Oscar Nominations

What kind of a movie site would we be if we didn't comment on the recent nominations for the 2008 80th Annual Academy Awards?

Here's a full list of the 2008 nominations with embedded links to more info on each selection.

The only thing I want to briefly touch upon are the biggest snubs and surprises.

It's hardly a newsflash that the Academy is truly out of touch with mainstream America. Too often, their nominees (and winners) stink of politics and political correctness. That's a shame.

Here's the nominations I would've liked to have seen myself...

The Kingdom for ANYTHING. A case could've been made for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor/Actress. Sadly, it got nothing.

What about Zodiac? Here's another true story that was beautifully written, directed and acted. Again, nothing from the Academy.

No nod to the brothers Affleck for their role in Gone Baby Gone (Ben as Director and Casey as Best Actor)? Ridiculous.

I guess the more things change in Hollywood the more the stay the same.

REVIEW: Superbad

Two movies in a row with Arrested Development alums. This time it's the "George Michael" character (Michael Cera) who is one of the stars.

Don't expect much from us here at OMD because there's not too much to say about this one. Wifey hit the nail on the head when she asked, "How do you even wite a review on this one?"

Exactly. Watch Trailer.

WIFEY'S REVIEW

Ok we started this movie at 9:15pm and boy was I in for a rude awakening for this movie!

This is why...

Well, let’s just put it to you this way - - the title says it all SUPERBAD! This movie was super bad in many ways. It was nothing but a sex/cursing movie. Every other word was F*** this, F*** her WOW!!!

So, how do you write a review on this type of movie? I’m not a prude person one bit, but this movie was hard to watch even in front of my husband!

Well the plot of this movie kind of goes like this. Two boys Seth and Evan want to have sex before they go to college. They want to hook-up with some chicks at a party, but needless to say they aren’t the most popular boys in high school.

Seth (Michael Cera) wants to “be” with his crush and Evan (Jonah Hill) wants to be with whomever. They have to go as far as using “McLovin’s” fake ID to purchase alcohol to impress these girls at the party, but boy do they have some obstacles to go through!

Sorry I just don’t have much to say on this one!

I rate this one 1.5 Ben & Jerry’s

HUBBY'S REVIEW

Yeah, Wifey said all there is to say about this one. Your classic "coming-of-age" movie that was kinda like a Porky's for 2008.

After the first few minutes of the movie I decided to do my own scientific experiment. What was it you ask? Well, let's just say I was counting the number of times I heard this movie's favorite four letter word. If nothing else it helped me get through a movie with a plot and story that I've seen a million times before.

Simply put, I decided to count the number of F-Bombs in the film!

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't ready for the challenge. It's amazing to me that some Hollywood writer made a few hundred-thousand dollars for his/her screenplay.

Maybe while they're on strike these writers can think of some better plots, characters and dialogue.

The final tally? 152 (+/- 10 I figure is the margin of error here) F-Bombs...in a 112 minute film! That's more than 1 per minute! One word: WOW!!!

Also, on a side note, not to be too crass or vulgar, but at one point Lindsay stopped me to ask, "What's a Hymen?"

Yeah, that should give you a good enough idea of what this one was like.

1 Ben & Jerry's out of 5 making our OMD Rating 1.25 Ben & Jerry's.

REVIEW: The Ex

This is the first movie review since we made the decision to write about any and all moves that we rent and watch and not just the classics from the AFI list.

It's also the first of 4 movies we've watched in the past week! Yes, that's right, that wasn't a typo - - 4 movies in 1 week! We're rocking and rolling now. When we finally get all 4 reviews written and posted? Well, that remains to be seen.

Next up for us was the comedy The Ex. Watch Trailer.

WIFEY'S REVIEW

Now this is going to be fun since we're now reviewing EVERY MOVIE we watch! So, sit back and enjoy all up-to-date movies as well as the classics.

We started the movie at 9:15pm.

I was surprised that Jeff would sit through this whole movie seeing how much of a chick flick this one was. The first 20 minutes was about a wife having a baby. Oh, and by the way, for all you Arrested Development fans out there this movie is for you!

