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General comments/observation on flix or TV trends
Happy New Year! What's your last viewing of 2019 + first watch of 2020?
On January 1, 2020 By ruthIn Random Thoughts14 Comments
Happy first day of 2020… and the beginning of a new decade!
Did you go to a NYE party or watch the ball drop on TV? If you did neither, well, high five… I actually didn't bother to do the countdown as I was in the middle of watching of a movie I've been wanting to see in a while. As a member of OAFFC (Online Association of Female Film Critics), I had the privilege of receiving screeners. It's perfect timing that Bong Joon Ho's PARASITE arrived in the mail just days before!
Glad I got to see what many critics have called one of the best films of the year. PARASITE won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the first Korean film to win such a prestigious award. I haven't had the chance to review it yet, but it's one of the most indelible and suspenseful films I've seen in a long time and would definitely land in my Top 10 list 0f 2019!
After that my hubby and I actually couldn't sleep right away, so we ended up watching one episode of The Man in the High Castle. We actually skipped season 2 as we finished season 1 a few years ago. Somehow we lost interest and got interested again after talking to a friend of mine Becky K. who absolutely LOVES the series (and its leading man Rufus Sewell). So we watched the season 2 recap and immediately jumped to season 3 and 4.
As of the time of this writing, we only have three more episodes left in season 4, its final season, and it's truly been one of the best series we've seen this past decade. I think we'll finish the series tonight, then off to see The Mandalorian with our 2-weeks Disney+ Free Trial.
We're not sure yet what feature film we'd watch to kick start 2020. Most likely it'll be a Netflix & Chill weekend and we still haven't seen The King and that silly Michael Bay flick 6 Underground. As for a rewatch, well, Inception hits Netflix today… can you believe it was released 10 years ago?
What about you? What's the last thing you watched in 2019? And what are you planning to see to kick off the new year?
Musings on ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD & Tarantino's treatments of women + minorities
On July 30, 2019 July 31, 2019 By ruthIn Random Thoughts26 Comments
It's nearly a week ago that I saw the movie, and though there are parts that I did enjoy, there are more scenes that did not sit well with me. In fact, I didn't even feel like writing about the movie, but posted my friend Ted's review on it this weekend. The movie has received a high praise since its premiered in Cannes, which reportedly received a standing ovation, but the one bit I remembered most about its Cannes' premiere was how Quentin Tarantino snapped at a reporter during the film's press junket. NY Times' reporter Farah Nayeri, asked Tarantino about Margot Robbie's lack of dialogue in the film in which she played Sharon Tate. QT's terse response was "I reject your hypothesis," which in and of itself shows the kind of arrogance that he only plays by his own rules and doesn't care how others perceive his movies.
After days ruminating on Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, I feel compelled to write about my reaction on the movie. So this post isn't so much a film criticism per se, so if you haven't seen it and don't want to be spoiled, don't read any further. Consider yourself warned.
Now, after seeing the movie, I totally understood where Nayeri was coming from. Given that the movie's plot (if you can even call it that) is practically a build-up to her and her friends' gruesome murders by members of Charles Manson's cult, Tate herself didn't really have much to do here. Most of the 161-minute running time is spent on luxuriating on the two white male leads… they're talking to each other, in a group, even talking to themselves, while we merely see Tate but rarely hear what she has to say. The writer of this Jezebel article says it best, "The audience learns about as much about Tate from these male characters as we do from Tate herself." whether it's via a male friend (secret admirer?) or via a narrator who suddenly shows up midway through explaining exactly what is happening on screen [shrug]. Thankfully, Robbie still manages to turn in a memorable performance as Tate, but her character (and the Manson family) are nothing more than a macguffin.
I suppose when you've got two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, in one movie, you better make the most of it. Well, QT sure did, perhaps over-indulgently so. DiCaprio's Rick Dalton is a faded TV star navigating the changing landscape of Hollywood, while Pitt's Cliff Booth is his loyal stunt double/lackey who's 'more than a brother, and a little less than a wife.'
Let's start with Pitt's character, which has more problematic scenes than DiCaprio's, though both are basically antiheroes. There are countless scenes of Cliff driving recklessly through the Hollywood hills, up and down the LA streets day and night (apparently there's no traffic in 1969??), but the scenes play up like a retro music video as they don't seem to serve any purpose. Cliff is portrayed as a dashing, cool guy, apparently way too cool to go to jail for murder. QT's flashback-within-a-flashback scene shows Cliff holding a harpoon gun pointing at his wife who was berating him. We never see him actually firing the gun, but to me, the scene is more than a mere suggestion that he did kill her, and somehow he got away with it. The fact that Kurt Russell's stunt coordinator character Randy and his wife Janet (Zoë Bell) are reluctant about hiring him speak volumes about Cliff's reputation. Beneath the nice guy persona there's something really dark lurking beneath. But yet QT seemingly puts the blame on the woman. The boat scene is made to look as if Cliff's wife is an annoying, nagging wife and therefore she's 'asking for it' and we're supposed to be okay with a man getting rid of his wife because of that, in a violent manner no less.
Another scene that didn't sit well with me is the Bruce Lee scene. Lee is played brilliantly by Mike Moh, and initially I was excited about the scene featuring the legendary martial artist who's also a Hollywood icon. But here his depiction made me cringe. As I was watching it, I wondered how his family would've thought of the scene of him being insulted AND beaten by Pitt's character, and sure enough I saw this article came through today from The Wrap. Lee's daughter Sharon Lee was quoted as saying, "It was really uncomfortable to sit in the theater and listen to people laugh at my father," The article mentioned her saying that '…her father was often challenged, and tried to avoid fights' which is NOT how he was depicted in the film, which was all puffery and arrogance. Lee was the only prominent non-white character in the film, yet he only serves to make the white guy appear even more heroic and invincible. Even if Lee was reported as a braggart in the media, there are SO many different sides of him that are positive and admirable. Another quote from Sharon Lee in the article states that "…as an Asian-American in 1960s Hollywood, he had to work much harder to succeed than Booth and Rick Dalton, the fictional, white protagonists of the film." As if that wasn't disturbing enough, as I did more reading on Sharon Tate, I found several articles about how Roman Polanski once thought Bruce Lee was the perpetrator of Sharon Tate and her friends' murders, oh my!
Speaking of Polanski, lest we forget that Tarantino once defended him for having sex with a minor in an interview with Howard Stern (an excerpt is available here) to which QT has apologized for. After reading that, I was even more disturbed by the scene between Pitt and Margaret Qualley's Pussycat, who's 31 years his junior in real life, where she propositioned Cliff oral sex while he's driving. Qualley's presence here seems to represent the gullible, morally-loose hippies and just like Tate (and also Dakota Fanning as another Manson family member), she's also hyper-sexualized, the quintessential male gaze. But yet again, Pitt's Cliff is seen as a chivalrous hero who refuses this pretty young thing's offer, hence his heroic status.
This happens to be Tarantino's first film without Harvey Weinstein's involvement (all his previous films were produced by Weinstein). He admitted to NY Times back in 2017 that "I knew enough to do more than I did," about Weinstein's sexual misconducts. This fact warrants a mention here given the topic is about his treatment of women. In a similar way, Rick is largely tolerant of his friend/confidant Cliff's dark, violent past, as many in the biz have been with Weinstein until the allegations finally came to light.
Cliff's 'heroism' culminates in the brutal finale where I had to avert my eyes several times. Just like Inglourious Basterds where we see Hitler being riddled with bullets, we've come to expect revisionist history once again in QT's latest, that is in regards to the Manson murders. The gruesome crime on Cielo Drive has been reimagined to happen at Rick Dalton's house, where the young members of Manson's cult encountered Cliff who's high on acid-dipped cigarette [just what the heck is that exactly?]. The whole scene is extremely violent… I opened my eyes right at the time Cliff threw a can of dog food that smashed a girl's face. The camera lingers on her bloody, smashed-up face and it just kept getting more and more vicious.
As if the gratuitous violence weren't enough, they're played for laughs. It seems that in QT's mind, if he deemed that the people on the receiving end 'deserve it,' we can laugh at their misery and even revel in it. People in the theater were laughing when Leo's Dalton grabs a flamethrower, apparently a prop from one of his movies, and burns one of the Manson girls to a crisp in his own pool. You couldn't help but giggle at the utter preposterousness of what unfolds before you, but I also couldn't help but shudder at the gratuitous violence. Yes, the Manson cult members are criminals and should be punished for their crime, but they aren't in the same vein as someone like Hitler. In many ways, these young hippies were also victims, of Charles Manson's deceptions and of the era itself. Perhaps QT thinks he's doing Sharon Tate's legacy a favor by 'saving her' in his reimagined Hollywood, but yet she barely even has any involvement in her own story. This is ultimately Rick's story, even more so than Cliff 's even though Leo and Brad have a pretty equal screen time. When the violent commotion came to an end, Tate's never even seen again, we only heard her through the intercom inviting her neighbor Rick for drinks as he chats with her friend Jay Sebring (Emile Hirsch). So her only purpose seems only to fulfill the protagonist's dream that he revealed early in the movie (that one day he'd be cast in a Roman Polanski movie).
I wouldn't call myself a Tarantino fan, given I've only seen a handful of his films–Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Inglourious Basterds–the last one being my favorite of his. But from reading about his work lately, there seems to be a disturbing pattern that is often seen in his film. In this THR's article, writer Joelle Monique said 'Even more distressing is the fact that violence against women is generally played for laughs in a Tarantino picture' and she listed several movies where brutality against women are done so overtly. There is always a danger that brutal scenes in movies would normalize real life violence. It's all the more disturbing when it comes to violence against women considering the statistics of how many goes unreported. So I simply cannot ignore, or worse, enjoy films where women are depicted as if they somehow 'earned' the violence done to them.
It's been reported that Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood, QT's ninth movie, is his most personal. It's apparent that the movie is full of tributes to everything QT hold dear, the spaghetti Westerns, the foot fetish, and a plethora of other classic Hollywood obsessions that his fans would no doubt notice with glee. The painstaking detail to production design is no doubt astounding, transforming LA into what it would've looked like in the 60s. What is definitely apparent to me, who might not be too astute in pointing out the 'easter eggs' in QT's movies, is how nostalgic he is to the bygone era. As the New Yorker article points out, 'Tarantino's love letter to a lost cinematic age is one that, seemingly without awareness, celebrates white-male stardom (and behind-the-scenes command) at the expense of everyone else.'
QT compared Leo and Brad as the dynamic duo since Robert Redford and Paul Newman. But in an era where the #MeToo and #DiversityMatters movements are gaining more and more momentum, this indulgent, nostalgic movie about the Hollywood's Golden Age in the 60s seems, well, old fashioned. Now, I'm not saying that filmmakers can't pay homage to a certain era, but it does bear the risk of going 'backward' if it isn't done with care. It seems to be the case here with the protagonist's constant gripe that the 'good ol' days' are behind him and his reluctance to change. Perhaps it's QT's way of lamenting that 'times are changing' (with new, diverse filmmakers offering new voices and storytelling) and his fear of being viewed as a 'has been.'
Lastly, putting all of the women/minorities discussion aside, is Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood a good movie? Visually speaking, it's a gorgeous film shot by DP Robert Richardson. I've mentioned the amazing production design by Barbara Ling and I'll say it again, it was astounding. But overall, this movie is way too long at 2 hours 40 minutes. It doesn't help that the pacing is pretty sluggish, meandering and even disjointed at times. The 'six months later' jump when Cliff and Rick were in Italy seems pointless, just like many elongated scenes in this movie that go nowhere. Most of the movie's running time is spent lingering on the outer beauty of the leads, but there's not much depth beneath.
The one scene I did enjoy was the scene between Leo's Rick and his 8-year-old co-star Trudi (scene stealer Julia Butters) on the set of the TV show Lancer. The young girl is the 'mature' one of the two and in the end, she ends up being a huge boost of encouragement the disillusioned Rick desperately needs. That's perhaps the only meaningful male/female scene where the woman isn't sexualized, mocked or brutalized. Acting wise, I think both Leo and Brad did an excellent job in their roles. I especially enjoyed Leo's performance here, who's charming and often hilarious while wallowing in self pity. I think the scene of Rick going berserk in his trailer would likely nab Leo another Oscar nomination.
In the end, it's a stunning production to be sure, full of clever lines, gorgeous visuals and terrific performances. But it's a soulless movie… I couldn't really relate to the main characters and there's barely any moment that truly moved me. Yes the film ends in a fantastical 'happy ending,' but it's tough to feel joyful after such a barbaric gore-fest. Neither Cliff nor Rick were remotely changed by such a traumatizing incident, both of them pretty much stay the same from beginning to end. It's as if it's a commentary on QT himself. At 56, it seems he hasn't evolved much as a filmmaker. I think the title 'once upon a time' is fitting here for a filmmaker who revels in the past. Reportedly QT is retiring soon? I doubt it, but I certainly don't mind if he did.
So what are your thoughts on Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood? Let's hear it!
Musings on Robert Pattinson casting + Matt Reeves' noir vision for The Batman
On May 20, 2019 May 20, 2019 By ruthIn Film/TV Casting, Flix News, Random Thoughts11 Comments
It seems it hasn't been that long ago that I was blogging about casting for a Batman movie when Ben Affleck was cast. If some of you read it, I was actually lamenting about Affleck's casting then, but later on I came around and actually enjoyed his performance. Now, Christian Bale remains my favorite Batman – not only was he excellent as both Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader, his Dark Knight trilogy by Christopher Nolan is by far the best version.
In any case, just two years after Affleck donned the cape in Justice League, and months after news about him stepping down as actor/director, looks like director Matt Reeves has found the new Batman, and it's another Brit: Robert Pattinson. Boy, surely Twilight fans, specifically Team Edward, rejoice with delight. Honestly I was quite taken aback by it at first… I'd never think of him as the Dark Knight, and the first thing that came to mind was an image of him as the sparkly vapid vampire in Twilight which is enough to make me shudder. But the more I think about it, I'm more open minded about his casting… and after reading more about Matt Reeves' vision for The Batman (more on that in a bit). Of course, it didn't take long for social media to erupt with reactions for the news. Some of the more optimistic fans have come up with some ingenious Photoshop work imagining what Pattinson could look like in the role, here are some of my faves…
It's official: Robert Pattinson is our #Batman. And here… We… Go! pic.twitter.com/WZF0gxAJMa
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) May 17, 2019
If reports are true, #BrummieBat approves! And the new… #Batman is Robert Pattinson! pic.twitter.com/jJaF8uQqYW
— The Brummie Bat (@TheBrummieBat) May 17, 2019
Oh my god this is great. #TheBatman pic.twitter.com/nKUylaBjfn
— Ryan_Platts (@RyanPlatts) May 17, 2019
robert pattinson as batman? i think you guys are onto something.. pic.twitter.com/AVUYrmLiV7
— H. (@K49HAS) May 17, 2019
I remember seeing this still image from David Cronenberg's COSMOPOLIS where Pattinson played an eccentric young billionaire. Hmmm, perhaps their casting manager (or his agent) has some kind of magic 8-ball? In a similar way like Christian Bale, Pattinson looks much better when he does NOT smile or show his teeth, but his brooding makes me think he'd make an intriguing Bruce Wayne. Pattinson is 13 years younger than Affleck at 33 (making him the youngest actor ever to play Batman), but I think Bale in Batman Begins looked about similar in age and his character was just coming into his own as opposed to a more jaded/grizzled version of Affleck's.
