Top Ten Movies of the 2000s

Rolling Stone published the best 10 movies of the decade so I am going to copy them and put out my list. What is yours?


1. The Departed (Best Picture 2006)
2. A Beautiful Mind (Best Picture 2001)
3. There Will be Blood (2007)
4. No Country for Old Men (Best Picture 2007)
5. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
6. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
7. Gladiator (Best Picture 2000)
8. Michael Clayton (2007)
9. Finding Nemo (2002)
10.Finding Neverland (2004)

New Rating System

I have seen 3 possible best picture nominees now and I realized that my rating system is very flawed. I cannot figure out how to rate something on a 1-5 scale comparing it with There Will Be Blood, Slumdog Millionaire and Up. I will have a new rating system just based on this years movies. If you look in the side I will rank the movies I have seen. So far here are my rankings.

1. Up in the Air
2. Avatar
3. UP

Up in the Air

Ashley and I went and saw Up in the Air on Wednesday night. I really enjoyed this movie. The acting was great. I always enjoy George Clooney and he was great in Michael Clayton and did not disappoint in Up in the Air. The same group that did Juno and Thank you for smoking made Up in the Air and it shows because the humor is very similar. There were some very funny parts and I found myself laughing throughout. The music and the camerawork really highlighted this movie. I would say this is also a must see but if you don't want to pay the money, it would be okay to wait and see it on DVD.

Avatar 3D

Avatar was one of the best looking movies I have ever seen. James Cameron does amazing things with the natives and the scenary. Their expressions are completely realistic and it is great to watch. The plot line is very predictable. The plot is a cross between a male version of Pocahontas and Fern Gully. I really enjoyed the visual aspects of the movie and I would definitely recommend seeing it. I don't think you have to see it in 3D but it adds something. In one review I read, it says the 3D allows you to feel like you are in the forest and I don't agree with that but maybe I needed to see it on IMAX. I will say this about the 3D, it was not your normal IMAX 3D. There were no arrows being shot in your face and you did not feel queazy throughout the movie. I am going to wait on rating this movie until I have seen at least 1 or 2 other probable Best Picture nominees. If you are asking if you should see it, I would definitely say this is a must see in theatres.

Oscar Season is Beginning!!

Ten Best Picture Nominees! At first I thought this would water down the competition and we would get several movies that were not "Best Picture Quality." An interesting thing about this year's awards is that voters list their top 10 movies. In the past, they would just pick one movie and top vote gets the Oscar. This year is interesting because it is possible for a movie to get the most 1st place votes yet lose because another movie racked up in 2nd and 3rd place votes with a few 1st place votes mixed in. This add a whole new element to the Academy Awards and I'm really excited to start going to the theatre again!! There are several movies that I am really excited to see this year including, "Up in the Air," "Inglorious Bastards (I know I'm late on this one)", "The Hurt Locker," and "Avatar." I am seeing Avatar tonight in 3D. Normally I really hate 3D movies. Ashley and I saw Harry Potter in 3D a couple of years ago and I left with a headache. I have heard very good things about Avatar in 3D and can't wait to see it tonight. My review of Avatar will be up tonight or tomorrow.

Half Marathon Results

My half marathon yesterday went very well. I completed it in 1:52:58 which is about 8:40 seconds a mile. I trained to get it under two hours so I was very happy. I finished 33rd in my age group and 240 out of 600 plus people. I looked at my watch and I ran a total of 276 miles and over 50 hours of training for this race.

My next race is going to be the tobacco road marathon on March. I am going to do the full race. Training starts in two weeks!

Facebook Status #2

Woke up to this one this morning..


Friend:We just got pulled for having sex in my car... really dude we're married!


ummm I think that speaks for itself.

Best Animated Feature is...

I saw "Up" the other night and seeing as though Pixar has won 4 out of the 6 awards I doubt they will lose this one. I enjoyed this much more so than "Wall-E." The animation continues to improve with each year and the plot of "Up" was more enjoyable to me than was "Wall-E." It follows an older man as he struggles with life without his wife and fulfilling his dream of going to South America. He is content to let the dream die with him until he assaults an employee of the construction company trying to buy his house. As he begins, he realizes that he has a little boy who has been bothering him to get his last badge for his boy scout troupe. They both make the trip and encounter several adventures like a giant bird and talking dogs. I give this movie a 3 out of 5.

