oscar watch 2013: my picks!

After watching all except 2 movies that I could not get my eyes on (The Gatekeepers - not yet released in St. Louis; The Master - out of theater, but doesn't come out on DVD until the 26th), I have my hopes for  who will take home Oscar.

This is not a list of  who I think will win, but who I would *want* to win. I categorized the nominees into groups by how I would feel if they won. If you want to know who I think will win, look for the asterisk*.



Best Movie:
Happiest: Argo*
Happy:  Silver Linings Playbook or Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty
Fine: Life of Pi, Django Unchained,  or Beasts of the Southern Wild
Angry: Amour, Les Mis

Best Animated Movie:
Happiest: Wreck-it-Ralph
Happy: Frankenweenie, Pirates! Band of Misfits
Fine: ParaNorman (cute, but not worth winning), Brave* (yes, I know impeccable animation, but the movie was so boring. UGH! Totally wasted potential for an awesome, strong, heroine for little girls to look up to).
Angry: n/a

Best Documentary:
Happiest: Searching for Sugar Man
Happy: The Invisible War, 5 Broken Cameras, How to Survive a Plague,
Fine: The Gatekeepers* (couldn't see it, so have no opinion)
Angry: n/a

Best Actor:
Happiest: Daniel Day Lewis*, Lincoln
Happy: Hugh Jackman, Les Mis; Bradley Cooper,Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Joaquin Pheonix, The Master (I put him here because I can't really have an opinion since I didn't see the movie)
Angry:  Denzel Washington, Flight (I hated this movie & didn't think he did anything new or note-worthy. I certainly didn't get lost in his role.)

Best Actress
Happiest: Jessica Chastain*, ZD30
Happy: Jennifer Lawrence*, Silver Linings Playbook; Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Fine: Emannuelle Riva, Amour; Naimi Watts, The Impossible
Angry: n/a

Best Supporting Actor:
Happiest: Christopher Waltz, Django Unchained
Happy: Tommy Lee Jones*, Lincoln; Robert DiNero, Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Alan Arkin, Argo; Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master (again, only here b/c I didn't see it)
Angry: n/a

Best Supporting Actress:
Happiest: Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Happy: Anne Hathaway*, Les Mis;  Jackie Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Sally Field, Lincoln; Amy Adams, The Master (again...didn't see her)
Angry: n/a

Best Director:
Happiest: Ben Affleck, Argo - wait, he wasn't nominated (OUTRAGEOUS!)
Happy: Ang Lee, Life of Pi; Steven Speilberg*, Lincoln; David O Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts S/W
Angry: Michael Haneke, Amour

Best Cinematography:
Happiest: Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Happy: Skyfall, Roger Deakins; Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda; Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
Fine: Lincoln*, Janusz Kaminski;
Angry: n/a

Best Score:
Happiest: Silver Linings Playbook (not actually nominated)
Happy: Anna Karenina, Argo, Skyfall, Life of Pi,
Fine :Lincoln*
Angry: n/a

As it turns out, I've seen all the movies up for Writing, so I'll go ahead and give my picks for those, too. :)

Best (adapted) Screenplay:
*I guess I should have read the writings from which these were adapted. I've read Life of Pi, but not the others, & I'm going to just have ignore if I think it was adapted well, but only concentrate on which one I thought was written best in general.
Happiest: Silver Linings Playbook
Happy: Argo, Lincoln*, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi -- I almost put this at "fine," because I love the book so much, and was not happy with a couple of the changes they made. Overall, one of the better adaptations I've seen & I'm not supposed to be judging on the "adaptation."
Fine: n/a
Angry: n/a

Best (original) Screenplay:
Happiest: Django Unchained*
Happy: Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty
Fine: n/a
Angry: Flight -- are you KIDDING me?! I cannot believe this was nominated for writing. Can.Not.Believe!; 
Amour

best original score recap

I was having a hard time deciding which score I should pick to win Best, and I found myself just leaning towards the one I had heard most recently.  Because I’d heard some scores months ago and some days ago, I decided I should listen to them side by side. Below are my comments about the music  as I was listening to it.  

Argo –While many of the pieces are not ones I necessarily want to listen to over and over again, I did think they fit in the movie perfectly; additionally, the pieces, “Breaking Through the Gates,”  “The Mission,” and “Clearing Iranian Airspace” are pure magic, putting the soundtrack squarely in the fantastic category. 

Life of Pi – I remember while I was watching the movie that I loved the music. It was actually a huge part of the movie, and in many ways, helped move the story along. It is beautiful to be sure, and I think my favorite piece is “Tsimtsum,” “Tiger Training,” “Orphans,”  and “Back to the World,” but it’s hard to pick. Most of the pieces are only 1-3 minutes long, and they all ease into each other; really it is one piece of music. It is gorgeous.

Lincoln – Well, it’s John Williams, so I know I’m going to like it. And I do, but that’s about all. I remember while watching the movie that music was power, but the same can be said for all of these scores.  I will say that the “Peterson House and Finale” is absolutely breath-taking (and, of course, the clip they play will be from this).  Overall, the music is beautiful and heads above many other scores, but I’m not feeling it for best score.

Skyfall – I remember remarking on the music when I came out of the theater – the music and the gorgeous cinematography. So I was excited to give this another listen. I couldn't get my hands on it through Spotify, so I purchased it from iTunes.  The stakes have been raised, Thomas Newman, you’d better delight me!  Okay, yes, I remember why I liked this so much as I was watching the movie. It is amazing.  “Jellyfish” and “Silhouette” are two of my favorites (and they are from a beautifully shot scene in the film). “She’s Mine” and “Deep Water,” and “ Adrenaline,” are also favorites. I don’t think it’s going to win though, although I think maybe it should. I think it’s going to be too fast-paced/electric for good old Oscar.

Anna Karenina - this is gorgeous  It starts off so fanciful, and I love the waltz   When I was watching the movie, I remember enjoying the music above all else, and I still enjoy it. I would listen to this again and again.  It is gorgeous, classical, and if I were still in an orchestra and given the choice of which of these scores to play, I would pick this one. I do adore it.

