The recent writer’s strike threw this town into a tizzy, and definitely affected the economy (which was already doing fine at having problems of its own, and didn’t need much help when it came to slumping) around here. It made a difference last month, at the Golden Globes, when the annual extravaganza devolved into a news conference, sans stars, parties, food, etc.

Luckily for us movie mavens, the strike is over, and Hollywood is stabilizing for now (or at least until June, when the contract is up for the actors– Hollywood Strike Redux…?).  For Tinseltown and the rest of us, that means the Oscars are on. Yep, they’re just around the corner– this Sunday, February 24. This year is the 80th edition, which means there’ll probably be some sort of retrospective, especially since they didn’t know for sure they’d have writers for the show. But fear not– there’ll be the usual blather, the usual Vera Wang designs, the usual gushing and preening and fawning– in other words, just what you’d expect this time of year.

One of the things that’s great about living in this town at this time of year (other than avoiding the snarled traffic around the Hollywood area that night) is looking in the paper. This is one of the few towns nationwide that really hands over its entertainment section to the film industry. We get full-page, color ads hawking the nominated movies; sometimes these ads are blowouts in the form of two-page spreads.

This year, we got some interesting extras. Two booklets, one for “There Will Be Blood,” with movie stills on each page, along with the requisite gushing quotes from reviewers. The front page simply has the words “8 Academy Award Nominations: Best Picture” in faded gold, on a black background. Definitely cost a pretty penny, that.

The second pamphlet, of a similar size, was a bit more interesting. It’s for the Pixar film “Ratatouille,” and is also self-celebratory. But among the clipped comments from critics is a cookbook with recipes. The front cover looks like a fancy restaurant menu, and indeed, at the bottom of the front cover it says “Le Menu.” Inside are real recipes, from Goat Cheese Mousse (adapted from The French Laundry Cookbook) to Flatiron Steak with Herb Butter (adapted from Bouchon).

I’m not sure how the Academy voters received these kinds of materials; for me, the “There Will Be Blood” brochure was fairly standard– something I’ve seen along those lines before in previous years. The “Ratatouille” recipe menu, on the other hand, was more inventive, and in line with the creativity I’ve seen from Pixar ever since they set up camp years ago.

There’s the usual spate of articles these days too, most from critics and columnists offering their guesses and predictions. This year, I’ve only seen a few of the nominated films (”Michael Clayton,” which won’t win, but is definitely a great film; “Ratatouille,” which was outstanding; and “Persepolis,” which should win for Animated Film (the award will go to “Ratatouille”)).  I’d like to see “No Country for Old Men,” “Atonement,” “Juno,” and “There Will Blood.” I have “Gone Baby Gone” sitting on the counter right now, and we’ll probably try to watch it this weekend if we can. So since I have no idea what the films are and the individual performances are like, no predictions from me.

I’m not even sure if we’ll be watching on Sunday, or where we’ll be at that time. In recent years, our Oscar plans have been fairly last-minute. If you’re a movie buff, who do you think will win? Who would you like to win? For those of you that are unsure of who’s even nominated, here’s a list. For those of you who want to hear what a critic has to say, check this.

In the meantime, here’s my idea of a perfect personals ad for Oscars season: “Bald Octogenarian Seeks Egotistic Talent for Rewarding Partnership.”

Back when Bush was in office, one quiet Christmas, an animated TV show took the world by storm. It’s nearly 18 years later, and Bush is still in office– oh wait, it’s only Junior. Still, “The Simpsons” have outlasted quite a few shows, and seems set to keep on cruising. I’m looking forward to July 27, and “The Simpsons Movie.” It’s just surprising they waited so long to make it, really.

