tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7463905477989295362024-03-13T09:47:08.442-07:00The Duchess Is a Know-it-allThe place for pop-culture brain dumpingDuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.comBlogger402125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-42684472921187636362016-07-28T13:19:00.003-07:002016-07-28T13:19:59.197-07:00Today's mood...<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/bswPEzkkOZJ4s" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/polar-bear-bswPEzkkOZJ4s">via GIPHY</a></p>
<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/jel045wZedf5S" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/polar-bear-jel045wZedf5S">via GIPHY</a></p>
<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/iVt7wtEhYZTVu" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/happy-cute-iVt7wtEhYZTVu">via GIPHY</a></p>
<iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/btCHbTG8fKvFm" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/polar-bear-btCHbTG8fKvFm">via GIPHY</a></p>
Yep. This is just about how my day is going today. I'm sort of on top of things? But also really not? And just making the most of the crap situation I've gotten myself into without knowing it.DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-80089741063609102742016-02-01T11:34:00.002-08:002016-02-01T11:34:25.328-08:00Happy Birthday Harry Styles!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-30820382393512974542015-11-02T23:15:00.000-08:002015-11-02T23:15:47.726-08:00NaNoWriMo 2015<b><br /></b>
<b>National Novel Writing Month</b>. I'm taking a stab at it again! <a href="http://nanowrimo.org/nano-prep">I am attempting to write a minimum of 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30. </a><br />
I've only successfully done it once. But I figure this year I have a better chance than most because I've actually been writing a lot since the early spring, so my brain (and fingers) are sort of in the habit of working. My goal is between 1800 and 2500 words a day. <br />
<br />
Would you believe that I'm already about 2,000 words behind schedule? Sigh...oh well...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
This year I'm writing a novel based on a prompt that I got on Tumblr from a 20 yr young woman in Australia. I know that's sounds crazy as hell, but it's actually been a very cool experience. And it pushes me out of my comfort zone, which I like.<br />
<br />
WISH ME LUCK.DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-24859672079574723312015-08-12T11:21:00.000-07:002015-08-12T11:21:30.044-07:00KELLY CLARKSON! KELLY CLARKSON! (also Pentatonix!)So, back in March, I won tickets off the radio to see Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, and Eric Hutchinson in concert. Well, the day of the show has finally arrived and I am beyond excited!<br />
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I've seen Kelly and Eric (they like touring together) in concert twice before and they consistently BRING IT in their live shows. Add to this mix the a cappella awesomeness of my beloved Pentatonix, and I am beyond psyched!<br />
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I seriously recommend that you all listen to each of these artists' latest albums, especially PTX's <i>Volume III</i>. You'll thank me later.<br />
<br />
This will undeniably be me in about 10 hours -<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="218" src="//giphy.com/embed/M4p9XlBbhovMQ" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/hbo-girls-M4p9XlBbhovMQ">via GIPHY</a>DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-31207798663554733502015-07-16T14:00:00.001-07:002015-07-16T14:00:24.228-07:00Random thoughts - One Direction LIVE - On The Road Again tour - Seattle, July 15, 2015<b>A collection of 41 observations and thoughts that I had during the One Direction concert</b> (in chronological order):<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: blue;">I'm not sure I've ever seen so many teenage girls gathered in one place in my life. It's sort of a nightmare. CenturyLink stadium is sold out. How many people does that hold? Anyway, the atmosphere has the strangest energy; it's hormones, and lip gloss and braces, and ponytails and the amalgamation of thousands of different perfumes. And screaming. So much screaming.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">Most of the moms/chaperones that have been dragged to this event are acting appropriately. But there is a large contigent of "cool moms" - you know Amy Poehler's character from <i>Mean Girls</i>? Yeah, that kind of horror. It's all too tight and too blushed. And lots of glitter.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">There are way more straight dudes (not dads) here than I expected. Dragged along by their girlfriends I suspect. And in fact seem to be making out with said girlfriends way more than is necessary - to prove something? Later during the concert, Harry Styles actually calls out a couple for making out the entire show. Guys, if a pop star from 30 feet away notices you're kissing, maybe tone it down a bit?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">There are 4 gay men in their 50s (2 couples?) sitting in the 4th row sans children. They're worse than me, right?</span></li>
<li>Something called an "Icona Pop" is opening up for 1D. They are a duo. From the UK? Australia maybe? These two women seriously look like they are doing bad Spice Girls cosplay. One is like Scary Spice, and the other is like a Ginger/Sporty Spice combo. They are actually singing and not lyp-syncing so that's something in their favor. But as with a lot of EDM stuff, they're singing to music tracks. They keep slipping behind a weird DJ booth to change outfits?</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">This is how you can tell the parents/chaperones in the audience - they're all sitting. Hee! You guys, we're old okay? The show is just starting and we have 3 1/2 more hours ahead of us to get through.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">I lucked out with the perfect seat. Far right section on the floor; Row 15, which is just far enough back that I can see everything; and on the aisle so no one's blocking me. This sweet tween girl behind me whispered to her sister/friend that she wouldn't be able to see over me and wondered if she should ask me to switch seats - her friend wisely responded that she didn't think I would do it. Ha! My resting-bitch-face works in my favor again!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Oh! Icona Pop are the ones that sing that "I Don't Care. I Love It!" song. They saved the best for last.</span></li>
<li>In the interim before 1D comes out, they're showing music videos and movie trailers. And Honda ads, because I guess they're a big sponsor of this tour.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">A lot of the videos are for that other boy band from the UK (?), 500 Summers or something? (That's not the name. But I'm too lazy to look it up and I DON'T CARE.) Are these guys also on Simon Cowell's label or something? Otherwise it seems weird to promote another boy band at a One Direction concert.</span> </li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">In true Seattle fashion, I've noticed an inordinate amount of Birkenstocks and Tevas on these otherwise tarted up teen girls.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Girls are retouching their makeup before 1D comes out. Why? It's not like Niall is going to see you, much less give a thought to how much lip gloss or mascara you're wearing.</span></li>
<li>I am truly impressed with the amount of signage here! It's nice to know that teen girls still make signs to take to concerts of their favorite bands. Gotta keep those poster board companies in business somehow!</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">So far I've seen only one "congrats on the baby" poster for Louis.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">Boy, "Uptown Funk" is still an undeniable hit. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was up out of their seats and dancing around when the song was played over the loud speakers. Infectious indeed.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">As we get closer to the main event, the audience is getting hyper and ratcheting up the screaming. The screaming over NOTHING. 10 minutes before show time and the girls are screaming for anything at this point - roadies/crew coming out on stage to set things up; 1D ads for perfume; some of the backing band members walking through the tunnels on the side to get to the understage area.</span></li>
<li>4 min before show time: A PSA comes on with One Direction talking about their charity. I guess you buy gold stars at the show that raises money. Girls screamed throughout the entire PSA; the screams amping up each time a different one of the 4 guys did their part of the speel. I guess if this gets teens to give a shit about poverty and the environment I'm all for it. I just would rather also have my eardrums.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">The long runway that they have coming out into the audience from the mainstage is fairly low to the ground. Lower than I expected. (It would be at boob-level if I was standing next to it). I don't trust any of these chicks not to clock a security guard to get to Harry Styles. They are taking a risk.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">Honda is giving away a custom 1D Civic, complete with wacky paint job and the 4 lads' signatures on the hood. I'm not saying I didn't enter the contest to win it...umm</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Yikes. There are seriously A LOT of freaking people here! They don't have that much of the stadium blocked off. I think there must be 30,000 folks here. Does the "Clink" even have that many seats. I'm bad at math.</span></li>
<li>Oh! Here they come! Oh no, the screaming has increased to a face melting squeal pitch. A deafening wall of screaming as each of the guys comes out in the following order: Niall, Liam, Harry, Louis.</li>
<li>SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">Liam took over the Zayn Malik vocals in the first couple of songs, but surprisingly Niall is the one that steps up and does the Zayn parts of the majority of their set. And Niall is killing it vocally!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">They have a toilet on stage!! Behind this elaborate curtain. Louis used it between songs and kept his mic on! I mean, we couldn't hear him peeing or anything, but Liam had to work the crowd to cover the time and asked if Louis was done yet. All of a sudden we heard Louis over the loud speakers - "I had to use the loo. Sorry - too much tea before the show. Went right through." Louis can even make taking a piss adorable.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Eleven songs into the set the guys sang "Little Things". The girls around me lost their ever-loving minds! They were floored that they were performing the song without Zayn, because he has such a major solo in it. Harry took over the Zayn parts on this one. These girls were so excited. Something so unexpected made them so happy. It was a nice moment, even for this hard-hearted old woman. </span></li>
