Well, the Oscars are on tonight. As per the last several years, a few friends will come over for our annual Oscar "party". The idea of us having an Oscar party is quite bizarre really. Originally, we started doing this because we used to go to the movies a lot (pre-child) as did our friends (who now don't go to movies for reasons I can't quite figure out). Now, we see very few movies, but the ritual is still there. Watching the Oscars is more fun when you're eating (as most of my friends are not real drinkers) and gabbing with friends.
On the menu tonight is steak. Seems fitting for an Oscar soiree. I will accompany them with fingerling potatoes and some sort of veggie side dish. Because of the gluten free thing, I will be attempting to make a flourless chocolate cake. If that doesn't work out, there's always fruit and ice cream. These are the advantages of having a reasonably well-stocked home.
I have seen three of the Oscar nominated films. Juno is my pick for many awards, because really, who ever thought a movie about teenage pregnancy could be the feel-good picture of the year. I have also seen Ratatouille and just assume that will win best animated. I also saw Away From Her more than a year ago at the Vancouver International Film Festival. Julie Christie was very good in this film, but I really feel that Gordan Pinset has been robbed of the acclaim he so rightly deserves for this performance. Problem is, everyone has heard of Christie, while Pinset remains one of Canada's best kept secrets.
I am finding that I am feeling oddly nationalistic about the Oscars, hoping for wins for Sarah Polley for her adaptation of Alice Munro's work for Away From Her. I also wouldn't mind Juno, which was filmed here in Vancouver, starring Halifax's Ellen Page and directed by Canadian born Jason Reitman to pick up some hardware. Needless to say, one of the Canadian short films better win the Oscar as well. I tend to get nationalistic whenever we are in a competition with America for whatever reason. With respect to the Oscars, it's such a celebration of excess, I like to believe that Canadian victories will temper the rah-rah-ness of it all.
Oh who am I kidding. I am happy that the writer's strike is over and I can be a spectator in all the pomp and circumstance that is the Oscars. It's Oscar's 80th year, so I am hoping that they will doing something interesting by way of tribute for all of us old-school film buffs.
In the meantime, happy viewing, eating and imbibing everyone.
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