What is inevitable in life?

It has been a tough few weeks, but I made the choice to get things done….so Sunday quickly became very busy.

I am not a curler, either the sport or for the hair. But watching it calms me down, and I am able to relax with the sound of the rock gliding to the house. Team Saskatchewan had to win the afternoon draw to play for the title….well, they did!

I forgot the Oscars were on Sunday. It was only when I looked at Facebook that the posts showed up asking who would win? I used to be completely enthused by the show. Maybe I was watching in a golden era of television. Maybe I just liked movies more. Maybe I had time to enjoy it. But now, the award show started an hour before the game, and I had to watch both!

I don’t mind doing my taxes, probably because mine are relatively simple and I can do it on my own. I would like to do it in March so I can get a refund quicker, and I know it’s not up to the wire. So, for some reason, this week, I decided to get it done on Sunday. When I make a choice, I honour it. Yep, that’s now 3 things that could potentially occur at the same time.

Are you filing for a deceased person? The quote from Barbie I remember is, “Do you guys ever think about dying?”. Barbie was not the big winner, but they picked up the award for Best Song.

Did you change your residence during the Tax year? The cast and crew of Oppenheimer made big moves and ended up with the big prize: best picture. It was an amazing film. The actors were outstanding. But the wins were almost expected. It’s a traditional film to win. Nothing changed, nothing was earth-shattering.

Hurry hard!!! The awards show started earlier and actually ended on time. The runtime: 3 and a half hours. But this meant that I was able to watch the last shots of the curling game without interruptions. Team Canada made it a 3-peat. They were just better. You could say a lot about Saskatchewan too but 2 shots made the difference and sealed their fate. It was still good and I know we will be well represented at the Worlds.

What a shock, I am getting a bigger return than last year! I was unsure about my possible return as I received some backpack which bumped up my total income but I made the right choices and money is coming my way. The other shock were Poor Things and Zone of Interest. I had heard of the former and cried with Emma Stone after her win. They took a slew of awards. But the latter was a mystery to me. I have to find it now because it looks like an amazing film and deserving of its wins.

Emotional day with emotional moments. I let out my emotions freely and I did not hold back on Sunday. No wins for Disney, I think they need to re-focus. An indigenous song was performed on stage and an indigenous women won for supporting actress. Godzilla minus one won for visual effects and the people carried models of the beast with them.

It’s done. I did it. And now I can relax. At least for today.

You know, it’s just getting harder. .Each year, I promise to write more and each year I find myself with just 1 new post again. Is it worth writing? People have already dissected this and I am now one week late. But I do like to write, so here goes.

Everything Everywhere All at Once – what if we put a mother in the Matrix? This movie sounds amazing and I promise to see it in the next 6 months (hoping I will be able to keep that promise). Now it did not win every single award for which it was nominated (some were an impossibility as 2 were nominated for best actress in a supporting role) but it take 7 awards. I had never heard of this movie until my friend told me one day about it. It’s a lot, was her comment. Then my parents saw it. It does sound like a lot but also very intriguing.

16 1st time acting nominees – a new crop of actors that will now get their $250,000 nominee gift bags. It is great that different people have been nominated and new people also won. I balled when Ke Huy Quan won. Jamie Lee Curtis made me smile. Brendan Fraser overcame adversity and Michelle Yeoh is beautiful. I am so happy for all four.

100 years of Disney and Warner Brothers – still older than the Oscars. I knew that Disney was 100 but was shocked that Warner Brothers was established the same year. I feel like Disney is in a transition period. Everyone is trying to find their place in this new world of streaming….I do pay for three services but it’s just me so do not feel bad about sharing with family. The other long standing things to note: Spielberg has been nominated as best director in 6 different decades and John Williams is the oldest nominee (90 years young).

The incident – bookended the broadcast. It was brought up several times by the host, Jimmy Kimmel. I am glad that we are mostly able to joke about it. I do feel bad for those involved because it will continue to be held over them for quite some time. I smiled when Jimmy changed the sign “Number of Oscar Telecasts without Incident”. I was also glad that the broadcast itself did not go too long, just 3 1/2 hours (give or take a few minutes). Definitely not the shortest (that was the 1st one, even if it was not broadcasted on TV) but it fit nicely between the on time ones and the ones we wished had ended.

