Double Gobble Oscar Picks – 2015

We know its been a while since we posted anything but we couldn’t let the Oscars pass us by without putting up our picks for this year.  Once again, we have seen a very large chunk of the nominated films including all of the films and performances in every major category. Below you will find our Oscar picks. For the bigger categories, we decided to pick the films that we want to win (From the Heart) and also the films we think The Academy is likely to choose (From the Head). We only included the categories that we have seen or have extensive knowledge in. Feel free to leave your own picks below!

Kristy’s Picks

 

 

 

 

 

Best Picture

From the Heart: “Birdman” – This movie has great acting, a great script, a fantastic score, and an intriguing focus on the psychological struggles of the acting world.  The more I think about this film, the more I appreciate and enjoy it.

From the Head: “Boyhood” – I truly admire the dedication that Linklater and his actors gave to this film, however, the one area that I feel this film falls flat is in its story.  For that reason alone, I am hoping that “Birdman” wins, however, I would not be at all surprised if the Academy awards Linklater for his incredible efforts.

Best Actor

From the Heart: Michael Keaton in “Birdman” – While this is an incredibly strong category this year, Michael Keaton outperformed everyone.

From the Head: There’s a chance that Eddie Redmayne could be rewarded for his transformation in “The Theory of Everything” but I still think the Academy will give Michael Keaton his moment.

Best Actress

From the Heart: My two favorites in this category were the emotional performances by both Marion Cotillard in “Two Days One Night” and Julianne Moore in “Still Alice”.  I would be happy if either of these two women were given the award.

From the Head: Julianne Moore is the likely favorite which would be well deserved considering this is her most emotionally compelling performance to date.

Best Supporting Actor

From the Heart: The transformation that J. K. Simmons gives in Whiplash should absolutely be rewarded.  Despite the fact that little is known about the character’s background in the film, Simmons creates a depth of emotion with a character that could have been simply played as a manipulative jerk of a music teacher.  Instead Simmons was able to capture the many facets of the obsession for perfection.

From the Head: I think that J.K. Simmons will take this one.

Best Supporting Actress

From the Heart: First off, I love Meryl Streep but what the heck is she doing in this category this year?  The true star in this category is Patricia Arquette in “Boyhood”.  For me she was the most enjoyable part of the film.

From the Head: I think Patricia Arquette will be rewarded for her years of dedication to this character.

Best Director

From the Heart: While I chose “Birdman” as my favorite for Best Picture, I absolutely think that Linklater should be rewarded for his years of work on “Boyhood”.  He achieved a feat that many other directors would not even consider attempting.

From the Head: I think it comes down to Inarritu and Linklater and it’s honestly difficult for me to determine who’s going to take this one.

Other Category Choices:

Best Original Screenplay

“Birdman” for its fluid and artistic storyline.

Best Adapted Screenplay

“The Imitation Game” for bringing the story of Alan Turing to the public eye.

Best Original Score

“The Imitation Game” because of its traditional Oscar score.

Best Original Song

“Selma” largely because I would like to see Common and John Legend accept this award as I’m a fan of both of them.

Best Editing

“Boyhood” – I honestly cannot comprehend how much footage Sandra Adair had to sift through in order to weave together a cohesive storyline and she should be rewarded for her sheer dedication.

Best Cinematography

“Birdman” because it was a beautifully crafted visual film.

Best Production Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Probably the most intriguing visuals we’ve seen yet from Wes Anderson.

Best Costume Design

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” – Going hand in hand with the design, the costumes of this movie were stunning.

Best Makeup

“Guardians of the Galaxy”

Best Sound Editing

“Birdman”

Best Sound Mixing

“Whiplash”

Best Visual Effects

“Interstellar”

Best Live-Action Short

“Boogaloo and Graham”.  Those darn chickens!

Koob’s Picks

 

 

 

 

 

Best Picture

From the Heart: “Boyhood” – While this film was groundbreaking by the fact that it was filmed over the course of 12 years, I feel like it goes way beyond just being a gimmick.  Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke were both great and Ellar Coltrane more than held his own and was definitely a surprise.  I remember walking out of the theater and just being blown away by this movie so I’m sticking with that as no other film gave me that feeling this year.

From the Head: “Boyhood” – It seems like it is neck and neck between “Boyhood” and “Birdman” this year and they were both great but I think the Academy will give the slight edge to “Boyhood”.

