weekend quickies: Oscar edition!

If you know anything about anything, you'll know that this Sunday is the night of the greatest award show around.

Nope, it's not the Teen Choice Awards.

Here are my Top 3 Oscar flicks to see before or after (just not during) the Oscars.

[feelgoodfavorite] theKIDSAREALLRIGHT (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo)

There's nothing I love more than a brightly colored indie flick. My collection of too-many movies will prove I'm not lying. And there's also nothing I love more than cute boys. This is a delightful mix of those two, plus a whole lot more. Two lesbian partners (Bening and Moore) each had one child through a sperm donor (Ruffalo). The kids — played by Mia Wasikowska and the adorable Josh Hutcherson — are delightful, not overplaying the fact that they have moms and no dad, but acting like normal, curious, growing teens. It's a feel-good flick perfect for springtime, or anytime. And though it's not likely to win much (Annette Bening is closest to a win in the Best Actress category, though Natalie Portman will be hard to beat), The Kids Are All Right is an absolute favorite. ♥♥♥♥♥

[storytime] theFIGHTER (Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams)

I don't know if it was Rhianna's "Run This Town," or the Bostonian accents, or the look of Christian Bale in the previews that made me so itching to see this one. But I am so glad I did. A true story about half-brothers living near Boston, The Fighter doesn't make you feel good. In fact, seeing Dickey (Bale) on screen is actually upsetting at times. Dickey, famous in the town for knocking down Sugar Ray Leonard, is also a crack addict — which explains Bale's significant weight loss for the project. The Boston accents are spot-on and unintelligible. And even though Bale outshines the rest, Wahlberg is the perfect overshadowed brother, Melisa Leo plays a furious mother, and Amy Adams is a gritty delight. Side effects of seeing The Fighter include wanting to box your friends. Be careful. ♥♥♥♥

[topnotchbestpicture] theKING'SSPEECH (Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter)

There's always one movie that stands above all the rest as, yes, the best all around. Like your friend in high school who consistently beat you in class but was just so damn enjoyable, you couldn't hate them. That is The King's Speech. It exceeds every other movie in every other category. Not only because it's English, or because it's a period piece, or because it stars the lovely, lovely Colin Firth. Not because Helena Bonham Carter finally plays a character who isn't slightly insane. Not because it was drilled into my head as the best movie out there. In truth, it just is the best movie out there. It blends a fantastic score with a fantastic cast with a strong suit of characters. There's a bit of humor and a lot of painful pregnant pauses, but the heart of the story is so feel good that you'll forget this is the top contender for 12 of the most prestigious awards in film. ♥♥♥♥♥

the other seven (of which I've only seen five):

thesocialnetwork ♥♥♥

toystory3 ♥♥♥♥♥

blackswan ♥♥♥

inception ♥♥♥♥

truegrit ♥♥♥♥

127hours

winter'sbone