And the Award goes to...(Part 2)

Posted by Pippa Edelen

-An Education-
Capitalizing on having a dear friend home after the holidays, we scoured The Oregonian to find the charming film An Education. I’m thrilled we did – it’s my pick for Best Pic. A darling coming-of-age movie that engrosses without nonsensical tragedy or drama, An Education boasts the best combination of scenery, characters and acting of all the films I’ve seen in 2009. The costumes are amazing and the music is delightful. A fan of Peter Scaarsgard for many years, he has all the talent of Ewen McGregor with his own polish and flair. And Carey Mulligan is absolutely one to watch and I am doubly excited to see her in next year’s sequal to Wall Street. A truly darling, enjoyable film that I loved even more because it had the distinct look of film would be ideal for a Runco VX-3000, which offers film purity and colors without any distraction of the 1961-England setting.

An Education celebrates life in 1961 and you’ll be inspired to drink along. Baccarat saucer cups with champagne are a perfect accompaniment. And a martini makes more than one appearance in the film.

The perfect vodka dirty martini
2 oz Belvedere vodka
1 tbsp dry vermouth
2 tbsp olive juice
2 olives

Place an ice cube and a small amount of water in a cocktail glass. Place in freezer for 2 - 3 minutes. ?
Fill a mixer with all ingredients including garnish. Cover and shake hard 3 - 4 times. ?
Remove cocktail glass from freezer, and empty. Strain contents of the mixer into the cocktail glass, include one of the olives, and serve with a mysterious smile.

-Up in the Air-
As a onetime very frequent traveler (hit 1K by May one year), I loved the concept of Up in the Air. I can relate to being so addicted to life on the road (or, at least, accustomed) that you begin to forget how to live life at home. I also know the itch to get back on the road that you get when you’re grounded for a long period of time. I’m well-passed that itch now and love nothing more than weeks of being home, but both the book and the movie will strike a chord for anyone who has come home with multiple magnetic hotel keys in your bag (bonus if you stayed in more than one Marriott Courtyard on a trip and you forgot what room you were in because they are so incredibly identical), boasting about your accrued miles and showing off all your status at various rental car agencies, hotels and airlines. However, for those of you wondering, the book and movie are distant cousins of each other with little in common. I surprisingly found both to be pretty lackluster and fail to see the genius at puts this film in Best Picture company, but it’s a great pick for a Friday-night rental on the majorly-impressive Runco XP-OPAL65 65” plasma, especially if you’re a George Clooney fan. And really, who isn’t?

Enjoy with small packs of food, especially peanuts, pretzels, sparking water and bourbon, neat. Bonus points for watching it while in a hotel and getting room service!

Pippa has a degree in Journalism from UofO and spends most of her time writing fancy words, orchestrating events, shining up websites and generating press for Runco.