Archive | February, 2011

Movies I’ve Seen (2010 Releases)

28 Feb

(click on the link for my review)

1. VALENTINE’S DAY

2. SHUTTER ISLAND

3. ALICE IN WONDERLAND

4. GREEN ZONE

5. SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE

6. HOT TUB TIME MACHINE

7. GREENBERG

8. THE GHOST WRITER

9. DATE NIGHT

10. IRON MAN 2

11. PLEASE GIVE

12. GET HIM TO THE GREEK

13. SOLITARY MAN

14. TOY STORY 3

15. KNIGHT AND DAY

16. GROWN UPS

17. JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK

18. CYRUS

19. DESPICABLE ME

20. INCEPTION

21. SALT

22. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

23. WINNEBAGO MAN

24. DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS

25. THE OTHER GUYS

26. THE EXPENDABLES

27. EAT PRAY LOVE

28. PIRANHA 3D

29. THE AMERICAN

30. GOING THE DISTANCE

31. EASY A

32. THE TOWN

33. WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

34. CATFISH

35. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (3x)

36. BURIED

37. WAITING FOR “SUPERMAN”

38. SECRETARIAT

39. IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY

40. RED

41. JACKASS 3D

42. WELCOME TO THE RILEYS

43. DUE DATE

44. 127 HOURS

45. MORNING GLORY

46. LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

47. BURLESQUE

48. THE FIGHTER

49. BLACK SWAN

50. I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS

51. TRON: LEGACY

52. THE KING’S SPEECH

53. LITTLE FOCKERS

54. THE TOURIST

55. SOMEWHERE

56. TRUE GRIT

57. RABBIT HOLE

58. HOW DO YOU KNOW

59. BLUE VALENTINE

60. THE COMPANY MEN

Will Oscar Voters Get Social?

26 Feb

A little more than a month ago, this year’s Oscar ceremony was looking like it’d be a big snooze. Again. Not including the unpredictability of hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco, we knew what was going to happen awards-wise: The Social Network had taken all the major critics prizes and the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture (Drama). It, along with director David Fincher, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, seemed assured of cruising to the Oscars knowing they’d be winners that night too. Same goes for Colin Firth and Natalie Portman, and David Seidler, screenwriter of The King’s Speech.

But then The King’s Speech received 12 Oscar nominations and started winning major guild prizes — including the SAG and DGA — and the tide was turned. But when Social Network won the editors’ guild award, that may have turned the tide back; the editors are a reliable predictor of industry leanings for Best Picture. Now there are fewer sure things, even though pundits everywhere are predicting King’s Speech to win Best Picture. Other races have gotten much closer as well, including Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. That’s going to make for what I hope is a fun and exciting ceremony.

If you still haven’t cast votes in your own Oscar pool, Firth, Portman, Sorkin, Seidler, Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Feature, and Inception for Best Visual Effects are all good, smart bets. My money’s still on Social Network (my favorite movie of 2010) to win Best Picture, and I’m still pulling for Fincher, Reznor, and Ross to win their categories too. Want to know what else I’m picking? Here’s my ballot:

Yes, I’m really excited about this year’s Oscar show. I saw 60 movies last year. My hopes are high. I wrote a blog post about the Oscars for work. I’m planning to sit in front of the TV starting at around 6 p.m. for all the pre-show coverage, and I’ll likely stay up to catch some post-show action too. (Yes, I’m expecting to be tired on Monday.) Want to know my reactions to what’s happening? I’ll probably be tweeting my thoughts during the show. Oscar night is my Super Bowl, my Election Night, and I’m looking forward to a real prize fight — hoping that The Social Network comes out on top, of course.

Who are you rooting for?

I Love Me

14 Feb

I want to like Valentine’s Day — really, I do — but every year I find new reasons to dislike it. (Last year it was the movie Valentine’s Day. This year it’s the excessive amount of emails being sent by 1-800-FLOWERS and other related businesses.) Being single will do that to you. And yet, I think disliking Valentine’s Day simply because you’re single is sorta lame. After all, there’s no shortage of things on which to shower your love today and every day.

That’s why, over the years, I’ve learned to spend February 14 celebrating the things I love and doing things I love — even if they are by myself. It’s like Crosby, Stills, and Nash said: “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” My thinking is, if everyone else is going to be happy on Valentine’s Day, then why shouldn’t I be happy, too, spending the day with the person I love: me. There’s nothing unrequited there. I’m awesome!

So today, for starters, I might enjoy a good breakfast, I’ll listen to my favorite tunes, perhaps I’ll eat lunch at a favorite restaurant, I’ll go out of my way to spend time with people whose company I enjoy, I’ll definitely try to avoid conflict and negativity, I’ll leave work at a decent hour, possibly I’ll cook myself a nice dinner (or maybe I’ll just skip to dessert from Crumbs, my favorite cupcake place), I’ll likely talk to my niece at some point, I’m sure I’ll watch a favorite television show or two that I enjoy … and then, when I’m tired, I’ll go to bed and sleep a good night’s sleep. I love me some me, and today is as good a day as any to show it.

Whether you have somebody to love or you are in denial like I am don’t, I wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day.

The Last Blog Post

9 Feb

I’ve learned many things from my dad over the years, but the one lesson that’s stayed with me more than any other is this one: Don’t go to bed angry.

On more than one occasion, I’ve seen my dad get angry with someone, and then, almost without fail, before the day was up, he would apologize or clear the air.

Or, at the very least, he compartmentalized those feelings and didn’t let them affect his interactions with me or anyone else.

I haven’t always heeded that lesson, and too often I’ve actually done the opposite (with not so good results), but I’ve kept it in mind as the basis for what I should be doing. Continue reading →

I Have 1,000 Twitter Followers. How Did That Happen?

7 Feb

Last week, I reached what I consider to be an impressive milestone: the 1,000th person decided to follow me on Twitter.

Who’da thunk it when I first joined Twitter that I’d be so into it, that I’d stick with it this long, and that I’d ever reach this auspicious milestone. My followers did, and they kept flocking to me one after another.

Now I’ve tweeted more than 8,220 times and yes, I have more than 1,000 followers.

(BTW, if you don’t already follow me, I’m @martinlieberman.)

When Jeff Ginsberg clicked the Follow button on Wednesday, he did more than add to my list; he validated that I’m doing something right here. Continue reading →

Not So Sunny Days

6 Feb

I’ll be honest … At least on the surface, as far as any of you can tell, life is going pretty well for me these days.

I have two new nephews, two weeks ago I got “stuck” and had to spend an extra day in Las Vegas thanks to a snow storm back east, and this past week it happened again, only this time I was in Key Biscayne, Florida.

As I keep telling people: Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

But I have to say, I wish everything was as glamorous and fun as it seems. Continue reading →

%d bloggers like this: