From the WTF File

I'm going to revamp this segment I created when I first started this blog of mine. I don't know what exactly I am going to revamp, but I'll do it. I guess the first thing to do was update the jpg...in fact that is how I will revamp it.

Now that that's done I can focus on things that annoy me. This new entry will be a bit short but that's only because I'm just getting my feet wet again.

In this edition of the 'WTF File' I turn to something I heard/saw on the news last night. It was only for a brief moment but what was said caught my ears and made me laugh. I was doing that crossword puzzle while I was eating dinner and I overheard a news reporter do a lead-in for a story later on that night. It went something along the lines of "I'm [insert reporter name here] and tonight I'm taking you behind the scenes of the hit show 'Smash' tonight at 11."

I laughed.

I really don't think anyone believes 'Smash' lives up to its name. It seemed to start out strong and had the Spielberg name attached to it but I never caught a single second of it. Then I read that people were 'hate-watching' it because it was so bad. I already dumped 'Glee' so why would I pick up another musical show? Sure the network had to fill some airtime and try and pump some publicity into their own show but, to me, it came off as desperate. WTF indeed.

10 Biggest Oscar Flubs of the last 10 years

Today is the day. Oscar Day. Where a bunch of people will go home unhappy and a few will get the glory. Sure, it's an honor to be nominated but everybody wants to win. As Patton said: "Americans love a winner"...unless that winner was undeserving.

I'm looking back at the last 10 years a giving out failing grades to the Academy for giving out awards to people who did not deserve them. Clearly, they were deserving enough to get this far but it hit the fan when these people won. I'll start from 10 years ago (meaning the awards given out for the 2002 movies) and work my way up.


2002: Chicago for Best Picture - This is a perfect example for how to stage a musical for film. It's as simple as that. I think everyone thought that win Moulin Rouge! being nominated the year before that the Hollywood Musical was back...and it was....this year. It took another 10 years for another musical (Les Miserables) to be nominated.

What should have won?  The Pianist. It was the Best Acted (Adrien Brody), Best Directed (Roman Polanski), and Best Written (Ronald Harwood) film of the year.

2003: Renee Zellwegger for Best Supporting Actress - I view this as a "Hey she was nominated a few years in a row, let's give her this one". Cold Mountain is boring and not very good. And no, I'm not just picking on Renee Zellwegger with my first two picks. They just were the wrong winners.

Who Should have won? Shohreh Agdashloo. Did they even see House of Sand and Fog? Clearly they did since Ben Kingsley also received a well deserved nod but she is the clear winner here in a emotionally demanding performance.

2004: Cate Blanchett for Best Supporting Actress - My mom's favourite actress is Katharine Hepburn so this one might sting but essentially this role is mimicry at it's finest. Sure, she gets the mannerisms down and the speech but the role does nothing for me. This is Old Hollywood saying "Oh, we love Kate Hepburn. Wasn't she great? By association Cate Blanchett is great too." She is a great actress (see Notes On A Scandal if you don't believe me) but this role is not one that should have won.

Who should have won? Virginia Madsen. When she talks about how a bottle of wine is alive and looks right into Paul Giamatti's eyes and into his soul and in that moment they click, I knew this was the clear winner. She is emotionally complicated and sophisticated and deserved to win.

2005: Crash for Best Picture - I was going to go against the grain here and say Philip Seymour Hoffman here, but after writing out a few lines I just couldn't go through with it because he was terrific in Capote. This is a divisive film and extremely heavy-handed in it's message and took advantage of the Angelenos who were voting that year.

What should have won? Brokeback Mountain. Plain and simple. It was the clear winner until Crash somehow pulled off the upset I mean look at Jack Nicholson's epxression here. He's just as surprised as everyone else. I liked Crash, but it wasn't the best film from this year.

2006: Jennifer Hudson for Best Supporting Actress -You might begin to think I have it out for Best Supporting Actresses, but I don't. They just are wrong most of the time. Here is not an exception. Jennifer Hudson CANNOT ACT, she can sing - damn can she sing, but she is not an actress by any stretch of the imagination. She reads her lines as if it were a book report and there is not emotional connection with her when times get tough for her character. Dreamgirls isn't that good either - save for Eddie Murphy but this is a real crime.

