AT THE MOVIES

Source IMDb

On 12/20/18 I went to see Boy Erased. This was a very good movie. I've become a fan of Lucas Hedges, an up and coming actor. Of course this movie is on a touchy subject regarding being gay. 

"The son of a Baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program after being forcibly outed to his parents."

On 12/28/18 I went to see Second Act with Jennifer Lopez. I am a big fan of her movies. This was very enjoyable. 

"A big box store worker reinvents her life and her life-story and shows Madison Avenue what street smarts can do."

On 1/8/19 Mark and I went to see The Mule. I love Clint Eastwood movies, especially when he directs them and this one was really good. We both liked it. 

"A 90-year-old horticulturist and Korean War veteran is caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine through Illinois for a Mexican drug cartel."

On 1/14/19 we went to see The Favourite. This movie was enjoyable. We both liked it a lot and it has a lot of Oscar attention this year. The cast was great! 

"In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne occupies the throne and her close friend, Lady Sarah, governs the country in her stead. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.

On 1/17/19 I went to see two movies. First up was Ben is Back. This movie was very good and Julia Roberts was excellent. This is another movie with Lucas Hedges which was in Boy Erased. This time he plays a drug addict. He was also excellent! 

"A drug addicted teenage boy shows up unexpectedly at his family's home on Christmas Eve."

Next up was The Upside. OMG this one was laugh out loud funny. Brian Cranston and Kevin Hart were great together.  Of course you need to be a fan of Kevin Hart. If you don't like him you may not enjoy the movie as much as I did. 

"A comedic look at the relationship between a wealthy man with quadriplegia and an unemployed man with a criminal record who's hired to help him."

On 1/23/19 Mark and I went to see Vice. This movie was so good and the actor's were excellent. No wonder Christian Bale has been winning awards for his performance. I'm not that much into politics so it was interesting seeing what Dick Cheney really did while he worked with George W. Bush.

"The story of Dick Cheney, an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today."

Last Wednesday 2/13/19 I went to see Isn't It Romantic. I needed to see a movie like this. It was funny but it was also predictable. I enjoyed it, even if it was a little silly. I am a fan of Rebel Wilson, she makes me laugh. 

"A young woman disenchanted with love mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy."

The 91st Academy Awards will be on next Sunday night 

the 24th of February.

I can't wait! I've got my ballot ready. 

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR

The Oscars are on Sunday night. I know a lot of you don't watch them. I know that they become a political platform for some of the stars which I don't like but I will still watch them. 

Sadly because I've been sick a good portion of this year I was unable to see all of the movies nominated. That's the first time in years but I have seen several of them and most importantly they are the ones that have been taking the awards at the other award shows this year. 

If you have been following me for awhile now you will know that it's a big night for me. It was a family tradition that our father started when I was very young. Since he ran the Atlantic Theater back in Chicago until my late teens this night was always important to him. It would also be pizza night and that tradition hasn't stopped either! 

I think it was the night of the Golden Globes or SAG awards when my dad called me up and said "I'm picking up the pizza, I'll be over in a little while." It was so cute for him to remember our tradition of the Oscars. Anyway that gave me a light bulb moment.

So right about now I should be landing in Tampa. I will be watching the Academy Awards with my dad on Sunday and there will be pizza! Actually it will be a great Chicago pizza from a place in Dunedin not far from his house. 

This week has been super busy for me. I was out of the house Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I haven't had a chance to read blog posts from Wednesday Hodgepodge but I hope to catch up at some point. I will be returning home on Monday the 12th. 

Love you guys......

DO YOU WANT MY OPINION......

I have never done an after the Oscar's post. Today I feel I should say something because let's face it history was made last night at the end of the show. What a fiasco that was! How in the world did that happen??

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO LA LA LAND......NOT! 

If you didn't see it you most likely have seen something somewhere about the fact that the last award for Best Picture was given to the wrong winner.  

I have however seen a lot of people who were involved being interviewed and they all seemed okay with it. Unfortunately the true winners did not have the proper time and attention that should have been given to them to accept their award. 

So I saw 8 out of the 9 nominated movies and of course the movie that actually won is the one I didn't see. How did that happen? (I just wasn't able to go and then it was gone) I do however plan on buying it tomorrow when it comes out on DVD. 

Let's get one thing straight, I have watched the Oscar's since I was a young girl. The first Oscar broadcast was on NBC March 19, 1953. I was born in 1951 but probably didn't watch as a young child and was most likely put to bed in those early years. But before my teens I do remember how important they were to my dad. 

I am a fan and I am not going anywhere. That doesn't mean that I may not stop watching a certain person's movies if they pissed me off enough. Politics has always shown its face at the Oscar's, why would this year be any different. Actually we expected it more than ever. 

I have to say that I loved the Oscar's last night. It ranks very high as being one of my favorites. Jimmy Kimmel was hysterical. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. 

Yes he poked fun at Donald Trump and it is no secret that I voted for him but the jokes were done in good taste and I wasn't offended at all. Just because someone has voted for him doesn't mean we don't get upset with him at times. 

We DVR'd the show but watched the tape live. I decided that if someone was going to make a political speech I would just pause the taping and FF after a minute or so. 

We did not listen to the Iranian woman who had a speech prepared for the Foreign film winner "The Salesman." We knew it wouldn't be nice. 

I heard that some of the commercials were political but I didn't pay attention to them at all. I maybe went potty or got another glass of wine during some of them. Most likely we were talking about the show during them. 

