Taking a Minute

So I have started trying to get back into the practice of writing. It is both hard and easy at the same time. When I feel stressed or sad, it is hard to write. I need creativity to fuel creativity but it also may be that the hardest thing about writing is the honesty. If I want to just write, I can do that--you lose yourself in a world that is more of an expanded reality. That is sort of the beauty of writing. It is the reason that I have been writing since the second grade. The challenging part for a person like me is that it can be a slippery slope. The idea of creative writing is to be able to move seamlessly back and forth but that in itself can be challenging. So as I continuously think about what I really want to write, I will write about things that are sort of around me.

I saw Silver Linings Playbook yesterday. It was amazing, really well done. It's not the best movie I have ever seen but it had some honest, poignant moments. I was impressed by the acting-- less about Jennifer Lawrence being Vanity Fair's most desirable woman and Bradley Cooper being People's sexiest man alive. I appreciated that. Sure they were good looking but they were also knee deep in it and the performances felt real. I also appreciated that a mainstream film chose to present family issues and mental illness as not a debilitating mess but something to work through and work on. I liked that they showed a variety of family relationships like the OCD father, the sensitive mother and the "friend" couple with some power-struggle issues. Plus I love football (lots and lots of Philly Eagles in this movie.)

One of the other things that I really liked about the film is that there were some moments that Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) just spoke her mind. I really appreciated that. I wish that there were more moments where we all could be so truthful. I don't feel that as a woman that my honestly or candor may be appreciated. It is the challenge of the modern day. It doesn't always help personal relationships. The dance about what to say and what not to say, and when. At least in the movies you know that whatever they say (and do) will be wrapped up somewhat in about two hours. It reminded me of another movie I love so much...The Family Stone. There is a point where Sarah Jessica Parker--the girlfriend--yells back at the mom and sister..."what makes you all so great. you're not so great" and Diane Keaton says "I know, but we're all we have." I think that is what I love best about my family. No matter what, they are there. We might complain about each other sometimes and God knows that you need to be prepared to everyone all up in your business. But "we're all we got" (even though we've added a few over the years) and I know that I am lucky in many ways. Knowing how many surrogate siblings we have had over the years (youngest or only children or child of a divorced family) there is something to be said about a big family, lots of love and support, laughter and stories.

So some of my recommends today are these. Go see Silver Linings Playbook. Also rewatch or rent Little Miss Sunshine. The Family Stone, Because I Said So and National Lampoon's Vacation. Start on season one of Downton Abbey, which you can download or get from the library and also Brothers & Sisters. Barefoot in the Park, Sixteen Candles, Sense & Sensibility, With Six You Get Eggroll and the original of Yours, Mine and Ours.

That should be enough to make you laugh, cry and think a little more.

Oscar is more than a cat...

It's getting to be that time again...Oscar time! I am writing this on the day of my sister-in-law, Jess's birthday and she was fortunate to be a seat filler at the Oscars in 1996 when living in California. So here's a little tribute.

I have always loved movies and for a number of years, had a great Oscar party complete with friends, costumes/dressing up and even prizes. Hey--an Oscar party is a good reason to bust out those old bridesmaids dresses. Even with the number of times where I've hunkered down with AMC and friends or family members to watch one of those Katherine Hepburn or Hitchcock marathons, it just never gets old. Love a rainy day, PJs and a movie marathon.

If you go to the Oscars website, there is a lot of great information including a photo archive. They have a library (the Margaret Herrick Library) and you know how important film archiving has become. Check out the site at: http://www.oscars.org/awards/index.html.

Now I have disagreed with some of the Academy's choices in the past. I feel that the best movie of the  year should be something that should be timeless and everyone should see and enjoy. That is how I felt about "Hugo" last year. It was a gorgeous film, such wonderful cinematography plus an excellent story. Unfortunately, the Academy did not take my advice but that happens quite a bit so I'm used to it.

I think some of the movies that really didn't deserve the top spot include The Artist, No Country for Old Men, Crash, Lord of the Rings, Chicago (which I HATED...not going to lie), Gladiator and the one I really really dislike that keeps coming back to haunt me...Titanic.

However, I found that Slumdog Millionaire, although depressing, was quite a good film. Million Dollar Baby was not necessarily the best film but it was good. Braveheart might seriously be the best film of the last 20 years. It is not just because I lived in Scotland and that my aunt's family is the Wallace family, but it was a masterful piece of storytelling. So visual...and there are kilts.

As I get older, I understand "film" better. When I saw The Last Emperor with a friend in a movie theater in Detroit, I think I may have fell asleep. But seriously, I was also 16 and it was the 80s. I think that Ferris Bueller and 16 Candles were also pretty much award winners in my book. Oh and St. Elmo's Fire. I went to Catholic school and I didn't remember any St. Elmo but it was the brat pack so that was as close to God as I was going to get!

In terms of contemporary movies, I thought that Out of Africa was absolutely poetic. I just wanted to go and live in Isak Dinesen (pen name)'s world.  I fell in love with Dances with Wolves and the unraveling of the story. That felt timeless.

