2015: A Fantastic Year at the Movies
The 2016 Academy Awards arrive on Sunday February 28, and with them, the controversy of #OscarsSoWhite which has been discussed by people far more qualified than I.
(UPDATE 2/22/16: Listen to this NPR report about how “TV and film production is sorely deficient in gender, racial and ethnic diversity according to a study from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism”.
The analysis shows that from in a recent one year period only 1/3 of speaking characters on TV were women and mostly were sexualized characters. In 109 films studied, women directed only 3% of films. Only 1/5 of characters were people of color with speaking roles (regardless of what they said!) 10 media companies were studied and distributors and they all failed interns of having diversity within their ranks. People must see themselves represented on screen. The study will be used to develop specific strategies to diversify the industry.
Let’s hope that next year’s nominations will reflect more diversity because there are more women and people of color MAKING films, making the decisions around films, AND acting in them.
In the meantime…
“What a great year for women,” writes guest blogger Ron Wells. “Brie Larson may have been the best, but so many gave worthy performances. I discovered the wonderful Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina, and she outshone everyone in the Danish Girl. Cate Blanchett was great in Carol and Truth. And don’t forget Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, Steve Jobs’ assistant and conscience. Also, I’ll see Jennifer Lawrence in anything. I’d even watch the so-so Joy again just to see her act.”
In advance of Sunday’s event when we will learn more about the winners and losers, here’s Ron Well’s list of the top 30 films he saw over the past year– but not including these films that he still intends to see: Amy, Straight Outta Compton, Creed, Mockingjay Part 2. He has no plans however to see Hateful Eight; he’s done, he says, with Mr. Tarantino’s gleeful mix of graphic violence and humor. “I’ve seen violence in the real world,” writes Ron. “I didn’t find it humorous.”
Overall, Ron says, it was a fantastic year at the movies. Any of his first five films could have been his number one, and he’s sure he’ll see these many times in the future.
A few mini-reviews plus links to his full reviews as well as some Oscar nominations info below. Read more…
Challenges. Choices. Parties.
Last week I posted about making a choice and taking on a challenge. In essence, for Lent, for February, for March or for life, I challenged readers to make a choice, to make a sacrifice for the love of each other and the planet. Yes, love, as I came to understand after talking to a local clergy. He says it is for love that Christ made his choices, and it is for love of each other, our planet, and our selves that we should also make choices that lead to what Pope Francis calls a merciful heart or what an Inuit elder calls the act of melting the ice in our hearts.
What is this challenge? In this blog post, I proposed three:
- cut back on plastic — and keep a diary
- cut back on screen time — and avoid it for the first and last waking hours
- make more time to be in nature — spend an hour or so a day, accumulating seven or more a week
It is easier to make changes when we do so in community, with others who can support us, guide us, and love us as we struggle with the challenge to change our choices of how we live our lives.
Because it is a choice whether we are more connected to our screens than each other or our planet.
And that is where I think PARTIES come in! Lent traditionally kicks off with Mardi Gras on Fat Tuesday where people indulge in all the vices that they will be avoiding in the coming 40 days.
But around the world, people hold Mardi Gras parties throughout the month, Read more…
It’s not so easy writing about nothing: Patti Smith’s “M Train” review by Ron Wells
Patti Smith’s M Train review by guest blogger Ron Wells
Many people were expecting an uplifting or exciting book as Patti Smith’s follow-up to National Book Award Winning Just Kids. (Read review of Just Kids by Ron Wells here).
This is not that book. How you react to it will have a lot to do with where you are in your life, as well as how you feel about Patti Smith aka American singer-songwriter, poet, visual artist and a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement following her 1975 debut album Horses akathe “punk poet laureate” who fused rock and poetry in her work including Smith’s most widely known song “Because the Night” co-written with Bruce Springsteen.
A challenge. A choice. What will YOU do?
“As individuals, we need to change how we live,” points out Nancy Wallace in Gyre: The Plastic Ocean. “In 2010, Americans generated 250 million tons of trash– 31 million tons of which were plastics” (20).
On Monday, the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice and the first day of the Chinese New Year, we welcomed the Year of the Fire Monkey. According to Chinese Astrology, Monkey years are playful, adventurous, creative, resourceful, opportunistic, and TRANSFORMATIVE — and this year, as we change and grow, we do so by fire which is erratic, chaotic, hard to control. Read more…
The next 10 days are full of February fun! Tomorrow is the Super Bowl, Monday Feb 8 is Chinese and Tibetan New Year’s, next Sunday Feb 14 is Valentine’s Day and Monday Feb 15 is President’s Day!
Read my wine picks and other suggestions for these February events here.
“A Line Across The Sky”
This Thursday, Feb. 4, GPIW aka Great Pacific Iron Works aka Patagonia Ventura hosts an inspiring presentation by Patagonia climbing ambassador, Tommy Caldwell. The presentation will be followed by one of last year’s most impressive and entertaining climbing films A Line Across the Sky starring Tommy and Alex Honnold. Read more…
Art With An Environmental Impact
Los Angeles-based artist Cynthia Minet deploys post-consumer plastics to build illuminated sculptures of animals. Read more…
Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera UCSB 2/1
The 2015-2016 U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera heads to UC Santa Barbara Mon. Feb 1 for a FREE reading at Campbell Hall at 7:30pm. A performance poet and a children’s book author as well as a poet of the page, this will be a remarkable evening for those who love and appreciate poetry. For those who have their doubts, it will be eye-opening: this is likely NOT the poetry you were taught in school.
Let Me Tell You What a Poem Brings
for Charles Fishman
Roshi Egyoku: Trust your awakening.
On the one hand, we desire comfort which leads to complacency, compliance, consumerism. On the other hand, we desire excitement, to heed David Bowie’s suggestion to try the deeper waters. Will we be spectators in life? or pARTicipants? Read more…
RIP Alan Rickman 2/21/46 – 1/14/16
As if it wasn’t enough to have David Bowie pass on at 69 from cancer this week, so we also lost Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016). Guest blogger Ron Wells writes:
art predator 