Who should have won? Abigail Breslin. Little Miss Sunshine is a fantastic movie and to see this little girl struggle with her family and ultimately be the glue that holds them together is just icing on the cake...and her final dance is hysterical.

2007: The Golden Compass for Best Visual Effects -Sure the polar bear looks good but it was fairly generic CG and really wasn't all that good, actually. It's almost cheesy and considering this is the same VFX house that did Life of Pi (which is a phenomenal film, and filled with great effects) you have to wonder what went wrong here?

What should have won? Transformers. It's GIANT FIGHTING ROBOTS! WTF is wrong with these people?!

2008: Sean Penn for Best Actor - I screamed at my TV when this happened. Honest to God. I did not find Milk to be a good movie at all nor did I find this performance to be very good. It was rather pedestrian and boring.

Who should have won? Mickey Rourke. The Wrestler was one of the best films of 2008 and this is one of the best performances of the decade...and it didn't win. It's a shame because as Randy the Ram, Rourke delivers a complex performance about a man down on his luck trying to change but ultimately cannot fight fate and wants to go out his way, even if it means he may not make it. A power and moving performance that should have been recognized.

2009: Mo'Nique for Best Supporting Actress & Precious for Best Adapted Screenplay - I'm pulling double duty here because I just did not find this film to be very good. Sure it's depressing, but depressing movies can be good (Winter's Bone). It's just this performance was too over-the-top and Mo'Nique's insistence to not show up for things unless she got paid just rubbed me the wrong way. This is the same woman from Soul Plane. The writing is also not something to write home about - mainly that's because I didn't care for this film.

Who/What should have won? Vera Farmiga or Anna Kendrick. Both would have been better choices as their characters were fleshed out and developed. Up In The Air for Best Adapted Screenplay. Well written, crisp dialogue that just really really worked.

2010: Alice in Wonderland for Best Art Direction - I didn't see the appeal with this film when it came out. I skipped it in theatres and waited for DVD. I fell asleep and finished it the next day. I didn't care for it nor did I care for this award. It's really just the same Tim Burton zany designs with spirals of color and wacky furniture design. Not interested.

What should have won? Inception. Constructing a set that movies in a circular motion while actors are in/on it performing  a fight sequence should merit an award. That, and they built the Japanese castle and decorated the hell out of it - as well as all of the other set pieces.

2011: Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady and The Iron Lady for Best Makeup - This is a case of "She hasn't won in X amount of years, let's give it to her". It's also a case of "She got lost in that role thanks to the makeup, they deserve to win as well". Nope. Neither were deserving.

Who/What should have won? Viola Davis and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Viola Davis delivers a powerful performance that is nothing short of amazing. To borrow and alter a line from her character: "[She] is smart. [She] is kind. [She] is important". Harry Potter's makeup is nothing short of amazing. I mean they turned people into goblins, Ralph Fiennes into Voldemort, and brought a myriad of other creatures to life with a few prosthetics and color (OK, maybe more than a few).

Looking back on my list I notice I have a problem with the Academy's selection of women winners. I don't think they get it right - at least within these last 10 years. They seem to miss the mark - at least that's how I have viewed them over the years. But hey, at least their is a debate over the winners. If they were all uniformly loved then it would not be interesting at all. These 'misses' make it more interesting and open up the floor for conversation about the merit of each film. Here's to the next 10 years.

State License Plates Pt. 14: Vermont

Vermont was admitted into the Union on March 4, 1791. I bet that was a good vintage for maple syrup. I mean, that's what Vermont is know for out of everything else. It's our leading producer of the sweet nectar and damn does it taste great. I enjoy REAL maple syrup more than anything over my waffles and bacon. The buttery/flavoured stuff is OK in a pinch but I prefer the real thing.

Here's a fun fact about Vermont: It's the only state in the New England region NOT bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Fascinating....

If you didn't know Vermont was the Green Mountain State - you do now. You cannot miss this plate, as it compares to the others we've seen thus far. There isn't a whole lot going on here except for the green...and white...and the maple tree in the upper left. I like the font of 'Vermont' and I also like how there is a separation between the numbers and letters with the rest of the plate. It draws your focus to those numbers and letters. Instead of making it just a green blob with white lettering they changed it up a bit and added borders which I appreciate. The rest of the plate is standard state license plate stuff which brings it down a few letter grades. Had that maple tree been right in the middle of the numbers and letters I might be inclined to give it an A but as it stands, I give it a C+.

