Leslie Anne's mad dash to the Academy Awards

[ThetaDancer]

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!

[txpacer]

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.

[Katmandu]

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....

[thetygerlily]

As a KD, I'm pretty sure you have to see The Blind Side 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.

[Leslie Anne]

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.

[agzg]

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!

[ms_gwyn]

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

[RaggedyAnn]

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.

[Leslie Anne]

Originally Posted by ms_gwyn

Hey Leslie,

I wish I could fly to Chicago and watch things with you.

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)

Originally Posted by RaggedyAnn

Up-was depressing.

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?

[Xylochick216]

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.

[Leslie Anne]

^^^ 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.

[AGDee]

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.

[AZTheta]

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...

[IlovemyAKA]

Originally Posted by Leslie Anne

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

A Serious Man
A Single Man
An Education
Avatar AWESOME graphics, blah & predictable story
The Blind Side cute but with way too much hype
Crazy Heart
Coraline definitely too much for little kids. I can't give an accurate description. I fell asleep during parts. It wasn't boring; I was just tired.
District 9 seen it!
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds Quentin Tarantino - need we say more?
In the Loop
Invictus
Julie and Julia seen it! It wasn't bad--just not my type of movie. I'm movie of a sci fi/fantasy fan. I saw this because my friend wanted to see it.
The Last Station
The Lovely Bones I haven't read the book, but this movie bored me senseless. I kept waiting for something to happen. Halfway through, I was wishing I had chosen Book of Eli instead.
The Messenger
Nine
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire Comment below
The Princess and the Frog Very cute! My 5 y/o niece LOVED it. It reminds you of everything you loved about the other Princess movies.
The Secret of Kells
Up seen it! Cute. I was surprised by the deaths & infertility. I didn't realize Disney handled that type of subject matter. Maybe I was too young to notice as a kid.
Up in the Air seen it!

[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.

[Leslie Anne]

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....