On this night of New Year's Eve,
I do much very much believe
that we should try to make amends
and call to mind our absent friends.
A year has past and all the while
they stood with us in times of trial
and joy for what fortune sends
even though they be absent friends.
Yet pulled and torn from one another,
though loved as dear as sister, brother.
The bonds we make, life often rends,
and fills our lives with absent friends.
But friends, though distant, are always near
they live in minds and hearts most dear
in deeper ways than man comprehends
So raise a glass to our absent friends.
-WL GRAYSON
Monday, December 31, 2012
Young Guns Wisdom
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A few months ago I tried to start a hashtag trend and failed miserably. But I thought the world needed the wisdom of the classic movies Young Guns and Young Guns II. So as we prepare to enter the new year, let's bask in the wisdom of the regulators.
Young Guns Wisdom
On Capitalism: “You have a beef
outfit and a store. I have a beef outfit and a store. You’re
going to try to make money. I’m going to try to make money. It’s
simple and it’s fair.”
On Mercy: “I’m glad I never killed
you, Steve. You’re allright.”
On Grammar: “No, no. It’s ‘You
and I.’”
On Moral Obligation: “It ain’t easy
havin’ pals.”
On Friendship: “You got yourself 3 or
4 good pals, and you got yourself a tribe. There ain’t nothin’
stronger than that.”
On Humilty: “Billy, I know we’re
good, but this is getting ridiculous.”
On Ambition: “Men of enterprise are
practically sure of success.”
On Uncertainty: “There's many a slip
twixt the cup and the lip.”
On Challenges: “You test yourself
everyday gentlemen.”
On Animal Intelligence: “You pigs is
as smart as dogs.”
On Endurance: “Here's to having
enough grit to finish the last round.”
On Avarice: “Because $500 cuts a lot
of ties.
On the News Media: “Papers can't do
anything right.”
On the Cycle of Violence: “Alex,
if you stay they're gonna kill you. And then I'm gonna have to to go
around and kill all the guys who killed you. That's a lot of
killing.”
On
Mental Illness: “He ain't all there, is he?”
On
Letting Go of the Past: “The past is like an old yellow-back novel.
When it done you throw it out and start a new one.”
On
Civic Virtue: “I have made a long, steamship journey from London,
Mr. Murphy, so I shall be damned if I am persuaded by something as
ugly as political corruption. So, I'd like for you to take your
threats and your sheriff and get off my property.”
On
the Frivolity of Youth: “Go On, William. Boys will be boys.”
William
H. Bonney:
West, huh? Well west is that way...
[points
gun in one direction]
William
H. Bonney:
...and the [people] we gotta kill are that way.
[points
gun in opposite direction]
On Finality: “Well I shall finish the
game, Doc.”
On False Idols: “William H. Bonney,
you are not a god!”
On Irony: “It's an ancient Navajo
word. It means 'stop.'”
On Frugality: “Goodbye Bob. Best
$1.80 I ever spent.”
On Anatomy: “Now it is a biological
and historical fact that I had large wrists and small hands.”
On Pet Psychology: “Even their horses
are crazy.”
On Fame: “Just
remember Pat. You'll never be me. You'll always be the man who *shot*
Billy the Kid!”
On
Nicknames: “You have to earn it. Until then, you're just plain old
Hendry.”
On Love: “Necessary is something
you can't live without. I can't live without you.”
On Saying Good-bye: (silent head
nod)
Monday Poetry: Auld Lang Syne
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
- For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
- For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
- For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
- For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
- For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
The 10 Worst Films of 2012
I like to keep things as positive as possible on this blog, so forgive me this parting shot at the close of the year at the films that I thought were horrid. There were many that I'm sure were worse than those on my list, but thankfully I did not see them.
10. Premium Rush
-A waste of a decent plot and a good leading man. It has an ending that makes the skateboard showdown in Gleaming the Cube look like the Battle of Agincourt.
9. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
-This is another movie that had so much potential, but it felt like a muddled waste. It had maybe one or two cool sequences, but nothing more.
8. Silver Linings Playbook
-This movie has been heaped with critical acclaim, but I cannot see it, except for the final 20 minutes. The characters are selfish and annoying. Spending time with them was mostly a pain. This would be lower if not for the terrific performance of Jennifer Lawrence.
7. Taken 2
-Liam Neeson rocks. Every time he kills a bad guy I cheered. But he deserved such a better movie than this. Shakey-cam must die. And I don't need a half an hour of this dialogue:
Kim: Dad!
Brian: Drive!
