I didn't watch or very much care about the Academy Awards this year, but "The Hurt Locker" getting best movie and directing (how is Kathryn Bigelow the first woman ever to get this award?) makes me happy. I was surprised by how intense that film was, it's incredibly well-made, Jeremy Renner (the first time I ever saw him was in "Firefly" "Angel", and in the unfortunately cancelled "The Unusuals) and the other actors did a great job. I haven't seen "Avatar" yet, but if I want intelligent Science Fiction that deals with how "civilized" and "advanced" societies treat indigenous people and nature, I read a novel by Ursula K. Le Guin.
I also haven't seen "The Blind Side", but Sandra Bullock is... when I was younger and still used to watch movies with my parents on the weekends, hers were usually enjoyable and smart and funny. The Academy Awards tend to be given to actors and actresses for more than just a performance in one movie (sometimes the performances they pick for particular actors stuns me - like Denzel Washington for "Training Day", or Kate Winslet for "The Reader")- it's more of an acknowledgment of who they are. And I like Sandra Bullock, so seeing her get standing ovations and then delivering an enjoyable and not at all awkward acceptance speech (maybe they should pick the winners by how well they deliver speeches?) warmed my heart (but Carey Mulligan was still really, really good in "An Education").
NY Times: ‘The Hurt Locker’ Wins Big at Oscars, March 7, 2010
A.V. Club: Breaking Down the 2010 Oscar Ceremony, March 7, 2010
These unfortunate young Americans will soon star in the remake (yes. A REMAKE. of a TV show) of generation one of "Skins". Well, at least they won't have to cut all the sex scenes, they can just not shoot them this time around. I'd very much like to say that I'll reserve judgement until it's finished, but... I can't. If they'd done something original, maybe, and only taken the format of "Skins", but really, not with a remake.
In other epic fail news: more political fail from the recent well of inaptitude.
This is a rather beautiful song by cellist Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore (Daytrotter Session). It might end up on a "Skins"-mixtape, but I can't wait two weeks.
Dear Companion
Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous committed suicide. He made beautiful, fragile songs - which I first discovered when one of them featured in "Dandelion".
PopMatters: It’s a Sad and Beautiful World: Remembering Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse
2 comments:
Nathan Fillion was the actor on Firefly not Jeremy Renner.
Oh, thanks. I mixed him up with Jonathan Woodward in the episode "The Message". Jeremy Renner played Penn in an episode of "Angel".
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