<li>Oh, and the harmonies on "Little Things" were out of this world. These guys can really sing.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">I had studied the set lists for San Diego and San Francisco and I was hoping for something new, but they are following the established set to a tee. That's okay. I guess.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">Louis acknowledged one of the "Congrats on baby" signs that was held up, with a sweet smile and a thank you. Aww</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Naill is raunchier/sexier on stage than I expected. I've always imagined him as the sweet, virginal one.</span></li>
<li>Harry is way goofier. And sexy AF. I get it now. </li>
<li>Harry is wearing very cool brown suede boots that I covet.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">During the performance of "Night Changes", all of the teens in the audience whipped out their old charity stars and held them over their heads, swaying back and forth. It was all very choreographed and well done. I don't know guys, this audience is operating on a different level from me.</span></li>
<li>SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!</li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">The guys' voices blend really well together. Louis is definitely the weakest link vocally, but he writes most of their songs, so I forgive him. Also that face!</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">Liam keeps taking phones from the audience and taking selfies with them. It's sweet. </span></li>
<li>In fact, the entire evening One Direction has been incredibly gracious and thankful for their fans. Well done, lads.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">Girls are throwing the most random things onto the stage - sunglasses; plastic leis; toe shoes?; and a lot of bras. C'mon young ladies, keep it classy.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: magenta;">4 encores! FOUR</span>.</li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">When all was said and done, the guys performed for 3 hours straight! Do you think they're able to do that because they're so young? That kind of stamina is beyond me. The stage loo probably helps too.</span></li>
<li>They played only one of my favorite songs of theirs. But that's okay. If they had sung "Fool's Gold" or "Same Mistakes" I may have burst into tears and embarrassed myself in front of hundreds of 15 yr olds.</li>
<li><span style="color: blue;">Thank god for earplugs. I wore them all the way back to my car that I had parked about 20 blocks away. And when I removed them, my ears felt great.</span></li>
</ol>
DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-88588828015524860552015-07-15T17:31:00.003-07:002015-07-15T17:31:45.175-07:001D or BUST! (or how I stopped being embarrassed and embraced my love of boy bands) - PREVIEWSo, tonight's the night. I'm finally seeing One Direction live in concert. I have a floor seat and I'm riding solo, so I'm sure to stand out in a sea of teens and tweens.<br />
Full disclosure - just yesterday I was given the opportunity to write a piece for a small women's issues blog. It may or may not get published there, but it does sort of give me a ready excuse to use if questioned as to why a woman in her mid-40s is attending a 1D concert alone.<br />
Never mind the fact that I'm a super-fan that bought my ticket <i>months ago. </i>I will be reporting back on my experience in detail tomorrow or Friday.<br />
<br />
Some things I'm looking forward to -<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>This will be Louis Tomlinson's first public appearance since his baby-daddy news came out, so I'll be curious if it's addressed.</li>
<li>I'm excited to see how they've reworked their songs, with the loss of Zayn Malik's beautiful tenor voice.</li>
<li>So far they've kept the same set list for the U.S. tour dates; will Seattle be the city that gets a new set?!</li>
<li>Will they sing any of my favorite songs?! Actually I'm sort of hoping that they won't. Because I don't want to cry in front of 13 yr olds.</li>
</ol>
DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-35868144449248028132015-02-26T12:18:00.000-08:002015-02-26T12:18:08.795-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
But I'm hoping to get a little less "Plushious" in the next several months. Wish me luck!DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-40999871687666727392015-02-26T12:03:00.000-08:002015-02-26T12:03:53.154-08:00Things I'm looking forward to in MarchMarch is a tricky month for me. On the one hand, the anniversary of my mother's death is March 1 and for the past 8 years that date has just laid waiting to ambush and depress me at the beginning of the month. But March is also my birth month (seriously the BEST month to have been born), and it was my mother's favorite time of the year, what with the change in weather and the cherry blossoms etc. so I also can find room for happy memories. And this year especially, I've got a bunch of things to look forward to.<br />
<br />
First off, I'm not the only person I care about having a birthday this month. Several close friends and family also share March as the best birth month. So I have a bunch of great parties and celebrations to look forward to in March.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>I'm proud to be a part of the fun choral group - the Northwest Firelight Chorale - and we have our annual, mucial theater fundraiser <a href="http://www.nwfirelightchorale.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/GetHappy_YellowMarquee1-e1422908856920.jpg">dinner theater/silent auction evening on March 21, 2015.</a> It promises to be an amazing and fantastic night!</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Kyle Chandler finally back on my television? And with Ben Mendelsohn? <a href="http://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Netflix-Bloodline-Trailer-35982221">YES, PLEASE</a>.</li>
</ul>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tRnS8FkcXNk" width="560"></iframe> <br />
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Is it March 20th yet?<br />
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<ul>
<li>I've quit caffeine and I'm really making a commitment to start swimming on a regular basis in an effort to cure the insomnia that's been plagueing me for months. It's been really bad lately, and so I'm making March the month that I conquer this! Or at least get at least 6 hours of sleep a night. Yeah, that's right, I don't even get SIX hours of sleep on a typical night. It's pathetic.</li>
</ul>
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DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-76401658199040460342015-01-27T10:54:00.001-08:002015-01-27T10:54:57.316-08:00GrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrMe at work today...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="249" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//giphy.com/embed/yoJC2vTikbPR3CeHgA?html5=true" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="480"></iframe>DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-2472807352049152812015-01-15T14:37:00.002-08:002015-01-15T14:37:51.502-08:00Oscar Nominations - For 2014's year <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYO9k2dylyY/VLhBAlOzYHI/AAAAAAAABIQ/-XSzT9rh9es/s1600/Oscars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JYO9k2dylyY/VLhBAlOzYHI/AAAAAAAABIQ/-XSzT9rh9es/s1600/Oscars.jpg" height="200" width="120" /></a></div>
<br />
One of my weird pet-peeves about awards season each year is that I get very touchy and pedantic about people saying things like "the 2015 Oscar nominations". In truth, the Academy Award nominations that were annouced this morning are for <b><i><span style="color: red;">2014</span></i></b>. But it's exhausting and annoying to correct people (and I'm sure to be corrected) on this relatively minor issue.<br />
<br />
Moving on! Early early this morning I dragged my ass out of bed to go down and turn my tv on to watch this year's nominations be announced live. I know most of my friends and loved ones think this is beyond weird; especially since I do it for pleasure and not for like my job or anything that is paying me money. It's a tradition and I sincerely do look forward to this time of year.<br />
<br />
In many ways, the nominations for 2014 aren't that shocking, but there are some very weird and seemingly dumb omissions in various categories.<br />
<br />
First, let's just get elephant in the room out of the way - 2, just TWO, nominations for <i><b>Selma.</b></i> And one of those is for dumb "Best Song", ironically the only award that the film has a chance of winning. You guys? Oprah is PISSED. But seriously, it's almost more insulting that the Academy threw <i>Selma</i> a bone by giving them the Best Picture nod. To not honor David Oyelowo's brilliant portrayal of MLK with a nomination seems bonkers. Sorry (not sorry) Bradley Cooper, you didn't deserve your Best Actor nomination this year, Oyelowo should be in your place.<br />
And don't get me started about the travesty of Ava DuVernay not getting a nomination for Best Director. This I blame completely on the strangle-hold that "white dudes" have on directing award nominations. This year as in past years the field of directors to choose from is strong, but when I look at the eight Best Picture nominations, <i>Foxcatcher</i> isn't there - so does Bennet Miller deserve a directing nom? Eh, maybe. I actually would have replaced Morten Tyldum with DuVernay; the best part of <i>The Imitation Game</i> is Cumberbatch. I think Tyldum's direction was the weak link. Critic <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2015/01/selma-was-robbed.html">David Edelstein wrote a great piece for Vulture</a> about this.<br />
<br />
The other completely bizarre, "what were they thinking" omission from these nominations is that <i>The LEGO Movie</i> wasn't nominated for Best Animated Film. C'mon guys, that's just fucking stupid.<br />
<br />
I won't be doing the <a href="http://duchesskitty.blogspot.com/2011/02/oscar-death-race-2011-one-week-left.html">Oscar Death Race</a> this year. But I will be doing my usual routine; I will see every film nominated in the major categories. That means that I still have the following left to see before February 22 - <i>American Sniper; Still Alice; Two Days, One Night</i>; [caveat - there's no way I'm seeing that turd of a movie "The Judge" so I will be seeing <i>Inherent Vice</i> instead.]<br />
<br />
So anyway, here's the full list for you to ruminate over:<br />
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Picture</span></strong><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Boyhood<br />
The Imitation Game<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
Birdman<br />
The Theory of Everything<br />
The Grand Budapest Hotel<br />
Whiplash<br />
Selma<br />
American Sniper</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Actress</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Julianne Moore,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Still Alice</i><br />
Reese Witherspoon,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Wild</i><br />
Rosamund Pike,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Gone Girl</i><br />
Felicity Jones,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>The
Theory of Everything</i><br />
Marion Cotillard,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Two Days,
One Night</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Actor</span></strong><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Michael Keaton,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Birdman</i><br />