Silver Linings Playbook – Okay, so this is not nominated, but it should be. Three bars in, and I’m reminded how much I love this. Very hip, funny, distressing and beautiful; it helps tell the story of the movie perfectly. God, I almost forgot how much I loved this movie &; the music is bringing it all back. I love it.  “Simple,” “With a Beat,“ and – well, all of them, actually -  are just stunning. I know its not a big grand score, and it is relatively short compared to those nominated, but it just captured the film so well & is quite enjoyable on its own as well. I wish it had been nominated.

oscar watch 2013: review recap

I often post mini-reviews on facebook, so I have compiled the oscar movie reviews here for posterity. Movies with an * means I didn't have a FB review, but added one here.

Yes, you are welcome. I know I am doing the history of cinema  a great service! You can thank me with cookies. ;)

Skyfall (11/12)

Skyfall was absolutely amazing. The opening credits were easily the best ever, and the cinematography was striking throughout the movie; there are a few scenes that were so beautifully done that little compares. The story was also good (although I'll always be partial to Casino Royale)

*Lincoln  (November)

• I was completely blown away by this movie. As a history teacher, the congressional debate scenes rocked my world. Tommy Lee Jones was riviting, as, of course, was Daniel Day Lewis. I loved this movie and would happily watch it again!

*Silver Linings Playbook (December)

• I adored this movie. I was expecting a romantic comedy - that is certainly how it was billed, but that isn't how I would describe it. I loved the characters and the ups and downs of the movie. It was a really smart, enjoyable movie.

* Django Unchained (December)

• When I came out of this gorgeous, funny, though-provoking, violent, interesting movie, I said, "Nobody does blood splatter like Quentin Tarantino."  I stand by that statement. This movie was fantastic. Loved it!), and I HIGHLY recommend everyone sees this!

Les Miserables (12/31)

Having seen the stage version when I was younger & belting out "Do You Hear the People Sing," many times in my car, I had high hopes for Les Mis (sorry, Jason H-). And although some of the scenes/songs were absolutely amazing, overall the movie fell flat for me. I'm glad I saw it, but I think it could have been better; this review sums up my issues with it quite nicely.

Invisible War & Looking for Sugar Man (1/27):

I finally watched the documentary, The Invisible War, and holy crap it was compelling. Heart-wrenching at times, but a story that must be heard. I highly recommend it. Last night I watched another Oscar nominated documentary, Looking for Sugar Man, and it was also fantastic. So far I'm two for two. Let's keep 'em coming!

 Brave (1/28)

My first Oscar dud: Brave. The animation might be fantastic, but the story was rather lame an humorless :-(

 ...I was excited of the prospect of a strong, smart princess whose main goal in life was not just to find her prince, but the story was just not that good. Hopefully this movie will pave the way for more movies in which our girls have strong role models. And hopefully those movies will be better.

How to Survive a Plague (1/28)

3rd documentary: How to survive a Plague. Amazing story of how average people band together to become extraordinary and successfully fight for AIDS research & treatment. Although dry at times - like something you might watch in school- it is powerful and inspiring, and a is part of our history that should not be overlooked.

Beasts of the Southern Wild  (1/30)

Oscar prep continued tonight with Best Movie nom, Beasts of the Southern Wild. I'm not done processing this movie, but it certainly does raise questions of culture and land worth discussing. While this wouldn't be my choice to win best movie, the little girl was amazing.

 5 Broken Cameras (2/1)

Another thought provoking documentary: 5 Broken Cameras. 14 movies to go!

Wreck-It Ralph (2/3)

Best Animated Movie #2: Wreck-it Ralph. I loved this movie! It was hilarious, and I could see owning it. I'm having a hard time believing any of the other animated films will come close to this one, but I'm going to try to have an open mind about it. (13 movies to go!)

Oscar (short) BONUS! Paperman (2/4)  My friend Ellie  & my roomate shared this with me. Thanks!

           Love this

  Flight (2/6)

Oscar Watch 2013: Flight(Denzel Washington, best actor). Denzel was Denzel; fantastic as always. But I wasn't wowed. The movie did wow me- in how completely awfull it was. The tone was off, the climatic moment was contrived & unrealistic, and the end was basically a montage of cliches. It should have been a good movie; there were moments of greatness, but then they were ruined by poor writing and a distracting soundtrack. 13 to go! 

  Zero Dark Thirty (2/7)

"Oscar Watch 2013: Zero Dark Thirty (picture & actress). Absolutely amazing. I'm increasingly conflicted over which picture I want to win Best. On one hand this was perfect: gripping, and emotional, and somehow suspenseful even though I knew the outcome. On the other hand, it has a low rewatchability likelihood. Jessica Chastain was flawless and should take home the Oscar. 12 to go!"

this post on FB led into a question about whether rewatchability should be a factor, however slight, in determining if a movie should win best picture. I maintained it should be a  very small factor, but the majority of people disagreed with me. It is an interesting question to ponder & ponder it still I do.   

  Life of Pi  (2/9)

Oscar Watch 2013: Life of Pi (movie, director, cinematography, & music). Another fantastic & gorgeous movie. The book is one of my absolute favorites, so I found some of the changes jarring and strange, but the way the story was brought to life visually spot on. If you haven't read the book, read it. I have a copy & will lend it to you. Then see the movie. So far this has my cinematography vote.

 ParaNoman (2/11)

Oscar Watch 2013: Paranorman (best animated): Slow to start, but a cute little horror movie for kids. Reminded me a little of Hocus Pocus. My favorite line was, "Don't make me through this hummus at you! It's Spicy!" 9 to go  

 The Sessions (2/11)

Oscar Watch 2013: The Sessions (best supporting actress, Helen Hunt). Did John Hawkes get a Golden Globe nomination at least? I love him in everything, and this was no different; but alas he is not nominated. So far the only supporting actress I haven't seen is Amy Adams, and Helen Hunt may be my top pick (even though I know Anne Hathaway is going to win); this was not an easy role & she did an impeccable job. The movie was sweet, funny, and tear inducing in that way all good indie comedy-dramas are. 8 to go!

