Movies Worthy of Oscar Buzz

Everyone who knows me knows that I love MOVIES! Especially movies that win Oscars. Oscar night is like the Super Bowl to me. It is a good excuse to throw a party and get together with the girls. I love the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. The great costumes, lines, and shots. I love cinematography and how little details can make or break a movie. While I haven’t seen anything in the theater in a while, blame it on my economy and the fact that very few indie style films come to Laramie, I still keep my ear to the ground for Oscar buzz. Below is an early list of movies I’m keeping an eye on. Oscar season is right around the corner!

Nine, a musical/romance directed by Rob Marshall, starting a long list of Hollywood royalty including: Daniel Day Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, and Fergie. Release date is December 25. If you liked Chicago and Moulin Rouge, go see it in the theater! Expect Oscar buzz for acting, costume design, art direction, cinematography, makeup, and music. Watch the preview here: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3263365657/

The Brothers Bloom. This came out in May but I totally missed it. Found it on Netflix and watched it this week. THIS IS WHAT MOVIE MAGIC IS ALL ABOUT. It gave me the chills, in a good way! It is well written and beautifully acted. I loved the costumes, the set, the sound – everything is perfect! I could watch this over and over again. The perfect con movie, full of action, adventure, and romance and the script is AMAZING! If this movie doesn’t win an Oscar, I’ll be very, very sad. Learn more about the Brothers at: http://www.brothersbloom.com/

Amelia. I watched the making of this movie on HBO this week and it looks like Hillary Swank could generate some Oscar buzz based on her full embodiment of this character. An uplifting movie to see with your girlfriends or the man who believes in you! Oct. 23. http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2446393881/

Since the Coen brothers always seem to have success up their sleeves, I had to include A Serious Man in this early list. If you laughed at Burn After Reading, go see this movie.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1681064473/

For more movies with Oscar buzz potential, check out this list generated by MovieFone: http://www.moviefone.com/oscars-academy-awards/features/oscar-predictions

What have you seen lately that rocked your world?

What I'm Reading

I just finished The Historian which is about a family of historians and their search for the real life Dracula. It is a HUGE book and took me four weeks, reading a few chapters every night, to digest it all. I can’t say it was worth it but I’m proud of myself for finishing.

My librarian friend just recommended People of the Book. So far it is really good. It is about a conservator who gets to work with the unique Sarajevo Haggadah. She finds some objects in the book's binding and the story follows how each artifact connects with the history of the book. (Alana, I think you’d really like it).

I’m not sure what I’ll pick up next. I have a whole stack of books on my shelf that I haven’t gotten to, including Team of Rivals, but I’m also really interested in Garrison Keillor’s latest book about Lutherans. Oh my, so many choices!