Eddie Redmayne,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Theory of
Everything</i><br />
Benedict Cumberbatch,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Imitation Game</i><br />
Steve Carell,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Foxcatcher</i><br />
Bradley Cooper,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>American
Sniper</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Supporting Actor</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
J.K. Simmons,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Whiplash</i><br />
Edward Norton,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Birdman</i><br />
Ethan Hawke,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Boyhood</i><br />
Mark Ruffalo,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Foxcatcher</i><br />
Robert Duvall,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Judge</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Supporting Actress</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Patricia Arquette,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Boyhood</i><br />
Emma Stone,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Birdman</i><br />
Keira Knightley,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Imitation
Game</i><br />
Meryl Streep,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Into the
Woods</i><br />
Laura Dern,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Wild</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Director</span></strong><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Richard Linklater,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Boyhood</i><br />
Alejandro González Iñárritu,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Birdman</i><br />
Wes Anderson,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Grand
Budapest Hotel</i><br />
Morten Tyldum,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Imitation
Game</i><br />
Bennett Miller,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Foxcatcher</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Adapted Screenplay</span></strong><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Graham Moore,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>The Imitation Game</i><br />
Anthony McCarten,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>The
Theory of Everything</i><br />
Damien Chazelle,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Whiplash</i><br />
Jason Hall,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>American Sniper</i><br />
Paul Thomas Anderson,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Inherent
Vice<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span><strong style="line-height: 15.75pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Best Original Screenplay</span></strong></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Alejandro González
Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo,<i>Birdman</i></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Richard Linklater,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Boyhood</i></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Wes Anderson and
Hugo Guinness,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>The
Grand Budapest Hotel</i></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Dan Gilroy,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Nightcrawler</i></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Dan Futterman and
E. Max Frye,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Foxcatcher<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Foreign Film</span></strong><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Ida<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">(Poland)<i><br />
Leviathan<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(Russia)<i><br />
Tangerines</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(Estonia)<i><br />
Timbuktu<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(Mauritania)<i><br />
Wild Tales<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(Argentina)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Documentary Feature</span></strong><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Citizenfour<br />
Last Days in Vietnam<br />
Virunga<br />
Finding Vivian Maier<br />
The Salt of the Earth</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Animated Feature</span></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Big Hero 6<br />
How to Train Your Dragon 2<br />
The Boxtrolls<br />
Song of the Sea<br />
The Tale of Princess Kaguya</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Film Editing</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
<em>American
Sniper</em><br />
<em>Boyhood</em><br />
<em>The
Grand Budapest Hotel</em><br />
<em>The
Imitation Game</em><br />
<em>Whiplash</em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b style="line-height: 15.75pt;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Song</span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley, and Nick Southwood,
"Lost Stars" (<i>Begin Again</i>)<br />
John Legend and Common, "Glory" (<i>Selma</i>)<br />
Shawn Patterson, Joshua Bartholomew, Lisa Harriton, and The Lonely Island,
"Everything Is Awesome" (<i>The Lego Movie</i>)<br />
Diane Warren, "Grateful" (<em>Beyond the Lights</em>)<br />
Glen Campbell, "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" (<i>Glen Campbell ... I'll Be
Me</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Original Score</span></strong><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Johann Johannsson,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>The Theory of Everything</i><br />
Alexandre Desplat,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Imitation Game</i><br />
Alexandre Desplat,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Grand
Budapest Hotel</i><br />
Hans Zimmer,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Interstellar</i><br />
Gary Yershon,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Mr. Turner</em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Best Cinematography</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Emmanuel Lubezki,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Birdman</i><br />
Dick Pope,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Mr. Turner</i><br />
Robert D. Yeoman,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Grand
Budapest Hotel</i><br />
Ryszard Lenczewski and Łukasz Żal,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Ida</i><br />
Roger Deakins,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Unbroken</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Costume Design</span></strong><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Colleen Atwood,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Into the Woods</i><br />
Anna B. Sheppard and Jane Clive,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Maleficent</i><br />
Milena Canonero,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The Grand
Budapest Hotel</i><br />
Jacqueline Durran,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Mr. Turner</i><br />
Mark Bridges,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Inherent
Vice</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Makeup and Hairstyling</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Bill Corso and Dennis Liddiard,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #222222; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Foxcatcher</span></em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>The Grand
Budapest Hotel</em><br />
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Guardians of
the Galaxy</em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Production Design</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>The
Grand Budapest Hotel</i><br />
Suzie Davies and Charlotte Watts,<span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><i>Mr.
Turner</i><br />
Dennis Gassner and Anna Pinnock,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Into
the Woods</i><br />
Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis, and Paul Healy,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Interstellar</i><br />
Maria Djurkovic and Tatiana Macdonald,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Imitation Game</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sound Editing</span></strong><b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>American Sniper</em><br />
Martín Hernández and Aaron Glascock,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Birdman</em><br />
Brent Burge and Jason Canovas,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>The Hobbit:
Battle of the Five Armies</em><br />
Richard King,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Interstellar</em><br />
Becky Sullivan and Andrew DeCristofaro,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Unbroken</em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sound Mixing</span></strong><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
American Sniper<br />
Birdman<br />
Unbroken<br />
Interstellar<br />
Whiplash</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Visual Effects</span></strong><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Interstellar<br />
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes<br />
Guardians of the Galaxy<br />
X Men: Days of Future Past<br />
Captain America: The Winter Soldier</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Short Film, Live Action</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Aya</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(Chasis Films)<br />
Michael Lennox, director, and Ronan Blaney,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Boogaloo
and Graham</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(Out of Orbit)<br />
Hu Wei and Julien Féret,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Butter
Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak)</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(AMA
Productions)<br />
Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Parvaneh</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(Zurich University of Arts)<br />
Mat Kirkby, director and James Lucas,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Phone Call<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(RSA Films)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Short Film, Animated</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Bigger Picture<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></i>(National Film
and Television School)<br />
Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Dam Keeper</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(Tonko House)<br />
Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed, Feast (Walt Disney Animation Studios)<br />
Torill Kove,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Me and My Moulton</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(Mikrofilm in co-production with the
National Film Board of Canada)<br />
Joris Oprins,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>A Single Life</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(Job, Joris & Marieke)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Documentary Short Subject</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Perry Films,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Crisis Hotline:
Veterans Press 1</i><br />
