tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81662778192806332462024-03-13T22:32:29.460-04:00Andrea's AdventuresAndrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.comBlogger874125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-86345971150873470932020-02-07T15:17:00.000-05:002020-02-07T15:17:16.615-05:00My 2020 Oscar Predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wasn't sure I would be able to see all the Best Picture nominees this year with the shorter window of time, but I managed to finish them all this week. I have listed my predictions in the post, but will follow up with more detail on each of the Best Picture nominees soon. I listed the Best Picture nominees in order of my personal preference below. Additionally, in italics I indicated who I think the Academy will award and placed an asterisk next to who I believe should be awarded.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Best Picture</u>:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Parasite*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ford v Ferrari</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Little Women</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jojo Rabbit</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1917</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Joker</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Marriage Story</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Irishman</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Lead Actor</u>:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Antonio Banderas in Pain and Glory (DID NOT SEE)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Adam Driver in Marriage Story</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Joaquin Phoenix in Joker*</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jonathan Pryce in The Two Popes</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Lead Actress</u>:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Cynthia Erivo in Harriet</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Saoirse Ronan in Little Women</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Charlize Theron in Bombshell</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Renee Zellweger in Judy*</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Supporting Actor</u>:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Anthony Hopkins in The Two Popes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Al Pacino in The Irishman*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Joe Pesci in The Irishman</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Brad Pitt in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Supporting Actress</u>:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Kathy Bates in Richard Jewell (DID NOT SEE)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Laura Dern in Marriage Story</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Scarlett Johansson in Jojo Rabbit</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Florence Pugh in Little Women</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Margot Robbie in Bombshell*</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Director</u>:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Martin Scorsese for The Irishman</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Todd Phillips for Joker</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sam Mendes for 1917</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bon Joon Ho for Parasite*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Who are your favorites this year?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-23635864269764869072020-02-06T17:43:00.000-05:002020-02-16T17:44:08.593-05:00Best Picture Nominees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
All of the Best Picture nominees were interesting this year. They each had positives whether it be underlying theme or a phenomenal performance. Most of them contained both. There were a few that could have been a tad shorter, but overall it was a great selection of movies. Here are my thoughts on each of the nominees.<br />
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I didn't have one bit of interest in this movie when I saw it was about car racing so imagine my shock when it completely captured my attention. In fact, it ended up being my second favorite out of the whole group. The story is both identifiable and intriguing even if you don't have interest in cars and/or racing. While it did run a tad long, the fantastic performance by Christian Bale kept me totally engrossed. How he didn't end up nominated for his acting in this one is beyond me. The story was two-fold and one about loyalty and knowing when to hold your ground and when to concede. I thoroughly enjoyed it.<br />
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Chris and I watched this one in two parts. It was just so so so long! Its length dwarfed its impact in my opinion. Maybe we didn't need to see quite so much of the build up of DeNiro's character or maybe we didn't need to see quite so much of the back and forth drama of Pacino's character and Pesci's troupe or maybe we didn't need to see quite so much about the side characters. I'm not entirely sure what needed to be cut, but it just seemed like a real slog to get through to the end. Needless to say, DeNiro, Pacino, and Pesci all performed at the very top of their game in this one. They were phenomenal to watch together.<br />
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This dark comedy took me by surprise. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get past the weirdness of it, but I really enjoyed it. That being said it certainly isn't for everyone. It was a quite bizarre (and sad) story. I loved the theme of love and acceptance for all that it drove home albeit in a strange manner. Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson were both great in their supporting roles. It was refreshing to see this time period through the eyes of seemingly innocent children though.<br />
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Ironically, Chris and I watched this one the night before the nominees were announced because we had heard such varied reviews about it from friends. Neither of us particularly cared for the movie as a whole, but it definitely packed some punch. It was such a sad, sad story. Phoenix was stunningly phenomenal in it. I was in complete awe of his performance despite finding the movie as a whole quite difficult to watch.<br />
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I watched this one with parents on Christmas Day. It was a refreshing angle on a classic story. I enjoyed following the sisters throughout each of their ups and downs with love and career. It definitely has the tear jerker element that seems to always accompany these types of tales, but it didn't stand out in too many other ways for me. The story is solid. The acting is good. The film just didn't leave a particularly lasting impression on me.<br />
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I watched this one alone in a couple of spurts so maybe I need to give it a go again all in one sitting, but I didn't find anything particularly great about it. It was a story about a crumpling marriage and all that entails when a child is involved, but I didn't find it all that interesting. There were two specific scenes that I really liked - the opening montage with voice overs and the scene in which Adam Driver's character is desperately trying to impress the emotionless social worker to prove he is worthy of child custody. I did appreciate the comedic relief throughout, but the movie just wasn't super interesting to me as a whole.<br />
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In my somewhat unpopular opinion, I simply thought this was your standard war movie. It was incredibly predictable and followed the typical trajectory for these types of films. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. The story was moving and the cinematography was fantastic, but overall it was just average. Your run of the mill war tale. Most definitely worth watching and even stunning in presentation throughout, but the story was far too familiar.<br />
