127 Hours: of the one that wasn't as gross as I thought it'd be

This movie was different than I expected, and I do not mean that in a good or bad way (I guess it's a good way, since I did really like the movie) it was just different. I was worried the movie was going to be slow-paced, but I should have remembered Danny Boyle was involved.

Yes, there are some parts that are disgusting (James Franco/Aron Ralston severing his ulnar and radial nerves - and whatever other nerves are in our forearms -  was a bit intense and made me cringe, but c'mon, we knew that would have to happen) and seeing ants (especially when they crawled on his face - I hate ants), but overall it wasn't as bad as I'd been lead to believe. Perhaps I have a tough stomach, or perhaps I had built it up to be so super gross that it couldn't have really measured up.

The scenery in the movie was beautiful but after seeing what "bouldering" really entails (being in really small spaces, whether you are stuck or not) I can pretty much cross it off my life list as something I have ZERO interest in attempting.  I'm not really claustrophobic but I do not like being confined in small spaces, and regardless of my will to live, I probably would have gone totally mental if my arm was trapped by a boulder, resulting in me being stuck in a small space.  SHUDDER.

SIDENOTE - one of the girls that Aron met and hung out with before his ordeal, the one not played by Amber Tamblyn, was played by Kate Mara, who is NFL royalty (grandparents include Timothy Mara, founder of the NY Giants, and Art Rooney, founder of the Pittsburgh Steelers) and is in a movie I can't wait to see, "Happythankyoumoreplease".  ALSO, did you see that Chuck Bass's European ex-girlfriend was in the movie as Aron's ex-girlfriend? What a heartbreaker!  French women - so untouchable.

This movie brings up all sorts of topics for deep discussion. For example, was he able to survive because of his will to live or was he motivated to survive so he didn't die an "anonymous" death?  Some of the flashbacks that the movie highlighted were about his regret that he hadn't told anyone where he was going.  He knew that if he were to stay there and perish in that space, it could be AGES before anyone found him. As mentioned, I'm not familiar with bouldering, but I don't think people would routinely go by the space he was in.  Therefore he could have turned into, like one of the visions they showed in the movie, dust.  This reminded me of a story in the Detroit Free Press a couple years back about all the unclaimed bodies that were in the Detroit Morgue. Some of them were unclaimed because the families couldn't pay for a proper burial, while others were unclaimed because either no one knew that person had died, or no one cared. It gave me goosebumps. I mean, even if you live your life without marrying, one would hope you'd have friends or other family members who would be there with you when you die. Even if you are truly alone, if you fall into bad health, you might end up dying at a hospital, or a nursing home: either way, you won't be ALONE.  I think I need to talk about this with some good friends over some stiff drinks.

The ending of this movie, even though I knew it was going to be good since I followed the true story, was excellent. I was completely blown away by his ability to repel down a boulder to get to flat land and his ability to walk quite a distance before he found other hikers. And HOLY COW, those other hikers!  COULD YOU EVEN IMAGINE if you came across a delirious person with their arm in a sling who is muttering "Stuck. Boulder. Five days. Cut off arm. WATER?"  If that happened in a city like Chicago or New York, most strangers would be like "Um...good luck with that buddy!" because city folk tend to be skeptical of everyone and everything, but in the great outdoors, people are maybe a little more open-minded.

Life lessons learned:

1. Let people know where you are going.
2. Install a tracking device under your skin...or take a cell phone (would that even work? I know one of the rescuers said they didn't have service, but can't they still find people through their cell signal?)
3. Take sharp knives when bouldering, hiking, etc., as I'd bet it'd be a little easier to cut off an appendage with a sharper knife?  I hope I never, ever have to test that claim.

The King's Speech: or the movie that makes you want to be friends with a royal

This one has been hard to write about, even though I saw it on December 31, because it COULD be my favorite.  A couple disclaimers:

1.  My paternal grandfather is from England.
2.  When I visited London, I felt like I was in a happy place/my magical spot.
3.  I adore the Royal Family.
4.  My favorite accent is a proper British accent.
5.  I like tradition and proper etiquette.
6.  I teach communication classes, and one of them focuses on public speaking skills.
7.  I used to suffer from a high level of communication apprehension.

