Strange Culture Blog

Meryl Streep - Standout Perforamances in Less-Than-Standout Films

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:42:00 +0000

After Meryl Streep's 16th Oscar nomination (playing Julia Child in Julie & Julia) I did a post commenting on despite Meryl Streep's many nominations, it's her performances that are strong, not the films themselves.

Now, receiving her 17th nomination portraying Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, I feel the need to reiterate that point again.

Now, of Meryl Streep's 17 Oscar nomination - only three of those films she was nominated for where nominated for best picture, and incidentally each time her film was nominated for best picture it won (The Deer Hunter, 1979; Kramer vs. Kramer, 1980; Out of Africa, 1986).

And even this year in the Best Actress race, I would venture to say that if awards were the marker of a strong film (which I realize they aren't) Meryl Streep's competition is each in a debatably stronger film.

The Iron Lady receives two Oscar nominations (Streep's nomination and a nomination for the less-prestigious Make-up category). Three of her contenders are in films which carry more nominations. Rooney Mara's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is nominated for 5 awards (primarily technical), Viola Davis' The Help has four nominations (best picture, and three female acting nominations), Glen Closes's Albert Nobbs has three nominations (two acting and make-up).

The fifth nominee, Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn also comes from a two nominee film, but those two nominations are both acting, which I would suggest Kenneth Branagh's nomination brings more weight then the make-up nomination The Iron Lady brings to the table.

But of course, nominations aren't the only judge of film. But I still thing Meryl Streep is consistent, but her choice of films leads to stand out performances in less-than-standout films.

Oscar Nomination Morning - Freeform Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:39:00 +0000

Melissa McCarthy bust in for Bridesmaids.

The Supporting actor field is a little different than I would have expected - especially Max Von Syndow.

And then Damien Bachier and Gary Oldman.

Some actual surprises.

Terrance Malick for director - I thought we were past Tree of Life, maybe it will break into the questionable number of best picture nominees.

Time to brush up on my foreign films this year.

Animated films are a little higher brow then normal.

And how many best picture nominees will there be. The screen is looking big...1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

And Extremely Loud gets in with a final scream during the nominations.

Here's the 9 best picture nominees:
Extremely Loud and Incredbly Close
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Artist
The Descendants
The Help
Tree of Life
War Horse

The Artist - Potentially Putting Astericks In Oscar History

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:15:00 +0000

The last silent film to win best picture was Wings in 1927, the first year the Oscar ceremony was held.

The next year, four of the five best picture nominees were "talkies." This non-talkie and the last best picture nominee to be a silent film is 1928's The Patriot.

As for black and white films, since the 1970s to present, only six black-and-white films have been nominate for best picture. Those films: The Last Picture Show (1971); Lenny (1974); The Elephant Man (1980); Raging Bull (1980); Schindler's List (1993); and Good Night and Good Luck (2005). Even Raging Bull and Schindler's list could find them self with an asterisk for their minimal use of color within the films.

With The Artist taking home the Producer's Guild top prize and Oscar nominees around the corner, it's undeniable that The Artist is a contender and should certainly be at a minimum receiving a nomination.

So from this point forward, will we no longer consider The Patriot the last silent film, or does the minimal scenes with sound effects and talking warrant exclusion, or inclusion with an asterisk.

I don't think that there needs to be any asterisks for the black and white category, but should The Artist win it will dethrone Schindler's List from the spot of "the last black-and-white best picture nominee."

Two Best Leads And The Lack of "Big 5" Films

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:52:00 +0000

It hasn't been since Million Dollar Baby, a 2004 film, that a film has been nominated for the big 5. The "Big 5" is the idea of films that get nominated in Oscar's big 5 categories - Picture, Director, Lead Actor, Lead Actress and the appropriate writing category (original screenplay or adapted screenplay).

In the history of film 40 films hold this honor, and three films the honor of winning all five the nominations. Those three films are: It Happened One Night (1934), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).

When I think about these films, and the lack of films falling into this category it seems to me the biggest limitation is that more than ever it seems like critically acclaimed films have two lead performances by a male and a female. And even when they do, one performance is classified as supporting.

