Sunshine

Oscar winner Danny Boyle has really established himself as a visionary director who can successfully dabble in the most disparate genres (he’s tackled existential dramas, horrors, love stories, and now science fiction).

In Sunshine, a crew of 8 is sent on a mission to detonate an enormous nuclear bomb at the center of the Sun, as our star seems to be dying, an event that would spell death for everyone and everything on Earth as well.

While I was at first a little incredulous of the viability of such a mission, listening to the commentary by the scientist that the production hired to ensure the highest level of believability helped assuage my uneasiness, while at the same time raising my appreciation of the movie as a whole.

The screenplay is well written and the characters developed enough to come through as three dimensional.  The acting is good on the part of the whole cast and the visual effects are top notch.

A lot of eye candy is also provided by Cillian Murphy (if he suits you), the hunky Cliff Curtis, the handsome Troy Garity and Hiroyuki Sanada, and, towering above all, the gorgeous Chris Evans.

Grade: 8

RED

I watched RED as a double feature with fairly low expectations but it turned out to be quite entertaining.

The rather original plot revolves around a group of retired former spies for whom the government has now very little use and, apparently, even less trust.  What follows will force them to pick their trade’s tools back up and band together in order to survive.

RED was originally a short lived comic strip, which explains its occasional tongue-in-cheek tone and the rather unlikely series of events unfolding on screen, and if one accepts those premises, he won’t be disappointed.

The best thing about RED is, unarguably, its eye-popping, all-star cast: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, John Malkovich, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Brian Cox, and Richard Dreyfuss all seem to have had one hell of a good time making this movie, and it was nice to see the gorgeous Karl Urban out of his Lord of the Rings costume – let’s hope we’ll see a lot more of him in the future...

Overall, it’s a fun caper for a light night of entertainment.

Grade: 7

The Social Network

David Fincher’s latest project analyses the origins of the tremendously successful phenomenon that’s become Facebook.  He shows us the kind of life its inventor, Mark Zuckerberg, lived on the Harvard campus shortly before he came up (or pilfered) the idea for the social network that would make him the youngest billionaire ever.

Jesse Eisenberg portrays the fast talking, fast thinking computer wizard so brilliantly he’s not only guaranteed to earn an Oscar nomination for he role, he’s even buzzed about as a possible winner, and with good reason.  The very sexy Andrew Garfield portrays Zuckerberg’s original business partner, while the incredibly talented (and hot) Justin Timberlake plays Sean Parker, of the Napster fame, who became Zuckerberg’s biggest supporter early on.

Finally, the very handsome Armie Hammer plays Zuckerberg’s enemies, the Winklevoss twins, with the aid of such refined visual effects wizardry you’d never even know the same actor played both parts.

The whole cast is able to shine, however, thanks to the wittiest screenplay in years, a work that should, by right, land Aaron Sorkin on the podium on Oscar night.

The movie itself is currently the favorite to win Best Picture as well, and given its quality I’d recommend it to everyone, even just to get a glimpse of the life of the man who now knows so much about all of ours...

Grade: 9

Wedding Crashers

One of those typically light summer movie concoctions, Wedding Crashers manages to be both funny and original.

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn sure make for a good comedic team as they refine their wedding crashing skills in order to land free meals, entertainment, and, most of all, women.  Little do they know that a chance encounter is about to change both their lives forever.

Both Wilson and Vaughn, two actors I’ve always appreciated (and find very cute), do a good job, as do Rachel McAdams and the gorgeous Bradley Cooper, but it’s the legendary Christopher Walken who gives the most eccentric performance.

Overall, a very enjoyable comedy that I would recommend, especially given that this type of movie isn’t always that satisfying.

Grade: 7

A historic moment

On Wednesday, 22nd 2010 President Barack Obama signed into law the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which forced gays and lesbians serving in the military to keep their sexuality and private lives hidden or face discharge.

It’s a long video, but a good speech:

Easy A

A refreshingly funny comedy about the high school years, Easy A succeeds where many similar movies fail, moving beyond the dumb frat-boy jokes and the annoying girlie crushes.

Emma Stone plays Olive, a nice girl who ends up paying a price that gets higher and higher simply for being too altruistic.  Stone is absolutely great in this role, and I cannot but root for her cachet to keep growing.

