Pizza, Salad, and a Movie: The Lego Batman Movie

Last weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Arugula
Jalapeños
Artichoke Hearts

I had a wedge salad, but since it was the first Friday of Lent, I skipped the bacon. So it was basically iceberg lettuce, tomato, and blue cheese dressing. My husband joked that it reminded him of the salads his mom used to make. (But he doesn’t remember blue cheese dressing…)

Since I haven’t mentioned this in a while, let me say that the pizzas at Corner Pizza are very good. When I achieve my weight loss goal, I may have a slice or two. Until then, I’m happy just to take photos of them.

Movie:

The Lego Batman Movie

Whoever thought of making a movie using Lego pieces/characters? Someone did for the first one (The Lego Movie, I think), and because it did so well, they came along and did another. This one was clever, if a little silly, but it was well done and entertaining. A bit of a change from movies we’ve seen lately, and a welcome one.

Now – it’s old news that La La Land didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Picture (and how it didn’t win). I’m glad it didn’t, but we haven’t seen Moonlight and don’t really want to. I’m kind of over the Oscars, anyway, except maybe for the gowns on the Red Carpet. Staying up past midnight to see the announcers (or whoever it was) mess up the biggest award of the night – well, I’m glad I didn’t.

[I did wake up in the middle of the night though and checked Facebook (!) to see who won that award. I saw a post that said “That was nuts. #Oscars”, but for some reason, I wasn’t curious enough to look further. I went back to sleep and found out what happened the next morning.]

Incidentally, Bonnie and Clyde is one of my all time favorite films. Too bad its actors had the misfortune of being the ones who got the wrong card that night!

March 8, 2017 0

Pizza and a Movie: Room

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Capers
Feta Cheese
Pepperoni

Movie:

Room

The first thing I wanted to know after seeing this film was: Is it a true story?

The answer is no, but it will remind you of more than a few true stories. If you’re interested in seeing it, you probably already know the storyline: A woman and her son are kept in a small room for several years, and when they come out of it, the world is a brand new place, surreal, and almost unbelievable to her 5 year old son.*

I won’t tell you how they get out, or what life is like for them before or after they do. You have to see the movie to find all that out, and I recommend that you do. But be prepared for something that’s intense and unpredictable. The movie has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, and it deserves the nomination – and maybe even the award. I was riveted by the story, and it was refreshing to note that I didn’t recognize any of the actors, sauf one – and he’s not a huge star.

The pizza was yummy, and we were hungry. I’ve always been a fan of feta cheese, he wanted capers (don’t ask), and pepperoni was a mutual, quick decision. Très bon!

*By the way, the little boy captured my heart, maybe in part because his name is Jack – the same name as my son, whose journey with cancer I write about in ALL THE ABOVE.

January 30, 2016 0

Pizza and a Movie: Star Wars (encore)

This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:

Black Olives
Anchovies
Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Movies:

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Yes, we saw Star Wars again (see “Pizza and a Movie” post of 12/30/15), but this time, at our favorite theater in the USA. Without the French subtitles, it was even better (and easier for me to follow) the second time, here at home. I dare say that’s because, in France, I kept checking to make sure the French words on the screen were what the actors were saying. It was slightly distracting.

This is an absolutely great movie, and if you haven’t seen it, I urge you to do so.

As for the pizza we ordered, my husband ~~demanded~~ really wanted Black Olives, and he wanted me to choose the other two toppings. I chose what I did off the top of my head, and it seemed to work.

By the way, since the Oscar nominations just came out, I wanted to compare the nominees for Best Film with my top rated movies of the year (see my “List Post: Nouvelle Année – janvier 2016” of 12/31/15).

My top 5 were (in order):

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Bridge of Spies
The Gift
Brooklyn
Inside Out

and my “Want to See” movies were:

Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Creed
Steve Jobs
The Big Short

The Oscar nominees were:

The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

How did Star Wars not make it? Je ne sais pas. And I really enjoyed the other 2 movies on my top 5 list that didn’t make it. But 2 of my top 5 did, and 3 of my want to see’s did, too. I saw The Big Short, finally (and also, twice), and I now want to see The Revenant. The only nominees I’m not keen on seeing are #s 7 & 8.

So, there you have it.

January 16, 2016 0

Les Oscars ’13 and ’80, et une connexion

Some people who attended the 85th Academy Awards last Sunday night also attended the 52nd Academy Awards in 1980: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Steven Spielberg, and William Shatner (cette fois, sur la vidéo).

Thirty-three years ago, Johnny Carson was the host of the show, presented on Monday night, April 14, 1980. About six weeks earlier, Jenny, Lisa and Kim* go to the Cinéma Gaumont Montpellier to see the movie, just released in France, that would win 5 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay:

Cinéma Gaumont in 1979:

The film Argo is set in 1979-80, the same year that Jenny and her friends spend studying abroad in the south of France, and the year that moviegoers flock to theatres to see Kramer vs. Kramer. Argo won this year’s Meilleur Film award and 2 other Oscars: Best Film Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.

I loved both movies, but for different reasons. Because my novel MAKE THAT DEUX takes place during 1979-80, the connections between the two films seem coincidental, and ironic. Kramer vs. Kramer was released in the U.S. in December 1979, not long after the American hostages (including the ones whose story is told in Argo) are seized. Both movies tell gripping stories that kept me on edge until the closing scenes. And though much is different in the world since 1980, some things haven’t changed that much, at least politically.

Back to Les Oscars. It’s changed in many ways, but not all. For example, the gowns: In 1980, Sally Field won Best Actress for her role in Norma Rae, beating Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, Jill Clayburgh and Marsha Mason. A much younger Ms. Field wore a fairly simple dress that night:

Last Sunday night, she was nominated for her role in Lincoln, a part she was perfect for and played very well, à mon avis. But my favorite nominee, Jennifer Lawrence of Silver Linings Playbook, took home the Oscar.

Sally Field at this year’s Academy Awards:

Les robes have changed a lot over the years, and so have the hosts, but some things have stayed the same: The show is très long, and the speeches can be (too) long, too. But usually the show is entertaining and has its funny, unscripted (and weird) moments.