And I guess that's where sometimes, the lower classification of the lesser-lead seems to shift these results. In the The Artist, I would consider that there is a female lead in the film in the role of Peppy Miller played by Bérénice Bejo. Yet instead, this role is widely considered supporting, whether by virtue of the award bodies, or the awards campaign.

So instead in the lead category for females we see females that aren't co-lead to another male, but instead lead the show, and and any male performance is supporting. This is especially true of performances by Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, Glen Close in Albert Nobbs, or Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn.

The same is true for the male lead performances. George Clooney's role is clearly the lead in The Descendents, but in many ways Shailene Woodley has a lead female performance as well, and yet she's considered supporting.

Forget the idea of "Big 5," if we just talk lead actor and lead actress nominations, the last time this happened was for the 2005 film Walk The Line, when Reese Witherspoon was nominated (and won) alongside the nominated Joaquin Phoenix.

I can tell you now in advance of the Oscar nominations, that 2011 had no "Big 5" film. Who knows when we'll see the next "Big 5" film.

My 3 Year Olds First Chapter Book

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:47:00 +0000

This past week, I decided to pull Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl off my book shelf to read to my 3 year old.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of my favorite Roald Dahl books (#2 favorite by Dahl in fact).

And didn't know how it my three-year old daughter would handle the book, in terms of it being a chapter book and us working through it - but she absolutely loved it.

I'm not sure how appropriate it is for a three year old, but I just made some modifications to the text as I read (some times I changed the word "kill" to "hurt" for example, or "Shut up, Badger" to "Please be quiet, Badger").

But the book translated to bed time/nap reading perfectly with it's 19 very short chapters we would read two or three at a time (although she always begged for more), and every page had a picture of some sort to help the story translate for her and keep her engaged.

And her favorite part was talking about the "Smelly Farmers." My favorite part was when she would told me tonight we finished it she wanted to read it again and more books like it.

Now I just need to figure out what other chapter books we would enjoy reading together (ideally short chapters, good story, and pictures).

Will This Oscar Nomination Streak Be Broken?

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Usually someone works in the industry awhile before getting an Oscar nomination.

But occassionally someone gets the buzz behind them and gets a nomination on their first shot for a work or performance that really catches the Academy's eye.

But Stephen Daldry was nominated for his first piece of work, and then his second. And then his third. His streaks could end come Oscar nomination morning this year, but anything's possible.

Stephen Daldry
Director
Oscar Nomination Streak: Daldry received best director nomination for his first three feature length films.
Films Nominated: Billy Elliot (2000); The Hours (2002); The Reader (2008)
Potential 2011 Streak Maker/Breaker: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)
Nomination Expectations: Expectations here are extremely low and incredbily far away. Only the Broadcast Film Critics Association has given him any attention with a nomination for the critics choice award.

Cinemark Movie Theater Death

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:47:00 +0000

There's a lot of ways to go - but this has to be one of the worst.

A man died in the bathroom of the Cinemark 16 in Fort Collins Colorado and was not found until 5 days when the movie theater smelled a stench on Saturday that led them to discover the deceased man.

There's a lot to be said here, and while this certainly seems to have enough comedy for a late night TV sketch. But not only is that unnecessary for the seriousness of the situation and the family.

I think the secondary story is that Cinemark really dropped the ball. 5 days is a long time for a bathroom (even a personal family bathroom) not to be checked and cleaned.

This story is shocking - last movie theater death I wrote about was a suicide during Watchmen in Oregon in 2009. I don't know what it is, but a movie theater seems like an awful place to day under any circumstances. I don't know if it's because it's a place of entertainment, it's a "last expected place to die," or because it seems like an unimportant place.

The the family of George DeGrazio, my heart goes out to you. To the management of Cinemark in Fort Collins, how disappointing.

StrangeCulture's 6th Blogaversary

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

These blogaversaries keep on coming and I keep having to find a new birthday cake.

Previously blogaversary post & cakes: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th.

I have to admit, it's pretty crazy even for me that I've been doing this for the past 6 years.

