Watched All of the Oscar Nominated Best Films for 2023 and My Reaction to the Films

If you have watched all of the Oscar nominated best picture movies, you know there is a wide range of featured films. From singing, aspiring film maker, and Ireland to fighter jets, conductor, and mind bending jump through time, this years nominated pictures have a wide range of variety. Carrie and I finished our last movie a week ago. Unfortunately, AMC Theaters did not do their Best Picture Showcase this year where we could watch all of the best picture movies in the theater, so we caught some in local theaters, others via streaming services, and others through paid rental. 

I love going to see movies in the theater, so I am glad we were able to catch a few of this years movies in the theater to capture the full experience. I was able to catch Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. The three we were able to watch in the theater were also a drastic change of style. Top Gun: Maverick we watched last summer when everyone else in the country was going out to watch the movie. The storyline, action, and acting were good coming away feeling good about seeing the movie. Although Top Gun: Maverick seems so different from the other movies it is up against, it does not seem like a movie that would win best picture. 

Avatar: The Way of Water was entertaining with incredible scenes. I really liked the original Avatar (2009) many years ago, but Avatar: The Way of Water I was bored. It was a long movie at three hours and twelve minutes. One of those movies about the second hour into Avatar: The Way of Water where I felt I knew the story, where it was going, and could have ended earlier. Another movie that seems completely different from other movies it is up against, but it does not seem like a best picture. 

Carrie and I watched Elvis and while Carrie went into it not expecting much, we both enjoyed the movie. Believable of Elvis in this movie where even the singing was done well. Not best picture but I think it will win some awards. Elvis is another film I could watch again as I enjoyed the movie and the story behind the entertainer.

Everything Everywhere All at Once was a mind bending movie to watch jumping between universes and connecting lives in those universes made for a good movie. Like many others, Everything Everywhere All at Once is at the top of my best picture selections. The acting was done well along with the storyline, it was a movie I am glad I was able to catch in the theater.

I found that I did like The Banshees of Inisherin although I do not think it will win best picture. It was a believable story of two friends and then it just got weird. While it was an odd film, I did like the film. It took some weird twist and turns for sure, but I thought both the main characters were really good. A movie I would not mind watching again as I am sure there are parts of the movie I missed.

I went into All Quiet on the Western Front thinking I had seen a former version of the movie, but realized I had only read about the film in other books. All Quiet on the Western Front is an intense movie set in World War I. The actors did a good job of the film which was set in German although we watched with an English dubbing, but I think it might have been even better to watch in German and read the text instead. I would like to go back and watch prior films of All Quiet on the Western Front to see how they compare.

When I saw previews of The Fabelmans months ago, I thought I was really going to like the movie of a young person aspiring to be a filmmaker. Instead, I found The Fabelmans once again on the boring side and yes possibly only nominated because of the director being Steven Spielberg. The story was interesting, but I thought it was going to be better and really just found the movie boring.

Tár is a movie that again I was not sure what to expect. I thought the story was interesting about Lydia Tár and unlike some of the other nominated movies, I did not find myself bored with this film. A bit different from other films, so based on what I have read, it will not win for best picture, but again, I can see it winning some Oscars in other categories.

Triangle of Sadness was an interesting film and seemed to almost be multiple stories combined into one film but all based on the same celebrity couple. There was some humor in the film as well as some just plain gross portions. Overall, I did like Triangle of Sadness but again I do not think this will be the best picture.

My least favorite movie of the nominees is Women Talking. A few of the other movies were boring, but Women Talking some a major snooze-fest for me. I might have even fallen asleep during this movie. Women Talking is about a group of women talking and that’s what they do to determine whether to stay or fight. That is all that really happens in Women Talking where the women are talking, talking, and more talking. It was not my type of movie and I do not see it winning best picture.

In summary, a wide range of varying movies this year for best picture. I think Everything Everywhere All at Once will win best picture, but I did enjoy a few of the films. It will be interesting to see what happens Sunday night for the Oscars. No matter the winner, it was a fun process watching all of the films nominated this year.

A Busy Week in Review from Dinner with Cousins, Meetings, Chiefs Football, Dinner, Tailgating, and Volleyball… What’s Next?

What a week! It was a busy week at work and at home. We went to Kansas City for dinner, I attended meetings downtown on Wednesday and Thursday, Kansas City Chiefs played Thursday night, Friday we met with family at Shirrons’, and then Saturday was Washburn football with Washburn volleyball in the evening. Busy and fun weekend…

Tuesday night Carrie and I traveled into Kansas City to meet up with some of my siblings and cousins. I know my sister, Betsy, has many more pictures, but I was able to take a few pictures of others at the dinner. We met at YaYa’s Euro Bistro in Kansas City. This was the first time for non-Kansas City cousins to attend. We had a fun time and it was great to see everyone. Catch up and hear stories. Our cousin, Mike, had reserved a private dining space for us which worked out great! I hope we are able to do this again in the future and maybe on a weekend.

On Wednesday, I attended meetings in downtown Topeka for the Kansas Board of Regents. Other CIO’s at the regent institutions were attending the meeting to be available for discussion and comment on funding from the state. Happy to report that the funding was approved. I attended to show support and show that Washburn University is involved and needs support. On Thursday, I went back to the Kansas Board of Regents full board meeting where the proposal was approved. Happy to report that Washburn was approved to get funding, so we will be working over the next few weeks to develop a plan for allocation of funds.

This was my first time attending a Kansas Board of Regents meeting and I found it very interesting. It was good to catch up with fellow CIO’s from other institutions. We went out to lunch on Wednesday following the meeting and made plans for Thursday on who would return and how we would proceed. I have been meeting with other CIO’s the past year and this was only our second time to meet in-person as our regular monthly meetings are on-line. It was good to see everyone and share stories over lunch.