Apparently two other Brits were in the running for the role, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Nicholas Hoult. I actually like both actors, but I think both are way too pretty as Batman. Hoult especially is just so sweet looking and can't imagine him being at all menacing. I actually tried to watch his film EQUALS with coincidentally, Pattinson's ex, Kristen Stewart, and was bored to tears I couldn't finish watching.
In any case, I think Pattinson has a dose of madness the role requires and he's played quite a share of those. I saw a few of his work post-Twilight, though not extensively. I liked him in Remember Me and The Lost City of Z where he's barely recognizable (see inset pic), and even his small role in Queen Of the Desert as T.E. Lawrence. Not a fan of his work in Bel Ami (he's woefully miscast) and Water For Elephants was meh. I appreciate that he's been doing a ton of independent films and seeking interesting roles that don't necessarily capitalize on his looks or fame. In a way it's similar to how Leonardo DiCaprio was post Titanic mania where he tried to shed his heartthrob image.
Of course with a casting for such a popular superhero, there'll be naysayers. Some have even started petitions to remove him from the role, ahah. I think people who've only seen his work in the YA vampire saga should give him a chance, plus that was nearly a decade ago and he's certainly grown as a performer. I was browsing some Cannes reviews and saw many critics praising his performance in The Lighthouse. This one from The Wrap in particular intrigues me as it alludes to the Batman casting:
…Pattinson anchors things with a sturdy physical performance that will no doubt calm those concerned about a certain reported upcoming role.
Casting aside, what I am really curious about is what kind of Batman film are we going to get? I have been so disappointed by DC's renditions of other superheroes of late (I haven't even mustered enough interest to see Aquaman). But I was really impressed by Matt Reeves' Apes trilogy, especially the final one War of the Planet of the Apes, that I was excited that he's given the reign to reboot the Batman movies.
Here's what he told THR on his take on The Batman:
It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I'd love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it's going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.
There's also news circulating that this version will feature a rogues gallery of villains (per THR). Apparently so far they're working on casting Catwoman, The Penguin and Riddler, boy how cool would that be doing casting for THIS project! I much prefer Nolan's grounded version of Batman than Tim Burton's, but it remains to be seen what kind of style Reeves would do here. I am intrigued by his vision however, and I trust he's the right man for the job. Warner Bros has at least given fans, well me for one, some hope to be more than cautiously optimistic.
So what do YOU think of Robert Pattinson's casting? If you're not keen on him, who would you like to be cast as The Batman?
Musings on the Spielberg VS Netflix Debate
On March 5, 2019 By ruthIn Awards Chatter, Random Thoughts17 Comments
Hello readers! Today is the fifth and up until a couple of years ago, it's customary that I post five random movie news/tidbits/query under the Five for the Fifth series. Well, this topic would certainly be part of that series today!
I had thought about this quite a bit since I heard about Steven Spielberg's plan to push for the Academy to ban Netflix from Oscars at its annual post-Oscars meeting. Spielberg is the Academy Governor of the directors branch and this is what his company Amblin spokesperson is quoted as saying:
"Steven feels strongly about the difference between the streaming and theatrical situation… He'll be happy if the others will join [his campaign] when that comes up [at the Academy Board of Governors meeting]. He will see what happens." (per Variety)
I didn't know this but apparently Spielberg has said in the past that Netflix films should only be eligible for Emmys rather than Oscars. Again per Variety, this is what he said back in 2018: "You certainly, if it's a good show, deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar. I don't believe films that are just given token qualifications in a couple of theaters for less than a week should qualify for the Academy Award nomination."
This news was first reported by Indiewire, and it lists some of the complaints from Hollywood studios against the streaming service. Among others, the fact that Netflix doesn't report box office and that it doesn't respect the 90-day theatrical window. ROMA only spent spent 3 weeks in the theatre before it's shown on Netflix.
Now, this is what Netflix responded with on Twitter a couple of days later, without mentioning Spielberg by name…
We love cinema. Here are some things we also love:
-Access for people who can't always afford, or live in towns without, theaters
-Letting everyone, everywhere enjoy releases at the same time
-Giving filmmakers more ways to share art
These things are not mutually exclusive.
— Netflix Film (@NetflixFilm) March 4, 2019
Now, when I first read Spielberg's comment, I was already unnerved by it. My initial reaction is that he's just a big Hollywood elite who does not like change, especially one that threatens his own status and tradition he holds dear. No doubt that 'threat' got bigger when Netflix's ROMA got no less than 10 nominations at the Oscars this year AND won three, including Best Foreign Language film.
Now, I don't have to be a filmmaker to realize how tough it is not only to get a film made, but to get it distributed. An indie filmmaker would be lucky to get even a limited theatrical release, and few could expect to get a wide release the way a standard legacy (studio) system would. The title of the IndieWire article alone says it all about what this 'battle' means for the underdogs, aka indie filmmakers…
The Spielberg vs. Netflix Battle Could Mean Collateral Damage for Indies at the Oscars
I recognize that many of the films Netflix campaign aggressively for Oscars were about people of color AND were made by people of color who are still very much a minority under the Hollywood legacy system… Beasts of No Nation (Cary Joji Fukunaga), 13th (Ava Duvernay), Mudbound (Dee Rees), and Roma (Alfonso Cuarón).
So naturally, as a filmmaker of color myself who's trying to get a feature made, I experience it firsthand how arduous it is to get the chance to make a film. Indie filmmakers don't get the privilege to expect ANY theatrical release, and many consider getting even a streaming release as a huge accomplishment. Thus I see Netflix as an ally to independent filmmakers, and also filmmakers of color. Based on the films they've made/distributed, they seem committed to inclusive storytelling which can only be a good thing for film fans everywhere. But of course that's still somehow seen as a challenge to the 'status quo' who only says they support 'diversity' if it aligns with their own success and pocketbooks.
As a film fan, I have increasingly choose to see films on my TV rather than going to the theater. Yes, as a press member I do get invited to advanced screenings, but if I miss some of those films, I often choose to wait until it's available on VOD. Now, when I know it's a Netflix film or an Amazon Studio film, I'm glad to know that I can see it sooner and without paying extra because I already have subscriptions to both streaming services. So to me, the quality of a film and its legitimacy to be regarded as a motion picture (read: its Oscars-eligibility) has no bearing on where it's presented. Spielberg seems to say that there is one way to see a movie and that is on the big screen. I think that communal way of film viewing will never go away, and I still do enjoy seeing some films on the big screen (even in IMAX if it's made specifically for that giant screen), but there is really no wrong way to see a movie.
Many Hollywood studios don't like the fact that Netflix doesn't report theatrical grosses. They are starting to share some metrics of audience viewerships (per BGR.com) so perhaps they'd do the same with theatrical release numbers in the future? Not that it matters to me, the audience member, nor should it have any bearing in the quality of a film.
Even before the Spielberg news came out, Alfonso Cuarón already weighed in on this subject to Variety:
There needs to be greater diversity in how we release our films. Distribution models need to be more flexible, depending on the film. You cannot impose the release strategy of a tentpole film on a smaller film. You may need fewer theaters and longer runs or models in which the so-called window is shorter. We're thinking in one single paradigm. It's a moment to start opening up paradigms. Right now it's a confrontation between economic models. It's not like one model benefits cinema, and the other does not.
Now, I'm NOT writing this because I'm on the side of a multi-billion dollar streaming company. In fact, I've been a longtime fan of Spielberg, but his comments shows him as being out of touch and elitist who wants to maintain his status quo. He's a product of the studio system where minorities (women, people of color, disabled, etc) struggle to get in and tell their story.
I came across this thread from Franklin Leonard, the founder of The Black List (an annual survey of Hollywood's executives' favorite unproduced screenplays), and it's hard to argue with his points…
It's possible that Steven Spielberg doesn't know how difficult it is to get movies made in the legacy system as a woman or a person of color.
In his extraordinary career, he hasn't exactly produced or executive produced many films directed by them. https://t.co/i88BrApzR8
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) March 2, 2019
It isn't even about Netflix, though they're the most visible and least sympathetic target. It's about every other film and filmmaker who will struggle to get access to the resources necessary to make a film but not get those allowing for a four week exclusive theatrical release. https://t.co/qW4uwbaQ2j
When you're accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression. (It's not.)
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) October 10, 2015
Here's what I think I think:
The decision to release a film with a four week exclusive theatrical run is, in 2019, a financial one, determined by many things, among them biases about what has financial value and what doesn't.
Eligibility for Academy Awards shouldn't be.
Yes I realize some of you might argue that Netflix is not an 'underdog' company that deserves our sympathy. After all it spent about $50 million for Roma's Oscar campaign alone. So perhaps the argument should be about limiting spending on Oscar campaigns? I personally can't stand studio's award campaign, that's one of the worst things about award season for me. But if the film Netflix or other streaming service is promoting is a worthy one, who's to say it's not eligible to be included in the Oscar race??
As I have just seen a Netflix Original Film last night, TRIPLE FRONTIER. It's the first time I saw a Netflix film on the big screen, surely the first of many. At the film premiere, no doubt this topic was all the buzz. One of the film's star who's also a filmmaker, Ben Affleck, is naturally supportive of Netflix, saying that "they're helping define the future of cinema and distribution" (per Deadline).
Per Cinema Blend, Affleck spoke of his rationale why he wouldn't be in Spielberg's camp in trying to disqualify streaming films (even those that has limited theatrical release) from competing at Oscars…
We certainly approached [Triple Frontier] as any other movie. There's no difference when you're making it between what the platform is that it's going to be seen on. I do think Netflix is doing more interesting stuff in creating a more cinematic experience for the home. More people, more viewers, bigger TVs, bigger sound. They're doing Dolby Cinema color correction, they do Dolby Atmos sound mixes. So they're sort of synthesizing the theatrical with the home viewing experience in a kind of interesting way. It's all changing very fast.
Netflix continues to work with big names in filmmaking, (One of Triple Frontier's executive producers is Kathryn Bigelow) and they've got Martin Scorsese's The Irishman with its all-star cast (DeNiro, Pacino, Harvey Keitel) which will likely get an even wider release than ROMA. I personally think it's an exciting time as a film fan as we have more options for content and how we want to see them.
So in conclusion, I'm glad there are streaming services like Netflix exists. I'm lucky that I live in a city where there are plenty of cinemas. But even so, there are always smaller films that I want to see that don't get shown or they're shown only in 1-2 theaters in Minneapolis for 2 weeks tops. I'd imagine people in rural or remote areas don't even get that same privilege, but it'd be easier for them to subscribe to streaming services like Netflix.
In the end, I believe in options… I like to be able to see movies wherever and whenever I want. In the ideal world, the theatrical and streaming model should co-exist. Just because something has been done one way for so long doesn't mean it has to be the ONLY way.
So what do you think of this Spielberg VS Netflix debate? Let's hear it!
Musings on my childhood favorite – Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989)
On March 2, 2019 March 2, 2019 By ruthIn Flix Reviews, Random Thoughts6 Comments
Happy weekend!! Hope you're all doing well. It's I've been quite preoccupied with a bunch of stuff this week I barely have time to write anything for the blog.
But hey, I finally did get approved by Rotten Tomatoes! Yes I know I know, I could've done that years ago but I guess I just never took the time, but hey, better late than never. To clarify, this blog FlixChatter is NOT a Tomatometer-approved site, but I, Ruth Maramis, am an RT approved critic 🍅So check out some of reviews I've submitted, A Star Is Born, Alita: Battle Angel, Cold War, etc. Oh and my first ROTTEN review: A Christmas Prince, ha!
Now, about the main topic at hand…
I actually pre-ordered the Anniversary Edition blu-ray in early February, and finally picked it up a day after it's official release on Feb 26.
The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney Princess movies. When it was first released in 1989, I was in my early teen. If I were to rank my fave Disney princesses, I'd say Ariel would be in my top three (along with Sleeping Beauty's Aurora and Beauty & The Beast's Belle).
It's been decades since I saw the movie in its entirety, and to see it in its gloriously stunning, sharp HD is such a treat! The story features a precocious, fanciful teenage mermaid who dreams of being part of the human world. I can see how this resonated with me as an Indonesian teen growing up in Jakarta, as I too was dreaming of moving away from home and going to the 'land of dreams' that is America! Now that I've been living in the US for over 20 years, more than I lived in my homeland, I can still identify with Ariel.
We can all identify with kids rebelling against strict parental rules that forbids them from doing what they want. When her dad, King Triton, finds out her vast collection of human memorabilia… and worse, that his favorite daughter has fallen in love with a human, he destroyed her room (a sacred place for any teenager!). A perfect moment for the evil sea witch Ursula to snatch her into her trap. The 'poor unfortunate souls' are all of us who've succumbed to temptation throughout our lives, some of which comes with dire consequences.
Now, the part about her giving up everything she is, even her own identity, for a guy she doesn't even know… well, that's where the Disney princesses narrative has become oh-so-passé, even long before the #MeToo era. Basically Ariel made a deal with the devil, trading in her voice, identity and more for a pair of feet in order to get her man. That's why I got such a kick out of Ralph Breaks The Internet's hilarious-but-accurate commentary on Disney princesses!
Perhaps if you compare to Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, The Little Mermaid is just slightly more 'progressive' in that we get to see the prince–AND princess–actually get to know each other (albeit sans dialog as she's been rendered mute). I suppose three days is better in getting to know someone than three hours (or even less in the case of Snow White!). I also think Eric is perhaps the hunkiest of the Disney princes, voiced with masculine vigor by Christopher Daniel Barnes.
This movie also boasts a memorable and rather fun villain in Ursula (voiced perfectly by Pat Carroll). I was a bit scared of her initially, ok maybe scared is a strong word, her dark underworld and witchery is rather eerie and unsettling. But watching it now, I'm hugely amused by her sassy attitude and her gravely voice. Her voluptuous octopus lower body and bold red lips and stylized white hair is like a blend between Cruella de Vil and Devil Wears Prada's Miranda Priestly.
Apparently Disney originally wanted to tell the original Hans Christian Andersen tale that's got a much darker ending. But I doubt that would sit well with kids, though the altruistic nature of the protagonist in the book would appeal more to adults. In this version, the obvious problematic issue with Ariel is that despite all the privileges she has (and there are many), she can never be truly happy unless she gives up her identity and becomes another being entirely. I guess with Disney movies, one must not overthink it which would lessen the enjoyment.
I wasn't one of those girls who'd collect every Disney memorabilia I could get my hands on, but I remember buying a Sebastian stuffed toy and kept it for a long time! Seeing this decades later, I still adore Sebastian the Crab who's got the arduous task of being Ariel chaperon. He's still one of my all time favorite Disney characters, and for a diminutive crustacean, Sebastian's actually got a pretty strong character arc. I LOVE the way he's drawn… the way his jaw drops whenever Ariel did something unthinkable, how his legs quiver when he's confronted by King Triton… he's SO much more than a comic relief, and thanks to Samuel E. Wright, he's certainly one of the best-voiced character in the vast Disney universe!
