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Lion (hidden gem)
Moonlight (winner)
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Ivy O'Brien, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, C. J. Wilson, Tate Donovan, Kara Hayward, Anna Baryshnikov, Heather Burns, Gretchen Mol, Matthew Broderick, Josh Hamilton, Stephen Henderson, Erica McDermott
Oscar Wins: Best Actor (Casey Affleck), Best Original Screenplay
Other Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Lucas Hedges), Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams), Best Director, Best Picture
There are movies you watch and there are movies you feel. For example: Dumb and Dumber you watch, The Revenant you feel.
Manchester by the Sea is a movie you feel…more specifically, it's a movie that socks you right in the jaw.
Set in Boston, Manchester tackles the heaviest of themes: personal tragedy and guilt. It's about a life lived in the real world, with unsurmountable pain, ends left untied, lessons going unlearned. It's a story about the complexity of forgiveness – not just forgiving other people for inflicting pain on you, but forgiving yourself for inflicting pain on others.
Self-punishing, depressive loner Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) has endured a series of brutal losses. He lives in a cruddy basement apartment where he works as a janitor, shoveling sidewalks and fixing clogged toilets. It's not work he loves, but it's clear to see it's a path he's chosen, mostly as a form of self-abasement, as punishment for his sins.
When his brother, Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies of a heart condition, Lee is saddled with the unexpected responsibility of raising Joe's only son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges)…a task he has absolutely no interest in doing.
Of course, that's not to say he doesn't love his nephew. Through flashbacks, we see that Lee's affection for Patrick is well established. The film opens with such a scene: little Patrick clowning around with Lee on the deck of Joe's fishing boat. But that's far from the Lee we see now. Now he's depressed, antisocial, and spends his free time drinking at local bars. He hasn't seen his ex-wife Randi (Michelle Williams) in years, and any time he ventures into town, people can't help but whisper and stare.
Manchester by the Sea takes its time explaining why the townsfolk look at Lee with such distain. And when we finally find out the reason, it's easy to understand why Lee not only resists the role of caretaker, but seems inclined to sabotage it.
Nevertheless, Lee does his best. He navigates the unfamiliar, driving Patrick to band practice, offering parental advice on sex and dating, all while struggling to balance his own work life with the added tasks of handling his late brother's estate. These are two men mourning the same man in two very different ways. And as anyone who has ever mourned a loved one knows, everyone handles grief differently. This is not a story about death, but about survivors…those left to pick up the pieces of a shattered life.
For those who are sensitive to grief, this film will haunt you. The details and nuances add up to a stunning narrative structure that somehow perfectly captures what it's like to deal with loss…to be the one left behind. It's about feelings and emotions and how we cope, or don't cope, with them. It's about how a man deals with grief, how a boy deals with hope, and how the two of them finally find each other through pain, trust and acceptance. Finally, it shows us that even the most manly among us, those with the hard exterior, often have a human being underneath…someone who bears the scars of real, devastating human experiences. And it's through those moments, those unexplainable, unimaginable moments, that we realize our connection to each other.
Director: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham, Marin Ireland, Katy Mixon, Dale Dickey, Kevin Rankin, Melanie Papalia, Amber Midthunder, Taylor Sheridan, Margaret Bowman
Other Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Jeff Bridges), Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture
Whenever a film opens with a bleak, decrepit terrain, I know I'm in for a good time. Movies like The Last Picture Show, The Grapes of Wrath, Bound for Glory, even The Big Lebowski and Tremors use the landscape as a character.
In Hell or High Water, the Texas terrain is as bleak and barren as any land this side of Tombstone. It's a constant presence. It speaks of poverty, desperation, and lost opportunities. Oil rigs obscure a once beautiful horizon. The land that the white man stole from the Native Americans is now in new hands...corporate hands.
When brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster) arrive at a remote Texas Midland bank, it's not to make a deposit. They're there to rob the place. Their family farm is being threatened with foreclosure following their mother's death and, with only a few days until the bank seizes the property, the brothers go on a series of bank robberies – at Texas Midland banks to be precise – to pay off the mortgage.
Though hot-headed, Toby and Tanner have no intention of harm or violence – they're Robin Hood-esque mission is to simply use the bank's own money to pay off the farm. They even formulate a plan to "clean" the money at a casino. All in all, it seems like the perfect crime spree. No one gets hurt and the victim, frankly, deserves it.
However, hot on their tail are Texas Rangers Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and Alberto Parker (Gil Birmingham). Marcus is one of those cops who's easily the smartest guy in any room he's in, and knows it, but will never let you see it. Bridges is clearly having a blast here, playing a deadpan Columbo who succeeds in his task almost every time because he knows how to think like the criminals he's chasing.
Some cops on the case think Toby and Tanner are rouge meth-heads, but Marcus doesn't agree. He thinks – correctly – that they're looking to take a specific amount of money in a finite amount of time. After all, Toby and Tanner aren't as smart as they think and it doesn't take long for this seasoned officer of the law to figure them out. This is certainly the kind of Western in which we know there will be blood, but we hope there won't be, because we can't help but feel for all these players.
From a purely narrative perspective, there really isn't anything new in Hell or High Water. But, like a new arrangement of a familiar tune, it takes the ingredients we know and love about classic Westerns and makes it feel fresh and enjoyable. It combines those tropes with today's relatable issues…and throws in a little Jeff Bridges just for good measure!
For example, midway through the movie, Toby and Tanner pull into a gas station to refuel. In the background, a man with a cowboy hat hops on his horse before two bozos in a bright green Challenger pull in. Some could argue it's a throwaway moment, but it's also a wonderful juxtaposition between old and new, rich and poor. As Toby leaves the gas station and returns to the car, he pulls the lug head out of the Challenger and beats him up. Realizing the juxtaposition, it's a moment that says a lot without saying anything at all. With its roots still firmly planted in the roads once paved by John Ford, John Wayne, and Clint Eastwood, Hell or High Water drags the Old West into the modern age.
Director: Denzel Washington
Starring: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, Saniyya Sidney
Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actress (Viola Davis)
Other Nominations: Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture
Every Friday, Troy Maxon (Denzel Washington) holds court in the backyard of his Pittsburgh home that he shares with his wife, Rose (Viola Davis) and their son, Cory (Jovan Adepo).
By Troy's side are his two best friends: Bono (Stephen Henderson), his neighbor and co-worker he's known for decades, and a bottle of gin, which Troy has also known for decades. Both have been with him through thick and thin. Both are great listeners…and there's nothing a motor-mouth like Troy enjoys more than a captive audience.
Rose, who is all too familiar with Troy's stories spinning wildly into fiction, is not shy about calling him out. When Troy reminisces about wrestling with Death, Rose calls his bluff – and begs him to quit drinking himself to ruin. He cuddles her, playfully slaps her butt, and fires off a few feisty one-liners, which Rose expertly laughs off.
Then, like clockwork, Troy's eldest son, Lyons (Russell Hornsby) arrives to borrow a few bucks. Sometimes Troy's disabled brother, Gabe (Mykelti Williamson) visits, too. Life for the Maxon family – particularly Troy – is a series of routines, culminating in death. The end of every week brings Troy closer to a rematch with his wrestling partner.
This weekly routine forms the basis of Fences, a film directed by and starring Denzel Washington, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by August Wilson. The play is part 6 of "The Pittsburgh Cycle", a series of 10 plays about African American life in the 20th century. Each play takes place in a different decade, with Fences set in the 1950's, but the material is by no means dated. This story of a broken man fighting like hell to support his family in the only way he knows how is not unique to the mid-century. It transcends time, a factor that certainly helps elevate Fences above the other plays in the Pittsburgh series.
Like most family dramas, legacy fuels Fences from start to finish. Cory's dreams of going to college to play football are shot down by his father, who can't seem to come to terms with his own failed sports dreams. Once a great baseball player in the Negro Leagues, Troy never quite achieved the glory he so desired. Having played way before Jackie Robinson helped pave the way for other Black athletes, Troy felt himself shafted by the sport we lovingly call "America's Pastime". No son of his is going to extend, especially surpass, the legacy Troy built for himself.
As Troy, Washington is charming to a fault. It's easy to see why Rose would fall for him – and stay with him – despite his drinking and philandering. And as Rose, Davis BRINGS. THE. HOUSE. DOWN. No one can cry on screen like Viola Davis. Though she loves Troy, she has her limits. And when he breaks his promise to her by sleeping with another woman, she turns to ice. Her delivery of "…you a womanless man…" sent chills down MY spine!
"Why would a man need more than one woman?" Rose asks Johnny Cammareri in Moonstruck. "Maybe because he fears death," he responds. Troy, despite his big voice and broad chest, is a man who fears death. He's fearful that his sons will turn on him the way he turned on his own father. He builds a fence around his home to keep people out and keep people in. In his early days, Troy once swung for those fences, but now those days seem long gone.
No matter how noble our parents' intentions, there's always the chance that they will mess us up in some way, shape, or form. It's our legacy as human beings. Either we learn from their mistakes and live our lives differently, or we accept our fate and pass it on to the next generation. When Cory finally accepts the fact that he very much is the man he despises, there's a heartbreaking scene where he sings a song Troy used to sing. It's a moment that's just as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. Whether we want it or not, our parents very much shape who we become.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O'Brien, Tzi Ma, Abigail Pniowsky, Julia Scarlett Dan, Jadyn Malone
Oscar Wins: Best Sound Editing
Other Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound Mixing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture
Arthur C. Clarke famously said that there are just two possibilities in the great universe: either we're alone, or we aren't. I'd argue both are equally terrifying.
The first option is hard to put on film, but the second has been a favorite with movie makers since the early 1900s. Whether we're exploring creatures from a new planet or trying to get a cute extraterrestrial back home, humanity has been obsessed with aliens for years. It seems it's easy to explore the unknown, at least in the movies.
But science fiction is never really about the future, it's about us. And Arrival is certainly no exception. This is a close encounter of the engrossing kind: a smart, fascinating story about grief, time, communication, and compassion. It asks important questions: How do we approach what terrifies us? How to we communicate with those who don't speak our language? What do we have to learn from those who are different from us?
"On the Nature of Daylight" plays over the opening shots of Arrival, a song used over and over in Hollywood (Shutter Island, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Innocents, for example), and is arguably one of the saddest songs in the world. It sets the mood for what we're about to see: a mother losing her child to cancer.
The mother is Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a linguistics professor who has been recruited by the US Government to help communicate with a species that has just landed on Earth. These pod-shaped crafts have grounded themselves in 12 locations around the world. Nobody knows why and no one knows how to begin communicating with them.
Dr. Banks joins forces with Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), a leading quantum physicist, to start the mission. With the help of their team, they suit up and enter the craft to see if they can make contact.
To say much more about the plot now would be unfair to those who haven't seen it…but suffice it to say, it's a slow, enjoyable burn to the end. Arrival shifts around slowly, like a Rubik's cube. Nothing quite makes sense until all the pieces suddenly come together.
The aliens in Arrival, lovingly named Abbot and Costello by Ian Donnelly, are more of a symbol than anything else. The film hinges on the idea that we do not all experience the same reality. Though we all live on the same planet and breathe the same air, our perceptions of those pieces change based on the words and grammar we use to describe them.
For example, a person may not really see a particular color until their vocabulary contains a word for it. All blues are not alike. Browse any paint or nail polish aisle and you'll see blues of every shade. Likewise, we in America see white flakes falling from the sky and call it snow. Eskimos, on the other hand, have 50 different words for snow, depending on how much there is, what it looks like, or if it's in the air or on the ground.
As a species, we do our best to describe the world as we see it. This is the overall challenge of translation. Sure we can learn the word for "chair" or "backpack", but in order to truly understand a new language, we need to perceive the world differently…and that's what Arrival is trying to say. Talking to each other, empathizing with one another, is the only way the human race can survive. This is a film that forces us to reconsider that which makes us human...showing us that our most valued gift, that of language, is the only way to avoid destroying ourselves.
Director: Theodore Melfi
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Kimberly Quinn, Olek Krupa, Saniyya Sidney
Other Nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture
Everyone knows about the Apollo missions. Almost all of us can name at least one of the astronauts who took those first giant leaps for mankind: John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong. Yet Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson are names not taught in school, or even known to most people – even though it was their smarts that paved the way for human space flight in the US.
Hidden Figures attempts to tell their story, even if it's low on historical accuracy and high on that "not all men" message. While it feels a little too much like watching a bunch of self-congratulatory white dudes pat themselves on the back for how progressive they were, Hidden Figures is still a worthy film. It's a bonafide crowdpleaser about the downtrodden overcoming their obstacles, women who are smarter than men, and Black mathematicians who are more trusted than white ones.
The year is 1961. Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae), and Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) work for NASA as members of the West Computing Group, a 20-person team made up entirely of women of color. Practically as soon as we meet them, they're all whisked off in different directions. Mary is assigned to a team of engineers, where she's encouraged by her supervisor to become one herself. Dorothy stays put, fighting for her chance to be supervisor of the computing team. And Katherine, who becomes the main focus of the movie, heads to the Space Task Group, an elite team headed by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) that's focused on getting a man into space.
The calculations flying around the Space Task Group have stumped everyone, including Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), the hotshot whose math Katherine has been brought in to check. In this room of rocket scientists, Katherine is very obviously the only woman…and the only person of color. It's clear she has her work cut out for her in more ways than one.
Though Hidden Figures aims to tell a heartwarming story, it doesn't quite tell an accurate one. For example, as the first Black woman to join the Space Task Group, film-version-Katherine experiences abject racism and discrimination despite her brilliant brain. She must use the "colored" coffee maker and has to walk more than half a mile to use the closest restroom for women of color. In real life, however, Katherine has been quoted as saying that she just used the "whites only" bathroom anyway. Furthermore, NASA was officially desegrated in 1958 (this film takes place in 1961), so much of this storyline strays from what Katherine actually experienced at NASA.
There's also quite a bit of the "white savor complex" interspersed throughout this movie (which makes sense, since this was written and directed by white people). It was so dedicated to the feel-good nature of the story that some of the important struggles of these main characters are quickly introduced and glossed over. A positive interaction with a racist white police officer, Bill Durham Harrison taking a bat to the "Colored Bathroom" sign, Katherine being allowed in the control room to watch the launch she helped facilitate, are just some of these types of issues where a white man creates a racist environment and then alleviates it like the hero he is. It takes away from the real struggles and successes these women had working at NASA. A better film may have focused on the fact that NASA was a desegregated campus, despite the race war going on around it. But, that's not very Hollywood touchy feely, is it?
After the initial launch of Friendship 7, which rocketed John Glenn into space, Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary went on to accomplish great things in their careers. Mary did indeed become the first black engineer at NASA. Dorothy became the first Black supervisor, and Katherine went on to make vital calculations for the Apollo 11 and Space Shuttle missions. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 by President Obama.
Is Hidden Figures one of the best written or directed movies of this year? No. But is it satisfying and enjoyable? Yeah, I'll give it that! It might have some familiar flaws, but that's par for the course for the type of movie it is: an inspirational, family-friendly, based-on-a-true-story feel-good flick that may even inspire a few more young girls to reach for the stars, or at least a pencil…and what's more feel-good than that?
Director: Mel Gibson
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving, Teresa Palmer, Rachel Griffiths, Vince Vaughn, Ryan Corr, Richard Roxburgh, Luke Pegler, Richard Pyros, Ben Mingay, Michael Sheasby, Firass Dirani, Damien Thomlinson, Matt Nable, Ben O'Toole, Nathaniel Buzolic, Milo Gibson, Goran D. Kleut
Oscar Wins: Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing
Other Nominations: Best Actor (Andrew Garfield), Best Director, Best Sound Editing, Best Picture
It's the final months of World War II. Germany has surrendered, but Japan fights on. As the US military makes its way to the Japanese homeland, the fighting grows more desperate, more horrific.
On the grounds of Okinawa, soldiers clamber ashore. The Japanese hide underground, determined to push the Americans back into the ocean. Hacksaw Ridge, one of the island's most contested points, lies smoking. Bodies cover the battlegrounds, blood pools in abandoned footprints. America may have won the battle here, but Death won the war.
Yet, something moves. Into the black wasteland scurries one tall, skinny man. He carries no gun. His pockets are filled with bandages rather than bullets. He alone seems to walk among this land crawling with screaming flesh.
"Please, Lord," he prays. "Let me get one more."
Desmond Doss finds another man, skin torn, bone exposed. He hoists him onto his back and returns to the face of a cliff, where he attaches the wounded man to a rope and slowly lowers him down to safety. Once lowered, Desmond turns around and heads back into the fires of Hacksaw Ridge.
"Please, Lord," he says again. "Let me get one more."
Noble as it may be, Hacksaw Ridge, a movie about a pacifist who won the Medal of Honor without firing a single shot, is a bit of a mess. It preaches a moral code of no violence by reveling in violence. Directed by Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge draws on Gibson's endless thirst for mayhem and his overzealous religious beliefs. It's very much a movie at war with itself.
The first half of Hacksaw Ridge lays out the childhood and adolescence of Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), a Seventh-day Adventist who strictly follows the word of the Lord. He lives in Virginia with his brother, mother and father, Tom (Hugo Weaving), an alcoholic World War I vet who suffers from a combination of PTSD and survivor's guilt. Tom obviously embodies the dichotomy set forth in Hacksaw Ridge. He preaches the virtues of nonviolence and forbids his sons from following in his footsteps for fear of having to visit them at the graveyard, where he spends most of his time visiting his friends. Yet, he is also quick to anger and beats his wife and his sons. He is a stumbling contradiction.
But when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Desmond and his brother can't ignore their patriotic duty to enlist. Desmond enters the Army as a Conscientious Objector (C.O.), with the intention of becoming a medic, but he still has to go through basic training. His commanding officer, Sergeant Howell (a totally miscast Vince Vaughn) does his best ode to Full Metal Jacket, but he doesn't quite have the cahones to make him believable in the role.
As a C.O., Desmond doesn't fit in with the other meatheads in his battalion. He won't touch a gun, so his fellow soldiers can't rely on him to have their back. Not just that, he refutes violence of any kind, even when a few of them gang up on him in the middle of the night. Desmond just takes it without fighting back. This earns him the label of a coward and he's eventually Court-Martialed for not fully complying with basic training. Though he's allowed to stay in as a C.O., it's not until the Battle of Okinawa that Desmond proves his worth.
The second half of Hacksaw Ridge takes us to this bloody battle, where director Mel Gibson pays nearly as much attention to the burning and perforating of flesh as he does to Desmond's task to rescue his fellow men. Almost as an ode to Saving Private Ryan, we see heads exploding, arms and legs flying off, torsos sans their appendages, and men choking on their own blood. Gibson paints the screen red, using pain and destruction as a catalyst for this story about freedom and redemption. As a very open Catholic, he quite literally seems to believe in the saving power of blood.
This makes Desmond's story a unique one for Gibson to tackle. As director, Gibson has never turned his head from gut-churning violence (see Passion of the Christ or Braveheart), and here he tells the story of a man who abhors it. Instead of giving us a hero who would die for his people, he gives us one who lives…and lives to save others.
Desmond Doss rescued 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa. He never fired a rifle, never threw a swing, maybe never even uttered a bad word. While I found Desmond's personal story engaging, I struggled with Gibson's overzealous choices to punish us with the word of God...and Vince Vaughn. Unforgivable.
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, J. K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt, Finn Wittrock, Callie Hernandez, Sonoya Mizuno, Jessica Rothe, Tom Everett Scott, Amiee Conn, Anna Chazelle, Josh Pence, Meagen Fay, Damon Gupton, Jason Fuchs, Marius de Vries
Oscar Wins: Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ("City of Stars"), Best Production Design
Other Nominations: Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song ("The Fools Who Dream"), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Picture
As a product of a musically inclined thespian family, I am no stranger to the movie musical. I'm a sucker for stories about emotions that are so powerful that they can't be put into mere words – they must be sung. Characters in musicals not only understood love differently, they were able to turn that love into art. Watching Gene Kelly dance or Frank Sinatra sing transcended dialogue into something great, something pure, something closer to true romance.
Damien Chazelle's colorful song-and-dance musical dares to swoon this old-fashioned way, with characters who rely on dance and music to express their feelings. This is a beautiful film about the lovers and the dreamers, the risk-takers and the fools…an ode to the hearts that ache and the dreams that break.
La La Land is set in contemporary Los Angeles, but its heart and soul are rooted in the past. It begins with a swell, an overture of horns – only these come from cars, not the orchestra pit. Tired commuters exit their cars and break into song ("Another Day of Sun"), singing about how each new day brings hope for the wannabe artists that flood to LA looking for a break.
Among the travelers are Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), both of whom are following fruitless dreams. Like their cars, their lives are crawling along. Sebastian wants to open a jazz club, but he's trapped playing Christmas carols at a high-end restaurant. Mia is one of thousands, a wannabe actress who is forced to work as a barista to make ends meet. Both are on a one-way trip to nowhere until fate puts them at the same place, at the same time.
The two bump into each other, first literally and then coincidentally, throughout the movie. They are Fred and Ginger, two souls who are sure they're not falling for each other. The logistics don't matter nearly as much as the way Mia swings her dress or Sebastian shuffles his feet. Their movements are in sync, which means they must be in love. It's old Hollywood romance, when two people discover what the audience already knows – that the reason they don't like each other is that they already love each other…they just need to figure it out.
Of course, it helps that Stone and Gosling have that kind of star power that made so many of those classic era movies memorable. He's smooth and charismatic; she's clever and quirky. His clean-shaven face and her Bette Davis eyes are what made the likes of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn famous.
Slowly encouraging each other, Mia and Sebastian start making moves towards their dreams. Mia, tired of waiting for her perfect role to come, decides to create her own by writing a one-woman show. Sebastian, looking to raise money for his club, joins a band fronted by former classmate, Keith (John Legend). By the time we get to this point in the movie, the musical scenes are few. The bright candy-coated colors that flooded the first half of the movie begin to fade away. It's about this point where La La Land loses a lot of people but, like everything in this film, it's completely by design.
It would be easy to assume that the title "La La Land" refers to the LA district, specifically Hollywood. This is a love letter to LA, after all. However, the term has a different meaning. According to Merriam-Webster, it's defined as "a euphoric dreamlike state detached from the harsher realities of life." The first half of this film feels like a dream. Mia and Sebastian are bathed in possibility. The right part is just around the corner! That club is going to make people fall back in love with jazz music! But, as reality sets in, those dreams begin to fade. Mia and Sebastian learn how hard it is to balance their growing love for each other with the passions they both want to follow separately. They come from a generation that wants to do it all…but that's not always possible.
It's easy to let the world get you down sometimes, especially in today's day and age. It's easy to think that dreams don't come true and that true love only exists in the movies. La La Land serves to remind us that movies can still be magical while also being grounded in reality. Two people can be in love, but the timing can still be off. The world may be set against the dreamers, but that shouldn't stop us from dreaming.
Director: Garth Davis
Starring: Dev Patel, Sunny Pawar, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman, Abhishek Bharate, Divian Ladwa, Keshav Jadhav, Priyanka Bose, Deepti Naval, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Menik Gooneratne, Riddhi Sen, Kaushik Sen, Rita Boy, Pallavi Sharda, Sachin Joab, Arka Das, Emilie Cocquerel
Other Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Def Patel), Best Supporting Actress (Nicole Kidman), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture
Let's close our eyes and imagine a time long, long ago – 1986, to be precise – before social media, smartphones, or Google. In these glorious times, a person could get lost without any hope of being found. Unless there was a payphone, a map, or a kind stranger nearby, finding your way home could prove to be a difficult task.
Of course, this is even scarier when you're a kid. If you're like me, you have those ingrained memories of being lost in a supermarket, carnival, or sporting event. You look up and find yourself in a towering forest of grown-ups, not knowing who to trust, who to talk to, or how to find your way back to what you know.
These fears are magnified 10-fold in Lion, the true story of a five-year-old Indian boy whose life changed after being separated from his older brother. The movie sneaks up on you as it proceeds to pluck your heart strings with its little cat feet.
Little Saroo (Sunny Pawar, the most adorable child to have ever existed in the history of the universe), is a young boy growing up as poor as one could in India. He and his beloved older brother, Guddu (Abhishek Bharate) are forced to beg for scraps of food and care for their younger sister while their mother does hard labor to make a mediocre living.
One night, Saroo accompanies Guddu to the train station, only to become separated moments later. The panicked Saroo boards a decommissioned train and falls asleep. He wakes to find it moving…with all the doors locked.
When the train finally stops and the doors open, he's in Calcutta, 1,600 kilometers from his home. He doesn't speak the local language (Bengali as opposed to Hindi) and, as a 5-year-old, can't even pronounce the name of his village correctly. For months he must fend for himself, eating scraps of food and taking shelter under bridges.
With minimal dialogue, Lion conveys the truly Dickensian dimensions of Saroo's situation. He may be small, but he is fierce. He has wicked street smarts and is able to tell when he's in danger, especially when things seem too good to be true.
Eventually, Saroo is taken into an orphanage and is adopted by an Australian family, Sue (Nicole Kidman) and John (David Wenham). In his new home, Saroo encounters such things as a television and a refrigerator for the first time. His joy and elation is pure magic.
The film then skips ahead 20 years, with Saroo being played by Dev Patel. He's grown into a smart, handsome man and is the pride and joy of his new parents. But memories of his long-ago life still haunt him…and the arrival of new technology raises the tantalizing possibility of him finding his first home. Using Google Earth, Saroo sets out to retrace his steps, built on the minimal information he can remember from his childhood. While watching Dev Patel stoke his beard and click around on his computer screen isn't GROUNDBREAKING cinema, it pays off beautifully in the end.
The world seems both small and vast in Lion. In one sense it's epic, capturing an amazing life divided between two very different worlds…yet it maintains an intimacy with Saroo that is so engaging, you can't help but feel lost with him – and also so very glad to have found him.
Director: Barry Jenkins
Starring: Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, Patrick Decile
Oscar Wins: Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture
Other Nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Naomie Harris), Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score
What does it mean to be Black in America today? That question is too big for any one film to answer, yet it serves as the driving force in Moonlight, an intimate character study that proves the African American identity is far too complex to be reduced to the stereotypes we so often see on screen.
"Black" isn't just a race, community, or color in Moonlight, but one of three names one sexually conflicted boy allows himself to be called in a story about taking control of your identity. For the majority of his life, Chiron's identity has been controlled by others. As a child, he is saddled with the nickname "Little" (Alex R. Hibbert). We meet him on the run, trying to hide from his classmates who want to beat him up.
"Little" is found in a boarded-up apartment by Juan (Mahershala Ali), a local drug dealer who takes pity on the boy. He buys him a meal and brings him back to his place, where "Little" is introduced to Juan's partner, Teresa (Janelle Monae). Though skeptical, "Little" takes pleasure in having this makeshift family. His dad is gone and his mother, Paula (Naomie Harris), happens to be one of Juan's best clients. Whether Juan is feeding into his parental instinct or he sees something of himself in Chiron is never said, but he becomes a bit of a father figure to him…even though he's providing his mother with the product that's ruining his home life.
The film then jumps to Chiron as a teenager (now played by Ashton Sanders). Going by his given name, Chiron is still dealing with intense bullying and questions about his sexuality. With his home life in shambles, Chiron has basically no support system, save his best friend, Kevin (Jharrel Jerome). Kevin seems to know Chiron better than he knows himself and the two share in intimate connection. It's the first time Chiron truly feels himself and, in a bid to protect his dream of love, he gathers up the courage to seek revenge on his bullies. What follows is every queer kid's revenge fantasy, followed by every queer kid's harsh reality.
Finally we see Chiron as a young adult, this time going by "Black" (Trevante Rhodes). Bulging with muscles, tattoos and a gold grill on his teeth, "Black" is armored from the outside, but still hurting on the inside. When he gets a phone call from Kevin (now played by Andre Holland), you can almost see his defenses melt away. Without monologues or melodrama, the film coalesces in a surprisingly emotional and resonant way that softly and subtly packs a huge punch.
One of the most refreshing things about Moonlight is that it challenges easy stereotypes at every turn. Juan might be a drug dealer, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a heart. He's not the type to sell drugs to ruin his or anyone else's life…he's making a living. When "Little" is done hanging out at Juan's house, he's returned safely to his home. After all, no matter how horrible Paula is, she is still Chiron's mother. There is respect there. And when "Little" asks Juan what a certain gay slur means, he's not smacked or yelled at or hushed. Juan explains it to him, as a good parent should, with patience and understanding. This is very obviously a story for black people, by black people…and it's beautiful.
While there's certainly memorable dialogue in Moonlight, it's the quiet moments that really resonate...a glance between friends, a forbidden touch, a memory here and gone. It's a beautiful film to see and experience, a coming-of-age story that is just as poetic as it is heartbreaking. It's a film that deeply understands the connections that make us human…that change our trajectory and show us who we truly are.