More and more I enjoy the history of StrangeCulture and the ebb and flow of repeated successful series (such as Real People Win Oscars) and annual post (Annual Vomit Inducing Movies list).

But there's also other gems that are either fun to write or reflective. And often I enjoy the way StrangeCulture pushes me to digest culture, re-discover past films, and keep my toes in the water of what's going on in the world.

Whether you've read the past six years or found this blog on a whim - thanks for reading, and with hundreds of posts - stay awhile and click around!

Hoffman's Luck & The Chances for 3rd Lead Oscars for the 5 Living Double Winners

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0000

I don't know if it's the economy, the fall of film (unless it's got a super-hero or has franchise potential), or the rise of the TV drama, but it seems like more and more, you see big name stars heading to TV.

This flock to TV might be assisted by the success of non-network television dramas (as mentioned briefly in my recent post about the Golden Globes).

And I think a strong example of this is HBO's new series "Luck" which stars two time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman (7 Oscar nominations, wins were for Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man).

In addition to Hoffman, Nick Nolte also stars (2 Oscar nominations himself, no wins).

The HBO series is probably a good move for Hoffman, it keeps him in the game, so to speak, when his recent credits have been less news worthy. Besides some positive thoughts on smaller films, such as Last Chance Harvey, his biggest public presents has been in Little Fockers and doing voice work in the Kung-Fu Panda series.

Which leads me to ask - 9 men have received 2 Oscar wins in the lead acting category. None will receive nominations (as expected) for awards the 2011 performances, with nominations to be announced later this month.

Of the 5 living actors who have received two lead acting nominations - do any of these 5 men have a chance of a third Oscar trophy for work in 2012 films?

Dustin Hoffman. As previously mentioned at this time looks to be busy with his new series Luck with no other 2012 projects scheduled at this time.

Tom Hanks. Even Hanks is working on TV movie producting K Blow Top about Nikkita Khrushchev's, staring the recent frequent TV movie star Paul Giamatti. Hanks only anticipated 2012 credit is Cloud Atlas, a sci-fi ensamble drama of interconnecting stories, which I wouldn't expect to translate to anything close to Oscar nomination or win, especially in the lead category.

Jack Nicholson. Nicholson who's hardly done anything since 2007 Bucketlist, doesn't have any rolls on deck for 2012.

Daniel Day-Lewis. And here is where the ton changes, Daniel Day-Lewis has a knack for picking projects, will be in the Steven Spielberg film event, Lincoln. Yet, if Daniel Day-Lewis were to win the Oscar he would be the first actor to win an Oscar for a role in a Steven Speilberg film.

Sean Penn. Here's another possibility in the 2012 landscape. Penn has a role in a period/biographical film playing the LA gangster, and member of the Jewish mafia, Mickey Cohen in the film The Gangster Squad. That being said, The Gangster Squad film is in the hands of a relatively untested director, Ruben Flescher, who's most-popular-work-to-date is 2009's Zombieland, so needless to say, I'm not holding my breathe for Penn's return to Oscar glory.

In summary, maybe Daniel Day-Lewis. The other four -- don't look like if they break the two lead actor barrier, it certainly doesn't look like it's happening with them this year.

69th Annual Golden Globe Award Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:38:00 +0000

I feel like I should pen some thoughts on the 69th Golden Globe ceremony held tonight but while it satisfied the bill for the award show, I don't have any single big overwhelming thoughts to share. So here's some quick thoughts - more gold dusted thoughts, than golden nuggets.

The love is spread - The Artist takes home comedy/musical; The Descendants take home the drama award. Scorsese takes home the director prize for Hugo. I don't think it's clear yet which one of these films will eventually take home the Oscar.

Ryan Gosling - they nominate you for two awards and you don't show - curious.

Tilda Swinton - I wonder if she really thinks her style is style at all?

Julianne Moore, George Clooney and Elton John seemed to be the camera team's favorite celebs - I saw those green earrings, grey hair, and strange glasses more than anything over the course of the night.