Best TV Shows of the 2000's Part 1

Television is a changing medium. The things that can be done on a network or cable/satellite show today could not be done 20 years ago. The technology has changed, which is obvious to note, and the amount of networks out there is another change, but the audience has changed as well. We expect more from television and it has delivered, for the most part.

The 2000's saw a sea change in the television landscape. Shows with an episodic format emerged - and stayed on air and challenged the viewers. It challenged to viewers to pay attention to the shows from a week to week basis. The 'case-of-the-week' shows are alive and well and there is nothing wrong with them, as some of the favorite shows are based in those formats. But the episodic show really took off and now it's more widespread.

I am going to list the best TV shows from the 2000's in categories of Drama, Comedy, Animation, and Reality. These lists will consist of shows that started their run from 2000-2009 and I will give a little tidbit about why I chose that show. Granted, I did not watch EVERY single show from 2000-2009, but I feel confident that my choices illustrate the very best television from that time period.

I am going to divide this into two parts. In Part 1 I will look at Reality and Animated shows. In Part 2 I will look at the Comedy and Drama shows.

REALITY:
Reality television really came into the public eye in the 2000's, for better and for worse. Networks began switching to the low cost programming instead of creating new dramas or comedies that had a high risk factor attached in case they didn't pan out. It's smart, but it also gave us some bad - very very bad - TV. These are the best reality shows:

1. Survivor ~ I'm a Survivor nut. I love the show to this day. This competition show helped launch the reality competition show in the US and it's still going strong. Jeff Probst is still the reality show host. He deftly deals with big egos and the crazies.
2. The Amazing Race ~ Another competition show only this one takes us to exotic countries and educates us along the way about that country/city. It's exciting TV.
3. Jackass ~ Low brow entertainment done with charisma and flair. It's also spawned 3 feature films - all of which were funny and entertaining.
4. Road Rules: Maximum Velocity Tour & South Pacific ~ This is a personal preference here but these two seasons of the now extinct Road Rules were the best. Memorable cast members from LT to Msaada, Theo & Abram, Donell (and their fight), and Cara (and her later Playboy spread).
5. Real World San Diego & New Orleans ~ Another personal preference but San Diego featured future actress Jamie Chung and a compelling housemate with Frankie and her struggle with cutting  and cystic fibrosis. She would unfortunately lose the battle in 2007 but her public struggle with the disease brought light to it and that's why I place it here. New Orleans featured Julie, a BYU girl who wasn't supposed to live with males, and Danny & Paul (the gay military officer who had his face constantly blurred).
6. Real World/Road Rules Battle of the Sexes 1 ~ See my original thoughts here. This is the best challenge season ever.

ANIMATION:
More and more these days the animated shows shown on Saturdays or after school are computer generated. What happened to the hand drawn shows? They still exist but they're not as big as they once were. The shows I have chosen are ones that were largely hand drawn, as I'm sure there are elements in each that were helped by a computer. These are the best animated shows:

1. The Weekenders ~ This is unique cartoon in that the characters wear different clothes every show. That already makes it's attention to detail unparalleled but the characters Lor, Carver, Tish, and Tino are all different and bring something to the table. It's also quite funny and features a running gag of the ever-changing pizza place restaurant theme.
2. Fillmore! ~ A unique approach to middle school life: make it about a hall monitor but stage it in a way that is like a police serial. What you have is a show that features great mysteries, compelling characters and a cartoon that you wouldn't be embarrassed to be caught watching. 
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender ~ I was a little late to the Airbender train but it's a truly wonderful show. It takes the classic Anime elements and blends them with American animation techniques to create a world and story arc that was dramatic and imaginative. Bonus points for sticking with a story and telling it and not dragging it out over 6 seasons. 
4. Samurai Jack ~ Episodic, crazy-cool animation and a bad ass character in Jack. 'Nuff said.
5. Jackie Chan Adventures ~ Everything you loved about Jackie Chan now in animated form! I'm pretty sure there are a few of the animated stunts that the real Jackie could have pulled off.
6. Metalocalypse ~ A crazy, frantic, bloody, hilarious look at a fictional metal band that is, literally, the most popular thing in the entire world.
7. Star Wars: The Clone Wars ~ I am not talking about the CG animated one, but the traditionally animated one that ran for only three seasons. It succinctly told the story of The Clone Wars and throughout many episodes, it was done without words. It relied on the visual imagery and the sound effects. Truly remarkable.