So, with all that said, this movie made me so happy.  It is an awesome story of battling adversity, tradition, and triumph.  It was the perfect movie to see to end 2010.  My only advice is SEE IT. SEE IT NOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT ALREADY.

Ahem. Also, the movie can raise a super interesting discussion about education vs. experience.  As someone who works in higher education, I find it endlessly fascinating that so many people who are teaching people how to do something, for instance succeed in organizations, have never actually worked in an organization other than the Ivory Tower. Fascinates me to no end.

This and The Fighter are my favorites. Similar in theme, which goes to show I am sort of a softie at heart. :)

Inception: or the one that made me even more concerned about my weird dreams.

I totally dropped the ball on this movie and didn't see it when it was in theaters, although I was super intrigued by the idea of it and love pretty much every actor and actress in it.  Therefore, I think some of the awesomeness of the special effects may have been lost in the transition from big screen to television (although my new TV is EXPONENTIALLY better than my old TV, which is one reason why my TV seems to be on more often).

I watched this movie by myself, which I knew wouldn't be the best idea. It is not as if it's scary, but it's a total conversation starter (since you're all "WTH?" for a lot of the movie) and something you might want to deconstruct with an equally curious friend.  I felt a little frustrated that I couldn't talk about it with anyone, but whatev.  But if you haven't seen it yet, and plan to, I'd recommend renting it with a friend/S.O./family member/another human.

As I have possibly mentioned before, I have really bizarre dreams. A long time ago when getting my tarot cards read, it was combined with a palm reading. As soon as I flipped my palms over, the reader said "OHHHHH...are you aware you have psychic powers?" Apparently I have the shape of the letter "M" in both palms, which stands for "mystic" and indicates a certain level of prescience (this has not been confirmed nor denied by any other reader, as I'd rather not know whether or not it's true). This was the first time I'd ever heard that, but I did recall several times where something I dreamt came true shortly after.  Also, I recall hearing that a relative used to be a fortune teller.  In short, the reader told me to pay careful attention to my dreams and intuition, because I will receive strong messages through those channels.  That would be all well and good, however I have the WACKIEST dreams, so apparently the messages I am receiving is that I'm bat-shit crazy.

I don't want to give anything away, but I feel I have to discuss some themes from the movie, so if you don't want spoilers, stop reading now.

Seriously.  I don't want to spoil it.

Still here?  Okay...I warned you!

This movie reminded me a bit of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  That movie was all about erasing memories of a person, but when they discussed Leo's character being in "limbo" and how his wife killed herself because she thought she was stuck in a dream (because if you are in a dream and get killed, you just wake up and enter back into reality), it reminded me of that. What I got from the movie is that Leo and his wife, played by Marion Cotilliard, got stuck in limbo while on assignment, and while there they created a dream world for themselves, but when they woke up, she thought reality was really a dream, because she got so attached to the dream world?  Am I missing this?

Maybe it was a warning against daydreaming/wishing for more and a reminder to be thankful of what you have?  Also when she would show up uninvited into his dream-assignments, I was all "Leo, I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL!" not because I have a husband who killed himself due to not being sure if he was really awake or dreaming, but because I know ALL ABOUT uninvited guests in my dreams.  Srsly.  So the parallels between ESOTSM were that he clearly had to ask her to leave the dream, but could he?  Would that erase all the good memories they had together?

Clearly I still need to have a sit-down with someone about this movie, because writing this post is making me want answers. I can't develop answers on my own because I'm not even sure if, at the end of the movie, he is awake or dreaming.  Sheesh.  CONFUSED.  But it was a cool movie.  I really enjoy movies that pop into my head at random occasions and make me go "Hmmm."

