The Oscar Post... JE

Before I get into the main purpose of this post, my Oscar nominee reviews, some responses to your post:
So glad the Rolling Stones were fantastic.  I wouldn't say I was overly impressed with their Super Bowl stint a few years back (compared to say, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, or this year's impressive showing by Bruno Mars), so I am elated to hear the old guys can still strut their stuff.  Cause it's all about the strut. 
Totally understand on Game of Thrones.  It's an incredibly well done show.  I think maybe you're on to something with the Mortal Instruments.  I can see two options.  If it's Showtime or HBO, a faithful retelling of the series, because we know they aren't afraid of incest, so almost incest that turns out to not be incest should be fine. Alternatively, a CW show that takes place in the Shadowhunter realm, perhaps with a (recast, after your review) Magnus as the lead.  They could spin off of the short stories that Cassandra Clare wrote with Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan, which I still need to read for obvious reasons.  I wonder if it is available in book form yet?  I think that was the plan once they were all released.  It's almost my birthday, in case you needed an idea.
And I look forward to your drinking game submissions.  I feel like Gilligan's Island would be another good one for a drinking game with so many basic plot elements occurring in the majority of episodes.

Okay, on to the main event.  I can't live blog the Oscars tonight because I have people coming over and I feel that would be a little rude.  But I will certainly give a review with highlights, especially any Ellen dancing, next week.  For now, I did manage to see all 9 best picture nominees.  I watched Gravity on iTunes last night to wrap it up.  Honestly, I really wanted to watch Frozen, but I can't rent it yet and it was like $20 to buy on iTunes.  Which is likely worth it, but I had to factor in that I would probably be buying the soundtrack right after finishing the film, so I'll give it another week and rent it on iTunes instead.   Anyhow, I've ranked the nominees in reverse order from "thanks for the nomination" to "better walk home with the little gold guy."   I tried to balance the merits of the movie (acting, directing, writing, technical stuff) and my feelings about it (enjoyable, characters I cared about, did I cry, did I feel the story was important etc).  Here is the list:

