This week, the recipe is Quick Skillet Steak With Onions. This is SUPER easy. If you buy Steak-umm’s or any brand of sliced steak, take ONE serving and sauté it in a pan and then add onions and mushrooms. This is so quick and tasty. You could get a low fat hoagie and add some low fat provolone cheese and make a nice sandwich. There isn’t much to this but the bit of fat you get from the steak gives the onions and mushrooms awesome flavor.
I wanted to share another snack with you week. These are Quaker Stila Oat Cluster Bits, Green Apple Flavor. The yummy snacks come in 80 calorie packs and have several little clusters. It tastes like granola with a hint of a green apple taste. They are nice for an afternoon snack. You could also put them on your yogurt. That would be good.
It’s that time of year again. Jordan and I have kicked off our Operation Oscar. I’ve seen a lot of the movies in the major categories so far but I’ve got a lot more to go. Before the actual Oscars, I hope to let you know what my favorites are…I typically vote on the movie that I would like to watch over and over again or the one that moved me the most. I don’t necessarily jive with the Academy.
I will start with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This movie is not nominated in a major category so technically, I probably shouldn’t put it on here but I loved it. It had some nominations. It was up for Visual Effects, Art Direction and Makeup. Honestly, though I am biased, I think it got robbed. The movie is ahead of its time in special effects, tells an amazing story of good conquering evil and I also think the actors should’ve been recognized. Oh well.
The Help is still my favorite movie out of the Best Picture nominees that I’ve seen. I read the book and it was amazing. The movie did an outstanding job reflecting the book. This movie has everything. You laugh, cry, feel inspired and you leave temporarily sad but inspired. I haven’t seen all of the nominees for best actress but both Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain were incredible. I will own this movie and that says a lot for me.
Bridesmaids is nominated for Original Screenplay and Melissa McCarthy is nominated for Best Supporting Actress. I liked Bridesmaids, a lot. It was hilarious. However, it’s up against The Artist (and others I haven’t seen yet) for Original Screenplay so I’m not sure it can beat that. I guess I don’t really have an opinion as to whether The Artist or Bridesmaids should win that category. I know I’d rather watch Bridesmaids. Also, Melissa McCarthy was good but Octavia Spencer was amazing in The Help. She deserves it.
The Descendants was good. It was sad, but good. However, I don’t think it deserves quite the amount of acclaim it’s receiving. The character that George Clooney played has very similar character traits that he himself seems to have so I don’t think it was that big of a stretch. It’s simple and I’m fine with that. In fact, I really liked it but I wasn’t blown away. Up In The Air was better but that movie didn’t blow me away either but it stuck with me much longer and I would certainly watch it again. I don’t know if I care if I see The Descendants again. It’s not good enough to deal with the sadness.
Midnight in Paris should be a movie that I loved. It’s set in the beautiful city of Paris. It’s about a writer who hallucinates entire scenes where he meets famous authors and artists. It has Rachel McAdams. However, I will admit…I thought it was too slow. I was bored a big part of it. I also didn’t understand why Owen Wilson would be with Rachel McAdams. She plays this part where she’s not nice at all and she doesn’t support him in any way. I didn’t hate it and Jordan loved it so maybe someday I’ll give it another try. Maybe I was tired. I have found that I have movie ADD. If a movie can keep my attention from beginning to end, it’s a keeper. I do not agree with the Best Picture nominee but it’s Woody Allen…I’m not surprised it’s nominated.
The Artist was a pleasant surprise. I was sure that I wouldn’t like it. I did start to fade a bit when it had about 30 minutes left. I think it could have been a little shorter but it was kind of refreshing and the more I think about it, the more I like it. It’s a simple story but there is dancing and humor and it’s amazing how the music coordinates with the movie. I honestly am surprised I didn’t hate it. I’m not sure the actors deserve Oscars and it certainly isn’t my choice for Best Picture but it seems to be the darling this year so I wouldn’t be shocked if it swept up a lot of categories.