Final thought: Ellen Page must be about 4'9, because she looked a LOT shorter than Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and I think he's maybe 5'4.  Indie gods and goddesses are always so little!

True Grit: or the movie that people who are afraid of snakes should avoid

I did not know that people in the wild west did not use contractions. The language in this movie was so very formal and kind of fabulous. I especially enjoyed when Rooster Cogburn said "I do not like that man." I cannot remember who it was about (he did not seem to like anyone, really) but I thought it sounded so frank and direct and I was jealous of him for that.

After seeing True Grit I tried to go a full week without using contractions but it was not easy and I am sure I failed. I already have been trying to remove words like "gonna" from my vocabulary (you know it has become an epidemic when it is the word actors and actresses use in commercials instead of "going") so it was extra taxing to try to use full words for everything. If you have not noticed, I have not used a single contraction yet in this post and let me tell you: typing has been slower than normal. Also, my inner voice while writing this post sounds a lot like Mattie Ross's voice. ODD.

Besides listening to full words for the whole movie, my favorite part was when my friend and I both noticed a movie mistake (perhaps?) at the same time. I mean, she charged into a river on horseback, one would not expect her clothes (and horse) to dry so quickly, would they?  Did anyone else notice that?

This movie was entertaining while I watched it, but I cannot say I have really thought about it much since, except to think "Wow, that little Hailee Steinfeld sure can act" and "I am so glad I have easy access to a shower and beauty products."  Hailee was amazing as Mattie Ross (and Mattie Ross was pretty bad-ass herself) and very deserving of her nomination, although I do not think she should win. No one wants to peak that early.

Regarding the shower/beauty product thought, I am all for a simple routine but I just cannot imagine having to sleep outside in my clothes, then wear the clothes every day for who knows how long.  I am sure you would get used to the sense of griminess, but I am very  happy I do not have to. I am sure that might make me sound prissy or shallow, but I am really not either of those things. Well, not fully.

Final note: if you are afraid of snakes, do not see this movie unless you want to be even more afraid of snakes.  And if you love horses, please know that the American Humane Association certified this movie with the "No animals were harmed" designation. THANK GOODNESS, I honestly could not stop wondering when I walked out of the theater and had to look it up when I got home.

The Social Network: or the one that I was all "YAWN" about.

I'm sorry. I don't get it. This is nominated for Best Picture? Why?  I'm so confused. Sure, the story is timely and possibly interesting, but the movie itself was just...meh. I was at a friend's watching and when it ended the four of us looked at each other and were like "Oh...it's over? Well."

Per usual, I tried to figure out the potential messages of the story.  Perhaps:

1. Don't share your ideas with people, because they will rename them, color them a different color, and call them their own, making them one zillion dollars.
2. If you loan your friends a lot of money for their pet projects in an attempt to be supportive, they will inevitably meet someone who is flashier than you (although not any more attractive) and will be easily seduced by this flashy, substance-free person and will drop you like an AT&T phone call.
3. Justin Timberlake can be a decent actor when he is playing a character exactly Justin Timberlake.
4. "The internet is written in ink, not pencil."

Really, I just don't get it. If this movie wins Best Picture, I might have to start treating the Oscars like the Grammy's. If you loved it, please argue your case, I'm reasonable (mostly).

The Fighter: or the movie that makes you hope a 90's fashion revival never happens

This movie taught me a couple things:

1. The fashion of the 90s was really, really unflattering and unsightly.
2. What's worse than the fashion of the 90s, however, is the hair of the 90s. The Ward sisters had some NASTY business going on on top of their heads.  
3. If you are a female from the Midwest, South, or the Western states of the United States, you'll probably sound a bit trashy and "rough" if you swear an excessive amount. However if you're a woman from Boston, or a suburb of Boston, swearing a lot will make you sound really fucking cool, will help you get what you want out of life, and will prevent people from messing with you.
4. Even if someone were to offer me crack and put a lot of social pressure on me to try it, "C'mon, just once..." I would never do it, because that shit seems too hard to quit. I get annoyed and whine when I develop a headache from not getting my daily (small) dose of caffeine first thing in the morning: I seriously doubt I'd be able to survive a serious detox. When I gave up chocolate for Lent I felt crabby and lost for about seven straight days.  Kids, just say no to drugs.