Wajda Studio,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Joanna</i><br />
Warsaw Film School,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Our Curse</i><br />
Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>The
Reaper (La Parka)</i><br />
Weary Traveler,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>White Earth</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-90917450515205381952014-12-23T13:13:00.004-08:002014-12-23T13:17:56.620-08:00Best Thing I've Read/Watched All Week...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XE1xdAzRaGE/VJnb8PnH5HI/AAAAAAAABH8/GujRIx6OQ4Y/s1600/2014-12-22-television2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XE1xdAzRaGE/VJnb8PnH5HI/AAAAAAAABH8/GujRIx6OQ4Y/s1600/2014-12-22-television2.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>God bless you, Rich Juzwiak.</b><br />
<br />
One of <a href="http://gawker.com/at-the-end-of-the-day-2014-is-over-the-year-in-trash-1674143527">the best "year end" compilations </a>ever!DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-88505944885160097532014-09-29T16:43:00.002-07:002014-09-29T16:43:58.337-07:00SUCCESS - I found the YA book I've been looking for almost 20 years!Book lovers, you know my plight -<br />
<br />
You read a book back in your teen years or in your 20s that you loved, or that affected you in some way, and yet the title of said book has maddeningly flitted right out of your brain. And no matter how many web inquiries, bookstore sleuthing, and questions thrown out to the ether asking - "Does anyone know the name of THIS BOOK?", you have come up empty.<br />
<br />
Well, have faith dear friends. It may take years, but eventually someone, somewhere, out there on the interwebs will throw you a bone. The Internet is sometimes awesome, is what I'm trying to say.<br />
<br />
My two-decades long search ended today when I randomly was on the Goodreads site and wandered into the "What's the name of this book?" forum, a place that I had been several times doing my elusive search for my YA novel. This time I decided to search the "Unsolved" folder to see if there were other people like me searching for this particular book. I did a keyword search of "Woods".<br />
<br />
What happened next was something that only happens on internet forums - in response to a poster's inquiry about some book regarding twin teen siblings who get lost camping, a commenter had suggested that the name of the book that they were searching for was something called "Coming Back Alive". And then another commenter had jumped in and said that no, the first commenter was wrong, and proceeded to get into a drawn-out nerd fight over books and who had the most knowledge of YA books from the 80s and 90s.<br />
Sometime during this back and forth one of the arguing commenters had posted a picture:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XuSAKd7zCt0/VCns2JBae7I/AAAAAAAABHg/vBNUkJJHpTg/s1600/Coming%2BBack%2BAlive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XuSAKd7zCt0/VCns2JBae7I/AAAAAAAABHg/vBNUkJJHpTg/s1600/Coming%2BBack%2BAlive.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></div>
<br />
You guys? It was like the Earth broke in two and shooting sparks flew up into my brain. THAT'S THE COVER OF THE BOOK!! MY BOOK!! I FOUND IT!<br />
<br />
So, thanks to a person being wrong about the answer to another searcher's book question, I indeed was able to solve the mystery that's been plaguing me for years. And I ordered the book off of Thriftbooks.com 2 seconds later. It's on it's way to me from Oregon and I can't wait to read it after all of these years.<br />
I'm sure it won't live up to my expectations or remembrances, but I don't care. I've haven't been this excited in a long time!DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-60714945125371067652014-09-29T12:57:00.001-07:002014-09-29T12:57:12.993-07:00OOTlanderI don't have Starz. It's pretty much the only premium cable channel that I <i>don't</i> have. And boy, have I really regretted not having it this year; the main reason being that I haven't been able to watch "Outlander" the series this season.<br />
I got to watch the premiere episode of this season on the Starz website where they let non-subscribers watch for free. My friends John and Dan have Starz, and I got to see the second episode, but beyond that, besides resorting to illegal downloading methods - which I refuse to do, I'm going to have to wait months before I'll be able to watch this full series, and I'm pissed about it.<br />
<br />
I even tried to buy the full season on iTunes and guess what? It's not for sale! Will it ever be? Other premium cable channels sell their shows, why not Starz? Maybe they're waiting for the full season to be over, which would mean that I would have to wait for some time. Grrrrr...<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the "mid-season" finale just happened this past weekend, and we had this scene:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fesFLmId5_k/VCm4koJpMII/AAAAAAAABHQ/KKXSbfQ9Ga8/s1600/IMG_2073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fesFLmId5_k/VCm4koJpMII/AAAAAAAABHQ/KKXSbfQ9Ga8/s1600/IMG_2073.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
VERY intense. In other news, Sam Heughan is effing hot!DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-6268699198933305052014-09-29T11:38:00.000-07:002014-09-29T11:38:35.783-07:00Presented without comment...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Scw3Dfmvd-k/VCmmPYoVcYI/AAAAAAAABHA/EFNSA4oBi_A/s1600/IMG_2072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Scw3Dfmvd-k/VCmmPYoVcYI/AAAAAAAABHA/EFNSA4oBi_A/s1600/IMG_2072.JPG" height="320" width="262" /></a></div>
<br />
Okay, I lied. ONE comment -<br />
<br />
Why the fuck does Phil Collins have a tambourine shoved into his sweatpants in this photo?!DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-51345575954429989592014-09-10T13:47:00.000-07:002014-09-10T13:47:08.534-07:00For the love of..."Big Business"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KimjZpUZUEg/VBCzOriG-eI/AAAAAAAABGY/xVwtBzmnt2g/s1600/big-business-movie-poster-1988-1020233534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KimjZpUZUEg/VBCzOriG-eI/AAAAAAAABGY/xVwtBzmnt2g/s1600/big-business-movie-poster-1988-1020233534.jpg" height="320" width="217" /></a></div>
<br />
Yesterday I revisited <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094739/?ref_=ttmd_md_nm">an old favorite of mine</a>. I probably hadn't seen this movie all the way through in almost 20 years.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YTW0HISl1xQ/VBCzSVh-C3I/AAAAAAAABGg/9CqJcMd-FuM/s1600/BigBusiness2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YTW0HISl1xQ/VBCzSVh-C3I/AAAAAAAABGg/9CqJcMd-FuM/s1600/BigBusiness2.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-style: italic;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<i style="font-style: italic;">Big Business</i><i> </i>is an infinitely stupid and predictable film, but boy is it the perfect anecdote, when you've had a shitty day and all you want to do is veg on the couch while eating a crapload of carbohydrates. I'm not sure why more movies like this aren't streaming on Netflix etc. Films of this ilk - "Ruthless People", "Troop Beverly Hills", "Outrageous Fortune", "Baby Boom" ,"First Wives Club" - are great things to put on when you want a few laughs, have 90 min to kill, and/or just want something brainless, yet enjoyable on in the background as you cook, clean, or nap.<br />
<br />
Back to <i>Big Business - </i>Can I just say that, Ratcliffe/Shelton sisters aside, this movie is really about the love story of Moramax's most faithful employees, Graham and Chuck. They were making their relationship work, even while working together, in what was probably a very homophobic environment. Sadie and Rose both seem to know and happily accept their coupledom. Graham and Chuck were gay pioneers! We're talking over 25 years ago!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dVPRDJMwvjQ/VBCzX3YzfzI/AAAAAAAABGw/cv542Fm0Uis/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dVPRDJMwvjQ/VBCzX3YzfzI/AAAAAAAABGw/cv542Fm0Uis/s1600/photo.JPG" height="222" width="320" /></a>Edward Hermann's facial expressions throughout this movie are <b>priceless</b>.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3JS5yBfAHZ8/VBCzVsffbSI/AAAAAAAABGo/U2p10xio1Ek/s1600/fire%2Bisland%2Bbig%2Bbusiness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3JS5yBfAHZ8/VBCzVsffbSI/AAAAAAAABGo/U2p10xio1Ek/s1600/fire%2Bisland%2Bbig%2Bbusiness.jpg" height="175" width="320" /></a></div>
DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-89647276351815506142014-08-29T14:55:00.001-07:002014-08-29T14:55:23.878-07:002014 Fall TV Season Preview - NEW SHOWS aka "what will clog up my DVR next" Edition<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">How can it already be time for the Fall TV season? Last year around this time I was excited for a lot of shows, and only ended up sticking with like two, maybe. Let's see what sticks this time around. </span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">My poor poor DVRs...</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">MONDAYS</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Gotham</span></i></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
<i>Fox, 8 p.m. (Sept. 22)</i><br />
Holy prequel, Batman! Ben McKenzie (oh, how I love and have missed you Ben!
Sorry I didn’t watch <i>Southland</i>!)
stars as young, pre commissioner Jim Gordon, navigating a city teeming with DC
Comics vigilantes and villains, including Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney, a
sadistic gangster boss and nightclub owner. Also Donal Logue is in it, so you
know, AWESOME.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">State of Affairs</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
NBC, 10 p.m. (Nov. 17)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
All you Katherine Heigl haters out there can suck it. I love Katherine Heigl and
thinks she gets a bad rap. She plays a maverick (of course!) CIA officer turned
daily briefer to the president, played by Alfre Woodard. SOLD!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">TUESDAYS</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">NCIS: New Orleans <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">CBS, 9 p.m. (Sept.23)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
few times that I’ve watched NCIS has been with my father, or with Sharon &
Vince Villa (surrogate parents) so basically you know that this show , despite
having Mark Harmon in it, is NOT for me. What’s going to get me to tune into
this new spin-off of the NCIS juggernaut? Two things – the setting of New
Orleans which is almost always a good thing,
and Scott Bakula, who makes anything and everything better!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Forever</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
ABC, 10 p.m. (Sept. 23)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
I got so excited when I first heard about this show. Then I actually read the
description and became instantly disappointed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">See, back in 2008, Fox adapted one of my favorite books by
Peter Hamill, into a series starring the tremendously hot Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
called <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0928414/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_14">New Amsterdam</a></i>.
