Considering the fact that there is this, this and this, not to mention this, this, this and that out there, I didn’t want to break the Internet with another Oscar coverage but I can’t help it! That being said, I’ll try to balance the thoughts of the big award show with rambling about House of Cards’ second season, podcasting news, some movies I saw and other randomness.
- I woke up on Monday and I had completely forgotten about the Oscars, I was just so focused on following my planned out schedule that day that the awards just didn’t seem as important. Part of me thinks that I was feeling as such due to the predictability of the show this year – all the winners were good and we saw them coming a mile away.
- Matthew McConaughey won over Leonardo DiCaprio like I said was going to happen, though I didn’t predict, I kind of stated instead because Matthew’s performance in Dallas Buyers Club was on a different level of greatness and it just wasn’t the year for Leo no matter what the hardcore fans are saying.
- Some have said bad things about Matthew’s speech and well, they can just s*ck it! I get the fact that some celebrities are religious and yet keep it to themselves because well, being neutral probably doesn’t get the kind of bad words thrown at you like Matthew got just by mentioning his own faith in God. Well, I might not believe in God but I sure as hell believe in Matthew and he’s the closest thing to God for me.
- Cate Blanchett, Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong’o were among the winners as well and though I wished for something surprising for the Best Supportive Actor, Leto’s speech kind of won me over and I’m now proud that I’ve stood in the second row in a 30 Seconds to Mars concert and that Leto is coming to Estonia this month – now as an Academy Award winner!
- Other winners include Her for Best Original Screenplay, Cuarón for Best Director, Gravity for everything related to imagery (7 out of 12), 12 Years of Slave for Best Picture (not my personal favorite and though it feels like a safe choice, I don’t mind it) and NONE for American Hustle.
- Having not seen the entire show because I never do, the famous selfie feels so random and yet awesome at the same time. I keep looking at Kevin Spacey and his hilarious expression which brings me to House of Cards season 2 which was just BANG on surprising.
- My love for House of Cards was very high during the first season and though the second had some crazy stuff happening with big plot-twists and a shocking finale, the second season felt a bit off to me. That being said, maybe it was just all that politics that was hard to handle for a person who isn’t fond of politics that much, that person being me. Still, the overall feeling of the entire season still felt better than some other shows I watch.
Imagine this with sound and then the sudden blackout – perfection!
- As far as I can remember, Francis Underwood talked to the audience more in season 1 and they kind of minimized that in the latest season, which is a darn shame I tell you. But the final scene of season 2, well, that was some fourth wall breaking and Spacey awesomeness. I had to watch it three times just because and I got chills every time, still do if I think about it!
- *SPOILER ALERT* The surprise wasn’t Underwood killing his ex-young-lover, the biggest shock wasn’t Underwood’s right man dead in the woods or him becoming the president, it was Underwood having a threesome with his wife and bodyguard! I mean, did we see it coming? Probably not, but there was a hint with Underwood watching porn (the type of porn was the hint), another priceless scene in the series, and yet, I was still taken off guard.
- It wasn’t mentioned after it happened, there wasn’t any more hints towards it and that is what makes House of Cards a different kind of sophisticated. Here’s a plot twist, Underwood’s bisexual, now let’s continue with the politics and never mention it again – genius.
- Talking about House of Cards reminds me of a fact that I did my first ever podcast appearance at The Matineecast episode 107 where I talked a little about The Princess Bride as my February blind spot. It was fun and an exciting experience, so many thanks to Ryan for giving me this opportunity, and who knows, maybe I’ll do this again.
- As far as movies go, I saw Non-Stop just recently and actually thought it was a rather decent thriller. Yes, it had its flaws and blahblah but hey, I enjoyed myself and I was trying to figure the bad guy out for ages, so for me, it was good.
- Also watched Ghost Busters again because I bought a T-shirt that said “Who you gonna call?” and that obviously means I have to watch the movie while wearing that said T-shirt. Thought it was better than I remembered by the way, which is always nice.
- Saw The Kitchen, which was okay, saw August: Osage County and obviously didn’t think it was good. Saw Robocop and Robocop remake and though I didn’t really care for either of them, remake was slightly better but it might have been my Joel Kinnaman crush altering my brain.
- So now I have some reviews lined up, too many to count actually, haven’t written them yet but will probably write something for this weekend because I’m doing 3 posts this week for some reason. Also working the entire weekend from Thursday to Sunday but it’s alright because my two week vacation starts on Monday! Hell yeah!!
LINKS
I think I was still trying to get over my Hiddleston-fever and then Cinematic Corner reviewed Only Lovers Left Alive and all those feels game right back.