6. Big Miracle
-There were times I started to like this movie. But the hippie environmentalist nut main character was just too obnoxious for me. The fact that she didn't really care that human lives would be at risk to save 3 whales made me understand how morally bankrupt the movie was.
5. What to Expect When You're Expecting
-I think that pregnancy movies are supposed be a kind of horror movie genre now, where they focus on all of the pain and suffering and very little time on character development or happy endings. This Love Actually wannabe is as empty as it is inconsistent. You don't mix in silly go-cart chases with the heartbreak of miscarriage. What were they thinking?
4. The Watch
-The only reason that I laughed at all during this movie was Vince Vaughn who could make even the flattest script pop a little. Very little. It was needlessly violent and gross, which would be fine if it had any real wit behind it. Shock of for shock's sake will only get you so far. And I'm also calling it on Jonah Hill's career as a leading man. I know 21 Jump Street was a hit, but I'm completely over him comedically. And Stiller is on thin ice as well.
3. The Vow
-I wanted to like this movie. I really did. I think Rachel McAdams is a fine actress and the plot was interesting. But the dialogue was awful and the characters so completely flat that I had to imagine the script was written by a freshman in high school. For me, the line was crossed when McAdams rolled up the car window so she could smell Channing Tatum's farts. That was a good metaphor for watching this film.
2. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
-Again, another movie I wanted to like. And it had some good moments. But it was a circling pit of despair with no real laughs in a movie billed as a comedy. Even without the whole bait-and-switch problem, it is a movie that will leave you feeling worse than when you walked in. Not a good way to spend an evening.
1. Cloud Atlas
-This is not just the worst movie of the year. This is the worst movie I have seen in several years. It isn't just bad, it is epically bad. I am baffled how this script ever got approved. I don't know why anyone would have paid money to make this piece of pretentious garbage. And because it crosses over 6 generations, you feel like you've wasted 6 lifetimes. The movie is meant to feel deep, to give the illusion that it reveals some of the great truths about life. But in reality all it does is bluster about meaningless fortune-cookie platitudes. Everyone involved with this project should be ashamed, not morally but artistically.
10. Premium Rush
-A waste of a decent plot and a good leading man. It has an ending that makes the skateboard showdown in Gleaming the Cube look like the Battle of Agincourt.
9. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
-This is another movie that had so much potential, but it felt like a muddled waste. It had maybe one or two cool sequences, but nothing more.
8. Silver Linings Playbook
-This movie has been heaped with critical acclaim, but I cannot see it, except for the final 20 minutes. The characters are selfish and annoying. Spending time with them was mostly a pain. This would be lower if not for the terrific performance of Jennifer Lawrence.
7. Taken 2
-Liam Neeson rocks. Every time he kills a bad guy I cheered. But he deserved such a better movie than this. Shakey-cam must die. And I don't need a half an hour of this dialogue:
Kim: Dad!
Brian: Drive!
6. Big Miracle
-There were times I started to like this movie. But the hippie environmentalist nut main character was just too obnoxious for me. The fact that she didn't really care that human lives would be at risk to save 3 whales made me understand how morally bankrupt the movie was.
5. What to Expect When You're Expecting
-I think that pregnancy movies are supposed be a kind of horror movie genre now, where they focus on all of the pain and suffering and very little time on character development or happy endings. This Love Actually wannabe is as empty as it is inconsistent. You don't mix in silly go-cart chases with the heartbreak of miscarriage. What were they thinking?
4. The Watch
-The only reason that I laughed at all during this movie was Vince Vaughn who could make even the flattest script pop a little. Very little. It was needlessly violent and gross, which would be fine if it had any real wit behind it. Shock of for shock's sake will only get you so far. And I'm also calling it on Jonah Hill's career as a leading man. I know 21 Jump Street was a hit, but I'm completely over him comedically. And Stiller is on thin ice as well.
3. The Vow
-I wanted to like this movie. I really did. I think Rachel McAdams is a fine actress and the plot was interesting. But the dialogue was awful and the characters so completely flat that I had to imagine the script was written by a freshman in high school. For me, the line was crossed when McAdams rolled up the car window so she could smell Channing Tatum's farts. That was a good metaphor for watching this film.
2. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
-Again, another movie I wanted to like. And it had some good moments. But it was a circling pit of despair with no real laughs in a movie billed as a comedy. Even without the whole bait-and-switch problem, it is a movie that will leave you feeling worse than when you walked in. Not a good way to spend an evening.
