Oscar 2005 Weekend

Finally got around to watching a few more movies, including two nominated for Best Picture this weekend. I'm sure you'll figure out which one of the three won't be taking home an Oscar.

Ray - Didn't realize how messed up Ray Charles was... But his music was very inspirational and Jamie Foxx'es portrayal was dead-on. Didn't realize "Georgia on my Mind" had was related to the racist views of the aforementioned State back in the 60s. Just thought it was about a gal or something... Totally changes my perspective of this song and many more that he sang...

The Aviator - Scorsese touched on Howard Hughes quest for perfection in all faucets of his life: business/money, flying, and women. Blanchett's and Beckinsale's acting seemed larger than life, but I don't really have any reference to go on for Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner respectively. If I knew the latter actress was in this flick, I would have popped in the DVD a lot sooner.

Ong Bak - Take two handfuls of Muay Thai kickboxing, sprinkling in liberally some Jackie Chan, and add a pinch of Van Damme. Let simmer for five minutes... Voila... Ong Bak! Pretty crazy stunts, which they reshow from multiple camera angles to make sure you didn't miss it. Like did he really slide underneath a running van? Some of the killer moves were a bit lame, but you do have appreciate most of them. The acting was quite horrible overall, I did notice that the subtitles in the movie and the DVD (released two years ago) differ in a few places.

NHL Closure

Well, its official. No NHL hockey this year, that includes having no Stanley Cup playoffs either. Not sure why it took me so long to actually blog on this. One would think I'd have an oppinion on this since I've been a Calgary Flames season ticket holder for 5 years (does this year count?) and am a hockey pool enthusiast.

So what does it say when a fan of the game like me doesn't have much of anything to say? How I can't relate to either the millionaire players or billionaire owners? That it seems more of a PR war than actually trying to get both sides to come to an agreement? I guess it just shows I have more questions than answers or comments on the strike.

I tried to come up with an analogy on why the season should have been cancelled months ago just after the new year and it's even not sports related. It's like that guy/girl that you were dating and was supposed to call you back (and never does), makes you keep waiting by the phone, hoping that everytime it rings, that he/she finally returns your call. It takes awhile for you to realize, but one day it does suddenly clicks in that...

IT'S OVER.

And that when I finally wrote this blog.

Top 10 Albums of 2004

Here's my best of list, for full details check it out here.

10. College Dropout by Kayne West
9. Confessions by Usher
8. How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (Deluxe Edition) by U2
7. LoveAngelMusicBaby by Gwen Stefani
6. All of Our Names by Sarah Harmer
5. In Between Evolution by Tragically Hip, The
4. Hopes And Fears by Keane
3. Hot Fuss by Killers, The
2. Final Straw by Snow Patrol
1. Futures (Limited Edition) by Jimmy Eat World

Song of the Year

With the Grammy's being awarded this weekend, I usually have a few friends compile their "Best of" lists. Here are my picks (in no particular order) for Single of the Year.

• Ch-check it out - Beastie Boys
• All Falls Down - Kayne West
• My Boo - Usher featuring Alicia Keys
• Work - Jimmy Eat World
• Almost - Sarah Harmer
• Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
• Somebody Told Me - The Killers
• Button My Lip - Elvis Costello
• How to be Dead - Snow Patrol
• What Are You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani

Do any of these artists have a strong enough album to make the cut into my Top 10 CDs List? I have my picks tentitively set, but until then here's the link to last year's submissions.

Movie Reviews Part Deux

Caught a few more flicks and DVDs lately:

• The Grudge - Very creepy and sinister as "The Ring". SMG solidifies her scream-queen status.
• Friday Night Lights - Based on the book that covered a small-town revered high-school football team's season of highs and lows. Football, even high-school football, in Texas is reverred like hockey here in Canada.
• National Treasure - Great popcorn movie, predictable plot twists but still very entertaining. A toned-down performance from Cage.
• Seinfeld Vols 1 & 2 - All the cast and writers interviews are very comprehensive. Popup video-like trivia is a bonus for those that remember every line.
  

Have a few Oscar-related pics (Ray, The Village, The Aviator, Saw... yeah the last one doesn't count) to watch for the next batch. Enjoy the Super Bowl, O.