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I watched this one via Redbox during one of Olivia's long naps one afternoon. It was fun to watch Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt play buddies...and aging Hollywood legends - ha! Overall, it didn't strike me as particularly interesting though. I enjoyed watching LDC's (as Pitt affectionately referred to him at the Golden Globes) character wrestle with the aging process as he progressed from main attraction to final fling in his career. It was quite poignant. My guess is it likely felt all too real for DiCaprio though I by no means think he is in the twilight of his career at this point. Pitt was fantastic. His character was fun and truly the life of this film. It was exciting to watch him in this role. Overall, the movie had high points via the actors selected to fill the lead and supporting roles; however, it would have been unwatchable for me if less well-known/liked actors filled those shoes.<br />
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I loved this film! It was incredible in every way imaginable. It had the perfect mix of everything - comedy, suspense, social commentary, drama. It was a gripping tale of the haves and have nots. The subscripts made no difference to me at all. In fact, I'm not certain it would have felt the same if it had contained Americans speaking English. Part of the appeal of the film was the feeling that I was learning more about a different culture while at the same time realizing that culture was identical to my own. I can't wait to watch it again with Chris. The hype is 100% well deserved! Make it a priority to watch this one - exhilarating and fascinating from start to finish. It had me on the edge of my seat at every turn!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Did you see any of the Best Picture nominees this year?<br />
Which did you enjoy most?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-11779396876259319952019-02-23T13:41:00.002-05:002020-01-24T00:07:02.434-05:00My 2019 Oscar PredictionsI was pleasantly surprised that I was able to see almost all of the movies nominated in the Best Picture and Actor/Actress categories. There was one exception due to this horrible winter weather...and it was one of the ones I was looking most forward to watching, too. No worries though - I'll be sure to see it in the next couple weeks when it's out on Redbox. Unfortunately, I also ran out of time to see the shorts this year as well. Chris has assured me those show up as an on demand feature in the next few weeks so I am looking forward to catching them that way this year.<br />
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Nevertheless, here are my favorites in each category. My vote for winner is in italics. I have also put the best picture nominees in order of how well I liked them. However, please note that I enjoyed all the nominees this year and would recommend all of them!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Best Picture</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Green Book</i><br />
BlackkKlansman</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Vice<br />
Black Panther</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Roma<br />
The Favourite</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Star is Born</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bohemian Rhapsody</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Best Actor</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<i>Christian Bale, Vice</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Willem Dafoe, Eternity's Gate</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Viggo Mortenson, Green Book</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Best Actress</span></u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Glenn Close, The Wife</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Olivia Coleman, The Favourite</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lady Gaga, A Star is Born</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: large;">Best Supporting Actor</span></u><br />
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<i>Maharshala Ali, Green Book</i><br />
Adam Driver, BlackkKlansman<br />
Sam Elliott, A Star is Born<br />
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?<br />
Sam Rockwell, Vice</div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;">Best Supporting Actress</span></u></div>
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Amy Adams, Vice</div>
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<i>Marina de Tavira, Roma</i><br />
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk (Did Not See)<br />
Emma Stone, The Favourite<br />
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite</div>
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What are your favorites this year?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-25817133021294109632019-02-20T18:02:00.000-05:002020-02-16T18:29:47.215-05:00Best Picture Nominees - Part 2If you missed Part 1, please find it <a href="https://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2019/02/best-picture-nominees-part-1.html"><span style="color: #666666;">here</span></a>.<br />
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Surprisingly, I enjoyed The Favourite. It was the one movie I wasn't really looking forward to watching, but I am glad I made time for it. What a dreadful, terrible Queen! What fantastic acting from Olivia Coleman! She was wonderful. The movie follows her relationship with two different ladies in her court. Lots of twists and turns and a multitude of deception.<br />
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Green Book was my favorite of all the movies this year. Mahershala Ali was amazing! He and Viggo had great chemistry. So much talent. Despite the reason for the story (segregation), it was exciting to watch. It kept me wondering what would happen next. Of course, it was heart warming to watch the characters grow and develop throughout the movie as well. I loved the story that much more knowing that it was based on truth. It is a great story of the power of friendship.<br />
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Roma was tough for me to watch. There were SO many struggles to overcome for nearly all of the characters! It also seemed a bit long to me. I felt such sadness for the lead character. She had so many highs and lows. It was really just hard to watch, particularly so close to the birth of my daughter.<br />
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Vice was an unexpected joy. I didn't anticipate liking this political story as much as I did. It was told in a manner that really appealed to me. Christian Bale blew me away. Totally blew me away. What a fantastic actor! Sam Rockwell was SO good as George W. Bush, too. The story follows Dick Chaney's VP experience. It was extremely well told. Definitely recommend seeing this one!<br />
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Did you have any Oscar favorites this year?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-63786095278716572262019-02-18T00:01:00.000-05:002020-02-16T17:49:00.869-05:00Best Picture Nominees - Part 1I really enjoyed all the Best Picture nominees this year. You really can't go wrong checking out any of them. Maybe its because there were a handful of my favorite genre - memior based films. If you are looking for a good movie, here are my thoughts...<br />
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A Star is Born wasn't at the top of my list though it certainly had mega chemistry between the main characters and some breathtaking vocal talent by Lady Gaga. I just thought the story was incredibly predictable. To be honest, the characters weren't all that likable for me either - especially Bradley Cooper's character. The highlight was definitely the undeniable chemisty between Lady Gaga and Cooper - wowza!!<br />
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We watched Black Panther for Chris' birthday nearly a year prior to the Oscars. Even though I'm not a big comic book movie fan, I thought this one was interesting. I am a Michael B. Jordan fan so I enjoyed seeing him even if he was the bad guy. It held my interest (mostly) and that is FAR more than I can say for any of the other comic book movies I have attempted to watch.<br />