Why I love Dan Patrick

Check out this audio of him impersonating Lou Holtz.

Click here

5 Reasons you know your run was too hard

#1-You started your run after 7 am which means the humidity has started to grab hold of you

#2-You have not been training on hills and then decided to stretch your long run out by an extra mile to 9 instead of 8

#3-Your dry fit shirt is so wet by the end of the run that you can ring it out

#4-You make the brilliant decision of eating a huge burger, fries, 2 pieces of b-day cake at Red Robin the night before

and #5-You drink 16 oz of G2 and a whole bottle of water when you get home and you still have lost 4 lbs of water weight

For all the Froo Froo's

Check this out


For everyone shopping at Whole Foods and paying more for every item making sure it is "organic," this study over 50 yrs shows that it has no health benefit.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I went and saw this movie at the Drive-In in Henderson last week. 5 dollars for 2 movies. It was a lot of fun. Cheap food and drink. Ashley and I probably spent 20 dollars for two large popcorn, 2 drinks, and a candy. Anyway, on to the movie. I have read all of the books (twice) and I had higher hopes for this movie because I felt that the Harry Potter series was getting better with each movie. I thought this movie was pretty terrible. I was definitely disappointed. I know they can't put everything in the book in the movie but they even added scenes that made no sense at all. I still can't figure out why they did that.

The Harry Potter series has garnered only 6 nominations through the first 5 movies. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (#2) and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (#5) did not receive any nominations. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (#4) was nominated for art direction (losing to "Memoirs of a Geisha"). "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (#3) was nominated for for music score (losing to "Finding Neverland") and visual effects (losing to "Spider-Man 2"). I don't expect this to break into any of the major categories either. I would not see it again and I'd give it a 1.5 out of 5.

Facebook Status #1

I'm beginning a new series of Facebook Status' that I feel show the hilarity of people.

This is actually a comment.

Friend 1- Lord I thank you 4 my new job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of her friend's comments-Wish icud say da same


As I read this I was wondering if the reason she didn't have a new job was because she only spelled 2 words correctly in a sentence that does not even make sense.

Holyfield's house forclosed

Evander Holyfield's house was foreclosed. As you look at this house, can you think of any reason that you need a house that has 109 rooms and 104 acres. Athletes are so stupid with their money.

One Week Down

I've officially trained for a week. I've ran for 6 of the last 8 days and lifted weights in 4 of those days. This is only a week but I'm pretty encouraged. I've found out that I really like morning runs/workouts. I'm officially now at my lowest weight since probably 7th or 8th grade and am really encouraged to keep going and keep breaking personal records. On Saturday, we are going to the beach and that will be tough because my grandparents have food and alcohol all over the house and its going to be tough to moderate. I have tried running on the beach before and it was a disaster but I think I will try again. I'm in much better shape that last time seeing that I've been running on and off for at least 1-2 months. Anyway, I'm hoping that when I read my blog in a week or 2 when I'm ready to quit the 5 day a week workout binge that I can become encouraged by posts like this and continue working out.

Training Details

I have added a new sidebar detailing my training for the OBX 1/2 marathon. Today was the 2nd day I've run in a row and was really tough. I trained hard yesterday with heavy weight lifting and a run. Today took awhile to loosen up my muscles.

It only says 1 day in the sidebar because I cleared my Garmin's history before I ran today.

Half Marathon #2

I think I've decided to run another half marathon this November. I'm going to start training earlier this time so my knees don't hurt for a week after the run. Right now I'm just going to be doing light runs 5 days a week and weight training 3 days a week. I think I want to do the OBX marathon November 8th because the course is pretty flat. 13.1 miles of fun here we go again! Anyone who wants to run it with me can. I'll definitely try and get my dad to do it again.

lolz

GCHAT

Part of the Gchat with A.C. One of my facebook friends sent me a message with a virus as the link. Here was our convo.