If there is any show you feel that I may have missed, then respond below, as I am sure there are some that I just forgot about - but they might be noteworthy.

Stay tuned for Part 2...

State License Plates Pt. 13: Rhode Island

The Ocean State. The Ocean State? Really? When I think Rhode Island I don't think of the ocean. I actually don't think of much except for Providence and the fictional Quahog. The ocean? Not so much.

Rhode Island was admitted into the Union on May 29, 1790 and apparently it's 'The Ocean State' because of the numerous inlets and bays that make up roughly 14% of the states total area. It's also the smallest state in total area, so having that much water surrounding it isn't all that hard - unless it was landlocked.

Having said that, I have never been to Rhode Island and like every other state that I have not been to yet - it's on my list. Now let's look at the plate.

Oh no. It almost looks like Clip Art has been used as the background. I get that the wave is the state's color Rhody Blue but it doesn't look good as a wave. I'm not sure what it would look good as - except as a jacket, or maybe a vest, or a beanie...OK, it can look good. This is just not one of those times. The placement of the anchor in the top left is a nice touch but it looks odd not having something else to balance it out on the right side. The font is fine, but the real problem is that wave. It's cheesy, boring, and uninspired. I give this plate a D.

State License Plates Pt. 12: North Carolina

The Tar Heel State. What does that mean anyway? No one really knows. But that's just what they call it. OK, have it your way North Carolina.

When I think of North Carolina I think of the Tar Heels of UNC, the Blue Devils from Duke, the Wolfpack from NC State, the Durham Bulls, the former Charlotte Hornets, the Outer Banks, and of course the Wright Brothers. I have no idea what else is there. Truly, I know next to nothing about this state. So let's look at the plate.

wRight off the bat (see what I did there?) we get the image of the Wright brothers and their plane, and the tag line 'First in Flight'. I like it, even if the 'in' is a bit harder to see than the rest. But that is necessary because the plane is the real draw here, not the words. 

The red lettering pops off the white background and the blue tall grass adds to the plane as we can imagine it swaying with the breeze as the plane flies overhead. It's a simple, yet effective image. I like the typeface for 'North Carolina'. The way the 'N' connects at the top and how certain letters don't fully connect. It looks modern and old fashioned at the same time.

The state's colours are red and blue, and they are used effectively here. They didn't try and do too much here, but they added some nice touches to show what the state has provided to the history of our nation. It's not perfect so I give it an A-.

Oscars 2012: My Predictions

This Sunday, the (arguably) biggest awards for achievement in film will be handed out. That's right, it' Oscar time. I'm a fan of the awards and there was a stretch of 3 years where I had seen all of the Best Picture nominees before they had been announced. That hasn't happened in a while, but I make it a point to try and see them all so I can make my pick - both personal and what I expect to happen. I will say this outright, I have not seen 'Amour' or 'Beasts of a Southern Wild', I intend to, but I don't expect them to win Best Picture.

I will examine the major categories, give my prediction for what I think will win and what I would pick. I'll start with the acting categories and work my way to the big prize.

Best Actor: 
My Pick ~ Joaquin Phoenix 'The Master'. To me this is the performance of the year. Phoenix shows us a tortured soul looking for a place in the world after the war and how he becomes involved with a cult-like organization. He's crazy, funny, enigmatic, polarizing, and frightening.

Prediction ~ Daniel Day-Lewis 'Lincoln'. He's won most award leading up to this for his commanding performance as one of our nation's greatest Presidents. I foresee another win for Daniel Day-Lewis.

Best Actress:
My Pick & Prediction ~ Jessica Chastain 'Zero Dark Thirty'. Chastain is fantastic as Maya, the woman behind the hunt for UBL. Even though Jennifer Lawrence won the SAG I believe Chastain will prevail here.

