We Are the Champions

Our Pub Quiz team returned to victory this week! A team of just 4 of us cleaned the clocks of many larger teams of 8-10 players, and we each won 15 pounds! I kind of knew it might be in the bag when the first round was a photo id round that was “Name the 2008 Oscar Nominees!” Needless to say we got 20 out of 20.

Speaking of the Oscars, I caught up with three Oscar-nominated films last weekend. I found “Enchanted” quite, well, enchanting. Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey were very sweet and I found that those Oscar-nominated songs did indeed work a lot better within the context of the film. My only complaint/question is why they didn’t have Broadway stars Idina Menzel (Dempsey’s fiancé) and Tonya Pinkis (Dempsey’s client) sing any songs?! Also thought NYC looked beautiful in the film!

Speaking of NYC, we stayed with the Big Apple later that evening as we went to “American Gangster”. Ok, hello, what in the World was that Oscar nomination for Ruby Dee about? I think it must have been one of those “oh, she’s getting up there in age and we haven’t awarded her before, so we better get one in” nominations. She’s Barely in the film and when she is, well, I didn’t think she brought the roof down exactly. However, I thought Denzel was amazing! Then again, “who doesn’t like Denzel?” I think I prefer him when he’s playing bad characters like this one. Overall, I liked the film, didn’t love it. Thought Russell Crowe’s character was under-developed and the movie dragged on a bit.

Speaking of dragging, drag your butt to the cinema to see “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly!” A beautiful, moving biopic of the French editor of Elle, Jean-Dominique Bauby. I Loved this film. Thought the direction and performances were amazing! The film screened at my former employer Tricycle Theatre and we had a great Q&A after with the screenwriter Ronald Harwood (also of The Dresser and The Pianist fame). He explained that many of the nurses/therapists in the movie were the real ones who’d worked with Bauby. He also described how Johnny Depp was first considered for the leading role, but bowed out for other roles. Not sure I could have seen him in this, and thought Mathiew Almaric was fantastique! He’ll next be seen as the villain in the new James Bond film. That would be the film with possibly the lamest title ever, “The Quantum of Solace.”