The Simpsons marketing machine has been roaring steady for several years, but this latest marketing move is kind of a neat one. For this month only, the Kwik-E-Mart will live, not just on our television screens and in our imaginations, but at eleven (11) different 7-11s nationwide. These lucky stores (one of which is a brief ride away from me!) will carry such delightful, nutritious goodies as Buzz Cola, Krusty-O’s, and Squishees. No Duff Beer, unfortunately, nor any Flaming Moe’s. No nacho hats, no five-alarm chili. Butterfingers have reportedly existed before July 1, 2007, or so I’m told. I suspect they’ll still be easy to find after July 31, too.

So where exactly can you find Buzz Cola? How can you get your grubby hands on a box of fortified breakfast sugar, aka Krusty-O’s? Dare you drink a Squishee? Go to any (or all!) of these eleven “Kwik-E-Marts.” When you do, say hello to Apu for me!

As for me? ¡Ay, caramba! It’s off to Venice Boulevard for me! No Kwik-E-Mart near you? Too bad. Eat my shorts, dude.

Hey, folks! Time for yet another meme! (collective *groan* from my audience) This one is actually up my alley: a movie meme. I enjoy movies, and watch quite a few from time to time.

For this one, thanks to Bev at Funny the World.

Name a movie that you have seen more than ten times:

There’s quite a few that fit this category, so I’ll just list a few examples of films I’ve definitely seen more than ten times.

“Lone Star,” “Dead Again,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Casablanca,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and the usual suspects, like “Star Wars” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater:

Hm. A little bit tougher– that first question was kind of a softball, eh? I don’t tend to go back and watch movies again and again in the theater. Usually I’ll see them once, and then if I really liked it, I’ll watch it again when it comes out on DVD. I’m pretty sure I saw one of the “Lord of the Rings” movies at least twice in the theater– let’s just say my walking companion is a big fan of the movie series!

Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie:

Ok, someone that would make me go, “Hm, that’ s definitely a movie to check out.” This is a meme question that probably would have worked better fifty or more years ago, back when movies were billed as an “Xxx Xxxx” picture. For example, there’d be that season’s Katherine Hepburn picture, the latest Edward G. Robinson vehicle, the current Bette Davis flick… that’s not to say that billing today isn’t star driven, but casting, billing, and PR are far different these days than they used to be. But I’m becoming tangential. My answer?

I’d say anything with John Cusack will probably get me in line at the box office. I think he’s rather underrated compared with the latest billable, bankable hunk in the headlines these days. For the ladies, I’d say Meryl Streep is worth the price of admission. She’s the Katherine Hepburn of the second half of the 20th century, and she’ll be long remembered after most of the “stars” in the claptrap out these days are dead and buried.

Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie:

There’s quite a few, but one of the first that comes to mind is Adam Sandler. I think his stuff isn’t worth a minute of my time, let alone a minimum 90 minutes.

Name a movie that you can and do quote from:

There are a number of films that I can easily remember dialogue from, but there aren’t really movies I tend to quote from. I will say that I think probably one of the most quotable films ever (with the most memorable and easily clichéd lines!) is “Casablanca,” which I definitely remember tons of dialogue from (but that’s probably true for half the movie buffs out there…)

Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs:

As a deaf person, normally you’d expect me to take a pass on this question. But in the interests of fairness (and honesty!), I’ll admit to a guilty pleasure: “Grease.” I definitely have the songs and most of the dialogue memorized. *blush*

Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with:

This is where I’ll take a pass. Next question?

Name a movie you would recommend everyone see:

There’s quite a few. I think my permanent housemate is close to mortally sick of my saying, with wide eyes, “You haven’t seen that…? Oh, you must! I’ll put it in our queue!”

But I’ll just list the most recent two movies, that if you haven’t seen, then you should. The first is “Hotel Rwanda.” I blogged about this particular movie when we saw it, and while I doubt I’ll watch it multiple times, it’s definitely a movie I won’t forget.

The second is “An Inconvenient Truth.” Even if you’re in the minority who thinks global warming is a bunch of bs, it’s still food for thought. In all of the coverage about carbon fuels and human-influenced environmental damage, a very big part of the problem is mentioned, but practically overshadowed: the massive global population growth over the last 200 years. I’ve often thought that many of our problems worldwide stem from overpopulation.