Speaking of voices, Broadway star Jodi Benson's voice as Ariel is absolutely perfect. As I'm watching the behind the scene feature, Alan Menken & the Leading Ladies, it's amazing how Benson still sounds exactly like Ariel 30 years later! I suppose most of the leading ladies featured there still sound like their characters, but Benson seems to have the right personality as well.
Surely the music is often the highlights of the Disney Princess movies, thanks to the genius of Alan Menken and his lyricist partner, the late Howard Ashman. I usually love the ballads that the princesses' sing, but in The Little Mermaid, the highlight has got to be Under the Sea!
No wonder the movie won two Oscars for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. The movie is a rare double nominee in the music category as the whimsical song Kiss the Girl was also nominated!
Per IMDb Trivia, this was 'the last Disney animated feature to use hand-painted cels and analog camera and film work. 1,000 different colors were used on 1,100 backgrounds. Over one million drawings were done in total.' That's truly astounding and it looks absolutely breathtaking. I LOVE the underwater world of the kingdom of Atlantica, I'd say it's way more beautiful to look at than the recent underwater universe of Aquaman.
I have just started watching the Bonus Features, and the one I enjoyed the most is the Art of Live Action Reference where models would act out the characters in order to help the artists draw them better. It's amazing how much the two actors who play Ariel and Eric resemble their animated characters! They also get to improvise the mannerism that we get to see in the final movie.
I love just how expressive Ariel is, her wide-eyed wonder and long, flowing red mane is iconic. Animation effects have come a looong way since then, but I think The Little Mermaid still holds up pretty well. Naturally Disney has done a great job remastering their old classics to ensure the colors look vibrant and the details are sharp, but overall the animation style itself is still a marvel to look at.
So yeah, I still very much enjoy The Little Mermaid, despite some of its narrative problems I mentioned above. It's certainly a gorgeous movie and rewatching it was a pretty satisfying walk down memory lane.
Have you seen The Little Mermaid or seen it recently? What did YOU think?
Musings on 2019 Oscars nominations
On January 22, 2019 January 24, 2019 By ruthIn Awards Chatter, Random Thoughts16 Comments
Well it's one of those mornings that cinephiles always wait for year after year… the morning Oscar nominations are announced. I for one don't go out of my way to wake up early to see it live, but when I woke up, of course I immediately tried to see who's shortlisted.
Right away I noticed that it's perhaps the most diverse lineup of nominees… though it's by no means perfect. The Academy's more-inclusive picks would likely keep those #OscarsSoWhite hashtags at bay… at least for now.
So here are some obligatory random comments (good & bad) about 2019 nominations:
• Not a single female directors nominated?? 😦
#10YearChallenge
"It's an honour just to be nominated," no woman director will say at the #Oscars this year.#OscarNoms pic.twitter.com/1TaKFlJDJ6
— UN Women (@UN_Women) January 22, 2019
The UN Women twitter pic above is downright disheartening, especially since I think there are a bunch of worthy films from female directors… Josie Rourke with Mary, Queen of Scots and Debra Granik with Leave No Trace, among others. While you're at it, check out my interview with Debra on making the film.
Granik directing Thomasin McKenzie in LEAVE NO TRACE
• Netflix is becoming even more of a force to be reckoned with… rivaling big studios in raking in nominees. It's got 15 nominations thanks to Alfonso Cuarón's ROMA leading with 10 nods, including the coveted Best Picture. How awesome that first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio got a nod in Best Actress, she's apparently a preschool teacher who didn't know much about the film industry and barely spoke any English at the time. [Note to self: gotta watch ROMA this weekend!]
• Speaking of a Foreign Language film that's highly-personal to the filmmaker AND set in black & white, glad to see COLD WAR getting recognition with 3 Oscars, including Best Director for Paweł Pawlikowski.
I LOVE this sultry, intensely-passionate romance drama, which was inspired by the love story of Pawel's own parents!
Amy Adams earned her sixth #Oscars nomination for her role in #ViceMovie https://t.co/8tHp4vxD8i pic.twitter.com/V4cv6Bspwm
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 22, 2019
• Whoa! Sixth nominations!! I thought her performance as Lynne Cheney in VICE (once again co-starring with Christian Bale) was terrific. Sadly I don't think this is Amy Adams' year yet, I'm convinced Regina King will take home the statuette.
• Happy to see documentary filmmaker Bing Liu getting an Oscar nom on his first film Minding The Gap, wow! I got to meet him last year when he received an award from MSPIFF, here he is with Minnesota's own film legend Al Milgrom. I actually missed his film at the fest, that's one I gotta watch real soon!
• I know there'll be all kinds of people hating on Black Panther getting a nomination. But you won't be hearing it from me. I think it's well-deserved… a masterful work by director Ryan Coogler that made it so much more than a superhero movie. I highly doubt it'll actually win Best Picture though, but it's already made history for being nominated. Oh and with seven nods, I have a feeling it'll win a couple forBest Costume Design (Ruth E. Carter) and Best Production Design (Hannah Beachler). How awesome would it be if both black women win in those categories!!
• It's no surprise Bradley Cooper is an Academy's favorite, but I thought he deserved a Best Director nod as much as his acting one. Can you believe it he's been nominated for an Oscar four times?? Just like his former co-star Amy Adams though, I don't think this is his year to win an acting Oscar.
• Where's Won't You Be My Neighbor? for Best Documentary??? The Mister Rogers biopic seems poised to be shortlisted… it certainly one of the most moving films I've seen all year! I'd say that's one of the biggest snubs this year.
• I know some people are outraged that If Beale Street Could Talk and First Man didn't get more love. Barry Jenkins and Damien Chazelle were each other's biggest rival two years ago with Moonlight & La La Land, and I heavily championed Moonlight to win. But this year, I wasn't as in love with If Beale Street Could Talk though I find it far more moving and memorable than First Man. So no, no complaints from me that neither one of those movies get a nod.
• Now I haven't even seen You Were Never Really Here but based on what I read so far, sounds like Joaquin Phoenix AND writer/director Lynne Ramsay are both snubbed this year.
Also another #Oscars snub in my opinion that no one every talks about Joaquin Phoenix in "You Were Never Really Here" that was one of the most moving pieces ever and he did such great work and gets buried under all the other #OscarNoms pic.twitter.com/GQH4dVRsLj
— Theater Stub 🍿🎮 (@Theater_Stub) January 23, 2019
• I have to catch up on three Best Picture nominees… BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody and Roma. Of the five I have seen, my least favorite is actually The Favourite [gasp!] Now, I didn't hate the movie [please don't resort to hyperbole like the rest on social media], I just don't think it was as great as the critics made it to be and I actually find it irritating at times. My friend Cindy just did a post about it which highlights some of the things that bothered me. I do think all three actresses are terrific playing such hard-to-root-for characters. I'm especially thrilled to see Olivia Colman finally getting the recognition she deserved!
Olivia Colman in The Favourite
• My last comment is on a highly controversial movie Green Book… well, I'm glad it got nominated! I've mentioned it on my Top 10 list post that I see this movie as a beautiful story of friendship set during the dark times in American South ripe with racial discrimination. I'm also thrilled to see Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali each get an acting nod! I'll be torn between Viggo and Christian Bale in the Best Actor race… my gut says this will be Bale's year to get another Oscar.
Well, there are more that could be said about this year's nominees but if I continue, I'll never post this thing.
The 91st Annual Academy Awards will air on Feb. 24 on ABC.
Well, everyone's got an opinion. What are your thoughts on the Oscars nominations?
Merry Christmas! FlixChatter Team's Favorite Christmas Movies
On December 25, 2018 December 25, 2018 By ruthIn Random Thoughts, The Flix List5 Comments
Merry Christmas everyone! It's Ruth here and it's Christmas Day here in the Twin Cities where our blog team and I live. It's actually an unusually brown Christmas with just a few leftover snow on the ground, nary a flurry in sight!
I've made a ton of Christmas posts over the years, such us the one from 2016 highlighting favorite Christmas movie moments. The last holiday-related post I did was this relay race to list 10 Best Christmas Movies where I picked this 2005 WWII drama Joyeux Noël.
Well, I thought this year I'd invite my blogging team to tell us their favorite Christmas movies, or the go-to movie(s) they'd watch often during the holiday season. So read on below and see if you share some favorite Christmas movies!
Choosing one "go-to" Christmas movie is tough; it's one of my favorite times of the year, and I have several movies I have to watch for nostalgia's sake. If I absolutely have to pick one, though, I'll go with Home Alone. Sure, the plot doesn't necessarily hold up today (with current home security systems, smart phones, and today's airport check-in procedures, I don't think the story would progress past the first 15 minutes now), but it's still a classic.
The cast is fantastic, with Macaulay Culkin securing his place as the child actor of the early 90's (and my first celebrity crush) as Kevin McCallister, Catherine O'Hara and John Heard successfully striking a balance of infuriatingly clueless and genuinely loving as his parents, Kate and Peter, and, of course, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern hamming it up as the hilarious "Wet Bandits," Harry and Marv.
The movie is full of memorable scenes and dialogue that are still parodied and referenced even after nearly 30 years, and it's rich with Chrismas imagery, but the soundtrack is what makes it most enduring to me. In addition to classics like Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and The Drifters' White Christmas (songs that, to this day, I can't hear without associating them with specific scenes from this film), the score includes music from iconic composer John Williams, and if you don't get a little choked up hearing Somewhere in my Memory, his big theme for the film, you might be a bit of a Grinch.
I tend to watch Home Alone and Die Hard often during the Christmas season. Throughout my teens Home Alone was a staple during the holidays with my parents and siblings. It's the first film we watched together around Christmas many years ago. For those old enough to remember, studios tend to leave successful films in theaters for a long time and Home Alone was a massive hit back in the holiday season of 1990. So, it didn't come out on video until the next holiday season and that's when I first saw the film with my family.
I couldn't remember exactly when I saw Die Hard but it wasn't during Christmas season but somehow I've watched at least once a year before Christmas. I think the film wasn't considered by some as a Christmas film probably a decade after its release in theaters. For a while people just think it's a great action film but throughout the years, it somehow became known more as a Christmas film. Of course they are some who would argue that's it's not a Christmas film. To me it's a great action film that happens to take place during Christmas time, I don't really care if it's an official Christmas film or not.
Another film I tend to watch during the holidays is The Long Kiss Goodnight. A big budget action/adventure with a female lead that I thought was way ahead of its time. Unfortunately, it was a box office dud but I think it has sort of a cult following.
Vitali Gueron
My first favorite Christmas movie is Home Alone (1990), directed by Chris Columbus and starring Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister. Kevin is a bratty but smart 8-year-old boy who's mistakenly left behind by his his family when they fly away to Paris for Christmas vacation. Kevin at first absolutely loves being home alone, especially away from his bullying big brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) but soon he has to defend his family home from two unsuspecting burglars, Harry and Marv (played respectively by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern). Since Kevin convinces himself that he is not afraid to be home alone, he decides to defend his family home from the burglars and rigs the house with booby traps to take on the bandits. This is where all the fun ensues, and when Harry and Marv break in, Kevin spring the traps and they suffer various minor injuries. Kevin also learns a lesson when he befriends Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom), his neighbor who Kevin previously misjudged as being a serial killer who murdered his family. What Kevin learns is that forgiveness is a very important character trait, no matter how late it comes. I think it brings a nice message of love and forgiveness that anyone watching can relate to. The film was also nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Original Score (written by John Williams) and Best Original Song for "Somewhere in My Memory" (again by John Williams). I try to watch this movie at least once during the holidays.
My second favorite Christmas movie is Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), directed by Chris Columbus and with Macaulay Culkin reprising his role as Kevin McCallister. This time, Kevin is little order, a little smarter but also a whole lot more likely to get lost by his family.
This time, Kevin and his family decide to take a trip to Florida, but because of a power outage, their alarm clocks don't wake them up in the morning which makes them late for their flight. In all of the rush and confusion, Kevin ends up taking the wrong plane and instead of Florida, he ends up in New York City. Once there, instead of freaking out, Kevin decides to make the most of it and to tour the city. Meanwhile, the "Wet Bandits", Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern reprising their roles), have traveled to New York City after escaping during a prison riot and have a new name for themselves: the "Sticky Bandits". Kevin goes to Central Park and meets a homeless woman (Brenda Fricker) feeding the pigeons, but gets scared because she doesn't talk and has birds all over her. He then goes to the Plaza Hotel, where he uses his dad Peter's credit card to check in. One of the most poignant but heartwarming parts of the movie comes when on Christmas Eve, Kevin visits a toy store where he meets its philanthropic owner, Mr. E.F. Duncan (Eddie Bracken). Kevin learns that the proceeds from the store's Christmas sales will be donated to a children's hospital, and provides a donation.
As a token of appreciation, Mr. Duncan offers Kevin a pair of ceramic turtledoves as a gift, instructing him to give one to another person as a sign of eternal friendship. Kevin goes back to Central Park to apologize to the Pigeon Lady, and give her his other half of the pair of ceramic turtledoves. Of course, he "coincidentally" bumps into the Wet Bandits, who remember him, and then another round of booby traps are set in an abandoned house that use to belong to Kevin's uncle. The best part of the movie comes at the end when Kevin reunites with his mother at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree after he wishes for no presents for Christmas but rather a fast reunion with his family. I love watching this movie back to back with the first Home Alone.
There is nothing better than sitting down with a cup of warm, homemade eggnog and a favorite Christmas movie. My two favorites, perhaps predictably, are polar opposites. I'm nothing if not inconsistent. 😉
A viewing of Die Hard (everyone's favorite is it or isn't it this year: spoilers, it is) followed by a viewing of Love Actually always get me into the Christmas spirit.
Wishing all of our readers a Happy Holiday season, filled with a family that looks out for you and a love story that is worth telling year after year. Yippee Kai Yay!
Ruth Maramis
For me, my go-to Christmas movies have remain the same over the years and it's one I can watch any time of the year. I'm a self-professed Anglophile and a huge fan of Richard Curtis' work (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones's Diary, Notting Hill and Love Actually). In fact, one of my all time favorite Christmas-themed episode in a TV series is The Vicar of Dibley's Christmas Special that I've highlighted in this post.
This is also a good episode to ogle the the handsome stranger, Richard Armitage (ehm)
So it's no surprise that Love, Actually is one I can watch time and again, especially during the holiday season. I love that Curtis' able to balance pathos, irony and absurd humor so perfectly in this scene set in a shopping centre during the hustle and bustle of the Christmas holiday. Absolute classic.
Now, You've Got Mail isn't exactly a Christmas movie per se, but it has several significant Christmas scenes that I'd like think of it as such. Whenever I'm feeling nostalgic and a tad sentimental during the holidays, I'm usually in the mood to watch this Nora Ephron classic. This scene in particular often gets me teared up… I love the setting itself of a winter day in NYC with the sparkling and festive Christmas tree, but it also captures the sentiment of feeling lonely and missing the one you love so perfectly. It's a beautifully-emotional scene that shall always remains timeless.
So friends, now that we've shared ours…
… tell us your favorite or go-to Christmas movie(s)!
FlixChatter Review – CATS (2019)
Guest Post: An in-depth look at Tequila Sunrise (1988)