1. Cloud Atlas
-This is not just the worst movie of the year. This is the worst movie I have seen in several years. It isn't just bad, it is epically bad. I am baffled how this script ever got approved. I don't know why anyone would have paid money to make this piece of pretentious garbage. And because it crosses over 6 generations, you feel like you've wasted 6 lifetimes. The movie is meant to feel deep, to give the illusion that it reveals some of the great truths about life. But in reality all it does is bluster about meaningless fortune-cookie platitudes. Everyone involved with this project should be ashamed, not morally but artistically.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Most Catholic Movies of 2012
Beware, in order to discuss the Catholicity of the movies below, SPOILERS may be introduced.
2012 was a wonderful year for movies. And we as Catholics should not shun the popular media per se, but embrace what is good and can be used to delight or illuminate.
What I found fascinating were the number of Catholic themes throughout the movies I saw this year. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say that all of these movies mentioned below are consistently Catholic, you can pick out some very Catholic themes in them.
EXPLICITLY RELIGIOUS
There were 2 movies produced with a very specific religious message that I saw this year: October Baby and For Greater Glory. The former was the story of a girl who had survived a botched abortion and went in search of her birth mother. The other was about the religious persecution done to the Catholic Church by the socialist government of Mexico.
Both were fine films. But the problem that we tend to find with movies of this nature is that they feel preachy. A good story should not be preached at you. It should draw you in and let the story work on you at a primal level. There were some wonderful moments that were moving in both movies, but they could not escape the preachiness.
THE CHRIST FIGURE
Ever since the dawn of Christianity, Jesus has been the ideal archetype for the hero. He defines what a hero is, particularly His willingness to lay down His life for the greater good.
In 2012 there were plenty of examples of this in movies. In The Avengers, Tony Stark finally became a hero when he chose to take the nuclear missile out of harms way, thinking he was giving up his life for others.
In The Dark Knight Rises, Selina Kyle begs Batman to save his own life and not try to save the people of Gotham, who hunted him and hated him. "You've already given them everything," she says. He responds: "Not everything. Not yet." He understands that for love to be love, it must be unconditional and it must give everything.
In Les Miserables, Valjean makes the choice to save Marius' life, even though Javert would put him in chains forever. The Hunger Games begins with Katniss volunteering as tribute to save her sister, thinking that by doing so she has called a death sentence onto herself.
CHRISTIAN CULTURE
One of the most refreshing things about the silly-fun movie Here Comes the Boom was its matter-of-fact sprinkling of Christianity throughout the movie. The trainers quote scripture. They pray together before fights. The main character enters his final match to the song "Holy, Holy."
Les Miserables also does this in a historical context. It shows us kind clergy and pious religious who try to create an air of virtue in a fallen world. Some beautiful Catholic art and architecture are constantly on display to move you towards the films deeper meanings.
Even the generally awful Seeking a Friend for the End of the World has a scene where, with only a day left on Earth, people went to the ocean and were baptized. Then they spent the day celebrating their rebirth before being united with the Lord. It was a sublime moment in an otherwise raunchy film.
ABSENCE OF FAITH
I maintain that one of the best Catholic movie's is The Godfather. Michael Corleone is a generally decent man who chooses to do morally horrible things, thus losing his soul bit by bit. This an important lesson about the Catholic doctrine of fallen human nature. One of the most effective ways of combating sin is to experience it vicariously along with all of its soul crushing consequences.
The Hunger Games takes place in a future without religion. There are some who strive for virtue, but they are few. Power is the only right an wrong in Panem. As a result the horrible spectacle of children killing children goes on because the Capitol has the power. Without a religion like Christianity, there is no internal freedom of the soul that can lead to external freedom of the citizenry.
The Cabin in the Woods may have sharp dialogue and a clever twist on the horror movie genre, but ultimately it points to the real horror of life from an atheist point of view: life is meaningless. Faced with that prospect, there is no reason to save human life whatsoever.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Teddy Bear may not have dealt directly with marriage, but it did show how love and affection are more important than empty sexual contact. The main character is empty inside and wants to find someone who he can love.
Brave also made a strong point about the importance of family obligations. Even when we are at odds to the point of shouting, family is family. You do everything you have to for your family.
Despite the general dysfunction of This is 40, it held firm to the idea that marriage is a lifetime commitment in good times and in bad.
Even the movie Ted eschews the modern notion that marriage is an out-dated concept. Part of John's growth as a character is getting over his old hang ups about marriage.
2012 was a wonderful year for movies. And we as Catholics should not shun the popular media per se, but embrace what is good and can be used to delight or illuminate.
What I found fascinating were the number of Catholic themes throughout the movies I saw this year. And while I wouldn't go so far as to say that all of these movies mentioned below are consistently Catholic, you can pick out some very Catholic themes in them.
EXPLICITLY RELIGIOUS
There were 2 movies produced with a very specific religious message that I saw this year: October Baby and For Greater Glory. The former was the story of a girl who had survived a botched abortion and went in search of her birth mother. The other was about the religious persecution done to the Catholic Church by the socialist government of Mexico.
Both were fine films. But the problem that we tend to find with movies of this nature is that they feel preachy. A good story should not be preached at you. It should draw you in and let the story work on you at a primal level. There were some wonderful moments that were moving in both movies, but they could not escape the preachiness.
THE CHRIST FIGURE
Ever since the dawn of Christianity, Jesus has been the ideal archetype for the hero. He defines what a hero is, particularly His willingness to lay down His life for the greater good.
In 2012 there were plenty of examples of this in movies. In The Avengers, Tony Stark finally became a hero when he chose to take the nuclear missile out of harms way, thinking he was giving up his life for others.
In The Dark Knight Rises, Selina Kyle begs Batman to save his own life and not try to save the people of Gotham, who hunted him and hated him. "You've already given them everything," she says. He responds: "Not everything. Not yet." He understands that for love to be love, it must be unconditional and it must give everything.
In Les Miserables, Valjean makes the choice to save Marius' life, even though Javert would put him in chains forever. The Hunger Games begins with Katniss volunteering as tribute to save her sister, thinking that by doing so she has called a death sentence onto herself.
CHRISTIAN CULTURE
One of the most refreshing things about the silly-fun movie Here Comes the Boom was its matter-of-fact sprinkling of Christianity throughout the movie. The trainers quote scripture. They pray together before fights. The main character enters his final match to the song "Holy, Holy."
Les Miserables also does this in a historical context. It shows us kind clergy and pious religious who try to create an air of virtue in a fallen world. Some beautiful Catholic art and architecture are constantly on display to move you towards the films deeper meanings.
Even the generally awful Seeking a Friend for the End of the World has a scene where, with only a day left on Earth, people went to the ocean and were baptized. Then they spent the day celebrating their rebirth before being united with the Lord. It was a sublime moment in an otherwise raunchy film.
ABSENCE OF FAITH
I maintain that one of the best Catholic movie's is The Godfather. Michael Corleone is a generally decent man who chooses to do morally horrible things, thus losing his soul bit by bit. This an important lesson about the Catholic doctrine of fallen human nature. One of the most effective ways of combating sin is to experience it vicariously along with all of its soul crushing consequences.
The Hunger Games takes place in a future without religion. There are some who strive for virtue, but they are few. Power is the only right an wrong in Panem. As a result the horrible spectacle of children killing children goes on because the Capitol has the power. Without a religion like Christianity, there is no internal freedom of the soul that can lead to external freedom of the citizenry.
The Cabin in the Woods may have sharp dialogue and a clever twist on the horror movie genre, but ultimately it points to the real horror of life from an atheist point of view: life is meaningless. Faced with that prospect, there is no reason to save human life whatsoever.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Teddy Bear may not have dealt directly with marriage, but it did show how love and affection are more important than empty sexual contact. The main character is empty inside and wants to find someone who he can love.
Brave also made a strong point about the importance of family obligations. Even when we are at odds to the point of shouting, family is family. You do everything you have to for your family.
Despite the general dysfunction of This is 40, it held firm to the idea that marriage is a lifetime commitment in good times and in bad.
Even the movie Ted eschews the modern notion that marriage is an out-dated concept. Part of John's growth as a character is getting over his old hang ups about marriage.
Sunday Best: Catholic Skywalker Awards - Movies 2012
With 2012 almost over, and the world not ending as predicted (only a few more days to use that joke), it is time to look back and acknowledge excellence in movies this year. We have actually had a number of very good movies in theaters. When I started doing my movie reviews on this blog, I feared that most of the articles would be me pointing out the flaws I saw. Instead I was delighted to find that most of the movies I went to see kept me entertained and emotionally connected (except for the amazingly dreadful Cloud Atlas).
Regardless,
I have gone through as many movies as possible this year. There were
several that I missed and so was unable to place. So of the movies I've seen this year, here are the winners:
BEST
PICTURE
Les
Miserables
This
was a tough call between this movie and The Dark Knight Rises. Both
movies are incredibly different so comparisons were difficult to
make. But in the end, I had to go with what had a deeper impact on
me. Les Miserables works so well because Tom Hooper stripped
everything non-essential away from the film until the bare bones of
raw emotional truth were laid plain. I know this musical inside and
out, and yet it felt fresh and new. I couldn't help let a few tears
fall during “Little Fall of Rain,” or let out a full throated
laugh during “Master of the House.” This is a showcase of the
art of acting at its best. A great movie should pull you in and make
you feel as though you have completed a long journey with the
characters. The end credits should feel like coming up for air. And
Les Miserables completely enfolds you in its world and it opens you
up to the transcendent nature of art. It points to the higher and
more perfect beauties of the world beyond in a way that does not seem
cheap or flat, but is earned through the characters taking up their
crosses out of love. I have not seen a musical, or any other movie,
like it.
RUNNERS
UP
The
Avengers – the most fun I had at the movies this year. Pure
entertainment.
The
Dark Knight Rises – A fantastic finish to the Nolan trilogy that
brings everything full circle.
Ted
– The funniest film of the year, and it is still funny every time I
watch it.
Argo
– A taut, tense thriller that will leave you on the edge of your
seat until the end.
BEST
DIRECTOR
Christopher
Nolan – The Dark Knight Rises
While
Les Miserables may have taken the spot for best film of the year, the
biggest contribution Tom Hooper's directing made was in letting go
and trusting the actors to make his movie work. Nolan also assembles
a top-notch cast, but fills the film with intense visual
spectacle while at the same time wrestling with problems of wealth
and poverty, self-preservation and self-sacrifice. He creates a
world in Gotham that is a reflection of all of us, both good and bad
inside. Through his direction, you feel the age and strain on Bruce
Wayne and the energetic evil of Bane. He creates a tense, desperate
conflict that continues to raise the stakes until the last few
minutes. In the end, he showed us visually the main theme of the
movies: Batman is a symbol of selflessness that can rally people
together to serve the common good.
RUNNERS
UP
Joss
Whedon – The Avengers
Ben
Affleck – Argo
Tom
Hooper – Les Miserables
Steven
Spielberg - Lincoln
BEST
ACTOR
Hugh
Jackman – Les Miserables
Hugh
Jackman became a star with his turn as the most popular of the X-Men,
Wolverine. Because it was a sci-fi/action movie, I don't think
people took proper note of how precise and primal that performance
was. I saw him in that movie and I knew he was a terrific actor.
Now with his role as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables, the rest of the
world will see what I saw. Jackman believably transforms through
scene after affective scene from being a furious ruffian to terrified
fugitive to selfless father. He carried Valjean with a dignity that
comes from having lived with the worst that humanity has to offer and
coming out on the other side. He cannot be taken in by the
Thenardiers because he has lived in their world before. He has
nothing but endless compassion for Fantine because it was compassion
that changed his life. Jackman uses his strong voice to show us the
slow disintegration of a man's strength. By the end of the film he
is “poured out like water” and Jackman makes you feel every drop
of his life drip away.
RUNENRS
UP
Daniel
Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Kim
Kold – Teddy Bear
Mark
Duplass – Safety Not Guaranteed
Andy
Garcia – For Greater Glory
BEST
ACTRESS
Jennifer
Lawrence – The Hunger Games
Although
she has received more accolades for her role as Tiffany in Silver
Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence needs to be acknowledged for her
wonderfully stoic performance in The Hunger Games. Katniss is not a
character who wears her heart on her sleeve. She buries her emotions
deep down to shelter herself from the horror of her life. Lawrence
gives us Katniss' steely exterior, while letting us small cracks in
her armor along the way. But when awful heartbreak hits her in the
games, the dams break and we see a torrent of agony sweep over her.
All the while she carries Katniss with incredible dignity, more
dignity that most actresses her age could.
RUNNERS
UP
Anne
Hathaway – The Dark Knight Rises
Emma
Stone – The Amazing Spider-Man
Amy
Adams – Trouble With the Curve
Keira
Knightly – Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
BEST
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom
Hardy – The Dark Knight Rises
There
is a singular moment in The Dark Knight Rises when I realized how
powerful Tom Hardy's performance was as the brutal terrorist Bane.
Bane is being confronted by his employer over a change in plans. And
without a word, Bane gently lays the back of his hand on the other
man's shoulder. Immediately you see all of the power in the room
shift. The lightest touch changes the entire dynamic. Hardy had to
create a character without using most of his face and also through a
partially distorted voice. So much of Bane had to be shown using
only body language. And Hardy not only transformed his physique into
a literal hulk, but he used every gesture, every posture to convey
Bane's menace, to fantastic effect.
