2021 Oscars - Best Pic

I wrote a much longer post talking about each of the seven Best Picture films, so this will just be a quick rundown. While the Oscars is oftentimes incredibly unreflective of society, and overwhelmingly skews white and male, this year there are a lot of historic firsts. 

• TWO women nominated for Best Director
• First male of Asian descent EVER nominated for Best Actor
• A University of Utah Film Studies MFA graduate is nominated for Best Director! 

I am very happy that stories about women told by women are getting recognized. I know that in the grand scheme of representation and equity, the Oscars are small potatoes - they are a symptom of issues and change that needs to happy. Once women and people of color get more access at the beginning of the process - being hired as writers, directors, stars, DPs, producers - they would be more likely to end up in nominations. We aren't there yet, so we'll start with celebrating this first until they become second nature. 

Lots of interesting and diverse stories were told this year, and I LOVE that women were nominated in Lead and Supporting in roles that were more than just "the wife" or "the girlfriend". So often a film centers on a male protagonist, and the woman that is nominated (and wins, see: Jennifer Connolly, Alicia Vikander) has played a supporting role in his story. Or the woman is nominated, but their film is overlooked in the Best Pic category (see: Wild, Monster, Still Alice). 

I haven't done any prognosticating or read anything about odds on who will win, so here's my thoughts on what I want to win with absolutely no outside influence of who I think will win. 

Best Pic
The only one I actively dislike is Mank. I'd be okay if Minari, The Father, Nomdland, or Promising Young Woman won. I appreciated what was being said in The Trial of the Chicago 7, but I'd be surprised and a little displeased if it won. 

Best Actor - Leading
Honestly, anyone but Gary Oldman would be fine with me. My knowledge of the Academy and awarding posthumous awards has me thinking Chadwick Boseman will win. 

Best Actress
Oh I definitely want Carey Mulligan to win. I love her and it is a powerhouse performance. However, I'm concerned she might lose to Frances McDormand. And Frances is great in Nomadland, way better than her performance in Three Billboards that got her an Oscar a few years ago. 

Best Actor - Supporting
I'm definitely rooting for Daniel Kaluuya. I hope he and Lakeith Stanford don't split votes since they're in the same movie. 

Best Actress - Supporting
Olivia Colman was so great in The Father and it'd be great if she won, but also I'm pulling for Yuh-Jung Youn from Minari. 

Best Director
Y'all, I am conflicted with this category. I want Lee Isaac Chung because he's a U grad, but I also am pulling for Chloe Zhao and Emeral Fennel. I liked all their films so I guess I'd be okay with any of them winning. 

Oscars 2021

 I love going to the movies. I mean I love movies in general, but my joy is in the movie theater experience. Last year that was taken away and it was hard (please don't judge, everybody's hard is relative). I go to a movie for many reasons, including to feel better whenever I'm sad or anxious or feeling lonely or stressed. It is  a refuge, and when I was feeling ALL those things last year during lockdown and quarantine I couldn't do the one thing that makes me feel better. One Saturday night in March last year, I waited for the sun to go down, closed all my blinds, turned off the lights, put my phone on silent and in my bedroom, and made some popcorn to recreate the theater experience in my apartment to watch The Rise of Skywalker (y'all, I was obsessed with that movie last year and I can't even tell you how many times I saw it in a theater). While it sufficed for the world we were all living in, and it did help me in the moment, it was never going to be a permanent solution.

All that to say my relationship with movies has been very different this past year. Movie theaters reopened in Austin in August, but most studios were choosing to not release their films since the big markets of NY and LA were closed. New movies to see were not in the same amount as normal years, and while I was thankful for the new films that were released (yay Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984), it's just been a year where I've felt very disconnected from film and the film award world. 

And here we are at Oscar Sunday. Back when the nominations were announced I wasn't very excited about anything. I didn't really even follow or keep track of the other awards during the season. But then Cinemark announced their annual Oscar Week and I could catch up and see all the films and be ready for Oscar Sunday. So here's my take on the noms, most notably the eight Best Pic nominees (which I've seen all), and some (likely) annoying commentary. 

