Oscars 2013

February 24, 2013 marked the 85th annual Academy Awards, the night where the best in film is celebrated. The Academy Awards was drawing interest before the stars were dawning the red carpet. It started when it was announced that Seth MacFarlane would be the host of the award show. MacFarlane, for those of you how don't know, is the creator of such brow raising shows as "Family Guy", "American Dad", and the hit movie of the summer "Ted". The announcement of MacFarlane as the host drew in viewers to see who the funny man could piss off on the most elegant night in Hollywood. As it turns out it became the most watched Academy Awards since 2004.


The nominations and snubs also brought a lot of attention to the award show. The most notable snubs were in the directing category. Ben Affleck, star and director of "Argo", failing to receive a best director nomination while his film was nominated for 7 awards and won 3 including best picture. The other glaring omission was Kathryn Bigelow for her directorial work on "Zero Dark Thirty." This film was nominated for 5 awards winning 1.

"Lincoln" came into the ceremony lead the field with 12 nominations winning two, including lead actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, who also made Oscar history for winning his third best actor statue. Quvenzhane Wallis also made Oscar history for being the youngest person, age 9, to be nominated for best lead actress. "Life Of Pi" received 11 nominations winning 4, including a surprising win for Ang Lee for best director. The 4 wins would make "Life Of Pi" the most wins for any of the nominated films.


"Silver Linings Playbook" came into the night with 8 nominations, including 1 nomination in all four acting categories, along with best director for David O. Russell and best picture. Jennifer Lawrence picked up the best lead actress Oscar for the film and while on her way to receive her Oscar she tripped and hit the deck. she was able to laugh about it and poke fun at it to the press back stage. It was the films only Oscar.


While accepting an Oscar for best picture, Ben Affleck gave one of the best Oscars speech in the history on the ceremony where he urges people to get up and keep trying after you get knocked down.

Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor for "Django Unchained", Quentin Tarantino won an Oscar for best original screenplay for "Django Unchained" which was the films only two Oscar wins. Anne Hathaway won best supporting actress for "Les Miserables", one of the films 3 Oscars.

The ceremony had two special guest appearances. The first was William Shatner posing as Captain Kirk from "Star Trek". He appeared on a big screen and told MacFarlane that he came back in time to help him not mess up as the host, the opening bit between these two was hilarious. MacFarlane definitely look like he belonged on the stage as host, he had plenty of highlights for his nights work. The second guest appearance was a little more surprising. The First Lady Michelle Obama announced the best picture winner, probably because Jack Nicholson was getting a little to distracted by the possibilities of the after parties.

                 
With MacFarlane at the helm the Oscars saw its best rating in years according to the, according to the Nielsen rating system. Most notably the ratings were up in the 18 to 49 demographic, which is what was targeted with MacFarlane as host. All in all the show went well, with only one winner being cut off by the orchestra. Now the time has come where the films of substance are over until next fall, and ushered in are the expensive blockbusters with explosions galore.



                                                               At A Glance:

Most Nominations:                                                                          Wins:

12- "Lincoln"                                                                             4- "Life Of Pi"
11- "Life Of Pi"                                                                          3- "Argo" and "Les Miserables"
8- "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook"                      2- "Django Unchained" "Lincoln"  "Skyfall"
7- "Argo"                                                                                    Nine films won 1 Oscar
5- "Armour" "Django Unchained" "Skyfall"
  and "Zero Dark Thirty"
4- "Anna Karenina" "Beats of The Southern Wild"
3- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" "The Master"
2- "Flight" "Snow White and The Huntsman"

"Django Unchained": In Detail

 http://www.beyondblackwhite.com/quentin-tarantinos-django-unchained-brilliant-storytelling/



                                                                       "Django Unchained"

 I am choosing to do this project about Quentin Tarantino's new epic "Django Unchained" because when I went to see it in theaters it blew me away. Everything about the film from the acting, the directing, the story, and all the visuals are astounding. Obviously what stands out about this film is the controversial story about slavery and the explicit racial slurs. It is because of this the movie has been in the news even before it hit theaters with film director Spike Lee blasting the film and Tarantino.


"Django Unchained" is a western set in the antebellum south two years before the Civil War. Some people may think that the film is a bloody revenge story. Even though there is that aspect to it, at the heart of the film it is a love story about a man searching for his wife.