Of note are also Patricia Clarkson, Amanda Bynes and my beloved Lisa Kudrow, while the eye candy is effectively provided by the lovely Penn Badgley and Cam Gigandet, whose talent is often eclipsed by his striking good looks.

Easy A is a very nice comedy that, while not outstanding, is a pleasure to watch.

Grade: 7

The Town

Ben Affleck’s second effort behind the camera brings us a superb crime caper that showcases his skills as a director as well as an actor.

The story follows a group of bank robbers on whose tracks the FBI is starting to close in.  And while some of the robbers are willing to roll the dice no matter the risks, not all of them are.

Affleck co-wrote a high-octane screenplay that manages to keep the action rolling and the suspense brewing while still effectively developing a rather unlikely love story.

Affleck’s also at the top of his game in terms of acting, turning in his best work to date, although it’s Jeremy Renner who towers above all with a raw portrayal that cements his A-list status.  However, the whole cast shines, proving how good Affleck is as a director.

Hats off to the always handsome Ben Affleck for pulling off the magic trifecta of actor-writer-director on the same movie.  I’m looking forward to his next one.

If you like crime capers, this is a good one for sure.

Grade: 8

Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton’s retelling of Alice in Wonderland has been quite vilified, especially for the uneven results of its 3D version (an unfortunate conversion from the 2D reel as the movie hadn’t been recorded in 3D like, say, Avatar), but I have to admit I quite enjoyed it.

The story still sees Alice falling down the rabbit hole, but this time Alice is a teenager (a quite good Mia Wasikowska) who doesn’t recall her first trip to Wonderland, but believes instead that it was just a dream.

The characters populating Wonderland are still the same, with Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as Red Queen towering above all for their virtuosity, but the entire cast does a good job.

As one would expect from Burton, the movie is technically sublime, with wonderful costumes, makeup, and visual effects, and the dark cinematography, a Burton’s hallmark, imbues Wonderland with added pathos.

Furthermore, having seen the 1985 live-action TV version, which showcases an impressive cast and still managed to be one of the worst Family Night experiences I ever had, I can’t but give thanks to Burton for a good retelling of this children’s favorite.

Grade: 7

2012

The latest disaster movie from director Roland Emmerich, 2012 refers to the year when, according to legend, the world will come to an end.  As a consequence, the movie is chock full of visual effects that are quite impressive and, arguably, the best thing about it.

As one would expect, the screenplay isn’t memorable, and character development plays second fiddle to the visuals’ requirements.  However, pretty much all the actors involved do a pretty good job, especially given the material on hand, even though you can feel the interactions as forced here and there.

Unfortunately, there are a few too many typically overblown, C’mon moments that bring down the overall value of the final product, but you gotta know to expect them given both the director and the theme.

Grade: 5

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Because I only knew Joan Rivers as the ditzy lady who made glaring faux pas on the red carpet while interviewing celebrities at awards shows, my opinion of her was quite low.

Through the years, however, I started hearing of how she was the first comedienne to actually break through in a male dominated field, effectively opening the door for the likes of Ellen DeGeneres and Kathy Griffin.

This documentary is very well done and clearly illustrates the enduring work ethics of a woman who just can’t bring herself to stop working, for whom there are no topics too taboo, who is well aware of her good fortune in getting where she is today, and who is not ready to give up her crown anytime soon.

In the end, I came away feeling a whole lot of respect for this first lady of comedy.  A piece of work indeed.

Grade: 8

(500) Days of Summer

A sweet and endearing comedy about the pursuing efforts of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who’s unequivocally and desperately in love with Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer is the rare gem amid the rubble.

The supporting actors are perfectly cast as well and even technically the movie is impeccable.

Gordon-Levitt is definitely an actor I hope to see more of in the future, both for his good looks and his performing abilities.

The most notable thing about this movie, however, has to be the originality of the screenplay, which manages to take the most classic of topics - boy meets and falls for girl - and develop it into something that we haven’t seen before.

Watch it.

Grade: 8

I Love You, Man

A rather enjoyable comedy that made me laugh out loud quite a few times.  I would definitely watch more comedies if they were as well written and acted as I Love You, Man.

Paul Rudd is actually very good at toeing the line between the traditional man’s man and a more unusual type of man who feels most at ease in the company of women rather than of men, and has therefore no real male friends.

Rashida Jones as Rudd’s girlfriend is perfectly cast, but it’s the arrival of Jason Segel on the scene that enhances the action and creates the perfect counterpoint to Rudd’s awkwardness.

