introduction

Welcome to my little piece of the blogosphere. I started this blog while we were adopting our daughter as a way to keep faraway family and friends up-to-date on the progress. Over the years it has morphed into more of a journal of life in our house . . . as seen through the eyes of a Canadian suburbanite living in a small village in mid-western Finland. Check out the pages above for more info on us, as well as our adoption, and it would please me well if you left a comment to say hello!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

my oscar take

For the first time ever, I have seen all the movies nominated for Picture of the Year. Here’s what  I thought of them, starting with my favourites ad working my way down the list:

The King's Speech – Stefan and I both liked this film. Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were great. I love period pieces. I know all the buzz is that it’s the Oscar favourite, and I hope it wins.

True Grit – This one is probably getting bonus points because it was the only one we saw in the theater, and that always makes movies better. I thought Jeff Bridges was really good.

The Social Network – I really enjoyed the quirky, socially awkward-ness with which Mark’s character was portrayed. I thought it was well written.

The Fighter – Generally, I liked this movie. I found some of the relationships hard to figure out. I think Christian Bale did a fantastic job (hope he wins for best supporting actor).

Inception – I was really confused at first, but by the time the concept had settled itself in my brain, I really liked the movie. I’m not really sure how Sato(?) went from being a bad guy at the beginning to a good guy, though. . . .

Toy Story 3 – Another great animated film. Joel has watched it many times.

127 Hours – I thought this was basically a pretty good movie, except for the parts when I had to look away . . . . plus, I was confused about who some of the people were that Aron was thinking about . . .

Winter's Bone – Just okay for me. The storyline could’ve been laid out better so the audience would have a better idea why the girl was in danger when looking for her dad. And, I understand he was “cookin’”, but was it ever known what exactly he was cookin’? Did I miss that? Or am I too naïve?

Black Swan – Sorry. I just didn’t get it. Too dark. Too depressing. And I had no idea what she was imagining and what was real. I didn’t like that. At all. But Natalie Portman will probably win Best Actress.

The Kids Are All Right – I was going to say I hated it, but that would be unfair . . . I could not get past the first 10-15 minutes. The sex scenes were gratuitous and explicit and not necessary. I turned it off.

Well, that’s my little opinion. I originally thought I might get up early to watch the Oscars live on TV, but as midnight nears, I’m thinking I’ll probably enjoy sleeping more and just read the headlines online in the morning;)

G’nite!!

Barb

2 friends had something to say . . .:

Stacy, Pat and Aidan said...

I had tried to comment on this one on Monday to say you had this spot on! But it wouldn't take. . .will it now??? Hopefully!

Kim Abraham said...

I only saw Toy Story 3 (after release on DVD). Sigh. Anyway... I really want to see "The King's Speech". A lot of it was filmed at Eli Cathedral in Eli, England. That's where my boys and I traveled to last summer. We spent a lot of time in the Cathedral and it was absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for all the reviews!

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Saint Petersburg: Sankt-Peterburg, Russian pronunciation: is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city's other names were Petrograd (1914–1924) and Leningrad (1924–1991). Founded by Tsar Peter I of Russia on 27 May, 1703, it was the capital of the Russian Empire for more than two hundred years (1713–1728, 1732–1918). Saint Petersburg is home to more than two hundred museums, many of them hosted in historic buildings. The largest of the museums is the Hermitage Museum, featuring interiors of the former imperial residence and a vast collection of art. Celebrating the 300th anniversary of its foundation, Saint Petersburg was selected as the main motif in a recent Finnish commemorative coin, the €10 Mannerheim and Saint Petersburg commemorative coin, minted in 2003. The reverse of the coin features a view of Saint Petersburg, with the Peter and Paul Fortress and its three turrets. In the coin the words "St. Petersburg 1703-2003" can be seen.