Stay tuned for the full "Signs 1-50 Liz has lost touch with reality". Only about six of them involve House. Most of them are about my insistence that I can use The Force or my ability to solve crimes to the tune of The Who.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Sign #47 that I have Totally Lost Touch with Reality
I want to give Wilson a hug.
Stay tuned for the full "Signs 1-50 Liz has lost touch with reality". Only about six of them involve House. Most of them are about my insistence that I can use The Force or my ability to solve crimes to the tune of The Who.
Stay tuned for the full "Signs 1-50 Liz has lost touch with reality". Only about six of them involve House. Most of them are about my insistence that I can use The Force or my ability to solve crimes to the tune of The Who.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
My Problem with Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia. hmmmm
I quite liked the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I'm not sure I like the series as a whole. I went to see the movie Prince Caspian and I think I've figured out my problem with Narnia.
While the religious symbolism in Narnia is about as subtle as a blunt axe, it didn't bother me so much in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. It's not that Christianity bothers me per se- it's CS Lewis's view of it.
What begins to happen in Prince Caspian, and essentially the rest of the saga is that Aslan=God begins to promote an ideaology that I do not feel is consistent with either the bible or of my experience with Christiantiy, but rather the elements of fundamentalist Christianity which I am most uncomfortable with. Chiefly that the best kind of faith is blind faith. Lucy can see Aslan because she believes in him unconditionally, where as the other children question his presence- not his existence, but his presence. They don't understand how he could allow bad things to happen in Narnia, and wonder where he is. This is basically held up as the wrong way of viewing things. Lucy, who does not question Aslan is exalted and basically made out to be the great hero.
If Aslan=God then what follows is, "Believe in God and don't question His divine wisdom or presence". Thinking "How could god allow suffering in the world?" is bad, because God has a plan, and if you just have faith in him everything will turn out fine. This is essentially what I got from Prince Caspian (That and the fact that it is apparently necissary to cram a love story into every movie with an actress over the age of 14).
The idea that blind faith is the best kind of faith isn't consistent with the bible. It's not even consistent with Jesus. The mythology of Narnia becomes increasingly wrapped up in religious symbolism as the stories go on, and the more it becomes overtly 'Aslan is God', 'Narnia is the kingdom of Heaven' and so forth, the harder it is to ignore the moral preaching of the stories. Again I have no problems with Christian morality- I really dig love thy neighbor as thy self- but no matter what spiritual force you understand to be at work, or what value system you adhere to it should never be a simple question of believing or not believing. I can think of few things worse than blind faith in anything. This is why I seem to keep falling into the "agnostic" category in many people's views (despite the fact that that I do think that there's a higher power and believe very strongly in many elements of Christianity, Buddism, Islam, Judaism and others). I simply cannot justify blind faith logically or theologically.
Part II: My Bias
I like the character Susan the best of all of the Narnia kids. This will shock no one that knows me. Susan, Lisa Simpson, Kyle Broflaski, Hermione Granger... who ever that nagging voice of reason is, I am always drawn to. It's not that I value intelligence above all else, I'm a big fan of bravery, honesty and kindness ahead of reason- but the sensible/intelligent/nagging characters are also the ones who challenge authority, question why things are the way they are and stand up against injustice. Sometimes they take it over board or can be self-righteous, but that voice of reason is also the voice of change and sometimes greatly needed truth. Susan has that potential, but in the world of Narnia her voice of reason and truth is painted as a negative. That she questions Aslan, that she questions whether or not the children should proceed into Narnia or fight in the great battle are seen as weaknesses. In another story she might be a hero, but in Narnia she is, at best, a foil for Lucy.
For anyone who hasn't read the complete Chronicles I won't give away Susan's fate, but you've most likely gathered from this that I'm not impressed.
Lucy is great, fine. She is kind and innocent and very brave, but in another story Susan would be her great ally, not her foil. Because let's face it, without the nagging voice of reason Harry would still be wandering around the forest with Ron looking for Horocruxes, Bart would have been done in by Side Show Bob, and Stan and Kenny would have been thrown in a giant pit of lava at the Airport Hilton ("Everything OK? Got enough Buffet items? Do you have enough lava?").
Oh right the film...
Ummmmm why did Susan and Caspian have a random love story? What the hell was that song at the end? And please cut it out with all the shots of the Pevensie children staring at each other meaningfully as if thinking something very deep in the middle of every battle scene for no apparent reason.
"Uh, Liz it is just a kids film... maybe you could take it a little easy?"
No. Because I think that complacency with children's entertainment is what led to Pokeman and Air Bud. Just because something is for kids doesn't mean it can suck. Jim Henson didn't think kids stuff should suck and neither do I. So there.
I quite liked the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, but I'm not sure I like the series as a whole. I went to see the movie Prince Caspian and I think I've figured out my problem with Narnia.
While the religious symbolism in Narnia is about as subtle as a blunt axe, it didn't bother me so much in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. It's not that Christianity bothers me per se- it's CS Lewis's view of it.
What begins to happen in Prince Caspian, and essentially the rest of the saga is that Aslan=God begins to promote an ideaology that I do not feel is consistent with either the bible or of my experience with Christiantiy, but rather the elements of fundamentalist Christianity which I am most uncomfortable with. Chiefly that the best kind of faith is blind faith. Lucy can see Aslan because she believes in him unconditionally, where as the other children question his presence- not his existence, but his presence. They don't understand how he could allow bad things to happen in Narnia, and wonder where he is. This is basically held up as the wrong way of viewing things. Lucy, who does not question Aslan is exalted and basically made out to be the great hero.
If Aslan=God then what follows is, "Believe in God and don't question His divine wisdom or presence". Thinking "How could god allow suffering in the world?" is bad, because God has a plan, and if you just have faith in him everything will turn out fine. This is essentially what I got from Prince Caspian (That and the fact that it is apparently necissary to cram a love story into every movie with an actress over the age of 14).
The idea that blind faith is the best kind of faith isn't consistent with the bible. It's not even consistent with Jesus. The mythology of Narnia becomes increasingly wrapped up in religious symbolism as the stories go on, and the more it becomes overtly 'Aslan is God', 'Narnia is the kingdom of Heaven' and so forth, the harder it is to ignore the moral preaching of the stories. Again I have no problems with Christian morality- I really dig love thy neighbor as thy self- but no matter what spiritual force you understand to be at work, or what value system you adhere to it should never be a simple question of believing or not believing. I can think of few things worse than blind faith in anything. This is why I seem to keep falling into the "agnostic" category in many people's views (despite the fact that that I do think that there's a higher power and believe very strongly in many elements of Christianity, Buddism, Islam, Judaism and others). I simply cannot justify blind faith logically or theologically.
Part II: My Bias
I like the character Susan the best of all of the Narnia kids. This will shock no one that knows me. Susan, Lisa Simpson, Kyle Broflaski, Hermione Granger... who ever that nagging voice of reason is, I am always drawn to. It's not that I value intelligence above all else, I'm a big fan of bravery, honesty and kindness ahead of reason- but the sensible/intelligent/nagging characters are also the ones who challenge authority, question why things are the way they are and stand up against injustice. Sometimes they take it over board or can be self-righteous, but that voice of reason is also the voice of change and sometimes greatly needed truth. Susan has that potential, but in the world of Narnia her voice of reason and truth is painted as a negative. That she questions Aslan, that she questions whether or not the children should proceed into Narnia or fight in the great battle are seen as weaknesses. In another story she might be a hero, but in Narnia she is, at best, a foil for Lucy.
For anyone who hasn't read the complete Chronicles I won't give away Susan's fate, but you've most likely gathered from this that I'm not impressed.
Lucy is great, fine. She is kind and innocent and very brave, but in another story Susan would be her great ally, not her foil. Because let's face it, without the nagging voice of reason Harry would still be wandering around the forest with Ron looking for Horocruxes, Bart would have been done in by Side Show Bob, and Stan and Kenny would have been thrown in a giant pit of lava at the Airport Hilton ("Everything OK? Got enough Buffet items? Do you have enough lava?").
Oh right the film...
Ummmmm why did Susan and Caspian have a random love story? What the hell was that song at the end? And please cut it out with all the shots of the Pevensie children staring at each other meaningfully as if thinking something very deep in the middle of every battle scene for no apparent reason.
"Uh, Liz it is just a kids film... maybe you could take it a little easy?"
No. Because I think that complacency with children's entertainment is what led to Pokeman and Air Bud. Just because something is for kids doesn't mean it can suck. Jim Henson didn't think kids stuff should suck and neither do I. So there.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Tim Horton's on the Defence
I did not read one article that thought of that pun.
You don't even get it do you?
Sigh...here.
Employee fired over free Timbit getting job back
London, Ont. woman will be getting her job at Tim Hortons back after being fired for giving a free Timbit to a toddler.
A statement issued by the company's head office Thursday said the person who fired Nicole Lilliman, 27, went too far and that the single mother of four has been reinstated.
"Unfortunately the action of the manager of this location was not appropriate," the statement read. "With an apology from management Ms. Lilliman has been rehired by the franchisee. We sincerely apologize to our customers for this unfortunate incident."
Tim Hortons customers interviewed in London were less than impressed upon hearing of the firing.
"They're not going to go broke giving a child a Timbit," one woman told A-Channel London. "Shame on them."
Timbits are small balls of glazed dough that sell for $0.16.
Lilliman has said she didn't think much about giving the Timbit to the 11-month-old child, who came in with a regular customer on Monday. She said staff members often give Timbits to pets and children and that she was trying to calm the child.
Lilliman had worked at the store for about three years. She said was greeted by three managers when she arrived at work on Wednesday, who confronted her about the free gift after watching surveillance footage taken in the restaurant.
Uncomfortable with returning to the store from which she was fired, Lilliman will now work at another Tim Hortons location just down the street, company spokesperson Rachel Douglas told the Canadian Press on Thursday.
No decision has been made on whether action will be taken against the manager who fired Lilliman, said Douglas, adding she does not believe the manager's actions are ground for dismissal.
You don't even get it do you?
Sigh...here.
Employee fired over free Timbit getting job back
London, Ont. woman will be getting her job at Tim Hortons back after being fired for giving a free Timbit to a toddler.
A statement issued by the company's head office Thursday said the person who fired Nicole Lilliman, 27, went too far and that the single mother of four has been reinstated.
"Unfortunately the action of the manager of this location was not appropriate," the statement read. "With an apology from management Ms. Lilliman has been rehired by the franchisee. We sincerely apologize to our customers for this unfortunate incident."
Tim Hortons customers interviewed in London were less than impressed upon hearing of the firing.
"They're not going to go broke giving a child a Timbit," one woman told A-Channel London. "Shame on them."
Timbits are small balls of glazed dough that sell for $0.16.
Lilliman has said she didn't think much about giving the Timbit to the 11-month-old child, who came in with a regular customer on Monday. She said staff members often give Timbits to pets and children and that she was trying to calm the child.
Lilliman had worked at the store for about three years. She said was greeted by three managers when she arrived at work on Wednesday, who confronted her about the free gift after watching surveillance footage taken in the restaurant.
Uncomfortable with returning to the store from which she was fired, Lilliman will now work at another Tim Hortons location just down the street, company spokesperson Rachel Douglas told the Canadian Press on Thursday.
No decision has been made on whether action will be taken against the manager who fired Lilliman, said Douglas, adding she does not believe the manager's actions are ground for dismissal.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
"Good. Do you have magical powers?"
So every once in a while a movie totally passes under my radar and I can't even blame anyone else for saying "Nah, I don't really want to see that". It just seems that I totally missed the boat on this movie and my life has been the poorer for it, until now:
This is a top 10er. I don't really know which spot, or which movie I'm dethroning, but I know it's there.
A few things:
1) Will Farrel can act? I mean apart from shouting who he is prior to delivering every line ("I'm John Rocker!") or doing an alteration of his President Bush impersonation. I completely forgot it was Will Farrel within minutes. Not only did his performance have layers and subtlety it had humour that wasn't over-stated or ridiculous. It was honest and very touching.
2) I am in love with Emma Thompson
"Liz, please stop calling me"
3) I've been trying to think of a way to describe this film: It's like the love child of Adaptation and Hamlet.
"Hamlet: Oh that this too, too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew...
McKee: ...and God help you if you use soliloquy in your work, my friends. God help you. That's flaccid, sloppy writing. Any idiot can write a soliloquy to explain the thoughts of a character."
