Monday, December 22, 2008

Vancouver: White Christmas...blech



Vancouver
Originally uploaded by etslee
It was a gorgeous sunny day after the big snowfall yesterday. I was able to capture this shot of the North Shore from Gastown before sunset. Greg and I ventured out for a great brunch and a little whiskey to warm ourselves in the chilly winter air. None of my highschool friends back in Vancouver (well just Greg and Anna so far) for the holidays are that impressed with the cold/snow as they're coming from Montreal and Boston. But I'm a CALIFORNIA BOY now! I'm getting tired of the snow as it's limiting my activities and will likely delay the rest of the Lee family from Portland. More snow is forecast for the 25th....and I'm actually wishing for a Wet Christmas to wash this snow away!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Obama-mania


Shocking...I know. Time magazine names Barack Obama "Person of the Year". I guess Person of the Century wasn't available? Dear media: please get back to some semblance of non-partisanship after the new year, when President -elect Obama actually becomes President. In the mean time, get a room already, it's embarrassing to watch.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Slumdog Millionaire and Doubt


I caught two more Oscar hopefuls recently, Danny Boyle's highly acclaimed Slumdog Millionaire and John Patrick Shanley's highly acclaimed stage play turned Oscar bait Doubt.
I went in to Slumdog with high expectations, after hearing the buzz from Sundance and seeing it listed on many critic's top 10. It's basically a modern day fairy tale of young love set apart by the slums of Mumbai (how timely), "How to become a Millionaire" , Bollywood and a touch of torture porn (how else could you explain the first 10 minutes??) I definitely appreciated Boyle's direction and the scenery (many beautifully framed shots), but I didn't leave with the "OMG" sense of watching a great film. Perhaps it was the unoriginal storyline and rather uncharismatic (adult) actors? The kids are entirely winning and cuter than heck. It's still a likely Best Picture nominee, combining the indie roots and feel good ending of past nominee, Little Miss Sunshine.
Doubt has Oscar written all over it, with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and a Tony award winning script from writer/director JP Shanley. I wasn't familiar with the play and read plenty of criticism that said it didn't translate well to screen. Well, I disagree. It flowed well, and I guess I wasn't hindered by impressions from the stage production. Plus, watching Meryl and PSH chew their considerable dialogue is more than worth the price of admission. Amy Adams proves once again why she is leaping ahead of the pack of young actresses, one of the few that can do both comedy and drama (hello Anne Hathaway!) Viola Davis gives a shattering performance in one big scene that may be enough to get a nomination.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Margaret Cho sings her anti-Prop 8 song

Margaret Cho entertains the crowd at GAPA's 20th Annual Banquet. A very successful evening for GAPA and the board. Margaret stayed for the whole evening, which ended promptly by 10pm as promised by hostess Tita Aida. The only drawback? The food by Moonstar. Ugh.