Name a movie that you own:

Too many at this point. About half of what I own are VHS tapes, and we know what the future is for that format. The other half are DVDs. All of the films I mentioned in the first question are movies that have a home here, so I guess I can kill two birds with one stone, and just say, scroll up and see the answer. *grin*

Name an actor/actress that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops:

There’s quite a few, but for this question, my answer’s Cher. When I was growing up, she was kind of a joke– the tall lady with the short bozo on TV. But starting with “Silkwood,” she’s shown that she can act when she wants to. She hasn’t done much in the last fifteen years or so, but she’s been more than halfway decent in her film work.

Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?

Ah, the drive-in. There are fewer and fewer drive-ins these days; the second drive-in ever built in the entire nation was located just a mile or so from here, and where I grew up, there were at least three drive-ins within a 15-2o mile radius. I think the last movie I went to see at a drive-in was a Disney movie, but I can’t remember what was second on the bill. This was probably about ten years ago, so it probably was “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” or a similar flick.

Ever made out in a movie?

Nope, I’ve never made out in a movie, and given my rapidly fading good looks and dissipating youthful charm, I highly doubt it’s going to happen. A better question might be, “Have I ever made out at a movie?” The answer is, “No.”

Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it:

There’s a few, but one of those that I keep meaning to sit down and watch is “Rabbit-Proof Fence.”

Ever walked out of a movie?

Nope– I’m pretty choosy when it comes to movies, and I don’t waste my time on crap that belongs in a garbage can and should never have gotten greenlighted. I will say there’s one movie I stopped watching and never finished: “Brain Damage,” a low-rent horror flick. There’s one movie I distinctly remember fast-forwarding through and regret ever renting: “Cool World.” Unless you have a major hard-on for Brad Pitt and/or Kim Basinger, there’s no mortal reason to see it. Consider yourself forewarned.

Name a movie that made you cry in the theater:

I don’t cry when I watch movies. Strike that– I cried over the movies in the previous question, simply because I realized I’d just lost a chunk of time I’d never get back.

Popcorn?

Sure– at home, where I can pop it in the microwave or pop it on the stove. It’s overpriced in the theater– I don’t care if that’s how the chains make their money, I’m not paying $4 for a sack of popcorn. I will occasionally bend this rule, and buy a bag, but it’s very rare that I do. Ditto for candy and other treats– the same bar I pay $3.75 for, I can go to the supermarket and buy four or five for the same price. Did I say overpriced?

How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?

Not as often as I’d like– when a movie costs us close to $20 a pop, it’s going to have to be worthwhile. That means either it’s gotten good reviews, it’s a blockbuster, or it’s a film that you must see in the movie. “Dances with Wolves” is a good example of that– the cinematography is vastly diminished on the small screen, compared with the silver screen. There’s also the captioning factor– for example, I’d like to see “The Namesake,” but so far it looks like it isn’t going to be open- or close-captioned at the movies. “TMNT” doesn’t do it for me, sorry.

What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?

We went to a Spanish film festival at the Egyptian last week, and saw the film “Alatriste.” It isn’t out on DVD yet, but it’s a surprisingly good film, starring Viggo Mortenson (not often you see a movie star in American films doing a foreign film, and in another language too!). Right now we’re reading the book it’s based on, Captain Alatriste, by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?

I’d say a historical-based movie, or a drama, is what I go for. A lot of times, movies like these tend to diverge dramatically from the historical events. Sometimes the changes are worthwhile– for example, the changes in “The Molly Maguires” were acceptable, while the inaccuracies in a movie like “300″ (we haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve read reviews, and they’ve changed a bit around) aren’t acceptable– sometimes you really don’t need to embellish the truth– the truth is fascinating enough.

What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?

I’d probably have to ask my folks what the first movie I ever saw was, but the first I remember clearly was probably either “Sleeper” or Disney’s “Robin Hood.” (Gee, this answer dates me– and I’m sure dates anyone who fills out this meme!)

