Leslie Anne's mad dash to the Academy Awards
 

Twenty years ago I would have called myself a certifiable movie buff. I went to every movie that came out in the theatres. I was at Blockbuster Video about every other day and I rented 6 movies at a time. Come Academy Awards time, I would have seen everything, I'd have a little party and we'd place our bets. I usually won.

Over the years though, I started to feel uncomfortable in movie theatres and went less. Then it got worse and I started to have panic attacks in theatres. I stopped going altogether. I still watched my rentals at home though, until eventually even sitting in the comfort of my own home couldn't keep the panic at bay. Now I just don't watch movies at all. I really can't believe something that was so much a part of my life is gone.

When this year's Academy Award nominees were announced I wasn't surprised that I hadn't seen a single film. It's been that way for several years. I'm annoyed with it now though. Really annoyed. So, I invite you to join me as I "feel the fear and do it anyway." I am going to try to see as many of the 23 movies up for major awards as I can before the awards ceremony on March 7th.

I'd love to hear your comments on the films and the performances as we go! I could also use some cheering on. This isn't going to be easy for me but I want this part of my life back.

So here they are...and here I go!

A Serious Man
A Single Man
An Education
Avatar
The Blind Side seen it!
Crazy Heart seen it!
Coraline seen it!
District 9 seen it!
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker seen it!
Inglourious Basterds seen it!
In the Loop seen it!
Invictus
Julie and Julia seen it!
The Last Station
The Lovely Bones seen it!
The Messenger seen it!
Nine
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up seen it!
Up in the Air seen it!

Precious - A good movie, but nowhere near as good as it was hyped up to be. Mo'nique did a really good job, though.

The Blind Side - It was OK, but it seemed like a "Sandra Bullock needs an award" movie. I've seen this story several times before.

On my list to see: Princess and the Frog, Inglorious Basterds, Up, Crazy Heart, The Hurt Locker

I am totally not a movie person, so I've only seen Up and The Princess and the Frog (yay Disney!)

I really, really liked Up! The Princess and the Frog was pretty good, but not too different than any other Disney princess movie.

And I'm sorry to hear about the panic attacks--been there!

I miss being a movie buff :(

I used to work for Blockbuster, so I was damn near required to see every movie.

Thanks for joining in, KS! :)

So I've started on my journey. I thought I'd start with something easy and non-threatening so I rented Up. I hated it. The story just didn't seem to flow or make much sense. On the good side was Ed Asner's voice...good to hear him again and a cute little ending. Otherwise, I was bored and underwhelmed.

I was set to go to see The Lovely Bones tonight at the local theatre but I chickened out. :o Maybe I should start with rentals.

Blind Side is a pretty safe movie. Should have run its course by now, so not too many folks will be in the theaters.

I haven't seen a single movie this year, so I'll read along so I know who to root for.

I saw the first half of Inglorious Basterds. I fell asleep because it was so long. But what I saw was good :) My boyfriend, however, who managed to watch the whole thing wasn't too thrilled by it.

I saw District 9, and while it was a good movie, I was EXTREMELY surprised to see it in the category of Best Picture. It almost makes me wonder if movies just... weren't that great this year.

Other than that, I haven't seen any of these. I've been wanting to watch The Hurt Locker for a long time now, and I've only heard good things about it.

I continue to hear the same thing about Avatar... good movie with a boring and predictable storyline.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is one that I was very curious about. I have heard many reviews, mainly over the radio, and people have said it was surprisingly good.

Invictus is another one that I would like to see, but I have yet to hear any reviews.

Leslie Anne... I'm now counting on you to tell me which movies to see, and which to avoid! :D

I loved Inglourious Basterds; my boyfriend wasn't too keen on it. It's pretty violent but it's so over the top that it somehow worked (at least for me.)

Cannot believe you didn't like Up, I thought it was breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly touching for a kid's move...I cried the entire time.

LOVED Inglorious Basterds, although it is very long. I'm not big on gore and I thought Tarantino was going to fill the whole movie with it, but thankfully there are only a couple scenes. The rest was really well done, and there are two scenes in particular where he builds the suspense so well!