I am extremely satisfied and people can rant and rave all they want. I saw what I needed to see from the standpoint of loving actors and their performances in excellent movies. 

I was surprised with a few of the winner's because they didn't follow in the direction of the other award shows this year but I was ecstatic about that fact, especially when it came to Casey Affleck, his performance was amazing in "Manchester By The Sea."  Not to say that Denzel Washington's wasn't worthy, I was thrilled when he won the SAG award a few weeks ago. 

OSCAR SUNDAY

If you have followed me for a long time you know how much I love the Oscar's. It is a family tradition that our father started when I was very young. Since he ran the Atlantic Theater back in Chicago until my late teens this night was always important to him. It would also be pizza night and that tradition hasn't stopped either! 

You can see the nominations here and you can also print out a ballot here.  At first I thought I might be in Florida to watch them with my dad which would have been awesome but I won't be leaving until next Saturday. He will of course be watching them. 

I hope that the stars accept their awards with grace and dignity leaving out all of their political views. They are entitled to their views but this is not the platform for that. I see movies because they entertain me and I love the actor's performances in their roles. Actually they lose me as a fan when they view their political opinions in their acceptance speeches! 

If you are watching tonight.....enjoy!!! 

AT THE MOVIES (OSCAR'S ON SUNDAY)

DON'T FORGET TO WATCH THE OSCAR'S ON SUNDAY

Source IMDb

Friday February 5th I went to see The Choice. I have to say that I really liked it. Nicholas Sparks books make good movies! 

"Travis and Gabby first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town and wind up in a relationship that is tested by life's most defining events."

What can I say about Zoolander No. 2......funny, silly, crazy and a whole lot of laughs. We enjoyed it for all those reasons. Mark and Adam were at this movie with me. 

"Derek and Hansel are lured into modeling again, in Rome, where they find themselves the target of a sinister conspiracy."

I have to say that I really enjoy the actresses in this movie so I knew I couldn't miss it. How To Be Single was a very entertaining movie. I will be buying this movie on DVD when it comes out. 

"New York City is full of lonely hearts seeking the right match, and what Alice, Robin, Lucy, Meg, Tom and David all have in common is the need to learn how to be single in a world filled with ever-evolving definitions of love."

Mark and I went to see Deadpool on Saturday. I love Ryan Reynolds and it looked like it was going to be very entertaining and it was! Yes it is a shoot em up movie with a lot of violence but it was also very funny. 

"A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter ego Deadpool."

On Tuesday I went to see The Lady in the Van. This was a sweet movie and also very sad to see someone who lives on the streets in her van. I enjoyed this movie and the relationship between the characters. Maggie Smith is always excellent in her performances. 

"A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that's parked in his driveway."

Sunday is Academy Awards night, my favorite time of year! You can get a printable ballot here or other information about the Oscar's here.  You can also read some of my past Oscar posts 2015, 2014, 2013 about Oscar's Pizza! Yes it will be a pizza Sunday and I have our ballots printed out. 

I have seen 7 of the 8 nominated movies but by Sunday I will have seen all 8 movies. I was able to buy Spotlight at Target this week and we will be watching it tonight evening. I have to admit I have only seen bits and pieces of Mad Max, not my kind of movie at all, hard for me to get into it. 

Right now the odds are in the favor of Spotlight taking home the Oscar for Best Picture. Since I haven't watched it yet I can't give my opinion. I think many of the movies are worthy of winning. 

I have to say that it is a pretty good list this year. I'm hoping to see Leo DiCaprio win for Best Actor in The Revenant and Brie Larson for Best Actress for Room. You can see my movie reviews here.

Will you be watching????

MOVIE MONDAY

IMDb Source

Before we being I am going to bring up the fact that the Oscar's are going to be on Sunday February 28th and they just announced the nominations last week. I can't wait! My goal each year is to see the nominated Best Movies. I have a few more to see......

On December 10th  I went to see The Secret in Their Eyes. I thought this movie was good. I didn't know the story line other than what I saw in the trailers for it. There were some great twists and turns that I didn't expect. 

"A tight-knit team of rising investigators, along with their supervisor, is suddenly torn apart when they discover that one of their own teenage daughters has been brutally murdered."

Obviously things got busy after that with the Christmas Holiday. I didn't see this next movie until January 2nd. Mark and I went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this movie. Loved seeing the originals back! I also liked the newest characters Finn and Rey and look forward to seeing them in future Star War movies. 

"Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance."

Next up was The Big Short. This movie is about the housing bubble crash. I liked this movie and the actors were great. I was a little lost in all the financial stuff but I am really glad I saw it. 

"Four denizens of the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight."

Next up is the movie Joy. The trailers actually didn't impress me that much but I did love all the stars who were in it so I knew I would see it at some point. 

Then I saw Jennifer Lawrence on the Andy Cohen show and realized who the story was about. It is about Joy Mangano and I bought her mop on QVC many, many years ago. I enjoyed the movie! 

"Joy is the story of the title character, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty."

I was able to see two movies on the 5th of January. I went to the afternoon show of Joy and then I meet Mark at Chili's for a quick bite to eat. 

We went to see Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. All I can say is that we really liked it. You have to be a fan of his work because his movies are very bloody. The dialogue in this movie was excellent. 

"In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters."

The next movie is The Revenant. This movie was excellent and I hope this is Leonardo DeCaprio's year for an Oscar. He already won the Golden Globe! It is not an easy watch but definitely one to see.

"A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820's fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team."