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BlacKkKlansman was one of my favorites. The story was true, but new to me so I was really on the edge of my seat wondering how it would all play out. Such a fascinating story! I was also super excited to see my old NFL Europa buddy (John David Washington) play the lead. Unfortunately, I don't have any photo evidence, but I can definitely say I knew him when...<br />
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Chris loves Queen so he was nitpicking the timeline and various scenes throughout Bohemian Rhapsody. I enjoyed it as someone with minimal knowledge of the backstory of Queen and Freddie Mercury. It could have been a little shorter and still driven home the main points of the movie, but it was an interesting look into one of the greatest bands of all-time.<br />
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-87894971599661774752018-10-14T23:35:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:00:35.804-05:00Date Nights - October It's finally baby month!! We managed to squeeze in two final date nights before our daughter arrived on October 17. Neither quite lived up to what we imagined them to be in our mind, but it was fun to spend a little more time together as a twosome before becoming a family of three!<br />
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I suggested we check out a book sale at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. We found a couple books that we took home, but overall there weren't too many great options for us. We were happy to support the library though. <br />
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Chris planned one final trip to the movies - we saw Monsters & Men. It starred my old NFL Europa pal, John David Washington. The premise was interesting, but we both agreed that it kind of played out in a weird manner. I won't say too much more in case you check it out.<br />
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What is your favorite movie genre?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-2000087859112290272018-09-30T23:24:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:01:00.992-05:00Date Nights - September With September being the final month before the birth of our baby, I was feeling quite large. I still wanted to take part in all the fall fun so I planned an apple picking trip. Chris preferred to enjoy a quiet game night at home before the chaos of having a newborn became a reality.<br />
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This year, we decided to try Lynd Fruit Farm for apple picking. They also have pumpkin patches and a large country store there. We didn't spend a lot of time picking apples because we only wanted to get what we knew we'd be able to use in the next couple of weeks. We gave the pumpkin patch a shot, but it had already been really picked over so we decided to just find some pumpkins at the store. We enjoyed some hot cider and cider donuts while we looked around the store. We discovered the deliciousness of pumpkin bars as we looked around for tasty treats to take home with us. We brought back one big pumpkin for our front porch and two little ones that I planned to paint and use as a way to reveal the gender of our baby at the hospital. I was persistent that we try the corn maze before we left. Oh, boy! It was quite an adventure in there. I am surprised I didn't give birth halfway through it. Definitely not the smartest choice to do ALL that walking, but I refused to give up before we completed it. Chris had no option - he was forced to go along with his stubborn pregnant wife on this one! We had a lot of fun. I can't wait to take our little one next year!<br />
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Game night proved to be a huge hit! We had a blast. I literally peed my pants laughing so hard at one point. Not a super difficult feat for a nearly nine month pregnant lady, but playing the Ellen DeGeneres Heads Up game was THE best decision of the night. We had SO much fun...and it didn't cost a penny! Don't you just love nights like that?<br />
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What is your favorite date night in activity?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-27384117607278582642018-08-31T22:23:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:01:13.837-05:00Date Nights - August In August, we did a good deal of traveling as we spent time in both Kentucky and New York for baby showers. When we weren't traveling, we were attempting to organize baby gifts and set up the nursery for our little one. We still found time for a couple of fun date nights though.<br />
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While we were in New York, we managed to catch my former improv teachers in a show. We also made time for a true NYC dinner - chicken and rice from the Halal Guys. I used to live just a couple blocks away from their midtown Manhattan carts so it was a super tasty inexpensive dinner that we enjoyed regularly. It was a lot of fun to enjoy a couple of our favorite things about the city while we were visiting!<br />
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For my date night, I suggested COSI After Dark. COSI is a science and industry museum that has fun things for both children and adults. On these COSI After Dark evenings, no children are allowed. There is often a theme and it is a really neat way to spend the evening. We hadn't ever been free for one until now. We had a blast running around and playing at all the stations. Definitely recommend taking part in one of these in you live in the Columbus area. It is an entirely different experience when there aren't hundreds of kids running around in there!<br />
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What types of museums do you enjoy visiting?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-52838873458157618912018-07-31T21:04:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:01:26.418-05:00Date Nights - July July is easily the best month of the year. It's possible that I would think that even if it didn't play host to my birthday. Haha! Whether you love it or not, we sure did make the most of it this year.<br />
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Chris loves music - especially those old school smooth grooves! When he saw that the Commodores were coming to the Ohio State Fair, it was a no brainer that we'd go. We had great seats so close to the stage I could see the sweat pouring off their faces. From Easy to Brick House, it was a night full of fun and laughter. They definitely still have it going on after all these years. I was surprised how much I got into it! Chris also indulged me in trekking over to the infamous butter sculpture. It featured scenes from A Christmas Story this year. It was incredible - over 2,000 pounds of butter was used to make the creation. It was certainly a night to remember!<br />
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For my date night, we headed to a night of improv and trivia at the Nest before enjoying the Red, White, and Boom fireworks show from their patio area. It was a fun night all around! The view was perfect from their patio, and I'm so glad we had a chance to see the big firework display without having to deal with the annoying crowds.<br />
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What are your favorite summer date nights?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-39057408312651729152018-06-30T21:01:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:01:50.241-05:00Date Nights - June It's hard to believe that we've been in Columbus for nearly a year now. We really started focusing on making it our new city about this time last year. It has been fun finding new places to explore. Chris selected a movie while I found a strawberry festival for us to enjoy.<br />
