My Oscar Picks

Update: 2.24.08: I'm patting myself on the back for going 5 for 5! Maybe it was an easy year. . .but I am going to go with astute movie-watching and a good sense of what my Entertainment Weekly says as the reasons for my success. . .haha! Kind of a boring show as usual, but I was glad to see good movies getting their due (uh, Departed for Best Picture?). I am going to catch up on the rest of the movies and then start working on next year!

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Original Post Date: 2.23.08
Since 5 Ninja Stars seems to bit the dust, I'm posting this here. I've now seen all 5 of the "Best Picture" nominees. I've also seen a bunch of the other films/performances and have largely been in agreement with the nominee selection and the winners from other award shows. There are a few I'll never see just because I have no interest, like Sweeney Todd, I'm Not There or American Gangster. I also probably won't do too well with my picks (I never do) but here goes:

Best Picture: No Country For Old Men
I really enjoyed both Michael Clayton and Juno. Atonement was sad - tragic, even, but meh, just ok. There Will Be Blood was really all about the performance of Daniel Day Lewis - the film was good but everything memorable from the movie was DDL. And I hid my eyes through a lot of No Country. But NCFOM had the best story - certainly a commentary on the evils of our world - and excellent acting all around. Nice coming out party for Josh Brolin and I think Tommy Lee Jones was better here than in In the Valley of Elah (snooze movie, oddly unmoving). So, I think it's the year for the Coen Brothers (Best Director(s)) and Javier Barden (Best Supporting Actor) and of course, Best Picture. But I could be wrong. My 2nd pick would be Juno - for it's originality, good acting and overall entertainment value. (I'm sure now that I've said this, There Will Be Blood Will win!)

Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis
Like I said above, he absolutely MADE this movie. And I like milkshakes. =) Probably not fair, because I didn't see Johnny Depp's performance, but DDL was truly mesmerizing. He WAS Daniel Plainview - from his early charm to later madness, he embodied the dude. Viggo/Aragorn was good too - but I'm not sure anyone saw that movie. Recent articles say that George Clooney might be the surprise winner. That would be disappointing because I feel like George Clooney is just Danny Ocean playing a serious role - he doesn't always convince me - but maybe that's what makes him great? We'll see.

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem
No question, friend-o. He scared the crap out of me. Totally not a fair pick b/c I've only seen Tom Wilkinson in this category. . . but I'm going with it. After seeing Gone, Baby Gone, I'm now a fan of Casey Affleck. . .but don't think he's going to win this. Maybe next year.

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard
La Vie En Rose was an ok movie - slow at times, confusing at others. But Marion Cotillard (also in "A Very Long Engagement") absolutely embodied Edith Piaf. From youth to old age (she looked old but was only in her late 40s) she nailed it. Ellen Page is dullsville in real life & I don't know how much of a stretch it was for her. Cate Blanchett is always good, but Elizabeth was just meh. Julie Christie might win for the saddest movie ever! If there was an award for that, Away from Her would win no contest. I love Laura Linney, but didn't see the movie so I can't fairly pick her (though who said this was fair?)

Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton
I think the favorite is Amy Ryan in this category, but I'm going with the Brit because I like her movies. The teenager has many more chances and I didn't have any desire to see the other two movies (American Gangster or I'm Not There) so they don't get my pick.

So those are the big ones. I don't know anything about screenplay writing or direction so I didn't pick those. Also, I didn't see Ratatouille, but I hope that wins because Pixar is local (west coast!). I'll check back in after the show. . .or maybe I'll try my hand at some "live-blogging"!

Moon Worms

Ever since I got the new camera, my pictures have improved but I still haven't done much practice outside the auto setting. Usually, I don't have my tripod or it's too dark or too sunny, too windy (I know, so many excuses!) or too something. So I didn't have high expectations for my attempt at capturing the lunar eclipse last nite. No tripod and zero degree weather? Definitely not high expectations. But I had to document it because I figure I can only get better from here. . . and a full lunar eclipse is not an everyday occurence! Don't laugh! The picture at below is the best of the lot. . .

Mario Batali Recommends this PIE!

As I may have talked about at one point or another, the food options here in MI are pretty sad. Plenty of chain restaurants, a bunch of Japanese/Chinese or Chinese/Korean joints, a bazillion pizza places and a few independently owned joints that have a little character and charm but just ok food. Coming from a place like the bay area, where dining out is an activity (not just sustenance) it was quite a change. I guess it is good in that it forces you to actually cook, so much healthier and easier on the wallet!

Because of the dearth of good eating places, I was really curious about the Grand Traverse Pie Company. Though they serve food (soups, salads, sandwiches), they are really known for their pies. Specifically their cherry pies. The company started up in Traverse City, along the west coast of Michigan, an area famous for its Montmorency cherries orchards and the annual festival every July. They've expanded all over Michigan and recently opened a branch right on the main road, so I figured I should check it out. If this place doesn't have delicious cherry pie, then I don't know what to tell ya! The cherry crumble pie has been blessed by none other than Mario Batali, so I had high hopes.

The verdict? Well, coming from a non-pie eater (I would take ice cream, cake or cookies over pie any day), it was pretty darn good. The cherry filling was plentiful and the sweet crumble topping offset the tartness of the cherries. I didn't eat the bottom crust (I never do, it grosses me out - mush crust) and I didn't eat a whole lot of the sweet crumble, but I did really enjoy the filling. Dave enjoyed his strawberry rhubarb very much (I had a bit, really nice berry flavor). So all in all, I'd say thumbs up. Not a place I'd be a regular at, but a good place to have a nice slice of cherry pie once in awhile.