9. Her - Please don't read this and think I didn't like Her or think it worthy of a nomination.  I believe the Academy got it right this year as this is an impressive, although depressing, collection of films.  The screenplay for this is fascinating and definitely deserves the Oscar.  I expect to see Spike Jonze on stage tonight for that.  Joaquin Phoenix is fantastic (and deserved a nomination except that category is already tight... maybe he deserved it over Leo?) and Amy Adams is great in a supporting role.  It would be a great film for a book club like discussion group (along with Nebraska, which I was surprised I liked as much as I did) to talk about society and human relationships and how much technology has will continue to impact that.  But I was a little bored at points.
8. Gravity - This squeaked by Her based on technical merit.  I waited to fill out my guesses until I had watched it, and immediately checked it off for all the production/technical categories.  The acting is great, Sandra Bullock gives an incredibly believable performance and I'm not science-saavy enough to know how much they got wrong (Neil DeGrasse Tyson said it was a lot, and I believe him, but he did also say he enjoyed the film)  This and Captain Phillips go in the 124 Hours (Franco sawing offf his arm) category for me, brilliant lead performances and innovative filmmaking, but not my thing.
7. Captain Phillips - I listened to an interview with Tom Hanks and the director, Paul Greengrass, on NPR and I think it enhanced my appreciation for the technical aspects of this film.  It definitely benefited from them shooting it on the sea instead of in a studio somewhere, and Greengrass' background in documentary filmmaking has a positive and distinctive impact on his movies.  Again, Hanks is great, and this gets an added boost (over Gravity) for two things.  First, the incredible performance by Barkhad Abdi as the lead pirate.  Second, for its ability to make me anxious despite my knowledge of the story's outcome due to it being a recent major news event.
6. The Wolf of Wall Street - Not to take anything away from the genius of Martin Scorsese, but I think this beats the last 3 on the list for me simply due to enjoyability.  In a year of low key and depressing films, this is a big, funny, obnoxious film about excess.  It is exactly what you imagine the worst of Wall Street to be with giant bonuses and lots of blow and misogyny. DiCaprio is brilliant in how his character transforms over the course of the film. It is both a significant transition, and yet you can tell that at the end he is who he was meant to be.  I don't know if that makes sense, but maybe after you watch the movie it will.  Jonah Hill is great and perfectly cast, but the real scene stealer is Matthew McConaughey.  McConaughey is only in the film briefly at the beginning, but if you watch only his crazy chest thumping restaurant scene, it's worth the price of admission.  He is completely insane, but it kind of works.  This movie probably could have been bumped up even higher if it had about 30 minutes less boobs and blow, but where is the fun in that?
5. Nebraska - I was very hesitant to watch this, but then I cried at the end.  As I mentioned, this goes into the book club movie group for good discussion, only this would be about family and parental relationships and what we learn and understand about our parents as we get older.  Despite the fact that my relationship with my parents is nothing like what is portrayed in the film, there was a universal feeling about this family.  It was both funny and surprisingly heartwarming, although in a very subtle and understated manner.  I have been, of late, hesitant about over-hyped indie films, but I really should trust Alexander Payne, since he made Sideways which I absolutely love.
4. Philomena - It was kind of impossible for this to not make it high on my list.  Touching and heartfelt, based on a true story, Judi Dench, and an awkward stuffy British lead character played well by Steve Coogan.  I cried several times and was enthralled throughout.  I don't really know what else to say about it.
3. American Hustle - I think this suffered from hype, and I've giving it the spot above Philomena because I don't want to punish it for it not quite living up to my ridiculous expectations.  It was a very good movie, although not as good as the director's offering last year, Silver Linings Playbook.  The acting is on an elite level.  Apparently Cate Blanchett is the favorite in the best actress category this year, but I put my check mark next to Amy Adams anyhow because she is perfect in this film.  Christian Bale delivers his usual brilliant performance and the fact that Bradley Cooper makes me so irritated that I kind of wanted to punch him, is an impressive feat.  Jeremy Renner is well cast as the likable politician who really does want to improve his community and Louis CK has a small roll as Cooper's FBI supervisor, and is probably my favorite character in the film, or at least the most likable. And of course, there is Jennifer Lawrence, who steals every scene she is in, except perhaps when she is opposite Adams, where they appear to be on equal footing.  Director David O. Russell knows how to get brilliant performances from his actors.  It didn't live up to the hype because I was a little bored in the middle.  I thought the plot worked to showcase the talents of these actors, but the story in and of itself didn't draw me in as much as I had hoped from the previews.
2. Dallas Buyers Club - Here is a movie that again has brilliant acting, from McConaughey and Jared Leto, both of whom should walk home with gold statues, as well as Jennifer Garner, whose work hasn't been as appreciated, but who really grounds the movie and gives a solid performance.  However, it also has a compelling story that draws you in and keeps your attention.  Almost the number one pick.  Almost.  Because I cried, but I didn't sob.
1. 12 Years a Slave - I sobbed.  This is a difficult film to watch for all of the obvious reasons, but it is an important film to watch and worthwhile.  Lead actor, Chiwetal Ejiofor, takes you with him for the entire 12 years of horror, every moment when he is close to giving up, every time he thinks there could be hope. One of the things I think was well done was its ability to highlight the various participants in the hierarchy of the horrific institution of slavery, from Paul Giamatti as the sleazy and opportunistic slave trader to Benedict Cumberbatch as the "nice slave owner" highlighting the degree to which the "nice" was irrelevant.  Nice or not, he was still a participant in the crime.  Michael Fassbender is horrifying as a deranged, likely psychotic slave owner.  His nomination is well deserved in a brilliant supporting actor category.  Lupita Nyong'o's performance as Patsey should win her an Oscar (despite steep competition from Ms. Lawrence, who could steal it, like she did all her scenes) as it is heartbreaking and transcendent.  This movie has all of the standard elements of a great movie and gives a larger audience to the important story of Solomon Northup that otherwise many would have never heard.  