She's Fantastic: WWE Wrestling - NIA JAX!
WWE Wrestling - NIA JAX!
There comes a point in action figure collecting when you feel like you've seen everything. Every type of person, every type of alien, every color hair, every oversized weapon imaginable. But then it hits you like a ton of bricks when you see a plus-size female action figure hanging in the aisle and it stops you dead in your tracks. It's amazing to me that there hasn't been more body diversity in this hobby. Considering the real-world diversity of body types we see every day, the only bucks we see range from adolescent to muscular, but nothing beyond that. Sure I understand that most male figures are idealized Supermen as well, but not all. Without hesitation from the toy companies we get every male from Tyrion Lannister to Andre the Giant. There was an Amanda Waller JLU figure years ago. But that is literally the only female figure I can think of who broke the body mold before this Nia Jax hit the shelves. It's about time. Now we just need an MLF Thumbelina! Anyone? Just me? Fine. Let's check out Nia Jax!
SIDE NOTE: I'm restarting the social media arm of this blog (after years of being lazy). I made a new Instagram account (shesfantasticmadeofplastic) where I'll be posting pics of purchases, exciting press photos, toy events, and store finds. And I'll try to post links to new blog reviews on my Facebook. Click the links on the Right. Thanks!
Nia Jax is a former plus-size model, cousin of the Rock, and now an NXT Wrestler (who will be appearing in Total Divas Season 7 next month). I'm super glad they made her into an action figure and that they didn't shoehorn her into an existing sculpt. That said, this figure does her no justice. She wasn't a former model for no reason. She is a very attractive woman with a very strong physique, and this figure (the face at least) doesn't portray that very well.
Here is Nia with two recent WWE figures that really show off the different scales: Asuka and Tamina.