Best Supporting Actor:
My Pick ~ Christoph Waltz 'Django Unchained'. Waltz seems to have been born to read Quentin Tarantino's words. His cadence, his presence, it's all great.

Prediction ~ Robert De Niro 'Silver Linings Playbook'. I'm going to file this under 'Iron Lady' syndrome. The ads I've seen have been saying how long it's been since De Niro won an Oscar - the same thing with Streep and 'The Iron Lady' last year...and she won. If 'Playbook' wins only one award, it's this one.

Best Supporting Actress:
My Pick & Prediction ~ Anne Hathaway 'Les Misérables'. Take this one to the bank. She's amazing in this film, in the short time she's in it.

Best Director:
My Pick ~ Ang Lee 'Life of Pi'. I love this film and the direction from Lee is inspired.

My Prediction ~ Steven Spielberg 'Lincoln'. Without Affleck in the field I see Spielberg winning another trophy.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
My Pick & Prediction ~ 'Argo' Chris Terrio. This is well written film based on a story that if made up it would be considered too Hollywood. Thankfully, it's real and really really good.

Best Original Screenplay:
My Pick & Prediction ~ 'Zero Dark Thirty' Mark Boal. I am tempted to go with 'Django Unchained' here as my pick and prediction but with the recent WGA win I am going with 'Zero Dark Thirty'.

Best Animated Film:
My Pick ~ 'ParaNorman'. I loved this film, as seen in my review and it's my personal pick.

My Prediction ~ 'Brave'. 'Brave' has won most of the awards up to this point and even though it's not Pixar's best, it probably will win here. If not, then 'Wreck-It Ralph' will win.

Best Picture:
My Pick & Prediction ~ 'Argo'. This is the best film of the year and I don't see any other film throwing this awards train off the track as it heads for Oscar glory.

State License Plates Part 11: New York

July 26, 1788. That’s when New York became a state. When did hipsters from Brooklyn start destroying society? 1790?

I ♥ NY. I've only been there twice, and I need to go back, but I did enjoy my time there. I climbed the Empire State Building, saw a Broadway show (The Lion King), visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Wall Street, Central Park … Basically everything touristy. My second outing was more of a quick 12-hour jaunt as I was there for a concert. I ate some pizza in Time Square, saw the under construction Freedom Tower, rode in a cab where the driver was straight out of ‘Crazy Taxi’, and had a New York Bagel for breakfast. But there’s more to New York than that right? I mean it’s the Empire State. Jay-Z made an awesome rap about it.

MDMA got you feeling like a champion
City never sleep better slip you an Ambien. 

Damn, that’s awesome. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, the plate.

New York’s state colors are blue and gold and they use them to great effect here. It’s an improvement from their original plate which highlights NYC and Niagara Falls and returns to their old format of using the state colors. It’s not a unique color scheme as Delaware uses the same colors but the difference is in their font and the thin border that sits just below the words ‘New York’. It’s a subtle variation but it’s enough to make the separation from the top to the bottom noticeable. There is also the way the words ‘Empire State’ stars out fat and then thins in the middle and then gets fatter again. It’s like the word is being stretched, which I am not sure what they are trying to say about the state, but it’s subtle enough that I like it. If it had been any more noticeable I probably would not like it at all. In it’s current state, no pun intended, I give it a B.

ParaNorman - A late, short, review

When I saw the trailer for this film, I knew I wanted to see it. But I didn't. It came through theatres and I just didn't get around to seeing it. I have no idea why. I just watched it yesterday and I only have love for this film.

I'll have to update my Top 15 List and include this because it is wonderful. The animation is inspired, beautiful and breathtaking. The story is original, the writing is fresh, funny and features a few good scares.

Norman is a relatable and easy to cheer for as he struggles with bullying, and being misunderstood by nearly everyone around him. His friend, Neil, provides the necessary comic relief and reminded me of Chowder from 'Monster House' - another film I loved. Like 'Monster House', 'ParaNorman' blends horror and humour beautifully without going over the line and making it too scary for it's targeted adolescent audience.