Ok, maybe that's not right.
In case you haven't guessed, I highly recommend this film. If you've seen it, and disagree with my proclaiming it wonderful, I invite you to bite me. Just kidding. Write me a comment. But I'll probably just tell you to bite me.
This is a top 10er. I don't really know which spot, or which movie I'm dethroning, but I know it's there.
A few things:
1) Will Farrel can act? I mean apart from shouting who he is prior to delivering every line ("I'm John Rocker!") or doing an alteration of his President Bush impersonation. I completely forgot it was Will Farrel within minutes. Not only did his performance have layers and subtlety it had humour that wasn't over-stated or ridiculous. It was honest and very touching.
2) I am in love with Emma Thompson
"Liz, please stop calling me"
3) I've been trying to think of a way to describe this film: It's like the love child of Adaptation and Hamlet.
"Hamlet: Oh that this too, too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew...
McKee: ...and God help you if you use soliloquy in your work, my friends. God help you. That's flaccid, sloppy writing. Any idiot can write a soliloquy to explain the thoughts of a character."
Ok, maybe that's not right.
In case you haven't guessed, I highly recommend this film. If you've seen it, and disagree with my proclaiming it wonderful, I invite you to bite me. Just kidding. Write me a comment. But I'll probably just tell you to bite me.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Beat these pictures, Burj Dubai!
Yesterday I went to Toronto for a shoot for a Sony commercial. It was not a lot of fun, but I did get a chance to snap two nerdily patriotic photos:
***********
I was also in Port Dover the other day with Emily, and captured the following lovely picture:
***********
I was also in Port Dover the other day with Emily, and captured the following lovely picture:
Monday, April 21, 2008
Ring Ring Ring Banana King
I don't think there's any explanation necissary.
OK maybe there is. But I can't for the life of me imagine what that would be.
Although Transbuddha got it pretty close:
"Imagine if you will that Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Carl was shoved into a Unicorn body and then pestered by a similarly unicorn’d Walter and Perry from Home Movies, and then hammer it down with a PCP laced mallet.
Yah, that still doesn’t explain it."
OK maybe there is. But I can't for the life of me imagine what that would be.
Although Transbuddha got it pretty close:
"Imagine if you will that Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Carl was shoved into a Unicorn body and then pestered by a similarly unicorn’d Walter and Perry from Home Movies, and then hammer it down with a PCP laced mallet.
Yah, that still doesn’t explain it."
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Workin' Overtime
Sorry for the long wait.
I've been very busy with work and other work related things of late. I have good news. I will be going full time at ErinOak Kids in June, and until then there is no shift shortage to be certain. I still can't believe my luck, because I am the official bottom of the totem pole at work until they hire somebody new, so this was quite unexpected.
The other little bit of fun of late is my Birthday present.
Yoda enjoys Feist and my Lollapalooza '06 playlist, but thinks that it's cruel the way Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant pick on 'that poor bald man' in their podcast.
I've been very busy with work and other work related things of late. I have good news. I will be going full time at ErinOak Kids in June, and until then there is no shift shortage to be certain. I still can't believe my luck, because I am the official bottom of the totem pole at work until they hire somebody new, so this was quite unexpected.
The other little bit of fun of late is my Birthday present.
Yoda enjoys Feist and my Lollapalooza '06 playlist, but thinks that it's cruel the way Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant pick on 'that poor bald man' in their podcast.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Canada on Strike
No not for more internet money. For more internet.
I am getting really sick of being blocked out of videos. And internet radio. But more so internet videos. I'm not even allowed to go to Comedycentral.com, because I might accidently view the Daily Show for free. Because I totally can't do that otherwise on CTV. Now I have to go to the crappy Comedy Network site, which will let me "watch full episodes", if I don't mind getting cut off every 10 seconds for them to buffer. I also deeply miss Pandora Internet radio, which is apparently banned in Canada. I can only assume that this is because it's a bad thing for me to get introduced to bands like Broken Social Scene.
I would complain, but seriously... on whose authority were these bans put in place? Nobody owns the internet. Well, except Google. It's probably Google's fault.
I suppose if I can't get more internet, I'll settle for a gift certificates to Bennigans.
I am getting really sick of being blocked out of videos. And internet radio. But more so internet videos. I'm not even allowed to go to Comedycentral.com, because I might accidently view the Daily Show for free. Because I totally can't do that otherwise on CTV. Now I have to go to the crappy Comedy Network site, which will let me "watch full episodes", if I don't mind getting cut off every 10 seconds for them to buffer. I also deeply miss Pandora Internet radio, which is apparently banned in Canada. I can only assume that this is because it's a bad thing for me to get introduced to bands like Broken Social Scene.
I would complain, but seriously... on whose authority were these bans put in place? Nobody owns the internet. Well, except Google. It's probably Google's fault.
I suppose if I can't get more internet, I'll settle for a gift certificates to Bennigans.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Fate
Did you know that MY favourite flowers are daffodils, and that the Canadian Cancer Society runs their Daffodil campaign at the end of March, corrisponding with both mine and Ewan McGregor's birthday? :D
It's meant to be.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Ten Minutes for Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Say what you want about the Toronto Maple Leafs.
At least they haven't
been arrested for stealing purses
got a team so childish they fight each other during practice
and ummm... holy crap
I mean seriously. What the hell happened to my sport?
At least they haven't
been arrested for stealing purses
got a team so childish they fight each other during practice
and ummm... holy crap
I mean seriously. What the hell happened to my sport?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Faerie Lights
I made this video about two weeks ago. It's not edited nor does it have any visual effects.
Do you know what it is?
****************
Also on the subject of YouTube- they are now having their own video awards. Most of the categories are actually a little ridiculous, but the Comedy Video category had a tough competetion going. I would have given it to PowerThirst 2:Redomination hands down, but the first PowerThirst got the nomination, and I don't think it's as good. Super Mario:Game Over is actually pretty impressive, and the Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise has to be in a category all its own for "most painfully addictive comedy song since Banana Phone". "Shoes" of course actually premiered in 2006, but its sequel "Let me Borrow that Top" is also nominated and is pretty excellent.
I have decided to present my own awards honouring 2007's top youtube and other online movies.
Presenting The Liz Spends Too Much Time Online Awards:
Best Screenplay: "Facebook"-Berats and Bereta
Best Adapted Screenplay: "Titanic (30 second Bunny Theatre)"- Angry Alien Productions
Best Direction: "Super Mario: Game Over"-Ryan Hunter
Best Animated Short: "Intermission (The Animation Show)"-Don Hertzfeldt
Best Animated Feature Length: "Strongbad Email #167: The Movies"- Homestarruner.com
Best Short Film: "Dramatic Chipmunk" (ok, just kidding)
Best Original Song: "Mysterious Ticking Noise"-Neil Cicierega (Potter Puppet Pals)
Best Actress: Kelly (also known as Liam Sullivan) in "Let me Borrow that Top"
Best Actor: Luke Berats in "To-Do List" (Joe will have his turn)
Best Movie: PowerThirst 2:Redomination
*****************
Update: The Mysterious Ticking Noise won for best Comedy Video, which is sort of ridiculous in and of itself, but totally appropriate for YouTube.
Also, the glowing light in my video is my Mom's colour changing pathway light under three feet of snow.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
"At 11am Eastern Standard time, live on CNN, Barack Obama spoke to Americans about racism, like adults"- Jon Stewart
This is long, but worth it:
You'll want to be able to say to your kids some day, "Yeah I watched Obama's speech in Philly". Then they'll make fun of you. Trust me*.
*Disclaimer: If you are not already aware, my Mother owns an album of John Kennedy's speeches, for which she is harassed endlessly by my brother and I.
This is long, but worth it:
You'll want to be able to say to your kids some day, "Yeah I watched Obama's speech in Philly". Then they'll make fun of you. Trust me*.
*Disclaimer: If you are not already aware, my Mother owns an album of John Kennedy's speeches, for which she is harassed endlessly by my brother and I.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Home Alone
If ever there was grounds for legally divorcing my parents based on emotional distress, this is it:
How sharper than a serpents tooth is it to have parents that don't take you with them to England.
I am positive that's how that quote goes.
How sharper than a serpents tooth is it to have parents that don't take you with them to England.
I am positive that's how that quote goes.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wow.
My face, while watching tonight's Season 12 premier of South Park :
"I'd hate to meet the sick bastard that came up with those things"- Army General, with reference to the the Woodland Critters in Imaginationland.
"I'd hate to meet the sick bastard that came up with those things"- Army General, with reference to the the Woodland Critters in Imaginationland.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Why God is like a University Student
Liz says:
What's up? Procrastinating?
Emily says:
god
Liz says:
I think god was a procrastinator too.
Emily says:
oh??
Liz says:
Think about it. On the first day he created the heaven and the earth. Ok that was like opening a new file on word and calling it "Earth: My Essay" and buying some new printer paper
Emily says:
baahahahahahahahahahahaha
Liz says:
Then he created water. That was like, he was sitting at the key board and thought "Hm, I'm thirsty"
Liz says:
It wasn't until the third day that he created dry land. Which is sort of like him thinking "OK, I've got to write something" and just doing a sort of random expose
Emily says:
thats fabulous
Liz says:
At any rate... God dicked around for 4 days before he got anything finished. Day four he's still sitting staring at the computer and then thinks: There isn't enough light in this room. That's the problem. I keep dosing off. So then God made two great lights: the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night.
Liz says:
Finally on the fifth day "God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." Translation: God got hammered and made up a bunch of crazy shit.
Emily says:
awesome
Liz says:
Finally on the sixth day God thinks "Huh, guess I'd better hunker down and get some work done- it's due tomorrow and I want to go on reading break". And so God made us in his own image. So really it was kind of like cutting and pasting, but changing enough words so that it's not really plagiarized .
Liz says:
And God saw every thing that he had made (self-editing), and, behold, it was very good (settled for about a B+).
Liz says:
The important part is, that then he rested, handed it in and went back to Nintendo Wii.
What's up? Procrastinating?
Emily says:
god
Liz says:
I think god was a procrastinator too.
Emily says:
oh??
Liz says:
Think about it. On the first day he created the heaven and the earth. Ok that was like opening a new file on word and calling it "Earth: My Essay" and buying some new printer paper
Emily says:
baahahahahahahahahahahaha
Liz says:
Then he created water. That was like, he was sitting at the key board and thought "Hm, I'm thirsty"
Liz says:
It wasn't until the third day that he created dry land. Which is sort of like him thinking "OK, I've got to write something" and just doing a sort of random expose
Emily says:
thats fabulous
Liz says:
At any rate... God dicked around for 4 days before he got anything finished. Day four he's still sitting staring at the computer and then thinks: There isn't enough light in this room. That's the problem. I keep dosing off. So then God made two great lights: the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night.
Liz says:
Finally on the fifth day "God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." Translation: God got hammered and made up a bunch of crazy shit.
Emily says:
awesome
Liz says:
Finally on the sixth day God thinks "Huh, guess I'd better hunker down and get some work done- it's due tomorrow and I want to go on reading break". And so God made us in his own image. So really it was kind of like cutting and pasting, but changing enough words so that it's not really plagiarized .
Liz says:
And God saw every thing that he had made (self-editing), and, behold, it was very good (settled for about a B+).
Liz says:
The important part is, that then he rested, handed it in and went back to Nintendo Wii.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Snowing? In Canada?
The Greater Toronto Area is- wait for it- out of salt for the roads.
March 8, 2008, the city Liz works in:
*smacks foreheard*
March 8, 2008, the city Liz works in:
*smacks foreheard*
Monday, March 03, 2008
Don't even kid yourself. They all sound like that.
I have a new favourite song. I think it's pretty much official. I'm completely obsessed with The Trapeze Swinger by Iron and Wine.
But please, remember me
Fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
And then
They went on to say
That the pearly gates
Had some eloquent graffiti
Like "We'll meet again"
And "Fuck the man"
And "Tell my mother not to worry"
And angels with their gray
Handshakes
Were always done in such a hurry
If anyone (Andrew/Joe) knows the proper tabs for this song, I am having trouble finding a good site online.
Also another newby to the "favourites" category is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin. It was difficult to get into for the first two chapters, but then I totally fell in love with it.
I love being able to identify with a particular character, and all the better if I identify with several. In this case the two daughters were like two different and very strong parts of my personality, and I was overwhelmed by the insight and wit with which their behaviour and mindset is portrayed.
I admire Elinor's stoicisism (not generally one of my qualities, but I related instantly to her rationalizing away everything and over analyzation of every situation), and I loved Marianne's passion and saw instantly that for all of her flaws she was incredibly honest and loyal.
I plan on watching the movie ASAP. I adore 3 of its main actors, I think it's remarkable that I managed to hold out until the end of the book without seeing it.
But please, remember me
Fondly
I heard from someone you're still pretty
And then
They went on to say
That the pearly gates
Had some eloquent graffiti
Like "We'll meet again"
And "Fuck the man"
And "Tell my mother not to worry"
And angels with their gray
Handshakes
Were always done in such a hurry
If anyone (Andrew/Joe) knows the proper tabs for this song, I am having trouble finding a good site online.
Also another newby to the "favourites" category is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin. It was difficult to get into for the first two chapters, but then I totally fell in love with it.
I love being able to identify with a particular character, and all the better if I identify with several. In this case the two daughters were like two different and very strong parts of my personality, and I was overwhelmed by the insight and wit with which their behaviour and mindset is portrayed.
I admire Elinor's stoicisism (not generally one of my qualities, but I related instantly to her rationalizing away everything and over analyzation of every situation), and I loved Marianne's passion and saw instantly that for all of her flaws she was incredibly honest and loyal.
I plan on watching the movie ASAP. I adore 3 of its main actors, I think it's remarkable that I managed to hold out until the end of the book without seeing it.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Leap of Faith
Only thing to do is jump over the moon!
Sorry this was a little late, I needed my computer cables.
This is of course my best attempt at capturing the lunar eclipse last week.
Sorry this was a little late, I needed my computer cables.
This is of course my best attempt at capturing the lunar eclipse last week.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Ah, English class!
I saw this book advertised and it gave me a really good laugh. It also made me think of University.
How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read
by Pierre Bayard
Have you read Shakespeare? Proust? War and Peace? Moby Dick? Middlemarch? Ulysses?
(Has anyone actually read Ulysses?)
Let’s face it, you can’t read everything. You probably don’t want to read everything.
So what are we supposed to do when the polite conversation turns to a classic book, or the latest Atwood, Ondaatje or Vassanji we haven’t actually read?
Fear not! Professor Pierre Bayard is at hand to save us from literary humiliation and social ostracism with his book, How To Talk About Books You Haven’t Read.
“It’s totally possible”, he assures us, “to carry on an engaging conversation about a book you haven’t read — including, and perhaps especially, with someone else who hasn’t read it either.”
In fact, “it is sometimes easier to do justice to a book if you haven’t read it in its entirety — or even opened it.”
With examples from Oscar Wilde, Graham Greene, Montaigne, Umberto Eco, Marcel Proust, and even the movie Groundhog Day, How To Talk About Books You Haven’t Read steers us through the social minefield of literary conversation (what exactly is the proper course of action when you meet an author whose book you haven’t read?), and offers advice to turn sticky social situations into opportunities for creative brilliance.
Charming, erudite, and mercifully irreverent, How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read is a must-have for anyone with reader guilt (or a dinner party to attend).
How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read
by Pierre Bayard
Have you read Shakespeare? Proust? War and Peace? Moby Dick? Middlemarch? Ulysses?
(Has anyone actually read Ulysses?)
Let’s face it, you can’t read everything. You probably don’t want to read everything.
So what are we supposed to do when the polite conversation turns to a classic book, or the latest Atwood, Ondaatje or Vassanji we haven’t actually read?
Fear not! Professor Pierre Bayard is at hand to save us from literary humiliation and social ostracism with his book, How To Talk About Books You Haven’t Read.
“It’s totally possible”, he assures us, “to carry on an engaging conversation about a book you haven’t read — including, and perhaps especially, with someone else who hasn’t read it either.”
In fact, “it is sometimes easier to do justice to a book if you haven’t read it in its entirety — or even opened it.”
With examples from Oscar Wilde, Graham Greene, Montaigne, Umberto Eco, Marcel Proust, and even the movie Groundhog Day, How To Talk About Books You Haven’t Read steers us through the social minefield of literary conversation (what exactly is the proper course of action when you meet an author whose book you haven’t read?), and offers advice to turn sticky social situations into opportunities for creative brilliance.
Charming, erudite, and mercifully irreverent, How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read is a must-have for anyone with reader guilt (or a dinner party to attend).
Monday, February 25, 2008
I love Jon Stewart
Top 5 favourite Jon Stewart moments of the night:
#5- “Democrats do have an historic race going, Hillary Clinton vs. Barack Obama. Normally when you see a black man or a woman president, an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty.”
#4- "In case you're wondering what we all do here during the commercial breaks, mostly we just sit around making catty remarks about the outfits you're all wearing at home"
#3- "I happen to have taken Spanish in high school. I believe he told his mother where the library is."
#2- (with regards to Barack Hussein Obama's unfortunate name) "It's not easy to overcome. I think we all remember the ill-fated 1944 presidential campaign of Gaydolf Titler."
#1- Getting Markéta Irglová back up on stage to do her acceptance speech after she was unceremoniously cut off. Totally classy, and she gave the best speech of the night.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
"You know, it's not so hard being a film cricket"
Just a quick note. I did not do a "should win"/"will win" kind of thing. I mostly discussed this in my blurb of each section. I have also only commented on categories in which I have seen at least 60% of the films in question (with one exception).
* denotes the movies I have not seen.
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: MY OPINION!
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
*Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
*Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
This is not my being anti-no country, this is sctrictly routing for a deserving under-dog. Bardmen was convincing enough that when I see him at awards shows on TV I want to shout to the actors around him "Get away from him, he's a maniac!" (on the flip-side I hope that Ben Mulroney and Ryan Seacrest will ultimately sheild the stars from the attack). Anyways, Tom Wilkenson rocked my world.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There.
*Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
*Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
I'm rather partial to Cate Blanchett, it can't be helped. I am also partial to taking risks in acting and this has got to be one of the big ones. Though I suspect her big competition is Ruby Dee and I have yet to see American Gangster, so I will reserve judgement if Cate is not victorious.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
*Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
*Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
Okie-dokie, here it goes. Julie Christie was brilliant, no doubt about it- but a huge part of why her performance was so moving was Gordon Pinsent. I understand why he wasn't nominated, but he was a huge part of why that movie and her role worked so well. Ellen Page on the other hand carried Juno. She was Juno, and will have a hard time transcending that role. She acted brilliantly despite some sketchy writing here and there, and her age. She showed a depth and maturity in tackling that character that would be difficult for anyone. I love Julie Christie, but the nod's to Page to me.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
*Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Le sigh. Daniel Day Lewis will win, but let's be clear, just because he was ROBBED in 2003 from his Gangs of New York oscar, doesn't mean he gets it now. Same goes to Johnny Depp, who is not allowed to win just because they wanted to give it to him for something artier than Pirates of the Carribean. I thought Viggo Mortenson was brilliant. BUT I would like to give an honourary mention to someone who should at the very LEAST be on the list. James McAvoy gave far and away the best performance in Atonement, and was probably the best thing about the movie. Given more screen time (rewrite! rewrite!) he could easily have been on the list.
Best Achievement in Directing
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno
Julian Schnabel, Scaphandre et le papillon, Le
The Coen Brothers are poised to take it and I agree that they should. No Country was a well paced, well acted, well shot movie, and I will be damned if I admit that it should be best picture. So this is what you get instead.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
Away From Her
*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Quite frankly anything apart from Atonement should probably win. It will become clear as this list goes on that I was no great fan of the Oscar favourites this year No Country and There Will Be Blood so I suspect that's shading my opinion of the writing. Away from Her is beautifully written and it's an absolute shame that Sarah Polley isn't up for Best Director so I'm defaulting to giving her the writing oscar.
Best Achievement in Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007): Roger Deakins
Atonement (2007): Seamus McGarvey
No Country for Old Men (2007): Roger Deakins
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007): Janusz Kaminski
There Will Be Blood (2007): Robert Elswit
This is a no brainer. Whatever I liked and didn't like in No Country, it is undeniably well shot and well paced. It is absolutely an "achievement in cinematography".
Best Achievement in Art Direction
*American Gangster (2007): Arthur Max, Beth A. Rubino
Atonement (2007): Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
*The Golden Compass (2007): Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
There Will Be Blood (2007): Jack Fisk, Jim Erickson
My brother and I will disagree on this, but I'm a big fan of Sweeney for this one. I thought that it was a visually fantastic movie, and while I agree that it was (as Scott brilliantly put it) "Tim Burton at his Tim Burton-est", it was the artistic elements of the direction that stood out (as opposed to the acting and pacing elements that made No Country so excellent)
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Across the Universe (2007): Albert Wolsky
Atonement (2007): Jacqueline Durran
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): Alexandra Byrne
*Môme, La (2007): Marit Allen
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): Colleen Atwood
I'm seriously divided between Sweeney Todd and Atonement on this one. As you know I tend to look at the Academy Awards in context of "What really stood out about that movie?". For Sweeney Todd I think that the costuming was a big part of is, but Atonement's military garb was spot on. I wasn't that convinved at the period authenticity of Keira Knightly's green dress though, so I suppose that tips it for Sweeney Todd.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
*August Rush (2007): Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack, Tevin Thomas("Raise It Up")
Enchanted (2007): Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz("Happy Working Song")
Enchanted (2007): Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz("So Close")
Enchanted (2007): Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz("That's How You Know")
Once (2006): Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová(“Falling Slowly” )
This was a pretty cool movie, and the best part of it was naturally its music. I recommend it, unless you really can't handle poor production quality (I couldn't help whispering "Buy a fricking tripod" to my brother when we watched it). But obviously this has no effect on the music. Right. Still see Once.
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Persepolis (2007): Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
*Ratatouille (2007): Brad Bird
Surf's Up (2007): Ash Brannon, Chris Buck
I suppose the favourite is Ratatouille, so I ought not comment on Persepolis's vast superiority. Though I inevitably assume it :)
Best Documentary, Features
*No End in Sight (2007): Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs
*Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (2007): Richard Robbins
Sicko (2007): Michael Moore, Meghan O'Hara
*Taxi to the Dark Side (2007): Alex Gibney, Eva Orner
*War Dance (2007): Andrea Nix, Sean Fine
This time around I've only seen one of the pictures, but I felt the need to comment. I watched an illegal copy of Michael Moore's Sicko before it was released in theatres. It was very Moore in fashion: basically tells you a lot of what you already know, makes some statements that are bold, some gutsy, some unfair. What I will say for Moore is that he had a lot of balls taking 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for the free medical treatment they couldn't receive in the US. Some will say that he painted an unfair picture of Cuba- I argue that it makes one consider how bad the American health care system can be that Cuba can ever be made to look like good-guys.
and finally...
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Away from Her
Fine. Michael Clayton. Just because I liked it the best. And because it has no chance of winning. It's like my Toronto Maple Leafs of film.
* denotes the movies I have not seen.
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: MY OPINION!
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
*Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
*Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton
This is not my being anti-no country, this is sctrictly routing for a deserving under-dog. Bardmen was convincing enough that when I see him at awards shows on TV I want to shout to the actors around him "Get away from him, he's a maniac!" (on the flip-side I hope that Ben Mulroney and Ryan Seacrest will ultimately sheild the stars from the attack). Anyways, Tom Wilkenson rocked my world.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There.
*Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
*Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
I'm rather partial to Cate Blanchett, it can't be helped. I am also partial to taking risks in acting and this has got to be one of the big ones. Though I suspect her big competition is Ruby Dee and I have yet to see American Gangster, so I will reserve judgement if Cate is not victorious.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
*Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
*Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno
Okie-dokie, here it goes. Julie Christie was brilliant, no doubt about it- but a huge part of why her performance was so moving was Gordon Pinsent. I understand why he wasn't nominated, but he was a huge part of why that movie and her role worked so well. Ellen Page on the other hand carried Juno. She was Juno, and will have a hard time transcending that role. She acted brilliantly despite some sketchy writing here and there, and her age. She showed a depth and maturity in tackling that character that would be difficult for anyone. I love Julie Christie, but the nod's to Page to me.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
*Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
Le sigh. Daniel Day Lewis will win, but let's be clear, just because he was ROBBED in 2003 from his Gangs of New York oscar, doesn't mean he gets it now. Same goes to Johnny Depp, who is not allowed to win just because they wanted to give it to him for something artier than Pirates of the Carribean. I thought Viggo Mortenson was brilliant. BUT I would like to give an honourary mention to someone who should at the very LEAST be on the list. James McAvoy gave far and away the best performance in Atonement, and was probably the best thing about the movie. Given more screen time (rewrite! rewrite!) he could easily have been on the list.
