[image-1]Movie: The Kids Are All Right
Party Favor: Joni Mitchell's Blue
Drink: Red wine
Even though Mark Ruffalo's character in Kids turned out to be an immature home-wrecker, you can't argue with the man's culinary skills. Pay homage to the dinner scene by treating your guests to a delicious steak dinner. (Free-range grass-fed organic beef, of course.) Keep the vino flowing, then take turns belting out a capella renditions of Joni Mitchell songs during the commercial breaks. Bonus points if someone at the party busts a spouse for cheating.
Movie: The Social Network
Party favor: iPads for everyone!
Drink: Red Bull
Invite your four best (or only) friends over to your parents' basement, fire up the wireless network and tweet the shit out of the awards ceremony. Guests can multitask by watching illegally downloaded copies of the nominated films and e-mailing each other photoshopped naked pics of Anne Hathaway. It almost goes without saying that party attendees should not speak, and only interact through snarky wall postings and IM chats.
[image-2]Movie: 127 Hours
Party Favor: Leatherman multi-tool
Drink: Urine (OK, it's Mountain Dew, but you claim it's pee)
Attendees will have one arm handcuffed to a large rock in the center of the living room. No need to crush the arm, but be sure no one can get loose. I recommend police-issue metal handcuffs anchored to the rock by some kind of bolt. Provide each guest with a saddlebag full of Mountain Dew and a Leatherman, flip on the TV and let the show run ... and run ... and run. Guests will be released only after E!'s post-show recap goes into repeat, sometime around 3 a.m. Or they can leave sooner, if they have the balls to start sawing...
Movie: The King's Speech
Party Favor: Mr. Microphone
Drink: Tea and honey to soothe the n- n- nerves
A party themed on The King's Speech must be as rich as its cinematic inspiration. Enter the English trifle: a big, rich, layered dessert straight from Her Majesty's kingdom. Like the movie, a trifle sounds, well, trifling, but if you eat the whole thing it'll definitely stick with you. And with the usual Oscar telecast running over four hours, you will have ample opportunity to eat the whole thing.
Movie: The Fighter
Party Favor: Crack pipes
Drink: Natural Ice
Smoke up, then remove from your person any belts, rings or sharp jewelry — it’s time to go off in your own crack-fueled beatdown. Anytime Christian Bale or Mark Wahlberg appear on screen, two party guests have to mix it up until one is unconscious. Repeat until everyone is ready for rehab.
[image-3]Movie: Toy Story 3
Party Favor: Nothing. Getting to watch is its own reward.
Drink: Virgin Shirley Temple
This one is for the kids: Know how you always want to stay up late, but mom and dad spoil the fun with their rules about bedtime? It’s time for a kid national holiday! In honor of Toy Story 3’s nomination for Best Picture, you will be allowed to stay up late and watch the Oscars — all of it, until it’s over. That’s, like, 14 hours of television! Enjoy. (Note to parents: This party idea is based on the same principal behind making a child finish a whole pack of cigarettes after you catch them smoking just one. Really force your children to stay awake and watch the whole show and I guarantee they will never ask to stay up late watching TV again.)
Movie: True Grit
Party Favor: Live ammunition
Drink: Whiskey, and plenty of it
One of the defining traits of a Coen brothers movie is the off-kilter use of dialect and language, and True Grit is no exception: The film’s characters speak using a distinct lack of contractions (“I can do nothing for you son,” as opposed to “I can’t do anything for you, son.”). Using the film as inspiration, invite over your best gun-loving friends, ply them with plenty of whiskey and ammunition and enjoy the show. Only rule: no contractions. First person who says a “can’t” or a “won’t” gets shot in the leg. Last man standing drives everyone else to the hospital.
As for Black Swan and Winter's Bone, I've got no ideas. Share your party ideas for any of the films in the comments section, and enjoy the Oscar telecast (and my live-Tweeting from @cl_movies)!