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It was the 25th anniversary of the movie Scarface this year. I'd never seen the classic film so we made our way to Marcus Crosswoods Theater for the event. We were excited to see it together. There was also supposed to be a recorded Q&A with various cast members played after the show, but for some reason that never happened. It was fun to watch it together despite a milk dud pulling out a crown on one of my molars during the previews. Fortunately (or maybe rather unfortunately), it isn't the first time this has happened so I took it in stride...at least until the movie ended!<br />
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To be honest, the strawberry festival was a last minute find via facebook. It was a fairly small festival, but packed a big punch with its desserts. They were so tasty that's really all it took to call the day a win. Sometimes the most fun things are the spontaneous ones!<br />
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Do you enjoy the traditional dinner and a movie date night? Why or why not?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-69315833228261586152018-06-18T15:21:00.000-04:002020-01-27T22:26:48.184-05:002017-2018 Broadway in Columbus - Part 2If you missed part 1, check it out <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/02/2017-2018-broadway-in-columbus-season.html"><span style="color: #666666;">here</span></a>.<br />
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After we got settled into the new year, we had our next show on the docket - Chicago. Ironically, Chicago was one of the first Broadway shows I saw after moving to NYC. On Broadway, I didn't like the way it was set, but the music never disappoints. The same applied to the Columbus performance. In fact, this particular performance was extra special because Ohio State's own Eddie George played Mr. Razzle Dazzle himself. The crowd was really loving that!<br />
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An American in Paris was next for us. I went into this one with no expectations at all because I'd never seen it. I didn't know too much about the story either. We really liked this show. The story was a bit predictable, but I loved how ballet was incorporated throughout. It was truly beautiful to watch. I enjoyed the bits of comedic relief throughout as well. Definitely an enjoyable show!<br />
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Our last show for the season was The King & I. We really enjoyed it. The bits of humor in a mostly serious performance were golden. I loved the performance of Uncle Thomas' Cabin in the second act. The cast was quite talented and the story was fantastic. A love story, but also a story of strength and oppression. A hopeful story about overcoming odds and being brave with overtones of sexism and domination that create a perfect dichotomy.<br />
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Have you seen any of these Broadway shows?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-86213096686846048312018-05-31T20:55:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:01:39.487-05:00Date Nights - May We only managed to stay local for one of our date nights this month, but part of the reason is that we spent a good chuck of the month out of town. Chris found a documentary festival at Gateway, a local independent theater. I had my eye on the RACE exhibit at the Chicago History Museum.<br />
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We watched two very different, but equally interesting documentaries at the Gateway festival. Our first was Big Sonia. Wow! What a lady...and what a story! She is a Holocaust survivor that owned a shop in what had over time become a dilapidated mall complex. Due to the building being destroyed, she was forced to relocate her business. All the while, she tells her story sharing with local students and national media sources alike. The second documentary was in regard to standardized testing and its essentially purposeless existence. It was interesting, but didn't quite ever come to a conclusion or final outcome. The information provided was valuable to know, but it didn't really seem to matter or make a difference. Both were interesting topics, but Big Sonia was by far most compelling.<br />
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The main purpose of our little Chicago road trip was to visit our friends, Tarra and Evan. It is always great to spend some time with them! Our secondary goal was to catch the RACE exhibit while it was still at the Chicago History Museum. The exhibit was extremely thorough and covered so many different aspects of race. It was particularly interesting because it offered a number of interactive elements throughout the space. There was a plethora of information - we spent several hours combing through each room. The exhibit was well done - and the rest of the museum was pretty neat, too. Lots of Chicago history to be seen!<br />
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Do you enjoy checking out museum exhibits or watching documentaries?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-70059040363629611132018-05-31T18:30:00.000-04:002020-01-27T22:34:12.738-05:00Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Blue)This year, I decided to link up with Mia to <a href="https://www.mia-sutton.com/blog/read-the-rainbow-reading-challenge-details"><span style="color: #666666;">Read the Rainbow</span></a>. I only managed to read one blue cover this month despite by best intentions to get through a second one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVEpgwmYy1dYeGDUC5-pRn-D5rQI-Isbmp-T42MF2GV0e02q3PU8lhIpcJOESw0s6IldKM8RfuMvSb-A3sGi7ju2IfqdsJDiy9IS5Bcgb69cgVp5RiTkyXpCrHqiz5k5rCzV-0AwQrEcm/s1600/hillary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVEpgwmYy1dYeGDUC5-pRn-D5rQI-Isbmp-T42MF2GV0e02q3PU8lhIpcJOESw0s6IldKM8RfuMvSb-A3sGi7ju2IfqdsJDiy9IS5Bcgb69cgVp5RiTkyXpCrHqiz5k5rCzV-0AwQrEcm/s1600/hillary.jpg" /></a></div>
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I really enjoyed Hillary's book, <u>What Happened</u>. It covered what happened that led to the bizarre outcome of our most recent election, but also went further than that to discuss some of Hillary's policies and ideas. It was really neat to listen to her read the book, too. Audiobooks read by their authors are my favorite these days. If you have interest in the media's role in our political process and how a campaign works from beginning to end, I highly suggesting checking out this book.<br />
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-2793221876140357102018-04-30T17:09:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:02:05.846-05:00Date Nights - April We continued to find fun events in the Columbus area this month for date night. I spotted a sign advertising a Professional Bull Riding event at the Schottenstein Center. Chris found an event at the Newark OSU campus featuring Tim Wise, one of our favorite podcasters.<br />
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The PBR event was exactly like we expected yet also nothing at all like we expected. It was a really fun afternoon of watching the riders and listening to the head rodeo clown say one crazy thing after another. Riders each attempted to ride bulls before having a playoff of sorts to determine a winner for the event. We never were too clear on exactly how the scoring worked at the event nor overall, but that didn't make it any less exciting to watch. We were both surprised by how much we enjoyed the experience. Definitely recommend it if you ever have a chance to catch the PBR tour.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w3nPBbsYfSpg2rj0LnDFwP56cK9B6lT8-VFOKUb3g5JWtlbrc1BOy-3JHjneLZDUeywKTcMj2vBSCdnGQP7_n5PW2ARDwVf97-ipm8LeC32ystQLyZda1aUuR7DmFefl3Mepx0ce7QrP/s1600/PBR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w3nPBbsYfSpg2rj0LnDFwP56cK9B6lT8-VFOKUb3g5JWtlbrc1BOy-3JHjneLZDUeywKTcMj2vBSCdnGQP7_n5PW2ARDwVf97-ipm8LeC32ystQLyZda1aUuR7DmFefl3Mepx0ce7QrP/s1600/PBR.jpg" width="550" /></a></div>