I really loved this movie. It was entertaining and heartfelt and had an unbelievable message of determination and persistence. I think anyone who blames other people for everything bad that happens to them should see this movie.  Look at Micky!  His mother appeared to favor Dicky, his sisters were deadbeats who talked trash to his woman, his brother/trainer was a strung out crack addict who was responsible for Micky getting his hand busted up by the cops.  DRAMZ.

The acting was IMMACULATE. Marky-Mark, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Amy Adams, sisters, etc., all did an amazing job acting like a crazy wacked-out family.  I wholeheartedly believe Melissa Leo deserves an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.  I loved Amy Adams in this movie, and hope to live my life with a little more Charlene (IE - tough girl who says what she means and gets what she wants), but Melissa Leo's performance blew me away.

My advice: SEE IT NOW.  If you don't like fighting you might have to cover your eyes a bit at the boxing parts, but you'll be okay. Trust.

Toy Story 3: or the movie that would have permanently scarred me as a child

In theory, I like personification. Defined as an "ontological metaphor in which a thing or abstraction is represented as a person" or in layman's (read: normal) terms "giving human traits to non-human things", personification is often used to make stories more dramatic or provide an emotional attachment to something.  In my lifetime, I've read instances of personification in stories or poems, or heard it in a song and have loved it. I do not love personification, however, when it's used to give personality and emotions to adorable, inanimate objects who are routinely thrust into the paths of danger and destruction.  I am THIRTY THREE YEARS OLD but this movie elevated my anxiety level and made me CRY because I spent about 75% of the movie worried about the fate of a bunch of plastic figures.  Heavens.  Just look at them...adorable.

If my eight-year-old self would have seen this movie, you would see my 33-year-old self on Hoarders, living in an apartment filled with stuffed animals, Barbie/Skipper/Cabbage Patch/Hello Kitty dolls, Sesame Street toys, Happy Meal toys, etc. etc. etc., as I would have spent my whole life unable to throw out/donate a SINGLE TOY.  I know that this movie would have had a profound effect on me at a young age because I vividly remember the reaction I had to the movie "Fox & The Hound".  That movie made me SOB.  At the end of it, I was sobbing so hard that I wedged my little body (I was like 8 and probably less than 3 feet tall - late bloomer) into the movie seat with my head hiding in corner of the chair.  It was difficult for my parents to get me out of the movie theater after that, and I think that is where my disdain for Disney movies began.

I have never been able to get on board with walking into something that I know is going to make me cry, and most animated movies, at least the ones that are not princess-related, follow a familiar script: look at these adorable animals! OMG - they can TALK! Look at how smart and witty they are! Ooooh, here's a bad animal/hunter/person who is out to hurt the animals! Who's your favorite animal so far? Oh honey...not him...are you sure? Look, it's the mean animal/hunter/person, I wonder what they are doing here...oh no! What are they doing to your favorite personified character! *hide eyes* *favorite animal dies a noble/heroic/valiant death*  Yeah...I'm okay skipping those kind of situations.

Before watching Toy Story 3 I looked up the previous two movies to read their recaps, as I've never seen anything from the Toy Story franchise.  Once I pressed play on my DVD player to start TS3 I felt pretty confident that I knew enough back story about these toys.  TS3 finds our personified plastic creatures in a quandary: their owner, Andy, hasn't played with them in a long, long time, and Andy is getting ready to go to college.  What will be their fate: exiled to the attic to gather dust until hopefully Andy has children of his own or (gulp) meet the TRASH BAG.  I do not want to give any details away, as I'm sure many of you want to see this movie, or have seen the other two and don't want me to ruin the ending, but I will tell you that during the movie I was inexplicably moved to go retrieve my favorite stuffed animal and watch the entire movie with it near me.  Yes, I still have a stuffed animal.  You judging me or attempting to make fun of me for that fact will not bother me in the least, so save your breath/keystrokes. I feel as though it adds an interesting angle to my personality, as I'm tough enough to kill spiders bare-handed, but I have a soft side when it comes to a creature that looks like this:

In short, watch this movie if you are good at separating real from make-believe and like stories with happy endings, however skip this movie if you have a hard time throwing out a t-shirt because you don't want to hurt it's feelings.