2:57 PM me: wall post fro mthe guy who sent the link "Do not click on any message sent to you with a weird link. I did and it forwarded it to all of my friends! I am sorry if it is anything inappropriate!"
lol
amateurs
ach71583: haha
srsly
must have been that guys first rodeo
me: it was like somethin www.word.ant
or something liek that
ach71583: lol
who effin clickks on something like that
www.computer.bomb
i mean would you click on that
me: www.clickthissoicanhaveallyourinfo.plz
ach71583: www.blowmycomputerup.org
ach71583: .plz
good one
me: yeah i was proud of it
ach71583: check for you
point for you
me: yep
ach71583: might blog this

JT Best SNL Host in last 10 yrs?

thoughts?

Bored with the Internets

I need something to do that does not involve checking facebook and blogs.

Packers have found a new Brett Favre!!!

Greg Paulus is trying out for the Green Bay Packers. He is going to be the new Brett Favre

"

Reports: Paulus has Packers tryout

Greg Paulus, who chose to be a point guard instead of a quarterback in college, reportedly has worked out for the Green Bay Packers."


Full Story Here

April Fool's

I lol'd a little

Watch Rapping Flight Attendant on CollegeHumor

I could watch this over and over

Blake Griffen>Tyler Hansbrough

Think you feel bad after Golden Corral?

Imagine going to a baseball game and trying one of these. Its 4800 calories and you get a t-shirt if you can eat the whole thing at one sitting. It has 5 patties, 5 slices of cheese, chili, salsa, and corn chips. Sounds amazing but I definitely wouldn't want to eat the whole thing at once.

Full Story Here

Grossest Commercial ever?

Studs

New Blog

Hey everyone. I have a new blog with Ashley. I'll still post on this one every once in awhile. Check it out

http://michaelandashleyshields.blogspot.com/

Cutest Picture ever

Is this not the cutest boy ever?

What to do now?

So now that the Oscar's are over what is there to do now? I feel as though it was a really good show. Hugh Jackman was surprising good. He was very entertaining and the musical numbers were great.

So here's my question. What movies do you buy or still try and see in theaters?

I would definitely still go see Slumdog Millionaire and I am definitly purchasing it when it comes out on DVD.

I don't know if I would spend the money to see any of the others in theaters. If the Dark Knight is re-released in the IMAX, then its worth the money.

I would rent The Reader, Doubt and if you like history, Frost/Nixon. The Wrestler is not worth the money unless you love wrestling.

Titanic 2 aka Revolutionary Road is pretty good but I would probably rent it if you like Leo and Kate Winslet. She is much better in this then she is in The Reader.

Now that the Oscar season is over I don't know what hobby to take up. I could blog about the NCAA tourney but I would be one of about fifty million. So we'll see where it takes me. I may not blog much anymore for now since I'm getting married on Saturday and have a pretty busy March. Hopefully after that, I'll be able to write some more.

Slumdog

I completely agree with this. What a great film.

Finally, Oscar Night!!!

My predictions and the winners when they are announced are posted below . I probably won't do very well but I'll keep myself honest. The nominees with ??? means that I have no idea about that category and haven't seen more than 2 of the movies in the category.

I really think Angelina Jolie should win Best Actress for Changeling but it won't happen because Kate Winslet is "due." Other than that, I pretty much agree with all of the other major categories.

eh 14 out of 24 isn't too bad...I really blew this one. There is always next year.

Winners in Bold

Award Who Won? Who Will Win?

Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire "Slumdog Millionaire"

Actor in a Leading Role Sean Penn "Milk" Sean Penn "Milk"

Actor in a Supporting Role Heath Ledger "The Dark Knight" Heath Ledger "The Dark Knight"

Actress in a Leading Role Kate Winslet "The Reader" Kate Winslet "The Reader"

Actress in a Supporting Role Penelope Cruz "Vicky Christina Barcelona" Viola Davis "Doubt"

Animated Feature Film Wall-E Wall-E

Art Direction The Curious Case of Benjamin Button "The Dark Knight"

Cinematography Slumdog Millionaire"Slumdog Millionaire"

Costume Design The Duchess"The Duchess"

Directing Danny Boyle "Slumdog Millionaire" Danny Boyle "Slumdog Millionaire"

Documentary Feature Man on a Wire "Man on a Wire"??

