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Archive for February, 2010

my dogs are barkin’

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

So, yesterday was part one of the big AMC Best Picture Nominee showcase. A few years ago they started doing a showcase of the Best Picture nominees, showing all five nominees in one day. With a whopping ten nominees this year, the showcase was extended to two Saturdays. The five on deck yesterday were: Avatar, Up in the Air, Precious (for which I refuse to call by it’s full screen name, since I think it’s ridiculous), The Blind Side, and Inglorious Basterds.
Of these, the only film G and I saw was Inglorious Basterds. Having no interest in Avatar, we planned on this being our big chance to see it, since we already paid for it and all. However, once the morning rolled around, we both decided that sleep was more interesting than Avatar. I suppose if James Cameron has made a deal with the devil and it wins the award, we’ll feel sheepish…but not much.
Up in the Air was as good as I thought it would be. I thought it spoke to the strength of the script & directing that G and I had different takes on it. G and I have somewhat different mindsets right now, and I thought it was cool that we were able to walk away each having got something different from the film.
Precious was okay. Maybe my expectations were too high, but while I thought there were some good performances, I thought the film was just mediocre in its execution. There were several continuity errors, and some things that made it appear as though the director did not have a clear vision of intent.
These were the only two that G and I were able to watch together, and as we discussed over dinner, we seemed to be in agreement of the quality. After he left to get ready for his show, I went back for the last two films. Next up was The Blind Side. I have to admit, that it was better than my expectations. I am still not sold on the idea of Sandra Bullock as the winner of Best Actress in a Leading Role, though she gave a solid performance. The actor portraying big Mike is what sold me. While I understand that the story was simplified, some of the simplifications made sense to me. I think leaving some things in would have made for a several hour epic film event, and that would have been too much. When I heard the nominees, this one came as a shock to me. However, given the ten slot format, having seen the film I understand its nomination.
Finally came my second viewing of Inglorious Basterds. My dear friend Proptart joined me, as she still had not seen it. The film was just as glorious the second time around. Perhaps even better. I am a little surprised that more actors were not nominated from the film, as there were some incredible and subtle performances. The only thing that detracted from maximum enjoyment of the film this time around was environmental. When Proptart arrived, we decided to move back from my front row seat. The theater had cleared out just a bit, so there were some great seats open. We settled in, and the film started. Not long in, I noticed a smell. Something along the lines of rancid meat. My first concern was that it was me. I had to pee anyway, so while in the bathroom, I gave myself a quick sniff test. Nope, no rancid meat smell. When I got back in the theater, I put my coat over me like a blanket and put my nose in the fur collar. I didn’t want to be too obvious, otherwise I would have pulled my shirt over my nose, or covered the lower half of my face. Fortunately, the theater was cool enough that it didn’t seem weird that I was bundled up. It was rather distracting, due to the strength of the odor, and not knowing where it was coming from. I think that if the government doesn’t do this already, this would make a great torture technique. Anyway, the credits start to roll, and I notice the guy sitting one seat away pull his shoes out from under his seat and put them back on. The odor dissipated. We had to suffer the whole film because this man with feet unlike I have ever smelled in my life wanted to take his shoes off. I understand wanting to be comfortable, but seriously dude, get that checked out. I mentioned this to my viewing companion, and she was relieved. She noticed the odor, as well, and had the same paranoia that she somehow smelled. It reminded us of the episode of The Office when Jim and Pam get married, and Kevin puts his shoes in the hall to be polished. He thinks his shoes have been stolen, but he is informed that they needed to be destroyed. I think this guy’s shoes needed to be destroyed. On the bright side, it killed my appetite, so I wasn’t tempted to eat any popcorn during the show.
Next Saturday, G and I will take in the remaining nominees. Hopefully, everyone will keep his or her shoes on!

grey gardens

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

For my last birthday, my rockin’ sis got me a great vintage coat. It is pink and red tweed with a very plushy fur collar. I hadn’t worn it until Valentine’s Day as a part of my red-n-black-rockstar ensemble (which is currently on top of my Flickr pics down right). I decided it is so lovely, it shouldn’t just sit in the closet until special occasions. Thus, I have been wearing it every day to work, occasionally with the red wool cloche I picked up in Philly.
The second day I wore it, a coworker remarked I looked very “depression era.” He liked it, and I thanked him. I realized later I should have replied, “Darn. I was going for eccentric elderly woman.”
I realized that I think that defines my look. Eccentric elderly woman. Maybe with a dash of rock star.