Black Swan: or the movie that is not at all like SWF, in my opinion

You've probably heard a lot of buzz about Black Swan, maybe just the fact that Natalie Portman is now engaged to (and knocked up by) the choreographer/male dancer in the movie, or that she and Mila Kunis got reaaallyyy skinny for the movie in order to accurately portray professional dancers.  If you've ever seen a professional dancer IRL, you're probably like "YAWN...of course they had to get super skinny to be a dancer...I've seen a dancer and I wouldn't believe this movie if they didn't have bodies like prepubescent teenagers."

Many people, after seeing the preview for this movie are all "I've seen that movie, but when I saw it, it was called 'Single White Female'".  I did not get that at ALL from the movie. I think they made the preview a little like that because they have two very hot female leads and thought it might attract people that are "meh" on ballet/dance movies.

The movie made me feel a little bit like how I felt when I saw Jacob's Ladder: uncomfortable.  Don't get me wrong, I REALLY like it (I pretty much like any movie that has choreographed dancing in it) but I was squeamish through most of the movie (especially the scene in the hospital with Winona Ryder...NIGHTMARES.)  For a portion of the movie, I was also getting a Sixth Sense vibe, as I wasn't sure if Lily (Mila Kunis) was real. I think I was just looking for a way to make sense of the crazy.

Overall, I liked this movie a lot, however I wouldn't really recommend it to about 92% of my friends. Like my friends who claim "Jersey Shore" and "Real Housewives of (insert random city name here" are fantastic television shows...I don't think they are the "artsy movie" type, and this is definitely artsy.

For a humorous review of the movie (I don't agree with their grade of a B-, but this is funny business!), visit here!

Fun with Oscar, 2011 edition

Today is a great day!  Not only were the nominees for the Academy Awards announced, but the Republicans and Democrats are going to branch out and inter-party date tonight for the State of the Union. What theatrics! Hopefully this will make the speech less like a pep rally and more like...I don't know...NEWS?

In keeping with tradition (and again, giving me ten things to blog about in the next month) I will be providing my unique outlook on the movies nominated for Best Picture.  I will try not to provide any spoilers in my review, so if you haven't seen many, don't be afraid to read.

Fun with Oscar - Precious

I don't think a single person can see this movie and walk away thinking the same things they thought when they walked in.  This movie was disturbing, heartbreaking, frustrating, and...wow.  Just wow.  It's one of those movies that is so amazing, but one that you never really want to ever see again.

Did you know that 73% of rape victims know their assailants? That only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail?  That four out of ten rapes happen in a victim's home?

Precious' mom, played brilliantly by Mo'nique, a woman more known for her comedy than her dramatic performances (and also the CLEAR CHOICE for Best Supporting Actress this year) was evil, despicable, execrable, and sadly, probably based off a real person.  I know most of us would like to think a parent could never really treat their child like that, but unfortunately it happens all too often.


I've tried to type up my thoughts to this movie, but I really think it's just too difficult to recap.  Every time I type something, I read it and think "That sounds stupid" or "you should flippant" or "what do you know about the struggles of the Precious Joneses of the world?" so I delete it.

Basically, this movie left me stunned and maybe a little speechless.  I'm glad to see such a raw, painful movie get so much attention by the industry.

Fun with Oscar - Up In The Air

It's hard for me to intelligently review any movie with George Clooney.  The Cloon is a hottie and clouds my ability to see clearly.