Of course this was way before “Game of Thrones” so nobody knew who Nikolaj was
and Fox being Fox cancelled the show before the season was finished, despite it
actually being great and a nice adaptation of the book. So I was jazzed that
ABC was going to take a crack at it, using the actual title of Hamill’s book.
Surprise! It’s not the same story…just almost exactly? The plot is about a New York crime-scene examiner, Dr. Henry
Morgan, played by Ioan Gruffudd who happens to be immortal as long as he’s
submerged in water after “dying”. I don’t know you guys. I love Gruffudd though
and have enjoyed most of the stuff from Matt Miller (<i>Chuck, 666 Park Avenue</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 15.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.0pt; margin-right: 45.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Selfie</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
ABC, 8 p.m. (Sept. 30)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Plot summary: A vacuous social-media star (Karen Gillan) hires a brand
consultant (John Cho) to repair her damaged insta-celebrity after a
compromising video goes viral. This sounds pretty awful, but recently I’ve read
articles from critics that I respect that are saying that the show is actually
funny and clever. So I’m giving it a shot, although if I love it ABC is
guaranteed to cancel it. <br />
<br />
<b><i>The Flash</i></b><i><br />
CW, 9 p.m. (Oct. 7)</i><br />
Grant Gustin stars as that speedy young super-hottie. This is another show that’s
gotten great buzz and has been recommended by a bunch of people that I trust.
Also, I’m a sucker for CW sci-fi/fantasy shows.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Marry Me</i></b><i><br />
NBC, 9 p.m. (Oct. 14)</i><br />
A sitcom starring two of my fave comedians whose cancelled shows I’m still
mourning. What could be better?! Well?...the show’s description sounds fucking
awful and stupid – “A welcome return to TV for two offbeat comedians, Casey
Wilson (<i>Happy Endings</i>) and Ken Marino (<i>Party Down</i>), who play a
lovesick couple determined to stage the perfect proposal. Expect mayhem, gay
dads (Tim Meadows), and aggressive karaoke.” YIKES right? But you guys, it’s
Casey Wilson and Ken Marino! These two are very smart along with being very
funny; they wouldn’t be involved in something that wasn’t worth watching.
Right? I’ll watch until NBC inevitably cancels it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">WEDNESDAYS</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Red Band Society</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Fox, 9 p.m. (Sept. 17)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
This show proposes the following - What if you set a drama in the pediatric
cancer ward of a hospital and focused the story on a bunch of the kids there
and the shenanigans they get into, sort of like <i>The Breakfast Club</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>meets <i>The Fault In Our Stars</i>, thus combining two of my favorite teen
things. The story is narrated by a young man in a coma who can hear everything
going on around him which is a nice twist. It stars Octavia Spencer who is cool
and I’ve missed. The commercials for this show keep showing this one kid in a
wheelchair and his bald-cap is SO awful, that it may be the only thing that
keeps me from enjoying this show. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Black-ish</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
ABC, 9:30 p.m. (Sept. 24)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Anthony Anderson stars in this assimilation farce that asks: How do you teach
your kids how to be black when they grow up in a mostly white suburb? It’s
gotten really good reviews and I don’t want to do the same thing that I did
last year with The Goldbergs where I started watching half-way through the
season after hearing how great it was. I’ll watch at least the first couple of
eps and decide.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Stalker</i></b><i><br />
CBS, 10 p.m. (Oct. 1)</i><br />
One of my fave show-runners Kevin Williamson, doing a crime procedural about
law enforcement officers that find/fight stalkers (?) that stars Dylan
McDermott and the always cool Maggie Q. I’ll give it a couple of episodes; at
least to see if McDermott (or Maggie for that matter) takes his shirt off.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Kingdom</i></b><i><br />
DirecTV, 9 p.m. (Oct. 8)</i><br />
Description: “Nick Jonas buffs up and hopes to finally shed his Disney Channel
origins in this roid-o-rama MMA drama. “ Um…Nick Jonas, who I have VERY inappropriate
feelings towards, is going to be shirtless and sweaty a lot. Attention all
friends with DirecTV (I’m looking at you Larry Ahrens) I am coming over to
watch this. I don’t care how awful it sounds. LA LA LA I can’t hear you
shirtless Nick Jonas!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">THURSDAYS</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">How to Get Away With Murder</span></i></b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
ABC, 10 p.m. (Sept. 25)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">All aboard for the next
Shonda Rhimes Thursday-night-on-ABC show!!! A crime thriller, starring Viola
Davis as a law professor. This has gotten rave reviews from the TCAs and
up-fronts.</span><br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">A to Z</span></i></b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
NBC, 9:30 p.m. (Oct. 2)</span></i><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I love Ben Feldman.
LOVE him. He played Ginsberg on Mad Men and was an angel on the first couple of
seasons of Drop Dead Diva (don’t ask). In this he is an internet-dating
executive and Cristin Milioti (<i>How I Met Your Mother</i>’s mother) plays an attorney who he starts dating.</span>
I was not impressed with her on HIMYM but most folks liked her, so maybe she’ll
be good on this? I don’t care. BEN FELDMAN. Remember, I called dibs on him
first!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Gracepoint</span></i></b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
Fox, 9 p.m. (Oct. 2)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Okay. Here we go. A
big rant is coming; deep breath. THIS SHOW ALREADY EXISTED! It was called <i>Broadchurch</i> and it was a British show
that aired on BBCAmerica last year! DAVID TENNANT, yes, <i>that</i> David Tennant, STARRED IN THE ORIGINAL AND IS REPRISING THE
EXACT SAME ROLE BUT WITH A HORRIBLE AMERICAN ACCENT!! And I mean HORRIBLE. This
new U.S. version appears to be A SCENE FOR SCENE REMAKE WITH <b>NO CHANGES</b> TO THE STORY! NOT EVEN TO
DIALOG! WHAT IN THE FUCK?! Millions of Americans already watched and loved the
original, and KNOW HOW IT ENDS; why would Fox and the producers think that it’s
okay to remake the show exactly like the original? Listen, I get why U.S.
production companies like to remake shows from other countries; they have a
proven entity that they know they can run with. And in many instances I find
American redos to be great – <i>The Bridge,
The Killing, Homeland, In Treatment, </i>for crissakes even <i>Devious Maids</i> are all remakes that I’ve
loved. But the difference with these shows is that they took the concept of the
original, and either put it in a different setting, or changed the story but
kept the setting etc. But they definitely made it their own. Another difference
is that unlike the shows I just listed, <i>Broadchurch</i>
wasn’t some random Estonian production seen by 3 people here; it was on a major
cable network and got a ton of publicity and promotion. And was on Netflix
streaming! The whole idea of a to-the-letter remake is infuriating. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">And yet…David
Tennant, bad American accent or no, is awesome and the rest of the Gracepoint
cast reads like my dream cast list – Anna Gunn, Josh Charles, Jacki Weaver
(!!!) NICK NOLTE(!!!!!!) – The cast has guaranteed that I’m going to watch the
whole damn thing, even though I will know what happens at every turn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The McCarthys</span></i></b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
CBS, 9:30 p.m. (Oct. 30)</span></i><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">This comedy based
on actor Brian Gallivan’s own life, is
about a gay, athletically challenged son who becomes his basketball-coach dad’s
assistant. It sounds truly awful. But it stars Laurie Metcalf and Jack McGee
who I love, and my friend Vance, who is a gay entertainment critic, said he
wanted to hate it but ended up loving the first two episodes. So I’m going to
begrudgingly give it a shot.</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">FRIDAYS</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i>Constantine</i></b><i><br />
NBC, 10 p.m. (Oct. 24)</i><br />
An adaptation of one of my favorite comics, with Matt Ryan as John Constantine.
