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.

"Modern Family"

http://www.impawards.com/tv/modern_family_ver3_xlg.html

                                                               "Modern Family"



What is a modern family? It used to be a husband, a wife, and two to four kids. But now there is a diverse number of ways we can define a modern family. The sitcom "Modern Family" uses comedy to answer this question. To be honest I haven't really watched the show that much, but it's recent popularity has caused me to tine into a few episodes. The show is hilarious, mainly because this stuff could happen to you.



Describe :
 "Modern Family" is a smart and witty show that looks into the fabric that makes up a family in today's society. The cast is hilarious. With the dad Jay Pritchett and his trophy wife Gloria, Gloria's son Manny. Jay's daughter Claire and her family, husband Phil Dunphy, and their kids Haley, Alex, and Luke. Along with Jay's son Mitchell and his partner Cameron Tucker(or Cam), and their adoptive daughter Lily.

The episode I watched was "When A Tree Falls" which aired as the ninth episode in the fourth season. Jay is taking his stepson Manny to a birthday party, and while he is their Jay runs into Phil who is because Luke was also invited to the party. Jay, not wanting to stay at the party, tries to not be seen by Phil but Jay is not fast enough. Phil ropes Jay into hanging out with the other dads. Meanwhile Jays wife Gloria, who is about nine months pregnant, is having to be watched over by Jays daughter Claire. Claire and Gloria get into some shenanigans at the mall, Gloria bails them out by faking going into labor. During all this Cam ropes Mitchell into saving a tree in their local park. From there on it laughs a plenty throughout the episode.

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Analyze :

"Modern Family" takes a unique look into the makeup of a 21st century family. It is filmed like "The Office" with a documentary crew following the family. The humor in the show comes from the real to life feel the show has. Like Phil constantly trying to win his father in-laws approval, or the old school Jay learning to cope with his family after marrying a younger woman. That is why the show is so popular because this stuff can and probably has happened.


Interpret :

"Modern Family" perfectly taps into what a family is in today's society. It is all the trials and tribulations we go through on a daily bases. Weather it be an adult issue, a pre-adult issue, or a kid issue this show touches on it. Like in this episode Jay is having to deal with the unaccountability of getting older, while his son is having to deal with commitment, and his granddaughter having to deal with the repercussions of getting kicked out of college. The show certainly hits its demographic.


Evaluate :

"Modern Family" is a smart show, in the way(as I have stated before) that it paints an accurate picture of family life in the 21st century. The show is also bold into looking into the gay family life, and with that it shows that no matter your preference we go through the same experiences. The show has been winning awards since its debut, recently picking up a SAG award for best ensemble in a comedy series. Along with numerous nominations. The show has a huge number of followers in its 9 p.m. time slot on ABC.


Engage :

Like I have said before, I have only recently been watching "Modern Family." If I haven't watched them during their time slot, I get caught up on Hulu plus. My entire family watches the show regularly. I do not follow the show on Facebook, but might start to soon. The writing and casting of the show are its strengths, you feel like it is a camera crew following a random family.


Conclusion :

"Modern Family" truly is one of those rare gems, that come along once in a while. The real feel of it is the driving force. The dynamic that the cast sets makes it enjoyable to watch. This is a show that appeals to all audiences with its true to life humor. I really do recommend "Modern Family" to everyone. It is one of those shows that can make you laugh and also make you feel. You can catch it on ABC at 9 p.m. or on Hulu plus.

"Django Unchained" The "D" is Silent

 
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Django_Unchained_Poster.jpg




It's 1858, somewhere in Texas. A group of five slaves are being lead through a desert, when out of the dark desert night a light appears. As the light gets closer to the group we see that a horse is pulling a man on a carriage, with a quite humorous large tooth atop the carriage. He introduces himself as Dr. King Schultz, a German born dentist, and that he is interested in doing business and wants to purchase a slave. He comes across our hero and title character Django, because Django has seen these Brittle brothers that Schultz is asking about. Then through some ultra violence and humor, Schultz comes to acquire Django.