Best Actor

From the Heart: Michael Keaton in “Birdman” – This was a great performance by a very well liked actor in a very original film.  It’s not just rewarding him for a long career. I think he deserves it.

From the Head: Michael Keaton – Eddie Redmayne was great as Stephen Hawking and this should be another close one but the Academy loves to reward people who have been around for a while and never got their due so I think Keaton will come out on top.

Best Actress

From the Heart: Reese Witherspoon in “Wild” – Julianne Moore was great in “Still Alice” and she’s had a great career so it’s probably her time, but of the five performances Reese’s was the one that moved me the most.

From the Head: Julianne Moore in “Still Alice” – this is a virtual lock.  A well-deserved win for a phenomenal actress who has been a bridesmaid several times before and should now get her due.

Best Supporting Actor

From the Heart: J.K. Simmons in “Whiplash” – Always a tough category as Hawke, Norton, and Ruffalo were all great (not sure why Duvall is even here) but Simmons’ performance was pitch perfect and will be remembered for a long time.

From the Head: This is the year of J.K. Simmons.  He has pretty much won every award and I don’t think the Oscars will be any different.

Best Supporting Actress

From the Heart:  I really liked Laura Dern in “Wild” but I will give the slight edge to Patricia Arquette as a mother who went through some tough relationships but was always there for her kids.

From the Head: Once again, my pick matches up with what I think the Academy will do; Patricia Arquette for the win!

Best Director

From the Heart: This one is probably the toughest for me as “Birdman” was really cool and innovative and “Boyhood” was groundbreaking.  I have to give the edge to Linklater for carrying the project through for twelve years and never losing sight of his ultimate vision.

From the Head: Another very close race but I think Linklater edges out Inarritu.

Other Category Choices

Best Original Screenplay

I think “Birdman” will win here and deservedly so as it was very original.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Not really sure how this one will go down.  I thought Inherent Vice was pretty cool but I think maybe this will be one of the few wins for “The Imitation Game”.

Best Original Score

I didn’t see “Interstellar” or “Mr. Turner”, but I think “The Theory of Everything” will take this one.

Best Original Song

Seems to be a battle between “The Lego Movie” and “Selma”.  I’m going with John Legend and Common from “Selma” in this one.

Best Editing

I would be shocked if “Boyhood” didn’t win this as they put together footage filmed over the course of twelve years and blended it seamlessly together.

Best Cinematography

I’ve only seen “Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” in this category but I think they would have to be the two frontrunners.  I’ll give the slight edge to “Birdman”.

Best Production Design

I’ll go with “The Grand Budapest Hotel” with this one.  Another awesome world created by Wes Anderson.

Best Costume Design

“Grand Budapest” again for this one.

Best Makeup

Steve Carell’s transformation in “Foxcatcher” was pretty amazing, but I’ll go with “Grand Budapest” for this one as well.

Best Sound Editing

I’m going with “Birdman” for this one…

Best Sound Mixing

…and this one.  “Birdman”.

Best Visual Effects

I’ve only seen “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “X-Men” in this category, but from the trailers, I think “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” could take this one.

Best Live-Action Short

I loved the Ireland film “Boogaloo and Graham” about two brothers and their chickens.

Decade Recap – The 1920s and 1930s

 

After seeing the first 12 Best Picture Winners from the 1920s and ’30s, we have yet to have a Double Gobble rating (a perfect 5 star movie), but there were still some very enjoyable films.  All Quiet on the Western Front and It Happened One Night were our favorites while You Can’t Take It With You was the surprise of  the bunch.  Here are the rankings for the first 12 movies:

1) All Quiet on the Western Front – 4.5 stars

2) It Happened One Night – 4 stars

3) You Can’t Take It With You – 3.5

4) Gone With the Wind – 3 stars

Mutiny on the Bounty – 3 stars

Wings – 3 stars

7) Cimarron – 2.5 stars

Grand Hotel – 2.5 stars

The Great Zeigfeld – 2.5 stars

10) The Life of Emile Zola – 2 stars

11) Broadway Melody – 1.5 stars

12) Cavalcade – 1 star

What do you think about our list? Tell us in the comments!

 

Gone With the Wind – Best Picture Winner; 1939

The Basics – Gone With the Wind (1939) – Director, Victor Fleming; starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh; Run Time – 238 mins. – Drama, Romance, War – “A manipulative Southern belle carries on a turbulent affair with a blockade runner during the American Civil War.”