Films and Coke shared her favorites from 2013 and well, I liked what I was reading and hopefully you’d enjoy it as well.
A surprise favorite of mine from 2013 was Her and it was a pleasure to read Film Grimoire gush about it in her review.
Not the biggest fan of Amy Adams but after reading And So it Begins…‘s In Character post, I feel my fangirl heart growing, this is not the first time that has happened!
Every time I read the words Killer Joe, I get this weird craving for fried chicken…. Three Rows Back review had pretty much the same effect.
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This is it, the commercial break is over.. the movie’s back on in 3, 2, 1 …
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So I didn’t like McConaughey’s speech, but it has nothing to do with his faith. For me it’s the self righteousness and pomposity of calling the future you your own hero. Don’t get me wrong, though, my opinion of the actor does not change. I would still watch any movie in which he appears, even if he’s watching ants walk up a hill for two hours. 🙂
Hmm.. so you’re saying you don’t like the idea of “being your own hero” as self motivation and the force that will guide you in life? Not living up to somebody else but living up to that person that you will be some day? Not looking at other people’s achievements as something to live up to but rather make those achievements your own and living up to that person.. yourself..
I don’t know… sounds completely normal to me but maybe it’s because mostly people do tend to look up to other people rather than themselves.
No. I’m not saying I dislike the idea; the idea is essentially that intrinsic motivation is better than extrinsic motivation. We teachers have long known that. 🙂
No. I’m saying I dislike the way McConaughey sounded when he voiced the idea. He sounded completely self-righteous and self-congratulatory, thereby reinforcing the public perception that he’s a bit of a narcissist.
Nah, I just think it’s his voice+accent combo that kind of sounds like that.. I mean, Downey Jr. says narcissistic things all the time but the soothing voice never brings him across as self-righteous. But who knows, he’s a decent actor and he deserved it, that’s the main thing!
Amen on the last point. Of the nominees, he was the obvious choice.
I really liked McConaughey’s speech, thought it was great and can’t understand the negativity towards it to be honest. So what if he thanked God. I’m not religious and I think people who thank God do themselves a disservice but it’s up to them and doesn’t affect anyone else.
I’ve just started House of Cards season 2 and it’s great already. The first episode was brilliant. Can’t wait to watch some more!
Thanks for linking to my post, there certainly was a lot of Oscar coverage.
Just wait for episode 11.. I think it just.. yeah, hopefully you skipped my spoilers in this post ! 😉
Thanks for the link! I’m still on 2×02 of House of Cards because I’m going through Shameless like crazy 🙂
Shameless is awesome!
Thank you for the lovely mention! 🙂 I can’t believe I still haven’t seen House of Cards. I need to rectify this immediately.
Watch it for sure!
I thought that his speech was great. He’s a southern boy and he’s being true to himself. As someone who lives in the south, he seems very relatable to me.
I really enjoyed ‘House of Cards’ Season 2. I was watching it late at night on my ipad and I almost jumped out of bed during the 1st episode when a certain someone was in a certain train station. That said ‘HOC’ S2 has been a little far fetched. I could almost believe the events leading to the end of Season 1, but the ending of S2 was over the top. I still liked it and it was a fun ride. It’s one of my favorite shows and I intend to keep watching.
I saw ‘Non-Stop’ this past weekend and I enjoyed it. Seeing Liam Neeson hit things is a guilty pleasure of mine. Sometimes I don’t want to think, I just want a to see a fun movie and have an excuse to eat popcorn and drink full calorie soda.
The second season fell a bit flat indeed, it was almost like it was rushed to a point where there’s you know, ultimate power but I still loved the little plot twist parts especially in episode 11 and the abortion story line.
I’m not a fan of Neeson but he’s a nice man and the movie was entertaining, there’s no doubt about that.
I loved Matt’s speech! Can’t wait to see House of Cards–I’m still on the first season–and Shameless, too! The one you’re watching is the US version, right?
US yes, I think it’s better than UK one but only based on the actors. I think Macy and Rossum are brilliant!
Good stuff! I loved McConaughey’s speech for a number of reasons. I found it to be gracious and playful at the same time. I have seen this swell of folks who seem to think it was egotistical and arrogant. I can’t see that at all. They point to him claiming himself as his hero but I feel they miss the point of what he is saying altogether. He is pointing to himself IN THE FUTURE which means he is never a hero in his present state. He can always get better, be better, and strive to be a better person. I think that idea points to an understanding of shortcomings more than it does an arrogant heroism.
That’s right, he’s never the hero, he will always have room to grow and if that’s not humble, I don’t know what is.