i just finished watching the Oscars tonight and was reminded how much i love movies. i love feeling like i get to know the actors through their roles, interviews and gossip columns. i love knowing the story behind a movie, how long it took to make, where it came from, the trivia and behind the scenes goofs. i love seeing the relationships between the people who direct, act in and produce the movies. i have a renewed appreciation for cinematography, sound effects, editing and all the work it takes to make these stories seem so real. these are my highlights of this year's Oscars - probably the first time i watched the whole thing, beginning to end.
Likes:
- the video montage at the beginning of the show, of the hosts running through scenes of the best picture nominees was hilarious! i laughed out loud several times: when James Franco told Jeff Bridges "i liked you in Tron" and when Anne Hathaway did the "Brown Duck" dance.
- Kirk Douglas presenting the Best Supporting Actress award started out as kind of awkward but he was really funny and cute.
- Anne Hathaway's song about Hugh Jackman.
- Natalie Portman acceptance speech. nice to know gorgeous, talented superstars get overcome with nerves too.
Dislikes:
- was it just me or were they trying way too hard to make this year young and cool? the scripted jokes seemed like it belonged more at the MTV Movie Awards then the Oscars. and a host in drag? classy.
- pre-show interviews. i guess i've never watched early enough to catch these, but they kind of suck. what are you wearing? who do you think is going to win? lame. none of the people being interviewed seem like they care to be talking at all.
- Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis' inside joke. it wasn't funny bc nobody got it.
- James Franco and Anne Hathaway as hosts. they tried really hard to be cute and funny, but they just didn't have the grace and glamour that Billy Crystal might have.
Hehes:
- in a pre-show interview, Natalie Portman described working in Black Swan as "the bee's knees." hee hee. bring back the 1950's lingo.
- in a pre-show interview, Gwenyth Paltrow was asked who she'd want to duet with and she answered "Jay-Z." cute because who can imagine her with a rapper? and she and Chris Martin are total couple BFFs with Jay-Z and Beyonce.
Questions:
- who picks the seating? Halle Berry and Kerry Washington weren't even nominated this year and they were both sitting in the front row with Amy Adams and Jesse Eisenberg.
- Colin Firth's acceptance speech. was he talking reallllllly slow on purpose or what?
- if the Academy is trying so hard to be young and cool and appealing to a younger demographic, here's an idea: stop picking period dramas to win Best Picture over really amazing but less traditional thrillers/popular movies. i really think Inception or Black Swan deserved the win.
that being said, i'm going to watch The King's Speech right now. despite it looking stuffy compared to more modern, edgy movies, i still want to watch it. i like Colin Firth, he's just so cute and charming.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
I change shapes just to hide in this place..
hello dear blog. i have been neglectful, tis that silly little distraction called life getting in the way of the really important things. so many things have happened in the last couple months..
music i'm obsessed with right now: The Black Keys and Miike Snow. playing on repeat every day for the past couple weeks. they have similarish, at times, sounds but i still listen to their albums separately. i feel like i'm cheating musicians if i make and listen to playlists with just their best songs. stuck in my habits, i listen to the whole album, in the intended order even if i know i just like a couple songs. but, with these two bands i like almost all the songs.
Lite Music Review // The Black Keys // Brother
oh, The Black Keys.. in one word, soulful (without being boring). that's often the problem i have with soulful artists, they're too slow and as good as they are, i can only listen to them when i'm feeling particularly calm. As Tall As Lions, Aqualung, Anya Marina, all those cute songs vantastical posts on her blog.. wonderful, good music but only for quiet sometimes. i usually need something loud and upbeat and The Black Keys are wonderfully that. they're technically blues rock. i don't know anything about blues but i think i like. discovered via Pandora from my The Heavy station. The Heavy aren't as consistent but you can't beat the catchiness of How You Like Me Now. i like all the songs on the Brother album, but Tighten Up, Howlin' for You, She's Long Gone and Sinister Kid are good for starters. oh! and they won a Grammy for this album. well deserved. they have a bunch on albums, but this was my first listen. looking forward to diving into the rest of their music.
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
How You Like Me Now - The Heavy
Lite Music Review // Miike Snow // Miike Snow
i love love love Miike Snow. it's just so happy and uppity. it's electronicky with a good drum beat and fun, addictive lyrics AND it's soulful. it has a bluesy sound with some of the songs when the singer uses his whispery voice. he doesn't exactly have an accent, but there's something about his voice.. maybe because he's Swedish and english isn't his first language? who knows. some songs are more electronic heavy, some are more indie sounding. Plastic Jungle sounds like it could be a club song by Mike Posner or something. they're all good. i excitedly asked my music-swapping buddies if they were listening to Miike Snow, wanting to share the wonderfulness, and found out i'm a bit behind. apparently, they were at ACL last year? and i didn't go? because i didn't know many of the bands and was lazy to look into them. totally my lost. i'm going to try really hard to go this year, if the tickets don't sell out. my favorite songs are Animal, Silvia, Song for No One, Black and Blue and Plastic Jungle.
Animal
Song for No One
i have been very busy lately bingeing on The Office, planning my trip to London and contemplating whether or not i should get bangs but i will try to update more often. au revoir monsieur blog.
music i'm obsessed with right now: The Black Keys and Miike Snow. playing on repeat every day for the past couple weeks. they have similarish, at times, sounds but i still listen to their albums separately. i feel like i'm cheating musicians if i make and listen to playlists with just their best songs. stuck in my habits, i listen to the whole album, in the intended order even if i know i just like a couple songs. but, with these two bands i like almost all the songs.
Lite Music Review // The Black Keys // Brother
oh, The Black Keys.. in one word, soulful (without being boring). that's often the problem i have with soulful artists, they're too slow and as good as they are, i can only listen to them when i'm feeling particularly calm. As Tall As Lions, Aqualung, Anya Marina, all those cute songs vantastical posts on her blog.. wonderful, good music but only for quiet sometimes. i usually need something loud and upbeat and The Black Keys are wonderfully that. they're technically blues rock. i don't know anything about blues but i think i like. discovered via Pandora from my The Heavy station. The Heavy aren't as consistent but you can't beat the catchiness of How You Like Me Now. i like all the songs on the Brother album, but Tighten Up, Howlin' for You, She's Long Gone and Sinister Kid are good for starters. oh! and they won a Grammy for this album. well deserved. they have a bunch on albums, but this was my first listen. looking forward to diving into the rest of their music.
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
How You Like Me Now - The Heavy
Lite Music Review // Miike Snow // Miike Snow
i love love love Miike Snow. it's just so happy and uppity. it's electronicky with a good drum beat and fun, addictive lyrics AND it's soulful. it has a bluesy sound with some of the songs when the singer uses his whispery voice. he doesn't exactly have an accent, but there's something about his voice.. maybe because he's Swedish and english isn't his first language? who knows. some songs are more electronic heavy, some are more indie sounding. Plastic Jungle sounds like it could be a club song by Mike Posner or something. they're all good. i excitedly asked my music-swapping buddies if they were listening to Miike Snow, wanting to share the wonderfulness, and found out i'm a bit behind. apparently, they were at ACL last year? and i didn't go? because i didn't know many of the bands and was lazy to look into them. totally my lost. i'm going to try really hard to go this year, if the tickets don't sell out. my favorite songs are Animal, Silvia, Song for No One, Black and Blue and Plastic Jungle.
Animal
Song for No One
i have been very busy lately bingeing on The Office, planning my trip to London and contemplating whether or not i should get bangs but i will try to update more often. au revoir monsieur blog.
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