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Plop! The gold wedding band disappeared into the murky lake. Kate's blenderized emotions overflowed. Relief. An endinga beginning. She slowly walked back to her car. The final divorce papers were signed that morning in the judge's chambers. "Just call when you want to pick up the rest of your stuff," Ken politely commented. "Thanks," Kate stiffly replied. As usual, Ken hid his feelings behind a counterfeit smile.
Kate drove to her new apartment. 'Hi, Twinkle" she crooned as her cat meowed through the door. Kate got the cat and Ken got the auto-mechanic shop. All items purchased before the marriage belonged to each owner.
Kate felt like a giant failure. Two failed marriages and two divorces. How could she make the same mistake twice? Kate reread the book, Codependent No More. The author called it a codependent relapse. Kate attended counseling and support groups for 2 years after her first disastrous marriage before she felt whole and healed. She raised her three children, went back to college, and found a job she liked.
When her youngest daughter went off to college, Kate began to date again. She met Ken on a blind date. Some friends at church fixed her up. Ken, handsome and charming, knew how to play the game. He promised to give up smoking and drinking. He sent a bouquet of roses every week. He acted attentive and romantic. Their kisses were passionate and exciting. Family and friends told them both to slow down but the warnings were ignored. She emptied her savings into his new auto-mechanic business.
A dating whirlwind of 6 monthsa quick weddingthen reality. She found out Ken was an alcoholic. Kate slipped back into codependency and tried to fix Ken and the marriage. She attended appointments with the marriage counselor. At her urging, Ken checked into an alcohol rehab center so she tried to be understanding and patient. Elaborate dinners were cooked and she kept the house spotless. She remained silent when three months later, Ken returned to his addictions: smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, gambling, and flirting with other women. The rumors about Ken's affairs with other women made it to Kate's ears, but he denied it.
Kate struggled with the decision to file for a divorce. Guilt visited her daily. Ken was ambivalent. Thinking about a second divorce was agonizing. Kate sought advice from her pastor and was advised to stay in the marriage and make it work. After two years of being ignored and neglected, Kate stopped her efforts. She allowed herself to become irritable and numb to emotions. Joy seeped out of her soul. She slept in a separate bedroom. Pretending became too exhausting. Ken did not like conflict so they stopped talking about their problems.
She stopped going to church and stopped praying. Her bible was put into a drawer. Feeling guilty, sinful, and ashamed, Kate stopped taking phone calls from friends. How could she make the same mistake again! She felt embarrassed, humiliated, and foolish. She worried about her adult children. What would they think of two divorces? After all, she was a Christian and Christians are not supposed to get divorced!
Growing tired of self-pity and playing the victim, Kate filed for a divorce. An endless tunnel of guilt and sadness ensued. Depression and anxiety visited. Was God mad at her?
She went back into therapy and found God's forgiveness for the second divorce, but how could she forgive herself? Kate revisited God's grace and mercy. The bible was taken out of the drawer. She cried out to God for wisdom.
In due time, another chapter in her life opened. An endinga beginning.
Melissa writes about the God and human connection and condition.
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Coral Springs, officially the City of Coral Springs, is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Fort Lauderdale. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a population of 121,096. It is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6,012,331 people at the 2015 census.
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The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library champions the literary, artistic and cultural contributions of the late writer, artist, teacher and Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut. The library and museum serves as a cultural and educational resource unique to the nation.
There are many ways to invest and champion the work we do! From making a one-time contribution to becoming a member of a giving society, every gift is significant. We appreciate your continued support and for giving to our annual fund. If you are interested in sponsoring a specific event or initiative, click here.
With a recurring or one-time gift, you help us cultivate a nurturing atmosphere where creativity and expression can thrive. Your support is appreciated and makes a profound impact, no matter the amount.
Membership offers engaging opportunities and discounts you and your family can enjoy. Members are passionate about our mission and are actively involved in the work we do.
Without our patrons, it would not be possible for us to create unique exhibits and inspiring programs which impact diverse audiences. Patron support is vital to providing a home for free speech and common decency.
We aim to provide unique experiences that donors like you can enjoy. These new Giving Societies provide ways you can support our mission at the highest level of impact while gaining access to unique experiences and recognition.
VonnegutFest – 'So It Goes' Release Party
"Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the overflow crowd added to the excitement of the event. I was very impressed with the quality of the presenters—an opinion that has not been diminished by reading the journal from cover to cover. Well done!" –Greg Troxell
"We are anxious to have the opportunity for our students and professors to learn from an author with such an impressive body of work, who continues to be a prolific writer by drawing on history, culture, religion, politics, and contemporary ideas. And he has lived a courageous life that demonstrates that the pen is mightier than the sword." –Gregory Hess, President of Wabash College
Love this place! The curator Chris is an incredibly nice guy and very knowledgeable. The art is incredible, the selection of books is great and the history is awesome. Highly recommend checking it out!" –Brian Grimes (Facebook)
Teaching Vonnegut
"Slaughterhouse Five and Man Without a Country were the two texts I have used; however, this workshop has opened my eyes to the brilliance of the other works." –Teaching Vonnegut Attendee (survey)
A Dedicated Nonprofit
"Outside of its role as a museum, the KVML is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting literacy and battling censorship. Fans who are particularly dedicated will find this something of an emotional experience, and you could easily spend an hour and a half giving the place a thorough look." -Andy Polhamus (Facebook)
Keeping the Flame
"Since 2011 the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library has been keeping the flame of the famed author, war veteran, pacifist, free-speech advocate, critic, counter-culture icon and Indianapolis' favorite son…If you've never read any Kurt Vonnegut at all, this small library and museum is determined to show you why you should." –Atlas Obscura
"Having buy-in from the city at that level really solidified the importance of both Banned Books Week and the Vonnegut Library." –Anonymous (survey)
Heavily Involved in Banned Books Week
"I am a member of the library because I love KV's work but also because the library is heavily involved in Banned Books Week every year. I would say that they are the leader in the area when it comes to this, always very cool stuff, provocative stuff and it seems that a lot of people who work and volunteer there wear their geek heart on their sleeve. I feel KV is the closest thing Indiana got to a Mark Twain, witty and insightful." –Thomas Childress (Facebook)
Every Indiana Dweller Should Come Here
"I could kick myself for how many times I had walked right past this place without going in. Every Indiana dweller should come here. I'm very grateful to have visited while the curator of the library was there. He was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and eager to share his Vonnegut wisdom with me, just as I was eager to hear it.
The place is smaller than I imagined, but clean and quaint, making my heart swoon a little. There are books for sale, and group emails or clubs available to sign up. I learned a lot, read an excellent book at the result of my visit, and thoroughly enjoyed my time with the staff, who made me feel like family." –Kayla V. (Yelp)
Unique Cultural and Educational Resource
"The library/museum is housed in a downtown building called the Emelie, built in 1902 and listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The staff are not only curators of Vonnegut's work, but advocates of his ideals. In addition to their collection of his drawings, books, papers and letters (some of which are original publisher rejection letters), there is a recreation of the writer's personal work space, a reading room, and a small art gallery. They see themselves as a unique cultural and educational resource, reaching into the hearts of readers, Hoosiers and beyond. Maybe that's the best description of Vonnegut himself." –Atlas Obscura
An Excellent Memorial
"I felt I was walking on hallowed ground. This is an excellent memorial to a great Hoosier and one of our finest American authors. Loved it. Highly recommend." – David Cooley (Facebook)
"I enjoyed the variety of presentations and the clear expertise and knowledge of the presenters. I got lots of great ideas, not only things I was expecting (like text/practice ideas) but also things I didn't expect at all (like wanting to create a literary garden even though I am not a gardener)." –Teaching Vonnegut Attendee (survey)
A Living, Breathing Tribute
"If you're a Vonnegut fan, you MUST see this living, breathing tribute to him. You'll love it. If you are not a Vonnegut fan or don't even know who he is, take this opportunity to make yourself aware. This is a nice space. It's very manageable, it's comfortable, and it's well done. It's free entry, but of course it's nice to leave a donation/tip and help support the arts. There's a bookstore where you can purchase some cute Vonnegut souvenir items." –Tracy A. (Yelp)
"The Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library gets a lot of monetary support from memberships, so consider checking out those options and giving back if you're a Vonnegut aficionado. Otherwise, just a cool place to stop in! I'm inspired to learn more about Vonnegut's life now." –Katie U. (Yelp)
Captures the Vonnegut Vibe
"It's not a very big place, but it does capture the Vonnegut vibe and is a good place to spend a little time if you are a fan of Vonnegut's writing. The gift shop offers copies of his novels and a highlight for most people is getting to type at the little blue typewriter in the office replica and reading the framed rejection letter. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable which adds to the experience. There are often special exhibits and events scheduled at the museum as well. This is certainly another gem for the city of Indianapolis." -Jill J. (Tripadvisor)
A Pilgrimage Destination
"Fantastic space. A pilgrimage for anyone who's read Kurt's work." -Simon R. (Facebook)
A Must-See
"The KVML is a must see for anyone who has been affected by the work of great American writer, Kurt Vonnegut. The store is stocked with the latest prints of all of his works, the walls are lined with some of his screen printing, and every member of the staff is a well versed expert on all of his works." –Addie Lipson (Facebook)