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We had been listening to Tim Wise for a few months when Chris discovered he was going to be the keynote speaker at a conference in the greater Columbus area. We initially thought we missed our chance as registration was closed, but I reached out to the director and we were able to get in at the last minute. It was a really neat conference altogether and listening to Tim speak in person was as powerful as we imagined. If you haven't heard of Tim Wise, I'd highly recommend checking him out <a href="https://www.speakoutnow.org/speaker/wise-tim"><span style="color: #666666;">here</span></a>. He always has insightful podcasts with a wide range of guests.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Have you ever seen professional bull riding? </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
What types of conferences interest you?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-11090941934184456202018-04-30T11:00:00.000-04:002018-04-30T11:00:22.760-04:00Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Green)This year, I decided to link up with Mia to <a href="https://www.mia-sutton.com/blog/read-the-rainbow-reading-challenge-details"><span style="color: #666666;">Read the Rainbow</span></a>. I only managed to get through one green book this month, but I did start a second one that I hope to finish soon.<br />
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I was intrigued by the previews for this movie when it was released a few years ago, but never got around to checking it out. I honestly can't decide if I'm more interested or less interested in the movie after reading the book. The story is fairly predictable (and somewhat unbelievable), but it was a quick read and kept my interest as there was significant build out of the characters. The book was just ok, but the story itself is interesting from a psychological perspective. Now I just need to figure out if I want to make time for the movie version of the tale.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Did you read anything interesting this month?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-84584143623842487532018-03-31T22:54:00.000-04:002020-01-30T02:02:18.879-05:00Date Nights - March We've been enjoying exploring our new city through our monthly date nights so far this year. This month was no different. I found a massive bookstore in German Village that was quite impressive. Chris got us tickets to see Ohio's own Gary Owen at the Funny Bone.<br />
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The Book Loft in German Village is a book lover's dream! There are SO many rooms. It is a really neat place that has a mix of old and new books to buy. We spent a couple hours there, but you could spend all day browsing around. We hope to go back and spend more time exploring in the future. Definitely a great local place to get a gift!<br />
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Chris has been a fan of Gary Owen for quite a few years. We watched his reality type TV show together a couple years ago. The man is just plain funny. We had a fun time at the show. The best part about the Funny Bone is there isn't a two drink minimum for the comedy shows. We ended up eating dinner at the show, but it was refreshing to know that we didn't have to meet a minimum amount. I hate when comedy shows have that requirement. Gary Owen is worth the price of admission if you ever have the chance to check him out. We had a fun night!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Have you ever seen any great comedians?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-51437114559772623262018-03-31T07:00:00.000-04:002018-03-31T07:00:04.297-04:00Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Yellow)This year, I decided to link up with Mia to <a href="https://www.mia-sutton.com/blog/read-the-rainbow-reading-challenge-details"><span style="color: #666666;">Read the Rainbow</span></a>. I managed to fit in a couple of yellow books this month. I am working to finish up another reading challenge as well and that took up a bit of my time this month.<br />
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I really enjoyed reading these stories. Many of them highlight a feeling that I can't really imagine. It was great to read the perspective of the various individuals that contributed. From an Indian girl experiencing puppy love before her parents arrange a marriage for her to the opposite of your stereotypical Asian boy pretending to be all the stereotypes to garner favor with the white kids at his school, I found each story to be insightful. These are the types of stories I wish more people would read so that we could begin to fix so much of the racist behavior that occurs in our schools and communities daily. I truly believe that exposure to those that aren't in our own race group is one of the keys to real change. I would definitely recommend this quick read to everyone.<br />
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This book has been on my to-read list for quite some time. I am glad that I finally had a chance to start it. The story follows the family line of two sisters that haven't ever met. They live completely different lives as they were born in completely different circumstances. The family lines are quite interesting to follow (even if it was a little tricky to get all the names sorted out at the beginning). I thought it was interesting to learn how each generation impacted the next. Definitely an intriguing story.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Have you read any good books this month?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-12311260831871166822018-03-04T10:39:00.002-05:002020-01-30T23:46:29.168-05:00My 2018 Oscar Predictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's finally Oscar Night!! I always love tuning in to see the show and hear the speeches. Below, I indicated my choice for winner in italics for each of the categories where I saw all of the nominees. You can see my reviews <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/03/best-picture-nominees-part-1.html"><span style="color: #666666;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/03/best-picture-nominees-part-2.html"><span style="color: #666666;">here</span></a>, and <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/03/other-oscar-nominated-movie-reviews.html"><span style="color: #666666;">here</span></a>. I'm expecting it to be a fun night of celebration for these fantastic actors and actresses. Enjoy!<br />
<u></u><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Best Picture</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Call Me by Your Name</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Darkest Hour</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Dunkirk</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Get Out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lady Bird</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Phantom Thread</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Post</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Shape of Water</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</em></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Lead Actor</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Timothee Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Lead Actress</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Margot Robbie in I, Tonya</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Saoirse Ronan in Lady Bird</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Meryl Streep in The Post</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Supporting Actor</u> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</em></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Supporting Actress</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mary J. Blige in Mudbound</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Allison Janney in I, Tonya</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lesley Manville in Phantom Thread</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Octavia Spencer in The Shape of Water</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Director</u> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jordan Peele for Get Out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water</em></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Original Screenplay</u> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Big Sick</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Get Out</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lady Bird</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Shape of Water</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Animated Short</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Dear Basketball</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Garden Party</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Lou</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Negative Space</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Revolting Rhymes</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Live Action Short</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
