I do not think that the Academy Made Clint Eastwood's Day today.

So, I think I have seen more movies in the past month than I saw all of last year (at the theater at least). Partly due to the holidays and nothing else to do, partly because there happen to be a lot of great movies out, and partly because my dad and I resurrected our father-daughter movie dates. Since the Oscar nominations came out today-link below if you are interested-
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-01-22-oscar-nominations-list_N.htm

I thought I would also give my .02 (ok, probably more like a quarter, I have lots of opinions) about some of them (not all Oscar worthy, that is ok-its the MOVIES!).

So let's see....my best friend and I took our moms to see "Marley and Me"-a must for pet-lovers. Take hankies. But also, expect to laugh a lot. See, that is what makes a hankie movie worth it in the end....if its also funny. Anyway, the film will not be winning any prestigious awards, but it did make me want to go out and get the book (it's based on a true story).

I think the next one I saw was "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" which I think is based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story. I really liked this movie, and I know that despite being nominated for many awards and leading the Oscar noms (though so far not winning many/any?) it has gotten pretty mixed reviews. I think the story is intriguing, and the thought of aging in reverse, having all of the knowledge and life experience of a wise old man when you appear to be a young adult or child, is quite interesting, though maybe not fleshed out in the movie as much as I would like. I did like Brad Pitt in this, I don't think he is the greatest actor ever, but this was a good role for him. I did not like Cate Blanchett, something about her bugs/distracts me and I kept wishing they had cast Kate Winset instead. Anyway, I hope if the movie wins nothin else it wins for make-up/CGI or whatever technology was used to age Pitt's character Ben Button. Seemed pretty realistic, and the makeup used to age the other characters was also spectacular. I think this one would have a bigger impact seen on a big screen, so if you have been debating between whether its a renter or worth the $10 bucks, go to the theater.

One movie that while good, you can wait for the DVD, is "Doubt." I was really surprised that this movie not only managed a Best Picture nom for the Oscars, but also a Lead Actress nom, not Supporting, for Amy Adams. If you are not familiar with this one, Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are nuns at a Catholic church/school and Philip Seymour Hoffman is the parish's priest, and he is accused by the two of an inappropriate relationship with the school's first black student (set in the 60's, obviously). Now, I liked this movie a lot, don't get me wrong, its a "thinker" and I thought it was really well done. I don't think Amy Adams deserved a Lead Actress nom-and honestly, maybe not a Supporting one either. I've only seen her play one type of character (naive, unworldly ingenue) and while she does it well, I'd be interested to see her try something else before I go off giving her any acting awards. Loved "Junebug", even sat through "Enchanted" with a 6 year old, and I think she's very pretty and good at those types of roles-but compared to Meryl Streep or Kate Winslet? Not even close. But, back to the movie, if you are at all interested in the inner workings of the Catholic Church or just religion in general, this movie will give you some things to think about.

And most recently, I saw "Gran Torino" and "Slumdog Millionaire" over the MLK weekend. Let's start with Slumdog. While you won't need your hankies for this one, it does highlight poverty, trafficking, and violence in India, heavy subplots for a film centered around a young man participating in India's version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and being accused of cheating. This is one of those "triumph of the human spirit" stories, and it is very, very well-crafted and the story is told in such an interesting way-mostly through flash backs, revealing his life story through the context of a tv game show. And the music-I love the music! I really hope there is a soundtrack to this because it makes me happy. And, please stay in your seat through the credits-the cast does a big, Bollywood dance at the end. I will be shocked if this film does not win Best Picture-it got no acting noms, and reminds me of a few years ago when "Crash" won seemingly to reward the ensemble cast of actors and film making people who did not get individually recognized. Oh, and I totally want to adopt a little Indian boy now. There were a couple outside the theater an I did consider snatching one, but there were too many people around. I soooo hope that the kids from this movie get to attend the Oscars.

Finally, "Gran Torino". Seriously, did no one from Hollywood watch this movie????? Completely shut out from the Oscars. I do not understand this world. I mean, I know America re-elected George Bush, but I expect more from my elite, liberal, Hollywood. Ok. So this one is about a bad-ass grumpy retired auto-worker (that would be the iconic Mr. Eastwood, who in addition to starring I believe also directed/produced this movie) living in an old neighborhood in Detroit. He has recently lost his wife, his neighborhood has been taken over by immigrant populations, and his family wants him to move to a retirement home. If you have ever seen a Clint Eastwood movie....well, you know he's not going ANYWHERE. So, an unlikely chain of events result in him befriending the teenage children of the Hmong family that lives next door. I don't want to be one of those movie reviewers who give you the WHOLE storyline, and I really want you to go see this one, so take it from me-the story that follows is powerful, thought-provoking, and challenges our stereotypes about racism, prejudice, community, and family. I'm sure this one hit me a little closer to home thanks to my current line of work with refugee populations, as well as the whole English-Only fiasco here in Nashville (that we voted on today and hopefully will be OVER if it doesn't pass, God help us if it does). All I will say is that Clint's character, Walt, doesn't really like ANYONE, and the friendship that he cultivates with the two teenagers in this movie is moving and extraordinary because it really is the most unlikely set of friends I can imagine. The character's progression was brilliant, and I'm sorry to Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but Clint's performance is so out of your league in this movie that I am flabbergasted that they were nominated and he was not (haven't seen any of the other nominees' performances so I won't judge). Anyway, if you can't tell, I loved this movie so much, and I am royally pissed that it got ignored. I might just get all Dirty Harry up in here....

So, despite all that, I will watch the Oscars and it Kate Winslet can finally win one I might-MIGHT-forgive them for the Clint thing. After all, he has lots of trophies, and probably doesn't really care. Oh, and I was quite surprised that "The Dark Knight" did not make the Best Picture or Best Director categories as expected. I know those type movies don't usually win, but thy typically throw one in the mix (think Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean) for a little recognition and ratings.

If anyone has seen Revolutionary Road....I'd love to hear if it's good! I don't know if it is out here yet (I'm thinking maybe this weekend it is supposed to be here) but this was another one that got nearly shut out but looks interesting. Sean Penn irritates me on a personal level, so that's standing between me and Milk.

Ok, so its almost time to go home, thanks for helping me kill my last few minutes at work!

Oh Happy Day....

Surely you didn't think I had no thoughts about the inauguration! Of course I do. But they are many, and you have a busy life. And I REALLY need to give you all some movie recommendations. So, in case you MISSED the inauguration, I will provide you some links to get you caught up and highlight my favorite moments for you.

THE PLACE for all things Obama, including his Inaugural Address:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

NYT Article that pretty much sums up most of my feelings about that address, accompanied by a sweet photo of the Bushes flying away as the folks lining the steps of the Capitol watch:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/us/politics/21assess.html?_r=2&hp

TIME Magazine's Photo Essay of the Events (for the non-readers out there, LOL):

http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1872698_1827514,00.html

So, the inauguration itself-I was BLOWN AWAY by the images of the crowd. I definitely would have been claustrophobic! So what is this with Dick Cheney in a wheelchair because he hurt himself moving furniture or something? YEAH RIGHT. Um, like any of us believe that the VP of the US is moving his own furniture? Nice try. Don't know what is wrong with him, but not surprised at all that he chose to be a little less than truthful about it.

I'm pretty sure I have mentioned before how much I love that Obama was a Constitutional Law professor for many years. It showed yesterday when Justice Roberts flubbed the oath of office, and Obama KNEW he did and clearly did not know what to do about it! Such a human moment-then, Roberts realized he'd transposed the words and corrected himself, but by that time Obama had already rearranged the words in HIS head and still said it the wrong way. LOL. Thank goodness that oath is just ceremonial!

Also-HOW CUTE are the First Daughters? Little Sasha will be entertaining us quite a bit, I predict. She gave her dad the thumbs up right before he took the Oath of Office. And Malia is a girl after my own heart-never saw her without that camera in her hand! At one point when everyone had to stand, VP Biden was in front of her and she could not get her shot-she handed him the camera and made him take the photo, and ALSO inspected the photo when he handed her the camera back to make sure he got it! LOL. Love these girls-so poised and adorable.

The ADDRESS: I thought it was very, very good. Loved that George had to sit there and listen to Obama tell him he had failed to make tough choices (since George thinks that was his strong suit). I loved the part about our spirit being stronger than that of terrorists (THAT is the statement I wish I head heard post 9/11) and also the part about greatness having to be earned; and how power neither protects us nor entitles us. Overall, I think his remarks were pragmatic and hopeful, and I hope he can pull it off!

Since I am addicted to this type of stuff, you know I also watched coverage of the Balls last night. Can I tell you how much I LOVED Michelle's dress. If you read my Golden Globes fashion review, you know that Michelle covered a couple of trends with her dress by a young, relatively unknown fashion designer-a one shouldered, Ivory, flowing chiffon gown with little flower appliques and some silver sparkle. I would totally wear this dress-crazy feminine, yet modern, youthful and elegant, and no First Lady has ever worn anything like it. I've seen mixed reviews on the dress, but I say SCORE. The best photos I have found are here (not easy to photograph the detail in a white dress!) and also shows up close on the gown and up close of the accessories.

http://www.celebitchy.com/32019/inaugural_fashion_michelle_obamas_jason_wu_dress/

(If you go to this site, the pics are down at the bottom of the page-there are a couple at the top, but a whole bunch of great ones if you scroll down)

Anyway, glad that this new time for America is finally here.

Golden Globe Goodness!

OK, I admit it, I am an awards show junkie. I love the speeches, the fancy dresses, and rolling my eyes at self-important celebrities crazy red-carpet interviews. So, I spent about 5 hours yesterday in front of the tv watching the show and red-carpet arrivals. It actually motivated me to clean my house because I was trying to get a list of chores done before it came on. Whatever works!

