Film Starter Pack

My entire life could probably be defined by and extracted from the films that have captivated me over the years. My Netflix queue includes over 100 very different films, from Hoop Dreams to Lawrence Anyways (sorry, Xavier. I promise I'll get to it), and every free minute is usually me catching up and shortening that. My most recent adventure has been White God, which was a beautifully terrifying concerto comparing humans to dogs and their capacity to live just as intelligent and full lives. But hopefully I'll get to that in another post.

Instead, I'm here to share my history of film with you in as quick and efficient means as possible. No, I'm not going to shove intense and analytical avant garde films down your throat. I think it's a fair list of 15 genres, 82 films, and many of which are my favorites. I'm a big proponent of foreign films so there are four categories for various languages. Hopefully you'll understand that there is so much to offer through international cinema and pick up on different styles and techniques in different cultures.

I'm certain every film on this list, classic or not, will entertain you, possibly change your opinions on what film can do as a medium, and hopefully inspire you to watch another.

Silent

1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
2. The Kid
3.  The General
4.  Metropolis

Asian

1.  Oldboy
2. Mother
3. Poetry
4. I Saw The Devil
5. In The Mood For Love

French

1. The 400 Blows
2. The Intouchables
3.  Holy Motors
4. Amelie
5. Au revoir, les enfants

Spanish

1. Wild Tales
2. Pan’s Labyrinth
3. Motorcycle Diaries
4. Amores Perros
5. The Orphanage

Foreign

1. Cinema Paradiso
2.  Life Is Beautiful
3. Dogtooth
4. Run Lola Run
5. Incendies

Animated

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2.  The Secret Of Kells
3.  Spirited Away
4.  Grave Of The Fireflies
5.  Inside Out

Comedy

1.  Little Miss Sunshine
2. Annie Hall
3. Clue
4. Dr. Strangelove
5. Airplane!
6. Bridesmaids
7. The Breakfast Club
8. A Fish Called Wanda
9. Frances Ha

Thriller

1. Black Swan
2. Requiem For A Dream
3.  Seven
4. Inception
5. Sunset Boulevard

Horror

1.  It Follows
2. The Shining
3. VHS
4. Scream
5. Psycho
6. Rosemary’s Baby

Musical

1. Moulin Rouge
2. West Side Story
3. The Sound of Music

LGBT

1. Blue Is The Warmest Color
2. Stranger By The Lake
3.  Love Is Strange
4. Y Tu Mama También

Drama 

1. 12 Angry Men
2. The Godfather
3. Blue Valentine
4.  Forrest Gump
5. The Graduate
6. Pulp Fiction
7. The Truman Show
8.  Like Crazy

Cinematography

1.  The Tree Of Life
2.  2001: A Space Odyssey
3. Enter The Void
4. Heartbeats
5. Gravity

Action

1. The Raid: Redemption
2.  Mad Max: Fury Road
3. The Dark Knight

Sci-Fi

1.  Interstellar
2. The Fountain
3. Moon
4. Minority Report
5. The Matrix
6. Avatar
7. Ex Machina

Enjoy and comment below with your own recommendations and your thoughts on any viewing!

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Summer's Heat

1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup fresh cut pineapple
1/4 cup raspberries
1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup greek yogurt
ice
splash of milk or cranberry juice or champagne if you so please (why not)

More Oscar Predictions and Analyses

ONLY 5 MORE DAYS! While it seems I may be out of touch with the Academy and my blog this season, I really have just been extremely busy with school and watching the final Oscar nominees. This past week I saw: Moneyball, The Help, Pina, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (for the second time). The previous 2 weeks, well I'd be listing movies for 3 lines so I won't list them ALL. I have enjoyed most of them and to say Sunday's winners will be predictable is completely false. For example, both Meryl Streep and Glenn Close deserve 1/2 an Oscar for winner because they were both superb. However, Meryl is not only slated to win, but her performance just narrowly inches out Close's.

The Best Actor slot could go a few ways but will most likely go to Dujardin in his dramatic, theater-defining role in The Artist. Gary Oldman was just as impressive in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but the Academy will go for the more emotionally exhaustive role.

I'm not going to mess with Best Picture/Director. Terrence Malick/Tree of Life deserve it, end of story. But no doubt it will go to Michel Hazanavicius/Artist.

I finally saw The Help this past weekend and it was great! The book, like always, is still better but the movie incorporated many of the emotions I had hoped to find. Like Minny making the shit pie. =D I was surprised at how crucial Minny was in the film, known in the real world as Octavia Spencer. She seems like such a down-to-Earth person and true that I would love to meet her! No, I'm not saying she should be a maid, but I am saying that her role was flawless.

I'm having a bit of trouble with the Best Original Score. Nothing will top last year's nominees: Social Network, King's Speech, Inception, and How to Train Your Dragon. Black Swan was amazing, too. I'll get back to you on this.

Best Visual Effects. Harry Potter hands down. If this does not get 100% votes from the Academy I would be ashamed. Ok, Hugo does deserve a few because the train scenes made me flinch. Wow, I just realized that it was a modern day take on Arrival of a Train gone bad. Go Melies/Scorsese!

Best Cinematography: Hands down The Tree of Life, but I have a feeling that my love is going to be snubbed all night. Not only are the shots beautiful but the compositions and transcendental elements are so creative. However, The Artist may grab this one as well. Great use of black and white in the modern era deserves to be recognized (noir aspect or not), especially when referencing the origins of cinema.

I hope these nominee categories helped your thought process for Sunday! And I haven't peeked at any of the poll sites (except for Best Picture) so these are all original ideas.

Due to the lack of an Academy authorized printable ballot, here is one sponsored by Moviefone:
http://www.moviefone.com/oscars-academy-awards/nominee-winner/printable-ballot

I'll be sure to post my final ballot before and after the awards so you can all see how it should have played out!
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For a decadent night, enjoy this

Decadent Tiramisu Smoothie (scaled to 2 servings)

• 
  
• ¼ cup wisconsin mascarpone cheese
• ¼ cup vanilla ice cream
• ½ tablespoon milk
• ¾ cup chocolate ice cream
• ¼ cup brewed espresso or ¼ cup strong coffee , chilled
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
• 1 biscotti

Directions:

1. 1
   Place Mascarpone, vanilla ice cream and milk in blender container. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into bowl or pitcher; set aside.
2. 2
   Place chocolate ice cream and espresso in blender container. Blend until smooth.
3. 3
   Divide chocolate mixture evenly among 4 glasses. Top chocolate mixture with Mascarpone mixture.
4. 4
   In small bowl, combine cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar. Sift mixture evenly over each glass and garnish with a biscotti. Serve immediately.

http://www.food.com/recipe/decadent-tiramisu-smoothie-423856