The voice work is wonderful, as each actor inhabits their role with special recognition given to Casey Affleck who I did not initially recognize as Mitch, the muscled out older brother to Neil. He plays the dumb-jock role, and he plays it well. The character design is wonderfully unique as each character has a different look and feel that fits their personality. This just made me smile because it showed how much time and effort went into creating this world and these characters and the final result is fantastic. This film is beautiful on Blu Ray and I recommend it to anyone.

Favourite Films of 2012

**Update**: So I've seen a few more films this week on DVD that I missed in theatres and now I feel compelled to adjust my list accordingly. I might need to just add two more slots and make it my luck 17...

So, yeah. It's been a while since I last wrote here. I'm going to work on changing that. So for starters I'm going to list my favourite films from 2012.

I like to do a Top 15, just because. So without further ado...

1. Argo - Ben Affleck has done a masterful job crafting this film. It's riveting, humourous, engaging and suspenseful even when you know the outcome. If it wasn't based on a real situation,  no one would believe it.

2. Life of Pi -I couldn't help but smile when I watched this film. It's beautiful, gorgeous, stunning and any other synonyms to describe it's beauty. It's emotionally involving and I never thought I would get so involved with a CGI tiger but the tiger has so much personality and newcomer Suraj Sharma delivers a fantastic performance as does his older self Irrfan Khan. It's a story about the survival of the human spirit and a truly great one at that.

3. Safety Not Guaranteed - I've known about this ad posted in the paper thanks to YTMND but this film surprised me. It's not a one-note joke, but a character study and shows the kindness of people and illustrates what a little bit of belief can do. It's funny, heartfelt and features a great performance by Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass.

4. Skyfall - The best Bond movie ever? I'd say so. It features one of the best movie villains since The Joker and Javier Bardem's entrance as Silva is something to behold. I couldn't take my eyes off him and I didn't want to blink in case I missed something. Couple that with Roger Deakins cinematography and Sam Mendes directing and you have a mature, emotional, exciting film.

5. Django Unchained - Hilarious, bloody, character driven, ambitious, and all around great film. You'd expect nothing less from Quentin Tarantino who has done it again.

6. Lincoln - Spielberg. Day-Lewis. Lincoln. In any other hands, I am sure this would've been a by-the-numbers historical biopic but what they've done here is carve out the most important moment in his life - and quite possibly the United States' - and bring it to life in a way that is neither boring nor pedantic.

7. The Dark Knight Rises - Epic film making that has changed the way we define the superhero genre. That's what Christopher Nolan has done with his final installment in his Batman trilogy. The action, the music (Hans Zimmer does it again), the cinematography (IMAX adds depth and makes the experience better), and a story line that is all to close to reality (which can be a downer) but Batman rises, and we with him.

8. Zero Dark Thirty - A gripping political thriller that shows the struggle to catch the most wanted man in the world. Jessica Chastain is brilliant, and we see her break down, push through and say "I'm the motherfucker". Damn. Like 'Argo', even though we know the outcome, the final raid on Bin Laden's fortress is suspenseful and exhilarating.

9. Looper - A great twist on the time travel genre that is filled with great visuals and a great script.

10. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - A welcome return to Middle Earth and while some were put off by the HFR, I was not and found the visual imagery to be beautiful and Peter Jackson has retained the humour and imagination he brought to his 'Lord of the Rings' films.

11. Moonrise Kingdom - Quirky, cute, funny, Wes Anderson, unique characters, well written, beautiful music, scenery and all around production design. I loved this film.

12.  ParaNorman - See my review. Wonderfully animated, well-written and an animated film with heart.

13. The Cabin in the Woods - It takes something special to pull of comedy and horror but this film does it and does so in a way that is original and very self-aware of the genre. I really enjoyed this film.

14. The Master - Joaquin Phoenix delivers the best performance of the year. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is equally engaging and malicious but it's Phoenix's movie. The camera gravitates toward him and he makes us uncomfortable but it draws us in and we see how flawed he is.

15. Wreck-It Ralph - A truly great animated film with wonderfully imaginative locations and characters.

16. Prometheus - Thought-provoking, divisive, but great film making. Ridley Scott returns to space and he strikes the mood with this beautiful 'search for life's origins' film.

17. The Avengers - Awesome. Awesome. I had so much fun with this film. The set pieces, the characters, Joss Whedon's writing and understanding of this universe are combine to make a great film.