Documentary Short Smile Pinki"The Final Inch"???

Film Editing Slumdog Millionaire"Milk"

Foreign Language Film Departures "Waltz with Bashir"???

Makeup The Curious Case of Benjamin Button "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Music (Song) Jai Ho Slumdog Millionaire"Jai Ho" "Slumdog Millionaire"

Music (Score) Slumdog Millionaire "Slumdog Millionaire"

Short Film (Animated) La Maison en petites cubes "Presto"??

Short Film (Live Action) On the Line"The Pig"??

Sound Editing The Dark Knight "Wall-E"

Sound Mixing Slumdog Millionaire "Wall-E"

Visual Effects The Curious Case of Benjamin Button "The Dark Knight"

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) Slumdog Millionaire "Slumdog Millionaire"

Writing (Original Screenplay) Milk "Milk"

Frozen River

Another average to below average movie. The reason I watched it was because of Melissa Leo who plays Ray Eddy a struggling mother trying to provide for her kids. She does this by becoming a smuggler of illegal aliens (the apparent theme for today's movies) across the Canadian border through the Mohawk Indian reservation. The acting was just okay, even by Leo. The American Indian acting was pretty terrible and overall I give the movie a 1.5 out of 5.

The Visitor

I thought this movie was average. I enjoyed the plot and Richard Jenkins who is nominated for Best Actor was good but he doesn't really compare to the others that are nominated. The acting other than Richard Jenkins was not very good I didn't think. It is about a man (Walter Vale) who is a professor in Connecticut and he hates his job and he has to present a paper in NYC. He somehow has a huge house in Connecticut and an apartment in Manhattan on a professors salary which is mind boggling to me and he drives a Volvo station wagon. Anyway, when he arrives at his apartment there are 2 people living there and they say that they were rented the apartment by someone and instead of calling the Police, Vale lets them stay. Vale and the man (Tarek Khalil played by Haaz Sleiman) become good friends. It turns out that the Khalil and his girlfriend (Zainab played by Danai Gurira) are illegal alins. Khalil ends up being arrested and put in a detention center in Queens. The plot twists so that Khalil's mother and Vale become close as they try to get Khalil out of prison. Overall, I give this movie a 2 out of 5.

Changeling

I really enjoyed this movie. The acting and the plot was great. Angelina Jolie was magnificent and I really think was better than both Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet. I know she is not favored to win the Best Actress Oscar but she should. I still need to see Frozen River before I make my final choice but I was glued to the TV throughout this movie. You could really feel her pain and the supporting cast was great as well. I really thought that Amy Ryan (also on The Office) who played the part of a patient in the asylum was excellent. Changeling is the story of a mother (Angelina Jolie) who's son is kidnapped and then returned to her. Only the boy that is returned to her is not her son and she tries to tell the police and anyone who will listen and she is committed to an insane asylum. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Tropic Thunder

So the only reason I saw this was because Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. There were several laugh out loud parts and Robert Downey Jr. was pretty hilarious. Overall, I probably wouldn't watch it again but it was a good movie to see after you have been writing a thesis all day. It was definitely mindless and I didn't even notice Tom Cruise until the last scene. That's how out of it I am. 1.5 out of 5.

The Wrestler

This movie was the last movie that I had to see in the theater. I think this was a mistake because I saw the trailer for this movie about 10 times. Not including what I saw on TV. I had really high hopes for this movie because the trailer was awesome and it was built up by one of my friends who then warned me after he saw it that I would be disappointed. Well I was. I was looking for an epic movie, one that I would walk out contemplating this movie for days. I've noticed that when I can immediately write a review, it probably is not that great of a movie. I don't think it is best picture worthy and I don't think that Mickey Rourke should win Best Actor. I don't really think there was much of a resolution to this movie. I'm okay with movies ending this way but I needed something else. I needed another scene or an extra scene before the last scene. I would probably see this movie again but it will definitely not be at the top of my Netflix when it comes out. Overall I give this movie a 2 out of 5.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

