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Flatstock + Seattle eats + Bumbershoot: Weekly Love

poweredbytofu — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:00:30 +0000

I’m refusing to acknowledge that fall is on its way. Vive la summer!

This week:

-Bumbershoot! My third year since since I first crossed it off my list: #50 Go to Bumbershoot in Seattle in 2009. The line-up wasn’t too great this year, but the weather was fantastic. Loved: Little Dragon (as usual), staying at the Heathman (snagged it on Jetsetter in May), the Trey McIntyre Project (modern dance set to The Shins’ Oh, Inverted World), Best of SIFF 2011 short films (North Atlantic was the most memorable for me), orchestra-ish music in the Experience Music Project, the SBUX Insider Lounge (ie. free coffee drinks all weekend), and playing tourist going up the Space Needle, which I hadn’t done since I was a 5-year-old.

-Seattle food. Seattle, land of my birth, you have excellent food. [ahem, Portland is still better] :) I could have eaten two of the Margherita pizzas at Serious Pie. Also enjoyed the huevos a la Mexicana at Hi Spot Cafe, and the delicious Puerto Rican food at La Isla in Ballard.

-Flatstock I always try to reserve day 1 of Bumbershoot for taking pics and considering my options, and buy something day 2. This year, I bought the Weapons of Mass Creation poster for my kitchen.

-Movies in the Park – One of the final Movies in the Park this year was North by Northwest in Elizabeth Caruthers Park in South Waterfront. Banh mi takeout from Bambuza + a bottle of rosé + a pile of pillows and blankets + Cary Grant on the big screen = perfect summer evening.

-Musicfest NW – After spending three days at Bumbershoot, I wasn’t too excited for Musicfest NW. We did end up catching one show on Friday night — Glass Candy. There were giant balloons. I took of video of said balloons.

Listening: Little Dragon.

#59: Watch All 5 Best Picture Nominees Before the Oscars 2010

poweredbytofu — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:07 +0000

Oscar 2010 time! So I almost completed #59 (Watch all 5 10 Best Picture Nominees before the Oscars) in 2008, and then last year around this time I was in Costa Rica, so 2010 it is!

I’m starting with 2 for 10 this year, but seriously why are there ten Best Picture nominations? Usually there are only five. I need more time! At least the plan is logistically possible this year, but there are two movies on the list that I don’t think I can bring myself to watch (how are Sandra Bullock and Mariah Carey in Oscar nominated movies anyway?).

2010 Best Picture Nominations:

Avatar (James Cameron and Jon Landau) – in theaters
The Blind Side – in theaters
District 9 (Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham – DVD
An Education (Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey) – in theaters (DVD in March)
The Hurt Locker – DVD
Inglourious Basterds (Lawrence Bender) – DVD
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness) – in theaters (DVD in March)
A Serious Man (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) DVD on February 9
Up (Jonas Rivera) – DVD
Up in the Air (Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman) – in theaters

What movie gets your vote?

#59: Watch all 5 Best Picture Nominees before the Oscars

#52: See the All-Time Top 100 Grossing Films

poweredbytofu — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:32:47 +0000

Two years later, and I’ve finally finished watching the Top 100 Grossing Films of All-Time! I had already seen 68 of the 100, so I averaged about one movie every three weeks. While I’ve enjoyed more of the movies from Ebert’s 102 Movies You Must See list, watching the top 100 grossing gives you an interesting snapshot of American culture through the past 100 years. Some of the movies are hardly classics, but it was fun to consider why they were so popular in the specific decades.

My Favorites

I didn’t watch 3 horror movies that were on the list, because I hate horror movies — and it’s my list, so I can do what I want!

#59: Watch all 5 Best Picture Nominees before the Oscars

poweredbytofu — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 06:48:55 +0000

Atonement – in theaters
Juno – in theaters
Michael Clayton – on DVD February 19
No Country for Old Men – in theaters
There Will Be Blood – in theaters

Well, it looks like I’m starting from scratch this year. 4 out of 5 are in theaters and the 5th comes out on DVD 5 days before the Oscars, so at least it’s doable. :)

How To: Use Your Laptop as a Media Center

poweredbytofu — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:24:55 +0000

How To Use Your Laptop as a Media Center has moved to the Frugal Bon Vivant.

It includes:

What you need to set up your own laptop media center
step-by-step how to guide
where to find movies and TV shows online

Enjoy!

How To Use Your Laptop as a Media Center PC

#52: Watch the Top 100 Grossing Films – Shrek the Third

poweredbytofu — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 21:47:13 +0000

Another movie that shouldn’t be on this list. Not funny or interesting, I could barely finish watching it, I think I fell asleep, but I don’t remember…

Shrek the Third (Widescreen Edition)

#52: Watch the Top 100 Grossing Films – Spider-Man 3

poweredbytofu — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 05:36:22 +0000

Why was Spiderman 3 one of the top 100 grossing films of all time? I don’t get it. Anyway, I checked this one out at the library, I’m glad I didn’t have to pay to rent it. It was a typical Spider-man, just like the first one. I don’t think this movie belongs on the list. Were there zero movies out at the same time? Moving on…

Spider-Man 3 (Two-Disc Special Edition)

#53: Ebert’s ‘102 Movies You Must See’ List – A Star Is Born

poweredbytofu — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:25:00 +0000

I’m not prone to falling asleep during movies, but this one sure did the trick. Maybe it’s a musical thing, anyway, A Star Is Bornwas not my kind of movie. The plot seemed very tired (no pun intended). I was bored with the movie before I fell asleep, but I assumed it would get more interesting.

#60: Sign up for Netflix again

poweredbytofu — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:51:40 +0000

Dear Netflix, how do you know the Movies I’ll <3

So I signed up for Netflix again. It’s been several months since I did the free trial, and now that we’re heading into fall, I think I’ll actually use it. I do have one complaint though, ok make that two…

#1: Why are all the “Watch Instantly” movies total crap? I love the “Watch Instantly” platform, genius in comparison to Amazon Unbox and Movielink (smart move Blockbuster). However, Movielink and Unbox actually have new movies on theirs. Since I get 5 hrs of “watch instantly” time, I’d like to actually be able to use it.

#2: I’d like to see a sharing kind of plan, where you can specify two addresses and pick which address you want to be the main Queue address. Netflix has probably already decided this could to easily be abused and they’d lose revenue, but I think it would be neat. Eh, probably totally unnecessary.

#53: Ebert’s ‘102 Movies You Must See’ List – The Seven Samurai

poweredbytofu — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 04:50:56 +0000

Did they really say “sheeeeyit” in the 1600s? Yes, it was the subtitles, but it seems like they would have had a more clever word for expressing: “I can’t believe my misfortune.” Finally finished watching The Seven Samurai this afternoon. Overall, it was a good movie, but a little too long. Very epic. The hyper Samurai, who used to be a farmer, was just so over the top – he was kind of the Jar Jar Binks of Seven Samurai.

Seven Samurai – Criterion Collection – 3-Disc Remastered Edition