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M. Night Shyamalan "chickened out" connecting these two movies
M Night Shayalan isn't against his thriller movies crossing over but he chickened out of having another film connect to Glass, and no it wasn't The Happening
Tom Percival
Shared universes are all the rage in movies these days, and M. Night Shyamalan is no stranger to having his films crossover. At the end of his 2017 film Split, he revealed the thriller movie was, in fact, set in the same world as Unbreakable. He followed that up with Glass, a full-on team-up superhero movie.
It turns out, however, that Shyamalan considered throwing another one of his films into the mix. "There was one tie-in that I almost did," Shyamalan told THR. "It was in Glass when they all got to the mental institution. I was going to tell a story about The Visit and how two people escaped from that same hospital. I was going to do it, but I chickened out."
The Visit, in case you've missed it, was a horror movie about two children who are sent across the country to visit their grandparents. Once they arrive, though, it soon becomes clear something's not quite right with the old folks, and sure enough, there's a third-act twist that'll leave you pretty shocked.
That said, it's probably for the best that the two films didn't cross over. Far be it from us to point out potential plot holes in Shyamalan's work, but the hospital in Glass is in Philadelphia. At the same time, The Visit is set somewhere in rural America, so the escapees would have been on quite a journey on their hands.
Anyway, the real question we want the answer to is whether Shyamalan's best movie, The Sixth Sense, is secretly set in the same world as Glass. Come on, M. Night, the people want to know!
If you love Shyamalan's work as much as we do, check out our guide to his new movie Knock at the Cabin, or we have an article listing the best thriller series.
The best M Night Shyamalan movies
Dave Bautista to star in M. Night Shyamalan's new movie Knock at the Cabin
M. Night Shyamalan secretly wrote this iconic rom-com
The Happening star Zooey Deschanel thinks people didn't get it
Editor at The Digital Fix and fan of dressing like a time-traveller, Tom loves three things; the MCU, Spider-Man, Ghostbusters... oh, and writing in the third person.