Liked District 9, wasn't as blown away by it as everybody else was but it was good.

Avatar was the same as Titanic for me (same director), incredible visuals and special effects that make you forget that the story is a little hollow. Pity you don't like movie theaters anymore because Avatar in 3D is really something else.

Coraline was ehhh for me...some cool stuff, but I didn't like it as a whole.

Nine is a really sexy musical, I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't say it's the one I was most excited about on your list.

Those are the ones I've seen, although I still really want to see Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker since everybody is raving about them.

Avatar - I want to see this because I heard it's visually stunning. Even if the story isn't as great, it'd be pretty cool to see in an iMax.
The Blind Side - Saw this. It was a good story, and I like Sandra Bullock. I don't think it'll win an award though.
The Hurt Locker - Super intense and too gory for me. It was pretty depressing. I like war movie sometimes, but not as much as my boyfriend. I was pretty sad after leaving the theater. Ugh!
Inglorious Basterds - I liked it even though it was pretty gory. It had some funny lines and unique/memorable characters.
Julie and Julia - I want to see this! It seems cute.
The Lovely Bones - I read this book and loved it, but I heard the movie wasn't that great. The previews didn't even look that good.
Up - I LOVED this movie! So cute! My sister got it for me for Christmas.

Maybe you could ease into it by going to some movies that don't stir up negative big time emotions, that are scary/gory/tragic. That way you won't have to deal with the anxiety that is part of the experience for those movies. Less chance of a panic attack, better chance to relax and enjoy the movie. So in other words, maybe "feel good" movies first? Blind Side, Invictus, Julie and Julia, Nine, the Princess and the Frog might be good first choices. Leave Hurt Locker and Inglorious Basterds for later. But good for you Leslie Anne for taking this very difficult bull by the horns!

Julie and Julia - Meryl Streep was absolutely adorable and she NAILED Julia Child. Truly full of laughs and very motivating to go home and cook something with butter.

Avatar - lose yourself in the fantasy and the story and don't think deeply. Special effects just fabulous, especially in 3-D.

Crazy Heart - Jeff Bridges was incredible.

The Lovely Bones - if Stanley Tucci doesn't win... I didn't even recognize him. Quite a contrast from Julie and Julia.

Up In The Air - George Clooney is reason enough and then there's Anna Kendrick, who steals every scene she's in.

I'll do my best! :)

Yeah, everyone seems to have loved it. Maybe I'll give it another try.

Thank you so much for the encouragement and the suggestions. It means a lot to me.

Julie and Julia- My favorite of the year, but mostly because I love to cook and I love Meryl Streep and Julia Child. It is a very good movie- but not a great one. Meryl totally deserved her nomination though!

Up- So bittersweet and wonderful. I want to see this one again- I wasn't paying attention the entire time (saw it on DVD).

Lovely Bones- Leave this one for later on your list. Stanley Tucci was... wow. I was so terribly impressed. He was truly BRILLIANT. As was the middle daughter. It has wonderful moments, but wasn't that great overall. I was not impressed by Rachel McAdams and Mark Wahlburg. And if you've read the book, you'll be sorely disappointed with the way it translates to screen.

Awww I'm excited for you Leslie Anne!!!

My thoughts:
Julie and Julia: I hope you love this one. I hope it makes you smile and that it inspires you to keep doing things that are challenging, to keep confronting your fears. I thought it was fun and a great one to see as I was making New Years resolutions.

A Single Man: Colin Firth blew me away...the performance of a lifetime. A challenging, sad but beautiful movie. So worth it. Please please please see this.

Up in the Air: It was fun and sad at the same time. George Clooney is lovely as always :) A very approachable and accessible movie.

Avatar: Meh. It didn't move me or inspire me or provoke any thoughts and it wasn't particularly fun. But it's a good one to cross off your list.

Inglorious Basterds was solid. An Education left a lot to be desired.

Keep us updated!

Avatar- I enjoyed the graphics enough to see it several times, but I agree with most who say that it seems like a classic retelling of Fern Gully and Pocahontas.