This movie was nominated last year for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It also won several Golden Globes. It is a beautifully filmed movie in mostly first person. It gives the unique perspective of a man who has locked-in syndrome where he can't move or speak but can only blink his eye. It is based on a true story where a man wrote an entire autobiography with this syndrome. When I did some more research, I found that the man's friends say that most of the movie is false but it is still a great film. I would definitely recommend in my mind it would come very close to winning Best Picture this year. I would probably give it a 4 out of 5. It won't be on the ratings because it was nominated last year.






(Thanks Josh for recommending it)

6 Left

So we have six days left until the Oscars. I still have six more movies that I can see before then.

The Wrestler (Mickey Rourke Best Actor)
The Visitor (Richard Jenkins Best Actor)
Tropic Thundery (Robert Downey Jr. Best Actor)
Changeling (Angelina Jolie Best Actress)
Frozen River (Melissa Leo Best Actress)
The Duchess (Nominated for Art Direction and Costume Design)

The only movie that I can't see is Rachel Getting Married (Anne Hathaway Best Actress). If I'm able to see all of these movies I will have seen all of the movies that are nominated for Best Pictures and Best Actor/Actress and Supporting Actor/Actress. I've really been motivated this year to see as many movies as possible. It's definitly been a great year for movies. Sunday I will write about who I think should win and I may give variations to the four categories in which I saw all of the movies.

Revolutionary Road

I've been wanting to see this movie for a while and I had really high hopes for it. I think this is the reason I was a little down on this movie. All I could think of when I saw Cathy Bates was Titanic 2 because Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio were already in the movie. Its about a couple who seem like perfect married couple on the outside but are far from it. They decide to try and move to Paris to liven up their marriage and so that Leo can find out what he wants to do with his life. I thought that Kate Winslet did a fantastic job and should have been nominated for Best Actress in this movie instead of The Reader. DiCaprio was just boring throughout the movie until he was angry. There is a scene where they are screaming at each other that just keeps you on the edge of your seat but other than that I thought the movie just moved too slow and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought. Overall I give it a 2.5 out of 5.

Vicky Christina Barcelona

I rented this movie to see Penelope Cruz because shes nominated for Best Supporting Actress this year. I was very impressed. Her character really stood out for me and made the movie. I also thought Javier Bardem was great because of the contrast with him in this movie and in No Country for Old Men which won Best Picture last year. The movie itself was just okay. Scarlett Johansson played the same roll as she plays in every movie which is basically someone promiscuous. The movie is about two girls who take a summer trip to Barcelona and meet a man (Javier Bardem) and they both fall in love with him. Penelope Cruz is Bardem's ex-wife who tries to kill herself so she has to live with Bardem and Johansson's character. Overall I give the movie a 2 out of 5.

The Reader

I went into this movie with low expectations. I had heard that it wasn't "Best Picture worthy" so I thought that this would #5 on the list for me. I left thinking that if it were to win Best Picture I would not be disapointed. I thought it was a great movie. Any movie that could make you compassionate for a Nazi who killed hundreds of Jews has to be good. It starts with a young Michael Berg (David Cross) who has an affair with a woman (Kate Winslet) for a summer. He then goes to law school and is watching a trial of women who killed hundreds of Jews on a death march during WWII. One of the women is Kate Winslet's character and he becomes distraught over whether to help her or not. The story also parallels with the older Michael Berg who is emotionally disconnected with everyone including his daughter and is looking for closure from this affair. Overall I give this movie a 3.5 out of 5 and put it a close second behind Slumdog Millionaire.

The Reader

review coming tomorrow.....I've learned that I need to take a day or two before I give my review.

