I had a wonderful dinner with DeeAnn McArdle a few weeks back. DeeAnn writes the "Unleash Your Inner Foodie" blog that I guest-blog for each month. We decided that the blog I write for January was going to be on comfort movies. I posed a question to all of my Facebook friends about their choices for comfort movies. Turns out I got a lot of responses. Here is the blog I wrote for DeeAnn with the results and my ideas for comfort movies.
Here's the blog http://unleashyourinnerfoodie.com/friday-night-at-the-movies/
The Oscar nominations were announced today! It's a big day that I look forward to every year. I get so excited around awards season leading up to the Oscars. If I remember correctly, I've been watching the Oscars every year since 1993. I make it a point to see as many of the nominated movies as I can. A few years back, I won an Oscar contest at the White Bear Township movie theater. I think I won a few months worth of few movies.
Here are my early predictions AND who I would pick to win if it were up to me: * will win # my vote
Best Picture 127 Hours The Black Swan The Fighter Inception The Kids Are All Right The King's Speech The Social Network *# Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter's Bone
Best Director Darren Aronofsky--Black Swan Joel Coen and Ethan Coen--True Grit David Fincher--The Social Network *# Tom Hooper--The King's Speech David O. Russell--The Fighter
Best Acting in a Leading Role Javier Bardem--Biutiful Jeff Bridges--True Grit Jesse Eisenberg--The Social Network Colin Firth--The King's Speech *# James Franco--127 Hours
Best Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening--The Kids Are All Right Nicole Kidman--Rabbit Hole Jennifer Lawrence--Winter's Bone Natalie Portman--Black Swan *# Michelle Williams--Blue Valentine
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Christian Bale--The Fighter *# John Hawkes--Winter's Bone Jeremy Renner--The Town Mark Ruffalo--The Kids Are All Right Geoffrey Rush--The King's Speech
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Amy Adams--The Fighter Helena Bonham Carter--The King's Speech Melissa Leo--The Fighter *# Hailee Steinfeld--True Grit Jackie Weaver--Animal Kingdom
Best Original Screenplay Another Year--Mike Leigh The Fighter--Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson. Inception--Christopher Nolan The Kids Are All Right--Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg # The King's Speech--David Seidler *
Best Adapted Screenplay 127 Hours--Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy The Social Network--Aaron Sorkin *# Toy Story 3--Michael Arndt True Grit--Joel Coen & Ethan Coen Winter's Bone--Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini
Best Animated Motion Picture How to Train Your Dragon The Illusionist Toy Story 3 *#
Best Art Direction Alice in Wonderland--Robert Stromberg,Karen O'Hara Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1--Stuart Craig,Stephenie McMillan
Inception--Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias and Doug Mowat # The King's Speech--Eve Stewart, Judy Farr * True Grit-- Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh
Cinematography Black Swan--Matthew Libatique # Inception--Wally Pfister * The King's Speech--Danny Cohen The Social Network--Jeff Cronenweth True Grit-- Roger Deakins
Costume Design Alice in Wonderland--Colleen Atwood I am Love--Antonella Cannarozzi The King's Speech--Jenny Beavan *# The Tempest--Sandy Powell True Grit--Mary Zophres
Foreign Language Film Biutiful--Mexico Dogtooth--Greece In a Better World--Denmark Incendies--Canada Outside the Law--Algeria
Make-Up Barney's Version--Adrien Morot The Way Back-- Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng The Wolfman--Rick Baker and Dave Elsey *#
Best Original Score How to Train Your Dragon--John Powell Inception--Hans Zimmer The King's Speech--Alexander Desplat 127 Hours--A.R. Rahman The Social Network--Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross *#
Best Original Song Country Strong--"Coming Home" Tangled--"I See the Light" 127 Hours--"If I Rise" Toy Story 3--"We Belong Together" *#
Best Film Editing Black Swan--Andrew Weisblum The Fighter--Pamela Martin The King's Speech--Tariq Anwar 127 Hours--Jon Harris *# The Social Network--Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
Best Documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop Gasland Inside Job Restrepo *# Waste Land
Best Documentary Short Subject Killing in the Name Poster Girl Strangers No More Sun Come Up The Warrior of Quigang