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text:
PORTRAITS OF VGC
"Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself"
- John Dewey
A collection of authentic audio-visual portraits that encapsulate the passion and diversity of vgc students in vancouver
"Portraits of VGC" is an innovative and meaningful ensemble of micro-documentaries about the life, motivations and fullfillments of VGC students in Vancouver. It will balance valuable content with synthetic storytelling to match the short attention spans that characterize social media platforms, reaching a length of around 90 seconds. Every portrait is envisioned to respect the cultural background and personality of the student, who will underpin the structure of the film.
As a former international student, I strongly believe in the power of audio-visual communication when choosing our path in education. The information we gather when making a choice of this significance is crucial, but more critical is the emotional connection we create with the institution through the enrolled students. These audio-visual portraits will function as a bridge between the potential international students and the school itself.
This content has no expiration date, and will always contribute to the image of the instituion with a 24/7 online presence: it is of great influence and importance. The power and potential of effective audio-visual communication can shift the image of a community, bringing value and interest to the work of the many people that already comprise it. It's not only about the structure of the house, but also about how the house looks on the outside.
Timelapse-based Opening Titles of the unreleased webseries "Valet".
It's in my nature to utilize a variety of cinematic techniques to raise the production value of the content, incorporating interviews, slow-motion, and time-lapses to fuel the narrative and contextualise the life of the students. (The opening titles for "VALET" are an example of time-lapse content I produced for an unreleased webseries, that needed to contextualise the city of Vancouver with a darker emotional palette for storytelling purposes)
I retain necessary to cultivate the connection between the project in development and the marketing team: I would love to share a revision cut of the film and receive feedback before delivering the final result to make sure we are constantly on the same page.
The values and shape of the project deeply resonate with my artistic/creative direction. That's why I'm happy to offer a package that is marked by my emotional investment and dedication across the whole workflow. You can consult the table below for clarifications:
•Extra: I can provide and implement accurate closed captions in English for YouTube (not automated) at the cost of 200$ per video.
•Photography: I also deliver photoshoots and photographic reportage, I've been photographing events like the Vancouver Web Fest, Vancouver Asian Film Festival and more. You can find some of my artistic/creative photography here: https://ruggeroromano.com/about/#photography
More about Ruggero here: www.ruggeroromano.com
Ruggero Romano, native to the European province of Italy, is an enthusiastic storyteller who delves deeply into the art of cinema with vibrant interest and effervescent passion. He dedicates himself to authentic stories that embrace the patterns of Humanity, and vies eagerly to encapsulate all its beauties in his documentary films.
If you ever spot him, he will likely be waving his arms every which way speaking randomized Italian phrases, quite loudly as well. He likes to be ever so provocative, a word in conversation with him is not only hammered home, but nailed to the front door in great enthusiasm and frivolity. A keen traveler of both the world and the mind who owns an unwavering demeanor. He simply loves Life!
biography by Villiam Chahal
As a documentary filmmaker, my values are embedded in the nature of expression: I live to explore and celebrate the various textures and layers of Humanity. My life is coloured by the completion of my debut feature documentary, that sets me with the hunger to tell the next big story. I now have the time, energy and drive to collaborate with VGC and add depth to its marketing team.
This collection of portraits is the perfect opportunity to come together and solidify the community of VGC through meaningful storytelling: there was no better time to connect.
"Life is the Art of Meeting"
-Vinicius De Moraes
Ruggero Romano - Mengaliro Media

