Giveaway: TCM 31 Days of Oscar!

If you read my blog you know that I pretty much love all things Hollywood. This also means that the Academy Awards is one of my favorite events of the year (seriously, it might be up there with Christmas and my birthday).

So when I saw that Turner Classic Movies was doing their 31 Days of Oscar I knew I wanted to get involved and spread the word! Although 31 Days of Oscar has already started there are still plenty of days to watch as award winning movies are played commercial free and in a 6-degrees style. You can check out the entire schedule here:





See any of your favorite movies or any you want to add to your to-see list? I know I did and my DVR is about to get even more backed up because there are so many classics I've never seen, so thank you TCM.

And as an extra bonus, there's a giveaway! Are you planning on watching the Oscars with a bunch of friends? Just you and your cat? With your grandma? Heck it doesn't matter who you watch it with because TCM is offering a fabulous Oscar prize pack to one of my readers. The prize pack includes everything from popcorn and candy to a martini glass and shaker set, and more. Basically everything you need for an A-list evening at the Oscar's.

To enter leave a comment telling me your favorite movie, Oscar nominated or not, I want to know!

For extra entries you can:

• Tweet about the giveaway and leave the direct link in a separate comment.
  
• Follow TCM on Twitter.
• Become a fan of TCM on Facebook.
  
• Blog about the giveaway and leave the permalink in a separate comment.
  

Giveaway ends next Wednesday, March 3rd 4pst and I will email the winner after they are selected randomly.





*Thank you to TCM for providing an Oscar prize pack for both myself and a reader*

Movie Review: District 9

So I'm trying my hardest to get through all ten best picture nominations before the big day on March 7th and the latest movie to watch was District 9. I was a little skeptical about it and I had pretty much no idea what it was about before I watched it and umm I'm a little speechless still.

Once I got past the gross looking aliens, the black vomit, the all around gore and violence I did enjoy the movie. It had a pretty intriguing plot and I liked how it was filmed sort of like a documentary but also like a movie.

So what is the plot of this movie? Aliens land on earth 20 years ago and for some reason aren't able to leave. The humans round them up and put them into District 9, a housing area, which basically turns into a slum. One day the humans decide to evict the aliens and move them to District 10 which is out of the city limits and in the middle of nowhere to appease humans that don't want the aliens there any more. Basically all hell breaks lose when the man in charge, Wikus, gets infected and friends becomes enemies and enemies friends and yeah, it's nuts.

I spent a lot of the movie covering my eyes and saying "EW" but that doesn't mean I didn't like it. The whole story line reminded me of the X-Men movies and how although using something so far fetched from reality (in this case bug-like aliens) it openly exposed human politics to different cultures and behaviors.

Ultimately you do feel bad for the aliens as humans are exposed as trigger happy bullies and the battle that ensues is quite captivating and leaves you wanting a sequel for sure. I'm not sure that this movie will win Best Picture but I am glad I saw it and you might want to check it out as well.

Movie Review: The Hurt Locker

My heart can't handle these kinds of movies. I'm serious. I don't know why I thought I'd be able to handle a movie about deactivating bombs because I hand my hands over my eyes for a good portion of the movie. However, that doesn't mean I didn't like the movie. It was excellent.

As a daughter of a vet (and cousin and friend of several men in the armed forces) I usually stay away from war themed movies but since The Hurt Locker is one of the ten movies nominated for best picture I figured I should see it.

The first ten minutes of the movie I was already on the edge of my seat as the it starts right in the midst of mission where three soldiers are attempting to deactivate a IED. Needless to say the whole movie I was either gasping, closing my eyes or praying that a bomb didn't explode, it was intense. However the parts when my heart wasn't racing I was laughing, mainly at Jeremy Renner's character, Sgt. James. He's the new guy in the company who doesn't play by the rules. Pretty much he's a delinquent badass. He doesn't listen to orders, he disables bombs without the proper outfitting, he goes on a rogue mission, he flips off his commander, pretty much the list goes on but I think you get the picture.

His character is the light heartedness needed in any war movie. He shows what some soldiers are really like and how there aren't set "rules of wartime" and I liked that. That doesn't mean I didn't yell at him when he made some dumb decisions (because I did) but I still liked him.