Should pair nicely with <i>Grimm</i> on
Friday nights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">SUNDAYS</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: blue;">PBS stuff:</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Roosevelts: An Intimate History</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
PBS, 8 p.m. (Sept. 14–20)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
Ken Burns’s latest, this time with a focus on Theodore, Franklin, Eleanor, et
al.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Death Comes to Pemberley- </span></i></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> Masterpiece Classic</span></b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
PBS, 9 p.m. (Oct. 26 and Nov. 2)</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
The BBC mini-series version of P.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">D. James</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">’</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">s murder-mystery sequel to <i>Pride and
Prejudice</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>comes to PBS,
starring Matthew Rhys as Mr. Darcy. I LOVED this book so much and I am beyond
excited about this.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Worricker: Turks & Caicos – </i>Masterpiece Contemporary </b><i><br />
Masterpiece on PBS, 9 p.m. (Nov. 9)</i><br />
Playwright David Hare writes and directs an all-star cast — Christopher Walken,
Winona Ryder(!), Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes(!!), and Bill Nighy as the
titular MI5 spy. Cannot wait!<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: blue;">Other stuff:</span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Affair</span></i></b></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Showtime, 9 p.m. (Oct.19)</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Dominic West back on my tv screen. I don't care what it's about! Here - <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/08/see-a-haunting-teaser-for-showtimes-the-affair.html">watch the trailer</a>!</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Mulaney</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><br />
<i style="color: #222222;">Fox, 9:30 p.m. (Oct. 5)</i><br /><span style="color: #222222;">
John Mulaney is one of my favorite
comedians and writers. They’ve finally given him his own</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="color: #222222;"> </span><i style="color: #222222;">Seinfeld</i><span style="color: #222222;">-ian show, playing a
stand-up comic with a day job writing material for a “legendary” game-show host
played by Martin Short. The problem I have with this seemingly okay sounding
premise, is that the commercials for this series are fucking horrible. It’s a
studio-audience multi-cam show, but still seems to have a laugh track? Every
scene they’ve shown with Martin Short is beyond unfunny. I am so so worried.
But John Mulaney is a great writer, and
Julie Klausner is also a contributing writer for the show so it should it be
amazing! And yet…those ads…so bad. John Mulaney deserves better than this.</span><br />
<br /><b><span style="color: red;">Misc Streaming Stuff:</span></b></span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><i style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 15.75pt;">The Killing</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 15.75pt;">'s last hurrah on Netflix</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 15.75pt;">Amazon Prime's new Whit Stillman comedy. This description below should be enough to make you want to drop everything to watch it!</span></li>
</ul>
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></b></div>
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>The Cosmopolitans</i></b><strong style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">:</strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> It's a Whit Stillman show set in Paris, starring Adam Brody and Chloë Sevigny (among others) as American expats who drink wine and go to parties and lament things. It's very much how you'd think, which is to say: Mannered and tiny in scope; nostalgic, almost, even though it's set in the present day; and also sharply funny and a little dreamy.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Here are some links that you might find helpful to narrow down your own Fall TV choices -</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">V<a href="http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/tv-premiere-dates-network-fall-schedule-2014.html">ulture's primetime schedule list</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Wire's <a href="http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/05/all-24-new-tv-series-for-fall-2014-in-order-of-how-fast-theyll-be-cancelled/370972/">predictions of how fast 2014 new shows will be canceled</a><br />
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DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-82816546892062094762014-08-28T16:50:00.002-07:002014-08-28T16:51:07.377-07:00Summer TV round-upIt's been a good summer for me. Not only did I take most of the month of July off to relax on various beaches and beside numerous pools, I also got to watch several new television shows that I really enjoyed, along with a couple of others who had good sophomore seasons. And of course my summertime beloved - <i>So You Think You Can Dance</i>.<br />
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My top 3 summer shows were all newbies, and two of them are clearly geared towards a teen demographic, but you know what? I don't care. And I know I wasn't the only audience member in their childless 40s watching them!<br />
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2399794/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Chasing Life</a></i> - an ABCFamily drama about a young woman in her 20s dealing with her father's death and her recent diagnosis of leukemia. The main reason I fell in love with this show is that Scott Michael Foster is one of the leads and I love him lots. Especially now that he's not on "Greek" so has ditched the long hair and pukka shell necklaces. HOT. The main character is played by Italia Ricci, who is a lovely actress that I'm surprised I haven't seen in anything else. This show also let Steven Weber return to television and that is a blessing.</li>
<li><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3186138/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Finding Carter</a></i> - Oh MTV, first you gave me my new favorite mid-season show <i>Faking It</i> (coming back in late September woo!!), and now you give me the gift of Alex Saxon (and his glorious hair) as Max, the best dude you'd ever want as your friend, boyfriend, brother, or son. The main plot involves a girl (the titular Carter) finding out at 16 that she was actually kidnapped away from her real family 13 years previously and raised a few hours north by a crazy lady who Carter has believed is her cool single mom Lori. Carter then has to adapt to having not only a twin sister and a little brother, but also parents, Elizabeth a police detective and David a writer who became famous when he wrote a true-crime book about the kidnapping, whom Carter is wary of and angry at for taking her away from her "real mom". I'm not going to lie, most of time you want to punch Carter in the face for being so bratty and obnoxious, but I don't really watch the show for her, I watch it for MAX. </li>
</ul>
<b><span style="color: blue;">Dear Alex Saxon, I love you and your beautiful hair. Marry me, please!</span></b> I first fell in love with Saxon on another teen drama that I love, the excellent ABCFamily show <i>The Fosters</i>. On that show he plays Wyatt, recently dumped boyfriend of the lead character Callie. I was at first very upset over the prospect of Wyatt being written off the show, because I love Saxon's portrayal of him so much. But then Alex Saxon showed up in the very first minutes of <i>Finding Carter, </i>playing the role of Max, who is not very different from Wyatt (a little older, a little dumber, a little more stoned), but better in all ways because of how sweet his dynamic with the Wilson family is on "Finding Carter". Also his hair! HIS BEAUTIFUL HAIR!<br />
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<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2699128/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Leftovers</a></i> - Oh man, this show. I loved the heck out of Tom Perrotta's book that this HBO downer drama is based from. Although the television show is in ways very different from the book, I felt the stories were in good hands because Perrota has written or has supervised the writing of all of the episodes of this first season. One of the major differences between the book and TV show is the tone. Yes, the book was sad; there was a lightness or a feeling of hope infused in the writing however. The show, especially the first 4 episodes, is unrelentingly dire. And this makes it sometimes very hard to watch. What keeps me liking it and watching it are the performances from the actors. Holy crap, give Amy Brenneman her Emmy now! She conveys so damn much without uttering a word. Also cool to see good ol' Justin Theroux getting some recognition. DC boy made good.</li>
</ul>
DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-84051921897942128352014-06-11T05:00:00.000-07:002014-06-11T07:32:30.031-07:00SIFF Musings - Final week<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some final thoughts regarding my experience at
this year’s Seattle International Film Festival.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It amazes me after all these years that there
are people who have lived in Seattle for a while and have still never attended
even one film at the festival. I’m always pleasantly surprised at how many
folks I meet each year that are attending their first festival. And you can
ALWAYS TELL the newbies – they’re the ones that are surprised at the long lines
and perturbed that they have to sit in the front row because they didn’t arrive
at the venue until 10 minutes before the movie was scheduled to start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My friend Ross and I kept are “Spain streak”
alive! For probably the ninth or tenth year in a row I’ve seen at least one
film from Spain at the festival. That country almost never disappoints, and
this year was no exception; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Living Is
Easy With Eyes Closed</i> was one of my favorites from this festival’s
offerings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I really lucked out this festival or perhaps
have developed a more discerning eye because, I ranked almost all of the films
I caught this festival with at least a “4”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t see nearly as many documentaries as I
usually do each SIFF [only two]. This doesn’t bode well for me for next year’s
Oscar Death Race™.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was also one of the first SIFFs in some
time where there were at least 5 movies that I really wanted to see, but was
unable to, due to schedule conflicts etc. I’ve been lucky in the past to catch
almost everything I wanted. I really hope I’ll get my chance in the coming