Whew, made it.  I changed order a few times on that.  Other predictions for tonight:
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity.  All are deserving, and maybe Spike Jonze should be in there, but Cuaron's technical achievements push him over.  Russell could end up with it if the voters give more weight to the actors' performances than the overall production.
Best Actor: McConaughey - The man is having a year, and I can't wait for his speech.  Ejiofor could possibly surprise here, but I doubt it.
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett - But I am still checking Amy Adams because I haven't watched Blue Jasmine yet. And with all the Woody Allen backlash, that could impact the voters.  And Amy Adams was amazing.
Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto - He's been cleaning up at the award shows, and deservedly.  Way to take a 6 year acting hiatus to focus on your band and come back to a role like this.  How far you've come from Jordan Catalano.
Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong'o - But Jennifer Lawrence should wear a dress and shoes she can walk in, just in case.
Original Screenplay: Her 
Adapted Screenplay: Philomena - This is a bit of a toss-up.  Could easily go to any of the nominees.
Animated Feature and Song to Frozen, even though I haven't seen it.
All the technical/production awards to Gravity
Score: Her - I am disappointed to not see the score from Nebraska on here as I thought it was incredibly well done and well-suited to the movie.  But I think the score for Her is impressive as well.
Costumes to American Hustle (although perhaps Gatsby will upset there) and Makeup to Dallas Buyers Club (because seriously, move snob moment, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa and The Lone Ranger cannot win an Oscar)
I haven't seen any of the documentaries, foreign films, or short films, so I'm skipping that here, but I did make wild guesses.

Alright, we shall see how I do after the show tonight.  For now, it's on to cleaning and prepping some snacks. 

Sarah will be staging her own award show tonight in lieu of watching the Oscars.  There will be categories such as Best Matthew McConaughey performance of the year and Most likely to fall on the stairs this year (it's not really a fair competition as Jennifer Lawrence is always the favorite here).

Lessons in the apocalypse from Sam & Dean... JE

I really thought that I had the whole apocalypse thing down.  I mean, how many did Buffy face?  But they never really got into the whole four horsemen/witnesses/Revelations thing.  How did they miss that?  Maybe it was a reluctance to get all biblical?  I think I have to assume it was a focus on their own lore that obviously utilized things from other places (like the concept of an apocalypse), but had a different origin story.  The first evil and the creation of the slayer were at the core of their storylines, and they stayed pretty focused on that, especially as the seasons progressed.  So I am glad to have a new show in Supernatural that is giving us a Revelations 101 lesson.  And I really appreciate this because Sleepy Hollow is similarly dealing with a pending apocalypse and there are four horsemen (including a headless one, who is Death, see how it all relates) or at least four pending horsemen, and I'm so glad that I have this background knowledge from Supernatural so I have a little better grasp on what is going down because I've never read Revelations.  I'm strongly considering it though, it clearly has some awesome shit.  That said, I have stopped for a bit (not too long though), 3 episodes into season 6.  Season 5 is absolutely my favorite season so far.  So many things, and I really love Cas and Crowley, because they are awesome.  But as soon as you get close I'm going to watch again, because I am on a mission to catch up for Comicon.

Sherlock - Not only did I watch the premiere last weekend (love all the conspiracy theories about how he did it worked into the episode, and also, I love Molly and Mary), but I watched it the night it aired even though it didn't start until 10 pm.  And I'm probably going to do the same thing tonight.  Which is foolish because, you know, I have to work tomorrow and that is way past my bedtime, but it's Sherlock.  And it's totally worth it.  

Cannot wait for HIMYM this week, it's the 200th episode and apparently it's going to be from the Mom's perspective.  How she met Ted.  Super intense episode this past week.  Who do you think Lily called?  Her new friend the Mom? Ranjit? Her dad?
They renewed Parks & Rec for season 7.  I am really curious how they will go about keeping the show as "Parks & Rec" while still having Leslie move on to the bigger and better than she deserves.  This week Ann & Chris leave, so that will be a little emotional.  

Oscar Moviepalooze has officially begun.  I went to American Hustle on Friday.  I think it's a good movie, with amazing performances and a really interesting story.  It was, however, a little slow in the middle.  Jennifer Lawrence steals every scene she is in like the phenom that she is, and Amy Adams is near perfection.  Christian Bale gives the type of performance that I expect from him.  Jeremy Renner gives a great performance as a populist politician who is willing to do whatever to help his community.  Bradley Cooper's over-eager FBI agent is so intense that I actually felt anxious watching him continue to overstretch.  My only criticism there would be he is a little similar to his Silver Linings Playbook character, but stick with what you're good at.  While he obviously started with amazing talent, I think the director, David O. Russell, deserves some serious credit for pulling some of their best performances to date.  Fantastic supporting appearances from Robert DeNiro and Louis CK.  I really want to see Dallas Buyers Club, but I saw something about it being on DVD (and potentially iTunes/OnDemand) in a couple weeks, so I may wait and instead see Her or The Wolf of Wall Street next.  

