Now That’s What I Call the ’80s [Movie Edition]
Y’all know I love entertainment and pop culture. I blog about my favorite TV shows all the time, and have been to Sundance Film Festival (and Bentonville Film Festival!) twice. For some reason though, there are a lot of classic ’80s movies I seem to have missed.
Yes, I was born in ’89 so it does makes sense why I wasn’t watching movies in the ’80s, but as a film lover I think this is totally unacceptable.
And so do my co-workers. So they’ve started me a list.
Husband and I have started on the list, and so far have made it through 4 of 21 – though the list grows by the day, so I’m not quite sure how we’ll keep up. Here’s what we’ve seen so far –
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) – Hilarious. Love Steve Martin and John Candy. We would totally watch this again.
Groundhog Day (1993) – Bill Murray humor is everything. They just don’t make good, clean funny movies like this anymore.
Ghostbusters (1984)- Funny and entertaining. Again, gotta love Bill Murray.
Animal House (1978) – Pretty funny, but not hilarious. John Belushi had some classic moments, but overall movie was just so random.
The List:
Beverly Hills Cop
The Goonies
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Stand by Me
*Girls Just Want to Have Fun
*Splash
The Natural
The Money Pit
Better Off Dead
Rocky movies
Say Anything
*Can’t Buy Me Love
*Mannequin
Weird Science
Wall Street
The Lost Boys
Dumb and Dumber
*Denotes girly movie to watch without husband
What other classic movies should I add to my list?
(Note: I have already seen the following – All John Hughes movies, Top Gun, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Back to the Future, Dirty Dancing, Princess Bride, Footloose, When Harry Met Sally….)
xo xo
How to Throw a Star Wars Watch Party, By a Non-Star Wars Fan
Until last night, I had never seen a Star Wars movie. (Well, supposedly I saw one in the theater with Husband, but all I could tell you about it was that Natalie Portman was in it. And I didn’t know until last night that she isn’t Princess Leia…)
Well, now I’ve seen three. But it took about 6 months to convince me to watch them.
Here’s the secret – turn something into a themed party, and I’ll watch anything. I was inspired by this Buzzfeed list – 17 Foods Guaranteed to Excite Any “Star Wars” Fan – so I gathered the troops for a watch party. Star Wars themed attire encouraged. Star Wars themed food required.
Guess what, it was a success! Themed food and drinks are always so much more fun, as you’ll see below. The movies, well … I can’t say I’m a big fan, but I will absolutely be re-wearing my Star Wars shirt to the premiere. (And maybe sneak in some themed food …)
[We made it through 2 movies – Episode IV and Episode V]
[Just a few of my pun-y names, that I thought were hilarious.
Not pictured: Boba Fett-uccine and (my personal favorite) 5 Leia Dip]
[This drink was EVERYTHING. I still don’t know who Qui-Gon Gin is, but the drink sure is delicious and looked so awesome.]
May the Force be with you.
xo xo
Oscars 2015: Predictions
I LOVE the Oscars. I will be plopped in front of the TV from the second they start the red carpet coverage until the last word of the final speech. And of course, with ballot and champagne in hand. I’ve hosted several Oscar parties in the past [you can see pictures here and here], but after a month of hosting duties, including a Birthday blowout and 50-person wedding brunch, I will be very content in my joggers on my couch.
I was on a mission to watch all of the nominees for Best Picture, but unfortunately have failed. We will, however, make it to 6/8 after watching The Theory of Everything tonight.
Though I haven’t seen all the nominated films, I’ve read voraciously about who will win, who should win, and who will be a surprise. Below are my predictions – put your money on me or not!
B E S T P I C T U R E
[Nominees: Boyhood, American Sniper, The Theory of Everything, The Imitation Game, Selma, Birdman, Whiplash, Grand Budapest Hotel]
I just adored this movie. It was all I wanted and more. I’ve read reviews people didn’t like it because it was boring, or too long, or didn’t have much of a plot. But that’s exactly why I liked it. It didn’t have a plot with a climax and grand finale, because it was just about life. Life doesn’t have a plot. It has it’s ups and downs and in betweens, and this movie captured it so perfectly.
B E S T A C T O R
[Nominees: Michael Keaton – Birdman, Steve Carrell – Foxcatcher, Bradley Cooper – American Sniper, Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game, Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything]
We saw Birdman and I wasn’t the biggest fan. However, there was no denying the acting was phenomenal. They were nominated in three categories, including Edward Norton and Emma Stone. If it hadn’t been for the acting, I might have walked out of the movie. Michael Keaton was so realistic as this schizo actor, he truly made me believe in what he was seeing.
