I've always been interested in the Oscars even though I've had only one opportunity to watch the whole ceremony from beginning to end (in Europe, it is shown in the wee hours of the morning and, well, I don't even have a TV). The gathering of so many movie stars we all know, the newest movies being shown and rewarded, and just to think this grand celebration of the art of filmmaking is taking place in Hollywood (like it or not, the mecca of motion pictures) is enough to have me a little excited on that special day.

Naturally, another intriguing aspect of the event is to know who among the many nominees will win the prize in the various categories. This is often subject to disappointment but regardless, making predictions and encouraging his favorites has always been a gently addictive game, almost a tradition if it wasn't for the years when no movie stands out. The Oscars have a long history, the award for Best Picture was first given in 1927 and this year will be the 82nd ceremony. As a movie fan, one thing that recently got me thinking is how many Best Picture winners have I seen. There's my answer and I think I did pretty good though a few big names are shamefully missing from that list:

• 2008: Slumdog Millionaire
• 2007: No Country for Old Men
• 2006: The Departed
• 2005: Crash
• 2004: Million Dollar Baby
• 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• 2002: Chicago
• 2001: A Beautiful Mind
• 2000: Gladiator
• 1999: American Beauty
• 1998: Shakespeare in Love
• 1997: Titanic
• 1996: The English Patient
• 1995: Braveheart
• 1994: Forrest Gump
• 1993: Schindler’s List
• 1992: Unforgiven
• 1991: The Silence of the Lambs
• 1990: Dances with Wolves
• 1989: Driving Miss Daisy
• 1988: Rain Man
• 1987: The Last Emperor
• 1986: Platoon
• 1985: Out of Africa
• 1984: Amadeus
• 1983: Terms of Endearment
• 1982: Gandhi
• 1981: Chariots of Fire
• 1980: Ordinary People
• 1979: Kramer vs. Kramer
• 1978: The Deer Hunter
• 1977: Annie Hall
• 1976: Rocky
• 1975: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
• 1974: The Godfather Part II
• 1973: The Sting
• 1972: The Godfather
• 1971: The French Connection
• 1970: Patton
• 1969: Midnight Cowboy
• 1968: Oliver!
• 1967: In the Heat of the Night
• 1966: A Man for All Seasons
• 1965: The Sound of Music
• 1964: My Fair Lady
• 1963: Tom Jones
• 1962: Lawrence of Arabia
• 1961: West Side Story
• 1960: The Apartment
• 1959: Ben-Hur
• 1958: Gigi
• 1957: The Bridge on the River Kwai
• 1956: Around the World in 80 Days
• 1955: Marty
• 1954: On the Waterfront
• 1953: From Here to Eternity
• 1952: The Greatest Show on Earth
• 1951: An American in Paris
• 1950: All about Eve
• 1949: All the Kings Men
• 1948: Hamlet
• 1947: Gentleman's Agreement
• 1946: The Best Years of Our Lives
• 1945: The Lost Weekend
• 1944: Going My Way
• 1943: Casablanca
• 1942: Mrs. Miniver
• 1941: How Green Was My Valley
• 1940: Rebecca
• 1939: Gone with the Wind
• 1938: You Can't Take It with You
• 1937: The Life of Emile Zola
• 1936: The Great Ziegfeld
• 1935: Mutiny on the Bounty
• 1934: It Happened One Night
• 1932/1933: Cavalcade
• 1931/1932: Grand Hotel
• 1930/1931: Cimarron
• 1929/1930: All Quiet on the Western Front
• 1928/1929: The Broadway Melody
• 1927/1928: Wings

I've been inspired by the movie section from M0rphine.com. I want to do something similar just for this year. Even though I've kept tracks of all the different movies I've been watching since I was maybe 15 or 16 (and also the ones I remember seeing before that), I haven't recorded the date or number of viewings, just the names. Besides, my movie-watching habits have been deteriorating in recent years. I've seen thousands of movies, I used to watch on average more than one everyday (1.5, I updated my stats yearly back then), nowadays I think I just watch a few or less every month. This will help me to know exactly how many and perhaps improve — Stilla, if you read this, don't think I want to compete with you, unlike what I suggested before, I just want to try something similar for myself!

So here goes the list, I'll bump this topic at the end of every month (if I remember):

February

• Goya's Ghosts (2006)
• Tom Jones (1963)
• After the Fox (1966)
• Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)
  
• Iron Man (2008)

January

• Häxan (1922)
  
• The Trial (1962)
  
• Dogma (1999)
  
• The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
  

And suddenly I changed the layout of my long lost blog. I went back to the roots, to one of the default designs and started to trim the needless parts and alter the others. The result is that for the first time since I joined Tabulas, I am actually happy with the way my blog looks! I haven't finished though, there are still several things to change, including the background; I want to get as far as I can from the original design so that I feel it really belongs to me. Hopefully this unexpected revival will motivate me to start writing! Because frankly I can't remember having posted anything here but totally pointless and stupid entries.

To be honest, this wasn't all accidental. I had planned for a long time to make use of this blog, and it was very likely to happen this year since I'm taking time away from the consuming involvement in my website 1UP (about retrogaming) to return to web design and try some new things, which I will maybe discuss here. But I had no idea it would turn out so well so fast, and today of all day! (got up at 7 with totally different plans, got nothing productive until late afternoon)

Pope Benedict was preaching in Sydney, Australia, criticizing this decadent modern era. To some extent, he is right. But one doesn't need to be a member of the Catholic church to realize many things in our society are wrong, from the promotion of sex and violence to the use of drug and alcohol as well as the degradation of our natural environment. Anyone with enough common sense knows all that.

The problem however is not the stance, it's the intent. We know what's going on in his mind. It is not just about the abuses, the excesses, it is any expression of sexuality and violence, even in the arts, that offend the church. He and his devote followers yearn for a world where people would primarily get "entertained" by their faith, where learning the word of God would be everyone's favorite healthy hobby. This is tamed radicalism; they're not ready to enforce their views but those views are tightly bound to a centuries-old doctrine.

Among other things, he said:

"I ask myself, could anyone standing face to face with people who actually do suffer violence and sexual exploitation explain that these tragedies, portrayed in virtual form, are considered merely entertainment?"

This is a shamefully hypocritical argument coming from the church. We could turn around the question and ask if the bible, which is also a portrayal in virtual form of violence, sexual exploitation (of women) and other numerous abuses is merely an innocent instrument of worship that does not attempt to proselytize people by terrorizing them psychologically.

I've got to write about that thing somewhere, it's too absurd not to be shared. But where ? It didn't seem right to send it to the people I know, they wouldn't really care, and then I remember I have this blog ! Oh, sweet, lovely, unused blog. One day I should really try to make something out of you, maybe not a man but at least a proper website. Anyways. I was doing some Google AdSense testing in localhost when I noticed a strangely written ad. I went to check their website, and so should you: http://www.ri.fi/ It's a well-designed site, very serious, downright professional. Just by the look of it you'd feel like entrusting them your business, unless... you got there by clicking their ad: