1) On the 10 Best Picture nominations: Despite the enlargement of this category, the race still comes down to - like every year - the films that were nominated for Best Director (and beyond that we know the “real” race is actually only 2 films), and in the end Up, the best film of the year, will get its ghettoized Animation Oscar.
2) On the documentary race: For the whole of 2009 I could not bring myself to watch The Cove. Then - thanks to the Cinema Eye Awards - I got motivated to actually watch the film and I hope the Oscars can do the same for the rest of the country, because it is truly a “Must See.”
3) On Independent Film: I still don’t know what “independent film” means these days. That said, arthouse distributors put up a fine showing and I congratulate them all, especially Sony Picture Classics for pulling out a Best Original Song nomination. Best Original Song! Who’d have thunk it?
The first trailer for The Losers the new film starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana and based on the amazing Vertigo series by Andy Diggle & Jock has hit the web, and frankly, I am impressed. The filmmakers seem to have taken the smart yet difficult path of staying true to the spirit of the story while not being rigidly bound to the structure ala Watchmen , all the while keeping key moments from the series intact for long time fans. I’m definitely going to be there for this opening weekend.
I haven’t watched a State of the Union address in 6 years. There are two reasons for this: I don’t like listening to George W Bush speak and even more so I can’t stand all the applause. Every other word gets an applause. I bet you the speech vs applause time ratio is probably 50:50. It’s mind-numbing.
So am I watching tonight?
No.
Well the applause will still be there, which is most definitely a major negative. That, however, is not why I’m not planning on watching. I’m not going to watch because I don’t have the heart to be disappointed again. He can talk about spending freezes, bank taxes, Afghanistan, and whatever else he wants. Great. Good for you, Mr. President. But unless you deal with the giant healthcare elephant in the room, whatever you say to my mind is meaningless. Even with your massive majorities you failed to push through your number one initiative. So why should I think you will push through anything you talk about?
Healthcare reform (or the lack thereof) is making the Democrats look impotent.
This makes me not want to participate or work for them. More so it makes me feel like our government is currently broken. One side we have the Republicans who are conservative in name only, and are more a party of crony-ism, negativity, and no ideas to either support or disagree with. On the other side we have the Democrats, who have shown a massive failure of leadership since the 2008 elections.
Governing requires both a long game and a short game. I can’t grade Obama on the long game, but on the short game he has made none of the bold movers that suggest the change his supporters hoped of him. The short game is as much about illusion as it is about reality. The governing party must present the illusion of action if not real action (trust me, I’d prefer the latter), and Obama and his party have done neither. He has not closed Guantanamo, he has not passed Healthcare reform (I don’t care if it’s not a perfect bill just pass the damn thing), he hasn’t reversed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, he hasn’t created a public works program. The Stimulus Act, for all the good it might have done to save the country from a depression, did not improve the lives of the middle class, and had the immediate effect of creating the public image that it helped those who needed help the least. This is not good governing, good leadership or good politics. It’s his apparent failure to make changes that are visible in the day to day that make the Democrats look weak; that make his supporters lose hope; that make Americans disillusioned and angry.
I’m sure tonight Obama will list his accomplishments and his goals. I honestly don’t care. I want action. I want to have something to believe in.
“And [Obama’s failure to close Guantanamo] is a function of three things: the chaotic state the Bush-Cheney crew left the paperwork in; the nihilism and fear-mongering of the GOP; and the usual lack of nerve among Democrats. The Bush inheritance, GOP cynicism and Democratic cowardice: three things that dominated Obama’s first year.”
Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Dish
Agreed.
2) On the Jets:
”[Shonn] [Greene was shelved after suffering a rib injury, and the absence of the rookie running back was a killer for the Jets.”
Mark Hale - The NY Post
Agreed.
3) On producing films:
“If you are going to spend a minimum of two years or more of your life cheerleading and fighting for a story you had better believe it is something you would actually pay $12 to see yourself.”
Lynnette Howell at the Sundance Producer’s Brunch
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