If you like comedies, this is definitely a good one to watch.

Grade: 7

2010 according to Jib Jab

It’s the end of the year, and Jib Jab sums up what happened in the past 12 months with their usual flair:

Jib Jab’s 2010

Twilight

Given how much I love the HBO vampire show True Blood and all the success of the Twilight franchise, I really wanted to check this out.  Now, I know that you shouldn’t judge a book from its movie (or TV) adaptation, but from what I’ve seen, Ms. Stephenie Meyer (the creator of the Twilight universe) is no Charlaine Harris (the author of the True Blood books).

Twilight is, fundamentally, a story geared towards dreamy teenage girls who can’t help but fall in love with Robert Pattinson’s Edward Cullen (and who can blame them??).

The plot: Kristen Stewart’s Bella moves back in with her dad only to be strangely attracted to a group of supposedly elitist loners in her new high school.  Edward belongs to this group and feels drawn to Bella in a similarly strange way.  Naturally, the two start dating after Bella discovers Edward’s big secret (and that of his “family”).  Danger ensues when a rival vampire gang shows interest in Bella as well.

Twilight is, at most, watchable, but it certainly adds very little to the vampire canon or to the motion picture art form in general.  The acting is average: Pattison is fairly good, I can see him having a career beyond this series, but I was unimpressed with Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, who features more prominently in the following chapters, looked downright sheepish.  The supporting cast was ok – although, did super-hot (and good) Cam Gigandet actually have to die so quickly??

The score was average, the visual effects were average, the direction was average, and the screenplay was (you guessed it...) average.  Nothing surprising ever happens and everything is easily foreseen.  Worse yet, you start mentally filling in for what should happen next, as if the story is actually lacking something and your mind is automatically trying to make up for it.

All this brings me back to the opening observation regarding Stephenie Meyer.  While True Blood’s great characters, intriguing locales, and awesome storylines led me to put Ms. Harris’ books on my to-read list, I’m in no hurry to ever even check out Ms. Meyer’s work.

Having said that, I have decided to watch the following chapters in the series because I love vampire stories, I know that the vampire-werewolf rivalry gets center stage later on, and I want to see what the craze is all about.

Furthermore, the eye-candy provided by Pattison, Lautner, Gigandet, Peter Facinelli and Kellan Lutz can hardly be ignored...

Grade: 4

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Woody Allen’s movies have evolved through the years but, while his latest ones have seen the famed director firmly behind the camera, his neurotic style is still pervasive.

In Vicky Cristina Barcelona his new muse, the sensual Scarlett Johansson, is paired with Rebecca Hall, and they both do a fine job of playing young American tourist friends who fall for the same guy, a brooding Javier Bardem.

The three are greatly supported by Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, and Penélope Cruz, who won the Oscar for her role.  I was actually looking forward to watching this movie specifically to see her performance, as it won her many accolades, but was ultimately underwhelmed.

She’s good, very good, but Best Supporting Actress of the year?  Not when you see who the other nominees were: Amy Adams and Viola Davis in Doubt, Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler.  I haven’t seen the latter, but Adams was great and both Davis and Henson were phenomenally good.  I guess, as is often the case, that 2009 was Cruz’s year, and that the Oscar was hers to lose, for some mysterious reason known only to the wizards behind the curtains.

Now, I don’t mean to disparage Cruz in any way.  She’s a talented actress and she turned in a good performance, albeit a bit too theatrical in my opinion.  I’m just saying that, in my opinion, someone else deserved the Oscar more that year and didn’t get it.  But that, alas, occurs more often than one would hope and the supporting acting categories are often used by the Academy to right a wrong (Judy Dench’s win being the most glaring example here) or to award foreigners, like in this case.

At any rate, the movie is good, with a solid script and interesting character interactions.

Grade: 7

Diary of the Dead

What a disappointment this George A. Romero horror movie has been.  Romero, the heralded director of many zombies movies, serves us a wafer thin plot that’s hardly worth the paper it’s printed on.

He clearly took a page from the new handheld-camera documentary shooting style that was first successfully employed by The Blair Witch Project and subsequently, and less successfully, by Cloverfield, but didn’t support the gimmick with a well thought out story that justified it.