 Frankenweenie (2/13)

OW2013: Frankenweenie (best animated) was way better than I anticipated. This may be the first Tim Burton movie I've liked in awhile. Sweet & well crafted, and not over the top. The music was just perfect for the film.

 Amour (2/16)

OW2013: Amour (best picture, actress, director). This movie was more depressing than Wall-E. I kind of wish I hadn't seen it, and cannot, in good conscious, recommend it to anyone who has ever experienced a loved one dying. That said, if you enjoy extremely realistic and heart-wrenching movies about people growing old & their enduring love, then this is the movie for you! Emanuelle Riva (actress) was outstanding, and definitely deserves the nomination. ( 6 to go!)

 Pirates! Band of Misfits (2/17)

OW2013: Pirates! Band of Misfits (best animated) was cute, but not terribly entertaining for me. Visually, of course, it was ridiculously good. And bonus: Jeremy Piven and a Flight of the Conchords song is in it. 5 to go!

 Oscar (short) BONUS! Maggie Simpson, The Longest Daycare (2/19)

Oscar Bonus! I caught the animated short, Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare," today because my all-knowing Tivo thought to record it for me. It was sweet & lovely, but also had some comments about society. I laughed when Maggie's intelligence was tested by "Often Wrong Technologies," and then placed in the "nothing special" (loved that)

 Argo (2/20)

OW2013 Argo (movie, supporting actor, score). Firstly, how did Ben Affleck not get a director nomination? Secondly this movie was awesome. I loved every minute if it. See it! On Alan Arkin (s actor): I adore him beyond reason, and his comic relief was welcome during the film, but much like Denzel in Flight, he was just sort of Alan Arkin being Alan Arkiny. Great, but nothing new. The score: beautiful. Need to hear them all side by side to pick a fav, but Loved it. Great movie!!! 

 Anna Karenina (2/21)

 OW2013 Anna Karenina (Cinematography, Score). Oh Anna Karenina, you long, long, boring movie. But, I have to give credit where credit due: the cinematography and music are beautiful. There were also several scenes that were quite compelling as well as being masterfully shot, but in the end the pacing was so drawn out that it could not hold my undivided attention. (And now, with the sad reality that it is not possible for me to see 2 of the nominations having sunk in, I say, "1 to go!")

 The Impossible (2/24)

 OW2013: The Impossible (actress: Naimi Watts). Well, if you need a good cry, this is the movie for you. I loved it, but it was somewhat draining emotionally. I though Naimi Watts did a fantastic job - as did Ewan McGreggor. I thought the kid who played Lucas (Tom Holland) should have gotten a supporting actor nomination. He certainly showed more range than Alan Arkin in Argo, and in ways he carried this movie. No, he totally carried this movie. He is the character whose emotions on which you hung your own. He was fantastic. 
Nit-pick: I loved this movie, but I thought the "let's zoom out to show how small we are compared to the tragedy as a whole and/or how impossible it was for these people to find each other  was overused. Doing that 1-3 times at key moments (like the first time they did it) is really powerful, but it was done so many times that I became someone somewhat immune to it. Which is, I guess, why it was not nominated for any other major categories. Still, great movie. I recommend it!
That's it! I'm done! Challenge Complete! :)

reading list

NPR keeps adding books to my reading list. These are a few I don't want to forget as I read the books currently on my nightstand.

• Sticks and Stones, by Emily Bazelon - I've actually heard Emily Bazelon speak on the subject of autism in girls (which often presents itself much differently in girls than in boys) on TED, so I was interested when I heard she'd written this book. The book is about how cyber/internet bullying has upped the anti when it comes to bullying. Here  you can listen to Terry Gross interviewing Brazelon on Fresh Air (incidentally, she sounds exactly like a friend of mine; I'm beginning to think they are the same person).
• Cinderella Ate My Daughter, by Peggy Orenstein - I heard Orenstein talking about this on All Things Considered & it seems like the kind of book anyone (mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, cousins, teachers, etc) who has a hand in raising girls should read. I've read Orenstein's other book, School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap, which is a great read, so I am hopefully I will like this one as well.
• Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, by Lawrence Wright - I heard an interview with the author on NPR and I became fascinated. Independently, my mom told me she was reading this book and it was amazing. As Agent Cooper says, "When two things happen simultaneously pertaining to the same object of inquiry we must pay special attention," so pay attention to this I must!

map wars

This is one of my favorite scenes from The West Wing.  CJ has a meeting with cartographers who want to change the map we use to be a map that more accurately shows the size of land masses. It will BLOW.YOUR.MIND!

By all accounts, the Gall-Peterson map projection and the traditional Mercator both distort parts of the globe (Gall-Peters distorts angles, but preserves land mass size; Mercator distorts land mass size, but preserves angles). What's their problem? Why distort anything at all? Well, of course it is difficult to make something round flat with out any negative affects.  Read more about it (and other mind blowing map projections) here.

Gall-Peters Map

oscar watch 2013: the nominations

Here are the movies & their nominated categories for the 2013 Academy Awards (Major Categories). If I'd seen them prior to making the challenge, they are in blue. I am supposed to see them all before Feb 24, 2013!!

Best Movie:

Amour (director)

Argo (s. actor, score)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (actress, director)

Django Unchained (s. actor, cinematography)

Les Meserables (actor, s. actress)

Life of Pi (director, cinematography, score)

Lincoln (actor, s. actor, s. actress, director, cinematography, score)

Silver Linings Playbook (actor, actress, s. actor, s. actress)

Zero Dark Thrity (actress)

Movie Itself Not Nominated:

The Master* (actor, s. actor, s. actress)

Flight (actor)

The Impossible (actress)

The Sessions (s. actress)

Anna Karenina (cinematography, score)

Skyfall (cinematography, score)

Best Animated:

Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Wreck-it Walph

Best Documentary:

5 Broken Cameras

The GateKeepers*

How to Survive a Plague

The Invisible War

Searching for Sugar Man

* = I will be unable to see these movies because they have either not been released in St. Louis (Gatekeepers) or they are no longer in the theaters, but not yet on DVD (The Master). :(

oscar watch 2013: the challenge

Many of you know that about a month ago I gave myself the challenge of watching all the Academy Award Nominated movies (major categories). Together, this totaled 25 movies; fortunately I had already seen 5 of them: This gave me 29 days to watch 20 movies in preparation for the Oscars!