B E S T A C T R E S S
[Nominees: Julianne Moore – Still Alice, Reese Witherspoon – Wild, Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night, Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything, Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl]
I haven’t seen this movie, though I’m dying to, but I’ve heard just incredible things about Julianne Moore. She seemed born to play this role she does it so well. She’s a very clear win, but I do want to also applaud Reese Witherspoon and Rosamund Pike for their performances. They absolutely deserved their nomination.
B E S T S U P P O R T I N G A C T O R
[Nominees: J.K. Simmons – Whiplash, Robert Duvall – The Judge, Edward Norton – Birdman, Ethan Hawke – Boyhood, Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher]
Again, I haven’t seen Whiplash, though again, I’m dying to. Out of what I have seen, I would have picked Edward Norton to win. However, from what I’ve read and heard J.K. Simmons is a pretty clear winner and did an exceptional job.
B E S T S U P P O R T I N G A C T R E S S
[Nominees: Patricia Arquette – Boyhood, Emma Stone – Birdman, Laura Dern – Wild, Keira Knightly – The Imitation Game, Meryl Streep – Into the Woods]
Patricia Arquette was the clear star of Boyhood. Ethan Hawke was pretty good, the main boy Ellar Coltrane was really good, but Patricia was amazingly good. She was a mother – the good, the bad and the ugly, and made me feel for her throughout. My second choice to win this award would have been Laura Dern – surprisingly transcendent in Wild through her minimal scenes.
Will you be watching Sunday night to see who takes home the top honors?
xo xo
You might also enjoy: Oscars 2014: 5 Best + Worst Dressed, 10 Facts You Should Know About The Oscars
Oscar Noms Reviews: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
This snowy weather (again!) makes me want to stay in all day and watch movies. Alas, that is not an option, but I wish it were. I could sit and watch movies for days on end. If made correctly, they’re so beautiful and give you a peek into another world, sometimes so different from you that you could have never imagined on your own.
With the Academy Awards less than a month away, I’m on a mission to see as many nominated movies as I can. You can see the full list of nominations here. While I still have a few to go, below are reviews of the movies I’ve seen lately. As I always say, take reviews with a grain of salt. If you want to see something, go see it. No matter what anyone says.
Wolf of Wall Street: B+
Here’s the short of it – the acting was phenomenal, but everything else was excessive. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill absolutely deserve an award for their work, but it was overdone with sex and drugs. I understand why Martin Scorsese did what he did, but I just don’t agree with it. It also could have easily been cut by an hour at least.
American Hustle: A-
You want to talk about beauty, this was a beautiful film. The clothes, the music, the hair, the music – it was all absolutely perfect for the era. (I was born in the wrong decade!!) This acting was also top-notch. Every single performance was terrific, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale and of course, my love, Jennifer Lawrence.
Gravity: A+
I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a film so much. Scratch that – enjoyed and been on the edge of my seat so much. The entire film was just breathtaking and Sandra Bullock was perfect. George Clooney was good for some eye-candy and comic relief (per usual). Alfonso Cuaron needs to win Best Director.
Her: A-
I give this one a minus simply because parts of it were just too odd. While we are in the day and age where this could legitimately happen, we’re not quite ready to embrace it. That being said, the film was wonderfully made, retro and modern at the same time. Scarlett Johansson was brilliant. She made you feel and believe simply by her voice. That’s true talent right there.
Blue Jasmine: B+
The story was interesting enough, but as a whole it just wasn’t quite there. The movie’s one redeeming quality was Cate Blanchett, who seems to shine in any role she plays. However, when you don’t have the supporting actors and the plot to hold you up, there’s only so much you can do.
August: Osage County: C+
This movie was just sad. And I mean that in several ways. Sad as in super depressing and sad as in, I was really looking forward to this movie and it did not live up to expectations. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts were INCREDIBLE. Streep’s monologues were remarkable and reminiscent of a stage play, but the story was just too depressing to justify the performances.
On the top of the list to watch before March 2: Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, 12 Years a Slave, Frozen
What do you think of the Oscar nominations?
xo xo
And the Oscar for best party goes to …
Theme: Simple with a touch of glam
Attire: Casual comfy with bling accessories
Food/Drink: Pizza + Champagne
Location: Ranch at Pinnacle Point Clubhouse/Theatre
Enjoy some pictures of a few of the night’s details + honored guests.
xo xo
{the invite}
{Kira}
{Shawn + Rhagen}
{Amanda + Ryan}
{Tayler + Luis}
{Jessica + Jonathan}
{Jon + Ashley}
{Lauren + Alex}
{girls}
{no papparazzi allowed}
{Seth McFarlane = hilarious}
{our very own Oscar}
{ballots}
Love, your hosts M + K
You might also enjoy: 10 Facts You Should Know About The Oscars, My Top 10 Movies of 2012
10 Facts You Should Know About The Oscars
One of my favorite times of the year is red carpet season. I love to see who takes home the big awards (including Best Dressed of course!)