Props to The Artist team bringing the Uggie the dog to the awards and the Golden Globe stage. Uggie's been missing out on awards attention [The Screen Actors guild should have included Uggie in the motion picture cast, a pity].

Speaking of The Artist, I love the movie, but would feel better about it's front runner status if it would be released wider in the theaters - come on, what are they afraid of?

Favorite speech was probably Octavia Spencer's for the supporting win for her role in The Help. Spencer just seemed so happy to win.

There are so many awards for the mini-series and TV movies - these films seem to bring a lot of star power, but how many people are actually watching these shows? It appears the only network TV win of the night was for ABC's Modern Family. Not sure how that should be interpreted.

In fact, not a single TV show in the drama category is network television - the winner Homeland for best TV drama is on Showtime. Other films in this category are on HBO, FX, and Starz.

Further the drama category has all shows with only a single season or less under it's belt (such as Boss with only 8 episodes), with the exception of Boardwalk Empire with 2 seasons. This is kind of lame as well.

The film clip for The Help made it look like Mary Steenburgen's bit part as the publishing exec Elaine Stein was one of the main characters in the film.

I thought Madonna's back story on originally not wanting to write a song for W.E. was interesting trivia as she accepted the award for best song for "Masterpiece." To me this speaks to where Madonna wants her career path to go.

I am really not sure why Helen Mirren was one of the presenters for Morgan Freeman, but the Sidney Poitier presentation was touching (although stiff) and the montage was enjoyable - especially the Electric Company scene of Freeman's “I Love to Take a Bath in a Casket.”

I felt sorry for Rainey Qualley (daughter of Andie MacDowell and Paul Qualley) who was the golden globe girl for the night, for whatever reason the stage seemed to be set up in a way that made all the winners go the wrong way when they exited the stage. There were many moments this seemed very akward, one that sticks out is her redirect of Peter Dinkladge.

Golden Globe Pudding

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:42:00 +0000

"Hollywood is not known for its displays of modesty, and the world certainly does not look to film stars for lessons in financial restraint. But the opulent, gold-garnished menu concocted for guests at the Golden Globes awards ceremony in Beverly Hills has already prompted some observers to choke.

Joel Berg, of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, has spoken of the irony of giving rich people such extravagant food for free while those in need have to jump through hoops to get help, adding: "I resent that a wealthy society allows its
neighbours to face hunger."

Against a backdrop of intensifying food poverty across America, it may prove unwise to serve such principled acting nominees as George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Michael Fassbender a dessert that is literally as difficult to acquire as gold dust.

The pudding, decorated with real gold, is described as "a chocolate delice, almond crunch terrine, garnished with acacia honey, caramel and fresh berries" and sprinkled with edible gold flakes at $135 a gram. The dish was devised over six months by pastry chef Thomas Henzi at the Beverly Hilton hotel and is being prepared by 40 chefs and 110 kitchen staff.

--from article: "Golden Globe celebrities enjoy meal of real gold as poverty tightens grip on US" by Vanessa Thorpe for The Guardian.

This article kind of cracks me up, it's a typical type of article that you read and I agree with the initial value that says people are starving and we should take care of them. But if the Hollywood Foreign Press decided to serve a less opulent desert, it's not like the savings would go to Americans struggling with feeding their families.

Plus, I know I have a hard time getting to excited about any desert made with pudding - so maybe they thought gold dusted tiramus was too much, so the dust the pudding.

Actually, I think the discussion wouldn't happen if the Hollywood Foreign Press chose another exotic ingredient for their meal or desert, but the word "gold" creates a stir. But of course, there a reason why they would chose gold as an ingredient for the Golden Globe awards.

Other expensive ingredients could be Japanese Wagyu beef, Iranian saffron or serving Kopi Luwak coffee. I feel like these ingredients used in a recipe would receive less stir

And I bet that Tiramisu with lady fingers infused with Kopi Luwak coffee and a La Madeline au Truffle by Knipshildt Chocolatier on top (at $250 a truffle) would be more expensive. In fact, that sound delicious. Much better than gold dusted pudding!