The categories I chose as "major":

• Best Movie
• Best Animated Movie
• Best Documentary
• Best Actor, Actress
• Best Supporting Actor, Actress
• Best Director
• Best Cinematography
• Best Score

Next year I'd like to add best screenplay (original and adapted) and the shorts (animated and live), but given the time constraints of this challenge, I felt my category list was already ambitious enough!

Can this challenge be done? I'm still working on it. Currently, 4 days before the Oscars I have 4 movies left to watch. Time is of the essence!

My next post will include all the movies & their nominations...

book of mormon

Last night my mom and I saw The Book of Mormon.  It was fan-fliping-tastic!  I loved the music and I laughed pretty much non-stop. Even with all the jokes, it managed to have heart & be quite charming. I'll admit, it seems odd to call a musical that has such a comfortable relationship with 4-letter words "charming," but it's done. I stand by my statement.  One of my favorite parts in the whole musical was when the broke out a tap dance. It was amazing.

Everyone talks about how offensive it is, but I certainly didn't find it to be. While I'm sure the language would bother some, and it is certainly not for the faint of heart, on a religious level I was not offended at all.  The take-home message I...um, took home, was that while the writers clearly don't believe in Mormonism & find some of it laughable, they seem have a, "but it makes really polite, happy people, so Mormon it up!" Of course, that may be offensive to some Mormons. I'm just saying if it had been about Catholicism, I don't think I would have been offended (but I try to have a sense of humor about my religion).  I would be interested in what my Mormon friends who've seen it think.

In short: if you have the opportunity, love musical & laughing, then see it!

10 things I love

I realized it's been awhile since I've reminded myself of things that bring me happiness.  Here are 10 things I love right now:

• my green hat that I crocheted several years ago.
• the sound of rain on my tin awning.
• my friends, near and far
• sleeping in
• walls that are colored bright, beautiful colors
• my nieces smiling
• chevron prints
• quiet days with nothing on my schedule
• the West Wing streaming on Neflix
• Cooper and Lucy curled up & snuggling next to me.

the owls are not what they *seam*

Okay, if you've been reading my blog for any period of time you know I love Twin Peaks. I also love owls. While my love for these things are unrelated, they do overlap, so when my friend D suggested we make owl pillows I jumped on board. Then I made a Twin Peaks inspired owl.

This project was really fun, but not easy (navigating the curves with Walter took some practice). In the end our efforts were totally worth it, and I have several people who already want to order some owl pillows from us.  YAY! Here is what we made:

D & I made this couple of owls together.  D was the mastermind with the pattern, & stitched the eyes; I sewed and stuffed them! :)

Using D's pattern, I made this Twin-Peaks inspired owl (adding buttons for eyes). I like to think David Lynch would be proud.

In case you don't know why the black and white is "Twin Peaks;" it's classic Lynch. The zig-zag floor has been used in several of his project, most notably Eraserhead and Twin Peaks. I know my zig-zags should have been wider, but I couldn't find black and white that was wide and thick.  My search will continue, but I'm still happy with my owl!

sewing for an evening out

I love clutch purses. I used to crochet them, but that takes quite a bit of time, and then I always had to hand sew in the lining. Sew, I thought (heh), why not try sewing my own clutch.  This was my first ambitious solo project. It meant lining, interfacing (which I had no idea what that was), and fasteners. This time, I kept the vodka in the cabinet, and began this project with nothing but Diet Coke to help me.  I know some things I' will do differently next time, but over all, I love it! Super cute. :)

I pined the embellishment so I can change it depending on the occasion. :)

totes, totes, and more totes!

My second sewing project: tote-bags. Everyone loves tote-bags, so this seemed like a great project. I enlisted the help of my friend S. After some troubleshooting, and perhaps more vodka than was prudent, we made some beautiful bags!

How did we do it? Well, we didn't have a pattern - just directions. You will notice this happens a lot of you are scouring the internet or Pinterest for sewing ideas.  To make our own pattern, we used brown paper bags. We just cut them to size, and viola! instant pattern.  I've since also used large heavy (but not quite card-stock) paper, and that works even better because there are no pesky creases.

Here's what I noticed about totes: they are a perfect beginner project.  I love making them, but anyone who says a beginner can whip them up in an hour is wearing crazy pants. Maybe I'm just slow, but because I like all my edges to be finished and I wasn't lining the bags, it meant I had a lot to fold, iron, fold again and sew. Since my material is rather sturdy, I haven't wanted to line the bags, although this may be a better (adding sturdiness and saving time) option for the future. I'll have to play with it.

Here are a couple of the totes I've made since getting the hang of it:

adventures with walter, the sewing machine.

I received a sewing machine for Christmas a little over a year ago, and it was wonderful  My mom used my sewing machine to make me all sorts of curtains for my home.  This year, I decided I should probably try to figure out how to use the thing for real.  This resulted in my mom and I making a skirt. This time, however, I paid attention to what my mom was doing, and afterwards, felt brave enough to go out on my own. It took a little while for Walter and I to get used to each other  but with the help of YouTube sewing tutorials and an understanding about which bobbins Walter prefers, we've found a way to work together.  The result has been several little projects that probably take me longer to make than they should, but it is great fun. I highly recommend it!

This (Twin Peaks inspired) pillow was my first solo project:  :)

If you are thinking about sewing, this is a great video about how to thread one's bobbin; it saved me a lot of heartache.

the # 1 reason getting my hair cut stresses me out

Forget fear of a bad haircut or dye job (we've all been there, and some how survived). The number one reason I hate going to the salon to get my hair cut is the small talk.  I hate small talk, but small talk reigns supreme at salons.