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Construction Claims & Litigation
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Premises Liability & Hospitality Claims Litigation
Insurance Coverage & Related Matters
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Government Tort Liability
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Meet Marisabel Morejon
Marisabel Morejon
Marisa is an associate attorney in the Orlando office of Koeller Nebeker Carlson Haluck, LLP and represents developers and general contractors in all aspects of construction defect claims and construction litigation matters.
She is a strong believer in dedication, candor, and hard work, as is apparent in her work and professional relationships. Marisa aims to achieve excellent results for her clients during each stage of litigation.
Marisa attended college at the University of Central Florida, where she earned her B.A. in Finance and B.S. in Legal Studies. She then attended Stetson University College of Law where she earned a dual J.D./M.B.A. During her time at Stetson, Marisa co-founded, and was Executive Editor, of the Stetson Business Law Review. Additionally, she was a member of the Dispute Resolution Board, where she competed at the National UCLA Transactional Drafting and Negotiation Competition, and also received a Certificate of Concentration in Business Law.
Outside of work, Marisa enjoys traveling to new places, bike riding, and spending time with her family and dogs.
marisabel.morejon@knchlaw.com
University of Central Florida, 2018 – B.A. Finance & B.S. Legal Studies
Stetson University, 2022 – M.B.A.
Stetson University College of Law, 2022 – J.D.
States Licensed to Practice
State Bar of Florida, 2022
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Koeller, Nebeker, Carlson, & Haluck, LLP is a recognized authority in all areas of construction litigation with a broad spectrum of practice areas including Business Litigation, Construction Claims, Construction Litigation, E-Discovery & Data Management, Employment Litigation, Environmental Law, General Legal Defense, Government Tort Liability, Professional Malpractice, Insurance Coverage/Bad Faith Litigation, Workers' Compensation & Emergency Response Team. The firm has expanded rapidly since its inception in 1986 and has formed a dynamic presence in California (Irvine, San Diego, and Sacramento), Arizona (Phoenix), Nevada (Las Vegas) , Florida (Orlando) & Texas (Austin).