All in all, if you can get through intense "will it explode or won't it" and "is he going to get shot or not" scenes then I think you can appreciate the story this movie is trying to share and have even more respect for our soldiers at war.

Movie Review: Avatar

Yes, it's true. After much debate I finally gave in and saw Avatar. And....I didn't hate it. I knew I wouldn't haaaate it persay but I went in with very low expectations and I'm glad to say it exceeded my expectations.

So if you're living in a hole or can't tell from the previews, Avatar basically is a grown up, live action Fern Gully. It takes place in 2134 (I think) and humans are on this foreign planet, Pandora, trying to dig out this incredibly valuable mineral however it is underneath a giant tree where the Natives (aka the giant blue people) reside.

So what were my thoughts? Well...
*some spoilers included*

One. I am so glad my IMAX 3D experience was nothing like the last time. The screen was huge but I was far enough back I could see the whole thing and the 3D glasses covered my actual glasses without really irritating me too much and I pretty much okay for most of it.

Two. Pat yourself on the back James Cameron because the visuals were quite impressive. Pandora was quite the visual experience and sometimes I forgot that the movie was like 85% CGI.

Three. Why did Sam Worthington never take his shirt off when he was human?? I mean really that's just not very nice. And he looked a million times better with the crew cut as opposed to the scraggly business with facial hair.

Four. When the hometree crashed down all I could think of was the scene in Titanic when the boat crashes down and all the people in the water get crushed, way to stick to what you know James.

Five. I almost threw something at the screen with Jake goes into his whole "I fell in love...with the forrest" speech. It was just so gaaaah! I mean the love story was sweet but sometimes I thought it went a wee bit overboard.

Six. I may have jumped in my seat at certain points when random creatures popped on screen and flew in my face. And man they were creepy and gross and wow.

Seven. Did Jake ever sleep? I'm pretty sure he didn't, maybe once, he's like Jack Bauer.

Eight. Can I have a flying horse thing and plants that are awesome and not creepy because that would be lovely.

Nine. I thought Sigourney Weaver's Avatar looked the most like her than anyone else's, it was kind of funny.

Ten. If Jake hadn't lived and turned into his Avatar at the end I would have officially disliked the movie. I mean Jack died in Titanic, I didn't want to have to go through that again, so I'm glad I didn't.

And finally, although the movie was good (definitely entertaining) I honestly don't think it is Best Picture worthy. Visual Effects? Yes. Best Picture? Not so much. And I am glad I saw it in 3D IMAX, it was worth it, you were right, I was wrong. On to the next Oscar nominee....

Giveaway: Macy's Go Red for Women Winner

Thanks so much to everyone that entered my Macy's Go Red for Women giveaway, you all listed some fabulous Red items that I may just have to check out for myself.

And I hope you're all rocking your red today for National Wear Red Day!

Anyhoo, without further adieu, by the powers invested in random.org, the winner of the $50 Macy's gift card is...

Congratulations Jamie Lovely! Who would get this super cute red dress from Macy's.


Thanks again to everyone that entered! And don't forget to GO RED!

Giveaway: Macy's Go Red for Women

Macy's Go Red for Women campaign is celebrating National Wear Red Day this Friday, February 5th. Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association's nationwide movement that celebrates the energy, passion and power of women to join together to wipe out heart disease, the number one killer of American women and men.

There are several ways we can all get involved:

• Red is the color that saves at the Wear Red Sale
• Take fashion to heart and buy the limited INC International Concepts Little Red Dress
  
• Speak up against heart disease by sharing your story at the Go Red Casting Calls
• Attend a Go Red luncheon in your area
• Join Go Red for Women!
  

Such a great cause right? So get going and get involved!

And as if you needed any more incentive, to help celebrate GO RED DAY I'm giving away a $50 Macy's gift card!

And how do you enter to win such a fabulous prize?
Visit the Macy's website and come back here to leave a link with a RED item you'd love to own.

For additional entries:
Twitter about the contest "Go Red for Women with @MacysInc and @katelin & win a $50 Macy's GC http://bit.ly/cVWbWp"
Become a fan of Go Red for Women on Facebook
Follow Macy's on Twitter


The giveaway ends this Friday 4pm. PST and I'll email the winner after they are selected randomly.


Good luck and GO RED!




*Macy's is a client of my company.