I’ll be back tomorrow with my Oscar party recap, but until then, happy Sunday and enjoy!
xo xo
1. Only once in 80 years has a film (Driving Miss Daisy) won Best Picture without getting nominated for Best Director.
2. Amour is only the 9th foreign language film ever nominated for Best Picture.
3. Silver Linings Playbook got four acting nominations, the first time in more than 30 years that’s happened and only the 14th film to ever get all four nominations. No film has ever won all four acting awards. A Streetcar Named Desire won three of its four nominations back in the 1951 race, the only film in history to do so.
4. No film has won Best Picture in the last 30+ years without a Film Editing nomination.
5. In the past 25 years, only three films have won Best Picture without being nominated for any acting awards.
6. Only two Best Picture winners from 2000 onward had productions budgets exceeding $100 million.
7. This year in the Best Actress category includes the youngest person ever to be nominated (Quvenzhane Wallis, 9) and the oldest person (Emmanuelle Riva, 86) ever to be nominated.
8. The most nominated films in Oscar history are Titanic and All About Eve with 14 noms each.
9. The only sequel to have won Best Picture is The Godfather: Part II.
10. Meryl Streep has had the most Best Actress nominations (14) but Katharine Hepburn holds the title for winning the most in the category (4).
You might also enjoy: My Top 10 Movies of 2012, The Evolution of Movie-Going
My Top 10 Movies of 2012
I LOVE movies. I could watch a movie every day and be happy. I also love ranking and reviewing movies, which I do often with several of my movie aficionado friends. As I was reading list after list of top movies of 2012, I decided to make my own list, and to make this an annual post. Granted, we are now in the height of movie season when the best films of the year often come out and while husband and I have been to the theaters 3 times this week, we still haven’t seen everything we want to. So this may be an incomplete list, but as of what I’ve seen here are my top 10 movies of 2012 …
* * *
10. 21 Jump Street: The award for most laugh-out-loud moments during a movie goes to 21 Jump Street thanks to Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. I thought this would be a typical stupid/funny movie, but it was pure hilarity.
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild: You don’t really think a 5-year-old can act until you’ve seen this movie. Quvenzhané Wallis who plays Hushpuppy at the very least deserves an Oscar nod. She delivers some of the best one-liners I’ve ever heard.
8. Django Unchained: A classic Tarantino film with outstanding performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Christoph Waltz. The intriguing story and movie style make up for the gore and length.
7. The Amazing Spider-Man: I enjoyed the last Spiderman, I really did, but this one didn’t even compare. Andrew Garfield nailed Peter Parker, and the chemistry with Emma Stone was golden.
6. The Hunger Games: I read the book first, thus I was expected to be disappointed. But I wasn’t at all. That’s 5 points right there. I want to grow up to be just like Katniss Everdeen (or Jennifer Lawrence, for that matter.)
5. The Dark Knight Rises: Captivating. Suspenseful. Heart-wrenching. Who knew Batman could be this complex? A fantastic end to the trilogy. A round of applause goes to Christian Bale, but a standing ovation goes to Joseph Gordon Levitt.
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower: This movie ripped my heart out and put it back together. It made me feel sorry for those in high school and it made me want to go back to high school. And it gave me a quote I truly believe – “We accept the love we think we deserve.”
3. Silver Linings Playbook: In all honesty, I put this one in my top 10 list before I even saw it. Then after I saw it, I moved it to #3. What a beautiful, moving, hilarious movie with two beautiful, moving hilarious actors.
2. Moonrise Kingdom: This movie was so close to being #1 because #2 just doesn’t even seem to do it justice. By far the best Wes Anderson movie yet that captures your soul and keeps you rooting for young love the whole way through.
1. Argo: Rarely am I on the edge of my seat for an entire movie and enjoy it. The enthralling plot line was brought to life splendidly with a host of actors. Bravo, Ben Affleck. Bravo.
Editor’s Note: I’ve been dying to see Zero Dark Thirty as I think it would definitely make this list, but it isn’t playing near us. So, for all intents and purposes, it’s on my top 10 as well.
* * *
What was your top movie of 2012?
xo xo
m.davis xoxo 