I have been saving up links (mostly buzzfeed, of course) for you since my last post, although one of them was the Full House thing for the Superbowl, so we'll skip that.

1) You don't really need evidence, but you will appreciate this Marshall appreciation: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mwiggins/18-reason-why-you-want-marshall-eriksen-to-be-your-iau3

2) Since we have been all about the buzzfeed quizzes of late, here is another: http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/quiz-which-disney-prince-is-your-true-love    I got Aladdin, which is pretty awesome I think.

3) Since we are getting VERY close to your birthday, I thought this was appropriate: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicamisener/29-awesome-things-about-being-29

4) We are also getting relatively close to the Veronica Mars movie, and there was a pretty awesome trailer, which is broken down here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/krayford/the-25-best-parts-of-the-veronica-mars-movie-trail-ep5q  I was discussing some things about this with Sarah, and I've been giving some thought to the Logan vs Piz discussion.  I love Piz.  He's clearly the right choice, and in real life, we'd tell our friend to ditch Logan and stay with Piz.  But this isn't reality, this is the movies.  I don't go to the movies to see my characters make healthy life choices.  I want drama and tension and attempted reforming of bad boys (well, not too much reforming).  So I just want to be clear going into this movie, that I am 100% Team Logan.  And I'm totally hear for Piz if he needs to cry on someone's shoulder.

5) I just want you to know, for 60,000 and an Oscar nomination I would also do a 6 month movie shoot with Marty.  http://www.hypable.com/2014/01/22/jonah-hill-wolf-of-wall-street-pay-cut-oscar  Also, love Jonah Hill.

6) Finally, this list is amazing, and I follow this woman on tumblr, largely because (as this list demonstrates) we understand each other http://www.buzzfeed.com/bookoisseur/31-fantastic-fictional-characters-i-would-spend-a-fbwc  I particularly like her emphasis on the importance of forts.

Okay, that's about it for now.  Back to my Revolution catch-up marathon.  Somehow I was 4 episodes behind instead of the 2 I was on just about everything else.  I put the ABC and CW apps on my phone, so I have been watching shows on those channels on my commute.  Today I'm trying to get on top of the NBC, Fox, & CBS shows.  Did I mention I watch too much TV?

Sarah was protected in San Francisco by the Legion of Boom.  She escaped without injury, no new knife cuts.  Her journey back was uneventful, but immediately up her return she found herself in the midst of a polar vortex musical.  She has seen Frozen several times so she feels up to the task.