The Father
Wow, what a film to come out of left field for me. I saw this on Wednesday last week knowing nothing about it except the title and the stars. I had seen the ads for it online and immediately assumed it was some sad, treacly, sappy story of a dad and daughter in his final days; something akin to On Golden Pond. It definitely starts out that way, and then there is a huge change that made me wonder if I was watching a psychological thriller (helped along by the score and directing during the change).  And I guess it kind of is a psycholgogica thriller, as Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) is living with dementia and he can't actually remember who is who and what is happening. The film always kept me on my toes and made me even wonder what was going on. Living with dementia must be terrifying, and those  experiencing it through family members are also going through a lot. Both Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman are great and I recommend this film. 

Judas and the Black Messiah
I saw this on a February afternoon at the beginning of some plumbing issues at my house. I really just wanted to escape and let go for a couple hours, and was so glad the theater in Denton was open and there was a new movie on the docket. Daniel Kaluuya gives a phenomenal performance as Chairman Fred Hampton, leader of the Black Panther in Illinois. Lakeith Stanfield gives an equally phenomenal performance as FBI informant Bill O'Neal, looking to get his conviction for stealing a car softened. The Black Panthers are incredibly misunderstood by (white) society and this film was a great intro into what they were really trying to do and the way the FBI (illegally) treated them. I intend to do more personal study of the Black Panthers. The ending had me crying at the brutality and illegality of the FBI murdering Fred Hampton.

Mank
When this film was announced I was pretty sure I was the target audience - directed by David Fincher (he directed one of my top-five favorite films, The Social Network) about the classic of classic-est movies, Citizen Kane (which I love). I even got to see it in a real movie theater (the S. Lamar Alamo in Austin). However, I found the movie to be incredibly boring even though I think billing for movies is incredibly fascinating. I didn't like Gary Oldman as Herman J. Mankiewicz (Mank, the guy who wrote Citizen Kane). I didn't really like anybody or anything, except for one very crackling scene at a crowded and somewhat fraught dinner party at the estate of Randolph Hearst. 

Minari
I was excited to watch this film because it is directed by Lee Isaac Chung, a guy who also graduated from the University of Utah Film Studies program (he was a grad student that finished in 2004, I was an undergrad that started in 2005). When I moved to NYC in September 2007, I reached out to the alumni network and was given the email for a fellow graduate that was also living in NYC - Isaac Chung. I contacted him and I actually helped on a film that his friend was directing and he was shooting in early 2008. I don't even remember what I did to what the short/film was about, and we never connected again (although we did friend each other on FB). All of that to say, I was excited that this film had Oscar buzz because of my very small connection to the director. When A24 sent me an email about virtual screenings, I immediately bought a ticket because I wasn't sure I'd be able to see it in theaters. However, the application used wouldn't let me cast from my phone, laptop, or chromebook to my tv, and the ticket was only good for a five hour window, so I ended up watching it on my phone. NOT ideal, especially when reading the subtitles. Anyway, I still found the story to be incredibly affecting and the performances all very moving. 

Nomadland
This was the first film I saw during Oscar Week, and I had no idea what it was about except that it had some scenes involving workers at an Amazon warehouse facility. It's a quietly affecting story of one woman's live after the death of her husband and the closing of the US Gypsum plant that employed her husband in Nevada. She lost her husband and her community, and she spends the movie as a nomad finding new community through work and solitude. It was melancholic and lovely. 

Promising Young Woman
I can imagine many a conservative white dude who believes women "call rape" frequently, watched the trailer (not even the film) and immediately dismissed it as 1) the Me Too movement run amok; 2) angry women revenge film; 3) just a feminist movie (these are all basically versions of the same thing). And maybe it IS those things....but it's also more nuanced than that. Anyone who thinks Cassie the heroine of this movie isn't paying enough attention. She is damaged and hurt and angry (all understandable and justifiable), but her outlet isn't healthy. Numerous people tell her that she needs to move on, and it's clear she's stopped progressing by choice - and that's not a good thing for her or her friend Nina. When she does move on, she's timid and careful, only for it to be taken from her. She reacts in the extreme. And maybe that's all she felt she could do. I'm not really here to judge her....but I am judging the men and other accomplices in the film for their own actions and choices. It is a dark, funny, irreverent, stylistic film with really wonderful music choices. I hope Carey Mulligan wins Best Actress.