Prior Knowledge

Kristy – I had watched bits and pieces of this film before but never sat down to watch it in its totality.  I am obviously aware of its theme as well as some of its more popular lines.

Koob – This is my mom’s favorite movie and we saw it together on the big screen around 14 years ago.

Fun Facts from IMDB

Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award.

Vivien Leigh worked for 125 days and received about $25,000. Clark Gable worked for 71 days and received over $120,000.

The movie’s line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” was voted as the #1 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

1,400 actresses were interviewed for the part of Scarlett O’Hara. 400 were asked to do readings.

Viewing Source – we own this on DVD but it is available for only $0.99 on Amazon Instant Video

Post Viewing Responses

Ratings (with 1 star = the worst and 5 stars = the best)

Koob: 3 stars

Kristy: 3 stars

Double Gobble Score: 3 stars

 

The Takeaway: A beautifully shot movie with great acting but with an outdated worldview that glorifies the Old South and slavery.

Georgia Peach Chili with Southern Biscuits for “Gone With the Wind”

 

In an effort to keep up with our easy and (somewhat) healthy at-home recipes, we decided to make a hearty chili featuring fresh peaches along with homemade biscuits and mint juleps.

GEORGIA PEACH CHILI – serves 6-8 bowls

Ingredients:

2 lbs. of your favorite chili meat (turkey, beef, or veggie “meat” are all acceptable)

3 cans of red beans

2-3 peaches

2 small jalapenos

2 cloves of garlic

1 large can of diced tomatoes

4 oz. cream cheese

chili powder

red pepper flakes

Montreal steak seasoning (substitute with salt and pepper if you do not have on hand)

Olive oil

1/4 cup bourbon (or whiskey)

Also needed: medium to large crockpot

 

Directions:

Dice up your peaches, jalapenos, and garlic and mix them all together in a large bowl with the bourbon.  Place to the side for later.

Heat a large pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat

Once pan is hot place your meat or “meat” in pan while sprinkling in 2 tablespoons of chili powder and 1 tablespoon of Montreal steak seasoning making sure to stir meat consistently until it is browned.

Bring your meat to low heat and then rinse beans and place them into the crockpot with 1 tablespoon of oil and your can of tomatoes.

Set the crockpot to medium heat and stir cooked meat into the crockpot.

Take out another large pan and set to medium heat adding your peach mixture.

Cook your peach mixture for approximately 6-10 minutes until the mixture is cooked through.

Add peach mixture into the crockpot along with the cream cheese and stir.

Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and leave the chili cooking on low heat for approximately 2-4 hours returning regularly to stir.

Add chili powder to taste throughout the cooking process.

Serve hot and remember that chili always tastes better the next day!

 

SOUTHERN-STYLE BISCUITS

We decided to go simple and authentic and went with the following buttermilk biscuit recipe to go with our chili:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/buttermilk-biscuits-10000001673191/

 

• 6 cl Bourbon whiskey
• 4 fresh mint sprigs
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons water

In a highball glass gently muddle the mint, sugar and water.
Fill the glass with cracked ice, add Bourbon and stir well until the glass is frost.
Garnish with a mint spring.

You Can’t Take It With You – Best Picture Winner; 1938

The Basics – You Can’t Take It With You (1938) – Director – Frank Capra; starring Jean Arthur, Jimmy Stewart, Lionel Barrymore; Run Time – 126 mins. – Comedy, Romance –  “A man from a family of rich snobs becomes engaged to a woman from a good-natured but decidedly eccentric family.”

Prior Knowledge

Kristy – In order to prepare the food, I had to do a little research on the movie, so I know that it is basically about a collision of worlds between two very different families.

Koob – All I know about this movie is that it is by the great Frank Capra.

Fun Facts

–Shortly before filming began, Lionel Barrymore lost the use of his legs to crippling arthritis and a hip injury. To accommodate him, the script was altered so that his character had a sprained ankle, and Barrymore did the film on crutches.

–Lionel Barrymore plays Jean Arthur‘s grandfather in the film. In reality, he was only 22 years her senior.

-A 1938 feature film usually ran to 8,000 feet of film. Frank Capra shot 329,000 feet for this one.

-The original play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was still running on Broadway when the film opened.

