Saturday, December 31, 2011
Looking at the past year
So much for my grand plans in 2011 of making a great blog. Not enough posts. So to recap the year, I am setting a goal to post every day or two a review, working my way up over the next month to my best of the year list, which is not yet finalized. These review will be marked as I saw them. If it is tagged movie review, I saw it in a theater. Tagged video review? Caught up with it at home. First off, I will review the biggest surprise I had in the theater this year. Wish me luck on my goals...
Oscar predictions preview
As we hit the end of the year, it is closing in on the time to set Oscar predictions. I always wait until the Golden Globes ceremonies to set my predictions, not for the awards winners at the Globes, which are meaningless, but for the audience reactions, as a lot of Academy members are in the audience. Ang Lee gets huge applause in 2000? Gonna be a good year for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. David Carradine gets little applause for his nomination for Kill Bill? Scratch him off the Oscar list. Usually a couple of tweaks come from reactions in that room.
But I digress. This post is to sum up where I see the Best Picture race right now. With the rule change allowing anywhere between five and ten nominees, this is making predictions hard. The rules declare a film must gain a certain percentage of first place votes, so the key is to find films people love, not just like. So here's my list of expected nominees, though not final, just what I view at this point.
The Artist. When this debuted at Cannes, it vaulted to the top of almost every Oscar prognosticator's list. And it hasn't moved. The Academy is generally older, a bit conservative in artistic tastes, but a bit liberal polically. So a silent film, which pays tribute to a golden age of cinema? Sold.
The Descendants. Alexander Payne's last film, Sideways, scored multiple nominations. This film is more emotional in a way that generally hooks in Academy voters, while retaining the excellance that, in my humble opinion, has been in every one of Payne's films. Another lock.
The Help. This is the third lock after The Descendants and The Artist. A bit traditional for some critics, but that's a plus for the traditional Academy. It takes on a topic, segregation in the South, which has been awarded by past Oscars. And the acting is of high caliber, liekly looking at three nominated actresses, that its on every member need to see list.
Hugo. Here we start getting out of the lock category, but I think Hugo should be in. The subplot about film preservation help a lot, especially since it echos Martin Scorsese's favorite cause. But most importaqntly Scorsese shows us all how 3D is supposed to be used, to open up the screen rather than just make an advertising gimmic.
Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen has a long successful history at the Oscars. This was a surprisingly sucessful film, both artisticly and at the box office. There are enough woody fans in the Academy to put this forward, I believe.
The Tree of Life. And here's where the predictions get tougher. Part of it is that there is definitely nothing like this film in the other possible nominees list (or really, ever). Terence Malick has been in the best picture race before, for The Thin Red Line. This has NO chance to win best picture. But I believe there is enough of a fan base to get a nomination.
Moneyball. My shakiest pick. It doesn't quite match up with the other films, but has a lot of respect, especially from the writers. (Read the book sometime. How do you adapt that?) Of there is one film I can see gather enough of the younger voters in the Academy, this would be it. And this is a director who has had a best picture nom before (Capote).
That brings my current total to seven. Where's War Horse? While I would not be massively surprised to see it nominated, I think ultimately it came out in the wrong year. I think the majority of people who are nostalgic for classic moviemaking are voting for The Artist or Hugo. And The Help takes votes away as well. To be nominated, a film has to be the first choice of enough voters, and ultimately I belive War Horse is a second or third choice to those films.
At this point, I see nothing else gathering up enough steam. But I reserve the right to change my mind. For now, that is how I see best picture.
But I digress. This post is to sum up where I see the Best Picture race right now. With the rule change allowing anywhere between five and ten nominees, this is making predictions hard. The rules declare a film must gain a certain percentage of first place votes, so the key is to find films people love, not just like. So here's my list of expected nominees, though not final, just what I view at this point.
The Artist. When this debuted at Cannes, it vaulted to the top of almost every Oscar prognosticator's list. And it hasn't moved. The Academy is generally older, a bit conservative in artistic tastes, but a bit liberal polically. So a silent film, which pays tribute to a golden age of cinema? Sold.
The Descendants. Alexander Payne's last film, Sideways, scored multiple nominations. This film is more emotional in a way that generally hooks in Academy voters, while retaining the excellance that, in my humble opinion, has been in every one of Payne's films. Another lock.
The Help. This is the third lock after The Descendants and The Artist. A bit traditional for some critics, but that's a plus for the traditional Academy. It takes on a topic, segregation in the South, which has been awarded by past Oscars. And the acting is of high caliber, liekly looking at three nominated actresses, that its on every member need to see list.
Hugo. Here we start getting out of the lock category, but I think Hugo should be in. The subplot about film preservation help a lot, especially since it echos Martin Scorsese's favorite cause. But most importaqntly Scorsese shows us all how 3D is supposed to be used, to open up the screen rather than just make an advertising gimmic.
Midnight in Paris. Woody Allen has a long successful history at the Oscars. This was a surprisingly sucessful film, both artisticly and at the box office. There are enough woody fans in the Academy to put this forward, I believe.
The Tree of Life. And here's where the predictions get tougher. Part of it is that there is definitely nothing like this film in the other possible nominees list (or really, ever). Terence Malick has been in the best picture race before, for The Thin Red Line. This has NO chance to win best picture. But I believe there is enough of a fan base to get a nomination.
Moneyball. My shakiest pick. It doesn't quite match up with the other films, but has a lot of respect, especially from the writers. (Read the book sometime. How do you adapt that?) Of there is one film I can see gather enough of the younger voters in the Academy, this would be it. And this is a director who has had a best picture nom before (Capote).
That brings my current total to seven. Where's War Horse? While I would not be massively surprised to see it nominated, I think ultimately it came out in the wrong year. I think the majority of people who are nostalgic for classic moviemaking are voting for The Artist or Hugo. And The Help takes votes away as well. To be nominated, a film has to be the first choice of enough voters, and ultimately I belive War Horse is a second or third choice to those films.
At this point, I see nothing else gathering up enough steam. But I reserve the right to change my mind. For now, that is how I see best picture.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Christmas Newletter
Copelands 2011
Below is the active roster of our family, and the events of their year.
Allison, age 8. She is in the third grade at Snyder Park. Allison remains our resident artist, and is still spending much of her free time creating crafts and artwork. Her best friend Emma and her are now wearing matching "best friend" necklaces. She remains an active Brownie and is still doing art classes. Allison just took a big step (for her) towards adulthood: she got her ears pierced.
Tommy, age 10. He is classified as a fourth grader. His school time in 2011 has been notable by his fascination with a classmate named Madelyn, who also does not speak and is in a wheelchair. This summer meant a camp experience for the first time, at a special needs camp on the western edge of the county.. Tommy is in his fourth season bowling. Tommy also enjoyed our season passes at The Beach, where he was now tall enough to go on the big slides.
Tracey, age 12. Tracey is now in the seventh grade at Hayward Middle School, where he made the honor roll his first quarter. About two weeks before Christmas he fractured his collar bone. He currently is wearing a brace to straighten his shoulder and will not be paying winter soccer this year. In less traumatic news, he still enjoys playing video game, mostly with neighbor Isaiah;. Soccer meant a final season last spring for Springfield Thunder with his father as head coach, and then a fall season for the Dayton Dutch Lions, where by the end of the season he was playing the entire game as one of the team's two center defenders.
Megan , age 19, and as you can see with the enclosed picture, now an alumnus of Springfield High School. She is currently a first year student at Clark State University, pursuing her lifelong dream to be the female Indiana Jones, since training to be a Jedi is not offered. Megan remains a voracious reader, and is especially proud of her Star Wars books collection, which is about to hit triple digits.
Laura, age 41. She continues to be a fulltime mother. This especially means dealing firsthand with Tommy's regular and irregular appointments. With her kids, she most often reads with Megan and does crafts with Allison. She remains an avid sports fan, but the less said about her football teams the better, although the Ohio State basketball team is looking good again this season.
Scott, age 43. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. After coaching Tracey in the spring, in the fall Scott dropped two years down and switched genders and coached a new team of U11 girls to a second place finish. The winter season has meant 8 am Saturday morning games. As a film buff, he was moved by The Tree of Life and The Descendants, and in the sleeper category recommends Win Win. Most of all, he's thankful The Muppets are back.
I have avoided politics and religion in the newsletter in past years, but here goes. I deal on a daily basis in my job at the Clark County Department of Jobs and Family Services with clients who are struggling to make ends meet. Instead of government addressing this problem, in Ohio we have a governor who would blame low funding on supposed greedy government employees like me while in Washington our "representatives" are more interested in partisan bickering than solving the problems of everyday people. The jobs disappeared for a lot of my clients in the past decade and the supposed safety net gets cut back every year. I don't have any answers here, but every day I have questions. In a country where so many people identify as Christian, I find it sad that help for the poor and sick, the genuinely needy, seems to be in short supply. In the days were we celebrate the birth of Christ, my Christmas wish is that more people try harder to truly live His words in their deeds, not just in empty promises.
Below is the active roster of our family, and the events of their year.
Allison, age 8. She is in the third grade at Snyder Park. Allison remains our resident artist, and is still spending much of her free time creating crafts and artwork. Her best friend Emma and her are now wearing matching "best friend" necklaces. She remains an active Brownie and is still doing art classes. Allison just took a big step (for her) towards adulthood: she got her ears pierced.
Tommy, age 10. He is classified as a fourth grader. His school time in 2011 has been notable by his fascination with a classmate named Madelyn, who also does not speak and is in a wheelchair. This summer meant a camp experience for the first time, at a special needs camp on the western edge of the county.. Tommy is in his fourth season bowling. Tommy also enjoyed our season passes at The Beach, where he was now tall enough to go on the big slides.
Tracey, age 12. Tracey is now in the seventh grade at Hayward Middle School, where he made the honor roll his first quarter. About two weeks before Christmas he fractured his collar bone. He currently is wearing a brace to straighten his shoulder and will not be paying winter soccer this year. In less traumatic news, he still enjoys playing video game, mostly with neighbor Isaiah;. Soccer meant a final season last spring for Springfield Thunder with his father as head coach, and then a fall season for the Dayton Dutch Lions, where by the end of the season he was playing the entire game as one of the team's two center defenders.
Megan , age 19, and as you can see with the enclosed picture, now an alumnus of Springfield High School. She is currently a first year student at Clark State University, pursuing her lifelong dream to be the female Indiana Jones, since training to be a Jedi is not offered. Megan remains a voracious reader, and is especially proud of her Star Wars books collection, which is about to hit triple digits.
Laura, age 41. She continues to be a fulltime mother. This especially means dealing firsthand with Tommy's regular and irregular appointments. With her kids, she most often reads with Megan and does crafts with Allison. She remains an avid sports fan, but the less said about her football teams the better, although the Ohio State basketball team is looking good again this season.
Scott, age 43. The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. After coaching Tracey in the spring, in the fall Scott dropped two years down and switched genders and coached a new team of U11 girls to a second place finish. The winter season has meant 8 am Saturday morning games. As a film buff, he was moved by The Tree of Life and The Descendants, and in the sleeper category recommends Win Win. Most of all, he's thankful The Muppets are back.
I have avoided politics and religion in the newsletter in past years, but here goes. I deal on a daily basis in my job at the Clark County Department of Jobs and Family Services with clients who are struggling to make ends meet. Instead of government addressing this problem, in Ohio we have a governor who would blame low funding on supposed greedy government employees like me while in Washington our "representatives" are more interested in partisan bickering than solving the problems of everyday people. The jobs disappeared for a lot of my clients in the past decade and the supposed safety net gets cut back every year. I don't have any answers here, but every day I have questions. In a country where so many people identify as Christian, I find it sad that help for the poor and sick, the genuinely needy, seems to be in short supply. In the days were we celebrate the birth of Christ, my Christmas wish is that more people try harder to truly live His words in their deeds, not just in empty promises.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Religulous (2008)
I watch Real Time with Bill Maher every week. I find it the most enjoyable discussion shows on TV, and one of the main reasons to have HBO. One of things I enjoy about it is the discussion is on equal ground, and I have always felt the goal of the show is more to stimulate discussion on the issues rather than to promote an agenda. That trait is sorely missing in Religulous.
Instead, most of the running time of Religulous is spent finding as many extreme religious views as possible, to interview as many fools as possible, and in between the interviews address the camera to let the audience know how much better he is than the interview subjects.
The basic problem is all that Maher proves is not that religion is bad, because he never really approaches what draws so many people to religion until his wrap-up at the end of the film. What he has done is shown that extremism is bad, and comes across as extremist himself. His lack of tolerance for differing views is embarrassing.
I got a much better look at this subject a few years ago on Real Time. But Maher doesn't reference that. In that discussion, Ben Afflack made the compelling point that every major charity had its roots in religious beliefs. I've never heard Maher have a good counter argument to that, to people who genuinely live as Jesus taught. Why? It scres up his narrative.
But hey, if you want a one-sided rant for athiesm, this is it. But a solid documentary genuinely examining the pros and cons of religion? This ain't it.
Grade: D
Instead, most of the running time of Religulous is spent finding as many extreme religious views as possible, to interview as many fools as possible, and in between the interviews address the camera to let the audience know how much better he is than the interview subjects.
The basic problem is all that Maher proves is not that religion is bad, because he never really approaches what draws so many people to religion until his wrap-up at the end of the film. What he has done is shown that extremism is bad, and comes across as extremist himself. His lack of tolerance for differing views is embarrassing.
I got a much better look at this subject a few years ago on Real Time. But Maher doesn't reference that. In that discussion, Ben Afflack made the compelling point that every major charity had its roots in religious beliefs. I've never heard Maher have a good counter argument to that, to people who genuinely live as Jesus taught. Why? It scres up his narrative.
But hey, if you want a one-sided rant for athiesm, this is it. But a solid documentary genuinely examining the pros and cons of religion? This ain't it.
Grade: D
Sunday, October 2, 2011
summer 2011
This summer burnt me out on first run movies. For the first time since high school, I went three months without going to a single first run theater. Nothing got me interested enough. So after seeing Kung Fu Panda 2 on opening night, I did not see another first run movie until Contagion.
Wait, isn't this a movie blog? Three months without a movie? Well, no. I saw several movies in Columbus and Dayton in their classic film series. I did go to a second run theater for a couple of films. And then of course there is home video and TV.
So now I'm playing catch-up. Let the second run viewings begin. And reviews based off that.
Wait, isn't this a movie blog? Three months without a movie? Well, no. I saw several movies in Columbus and Dayton in their classic film series. I did go to a second run theater for a couple of films. And then of course there is home video and TV.
So now I'm playing catch-up. Let the second run viewings begin. And reviews based off that.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Recession 101
"Recession 101: Stop worrying about the economy. You're scaring the children." I passed by a billboard with this message going home from work every day this spring.
Maybe the children should be scared. I know I am.
Of course, if you have enough money to take out an ad like that, the economy probably doesn't scare you. Nice for you. So you can waste money attempting to get people to accept this lousy economy, and maybe not looking at how we got this way.
This year has been unique for me, because I'm in a group that has been targeted. I am a government employee, and I live in Ohio. And we've become one of the targets of the republican government in this state.
Because of course when the economy is used as an excuse, unfortunately enough people can be conned into supporting what is actually an assault on the working man. So instead of focusing on rich people getting fat off the work of others, and not paying their fair share, the focus is one someone like me, who makes less than $30,000 a year and works to try and improve people's lives.
Because apparently me receiving medical benefits is the drain on the economy.
And I'm not supposed to be worried?
Whenever it is pointed out that the rich are not paying what they used to in taxes, that person is accused of class warfare. Make no mistake, there is class warfare. The rich are attacking the poor with regularity. And it hard to believe anything other than the system has been broken and is helping the rich fleece the poor more and more and more.
Today is Labor Day, which means more to me than it has in past years. Usually it meant the end of summer. Or just a day off from work. But it means more to me this year.
Now it means to remember the working class, who are under siege like never before. And to not keep quiet when the working class is being attacked. And I won't/ I hope anyone reading doesn't either.
Happy Labor Day.
Maybe the children should be scared. I know I am.
Of course, if you have enough money to take out an ad like that, the economy probably doesn't scare you. Nice for you. So you can waste money attempting to get people to accept this lousy economy, and maybe not looking at how we got this way.
This year has been unique for me, because I'm in a group that has been targeted. I am a government employee, and I live in Ohio. And we've become one of the targets of the republican government in this state.
Because of course when the economy is used as an excuse, unfortunately enough people can be conned into supporting what is actually an assault on the working man. So instead of focusing on rich people getting fat off the work of others, and not paying their fair share, the focus is one someone like me, who makes less than $30,000 a year and works to try and improve people's lives.
Because apparently me receiving medical benefits is the drain on the economy.
And I'm not supposed to be worried?
Whenever it is pointed out that the rich are not paying what they used to in taxes, that person is accused of class warfare. Make no mistake, there is class warfare. The rich are attacking the poor with regularity. And it hard to believe anything other than the system has been broken and is helping the rich fleece the poor more and more and more.
Today is Labor Day, which means more to me than it has in past years. Usually it meant the end of summer. Or just a day off from work. But it means more to me this year.
Now it means to remember the working class, who are under siege like never before. And to not keep quiet when the working class is being attacked. And I won't/ I hope anyone reading doesn't either.
Happy Labor Day.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
It wasn't THAT bad...
Sometimes I wonder if I'm seeing the same thing other are seeing. The Oscar show was an example.
Folks, the hosts were fine. If you put two actors in the position of hosting, they will only be as goos as their material. The writers did not have a good night.
I've read some people describe the shore as the worst ever. Did they not see Rob Lowe sing with Snow White? In the past, there used to be a couple of bloated, boring preduction numbers almost every year. Those days, thankfully, have passed.
We were spoiled two years ago, when the show was flat out amazing. Last year was a sizable step backwards, but I thought this year was better. The acceptance speeches were allowed to breathe more than past years, and most were fun.
And while James Franco seemed to me to be, uh, a bit medicated, I'd love to see Anne Hathaway with a better partner (Hugh Jakcman would be fine). Of, as in 1986, announce a comedian as a cohost, have him do a monolgue, and let the other hosts take over. (In 1986, Paul Hogan gave one of favorite openings ever, and then disappeared.)
Besides, some of the complaints are just unfair. The nominated songs weren't that great. Well no kidding. But that's not the show's fault. There were few surprises. Oscars are not supposed to surprise, they are supposed to award the best. And there have been much worse years for that.
Worst ever? Not hardly. I thought it was just fine. There have been better. But there have been much, much worse.
Folks, the hosts were fine. If you put two actors in the position of hosting, they will only be as goos as their material. The writers did not have a good night.
I've read some people describe the shore as the worst ever. Did they not see Rob Lowe sing with Snow White? In the past, there used to be a couple of bloated, boring preduction numbers almost every year. Those days, thankfully, have passed.
We were spoiled two years ago, when the show was flat out amazing. Last year was a sizable step backwards, but I thought this year was better. The acceptance speeches were allowed to breathe more than past years, and most were fun.
And while James Franco seemed to me to be, uh, a bit medicated, I'd love to see Anne Hathaway with a better partner (Hugh Jakcman would be fine). Of, as in 1986, announce a comedian as a cohost, have him do a monolgue, and let the other hosts take over. (In 1986, Paul Hogan gave one of favorite openings ever, and then disappeared.)
Besides, some of the complaints are just unfair. The nominated songs weren't that great. Well no kidding. But that's not the show's fault. There were few surprises. Oscars are not supposed to surprise, they are supposed to award the best. And there have been much worse years for that.
Worst ever? Not hardly. I thought it was just fine. There have been better. But there have been much, much worse.
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