DeKalb Elementary</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Eleven O'clock</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My Nephew Emmett</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>The Silent Child</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Watu Wote/All of Us</div>
<u></u><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Documentary Short</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Edith+Eddie</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Heroin(e)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Knife Skills</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Traffic Stop</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Have you seen any of the nominated films? </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Which are your favorites?</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Andrea :)</div>
Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-66138428887961136072018-03-03T07:00:00.000-05:002018-03-03T07:00:36.147-05:00Other Oscar Nominated Movie Reviews...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was able to see a number of movies nominated in other categories this year. Some of them I liked quite a bit more than a handful of the Best Picture nominations (<a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/03/best-picture-nominees-part-1.html"><span style="color: #666666;">Part 1</span></a> and <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/03/best-picture-nominees-part-2.html"><span style="color: #666666;">Part 2</span></a>). I'll share a quick review of each I saw in case you are looking for a good recommendation.<br />
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<u>Lead and/or Supporting Actor and/or Actress Categories</u></div>
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<em>I, Tonya</em> - If you remember living through the whole Harding/Kerrigan Olympics ordeal, watch this one. It was a really interesting look at Harding's life in a faux documentary style. If Janning doesn't win the Oscar for supporting actress, it will be a crying shame. She was fantastic!<br />
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<em>The Florida Project</em> - I had high hopes for this one, but it didn't quite live up to them. It was an interesting exposition on child welfare in extremely low-income single-parent families that permanently reside in barely livable motels in Florida. If you have an interest in taking a closer look at our broken child welfare system then I highly recommend watching this insightful movie. It is also filmed in a bit of a documentary style.<br />
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<em>Mudbound</em> - This one started a little slow, but then really picked up in the last half. In the end, I really enjoyed it. It takes place in the time frame around World War II following both a black and white family in rural Mississippi farming country. The story takes some twists and turns with the two families continually intertwining. This one is available on Netflix and worth checking out.<br />
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<em>Roman J. Israel, Esq.</em> - As a true Denzel fan, I saw this one in theaters. I was surprised by how much I liked it overall. Colin Ferrell was great in it. Colin's performance ranked right up there with Denzel's in this film. The movie is a bit slow to get started, but worth a watch if you like Denzel.<br />
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<em>All the Money in the World</em> - I didn't have much interest in this one until I heard some rumblings about it being pretty good. It certainly didn't disappoint. I was engaged the entire movie and really found the premise fascinating. I can't even fathom being a little bit rich so to have unlimited resources (and not be willing to use them to save your grandson!!) was really beyond the realm of my brain to comprehend. As I've mentioned in the past, based on a true story movies are my cup of tea. They always speak to me and this one was no different.<br />
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<u>Screenplay</u></div>
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<em>Molly's Game</em> - I loved this movie from beginning to end. It was uniquely told and exciting to watch. I am really disappointed it didn't get some recognition for Best Picture. I would definitely put it ahead of at least four (maybe five) of the films nominated in that category. I thought Jessica Chastain was phenomenal. And Idris Elba was awesome, too. If you don't watch any others I mention, watch this one. You won't be disappointed.<br />
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<em>The Big Sick</em> - We saw this one in the theater this past summer. I remember being pleasantly surprised by how well it integrated comedy into a generally sad story. Ray Romano played a fantastic character in this movie. His role was perfect and much needed. This one is worth watching even if it isn't quite your typical romantic comedy.<br />
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<u>Animated</u></div>
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<em>Boss Baby</em> - I laughed out loud at the previews every single time I saw them for this movie. Unfortunately, most of the best moments were in those previews. It is a really cute movie, but not my favorite of the season.<br />
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<em>Coco</em> - Since my high school Spanish class, I've been intrigued by the idea of the Dia de la Muerta (Day of the Dead) tradition. Coco fully explores that tradition in a unique story. I'm not certain it would be my first choice for children (particularly those unfamiliar with the tradition or really even the idea of death), but as an adult I enjoyed it. The vibrant colors and lovely music really give the movie an edge. <br />
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<em>Ferdinand</em> - I watched this one with my parents and niece and nephew over Christmas. I really liked some of the characters, but the story wasn't anything that completely blew me away. Seemed to be your pretty standard animated flick. It's worth noting that my 4 1/2 year old nephew commented that it was a little long at the conclusion. My 5 1/2 year old niece requested a potty break midway through so I don't think it was entirely holding her full attention either. <br />
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<u>Oscar Shorts: Animated, Live Action, Documentary</u></div>
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All of the animated films were good. Each was unique and entertaining in its own way. If you like animation, I would definitely see this set. <em>Lou</em> was my favorite, but it was tough to decide.<br />
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I really enjoyed all of the live action shorts. I would highly recommend checking them out if they are showing anywhere near you. My top three were <em>The Silent Child</em>, <em>My nephew, Emmitt</em>, and <em>The Eleven O'Clock</em>. All were really good though.<br />
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Chris and I went to see the documentaries together. They were all interesting, but I liked <em>Knife Skills</em>, <em>Edith+Eddie</em>, and <em>Herion(e)</em> the most. All were worth watching and touched on very relevant topics.<br />
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Have you seen any great movies in the past year?</div>