My hairstylist (a very nice woman) is always trying to engage me in this chatter, and it stresses me out. I literally have nothing to say. What's more is I think she is trying to put me at ease/make my experience more pleasant by trying to get me to talk, but I don't want to. Why can't we just sit in silence? Seriously, I would be fine with that.

Have you got anything without Spam?

Hello lovely readers,

you may notice a bunch of comments have been deleted by the blog administrator (me). Rest assured, I only delete spam comments (of which I've gotten quite a few lately). I adore real comments from real people, so don't be deterred by the messages of deleted comments.

life lesson: how trails work

If you ride your bike on a non-loop trail to the point of exhaustion, you are still only half way done.

pippy love

the children came to a perfume shop. In the show window was a large jar of freckle salve, and beside the jar was a sign, which read: DO YOU SUFFER FROM FRECKLES?

"What does the sign say?” ask Pippi. She couldn’t read very well because she didn’t want to go to school as other children did.
It says, ‘Do you suffer from freckles?’” said Annika.
Does it indeed?” said Pippi thoughtfully. “Well, a civil question deserves a civil answer. Let’s go in.”

She opened the door and entered the shop, closely followed by Tommy and Annika. An elderly lady stood back of the counter. Pippi went right up to her. “No!” she said decidedly.

"What is it you want?” asked the lady.
"No,” said Pippi once more.
"I don’t understand what you mean,” said the lady.
"No, I don’t suffer from freckles,” said Pippi.

Then the lady understood, but she took one look at Pippi and burst out, “But, my dear child, your whole face is covered with freckles!”

"I know it,” said Pippi, “but I don’t suffer from them. I love them. Good morning.”

She turned to leave, but when she got to the door she looked back and cried, “But if you should happen to get in any salve that gives people more freckles, then you can send me seven or eight jars.”

~Pippy Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren,

life lesson

When you scroll through quotes about loving books and reading on Pinterest for an hour instead of actually reading the book on your nightstand, you have a Pinterest problem. 

movie review: Don't You Forget About Me (John Hughes documentary)

This is a documentary about 4 film-makers who love John Hughes and set out (from Canada) to find his house and try to interview him & let him know that he is awesome and missed by all. Throughout the movie, various people who have worked with Hughes are interviewed as well as people in the film industry who admire him and teenagers who relate to his movies even today.

This should have been, could have been, a great documentary. Sadly, it was not. The problem was that the film-makers were completely unprofessional and came across as stalkers. Their plan? Drive to Chicago, knock on John Hughes' door, and ask him:
1. Why he stopped making movies.
2. Will he make movies again?
3. Does he know how much everyone loves him?

I'm sorry, but if these people actually had gotten an interview with Mr. Hughes (they didn't), these were their questions? These?! Really?

More than anything else, this movie made me mad. It made me mad because it should have been a good documentary about a film-maker who connected to a generation of teenagers - who still connects to that generation and to generations to come - but instead it ended up being a documentary about what assholes these young film-makers were. Ugh. Wasted. Sad.

Top 10 Movies of 2011

I made a list of my favorite movies from 2011! My criteria is pretty broad, and I tried to include movies from a wide range of genres. The movies all had to have one thing in common: rewatchability. There is a place for movies that no one would ever want to watch a second time despite their critical acclaim, but this list is not that place.

I'm sure I've made some glaring omissions, and there are many great movies that I simply did not see, but all in all I'm happy with my list. Here are my top ten of movies from 2011 (in no particular order). Happy movie watching!

50/50 (drama, comedy, bromance). You may remember me talking about this movie endlessly, saying things like, "Drop what you are doing, and go see this movie!" I stand by that statement. This movie stars Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It's about a guy who gets diagnosed with a type of cancer that has a 50% survival rate, and how he and his best friend deal with that reality. Next to Bridesmaids, this is the funniest movie I've seen all year. That said, I also sobbed more during this film than in any movie since the Lion King (Mufasa dying hit my 12 year old self pretty hard). I saw it twice in the theater (high praise). Although I did not put these movies in any order, if I had to pick my #1, this would be it. Hands down. So, again I say: drop what you are doing, and go see this movie.

Friends with Benefits (romantic comedy). Yes, I will give you that this movie is a predictable romantic comedy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There is a comfort in the rom-com formula, and sometimes you want that comfort. This movie is the best out of the newly popular "friends with benefits fall in love" sub-genre of romantic comedies, and it's just generally the best romantic comedy I've seen in ages. Rom-coms have gotten lazy. Just because they have a predictable formula does not mean that things like on screen chemistry, good comedy, and a great "I love you moment" should be done half-assedly. And yet one need look no further than Something Borrowed or How Do You Know to see that this shoddy craftsmanship has become the norm. Not so with this movie. I laughed often, and I really wanted the two main characters to find each other. I was not disappointed.

Win Win (drama). Back when we were podcasting, my cohorts and I reviewed this movie here. I loved this movie, as has everyone I know that's seen it. The movie is about a down on his luck wrestling coach who finds himself looking after a down on his luck kid, who happens to be an amazing wrestler. They bond, and both their lives are better for it. While from that synopsis alone, you would have to drag me to see this movie, it was actually amazing. It manages to be heartwarming, but not cheesy in the slightest. It stars Paul Giamani as the lead. Listen to the podcast. See the movie. DO IT!

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol (action): This is by far the best of all the Mission Impossible movies. Adjectives I would use to describe this movie include: funny, suspenseful, surprising, entertaining, cheese-free, and heart pounding. Some of you may remember my eye roll inducing attempt to rewatch MI:2, and I have to say I was a little leery of the 4th installment after that debacle, but this was amazingly entertaining. I can honestly say, I hope there is a 5th!