Sound of Metal
I don't have a ton to say about this film. I watched it a couple weeks ago in my home on Amazon Prime. I really like Riz Ahmed, but this film didn't totally connect with me. It's not as if it's bad in anyway, I just didn't feel it. But I don't have any negative feelings toward it. 

The Trial of the Chicago 7
I watched this today instead of spending four hours at the theater watching the nominated Shorts. I like Sorkin as a writer (for the most part...I mean he wrote The Social Network which I love but he can definitely be overly speechy in his screenwriting), but don't particularly enjoy him as a director. He has a really all-star, stellar cast, that, in my opinion, helps him overcome some of his weaknesses as a director. But his dialogue oftentimes was annoying and to on-the-nose and it annoyed me. I don't know nearly enough about the actual events, but I feel like he dramatized a lot of the proceedings. The content of the film is extremely applicable to our current time, and it made me feel frustrated that we haven't really come all that far in equity and social justice. After living through this past summer and seeing so much police brutality and violence on Americans, I had anxiety watching the riot footage and had to turn away. The film definitely made me angry, frustrated with the ongoing white supremacy institutions that continue to perpetrate inequity, but that doesn't make it an overwhelming great film; telling a relevant, important story doesn't automatically bestow accolade. Additionally, I was troubled that Gary Seale, the Black Panther roped into the trial simply because he was black, was "saved" by the conscience of a respectable white man. That being said though, Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave a restrained performance that I really liked. 

Snowvid-21

 It started with snow on Valentine's Day. Despite the decent accumulation of snow on the roadways, I made the drive to Hannah's for planned brunch with my friend Lindsey. We both made it safely an

That night, Sunday, was cold. Monday morning came with fresh snow and lots of people didn't have power. I thankfully did, though. I logged into work but it was hard to concentrate as it was clear a lot was going on. Throughout the day I kept checking Facebook to get updates on my friends. I texted with close friends to check in on them. Turned my thermostat down to 65 to conserve energy and do my part. 

Evening came and I still had power, which I was feeling very lucky about. I couldn't believe that I'd get to watch The Bachelor, a piece of joy during this cold, crazy time. 

Then the power went out at 6:30 p.m. I was a bit lost on what to do, as I was feeling confident I wouldn't lose power. I found two good-smelling candles I had from Target, and also some tealight candles from Ikea, lit them and placed them on my nightstand. I brushed my teeth, opened up my faucets to dripping to prevent frozen pipes, gathered blankets and my cats on my bed and settled in. 

I sat there in the candlelight, wondering what I would do if the power was out all night. My mind couldn't handle that thought, so I just cuddled up with Biscuit and ignored the gnawing, overwhelming thoughts. 

Power came on about an hour after going off. I was giddy, and turned on The Bachelor. Sadly, power went out again at about 8:30, around an hour after being on. So I relit my candles and got back into my bed, cuddled with my cats and just laid there. 

I finally fell asleep, and the power went off and on in approximately one-hour increments until about three a.m. It woke me up sometimes, as my heater is kind of loud. Overall though, I was basically warm with all my blankets and layers of clothing (I slept with socks on and I never sleep with socks on). The power went off around 8 a.m., just in time for work to start. It came on an hour later and stayed on for the rest of the day. 

At this point, even though I was cold and mentally exhausted, I was still feeling lucky that I had power ALL DAY. I was, however, feeling concerned that I didn't have enough food to get me through the upcoming snow and cold that was coming Tuesday night; it seemed that Friday would be the next time that it'd be okay to leave (I went grocery shopping Saturday but I didn't get enough to make it through that long). My friend Steph came to my rescue, picking me up in her 4-wheel drive vehicle to get groceries. 

Getting groceries was an adventure. We bypassed Murder Kroger because the parking lot was jam packed. We decided to go to Albertsons farther down on University since its' generally, in normal times, not busy. It was closed. So we headed back towards down and stopped at Aldi's. It was moderately busy, but not overwhelmingly so. They still had a decent amount packaged food, but meat and other deli items were pretty much gone. This surprised me, as my goal was to get items that didn't need refrigeration. Before dropping me off, Steph stopped by her home to give me one of her flashlights. 