The plot, if we can call it that [SPOILERS AHEAD, skip to the last paragraph if you really want to watch this crap]: a group of college kids are making a documentary (whose subject I won’t even get into, it’s that dumb) when news breaks of the dead coming back to life to hunt the living.  They take off on an attempt to reach the family of the documentary director’s girlfriend while trying not to fall victims of the undead themselves.  The boyfriend won’t stop filming, with the excuse that the mainstream media can’t be trusted to spread the truth and the truth must be told to the public.

Now, while I may agree with such a point, I certainly would put saving my own life and the life of those around me at the top of my priorities.  So, I would assume, would do anyone sane of mind.  Who would agree to go through an experience like that with a jerk filming every reaction, scare, and misstep?  Who wouldn’t mind having a camera pointed at themselves when the world as you know it has seemingly ended and you have to fight for your own life?  Hardly anyone, I would think.  But these guys go half-grudgingly along with it.

Bullshit, if you ask me.  The very fact that this dude goes around with a camera on his shoulder, which limits your field of vision to what’s right in front of you, while zombies might be coming at you from your sides is ridiculous.  The fact that no one of his friends ever gets fed up enough to react badly to his constant demands for documenting everything is preposterous and, frankly, unbelievable.

When, towards the end, the group is about to enter a house that they don’t know whether is safe or not, and this imbecile tells them to wait while he positions himself so as to get a good shot of them crossing the doorstep, and no one, NO ONE, tells him to F**K OFF, the whole flaky apparatus crumbles miserably under the weight of unbelievability.

And that’s the crux of it.  Movies require the audience to believe what it is watching and hearing.  Good movies don’t make you roll your eyes in your head every five minutes and never let go of that fragile bond they created since the first frames started rolling.  Bad movies, like this one, feel fake and put together with silly putty.

Spare yourselves the aggravation of throwing away a couple hours of your life.

Grade: 2

Quantum of Solace

The latest installment in the Bond franchise and only the second with Daniel Craig playing the titular spy, Quantum of Solace is enjoyable but not as brilliant as Casino Royale, Craig’s first foray into the Bond universe.

The drop in quality, however, is not attributable to Craig’s work as much as to a disjointed script, poor editing and the wrong director.

The script seems to push Bond in two different directions.  There’s his quest to revenge his lost love from Casino Royale, which he denies, and the pursuit of this round’s bad guys.  We are never really sure what he’s pursuing when, and while this might be construed as a plus, adding mystery to the proceedings, in reality it only adds confusion – and false expectations.

The editing is way too choppy to either help understand what’s going on during the action scenes or honor the Bond tradition of vibrant and exciting action scenes in the first place.  Oftentimes the cuts are so short that it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on and the direction doesn’t help either.  Marc Forster, who did a great job on Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, and The Kite Runner, was probably not the best choice to direct such an action driven movie.  His choice of close ups during action scenes, for instance, contributes to the diminishing understanding of what’s happening on screen.

As I said, Craig is still very good as Bond: rough, tough, focused and lethal, and Judi Dench is excellent as always as M.  However, Olga Kurylenko, this episode’s Bond girl, is “ok” but forgettable, as is Mathieu Amalric as the bad guy.  The lack of a memorable Bond girl is not good, but a weak bad guy is just unforgivable.

Overall, Solace isn’t a complete let down but isn’t compelling either.  Given the financial troubles that MGM, the Bond studio, has found itself in, will Craig, who was all set to start work on a third chapter, ever don the spy’s tuxedo again?  Let’s hope for better results if he does...

Grade: 6

Crazy Heart

The movie that finally brought an acting Oscar to Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart is, overall, a lightweight.  Bridges’ character’s alcohol fueled downward spiral is less heart wrenching than Nicolas Cage’s in Leaving Las Vegas and the latters’ love story is more heart felt as well.

Having said that, Bridges’ Oscar was certainly deserved, since he does an excellent job and he’s a very good actor who never got his dues (this was his first win after 5 nominations).  Maggie Gyllenhaal turns in a very good performance as well.  I’ve always enjoyed her work, and she doesn’t disappoint here.

The supporting cast is good, the screenplay quite solid, the cinematography warm and apt to the film, and the score is good, whether you’re into country music or not.

Grade: 7

Sherlock Holmes

The latest cinematic adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes bears the markings of its eclectic director, Guy Ritchie.

Rich with action and intrigue, well edited, supported by a catchy Hans Zimmer soundtrack, nicely photographed and well written.  
Its strongest suit are, of course, Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as his trustworthy Dr. Watson.  Both turn in excellent performances that suit their personas, even though at times.

