WHAT IS YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK? MOVIE?

Steph over at Paper Cut Reviews posed this question and I thought it would be fun to answer it in a post!

I have a lot of favorite books, but I feel like a person's favorite book of all time should be one they have re-read many times.  I have read this book 4 times (although the 4th was listening to a less than stellar abridged audio version *frown*) and I know I will read it again someday.  So why do I love the third book in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles the most?  This is the book that tells the history and the origins of the vampires.  It takes us back to ancient Egypt and surrounding areas and explores ancient customs.  I think I love it for the historical details and it will always hold a special place because it was the first Anne Rice book I ever read.  Yes, I read the third book first!

Until I saw this movie, Excalibur was my favorite movie (it probably is still my second favorite).  Of course, I love any kind of historical epic movie, but something in the story of Scotland's 13th Century hero, William Wallace, really spoke to me.  I remember seeing the movie in the summer of 1995 and I was in awe.  I came out of the movie and said to my boyfriend (now my husband), "This movie should win an Academy Award!"  Ten months later (and it's almost unheard of for a movie released almost a year previously to win), Braveheart won FIVE Oscars, including best picture and best director! I was beyond thrilled! Well, that was 15 years ago and it still remains my favorite movie.  Despite what people may think of Mel Gibson (I do not judge...he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone), he is a brilliant director.  His film, Apocalypto, is another of my favorites.

So which book and movie are your favorites?

OSCAR Watch

Almost as strong as my love for books is my love for movies...almost! One of my favorite things about the movies is the Academy Awards...the OSCARS.  I look forward every year to that 3-4 hour broadcast that is the defining moment of anyone in the movie business.  I start watching early on for great movies and performances that I believe have a chance for OSCAR glory.  Case in point...Summer 1995, my boyfriend (now my husband) and I saw Braveheart for the first time.  As we were leaving the theater, I remarked to him, "This movie should be nominated for a best picture OSCAR."  Fast forward to March 1996--Braveheart goes on to win two of the highest OSCAR honors...Best Picture and Best Director, Mel Gibson.  Of course, those who know me know that Braveheart is my favorite movie of all time so naturally I would use it as an example, but you get my point.  I enjoy making OSCAR predictions!

My first prediction of the year involves Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.  This was a great movie and while I believe that it might have a chance for a nom in the best picture category--especially since the number of noms in that category has expanded from 5 to 10 this year--and also a best director nom for Tarantino, the stand out in this film is Austrian actor Christoph Waltz.

    

Waltz's portrayal of Nazi colonel Hans Landa, or "The Jew Hunter" as he is nicknamed in the film, is absolutely brilliant.  He won the 2009 best actor prize in Cannes and it's easy to see why.  This is the Nazi that you would be truly afraid of...ambiguously polite and magnetic, but subtlety evil and cruel.  It is his well-acted part that grounds Inglourious Basterds and makes it a far better film than it would have been without him.  It will be a great travesty if Waltz does not receive a nomination in the best supporting actor category.  If you are not a fan of Tarantino, the movie is worth seeing just to see the genius acting of Christoph Waltz.  If you are a Tarantino fan, then this is a movie of his you should not miss and Waltz's portrayal is just an added bonus.

So this is my first OSCAR watch of the year.  Let's see how it plays out in the coming months.  More OSCAR watch posts coming soon... 

See you at the movies!