Friday, April 21, 2017

Friday, April 21, 2017

What the Beck???

It has been since January 8th, 2016 that I posted my Bucket List.  I was so focused on the movies that I forgot about everything else on the list. Am I driven or what???
I updated it and happily crossed off some things I have accomplished!

My Bucket List

send greeting cards in a timely fashion

learn a new skill

invite my neighbor women to a tea luncheon

submit an article to a magazine

Host a family brunch

Talk a walk or dance in the rain

I want to create units for teachers to purchase

Write a book on organizing a home

Use my dogs to design a series of greeting cards

Plan my funeral

Spend a fun day with each of my nieces/nephews (Alaina has          volunteered to be first!)
Take a formal cooking class
Organize and host a Christmas Caroling Party
Watch the IMBd list of the best 250 movies
Vacation in Colorado
Create a list of home repairs
Prepare to teach a new course at Aurora University
Visit a Zoo and photograph the animals
Have absolutely no debt
Set up a schedule for next summer to visit area cities
Organize and purge the basement
I am going to learn as much as I can about large animals
Make repairs in each and every room of my home to prepare to sell
Research Hadrian’s Wall for visit to Scotland
Enter a quilt in a local fair
Write a book about school for parents
Host a game party
Purchase a new car or truck
I would like to learn more about fostering animals
Visit the narrowed list of Kentucky towns each for a weekend
Have a B.M.I. of 24.9 or lower
Return to Florida/Alabama and see old friends
Play tennis again
Learn to play bridge
Have an in-ground pool
Finish writing a book on the Scent Family
Save up enough money for a down payment on my Kentucky house
Research every town in Kentucky in hopes of relocating
Work on learning calligraphy and bettering daily penmanship
Begin making my own clothing using a mannequin
Volunteer at an animal rescue
Visit all 50 states
Take a photography course
Complete all of Mom’s and my scrapbooks
Go skiing again in Colorado
Meet the Duggar and Bates families
Watch every nominee and winner for the Academy Awards to date
Remodel my kitchen
Take piano lessons
Write 2 books for my great-niece and nephews
Travel to Wales
Travel to Scotland

Take an Alaskan cruise

Bucket List Movie Update

Academy Award Nominated Movies

(my goal is to have watched EVERY Academy Award nominated Best Picture nominee since the beginning of the Academy Awards in 1927)

2002     Chicago

starring: Taye Diggs, Cliff Saunders, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee                      Zellweger, Dominic West, Jayne Eastwood, Richard Gere

plot –   Velma, played by Zeta-Jones, is a husband killer being                         defended by Billy Flynn, Richard Gere. Roxie, Zellweger,                 is also sent to jail and will work with Billy Flynn, too.                     The women battle each other.

This was a very good movie. I never knew that Zeta-Jones and Zellweger were such outstanding dancer and singers. I was amazed.

1994     Pulp Fiction

starring:  Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Laura Lovelace, John Travolta,                   Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Eric Stoltz, Rosanna                     Arquette, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken,

plot –     A crime story where Vega (Travolta) and Winnfield                           (Jackson) are hitmen. The story delves in to the lives of                 their boss, his wife, a boxer, robbers, and a lot of drug                   use.

I know this is a classic, but excessive drug use and killing people are not on my list of enjoyable movies. There were some funny moments, an I love to watch Travolta dance, but otherwise I will pass on watching this movie again.

1998     Shakespeare in Love

starring:  John Madden, Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey                     Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench

plot –    The movie focuses on Shakespeare as a young man, who is                   struggling to succeed until he meets a woman. He is                     then able to write a great play.

I usually hate anything related to Shakespeare, but not this one. It is probably because it was not spoken in verse. I enjoyed this one.

2000     Gladiator

starring:  Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed,                 Richard Harris

plot –    Maximus, was chosen to lead, but lost the power to                           Commodus. Maximus now leads a horrible life until he                   becomes a great gladiator and sees Commodus again.

This was a really good movie and won the Academy Award in 2000. The storyline was excellent and I understood the violence, even though I don’t ever like it.

1990     Ghost

starring:  Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg

plot –    Sam (Swayze) needs to solve his own murder. He also tries to                 connect with his wife, Molly through psychic, Goldberg.                 Once Sam accomplishes these two things he can go to              Heaven.

This was a fabulous movie. Swayze, Moore, and Goldberg were amazing in their roles. I had so many emotions and reactions. I was happy to see the couple’s relationship, yet sad when he died. Goldberg brings humor to this story. This is a movie that everyone should see. You will love it.

1957     Sayonara

starring:  Marlon Brando, Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott,                   Milko Taka, Red Buttons

plot –    The love story of an Air Force Major and his Japanese                         girlfriend. They eventually fight all opponents to marry.

This was a pretty good movie. I am a sucker for a love story that has obstacles trying to undo their love.

1946     Henry V

starring:  Laurence Olivier, Leslie Banks, Robert Newton, Renee                         Asherson, Leo Genn

plot –    Olivier was the producer, director, and star of the film. This                   is the story of King Henry the Fifth during the Hundred                 Years’ War. He is trying to take over France.

This was an okay movie. I looked at it as another movie about British royalty.

2000     Traffic

starring:  Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Vargas, Andrew Chavez, Michael                     Douglas, Don Cheadle, Michael Saucedo, Tomas Millan

plot –    The president hires a judge to tackle the rising problem of                   drugs. The judge’s own daughter is an addict, which he                 was unaware of at the time. 

A pretty intense movie.

I have now watched 474/527 movies, and have only 53 to go,

That is until I add the new ones for 2016! Unfortunately, the Aurora library is out of the ones I need, so I am now on the hunt in Bardstown, Kentucky. 

There were 9 movies nominated this year so my ratio is now 474/536. I now need to watch 62 movies to reach my goal and cross it off of my list