Physical Comedy

I was talking to someone the other night who said they didn't get "The Office." I just shook my head because it is my favorite show and I don't know how you can't "get it." Then I realized that this person probably only could laugh at chick flicks or slapstick comedy. I came across this video on youtube about Zach Galifanakis

Milk

I remember several years ago seeing "Dead Man Walking" and thinking how good Sean Penn was in that film. Seeing "Milk" tonight really cemented how good of an actor he is. He was really great in this movie. His character was dynamic and the movie was shot beautifully. You really felt as if you were in the 1970s and were right there fighting for gay rights. I had never heard of Harvey Milk or the story and I love this Oscar season for bringing back to life two great stories. When I first left the theatre I thought that this was on par with "Doubt." The more I think about the movie, the more I like. All of the movies nominated for best picture are very different. I still like "Slumdog Millionaire" a lot and I used to think I liked "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" the best but I don't know anymore. I was first going to rate "Milk" a 3 but after thinking about this for over an hour, I will give it a 3.5. I'm going to see "The Wrestler" next to compare Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn. Three more movies to see this season; "The Wrestler," "The Reader," and "Revolutionary Road."

Living on My own

So I'm living on my own now until February 26th. Its the only time I'll ever live alone. I get married on the 28th so this is new to me. I realized that I have done nothing for the past 2 hours. I think living alone would have pros and cons. Hopefully I can get over the being bored and enjoy this for the next few weeks.

I'm getting married 4 weeks from tomorrow. Sounds crazy huh?

That's what she said

I love it

Wall-E

I just bought Wall-E just because I had some extra money on my Circuit City gift cards and I heard it was the best animated film ever. I really didn't think so. I still like Finding Nemo and Toy Story the best overall. I thought the animation was the best as Pixar movies continue to get better with each movie but I just didn't like the story line as good. Overall, I give it a 2.5 out of 5.

Frost/Nixon

I have really been thinking about this movie a lot. I really loved it. The acting was great, the filming was great but I've been trying to compare it to Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Basicically trying to see if it is worthy of the Best Picture. I loved the story. I never knew anything about the interview or how Nixon came clean. I think thats why I liked the movie so much. It started off a little slow and the climax of the movie during the last interview session is what made the movie. I was on the edge of my seat during that scene and I really didn't know how it would end up. Overall, I have it on the same level as Slumdog and Benjamin Button but I don't think it will win Best Picture. I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Mercy Rule?

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/highschool/stories/2009/01/22/high_school_100_point_win.html?cxntlid=thbz_hm&imw=Y

A Texas woman's bball team won 100-0 recently and now they feel bad about it. How in the world do you not score one point? I think they should be proud. I thought it was a football score at first.

Snow Day

My dog, Maddie, had the best time of her life today. We got about 5 inches of snow. It was her first real snow. She is ball crazy and I was throwing snow balls and she was eating them, chasing them, licking them, and then wondering where they went. Here are some highlights.

Gran Torino

This movie is probably at the bottom of the list of all the movies I've blogged about recently. The dialogue was really choppy and some of the Asian actors were just not very good. Clint Eastwood seemed old and the although it was semi-funny hearing him call Asians every racist name you have heard and more the movie was better in the previews I thought. I give it a 2 out of 5.

Did I ever tell you I've been struck by lightning 7 time

I really loved The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I thought the screenplay was great and I loved the story. The acting was also good. Brad Pitt did a great job and the makeup people did amazing work making him go from an old man all the way to a teenager. I can't say if I liked it better than Slumdog Millionaire yet though. They are two completly different movies and I liked them both for different reasons. I'll hold judgement on that until later. Until then, I'll give them the same rating of 3.5 out 5.

Doubt

If I was to rank this movie with the best picture nominees from last year, I would probably have it ahead Atonment but nothing else. It is about the a Catholic priest who may or may not have molested a child and the head nun is trying to get him kicked out of the school. I really thought the acting in this movie was great. Philip Seymour Hoffman was great. There is a scene when he and Meryl Streep are arguing and it is very powerful. They really worked very well together. I give it a 3 out of 5, just behind Slumdog Millionaire.

Sleeping Dog

This is hilarious.

Slumdog Millionaire

It's Oscar time again and I love seeing all the best picture nominees. The nominees haven't come out yet but this is probably going to be one. The cinematography and music made the movie. It was great to watch and an uplifting story. I give it a 3.5 out of 10.