Movies to See in January 2014: Possible Oscar Contenders?

I want to devote January 2014 to seeing films that may garner Oscar nods. I know this could bankrupt me, but I'd love to attempt it anyway.

How do we know about the Oscar nominations? It's partially intuition and partially because of the Golden Globes. ;)

Here's a picture of Jennifer Lawrence since everyone loves her. Everyone except Joan Rivers.

First Movie: "Her" by Spike Jonze starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Mara Rooney. Out nationwide Jan. 10.

This has an incredible Rotten Tomatoes rating. Like, 92%? That is unheard of good! This will also be me come next year; I'm going to become enamored with my gophone I just know it.

Second Movie: "Saving Mr. Banks" by John Lee Hancock starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson. Out everywhere now, more or less.

Did you know the writer behind "Mary Poppins" was a bisexual feminist who penned erotica? Me neither. Tom Hanks grates my nerves sometimes, but Emma Thompson is a gift.

Third Movie: "The Wolf of Wall Street" by Martin Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill. Also out everywhere (even in Erie!)

Leo looks great! And this movie is all true- which is disturbing and somewhat disgusting. The real "Wolf of Wall Street" is free today and WORKS AS A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER.

Plus this is gross. I want to see this movie, but I don't think I'll be cheering.

p.s. I want to be Leonardo DiCaprio. Like, for a day.

Fourth Movie: "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by Ben Stiller starring, uh, Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig- oh and Adam Scott. Out everywhere.

Reviews are mixed, but it still seems worth viewing. It's based off James Thurber's charming short story, something most people aren't acknowledging.

Fifth Movie: "August: Osage County" by John Wells starring Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and the universe. Out Jan. 10.

In my head, I've begun to refer to this as "Steel Magnolias: Part Deux."

M'Lynn: That sanctuary looks like it's been hosed down with Pepto Bismol!

Shelby: I like pink! Pink is my signature color.

Truvy: How many bridesmaids?

Shelby: Nine!

Truvy: Nine?! Good Lord!!

Shelby: Exactly. Mama made me have my cousins and Margie St. Maurice.

M'Lynn: Shelby, let's not go into this now! You know there was no way around it!

Shelby: It will be pretentious. And Daddy always says, An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure.

If I see all of these movies, I will blog about it. If I don't, you know.

You know.

"Anchors" - AM Higgins

Here's a nice breezy, almost sensual song from AM Higgins (the solo project of musician Annie Toth) to start your Tuesday off right. Her debut album "Hymning" will be out November 5th on Victorialand Records. The album was mixed by Casey Foubert, a frequent collaborator of Sufjan Stevens. The album "captures the first years of moving from an American city to rural France." Sounds like "Hymning" will be a welcome escape from the world we live in right now, especially considering that Annie Toth counts poets Mary Oliver and Thomas Merton as influences.

"Happy New Year"- Let's Eat Grandma

There's no way to start the New Year like some extremely upbeat music about the New Year! That's where this new synthpop-heavy single from the British duo Let's Eat Grandma comes into play. It's a delightful song, and it helps increase any excitement about their third album, "Two Ribbons," which will be out this April. I personally am looking forward to hearing more from Let's Eat Grandma, who deserve way more attention than they currently get. Hopefully, 2022 will be a big year for them. Here's one of their older tracks I quite like:

3 New Lana Songs Come Out From Upcoming Album "Blue Banisters"

Not even that far off from "Chemtrails Over The Country Club" being released this past March, Lana Del Rey dropped three new singles off her upcoming project, "Blue Banisters." They include the title track, "Text Book," and "Wildflower Wildfire." All three songs seem to merge the worlds of "COCC" with "Norman Fucking Rockwell," specifically Lana's mouthful of a track "Hope is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me To Have But I Have It." They also seem uncharacteristically more confessional than most of Lana's catalog to date, specifically "Wildflower Wildfire," which alludes to a conflict with her mother. She even starts the track with "Here's the deal," readying to show more of her backstory than she ever has in her decade-plus-long career. The three songs are gorgeous - especially "Text Book," which has a haunting quality to it (she mentions "Black Lives Matter" i

The Useless Critic 2.0

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