All that aside, I enjoyed this movie, as some of my academic research focused on the subject of lay-offs and unemployment.  I was naturally appalled that any company would consider laying people off via videoconference.  How inhumane!  When I interviewed people for my research paper, they generally got uncomfortable and emotional while telling me how they got "let go".  I can't imagine how much worse the situation would have been for them had they received the news through a computer/television screen.  Research shows that people view getting laid off as a violation of a social contract, so I guess you could liken getting laid off via videoconference to getting broken up with via text.  Ouch.

If you haven't seen this movie, don't keep reading, as what I'm going to talk about next will spoil it for you.



Still here?


Okay, either you've seen the movie or you're not planning on ever seeing it.  All right then.




I have to tell you, I knew Alex had a husband.  I SWEAR!  She just seemed so perfect for him, and c'mon.  This movie was REAL.  Shit like that doesn't work out in real life.  I enjoyed how they turned the tables on normal gender roles (ie - it's usually the man who's a dawg in movies).  I personally know more marriages that were ruined by the WOMAN cheating, not the man, so it was refreshing to see a movie maker show a woman stepping out.

One thing I found a bit frustrating, and it's the same thing that I did a research paper on, is the fact that no one ever focuses on single women who lose their job.  The movie had that heart-warming scene with the guy who wanted to know what he was supposed to tell his family, but there was no scene where they had a single woman say "But how am I going to take care of myself?"  I assume, but do not know (alert! another spoiler ahead!) for certain, the woman who jumped off the bridge was single.  Why didn't they break that down?  I guess because it was a movie, not a research study...ha.

I know quite a few people who travel a lot for business, and I think this movie really hit them hard.  I've never had a job where I traveled, and sort of wish that I had experienced it when I was in my twenties, so I can only imagine the toll it takes on people.  Sure, racking up miles and hotel points is sorta sexy and can be convenient for any personal trips you might want to take, but the whole experience is probably very isolating.  It would feel a bit like leading double lives, which could be super fun for a couple days, after a while you might start to get a bit confused or feel like you were a character in a movie.  I think that's sort of what Alex felt like.  In her head, she probably felt like all that was okay, because she likely has put up a separation between "work life/travel" and "real life".

Anna Kendrick certainly has come a long way from playing Kristen Stewart's sidekick in the Twilight movies.  I thought she was really cute and very "real" in the movie.  I've known about 100 Natalie's (not really girls named Natalie, I mean girls like Anna's character Natalie) in my life, and I'm sure I'll meet about 100 more.

Fun with Oscar - A Serious Man

I am going out of order on this one (I have been posting the nominated movies in the order I've seen them), primarily because this one will take me the shortest amount of time to write.

What the hell Coen brothers?  What the hell Academy?  I don't understand how or why this movie was nominated for Best Picture.

Now that's not saying this movie is bad, as it wasn't "bad", but I just really didn't understand it.  You can argue that it's because I lack depth, artistic intelligence, etc., I won't be offended.  Honestly, it's no real surprise that I didn't understand it, considering the movie is 1) by the Coen Brothers, and 2) has been classified as a postmodern film.

I haven't seen all of the movies done by the Coen Brothers.  Some, like Burn After Reading, are on my list of movies to see.  I'm thinking primarily of their last picture, No Country For Old Men, which was nominated and won (to my chagrin) Best Picture in 2008.  In my opinion, There Will Be Blood was far superior.  I did not understand that movie at all, and although I thought Javier Bardem was brilliant, I thought the movie was "eh".

I've seen a couple po-mo films and understood what they were getting at, like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Truman Show, Austin Powers, and Scream, and also seen some po-mo films that I may not have totally understood what they were getting at but liked them anyway (see: Fight Club, all the Matrix movies, and Rules of Attraction).  I feel as though I may have missed the point on "A Serious Man", and would love for some of you to let me know what you thought if you've seen it, but I wouldn't recommend you put it on your list.

