A Thing or Two

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fast read, thoroughly engaging. After watching the movie first, it was a pleasure to have the subplots and characters fleshed out. Recommend!

Where the Academy's head is at

Each spring when the Academy Award Nominations are announced, it's a reality check on the health of art cinema in the Hollywood crowd. This year's nominations are heavier than ever with blockbuster fare from the multiplexes.

We know from past years that the Academy membership includes fans of cinema from smaller studios, independents, and foreign filmmakers. But some years are like this, with only one or two art films sprinkled among a slew of dollar-driven studio behemoths.

To be fair, the Darkside Cinema should at least be keeping up with the foreign films in release, and know who the heck these nominees are. But only one, THE WHITE RIBBON, is on our schedule (slated for the Darkside on February 26). So, yeah. We are a little bit embarrassed.

But where are the outstanding festival films—aside from PRECIOUS? Why isn't PRODIGAL SONS on the documentary list? (Maybe it will be in consideration for 2011?) Why isn't WALTZ WITH BASHEAR on the animated feature list? Maybe I'm just grumpy; I've only had one cup of coffee this morning.

Here are the nominees we played (or will be playing this month) at the Darkside:

Actor in a Leading Role

• Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”

Actress in a Leading Role

• Carey Mulligan in “An Education”

Actress in a Supporting Role

(none)

Animated Feature Film

(none)

Art Direction

• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
• “The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

• “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
• “The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

• “Bright Star” Janet Patterson
• “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
• “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

• “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow

Documentary (Feature)

• “The Cove” Nominees to be determined
• “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

Documentary (Short Subject)

(none)

Film Editing

• “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Foreign Language Film

• “The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup

• “The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)

• “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

Music (Original Song)

• “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas

Best Picture

• “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
• “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
• “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers (at the Darkside February 12)

Short Film (Animated)

(none)

Short Film (Live Action)

(none)

Sound Editing

• “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson

Sound Mixing

• “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

Visual Effects

(none)

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
• “In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche

Writing (Original Screenplay)

• “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
• “The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
• “A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Just geeky enough: Palindromic dates between the years 0001 and 9999.

Bliss as a lever for change

My daughter has been reading Carlos Castaneda. This prompts me to recall my own interest in his books, in the late sixties. What happened to that Lainie? A few mind-expanding trips, and then a fork in the path. I married, had children, joined the corporate life. A part of me has missed that other road, the whole time.

Emily is a beacon in my life. Her spiritual journey has led her to Maui, where she is living in Eden: a historical site situated on a cliff, with botanical gardens and a large white pavilion where weddings are held. She wakes up in the morning and picks bananas off a tree for herself and her love to breakfast on. She listens to the birds and the geckos. She walks down the hill to the edge of the property and sees her future there, out in the ocean. Her workdays are spaced out across the week to allow for time in between so she can relish the Now. She chooses work that she enjoys, so it doesn't seem so much like work—or when it does, she's using it as a learning experience. The only thing her life is missing is Cali, her cat, who is living cozily with us, in dark and rainy Corvallis. This intentional pursuit of bliss is inspiring to me.

I visited Em in Maui in early December and she made it a fabulous vacation, a tour covering every imaginable attraction of the island. But it was Em's rich contentment that most impressed me. The trip jolted me out of my default path. It's like a curtain has been ripped down. Every night since, I have dreamed I am back on that lush tropical property, in that magical setting. I see mystical visions while I sleep, which I am sure are cosmic guideposts if I could only understand what they mean. In one dream I went through airport security but when I came to the gate I realized I hadn't put my shoes back on. Here's what a dream analysis site said:

If you forget your shoes, then it suggests that you are leaving restraints behind you. You are refusing to conform to some idea or attitude. If you dream that you lose your shoes, then it suggests that you may be searching for your identity and finding/exploring who you are.

I'm looking forward to finding out what I will dream tonight.

Simon and Susan: a match made in heaven

THE COVE: a must-see film

Okay, maybe you heard me say this before, but you hafta see THE COVE. When we played it at the Darkside Cinema, unexplicably, we had a very low turnout, even after I promoted it to the university and marine science center. Where were you?? Now, you will probably have to rent it. But see it you must, and NakedJen does a great job of telling you why.

(Thanks, Mimi, for pointing out her post!)

Spammer fail

Note to spammers who want their message to get through the junk filter: SPELLCHECK.

Sheez.

40 years on

This weekend I attended my 40th Blackford High School reunion. It was a blast, but in that "you hadda be there" kind of way. 

If you haven't gone to one of your high school reunions, I'm sure you have your reasons. But if those reasons include any notion that the popular kids will still snub you—or that you are still embarrassed about being one of the popular kids who snubbed the others, please reconsider. Time heals all wounds.

Every one of us in adolescence is looking for a place to fit in. Some fit into athletics, some into academic (or theatre arts!) stardom, some quietly into the back row. But 40 years on, or even 20 years on, no one cares about that anymore. Every single one of your classmates lucky enough to still be living has experienced the ups and downs of life. All they care about is reconnecting with that group of people who were shipmates on the turbulent seas of teenagery. There is a primal connection, for some reason. A shared understanding of the time, for sure: the (now old) fashions, songs, trends, escapades. But more than that, it's like reconnecting with extended family, in a way. These are people who saw you at your gawkiest, your pimpliest, your most insecure times. And you know what? They want to see you now, as much as you want to see them. 

One girlfriend whom I haven't seen for 37 years got in the car with me and we drove over to look at our old neighborhood in San Jose. We took pictures of the houses we grew up in. We drove by the old middle school, and the campus where our high school stood. We thought about revving up the engine and squealing out in the parking lot, but not seriously. Wave after wave of memories came, but we weren't living in the past. Instead, we were reviewing and sifting those stories through the prism of our accumulated experiences. We have the perspective now to file those times where they fit. We can always haul them out again should the mood strike.