RUNNERS
UP
Rhys
Ivans – The Amazing Spider-Man
Michael
Fassbender - Prometheus
John
Snieder – October Baby
Russel
Crowe -Les Miserables
BEST
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anne
Hathaway – Les Miserables
I
usually don't buy into “buzz” when it comes to movies. I find
myself departing from many critics regarding what they see as good
art. So when I went to see Les Miserables, I knew that there was a
lot of “buzz” regarding Hathaway's Fantine, but I ignored it as
best I could. And I have to say that the “buzz” is well
deserved. Her performance her was the exact opposite of her worldly
and confident Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises. Her Fantine is
the picture of vulnerability. You feel as though the slightest
breeze could knock her over. And all the while she takes you step by
step through the agony of her life, so that even the smallest ray of
hope fills her with so much joy that your heart cannot help but
swell.
RUNENRS
UP
Jennifer
Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Emily
Blunt – Looper
Samantha
Barks – Les Miserables
Elsbeth
Steentoft – Teddy Bear
BEST
SCREENPLAY
Seth
MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild– Ted
Comedy
is very hard to write. In some ways in much more difficult than
tragedy. What makes Ted work so well is not just that it is funny
(the funniest movie of the year), but that it isn't just a series of
gags like you would expect from the producers of Family Guy. Ted has a solid story around it and it is actually about
something. It's about growing up. There's a lot to be said about
the arrested development of adults in this country, and Ted shows us
how life falls apart when we don't grow up. Ted is the symbol of
childhood irresponsibility, but he is so appealing despite his
detestable behavior. That's because there is a part of us that
doesn't want to lose that part of our lives that we know must be
sacrificed on the altar of adulthood. And all the while it is
conveying these themes, the jokes make you laugh more than most
movies.
RUNENRS
UP
Tony
Kushner - Lincoln
Joss
Whedon - The Avengers
Rian
Johnson - Looper
Derek
Connoly - Safety Not Guaranteed
BEST
MAKEUP
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
WETA
once again demonstrates why they are the master of make-up effects,
filling their world with enhancements that are both fantastic and
subtle.
RUNNERS-UP
The
Avengers
Looper
Prometheus
BEST
SPECIAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Again,
WETA has taken movie special effects to the next level. Especially
in 48fps, the digital effects never looked so real.
RUNNERS-UP
The
Avengers
Looper
Prometheus
BEST
SCORE
Sune
Martin - Teddy Bear
The
score is so simple that it is easy to overlook. But in its
simplicity is the heartbreak that is indicative of this fragile
little movie.
RUNNERS-UP
Mark
Silvestri - The Avengers
Geoff
Zanelli - The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Howard
Shore - The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey
James
Horner - The Amazing Spider-Man
BEST
SONG
“This
Gift” - The Odd Life of Timothy Green
Glenn
Hansard is an incredibly talented musician who puts all of his
emotions into his songs, and you can feel it in the song about not
letting go of your dreams.
RUNNERS-UP
"A
Thousand Years" - Twilight: Breaking Dawn pt 2
"Big
Machine" - Safety Not Guaranteed
BEST
COSTUMES
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Not
only are the costumes beautiful, but they feel as if they belong in
that world. In other words, it never feels like the characters are
wearing “costumes” but are wearing the clothes of a bygone
culture
RUNNERS-UP
Prometheus
The
Avengers
The
Dark Knight Rises
Below
are the list of all the films of 2012 that I have seen, ranked in
order of excellence:
- Les Miserables
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Marvel's The Avengers
- Teddy Bear
- Argo
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Lincoln
- Ted
- The Hunger Games
- Wreck-It Ralph
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- Skyfall
- Safety Not Guaranteed
- Pitch Perfect
- Looper
- Brave
- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
- John Carter
- Snow White and the Huntsman
- October Baby (2012)
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green
- For Greater Glory
- The Cabin in the Woods
- Here Comes the Boom
- This is 40
- The Expendables 2
- Trouble with the Curve
- Prometheus
- Premium Rush
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Taken 2
- Big Miracle
- What to Expect When You're Expecting
- The Watch
- The Vow
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
- Cloud Atlas
iMy
appreciation and judgment of a film should not be taken as a
recommendation. Choosing to watch any of these films is the
reader's responsibility
Sunday Best: Catholic Skywalker Awards - Television 2012
There are a lot of wonderful programs out there that, unfortunately, time has not permitted me to see (I only caught up the The West Wing this year).
Here are the hows
we watch:
| COMEDY | DRAMA | REALITY |
Simpsons
How
I Met Your Mother
New
Girl
The
Middle
Modern
Family
Community
Parks
and Recreation
Big
Bang Theory
The
Office
The
Soup
SNL
The
Mindy Project
Go
On |
Walking
Dead
Castle
Game
of Thrones
Arrow
Nashville
Revenge
Bunheads
Beauty
and the Beast
Downton
Abbey
Elementary
Sherlock |
Amazing
Race
Survivor |
The winners, therefore, must be taken from this list. If anyone has any recommendations for shows I should add to our nightly viewing, let us know.