Actually, I'm sure it taste fine, and I'm glad there putting honey and berries on the pudding, not caviar and gold dust - now that would be excessive.

Resolution - One Movie With Intermission in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:18:00 +0000

You know the movie type. Doctor Zhivago. Gone With The Wind. Ben-Hur.

Those long epic movies with a prologue, and a musical break in the middle (that you're not sure what to do with if you're watching at home - should I fast forward, or enjoy the music?)

Watching too many of these movies will make a person crazy, but one of the "Epics" I haven't watched all the way through before is Lawrence of Arabia.

So one of my new years resolutions is to watch a movie with an intermission I've never watched. This year I'm choosing Lawrence of Arabia. Expect a post of Lawrence by year end!

Any suggestion on what epic movie (with intermission) is a much watch or will be on your list this year?

Not Rated R - 2011's Top Films

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:29:00 +0000

One of things I've been pondering, and trying to "quantify" is the lack of "top films" this year that are rated R. And when I say top films, I mean the award winning, critical favorite, Oscar-caliber films.

Typically, the top of the box office films hang out in the PG-13 range, whether it's action, sci-fi, or sequels.

But when it comes to the Oscar films, some years are very R-rated.

Take the Oscar nominees for 2005-2008 films (the four most recent years with only five nominations for Best Picture) where consistently 80% R Rated. The Oscar nominations consistently had four of the 5 vacancies filled with R-rated films, with one non-R film for each of the four years (those four non-R films were: Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Juno, The Queen, and Good Night, and Good Luck).

The wider 10 field Oscar race increased the field, and over the past couple years we've seen less than 80% R-ratings in the Academy Award best picture nominees.

2009 Oscar nominees were 60% R-Rated (non R-rated films were Avatar, The Blind Side, An Education, and Up)

In 2010 Oscar nominees were 70% R-Rated (non R-rated films were Inception, The Social Network, and Toy Story 3).

Now, it's hard to tell what the final nominees will be for this year's Oscar ceremony, and more specifically exactly how many films will get in with updated nomination rules, but I can anticipate it will be one of the lowest percentages of R-rated films we've seen in a long time.

Of all the top films of 2011 expected to have a shot at a nomination, only one top contender was rated R, The Descendants. There's a couple other potential nominees who could slip in that are rated R (such as J. Edgar, Bridesmaids, or Ides of March) but these films do not represent the top of the field.

The 7 Most Likely Oscar Nominees and Film Rating:

The Artist (Rated PG-13)

The Descendants (Rated R)

The Help (Rated PG-13)

Hugo (Rated PG)

Midnight in Paris (Rated PG-13)

Moneyball (Rated PG-13)

War Horse (Rated PG-13)

7 Other Less-Likely Oscar Nominees and Film Ratings:

Bridesmaids (Rated R)

Drive (Rated R)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Rated PG-13)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Rated R)

The Ides of March (Rated R)

J. Edgar (Rated R)

The Tree of Life (Rated PG-13)

I'm not sure why we see this year, but I will be interested to see what the final percentage is and if this year is an anomaly or a shift to "top Oscar films" being more likely to be a member of the PG-13 crowd?

Highlighting 2011 Character Actors: Sacha Baron Cohen, Hugo

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

When I read the book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, The Station Inspector was hardly my favorite character in the story.

That being said, The Station Inspector is certainly one of the most enjoyable characters in the film Hugo, thanks to Sacha Baron Cohen. I was nervous about his role in the film. Would he turn The Station Inspector into Borat (for the purposes of Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan).

Yet, while Cohen most definitely brings his unique brand of comedy to the character, he is simply hilarious.

My favorite scene by far in the film is when Cohen is attempting to smile in an attempt to win over Lisette (Emily Mortimer). The physical comedy of the awkward smiles (remember, he says he's master three smiles), is comical pleasure in a film that certainly is not marketed (or presented) as a comedy.

Cohen does an incredible role in supporting the main action carried by child actor Asa Butterfield, and a part of a wide and diverse ensemble cast. I expect no accolades for Cohen's performance, but I have to think that many people will walk away thinking that he's one of the true joy's of this film.