weeks/months at SIFF Cinema. (I’m looking at you – “Shake The Dust”, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Not My Type</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boyhood</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yves Saint Laurent</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Family United</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Fool A Thief</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And the last of my reviews for the year:<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/100-year-old-man"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the
Window and Disappeared</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> – Sweden<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A fantastical tale, done in what I call “Forrest Gump”
style, where the protagonist unwittingly gets involved with and/or influences
various famous events and people in history. This was a fun comedy involving a
wily centenarian who through circumstances, accidentally makes off with 50
million in drug money. A hilarious road trip movie featuring a cast of
characters like no other. I wasn’t expecting the movie to be narrated in
English, but that was a nice touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/boys"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Boys</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> – Netherlands<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a very sweet coming-of-age story about first-time
summer love. It tells the story of 15 yr old Sieger, who with his best friend
Stef is training for the National Relay Track and Field Championships. Their
coach sets up Sieger and Stef with his two other best runners, and Sieger
struggles with his feelings and emotions once he realizes that he is falling
for teammate Marc, a free-spirited outgoing teen who doesn’t hide the fact that
he has the same feelings for Sieger. It makes me smile to think that young gay
teens have movies like this available to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/final-recipe"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Final Recipe</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>– South Korea, Thailand, Singapore<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A story about a Chinese teen who hopes to save his
grandfather’s struggling restaurant in Singapore by competing on a popular
“Iron Chef-style” televised cooking competition. Starring Korean pop idol Henry
Lau in his acting debut. This movie was cheeseball corny and predictable; but
so enjoyable that you just didn’t care. I can imagine this coming to Netflix
within the next few months, and would recommend it if you want something that
cute and great for the whole family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/creep"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Creep</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> – USA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I ended this year’s festival with an unnerving but fairly
well-done film from multi-hyphenate indie darling Mark Duplass. In it he plays
a terminally ill man who puts an ad online looking for someone to film a last
testament that he wants to leave for his unborn child. Struggling videographer
Aaron answers the ad and heads to the dying man’s remote Northern California
cabin where bizarre and nasty surprises await him. Eh, I think I was too tired
to actually appreciate this movie fully. And although I did get a chance to
make eye contact and smile at Mark Duplass, who was in attendance, I did not
stick around for the Q&A afterwards because I was falling asleep and new
episodes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Orange Is The New Black</i>
were waiting for me at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-6400046398912740502014-06-06T16:46:00.001-07:002014-06-06T16:52:57.595-07:00For the Love of... Taylor Kitsch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KUbxPsCMRFY/U5JJK0042HI/AAAAAAAABFg/EoXgZdn9o0A/s1600/Savages_taylor_kitsch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KUbxPsCMRFY/U5JJK0042HI/AAAAAAAABFg/EoXgZdn9o0A/s1600/Savages_taylor_kitsch.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
In 2006 I was introduced to Taylor Kitsch and his beautiful face (and THAT BODY) on the TV show "Friday Night Lights". Tim Riggins was the best, and although he rarely cracked smiles like the one he's sporting in the photo below, Kitsch's Riggins was one of the most complex characters written for television for that time period when vacuous reality television was exploding and taking over everything in its path.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dUjqqKGb7Ns/U5JJQjXZN0I/AAAAAAAABFo/Ljqokxr-PA8/s1600/Taylor_Kitsch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dUjqqKGb7Ns/U5JJQjXZN0I/AAAAAAAABFo/Ljqokxr-PA8/s1600/Taylor_Kitsch1.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
In interviews Kitsch always comes off as sort of a doof. A Canadian muscle-bound dumdum who is very earnest and sincere but sort of an airhead. I actually think he has "Keanu Reeves disease", where his good looks and sort of stoner goof voice make him seem way dumber than he actually is. I kept waiting for him to land a film role that would show the type of depth that he was able to show on FNL. Instead his muscles and face just kept on getting him action hero roles which was fine. (As an aside - <i>John Carter</i> is totally underrated and is a great action/sci-fi movie)<br />
Well 2014 may just be Taylor's year to shine. First, we get to see his heartrendingly raw and captivating performance as Bruce Niles in HBO's <i>The Normal Heart,</i> Ryan Murphy's well done adaptation of Larry Cramer's famous play. When Kitsch as Bruce tells the story of his boyfriend Albert's horrible death...I cried buckets. Also Kitsch was really made to wear those early 80s power suits.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2MkpTXe39E/U5JQT3G6t5I/AAAAAAAABF4/hjkVYVy4DFQ/s1600/taylor-kitsch-jonathan-groff-the-normal-heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2MkpTXe39E/U5JQT3G6t5I/AAAAAAAABF4/hjkVYVy4DFQ/s1600/taylor-kitsch-jonathan-groff-the-normal-heart.jpg" height="320" width="231" /></a></div>
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Then last weekend I had the privilege to see Taylor Kitsch stretch his comedic and romantic lead wings in the great Canadian comedy <i>The Grand Seduction</i>, about the residents of a small Newfoundland fishing town who attempt to hoodwink a hot, young Toronto doctor into moving to their small harbor and setting up a clinic practice so that the town can secure the bid to have a big factory build there and bring needed jobs to their struggling community. This is another SIFF film that I think will get a wider release, or at least be available on demand or dvd soon, and I would highly recommend it. Also? It has Taylor Kitsch in it looking like this:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OAXSUaYZQk/U5JRiyohdlI/AAAAAAAABGE/vcy99_dleJo/s1600/Grand-Seduction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OAXSUaYZQk/U5JRiyohdlI/AAAAAAAABGE/vcy99_dleJo/s1600/Grand-Seduction.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-17205498923494478682014-06-06T16:12:00.000-07:002014-06-06T16:12:03.100-07:00SIFF 2014 Reflections and Reviews: Week 2 May 27th - May 31stThe middle week of SIFF is always my favorite. I usually am in my groove by this midway point; seeing about a film a day, often recognizing other festival goers/members from other screenings and striking up nice conversations and discussions regarding the films we've enjoyed (or not enjoyed) so far.<br />
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This halfway point of the festival is also typically when I find myself attending the festival movies solo. There's something about experiencing these films by myself that becomes a form of therapy. The ultimate "me" time. That's not to say that I don't also love going to SIFF with friends - I was lucky to have both experiences this year.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/starred-up">Starred Up</a> - </i>U.K.<br />
Talk about intense. This powerful and gritty drama is set in a Northern Ireland prison and pits son against father. We meet Eric Love, an angry teen prone to explosive fits of rage set off by the slightest action. He's been transferred or "starred up" to an adult prison and within the first 5 minutes of the movie he's already making shanks out of toothbrushes, expertly hiding them in light fixtures, and setting up his bottles of baby oil on a shelf for the purpose of fighting. Eric also preps for meeting his father (played by the always brilliant Ben Mendelsohn) who has been one of the kings of the prison for over a decade. Things just blow up from there. I felt like I was clutching my gut muscles the entire 100 minutes of this film. Not for folks who can't handle seeing grown men get punched within an inch of their lives, but well worth the watch.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/free-range">Free Range: Ballad on Approving of the World</a> - </i>Estonia<br />
Omigod, this fucking thing. I HATED THIS MOVIE. This goes down as the only SIFF film that I've ever walked out of; I left with about 20 min left because I couldn't stand this self-indulgent piece of crap any longer. One of the reasons I'm so angry is because I feel like I was duped by the SIFF staff programmers. Just take a look at the description:<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">This stylish Estonian joy ride follows slacker Fred, who struggles with feelings of nihilism after getting fired for writing an unfavorable review of Terrence Malick’s film </span><em style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tree of Life</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">. Finland’s official OSCAR® submission for Best Foreign Language Film.</span><br />
That sounds like it would be a pretty good movie, right? You guys, when I say that nothing happens in the first hour of this turd, except for scenes where this dumbass Fred kid just drinks with his weirdo friends and ignores his dumb girlfriend, I'm actually overstating how engaging it was. IT WAS ANNOYING. And I can't believe that Finland had the nerve to submit this for Oscar consideration. What a joke! There is not one redeemable character in this film. When I finally figured out about 90 min in that the waste-oid loser old man who literally lives in a 300 sq ft space filled entirely with books, who Fred confides in was actually his father, and not some misguided bachelor mentor guy, I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted my money and my time back.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/sam-and-amira">Sam and Amira</a> </i>- USA<br />
Thank god I was able to follow up the bad taste that the Estonian crap-fest left in my mouth with this touching and poignant love story. This film traces the relationship between Sam, an American soldier just back from two tours of duty, and Amira, a young Iraqi illegal immigrant on the brink of deportation. Set in NYC in 2008, we follow these two kindred souls find love and support in each other as their families and the city around them fight them at every turn. This was a really beautiful film. I can't believe it is director Sean Mullin's debut feature. And you guys, Martin Starr, yes THAT Martin Starr, was amazing as Sam. Both Starr and Dina Shihabi who played Amira were at the screening I attended. I got a chance to privately talk to them before the official Q&A and tell them how great I thought they both were in the film. They were both very gracious and sweet. And seemed pretty close, like maybe dating close. I hope that Starr is a big enough name that this movie will get a wide release because everyone should see it.<br />