Jamie Didn't Make it to War Horse

Okay folks, we are now in the final week before the Oscars and I almost made it to all 9 best picture nominees, but not quite.  As the title of this post indicates, War Horse didn’t quite happen, and given my schedule for the rest of the week, it isn’t going to.  It’s this year’s Black Swan, which I am defining as the best picture nominee I didn't make it to before the Oscar ceremony.  Since they don’t actually let me vote, I think it’ll be okay.  Instead I’ll rank the rest of the list, which I must say I felt was a little weak this year.
1)      Hugo
2)      Midnight in Paris
Hugo & Midnight in Paris are very nearly tied, far above all the others, and not at all weak.  Hugo earns my number one vote due largely to the brilliant visuals and the number of tears cried. The emphasis on visuals makes sense as it is based on a book that relies on just that, however that doesn't always translate to film and it certainly did here.  Each shot was perfect -well done Marty (it's okay if I call him Marty, right? I like to think that it's okay, just let me have this one), and how can you not vote for a movie that pays homage to the art of creating movies and respecting the artists before you.  Midnight in Paris is so wonderfully “Woody Allen” from the very first lines we hear Owen Wilson speak over the credits.  If this was 20 years ago, you know we’d be seeing Allen play the lead, but Wilson fills in brilliantly.  I feel like the movie almost cheats its way into my heart, using the fabulous background of Paris and bringing to life classic authors and artists from the past.  I left feeling like I too had just grabbed drinks with Hemingway and danced with Zelda.
3)      Moneyball
4)      The Help
I made a point to read both of these books before seeing the movie, and I’m glad I did, although it may have impacted my opinion of these two solid, but not amazing films.  As is usually the case, the books are much better.  Only baseball nerds like me are likely to think that about Moneyball, as there are definitely some dryer moments in the book that only those of us who live to follow everything that Nate Silver writes will get excited about. They had to cut a bunch of stuff out of the book to give it a coherent narrative, and I feel that took a little away from my interest in the story (specifically the very exciting details leading up to the draft in the book).  It was still very intriguing with great performances by Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and the always flawless Phillip Seymour Hoffman. No one (except my mother, interestingly enough) talks about his performance as manager Art Howe, but it was, in my opinion, the best in the film.  The Help was an inspiring film that is put on another level (the Oscar level) by the brilliant performances.  I was less impressed by Jessica Chastain (although after seeing Tree of Life, I feel this was a nomination for her year as a whole, more on that below), not because of her, but because of how much Celia’s storyline was gutted.  However, Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer were perfectly cast and turned in phenomenal performances.  Scene stealer award goes to the always excellent Sissy Spacek, whose brief screen time was a wonderful addition.
5)      Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
I am ranking this higher than a lot of people, and way higher than I expected I would when the list of nominees was first announced.  I think that while some films on this list (The Artist) suffered for my high expectations, this film benefited from my lowered expectations. That said, I don’t know that I would put this on the best picture list if it wasn’t for the lead performance by Thomas Horn.  I don’t know where this kid came from and I haven’t looked up what else he has been in, but his performance was riveting and absolutely the thing that made this film.  Slight spoiler, I also think this film was made (for me) by the twist that Sandra Bullock’s (who also turned in a very good performance) character turned out to not be a horrible mother, but an amazing one.
6)      The Descendants
Another one where I read the book first, however I didn’t love this book the way I loved the other two, so I was able to watch the film with a little less criticism from that angle.  Now is a good time to point out what should be obvious, that this list is purely my opinion, which includes not only quality of filmmaking, but whether or not I “liked” the film. As I read the book, I instantly saw why George Clooney was cast in this roll, it was, to me, a strikingly similar character to the one he played in Up in the Air.  However, I was pleasantly surprised to see Clooney turn in a significantly different performance, and yet just as good.  I think this is a well-made film with solid acting (I’ll get on the Shailene Woodley should have been nominated bandwagon here), I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the others.
7)      The Artist
I am probably going to cinephile hell for this.  I think my expectations were too high.  I mean, I enjoyed this film, I did.  It truly felt like I was watching an old movie (and I saw it at the Harvard Exit, one of my favorite theatres in Seattle for its excellent ambiance) and after a slow start I was fully engaged in what was happening.  But I was expecting movie magic after all the hype and I was a little disappointed. It was a great tribute to film, but certainly not the best picture of the year to me.  If I want to watch a movie about the transition from silent films to talkies, I’ll stick with Singin’ in the Rain.
8)      Tree of Life
I am either not spiritual or intelligent enough to get this movie.  I found it slow and boring (I even fast forwarded the DVD a few times, while nothing was happening).  Jessica Chastain gave a very solid performance, which I think may have factored into her getting nominated for a much more engaging film, ditto Brad Pitt.  It seemed like a waste of Sean Penn’s immense talents to have him wander around.  But again, perhaps I just didn’t get it.

That said, I won't be surprised to see The Artist walk away with the grand prize, but I'm holding out hope for Hugo.  More likely we'll see The Artist take best picture, Scorsese take best director, Woody Allen win for best original screenplay, and Aaron Sorkin for adapted screenplay.  Spread the love around this year.  More predictions: George Clooney for Best Actor (unless it goes to Jean Dujardin), and Viola Davis will win for Best Actress (and if she doesn't, Meryl Streep will feel terrible and say so during her acceptance speech).  Christopher Plummer will take Best Supporting Actor (cause Captain Von Trapp needs an Oscar), Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress (I cannot imagine a better Minnie), and the Muppets will take Best Song.  Of course, I could be completely wrong.  I mean, I haven't even listened to that song from Rio.