Best Achievement in Directing
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman, Juno
Julian Schnabel, Scaphandre et le papillon, Le
The Coen Brothers are poised to take it and I agree that they should. No Country was a well paced, well acted, well shot movie, and I will be damned if I admit that it should be best picture. So this is what you get instead.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Atonement
Away From Her
*The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Quite frankly anything apart from Atonement should probably win. It will become clear as this list goes on that I was no great fan of the Oscar favourites this year No Country and There Will Be Blood so I suspect that's shading my opinion of the writing. Away from Her is beautifully written and it's an absolute shame that Sarah Polley isn't up for Best Director so I'm defaulting to giving her the writing oscar.
Best Achievement in Cinematography
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007): Roger Deakins
Atonement (2007): Seamus McGarvey
No Country for Old Men (2007): Roger Deakins
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007): Janusz Kaminski
There Will Be Blood (2007): Robert Elswit
This is a no brainer. Whatever I liked and didn't like in No Country, it is undeniably well shot and well paced. It is absolutely an "achievement in cinematography".
Best Achievement in Art Direction
*American Gangster (2007): Arthur Max, Beth A. Rubino
Atonement (2007): Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
*The Golden Compass (2007): Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
There Will Be Blood (2007): Jack Fisk, Jim Erickson
My brother and I will disagree on this, but I'm a big fan of Sweeney for this one. I thought that it was a visually fantastic movie, and while I agree that it was (as Scott brilliantly put it) "Tim Burton at his Tim Burton-est", it was the artistic elements of the direction that stood out (as opposed to the acting and pacing elements that made No Country so excellent)
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Across the Universe (2007): Albert Wolsky
Atonement (2007): Jacqueline Durran
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): Alexandra Byrne
*Môme, La (2007): Marit Allen
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): Colleen Atwood
I'm seriously divided between Sweeney Todd and Atonement on this one. As you know I tend to look at the Academy Awards in context of "What really stood out about that movie?". For Sweeney Todd I think that the costuming was a big part of is, but Atonement's military garb was spot on. I wasn't that convinved at the period authenticity of Keira Knightly's green dress though, so I suppose that tips it for Sweeney Todd.
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
*August Rush (2007): Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack, Tevin Thomas("Raise It Up")
Enchanted (2007): Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz("Happy Working Song")
Enchanted (2007): Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz("So Close")
Enchanted (2007): Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz("That's How You Know")
Once (2006): Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová(“Falling Slowly” )
This was a pretty cool movie, and the best part of it was naturally its music. I recommend it, unless you really can't handle poor production quality (I couldn't help whispering "Buy a fricking tripod" to my brother when we watched it). But obviously this has no effect on the music. Right. Still see Once.
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Persepolis (2007): Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
*Ratatouille (2007): Brad Bird
Surf's Up (2007): Ash Brannon, Chris Buck
I suppose the favourite is Ratatouille, so I ought not comment on Persepolis's vast superiority. Though I inevitably assume it :)
Best Documentary, Features
*No End in Sight (2007): Charles Ferguson, Audrey Marrs
*Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience (2007): Richard Robbins
Sicko (2007): Michael Moore, Meghan O'Hara
*Taxi to the Dark Side (2007): Alex Gibney, Eva Orner
*War Dance (2007): Andrea Nix, Sean Fine
This time around I've only seen one of the pictures, but I felt the need to comment. I watched an illegal copy of Michael Moore's Sicko before it was released in theatres. It was very Moore in fashion: basically tells you a lot of what you already know, makes some statements that are bold, some gutsy, some unfair. What I will say for Moore is that he had a lot of balls taking 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for the free medical treatment they couldn't receive in the US. Some will say that he painted an unfair picture of Cuba- I argue that it makes one consider how bad the American health care system can be that Cuba can ever be made to look like good-guys.
and finally...
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Away from Her
Fine. Michael Clayton. Just because I liked it the best. And because it has no chance of winning. It's like my Toronto Maple Leafs of film.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Finchy is a Death Eater
Those of us who are fans of the British Office have known it for years.
Ralph Inerson, who plays Chris Finch (the travelling salesman) on The Office (Gervais's), will be playing Amycuss Carrow in the final two Harry Potter movies. If anyone else has seen The Office Christmas special (again UK), and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, you'll appreciate that I now have a very clear picture of Professor McGonagall telling Amycuss Carrow to "Fuck Off"
Now I know some people are going to say "Liz, by bringing up his role on The Office, while talking about his newest casting project, you are just encouraging people to see Ralph Inerson as his character and not an actor". Well maybe you aren't saying it, but I still want to weigh in on this particular acting issue.
Personally, if I do ever become a famous actor and I have one particular role follow me around the rest of my life, I will take it as a great accomplishment to have so embodied that part that people are so attached to. Granted I do kind of feel sorry for Mackenzie Crook getting called "Gareth" on the street, but he should know that it's because he's fricken awesome.
I was thinking about this last night as I watched Family Guy. Something I don't make a big habit of doing, but there was nothing else on. James Woods was the guest star, and the plot was that he had taken over Peter's identity (props to Family Guy: they had James Woods say "it's just like that time..." and Peter go into a rage that he was stealing his "cut scene" jokes). The whole time I was listening to James Wood's voice on his animated body being evil...
I'm sure that James Woods does not consider this the pinnacle of his acting career, but it's my favourite thing he's done... possibly apart from being a clerk at the Kwicki Mart.
I love character actors. Even actors who have a great "range" have at least one character that they are often identified with- A recent favourite character of mine has become Dr. House played by the incomparable Hugh Laurie (are you listening David Yates? Rufus Scrimgeour!). Yes, Hugh Laurie is a remarkable actor with a lot of range, but House will probably follow him everywhere from now on. I have a sneaking suspicion that he'll still get work. He's a pretty amazing actor. Plus I want him to look at my charts and figure out what I'm allergic to. I'm sure he can.
Shortly I will be weighing in on the Oscars, and I'm sure the topic of acting will re-surface. The question of whether or not an actor has stretched themselves, created a memorable character, and whether they maintain that character without slipping into THEIR character (*cough Sweeny Sparrow* cough*) always surfaces amongst critics around Oscar season. I am renting Elizabeth this week, and hoping to get out to see There Will be Blood before Sunday. By Saturday I ought to be well versed enough to make a few predictions. Until then!
Ralph Inerson, who plays Chris Finch (the travelling salesman) on The Office (Gervais's), will be playing Amycuss Carrow in the final two Harry Potter movies. If anyone else has seen The Office Christmas special (again UK), and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, you'll appreciate that I now have a very clear picture of Professor McGonagall telling Amycuss Carrow to "Fuck Off"
Now I know some people are going to say "Liz, by bringing up his role on The Office, while talking about his newest casting project, you are just encouraging people to see Ralph Inerson as his character and not an actor". Well maybe you aren't saying it, but I still want to weigh in on this particular acting issue.
Personally, if I do ever become a famous actor and I have one particular role follow me around the rest of my life, I will take it as a great accomplishment to have so embodied that part that people are so attached to. Granted I do kind of feel sorry for Mackenzie Crook getting called "Gareth" on the street, but he should know that it's because he's fricken awesome.
I was thinking about this last night as I watched Family Guy. Something I don't make a big habit of doing, but there was nothing else on. James Woods was the guest star, and the plot was that he had taken over Peter's identity (props to Family Guy: they had James Woods say "it's just like that time..." and Peter go into a rage that he was stealing his "cut scene" jokes). The whole time I was listening to James Wood's voice on his animated body being evil...
I'm sure that James Woods does not consider this the pinnacle of his acting career, but it's my favourite thing he's done... possibly apart from being a clerk at the Kwicki Mart.
I love character actors. Even actors who have a great "range" have at least one character that they are often identified with- A recent favourite character of mine has become Dr. House played by the incomparable Hugh Laurie (are you listening David Yates? Rufus Scrimgeour!). Yes, Hugh Laurie is a remarkable actor with a lot of range, but House will probably follow him everywhere from now on. I have a sneaking suspicion that he'll still get work. He's a pretty amazing actor. Plus I want him to look at my charts and figure out what I'm allergic to. I'm sure he can.
Shortly I will be weighing in on the Oscars, and I'm sure the topic of acting will re-surface. The question of whether or not an actor has stretched themselves, created a memorable character, and whether they maintain that character without slipping into THEIR character (*cough Sweeny Sparrow* cough*) always surfaces amongst critics around Oscar season. I am renting Elizabeth this week, and hoping to get out to see There Will be Blood before Sunday. By Saturday I ought to be well versed enough to make a few predictions. Until then!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Litmus Test of Music-Dickery
The Are You a Music Snob? Quiz
an original quiz by Liz Buchanan
Pick the answer that is the most right for you.
1. When you download music you use:
a) Puretracks <1>
b) iTunes <2>
c) Kazaa, Limewire, or something else free <3>
d) I don't listen to Mp3s, they will never surpass the great sound of vinyl <4>
2. As a musician the highest honour you can recieve is:
a) The Cover of the Rolling Stone <2>
b) The Polaris Prize <3>
c) A Grammy <1>
d) Not getting ripped to shreds by Pitchfork.com <4>
3. Music to you is:
a) What makes life worthwhile <3>
b) Not that important <1>
c) Something you really enjoy <2>
d) The purest expression of the soul through the rythm of the human spirit <4>
4. You rock out to:
a) Angels and Airwaves <4>
b) The White Stripes <3>
c) Greenday <2>
d) Celine Dion <1>
5. The best musical guest star on the Simpsons was:
a) The Smashing Pumpkins <3>
b) George Harrison was pretty cool <2>
c) The Simpsons jumped the shark a long time ago, who even watches that anymore? <4>
d) Starland Vocal Band <1>
6. Your favourite part of Juno was:
a) Haven't seen it <1>
b) When Ellen Page and Michael Cera play quitar at the end. Nice cover. <3>
c) The fact that she named her guitar Roosevelt "not Ted- Franklin. You know, the cute one, with polio." <2>
d) When she rips on Sonic Youth. <4>
7. If you owned a music store it would most likely resemble:
a) A Sunrise Records <2>
b) Empire Records. Damn the man, save the Empire! <3>
c) Rob Gordon's record store in High Fidelity <4>
d) I would just franchise an HMV <1>
8. The most tragic death in modern music history was:
a) John Lennon <2>
b) Kurt Cobain <4>
c) Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper <3>
d) Britney Spear's career <1>
9. Jim Morrison was:
a) Pretty Cool <2>
b) The Greatest Musician Ever <3>
c) Over-rated <4>
d) That guy from the Doors, right? <1>
10. If your all-time favourite band's name describes you, you are a:
a) beetle <1>
b) led zeppelin <3>
c) rolling stone <2>
d) tool <4>
Scores:
(10-15)
Music is defined as the art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. American popular music is largely traced back to its african and european roots, reflecting both traditional folk music and african beats and syncopation. To learn more about music and it's place in popular american culture buy a fricken radio.
(16-24)
You have your tastes in music and other people have theirs. You are mostly familiar with mainstream music and you enjoy listening to the radio. Nothing wrong with that, but you might enjoy expanding your tastes and developing a broader range of musical choices. You have the good sense to listen to what you like, but not rip on everyone else for disagreeing with you.
(25-34)
You've probably got "good taste in music", whatever the hell that means. You won't just listen to any crap because it's popular, but you aren't going to be an ass about it either. Make sure that music stays fun, and you're as open-minded about pop-music and country as you are about rock. You don't have to like it, you just have to be reasonable.
(35-40)
You're a music snob. It's OK, I kind of am too. But seriously... Angels and Airwaves? Have you seen their new album cover? What a bunch of dicks. That aside- dude, get over it. There's always going to be someone who knows more about music, has more discerning tastes and is a bigger douche than you. I suggest a cleansing. Go put on K-Lite FM for a half an hour and make yourself sing along with "So you had a bad day". Seriously, it'll be therapeutic. Or torture. Either way...
You should consider these results legally binding, as I am a certified Music-personality-ologist.
an original quiz by Liz Buchanan
Pick the answer that is the most right for you.
