MY HOPES AND PREDICTIONS FOR THE ACADEMY AWARDS

Soo I've tried my best to watch as many movies as I possibly could so that I could have an informed opinion when it came time for the Academy Awards and just so that I could have a good idea of what Hollywood currently considers as quality filmmaking. Here's my updated list:

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 13 nominations

2. Slumdog Millionaire - 10 nominations

3. Milk  - 8 nominations

4. The Dark Knight - 8 nominations

5. Wall-E - 6 nominations

6. Frost/Nixon - 5 nominations

7. The Reader - 5 nominations

8. Doubt - 5 nominations

9. Revolutionary Road - 3 nominations

10. Changeling  - 3 nominations

11. The Wrestler  - 2 nominations

12. Frozen River - 2 nominations (sitting on my desk waiting for me to watch)

13. The Duchess - 2 nominations (see above)

14. Iron Man - 2 nominations (see above)

15. Wanted  - 2 nominations

MY PICKS AND WHY

Best Picture:

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-Frost/Nixon

-Milk

-The Reader

-Slumdog Millionaire - I loved this movie. Even more so, I think it'll win tonight because it's an underdog. It was low-budget with a completely unknown cast plus subtitles...so basically it had everything up against it. However, this was a deeply moving  film with a cast that won Best Ensemble at the SAG awards. Great directing. Great score. It made sense and had depth and was inspiring, everything a movie should be. Milk was a close second for me. I think that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Reader should have been replaced by Revolutionary Road and The Dark Knight. Revolutionary Road was robbed in my opinion. It did way more for me than The Reader. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was good. I liked it a lot, but I don't think it had very much depth. PS Ben Lyons agrees with me as does like everyone else, except my mom.

Actor in a Leading Role:

-Richard Jenkins in The Visitor 

-Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon

-Sean Penn in Milk - I didn't see The Visitor so maybe Richard Jenkins was outstanding, idk, but Sean Penn was ridiculous in this movie. You can just tell how deeply involved he was in this character with all of the little nuisances and mannerisms, and you felt him, which I did not experience with some of the other actors. He was also just a joy to behold. Frank Langella was also very impressive. I would not be disappointed if he won. Mickey Rourke was good, but if you've seen him in interviews, I'm not so sure that he had to do so much actual acting to fill this role. The Wrestler was good though. Brad Pitt didn't really knock me out in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (except for his actual appearance OBVIOUSLY), but his accent was a little bothersome, and I just don't think he had to do that much work because the make-up did it for him. He was good, but I think Cate outshined him.

-Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler 

Actor in a Supporting Role:

-Josh Brolin in Milk

-Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder

-Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt

-Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight - Obviously we all know that I'm a Heath fan, but I also don't think anyone would argue with me in saying that his performance in The Dark Knight was incredible. Overall everyone thinks he's a shoe-in. Check back to see my tribute to him in previous posts. I think Michael Shannon was also phenomenal in Revolutionary Road, and if you've read what I've said before you know I loved that movie. The others were good, although I thought the whole Tropic Thunder thing was a joke and so did Robert Downey Jr.

-Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Actress in a Leading Role:

-Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married

-Angelina Jolie in Changeling 

-Melissa Leo in Frozen River 

-Meryl Streep in Doubt

-Kate Winslet in The Reader - This was a hard one for me. I didn't like The Reader, but I think Kate Winslet deserves props for Revolutionary Road and The Reader. In The Reader she had to pretend to have sex with a guy that's 15 years younger. Kate Winslet is amazing so she deserves to win an Oscar. Bottomline. I heard Anne Hathaway was also really good in Rachel Getting Married, although I didn't have time to see it unforunately. I have a lot of respect for what Angelina and Meryl did in their two films, but I really think this is Kate's year.

Actress in a Supporting Role:

-Amy Adams in Doubt

-Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona - I loved this movie. Penelope Cruz was beautiful playing a jealous, slightly unstable lover of Javier Bardem's character, which I'm sure was fun too. Scarlett Johansson was also in the movie playing kind of an annoying trampy girl once again. Amy Adams would be my second pick for this award. Viola Davis was also very impressive actually, and so was Marisa Tomei who was my favorite part of The Wrestler by far. I don't know. This one is really hard. So many outstanding performances by actresses this year. 