Super 8 (drama, suspense, monster, family friendly): This movie stars a bunch of kids, a monster, and Kyle Chandler. The kids in the film are amerature film-makers, something I can identify with as this was the number one hobby of my brother and his friends growing up, While the kids film a scene in their movie, a train crashes and a monster is released. The rest of the town is evacuated, and the kids (of course) are the only ones who know the about the monster, and they set out to find out what's going on. While the plot seems silly, the acting (superb) and visual effects , as well as directing, make the movie one of the best of the year. I actually think my ol' movie reviewing buddy Pete reviews the movie perfectly here.

Bridesmaids (comedy): I saw this movie twice in the theater, and happily would have paid to see it a third time. Although I've complained that raunchy humour has all but completely pushed good-clean comedy from the movie reels, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it when done right. This movie did everything right: it was both ridiculously (and sometimes disgustingly) hilarious, but it also had heart, and the characters, while exaggerated, felt like real people. I could identify with the main character, as I imagine just about any woman whose best friend got married before her might. while I cringed at many of her choices I could also see some of that stuff happening to me, which made it all funnier. Additionally, it was nice to see a "chic-flic" with some balls ovaries, and refreshing to see a movie focused on a female lead (Kristen Wiig) who was not on a mission to find love.

Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen movie): I picked this movie mostly because the cinematography was gorgeous. No movie has ever made me want to go to Paris as badly as this one did, and I started planning a trip before the end credits rolled. The movie is basically about a writer who is on a trip to Paris with his horrible fiance & her parents. At midnight, Paris is somehow transformed to 1920's, and the writer is able to hob-knob with literary & musical greats, as well as influential artists, and in doing so he learns a thing or two. I have to admit, I love this time period, which may have a large part in why I loved this movie. It was magical, humourous, thought-considering, and all in all enjoyable. If you are going to watch a Woody Allen movie, watch this one.

Crazy Stupid Love (dramedy, romantic, bromance): I guess this movie is about family, friendship, and finding that special someone. Barf! No really, it's good. Cal's (Steve Carell) wife (Julianne Moore) asks him for a divorce at the start of the movie. Depressed, he starts hanging out in a bar where he meets the sexy Jacob (Ryan Gossling) who kind of takes him under his wing and helps him get his grove back. Meanwhile, Jacob meets Hannah (Emma Stone), and falls in love. So, the movie has elements of romance & family, and is both funny and dramatic, but in the end, I really classify this movie as a bromance between Cal and Jacob. Their relationship is what drives the movie, and their relationship is the one you are most invested in. I loved everything about this movie. EVERYTHING. I can't say one negative thing about it. Sexy people, love, romance, and a few laughs. Great movie.

X-Men: First Class (fantasy, action/adventure): I believe the word I used to describe how I felt during this movie was "rivited." I was. This movie was absolutely gorgeous to watch. I loved the sense of time created by the colors used in the film. The movie was also smart. It was not just another X-Men movie; it had much more depth and was much more interesting (as is often the case with orgin stories). The action scenes were both beautful and intense. I just loved this movie. My only complaint (and I have to say it) was January Jones' pathetic acting in the movie. Not since Andie McDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral, has any one actor's performance done as much to ruin a movie. Ugh..she was dreadful, but if you can look past that, then you should be able to enjoy this movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts I&II (fantasy, action/adventure, family): I put both of these movies together because they are the same book, so really they are the same movie. I have long been disappointed with Harry Potter movies (the books are better), but I have a hard time finding fault with this one. It is truly Epic with a capital E. I believe my tweet after seeing this movie was something like, "As I was leaving Harry Potter, I thought to myself, "If anyone ever tries to remake this movie franchise, I will cut them." And, that's how I feel, mostly due to this last movie. It was larger than life, and I loved it.


Honorable Mentions: movies didn't quite make the list, but that I still recommend highly.

Drive - has a very low re-watchability, and it certainly is not for everyone, however I found it breathtaking. Caution: this movie has some incredibly violent scenes.
Adjustment Bureau - I need to see this again, and I'll hazard a guess that when I do, I will regret not putting it on my top ten list. It was really interesting and an enjoyable ride. Also: Matt Damon.
The Future - okay, so I haven't actually seen this, but it's by Miranda July, so I'm sure I'll love it. It's in my queue.

weekend of fun (sentimental blog post warning)

Last weekend I was in Portland for my friend Heather's wedding. It was awesome, not only because I was happy for Heather (or because I was in Portland), but because I got to see many friends I had not seen for 4 or more years. That is too long to go between visits, but what I loved was how seamlessly we fell back into conversations. Although catching up was delightful, what was most wonderful was that it didn't fell like any time had passed since our last seeing each other. Now, of course I miss everyone anew. Not to get all sentimental, but I really am blessed to have found the friends I have through the years. I know that not everyone is this lucky. I can only hope we don't go 4 years in between visits again. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

my Lulu

I love this picture of Lucy.

i've said it before

...and I'll say it again:

Grading papers blows!

It is, without a doubt, the worst part of my job. Kids threatening to light me on fire? Bring it. Papers needing to be graded? NO! Erg.

and we're back!

Okay, so I had to hit the archives, but I've been working like crazy, and have not been able to make taking photos a priority. :( But! I'm going out of town to places pretty, so hopefully I will snap some delights. In the meantime, check out the serious back-log of photos.

the sky's the limit

City Garden, St. Louis, MO

summer evening in the loop

St. Louis, MO

Glacier Love

Glacier NP

end of summer

Near Billings, MT

hidden picture

Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis)

take over

Klondike SP

trouble

tybee

Although it seems so, I'm not actually obsessed with light houses.

no trespassing

Outside Congaree NP

where has the week gone?!!?

