2011 Best Picture Nominees: My Short List

Submitted by The Virtual Nihilist (@virtualnihilist)

For the second year in a row, followers of The Academy Awards have to endure a longer list of movies nominated in the Best Picture Category. It used to be that only five films were nominated, but last year, for the very first time, they expanded the list to a total of 10. In a sense, increasing the list can be considered a good thing because movies that may have flown under the mainstream radar now may be acknowledged; also, since movies nominated in this category can sometimes get a box office boost, this can also be a good thing for business from an industry-wide perspective.

But there is at least one reason why you could argue that this expansion is a bad thing: there may not necessarily be as many as 10 movies that merit nomination. In truth, some have griped in years past that the Academy would be hard pressed to come up with a list of only five, never mind 10. However, in years where there are five deserving films, are the other five merely filler?

It is with this in mind that I wondered what would have been the nominees for this year if they kept to the old school limit of five films. While I certainly wouldn’t claim to be able to read the mind of the Academy members, I would like to submit which five I personally believe to be most deserving:


Black Swan – Director Darren Aronofsky has, in my view, never made an uninteresting film. In Black Swan, he has crafted something truly unique and Natalie Portman’s performance is nothing short of brilliant.


Inception – combining science fiction, action and a love story isn’t easy – but it was accomplished in this film, along with a very satisfying twist ending.


The King’s Speech – this is about as close to perfect as a movie can get: inspired performances by an outstanding cast and an inspirational story based on historic events. An excellent family picture, though marketed as such.


127 Hours – if you pitched a movie where the protagonist was alone on screen for most of the movie and in the same location for much of that time, you’d be laughed out of the executive’s office and told to go write a stage play. Yet somehow, the filmmakers made it all work.


The Social Network – another movie based on a true story, but one that’s more modern and whose complete history has not yet been told. It is difficult to tell a story about a protagonist who isn’t very sympathetic or heroic, yet somehow, the story is told through Zuckerberg’s eyes and we’re spellbound.

- The Virtual Nihilist
http://virtual-nihilist.blogspot.com/

Bollywood Love for Coconuts: Part III – “Get in touch with your inner Bolly”

Submitted by Daniel_Pillai (@Daniel_Pillai)
Yes, that is right, you heard me! There is, deep down within us, no matter how much we try to deny it, an inner ‘Bolly’ bursting with excitement and ready to jump out! What is this inner ‘Bolly’ you ask? It is, at its core, the deep desire and passion for Bollywood cinema. Our inner Bollies crave masala entertainment, they scream and holler at the chance of meeting Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit and they get us all teary eyed during dramatic scenes. Sigh. Yup, that is our inner ‘Bolly’ in a nut shell.

So, how can this inner ‘Bolly’ be useful to us on a date? Well, in order to experience its benefits, we must learn to unleash it first. Here are three steps to finding and releasing our inner ‘Bolly’ and impress and excite our date in notable Bollywood style.

1. Stop Denying your love for Bollywood

Yup, that goes for you coconuts too! Whether you are passionate or not about Bollywood films, the first step is to admit that you have seen them. Yes, you may have walked in on your parents watching them and you were so repulsed you had to walk out of the room. Or you could have seen a few songs. Regardless, chances are you know who Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is and for North American mangoes and coconuts, you probably know the IIFA Awards are coming to Toronto. Embrace this knowledge and go with the flow…welcome in the idea of watching a colorful, vibrant film full of song and dance. Perhaps one of these films can be your date night, after dinner destination?

2. Do the Mombo!

For all the Mangoes out there Mombo Movies is a very useful tool to stay current with all the latest Bollywood films. It is also extremely useful for Coconuts too as they can see which films are being spoken about and trending, in real time, on Twitter. Twitter users, also known as “twitics” use Mombo as a rating system to rate, comment and suggest which of the latest films should be seen, this is also known as ‘crowd recommendations’.

Mombo Movies offers a special feature for Twitter users where they can access personalized film recommendations using their Twitter account, where reviews and recommendations are based on the “likes” and tweets from your friends (ie: people you follow).

*Time for a secret, Mombo will soon be adding a feature where you can get customized reviews using your Facebook account, shhhh*

What a wonderful way to get acquainted and release that inner ‘Bolly’.

3. Bollywood Spice
Spice up the ambiance with some Bollywood love. Familiarize yourself with the latest songs and Bollywood trends and you will be set to go. Now, as daunting as this may sound, it is actually pretty easy. Put on CD while doing chores or driving and let the air fill up with the love, cheese and masala that comes with Bollywood. Let it consume you and you will see…you’ll have a hundred lovers on hold. The important thing to remember is that your date will see that you are not afraid to be fun, entertaining and eclectic in your tastes while still being a fun desi at the same time.

4. Make a cocktail…a Bollywood cocktail

There is no better way to impress your date than with some color, a little bit of spice and a lot of zing. Yes, nowadays, the finest wines, liqueurs, fruit juices and sodas are enjoyable, but they just don’t have what it takes to impress that special someone. It is what you do with them that makes the night special…and possibly draw attention to your flair for style, passion for creativity and skills in the kitchen.

Bollywood Sangria

This is a wonderful way to add some color to your evening. A Sangria is a drink that evokes memories of summer and the coolness and exotic nature of the Mediterranean. But, at TwoMangoes, the intermingling of flavors and colors reminds us of a big, glossy, colorful and bright Bollywood dance number – it’s all about making it desi with us! To add that Bollywood zing, in place of a shot of Bourbon or Brandy as the video suggests, add some Ginger Liqueur and some Goldschlager (Cinnamon Schnapps) – with this you get the depth and the heat of Bollywood. Dazzle your tastebuds!

