[Early February]

* Last Chance Harvey. I heard the mixed reviews, but I wanted to see it anyway because you know what? I love Emma Thompson. Also, I love romances where the protagonists are not 25. So I do not give a shit that it wasn’t perfect. It made me tear up, it made me wish I was visiting London again any time soon, and it made me glad I spoke with my dollars and supported a romance with brains & complexity, and not a romance that made me ashamed to be a woman. So. Uh. There.

* 2009 Oscar Nominated Short Films (Animated). Is it just me, or were the shorts packages stronger this year than they had been in recent memory? My favorite, I think, is Lavatory Lovestory because it was so evocative and charming with very simple lines, but they were all really great. Oktapodi seemed to be the crowd favorite, that or This Way Up. The package ran short with just nominated films, so they also ran five “commended” films. I was sorry Skhizein was not a nominee, because that was really my favorite of all: a French short about a gentleman who learns to live 91cm from himself after an encounter with a meteorite.

* 2009 Oscar Nominated Short Films (Live Action). I think New Boy is the favorite to win here, which I am okay with because the child actors were all awesome. My personal favorite was The Pig, though, a Danish short about a man in hospital, a drawing of a pig, and a flexible definition of tolerance.

* Frozen River. This was fantastic. I am so glad it got a re-release after its Oscar nominations. I had wanted to see it for Melissa Leo, but everyone was amazing, particularly Misty Upham. Recommended.

Tonight Noir City starts. I don’t know how many I am seeing, but I did buy a pass, so beware. Femme fatales & corrupt reporters, ahoy!