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Offering excellent performance under-sail and state of the art amenities; this yacht is the perfect vacation platform; ideal for 8 guests. Guests will enjoy a number of luxury amenities including a large forward cockpit with access to the main salon, an all-new design element that will be available, for the first-time ever, on a Moorings Yacht!
The expansive main cabin features a full-entertainment center, a plush U-shaped settee, and a large dining table; all surrounded by windows offering 360-degree views of your beautiful surroundings.
The private guest staterooms are luxurious, bright, and airy with double beds, plenty of storage space for everything from swimsuits to evening attire, and en-suite lavatories with electric flushing toilets and enclosed stall showers. Since the yacht has a powerful generator sleeping in air-conditioned comfort while experiencing the wonders of a tropical paradise is assured.
The modern kitchen is second to none, with all that's needed to prepare gourmet meals that can be served at the table in the large cockpit shaded under a hardtop roof - the perfect setting for an al fresco dining experience or cocktails!
The deck layout of the Moorings 4800 is ideally suited for relaxing, sunbathing, and swimming from the two-wide platforms at the rear of the yacht. A cross deck connects the two hulls, providing even more space to enjoy water sports of every kind, including; kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and snorkeling.
This is one of the better opportunities from the 48 X 4 R&Cs damaged in the Moorings fleet. She will need work but still has a lot left to start with. Veracruz III has 4-staterooms with 4 heads and TWIN 4 cyl Yanmars. We are told that she suffered damage about her hull, rails, and some in her cabin house. The helm top is on the deck. Port and starboard sides have rail damage, as well.
The engines are clean but some water was on the engine room floors; you may note the dipstick apparently shows little, if any, internal damage. The electrical panel appeared good; both outside and also dry on the backside.
The galley was complete as shown in the photos. The port and starboard hull staterooms do not appear to have suffered any major flooding and should clean well. Starboard staterooms stayed very dry. Generator and sail compartments visually appear to have stayed dry throughout the storm. There is no mast or boom, but the sail is shown in the photos.
AGAIN, THIS IS ONE OF THE BETTER YACHTS FOR THIS TYPE OF PROJECT!
Nav station radios and panel missing, motors still appear good, Electrical main panel good, Helm radios and most items missing.