–The first film collaboration of Jean Arthur, James Stewart and Frank Capra. Later the same teamed up for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939).

Viewing Source – Free streaming video @ http://stagevu.com/video/lchbzzytrcbd

Post Viewing Responses

 

Ratings (with 1 star = the worst and 5 stars = the best)

Koob: 3 stars

Kristy: 4 stars

Double Gobble Score: 3.5 stars

 

The Takeaway: An under-appreciated Frank Capra film that should be recognized by modern audiences for its witty, intelligent comedy and memorable cast of characters.

 

Garlic-Saffron Seafood Soup w/Instant Ramen for “You Can’t Take It With You”

Since a critical scene in “You Can’t Take it With You” features a stuffy, rich family and an eccentric, middle-class family coming together for an impromptu dinner party , we decided to do our take on a high-low family dinner combining some high-quality ingredients with some ingredients that are more likely to be found in a college dorm room:

Garlic-Saffrom Seafood Soup w/Instant Ramen – (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 bulb of garlic

2 frozen tilapia filets (or another flaky whitefish) – defrost before cooking

6-8 pieces of shrimp

2 packets of Top Ramen instant noodle soup (you will not be using the flavor packets)

1/4 cream of whole milk

1/2 cup of frozen corn

1 quart organic vegetable broth

pinch of saffron

dash of black pepper

Directions:

First roast the bulb of garlic in your oven.

When garlic is fully cooked, pour vegetable broth into a large soup pot and add the saffron.

Bring to a boil.

While broth is cooking, take roasted garlic clove and place in a blender with the cream/milk and liquify.

Once the broth reaches a boil, stir your milk mixture into the pot and bring the heat down to a low-medium temperature.

Place fish and shrimp into pot to cook for approximately three minutes and stir.  The fish will break up into chunks during the stirring process.

Add ramen noodles and corn and let simmer until both corn and noodles are fully cooked (approximately 3-5 minutes).

Sprinkle on the black pepper.

Take off of heat and let cool before serving in a large soup bowl.

Champagne cocktail

The beverage for your high-low meal should be a glass of your favorite brut champagne with a splash of fruit punch.

 

 

 

A Symphony of Cheeses for “The Life of Emile Zola”

Cheese in all its incarnations is definitely one of Kristy and Koob’s favorite foods, and France is the home of so many delicious cheeses. But with so many different kinds, it can be a bit overwhelming to choose just one. As Charles de Gaulle once famously said of France, “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese”.

Emile Zola captured this sentiment in his 1873 novel “Le Ventre de Paris (The Belly of Paris)”. Much of the novel focuses on Les Halles which was the central market of Paris for many years. While the book is a social commentary on the struggles of the working class and the “fattening” of the bourgeoisie, it is also filled with beautifully descriptive passages of the amazing variety of food found at Les Halles; the most well-known of which is the “Cheese Symphony” which is excerpted below:

All around them the cheeses were stinking. On the two shelves at the back of the stall were huge blocks of butter: Brittany butter overflowing its baskets; Normandy butter wrapped in cloth, looking like models of bellies on to which a sculptor had thrown some wet rags; other blocks, already cut into and looking like high rocks full of valleys and crevices. […] But for the most part the cheeses stood in piles on the table. There, next to the one-pound packs of butter, a gigantic cantal was spread on leaves of white beet, as though split by blows from an axe; then came a golden Cheshire cheese, a gruyère like a wheel fallen from some barbarian chariot, some Dutch cheeses suggesting decapitated heads smeared in dried blood and as hard as skulls – which has earned them the name of ‘death’s heads’. A parmesan added its aromatic tang to the thick, dull smell of the others. […] Then came the strong-smelling cheeses: the mont-d’ors, pale yellow, with a mild sugary smell; the troyes, very thick and bruised at the edges, much stronger, smelling like a damp cellar; the camemberts, suggesting high game; the neufchâtels, the limbourgs, the marolles, the pont-l’évèques, each adding its own shrill note in a phrase that was harsh to the point of nausea; […]
A silence fell at the mention of Gavard. They all looked at each other cautiously. As they were all rather short of breath by this time, it was the camembert they could smell. This cheese, with its gamy odour, had overpowered the milder smells of the marolles and the limbourg; its power was remarkable. Every now and then, however, a slight whiff, a flute-like note, came from the parmesan, while the bries came into play with their soft, musty smell, the gentle sound, so to speak, of a damp tambourine. The livarot launched into an overwhelming reprise, and the géromé kept up the symphony with a sustained note.

