Intense Sunday Nights

I have a select number of shows I simply cannot miss. But for the most part, I’m a-okay falling behind a few weeks and catching up on a cold, rainy Saturday/Sunday. Homeland is not one of them. If I miss it on a Sunday, I feel like I’m missing the most important news in the world.

If you haven’t heard of Homeland or watched it, it’s time. This show brings an intensity to Sunday nights you never knew you needed. I get so sucked into the plot lines and characters that I really think Abu Nazir is a terrorist out there and we’re trying to catch him. The minute you think you have the show figured out, you realize you don’t. The show continues to surprise and delight, even on its less thrilling episodes (note: that is practically an oxymoron).

But it’s not just the watching of the show I enjoy. Over on Grantland, Andy Greenwald writes thrilling recaps and analyses after every episode. It’s the highlight of my Monday to read and then discuss with BLB over afternoon coffee. As the second season wraps in 3 weeks, this Christmas/Winter season is the perfect time to catch up on the series. You must start from the beginning and I can assure you, when you have all the episodes at your disposal, it will be hard to walk away.

It’s television like this that makes me so happy and grateful there are Americans out there who could careless about the latest Real Housewives or MTV reality show. People appreciate the detailed, dramatic script peppered with some lightheartedness. And I for one, cannot get enough.

Award-Winning Movie Week

I sit here watching the Golden Globes. I most definitely stayed in this past Friday night solely so I could watch the Critics Choice Awards. This really is, the most wonderful time of the year.

This past year has been my favorite for movies. I like the fact I’m torn in nearly every award category for “Best…” And for The Parallax Review, we have to put together a top 10 list. And I literally have broken out into hives and having panic attacks when trying to narrow down my selections, so I can’t even begin to imagine sitting on an academy and voting.

There’s still a ton of films I need to see (The Kids Are Alright, Exit Through the Gift Shop and Animal Kingdom), so I feel weird even putting my list together, which is making me cram movies in during these past few weeks.

While I sit here hoping the awards season, I must say, there are some films from this past year that just made me fall in love all over again with the movie industry.

1. The Social Network is just as good as everyone says it is. But the thing I really loved in this film, aside from the hilarious one-liners, was the score. Remember how the score of Up makes you sob in the opening scene? The score in The Social Network won’t make you sob, but it will fill you with the paranoia and excitement the characters in the film experience. Music is such an intricate part of today (I can’t remember the last time I was at work without my headphones in) and I love the fact it’s commanding more of a presence in movies.
2. Wasn’t a huge fan of Black Swan, but there’s no denying how amazing Natalie Portman is in the film. She’s exquisite. She should win every award she’s nominated for, but the rest of the film is very blah.
3. Toy Story 3 was the first film to make me cry while wearing 3-D glasses. Enough said.
4. Underrated films of the year: The Town and Easy A. Do yourself a favor and see the silent, but deadly, Jeremy  Renner continue his reign of dominance in The Town and the hilarious Emma Stone scores an Easy A with her leading performance.
5. The King’s Speech made me finally like seeing all of those terrible Harry Potter characters (the ones trying to kill Harry all the time). Helena Bonham Carter looks perfect in her turn-of-the-century look and Colin Firth still makes you want to marry him in this role

Alright, the Globes are getting good (and I should say, Mom and I watched Temple Grandin a few months back and it was amazing. Claire Danes should win), so I’m off to watch more of Ricky Gervais. He is fantastic.

 

Fun fact: 2011 will continue to be a year with movie magic. Got voted on to the Junior Board of the Chicago International Film Festival and Cinema/Chicago. Woo! Volunteering pays off