text:
package cloudup

import (
	"fmt"
	"os"

	"github.com/blang/semver"
	"github.com/golang/glog"
	api "k8s.io/kops/pkg/apis/kops"
	"k8s.io/kops/pkg/apis/kops/util"
)

func usesCNI(c *api.Cluster) bool {
	networkConfig := c.Spec.Networking
	if networkConfig == nil || networkConfig.Classic != nil {
		// classic
		return false
	}

	if networkConfig.Kubenet != nil {
		// kubenet
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.External != nil {
		// external: assume uses CNI
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.Kopeio != nil {
		// Kopeio uses kubenet (and thus CNI)
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.Weave != nil {
		//  Weave uses CNI
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.Flannel != nil {
		//  Flannel uses CNI
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.Calico != nil {
		//  Calico uses CNI
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.Canal != nil {
		// Canal uses CNI
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.Kuberouter != nil {
		// Kuberouter uses CNI
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.Romana != nil {
		//  Romana uses CNI
		return true
	}

	if networkConfig.CNI != nil {
		// CNI definitely uses CNI!
		return true
	}

	// Assume other modes also use CNI
	glog.Warningf("Unknown networking mode configured")
	return true
}

// TODO: we really need to sort this out:
// https://github.com/kubernetes/kops/issues/724
// https://github.com/kubernetes/kops/issues/626
// https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/30338

const (
	// 1.5.x k8s uses release 07a8a28637e97b22eb8dfe710eeae1344f69d16e
	defaultCNIAssetK8s1_5           = "https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/network-plugins/cni-07a8a28637e97b22eb8dfe710eeae1344f69d16e.tar.gz"
	defaultCNIAssetHashStringK8s1_5 = "19d49f7b2b99cd2493d5ae0ace896c64e289ccbb"