Highlighting 2011 Character Actors: Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:27:00 +0000

"All men fear death. It's a natural fear that consumes us all. We fear death because we feel that we haven't loved well enough or loved at all, which ultimately are one and the same. However, when you make love with a truly great woman, one that deserves the utmost respect in this world and one that makes you feel truly powerful, that fear of death completely disappears. Because when you are sharing your body and heart with a great woman the world fades away. You two are the only ones in the entire universe. You conquer what most lesser men have never conquered before, you have conquered a great woman's heart, the most vulnerable thing she can offer to another. Death no longer lingers in the mind. Fear no longer clouds your heart. Only passion for living, and for loving, become your sole reality. This is no easy task for it takes insurmountable courage. But remember this, for that moment when you are making love with a woman of true greatness you will feel immortal."
-- Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemmingway in Midnight in Paris

Highlighting 2011 Character Actors: Allison Janney, The Help

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:11:00 +0000

"Character Actors" are those talented people who typically play unusual one-of-a-kind characters and in some cases these high caliber performances become "par for the course" or over looked by more serious or larger endeavors. This week on StrangeCultureBlog.com we take some time to highlight some personal favorite character performances from 2011.

Allison Janney consistently performs at a high level in character roles, and one of my favorite character actor performances of 2011 was her performance as Charlotte Phelan, the mother of the film's leads, Emma Stone's Skeeter Phalen.

For me, Allison Janney's best roles tend to be supporting a young female lead. I dedicated a blog-post in Allison Janney four years ago after similarly stellar roles as a crazy mom. In 2007 Allison Janney knocked it out of the park in two films. In Hairspray as the ultra-conservative Baltimore mom of Amanda Bynes in Hairspray. That same year, she played step-mom to Juno MacGruff (Ellen Page) in Juno.

Janney's knack her runs deep, and is even found in some of her first film roles in 1999 where she plays the reserved mother of Wes Bentley in American Beauty, or the the guidance counsel writing erotic fiction in 10 Things I Hate About You, as as the Kristen Dunst and Ellen Burstyn's neighbor in Drop Dead Gorgeous.

What makes Janney's role in The Help laudable is that her character in the film has a complicated moral character, and very few scenes to demonstrate this. As Charlotte Phellan her primary initial role in the film is to act as a foil to Skeeter's (Emma Stone's) uncharacteristic values, and as she demonstrates her own disapproval with her professional and social desires she also demonstrates a unique view of civil rights that falls in the middle of the film's spectrum of portrayals. Ultimately, Janney is given one of top scenes in the film, when Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) drives up to the Phelan house in a steamy and wild fashion. Here Janney shines among her young co-stars.

Buck

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

You know the type - the movie you get with all the best intentions, whether you buy it, request it from Netflix, the library, or TiVo, and then you let it sit on the shelf not really fully remembering why you wanted it in the first place.

I see Buck as that type of movie - it's about Bill Brennaman, who's as close to the real-deal of a horse whisperer if there ever was one. In fact he worked with Robert Redford on the film The Horse Whisperer, lending his skills and story to shape characters and get horses to corporate.

The film, although lacking that hook to get you to stick it in your DVD player, does have a great story and a pleasant pace. This pleasantness is probably more than anything an attribute to Buck himself, who seems like someone who isn't just interesting, but someone who most people would enjoy spending an hour and a half with.

The story follows Buck in a slice of time when he's giving clinics on starting colts, in a way more humane then the traditional break-em-in-a-circle-pen-style. His style is incredible to watch, and as a person who never has (never will) own a horse, watching this was still very interesting.

Buck's own personal story really grabed me, especially a life filled with abuse and foster parenting, and while little is said in the film to formally address how his treatment of horses is radically different then the way he was treated as a child, the film largely tells this story without saying it straight out.

This film is a pleasure to watch, and while I won't say it will change your life, I get the sense that Buck Brennaman is the type of man who changes quite a few.

Buck is one of the 15 films shortlisted for a potential Oscar nomination this year.