My reaction to the Iron Lady was also a surprise. Jordan ADORES Meryl Streep. I like her. I think she’s a fantastic actress but there have been movies (Doubt) where I didn’t think she was as stunning as other people did. Jordan also has a lot of interest in politics and seeing a movie with Meryl Streep about Margaret Thatcher is right up his alley. I was expecting it to be kind of like The King’s Speech. I loved the King’s Speech but you won’t ever see me buying it. I am a bit sensitive to movies and TV shows that are related to Alzheimer’s because my Aunt Allie died a victim of that horrible disease and I’ve seen what it does. I didn’t realize that Margaret Thatcher suffers from that, or at least she does in the movie. It takes place in present day and as she remembers things, it tells her story. I was a wreck. Meryl Streep not only deserves this nomination but in my opinion, should win it. I may change my mind after I’ve seen all of the movies and I loved Viola Davis but I’ve seen the same eyes Meryl Streep gave in that movie in my Aunt Allie. She was outstanding. The movie felt like it was running a bit long towards the end. It wasn’t nominated for Best Picture. Do me a favor. Watch Tree of Life and Midnight in Paris and tell me if you don’t think it should’ve been nominated. I’d love to know.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was amazing. Right now, it runs right with the Help as far as my favorites go. If you look at the reviews from critics, you will see that they say the movie uses 9/11 to get an Oscar nod. I disagree. First of all, PLENTY of movies base their plot off of historic and tragic events. How many movies have there been about the Holocaust, race, disease? I think there are stories to be told. This was based off of a book that I now want to read. I was worried that the movie would be gratuitous but it wasn’t. It was just a reliving of the tragedy. It was a journey. Was it sad? Absolutely. Was 9/11 sad? Absolutely. If you look at reviews from REAL people, they mostly say they were moved and thought the movie was amazing. I think the biggest travesty is that the kid in the movie, Thomas Horn, wasn’t nominated. He gave an AWESOME performance. This movie will have you in tears many, many times but the story is unique. Everyone who dealt with a death on that day had a unique story…this was just one of them. People are real. Real things happen to them. Some people need to cry. I am a huge proponent of this movie. Also, as a side note, this year has been a year where multiple people are in multiple movies. Viola Davis is also in this movie and so is John Goodman who was also in The Artist.
The Tree of Life is a different story. I read the reviews for this movie too and they made me angry. The critics loved it. The REAL people hated it. Here’s why. It’s the most pretentious movie I’ve EVER seen. I think there was a good movie somewhere in there without all of the crap. It’s about a typical family with a strict father. One of the brothers is reflecting on his life because his brother died in what I assume is a war. The majority of the movie is abstract. There are several moments of just a black screen, orange light and whispering. Sean Penn is at the beginning and the end. There doesn’t seem to be a plot for people to cling to and it’s boring as sin. The worst part of the movie is this 30 minute section in the middle of the movie that looks like a special from The Discovery Channel. I suppose it was supposed to represent Earth and the cycle of life, blah, blah. I can see why it got nominated for Cinematography. I wouldn’t mind having those 30 minutes as a screen saver. There is NO dialogue, no people and certainly nothing for the audience to hang on to. There are images of volcanoes, fish, dinosaurs, waves and all sorts of things. Then, it goes back into the movie. Then there’s another super abstract, weird scene at the end. I hated it. It made me mad. This is what I mean. The critics accused Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close of trying to take advantage of the audience. This movie does the same thing. I like intelligent movies, weird ones too but I also like movies I can relate to. Normal people do. It’s pretentious and it makes me angry. I’m not angry at people for liking it but I’m angry at the people who think they’re better because they do. Phew, I think I’m done now. On another note, as I said before about people appearing in multiple movies, Jessica Chastain was in this in addition to the Help and other than the main kid in the movie, she was the best part. The kid was awesome and should’ve been nominated. It’s not his fault the movie got on my nerves. Brad Pitt was annoying.
I will be doing this for all the Oscar movies but there won’t be as many each week. I just did the ones I’d seen.
Sorry this was so long. If you made it this far, thanks for your support.
Have a great weekend and if you’re a pro-football fan, enjoy the Super Bowl! I will be looking forward to treating myself with food and watching commercials.
“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.” Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (the book by Jonathan Safran Foer)
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