Winter's Bone...and Other Things

This is going to be kind of a mish-mosh of an entry. I watched "Winter's Bone" and I do want to talk about that but it's not going to be a long entry if that is it and there are other things that I would like to talk about. So mish-mosh it is.

I watched "Winter's Bone" today, and the only reason I watched it was because it was on the Best Picture Nominee list. When we first got it at the store I wasn't that interested in it. And even though I heard it was good and it has been super popular I just never had the urge to watch it. But I do have a mission to watch all the nominees. And so I watched it. And I was bored. The very beginning looked like it could be good. It started off a little quiet and strange. And then it stayed quiet and strange. It didn't really make much sense and it wasn't all that suspenseful.

The story is this. Jennifer Lawrence plays Ree, a teenage girl stuck at home taking care of her two younger siblings and her sick mom. Her dad, I believe, is into the drug scene that is there. And then one day the 'law' comes looking for her dad saying that he posted bond by putting up the house and acerage and that his court date was coming up but that he couldn't be found. Ree, determined not to lose her family's home begins to search for him. And then things happen. I don't really know what happens but for some reason people try to hinder her search and I think that she gets threatened. I don't know. It's all not very good. It drags on and is slow. That is really it. I don't know why it is up for best picture but again I'm not on the committee. 

On to those other things. As it is the award sesaon I think that for the next few entries I will be focusing on movies as opposed to books. But fear not I will move back to books shortly. On that note however I want to state a mission of mine. Beyond that of wanting to see all ten best picture nominees I want to watch as many movies off the AFI's 100 Greatest Movies of all time list as I can. So far I've seen 46. The most recent being "Chinatown."

Directed by Roman Polanski and starring a very young Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston this is film noir at it's greatest. A true masterpiece of film the story follows J.J. Gittes, a private eye. He is hired to prove adultery and instead stumbles upon a water conspiracy that finds him trying to solve a murder instead. As the layers of mystery begin to pile on and J.J. finds himself helplessly drawn to the mysterious Evelyn Mulwray, Faye Dunaway, tensions begin to fray. J.J. finds that the more he figures out about this case, and consequently the more he is warned against it, the more he hopes to find the truth. Fighting evil henchmen, spying on the woman he loves, and finding himself with only one and a half nostrils doesn't seem to push J.J. into safer waters. All this instead just urges hime on. And what he finds makes the heart stop and the jaw drop. This is a brilliant movie that I truly believe deserves it's spot on the 100 Greatest Movies list. 

I don't know where I will start next. I'm thinking "Easy Rider." Not sure why but it's been calling to me lately. Or maybe "Jazz Singer" because I just found that on VHS. Who knows what I will decide on? Well I guess I know or rather I guess I will know as soon as I decide.

Alright enough crazy for one night. I will keep you all updated on my 100 Greatest movies list mission! As well as the originally talked about mission of the best picture nominees. Only four left!