So, without further ado, this year's winners are:
Best
Drama:
Sherlock
Every
mystery show in some way has been influenced by Sherlock Holmes. And
so if you are going to do a show about the preeminent detective, you
had better bring your A-game. And that is exactly what the producers
of the BBC show Sherlock have done. The concept is simplicity
itself: tell the Holmes stories in today's world. In fact, most of
the stories have their basis somewhere in the original Arthur Conan
Doyle mysteries. No small amount of credit should be given to the
lead actors: breakout stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin
Freeman as Watson. Cumberbatch brings a lot of flawed, nearly
psychotic tendencies to Holmes. But he makes him fascinating enough
to watch. Freeman gives us enough of an everyman connection to keep
us emotionally tethered to the stories. One other excellent
innovation is that each episode is 90-minutes. This makes it feel
like a self-contained movie, with full arcs and character development
in one sitting. But above all, the show is smart. And this season
watching Holmes match wits with his equals in Irene Adler and James
Moriarty has made for some amazing television.
Runners-up
-Castle
-Downton
Abbey
-The
Walking Dead
Best
Comedy
Community
Once
again, this show wins top spot. Only 12 episodes of Community aired
in 2012. But there was more wit, creativity, and genuine belly
laughs in those 12 episodes than can be found in many sitcoms today.
It doesn't look like Community is long for this world, which is a
crime against TV. Community not only understands and dissects pop
culture and media genres (look at last year's brilliant send up of
Ken Burns' documentaries and Law and Order, not to mention the love
letter to 8-bit video games that was “Hawkethorne”), but they use them as a means of character development. As silly as everything is on the
show, it still beats with a very real heart. The season finally tied
up main character Jeff's (Joel McHale) entire character arc from the
pilot episode. In the very first episode he espoused moral
relativism and that truth was whatever he said it was. But after
finding true friendship, he knows that there are things out there
that are real. They may be really weird, but they are real. When the
show comes back in February, do yourself a favor if you haven't
watched it yet (and I say this without hyperbole) : check out one of
the best shows in TV history.
Runners-up
Parks
and Recreation
The
Big Bang Theory
The
Office
Best
Actor in a Drama
Andrew
Lincoln – The Walking Dead
Most
actors who win in these dramatic categories tend to do so because of
their emotional intensity, which Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes has in
spades. As the leader of the small band of survivors, Rick must make
decisions that are decisive but may be deadly. And it is Rick that
has to live with the consequences. Lincoln gives Rick the sense of
solid strength we need to see from someone that others would trust
with their lives. And he shows how this trust wears away at his
soul. He takes on all of the burdens and gets all of the blame.
Lincoln makes us understand Rick, even when we disagree with him, and
makes us care about him enough to keep watching his journey, even if
we can see no hope in the end. The level of emotional darkness that
Lincoln has had to plumb already in this season show us a man whose
soul is slowly being clawed apart.
Runners-up
Nathan
Fillion – Castle
Johnny
Lee Miller - Elementary
Benedict
Cumberbatch - Sherlock
Best
Actress in a Drama
Sutton
Foster – Bunheads
It
is easy to dismiss Foster as simply a reboot of Lorelei Gilmore from
Amy Sherman-Paladino's other classic show Gilmore Girls. And to be
sure, the personality and vocabulary are identical. But Foster
infuses her dancing fish-out-of-water Michelle with a lot more quirky
energy that adds layer upon layer of texture. Unlike Lorelei who had
to grow up because of her daughter, this is what Lorelei might have
been if she had never gotten pregnant. The result is that Foster
must portray this neurotic, lost, intensely witty character while
also showing us the the emptiness she has from being rootless. She
peppers her performance with charismatic and unique voice inflection
and body language that make clear there isn't another actress like
her on television today.
Runners-up
Stanna
Katic – Castle
Sarah
Wayne Callies – The Walking Dead
Emily
Van Camp - Revenge
Best
Supporting Actor, Drama
Peter
Dinklage – Game of Thrones
Tyrion
Lannister, the character Peter Dinklage plays on Game of Thrones is
not a good man. He is lecherous, deceitful, and ambitious. But
unlike many of the characters on the show, he tries. He tries to be
good as best he knows how. And that is the wonderful struggle that
Dinklage shows us. And he does it with such amazing charm that you
cannot help but root for Tyrion, even when he is wrong. And he gives
Tyrion so much gravitas that he convincingly rallies his deserting army
to defend their city. His plea is not for glory, but a simple
heartfelt appeal to protect the basic things of life: home and
family. And he delivers his last line of the speech with a
matter-of-factness that implies the imperative of duty: “There are
brave men on the other side of these walls. Let's go kill them.”
