dogs and rams

so i've been meaning to put something on here for awhile, because i feel like i have a lot to put down. pending on how this goes, i may get it all in one, or i may post two, maybe even three when all's said and done.

but the things i want to talk about are 1. the wrestler 2. slumdog millionaire 3. the oscar noms in general. we'll see how far i get.

let us begin...

THE WRESTLER

i just saw this last night, and i've been thinking a lot about it. now typically i like to think a good 3 days at least about a film before i really express how i feel about it. but in this case, i think one day is enough.

i loved it. possibly more than anything i've seen for last year.

don't hold me to that.

but emotionally, it got me more than anything else has in a long time. now, a movie can grab you emotionally in many different ways. SLUMDOG, for example, grabbed me emotionally in a great way.

WRESTLER did not. now when i say good way, i don't mean in a well done way. because believe me, it was a very, very well done film. but i mean in a feel good way. because when you leave that theater, the last thing you feel is good.

but at the same time, you love this character....so much. and all i wanted to do was hold this giant wrestler of a man in my arms. sounds weird, but you'll understand.

it's the story of a washed up wrestler and the up and down journey we go on with him through the latter years of his life. and it feels so real. which makes it hurt so bad when he's hurting.

i feel like i've been talking quite a bit lately regarding this idea of relating to characters. i think i'm finding that more. and the more relateability i find in a character, the better the film is by default. maybe it's because of lack of originality...that's for another time.

here, though, is a man as real as the come.

mickey rourke = oscar for best actor

hands down he should. cast my vote. seal that envelope. nothing will change my mind about that.

it should have had waaay more oscar noms. way more. i'll save that for a different blog as well.

perfect movie? possibly. either way, hella good one for sure.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

this movie has been getting a lot of hype.

won best drama, golden globe.

some refer to it as a borderline indy film. just with a wide release.

boderline foreign, at that. technically uk, so....kind of foreign i guess. about as foreign as a canadian film.

so, the question of the hour: does slumdog millionaire live up to it's hype? is it...

a. yes
b. no
c. maybe
d. it is written

(i thought that was clever. i was hoping to think of something better for c. but i decided not to waste my time with something that wasn't terribly important. oh and if you haven't seen it, then d. means nothing to you)

i would say a. yes. it certainly does.

beautiful film. beaaaauuutiful. contending with benjie button beautiful.

great directing. great visually. great sound. beautiful.

but my favorite thing about SLUMDOG?

original.

such a cool way to tell a story, it really was. the whole time i was just thinking "this is awesome. what a great idea."

gripping, heart wrenching, and completely uplifting, all at the same time.

you don't find that too often these days.

is it a contender for best picture? yes. a big one.

for anything else? i might give danny boyle a shot at best director. and a worthy go at cinematography. and song since its up for 2 (although i'm not sure which ones they were and i'm extremely pissed that Springsteen's song from THE WRESTLER didn't get nominated. whatever.)

but i think it will do very well.

and anything and everything it wins, i will be so very happy for. because i loved this movie.

DISCLAIMER: if you do decide to see this movie, please, as soon as the film ends, leave the theater. i mean immediately. don't look back at the screen or you will turn into a pillar of salt and die. this is so important, please trust me. remember, as soon as the movie ends and you see the first credit, turn and run. thank you.

with that being said, go see it.

and THE WRESTLER.

that is all.

i'm gonna do the oscar noms later. for now i'm gonna go party like a fireman.

effinel, man. effinel.

we've been re-watching FNL. which, for those of you who don't know stands for Fajita's Never Lose.

i don't know why i said that. i was trying to be clever.

Friday Night Lights. 

not the movie.

the show. which is nothing like the movie. so don't be afraid.

but after watching it again, i feel like i can say with confidence that it is quite possibly the best drama on television.

fine, on network television. 

it's so well written, very well directed, and some of the more convincing performances on television.

but more than all of that, it's just so....good. i feel so good watching it. i feel like i'm watching real people, and i feel like i'm rooting for them. i feel like i want to be like them. i feel like i want to help them.

i think it's rare for people to find closeness to characters like that.

my favorite show of all time would possibly be Deadwood, which is an amazing amazing show that was on HBO and then the stupids of the world cancelled it for the show everybody loved so much John from "who-cares-where because this show sucked so bad it barely made it one season."

anyways, the reason i bring that up is because as much as i love that deadwood, i never felt like i related to any of the characters (probably mostly because i'm not living in the lawless black hills of 1860's).

but with FNL, i do. and because of that, i love this show.

so, with that all being said, watch it. even if you don't like football, even if you don't like small town texas, even if you don't like high school drama, watch it.

because i didn't like any of those things when i started watching it. now look at me.

new season starts tomorrow.

which means you have 1 day to catch up.

better get to it.

doubt

so i'm realizing nobody reads this and am quite okay with it.

i saw doubt today.

good. so good. so very, truly, too good.

i rarely see performances that good. so convincing.

and i like how the convincing performances are always the hard to watch performances.

they're always the gut wrenching ones.

i've been thinking a lot about this film. about what i think. about what the writer was trying to say.

assuming he was trying to say something.

and i have to process it some more. there was a lot there.

the folks in it better get some oscars. or at least several nods.