	// 1.6.x k8s uses release 0799f5732f2a11b329d9e3d51b9c8f2e3759f2ff
	defaultCNIAssetK8s1_6           = "https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/network-plugins/cni-0799f5732f2a11b329d9e3d51b9c8f2e3759f2ff.tar.gz"
	defaultCNIAssetHashStringK8s1_6 = "1d9788b0f5420e1a219aad2cb8681823fc515e7c"

	// Environment variable for overriding CNI url
	ENV_VAR_CNI_VERSION_URL = "CNI_VERSION_URL"
)

func findCNIAssets(c *api.Cluster) (string, string, error) {

	if cniVersionURL := os.Getenv(ENV_VAR_CNI_VERSION_URL); cniVersionURL != "" {
		glog.Infof("Using CNI asset version %q, as set in %s", cniVersionURL, ENV_VAR_CNI_VERSION_URL)
		return cniVersionURL, "", nil
	}

	sv, err := util.ParseKubernetesVersion(c.Spec.KubernetesVersion)
	if err != nil {
		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("Failed to lookup kubernetes version: %v", err)
	}

	sv.Pre = nil
	sv.Build = nil

	if sv.GTE(semver.Version{Major: 1, Minor: 6, Patch: 0, Pre: nil, Build: nil}) {
		glog.V(2).Infof("Adding default CNI asset: %s", defaultCNIAssetK8s1_6)
		return defaultCNIAssetK8s1_6, defaultCNIAssetHashStringK8s1_6, nil
	}

	glog.V(2).Infof("Adding default CNI asset: %s", defaultCNIAssetK8s1_5)
	return defaultCNIAssetK8s1_5, defaultCNIAssetHashStringK8s1_5, nil
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This group was started in 2010 to create a common forum for sales and marketing professionals in Maine to gather and discuss the latest trends, techniques and analysis of how inbound is helping businesses to grow.
Although the group is called Hubspot User Group- you don't have to be a Hubspot customer, or even a fan, to attend. This is an open group focused on what it takes to help busineses grow. Hubspot just happens to align their tools to that mission. Because it is really not about inbound versus outbound, or sales versus marketing, it is about doing whatever it takes to do right by the customer and providing value.


Celine and I have been nominated for a Veggie Award in the Favorite Cookbook Author category! It is such an honor to be nominated, but could you imagine if we actually won?
The coolest thing is, if you vote, you could win too! So click on the vote button below, and vote for us!


Leeor Zakay, a 24-year-old Oak Park man, died from what's being described as an accidental drug overdose at his home on Aug. 10.
Zakay was found by his father, Aviv Zakay, sitting unconscious in his car at the family's home on the morning of Aug. 8, according to reports from those who knew him. Paramedics rushed the younger Zakay to Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks.


ROCKPro64 PCIe SATA card review and tests using a Ubuntu console and OpenMediaVault. Video also demonstrates how to use a Linux console to mount Windows (NTFS) drives.
The Kingston A400 120GB SSDs I use for testing — and which are great low-cost drives — are on Amazon.com here: amzn.to/2CYa0WF and Amazon.co.uk here: ift.tt/2Qq7cUY (affiliate links).


text:
Grey Juice Lab Provides Content for Telefónica's T-VOD Service in Peru
This article first appeared in NexTV News on June 26, 2017.
Grey Juice Lab has announced that it was selected by Telefónica to provide T-VOD content and services for its Movistar Play VOD platform in Peru.
The streaming service, which was already offering movies via subscription and catch up, has worked with Grey Juice Lab to launch a transactional model. The new service will feature a TVOD catalogue of more than 500 movies from major studios including Warner Bros., Disney, NBC Universal, Paramount, FOX and Lionsgate.
This way, Grey Juice Lab further strengthens its commercial relationship with Telefonica. Other territories where both companies are working together include Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Central America and most recently Ecuador.
"Peru is a country that has been steadily growing in the region and we believe Movistar Play is now well equipped to be the leader in the entertainment market", said Damián Craimowicz, Regional Director for Grey Juice Lab Latam.
This is the latest in a series of Movistar Play TVOD services for which Grey Juice Lab offers premium content and services including content processing and delivery, subtitle and metadata creation, content programming and marketing.


text:
package com.yahoo.pulsar.client.cli;

import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

import org.apache.commons.io.HexDump;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import com.beust.jcommander.Parameter;
import com.beust.jcommander.ParameterException;
import com.beust.jcommander.Parameters;
import com.google.common.util.concurrent.RateLimiter;
import com.yahoo.pulsar.client.api.ClientConfiguration;
import com.yahoo.pulsar.client.api.Consumer;
import com.yahoo.pulsar.client.api.ConsumerConfiguration;
import com.yahoo.pulsar.client.api.Message;
import com.yahoo.pulsar.client.api.PulsarClient;
import com.yahoo.pulsar.client.api.PulsarClientException;
import com.yahoo.pulsar.client.api.SubscriptionType;

/**
 * pulsar-client consume command implementation.
 *
 */
@Parameters(commandDescription = "Consume messages from a specified topic")
public class CmdConsume {

    private static final Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(PulsarClientTool.class);
    private static final String MESSAGE_BOUNDARY = "----- got message -----";

    @Parameter(description = "TopicName", required = true)
    private List<String> mainOptions = new ArrayList<String>();

    @Parameter(names = { "-t", "--subscription-type" }, description = "Subscription type: Exclusive, Shared, Failover.")
    private SubscriptionType subscriptionType = SubscriptionType.Exclusive;

    @Parameter(names = { "-s", "--subscription-name" }, required = true, description = "Subscription name.")
    private String subscriptionName;

    @Parameter(names = { "-n",
            "--num-messages" }, description = "Number of messages to consume, 0 means to consume forever.")
    private int numMessagesToConsume = 1;

    @Parameter(names = { "--hex" }, description = "Display binary messages in hex.")
    private boolean displayHex = false;

    @Parameter(names = { "-r", "--rate" }, description = "Rate (in msg/sec) at which to consume, "
            + "value 0 means to consume messages as fast as possible.")
    private double consumeRate = 0;

    private String serviceURL = null;
    ClientConfiguration clientConfig;

    public CmdConsume() {
        // Do nothing
    }

    /**
     * Set client configuration.
     *
     */
    public void updateConfig(String serviceURL, ClientConfiguration newConfig) {
        this.serviceURL = serviceURL;
        this.clientConfig = newConfig;
    }

    /**
     * Interprets the message to create a string representation
     *
     * @param message
     *            The message to interpret
     * @param displayHex
     *            Whether to display BytesMessages in hexdump style, ignored for simple text messages
     * @return String representation of the message
     */
    private String interpretMessage(Message message, boolean displayHex) throws IOException {
        byte[] msgData = message.getData();
        ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
        if (!displayHex) {
            return new String(msgData);
        } else {
            HexDump.dump(msgData, 0, out, 0);
            return new String(out.toByteArray());
        }
    }

    /**
     * Run the consume command.
     *
     * @return 0 for success, < 0 otherwise
     */
    public int run() throws PulsarClientException, IOException {
        if (mainOptions.size() != 1)
            throw (new ParameterException("Please provide one and only one topic name."));
        if (this.serviceURL == null || this.serviceURL.isEmpty())
            throw (new ParameterException("Broker URL is not provided."));
        if (this.subscriptionName == null || this.subscriptionName.isEmpty())
            throw (new ParameterException("Subscription name is not provided."));
        if (this.numMessagesToConsume < 0)
            throw (new ParameterException("Number of messages should be zero or positive."));

        String topic = this.mainOptions.get(0);
        int numMessagesConsumed = 0;
        int returnCode = 0;

        try {
            ConsumerConfiguration consumerConf = new ConsumerConfiguration();
            consumerConf.setSubscriptionType(this.subscriptionType);
            PulsarClient client = PulsarClient.create(this.serviceURL, this.clientConfig);
            Consumer consumer = client.subscribe(topic, this.subscriptionName, consumerConf);

            RateLimiter limiter = (this.consumeRate > 0) ? RateLimiter.create(this.consumeRate) : null;
            while (this.numMessagesToConsume == 0 || numMessagesConsumed < this.numMessagesToConsume) {
                if (limiter != null)
                    limiter.acquire();