The speeches – lots of memorable moments. I cried during the documentary feature (Navalny) and sang along with the live action short (An Irish Goodbye, happy birthday James!). The costume designer used paper that matched her dress (Wakanda Forever) and honored her mother as a new ancestor. The two Daniels thanked their teachers (original screenplay) and Sarah Polley (Women Talking) is a new heroine of mine.

All quiet on the western front – a new version from Germany. I have watched the 1930 version, as part of my quest to get through all Best Picture winners. It won 4 awards, most of which I guessed correctly. This is one I definitely want to see because it will highlight different things from the novel on which it was based. And its themes still echo today.

Naatu Naatu – I knew this would win from the moment the performance started. I apologize to all other nominees but it was always going to win. Another movie for me to see.

Apologies to Matt Damon.

Thanks for reading,

Michelle

You know it has been almost a year since I posted. And I know I said I would try to watch more movies off my list of Best Picture Winners this past year. I need to get them done by the 100th, I have to. I make no promises about this year but I will say I have hope for it.

Anyways, back to the main event. I will try not to talk about every single minute, because then this will go on and on and no one will read it. So I am going to pick out my top 5 (and maybe an honorary mention or two).

5) Honouring past films – several films of the past were highlighted, notably 60 years of Bond and 50 years of the Godfather trilogy. I loved being reminded of wonderful films that should be celebrated again.

4) Ariana DeBose winning Actress in a Supporting Role – this is the 3rd time that 2 actors have won Oscars for the same role; I had to look up the others: Marlon Brando/Robert DeNiro for the Godfather 1 and 2, respectfully, and Heath Ledger/Joaquin Phoenix for the Joker. And now, Rita Moreno and Ariana DeBose. These two women broke barriers and made history at their respective times.

3) Dune picks up the most wins with 6 – this is the biggest movie of the year that I saw in theatres. I knew it was an amazing movie and I am glad it received those awards, though still angry that Denis Villeneuve wasn’t nominated for Directing.

2) Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli presenting the Best Picture award. Lady Gaga said a few things that made me cry: “I love performing with legends” and “I got you.” She has performed with Tony Bennett who suffers from Alzheimer’s and she clearly loved it and brought out the best in him. It was clear tonight that Liza Minnelli was not entirely well (she came out in a wheelchair) and seemed lost. To hear Lady Gaga say she has her, because she knew how to make her shine. She sang a few lines and Liza immediately perked up. It was one of many moments when I cried, including my top moment.

1) CODA nominated for 3 Oscars and it wins all 3, including Best Picture. It was based on a French film and has an almost entirely deaf cast (now with 2 Oscar winners among them: Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur, winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role tonight). When Yuh-Jung Youn (the presenter of the award) read the name she gasped and was able to say a few words to him in ASL! She also held his award as he signed his acceptance speech. This made me cry, as well as the audience signing “applause”, a silent tribute for him. When they accepted for Adapted Screenplay, the hearing winner brought an ASL interpreter with her so everyone could understand. For Best Picture, there were 2 interpreters, one for the audience and one for the winners on stage. It truly made my night.

Honorary mention #1: “We don’t talk about Bruno” performance with a globe showing snippets of videos of people around the world who had sang the song online. They adapted parts of it for the Oscars, and I feel it was the best performance of the night. Even though Lin-Manuel Miranda didn’t win for the nominated song from Encanto “Dos Oruguitas” (he is so close to an EGOT and a PEGOT, including a Pultizer.)

Honorary mention #2: the moment of silence for Ukraine; Mila Kunis spoke about Ukraine as an immigrant from that country. This is an ongoing crisis and it is important to remember that even though people are wearing exquisite clothing and winning gold statues. During the “In Memoriam” segment, 2 people were highlighted: Ivan Reitman (as a refugee fleeing war) and Betty White (long-time supporter of animal rights and activist).

I think that it all for now. Of course much more happened and people will no doubt point out what I chose not to include. This is just one list, take what you will.

Thanks for reading.

In a year when movies were only viewed at home and, for me at least, alone; it was tough to get excited for these awards.