With a new food supply, I was feeling ready for whatever came. My power went off around 9 p.m. and was off/on all night in one hour increments until 9 a.m. The temp dropped to below zero over night. Despite that, and the heater being set to 63 and going off every hour, I kept warm in my bed. Power was on all day, except for a random half hour at 2 p.m. I also still had water as my pipes hadn't froze or burst. 

Power stayed on Wednesday evening and all through the night. The City asked all of us to not drip our faucets as the water supply was low. Did my best to conserve water (and electricity), however a boil water order was issued Thursday afternoon. Thankfully I had filled up some pots and containers with water on Monday, so I had some water I could use without having to boil. 

At this point it was just looking forward to Friday, when temps would finally rise above freezing. Friday has come and things are feeeling normal again. The sun came and the rising temp meant the ice and snow melted. Water boil order is still in place, but that's no so bad considering what we've all been through. 

I never lost water, my power only went out at night/overnight and the lowest the temp got in my home was 58. I had food and was checked in on by friends and family. I didn't have medical issues that required power. It was a trying week, though, and I was luckier than most. 

Escape to Texas Mountains

Working from home is overall pretty great, but there's nothing to do after the end of the work day. All planned and thought-about summer vacations have been cancelled. The one hobby I have is going to a movie theater, and they have all been closed since March. I stay indoors except to get groceries, get takeout, or replenish cat food and litter. 

It all makes me feel even more stir-crazy to get out of dodge. Even though it was just six weeks ago that I roadtripped to Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the absence of everything else in my life exacerbates my need to GET OUT. The need and desire to feel and experience something beyond the four walls of my apartment, but also being safe and not risking infection of myself or possibly others. It is indeed a strange time. 

So on a whim I booked a room at the Indian Lodge in Davis Mountains State Park for Sunday night. I did this Friday night. Because there are no rules during a pandemic (other than actual rules like physical distancing, wearing a mask, etc.). 

Mountains aren't prevalent in Texas. At least that's how I feel as someone that grew up in Idaho and Utah in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. And I always miss them, in an abstract way since I'm not an avid hiker or anything. So finding these mountains, just a six-and-a-half-hour drive from Austin felt like finding gold. 

All I wanted to do was escape my apartment and clear my head with pretty views, sunsets and sunrises, and some stars. I got all of that in spades. I spent the day sitting on a rock overlooking a valley. I watched birds (even though I know nothing about birds), listened to the wind, saw some deer foraging for food, and watched the mountain slowly be enveloped by shade as the sun set. 

Then everything was swathed in the magical glow of magic hour, and suddenly everything was evocative, beautiful, transcendent. Trees and cactus and rocks were beautiful masterpieces of elegance and purity. Then the star came out, and I spent at least an hour gawking at the majesty of the Milky Way and nighttime sky. 

I got up very early in the morning to catch the sunrise. Everything looked gorgeous, and I spent the morning hiking around the area and taking pictures of cactus. I even ran across a group of wild pigs. Check out all my photos here. 

I then headed out to Marfa, because it seemed like if I was already out this far in west Texas I might as well hit up Marfa and see the famous Prada art installation. But what I'll always remember is the amazing fried chicken sandwich I had at The Water Stop (and the very pricey pillow I bought at a gift shop). 

These plants were everywhere, and they definitely gave a feeling of an other-worldly place. Aliens, maybe? ;)

Callin' Baton Rouge

After my day-trip on my birthday to the Hill Country of Texas, I thought about planning another road trip for Memorial Day (since my trip to San Diego with my Kansas friends as part 3 of our "Four Corners of America" was cancelled). I convinced myself out of it, though, and didn't plan anything.

But then I woke up early Saturday morning (thanks to my cats) and couldn't go back to sleep. I decided to make the most of being up so early (and thought about another weekend at home after another week of being at home) and decided I'd head to Baton Rouge, a six and a half hour drive from Austin. I booked a hotel, fed my cats, and then headed out with no plans. (Check out a google photo album for photos.)

