Like texanjana, this year I saw all the nominated movies. Hadn't planned to but by January realized I'd seen 7/9 so I caught Captain Phillips and 12 Years a Slave too. I quit paying Woody Allen years ago when he started sleeping with his stepdaughter but relented and saw Blue Jasmine, to my chagrin when Dylan Farrow came forward a few weeks later. Anyway, my thoughts: American Hustle was entertaining but I also don't quite get the critical acclaim; there just wasn't all that much to it. Thought Amy Adams killed it in her role, though. Gravity was certainly entertaining, but again by the time I saw it I was expecting The Most Incredible Movie Experience of My Life. It wasn't all that. "I really enjoyed Captain Phillips-thought Tom Hanks was robbed not to be nominated" What she said. I hadn't seen it during its first run, thinking it just didn't sound entertaining. Boy was I wrong. Great film, how he didn't score a nomination is going to be one of those Oscar trivia 'stars who were robbed' entries for years. "I am embarrassed to say I really liked Wolf of Wall Street, even though I felt like I needed a shower after watching it!" Ok, still channeling Texan on this one too. I literally sat through much of the movie with my mouth open in shock and awe. I wasn't particularly offended either and as someone who lived in Miami during the 80s, the shenanigans weren't that unbelievable but it was sooooo over the top. Actually enjoyed Leo DiCaprio which is a first, as I really don't care for him usually. 12 Years a Slave - this one felt like a movie that was determined to hit every last stereotype about the evils of slavery. I know, I know, based on fact etc but it just didn't move me all that much. Dallas Buyers Club did move me very much. Matt McConaughey was absolutely amazing in his role. Not a feel-good movie but it stayed with me for a long time. "Philomena was beautiful, and oh so sad. Dame Judi was excellent, as always." Texan is making my reviews easy :). I adored this movie too. Thought it was a perfect blend of drama, humor, and poignancy. Although I can't argue about Blanchett winning Best Actress, I was really rooting for Judi Dench. Her was an odd movie for me. I suppose it was a success in that if the intent was give the audience two hours of watching a dysfunctional, sad person in a vaguely depressing near future setting pursue a fantasy that ended up leaving him more sad and dysfunctional--great job. I left feeling sad, if not dysfunctional. Side note: another Amy Adams role and she literally was unrecognizable as the same person who appeared in American Hustler. That woman really deserves to and I hope will someday win an Oscar. Nebraska-was a nice indie picture. I am not sure I found it quite as moving and significant as many critics and viewers seemed to. Agree that June Squibb was a hoot. I only watched a few minutes of August Osage County (peeked into the multiplex after seeing another film) because I just didn't feel like sitting through hours of Meryl and Julia chewing the scenery and the entire premise sounded utterly depressing. My 10 minute clip seemed to confirm that impression.

I've had similar notices ... after no deposits or withdrawals by me, regardless of the channel, for five years, I'm sent an "Inactive" notice. Sometimes there's a fee, unless I respond within a certain epriod. After ten years, same again, unless I reactivate the account ... and the fee is substantial (skim the cream before the government gets it). Then the account must be transferred to the BAnk of Canada, and I can collect it from them. It used to be that the banks could keep it. In case you're interested ... ... there are over a hundred offers that I've received from purportedly Nigeria, and other African, and Hong Kong, English and Dutch sources, an employee of the bank offering to move several million dollars to my account, to share with the bank employee later, here, prior to the transfer of that fund to the bank or the government, as it belonged to a fellow who died in a plane crash ... with all of his family ... and I'm to claim it, as a relative/beneficiary of the former owner. I can forward some of them to you, should someone be interested: I have minimal interest in spending thr declining years of my life in some foreign jail, charged with fraud. Actually, there are no such accounts - the writer is trying to con recipients into paying fees for storage, taxes, administrative costs, bribes, etc. in order to get the (non-existent) funds released. Good wishes for increasingly skillful use of your income, outgo and assets: let them work mainly for you, rather than the other guys. ole joyful

There'll be around 30, and assume proportionally more if I go with MR16 halogen to meet the same lighting requirements. How come the installer makes a difference in this decision? Just to be clear here, all of the recessed lights have to be installed from scratch so we can assume it's the same installer regardless of the type. Your guesses are probably better than mine re: costs of the lamps over time.. If I go with the Ushio Ultraline Titan MR16 with "up to" 18000 hour life, they'll have to be replaced at least twice as often as LEDs... So assuming the same # of cans, I'm winning until LED prices come down to double of halogen, or less. What about a pure aesthetics perspective? If we take cost out of the equation, what would you recommend?

Donna - you're very welcome! I certainly see the Mary Poppins of the book resembling P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks far more than how she was portrayed in the Mary Poppins movie. It's tempting to think that parts of the book may be autobiographical. It's interesting that the family in her books has the surname Banks, and that Mr. Banks works at a bank. P.L. Travers' own father worked at a bank, not very successfully. A bit creepy that she took her father's first name (Travers Goff) as her surname, making her known as Mrs. Travers. It was emphasized in Saving Mr. Banks that she insisted on being addressed as "Mrs. Travers," whether this is accurate (or if it was Miss Travers), who knows. She never married and has said that she was her father's favorite child. The book also is interesting in how it shows the class structure alive and well in England (one incident of which Mary Poppins help to eliminate) and some sexism. Mr. Banks becomes angry in searching for his briefcase and finally finds it in an unaccustomed location. When he asks who put it there, Mrs. Banks pointed out that he did. After he has a hurt look, "she wished she had been less tactless and had said she had put it there herself."