-Viola Davis in Doubt

-Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Animated Feature Film:

-Bolt

-Kung Fu Panda

-Wall-E - Even though I haven't seen the two other films, I think Wall-E  will win this one because I've heard the best about it. I also thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Art Direction:

-Changeling

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - I loved that this movie was able to illustrate the magic and beauty of New Orleans. It would have been a completely different and less magical movie if it had been anywhere else. I haven't seen The Duchess yet, but I'm sure that it was a high contender for this award. Any of them could probably win.

-The Dark Knight

-The Duchess

-Revolutionary Road

Cinematography*:

-Changeling

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-The Dark Knight

-The Reader

-Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design:

-Australia

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-Milk

-The Duchess

-Revolutionary Road - I looovved the costume design in this movie. It was the '50s, but there was more variety than you typically would in a '50s era film. It was also very deliberate of their character development. 

Directing:

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-Frost/Nixon

-Milk - Amazing directing. Brilliant. Slumdog Millionaire is also up there.

-The Reader

-Slumdog Millionaire

Film Editing*:

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-The Dark Knight

-Frost/Nixon

-Milk

-Slumdog Millionaire

Make-Up:

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- For obvious reasons this movie was able to do wonders with make-up.

-The Dark Knight

-Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Music (Score):

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Beautiful score. Also helped captured the magic of New Orleans and of this story.

-Defiance

-Milk

-Slumdog Millionaire

-Wall-E

Music (Song):

-"Down to Earth" in Wall-E

-"Jai Ho" in Slumdog Millionaire

-"O Saya" in Slumdog Millionaire

Writing (Original Screenplay)*:

-Frozen River

-Happy-Go-Lucky

-In Bruges

-Milk

-Wall-E

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)*:

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-Doubt

-Frost/Nixon

-The Reader

-Slumdog Millionaire

Visual Effects*:

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-The Dark Knight

-Iron Man

Sound Mixing*:

-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

-The Dark Knight

-Slumdog Millionaire

-Wall-E

-Wanted

Sound Editing*:

-The Dark Knight

-Iron Man

-Slumdog Millionaire

-Wall-E

-Wanted

*I'm not going to pretend to have enough credibility to give an opinion on this particular category.

Milk

Milk

I loved Milk. Great directing. Sean Penn was sensational. James Franco was hot and amazing. Emile Hirsch was great. Josh Brolin was great. Seriously amazing cast. Emotional and powerful. Easily one of my favorites of the Oscar nominees.

The Reader

The Reader

I personally do not understand why anybody thinks this movie is so amazing. I will say that the subject matter is profound and kind of shocking or whatever, but the actual movie did not seem to bring any depth to it. I felt no sympathy for the protagonist by the end because he didn't do anything that he was really supposed to, and Kate Winslet's character was just kind of dumb. I mean that's on the surface, of course, of whether or not I liked the movie. The way I felt about it was more or less like reading a book, ironically enough because the film is about this woman being read to, etc. I felt this way because it was like I was being told a story, but it didn't evoke any emotion; if I wanted to sympathize with a character or feel anything I had to dig deep and think about how he or she would feel, but they didn't make me feel it the way I think movies are supposed to. That's part of the beauty of film. I do, however, have to give Kate props for going through several explicit love scenes with a boy who is fifteen years her junior (he's 18, she's 33) that her children will probably have to see one day and be very disturbed with. I mean, she was good, but she didn't carry the movie enough to save it in my opinion.