Books read: 12

Coming soon: Sarah delves into the shady underworld of the Bellingham bar scene, and compares it to her favorite film noir flicks.

Jamie has some movies to see

Oscar nominations came out this morning, and while I have many to see before I can really judge (including 6 of the best picture nominees), here are my first reactions:

-          Muppets!!  Seriously, that was what I was most excited about. This is probably my favorite film of the year, or at least a close second to the Harry Potter finale.  I am elated to see one of its songs making the cut, although what is up with only two songs being nominated in this category?  Is that not incredibly bizarre?  Hopefully this means we’ll get to see them performed, although I didn’t see Rio and have no idea what that song is all about, I’d love to see Jason Segel (and perhaps the songwriter, Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie) perform at the Oscars.  And a cameo from Jim Parsons perhaps? We can all dream.

-         And since I mentioned Harry Potter – I didn’t really think that Alan Rickman would get the nomination, but in my heart, he is the true winner of the Supporting Actor category.  What a brilliant, heart-breaking performance.  Now I feel compelled to see all the other nominees to feel truly justified in claiming that he was better than them all.  Stay tuned.

-          Nine nominees for best picture!  I was sure that with the new limitations (films must get at least 5% of the first place votes) we would see less nominations, but apparently the academy loved all kinds of different movies this year, almost hitting the 10 film cap.

-          Of those nine, I have only seen Hugo, Moneyball, & The Help to date, and from those I would give the award to Hugo, hands down.  While I love Moneyball (even if it wasn’t awesome, and it was, it’s about baseball so of course I love it), and enjoyed the Help (and the acting was fantastic), I was a little surprised to see them so dominate this awards season.  It was interesting to see the biopics (or biopic like films) shut out of the main category (J Edgar, My Week With Marilyn, The Iron Lady), however it wasn’t that surprising after the terrible reviews of J Edgar and The Iron Lady.  Had any of those films been better received, I think they could have pushed a few of the other nominees out.  Hugo, however, is a brilliant film, it looks beautiful, the storyline is rich, the casting perfect, and who doesn’t love a movie that highlights loving and preserving movies, we know the academy voters do.  My only thought when leaving (as I was wiping away the tears) was that for a children’s movie it was a little slow and I would caution parents against taking very young children or any who cannot sit through something that isn’t as high paced as a typical kid’s movie.  And then I would tell adults to go sans kids, because it’s certainly a film for all.

-          Supporting actress - I think I am on my own here but I was disappointed with the role of Celia in the film.  I don’t think it was Jessica Chastain’s fault, whose performance was certainly good, but I was disappointed by the film’s portrayal of Minnie & Celia’s storyline. Not Minnie's as a whole so much, but their joint story that was quite separate from the rest of the action and drama in the book, and which I thought was so fascinating.  Overall, I thought this film adaptation was incredibly well done, the cuts and tweaks made sense and the story came together nicely, but I found that particular storyline lacking and while I understood why they would have cut it for the film, I am then confused as to why that actress is getting so much buzz for a role that I thought was lacking.  But perhaps not as many voters read the book and my perception is just skewed by that.  I do think the Octavia Spencer’s Minnie is so perfect that I will be disappointed if she doesn’t walk away with the award. 

Now, off to see The Artist, The Descendants, Midnight in Paris - very excited to see those three, as well as The Tree of Life, War Horse, & Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - a little less excited to see those, but they can’t be as painful as Young Adult (both Patton Oswalt & Charlize Theron gave Oscar worthy performances, but I suspect the voters were too uncomfortable to finish the film and/or think about it after having finished it).  I’ll also try to fit in a few of the films nominated for acting and writing awards, but not best picture, such as My Week with Marilyn, The Iron Lady, A Better Life, Albert Nobbs, A Seperation, Bridesmaids, The Ides of March, Beginners, and perhaps even more.  More on this before February 26th!

Books read: 4 (I know, that's the same as last week, but Eragon wasn't as engaging as I had hoped and I put it down, half way through White Cat though!)