It started raining right as I got to Baton Rouge. Not ideal, but not terrible. I drove by my hotel, but didn't want to unload in the rain so I just drove towards a tall building. Turns out it was the State Capitol. What kind of State Capitol looks like this, instead of columns and domes? I knew right then I loved Baton Rouge.

I spent my time just walking around, mostly at the riverfront. "Patriotic" music was playing from several speakers and it was kind of nice, but also kind of annoying as I sat there for awhile and heard the same songs over and over. 

I watched the clouds and the barges, and just contemplated. 

Baton Rouge has an amazing Downtown Greenway that I took a walk down as the sun was going down. The median of North Street is full of trees, a bike path, and a walk path and it was lovely. Then I walked through the historic Beauregard Town during the fleeting magic hour. Everything was bathed in a glow of purple and pink, and I could smell rain and flowers as I walked along old streets and admired old homes. Through one window I could see a person watching Casablanca. It was magical and lovely.

The next morning I decided to make my way to New Orleans, specifically I wanted to drive across the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. I had sent some photos to my friend Kate, and she mentioned that Louisiana was home to one of the longest bridges in the world! I took the longer (and on my opinion more scenic) route to New Orleans just to cross this bridge. I paid five bucks and it was well worth it! The bridge spans Lake Pontchartrain and is 24 miles long. One site I read said that at one point on the bridge a person can't see any land; that's not true, as almost from the beginning one can see the skyline of New Orleans. Whatever. It was amazing. I rolled my windows, let the wind blow my hair, and sang along to the radio as I marveled at the bridge, the clouds, the water, and the fete of engineering it was to build the bridge. 

I spent a couple hours in New Orleans, since I had come all this way to cross a bridge and was now there. Due to Covid response measures, lots of things were still closed. The famed Bourbon Street was not teeming with people (I actually ended up driving down it on accident when I first entered the city). Lots of people weren't wearing masks. Some places were open, but most places were still closed. So not the best introduction to a city. I hung out at Jackson Square, and did some walking in the French Quarter, but was hot and sweaty so decided to leave. Major shout out to the random restaurant I found next to a post office drop box in downtown that let me use their bathroom even though I wasn't a customer - I was dying and my bladder would not have made it much longer. 

On the way back I stopped in Baton Rouge for lunch. I really like Baton Rouge, more so than New Orleans. I often wonder what touristy places like Bourbon Street were like before they became touristy places, full of terrible souvenir shops and restaurants that catered to tourists. What was it like when it was a place people just went to, or stumbled upon. 

I had started playing Garth Brooks when I left New Orleans, hoping the song "Callin' Baton Rouge" would start playing at just the right moment. After stopping for lunch, I was making my way to the freeway and, in a perfect moment of kismet, it started playing just as I got on the on-ramp and crossed over the bridge spanning the Mississippi River. 

Quarantine TV Watching

UPDATED
When everything's closed and you aren't supposed to leave, what else is there to do than catch up on new and old tv shows. This is what I've been watching the past couple months.

Girls
I already watched Girls a couple years ago out of curiosity. This time I watched it because of Adam Driver specifically. His character, Adam Sackler, and Hannah have such an interesting relationship and when they break up I am reduced to a mess of tears because it feels so real.

Angel
I started this rewatch when I got to season 4 of my Buffy rewatch. I had a newfound appreciation for season 2, but it's still my least favorite. Season 3 is my favorite with the epic story of Darla and Angel having a baby, even if we are supposed to believe Angel and Cordelia are in romantic love. Season 4 is grand in scale, and is for the most part good but Cordelia truly was terrible. Season 5 is overall fun, with some great episodes and arcs. I hadn't seen the finale since it originally aired and I was reminded how good it is.

Tiger King
A train wreck where everyone is a villain and no one wins.

Fleabag
I had heard about the "hot priest" and was tempted to skip to season 2 just to see if it was as good as it was made to be. But, since season 1 is only six 30-minute episodes I stuck with it. Glad I did because I ended up enjoying season 1 and it really made a lot of the character motivations clear from earlier in the season and is pivotal to understand season 2. The hot priest storyline definitely delivered. So. Damn. Heartbreaking.