Runners-up
Colin
Donnell - Arrow
David
Morressy – The Walking Dead
Martin
Freeman - Sherlock
Best
Supporting Actress, Drama
Lara
Pulver – Sherlock
Sherlock
Holmes is the stuff of legend. He is the ultimate opponent in a
battle of wits. Lara Pulver's Irene Adler from the show Sherlock
needed to be as good and as believably legendary. And Pulver
delivered. Her Adler is playful but predatory. She chameleon-like
adapts to any situation she is in and gives the appearance that she
is in complete control (even when she is not). And she makes us
believe that she could have true feelings for Sherlock. But we are
never quite sure if that's real or just an act. Adler is that good of
an actress. And so is Pulver
Runners-up
Laurie
Holden – The Walking Dead
Lauren
Cohan- The Walking Dead
Lena
Heady – The Game of Thrones
Danai
Gurira
– The Walking Dead
Best
Actor, Comedy
Nick
Offerman - Parks and Recreation
Outside
of Amy Poehler, Offerman's Ron Swanson is the most iconic character
on the show. The writers deserve a lot of credit for not making him
simply a punching bag for his non-liberal views ala All in the Family
and Last Man Standing. But Offerman plays Ron so uncompromisingly
sure that it is a surprise that he is so likeable. He is so
perpetually annoyed with everyone and everything, but in a way that
gives voice to your own frustration. Offerman is able to convey a
great deal of comic intensity in great stillness. His deadpan is so
funny because you can't tell if he's joking or about to kill you,
which makes it all the funnier.
Runners-up
Jim
Parsons – The Big Bang Theory
Ty
Burrell – Modern Family
Joel
McHale - Community
Best
Actress, Comedy
Amy
Poehler – Parks and Recreation
Once
again Amy Poehler takes the best actress spot. There are a lot of
good women comedians out there, but Poehler is the funniest one
working in television today. Her Leslie Knope is full of an insane
amount of energy that you work hard just to keep up. And it is very
difficult to play someone fully sincere while at the same time not
making them stupid. But Poehler's Knope is smart, but she wears her
heart on her sleeve. She gives herself over to any emotion she
feels, like Homer Simpson if he we was oriented towards
public-spiritedness. What's great is watching Leslie try to overcome
things that she can't. After she has a mini-breakdown from lack of
sleep because of her heated campaign for city council, I dare you not
to laugh.
Runners-up
Zooey
DeChannel – New Girl
Kalee
Cuoco – The Big Bang Theory
Patricia
Heaton – The Middle
Best
Supporting Actor, Comedy
Dany
Pudi -Community
When
Pudi's Abed is his normal self and not pretending to be someone else,
the actor has a very limited palate to work with. Abed's emotional
deficiencies mean that Pudi must continually limit his range of
feelings. Abed feels things but doesn't know how to express them or
see them in others. And yet he is very observant and caring. And
witty. Abed has some of the best lines on the show, because he
delivers it with an understanding that they are on a TV show. But
where we see his skill work best is when he confronts “Evil Abed.”
There is a believable character difference between the two beyond
the superficial. In his narrow window, Pudi builds a mirror-universe
version of Abed that is as emotionally unavailable but also morally
repellent. He does that mostly with subtle changes to voice and body
language, but he also does it to great comedic effect.
Runners-up
Neil
Patrick Harris– How I Met Your Mother
Donald
Glover – Community
Nick
Offerman – Parks and Recreation
Best
Supporting Actress, Comedy
Mayim
Bialik – The Big Bang Theory
When
they first introduced Bialik's Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang
Theory, she was meant to be a female Sheldon. And if you look at her
early performances, they were not very good. She gave stale, flat
answers as a way of conveying lack of emotion. But a character is
not about what isn't there, but what is. And so Amy was only a flat,
uninteresting character. But slowly Bialik has built an inner life
to Amy so that we can now see her in 3 dimensions. Unlike Sheldon,
she has a raging, beating heart in her, but it is smothered by
over-intellectualism and social awkwardness. But Bialik shows you
this emotionally raw and primal person hiding beneath her frumpy
exterior. And it is when this emotional repression finally leaks
through her brainy exterior that the laughs come flowing.
Runners-up
Aubrey
Plaza – Parks and Recreation
Yvette
Nicole Brown – Community
Alison
Brie – Community
Martha
Plimpton – Raising Hope