doing the oscars

as an admitted oscars dork (at least in recent years), i’m kind of excited to put together this big oscars post. this is what my posts would be like if i had a 25th hour in my day to blog. enjoy. :)

first, let’s start with the movies, since i suppose they are like half the point of the oscars and the only reason we ever got to what is the second half of the point of the oscars.

every year, “entertainment weekly” creates a list of the 25 movies to see before oscar night. in my opinion, that’s a lot of obscure films to see in the 2 (or so) months that are really the prime oscar movie season. this year i saw 12 of them, including all of the top 5. twelve is a lot for me, really, and there are even a few more i definitely will see later. anyway, i’m going to go ahead and fill you in on what i thought about the ones i did see. the ones in the list below that i didn’t comment on are the ones i haven’t seen (yet).

1) no country for old men. i really loved this movie, and i never expected i’d be saying that. it’s so enjoyable and beautiful and well-constructed. i think everyone should see it (unless they can’t see people getting killed). it deserves all its praise.

2) atonement. this movie is absolutely gorgeous! the music is also very special. and i loved both keira knightly and james mcavoy in this one. it’s kind of tragic and heavy, but i definitely think this is a beautiful film.

3) juno. i’m pretty much always up for a happy movie or a romantic comedy. this was both and yet also so original. it’s a movie that i think people will continue to enjoy over and over. definitely a great script, too!

4) michael clayton. george way was underrated in this film. and he got nominated for best actor. he’s awesome in this story. it’s a cool movie with an interesting, twisty plot. even people that don’t really do oscar movies can enjoy this one.

5) there will be blood. this is a movie for people who do oscar films or artsy films or paul thomas anderson films. i thought it was really well done and well-acted, but i’m not sure everyone will get it. it is a bit strange, but i was pleasantly surprised by the bits of comedy in it.

6) into the wild.

7) american gangster.

8) the diving bell and the butterfly.

9) sweeney todd.

10) charlie wilson’s war. this was one of the first movies on this list i saw. i enjoyed it, but after seeing the rest, i don’t think it really lives up to its competition. still, a good film.

11) the kite runner.

12) away from her.

13) eastern promises.

14) la vie en rose.

15) i’m not there.

16) a mighty heart.

17) gone baby gone. i absolutely loved this film, too, and it was another one i didn’t think i’d really enjoy. i would recommend this to anyone, as well. also, i really think it’s a great showcase of the talent of both ben and casey affleck. incredible!

18) the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford. this is a great history movie, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t usually love history movies. brad pitt’s amazing performance was definitely overlooked, i think in large part because he’s brad pitt. still, he was great, as was casey affleck. also, this is a very visually interesting film. another one that surprised me.

19) lars and the real girl. while i thought this movie was well done, i think i didn’t get it. i didn’t love that ryan gosling’s character was in love with a doll. even then, i thought it was so creative and the acting was very strong.

20) hairspray. for me, this movie is second only to enchanted in fun movies of the year. i loved it all the way around! okay, so i didn’t love john travolta. but i thought the rest was so irresistibly fun! it’s just happy, and that’s nice with all the dark films this year.

21) 3:10 to yuma.

22) the savages.

23) enchanted. wow! i think i grinned through this entire movie. it was the perfect blend of happy, romantic, and funny for me. it just worked wonderfully, i thought! and it was a bit more than just a typical fairytale. also, i am a sucker for films where two handsome men fight for the beautiful princess.

24) before the devil knows you’re dead.

25) ratatouille. this was an adult movie that kids could see, and i thought it was just lovely. it’s smart and funny and not at all vulgar. i thought it worked perfectly.

okay, so let’s go through some of the winners from last night. i’ll start with the big awards and work towards the small ones until no one cares anymore. :)

everyone knew “no country for old men” would win best picture. i think it deserves it, even if i liked lots of the films this year. it was just a rad movie.

and i knew daniel day-lewis would win best actor, as did everyone else, but i would have loved to see george win. it’s just that it’s really, really impossible to win for playing a pretty normal guy (at least compared to daniel fairview).

marion cotillard may have deserved her win for best actress. i don’t know. i never saw “la vie en rose,” and i don’t know anyone who did. i kind of wanted to see ellen page win because i thought that role was hard to pull off. i think it would be really easy to dislike juno if she was played by someone less cool.