“Michael” is in this one. Ok, so after she pushed out this baby that’s where the laughs began! Oh yeah, by the way, finally a cute movie baby for once. "Oliver" is his name and being cute is his game.

Everyone who works for family knows that’s a BIG MISTAKE - - you just don't do it. Well, for the main character he doesn’t know that quite yet, but boy does he learn really fast.

"Chip" (Jason Bateman) who is disabled is a real jerk and he takes this to his advantage and makes "Tom" (Zack Braff) look like an idiot in front of his father-in-law (Charles Grodin) and even his wife "Sofia" (Amanda Peet).

Sofia (who was a lawyer before she had the baby) now has to adjust to being a stay-at-home-mom and her husband is worried that he won’t be able to support his family.

Chip was in love with Sofia and tries so hard to get back with her by making Tom look like a jealous husband. So very funny, but boy does it end bad for Chip!

Great Movie. I give it 4.5 Ben & Jerry's.

HUBBY'S REVIEW

I too am a big fan of Arrested Development and especially Jason Bateman and Michael Cera. Bateman's comedic timing is textbook it seems.

At first, I was a little fired up because we did not have out usual chips-n-cheese movie snack because Lindsay was sick. I was stuck with several Slim Jims instead. Not a bad snack, just not what I've grown used to during our movie dates.

One of the previews we saw was for Dead Or Alive, which is based off of the popular video game series.

Note to Hollywood: Movies based on video games NEVER work. See Double Dragon and Mortal Kombat if you don't believe me. However, video games that are created to promote movies ALWAYS work. See Shrek, which was one of the very first games for the original XBOX.

Wifey was right to say that the first 30-45 minutes or so made this definitely feel like a chick flick. Also, why do I want to spend my free time (when the kids are sleeping) watching other people try to take care of their own kids? I want to escape for a couple of hours when I watch a movie. Is that so wrong?

Ok, the real reason I don't like these types of movies is because it makes Wifey wonder if she'd like to have another little Radt tot. Great.

I really don't have too much to say about this one. I mean, I was entertained and laughed out loud a few times (see the "I'm Upset That..." game that the couple plays!), but what do you say about a movie like this that hasn't been said already?

I guess I would say that if you like comedies about how couples deal with past relationships (i.e. how they try to deal with the paranoia and jealousy) then this is a very good movie.

To me, the casting was exceptional as the threesome of Zack Braff, Amanda Peet and Jason Bateman were fantastic.

I'll give it 2.5 Ben & Jerry's out of 5, which means this movie gets an OMD rating of 3.5 Ben & Jerry's Ice Creams.

Sci-Fly Superfly

Entertainment Weekly decided they had nothing better to do then to put out their list of the "Sci-Fi's Top 25 Movies and TV of the Past 25 Years."

At first, I was a little skeptical because these types of lists tend to be boring, lazy and put together with very little thought and/or energy.

In other words, kinda like this blog!

I was a little shocked that EW decided to select and rank the best Sci-Fi Movie and/or TV moments from the past 25 years - - period - - instead of selecting one from each of the last 25 years. Even so, they made up for it by including a "Pop Culture Legacy" and the "Best Bit" feature for each selection.

Here's a quick rundown of their selections (how they ranked them is enclosed in parantheses)...

V: The Miniseries (#25)
Galaxy Guest (#24)
Doctor Who (#23)
Quantum Leap (#22)
Futurama (#21)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (#20)
Starship Troopers (#19)
Heroes (#18)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#17)
Total Recall (#16)
Firefly/Serenity (#15)
Children of Men (#14)
The Terminator/Terminator 2 (#13)
Back to the Future (#12)
Lost (#11)
The Thing (#10)
Aliens (#9)
Star Trek: The Next Generation (#8)
E.T. (#7)
Brazil (#6)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (#5)
The X-Files (#4)
Blade Runner (#3)
Battlestar Galactica (#2)
The Matrix (#1)

While I agree with most of their selections (despite the fact that they left quite a few BIG ONES off their list), I have to say that I'm a little surprised that The Matrix was selected as EW's top choice for best Sci-Fi Movie/TV Show in the last 25 years.