Thursday night was Kansas City Chiefs football. We were invited to watch the game at our friend Chris’s house. It was our “lucky” place to watch last year, so he invited us back to watch the game. The Kansas City Chiefs did not look great to start the game, but came to live and we were able to win the game 27 - 24. The Chiefs are 2 - 0 to start the season, so sitting good so far. 

Friday night, Carrie and I went to her parents to have dinner and visit with friends from Arkansas. Nancy and Jack were up for a golf tournament Jack was playing in with Eddie. Such a fun couple! We at dinner and then sat around listening to stories, some of which we have heard a few times, but some new stories too. I love sitting around and hearing stories be told. I will see Nancy and Jack in early October when I am down in Helena, AR for King Biscuit Blues Festival. 

Saturday took us out to Washburn University for tailgating and football. It was a hot Saturday with the sun beating down for most of the first half. I saw a number of friends and it was good to catch up with them. I saw some friends we had not seen in a few years, so it was good to talk to them. One has their daughter attending Washburn, so it sounds like our friends will be out for more games in the future. 

Washburn football did not start off well and could never recover against University of Nebraska at Kearney. We lost the game 21 - 13, so that was disappointing to lose a game and to lose at home. We play at Missouri Western State University on September 24.

Saturday evening, Carrie, Greg, Erin, and I attended Washburn volleyball. We lost against Northwest Missouri State 3 - 1. We got behind to start 2 - 0, won the third set, and then could not get it going in the fourth set. A rare loss for Washburn volleyball.

A busy week also means that I did not eat too great. Football, tailgating, and seeing family and friends had me eating well over my points for the week. So, at my weigh-in Sunday morning, I gained two pounds over last week. Disappointed, but I am not surprised based on how I ate this past week. 

This week will likely not be much better with our first Royals game of the season on Friday and then Saturday a fancy dinner to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. I will continue to stay focused and hope to get back to working out too. That was the other part I did not get in this past week with everything happening was that I only worked out twice. So, a lot of room for improvement for this week. 

Posting this update mid-day on Sunday as I did not have a chance to write or think about a post during the week. Hoping to get back on target this next week. Have a great week and I hope the weather stays cool.

Grilling and other Ramblings.... Long time Since Last Post

Well, it has been a long long time since I have posted. I had great intentions starting the grilling season. It did not turn out the way I had intended in regard to grilling. So, finally, one single steak grilled to perfection along with a simple salad and a beer. Good night of watching a movie and eating dinner. Hung out with our new puppy Oliver and missed our Carrie. Oliver and I needed some guy time though.

I had to go back and look when the last time was that I posted anything on here... It was clear back in June. Wow! That is horrible! Believe it or not, I have done a lot of grilling since June. Last weekend probably being the most cooking brats, wings, and then steaks the next night. Cooked for about 25 - 30 people. It was a blast!

Another excellent steak meal we had was back in late June when we were in New Mexico. Ah, it was so good! We ate outside and everything was cook perfectly! It went well with the wine we were having too. We love it out there, so it is always a good time.

We grilled a few times while we were in New Mexico. We did wings, steak, and a few others which escape me at the moment. Lots of good food and a fun time with friends!

The other thing that I started clear back in March, I believe was running. I loved it! During the course of the summer into the fall, I ran in a total of three 5K races. I really enjoy the feeling of running and of course dropping the pounds made me feel good too. During the time of my running, I lost a total of right around 25 pounds. It made me feel great and I look forward to the next race or run.

Well, my last time to run was back in September. I have not run since that time. The biggest reason is that we also got a new puppy. I ran in a Washburn 5K Fun Run and that day we bought a puppy. That was basically the end of my running after work. I have not minded because we love our new puppy and we are so happy to have him in our lives. (More on that later along with pictures...) But I do miss running after work and I am hoping that once he is potty trained and can just hang out, that I will once again go back to running and I will be running in more 5K races in the Spring. I do enjoy it and I cannot wait to get back in the swing of running.

The summer is basically a blur and I am still trying to get over the fact that Thanksgiving 2011 is just a week and half away. I never did listen when I was little and my parents and grand parents would tell me that time flies. Wow, does it ever! Hard to believe that the year is coming to an end.

As I mentioned, we got a puppy back in September. It was not planned at all. Our friends, Shayne and Autumn, said after we ran the 5K race at Washburn and ate breakfast that they wanted to stop by Pet Smart to check the puppies. Carrie of course was all over it and I said sure. Well, that was the start of a new relationship with us and our new family member, Oliver. Wow, he is so great! The last time I had a puppy, I was in grade school. So, I did not have to worry about training, punishing, or being a good example.

We are of course taking a lot of pictures of our new puppy. Most of those pictures can be found on Flickr with more added each week (or day). He is so cute and fun to play with that we cannot resist to take pictures and have fun with him. We do still think about, talk about, and miss our kitty Sidney [pictures]. We sometimes feel that we did not grief long enough for him, but I think he would be happy that we have a new pet in our lives that is making us happy.

One of the things that drew us into Oliver at the pet store was that his tonge sticks out sometimes and he does not even know it. Sidney would do this all the time especially after sleeping. Oliver does it too and we love it! We are so lucky to have Oliver in our lives and we hope he is happy that we are in his life.

My golf game did not happen nearly as much as I had hoped over the summer. I played probably about 10 - 12 times total this whole year. Not much at all or at least compared to last year. Funny because this year my elbow and wrist was feeling a lot better, but then I was not playing as much either.

Well, until next time, I better head to bed... or let Carrie use the computer. Maybe one day, we will have two computers in our house so we do not have to share this one computer. Might be another reason why this blog is not updated on a regular basis. Maybe one day.... At least that's the excuse I am using now.

Later....