if i could have, i’d have given out two awards for best supporting actor: one to javier bardem for his crazy, admirable performance and one to casey affleck for his awesome portrayal of robert ford. though i might just have a crush on him. ;)

and what i thought was kind of the strangest award was the one that went to tilda swinton. i didn’t really think her character in “michael clayton” was a standout, but what do i know? i’m not sure who i would have preferred to see win. perhaps amy ryan, though that role is a huge, over-the-top kind of role that’s easy to give an oscar for. anyway, i don’t mind tilda swinton winning.

and i figured the coen brother would win for directing. the movie was so crazy creative and weird and it was all them.

and i did think that “juno” was the coolest original screenplay. it was so original! i’m glad it won, even if i think diablo cody is weird and i don’t necessarily trust her to ever match this success again.

and a few other notes on the rest of the awards… i love that “the bourne ultimatum” won three oscars! and i definitely think that the very inventive score of “atonement” deserved the ultimate in recognition. and i was gld to see (or hear?) that “falling slowly” from “once” won best original song. that movie is incredible (go see it now!), and the song was perfectly incorporated into it.

so if you’re amazingly still with me, let’s move on to the other very important part of the oscars: the beautiful people! this is definitely the reason to watch the very, very long broadcast. i think the total number of hours of oscar coverage i watched yesterday is about 12. twelve hours. of course, most of it i recorded so i could skip commercials and boring parts, but still! that’s a lot! anyway, here are my thoughts on the beautiful and the broadcast…

saoirse ronan looked very age-appropriate, unlike miley cyrus, who just looked old. i loved the dress, but it was too old for her. i loved the dresses of both penelope cruz and jennifer garner (she looked especially awesome, i thought), even if they were really similar. and i also loved the red dresses of katherine heigl, heidi klum, and anne hathaway, though they were all different. kelly preston, cameron diaz, and amy ryan all looked great in interesting colors. and i liked the bottom half and the color of amy adams’s dress.

and i have two choices for best dressed of the night: keri russell and kristin chenoweth. perfect! all the way around, i loved them!

of course, i don’t want to ignore the men! george and johnny both looked great in the ways that they each do. patrick dempsey looked great, as did his beautiful wife. and casey affleck looked so cool (even if his wife’s boobs were out of control… though i believe she just gave birth).

and then there was my major new celebrity crush: james mcavoy, who looked so adorable. even when standing with his lovely wife. or when presenting an award with his insane scottish accent. :) yes, i really just did that like a schoolgirl.

as for the show, i enjoyed it, even if the shows are never perfect.

jon stewart was good.  there were more strike jokes and less political jokes than i had anticipated, though there were too many of both.  i liked him best when he was just being funny, not doing written jokes.  also, steve carell was hilarious making fun of him saying, “you never cease to amaze me with your need for attention.”

i’m so over jennifer hudson.  when will she go away already?  she couldn’t even read the teleprompter or pronounce words or names correctly!  i also don’t understand jessica alba’s appearances at the oscars.  she’s not talented.  she’s only pretty.

how much did i love james mcavoy paling around with saoirse ronan or dancing on stage?  sooo much!!!

why were the awards presented in that cracked out order?

i was impressed with jon mclaughlin doing “so close.”  that guy has pipes!  i didn’t realize that before!

one of my favorite moments was when on stewart brough marketa irglova back out to say her “tanks.”

and so if you’re still with me, tanks for reading through all this!  i love the oscars! :)

unrelated

i can’t breathe through my nose, and marke’s going to be an uncle. :)

quickly…

… a couple little notes for tonight before i crash.

i still have this little head cold.  i still think it’s a head cold because it came on so quickly, though it’s quite possible it’s allergies.  apparently, the pollen is really bad this year (says dad).  i’m hoping it’s a cold so i can recover from it instead of just figuring out how to live with it.  anyway, i took it super easy today in hopes my body can heal itself quickly.

part of my lying about today involved me watching “becoming jane,” which i loved so much i’m going to keep (from netflix) longer so that i can watch it one more time.  just lovely!  also, i’m falling more and more in love with james mcavoy each day, i swear.  incredible.  and so interesting.  and just compelling.  i just want him on my tv/movie screen all the time!  he’s not like my usual celebrity boyfriend at all, but i adore him.  and his real scottish accent, which i’ve really only heard on tv interviews and things, is so crazy!  okay, i need to stop gushing, i know. ;)

also, yay for my stanford boys beating cal! :)  love them for that!

my oscar post is coming soon but just not tonight.  don’t worry, though; i took notes.

bingeing

“counting all the freckles on your perfect face
you open your window, i sit on your bed
just waiting for right words to come
so, what happened to bulletproof weeks in your arms
what happened to feeling cheap radio songs
what happened to thinking he world was flat
what happened to that
was i wrong?” — matt nathanson “bulletproof weeks”

::sniffle:: ::sniffle::  i seem to have acquired a little bit of a head cold (stuffy nose, sore throat), so i’m taking it really easy this weekend, even if that means i won’t finish the cleaning i had planned or get to those two trips to the gym i had wanted.  i want to get over this quickly, though, so i’m trying to take good care of myself.

so what have i been up to?  work’s going well.  i got lots of things done on time, which is nice, even if i feel like i’m working my butt off.  we also got a fancy new printer that i don’t have 100% figured out yet.

i’m taking in lots and lots of movies these days.  it’s mostly an attempt to see lots of oscar movies before the awards are handed out tomorrow.  it’s also partly because i like movies and there are some ones i’ve been wanting to see.

i went to see “be kind rewind” yesterday with the two free hours i got from skipping out on work early (after an insane week).  it was really, really fun!  i definitely recommend it!  it’s cool and happy and wonderful.  and i love mos def in it.  and i might have cried at the end like a dork. ;)

and today i went to see my final oscar movie of the season: “there will be blood.”  wow.  it’s a lot of movie.  it has great acting, of course.  and the music is intense and loud and strange.  and the story is also strange, though not as weird as i’d heard it might be.  and i’m glad i went to see it, even if i didn’t enjoy it as much as many of the other oscar films this year.  it’s very good.

this evening i watched film independent’s spirit awards, which is like the cousin to the academy awards.  it’s independent films only, and it airs live without commercials or censors.  and this year, it was brilliantly hosted by rainn wilson!  :)  i love him!  anyway, the show was really great (i didn’t do any fast-forwarding at all)!  it included lots of good films winning and lots of cussing and even ended with rainn wrestling with philip seymour hoffman in the crowd!  anyway, that’s a good show right there.  the oscars can’t really live up to that amount of fun, but at least i’ll have seen more of the films nominated.

and what else have i been up to so far this weekend?  sports.  lots and lots of college basketball on tv.  that’s it. :)  so fun, and there will be more tomorrow.

okay, so i think i’m going to tuck into bed now for some more sleep.  hopefully, i’ll get a moment to write a good oscar post tomorrow night…

less earthy

“i’m wide awake and so alive
ringing like a bell
tell me this is paradise
and not someplace i fell
let me feel the car crash
just tip me ’til i capsize
i’ve been waiting for my whole life
to be broken, open, satisfied” — matt nathanson “car crash”

well, i feel like i have plenty to write about tonight.  things are good. :)

monday was a holiday, and i was so glad to get to spend it at the happiest place on earth.  :)  it was katrina’s birthday, so her, marke, lindsay, and i all went up to disneyland to celebrate!  it was pretty crowded (expected for a holiday weekend, i suppose), but we had a blast on the rides we did get on.  it was kind of weird because so many of them seemed to have problems while we were on them or in line, but it was still really fun!  we came sooo close to being on space mountain while it broke down.  that would have been awesome.  instead, we were in the loading room and the lights went on and they had to clear out the whole ride, reset it or fix it or whatever, and then get it going again while we waited.  that’s when lindsay and katrina invented the “wait it out” dance.  awesomeness!  it lives on.  :)  we also all had a really weird, really fun conversation waiting in an extremely slow line for indiana jones.  turns out marke’s an experts on the smells of various sorts of animal feces.  and in the evening, we couldn’t skip an opportunity for birthday drinks.  the four of us met up with two of katrina’s other friends, ariana and cody, at the lost bar for drinks (or cokes :)) and all just hung out a while, which was cool.  anyway, it was just a really fun day! :)

on sunday evening, i went to see “atonement,” which was a good film.  it was beautiful, and i thought the music was pretty awesome, incorporating really interesting sounds, like the noise of a typewriter.  and james mcavoy was awesome.  there’s just something about that guy that makes me want to watch him.  anyway, it’s a very pretty movie, though the story’s really sad.  you have to be willing to put up with that.

