2011 Oscars Movie Review- Kids are All Right!!!

Watched the fifth movie nominated for Best Picture in 2011 on Saturday night. "The Kids are All Right" was directed and written by Lisa Cholodenko. The film stars Anette Benning, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. Benning and Moore play a married lesbian couple who decided to each have a child from the same sperm donor. After the oldest child has turned 18, she calls to find out who the donor was. After she and her brother meet him, the family is put to the test because of various different events.

The film had an interesting take on the strain families can be put under. The in your face, on the fly way the viewers are forced to reconcile with different feelings from different perspectives gives the film depth and a recurring theme that carries the movie. Each charcter is clearly flawed yet we identify and even like most, if not all, by the end of the film. Bening's performance as one of the moms earned her a nomination for best actress. Personally, I didn't see it but Mark Ruffalo's performance as the sperm donor/ step dad/ maternal father was outstanding and deserved the nomination it earned.

I would definitely recommend this film as it does pose some very clear questions and it forces the viewer to reexamine his/ her own thoughts about the security we gather from the family structure.

Next up is "127 Hours", the film starring James Franco about the hiker who chopped off his own arm in order to get to safety and ultimately live.

Friday Night Beer Fights are Back (Kind Of)

The first true beer blog of 2011 is here!!! We (Kerry, John, and I) are going to review two beers tonight. Both are from the Crown Valley Brewery in St. Genevieve, MO. About an hour south of St. Louis, this brewery/ winery is becoming a major player on the local brewery scene. So, without further ado, off to the beers:



First, the Worktruck Wheat:
Brewer: Crown Valley Brewery
Beer Name: Worktruck Wheat Beer
Beer Style: Wheat
Price: $7.99 /six pack at Schnucks in Wentzville

Tom says sweet, almost Belgian, A good beer if you are in the mood for a sweet aftertatse.

Kerry says needs the lemon slice but his kids blew up the kitchen with the lemon. Beer was overly carbonated and took away from the taste.

Johnny D says it has the Belgian flavor he doesn't like.

Appearance: Light to Medium Brown- nice head- good lacing.

Mouthfeel: Light, fresh- good overall feel.

Smell: Smeels like an ale from Belgium. You can detect the sweet undertones from the odor.

Taste: OK until the end when the Belgiun aftertaste kicks in. If you enjoy Belgiun beer, get this when you go to the CV in St. Genevieve.

Overall rating: 2.5 based on crappily sweet Belgian taste/ aftertaste.


And, second, the Horseshoe Pale Ale.
Brewer: Crown Valley Brewery
Beer Name: Horseshoe Pale Ale
Beer Style: Pale Ale
Price: $7.99 /six pack at Schnucks in Wentzville

John: Full bodied, a true pale ale taste.

Kerry: Good, no weird wang taste. I'm out on this one so don't ask me. That's what he said.

Tom: Good, ummmmmmmmmmmmm good. A solid beer with a bitter aftertaste. Malty at the end but still a good.

Appearance: Light amber in color; clear. Short head when poured but a good looking beer nonetheless.

Mouthfeel: Slightly watery but overall feels good.

Smell: A sweet syrupy odor is present. The smell doesn't give away the hops embedded in the taste.

Taste: Ummm. Good pale ale taste. A little hoppier then normal but I like that.

Overall, we are giving this a 3.5. John and Kerry said 3 but I liked it a bit more and I'm typing.

We spent the last two hours drinking and watching Between the Ferns w/ Zack Galifinakis and also the female sports ESPN Classic skits from SNL. All funny. Watch them immediately. Again.

I went and bought beer for the upcoming blogs. A veritable cornucopia of beer.

First up, this weekend, I'm going to do a Mardi Gras beer blog featuring five different beers: Abita Mardi Gras Bock, 3 different Dixie brand beers, and a true French beer. I'm assuming the good ol' USA beer will kill the Frenchy beer but you never know. They do make some good wine over there.

After that, I am going to do a St. Patrick's Day blog featuring 2 different Guiness beers (I've never had Guiness before- amazing after drinking at least a couple of hundred different beers that I've never had Guinness), Harp's lager, some St. Pat's day beer from a brewer I never heard of and also Smithwick's. I may be adding to this list as well. After all, I am 25% Irish. Bring on the potatoes!!!

We are shooting for our Spring Break "Beer Gone Wild" blog on or about the first day of spring break in about 2 1/2 weeks. Right now, we are going to do a round table questionarre featuring comments from about 6-8 guys on about 6-8 different cheap beers. So for anyone who thinks I am a beer snob, this one's for you. If you are interested in participating, we are going to do it the first Friday of March Madness at Porter's house- with TL's permission which is pending and always subject to change. We'll clean up after ourselves and Owens promises not to throw up between the couch cushions!!!

Keep checking back as I have lots of beer in the fridge!!!

2011 Oscars movie Review- Winter's Bone!

I watched the film "Winter's Bone" last night and I was surprised by the lack of publicity it received; especially here in St. Louis. For those of you who, like me, weren't familiar with the film, it is set in the Ozarks or south of the Ozarks. The premise behind the movie is that a 17 year old girl (Ree) has to raise her 12 year old brother and six year old sister because her father has abandoned them to cook methamphetamine and run from the law. The strain this put on the mother was too much and she has had an apparent nervous breakdown and is basically useless as a parent and needs care from Ree as well. The father has an upcoming court date and has used the house and all of his belongings as bond. If he doesn't show up to court, the house will be repossessed and the family will have nothing. So, Ree sets out to find him.

While it is a powerful story that provides both a look at the life of meth cookers, dealers, and users and the culture they create, it also takes a look at the backwoods of Missouri (and presumably other states) and the absolute lack of progress both socially and economically that these areas have made. The setting, characterization, and theme all are first rate and a fresh alternative to the cookie cutter crap that Hollywood throws at us regularly.

I was very impressed by the film and thought it was by far the best I have seen this year so far (with all due respect to the Cohens). The climactic scene was disturbing beyond belief and will stay with you for a while whether you want it to or not. Go see it immediately but don't have the kids around as this is not apprpriate due to violence, drug use, and language.

2011 Oscars

2011 Oscars are near!!!!

I have seen four of the nominated films so far and they have all been good in their own way.

Inception was a mind bending story that demanded your full attention or you would be lost. The acting and cinematography was up to par but nothing exceptional in my opinion. This was a good nominee but a long shot to win in my opinion.

The Social Network was an extremely interesting story of the acebook guy who was (and I guess still is) a gigantic ass. It was amazing to see a common man become a multibillionaire in the span of a few months. A dark horse to win as well. Great story but not the impact of a best picture.

True Grit was fantastic as all Cohen brothers films are. Jeff Bridges was outstanding reprising John Wayne's Rooster Cogburn. As he won last year (deservedly so), I can't see him winning this year as well. Hailee Stanfield should win the best supporting actress as she was outstanding although I haven't seen the other films yet so I suppose that could change.

I also saw Toy STory III and while it was etertaining, it doesn't belong on this list as Up didn't elong last year. It looks like the academy is going to nominate the kids movie of the year each year as lip service to the genre.

I am going to watch Winter's Bone tonight and maybe another nominee if any more are out. More on this subject to come.