Succession
Dang. So good. This was one of the shows offered for free from HBO Max when quarantine started. Season 1 was so amazing, and season 2 I almost gave up on after the first episode. I kept with it, though, at the urging of my coworker and I'm glad I did because it was amazing. I mean, that ending. Also, everyone is super terrible and it's hard to pick who I dislike the most; sometimes it's Tom, most of the time it's Logan, and occasionally it's Logan.

Single Parents
I randomly started watching this when I saw a commercial for an upcoming episode. It's simple fun, and there were a lot of times when the kids made me laugh out loud.

Killing Eve (adding this after I originally posted because I forgot about it)
I get most of my t.v. recommendations from my coworker (she recommended I stick with Fleabag and Succession), and she has been urging me to watch Killing Eve more than anything. I started it one Saturday when, like most other Saturdays during quarantine, there wasn't anything else to do. Most of season I really liked, but the ending didn't really do it for me. I unenthusiasticly started season 2 but didn't get past the first episode. I love that it's female-written and stars two females (both took home awards for their roles!) but I'm just not into it.

One Tree Hill
I just had a hankering for a teen drama and this is on Hulu. I watched the first season when it aired way back in 2003, but knew random things about what was happening over the years due to my general interest in pop culture. The first season is pretty classic, and was the last time before a long span of truly terrible hairdos and wardrobe choices for Lucas. The show started embracing the crazy at one point, but dang if I wasn't fully invested in the star-crossed relationship of Lucas and Peyton. Season 5 stretched the limits of what was believable in the quest of the writers to keep them apart one last time, but it eventually paid off. The show, in my opinion, went on much too long; I'll probably stop my rewatch at season 6.

What's next???? Who knows....

Quarantine Update

Today is Day 30 of Working From Home and Day 40 of Stay Home Order.

This break down is more for me than anything.

The week of March 9 was a busy week for work projects. I had a huge item on the Council agenda that I had been working on since December and was at City Hall on Tuesday and Thursday. The item was postponed for two weeks, and we had a game plan in place.

But then everything changed Thursday. Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19. Tom Hanks test positive. Trump had a crazy press conference. Austin had their first two positive cases. I worked from home that Friday - Friday the 13th no less - and Austin ISD cancelled classes.

I had gone grocery shopping earlier in the week and was pretty well stocked, but needed litter and cat food and decided I might as well get some groceries as well. When I went on Monday, the craziness hadn't hit Austin yet and everything was still stocked up well. Friday, though, was a madhouse. Empty shelves where there should be pasta, sauce, toilet paper, hand soap, vegetables. It was wild and a stark contrast from just a few days earlier.

That weekend was supposed to be the first weekend of SXSW, but it had been cancelled the week before. People were wanting to support local businesses in light of that. I had already bought a ticket to see Dazed and Confused at the Alamo Ritz Saturday afternoon. I wanted to do my part to support my favorite theater, but was torn about going out (we didn't have stay at home orders yet). I went to the viewing, and it was such a weird experience. The theater is on 6th Street, and on any normal Saturday, especially the one before St. Patrick's Day, it is crowded with people. While not completely dead, it had more people than I was expecting.

I got home after the show and immediately cancelled my ticket for Sunday to see Portrait of a Lady on Fire. That was the last time I went out for something that wasn't exercise or a trip to the grocery store.

All Sunday night my coworker and I were texting, wondering when the City Manager or our director would issue work from home direction. We were planning to start working from home anyway, but wanted leadership from our leaders. The email came late Sunday night.

I went into the office on Tuesday to get one of my monitors and a laptop to make working easier.

Stay Home-Work Safe Orders were issued, initially through the end of March, then extended to April 13, and now to May 8.

This is the sixth week of quarantine. Day 30 of work from home. Day 40 of staying home. Time doesn't really mean much, though. I looked at photos from that first week and I can barely remember it. Everything is muddled in my memory. I learned quickly that I needed to follow somewhat of a schedule - exercise, shower, put on mascara. And it worked pretty well for a good number of weeks.

Last week was rough though. I got out of a schedule. Didn't wash my hair for several days. Felt unmotivated during work hours. I know that staying home is important and I want to do my part to keep others safe.

But it's hard. Not always, but some days. Even with my cats as coworkers.