Brazil is, considering area and population, the fifth biggest country in the world. It is the biggest and with its 200 Million inhabitants also the most populous state in South America. Although Brazil is partial advanced and well developed in parts of the big metropolitan cities like Rio de Janeiro, S.o Paulo or Curitiba, this status is not representative for the whole country. One third of Brazil's population still lives below the poverty line and has essential problems for example with getting access to drinking water or a working health system. Ilha das Peças ("Island of Parts/Pieces"), an island located in the south of Brazil, at the Atlantic coast of the state Paran.. It is one example for a region that, under the given circumstances and in comparison to others, seems to be disadvantaged. Additionally, the island has to cope with lots of trash which gets picked up irregularly and therefore contaminates the soil. Besides fishery and day-tourism they do not have considerable job opportunities and only once a day a boat connection to the mainland city Paranagu.
For this reason, Ecohabitare, a research program from PUCPR, which develops sustainable housing solutions, is executing projects on Ilha das Pe.as since 2012. The interdisciplinary team consists of around 70 professors and students. Ecohabitare identifies housing needs, supports community development and provides sustainable solutions that bring benefits to residents. When I got to know Ecohabitare program I became interested in its interdisciplinary and sustainable work and the projects on Ilha das Pe.as. My first impression was that the projects were not organized in one system. The first information I received only orally and collected information seemed to not exist. On my first visit on Ilha das Pe.as I discovered much potential considering different topics that could be opportunities to help the residents of the island to increase their living situation, which inspired and motivated me for my thesis. Apart from that, I was wondering about the effect or impact of the Ecohabitare work at the island, since the program was active on-site since four years already. I saw potential in the organization of the projects and even more in a combination of priority projects that increase the main grievances of the island.
For this reason I started my Master Thesis "Combinar Peças – Combine Parts using the example of Ilha das Peças", which initially had the intention to collect, structure and share the different project information and therefore find a strategy to combine the project parts to one big project and make it work more efficiently.


ARC Side Tables are made at different heights to be modular pieces that can be mixed and matched in different configurations.
Focusing on using materials that are common in uncommon ways, we have kept the form simple in order to to highlight the endgrain of the Baltic birch used to create this unique object. Keeping the form simple is also our way of ensuring a timeless design.


The Australian Museum is Australia's oldest museum, and an institution at the forefront of Australian scientific research, collection and education. Seeking to develop a sustainable plan for its future, that addresses issues of relevance to an audience with shifting needs, the Museum engaged Left Bank Co. to lead discussions about the way masterplanning is integral to the process of reinvention for the institution.
Left Bank Co. conceived and delivered a half-day workshop for the Museum's leadership, with the purpose of defining what the masterplanning process means to them and how it can work to make the most out of their investment. The aim was to ensure the team had a shared language, clarity of communication and common purpose heading into this process.
The resulting workshop was designed to take the team through an examination of the existing and desired state for the Museum, develop an understanding of the state of arts and culture and how the Museum and leadership team could enable the desired state within this framework, and to educate them on the masterplanning process and how it would support their vision for the Museum. The workshop report delivered to the team summarised the discussions had, and lay out a strategic path for the team to take to achieve success.


The Raushu are the most violent nation of the entire Blue Stone planet. Their desire for survival is almost defined by their desire to conquest. Since their land was poisoned centuries ago they only see their survival being fulfilled by continuously trying to acquire new territories at any cost. Even though their land is currently large enough to hold 10 times the population and they already have major problems holding off the savage creatures in many areas in their own country.


The Musicians Union, Local 99 is the economic justice organization serving and representing professional musicians in Portland, Oregon and surrounding areas. We are affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians of the US and Canada (AFM). Use the links above to learn more about the benefits of membership and find out how you can get involved.
. . . and click on event for performance details.
This calendar is updated daily.
Meeting hall rentals available for small- to medium-sized private events. Contact the office for more information.


HTH NTN TV frequency recently changed to a new one, the channel can be viewed now live on Astra 4A at the new stable frequencies.
NTN (stands Ukr. ' H atsіonalnі T elevіzіynі H CVID National Television News Ukrainian nationwide channel. The TV channel is a part of UA Inter Media Group broadcast serials and programs on criminal topics.