Now the 80s were a time to cry. Terms of Endearment...really? Not a dry eye in the house. Ordinary People--one of my all time favorite young adult books--was one of the saddest and most haunting of films. I am sure to people today, it probably feels like that teen angst wasn't much but I can tell you that at the time...heartbreaking. Kramer vs. Kramer. What can I say? My brother and I had watched it several times on HBO. I didn't know a lot of families who were struggling with the broken family situation, the push and pull of divorce so it seemed all so tragic to me.

Lovely films? Storytelling crafted well? Snappy reparte and outstanding music? Amadeus, The Godfathers, Annie Hall and The Sting. A run of outstanding musicals...the soundtracks I listen to over and over in my car AND used to wait to have them come on TV (and eventually cable or VHS): The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady and West Side Story. The visual beauty of Gigi's Paris and the south's Gone with the Wind, along with the majesty of the score, vivid costumes and tragedy of the times make them some of my all time favorite films. Plus Leslie Caron never ages. I realize that she is French but seriously, never ages.

So before the Oscars 2012 come come calling at the end of February, you may want to take a look at the movies below. There are some fantastic ones and an excellent way to spend some time. As for this year's race, I am on my way to seeing as many as I can. I think that many from the beginning of the year are often forgotten by the time the announcements come out, but there are still good ones to see. Argo might be my favorite. I remember that time...I remember the helpless feeling, the nation's struggle and when I learned about what really happened, I felt like there is so much history to really learn, or relearn. Zero Dark Thirty was better than I had thought and again, much to learn, even though it wasn't that long ago. Lincoln was outstanding...what a champion for his time. Not sure it's the best film of the year, although I wouldn't be disappointed if it wins, but Daniel Day-Lewis's performance is absolutely magical, perfect, amazing. Next up for me is Beasts of the Southern Wild and Silver Linings Playbook, which is finally coming here. I didn't like the book Life of Pi and hoping I can actually sit through the film. Same with Les Miserables. I've seen the stage musical and not a fan of the film, but feel I need to see it. Unlike most people, I actually like Anne Hathaway. Also I like Naomi Watts so that film may also be on the list.

Cheers to you this Oscar season. Enjoy!

2011 - "The Artist"

2010 - "The King's Speech"

2009 - "The Hurt Locker"

2008 - "Slumdog Millionaire"

2007 - "No Country for Old Men"

2006 - "The Departed"

2005 - "Crash"

2004 - "Million Dollar Baby"

2003 - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

2002 - "Chicago"

2001 - "A Beautiful Mind"

2000 - "Gladiator"

1999 - "American Beauty"

1998 - "Shakespeare in Love"

1997 - "Titanic"

1996 - "The English Patient"

1995 - "Braveheart"

1994 - "Forrest Gump"

1993 - "Schindler’s List"

1992 - "Unforgiven"

1991 - "The Silence of the Lambs"

1990 - "Dances With Wolves"

1989 - "Driving Miss Daisy"

1988 - "Rain Man"

1987 - "The Last Emperor"

1986 - "Platoon"

1985 - "Out of Africa"

1984 - "Amadeus"

1983 - "Terms of Endearment"

1982 - "Gandhi"

1981 - "Chariots of Fire"

1980 - "Ordinary People"

1979 - "Kramer vs. Kramer"

1978 - "The Deer Hunter"

1977 - "Annie Hall"

1976 - "Rocky"

1975 - "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest"

1974 - "The Godfather Part II"

1973 - "The Sting"

1972 - "The Godfather"

1971 - "The French Connection"

1970 - "Patton"

1969 - "Midnight Cowboy"

1968 - "Oliver!"

1967 - "In the Heat of the Night"

1966 - "A Man for All Seasons"

1965 - "The Sound of Music"

1964 - "My Fair Lady"

1963 - "Tom Jones"

1962 - "Lawrence of Arabia"

1961 - "West Side Story"

1960 - "The Apartment"

1959 - "Ben-Hur"

1958 - "Gigi"

1957 - "The Bridge on the River Kwai"

1956 - "Around the World in 80 Days"

1955 - "Marty"

1954 - "On the Waterfront"

1953 - "From Here to Eternity"

1952 - "The Greatest Show on Earth"

1951 - "An American in Paris"

1950 - "All About Eve"

1949 - "All the Kings Men"

1948 - "Hamlet"

1947 - "Gentleman's Agreement"

1946 - "The Best Years of Our Lives"

1945 - "The Lost Weekend"

1944 - "Going My Way"

1943 - "Casablanca"

1942 - "Mrs. Miniver"

1941 - "How Green Was My Valley"

1940 - "Rebecca"

1939 - "Gone with the Wind"

1938 - "You Can't Take It with You"

1937 - "The Life of Emile Zola"

1936 - "The Great Ziegfeld"

1935 - "Mutiny on the Bounty"

1934 - "It Happened One Night"

1932/1933 - "Cavalcade"

1931/1932 - "Grand Hotel"

1930/1931 - "Cimarron"

1929/1930 - "All Quiet on the Western Front"

1928/1929 - "The Broadway Melody"

1927/1928 - "Wings"

Holiday! Part One

Even though the one radio station I get on my shower radio plays some really random songs, and my title might indicate that I heard Madonna this morning and not INXS, Extreme, or Guns 'n Roses, I actually am thinking back to some of the things that I did not write over these past weeks. Normally I am knee deep in the festivus spirit but found that my work stress sort of make me jump the shark this past holiday season.