1. When you download music you use:
a) Puretracks <1>
b) iTunes <2>
c) Kazaa, Limewire, or something else free <3>
d) I don't listen to Mp3s, they will never surpass the great sound of vinyl <4>
2. As a musician the highest honour you can recieve is:
a) The Cover of the Rolling Stone <2>
b) The Polaris Prize <3>
c) A Grammy <1>
d) Not getting ripped to shreds by Pitchfork.com <4>
3. Music to you is:
a) What makes life worthwhile <3>
b) Not that important <1>
c) Something you really enjoy <2>
d) The purest expression of the soul through the rythm of the human spirit <4>
4. You rock out to:
a) Angels and Airwaves <4>
b) The White Stripes <3>
c) Greenday <2>
d) Celine Dion <1>
5. The best musical guest star on the Simpsons was:
a) The Smashing Pumpkins <3>
b) George Harrison was pretty cool <2>
c) The Simpsons jumped the shark a long time ago, who even watches that anymore? <4>
d) Starland Vocal Band <1>
6. Your favourite part of Juno was:
a) Haven't seen it <1>
b) When Ellen Page and Michael Cera play quitar at the end. Nice cover. <3>
c) The fact that she named her guitar Roosevelt "not Ted- Franklin. You know, the cute one, with polio." <2>
d) When she rips on Sonic Youth. <4>
7. If you owned a music store it would most likely resemble:
a) A Sunrise Records <2>
b) Empire Records. Damn the man, save the Empire! <3>
c) Rob Gordon's record store in High Fidelity <4>
d) I would just franchise an HMV <1>
8. The most tragic death in modern music history was:
a) John Lennon <2>
b) Kurt Cobain <4>
c) Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper <3>
d) Britney Spear's career <1>
9. Jim Morrison was:
a) Pretty Cool <2>
b) The Greatest Musician Ever <3>
c) Over-rated <4>
d) That guy from the Doors, right? <1>
10. If your all-time favourite band's name describes you, you are a:
a) beetle <1>
b) led zeppelin <3>
c) rolling stone <2>
d) tool <4>
Scores:
(10-15)
Music is defined as the art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. American popular music is largely traced back to its african and european roots, reflecting both traditional folk music and african beats and syncopation. To learn more about music and it's place in popular american culture buy a fricken radio.
(16-24)
You have your tastes in music and other people have theirs. You are mostly familiar with mainstream music and you enjoy listening to the radio. Nothing wrong with that, but you might enjoy expanding your tastes and developing a broader range of musical choices. You have the good sense to listen to what you like, but not rip on everyone else for disagreeing with you.
(25-34)
You've probably got "good taste in music", whatever the hell that means. You won't just listen to any crap because it's popular, but you aren't going to be an ass about it either. Make sure that music stays fun, and you're as open-minded about pop-music and country as you are about rock. You don't have to like it, you just have to be reasonable.
(35-40)
You're a music snob. It's OK, I kind of am too. But seriously... Angels and Airwaves? Have you seen their new album cover? What a bunch of dicks. That aside- dude, get over it. There's always going to be someone who knows more about music, has more discerning tastes and is a bigger douche than you. I suggest a cleansing. Go put on K-Lite FM for a half an hour and make yourself sing along with "So you had a bad day". Seriously, it'll be therapeutic. Or torture. Either way...
You should consider these results legally binding, as I am a certified Music-personality-ologist.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
In the meantime however...
Don't get me wrong, I support the WGA- but you can't write late night TV this great:
PS: I have made it to temporary Word Sandwich glory:
Today´s top five
rank name city score date quickest avg
1 terrio Hayward 13402 2/5/2008 6 10.2
2 Liz Toronto 12582 2/5/2008 7 11.4
3 peter hartford 12396 2/5/2008 10 12.4
4 Vainamoinen Kalevala 12264 2/5/2008 11 12.6
5 smilla seattle 12216 2/5/2008 8 12
indicently not my best score, but my best record of the day... what the hell time is it?
PS: I have made it to temporary Word Sandwich glory:
Today´s top five
rank name city score date quickest avg
1 terrio Hayward 13402 2/5/2008 6 10.2
2 Liz Toronto 12582 2/5/2008 7 11.4
3 peter hartford 12396 2/5/2008 10 12.4
4 Vainamoinen Kalevala 12264 2/5/2008 11 12.6
5 smilla seattle 12216 2/5/2008 8 12
indicently not my best score, but my best record of the day... what the hell time is it?
Monday, February 04, 2008
A Call for Submissions
I have decided to have a theme for February's posting here. I am going to examine my own, and other people's influences. This is a look at the things that move me, be they artistically, politically, personally, whatever.
My first project is Words that Move. So I'm giving everyone here 1 week to think of their favourite segment(s) from a book or play that have had an impact on their lives. It can be any book or play regardless of genre, with the exception of a quotionary, as I am doing spoken word later.
I am then compiling them and we shall take a look at themes, sources and overlaps.
Thus please do not be afraid to submit anything from Milton to Munch, Shakespeare to Seuss. No one is judging your literary prowess here, I already know everyone here has a degree/Masters in English and/or reads at an 800th grade level (why else would you be at my blog?- ha ha).
Just show me the passages that make you love this great passtime we call reading.
"The so-called Mysteries have been with us forever. There is not a society on the face of the earth that does not and did not have its own version of what these Mysteries reveal of the Great Spirit, God, the gods and their relationshio to our lives- and our lives to theirs...
In modern times we call such Mysteries art. Our greatest Shamans of the moment are Rodin, Stravinsky (much as I hate his music) and Mann. And what else are they telling us but: go back and look again. In time, these shamans will be replaced by others- but all speaking in a single voice. It was ever thus. But no one ever listens." -Pilgrim, Timothy Findley
My first project is Words that Move. So I'm giving everyone here 1 week to think of their favourite segment(s) from a book or play that have had an impact on their lives. It can be any book or play regardless of genre, with the exception of a quotionary, as I am doing spoken word later.
I am then compiling them and we shall take a look at themes, sources and overlaps.
Thus please do not be afraid to submit anything from Milton to Munch, Shakespeare to Seuss. No one is judging your literary prowess here, I already know everyone here has a degree/Masters in English and/or reads at an 800th grade level (why else would you be at my blog?- ha ha).
Just show me the passages that make you love this great passtime we call reading.
"The so-called Mysteries have been with us forever. There is not a society on the face of the earth that does not and did not have its own version of what these Mysteries reveal of the Great Spirit, God, the gods and their relationshio to our lives- and our lives to theirs...
In modern times we call such Mysteries art. Our greatest Shamans of the moment are Rodin, Stravinsky (much as I hate his music) and Mann. And what else are they telling us but: go back and look again. In time, these shamans will be replaced by others- but all speaking in a single voice. It was ever thus. But no one ever listens." -Pilgrim, Timothy Findley
Monday, January 28, 2008
Power Thirst
This video from CollegeHumour.com does not require any set up from me. I simply invite you to enjoy:
Thursday, January 24, 2008
#5
**** apologies to everyone who tried to read the previous version of this as a spelling nightmare. It was late and I did not double check my sentences for errors and edits ****
I have a new occupant on my list of "freebie list".
By "freebie list" I am of course refering to the Friends episode where they talk about having a list of five celebrities that "you can have sex with and no one can get upset".
It is well known that Ewan McGregor is #1 on my list, but of course who would get upset? He is my boyfriend.
#2 is Jon Stewart, #3 is Matt Stajan (who is as of today a forward on the Toronto Maple Leafs). Recently I added a new number 4 in the person of one Jason Isaacs. If anyone can do campy villain sexier than that... well I guess they can steal his spot.
Tonight I decided on a new #5. Past occupants have included Dave Matthews, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Chapelle, Johnny Depp and that guy that plays Warrick on CSI.
But my new #5 is...
drum roll please
I think that Stephen may be replacing Jon slowly as my comedic crush. Just as Jon once replaced a 1970s Alan Alda who replaced a 1960s Micheal Palin.
Mind you if I do ever perfect that time machine I started in grade 11...
** Also, on a more serious note, read Angelo's blog as he has posted a very nice tribute to Heath Ledger
I have a new occupant on my list of "freebie list".
By "freebie list" I am of course refering to the Friends episode where they talk about having a list of five celebrities that "you can have sex with and no one can get upset".
It is well known that Ewan McGregor is #1 on my list, but of course who would get upset? He is my boyfriend.
#2 is Jon Stewart, #3 is Matt Stajan (who is as of today a forward on the Toronto Maple Leafs). Recently I added a new number 4 in the person of one Jason Isaacs. If anyone can do campy villain sexier than that... well I guess they can steal his spot.
Tonight I decided on a new #5. Past occupants have included Dave Matthews, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Chapelle, Johnny Depp and that guy that plays Warrick on CSI.
But my new #5 is...
drum roll please
I think that Stephen may be replacing Jon slowly as my comedic crush. Just as Jon once replaced a 1970s Alan Alda who replaced a 1960s Micheal Palin.
Mind you if I do ever perfect that time machine I started in grade 11...
** Also, on a more serious note, read Angelo's blog as he has posted a very nice tribute to Heath Ledger
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Phew
Which Office character are you?
You are most like Pam Beesly, the friendly voice of reason in a sometimes chaotic workplace. The bright spots of your day include pulling practical jokes, playing FreeCell on your computer and making people happy by doing extra, unnecessary work.
That quiz could have gone a lot worse.
You are most like Pam Beesly, the friendly voice of reason in a sometimes chaotic workplace. The bright spots of your day include pulling practical jokes, playing FreeCell on your computer and making people happy by doing extra, unnecessary work.
That quiz could have gone a lot worse.
May the Farce be with You
Strangely, I wonder if his ability to impersonate Frank Oz characters ever made George Lucas consider double casting him as Yoda:
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Word of the Day
I need a new home page. I currently have a personalized MSN homepage with links to this web log and Farcebook, as well as a news feed from CBC, TSN and MTV. This is all fine. What I really ought to get rid of is my MSN Encarta word of the day.
I started writing them down when I noticed that the overall difficulty seemed to be decreasing:
hubris
fallacy
charlatan
debase
congenital
catharsis
impertinent
moniker
omniscient
while they are undoubtably very fun words, and I am not calling anyone who does not know their meaning foolish, "Word of the Day" is supposed to specialize in teaching me words that are obscure and out of common usage, the kind that will help me win in Scrabble and look smart when I post. Not words I had to write definitions to in Grade 10 English. Mind you, I should probably try to use "moniker" more often.
Well even if I don't get rid of Encarta I have to do something about my horoscope:
"You may feel like you are walking a young puppy that just does not want to stay still, dear Aries. The puppy is curious and at times rather reckless, as he does not know of the dangers of cars or a twisted leash. You have a great responsibility to teach this dog some lessons while at the same time giving him a bit of free rein to go out and explore on his own. Earn the respect of others by tempering discipline with fun."
I'm going to go ahead and file that under "WTF?"
I started writing them down when I noticed that the overall difficulty seemed to be decreasing:
hubris
fallacy
charlatan
debase
congenital
catharsis
impertinent
moniker
omniscient
while they are undoubtably very fun words, and I am not calling anyone who does not know their meaning foolish, "Word of the Day" is supposed to specialize in teaching me words that are obscure and out of common usage, the kind that will help me win in Scrabble and look smart when I post. Not words I had to write definitions to in Grade 10 English. Mind you, I should probably try to use "moniker" more often.
Well even if I don't get rid of Encarta I have to do something about my horoscope:
"You may feel like you are walking a young puppy that just does not want to stay still, dear Aries. The puppy is curious and at times rather reckless, as he does not know of the dangers of cars or a twisted leash. You have a great responsibility to teach this dog some lessons while at the same time giving him a bit of free rein to go out and explore on his own. Earn the respect of others by tempering discipline with fun."
I'm going to go ahead and file that under "WTF?"
Monday, January 07, 2008
"Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens"
Little Angel Liz on right shoulder: Elizabeth, don't forget, you promised your web log readers that you would post today.
Little Devil Liz on left shoulder: Oh for crying out loud, like anyone's even going to notice.
Little Angel Liz: I'm sure her readers have noticed a slight improvement in her posting of late, and are now holding her to a higher standard of writing.
Little Devil Liz: Oh please, just stick a cute animal picture up and go back to your decaf and Futurama Season II DVD.
Little Angel Liz: I'm sure that Liz would never stoop to something so broad and banal when she's working so hard on improving the quality of her web log.
2 hours later:
Little Devil Liz on left shoulder: Oh for crying out loud, like anyone's even going to notice.