I kept wondering if the end result would have been better had they assumed each other’s roles.  

Both Rachel McAdams and Mark Strong turn in good supporting roles.  

Notable was the built in sequel-setup-scene, which was so artfully and seamlessly blended into the narrative, it didn’t soil the movie at all.  On the contrary, it was a welcome (and needed) addition.  

To the next one, Sherlock!  

Grade: 8

In Memoriam

Elena Nittardi (1971-2010)

A heartfelt farewell to my beloved cousin Elena, a friend who left us way too soon.

Always smiling, even in adversity, she was a ray of light in the lives of everyone who knew her.

She valiantly fought against an unrelenting and aggressive form of cancer that eventually took her from us.

Goodbye my Dear.  You won’t be forgotten.

In Memoriam

Another series of renown entertainers has left us:

Irvin Kershner (1923 –2010)

While not a very prolific director, IMDb lists only 24 titles to his credit, Kershner directed what is widely considered the best chapter of the Star Wars saga, 1980’s Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.

Two other famous movies he directed are Sean Connery’s 007 failed comeback Never Say Never Again and RoboCop 2, a lukewarm sequel to a brilliant sci-fi movie.

Jill Clayburgh (1944-2010)

A renown actress who I knew by name but whose work, I was surprised to find out, is completely foreign to me.  Famous primarily for 1978’s An Unmarried Woman, which I’ll have to make a point to watch.

Dino De Laurentiis (1919-2010)

One of the most famous Italian producers of all time, De Laurentiis collaborated with some of the greatest names of Italian cinema, like Federico Fellini (on Best Foreign Picture Oscar winners La Strada and Nights of Cabiria among others), Roberto Rossellini, Alberto Sordi, Vittorio Gassman, and Mario Monicelli.

He also left his mark in Hollywood, producing movies like Barbarella, Serpico, Three Days of the Condor, 1976’s King Kong remake, Conan the Barbarian, The Dead Zone, The Bounty, Dune, Year of the Dragon, Manhunter, Army of Darkness, U-571, Hannibal, Red Dragon, and Hannibal Rising.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t produce the only movie in the Hannibal Lecter series that stands as its pinnacle and actually won the Best Picture Oscar, The Silence of the Lambs, but his resume is still pretty impressive.

Mario Monicelli (1915-2010)

A great Italian director who I remember mostly for his many collaborations with the comedic actors Totò and Ugo Tognazzi.

Obviously not interested in experiencing the slow decline of his health condition, he took matters into his own hands and jumped off a fifth floor window of the hospital where he was staying.  A rebel to the end.

Leslie Nielsen (1936-2010)

One of the most famous comedic actors in the world, thanks above all to 1980’s Airplane! and the Naked Gun series (The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult) I was left speechless to see that his resume listed an astounding 239 titles between movies and television work.

Blake Edwards (1922-2010)

Another one of the great old-Hollywood directors has left us.  Edwards established his name with Breakfast at Tiffany's and solidified it with The Pink Panther, which turned out to be such a smashing success that it was followed by 7 other chapters in the series (although not all of them were very good).

I remember him most fondly for having directed Victor Victoria, one of my favorite movies of all time!!

A Quote By

Longtime Chicago Mayor Richard Daley on gay people:

“These are great citizens. They’re a tremendous resource for us in our great city. I’m very proud of the relationship that I had with them over many years. And it’s really important for us to move forward. These are people [who] have families. These are people [who] work in every sector of our society. They should not be discriminated against in any way whatsoever.”

The Wizard of the Seas

This video is really eye popping!

A Quote By

Rachel Maddow, political commentator and television host of The Rachel Maddow Show:

“If the president cannot win when his party is the majority in Congress, if no one can even conceive of the president winning fights when his party is in the majority, let alone the minority in Washington, then the presidency itself starts to atrophy. It starts to disappear.”

A thousand years of wars in the world

Another great condensed history lesson!

So true…

By Mike Keefe:

Europe’s history – visually condensed

Another very cool video, especially for a history buff:

We learned NOTHING

This is such a cool video.  And sadly true as well:

We're killing ourselves

Scientists have reached the conclusion that, given the evidence, our technological advancement is the sole cause for all the different types of cancer plaguing our race nowadays:

Cancer is a modern, man-made disease caused by environmental factors such as pollution and diet, a study review by University of Manchester scientists has strongly suggested.

