Sarah and I just got back from New York City for another job interview for me, so hopefully we'll hear some good news in a couple of weeks. I guess we've been to NYC enough times when it occurred to us that we didn't even take any pictures this time. But we had a great time, including, but not limited to, the following:
* Delicious Venezuelan arepas
* Cheap tickets to a matinee performance of Billy Elliot
* Double cheeseburger and a black-and-white shake from Shake Shack
* Shopping at all of Sarah's favorite stores
* Grabbing some culture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
* Tasty macarons from Bouchon Bakery
But onto more important matters. The Oscar nominations came out last week, and I was mostly happy with the nominees. However, I feel like there are some essential categories that the judges left out. Here are some that I think ought to be included:
Most Unintelligible Accent
Winner: Jeff Bridges, True Grit – Maybe the reason that I thought this movie was so entertaining was because I had no idea what they were saying, so I was forced to make up my own story. I could only understand about a third of what Jeff Bridges’ cowboy marshal said, so I may have to rent it and put the subtitles on. Great movie though!
Runner-Up: The rest of the cast of True Grit – Everyone in this movie was either an immigrant, insane, or had an injured tongue, so I may have missed some of their dialogue as well.
Best Fight Scene
Winner: Inception – The fight scene in the rotating hallway may be my favorite scene from the movies this year. To film it, the crew built an entire hotel hallway that could rotate on gigantic axis. Then they threw the actors in and let them scramble around inside. Who knew that kid with the long hair from ‘Third Rock from the Sun’ would turn into such a zero-gravity force to be reckoned with?
Runner-Up: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – Although this movie was pretty bizarre, the fight scenes in it were absolutely hilarious. And the fact that all of Scott’s enemies turned into coins after he beat them was the topper on the cake.
Biggest Tear Jerker
Winner: Toy Story 3, Fiery Doom – I thought Toy Story 3 would be lame, but I was very pleasantly surprised, especially by the entire ‘Great Escape’- esque final act. But, oh boy, there is one scene where the characters think they might be headed for their demise that’s pretty intense. I won’t spoil it, but bring some tissues.
Runner-Up: Toy Story 3, The End – Just when you have recovered from the aforementioned scene, BAM, they hit you with the ending that is just as heart-warming/heart-rending. Be prepared.
Awesomest Explosion
Winner: The A-Team – Every good movie should have at least one explosion. Great movies, on the other hand, have many explosions. I have explained to Sarah that this is why Pride and Prejudice is not a great movie, but to no avail. In the A-Team, the bad guy blows up an entire tanker ship with a rocket launcher, and it’s glorious. If Mr. Darcy had blown up that Wickham dude with a rocket launcher, Pride and Prejudice would have ruled.
Runner-Up: Iron Man 2 – This movie was basically one two-hour explosion, so it deserves an honorable mention.
