Curling Up With Clooney

I'm still working my way through my Oscar 2012 movie list. Obviously there's no longer any rush to watch these since the Oscars have been over for a few months now. But I thought it would be fun to try to see them in between whatever other cheesy movies are on my Netflix list. Last night was a perfect rainy night to watch another one: "The Descendants."

 

At first, I thought this was going to be another one of Clooney's typical heist-type movies. (Seriously, that guy is getting into a bit of a movie rut; he needs to branch out a little bit more with his roles.) But then I'd heard a lot of good rumblings about this movie, so I decided to give it a go! And I'm glad I did :) 

It was definitely a good mix of drama and comedy. His two on-screen children are ridiculous and fun to watch, and I love how you can watch the growth of their family during a terrible time in their lives. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for some nice scenery (Clooney included) and a little feel-good family film (ABOUT family, it is in fact rated R and therefore not really a film to watch WITH your family).

So there you have it. I'm trying to decide what I want to watch next, but I'm thinking maybe something a bit more exciting like a thriller. I have "Breach" and the first disc of the TV show "Las Vegas" next up; we'll see how long those last!

Are you like me when it comes to rain: You need to wear comfy clothes, curl up in bed, and watch movies all day? Or do you have a better solution to waiting out the rain?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

I Like to Ride My Bicycle

Check out my new ride!! Isn't she perrty? I got the bike, pedals, helmet, shoes, and little butt bag. The guy was like, "wow, you're buying everything." Well, friend, when you have none of it and need all of it, you have to buy it! Anywho, I'm psyched to get out there on the BWI trail and try my bike on for size :) The guys at the Performance store in Baltimore were super helpful with picking everything out and giving me advice on where I can ride by myself. For instance, don't go on the NCR trail with a road bike because of the stone surface. Good to know! Today and tomorrow are supposed to have precipitation, so I'm hoping to get out there Thursday. Hooray for fitness and socializing with my new toy! 

On a terrifically different side note, I've been craving the beach! My friends in San Diego have been posting pictures of palm trees and bathing suits, a few bloggers I read are on vacation in Hawaii and San Diego, and I'm just over this "mild" winter. Luckily, my family is taking a girls' trip to Bethany Beach in a few weeks, so I don't have too long to wait for the beach. It's still going to be cold, but I love the beach in all weather. You bet your bottom I'll be bringing Patty O'Green along with me to the beach! 

So to satisfy my beach neediness in the meantime, I've queued up a few cold-weather beach goodies (old and new) in my Netflix. Look out "Charlie St. Cloud," "Sabrina," "Dan in Real Life," "Dolphin Tale," and "Soul Surfer"! I'm coming for ya! (I still have some Oscar movies that I want to watch, but now that I don't have a deadline, I'm going to watch them when I'm in the moooood.)

Have any good cold-weather beach movies I should add to my list?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

PS. Feel free to take a shot every time I say the word "beach" :)

Gloomy Girl Movie

 

I watched "Jane Eyre" yesterday. Took me all day to get through it because it's a bit slow and dreary, but I made it through the wilderness! The visuals reminded me a lot of the latest "Pride and Prejudice," which was nice. But overall, it was oddly captivating AND boring at the same time. How is that possible? It's up for Costume Design against "Anonymous," "The Artist," "Hugo," and "W.E." Since I haven't seen any of those yet (clearly I'm not going to see as many as I had hoped before Sunday), I can't really pick a winner. However, since this is the only category it's up for (no Writing for Adapted Screenplay, Oscars?) and the director made a point to have everything time appropriate, I think it has a good chance. 

Next up is "Moneyball" and then "Hugo." I'm hoping they're a bit sunnier :)

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Review of Josh Duhamel

I mean, of "Transformers"...

We are gathered here together today to thank the heavens that a man like Josh Duhamel exists in our crazy little world. O.M.G. He is like honey on a hot day. He's a fresh breeze on a lake. He's...well, you get the point. :) The order-anchovies-on-your-pizza guy, that British model who replaced what's-her-name (David's wife), and LeDuche...eh. But Duhamel? Wooee! Love me some of that haha 

I watched all two-and-a-half hours of the third "Transformers" movie Saturday night. I didn't mean to do it. I started watching when I got home from the scotch bar around 1230, but just got caught up in it. So I guess that's a good endorsement, huh? I don't think it needed to be that long, and I'm not sure there needs to be a fourth installment in the franchise, but I'll take it. I like a little action every now and again.