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What is your favorite genre to watch?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-75012370878632133302018-03-02T07:00:00.000-05:002018-03-02T07:00:48.511-05:00Best Picture Nominees - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you missed Part 1 of my Best Picture nominees post yesterday, <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/03/best-picture-nominees-part-1.html"><span style="color: #666666;">click here</span></a>. Otherwise, please proceed...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#6 - Lady Bird</span></div>
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I had really high hopes for this one, but I was let down. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf are both fantastic actresses. They both did a wonderful job in this film (particularly Metcalf), but the story simply wasn't anything new or really all that strong. It was a simple coming of age story. Ronan's character does all the typical things - fights with mom, ditched best friend for cooler crowd, finds a popular boyfriend by acting out. It's all been done before. I was bored by the story even though I enjoyed the performances from the actresses.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#7 - Phantom Thread</span></div>
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Phantom Thread surprised me in a good way with its storyline, but it took FAR too long to get there. I had a hard time finding common ground with any of the characters. Everyone seemed annoying in their own way. I was bored for the first half of the movie before any substantial action really occurred. There were some twists and turns in the second half that had me intrigued, just don't expect much action until about midway through.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#8 - Darkest Hour</span></div>
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Gary Oldman plays a great Churchill, but this movie completely bored me. I couldn't understand parts of the dialogue and the most entertaining part was when Churchill ventured out via public transportation. Darkest Hour had a stellar character, but it just need a little more umph. It was easily the least interesting to watch for me.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#9 - Call Me By Your Name</span></div>
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From the previews, I could tell this movie was going to bother me. It was billed as a romance movie, but that romance takes place between a teenager and an adult. I really can't get behind that idea. I was really bothered by the fact that the movie never really addresses the age factor head on. It does take place in Italy so perhaps there are some cultural norms that I am unaware of that would permit this type of relationship. However, the adult is an American. I just didn't feel comfortable about the idea of a child being romantically involved with an adult (even if it did take a bit of time for him to "give in"). It really rubbed me the wrong way. Outside of that fact, similar to Lady Bird, this one was a coming of age story. It really wasn't anything spectacular. Just a story of the teen falling in love with this visiting scholar. I mean, I've been there. I get it. There is something attractive about that substitute teacher type, but as a teenager you have to realize it ends at fantasy. <br />
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Have you seen any of the Best Picture nominees this year?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-33641550830720898272018-03-01T07:00:00.000-05:002018-03-01T07:00:09.532-05:00Best Picture Nominees - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the past few years, I have made it a point to watch all the Best Picture nominees. The past couple years, I have really enjoyed most of them. This year, I wasn't a big fan of about half the selections. Not that the movies themselves were bad necessarily. I just didn't think ALL nine movies were unique or different in a way that set them apart as a Best Picture nominee. It really made me wish they would just go back to the old system with five solid nominees. At any rate, I've provided my thoughts on each movie in order of how much I enjoyed them starting with my favorite.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#1 - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri</span></div>
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I was blown away by both the acting and the story. What a fascinating look at a little town in the middle of nowhere. There were so many things happening, but also nothing happening at the same time. I loved it. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is easily my hands down favorite of the bunch this year. Frances McDormand was phenomenal...and Sam Rockwell wasn't too far behind her. Flawless acting. Outstanding movie that left me with lots to think about. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#2 - The Shape of Water</span></div>
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The Shape of Water was also a really great movie. I loved the two main characters, but overall it was a tad too predictable (and sci-fi) for my tastes. I enjoyed watching it, but toward the end the story took a turn that made it difficult for me to logically connect with reality. It kept my full attention and I can't imagine how difficult the role must have been for Sally Hawkins, but I needed it to be a little more plausible in the end to totally win me over.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#3 (tie) - Get Out</span></div>
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Chris and I saw this one in the theater back when it was released last spring. It is thought provoking and quite spooky at times. Not your typical Oscar nominee, but the acting is great and it certainly makes a point. We re-watched it recently, and I liked it even better the second time. Knowing the twists and turns and watching how fantastic the actors truly were throughout made me realize the true brilliance of the film. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#3 (tie) - The Post</span></div>
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Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. Do you really need much more? Seriously though, I enjoyed this story in a way that I didn't anticipate. It's a story about Streep's character coming into her own as much as it was about The Post breaking a story. I really enjoyed following Streep's journey. Not to mention so much of the movie could have been set in the present day because the media and our current administration seem to be having a similar go round with facts and the duty to report them.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">#5 - Dunkirk</span></div>
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Of all the nominees, Dunkirk surprised me the most. I was dreading watching this one. War movies just aren't my thing. I put it off even though I had been told that I might find it more interesting than I imagined. From the beginning, I was hooked into the idea that the story would be told from three different perspectives (land, air, sea) as well as three different time frames (a week, a day, within hours). It was exciting to see how these stories collided and built on one another. In the end, some of the gunfire and general war movie setting wore on me, but I did like the unique perspectives this movie shared with its audience. <br />
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Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow.</div>