Our company's choice of tile flooring is absolutely incomparable inside our marketplace. The flooring in the house is what makes a space, that's the reason why it can be a very big decision. You take a look at your flooring every day whenever you are household, that's why it is essential to purchase a flooring that fits your lifestyle. Whether it is your kitchen floor, family room floor, bathroom floor, dining room floor, or some other room in the home you must adore it. Combined with choosing a flooring that matches your look, it's also vital that you purchase a flooring which is long lasting. On top of tile, we carry hardwood, vinyl, carpet and laminate flooring installation Flowing Wells AZ options.
The only thing we provide at Your Floor Guys is top notch quality flooring with our the very best quality installations. Natural stone has the capacity to hold the temperature of the air, resist moisture, stains, and is durable. That's the reason why the tiles we stock were made to resemble natural stone. With the assortment of amazing and stylish tiles we feature, you will have the ability to select which tiles go perfectly with the interior design of your residence.
Our company's number one priority is our buyers. Therefore, our company offers them with the ability to make a choice from a substantial assortment of tiles. We stock all different kinds of floor tile: porcelain tile flooring, cork tile flooring, stone tile flooring, ceramic floor tiles, slate tile flooring, granite tile flooring, wooden floor tiles, vinyl tile flooring, adhesive floor tiles, marble tile flooring, brick tile flooring, non-slip floor tiles, and much more kinds of tiles.
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If you want to buy CBD oil in Delaware, you probably have some questions given the legal intricacies of cannabis and its derivates.
CBD, which stands for cannabidiol, can be derived from both marijuana and hemp. This compound is one of the many that the cannabis plant has. It's popular second to THC, which if you haven't known, is the compound responsible for giving that regular marijuana high. CBD, on the other hand, is non-psychoactive, so taking it won't cause any intoxicating feeling.
Delaware isn't exactly a cannabis-friendly state, but it's becoming one of the most progressive states in terms of marijuana legalization. In fact, the market for CBD products is thriving.
Delaware has just passed a comprehensive legislation for medical marijuana, which means you can possess a small amount of marijuana in the state. Many believe that the state will soon legalize recreational marijuana.
Is CBD Oil Legal in Delaware?
To put it simply, yes, CBD products are legal in Delaware. However, it depends on where the compound is derived.
Under Senate Bill 17 or the DE Medical Marijuana Act, individuals with a medical marijuana card and a physician's certification can obtain marijuana for medical uses. If a patient secures the complete requirements, these can be turned over to the Department of Health and Social Services. From there, they can legally buy medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana patients can possess up to 6 ounces of marijuana. However, they are not allowed to buy more than 3 ounces over a period of two weeks.
When it comes to CBD products derived from marijuana, both adults and minors have been allowed to buy them since 2015. For minors, however, CBD products should have at least 15% of CBD with a THC level of 7% or less. It's also worth noting that minors are allowed to use medical marijuana on school grounds, made possible by the Senate Bill 181.
When it comes to CBD hemp oil, the 2014 Farm Bill made it completely legal nationwide. This means that products made from hemp follow the same rules as other hemp-based products.
State laws in the US are dynamic and fluid, which means that each state is allowed to make certain adjustments when it comes to hemp-based products. In Delaware, however, there have been no changes to the legal status of CBD products derived from hemp.
What Kind of CBD Oils are Legal/Available in Delaware?
Delaware has several types of CBD products. Product types range from capsules to edibles to vape oils. Topicals in the form of ointments and creams are also available.
As of writing the use of recreational marijuana is illegal in Delaware, but progress is being made. The passing of Senate Bill 197 has made it easier to expunge marijuana convictions that happened before 18th December 2015.
There are also amendments to House Bill 110 that have been filed in order to permit recreational marijuana. According to statistics, the expected earnings for recreational marijuana could be as much as $47 million by the year 2021.
What can CBD Oil be Used for in Delaware?
How can I Get CBD Oil in Delaware?
When it comes to buying CBD products in Delaware, it's best to take note of the product's CBD strength per milligram. For example, if a product indicates that it has 250 mg of CBD, then it must have 250 milligrams of actual active CBD. Be wary of products that don't list the mg dosage of their CBD products. You may not get the results that you want to achieve.
If you want the best selection of CBD products such as liquids, edibles, tea, or wax, Wilmington is the place to go.
Can Doctors Prescribe CBD Oil in Delaware?
Delaware allows its residents to acquire a medical marijuana card. As mentioned, using marijuana for recreational purposes is illegal in the state, so you may only possess marijuana and its many forms for medical purposes.
You can get cannabis oil and other products from state-licensed dispensaries if you have a doctor's recommendation. As of 2018, the state has more than 30,000 registered patients who are allowed to possess up to 6 ounces of medical marijuana and CBD products. DE has a small medical dispensary system with compulsory vertical integration. This means that if you own a dispensary, you must cultivate your own products.
Can I buy CBD Online in Delaware?
Yes. If you live far away from Wilmington or anywhere that doesn't have easy access to CBD products, you can always buy your CBD products online in Delaware.
If you decide to buy CBD online, make sure that the seller has excellent reviews and third-party lab testing results posted on their website.
CBD hemp oil, or oils extracted from hemp, are completely legal Delaware, thanks to the 2014 Farm Bill. This means that you can freely purchase it without encountering problems with the law. If you need something with a high amount if THC, however, you will need a medical marijuana card and a doctor's recommendation.
Signs indicate Delaware will soon legalize recreational marijuana. Until then, stick to hemp-derived CBD products if you don't have an MMJ card.


1 What Is Garcinia SlimDiet?
2 How Does Garcinia SlimDiet Formula Work?
6 Where to Order Garcinia SlimDiet Supplement?
Talking about the quality of this health supplement, it is certainly a beautiful and helpful product particular for juvenile females. It is alleged to be useful product for fatty and obese ladies. The formula of this type of fat burner aids women in losing their stubborn body weight naturally. The Garcinia SlimDiet Review has matchless fixings that will help especially overweight girls and women in holding back their hunger food cravings and putting off binge eating habits. This is an incredible type of product for shoppers, as it is always made with high quality ingredients for reducing your extra belly weight effectively.
How Does Garcinia SlimDiet Formula Work?
Like many other slimming pills and weight loss supplements available in the market, Garcinia SlimDiet works very efficiently and naturally by quickly blocking the hunger pangs of users and stimulating their body's mechanism to reduce the production of fatty acids. This slimming supplement is well known due to its versatile fixing called as hydroxycitric acid (HCA). This is a high quality fixing that helps shoppers in blocking the production of carbohydrates and sugars into fatty acids in user's body and also burning down the stubborn fat cells and tissues.
This weight control supplement also works effectively for users by lessening the symptoms of stress, anxiety, mental fatigue and binge eating disorder. All these factors become the ultimate cause of chronic obesity or plumpness. Excessive food cravings and emotional habit habits will be prevented by the regular use of this supplement, thus no pointless calories and stubborn fats will be stored inside your body. Despite that, this slim diet supplement also prevents cartisol levels in your body, which will diminish the symptoms of stress hormones and anxiety, resulting to your improved health.
Essentially, the formula this fat burner supplement is made with one of the best quality ingredients called as Garcinia Cambogia. This is also called Malabar Tamarind fixing, which is a tropical fruit that plays a vital role in the production of hydroxycitric acid (HCA). By taking the regular dosage of Garcinia Cambogia SlimDiet supplement, you will be able to control your hunger pangs or emotional eating habits. Plus, it will help you to block the instant production and growth of fatty acids and tissues inside the bodies of shoppers. Despite that, there are many other types of fixings used in this slimming supplement such as vitamins, minerals, potassium, calcium and nutrients. Hence, Garcinia Cambogia Weight Loss supplement does have an ability to shed the extra tummy weight due to its natural ingredients in only a few weeks.
By taking these slim diet pills, you will be able to prevent hunger pangs or emotional eating habits instantly.
By using the dosage of this diet supplement, you will be able to regulate the levels of serotonin inside your brain and repress binge eating disorder.
By taking the dosage of this fat burning supplement, you will be able to promote the body's mechanism (metabolism), as it allows you to control the production of fat and pointless calories in your body.
By the regular usage of this diet pill, you will be able to make yourself fell fuller and eat less oily and spicy foodstuffs all the time.
By using these slim diet pills and supplements, you will be able to regulate the digestive and immune systems of your body.
By swallowing Garcinia SlimDiet Pills, you will be able to prevent from several types of chronic diseases like depression, anxiety, mental stress, chronic obesity and emotional eating disorder.
By using these diet pills, you will be able to improve cardiovascular system of your body by cutting down the symptoms of high blood pressure, glucose levels and diabetes.
Finally, by taking this dietary supplement, you will be able to experience no negative side-effects, cons or any other disadvantages for instance fillers, additives, toxins, binders, artificial flavors and free radicals damage.
Where to Order Garcinia SlimDiet Supplement?
If you are searching for trustworthy product like Garcinia SlimDiet supplement regarding your healthy weight loss and natural fitness, then you are honestly advised to conduct an in-depth research on slimming pills and supplements on the Internet so that you could easily buy your likely product on the cheaply. It is a highly beneficial, durable and cost-effective slim diet supplement for both males as well as females.