Coraline- Friends and I thought it was quite scary for a children's movie, but loved the animation and the story.

District 9- I felt like my friends had to drag me to this movie, and I didn't really start appreciating it until the middle. There were a lot of political undertones in this movie which didn't bother me, but I know that those tend to rub some people the wrong way...This could be a movie that you might want to leave for the end, as there is an uncomfortable amount of violence.

The Hurt Locker- I thought that this one was fantastic. My military friends also enjoyed it. It is a pretty intense movie--I definitely felt like there were times when I just couldn't watch.

Julie and Julia- This one was cute, but I didn't feel like it was anything too special.

Up- I thought that Up was wonderful. The boyfriend loved it, too! I thought it did a wonderful job of taking me through lots of different emotions (especially for a kiddie movie).

Leslie Anne, I want you to know that I really admire your courage. It really takes a lot to overcome things like this. Kudos and best of luck to you.

Hey Sister, the only one I've seen is Up, (loved it) but just wanted to offer encouragement. Lots of admiration and best wishes sent your way. Ta kala....

As a KD, I'm pretty sure you have to see The Blind Side :D I really liked the movie, it had a great storyline and was very well done. I admit I cried way too much, but I cry for happy things in movies. So... it's well worth it. It is overall a very uplifting movie, although there are parts where you go "I can't believe things like that happen", and see how much circumstance affects your life. But the fact that it's based on a true story makes it that much better.

I haven't seen the others, but just reading through the rest of the list- my pick for least offensive/scary/traumatic/heart-wrenching/emotional would be Julie & Julia. I could be wrong, but it appears to be a relatively light chick flick type of movie. I was planning to see it, but went for The Blind Side instead- and I'm glad I did, it was fantastic. J&J will be on my list to see at some point, either on demand or rental.

Your quest is a great one- I wish you the best of luck! Sounds like you have a good support group here so let us know how you fare.

You're all so sweet! I can't tell you how much all these words of encouragement mean to me. Your reviews are so helpful too. I've got a game plan now. Thank you each and everyone one of you who've posted! :)

So...last night I watched Julie & Julia and I really liked it. Being a Meryl Streep fan, I preferred the Julia parts. It was a wonderful performance but not too difficult emotionally. The Julie parts were cute. Nothing more.

I didn't know until it started that it's a Nora Ephron movie. I had a little bit of a problem with this. She has a way of screenwriting that makes her characters caricatures instead of fully developed people. She also works in this sort of rhythmic banter that's very artificial. This worked with When Harry Met Sally but it gets old fast.

All in all, it was a very nice movie that I would recommend.

Up next will probably be The Lovely Bones or, at ThetaDancer's suggestion, A Single Man.

Avatar - I felt like it was overrated.

Coraline - We rented this and loved it, but I wouldn't do the 3-D at home again.

Inglorious Basterds - Love love loved it, and I usually HATE Tarantino movies. The only issue I had with it is that I thought it was a true story until a certain point in the movie, then was like "hey that never happened...." That's my air-headedness though.

Up - I really liked this one

Up in the Air - Honestly, I thought this one was stupid and boring and I didn't understand it. George Clooney is hot though.

Good luck! 23 movies is quite the undertaking!

Hey Leslie,

I wish I could fly to Chicago and watch things with you....if you need me, just call me.

I've only seen Up and a movie is not supposed to make you cry within the first 15 minutes...but a lovely movie

Also, Julie & Julie was very cute and fun...Meryl is fabulous as always

Avatar-was much better than I thought it would be. I only saw it because I had a free ticket, but enyoyed it.
The Blind Side-was absolutely worth seeing.
Julie and Julia-loved it. Meryl Streep is awesome. I'd compare it to her performance in the Devil Loves Prada.
The Lovely Bones-the book was much better
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire-was pretty good. The scenes where she goes into her mind are a little eh. I would probably rate it as a Lifetime movie...but know I have seen many of them, so that's not really a negative comment.
Up-was depressing.
Up in the Air-was also rather depressing.