Little Angel Liz: I'm sure her readers have noticed a slight improvement in her posting of late, and are now holding her to a higher standard of writing.
Little Devil Liz: Oh please, just stick a cute animal picture up and go back to your decaf and Futurama Season II DVD.
Little Angel Liz: I'm sure that Liz would never stoop to something so broad and banal when she's working so hard on improving the quality of her web log.
2 hours later:
Lyrics of the "Is it really THAT late?"
"The New Year" -Death Cab for Cutie
So this is the new year.
And i don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal
Explosions off in the distance (in the distance).
So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions
Someone feeling a little bitter? Hee hee hee.
Better post tomorrow. I promise. Call it a resolution of improvement on this post.
So this is the new year.
And i don't feel any different.
The clanking of crystal
Explosions off in the distance (in the distance).
So this is the new year
And I have no resolutions
For self assigned penance
For problems with easy solutions
Someone feeling a little bitter? Hee hee hee.
Better post tomorrow. I promise. Call it a resolution of improvement on this post.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
2007: A final look back (Stolen from Angedrew)
IN THE BEGINNING OF 2007...
Where did you begin 2007?
In Falcon Bridge at Luke D. Norton's
Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
No.
How old were you?
23
What was your outlook on the world?
Meh.
How were you doing at school/your job?
I was mostly bemused to discover that no one at work seemed to notice if I was there or not.
What did you most look forward to?
Getting home at night to watch Simpson DVDs
Did you make New Year's Resolutions?
I'd like to think that the answer is no. Otherwise it bodes very poorly for my stick-to-it-iveness.
What was your biggest worry?
That no one at work seemed to notice whether or not I was there. Exactly how long would I decay at home before anyone worried?
Who was your best friend?
Jenny, Andrew and Steph
What did you do with your spare time?
DVDs, Gameboy, Guitar on occasion
Describe your birthday?
I worked a double, and was then treated to DQ and Charlie Chaplin.
IN THE MIDDLE OF 2007: THE SUMMER!
Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
No. I sense a theme...
Had your outlook on the world changed?
Actually I was a great deal more cheerful
What did you spend your summer doing?
Filming a movie, working at Easter Seals Camp Woodeden, and standing in line for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Did you get a tan?
A little.
Who'd you hang out with?
Zach and Yvonne, my family and on a rather notable evening Andrew and a young man who required an endless supply of stories.
Did you go visit anywhere?
Stratford
What was your biggest worry?
Money.
What was the most fun event that happened?
I was so pleasantly surprised my enjoyment of the Simpson's movie I seem to always think of that. I also had a lot of fun at camp.
AND AS THE YEAR DRAWS TO AN END...
Still got a significant other?
Stupid questionaire thingy
How old are you?
24
Any new additions to your family?
Not quite yet. We have a new comer August 2008 marrying in. That's right. Some people actually chose to join!
What music will you remember 2007 by?
The Arcade Fire
Best movie you saw this year?
Fido
What major changes have happened since the year began?
I've been through several jobs, and am now at one that I actually enjoy. I entered and exitted a college program I loathed and I've moved to Toronto.
Is your life any different from when it started this year?
Quite a lot. I am much happier and less anxious. I had a good summer, which helped get me back on track and more serene.
What thing that happened stands out in your mind?
Going back to Woodeden had a very good effect on me, but truthfully the thing that effected me the most was having my best friends all move to Paris.
How have you changed?
I'm a little less ridiculously pessimistic. Mind you ask me how I feel about life next time I'm menstrating and this quiz might look a lot different.
Are you happy with how the year went?
It is the first summer that I have enjoyed in years. The last half of the year went OK I supposed. Meh, like Angelo said: It happened.
FOR 2008...
Do you think it'll be better or worse than this year?
It'll be more interesting.
What do you plan to do next year?
Get out of debt. Ha!!
What are your New Year's resolutions?
To make at least some effort at actually acting.
AND TO WRAP IT UP...
What's one thing would you like to say as the year is done?
I am going to Bonnaro this year, regardless of financial capabilities. Who's with me?
Where did you begin 2007?
In Falcon Bridge at Luke D. Norton's
Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
No.
How old were you?
23
What was your outlook on the world?
Meh.
How were you doing at school/your job?
I was mostly bemused to discover that no one at work seemed to notice if I was there or not.
What did you most look forward to?
Getting home at night to watch Simpson DVDs
Did you make New Year's Resolutions?
I'd like to think that the answer is no. Otherwise it bodes very poorly for my stick-to-it-iveness.
What was your biggest worry?
That no one at work seemed to notice whether or not I was there. Exactly how long would I decay at home before anyone worried?
Who was your best friend?
Jenny, Andrew and Steph
What did you do with your spare time?
DVDs, Gameboy, Guitar on occasion
Describe your birthday?
I worked a double, and was then treated to DQ and Charlie Chaplin.
IN THE MIDDLE OF 2007: THE SUMMER!
Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
No. I sense a theme...
Had your outlook on the world changed?
Actually I was a great deal more cheerful
What did you spend your summer doing?
Filming a movie, working at Easter Seals Camp Woodeden, and standing in line for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Did you get a tan?
A little.
Who'd you hang out with?
Zach and Yvonne, my family and on a rather notable evening Andrew and a young man who required an endless supply of stories.
Did you go visit anywhere?
Stratford
What was your biggest worry?
Money.
What was the most fun event that happened?
I was so pleasantly surprised my enjoyment of the Simpson's movie I seem to always think of that. I also had a lot of fun at camp.
AND AS THE YEAR DRAWS TO AN END...
Still got a significant other?
Stupid questionaire thingy
How old are you?
24
Any new additions to your family?
Not quite yet. We have a new comer August 2008 marrying in. That's right. Some people actually chose to join!
What music will you remember 2007 by?
The Arcade Fire
Best movie you saw this year?
Fido
What major changes have happened since the year began?
I've been through several jobs, and am now at one that I actually enjoy. I entered and exitted a college program I loathed and I've moved to Toronto.
Is your life any different from when it started this year?
Quite a lot. I am much happier and less anxious. I had a good summer, which helped get me back on track and more serene.
What thing that happened stands out in your mind?
Going back to Woodeden had a very good effect on me, but truthfully the thing that effected me the most was having my best friends all move to Paris.
How have you changed?
I'm a little less ridiculously pessimistic. Mind you ask me how I feel about life next time I'm menstrating and this quiz might look a lot different.
Are you happy with how the year went?
It is the first summer that I have enjoyed in years. The last half of the year went OK I supposed. Meh, like Angelo said: It happened.
FOR 2008...
Do you think it'll be better or worse than this year?
It'll be more interesting.
What do you plan to do next year?
Get out of debt. Ha!!
What are your New Year's resolutions?
To make at least some effort at actually acting.
AND TO WRAP IT UP...
What's one thing would you like to say as the year is done?
I am going to Bonnaro this year, regardless of financial capabilities. Who's with me?
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Oh Eight
I have absolutely no doubt that this year will be an eventful one.
My new years resolution is to make a real effort at acting.
I have this amazing job at ErinOak, but I don't get enough hours. It is time to force myself to take acting seriously and try to get work. If only the infamous words of Homer weren't ringing in my ears. "Trying is the first step towards failure".
None the less...
I am also determined to quite playing the hermit. I have been spending too much time brooding alone in my apartment in TO. Good for reading, blogging and general geekdom, very bad for friendships and attracting the opposite sex. Would you believe that most men do not list "Skills at Nintendo Wii" or "Watched Seasons 4-7 of the Simpsons with commentaries on" on their "Attractive Attributes" list? Something about having a good personality and breasts... whatever.
And here's a very special episode of Scrubs:
I heart Scrubs.
Elliot: Can't we just go home, put on our PJs and watch Grey's Anatomy?
JD: I do love that show, it's like they've been watching our lives and put it on TV
My new years resolution is to make a real effort at acting.
I have this amazing job at ErinOak, but I don't get enough hours. It is time to force myself to take acting seriously and try to get work. If only the infamous words of Homer weren't ringing in my ears. "Trying is the first step towards failure".
None the less...
I am also determined to quite playing the hermit. I have been spending too much time brooding alone in my apartment in TO. Good for reading, blogging and general geekdom, very bad for friendships and attracting the opposite sex. Would you believe that most men do not list "Skills at Nintendo Wii" or "Watched Seasons 4-7 of the Simpsons with commentaries on" on their "Attractive Attributes" list? Something about having a good personality and breasts... whatever.
And here's a very special episode of Scrubs:
I heart Scrubs.
Elliot: Can't we just go home, put on our PJs and watch Grey's Anatomy?
JD: I do love that show, it's like they've been watching our lives and put it on TV
Monday, December 24, 2007
That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown
This story is reprinted from this weekend's Hamilton Spectator:
Truce 'a short peace in a terrible war'
Mark McNeil
The Hamilton Spectator
(Dec 22, 2007)
It has to be the most moving Christmas story of the past 100 years.
"Beginning Dec. 24, 1914 German and British troops in Belgium laid their weapons down, and crawled out of their trenches to celebrate Christmas with carols, gifts and an impromptu game of soccer in No Man's Land.
And while the story from the First World War is well known -- what is less known is that two letters that describe the historical event are kept at McMaster University's archives.
They were written by a soldier named Gerald Blake who served with the London Rifle Brigade, British Expeditionary Force.
The letters are part of a collection of more than 60 notes he wrote to his mother and brother Clive between November 1914 and June 1916. McMaster acquired the letters as part of a larger purchase of military artifacts decades ago, apparently without knowing about the references to the Christmas truce.
More recently, researchers working on a digitization project took a closer look at the collection to find that Blake participated in the famous temporary armistice.
"It began with the singing of various songs by the Germans who also had a cornet and concertina going. Our fellows cheered each song and the two sides shouted Christmas greetings," Blake wrote in a letter to his brother dated Dec. 27, 1914.
In a letter to his mother, dated Jan. 7, he retells the story and also mentions hearing a German soldier call out "are you as fed up with the war as we are? ... A very quaint proposal was made to us that England and Germany should call it a draw and divide France between them."
Alan Cleaver, a newspaper journalist in Britain, and his partner Lesley Park host an extensive website dedicated to collecting and transcribing letters about the Christmas truce.
Through a network of Internet volunteers, they have transcribed more than 500 letters over the past four years, many of which are included in the book Not a Shot was Fired.
"I think (the story) still strikes a chord with people because it offers hope," Cleaver says. "In a world bedevilled with hatred and war, the story of the Christmas truce offers people with the possibility that one day men might simply lay down their guns, cross no man's land and shake hands."
Yet Gerald Blake is almost matter of fact in his letters. Going from killing to celebrating and back to killing again is an irony that seems lost on him.
As researcher Justina Chong writes about the Blake letters, as part of the digitization project of McMaster archives called Peace and War in the Twentieth Century:
"The peculiar thing about Blake's account of the Christmas truce is that it is inserted so casually, almost dismissively, amongst his detailed reports of other military and naval matters. Why is such a miraculous interlude described in no more than half a paragraph?"
Unfortunately, little else is known about Blake. McMaster has no picture of him. Chong's case study says it's believed he was later captured by Germans and it is unclear what happened to him after that."
Snoopy was certain that this was the end
When the Baron cried out "Merry Christmas, mein friend!"
Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man
Truce 'a short peace in a terrible war'
Mark McNeil
The Hamilton Spectator
(Dec 22, 2007)
It has to be the most moving Christmas story of the past 100 years.
"Beginning Dec. 24, 1914 German and British troops in Belgium laid their weapons down, and crawled out of their trenches to celebrate Christmas with carols, gifts and an impromptu game of soccer in No Man's Land.
And while the story from the First World War is well known -- what is less known is that two letters that describe the historical event are kept at McMaster University's archives.
They were written by a soldier named Gerald Blake who served with the London Rifle Brigade, British Expeditionary Force.
The letters are part of a collection of more than 60 notes he wrote to his mother and brother Clive between November 1914 and June 1916. McMaster acquired the letters as part of a larger purchase of military artifacts decades ago, apparently without knowing about the references to the Christmas truce.
More recently, researchers working on a digitization project took a closer look at the collection to find that Blake participated in the famous temporary armistice.
"It began with the singing of various songs by the Germans who also had a cornet and concertina going. Our fellows cheered each song and the two sides shouted Christmas greetings," Blake wrote in a letter to his brother dated Dec. 27, 1914.
