illiterate Nazi war criminal who has an affair with a 16-year-old boy. It's kind of Summer of '42-meets-Judgment at Nuremberg-meets-...I don't know... a Lifetime movie about illiteracy. Of course Winslet pulls it off. She is somehow able to portray vulnerability and pride simultaneously, but perhaps her greatest feat is that we forget about Kate Winslet and instead become wholly absorbed in the story. This is a case, in contrast to Doubt, in which the acting is merely a part of the experience of the film.

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married

This is it. We are officially no longer allowed to dismiss Anne Hathaway as Princess Mia. I think we all suspected she was awesome (how much ass did she kick in Brokeback?) but now, there it is in black and white. She is a contender for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

It wasn't just handed to her either. In a film which was sometimes difficult to watch, Hathaway delivered a stunning performance as a recovering addict trying to fit in with her family upon her return from rehab. She's the classic black sheep, but the issues go deeper than that. In fact, the myriad issues of this textbook dysfunctional family explode at perhaps the worst possible time: the days surrounding the wedding of the "good" sister.

I have never seen Anne Hathaway like this. She knocked me on my ass. Frankly, she would absolutely get my vote for this particular Oscar, if it had not been for the final contender in this category...

Angelina Jolie - Changeling

I get a lot of flak from people I respect (Pistola, I'm talking to you) about my professional regard for Ms. Jolie. In this case, it's sometimes hard to distinguish feelings about Jolie's personal choices from judgment of her acting ability. Many people dismiss her as a skank/homewrecker/baby factory/whatever, and I'm not necessarily arguing with that. But I have always been a fan of Angelina Jolie the actress. From her first major role as a doomed supermodel in Gia, to her Oscar-winning turn as a sociopathic mental patient in Girl, Interrupted, to her heartbreaking portrayal of her own friend Marianne Pearl in A Mighty Heart, to this most recent role as a bereaved mother in Changeling, Angelina Jolie is a devastating actress. Her work speaks for itself.

I was shaking after I saw Changeling... Jolie is heartbreaking as a mother who tirelessly fights to find her lost son, even angering police and being thrown in a mental institution in the process. Of course she's a great actress, but she brought something outstanding to this particular role. We all know, regardless of our personal feelings for her, that she loves her kids. In addition, she lost her own mother shortly before starting filming on Changeling. Perhaps it was this personal experience that allowed her to lay herself open on screen in such a raw way.

I am going to unabashedly throw my full support behind Angelina Jolie for this Oscar. But the truth is, no matter who wins this year, we can't lose. The Academy has nominated five outstanding actresses, and whoever wins will do so because of merit, and not because of pity, or politics, or "it's about time", as in certain previous years (Halle Berry, I'm looking at you.) ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

This January has brought two momentous occasions... well, they're momentous to me, anyway.

1. On January 4, I turned thirty.
2. And today, January 15, this blog o' mine turns one year old.

So 2008 was a pretty amazing year for me. I'm hearing a lot of people talk about how 2008 was one of the worst years ever (usually they're talking about the economy, the war, politics, what have you), but I think it was one of the best of my life. And I owe much of it to this blog, and to all of you.

It all started with a conversation in Diamonds Coffee Shoppe in Northeast Minneapolis. Dad (there he is on the left...handsome, huh?) and I were having one of those Meaningful Talks... this one was about where exactly my life was headed. I'd been divorced for about a year, and everyone knows how life-changing a divorce is. But for me, it was more than that: it was self-changing. After I had gone through the anger, and the depression, and the self-pity (believe me, there was plenty of that), I stepped back and looked at myself. I realized I was not the person I wanted to be, and only I had the power to change that. So how exactly does a person go about a full overhaul--a head-to-toe reinvention?

The thing that Dad said to me that was so powerful was that he had become successful when he had found something he was passionate about and then just pursued a career in that field. I honestly had a bit of a Juno moment (remember Mac McGuff? "Heating and cooling.") Dad's passion is life insurance, retirement plans... financial shizz. *Snore* Oh, sorry. And mine--as we all know--is the world of film. I have no idea why I never thought about writing on this subject... but I can say that ever since I started, it's changed my life. I dived headlong into this passion, and guess what? I'm happy! Will this ever lead to a full-blown career? I don't know. But I hope so. I've gone to college for journalism, psychology, special education... none of that has really lit my fire. But for the first time in my life, I have a vocational dream, and I feel like this blog has started me on that path.

Of course there were other things that changed. I had to take a frank look at a lot of things, including politics. (Can y'all believe I used to be a staunch Republican?) There were crises of faith--how can I love my gay friends, advocate for them, and still hold true to what the Bible says?* I grew close to a new group of friends, and moved away from others. And for some reason I decided to get crazy-ass hair (the dreads are totally sick now, by the way... check me out on the right). All these crazy changes have added up to this: if I look at the "me" from twelve months ago, she's barely recognizable. And that's ok. Because I'm So. Freaking. Happy.**

So what's up for 2009? Well...