Groundbreaking special effects? No doubt (those slow-motion bullet scenes are amazing!), but the thematic elements and social questions raised by this trilogy was hardly anything new.

My vote would've been for a film like Gattaca (with Minority Report a close second), which SHOCKINGLY was left off of this list despite its relevance to many social and scientific issues we're facing today. Plus, the special effects could hold their own too.

Check it out and decide for yourself.

Hubby

Happy New Year!

I almost forgot to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. " Ben Franklin

Our Movie Date Will Rule In 2009

Almost everyone in the United States watches TV. However, many people don't know about the impending TV blackout.


In a throwback to the Y2K transition, a number of Web sites are running countdown clocks that, presently, read "426 days, 8 hours, 39 minutes, 31 seconds." That is the time remaining until Feb. 17, 2009, the deadline set by Congress when all US broadcasters must cease analog broadcasting and switch to all-digital signals.

As this date approaches, interested parties are ratcheting up the debate over a number of important questions, including:

How prepared are the government and the broadcast industry for the changeover?
How aware is the public of the transition?
Who is most likely to be affected by the change?
What technical issues need to be resolved before the transition happens?

You can read more about this issue at eMarketer.

Personally, I think the most important question is what Movie Blog will capture the attention of the American Public because, let's face it, when the TV screens go dark in 2009 the only choice we'll have to be entertained by the boob tube is to pop in a DVD and watch movies. Forget about video games, the Wii and XBOX 360!

Bad for Television, but GREAT for sites like Our Movie Date!

Hopefully, OMD can keep this in mind from this point moving forward so we can post regularly and build a steady following leading up to this fateful year.

Who knows, in another year DVD's may become obsolete and everyone will be participating in Virtual Reality ala the Star Trek Holodeck.

Until then, we encourage you to visit this site often and tell your family and friends about us.

If, by some chance, Television and Movies go the way of the dinosaur we might just have to start a new blog - - one about books perhaps!

Could you imagine the length of time between posts on that site? CRIPES! Let's hope it doesn't come to that any time soon.

Blockbuster Favors Facebook Users

Ok, is anyone else fired up with Blockbuster over their preferential treatment of Facebook users?

This weekend I finally spent some time setting-up an account on Facebook. I was thrilled when I learned that they have a new Facebook widget called Movie Clique and that you can link it to your exisiting Blockbuster Online account.

What pissed me off was when I learned that they were offering THE SAME TYPE OF SUBSCRIPTION for a much lower rate to Facebook users! Talk about feeling as though I was just slapped in the face with a book from these corporate executives.

I'm paying $19.99/month and new subscribers through this Facebook application will only be charged a whopping $3.99/month.

I may be missing something, but even if it's only a special introductory offer for a few months it's still much cheaper than the one I was offered ($14.99 for the first 3 months).

I wonder why there's such a major difference between in-store customers and online customers who sign up for this subscription.

Who decides these things?

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY...

So, I see that Wifey posted recently by putting a cute little Christmas widget of our family on here a few weeks back.

Uh-huh. I get it.

She likes to post on here, but doesn't like to do movie reviews of the classics as planned! Just kidding Wifey. The amount of time since our last movie date is just as much my fault as it is yours.

(Have to write that so I'm not on the couch tonight)

As we approach the end of the year with only 3 movies reviewed since we started this way back in July/August I've decided to shake things up - - dramatically.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Instead of reviewing only the movies from the AFI list, we will post reviews on EVERY movie we rent and watch from this point forward. That includes classics, new releases and personal favorites.

So, sit back and enjoy the ride! Things should get a lot more interesting around here fast.

Merry Christmas!

REVIEW: Rear Window

Seeing this post you're probably just as shocked as I was when Wifey came to me on Saturday night (10:15pm to be exact) and said, "Why don't we watch Rear Window as our next OMD movie?" It's been a month since our last review so of course I said YES even though Bonnie & Clyde was listed as our next film - - oh well! This 1954 Alfred Hitchcock classic is #48 on the all-time greatest list so it actually beat out Taxi Driver, which was #52. Watch Trailer.

WIFEY'S REVIEW

So, we are onto our 3rd movie and I must say this one was pretty good. We’re on a roll now! This is the 2nd movie in a row that’s in color so now I’m having fun!