Sorry I'm behind on posting. Work & life have been crazy busy. I will make up for all my days with out pictures starting Friday. For those of you who actually care: sorry! :)

lighthouse 2

lighthouse

oops! I didn't post yesterday, so this is for Friday. :)

firewood

This seems a bit cruel...

modesty

Well, hello 26 foot tall statue of Marilyn Monroe in downtown Chicago. Psst...I think your drawers are showing! So, for this photo we are back in Chicago. My sister, mom and I stumbled upon this, and it is hilarious and random, but also a little awesome. I don't know that I would want to look at it everyday if this was my view from my cubical, but as a tourist, it was pretty funny, made all the more so when I went around to the back and saw the detail on her panties.

meep

I thought I'd take a break from Chicago photos. I stumbled upon this little guy in St. Louis. I just imagine him as a little alien or robot peeking his head out to say "meep!"

blue chicago

I took this while on the boat tour. I just love the hues of blue in it, and am happy that my flash didn't white everything out or that the lack of flash didn't blur it all. Again, the boat tour was awesome. I recommend it!

distorted

Alright people, I see a few skylines in our future (or many photos of one skyline to be precise). This one is a bit of a cheat because it's not really another picture, but simply a section of an earlier picture (Chicago Raindrop). I just think it's cool that the buildings are distorted. I can't quite get enough of this sculpture. I wasn't sure what the big deal would be, but when I saw it I knew: it's just immensely cool.

the noble duke of chicago

Do you remember that children's song, The Noble Duke of York? This photo get's that song stuck in my head.

The noble duke of York, he had ten thousand men.
He marched them up to the top of the hill and marched them down again.
And when you’re up you’re up.
And when you’re down you’re down.
And when you’re only half way up you’re neither up nor down.
He marched them to the left. He marched them to the right.
He marched them almost upside down, oh what a silly sight.

ominous

The first word that came to my mind when I saw this photo was "ominous," While we had a lovely time at Navy Pier, the evening was not without dangers: we found ourselves on a party boat that played "Sweet Home Alabama" no fewer than 3 times (all to the excited "whoo!'s" of drunk girls), then had dinner wherein we were rained on and my "medium well" hamburger was raw at best (still alive at worst). These obstacles were not about to get out our way of our trip; however, we managed to escape with our good humor in tact. All in all it was wonderful trip; I had a great time with my mom and sister.

chicago raindrop

Millennium Park is awesome and gorgeous. While we were there, we stumbled upon a group of about 200 people doing zumba (not pictured). It was amazingly awesome - and free! Chicago is cool. Crowded, but cool.

chairs about town

My cat, Lucy, sitting anywhere but in one of the 300 chairs in this room.

In other news, I will be out of town this weekend, so while my posting will be suspended, hopefully I'll snap some cool photos. I'll post when I get back.

rainy day croquet

Today I tried to take pictures of ordinary objects.

I thought about cropping this a little differently, but kept going back and forth. I'm still not 100% sure I made the right choices, but I cropped it with a little more on the sides than I originally wanted because I've made the mistake in the past of cropping without taking into account the amount of space mats take up and have been screwed when going to frame something.

happy national s'more day!

I did not mean to have two S'more related posts so close together, but it was brought to my attention that today is National S'more Day. How could I let that go with out a word?

yeah, i'll keep him

This is photographic evidence of one of the rare instances in which Cooper is worn out.

summer morning on the farm

sprouts of happiness

While it's no Central Park, St. Louis' City Garden is a bright spot downtown, and a promise of how vibrant and inviting St. Louis could become if we commit to its development.

two guesses as to how i'm spending my saturday night...

Laundry sucks. Here's why:

• The one good thing that can be said for doing laundry might be the fact that while it's washing and drying, you don't have to actually do anything. But you do. You have to wait. You can't leave the house - it might burn down! (that happened to a friend of mine) Sure you can do other things around the house, but you are still at the machine's beck and call. You are its bitch.
• The washer and dryer do not take the same amount of time. It just seems so inefficient. I could wash two loads in the time it takes to dry one, but then I'd have wet piles of laundry hanging around, so there's no point.
  
• The dryer buzzes and you are elated, then you remember you still have to fold/hang the clothes and put them away. Or: dryer buzzes, no elation, decide you'll get laundry at the next commercial break, forget about it, later find all your dry clothes wrinkled and your wet clothes mildewy, curse yourself for not just pressing "pause" on your TiVo, decide to rewash everything because you don't own an iron. This process may or may not repeat.
  
• The dryer is now empty, everything is clean, put away, and your bed sheets smell like linen breeze (or fragrance free in my case), and you think "This was worth it," and you change into your pajamas, dropping the clothes you were wearing into the f'ing laundry basket; it's a viscous cycle.
  

toaster oven s'more

You all know how I feel about s'mores (I love them), but it's been too hot to even consider going camping around here, so I haven't had any all summer. Last night I decided to try to make a s'more in the toaster oven. While better than most people's attempts to make the treat, it still was not perfect, but it did satisfy my craving.

water plants

Last night I went for a nighttime stroll around my neighborhood, and I stopped off at the farmer's market. I know they'd go out of business if it was vacant all the time (which would be bad), but it was really peaceful to be there alone at night.

I really like taking photos at night, but I don't really know how to do it well. They usually are out of focus, and lighting is problematic. I'm still learning how to use my camera, and I'm sure there are better settings I could use to get better shots, but I still need to figure that out. Any pointers?

the lucky duck

if you take my cell phone, you will kill my child!

Last night I had the opportunity to see an advanced screening of the movie 30 Minutes or Less. I get these passes occasionally through a pretty awesome website (gofobo); it's a great way to see movies for free if you are willing to put up with some inconveniences (like arriving at the movie nearly an hour early to ensure your seat). I am willing to put up with minor inconveniences because I love movies, and I am cheap.

Another inconvenience that free moviegoers sometimes have to endure is giving up their cell phones. The studio of the movie makes this decision, and it is a preventative measure against piracy attempts. When faced with this, you have three choices: you can either leave your phone in the car, check it (like a coat check for phones), or decide not to see the movie. Whenever this happens, people grumble. I can understand a little grumbling, especially if you are there alone and you have an hour's sit awaiting you before the movie, but what I can not understand is the sky is falling mentality that the world is going to end if you don't have your cell phone on you for 2 hours; that's insane. But what I cannot stand for is people being rude about it and acting as though saying "no cell phones allowed" is somehow taking away one of their inalienable rights. Last time I checked, the Constitution didn't say anything about cell phones. Unfortunately rudeness abounds, and last night was no different.