Doubt

Doubt

Performance in Doubt was outstanding, particularly by Meryl Streep (who won a SAG for her role), Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. The movie itself did little for me. There wasn't much to the plot. Everything that happened I pretty much got from the previews, and that is my absolute pet peeve by the way. I especially hate it when it's a comedy and all of the funny parts were in the previews so when they actually happen in the movie I've already laughed or chuckled about it like seven times so it's not even funny anymore when I see the movie. Anyway... I also did not leave the theater doubting anything. You want to know what I think? SPOILER ALERT: Duh! He did it! Even if he hadn't done anything in that case, then I definitely think he had before at another school because he got all freaked out when he thought she called them. Plus, the little boy was gay and stuff. Even if he didn't do anything, it was inappropriate for him to have a close relationship with that boy so to me it doesn't even matter if he like molested him or something, and they didn't even specify by the way what exactly they were trying to accuse him of; they just wanted to know if he gave the kid alcohol and blah blah blah. So it was ok, but the performances didn't do enough to really knock my socks off or anything.

Frost/Nixon and The Reader

Alex saw Frost/Nixon, Doubt, and The Reader this weekend, but let me just note that never in my lifetime have I ever had a cooler movie-watching experience than the one I had on Saturday as I watched one of my all-time favorite movies, an American film classic, The Philadelphia Story, on screen at the Alex Theater (appropriately), which was preceded by the original Bugs Bunny cartoon "The Wild Hare" and actual news reels from 1940, the year this masterpiece was released.

Anywho...

Frost/Nixon

I actually enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. I was very impressed by the performance of Frank Langella who played the late former president, Richard Nixon, as he went through I'm sure what was the most emotional time in his life, the months after his resignation. I didn't get as much from Michael Sheen who played the ex-president's interviewer, David Frost. However, the movie altogether to me was pretty unbiased in the sense that you sympathized with the president yet also felt the negative impact that his irresponsible decisions had on the nation at the time without feeling that its critics were out of line. Overall I was nervous when I was supposed to be nervous and relieved when I was supposed to be relieved.  

The Wrestler

I saw The Wrestler today. I don't really have any feelings about this movie. The plot and story was kind of interesting, but left me not really feeling anything. That might just be me though. I got the point, but it's not the kind that shook me or that I'd want to watch again. I wasn't particularly attached to Mickey Rourke's character nor did I really sympathize with him. If I cared about any of the characters it was Pam/Cassidy who was played by Marisa Tomei (btw great comeback for her as well as Mickey Rourke who seems to be getting all the attention). 

Anyway, here's my updated list...

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 13

2. Slumdog Millionaire - 10

3. Milk - 8

4. The Dark Knight - 8

5. Wall-E - 6

6. Frost/Nixon  - 5

7. The Reader - 5 (which I'm dyyyinnnggg to see!)

8. Doubt - 5

9. Revolutionary Road  - 3

10. Changeling - 3

11. The Wrestler - 2

12. Frozen River  - 2

13. The Duchess - 2

14. Iron Man - 2

15. Wanted  - 2

If anyone would like to donate to my cause, feel free! Movies are expensive these days!

The No-Boy Diet & the Sixth Sense

Alex has an idea and a theory.

IDEA: 

I propose the No-Boy/No-Girl Diet to anyone looking for a change.

So I've talked about this before, but I know I'm not the only who can get a little addicted to the idea of being in a relationship. We stay in one for as long as we can muster up the energy and then as soon as it's over we're right back into the process of dating and looking for another one. Everyone knows why we do this. It's because obviously it's nice having somebody there to hold and be close to and intimate with, not to mention it gives us something to think about as a distraction from the mundane realities of daily life that are often a little too boring to think about at all. Relationships give us a little purpose; we like being needed and adored, and we like having somebody to make us feel good. I myself am a slave to this addiction sometimes for no other reason than it's fun and I get bored without one...

...But here's a thought: What would happen if we went on a No-Relationship diet? I mean that almost sounds as bad as a No Carbs diet to me, but would it be one of those things that you dreaded while you were doing it and complained begrudgingly about, but actually delivered "maximum results?" So you ask, "What could I actually accomplish on this here diet you speak of?" Well, I don't know exactly, but I have some ideas. 

-Maybe you could start focusing on being healthier. Use that time that you might spend on the phone with a significant other and go to the gym instead. Or instead of being forced to eat "date" food or eat on someone else's schedule or whatever the other person can cook/has in their house, start eating real, healthy food or eat five small meals a day.

-Get involved. Find a hobby. Get a life! Make yourself an interesting person by exploring new activities or organizations. Experience things that you wouldn't have had time to if you were in a relationship. Make a blog!

-Go on a trip. Do something spontaneous. If you weren't with somebody and didn't have anyone to check in with or plan your life around then you could go on a road trip with friends or a missions trip (I suggest New Orleans). You could also just go out without having to worry about a jealous boyfriend/girlfriend bugging you.

-Get closer to God. Maybe when you were so focused on someone else, you weren't really making God your first priority like he should be. So take time to get things right.

-Or all of the above!

THEORY:

I've developed a theory about guys that I refer to as "The Sixth Sense."

Ok is it just me or do guys seem to have a remarkable ability to sense when a girl is newly single? 

Now I approached a friend (shout out to Tracey!) about this concept, and she quickly prompted the answer to my question was as simple as the phenomenon of Facebook. And let me say, she does have a point. I mean, we thought high school was bad enough when everyone  you knew heard all about your business through the grapevine. Now no matter how old you are, if you have a Facebook as soon as the status of your relationship changes every single person in your world knows about it. It's pretty scary actually. It's convenient for people who want to know your business but who aren't bold enough to ask. It sucks though for you when you don't want your private life broadcasted before you can even make sense of it. Here's a tip for those of you who'd like to keep your private life private: Keep your status blank so there's never any announcements about you changing it.

Yet still, I'm not fully convinced that Facebook is the only reason. I'm sure many of you girls can relate to me when  I've been in a situation where I just broke up with someone and within 24 hours all of the sudden guys that I haven't talked to in forever or hardly at all want to be friends OR even creepier situations where I'm in a relationship that's on the verge of crashing and guys come out of nowhere way before I've changed my Facebook status. It's definitely a little eerie. 

So here's what I think it is: I think guys have this animal instinct that allows them to sense when a woman is available. Unfortunately, us girls usually aren't in the right frame of mine to jump into the arms of another man minutes after leaving the last one, and of course after you've been single for awhile it seems like all of the guys who wanted you before disappeared. It's like you're a batch of chocolate chip cookies and they can smell you baking in the oven and they're standing there waiting for that timer to ring so they can "get you while you're still hot." I don't know if it's pheromones or what, but they definitely know. 

So that's what I have to say. Tell me what you think, ESPECIALLY GUYS!!

How to Get a Girl

Well since Valentine's Day is coming up and all, we thought it would be a good idea to help out mankind by giving you the ultimate guide on all the steps it takes to make the lady of your desire yours. Sami and I being women, we happen to know exactly what it would take for a man to win our hearts, but since very few men have actually been able to pick up on these ever-so-simple delicacies we're willing to spell it out for you, BUT LISTEN!

STEP #1: GETTING A GIRL TO NOTICE YOU.

Whether there's a specific girl whose attention you're looking for or just females in general, here are a few tips:

-Be yourself: You don't have to try to put on clothes you'd never wear or look up funny jokes to make us laugh. Just eat a big breakfast every morning, get a good night's sleep, shower, and look your personal best. It does help, however, to make an effort, which is why I mentioned the showering thing. Smell good. Brush your teeth. Make sure your hair isn't greasy. Even seriously consider ironing your shirt. That saves you from girls being tempted to think you're gross.

-Eye contact and smile: These two things, along with being comfortable in your own shoes,  are some of the easiest ways to show confidence, which girls are attracted to just as much as guys are. The eye contact not only shows confidence, but it also tells the girl that you notice them and out of every other girl in the room you chose her eyes to look into. I also learned in AP Psych last year that it's a guaranteed way to make a connection with somebody because "eyes are windows to the soul" or whatever. That look alone might give her chills. Then you add in the smile and she'll be thinking about you the whole rest of the day. Most of the time when I see somebody they'll kinda look my way and wave or smile or whatever, but every once in awhile there will be a guy that looks at me like he's been waiting his whole life to see me. It's the combination of the eye contact and the smile. It kills me. Look at her like she's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, whether it's true or not, and she'll believe it and remember you as the one that made her feel that way.