Before I get to the best part-the DRESSES-I must comment on Kate Winslet finally winning something! Seriously, I feel like she's nominated all the time, but never wins. I was afraid she was going to be the Susan Lucci of movie actresses or something. Anyway, after she won that first one for Best Supporting Actress, I just had this weird feeling that she would win the Best Actress one too. And she did! And she forgot Angelina Jolie! AWESOME. And, Tina Fey and 30 Rock continued to, well, Rock, winning Best Comedy and acting awards for Tina and Alec Baldwin. Best speeches of the night came from Tina telling all her online haters to suck it (Oh-and those haters are real people-I totally assumed she just made it up off the cuff-read all about it here: http://gawker.com/5129103/meet-the-haters-tina-fey-told-off), and then Tracy Morgan accepting for the show...you know, in the spirit of post-racial America. I'm sure you can You-Tube either clip if you missed it. I'm too lazy to do it for you.

And, while not a huge fan of either, kind of fun to see Bad-Boys-Gone-Good as a theme, with both Mickey Rourke and Colin Farrell cleaning up their acts and winning awards for acting and not being trainwrecks. Sobriety for the win!

So....on to the pretty! I could probably make this pretty lengthy, so I will try and reign it in. I'll pick a couple of trends and show you my fave/least fave from each trend. Here's a link to Popsugar which has a pretty comprehensive photo gallery of the evening if you want to see for yourself ones that I may mention but not upload a photo for (again, lazy, lo siento):

http://www.popsugar.com/2684431

BASIC BLACK

As usual, lots of ladies opted for slimming, always classy black. Kate Winslet, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, Renee Zellweger, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. You know, I would REALLY love for Tina Fey to NOT wear a black dress to an awards show for once. Love her, but why is she even bothering to wear different dress? Why not the same one over and over? Like a funeral dress!

OK, best black for me has to go to Kate Winslet here. Its just so classic and her hair and makeup were also perfect. Since she won, twice, she'll have to keep looking at these pics over and over for awhile, so its a good thing she looked good.

Worst black? Definitely Renee Zellweger! Tina gets a pass for laziness ONLY because Renee goofed up! What on earth is this? Renee usually does better.....tsk, tsk. PRETTY IN PURPLE

Lots of purple gowns, in various shades. Hayden Panettiere from Heroes, Olivia Wilde from House, Anna Paquin from True Blood, Rumer Willis of Demi and Bruce, all chose lovely shades of purple from lilac to deep grape. None of them were all that great to me, but Hayden's dress was VERY unflattering-it smooshed her chest and the straight neckline really did nothing for her. And it made her look short (so did Anna Paquin's dress). They both need to call Reese Witherspoon (who was not there-for shame)for style tips-both are petite and a little bit athletic in body types. If Hayden had picked, say, a knee-length fitted cocktail dress in the same shade, with a strapless sweetheart neckline, I think it would have been much better. Anna's wasn't as bad, but I wish she'd done something a little more daring, she's young and her dress was kind of old.

SHADES OF PALE

Pale shades of White, Cream, Pale Pink, Pale Gray, and Nude tones dominated the red carpet. Sandra Bullock, Kate Beckinsale, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore, Eva Mendes, that girl from Momma Mia (the daughter, not Meryl Streep), Miley Cyrus, America Ferrara, etc. Lots of pretty dresses for sure, but I was a little under-dazzled by the lack of color. Hoping that they are saving it for the Oscars.

I think my Fave Pale Dress girl was Sandra Bullock. You don't see her much anymore, and she looked very nice.

Worst? This is bad, but I really thought Eva Mendes looked like she was wearing a very fancily-folded napkin. Just didn't do it for me!
WORST HAIR-Drew Barrymore. ACK! Lovely dress, pretty makeup, all distracted by whatever is on her head.
BLUE RIBBON.....blue was also one of the few shades on the red carpet....Mary Louise Parker, who is on one of my favorite shows, Weeds, looked really pretty with natural flowing hair and a bright blue dress which looked awesome against her pale skin and dark hair.

January Jones of Mad Men-also AMAZING in a sky blue number-it was like nothing else on the red carpet and again, great color choice to go with her hair and skin. And it had POCKETS! Cool.Best that didn't fit into any of my other categories....Eva Longoria in a red number that had the coolest scalloped neckline. Don't really like her, but you have to admit she's got confidence!

Worst that didn't fit into any other categories.....Christina Applegate. Yellow, strapless, ball-gowney number. Love her, kept thinking she looked like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and could not get past that.

Go Preds!

See, that's me, trying to look on the bright side after the Titans blew having the best record in the NFL this season, first week bye in the playoffs, AND home field advantage when they lost to arch-enemy the Ravens on Saturday. That's right, arch-enemy. Nearly this exact same scenario played out a few years ago when we lost to the Ravens in the playoffs. Only at that point, they didn't have half of our old players. LOL. I really had to think about it when someone would say Samari Rolle or Derrick Mason and remember that they are NOT on our team anymore!

But, alas, 3 turnovers do not a playoff game win. So, back to the drawing board. There's always next year? (me. bright side. one more time.)