I'm going to keep it up.
I'm going to stay true to myself.
I'm going to try to blog more frequently.
I'm going to try to do my job (my real job, the one I get paid for) better.
I'm going to be a better person.
And I'm finally going to show you my face.



*The answer is really quite easy. But that's a whole other blog post, on a whole other blog. Buy me a beer sometime, and we'll chat.
**I hear Kevin Kline from French Kiss in my head "When people tell me they are happy, my ass begins to twitch." But I don't care. That's how freaking happy I am. :-D ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

This one is tearing it up on the awards circuit this year. It just won Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes last Sunday, but it also snagged what I think is a much greater honor: the best-reviewed movie of 2008 by the members of the LAMB (my kickass movie association), with an average rating of 5 LAMBs!

I also really enjoyed it. It was the first movie I went to see with Nuevo Man; afterwards he said what has come to be his standard post-indie movie observation: "I liked it a lot more than I thought I would." There's hope for him yet, folks.

Below are some stellar reviews of this stellar movie by some stellar movie bloggers. Please do click through and support my friends.

The Dark of the Matinee (****)
Getafilm (A+)
Doodad Kind of Town ("I could literally feel my spirits soaring")
Blog Cabins ("It's in the hole!" [aka Excellent]) ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

It's not great news, folks.

This film's gotta go in that category, along with Little Children and Black Hawk Down, of movies I'm glad I saw, but never want to see again. You can watch a movie like this and know in your head that it's great: great direction, great acting, great cinematography... but it hurts your heart. I know Doubt is good... but it's freaking disturbing.

It should go without saying that anytime you get Philip Seymour Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Amy Adams in the same movie, you're going to get some Acting. And I really can't gush enough on that cinematography: crazy off-kilter shots to add to the uneasiness of some of the scenes, overhead God-view shots...

But ick.

For those of you who've seen this one, I want to know: Did he or didn't he? Leave a comment, be opinionated. Like you all will have trouble with that. ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.

I know I've been complaining about my inability to get into the theaters lately, ad nauseum, but it really is my current greatest frustration. Seriously, I see a movie preview on TV and I almost cry. Well, the new guy in my life* must also be getting pretty sick of my whining, because he made sure we got to two** movies this weekend!

I've been waiting to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for about a year. That's when Entertainment Weekly started talking it up, probably just because of the crazy-ass concept. (It also didn't hurt that it costars my favorite actress, the sublime Cate Blanchett.) For those of you who don't know, here's the film's premise: for no apparent reason, the title character is born as an old man, who then ages in reverse for the rest of his life. So he's wrinkly and feeble for a few decades; then he's Brad Pitt-a-licious for a little while; then, inevitably, he turns into a kid and dies.

So the concept is crazy. And, I admit, that's what sucked me in. But what kept me sitting in that seat was the amazing love story between Benjamin and Daisy (Blanchett). I generally have a HUGE problem with most movies' portrayal of love. A lot of films, especially mainstream ones, completely get it wrong. Movie love tends to be trite, unrealistic, and, frankly, insulting to my intelligence. Not Benjamin Button; this film gets it right. The love between Benjamin and Daisy is real: it's rarely glamorous, and it's certainly imperfect, but it's solid, sweet, simple, and enduring.

I have to take issue with some reviews that have knocked Benjamin Button for its format. The story is a flashback, à la Bridges of Madison County, in which a dying mother relates the romance to her incredulous daughter. To add a bit more drama, the mother and daughter are in a New Orleans hospital in 2005 as Hurricane Katrina comes ashore. To be honest, I can't really see anything wrong with that. The bulk of the story takes place (or has its roots) in New Orleans, and Katrina was arguably among the most profound events in that city's history (along with the Civil War, I guess). Actually, the Katrina situation reinforces one of the main themes of the movie: nothing lasts forever, no matter how much we might want it to. And if you know anything about Brad Pitt, the boy's been neck-deep in Katrina charities for years, even moving his whole huge-ass family to live down in New Orleans. So what's the problem? I don't get it.

I do really recommend this movie. It was lovely. And it had me in tears towards the end. I think that actually surprised Nuevo Man a bit, but seriously--he's going to have to get used to that.

*Pistola calls him Nuevo Man, and I think that's as good a handle as any, though it does make him sound a bit like an archaeological find. "Nuevo Man walked upright but had weird dorsal fins." Kidding. Haven't found any dorsal fins... yet.

**We also saw Doubt, which I will do my best to review sometime this week. Really, I will. ...Click here for the rest of this tasty post.