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<br />DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-60757028260320164852014-06-01T22:32:00.000-07:002014-06-01T22:36:28.328-07:00SIFF Reflections and Reviews Week 1: May 20 - May 26I've fallen way behind in my SIFF 2014 reviews over these past couple of weeks. I've seen some amazing films and I hope they come your way in a small art-house theater or on Netflix in the near future.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/3-mile-limit">3 Mile Limit</a></i> - New Zealand<br />
A sweet film set in 1965 New Zealand that tells the true story of Radio Hauraki, the pirate radio station that was started by a handful of dedicated friends and rock-n-roll fans who fought the New Zealand government who controlled the airwaves with an iron fist at that time. I was totally unfamiliar with this story and found the film quite delightful.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/we-are-the-best">We Are The Best</a></i> - Sweden<br />
Set in 1982 Stockholm, the awesome coming-of-age story of three teenage outcast girls who form an all-girl punk band and whose friendship bonds them as family. Uplifting and exhilarating; every girl between the age of 12 and 82 should see this movie. The three young leads are amazing.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/mystery-road">Mystery Road</a></i> - Australia<br />
A dark, moody, well done murder mystery, tackling the tough subject of racial tensions in modern-day Queensland. Combining aspects of a classic Western with a police procedural, this tight thriller keeps you engaged. The first of 3 films this festival for me that featured Hugo Weaving in a major role. He's having a good SIFF. Aboriginal actor Aaron Pedersen in the lead role as Detective Jay Swan was a revelation. Where has this tall drink of water been all my life?!<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/living-is-easy-with-eyes-closed">Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed</a></i> - Spain<br />
Hands down, one of my favorite films of this year's festival. This is a heartwarming, lovely comedy set in 1966 southern Spain. It tells the story of Antonio, a high-school English teacher in Madrid who uses lyrics from Beatles' songs to teach his kids and considers himself somewhat of a super-fan. When Antonio finds out that John Lennon is filming a movie in the coastal town of Almeria, Antonio sets out in his little Fiat to meet his hero and tell him just how much his music has made an impact on his students. Along the way he picks up two different hitchhikers, a young pregnant woman, and a runaway teen boy. This is one of those films that sums up why I bother going to SIFF every year - I would never be exposed to a wonderful film like this otherwise. Fingers crossed that Netflix eventually picks it up.<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/international-male">International Male</a></i> - Various countries<br />
A collection of short films focusing on gay men, ranging in subject, content, genre, and quality. My faves were probably the US "Dragula" featuring an unrecognizable and wonderful Barry Bostwick as an aging LA drag queen, and the Iranian "Aban + Khorsid" a heartbreaking story of a gay couple killed because of their love.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/turning">The Turning</a></i> - Australia<br />
An ambitious, groundbreaking, spectacle - 18 different short stories that are woven together into this staggering piece of work. Featuring pretty much every Australian actor working in the industry today. Hugo Weaving (drink!), Cate Blanchett, Naomi Watts...a million others. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed it. This will definitely be coming to your local art-house theater this summer.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/amazing-catfish">The Amazing Catfish</a></i> - Mexico<br />
A touching family drama introducing us to Claudia a lonely young woman without any family who is hospitalized for appendicitis and there meets Martha, a single mother of 4 in her mid-forties who is dying of AIDS. A fast friendship and a close maternal bond forms between Martha and Claudia, with Martha recognizing that Claudia needs her family, and that Claudia may be the solution that they need to go on making it as a family after Martha dies. I had a hard time connecting emotionally to this film, although it had all of the ingredients to hook me, it just never did. I'd still recommend it though.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/remote-control">Remote Control</a></i> - Mongolia<br />
Every year, I try to see at least one SIFF film from a country that I've never seen a film from. This year, one of these entries was this drama about a young man who runs away from his rural village and attempts to eek out an existence in the big city. The description in the SIFF catalog did not at all accurately describe this movie's story. I'm still on the fence about it. My friend Ross really liked it; and we managed to discuss it for like 40 minutes afterwards in a coffee shop, so maybe that's what good film is all about.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/i-am-big-bird">I Am Big Bird: The Carrol Spivey Story</a> - </i>USA<br />
Unlike previous years, this SIFF I've only seen 2 documentaries. This one about the puppeteer for Oscar the Grouch and the man who has worn the Big Bird framed costume for almost 5 decades was a real gem. Carroll Spivey attended the screening with his lovely wife and was so entertaining. AND he brought Oscar!! It was so great to see my favorite "Sesame Street" character up close. Yes, of course Oscar the Grouch is my favorite. Have you met me?<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/healing">The Healing</a></i> - Australia<br />
Completing my Hugo Weaving SIFF trifecta was this moody little movie about a prisoner who learns about redemption and rehabilitation from taking care of birds at a minimum security prison in Melbourne. Everyone in my audience seemed to enjoy this film more than I did. It wasn't terrible; it was just "fine".<br />
<br />
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<br />DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-35165835502821010412014-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:002014-05-20T08:00:11.140-07:00SIFF 2014 - SIFF musings: Opening weekend<b>SIFF 2014 Musings and Reviews –</b><br />
<br />
May 16, 2014 was the start to this year’s Seattle International Film Festival. As usual I forwent the<br />
<br />
Opening Night Gala and began my festival on the first Friday by seeing two films. I only made it to one<br />
<br />
documentary on Saturday (I do have a life beyond SIFF!), and rounded out my weekend with two very<br />
<br />
different comic dramas on Sunday.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/everything-we-loved">Everything We Loved</a></b> – New Zealand<br />
<br />
Proof that sometimes a trailer and a description of a film can be VERY misleading. This was one moody<br />
<br />
little nub of a movie. I was not engaged with any of the characters at all. I just waited for the two leads<br />
<br />
to get caught for their crime for the entire 100 minutes, and even when that happened, it wasn’t a<br />
<br />
satisfying feeling. Wasted potential here.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/attila-marcel">Attila Marcel</a></b> – France<br />
<br />
The first live-action film from director Sylvain Chomet who has thrilled us previously with animated<br />
<br />
gems, The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist. This movie was a visually stunning, quirky, whimsical<br />
<br />
musical treat! Like a darker, slightly edgier “Amelie”. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/alive-inside">Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory</a></b> – USA<br />
<br />
My first documentary of the festival was this enjoyable look at how music can be used as a treatment<br />
<br />
for the care of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Really remarkably touching.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/in-order-of-disappearance">In Order of Disappearance</a></b> – Norway<br />
<br />
Norwegian “Fargo” y’all! A dark comic thriller that was so damn enjoyable, it may end up being my<br />
<br />
favorite film of the festival and it’s only opening weekend! Starring the always great, Stellan Skarsgard<br />
<br />
as a Swedish émigré snow-plow driver living in a small northern Norwegian town. His quaint, idyllic life<br />
<br />
is turned upside down when his son his murdered and he sets out to avenge his son’s death. Please look<br />
<br />
for this film at your local arthouse theaters – it is a gem!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/double">The Double</a></b> – U.K.<br />
<br />
Do you like the movie <i>Brazil,</i> but wish it were more boring and starred Jesse Eisenberg instead of<br />
Jonathan Pryce? Then “The Double” is for you. Adapted from a Dostoyevsky novella by actor-turned-<br />
director Richard Ayoade. I really liked Ayoade’s first film “Submarine” from 2010. I wish this one had<br />
been better.DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-45517417802878693092014-04-03T17:25:00.000-07:002014-04-04T04:15:52.574-07:00Presented without comment...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A-Uu39PxFz8/Uz6UVcd0Z8I/AAAAAAAABFI/1IlUgBJcv1w/s1600/BkVbF9fIYAAzfab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A-Uu39PxFz8/Uz6UVcd0Z8I/AAAAAAAABFI/1IlUgBJcv1w/s1600/BkVbF9fIYAAzfab.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-12341357630609513032014-03-31T10:26:00.000-07:002014-03-31T10:26:04.744-07:00Today's Mood...<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Oh32sNEvFg/UzmjyvJVMaI/AAAAAAAABE4/OhZzYXOJaM0/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_349202="null" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Oh32sNEvFg/UzmjyvJVMaI/AAAAAAAABE4/OhZzYXOJaM0/s1600/005.JPG" height="382" uta="true" width="400" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/CXkoNN0YzOo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<br />
<br />
Will you look at Nick Rhodes' AMAZING black ruffled, puffy shirt. He was my first crush that made me feel all weird inside because his sexuality was so ambiguous.<br />
BTdubs - Rhodes still looks amazing today in his 50s!DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-746390547798929536.post-50488165698256209702014-03-28T02:36:00.000-07:002014-03-28T02:36:07.386-07:00Today's soundtrack...The Bee Gees -<br />
Album: "Main Course"<br />
Song: "Nights on Broadway"<br />
Video: From an episode of "The Midnight Special" featuring a COKED OUT Natalie Cole<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/F2SDf42guB4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />DuchessKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03165736218977580258noreply@blogger.com0