We started our movie date on Saturday at 10:28pm, but then had to stop it at 11:50pm seeing my Hubby and I were falling asleep, but then picked it back up on Sunday at 9:49pm and finished it at 10:35pm, and this is how it went…

I have to laugh at these old movies because the scenery is so fake. One big thing that really bothered me this whole movie was that no one in their apartments had window shades up and for some reason if there was one or two you could see right through them! Not something I would want in my apartment with all those peeping toms!

Ok, so this guy the main character is named L.B. Jeffries and he is wheelchair bound seeing as how he broke his leg (which we have no clue how and they don’t give you a lot a background on this fellow) and he has this wonderful girlfriend taking care of him, but do you think for once he wanted to marry her? NO! All he wanted was someone to cook and take care of him. SCUM!!! I guess even back then men were afraid of commitment.

Here’s a question…Why is it called Rear Window? When I hear that I think that I’m sitting in a car not an apartment in his living room. Anyways, here’s some positive feedback. I really liked the suspense that this movie gave me because there were times I was clutching onto Hubby’s arm wondering if someone else was going to get whacked.

I also liked the fact that they were laid back actresses and actors. I can’t tell you how many times they screwed up their lines and they kept on going.

***WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! MOVIE ENDING GIVEN AWAY!***

So, here’s the end result of this movie. The girlfriend of L.B. Jeffries goes and gets arrested for breaking and entering the murderer’s apartment and she gets all the evidence needed to put this guy behind bars and all he does is say thanks, but still no marriage! He falls out of his window while fighting with the murderer and the movie ends with him having 2 broken legs.

I would say that this movie moves right to the front of the line. I give it 4 Ben & Jerry’s. So long until next time!

HUBBY'S REVIEW

I was absolutely thrilled when Wifey suggested we watch Rear Window. To be honest, I have a bit of a man crush on James Stewart not to mention Alfred Hitchcock. Both were some of the all-time greats in their profession. Throw in Grace Kelly (I'm not much of a guy who likes blondes, but B-B-BABY!!!) and you have a recipe for a great film. I also thought it was pretty neat that this was the first Hitchcock movie that Lindsay had ever seen.

So, the stage was set and we were ready to rock and roll. For those of you who haven't seen this classic, but are wondering if there's a modern equivalent think of this past year's hit Disturbia.

This particular film is completely Hitchcockian (what a fun word!) in that it's another visual study of human nature.

Nurse Stella, the no-nonsense, straight-shooter said it best in one of the opening lines of the film when she said, "We've become a race of Peeping Toms. What people outta do is get out of the house and look in at their own lives for a change." Certainly, the same could be said for today's reality-show saturated society.

The film does take some time to build up some speed and suspense and I think that was bugging Lindsay. After about an hour, she looked like she wanted to throw herself out of a window!

I kept trying to tell her, however, that movies back then were all about the story, the acting and the directing. They were so much more well written than they are today. The actors were "real" too. They just felt like people you could know in your life and identify with. Yet, when they did fumble their lines a few times I felt like I was watching an episode of Lindsay's favorite soap General Hospital.

A majority of the camera angles are from inside L.B. Jeffries' (played by James Stewart) apartment. Hitchcock brilliantly put the audience in the SAME position as our hero when you think about it because the moviegoers would've been in a darkened theater looking through a window of sorts (i.e. movie screen) seeing the same things from the same perspective. A really neat twist that I never thought of before.

I won't ruin how it ends, but I will say that the last 20-30 minutes are some of the most suspenseful scenes in the movie and in movie history at the time.

In conclusion, this classic is simply a study of obsessive human curiosity and voyeurism.

I give it 4 Ben & Jerry's as well, which means this film gets a OMD rating of 4 Ben & Jerry's Ice Creams.

Oh yeah, and I think the reason why EVERYONE's apartment was visible due to open windows was because of the unprecedented heat wave that swept through that part of Manhattan that week of the summer. They were all trying to stay as cool as possible.

At least I'd like to think that a master of cinema like Hitchcock would've thought of this and had an explanation built into the story.