Schultz then makes a confession to Django that he is no longer a dentist, but a bounty hunter. Schultz makes Django a proposition, that if Django helps Schultz locate the Brittle brothers, then Schultz will help Django find his wife Broomhilda. Schultz also will give them both their freedom, because as it turns out, Schultz hates slavery.


Once the Brittle brothers are located and killed, our two heroes set out to find Broomhilda. Schultz finds out that Broomhilda has been sold to a brutal plantation owner named Calvin Candie. Schultz then devises a plan to get close to Candie. Schultz will pose as a man who is interested in buying a slave for entering into Mandingo fights, which is Candie's after dinner hobby. While Django will pose as Schultz's right hand man with a vast knowledge of Mandingo fighting. 

Schultz and Django are brought back to Candie's plantation, called Candyland, to finalize their deal. On the plantation our heroes learn that Broomhilda is there on the plantation. But it is not smooth sailing from there. Stephen, who is Candie's trusted Uncle Tom house slave, figures out Schultz and Django's true reason for being at the plantation. What follows next is a spectacular shootout ever put in a western film.

Writer/director Quentin Tarantino manages to bring the western genre back and in a spectacular fashion. The film manages to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the entirety, with the gripping anticipation that continuously builds up. Continuing to be the auteur he is, all of Tarantino's trademarks are present, a lot of dialogue, humor, and exploding violence.

As for the performances, they are great, from the stars to the supporting characters. Jamie Foxx plays Django, is great as the slave turned bounty hunting sharpshooter seeking his wife Broomhilda. Christoph Waltz is amazing as Dr. King Schultz, the dentist turned bounty hunter. The title of the movie may have Django's name, but Waltz is the clear star with majority of the screen time and perfecting Quentin Tarantino's dialogue. Which is strange that he has been campaigned for awards as a supporting actor for his work in this film. Samuel L. Jackson's scene stealing turn as the Uncle Tom house slave is masterful, in his return with Tarantino.


But the true surprise of the film is Leonardo DiCaprio's performance of the ruthless plantation owner Calvin Candie. As a fan of DiCaprio's work, the surprise is how amazing he portrays the villain so well for the first time in his career. DiCaprio mentioned in a "Today" show interview, that Calvin Candie, "Is the most deplorable human being I have ever read in a screenplay in my life." Mr. DiCaprio hits it on the head. You won't see him standing on the bow if a ship proclaiming that he is "king of the world," but rather a "King Louis XIV" type, as DiCaprio describes his character in "Django Unchained." The character of Calvin Candie not only rivals, but is way ahead of the Joker in "The Dark Knight" as the best film villain we have seen in recent years, he even sports a goatee that the devil himself would be proud of. It is a shame that Leonardo DiCaprio's incredible performance in this film has been over looked by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.



 
 http://www.vibe.com/photo-gallery/10-reasons-watch-django-unchained/?page=9


With "Django Unchained" writer/director Quentin Tarantino manages to make not only one of the most memorable films of the year, but also one of the funniest. Tarantino has always said that he works with "homages", which "Django Unchained" is full of. From the obvious ( Sergio Corbucci film "Django", along with Sergio Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy) to possibly the not so obvious (Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver"), "homages" Tarantino plays with in "Django Unchained". The cinematography is amazing, including a beautiful montage with Jim Croce's  song "I Got a Name." The music selection is shocking, but it works in a way that only Tarantino pull off.


The film also makes us look at the awful history history of slavery, and we can not look away. Through "Django Unchained" Tarantino reminds of why the n-word is the most atrocious word in any language, and that the atrocities of slavery should not be forgotten so we can never let this happen again.


It is rare that a 165 minute movie can keep your attention throughout the entirety, but "Django Unchained" manages to not to keep your attention and heart racing every minute. I recommend this movie not only for the cinephiles, but for every movie goer. Truly the movie of the year.

                                                       

                                                                 At A Glance:

Title: "Django Unchained"
Rated: R
Directed and Written by: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, and Kerry Washington
Run time: 165 minutes
Playing in Albany At: Regal Albany 7 Cinema
Playing in Corvallis At: Regal Ninth Street Cinema 4
Nominated for five Academy Awards including best picture
Official website