An Oscar Feast

I like to choose the food for my Oscar party to relate to the nominated best pictures. now that there is an annoying 10 nominees it has become a feast!

Here is my menu for this year……

127 Hours & Winter’s Bone – Marinated Chicken Drumettes (bone exposed) . Why? – well in 127 Hours he cut off his own arm/drummette, and in Winter’s Bone they skin a squirrel, chicken is the best bet, should I serve the drumette with a tomato based, blood like sauce?

The Social Network – Frat Boy food, I guess they would like Nachos? at my party – corn chips with a delicious home made salsa & guacamole

True Grit – I wanted to make a bean & meat stew but thought it was too much, so I will group it with the Social Network as it is Tex/Mex food and Matt Damon played a Texan.

Black Swan – well a fellow party guest made a brilliant suggestion and is making an over the top pink frosting cake, or cupcakes, a tribute to Barbara Hershey’s momma’s creation which she almost binned. Thank you SS x

The King’s Speech – I am planning on Gin jelly shots, a tribute to the Queen mum (played brilliantly by Helena Bonham Carter), as we all know, the Queen mum loved her gin, and a bet on the horses!

The Kids Are All Right – another Oscar party guest is making an organic LA food inspired salad (I am excited to taste this one), based on the fact that Mark Ruffalo’s character owned and ran a trendy LA Organic restaurant. Thanks Doris!

Toy Story 3 – a bowl of gummy bears will suffice. 3 packets as I bet they are popular.

Inception – I will design my own cocktail, as it is MY dream in MY head, I plan to add an architectural touch to the design of the cocktail. I smell a bloody mary, celery has a strong sense of design, don”t you think?

Gin shots and bloody marys! oi voi!

The Fighter – well I am obsessed with perfecting the perfect Cauliflower cheese, so be it!

Cauliflower ears from boxing – get it?

My dear friend Liz Watt’s will be in the audience cheering on our Jacki Weaver for “Animal Kingdom”.

So the “Animal Kingdom” Oscar dish?  I think it is well covered with chicken drumettes , and tomato sauce blood.

It is sure to be a fun night, I hope we don’t all vomit by the end.

Pictures to be posted after the fact.

List complete √

Today I went to see the last film on Oscar’s 10 best film list of nominees, therefore I can now reveal my personal choices (in order), not those that the Academy will choose.

1. WINTER’S BONE

2. THE SOCIAL NETWORK

3. TRUE GRIT

4. INCEPTION

5. BLACK SWAN

6. THE KING’S SPEECH

7. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

8. TOY STORY 3

9. 127 HOURS

10. THE FIGHTER.

It was a good year at the movies, of this list I enjoyed every movie and think they deserve recognition.

Filmmakers who are at the peak of their craft.

I will reveal my wish list of wins, and my predictions the day before the oscar telecast.

What is your fave film off the list?

send in the banjos.

Film Review:

WINTER’S BONE.

One of the greatest pleasures I get from attending the cinema is when a movie can take you to a place or a culture, another world far from your own. When this is done in a convincing manner  it can be very rewarding. “Winter’s Bone” achieves this with great respect for the world it is depicting. This world is the Ozark mountains in Missouri an impoverished part of America that is rarely seen or known about. Of course ‘in-bred‘ and ‘redneck‘ will roll off your tongue to describe this world, but the human side of this story could be set in any part of society.

“Winter’s Bone” is directed by Debra Granik and she should be applauded for her compassion with the subject. The attention to detail reeks of authenticity (apparently full co-operation from Ozark families helped) and her non-judgmental approach to the people is the films greatest achievement.

At the heart of the movie is a career making and remarkable performance from newcomer Jennifer Lawrence – she plays Ree, a 17 year old who has the huge responsibility of looking after her siblings (a younger brother and sister) whilst her mother is in an unexplained comatose mental state, addicted to prescription pills. The local sheriff informs her that her father out on bond, charged with making crystal meth (the new moonshine?) has disappeared and if not found before a court appearance, they could lose their home. Dirt poor and hungry (they shoot and skin squirrels for a family meal) she heads into the woods to find out where or what has happened to her father. First stop is her uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes  – another remarkable performance in the film) who has a meth habit and warns her that there is a tough bunch of ‘family’ to contend with. They refuse to give her information lest they become witnesses. So begins her odyssey to find answers. She eventually does in a true gothic horror moment that is one of Jennifer Lawrence’s finest scenes – perhaps the one that is sure to gain her an Oscar nomination.

There are many sly observations on American society that have impact. When Ree visits a local school we see some gun toting students practicing some kind of army like regime. Another scene in which she teaches her younger siblings how to shoot a gun is alarming. Also, interestingly the women seem to be the protectors in this society, and also the saviors. I also found it interesting that a banjo features towards the end of the film – is this a nod to the film “Deliverance” ?  a film that depicts (incorrectly I assume) a similar kind of people as murderous weirdos!

I highly recommend you seeing this film, another fine independent American film in the tradition of “Frozen River” and “Wendy And Lucy”. Studied performances, realistic environs, and emotional satisfaction – what more can you ask for?

The film won best film at the 2010 Sundance film festival as well as best screenplay – well deserved honours.

NB. For your information – I am a sucker for this kind of film 🙂