My favorite thing about this movie was some of the sets and the location shots.  The shots of their house and neighborhood were really cool, and I totally covet the couch and chair in the second rabbi's office and the owl statues in the lawyer's office.

Fun with Oscar - An Education

"Why, Chanel No. 5, of course." - Marilyn Monroe

I cannot recall how or why I became obsessed with Chanel No. 5 perfume (I don't think it had anything to do with Marilyn Monroe), but I've loved the perfume since I was about 12 years old and first started reading magazines.  The first magazine I ever bought was the August 1989 issue of Seventeen.  Fast forward to 1991 and I had no less than six magazine subscriptions, including Seventeen, allure, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, and Mademoiselle (RIP)...that's a lot of fashion reading for a 14 year old.  I don't even think Chanel No. 5 was particulary popular at the time, but I coveted (still do) Chanel quilted handbags and the perfume was the only Chanel thing I could afford (besides the nail polish and lipgloss).  At the time people were all "My grandma wears that perfume!" but to me that didn't make me feel like I was going to smell like an old lady, it made me feel like I was liking something classic.

Although the presence of Chanel No. 5 really doesn't have anything to do with why I absolutely adore this movie, it certainly didn't hurt.

In a way, this movie reminded me of "Reality Bites", in the sense that it made smoking look totally chic.  I know, smoking is bad for you, but I think some people do it really well and make it look very cosmopolitan and sophisticated.  Jenny and Helen did just that.

This movie reiterated my feeling that I was born in the wrong decade.  While I am a feminist and fiercely independent, I'm also very old fashioned and think that it would have been lovely to learn how to ballroom dance in high school, take cooking classes, and study dead languages.  I know that my junior high offered home economics, but I didn't get to take it because I was in band (I was the lone girl who played the drums...such a trailblazer).  I saw a bit of myself in Jenny, except for the fact that she was a top student and had both boys and men after her.

This movie just made me so HAPPY and honestly made me squeal in delight in several spots (it's a life fantasy to attend an art auction and actually BID on something).  The overall tone of the movie is not pleasant, as it deals with disappointment and lies and deception, but it handles all that in such a pleasant, optimistic tone to the point that you truly believe "everything happens for a reason" and that Jenny's going to come out on top.

"An Education" is based on the life of Lynn Barber, who said this when asked "What did you learn from Simon (the real-life older man she had an affair with)?":

"What did I get from Simon? An education -- the thing my parents always wanted me to have... I learned about expensive restaurants and luxury hotels and foreign travel, I learned about antiques and Bergman films and classical music. But actually there was a much bigger bonus than that. My experience with Simon entirely cured my craving for sophistication. By the time I got to Oxford, I wanted nothing more than to meet kind, decent, straightforward boys my own age, no matter if they were gauche or virgins. I would marry one eventually and stay married all my life and for that, I suppose, I have Simon to thank."

This is so poignant and amazing.  When I was 15 - 18, I crushed on hockey players, as they were hot and were the epitome of "cool dudes" in my high school.  When I was 18 - 22, I liked the slightly quirky frat boys who liked to party, made me laugh, and who my friends thought were cute.  When I was 23 - 27, I crushed on slick, quick-witted, smooth-talking dudes who had jobs that sounded a little impressive.  Now that I'm in my early 30's, what I find both physically and mentally attractive is so different than what it was when I was in my early 20's.  Lynn/Jenny is lucky to have learned that lesson at such an early age.

Fun with Oscar - The Hurt Locker

"I learned early on that war forms its own culture. The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug, one I ingested for many years. It is peddled by myth makers -historians, war correspondents, filmmakers novelists and the state-all of whom endow it with qualities it often does possess: excitement, exoticism, power, chances to rise above our small stations in life, and a bizarre and fantastic universe that has a grotesque and dark beauty. It dominates culture, distorts memory, corrupts language and infects everything around it, even humor, which becomes preoccupied with the grim perversities of smut and death. Fundamental questions about the meaning, or meaninglessness, of our place on the planet are laid bare when we watch those around us sink to the lowest depths. War exposes the capacity for evil that lurks just below the surface within all of us." - Chris Hedges

Wow.  What to say about this movie?  This movie practically put me in physical pain, because when I get stressed I start (unconsciously) doing this thing where I clench my jaw and make my whole head and face hurt.  It's not fun, but I have no idea how to stop it.