What movie do you wish you had never seen?

Scroll back up to “Ever walked out of a movie?” Those two. Gimme back my 4+ hours…

What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?

I wouldn’t say it was *weird*, but one of the stranger movies I’ve watched is “Donnie Darko.” That’s not to say it wasn’t good, just that it was strange.

What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?

I really don’t scare easy, so I can’t say what the “scariest” movie is (now if you were to ask me what I consider a good horror movie, I could probably give you an answer!). But one of the more disturbing movies I’ve seen is “The Woodsman.” I’m sure a number of you have played “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” (or in the Deaf-world, “Two Degrees of Separation”), but this is by far the most different role I’ve seen Bacon play: a recently paroled child molester coming to terms with himself in the wake of his prison sentence. It’s a good movie, but it’s very disturbing, adult subject matter.

Another equally disturbing movie is “An Inconvenient Truth.” Regardless of where you stand on global warming, the reality is that we’ve overpopulated the planet and we’re not doing enough to clean up the environment. I believe that the evidence is in, but even if it ultimately turns out humanity is not primarily responsible for global warming, it can’t hurt to do our part to mitigate what *is* going to happen.

What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?

Comedy isn’t a big genre for me– I think comedy is an individual taste. For example, my walking partner greatly enjoys the “Austin Powers” movies, while I think they’re gross-out movies not worth my time. So what’s funny to me may not be funny to you. Also, what I think is the “funniest” movie now may not necessarily be the same answer next year. But there are two movies I’d say that are still funny, even after repeated viewings and many years later. The first is “Harold and Maude.” It’s surprising how well this film has held up, and it still gets me laughing. The second is “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.” I guess by now you know slapstick isn’t what gets me roaring– it’s a mixture of verbal and situational comedy, and “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” has that in spades.

That’s that for this meme. See you next time!

Once again, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Naturally, I’m wearing green and thinking of an Irish meal tonight. Thanks to some family business, I’m not sure if we’ll be cooking in or if we’ll search for some pub grub. If we were in San Diego, we could head to The Field in the Gaslamp Quarter, and *really* sample some pub grub. As it is, if we go out, perhaps Molly Malone’s or Tom Bergin’s. Maybe we’ll cheat and go to Canter’s and have a corned beef sandwich, but it’s kind of hard to feel cheery and green simultaneously when you’re surrounded by folks noshing on potato pancakes, knish, and hamantashen.

As always, it’s a strange holiday– as a person of Irish heritage, it’s a day to celebrate ME, but it’s also a day anyone of Irish ancestry shares with a larger number of people each year, as everyone seems to wear green, put on funny hats, drink tons of food dye along with their hops and barley, and hopefully exercise some control so that they wake up on Sunday remembering what they did the night before. I anticipate it’s going to be a busy evening, since it’s a Saturday night. That’s probably the troubling fact– too many people see it not as a holiday to celebrate their heritage, or to honor the Irish who populated numerous corners of the world through the Irish Diaspora, but as a means to go bar hopping.

Still, I’ll take the day as it is. I’ve never been to the L.A. St. Patrick’s Day parade, but wouldn’t mind seeing the NYC parade again, or if I’m ever in Chicago, seeing their version. It’d be neat to see the river all green.

As usual, we’ll settle in after dinner with an Irish-themed movie. This year’s selection is “The Molly Maguires”– both of us are descended from Irish mining families who worked in the coal regions of northeastern Pennsylvania, so even though the movie isn’t completely historically accurate, it’ll give us a sense of what our forebears experienced in that era, when plenty of “Irishtowns” in Pennsylvania and New Jersey meant you could go for miles and only hear an Irish brogue. It should be a fun movie, and it doesn’t hurt that my walking partner will enjoy eye candy in the form of Sean Connery. *grin*

Erin Go Bragh! Beannachtam na Feile Padraig! Sláinte!

Ireland Forever! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! To your health!