In a letter to his mother, dated Jan. 7, he retells the story and also mentions hearing a German soldier call out "are you as fed up with the war as we are? ... A very quaint proposal was made to us that England and Germany should call it a draw and divide France between them."
Alan Cleaver, a newspaper journalist in Britain, and his partner Lesley Park host an extensive website dedicated to collecting and transcribing letters about the Christmas truce.
Through a network of Internet volunteers, they have transcribed more than 500 letters over the past four years, many of which are included in the book Not a Shot was Fired.
"I think (the story) still strikes a chord with people because it offers hope," Cleaver says. "In a world bedevilled with hatred and war, the story of the Christmas truce offers people with the possibility that one day men might simply lay down their guns, cross no man's land and shake hands."
Yet Gerald Blake is almost matter of fact in his letters. Going from killing to celebrating and back to killing again is an irony that seems lost on him.
As researcher Justina Chong writes about the Blake letters, as part of the digitization project of McMaster archives called Peace and War in the Twentieth Century:
"The peculiar thing about Blake's account of the Christmas truce is that it is inserted so casually, almost dismissively, amongst his detailed reports of other military and naval matters. Why is such a miraculous interlude described in no more than half a paragraph?"
Unfortunately, little else is known about Blake. McMaster has no picture of him. Chong's case study says it's believed he was later captured by Germans and it is unclear what happened to him after that."
Snoopy was certain that this was the end
When the Baron cried out "Merry Christmas, mein friend!"
Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man
Friday, December 21, 2007
Finally a musical that makes sense.
After watching Sweeney Todd, I can come to only one conclusion: Across the Universe needed a lot more slashing at people's throats with razors.
Musicals always have the difficulty of being taken seriously, so making a horror story into a musical is the only logical solution. I suddenly have the desire to see Evil Dead the Musical. The film was ridiculous, and musicals are ridiculous. It's kind of the equivilent of "two wrongs make a right".
I was also very impressed by Alan Rickman's singing ability and capacity for creeping the hell out of me. I propose another film make the transition to musical, following the success of The Lion King, Spamalot and Evil Dead. Die Hard the Musical.
Yippie-kay-yay indeed.
Musicals always have the difficulty of being taken seriously, so making a horror story into a musical is the only logical solution. I suddenly have the desire to see Evil Dead the Musical. The film was ridiculous, and musicals are ridiculous. It's kind of the equivilent of "two wrongs make a right".
I was also very impressed by Alan Rickman's singing ability and capacity for creeping the hell out of me. I propose another film make the transition to musical, following the success of The Lion King, Spamalot and Evil Dead. Die Hard the Musical.
Yippie-kay-yay indeed.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Um
There's a brilliant site on the internet that has comic book covers that are well... um. Yep. Um.
There's an entire section on Propoganda in Comic Books that is especially... um.
Firstly I shall link you to God comics. I haven't even begun checking them all out, but I can't imagine I will find anything to top this. It is. Huh. Um...
Mind you there is a more recent comic that I discovered. It's called Liberality. I hope that the ultimate villain is Jon Stewart.
I'm going back to see if anything tops that God Comic. I pray that nothing will.
*******************
And now I've been laughing non-stop for like an hour and a half. The actual inspiration for this site is apparently "Superman is a Dick" a section of comics depicting Superman... well being a dick. There are over a hundred of them. This one however, has a sepcial place in my heart. We finally identified the second shooter. Seriously, check this site out. You'll laugh til it hurts. And believe me it will hurt.
There's an entire section on Propoganda in Comic Books that is especially... um.
Firstly I shall link you to God comics. I haven't even begun checking them all out, but I can't imagine I will find anything to top this. It is. Huh. Um...
Mind you there is a more recent comic that I discovered. It's called Liberality. I hope that the ultimate villain is Jon Stewart.
I'm going back to see if anything tops that God Comic. I pray that nothing will.
*******************
And now I've been laughing non-stop for like an hour and a half. The actual inspiration for this site is apparently "Superman is a Dick" a section of comics depicting Superman... well being a dick. There are over a hundred of them. This one however, has a sepcial place in my heart. We finally identified the second shooter. Seriously, check this site out. You'll laugh til it hurts. And believe me it will hurt.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
2007 in Review
After reading TIME Magazine's 2007 "lists" I decided to make a quick list of my own.
Favourite movies of 2007, favourite TV episodes, favourite albums, favourite books, favourite plays and favourite days.
MOVIES
#1 Fido
This was not my toughest decision, but it did have some competition. Eastern Promises is my current Oscar favourite, and whatever anyone says I thoroughly enjoyed Pirates of the Carribean III. But Fido stands above the rest simply because I'm making observations about the world around me. I think it's healthy.
Seriously see it. I'm not going to tell you twice.
TV Episodes
#1 The Imaginationland Trilogy of South Park
I know what you're going to say "Cheat!". OK, fine, "Imaginationland III". If you want to know how I feel about Religion, Children's stories, Christmas and Art in general listen to Kyle's speech at the end of this episode. If you're wondering, my other nominees were not just South Park episodes. I was pretty impressed by the CSI "Dead Doll"/"Living Doll" episodes, but I am still mad at the direction of the former. From The Office "Grief Counselling" (pretty sure that was this year), and I am counting the Sir Ian McKellan episode of Extras, since I could not technically have seen it until this year here in Canada. Also high on the list was the episode of the Colbert Report where Jane Fonda is his guest. If you haven't seen it, do so. But watch Fido first.
Album
#1 Neon Bible, the Arcade Fire
A VERY tough call. I also loved Modest Mouse's Before the Ship Even Sank and, of course, The White Stripe's Icky Thump. I suspect that "You Don't Know What Love is, You Just Do as Your Told" is my single of the year, although Feist's "1,2,3,4" is also very good. Neon Bible just has the best obsessive replay value for me. There are several songs dominating my iTunes "Most Played List" the most prominent being "No Cars Go" which seems to cause me to automatically turn the volume up on my car radio no matter how loud it was to begin with.
Books
#1... ok so you've probably guessed that by now...
Yes, I really loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Unlike a lot of critics, I liked it the best of all of the books. Interestingly, and I don't think that this is normally true, the other books that I read this year that are actually new books of 2007 were probably my favourite reads of the year (as opposed to books I read that were published in the past). Douglas Coupland's Gum Theif was not his best book, but I did thoroughly enjoy it and Stephen Colbert's I Am America and So Can You is pretty much awesome in every possible way. I have begun to stick his stickers of approval on my book collection. I am trying my best to find books that really expemplify Stephen's notions of literary excellence (like Catch 22, 1984, Contact, Michael Moore's Stupid White Men, etc.)
Plays
#1 Facebook of Revelations
OK I'll admit it. Second City is not evil. In fact that play was pretty excellent. And it is the first play that I have ever seen that had previews. I just can't wait to see "Safe Bet: The Musical" featuring popular rock songs and a love story. I wish I could say that this had more competitors, but I have seen tragically little theatre this year. The biggest one would be a rendition of Samuel Beckett's Not I, which I saw performed at Stratford, as well as The Merchant of Venice. Apart from that, I must simply see more theatre next year.
after trying to pick a best day I have come to a conclusion:
2007 is the best summer I've had since before I started University. Actually, make that "in recent memory". Between going back to camp, filming the movie with Zach and Yvonne, seeing a bunch of shows at Stratford and seeing several movies (in particular the Simpsons Movie), I'd say the summer may have actually redeemed 2007.
and finally
Best Concert.
Actually there was no real contest there. You Say Party We Say Die. I just wanted to mention how great they were.
Favourite movies of 2007, favourite TV episodes, favourite albums, favourite books, favourite plays and favourite days.
MOVIES
#1 Fido
This was not my toughest decision, but it did have some competition. Eastern Promises is my current Oscar favourite, and whatever anyone says I thoroughly enjoyed Pirates of the Carribean III. But Fido stands above the rest simply because I'm making observations about the world around me. I think it's healthy.
Seriously see it. I'm not going to tell you twice.
TV Episodes
#1 The Imaginationland Trilogy of South Park
I know what you're going to say "Cheat!". OK, fine, "Imaginationland III". If you want to know how I feel about Religion, Children's stories, Christmas and Art in general listen to Kyle's speech at the end of this episode. If you're wondering, my other nominees were not just South Park episodes. I was pretty impressed by the CSI "Dead Doll"/"Living Doll" episodes, but I am still mad at the direction of the former. From The Office "Grief Counselling" (pretty sure that was this year), and I am counting the Sir Ian McKellan episode of Extras, since I could not technically have seen it until this year here in Canada. Also high on the list was the episode of the Colbert Report where Jane Fonda is his guest. If you haven't seen it, do so. But watch Fido first.
Album
#1 Neon Bible, the Arcade Fire
A VERY tough call. I also loved Modest Mouse's Before the Ship Even Sank and, of course, The White Stripe's Icky Thump. I suspect that "You Don't Know What Love is, You Just Do as Your Told" is my single of the year, although Feist's "1,2,3,4" is also very good. Neon Bible just has the best obsessive replay value for me. There are several songs dominating my iTunes "Most Played List" the most prominent being "No Cars Go" which seems to cause me to automatically turn the volume up on my car radio no matter how loud it was to begin with.
Books
#1... ok so you've probably guessed that by now...
Yes, I really loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Unlike a lot of critics, I liked it the best of all of the books. Interestingly, and I don't think that this is normally true, the other books that I read this year that are actually new books of 2007 were probably my favourite reads of the year (as opposed to books I read that were published in the past). Douglas Coupland's Gum Theif was not his best book, but I did thoroughly enjoy it and Stephen Colbert's I Am America and So Can You is pretty much awesome in every possible way. I have begun to stick his stickers of approval on my book collection. I am trying my best to find books that really expemplify Stephen's notions of literary excellence (like Catch 22, 1984, Contact, Michael Moore's Stupid White Men, etc.)
Plays
#1 Facebook of Revelations
OK I'll admit it. Second City is not evil. In fact that play was pretty excellent. And it is the first play that I have ever seen that had previews. I just can't wait to see "Safe Bet: The Musical" featuring popular rock songs and a love story. I wish I could say that this had more competitors, but I have seen tragically little theatre this year. The biggest one would be a rendition of Samuel Beckett's Not I, which I saw performed at Stratford, as well as The Merchant of Venice. Apart from that, I must simply see more theatre next year.
after trying to pick a best day I have come to a conclusion:
2007 is the best summer I've had since before I started University. Actually, make that "in recent memory". Between going back to camp, filming the movie with Zach and Yvonne, seeing a bunch of shows at Stratford and seeing several movies (in particular the Simpsons Movie), I'd say the summer may have actually redeemed 2007.
and finally
Best Concert.
Actually there was no real contest there. You Say Party We Say Die. I just wanted to mention how great they were.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Flim Critics
"She doesn't even care about spelling, this blog must be hot!"
This is an exceptionally interesting article from Time Magazine:
Do Film Critics Know Anything?
by Richard Corliss
I sprinted down the corridors of TIME this afternoon, eager to spread the news of the New York Film Critics Circle voting for the year's best films. The winner, in the film, director, screenplay and supporting actor categories? The Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, which three different people told me they'd been meaning to see. The runner-up, with wins for best actor and cinematographer? There Will Be Blood, an audience-punishing epic that doesn't open for another two weeks. Best actress? Julie Christie, in Away From Her, which earned less than $5 million in its North American release.
I didn't even tell them that the very popular, and very good, Pixar cartoon Ratatouille lost out to a French movie about the troubles in Iran. (Though Persepolis, take my word for it, is funny.) By the time I'd got back to my office I had realized that we critics may give these awards to the winners, but we give them for ourselves. In fact, we're essentially passing notes to one another, admiring our connoisseurship at the risk of ignoring the vast audience that sees movies and the smaller one that reads us.
In the past five days, five groups — the National Board of Review, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Washington. D.C. Film Critics Association and my crowd, the New Yorkers — have convened to choose the most notable movies and moviemakers. No Country was named best picture in four of the groups, There Will Be Blood in L.A. George Clooney won two best actor awards for playing a lawyer at crisis point in Michael Clayton; Daniel Day-Lewis a pair for his oil mogul in There Will Be Blood; and, in Boston, Frank Langella won the prize for playing an aged novelist in Starting Out in the Evening. Three groups selected Julie Christie as best actress — she's an Alzheimer's patient in the Canadian film Away From Her — and two liked Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie en rose.