Their study of remains and literature from ancient Egypt and Greece and earlier periods – carried out at Manchester’s KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology and published in Nature Reviews Cancer – includes the first histological diagnosis of cancer in an Egyptian mummy.

Finding only one case of the disease in the investigation of hundreds of Egyptian mummies, with few references to cancer in literary evidence, proves that cancer was extremely rare in antiquity. The disease rate has risen massively since the Industrial Revolution, in particular childhood cancer – proving that the rise is not simply due to people living longer.

Professor Rosalie David, at the Faculty of Life Sciences, said: “In industrialised societies, cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death. But in ancient times, it was extremely rare. There is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer. So it has to be a man-made disease, down to pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyle.”

She added: “The important thing about our study is that it gives a historical perspective to this disease. We can make very clear statements on the cancer rates in societies because we have a full overview. We have looked at millennia, not one hundred years, and have masses of data.”

[...]

Professor Zimmerman said: “In an ancient society lacking surgical intervention, evidence of cancer should remain in all cases. The virtual absence of malignancies in mummies must be interpreted as indicating their rarity in antiquity, indicating that cancer causing factors are limited to societies affected by modern industrialization”.

[...]

It has been suggested that the short life span of individuals in antiquity precluded the development of cancer. Although this statistical construct is true, individuals in ancient Egypt and Greece did live long enough to develop such diseases as atherosclerosis, Paget's disease of bone, and osteoporosis, and, in modern populations, bone tumours primarily affect the young.

Another explanation for the lack of tumours in ancient remains is that tumours might not be well preserved. Dr. Zimmerman has performed experimental studies indicating that mummification preserves the features of malignancy and that tumours should actually be better preserved than normal tissues. In spite of this finding, hundreds of mummies from all areas of the world have been examined and there are still only two publications showing microscopic confirmation of cancer. Radiological surveys of mummies from the Cairo Museum and museums in Europe have also failed to reveal evidence of cancer.  

As the team moved through the ages, it was not until the 17th century that they found descriptions of operations for breast and other cancers and the first reports in scientific literature of distinctive tumours have only occurred in the past 200 years, such as scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps in 1775, nasal cancer in snuff users in 1761 and Hodgkin’s disease in 1832.

[...]

She concluded: “Yet again extensive ancient Egyptian data, along with other data from across the millennia, has given modern society a clear message – cancer is man-made and something that we can and should address.”

I can’t imagine anyone being shocked by these findings, since we clearly live lives surrounded by pollution and constantly ingest artificial foods, but it’s always very important to get scientific confirmation in order to hopefully start making some changes for the better.

A Quote By

Dan Choi, gay rights activist and victim of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which caused him to be discharged from the Army:

“I think our movement hits on so many nerves, not just for reasons of anti-discrimination and all the platitudes of the civil rights movement. I believe that it's also because it has elements of sexual liberation. And it shows people that through what we're trying to do, they can be fully respectful of themselves, without accepting the shame society wants to throw upon them.”

Goodbye tigers?

The WWF is warning that unless serious conservation steps are taken tigers might become extinct within 12 years:

Tigers could become extinct within 12 years but a top level meeting in Russia next month could help reverse the decline, nature conservation body WWF said on Thursday.

[…]

WWF said that in the last century, illegal hunting, a shrinking habitat and the trade of tiger parts used in oriental medicine had sent the number of the big cats worldwide plunging 97 percent to around just 3,200 tigers today.

"Despite the gloomy figures, the situation is more hopeful than ever," Jennersten said, praising a political initiative of 13 'tiger states' and different bodies set to meet in Russia on November 21-24 in a bid to halt possible extinction of the species.

"This will be achieved through increased political involvement, focus on the tiger landscapes that have the greatest chance of long term retention of the tiger, and increased control of tiger trade," he said.

We recently took the kids to the Boston Zoo, where we saw two spectacular specimens of tigers, including a white one.  I cannot imagine a world without such stunning creatures.

So long Arctic

Scientists are warning that the effects of global warming on the Arctic are worsening and won’t subside.  On the contrary, things are bound to get worse:

The Arctic — an area described as Earth's refrigerator because its ice helps keep temperatures cool — continues to warm up and is unlikely to return to earlier conditions, according to an annual report card issued Thursday by top scientists.