So, next time one of your reunions rolls around, go. Have fun. Hug those old friends and frenemies, and laugh until you cry. You won't regret it.

I sure had fun, and I have the laryngitis to prove it.

RIP Teddy Kennedy

Poor Teddy. May he rest in peace.

But his death is not in vain.

Like the events surrounding the death of Michael Jackson, his memorials will be an economic stimulus for all branches of media.

The Subject Line of the Day comes from the email I received from "The Kennedy Family":

Watch online: Tonight's private memorial service

Private?

How is The Onion supposed to compete?

National Book Awards for Fiction open to public voting for the first time

To celebrate the 60th year of the National Book Awards, the National Book Foundation will present a book-a-day blog on the Fiction winners from 1950 to 2008.

Each day, from July 7th to September 21st, the blog will discuss one award-winning book, starting with Nelson Algren’s The Man With the Golden Arm and ending with Peter Matthiessen’s Shadow Country. On September 21st, you can select your choice of The Best of the National Book Awards Fiction and win two tickets to the 2009 National Book Awards, the first time in its history the Awards will open to a public vote.

And, if you are interested in the entire list of all winners in all categories from 1950 to 2008, go here. Sometimes it's fun to see how many of these you've read.

40 gorgeous photos from Apollo 11: 40 years ago on the moon

The Boston Globe is featuring 40 big, beautiful photographs called "Remembering Apollo 11" in their online gallery called The Big Picture.

This is but a mere thumbnail snapshot of the first image.

WarHorse: Puppets like you've never seen

The West End in London is buzzing about the sell-out production from the National Theatre: WarHorse. In a dramatic departure from traditional theater, the horses in the play are giant puppets—each controlled by three puppeteers. The footage reveals the stunning creativity of the puppets' construction and operation, all designed to make the audiences forget about the fact that the horses on stage are not actual, living creatures.

This BBC Channel 4 report provides a glimpse of the horses in action, in addition to comments about the bump in theater receipts due to the success of the show. YouTube has some other videos, if you want to go look.

Hallelujah! TJ's is coming to Corvallis!

I don't have to tell you the many, many reasons we are looking forward to having Trader Joe's open a store in Corvallis. Cheers went up around the area when the news broke yesterday morning.

Lots of local comments on that article, many complaining about high prices at First Alternative Co-op. Always buying local really tests our principles; even among the most die-hard "Buy Local" friends I have, most of them are as excited about this news as if they'd just landed free tickets to a reunion Beatles concert.

Cosmic Variance: the numbers line up

Shortly after noon on July 8, comes the moment that can be called 12:34:56 7/8/9.  In another 80 years or so, we'll have 12:34:56 7/8/90, but that's another story.

Seriously? Nothing since May?

I don't always play on the Interwebs. Sometimes I do other things.

For example, in May I read 9 novels. That's a lot, even for me. So, not a lot of blogging. You can't have it both ways.

I Can Haz Writin Skillz?

In an admittedly serpent's tail-ish reference, I'm posting a link to an ironic syllabus and course overview for the Internet age, by Robert Lanham, courtesy of McSweeney's. The course is designed for students wishing to prepare for a career in writing for non-pulp fiber, short form posts, for the future "post-print era," in which there would be no more newspapers, magazines, or books.

The prerequisites.

Students must have completed at least two of the following.

ENG: 232WR—Advanced Tweeting: The Elements of Droll
LIT: 223—Early-21st-Century Literature: 140 Characters or Less
ENG: 102—Staring Blankly at Handheld Devices While Others Are Talking
ENG: 301—Advanced Blog and Book Skimming
ENG: 231WR—Facebook Wall Alliteration and Assonance
LIT: 202—The Literary Merits of Lolcats
LIT: 209—Internet-Age Surrealistic Narcissism and Self-Absorption

Workshops include sessions that help students to "perfect their tweeting, blogging, and short-form writing skills."

If it weren't so true it would be funny.

Kutiman = YouTube mashups + compositional talent

I can't stop going to Thru-You.com and streaming the musical selections created by Kutiman.

This is, basically, an "album" of 7 new and original songs, created fresh by putting bits and pieces of YouTube videos together. One song is soul/funk style, another is reggae, another is a sweeet ballad, and so on.

Brilliant!

Neccos - Mmmmm

I'm thinking about experimenting a little with our candy selection at the Darkside Cinema. It might be fun to offer candy that appeals to our sense of nostalgia. I never see Neccos, Sugar Daddies, or Bit-O-Honeys in movie snack bars anymore, and I'll bet some of our patrons would love to see these again.

In my research I uncovered these fun facts about Neccos.

Q: What are the original eight flavors in a Necco Wafer Roll?

A: The original eight flavors: orange, lemon, lime, clove, chocolate, cinnamon, licorice and wintergreen. The ingredients are simply sugar, corn syrup, gelatin, gum, colorings and flavoring.

Q: What are the six flavors in the Sweethearts Conversation Hearts?

A: The six flavors in the sweethearts Conversation Hearts are cherry, banana, lemon, grape, orange and wintergreen.

Bonus: Necco is a shortened version of "New England Confectionery Company."

Suck on that!

KBVR show features Paul Turner (Darkside Cinema) and Jon Lewis (Oregon State University)

Oregon State University's student-run radio station, KBVR, features a series each Monday at 11:00 a.m. Pacific, called "Talking in the Theater" and hosted by Mervin Kurniawan. In this MP3 recording, Paul and Jon discuss the 2009 Academy Awards. The show is about a half hour long.