Used as FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client alternatives, web file management tools have always been sluggish and poor in capabilities. Nevertheless, with the File Manager built in the SupremePanel Web Site Control Panel, you won't only employ a rapid, intuitive and easy–to–use file management software, but also a tool that will make an external FTP program unneeded. Check out some of the options that we have built into our File Manager.
Posting data files with an FTP tool is an outdated and quite an unsafe way for transporting data files from your laptop or computer to a server. That's why, we have included drag & drop file upload support in the File Manager. Just pull the files that you need to add from your computer into your Internet browser and they will begin to upload in your web hosting account through a secure SSL communication.
You don't need to set up any additional computer software, web browser plug–ins or programs. The drag & drop feature performs just as well on Windows, Mac and Linux.
The majority of File Managers list all of the activities which you can carry out within a file or directory on the top of the web page. We feel the latter is not intuitive enough. With the File Manager, you have access to all file management choices any time you right–click a file or directory. This method is also applicable for many different files/folders.
You'll be able to rename, copy, move, download, edit, preview, archive, unarchive and delete just about any file or directory you decide with just a click of the mouse.
Due to the internal archive/unarchive option, the File Manager really helps to work with large files with no need to use FTP. You'll be able to reduce the size of a folder to a compact size by simply clicking on the Compress button or gain access to the items in an archived folder through the Extract button. When compressing a directory or a list of files, it will be easy to select the archive extension (.ZIP, .RAR or .TAR.GZ) and then the name of the archive file.
From the File Manager it is possible to edit your files directly online making use of any of the included software instruments. The text editor reveals the files in a plain text file format, the code editor has syntax emphasizing for your personal .PHP or .JS files, and then the WYSIWYG editor allows you to see all the edits while they show up live. Furthermore, all changes that you generate and keep will be shown at once on the Internet, so you can examine them in your own browser and get back to make more modifications, if unhappy.
You do not have to download your files, to revise them through your personal computer and to re–upload them into your hosting account. All the editors are found via the buttons at the top of the file table or from your right–click context menus.
All of the files in your hosting account are neatly sorted into directories. Each and every host features its own main directory, which follows the file structure which you have selected. In this way, it is really straightforward to take care of all of your current hosts from one place without any chance of getting lost or baffled.
By default, you will see all the hosts listed in a table and if you click once over a specific host, you will observe the whole set of sub–folders and files pertaining to it. By clicking twice, you are going to visit a webpage which is focused on that host alone. An additional way to load the folder pertaining to a specific host and to work with it solely, is by using the drop–down menu near the top of the main File Manager file table.
The majority of web File Managers are slow and tricky to make use of. They offer limited possibilities and aren't really simple to use. We aim to transform that through the SupremePanel File Manager. It is created to be intuitive and also to resemble an item you are already well aware of – the File Manager on your desktop.
All its attributes, the drag–and–drop file upload solutions, the right–click contextual menus, the in–built file editors, etcetera exist for 1 reason – to help make taking care of your web site(s) more convenient.
You'll be able to make use of a plethora of files simultaneously using the multi–selection ability of the SupremePanel File Manager. All you should do is hold down the Control key and then click on the files or folders that you want to select. Should you wish to choose a variety of files/folders in a row at the same time, pick the first file/folder, hold down the Shift key and afterwards choose the final file or folder within the group.
For people with chosen the desired files/folders, you can drag them to a specific spot, or employ a variety of activities to them when using the right–click contextual menu or maybe the buttons at the top of the file table.
If you wish to password–protect a directory within your web site, you need to make an .htaccess file manually. Expectedly, this can be time–consuming and complicated if you aren't well–trained in web hosting. Thanks to the File Manager, you can create a password–secured directory and conceal all of its contents from the general public with a few clicks.
All you have to execute is right–click a directory, pick out Password Protection and after that click the Add option. And then just indicate a login name as well as a password. No additional setup is required and there is no need to address an .htaccess file. Our platform will handle every little thing for you.


Focus Pointe Philadelphia is looking for people from the ages 35-65 to participate in a paid small group discussion about home ownership taking place the week of February 18th. You can earn $125 for 1 hour and 45 minutes of your time. If you are interested in participating, please sign up and take the survey to see if you qualify!


Cecilia Hillström Gallery is pleased to open the autumn season with two artists in a duo presentation; Gabriella Loeb and Martha Ossowska Persson. As the title of the exhibition implies, they share a sensibility in terms of closeness to the media of their choice – sculpture made of hardened fabric and large-scale watercolour painting. For both artists, questions arise from the act of doing. Loeb and Ossowska Persson let the painstaking process – involving a considerable amount of technical skill – guide their way to the final result.
With a background in fashion, Gabriella Loeb abandoned the limitations and ideals of the fashion industry and became interested in the space outside the body. Her approach stems from an interdisciplinary approach where the know-how of haute couture, painting and dance is key. In her sculptures, Loeb uses texture to create structure, provoking sensation through an immeasurable number of folds. They are composed in toile, a lightweight canvas meant for both draping and painting on. "The folds are made by thousands of hand sewn stitches that eat up the length of the fabric, slowing down the material from something quick and uncontrollable to a structure with an inner skeleton", Loeb explains. Its resin coating freezes the textile in the midst of its performance, turning it from flesh to bone. Gabriella Loeb's interest in art from the Baroque era manifests itself in the way her sculptures affect the viewer, encouraging movement and interaction, at the same time expressing strength and vulnerability.
Ossowska Persson works with a multilayered exploration of the human body and embedded human behaviors. Her large-scale watercolour paintings capture bodies and limbs in moments of physical contact or tactile games that can be perceived as both an encounter and a threat. The close-up paintings of intertwined hands almost become abstract works, conveying the complex feelings residing in our bodies. The size of the paintings is important, challenging the artist conceptually as well as physically. For Martha Ossowska Persson, each brush stroke is risk-taking. In the constant struggle with the working material, the remnants of colour on the surface are the result of a process of coercion, skill and chance.
Gabriella Loeb (b 1985 in Miami, USA) holds an MFA from Konstfack/University College of Arts, Crafts and Design (2014), and has also studied at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. She received the Stavenowska Award in 2014 in connection with the Master Degree Show.
Martha Ossowska Persson (b 1983 in Gothenburg) graduated from Valand Academy in 2014 (MFA), and has previously studied architecture at Chalmers University of Technology. She was awarded the Fredrik Roos Art Grant earlier this year, showing her works at Moderna Museet Malmö.
Read more about exhibitions with Martha Ossowska Persson here.


Maybe the era of the Internet of Things is upon us. Chatter about home automation has recently increased by more than eight times year over year on Facebook, mostly driven by the chatter of millennial men.
The terms "security" and "security alarm" are among the associated topics with home automation on Facebook. So brands like ADT and Frontpoint may want to take note in planning to target young dudes who own homes. Marketers for Amazon Echo and FitBit—both IoT subjects that are also trending—should consider these findings as well.
We learned these things from Facebook IQ's latest data chart called Topics to Watch, which is designed to help marketers know what subjects to look out for on the social network. The topics are based on trending data, and Adweek readers get an exclusive look at them each month.
The latest edition also includes interesting insights to the trending subjects of downtempo music and tunics/fashion accessories.


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Stephanie Allen on Publishing & Amplifying the Voices of Black Women Writers
A few weeks ago I was interviewed by writer and blogger Nadine Tomlinson. Listen to our conversation here.
Tags Stephanie Andrea Allen, Nadine Tomlinson, Storytellers, Black women writers, podcasts
Penny Mickelbury Joins BLF Press
September 6, 2017 S Allen
A New Collection of Short Fiction from Penny Mickelbury
God's Will and Other Lies
CLAYTON, North Carolina, September 4, 2017—BLF Press is pleased to announce the acquisition of a collection of short fiction by esteemed journalist, mystery writer, and playwright, Penny Mickelbury. God's Will and Other Lies is tentatively scheduled for release in early 2019.
Mickelbury was a pioneering newspaper, radio and television journalist based primarily in Washington, D.C. She taught journalism at the Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a charter middle school, and was a Coordinator with the Los Angeles Public Library's Adult Literacy Program. Mickelbury was a resident writer at Hedgebrook Women Writers Retreat, and is a recipient of the Audre Lorde Estate Grant. She was a co-founder of Alchemy: Theatre of Change, a young people's' acting company in New York City. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner of 18 years.
Her new collection, God's Will and Other Lies, (will join her catalog of ten published mystery novels in three successful series: The Carol Ann Gibson Mysteries (winner of a Gold Pen Award by the Black Writers Alliance,) The Mimi Patterson/Gianna Maglione Mysteries (two-time Lambda Literary Award finalists), and the Phil Rodriquez Mysteries.
Also an accomplished playwright, Mickelbury's play The Black Family Robinson was one of three plays that inaugurated the Inglewood/Willie Agee Playhouse (Los Angeles) Staged Reading Series in 2016 and last year she was the recipient of an Ethel Woolson Lab, a competitive honor, for her play Hush Now, which received a staged reading at Atlanta's Alliance Theatre Black Box. Hush Now also received a staged reading as part of the Fountain Theatre's (Los Angeles) New Works festival. Her play Waiting for Gabriel was the second place winner in the Theodore Ward Competition and was part of the TriBeCa Film Studio's (New York) Staged Reading Series.
"We are honored to have Penny join us at BLF Press," said publisher Stephanie Andrea Allen. "She is one of our Black lesbian literary foremothers, and a collection of stories focused on the multiplicity of Black women's lives, lesbian or not, is just what we need right now."
When asked why she was starting this project, Mickelbury stated "We wonderful Women of Color! If punctured--yes, we all bleed red. But we are not all the same. We live different lives and we tell different stories and we tell them differently. We know this, and so does Prof. Stephanie Andrea Allen. BLF Press gives space and volume to our voices. This book has been a long time coming and it is way overdue. Thank you, BLF Press, for your vision and your courage."
Tags Penny Mickelbury, BLF Press, Black women writers