Favorite Films from Years that end in "2"

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:50:00 +0000

In celebration of the new year, and in spirit of similar posts I did in 2000 & 2001, below are my favorite films from each year of the decade that ends in "2.

We'll begin with a classic from 1942. It's any one's guess what my favorite film of 2012 will be.

1942: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)
1952: Forbidden Games [Jeux interdits] (René Clément)
1962: To Kill A Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan)
1972: The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola)
1982: Gandhi (Richard Attenborough)
1992: Lorenzo's Oil (George Miller)
2002: Road to Perdition (Sam Mendes)

New Year's Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 06:06:00 +0000

There's something about the speed and energy of the last months of the years. It starts with that pre-thanksgiving energy, which turns into black Friday shopping, which turns to Chrismas parties and non-stop action.

Then comes New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I often struggle with the best way to entertain myself (and family/loved ones).

At this point in the holiday hooplah, I'm over-entertained, over-socialized, and definitely over-fed.

Maybe I should be more excited about a new year, but I live in e present more than the future. I've never been one to set grand goals, so new Year's resolutions are out.

And then the reality is that January and February are so cold, so uneventful, and so quiet. It's no wonder we love the Super Bowl so much.

Don't here pessimism here. Instead here someone gripping on to every day, carpe diem. It's been a good year, and I trust e next will follow. Happy New Year's to you and your family, whatever your thoughts are on the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next.

App Thoughts: Flipboard

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:03:00 +0000

New to the world of iPhone land (and now iPad world) in a sea of apps, there are definitely busts and winners.

One of my favorite applications that I have found and love in both the iPhone and iPad version is flipboard.

I started using Flipboard on my phone a few weeks ago, and now when I received an iPad for a gift, quickly put it on the iPad (the format it was initially designed for).

The app takes information from social media (including your own twitter/facebook feeds, as well as scrolling through categories, apparently adjusting content by what you view, retweet, etc).

Praise for the app is old news (it was apple's app of the year in 2010), and it's been a favorite - not to mention, as you will see in the example above with my RSS feed on flipboard, everything looks beautiful, crisp & clean.

Keys, Film, Fathers

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 05:43:00 +0000

One of the unique things about this holiday film line up is a unique alignment of film themes/motifs in the role of keys and deceased fathers.

Two films are so different but both carry this concept.

In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the main character, Oskar, has a key that he believes if he finds out what it opens will help connect him to a message from his father.

In Hugo, the title character, has a machine (needing a key) that he believes if he can make work (with the key) will help connect him to a message from his father.

In both cases, the young men where deeply connected to their fathers and forced to deal with sudden tragic death. Yet, I expect that the power of these themes is not the tragedy of the deaths, but instead a social trend that resonates with many. I believe there are many men (young and old) who feel as though they are missing a piece of their father.

This father disconnect could be for a variety of reasons, but I believe that at some level many people are looking for a better understanding of who their father's where/are, and more so, how that relationship fits into their life, destiny, future.

Sensing a Low Viewership For Award Season Telecast

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:08:00 +0000

Let's pretend that the best picture Oscar nominees are my current predictions...

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Moneyball

(Feel free to add Midnight in Paris or War Horse, and take out a film or two, such as Hugo).

And let's say momentum continues to rest with The Artist as the favorite to win.

But unless there is a strange shift in movie viewership and fan support I don't see this year's Award season having much cultural interest. The highest grossing film will be The Help (assuming it's nominated) and that summer film really got a box office lift from the success of it's source material, the novel by Kathryn Stockett.

In related news you have nights that Univision wins in TV ratings and it's been an awful December at the boxoffice. It would seem that American entertainment is at a cross roads where it's best product is often miles away from it's audience. An audience I believe who's willing to engage, pay money, and be entertained.

Bill Cunningham New York

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:53:00 +0000

Bill Cunningham New York is one of the 15 films shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination in the feature length documentary category.

The film directed by Richard Press, tries to capture the essence of Bill Cunningham, the New York time fashion photographer known for his street shots.