                Message msg = consumer.receive(20, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
                if (msg == null) {
                    LOG.warn("No message to consume after waiting for 20 seconds.");
                } else {
                    numMessagesConsumed += 1;
                    System.out.println(MESSAGE_BOUNDARY);
                    String output = this.interpretMessage(msg, displayHex);
                    System.out.println(output);
                    consumer.acknowledge(msg);
                }
            }
            client.close();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            LOG.error("Error while consuming messages");
            LOG.error(e.getMessage(), e);
            returnCode = -1;
        } finally {
            LOG.info("{} messages successfully consumed", numMessagesConsumed);
        }

        return returnCode;
    }
}


text:
The author with Professor James Crawford at the Hague Academy
Essence, Existence and the Moaning of the Bar: In Memory of Judge James Crawford
Akshita Tiwary | Government Law College Mumbai, IN
July 19, 2021 12:30:58 am
Essence, Existence and the Moaning of the Bar: In Memory of Judge James Crawford The passing of one of the undisputable greats of international law, Judge (Professor) James Richard Crawford (1948 – 2021) who embodied a towering intellectual rigour with great good humour, generosity and warmth is a momentous loss to the world of international [...]
READ MORE ▸
geralt / Pixabay
The Trump Case: New Laws or Just a Good Old Prosecution?
The Boston Globe has a new series on Future Proofing the Presidency, making a case for prosecution of former President Donald Trump. Just for the record, in DC the basic Presidential criminality approach is: 1) The President gets an interpretation of the law from a lawyer somewhere such as in the Office of Legal Counsel [...]
padrinan / Pixabay
The UN Human Rights Council at Cross-Roads
March 18, 2021 11:30:41 am
In 2006 as the Human Rights Council was being set up, I wrote an opinion piece on this website in which I shared, among other aspects, my impressions as to how the Council would shape up. Experience thus far produced mixed assessment. The transition from the Commission to the Council took a couple of years, [...]
mjimages / Pixabay
Self-Regulation of Over-The-Top (OTT) Content under the Indian Regime: A Missed Opportunity?
March 8, 2021 01:09:28 am
On 16th February 2021, the Supreme Court of India asked the Central Government to take measures to regulate content on over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. A bench headed by the Chief Justice of India asked the Indian Government to submit a reply to the Public Interest Litigation seeking the [...]
ejbartennl / Pixabay
Biden's 1st Challenge: Troops Return from Afghanistan
The future of the Islamist terrorist groups in Afghanistan and their eagerness to control the country in order to expand their influence all over South Asia will be ascertained by the end of April, 2021, depending on the extent to which US President Joe Biden is agreeable to go ahead with the decision of his [...]
saltonnz / Pixabay
The Shadow Pandemic of Migration in Cambodia
As of the second week of February 2021, there have been a total of 466 COVID-19 cases registered in Cambodia, 443 recoveries and 0 deaths. Cambodia is managing the COVID-19 pandemic well in comparison to global superpowers. This achievement can be contrasted with the United Kingdom, where there have been a total of 3,817,176 cases, [...]
Free-Photos / Pixabay
Looking Beyond "America First": Thought-Based Legal Strategies for Long-Term Survival
"The egocentric ideal of a future reserved for those who have managed to attain egoistically the extremity of `everyone for himself' is false and against nature." – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man From time immemorial, world politics have been rooted in Realpolitik or power politics. Although such patterns of thinking are normally [...]
Rising Above Realpolitik: America, Jewish Thought and International Law
"The loftier the soul, the more it feels the unity that there is in us all." – Rabbi Avraham Kook By any reasonable standard, the belligerent nationalism of Realpolitik or power politics makes no sense. After all, without exception, this zero-sum mantra of "everyone-for-himself" clearly undermines every country's national security. Most perplexing, perhaps, is that [...]
© Benjamin Davis
It's Exhausting Being White: The Sick Rush to "Healing" from the Capitol Insurrection
Photo Caption: In the early 60's Ben and Dorothy Davis integrated the all-white Brookside Elementary School in Montclair, New Jersey I watched the debates in the House with respect to impeachment. I was struck by all the citations to Lincoln's Second Inaugural by all sides in the debates, with his emphasis on healing of the [...]
Jackelberry / Pixabay
A Second Trump Impeachment Lawful and Law-Enforcing
"There exists a deep-seated conviction among Americans that the Constitution is an expression of the Higher Law, that it is, in fact, imperfect man's most perfect rendering of eternal law." – Presidential scholar Clinton Rossiter Introduction: Following recent Trump-inspired attacks on the United States Capitol, a second impeachment of the President is now under active [...]


Pitching is done live…usually. But what about the pitching done when you send out your "deck"? When others repeat what you said? When they share your contact info? All these events still matter a lot. That's why we strive to make the pitch strong, memorable, and especially repeatable. yet it's still likely to get distorted and weakened when repeated.
That's where video comes in. With a sharable "pitch" video you can guarantee that important people will get a crisp, clear, and impactful introduction to your project, it's promise, it's needs and it's next steps.
So start making video and getting comfortable in the medium. The time constraints and the one way nature of video "force" you to refine and delivery your message with discipline. That's extremely valuable. Oh, and don't share crappy video. If you can afford it, engage a pro!
That's what I did in my project with C Sharp Video Productions. Check out their Primal Pitch feature page here. AND, if you want experience and professional assurance that your video will rock, you know who to call!
This article was posted in Pitch, Video.


text:
Long-Term Fellowships Fall 2020
FEBS Home
Fellowship Calls
Fellowship Call Home
Back FEBS Long-Term Fellowships Fall 2020
FEBS Long-Term Fellowships are awarded to support long-term visits for the purpose of scientific collaboration or advanced training. These Fellowships are originally granted for one year and may be renewed for a further year up to a maximum of three years.
This fellowship call closed at 4.00pm on Tuesday 1st September 2020. If you have a user account registered with this fellowship call, please go to the My Account page to view your data.
Fellowship Call Details
Application Timetable
Candidates should normally be scientists who have obtained their PhD degree within the past three years.
In order to be eligible to apply for a Long-Term-Fellowship, applicants need to be members of a FEBS Constituent Society, to be working in a laboratory in a FEBS country and to be seeking to work in a laboratory in a different FEBS country.
Applications must be aimed at furthering the science of biochemistry and molecular biology.
Past holders of a Long-Term Fellowship may not apply for another Long-Term Fellowship.
Please view the Eligibility Requirements for further details. The FEBS Fellowships Office is unable to answer queries relating to your eligibility; please follow the instructions and refer to the FAQs for more detailed explanations.
Candidates must provide details for an experienced scientist who has agreed to submit a letter supporting the application through the website. The referee should be acquainted with your work and must not work at the host institute. PhD students or applicants having obtained their PhD recently are encouraged to ask their PhD supervisor to provide this letter.
The application as well as a referee's letter of support must be submitted online by 4.00pm on Tuesday 1st September 2020.
Normally, in each call no more than one candidate per given head of research group in a host laboratory will be granted a fellowship.
The amount of the fellowship will depend on the cost of living in the country visited and will include travelling expenses for the fellow and their dependants. Travel costs will provide for a second-class rail fare or an economy flight between the place of residence and the host laboratory. Travel costs will not be paid if the applicant is already working at the host institute at the closing date of the call. Assistance for children may also be provided (for 1 child +14% and for 2 or more +28% on annual stipend).
Applications must be completed in English.
The fellowship should be taken up within six months of its award. Any delay will require the authorisation of the Chairperson of the FEBS Fellowships Committee.
At the end of each six months of the fellowship, fellows must prepare a short report highlighting progress of their work and, within three months of completion of the fellowship, they must prepare a short report detailing the work done while in receipt of the fellowship. These reports are to be sent electronically to the Chairperson of the FEBS Fellowships Committee. The FEBS Fellowship should be acknowledged in any work published relating to the project funded and two reprints of each article should be sent electronically to the Chairperson of the Fellowships Committee.
By acceptance of a FEBS Fellowship, senior or recently completed FEBS Long-Term Fellows are expected to attend one FEBS Fellows Meeting preceding the annual FEBS Congress, upon invitation from the FEBS Fellowships Chair.
Please view the FEBS Long-Term Fellowships page for further information.
The application process begins on Monday 1st June 2020.
The application and one letter of support must be submitted through the website by 4.00pm on Tuesday 1st September 2020. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Decisions will be communicated to the applicants no later than 20th December 2020.
Fellowships will commence earliest on 1st January 2021.
This system uses cookies. By using this system, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device. For more details, view the Cookies page.
© 2021 FEBS | Privacy | Terms of Use | Cookies | developed by Cambridge New Media Ltd.
© 2021 FEBS


text:
Official Portal Tatarstan President Tatarstan Government State services Tatarstan cities and regions
in the Republic of Tatarstan
Commissioner for human rights in the Republic of Tatarstan History of the Institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Tatarstan The structure of the Office of the Commissioner for human rights in the Republic of Tatarstan Public Assistants
Feadback Reports Events
Bulliten Fotoreports Contact us
Reception of citizens Web-reception
Другие республиканские организации Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Tatarstan
Нет выступлений, публикации
Commissioner for human rights in the Republic of Tatarstan
History of the Institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Tatarstan
The structure of the Office of the Commissioner for human rights in the Republic of Tatarstan
Public Assistants
Bulliten
Fotoreports
Web-reception
Address: 420015, Kazan, K.Marks str., 61
Phone: (843) 236-41-80 (приемная)
Fax: (843) 236-41-80
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