The Dooryard

Film reviewers announce head-scratching top-10 films

The film awards season has kicked off and the National Board of Review has come up with a list of top-10 films that defies logic. While I can quibble with the inclusion of 500 Days of Summer or Up or, I really can't roll my eyes because those were fine films. Not top-10, but they were fine. But someone's brain must have been on pause when they included Where the Wild Things Are. There was not a bigger waste of 90 minutes in the movie theater this year than the soulless, meandering picture-book adaptation. The poster was the best thing about the movie.

On the flip side, I'm excited to see Invictus, which the NBR gave high praise. I'm also psyched to see Avatar, which the NBR didn't even see before announcing their awards. It makes the list a joke when they don't even see one of the most anticipated movies of the year before making their top 10.

In the coming days I'm going to start my ranking of the films I saw this year. You'll notice WTWTA at (or near) the bottom.

A week in Oahu

Dan and I spent our latest vacation in Oahu with a couple friends from New York. Maybe it was like a movie that gets over-hyped, but neither of us was too impressed with our week there.

We stayed at Hotel Renew in Waikiki. It was rather chic and we had a nice view of the ocean (and the sunset every evening). Though, we did have some problems: A clogged drain, a leaking shower and music blasting from the neighboring hotel at 7am. It was also a block from the gay bar, Hula's. One of my highlights of the trip was a Saturday afternoon gay catamaran trip, sponsored by Hula's. If you're there on a Saturday, definitely partake: You get to drink maitais and see the island from a beautiful perspective offshore.

One of the best parts of the trip was the golfing. We found a military-run gold course in the middle of the island named Leilehua. It was just $38 for 18 holes: You can't beat that! It's a well-manicured course and is a tranquil respite from the high-trafficked beaches and tourist traps. The trick is, as visitors you can only reserve a tee time the day-of. But we got a tee time every day we wanted one.