The film explores Bill Cunningham's vast perspective and appreciation for practical and evolving fashion, with involvement at runway shows (only taking pictures of clothes he finds truly original, with a non-conventional seat to get different shot angles), street shots (capturing trends, never making an "in" and "out" list) and shooting at society events (choosing on his own which philanthropies are most worth of attention, not basing decisions off the guest list).

The film is pretty engaging, simply because Bill Cunningham himself is such unique person, with a unique perspective, and a unique passion. Apart from his passion itself, it is also enjoyable to see a man in his 80s still in love with his job, working hard to do it every day.

Richard Press in his directing seems to set his goal on capturing who Bill Cunningham is, including his own personal life story, and while he asks some very candid questions regarding religion and Cunningham's sexuality, these scenes reveal little while creating some awkward film moments. In the end you know little about Cunningham besides his zeal for fashion photography, but you also end up wondering if that's the sum of Cunningham.

Another side bar to this story in this film is the time period of filming also captures the displacement of Cunningham from the Carnegie Artist Studios.

The film captures the simplicity of a simple man, in a culture of high fashion and being New York to-dos and in watching the film you can see how Cunningham's respect from the community is deserved. He's a unique voice who documents his story riding a bike, with a camera, an eye towards fashion trends, and respect for his subjects.

Pre-Disappointment with We Bought A Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 06:03:00 +0000

You know the old adage that says "the book is better than the movie." And you've read those gripes before on a number of different book to film adaptations.

In the case of the upcoming Cameron Crowe film We Bought A Zoo, I found myself earlier in the year with this film on my "most anticipated list."

My wife and I read the memoir (We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals that Changed Their Lives Forever by Benjamin Mee) and we absolutely loved it.

The film's power for us, was not in the absurdity of the zoo purchase, but rather in the choices made by a husband and a wife who were making conscientious choices in how they raised their family (including a life in the French countryside pre-zoo) and how they dealt with cancer of a mother, and how they pulled together as a family upon the death of an aging father, and elderly mother left behind.

The novelty factor of it all is the zoo and the crazy idea of buying a zoo and making it a home, but everything powerful in the story seems sucked out of the story. For me the biggest disappoint seems to be the reduction of the role of the broader Mee family (who all have a part in the zoo purchase) as well as Katherine Mee (the lead character character's wife, in this case played by Stephanie Szostak) doesn't appear in the previews as all, and instead the title character of the film after Matt Damon as Benjamin Mee seems to focus on Kelly Foster, the parks caretaker, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson.

The film's tag line a True Zoo Story bothers me as well. My wife and I watch the preview every time and voice our surprised disinterest, due to what appears to be an adaptation which took a great deal of liberty with the original text .

If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

noreply@blogger.com (RC) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 02:37:00 +0000

By the time a news story strikes and involves someone taking any type of radical action the context for how the individuals and organizations involved conceived that their idea was remotely a good idea.

Such is the case with the radical environmentalist in the earth liberation front who have been characterized by doing significant damage to corporations primarily through arson and other forms of vandalism.

The document If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, the film follows Daniel McGowan while on house arrest as he's pending a court case after a multi-state FBI investigation is able to pin Daniel to many serious arson crimes, primarily in Oregon.

In terms of the movement, the films presentation of the Earth Liberation Front was a story tracking the evolution of how environmentally conscious teens when from letter writing campaigns, to protest, to non-violent resistance, to criminal action. The film makers (Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman) are given a gift in the trial and exposure of the secret cell.

In terms of the principle film character, Daniel, the question wasn't whether Daniel was guilty of criminal activity, but rather whether he should be viewed as a terrorist, and questioning what the appropriate punishment was for an activist who's criminal days seemed behind him, who in addition to serious jail time is also be prosecuted as a terrorist.

Finally, I think for me personally, the lingering question I ask is questioning social change. Particularly how protest fits in a world where political influence seems to be weakening, public outrage is easily splintered into a wide variety of camps, and corporations make decisions based on income verses democratic principles.

If A Tree Falls... is one of the 15 films listed for this years Academy Award nomination for documentary.