"Out On The Farm" at Snow's Sugarbush

Despite the early morning freezing rain and dreariness in general, we headed south/southeast about 20 minutes to Mason, MI and Snow's Sugarbush to see a working maple syrup farm/processor. It looked very much some of the other "novelty" farms we've visited - (Turkeyville, Uncle John's Cider Mill or The Country Mill) perhaps a little less developed. They have a little restaurant so we had all-you-can-eat breakfast in the "quaintly" decorated dining room. Decor ranged from pictures of tractors (not sure if you can see it, but the headlights of the tractors are actual lights. . .Classy with a capital "C"!) to an old wood-burning stove, maybe circa 1850 or so.

After eating, we went into the syrup processing area. It's too early in the year and the sap is not yet "running" and so we got an overview of the process, but didn't actually see it (bummer because I wanted to see the taps coming out of the trees!). The ideal temperature is 40 during the day and about 20 at nite and that's probably a few weeks away at this point. So took a few pictures but due to the weather (cold, high winds), didn't stay too long and didn't trek out to the forest to see the maple trees. This really is the last of the "agri-entertainment" things I wanted to see so even though I didn't see everything, it was still interesting and kind of fun - in a rural Michigan sort of way.

White Castle, Lansing, MI (so not on the "list")

I wanted to go to White Castle mostly because I've never been (none in CA or the west - it's a midwest/east thang) but also because I was under the impression (which I now know to be wrong) that the food was good. In fact, it's not good - it's actually kind of gross. It's like a sliver of spam (we decided that they make a log of meat and slice it really thin) between a fluffy bun with some onions and maybe a pickle. All that yumminess for $.55! ($.66 with cheese). We got the meal deal #3, which comes with 10 slyders, 2 fries and 2 drinks for $10.63 + tax. I figured I could eat 2 + some fries before I got grossed out. Turned out that I was right - I ate 2 and got grossed out (Dave ate 8). I think this will be my only time ever at the WC. There is no need ever again. In addition to gross food, the restaurant was not that clean, the wait was long even though it was not crowded, didn't seem like the heat was on and it felt pretty ghetto (Lansing is a little ghetto already). I'm glad we went though, so I can say I've been and so I can share with you guys. . .

Eastern Market, Detroit, MI

You guys all know that I am all about Farmer's Markets. I just love the "close to the farmer" vibe and the community feel. I also love getting fresh, often organic, produce, meats and other homemade goodies. I've never really thought about my favorite markets but if I had to list my top three, it'd probably be (favorite first) 1. Ferry Plaza 2. Meridien Township (here in Okemos) and 3. Davis. We've also been to a bunch internationally or in other US cities, but one-time visits as tourists are not really the same (though the market in Vienna was awesome).

I was reading the Edible WOW one day and they had an article highlighting the Eastern Market in Detroit. It's the oldest continuously running market in the country. It started in 1841 and has been at its current location since 1891. Any given Saturday brings 45,000 people to the market. I think that must be a summer statistic because we were there on a Saturday and there were maybe a couple hundred people walking around. Granted, it was 20 degrees and the # of vendors must have been a fraction of what it is during the summer. Still, we persevered and wandered around for a bit. We picked up some eggs & produce (turns out we got some moldy oranges - and we wondered why they were so cheap). Prices were much lower than the Okemos market but the clientele was really different too. We heard several languages being spoken (Polish, Chinese, Ebonics, haha) which made it kind of a unique market experience.

They are currently undergoing a renovation which should last a few years but when it's complete, all the old brick sheds will be renovated (with heat!) and much nicer for farmers and patrons alike.

Definitely a Michigan experience. As we drove in (the closest highway is under construction), we saw decrepit old houses - some with no rooves, others with no windows, most uninhabited and depressing looking. I guess most people drive to the market because the immediate area didn't seem to have many inhabitants. Really truly, the most downtrodden, depressing, poorest place I've ever seen. Oakland looks like Malibu compared to this!

Miller's Bar, Dearborn, MI

Miller's Bar boasts #8 on the list and Dearborn is right outside of Detroit, so not too far away. Plus when have 2 of the Top 20 in the state of MI, you gotta check it out. Miller's bar is housed in an ugly, nondescript orange-ish building with no windows. I guess bars don't always have windows, but as Alan Richman says in the article, "It appears to be a place where people vanish and don’t reappear for days. . .". Everyone inside was eating, not drinking. And eating burgers or cheeseburgers & fries. We seated ourselves at a table that had a small tray on it that held salt & pepper, ketchup & yellow mustard, a container of pickles and some cheapy napkins. Our waitress came to get our order (no menu!) and so we ordered burgers and fries.

Burgers arrived shortly thereafter and I guess I was not really surprised that there was no plate! Just a piece of wax paper and some fresh onions in a separate piece of wax paper. My first impression was the that the meat was BIG and stretched all the way to the edges of the bun, but I was doing my west-coast attitude thing of "Where are the lettuce and tomato?". So I dressed it with salt & pepper, a tiny bit of mustard and some pickles. Couldn't cut it in half because they don't give you silver/plastic-ware! I guess if anything, it was a new way to eat?! It was cooked to order, though, so no complaints there.

Verdict is. . . very disappointing. Pretty flavorless (had to add lots of salt & pepper), no smoky grilled flavor and the bun was nothing special. Fries were nice and crispy and hot - but I was scared to ask for tabasco! I can't believe this burger even made the list! In 'n Out is better. And the #9 burger is the Cheeseburger at the Le Parker Meridien, which is super yummy. I am going to try to find an email address for Alan Richman so I can complain. Oh, and the last thing - no check. You just walk to the bar and tell them what you ate and then you pay. I assume cash -only, but who knows.

2.9.08 *Update* Akemi asked to see the fries, so here's another picture. Thankfully, they came in a little dish, not in a pile on a piece of wax paper!