and i’ve started reading “sense and sensibility.”  i’ve never really read jane austen before, but i’m enjoying it so far.  we’ll see how it goes.  it’ll probably take me a while because the language is kind of different.  but anyway, it’s fun.
and work has been so busy so far this week.  i’m so glad it’s a short week.  but i’m getting lots of stuff done, so that’s good.

of course, there’s been plenty of (mostly bad) tv to keep me entertained. :)  i’ve started watching some “american idol,” though i’m not sure how long i’ll be committed to it.  and i’m still with “big brother,” even though i hate lots of the contestants.

anyway, enough from me tonight.  things are good. :)  hope the same goes for you…

you can’t teach 7 feet

“i miss the sound of your voice
loudest thing in my head
and i ache to remember
all the violent, sweet
perfect words that you said” — matt nathanson “come on get higher”

good saturday. :) i didn’t do much. it was awesome. i plan to continue on this route tomorrow.

i slept in later than usual, which was lovely. and then i hung out and watched a whole lot of sports. :) i got to watch my stanford boys beat arizona is a close game. so fun! i love those lopez brothers! and there were lots of other great games today that i caught parts of. plus, i watched the nba’s slam dunk contest, which was so awesome! i was really just flipping through channels when i caught the start of it and kept watching. extremely impressive. check out this hightlight video. i promise it’s worth your three minutes. :) and in more sports news, it was fun to watch the pepperdine boys beat santa clara. and in awesome news, the pepperdine men’s volleyball team is now 2-0 since the return of opposite aussie superstar paul carroll! woot!

oh, but i did do a few other things today that weren’t watching sports. haha! i went to the gym for a good workout. and i’ve been working on cleaning the apartment, like organizing things and getting rid of old junk i don’t need. i did a really good job in the kitchen and am working through the living room now. i did make some good progress. hopefully, that’ll continue tomorrow. and i caught up with a few friends today, which is always good.

and tonight i watched “gone baby gone,” which was really, really good.  i wasn’t sure how much i’d enjoy the movie, but i loved the story and the acting.  casey affleck was awesome.  and morgan freeman.  and everyone else.  and i loved all the plot turns.  anyway, i definitely recommend this film unless you can’t do people getting shot.  but other than that, it was really good.  yes, it’s about a crime being solved, but i’m not usually into those sorts of stories and this one was really good.  so anyway, totally see it!  also, i’ve never thought casey affleck (1) was hotter and (2) looked more like his brother.  :)  seriously, it’s a very good film, and i don’t know how it’s not nominated for more oscars.

and i guess it’s sort of late now, so i’ll be off to bed soon. more weekend fun to come…

rescue me

“drive all night with me
sing my favorite song and sleep
under the stars on the hood of our car
it’s all i ever wanted” — chuck wicks “all i ever wanted”

geez, i’m exhausted.  totally.  i haven’t been sleeping well, and i’ve been working too hard.  this weekend comes just in time.

so yeah, i’ve been really busy at work.  long days and kind of crazy.  i’m managing, but it can be draining.  anyway, that’s not all that exciting to write about.

i hope you had a good valentine’s day.  mine was a little rough just because it wasn’t as fun as i wanted.  things just didn’t seem to go right.  nothing in particular, but just a sort of frustrating day.  at least it ended with tv and a bowl of ice cream. :)

and today i went to see “michael clayton,” which was good.  i felt a little confused through most of the movie, but it all came together at the end.  just had to have patience.  anyway, i love george, and he was great in the movie.  the plot is a little complicated, but i reviewed it on wikipedia afterwards, and i did understand it!  i just had to make sure. :)  anyway, it’s a good crime/lawyer/thriller.  it’s just not my favorite of the oscar movies i’ve seen thus far.

and one more very important thing.  i seriously love my friends.  they get me through all these crazy days, whether they know it or not.  i love that i’ve gotten to chat with several friends in the past few days.  of course, i have been slacking off a little bit lately and owe several calls and emails still.  but i’m working on it.

so anyway, things are looking up.  i plan to relax a bit in the next couple days, take some time for good workouts, clean up the apartment a little bit, and normal things like that.  and then i plan on having a wonderful time with katrina, marke, and the rest at disneyland on our holiday monday to celebrate katrina’s birthday.

