Thankfully we were still in Bar Harbor when Midnight in Paris opened up at Reel Pizza. Woo-hoo! Another excuse to eat pizza and watch a movie in a theater. We didn’t line up early enough for Midnight in Paris. There was a sizable crowd outside the theater when we showed up, which unfortunately meant our group of five would have to split up. Fortunately, it meant that we could make use of the couches in the first two rows of the theater. No one couch there is big enough for five people, but when you divide up across two couches suddenly I’m splayed out like I’m at home in my living room.
Reel Pizza has a new pie on their menu, with fresh basil and goat cheese. It is awesome. If we made any mistake in this trip to Reel Pizza, it wasn’t showing up too late to get seats together, it was ordering a small instead of a large on the basil and goat cheese pie. It went quickly.
I haven’t seen every Woody Allen movie. Actually, I could probably count on one hand the number of Woody Allen movies I’ve seen. That said, I loved Midnight in Paris. It was stellar. It’s funny, it’s romantic. Owen Wilson is great. But the real stars of the movie are the actors playing the historical figures that he meets. Corey Stall as Hemingway was definitely my favorite, with Adrien Brody’s Dali coming in a close second.
The one odd thing about Midnight in Paris is that Owen Wilson’s character Gil is obsessed with Paris in the 20’s, but with the exception of Marion Cotillard’s fictional character Adriana, every other person he meets in a real life American or Spaniard.
Marion Cotillard is beyond charming. If she asked me to stay in pre-1900 Paris with her, I would have a hard time saying no.
Go see Midnight in Paris. Highest possible recommendation.
And go see movies at Reel Pizza. Beyond highest possible recommendation.
In retrospect, that poster doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, does it? Van Gogh isn’t even in the movie…
Also, agreed on the basil pizza. That one was *really* good.
I’d still shoot for Hawaii 5.0. first. Get it? Shoot? Oh man, I’m good.
Guys! You’re both right (and I’m a glutton)!
Odds released for The Oscars.. think Hugo has a shot at 8 to 1?
The Artist – 1/1
The Descendants – 7/2
War Horse – 9/2
Hugo – 8/1
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – 12/1
J Edgar – 12/1
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 20/1
Moneyball – 20/1
The Help – 30/1
Midnight in Paris – 20/1
Hmm, I don’t know. Hugo doesn’t have anywhere near the buzz that Toy Story 3 had last year. I feel like this is just a case of the likely Best Animated Picture winner getting nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
Wow, not even setting odds for Bridesmaids? I mean, I thought it was maybe the fourth-funniest movie I saw all year, but everybody else went nuts for it. TinkerTailorSoldierSpy has gotten a lot of buzz, too. And let’s not forget Fast Five!
I haven’t seen it, but I agree that Hugo doesn’t have a ton of buzz (yet?) — I think those odds are factoring in a hypothetical Scorsese Bump.
If the Muppets get snubbed, that’ll be the crime of the year. ’80s Robot for Best Supporting Actor!
I’ve heard more about Hugo being great than any other movie this year. But at the same time I do not know anyone personally that has actually seen it. Seems like a weak year too…
I haven’t seen any of the movies listed yet si I am avoiding Hugo in hopes it will be part of the Lowes/AMC movie theater marathon.
The more I think about it, the more I can see making a case for Hugo. The few people I know who have seen it have said it was great. I really thought that if any movie could pull off the Best Animated Movie taking home the Best Movie, it would have been Toy Story 3. But The King’s Speech killed any hope for that happening last year. What Hugo does have going for it is that it’s got a big-name director, Martin Scorcese, who only won his first Best Directorial Oscar a few years ago with The Departed. I wonder if Scorcese being attached gives a Hugo a bit more legitimacy in the Academy voters’ eyes and propels it over the top. We’re at the end of the year, and I don’t see any odds on favorite for the Best Picture Oscar this year. At 8-1, Hugo might be a good bet.
At the same time, I wonder if Moneyball would be a better bet. At 20/1, I’ve seen it on more “Best of” lists at the end of this year.