That aside, when I left this movie I was like "HOLY SHIT THAT IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES THAT HAS EVER BEEN MADE IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD AND I HOPE EVERYONE SEES IT ESPECIALLY THE REPUBLICANS." 

This is definitely one of those movies you should turn to a professional review for. I thought it was amazing and emotional and full of crazy suspense.  I was wearing a turtleneck sweater when I saw this movie (and was seeing it by myself) and totally had my turtleneck up over my chin and mouth, because that's what I do during suspenseful parts of movies.  I never cover my eyes, because I'm too cheap to miss something I PAID to see, but I could hardly stand it!  I heard myself muttering, on more than one occasion "Oh no...no!  Don't let that happen!" (don't worry, the theatre was not full and no one was sitting by me).

This movie really made me wish for an extensive, government-sponsored program that would provide comprehensive mental health services to any soldier.  I mean really...we are all quick to state "Support our Troops!" if anyone questions the validity of war, but when they get home we might throw them a parade, thank them, and then what?  Usually nothing, right?

If you haven't seen this movie, please do!  And I promise I won't say that about every nominated movie.

Fun with Oscar - The Blind Side

Through my experience working as a volunteer for my sorority, I've met many double-named women.  There's Jane Anne, Ann-Ashleigh, Sarah Kate, and Sara Kay, to name a few.  Prior to that experience, I always thought the only double-names that normal people (note: not rednecks) were named were Mary Ann/e or Mary Ellen.  I was familiar with Ann Margaret, due to my childhood love of the movie "Bye Bye Birdie", but she didn't really count because she was a movie star.  Outside of that, I felt like double-names were something reserved for trailer parks, or that any double-name outside of the two I was familiar with were always going to be Something-Sue (Billie Sue, Bobby Sue, Peggy Sue, etc.).

The women I've met with double-names are, on average, extremely attractive and motivated women.  Leigh Anne Touhy (as played by Sandra Bullock) was no exception.

This movie was cute.  I am a sucker for "triumph" movies.  I love the whole "you can do anything you set your mind to" idea, although I do find this common storyline at times problematic and idealistic.  Unfortunately, not everyone will find a hot southern pseudo-mom to "save them" from an underprivileged life.  I sort of feel as though movies like this are bad for social programs, because it makes the plight of the underprivileged look a lot easier to solve than it actually is.  "We don't need to reform the education system, we just need all the poor kids to smooth-talk their way into fancy private schools, where they will become instant football/basketball/baseball stars and win scholarships to top-notch schools!"  Ummm.  Sure.

This movie did completely reignite my desire to tailgate at a southern school, like Alabama, Georgia, or Auburn.  This could be an urban legend, but I hear they dress up in fancy clothes and bring REAL CHINA to TAILGATE.  I find that fascinating and exciting and WHEN CAN I DO IT?  I'm planning on tailgating this year for my birthday but I bet the people in Ann Arbor would think I was totally out of my mind if I dressed up and brought china.  They might be willing to overlook it if I brought them pot.

Any movie that's set in the south, with southern characters, always makes me want to be more charming/polished/etc.  She was in full hair and make up at ALL TIMES.  Her house was immaculate (of course she didn't clean it) and her husband was hot.  She had lunch at fancy country clubs with hyper-conservative women who likely say "Bless her heart" or "bless it!" a lot.  There is something so attractive about all of that, don't you think?!  I just find the thought of it so exhausting, and practicality always wins out.

Question to those of you who saw the movie: do you think Leigh Anne really was carrying a gun, or do you think she was bluffing?