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Have you seen any of the Best Picture nominees this year?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-91191923271810164762018-02-28T07:00:00.001-05:002020-01-30T02:02:31.891-05:00Date Nights - February We picked two very different, but equally fun date nights for February. I happened to see an advertisement for a couples' cupcake decorating event on Valentine's Day when I stopped in a local cupcake shop to get a couple treats to celebrate <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2014/01/were-engaged.html"><span style="color: #666666;">our engagement anniversary</span></a> at the end of last year. Chris opted for a fun night out at an arcade in the heart of downtown Columbus.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ourcupcakery.com/"><span style="color: #666666;">Our Cupcakery</span></a> is a cute little shop in Dublin. They have lots of neat classes and their products are quite tasty! For our Valentine's Day event, we spent most of the time working on various fondant designs at three different stations. We laughed our way through the sticky fondant fun. The second room is where we rolled out tiny roses - my favorite one! Finally, we added some shimmery dust to a couple of fondant hearts. After all our designs were created, we received some instruction on how to fill the cupcakes and then ice them. Chris and I decided to put strawberry filling in our chocolate cupcake, lemon filling in our vanilla cupcake, and stick with buttercream icing to fill our red velvet. I really enjoyed this part of the night, but Chris thought it was a mess. I think he preferred rolling and cutting the fondant. Either way, we did pretty good for a couple of fondant novices! Tasted amazing, too.<br />
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Chris found a unique spot for date night - Old North Arcade. The place has every arcade game you can imagine as well as a number of stations set up with Nintendo, Xbox, Sega, etc game consoles. We got there a little on the early side of the night which was a great idea because we had our pick of games. By the time we left a couple hours later, the place was pretty crowded. I enjoyed playing Ms. Pac Man and a new game I found called X-Bert. Chris liked the NBA and NFL games. I played those with him, but I wasn't much competition. We also found an old school Nintendo Mario Bros game open and played that for awhile. We wanted to try Mario Kart, but never could catch it when no one else was playing. It was definitely a fun night full of nostalgia and lots of laughs.<br />
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What are your favorite local date night spots?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-19216108868428296142018-02-28T07:00:00.000-05:002018-02-28T07:00:29.759-05:00Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Orange)This year, I decided to link up with Mia to <a href="https://www.mia-sutton.com/blog/read-the-rainbow-reading-challenge-details"><span style="color: #666666;">Read the Rainbow</span></a>. I did a little better with orange than <a href="http://alhadventures.blogspot.com/2018/02/book-reviews-read-rainbow-red.html"><span style="color: #666666;">red</span></a>. I really enjoyed all four books I read for the challenge this month.<br />
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I had read this book years ago, but was happy to pick it back up again. The story always speaks to me. Life seems like such a search and find mission sometimes, but if we look close enough we can usually find everything we are looking for right under our noses. Definitely recommend this fairly quick read if you haven't ever given it a shot.<br />
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This book spans several years beginning with Sarah and Handful being pre-teens and ending with them in their 30's. I enjoyed how the story jumped back and forth between the point of view of each person. In the early parts, it was interesting to hear the two different takes on a similar experience. Toward the end, it was fascinating to compare the decisions and lifestyles. I'm glad I took the time to read this one, but there were a few points throughout where it felt really bogged down in the details. Overall, I enjoyed it though.</div>
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I loved hearing the story of the Fugees soccer team. What an incredible servant of a coach - wow! I loved how the book reflected on how members came to find the team as well as the struggles that existed in scheduling and resources (goals, transportation) for the team as a whole. The entire book is really well put together. I would highly recommend reading this one if you have interest in exploring the injustices that still exist for refugees and those of color in our diverse America.<br />
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I wish I had read this one before <em>Outcasts United</em> because it is the story of one of the lost boys from initial attack on his village to his life as a refugee that eventually returns to South Sudan. This is a pretty quick read. I would recommend it for anyone that thinks seeking refuge in the US is an easy process or quick decision. I can't even fathom the scenes described in this true story. This one is worth reading for sure.<br />
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Have you read any good books this month?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-89290858830838746352018-02-26T07:00:00.000-05:002020-01-27T22:31:52.037-05:00Happy Birthday, Christopher!We had a great time celebrating Christopher yesterday! I took the day off work, and we had a relaxing day filled with a few presents and a lot of fun. Our first stop was Duck Donuts to design some breakfast treats. This place is really neat. I loved that we could watch them put together our creations. And they taste yummy, too!!<br />
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Chris had been wanting to see Black Panther since its release so we went to an afternoon show. It was a neat movie even for those of us (me) that aren't too crazy about the Marvel movies. There is a great overarching message to the movie and the scenery and costumes are amazing. Definitely check it out if you have a chance!<br />
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We went to a hibachi restaurant we recently found here in Columbus for dinner. It was SO good, but we left completely stuffed. Next time, I need to ask for a to go box at the beginning and put about half of it in there! :) I took some photos of Chris with his cake, but we decided to just take it to our small group meeting tonight since neither of us could bring ourselves to eat any after our massive dinner.<br />
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I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband. It was fun celebrating him all day. He was happy to have a relaxing, low key day topped off with watching a Knicks game on TV last night. Cheers to the rest of his 37th year being just as wonderful. I love you, Christopher!<br />
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8166277819280633246.post-55577998404431209082018-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:002020-01-27T22:31:08.675-05:00Book Reviews: Read the Rainbow (Red)This year, I decided to link up with Mia to <a href="https://www.mia-sutton.com/blog/read-the-rainbow-reading-challenge-details"><span style="color: #666666;">Read the Rainbow</span></a>. I am a little late in getting my January (Red) reads reviewed; nevertheless, here are reviews of the two red books I completed.<br />
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What a classic story! This one was a re-read for me because I want to read the full series this year. I wanted to be sure the story was fresh in my mind. It is truly a great book. The length is perfect. Each time I interact with this story, it really makes me think. I can't imagine living in the world Lois Lowery created, but I am equally fascinated by it. If you haven't read this one, I highly suggest checking it out.</div>
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I started this book last year, but never made time to finish it. The content is certainly engaging, but it digs deep. I have followed Kelly's blog for the past few years and always find his posts insightful. This book is no different. In fact, he incorporates some of his more popular blog posts throughout.<br />
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Have you read any good books lately?</div>
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Andrea :)Andrea H.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17708302478817127806noreply@blogger.com0