( The Belly of Paris, by Émile Zola, Oxford University Press, translated by Brian Nelson, 2007, p210-216)

So grab yourself some brie or some roquefort or some camembert (personally, we say the stinkier the better) and enjoy “The Life of Emile Zola” while creating your own cheese symphony.

The Life of Emile Zola: Best Picture Winner – 1937

The Basics – The Life of Emile Zola (1937) – Director – William Dieterle; Paul Muni, Gale Sondergaard, Joseph Schildkraut; Run Time – 116 mins. – Biography, Drama – “The biopic of the famous French muckraking writer and his involvement in fighting the injustice of the Dreyfuss Affair.”

Prior Knowledge

Kristy – The only thing I know is that Emile Zola was a well-known French author and activist.

Koob – The only knowledge that I have of this movie was what I read on Wikipedia about Emile Zola; that he was a French writer and that he wrote “J’accuse” and was involved in the Dreyfus Affair

Fun Facts from IMDB

The film was shot in reverse order; Paul Muni grew his own beard for the role, and it was trimmed and darkened as he proceeded to scenes where Zola is younger. His makeup took 3-1/2 hours to apply each morning.

 Studio boss Jack L. Warner, who was himself Jewish, personally ordered that the word “Jew” be removed from all dialogue in this movie, apparently in order not to offend the Nazi regime and hurt business for the film in Germany–this according to Ben Urwand in his controversial 2013 study, ‘The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact With Hitler’.

This was the first film to receive 10 Academy Award nominations.

Considered highly contentious in France, the film wasn’t granted a proper release in that country until 1952

Viewing Source – Amazon Instant Video ($2.99 rental)

Post Viewing Responses

Ratings (with 1 star = the worst and 5 stars = the best)

Koob: 2 stars

Kristy: 2 atars

Double Gobble Score: 2 stars

The Takeaway: A fairly standard biopic with some solid acting and an interesting history lesson.

Don’t Forget to Check Out “About Me”

Hello Double Gobblers!

We just wanted to take the time to point out our “About Double Gobble” section, where you will find a video of Koob and Kristy explaining why they have chosen to start this blog as well as an explaination of the rating system and the story behind the title, “Double Gobble”

You will also find a link to the movie trailer that played at Koob and Kristy’s movie themed wedding a little over a year ago.

Enjoy!

The Great Ziegfeld – Best Picture Winner; 1936

The Basics – The Great Ziegfeld (1936) – Director, Robert Z. Leonard; starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Louise Rainer; Run Time – 176 mins. – Biography, Drama, Musical -“This biography follows the ups and downs of Florenz Ziegfeld, famed producer of extravagant stage revues.”

Prior Knowledge

Kristy – I know of Ziegfled as a legend on Broadway, however, I know nothing about the actual film itself but I’m expecting large musical numbers with fancy, feathered ladies.

Koob – I have heard of the Ziegfled Follies and know that Ziegfeld was a legendary producer on Broadway but know nothing about the actual film.

Fun Facts from IMDB

-The sequence “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody” was filmed in two lengthy takes after several weeks of rehearsals and filming (a definite cut is made when moving to a close-up on the singer dressed as Pagliacci, presumably to effect a change of camera position, necessary to start the inexorable move up the huge staircase). It features 180 performers and cost $220,000; 4,300 yards of rayon silk were used for the curtains in the scene.

-Myrna Loy, who received second billing for this film, does not actually appear on screen until 2 hours and 15 minutes into the movie.

-Pat Nixon (then Patricia Ryan), the future wife of Richard Nixon and the First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974, makes an uncredited appearance as a Ziegfeld girl.

-A.A. Trimble, who portrays Will Rogers in the film, was actually a Cleveland map salesman who frequently impersonated Rogers at Rotarian lunches.

Viewing Source – Amazon Instant Video ($2.00 rental)

Post Viewing Responses

Ratings (with 1 star = the worst and 5 stars = the best)

Koob: 3 stars

Kristy: 2 stars

Double Gobble Score: 2.5 stars

The Takeaway: Watch for the elaborate recreation of Ziegfeld’s Follies, but make sure you clear your schedule (it’s a long one!).