So here are a few of the things that I do every Christmas or before Christmas just as soon the clock ticks December first.

Movies. These are an absolute must. For the past several years, there was a series on Lifetime (Fa la la la la Lifetime) which plays every sad, sappy, torn apart family holiday melodrama, rom com and kids movie you can remember. There are a few that I really love, and yes, you can actually purchase them on Amazon if you try. "Recipe for a Perfect Christmas" tells the story of the up and coming food writer whose mother returns to town at the same time that she meets a chef also looking for his break. Hallmark does a couple great ones..."A Season for Miracles" and "Silver Bells." I must admit that while I totally love the Hallmark-ABC Family-Lifetime-other cable movie run at the holiday, there are several family classics that I will watch and then watch again when I get up to Michigan and join the rest of the family. "Love Actually" tops the list. Seriously, which of the story lines is the best because the whole movie is just great. Plus the soundtrack is excellent. Old flashback--yes all of these children are now adults--is "All I Want For Christmas" where the two kids of a recently divorced couple try to get their parents back together so everyone can have a happy holiday. I had to actually search this out on VHS and then hunt down DVDs on ebay. Lauren Bacall plays a New York Theatre legend and can still wow the crowd. The next one is a family girls vs. guys battle. The girls all love "The Ref"--laugh out loud funny. I could quote lines forever. Denis Leary is genius and let's not forget Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis. For some unknown reason, my two brother-in-laws do not appreciate the humor. But I swear, it is a Christmas classic. Old classics? "Holiday Inn" and "White Christmas" Serious singalong movies. New classics? "Home Alone", "The Santa Clause", and "Elf"! Will Ferrell is a genius. "Miracle on 34th Street" both old and remake, "Christmas Vacation" may be one of the top 3 and to round it out, "Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas." Jim Henson's lovable puppets tell a holiday story that never grows old.

Music. I don't even know where to start. The best Christmas album is the very first "A Very Special Christmas" and my favorite song is Sting's "Gabriel's Message." It sounds like raindrops moving through a golden curtain. Lovely and haunting. The whole album is amazing...Stevie Nicks, U2 and even Run DMC which makes me want to have "Christmas in Hollis." I am not sure that I can name all the fantastic Christmas albums. I seriously grew up with albums...Julie Andrews's Christmas album that was pink with a fake red bow and it was played on the record player. First it was Amy Grant and those with lots of range. These days it seems that everyone releases a holiday album. Kristen Chenoweth put out one last year (lovely), Michael Buble (festive) and have you heard the albums from Straight, No Chaser? Fun-upbeat-love! Every retail outlet from Pottery Barn to Pier One to Starbucks has Christmas albums now and the compilations are absolutely charming. Don't forget the movie soundtracks...as I mentioned above "Love Actually" has a great one with a great rendition of "All I Want for Christmas." The "Elf" soundtrack is also a lot of fun. Favorite single songs? "Blue Christmas," "Silver Bells," "Merry Christmas Baby," "Santa Baby," "Sleigh Ride," "Marshmellow World" and the best...The Drifters "White Christmas." Those are more classics than contemporary so for 25 year of more modern songs, do check out the rest of  the set of "A Very Special Christmas" collection released a special 25th anniversary album this year too so check out the past 20+ years of some amazing music.

To Be Continued...

College Football Season Reflections

As the college football season comes to an end, this Michigan fan has a few thoughts. As you know, Michigan started the season playing a SEC team and ended playing a SEC team so I've learned a few things. There is seriously no training like playing a SEC team. If you play them near the beginning, you might even learn something that will help you down the road. Yes they really are that big...and talented. They are also relentless no matter how far ahead they are. I also learned that I really don't like the Alabama Million Dollar Band - it is just downright irritating when you are losing. I have also never seen so many "pretty" outfits in differing shades of red and in the case of Bama, more elephant clothing worn by adults than by toddlers across the nation. I live in a SEC town where a Gamecock crows throughout downtown three times a day. I can't even explain that. But I think Clowney proved that I don't really have to. While I am sure there were many ND fans making fun of the spanking that Alabama gave Michigan over Labor Day, it's pretty hard to be on that losing side. Honestly, I didn't think ND would come close -I just didn't see their season as being tough enough to prepare them but I'll often root for an underdog and I really wanted to see a good game. The championship game like most of the other bigger bowl games were fairly well disappointing this year. Mostly I'm a little sad because I love football Saturdays. So here's to next year, when we will once again don our favorite school's colors, root for some good games, better refereeing, no injuries, and fun with friends and family. Until then, the hockey lockout is over, Michigan's basketball team looking great (so is BU Hockey), here comes March madness and baseball's opening day.