You will be forgiven if, like my friends at TIME, you are scratching your head and feigning interest, hoping I'll get quickly to the sexy stuff, like best non-fiction feature (the Iraq docs No End in Sight and Body of War and Michael Moore's Sicko) and distinguished achievement in production design (Jack Fisk, There Will Be Blood, L.A.) . Gee, you're wondering, did The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the French story of a man totally immobilized by a stroke, beat out the German spy drama The Lives of Others? (Three out of five critics groups say yes.) If you're getting restless, movie lovers, too bad. You'll be hearing the same obscure names at the Golden Globes and on Oscar night.
In animation, Ratatouille won the award outright in Washington and from the National Board of Review. Boston gave the Pixar film a screenplay award, which rarely goes to a cartoon. But in L.A. it shared the L.A. prize with Persepolis, the biographic cartoon from the Iranian exile Marjane Satrapi. And the New York critics rebuffed Ratatouille — and The Simpsons Movie and Bee Movie and Beowulfand other ani-movies people have actually seen — with a first-ballot vote for Persepolis. An art-house film beat out movies that have already grossed nearly $1.5 billion dollars (or about 47 euros) worldwide.
That's the deal with critics' awards. They give prizes to whom they damn well please. No problem with that; it's their gig, and obviously they should pick their favorites. (The choices are fine with me: No Country, Persepolis and No End in Sight are all on my 10 best.) But these laurels factor into publicity campaigns for the Oscars and Golden Globes; often they are the campaigns. It's the way we critics contribute to the art-industrial complex. Our prizes certainly help determine which films get nominated, setting in motion the next round of ballyhoo before the final prizes are handed out. So almost all the nominees will be from worthy obscurities that can't draw much of an audience in the theater or, when the awards shows are aired, on TV.
You might think the highest-rated Oscar telecasts are in years when there's a close contest in the major categories, as with Crash and Brokeback Mountain two years. Nuh-uh. It's the runaway years, when billion-dollar blockbusters like Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King get what are essentially People's Choice awards, and its makers wear a path in the rug from their seats to the stage. Moviegoers who are TV viewers don't want horse races; they want coronations — validations that somebody in Hollywood is ready to honor the movies they love.
That won't happen this year. If the Oscars follow the critics' prizes, there won't be a hit film among them — not even the hits that reviewers loved. Disney's megahit comedy Enchanted has the highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics' polling site, but I barely heard the film mentioned at the New York voting today. Dozens of scribes raved about the smash comedies Knocked Up and Superbad, but neither film has won a critics' prize. The comedy they love now is Juno, which came out last week.
Actually, it's hard to tell which if any of the critical faves will be popular, because most of the big winners (Diving Bell, No Country, Persepolis, Starting Out in the Evening, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood) are November or December releases. Half of them haven't hit the commercial theaters yet. Maybe the critical establishment has A.D.D.
But the Golden Globes and the Oscars, if they follow the critics' lead, will have V.D.D. — viewer deficit disorder. Large numbers of people won't watch shows paying tribute to movies they haven't seen. In the old Golden Age days, most contenders for the top Oscars were popular movies that had a little art. Now they're art films that have a little, very little, popularity. The serious movies Hollywood gives awards to in January and February are precisely the kind it avoids making for most of the year. The Oscars are largely an affirmative action program, where the industry scratches its niche. The show is a conscience soother, but not a crowd pleaser.
And it all starts here, with critics fighting over which hardly seen movie they want to call the best of the year.
*********************************************
This seems like as good a time as any to reveal some interesting information about Sweeney Todd. Director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have done several films together, and it is not the least bit surprising to see them at it again. But how was Burton so fortunate to secure such an outstanding supporting cast, featuring Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall? Unless of course he had some sort of special powers...
Sorry. I think it should be clear by now that I really can't help it.
This is an exceptionally interesting article from Time Magazine:
Do Film Critics Know Anything?
by Richard Corliss
I sprinted down the corridors of TIME this afternoon, eager to spread the news of the New York Film Critics Circle voting for the year's best films. The winner, in the film, director, screenplay and supporting actor categories? The Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, which three different people told me they'd been meaning to see. The runner-up, with wins for best actor and cinematographer? There Will Be Blood, an audience-punishing epic that doesn't open for another two weeks. Best actress? Julie Christie, in Away From Her, which earned less than $5 million in its North American release.
I didn't even tell them that the very popular, and very good, Pixar cartoon Ratatouille lost out to a French movie about the troubles in Iran. (Though Persepolis, take my word for it, is funny.) By the time I'd got back to my office I had realized that we critics may give these awards to the winners, but we give them for ourselves. In fact, we're essentially passing notes to one another, admiring our connoisseurship at the risk of ignoring the vast audience that sees movies and the smaller one that reads us.
In the past five days, five groups — the National Board of Review, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Washington. D.C. Film Critics Association and my crowd, the New Yorkers — have convened to choose the most notable movies and moviemakers. No Country was named best picture in four of the groups, There Will Be Blood in L.A. George Clooney won two best actor awards for playing a lawyer at crisis point in Michael Clayton; Daniel Day-Lewis a pair for his oil mogul in There Will Be Blood; and, in Boston, Frank Langella won the prize for playing an aged novelist in Starting Out in the Evening. Three groups selected Julie Christie as best actress — she's an Alzheimer's patient in the Canadian film Away From Her — and two liked Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf in La Vie en rose.
You will be forgiven if, like my friends at TIME, you are scratching your head and feigning interest, hoping I'll get quickly to the sexy stuff, like best non-fiction feature (the Iraq docs No End in Sight and Body of War and Michael Moore's Sicko) and distinguished achievement in production design (Jack Fisk, There Will Be Blood, L.A.) . Gee, you're wondering, did The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the French story of a man totally immobilized by a stroke, beat out the German spy drama The Lives of Others? (Three out of five critics groups say yes.) If you're getting restless, movie lovers, too bad. You'll be hearing the same obscure names at the Golden Globes and on Oscar night.
In animation, Ratatouille won the award outright in Washington and from the National Board of Review. Boston gave the Pixar film a screenplay award, which rarely goes to a cartoon. But in L.A. it shared the L.A. prize with Persepolis, the biographic cartoon from the Iranian exile Marjane Satrapi. And the New York critics rebuffed Ratatouille — and The Simpsons Movie and Bee Movie and Beowulfand other ani-movies people have actually seen — with a first-ballot vote for Persepolis. An art-house film beat out movies that have already grossed nearly $1.5 billion dollars (or about 47 euros) worldwide.
That's the deal with critics' awards. They give prizes to whom they damn well please. No problem with that; it's their gig, and obviously they should pick their favorites. (The choices are fine with me: No Country, Persepolis and No End in Sight are all on my 10 best.) But these laurels factor into publicity campaigns for the Oscars and Golden Globes; often they are the campaigns. It's the way we critics contribute to the art-industrial complex. Our prizes certainly help determine which films get nominated, setting in motion the next round of ballyhoo before the final prizes are handed out. So almost all the nominees will be from worthy obscurities that can't draw much of an audience in the theater or, when the awards shows are aired, on TV.
You might think the highest-rated Oscar telecasts are in years when there's a close contest in the major categories, as with Crash and Brokeback Mountain two years. Nuh-uh. It's the runaway years, when billion-dollar blockbusters like Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King get what are essentially People's Choice awards, and its makers wear a path in the rug from their seats to the stage. Moviegoers who are TV viewers don't want horse races; they want coronations — validations that somebody in Hollywood is ready to honor the movies they love.
That won't happen this year. If the Oscars follow the critics' prizes, there won't be a hit film among them — not even the hits that reviewers loved. Disney's megahit comedy Enchanted has the highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics' polling site, but I barely heard the film mentioned at the New York voting today. Dozens of scribes raved about the smash comedies Knocked Up and Superbad, but neither film has won a critics' prize. The comedy they love now is Juno, which came out last week.
Actually, it's hard to tell which if any of the critical faves will be popular, because most of the big winners (Diving Bell, No Country, Persepolis, Starting Out in the Evening, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood) are November or December releases. Half of them haven't hit the commercial theaters yet. Maybe the critical establishment has A.D.D.
But the Golden Globes and the Oscars, if they follow the critics' lead, will have V.D.D. — viewer deficit disorder. Large numbers of people won't watch shows paying tribute to movies they haven't seen. In the old Golden Age days, most contenders for the top Oscars were popular movies that had a little art. Now they're art films that have a little, very little, popularity. The serious movies Hollywood gives awards to in January and February are precisely the kind it avoids making for most of the year. The Oscars are largely an affirmative action program, where the industry scratches its niche. The show is a conscience soother, but not a crowd pleaser.
And it all starts here, with critics fighting over which hardly seen movie they want to call the best of the year.
*********************************************
This seems like as good a time as any to reveal some interesting information about Sweeney Todd. Director Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have done several films together, and it is not the least bit surprising to see them at it again. But how was Burton so fortunate to secure such an outstanding supporting cast, featuring Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall? Unless of course he had some sort of special powers...
Sorry. I think it should be clear by now that I really can't help it.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Things I didn't come up with, but am totally impressed by
I will definitely be adding this web log to my links section soon.
My brother has also drawn my attention to:
THE EMO ALPHABET
A is for Alone, and always complaining that you are just that
B is for Bracelets, but any wrist adornment will do
C is for Crying
D is for Dyed black hair
E is for Emotion and exaggerating every one you have
F is for Floorpunch!
G is for Glasses, preferably thick black rims
H is for Heartbreak. Boo hoo.
I is for the Intense pain you feel from your unrequited love
J is for Jilted lover
K is for Kissing, and whining about how you aren't doing it
L is for Labelling yourself
M is for Moodswings
N is for Never having any friends who care about you
O is for Old-man pants
P is for Picked last in gym class, and other cliches of the sort
Q is for Questioning your self worth
R is for Remembering when things were wonderful and then crying about your life now.
S is for Sweaters
T is for Thrift stores
U is for Underdeveloped muscles, because you have to be out of shape to be emo
V is for Veganism
W is for Whining
X is for X-Girlfriends and talking about the pain they bring you
Y is for Your miserable existence
Z is for Zooming with your camera because you're a photographer
My brother has also drawn my attention to:
THE EMO ALPHABET
A is for Alone, and always complaining that you are just that
B is for Bracelets, but any wrist adornment will do
C is for Crying
D is for Dyed black hair
E is for Emotion and exaggerating every one you have
F is for Floorpunch!
G is for Glasses, preferably thick black rims
H is for Heartbreak. Boo hoo.
I is for the Intense pain you feel from your unrequited love
J is for Jilted lover
K is for Kissing, and whining about how you aren't doing it
L is for Labelling yourself
M is for Moodswings
N is for Never having any friends who care about you
O is for Old-man pants
P is for Picked last in gym class, and other cliches of the sort
Q is for Questioning your self worth
R is for Remembering when things were wonderful and then crying about your life now.
S is for Sweaters
T is for Thrift stores
U is for Underdeveloped muscles, because you have to be out of shape to be emo
V is for Veganism
W is for Whining
X is for X-Girlfriends and talking about the pain they bring you
Y is for Your miserable existence
Z is for Zooming with your camera because you're a photographer
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Tree Decorating 101
I'm home today with my family and we are decorating the tree... once it meets my standards for straightness and having the rightside facing the right part of the Living Room, that is. Apparently no one wants to decorate the tree with me. Something about me yelling at them if the decorations aren't spaced properly- ridiculous accusations. Although I think it is probably better if I do it myself. SOME people in this famiy don't realize the importance of not having two Santa ornaments next to each other.
Here is a picture of me calmly telling my brother to make sure that longer ornaments be put on branches with more space underneath of them:
Now I want to make it clear that I am not the only person fanatical about Christmas in my house. My Mother has nearly every square inch covered in decorations. She has over 20 boxes of ornaments. This was my Father's expression in Canadian Tire when she approached him with a wreath made of little stuffed snowmen:
Well, back to work. Hope everyone else's first day of Advent is as eventful and fun-filled as mine.
Here is a picture of me calmly telling my brother to make sure that longer ornaments be put on branches with more space underneath of them:
Now I want to make it clear that I am not the only person fanatical about Christmas in my house. My Mother has nearly every square inch covered in decorations. She has over 20 boxes of ornaments. This was my Father's expression in Canadian Tire when she approached him with a wreath made of little stuffed snowmen:
Well, back to work. Hope everyone else's first day of Advent is as eventful and fun-filled as mine.
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