I didn’t even watch the first hour because I honestly forgot to check the start time, so my review will not amount to much in the grand scheme of things.

The first award I saw was Best Director and it was the best to see. People are born inherently good….believe in that goodness. That just makes me happy.

Shocked about the reordering of the last three award, usually we end with Best Picture but this year it was Best Actor in a Leading Role. Did they think this was better because it would be Chadwick? Well double shocker, Anthony Hopkins was the winner who was not able to attend or chose not to attend.

I still want to watch all the Best Picture winner and one year, I will get back to the list. In a year when we had nothing else to do, maybe I should have watched some but it was not in the cards. This year has been difficult and I lost a lot of activities and I am still recovering. I miss my choir, my bagpipe lessons, and nights out with people.

I haven’t been to a theater in over a year and I don’t know when I will be able to return. When they open, I know I will go back but it still hurts.

I didn’t even know half the movies that were nominated. Usually I have at least heard of them but barely scratched the surface this year. And here is my hot take: Onward should have won Best Animated Feature; Soul was good but it was just not the same for me.

That’s it. I really have very little to say. Thanks Glenn Close for making me laugh and thanks to the Sound of Metal for making me smile. It was only of the shorter broadcasts but they still managed to go longer than 3 hours.

I’m just in a tough place and it’s hard to get excited for something that I used to love when I feel more and more detached from what they are celebrating. I don’t know if we need to broadcast these awards for people any more. Would it make any difference if they just posted the winners after a certain date?

I guess that was my 2nd hot take. Thank you Academy and good night!

This year did not start off well but I still wanted to post my obligatory Oscars commentary.

Again, I have been remiss. I have seen less and less movies but am at least aware of a greater number of the nominees.

This afternoon, I watched two great films: Room and Wonder. Both were well received. But again, I did not see both in their year. Maybe I will make it up later.

There were some highs and lows, and a few surprises, at least for me.

Highs:

– great presenters like Maya and Kristen, James and Rebel, Shia and Zack, Lin-Manuel, Olivia….

– name change from Foreign Language to International

– global “Into the Unknown” performance (and I think we all know her name now)

– only 30 minutes over (I think no host is the way to go)

– rapping recap (I’m so sorry I missed the name but he was amazing!!)

Lows

– whiteout, washout, whatever you want to call it

– female directors (at least 3 call outs to their snub)

– Star Wars no awards (at least Kelly Marie got more screen time than in the last movie)

Surprises

– Janelle Monae (sorry no accent om my phone). Wow, did not know she could do that. What an opening!

– Lose Yourself (17 years late….just felt weird to me)

– Parasite wins Best Picture, essentially twice (international too). I dropped my pen. Wow. No words, just wow.

– Toy Story 4 (what? And still angry about Frozen II not getting the nom)

– Elton John wins for song…I love the Rocketman but it just didn’t do it for me

So, I actually heard of all the winners but did not see a single one. That has to be a record, usually I have seen at least one. So still not going great for 2020, but so happy for Parasite! Hopefully a new tipping point.

Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow. – River Phoenix

Well, you miss one week and it’s easy to miss more. I didn’t go past the second week; only one was due to working late. I am not proud of it either.

The worst part was I was actually excited to talk about the last chapter. I actually enjoyed her final words. Now I guess it’s just you who will learn that.

I don’t think I will ever be 100% comfortable in the night. I don’t think I could try what she did: the night in the cabin. But I will try to keep my eyes and heart open to the dark; try not to be paralyzed with fear.

I am going to try to use different ways of describing the dark. It’s not evil. It rejuvenates us. It’s when we can just be ourselves. It’s where we open ourselves to new sounds and new smells.

I want to see the Chartres cathedral. I want to walk that labyrinth and see those towers. I want to feel the power at night. I want to be able to see something that is invisible.

I might not be walking in the dark every day or night but I will be more aware and welcome it instead of fear it.

This week was a bit better than last but still not great.

I am struggling. Not darkness, maybe a grey day. I have started a new job which is exciting and terrifying. I have to learn so much because it’s all new. Yesterday, I started to cry. Is it going too fast? Do I understand?