I'm in line relinquishing my cell phone, and the woman in front of me becomes irate, yelling at the young phone check girl that, "It is absurd that you are taking people's cellphones when they have children at home with the babysitter. Something could happen!" To which I jumped in and said, "You know, there was a time when we didn't all have cell phones on us all the time." I'd like to think several people said, "YEAH! You tell her!," but really it was only one guy. She stormed off.

Look lady, you are seeing a movie for free. It is your choice to be here, and if you really don't want to turn over your cell phone, go buy a ticket to see one of the other 16 movies playing at this theater. Do not take out your crazy sense of phone entitlement on this poor 19 year old who is just doing her job.

Okay, so here's where all the parents chime in, "But what if there IS an emergency!?! This is crazy! I have to have my cell phone for my KIIIIIDS!" To that I say: hogwash!

It shouldn't surprise you that not so long ago people went places - out to dinner, to a movie, to a play - without cell phones even though they had kids! Egads! How reckless! So, what did people do in these olden times (10 years ago)? Well, they hired reliable and responsible babysitters, and they left the location and phone number to the place they were going, as well as 1 or 2 other emergency contact numbers with that babysitter. If there was an emergency (a REAL emergency), then the babysitter would call 911 and then get a hold of the parents. As hard as this may be to believe, businesses still have phone numbers, and babysitters can still call these numbers in an emergency. This is exactly what your parents did when you were a kid, and somehow you are still alive to disregard the tale.

Look, cellphones are great; I love mine, but the crazed dependence on them is getting out of hand. Everyone needs to chill out and learn to disconnect every once and a while. The world will not end, nothing will explode, and your heart will not stop when you hit the "power off" button on your phone. Try it; I dare you.

sunflower surprise

Yesterday as I headed home from my downtown photo adventure, I was feeling somewhat defeated. Although I did take some pictures that ended up being not terrible (which I'll post at some point), I wasn't really happy with any of them; none of them were of something I loved. And then BAM! sunflowers. Seriously, I was taking a shortcut home, and what do I see but a gorgeous patch of sunflowers. A small patch in someone's yard, but sunflowers just the same. I love sunflowers! Naturally, I stopped the car and promptly trespassed to get some photos. I was really annoyed that sun was behind them, and vowed to go back at another time of day to have some better luck (which I still may do), but I actually kind of like this picture all the same.

missoula path, 2010

This photo makes me happy, so you all get a bonus picture! Missoula Path, 2010

I was looking through old photos that I like to figure out what it was that liked about them, so as to capitalize on that, but I realize it may just be the subject material and not actually that there is anything special about them beyond that. Anyway, this photo is from a path that I spent a lot of time on when I lived (or now visit) Missoula. I would ride my bike on this path to reach tennis courts, or take it to reach the Mountain in the background so I could hike up to the M. So, I'm going to list some of the things I like about it, and I welcome you to tell me what you like about it and/or give me suggestions 0n how it could have been better.

What I like about it:
I tend to like paths, roads, train-tracks, etc, and they are prominent in many of my photos; this may stem from my love of travel, or I just like the lines, or both. Anyway, I like the path, and the idea of where it might lead. I also like the colors; the sky is a beautiful blue, and I love that the shades of green add dimension without being "showy." The benches, streetlamp, and the people on the path gives this place a sense of community and makes it feel alive. So Of course, I feel this way -in part- because of the memories affiliated with this photo; in other words, I'm biased.

Summer Bay Resort

My friend Billy said, "Take pictures of what you love," Well, most of the pictures I've taken and loved have either been taken in the wild or in Missoula, MT (otherwise known as the place wherein my heart lives), but today I could get to neither of those places,so I tried to love downtown St. Louis during a heat-wave. I headed downtown to walk around, and I stumbled upon this:

This photo, admittedly, has problems. I'm not at all experienced at taking photos of urban landscapes, and hopefully I'll get better, but this was just too hilarious for me not to post. "Summer Bay Resort" in downtown St. Louis, um... what? Not surprisingly, it appears to be out of business.

30 day photography challenge

I had the idea that I should post a photo everyday. I am not a professional photographer, but occasionally I do take some pretty cool photos. I definitely need to get better, so I thought this would be a good way to motivate myself to try to take one interesting photo a day.

I decided I needed a theme, and immediately the idea of "Place" popped into my head. I am generally drawn to photos that evoke feelings of time and place (great photos also hint at a deeper story that one has only glimpsed), so it seems natural that I should try to capture that with my own lens. Of course, when I say "place," that could mean a specific place, but it could also just mean a sense of place, so don't look for pictures of landmarks everyday (although there may be landmarks sometimes), and I can only hope that a few of my photos conjure up stories for people as they look at them; we'll see what success I have.

Constructive criticism of the photos is welcome as I am learning, but please keep in mind: I'm learning. I'm not proclaiming that I am a great photographer or that I am a better photographer than you or anyone else. I just like photos, and would like to better be able to express myself through photography in a way that ends up being pleasing to the eye.

I am not going to use PhotoShop or any other kind of photo-manipulation, aside from turning a photo black and white (I'd switch film, but we're in the digital age and I don't have film). Why no manipulations? Well, on Google+ I follow several photographers, and this has caused me to give quite a bit of thought to photo-manipulation lately. Is a photograph really a photograph once it has been manipulated with PhotoShop to get ride of "blemishes" in the landscape or to make colors more vibrant - or different all together? It's artistry, but is is photography? For me, it's no longer true photography. A photograph is a snapshot of time, place, emotions, etc, and as such is raw and truthful. Once manipulated, that truth is gone.

I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for photo manipulation; there is, and those images can be breathtakingly beautiful (or just good fun if you want to make a photo look "retro" for a Facebook post), but they aren't really photographs anymore. Art, potentially, but not photography.

Anyway, those are just some thoughts that have been going through my head lately. You may agree or not, but right now it's my story and I'm sticking to it. Meanwhile, I'm off to take a photo.