Quentin Tarantino directs/writes his ninth feature film with "Django Unchained", and it is pure Tarantino. All of his signature trademarks are here with dialogue(lots of dialogue), spastic chaotic violence, and shocking music choices. Being set in 1858 and having gangster rap in the film is pretty shocking, and will take you by surprise. Tarantino regulars Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson make up part of the cast. Waltz is brilliant as the German dentist turned bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz, and Jackson is surprisingly devilish as the uncle Tom house slave Stephen. Tarantino newcomers Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Kerry Washington round out the main cast. Foxx is the titular character Django in search of his wife Broomhilda. Leonardo DiCaprio steals the show as Calvin Candie a ruthless Mississippi plantation owner. In the film Schultz and Django team up to seek Broomhilda, who becomes acquired by Calvin Candie, which sets up the ultimate showdown.


"Django Unchained" definitely fits into Tarantino's filmography, as I stated before all of his trademarks are in this movie. The pulp story telling, the over the top violence, dialogue dialogue and more dialogue. Also the tongue in cheek humor. Of course it wouldn't be a Tarantino movie without controversy. What sets this film apart from Tarantino's other work is the content and setting of the story. Tarantino became famous by telling stories about people on the streets that we could bump into.


Quentin Tarantino manages to create a noteworthy film with "Django Unchained", meaning that he brings to life a subject that has unfortunately taken a back seat recently, and that subject is slavery. Critics of the film complain about the use of the n-word. The word is used excessively, but is was coming during the time period. But it is not glorified, the characters that use it explicitly are the most evil, disgusting, backward characters that have been on film. It is because of this that Tarantino shows us why the word is disgusting and should never be used in society today. Tarantino also reminds us why slavery was terrible and why we should never forget this dark past of our history so it can never happen again.

 The film has three strengths. The first is the acting, all the actors nail the subtle nuances that make their characters believable. The second is the directing, Tarantino continues to prove that he is the modern day auteur with his trademarks making this film. The third is the writing, Tarantino proves again that he is a brilliant screenwriter with his fascinating dialogue sequences that build up the action about to come. The only weakness that this film has is the editing. Long time Tarantino editor Sally Menke passed away a short time before filming began, as a result the film drags on a little longer than what it should. But that is just being nit-picky. There is a general consensus that Tarantino's greatest work is "Pulp Fiction", no argument there, but this film definitely gives it a run for its money. Obviously the film will not be forgotten for its can not look away violence and controversial subject matter. Film critic Roger Ebert described the film as(http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2013/01/django_unchained.html ) "Often beautiful to regard." meaning the cinematography is astounding. Which is confirmed with a beautiful snow montage set to Jim Croce's song "I Got a Name."

Being the cinophile that I am, I went out and saw this movie three times, and I had been looking forward to its release for over a year. My group of friends loved the film too, they went to the multiple viewings with me.  What I learned by doing this critique was that I feel I was able to connect to this film more than I would have if I just went out and saw it. It truly is a great piece of art that everyone should see.

   

Keeping Youth Football

Teamwork. Dedication. Hard work. Overcoming adversity. All qualities of a successful person ready to contribute to society. But how do we come to acquire these qualities? Life experiences? Or does it happen earlier in life? I choose to believe in the latter, because of youth sports, most notably youth football.


Youth football first came to my community 11 years ago when I was entering my fifth grade year. We had a plethora of kids that signed up, and teams were split up by grade level. Third and fourth grades together, and fifth and sixth grades together. Our coaches point of emphasis was teaching the basic fundamentals of the game, not on winning, the only people who thought about winning games was us kids. This is what made our program a success. Pretty soon we had two sets of teams for each grade level.


Football is the ultimate audition for the real world for young men, because football is the ultimate team game. It is no driven by individuals like baseball or basketball. It takes all 11 guys on the field to drive the ball down the field for a touchdown. In football, in order to ensure success, you must focus on your job while knowing that your teammates our going to do their job. Sounds like a model for a successful work place right?


But as we all know the main aspect of football is dealing with adversity time and time again. Adversity on the football fields comes in many forms such as the weather, losing, and constantly being hit to the ground. Then comes the moment of truth, do you get up or lie down and quit. It's the moment of truth that is witnessed by everyone from your family, friends, and community members. You are on the stage that is the football field for everyone to see, just like the real world. Also just like football, the real world is met by constant adversity, and how you respond is witnessed by all.


The future of this game is currently in flux. The concussion epidemic has caused parents to question their kids safety while participating in this sport. President Barrack Obama has said publicly that if he had a son he would have to think twice about him playing football. Many people blame it on the violent nature of the game or the media sensationalizing big hits, but they could not be further from the truth.


As a former player I can say that without a doubt everything I did out on the football field was a result of how my coaches told me to play. Coaches are ultimately responsible for player conduct on the field, as a result we should be pointing the finger at the coaches on this issue. Obviously fundamentals are being thrown out the window because if people were tackling the correct way concussions would be reduced.

This can be accomplished if coaches at the higher levels of play would take pride in what they do, and reintroduce the proper fundamentals of the way the game is to be played. Just like at the youth level. Youth football has provided an ever growing number of us with a valuable skill set to place us on a track of success. I feel I can confidently say that I am not the only one who feels a tremendous amount of debt toward this sport of football, and hope that it can regain its popularity and participation numbers at all levels continue to grow. 

Dr. Harrison: A Profile

"Attention class, attention please," is what a rowdy class of Dr. Harrison's would hear, and the soft Texas voice calms down the room and class is set to begin. Dr. Robert Harrison is a history instructor here at LBCC, and has been since 2006.


Dr. Harrison grew up in East Texas, near the town of Tyler, Texas. Dr. Harrison first received a masters degree from University of Texas at Tyler, Texas. Next, Dr. Harrison pursued higher education from Ohio State University, earning a PhD from the school.


But Dr. Harrison is the first one to tell you that nothing is definite. Dr. Harrison first started out in the journalism program, and wanted to be a writer. He soon figured out that it wasn't for him, as he puts it, "You can't write the next great novel while you are covering city council meeting after city council meeting."

After one year being a journalism major, Dr. Harrison switched to majoring in history. Teaching history became a career path for Dr. Harrison after a college professor sparked his interest in the subject. He already had some knowledge on teaching, as his father was a geography teacher.

Now how does a man from Texas, who got a PhD from Ohio State make his way to LBCC? Well one of Dr. Harrison's passions is traveling, and being a history enthusiast, he took his family along the Oregon Trail that was used in the 1800's. Once they reached Oregon they fell in love. Dr. Harrison got a job at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, but he did not care to much for eastern Oregon as he puts it, "We were 300 miles from anything green, it was awful."

Dr. Harrison left EOU for LBCC, he could have gone to a community college in San Diego, but he fell in love with the valley. Dr. Harrison has been teaching at LBCC since 2006.

History is not the only passion of Dr. Harrison. He is an avid baseball enthusiast, the Houston Astros are his favorite baseball team. He even has taught a baseball history class. He loves politics, saying that politics are fun and important. Then there is his family. He loves to travel with his wife, and finding time for his grand kids who were born weeks apart from each other.


It all comes back to history for Dr. Harrison though. He loves reading historical novels and listening to them on audio book. He has recently just finished a book on the history of salt, he says, "It is fascinating how important salt was and is for our survival."

The attraction to history will never go away for Dr. Harrison because as he says, "I will never get bored, because there is new evidence coming out every day."

Dr. Harrison continues to press on, molding young minds in the classroom. Also showing off his dance moves with his rendition of the Charleston dance, during his lecture on the roaring 20's in his History 203 class.  

Student Leadership Committee: Student Summit

You may ask yourself, what is the student summit? The answer is, the student summit is a student forum to have our voices heard and listened to. The student summit has currently held two forums thus far, with a third being planned. The forum consist of active students and clubs led by the Student Leadership Committee. Eric Noll, student affairs director of the Student Leadership Committee, describes the student summit forum as, "A great way for active students to network and share ideas for student engagement."


The student summit is geared for active student clubs, but is open for anyone who wants their opinions heard. The third student summit is planned from 2-3 p.m. on February 28th in the Fire Side Room. The focus of this forum, as described by Eric Noll, is " To be working on a proposal to reduce student fees."


Eric Noll says, "We are hoping for a large group to help on working to offer major changes to how student fees work on campus."

If you are interested in getting involved, you can follow the Student Leadership Committee on Facebook. Where you will receive updates and information on how to get involved. You can also stop by the Student Leadership Committee office, on the first floor of the Student Union next the Hot Shot Cafe, to receive information. If you may think that you don't have anything of importance to say, you are wrong. All of of voices are important, and this is the way to get it heard. So attend, get your voice heard, and make a difference.