hope you’re doing well.  i need to go to bed now.

knows me like a button

a few notes from this smiling girl tonight… :)

work has been so busy, but it’s also going well.  i’m working my butt off and getting stuff done.  and it’s fun. :)

and i can say i’ve officially read my first comic books.  marke lent them to me.  last night i read the first three issues of “ex machina” (very good and involving art!) and tonight i read the first trade (that’s what they call the books, right?) of “dmz” (also really good and interesting).  i won’t ever become a comic book geek, i don’t think, but they’re still good.  and it’s fun to try different stuff.

also last night i started watching the new season of “big brother.”  don’t judge me.  ;)  haha!  i’m already totally addicted.  so?

and i also continued my oscar movie fest with “the assassination of jesse james by the coward robert ford,” which was really cool.  it’s a total history movie–which i don’t normally enjoy much–but really good!  i found it all so fascinating.  of course, it’s brilliantly acted.  brad’s an awesome jesse!  and it makes me want to go learn lots more about jesse james.  anyway, if you like history movies at all, i think you’ll love this one!  next up is “gone baby gone,” coincidentally also featuring casey affleck.

and i got a good chance to catch up with sarah this evening, which was great!  i wish we got to spend more time hanging out with each other, but for now it’s very frequent im and phone calls (like tonight).

and one more thing!  i love love love love loved tonight’s “project runway” because it was the best challenge ever.  i won’t spoil it for anyone, but it’s the sort of challenge i want every week, and it really separated the true talents from the rest.  so great!  i can hardly wait to see the bryant park shows!

that’s enough out of me for now.  i’m now sleeping well right now, so i’m going back to the tv for more…

notes for tonight

“the best that we can hope for is one more chance
if the hands of time could just move in reverse
i wouldn’t make the same mistake again with her” — josh turner “another try”

i just wanted to take a couple minutes to share a few things.  i’ll be brief. :)

1) i really did hurt my pinky toe yesterday.  i caught my toenail on something and it’s all kind of a mess now.   oops!  stupid big feet always in the way!

2) i cannot explain it, but i have a huge celebrity crush on dierks bentley.

3) my espn, espn2, and discovery hd channels work now!  they no longer require a special separate subscription.  woot!  this is major!

4) lots of crazy sports!  saw that guy getting his neck cut during the hockey game.  saw the tennessee women beat rutgers on a bad clock operator/referee.  and other fun stuff.

5) if you want to really know what’s going on in the world, i completely recommend reading “the economist” each week.  the articles are really good and always cover all the current issues in the world.  plus, they’re so good at recapping the situation in case you’re not already familiar with it.

more next time. :)

let it be

“the tears i wouldn’t let fall from my eyes
and how i let her go without a fight
the reasons i’m alone i know by heart
but i don’t want to spend forever in the dark
i swear next time i’ll hang on for dear life
if love ever gives me another try” — josh turner “another try”

geez, i love this song.

okay, so it was another gorgeous day here.  i spent a good portion of it driving around and just enjoying the weather.  i love it!

i went to see “no country for old men” this evening.  oh.  my.  goodness.  it was spectacular!  i loved it way, way, way more than i ever expected to.  i mean, i always knew it was going to be a good film, but i didn’t know i’d enjoy it so much.  the cinematography was perfect.  the acting brilliant.  the story simple but just right.  and the lack of music fit perfectly.  i never knew i’d want to watch a movie without music.  it’s so quiet.  it’s amazing.  anyway, i definitely recommend this film to anyone who’s okay with watching people get shot.  it happens a lot in the movie because it’s about a killer.  anyway, go see it!  seriously!

and then there were the grammys tonight.  i hate the grammys.  i have for nearly as long as i have had my own taste in music.  and yet i watch pretty much ever year.  bad decision, i know.  so i watched tonight while recording, so i could skip lots of the stuff i don’t care about.  of course, i pretty much never agree with the winners, but i was glad to see a few things: (1) taylor swift wearing purple, (2) vince gill winning country album and then joking with kanye, (3) kanye making them stop the music during his acceptance speech and also putting on a good performance, (4) actual country performances, even if they were both of novelty songs, and (5) cirque!  so anyway, looking forward to better awards shows soon.

okay, it’s late on sunday night now, so i should be off.  more next time…