 

Here's my review: It's a bit slow as far as the story-line goes, but the action makes up for that. Shia LeBeof is just as annoying as ever and Josh Duhamel's character seemed to have a weird role this time around. Actually, everyone who returned from the previous movies (the parents, the crazy CIA guy, and Tyrese Gibson's character) all seemed a bit shallow this time. Maybe for the fourth one they won't just make cameos. But I loved the actual transformers, as always. Overall I recommend seeing it purely for entertainment value. Although make sure to carve out a good chunk of time! It's up for Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects

I think I'm going to watch "Jane Eyre" next. Kind of the complete opposite end of the spectrum, but I missed "Downton Abbey" last night for the Grammys and I need a little British in my week. Anyway, that's what I did over the weekend...watched the longest movie EV.EH! 

Surprised about any of the wins from the Grammys?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Drive Me Away

Continuing on the Oscar journey, I tried watching "Drive" last night. I'd been warned that it gets a bit gruesome, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway since I already had the DVD in my possession. Anyway, I can't really recommend this to anyone since I didn't see the end of it. I got through about 45 minutes to an hour before all of a sudden the violence starts. So random. We're moving along at a snail's pace and then BAM! Some girl's head gets blown to pieces. I didn't mind that so much, but I can.not.handle. anything involving teeth. So when Ryan takes a hammer to this guy's mouth, I just lost it. Fail. I don't even know if he actually broke the guy's teeth. I didn't stay to watch. I just covered my eyes, pushed stop, and moved onto basic cable. "Big Bang Theory" is my happy place :)

 

I wish "Drive" had more of a "Too Fast Too Furious" feel, but it's definitely not. Ryan Gosling, though amazing to gaze at, is weird. He barely talks and wears 80s clothes although it's not set in the 80s. Weird. Here's the trailer, although it's straight from the first two minutes of the movie...doesn't really give a good indication of what it's about:

 

"Drive" was nominated in the Sound Editing category against "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Hugo," "Transformers," and "War Horse." I'm going to venture to say "Drive" will not win.

Oh well. I still love you, boy (aka Ryan Gosling).

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Her Name is Rio

I spent Super Bowl Sunday watching another Oscar movie and putting together a puzzle. Perfect Sunday, if you ask me :) I was supposed to get "Drive" in the mail from Netflix on Saturday, but it never made it (unless my "roommates" are holding it upstairs). So I walked over to the Redbox and grabbed "Rio" instead. Honestly, I think the animated fun movie was a better fit for my lazy Sunday mood.

"Real in Rio" is up for the Music (Original Song) category. I'm not really surprised it's not up for the Animated Feature Film; it wasn't the best overall movie. But the music was definitely the best part. Loved the Latin feel! It's up against only one other song--"Man or Muppet" from the Muppets. I haven't seen that one yet, though, so it's a fair 50/50 shot as far as I can tell. Here's the preview:

Anyone have an opinion on "Real in Rio" vs. "Man or Muppet?"

Love,

Stephanie Marie

A Non-Grouchy Oscar

I'm on a mission this year to watch some of the movies that will be up for Oscars this year. Usually, I do the opposite and use the Oscar winners as a to-watch list. But after my Oscar party in San Diego, I decided I wanted to have a better understanding of who was up for the Oscars. I think it'll be more fun if I can actually participate in who I think should win.

So, last night, while crafting, Michelle and I watched "Midnight in Paris." It was super cute, but I agree with Michelle's comment that we could have used a Cliff's Notes for who's who in the characters. There are so many references in this movie to artists from the 1890s and 1920s that I want to take my art history class again just to keep up! Here's the trailer:

If you're interested in gearing up for the Oscars this year (L.A.'s version of the Superbowl), here is the list of this year's nominees. And if you want to have an Oscar party, here's their party kit. It includes drink recipes, bingo, and ballots. I used it last year, and my friends loved it :) They air February 26th at 7p.m.

Care to share any of your Oscar party traditions?

Love,

Stephanie Marie