STEP #2: TALKING TO A GIRL

Some of you might choose to pass go on this step and get straight to the asking out, but I

suggest that you give this a chance. I say this because there's a lot to be said for a guy that is

actually interested in getting to know a girl as opposed to just looking at her and thinking she'd

be worthwhile for a date.

-Ask questions: about her! So so easy, but seriously there are enough guys that think they're

every girls dream and would like nothing less than to be worshipped. Girls typically do a lot of

thinking, and we're just waiting for an opportunity to share it with somebody. Girls want to

be with a guy that wants to hear their opinion on something important and will listen to them

vent when they've had a bad day. Going on and on about yourself or even just making constant

small talk about homework or sports or something that involves no insight into her intellect

or sense of humor will not suffice.

-Give her a genuine compliment: Note: yes she may have a nice booty or a great rack, and

yeah, that might be genuine, but that just tells her that you're only looking at the things that

every other sleazy guy looks at. Your goal is to stand out. It's nice to say that she looks pretty

or something, but creativity goes a long way. You could say that any girl any day, and if she is

pretty then she's probably heard it a million times, but it's better to be specific. Try to notice

the small things. Say, "hey those are some sick shoes" (don't say cute because you also don't 

want to get into the gay best friend box) or "I thought the essay you read in class yesterday was

brilliant!" or something that applies only to her and shows that you notice the things that

she's probably being dying for somebody to notice. It goes a long way. I still remember

compliments that I got years ago because they stood out from all the others. And just so you

it's not wrong to tell a girl she's beautiful if you just can't help but say it because that'll make

her feel good too, but if you're going to do it tell her what it is that makes her look that way.

-Humor her: Basically, try to indulge her a little by laughing at her jokes and engaging in her

conversation. You know how good it feels when it seems like someone's genuinely entertained

by you. I mean, if she's just dull as dry wall then she's not going to change and I suggest moving

on to someone else because she'll be able to tell if you think she's boring, and it'll only be a

waste of time for both of you.

STEP #3: ASKING HER OUT

Like I mentioned before, it helps a lot to try to get to know a girl a little before you ask her

out. Girls get hit on all the time by random guys, so it helps a lot if she doesn't feel like you're

just another random guy. Not to say it's impossible to get a girl's number if you just see her out

somewhere. I feel like this is more appropriate as you get older actually, but my point is that a

girl will be a lot more likely to want to go out on a date with you if she feels more comfortable.

We live in a scary world. You have to make her fairly sure that you're not just another creep or

rapist or psychopathic, sex-crazed murderer so put yourself on her level.

-Come up with a good reason to approach her: Some may disagree, but my personal

advice is not to start out with a pick-up line or even a compliment. If you do that then she may

put her guard up immediately and never give you a chance to make a successful pass. Like I said,

no pick-up line, but try something like "Hey, do you happen to know where the movie theater

is?" or "I just moved here. Do you have any suggestions for where I could go this weekend?"

Then go from there. Start a conversation.

-Keep it casual: When you're ready to actually make your move, don't go too extreme. She'll

be more willing to say yes if you propose something that doesn't involve her taking a huge risk.

If you want to ask for her number or screen name or something, don't just say, "So can I have

your number?" Figure out a logical reason for needing it. Say, "Hey, can I get your cell number

in case I need to ask you for help on my chemistry homework?" or "If you give me your screen

name I can hit you up when I hear about some good parties." Or offer her your information for

the same reason. And if you want to take her somewhere, start with something as casual as

possible like lunch on campus or studying or meeting up at a party or something. It might be

romantic to say meet me at the Empire State Building at 7:oo Saturday night, but a girl would

be less likely to do this with a complete stranger so wait after a couple dates to go big.

To Be Continued...

Sorry about the formatting guys! Like I've said before, sometimes this thing has a mind of it's own!