22 - Oscar Night!

Tonight was the culmination to the last 2 months of cinematic enjoyment - the night of the Academy Awards for Motion Pictures.  I love film - all of it; from its vision to its creation to the final presentation.  It has to be a real waste of celluloid for me to not find some value in a film, and I'm not one of those to point out all the flaws as if I'm the only one who identifies quality in the art.  I have a problem with people who are vocal against a movie but (a) can't tell you why they don't like it, or (b) can't tell you what they would have done to make it better, or - worst of all - (c) diss a movie because of something the director never set out to do to begin with.  This insistence that we play God is driving me nuts - no wonder our world is so f-ed up in so many ways! And, this year's nominations were good ones, in my opinion.  Lots of value in all of them!

I will say that I pegged the top winners (Supporting Actress - Patricia Arquette Boyhood; Actor - J.K. Simmons Whiplash; Best Actress - Julianne Moore Still Alice; Actor - Eddie Redmayne Theory of Everything.  I was split on the last two (Director and Film) ... I, personally, liked Birdman better but I saw the amazing commitment and achievement in Boyhood and really thought the Academy would go that route.  They went Birdman, for both.  I guess if I was a betting man, I would have gone with the former and not trusted my own preference, which, in this case, would have been reliable.

Gratitude Moments from Today
1/ Today, I am grateful for having a guest over for the evening and night - KA - my movie partner!
2/ Today, I am grateful for hearing from my brother.  He's not doing well and it hurts me so much that I can't help him! This whole thing makes no sense; I've never heard anything like it, even in all the reading and movie-watching I've done.  It makes no sense.
3/ Today, I am grateful for the air bed I bought a long time ago.  It was a good investment for when visitors visit.
4/ Today, I am grateful for the ability to find something of value in almost anything. Not only to find it but to focus on it as well.
5/ Today, I am grateful for being able to pause, if only for the moment.  Forget the stressors and enjoy the moment ... in this case, a bunch of moments, watching the Awards ceremony! And, shed a couple of tears in the moments of emotion.

** Added later - it seems that the rest of the world is baffled as to why Boyhood didn't win either!