Me too! :( This film festival of mine would be a whole lot more fun if I could share it with you. (and you could bake fattening but yummy stuff for us)

Finally! Someone agrees with me about Up!!!


Okay, so I just watched District 9 and it wasn't nearly as stupid as I thought it was going to be. It did have a lot more gore than I had anticipated though. Like others, I didn't really get into it until the middle. I'd have to give it a little credit for trying to make a point but it was pretty cliche. Not a horrible movie but if you never saw it you wouldn't be missing anything. Can't for the life of me figure out why it was nominated for best picture. How low are they setting the bar these days?

As someone who liked the book The Lovely Bones, I hated the movie. It was the worst book remake I can recall seeing, even after seeing Angels & Demons where they deleted a central character. From the beginning of the movie things were wrong, and Peter Jackson's view of the in-between isn't at all like it's described in the book. My husband, who didn't know any of the book's background, hated it, too. If we hadn't seen it for free, I would've asked for my money back.

^^^ Wow, that sounds really bad! I'm wondering if Stanley Tucci is actually really good in it. I guess I'll find out soon enough since I have to see it.

Tonight was the first time in about 6 years that I went to a movie theatre! Yay me! I saw Up in the Air and I absolutely loved it. I can see how some would find it boring. It's definitely a film that requires a quiet, pensive mood. I found it very touching and not so much depressing but sad. George Clooney was good in it and gorgeous as always. I thought the whole cast was great.

Tomorrow I think I'll see The Blind Side. I had a heck of a time finding a theatre that's still showing it so I'm going to grab my chance while I can.

I've seen more of these than I typically would, thanks to my "awakening" in early 2009 that I had no life and really needed to get out with friends more. (Well, when your 15 year old daughter says "you need to go out with your friends more, you have no life", it's hard to ignore that she's totally right!) I generally believe that if a movie evokes strong emotion in me, it's well done so here goes:

Julie and Julia: I thought it was a "cute" movie. I did think Meryl Streep nailed Julia Child and can see her deserving an Oscar for that. But the movie content itself was just light and fun. No real emotion evoked, just mildly entertained.

Up in the Air: I saw this with a sorority sister who has the Clooney lifestyle. She's home a little more than 43 days a year but has the same commitment issues! We thought the way it ended was awful, so depressing and so much like the crap that happens in "real life" that we couldn't stop laughing about it. It was just like "wtf???? that is NOT how movies are supposed to end!" I did love the uptight young girl (I'm horrible with names, sorry.. no idea who that actress is) and of course Clooney is great to look at, always!

The Lovely Bones: It has been 6 or 7 years since I read the book so I didn't remember the details from the book, just the general gist. I think that was probably a good thing because I liked the movie as a result.

Avatar: I did NOT want to go see this movie. My daughter saw it and asked if we could go see it "as a family", meaning, with my ex-husband and my son too. I acquiesced for her sake. I'm not into Sci Fi stuff like Star Wars or Star Trek and thought it would be like that. I enjoyed the special effects and the story line too, even if the basic plot has been done before. The basic plot of most movies has been done before. I heard someone say once that there are 7 basic movie plots that just get reworked. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would! I think this was the best of the 4 movies that I saw.

Hi Leslie Anne,

did you eat any movie popcorn? As bad as "they" say it is, I can never resist.

I agree with AGDee about Up in the Air and Julie & Julia. I think the actress in Up in the Air is Anna Kendrick; she's getting a lot of buzz & is on the cover of Vanity Fair, along with the rest of the homogenized group (that's a whole other thread!).

Stanley Tucci - contrast the adorable Paul Child he portrays in Julie & Julia with the character he portrays in The Lovely Bones - wow.

about movie theatres: the earliest showings generally have the fewest people and a lower price as well, and then you have the rest of the day and night to do more fun things.

I enjoy going to movies alone sometimes, especially if I just want to immerse myself in the story and theexperience and not think about what the person next to me is thinking. I know several other people who prefer solitary movie-going, so it isn't that weird.

keep us posted...

[QUOTE=knight_shadow;1892946]Precious - A good movie, but nowhere near as good as it was hyped up to be. Mo'nique did a really good job, though. <--agreed. I wouldn't own it on dvd. Considering the subject matter, I don't think there'd ever be a time where I'm home considering a movie & say "I'm in the mood for Precious!"

The Blind Side - It was OK, but it seemed like a "Sandra Bullock needs an award" movie. I've seen this story several times before.

Thanks for all the comments everyone's been posting! It's interesting both how we agree and disagree.

Today I saw The Blind Side in Chicago at the same time my sister and mother saw it in Los Angeles. It's the closest we can come to doing things together. I really liked the movie. I got pretty choked up a few times. I agree with just about everyone that it's a "Sandra Bullock needs and award" movie. I think if it hadn't been a true story it would have been condescending. It really is a story that's been told before. I do have to feel a bit of pride though that Leann, Miss Sue and Collins are all my Kappa Delta sisters.

More to come....

Co-sign. Hated it!!!

Bumping because I finally saw Crazy Heart last night. I really enjoyed it, although it was a sad one. Jeff Bridges was brilliant. Highly recommend it!

I was actually renting a video the other day for my boyfriend, and I decided to just take a look around to see if there was anything else I wanted to see. I came across The Hurt Locker, thought of you Leslie Anne, and figured that if you can watch all of these movies, I can watch just one more!

I am surprised to see anyone say it was too gory. I usually pass out during movies that are too gory, and only watch them at home. There was only one part where I thought I couldn't bring myself to look, but even then I sneaked a peek :p

It is definitely an intense movie, but as txpacer said, it was fantastic. It wasn't too "Hollywood" and it just seemed... real. I have a few friends who have been to Iraq and one of the things that they talk about the most are the people. In the movie, seeing everyone on the rooftops reminded me of something my one friend said to me about being over there: "You want to trust the Iraqi people, and you want the Iraqi people to trust you, but the only people that you CAN trust are the soldiers next to you." You'll have to see it to understand what I'm talking about.

But I would definitely put this on the top of your list!

There are a bunch on the list I still want to see. Trying to get the mister to see Up in the Air with me.

Aww. I'm glad I could inspire you. :) You picked a good one too!


I completely agree! It was fantastic and Jeremy Renner, who's up for best actor, was brilliant. I think the gore was harder to watch in this movie because the movie was so realistic. This is what our men and women in uniform are going through right now. It's a lot to take in.

It's best to see it with someone you love. You'll appreciate them more afterwards.

Just watched Coraline. What kind of freaky-a$$ whacked out creepy sh*t was that to show to children?! Ugh. I hated it! Horrible! Bleeeck!

Leslie Anne - did you stick around for the credits after Blind Side and see the KD football banner? When I watched this movie, I did not know that Lee Ann was a KD but I kept thinking the whole time, " I am sure this woman is Greek. I wonder what sorority she was in at Ole Miss?" Then I got so much satisfaction when they showed that "KD Loves Mike" banner during the credits because I knew that no self respecting sorority girl would let another GLO steal the limelight by letting another house be represented over hers!

I just stumbled across this thread and have enjoyed reading the movie reviews. I do not know anything about your situation, Leslie Anne, but I am happy that you are making progress. Blessings!

Yes, I did see the KD banner and I was so proud!

It's still a little difficult for me to watch movies but it's getting much easier as I go. Thank you so much for your kind words, gee_ess. :)

Just saw the Hurt Locker. I thought it was really well done.

Two more to check off the list!

The Messenger - I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. I had heard good things about it. It didn't do anything for me though. It wasn't horrible by any means, it just wasn't great. Woody Harrelson was good in it but I don't think it was an Oscar-worthy perforance.

Crazy Heart - I was dreading seeing this movie. I'm not a huge fan of country music and what I'd heard about the storyline wasn't very appealing to me. What was appealing was Jeff Bridges. I love the man. I was very pleasantly surprised by how good Crazy Heart was. At times it seemed like it was going to be cliche but it would veer off into another direction.

Maggie Gyllenhaal was very good in it. Jeff Bridges was fantastic! I'm hoping he wins the Oscar for this performance. He's certainly been overlooked for far too long.