Best Short Film (Animated) Day and Night # The Gruffalo Let's Pollute * The Lost Thing Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Best Short Film (Live Action) The Confession The Crush God of Love Na Wewe Wish 143
Sound Editing Inception--Richard King *# Toy Story 3--Tom Myers and Michael Silvers Tron: Legacy--Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague True Grit--Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey Unstoppable--Mark P. Stoeckinger
Sound Mixing Inception--Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick *# The King's Speech--Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley Salt--Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin The Social Network--Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten True Grit--Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
Visual Effects Alice in Wonderland Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 Hereafter Inception *# Iron Man 2
We still have a little over a month before the Oscars, so many predictions could change. The King's Speech could gain popularity and steal Best Picture away from The Social Network. My two biggest snubs are probably for Christopher Nolan for Best Director (Inception) and Ryan Gosling for Best Actor (Blue Valentine).
What was your favorite movie from 2010? My choice is The Social Network.
So I guess when you really do set your mind to something, you really can accomplish it! Too bad I'm not talking about anything major in my life. I'm only referring to the fact I was 3 of 3 this weekend on seeing movies Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Good thing they were all really terrific movies.
FRIDAY: The King's Speech
SATURDAY: Rabbit Hole
SUNDAY: True Grit
I would like to pose this question to my readers. When is the right time to stop talking when you are at the movie theater? The growing trend lately is that you don't stop talking. People are whipping out their cell phones throughout the movie or answering calls or translating the movie for the person next to them that doesn't speak English. I'm not making that last part up either. When I saw Julie and Julia, this guy translated the whole movie to his wife because she didn't speak English. Of course, they just HAD to sit right behind me. How dare he interrupt my Meryl. BACK to the reason why I posted the question. I went and saw The King's Speech with Erik and Joyce. We happened to go Friday New Year's Eve at 1:20 at the AMC Rosedale. We get there about 15 minutes early to find out it must be Seniors Day Out or something. The theater was PACKED. Immediately, I began to panic because I clearly will not be sitting in the dead center. We ended up sitting way in the front in the second row. We got there early enough before any of the trailers started and it was just the trivia showing on screen. Joyce, Erik, and I were talking DURING THE TRIVIA to get interrupted by this:
Old Lady in the front row: Are you guys going to be talking like this during the movie?
Paul: Actually, no. Talking in theaters is one of my pet peeves.
Old Lady: Well...that's good. We already have bad seats and I don't want to have to put up with you talking
Erik: I didn't realize there was anything that we need to be watching right now
Old Lady: Well...can you at least start and practice being quiet?
I was so shocked at what happened I was speechless. I have NEVER been told to stop talking at a theater. BESIDES, it was the TRIVIA. I would understand if we were talking during the trailers. Who stays quiet during the trivia? The theater was bustling full of people trying to find seats and talking. However, Erik, Joyce, and I were the loud ones. Need I remind you, I don't talk during trailers or the movie. I do find that trivia or the AMC First Look at Ice Road Truckers (or whatever show is coming soon on cable) to be the time to converse with your friend. I should point out that right as the credits starting rolling, the old lady turned back to us and said "Can you tell him (she means me) that I'm sorry I was such I crab?" I acknowledge the fact that she apologized. Most people do not apologize even when they know they are in the wrong.
HERE'S THE RECAP The King's Speech Director: Tom Hooper Starring: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon 4 out of 5 stars ****
Rabbit Hole Director: John Cameron Mitchell Starring: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Weist, Sandra Oh 4 out of 5 stars ****
True Grit Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper 4.5 out of 5 stars **** 1/2
