The Oscars

As I mentioned, we had our 8th annual Oscar party on Sunday night. We had a great time and the show was quite enjoyable. Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin hosted, and they were very funny. There are always places where you wish you could fast forward, and by the time 11:00pm rolls around, you wish they would just award the final winners. But all in all, it was enjoyable.

Dan and I used to watch a lot of the nominated movies, but once we had kids, that pretty much went out the window. But this year, I feel like we saw a good number of films. And I really liked a lot of them! So, here are my movie recommendations. In case you care. :)

1. Avatar. You just have to see it. I really didn't think I'd enjoy it--I'm totally not a sci-fi person. But this is just different! It's excellent. James Cameron is insane. However, you must see it in a theater. And in 3D if possible.

2. The Blind Side. Such an excellent, feel-good movie! And the fact that it's a true story makes it that much more incredible. Sandra Bullock's win for best actress was a huge surprise, but she was very deserving of it.

3. Julie and Julia. Very enjoyable movie. Meryl Streep is amazing as Julia Child, and Amy Adams is delightful as always. It made me want to make yummy, impressive French food.

4. Precious. I'm really glad I saw this movie, and I'm also kind of glad that I saw it alone. I came home from it feeling physically ill. But it's so good! You just can't believe what this girl goes through. So well-done, though. Mo'Nique is incredible and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is outstanding and believable. Cameos by Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, and Sherri Shepherd are lovely.

5. The Hurt Locker. In a huge, surprising upset, this movie got the best picture nod. I'm sure there are Avatar enthusiasts who are angry, but I think The Hurt Locker was extremely deserving of the award. Intriguing story and great acting. Definitely worth checking out.

6. Up. Just have to throw this in there for Jack. It was the one nominated movie he saw. And we all loved it! Adorable movie.

That's all. There are still a couple more I want to see, but I think 2009 was a really great year for movies!