Do not fret, for those Mangoes and Coconuts that do not drink alcohol, you can still add some big Bollywood spice to your evening. Try this recipe.

Follow the same steps in the video, but with the ingredients below…

* ¼ cup of sugar
* 1 cup of orange juice
* ½ of a fresh lemon, ½ of a fresh orange
* 1 apple or peach
* 4 cups of club soda or seltzer water
* 4 cups of grape juice

…and to add that special TwoMangoes touch, add a few cinnamon sticks and freshly cut and peeled slices ginger along with the fruit and let it marinade overnight.

or how about….

…..a “Bollywood Smash” or as we like to call it at TwoMangoes “Bollywood Rang”
A shot of whiskey, Peach Schnapps, Mint Curacao, a spritz of a Lemon and a sprinkling of Brown Sugar (Served in Boston glass with a mint garnish). At TwoMangoes, we like to get create with alternatives. Try this… some Peach Nectar or Juice, a drop of mint and rum extract (non-alcoholic extracts available in the baking aisle at your local grocer), a splosh of lemonade, a spritz of lime juice, a sprinkling of brown sugar and a few mint leaves to garnish. Isn’t that just delish?

Do not wait…Let your inner ‘Bolly’ be seen! *Tali Baajao*

Prior posts in this series:

http://blog.twomangoes.com/bollywood-love-for-coconuts-part-i/

http://blog.twomangoes.com/bollywood-love-for-coconuts-part-2-season-of-love/

Daniel Pillai is the latest Mango edition to TwoMangoes.com dubbed the Journal Mango. He knows more about Bollywood than your grandmother and sweet auntie combined. Plus, he’s on a first name basis with a few Bollywood lovelies. He will be blogging about the latest and trending Bollywood films and how they can be incorporated into every day dating success.

Please Don't Forget About Charlie Chaplin

Submitted by Page Inciardi (@ACaryGrantFan)
I was having a conversation with a friend over the weekend and the subject of Classic Film and what we consider old versus what movie goers today consider a classic came up. I wondered out loud what young movie goers today will look back upon fondly in another thirty or forty years.

Although I started watching old black and white movies and the silents as a young girl with my mother, I realize not all movie goers develop a passion for film early on, nor do they list Charlie Chaplin, Ramon Novarro, Clara Bow or even Cary Grant among their favorite actors. Of course my appreciation for old films doesn't take away from my enjoying good movies today even though you have to wade through a lot of fluff to find something truly entertaining.

If I were to ask any movie fan under the age of twenty five to name their top five favorite films I wonder what their answer would be. I wouldn't expect Modern Times, Wings or Rebecca to be on their list but perhaps a true lover of film would have The English Patient, Schindlers List or even The Silence of the Lambs in their top five. After all they are films from the last 30 years. Now, I'm certainly not criticizing the latest generation of movie fans. For all I know there are millions who catch a great Greta Garbo movie on television or find a classic film festival showing in their city if theres not an interesting movie showing at the multiplex that weekend.

I really don't know what it is within someone that peaks their curiosity enough to seek out classic films then take the time to watch them. For some reason I can't see a college student bringing up Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and how thought provoking it was to her friends during her lunch hour. When a group of guys gather for a night of bonding I would be surprised if they watched Scarface and really enjoyed it. Of course I'm referring to the original Scarface from 1932. I might also be pleasantly surprised if one of my younger twitter followers sent out a tweet letting everyone know Out of Africa is being shown on television tonight and they can't wait to see it. If I were to venture over to Facebook and look through lists of a few teens favorite films I wonder if I would find anything that was released before 2000.

Unless there is that curiosity and the desire to actually look into the history of cinema all the way back to Birth of a Nation then forty years from now we can be certain the best part of our movie history will be all but forgotten. Sure Twilight is entertaining but so are The Thin Man series, The Philadelphia Story and Modern Times. I would hope our younger generation is curious enough to watch at least one of Charlie Chaplin's silent films with an open mind all while realizing he paved the way for the Jim Carey's and Jack Blacks to do comedy their way.

With the thousands of internet data bases dedicated to old film and even Top Films of each year going all the way back to the beginning there are plenty of resources available for finding old movies. I've even managed to find great copies of old films on Hulu and YouTube. So there really is no excuse for not knowing whats a "must see" just to have something to compare todays films to. And if all else fails ask your grand parents what their favorite film of all time is then surprise them with it one night.

As crazy as it sounds I used to rent movies with my step mother then we would dress up according to movie genre. Theres photos floating around out there of me dressed up like Norma Desmond and even Roller Girl for our viewing of Boogie Nights. All great evenings that were focused on film and family.

Hopefully once you've seen the great recent releases like The Kings Speech, The Fighter and Winter's Bone and theres not much left but Gulliver's Travels you will just skip it, grab your friends, find a great old black and white then dress up accordingly. I promise you it will be a night to remember and if nothing else you will have some great photos to laugh about in forty years.

Charlie Chaplin once confided to his wife shortly before his death that he was fearful he would be forgotten one day. I certainly hope not Charlie, that would be a tragedy.

I'll close now before I start on a rant about Drive-In theaters and why it means so much to keep them going.

Page Inciardi's website is http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com where she blogs about Classic Film from the Silents to the 1940's as well as her old Hollywood memorabilia.