My body is telling me one thing and my mind another. I know I can do this but to actually do it is a whole other thing. But I digress.

The book had more that resonated with me. What good things have happened in the dark? Maybe a secret meeting with someone, maybe a chance to recover from the day, maybe just a moment to listen.

I want to live in that darkness, that mystery, that wonder….but I’m afraid. I’m still afraid of the dark. Who sleeps with a night-light? I do.

Darkness is warm. We get closer in the dark. To feel safe, to feel protected, to comfort each other.

Darkness is bedtime. Letting go of the day, embracing the ritual of night, letting our bodies restore.

Darkness is life.

Darkness is mine.

Today was my first book study on the book in the title. I forgot how much I dislike group settings, even with people I know. So I’m going to talk here and see where that gets me.

I grew up terrified of the dark. I distinctly remember one night waking up in a panic because it was dark. I screamed. My parents came in to comfort me. I fell asleep to a night light but they would come in at some point to turn it off. I don’t know why I never realized that.

I can sleep in the dark now, but would still prefer a light on.

I struggled reading the first part. I couldn’t identify with the author. She did speak some truth when talking about light versus dark in a religious sense but her experiences in life did not.

What I thought about while reading was the idea of sunrise and sunset. We are fortunate to experience the fluctuations with the seasons: more sun or more night. In other places, these do not change. My father told me about speaking to people who live near the equator about the changes in day and night. They could not understand because their days and nights are the same, all the time. That would be something.

I was lucky to visit the Yukon and Alaska for a few weeks in the summer months. There is no night. No dark. You can’t wait for the moon, or keep reading until the sun disappears since neither of these happen. I made up my mind to visit again in the dark. I want to experience the night.

Maybe that is the ultimate test of my fear: live in the dark. Walking in the dark, not a bad thing but a new and exciting thing. Something different, something that will challenge me.

I am still learning to walk in the dark, whatever that will come to mean for me. Maybe I’ll be able to feel comfortable again with the lights off. Maybe I won’t but at least I can try.

Oh what a night. I didn’t have time last night because I was finishing a knitting project from several years ago (need to do it or let it go).

And I also had to watch the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final with Alberta stealing the win from Ontario. What a game! I had set up to record the Oscars, just in case, and it went to an extra end so I am glad.

I’m only going to give my opinions, and I am no expert. Of all the films nominated, I have seen three (and some of those were up for only a technical award). Not a great movie year for me. The biggest I did see was Black Panther.

I liked the opener. We needed something to bring on the show. With no host, a musical number was your best bet. Maybe a cameo from Rami? Whatever, I love Queen.

I liked no host. No stupid jokes or skits. If someone fell flat, they were not coming back since they only have a few minutes on stage. Maybe because of that the show only went 25 minutes over. Probably the best timing in recent years.

As usual some speeches went well and others were just odd. It’s hard when multiple people win; I know everyone wants a moment but limit each person’s time. Thank just two people. Let one person do all the talking, just thank your family. Or just raise your Oscar and smile.

I usually weep during the In Memoriam but this year I felt distant from those on screen. I love classical music but the songs chosen didn’t seem to flow as nicely. I did like that the intro said that not everyone can be included in the presentation that night, it helps avoid the awkward moments when people are not on screen. I loved that they muted the audience. It is jarring when some get cheers and others just get a clap. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

It doesn’t happen often but Disney didn’t win best animated feature film. But they were involved in the animated short that won: Bao.

Rami Malek did an outstanding job. And Olivia Coleman is me winning an Oscar. Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro had a touching moment passing the best directing torch. But Spike Lee had the best reaction by jumping on Samuel L. Jackson.

I need to see more films this year and from previous years. I hope to have more time and disposable income to enjoy the medium of film. I miss my movie moments and having a better insight when awards season comes around.

Happy Christmas Eve! The flavour of the day was North African Mint. A stronger flavour but still nice.

Today we lay stockings by the tree with care and looked through a peephole at the water view.

A visit to a local church for Christmas Eve service, so nice.

A good family and relaxing day.

Now to be Santa and ready for tomorrow morning. Until the next post. Happy holidays! Enjoy the time however you choose to spend it.