Fast and the Furious 8 World Premiere

When we lived in Arlington, the seventh Fast and the Furious movie came out and, in preparation, Mike and his friends spent a Saturday watching all of the Fast and the Furious movies before going to see the new one. I think they all agreed that it wasn't going to win any Academy Awards, but their love for the series never wavered.

About a month ago, Mike found out that the Fast and the Furious 8 World Premiere would be taking place here in Berlin. You can imagine his excitement when we found out it would be open to the public via tickets and that Vin Diesel and Charlize Theron would be coming to walk the red carpet! Since we will probably never live in LA or New York where these premieres take place in the United States, this was our only chance to partake in a movie premiere and it didn't disappoint. Plus, we'd get to see the movie two weeks early, so it was a win/win.

We really had no idea what to expect.  We weren't even sure of what to wear. Do we dress up? What time do we get there? Is it going to be crowded?  We decided not to dress up, which was good because no one else was besides the celebrities and to get downtown around five to grab a quick dinner beforehand.  The doors opened at 6:30, but we were shocked to see a line already formed when we got off the metro at 5:00.  Add in the fact that it was pretty disorganized and our dinner at Vapiano's took for.ev.er. and we were far back in line.

We did end up getting in and getting a pretty good spot along the red carpet (after scoping out some of the cars they had on display), but it was a few rows behind people.  We aren't the tallest people, so this was a bummer, but we pushed our way as close as we could and ended up being able to see a few spots if we craned our necks. We were definitely taken aback by how many people were there!  I would say several hundred!

We made it inside!

 The premiere hosts made their debut around seven and then the celebrities followed shortly.  Luckily, they had a big screen TV that we could watch the interviews on, but we were also able to see almost everyone from a varying distance.  I really wanted Charlize Theron to rub my belly, but she didn't make it all the way around the carpet to our spot unfortunately.  Vin Diesel did though!! He walked right by us, shaved head, muscle t-shirt and all!

You see the blonde haired woman with the bare back? That's Charlize Theron!

The guy in the plaid suit is the director

And that bald head? Vin Diesel of course!

Oh hey Vin Diesel!

Shortly after the celebrities walked the red carpet, we headed inside to watch the movie.  It was originally scheduled for eight, but by the time everyone made their way inside, it was closer to nine. So much for German punctuality (Mike doesn't actually believe it's a thing.  I'm skeptical at best). 

Two hours, one submarine and lots of laughs later, we left happy and satisfied with our choice to attend the premiere.  We went in with extremely low expectations for the actual movie (have you seen the other seven?), but the movie was fun, the acting was....decent and there was a submarine doing completely unrealistic things, so what more could you ask for?  When we got home, I think we were both on a high from the whole experience because we just kept saying "that was SO cool!" There are definitely a few things we would change (getting there earlier being one) and I was beyond exhausted after standing for two hours, but it was totally worth it!  

2017 Academy Awards Predictions

My friend Karen LOVES the Oscars.  She always makes it a point to see all of the films nominated for Best Picture, as well as few others. Most years, the Academy Awards rolls around and I've seen maybe one or two of the nominated films.  This year, however, I made a point to see at least a decent amount.  Even though the Oscars won't start until 2am our time, I'm still following all of the predictions and reading about all of the fanfare. And who knows? I've been waking up at 4am every night and unable to fall back asleep for at least two hours, so maybe I'll get up and try and stream it online.  Mayyyyybe. 

Here are my predictions for what will win vs. what should win when it comes to the big awards.  I've also seen a few of the films nominated in other categories.  Let me know what you think!

Best Picture

Nominees: Arrival/ Fences/ Hackshaw Ridge/ Hell or High Water/ La La Land/ Lion/ Manchester by the Sea/ Moonlight/ Hidden Figures

Seen La La Land, Hackshaw Ridge, Arrival and Hidden Figures

 I really enjoyed Arrival, but thought it was the weakest of all of the Best Picture nominations. I think Hidden Figures was "the best" of the other three, if you can even judge that, but honestly, I walked out of all three with huge admiration for each film.   Hackshaw Ridge wasn't an enjoyable movie by any means (I cried through about a third of it), but it was phenomenal nonetheless. La La Land didn't have the history or "message" behind it like the others did, but was a lot of fun and the cinematography was fantastic.  And finally, I left Hidden Figures feeling empowered and proud of my fellow women, but also really enjoyed the story about NASA and trying to get men into space before the Russians. 

Will Win: La La Land seems to be getting all of the buzz, so I'm guessing that. 

Should Win: I'm really pushing for Hidden Figures!

Best Actress

Nominees: Isabelle Huppert, “Elle” / Ruth Negga, “Loving” / Natalie Portman, “Jackie” / Emma Stone, “La La Land” / Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Seen:  Jackie and La La Land

I went into 'Jackie' thinking it would be lighthearted and portray Jackie Kennedy as this classy woman.  Instead, it focuses on the week after the assassination of her husband, which left Jackie Kennedy in a much different state than how she normally portrayed herself. Not quite what I expected, but definitely an interesting look at Jackie Kennedy. 

Will Win: Everything is saying Isabelle Huppert for Elle.  I haven't seen it, but I've heard great things!

Should Win:  I'm voting for Jackie! Natalie Portman was incredible!!  Although I'm pretty upset that Taraji Henson wasn't nominated for Hidden Figures.  I'd probably still vote for Natalie Portman, but Henson was so good in Hidden Figures.

Best Actor

Nominees: Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea” / Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge” / Ryan Gosling, “La La Land” / Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic” / Denzel Washington, “Fences

Seen: Hackshaw Ridge and La La Land

I thought Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge was good, but not deserving of Best Actor. The more I learn about Ryan Gosling and his role in La La Land, the more I'm a fan.  He learned to play the piano just for that part!

Will Win: I think Casey Affleck is the favorite, but I'm in the group of people rooting against him for his sexual harassment allegations.  

Should Win:  Based on the two that I've seen, I'm voting for Ryan Gosling, but I love Denzel Washington, so I'd get on board with that too, even though I haven't seen Fences.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Viola Davis, “Fences” / Naomie Harris, “Moonlight” / Nicole Kidman, “Lion” / Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures” / Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

Seen: Hidden Figures

Most people are saying that everyone in this category has done bigger and better things, which I can agree with for Octavia Spencer (she was great in Hidden Figures, but she's had more dynamic and deeper roles).  I'm a big Viola Davis fan from How to Get Away With Murder, and Nicole Kidman is always fantastic. 

Will Win: Viola Davis is getting all of the support in this category.

Should Win: Octavia Spencer was great in Hidden Figures, but I'm guessing from all of the talk that Viola Davis probably should win. 

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight” / Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water” / Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea” / Dev Patel, “Lion” / Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

I haven't seen any of the movies from this category!! Tragedy! I really want to see Lion and I've heard Moonlight is incredible.  We're also planning on renting Manchester by the Sea at some point, but haven't gotten around to it.   

Will Win: The talk is saying Mahershala Ali because, even though his role in Moonlight was small, he did a lot with it. 

Should Win: Mahershala Ali sounds like he should get it, although Jeff Bridges apparently was great and very "Jeff Bridges."

Other random Oscar thoughts....

• La La Land should win all of the technical and soundtrack awards because it was amazing to watch on screen.  Arrival might give it a run for it's money in the cinematography categories, but La La Land just blew me away. 
• The costumes in Jackie were mind blowing. I don't usually notice those types of things, but it was one of my first thoughts when I walked out of the theater.

Who are you rooting for?  What will be the big film this year?