"Record temperatures across the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, a reduced summer sea ice cover, (and) record snow cover decreases" were cited as factors supporting the conclusion in the 2010 Arctic Report Card issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The report card "tells a story of widespread, continued and even dramatic effects of a warming Arctic," lead researcher Jackie Richter-Menge, an expert at the federal Cold Regions Research and Engineering Lab in Hanover, N.H., told reporters.

"It is increasingly unlikely, at least in the foreseeable future, that we will return to previous Arctic conditions," she said.

"It is very likely warming will continue" in the Arctic," she added, and "planning is urgent to adapt to the changes coming."

[…]

Past report cards have also cited warming trends, the scientists acknowledged, but this last year has seen several anomalies: record temperatures in Greenland; the largest recorded loss of ice from a Greenland glacier, a 110-square-mile chunk that broke off Petermann Glacier ; and a 2009-2010 winter that saw a blast of Arctic winds that went north-south instead of west-east — causing a deep freeze across the U.S. Northeast and Midwest.

That latter event, which had been registered only three times in 160 years of records, "looks like it's connecting to the warming and ice loss in the Arctic," said Jim Overland, a NOAA scientist responsible for the report card's section on atmosphere.

"Normally we think of winds bottled up in the Arctic," he said, but now a north-south shift might become more common.

"As we lose more sea ice it's a paradox that warming in the atmosphere can create more of these winter storms," he added.

[…]

"Beyond affecting the humans and wildlife that call the area home, the Arctic’s warmer temperatures and decreases in permafrost, snow cover, glaciers and sea ice also have wide-ranging consequences for the physical and biological systems in other parts of the world," NOAA chief Jane Lubchenco said in a statement. "The Arctic is an important driver of climate and weather around the world and serves as a critical feeding and breeding ground that supports globally significant populations of birds, mammals and fish."

She also quoted a NOAA researcher in describing the Arctic's importance: "Whatever is going to happen in the rest of the world happens first, and to the greatest extent, in the Arctic."

This reminds me of those dumbasses who sarcastically wonder what happened to global warming whenever a big rain or snow storm occurs.  Global warming affects weather patterns and makes extreme events more likely, it doesn’t simply make temperatures rise.

But I guess that’s a concept too complex for some simple minds to handle.

FCKH8 (Warning - you will be offended)

Love this video’s message (even though I’m not crazy about the kids swearing…):

It Gets Better

Sadly, so many gay teens committed suicide recently because of relentless bullying in school that Dan Savage, an openly gay sex-advice columnist decided to start It Gets Better, a web site where people who understand how hard it is to live through adolescence but who made it through and saw it get better can leave messages for teenagers.

This is perhaps the most poignant video I’ve seen so far, by Councilmember Joel Burns:

I understand very well how hard those years are.  I too was bullied and called names all the time.  I never wanted to leave the safety of my own bedroom just to avoid all that pain.  And I was terrified that my parents would find out and of what would follow.

But I can also attest that it does get better.  Those years eventually pass and you move on to other schools or jobs, other cities and people.  You’ll meet other gay people who will start to become your circle of friends.  And one day, when you least expect it, you’ll meet that one special person who will turn your world upside down.

I know it’s hard, especially when you’re so young and the thought of waiting until it' gets better is daunting, but you have to believe that if you give up and kill yourself, you will never experience all the beautiful things that life has to offer.  And there are so many.

Hang in there.  It does get better.

In Memoriam

Many Hollywood legends (big and small) have left us recently.

Gloria Stuart (1910–2010)

Famous worldwide as the older Rose from Titanic, her filmography lists over 70 titles.

Kevin McCarthy (1914–2010)

This revered actor played both leading and supporting roles in almost 100 movies (over 200 when you include his television work!!).

I recently saw him in the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956.

Arthur Penn (1922–2010)

This famed director was known primarily for Bonnie and Clyde, The Miracle Worker, Alice's Restaurant, and Little Big Man, a movie I remember being quite impressed by when I first saw it as a kid.

Tony Curtis (1925–2010)

While he might forever be remembered for his unforgettable role as one of two transvestites (for necessity) in Some Like It Hot (the other being the great Jack Lemmon, while the legendary Marilyn Monroe rounded up the cast), Curtis worked in over 100 movies.

Among the most famous ones, Spartacus, The Great Race, The Boston Strangler, and The Defiant Ones, for which he received his lone Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

He fathered Jamie Lee Curtis with one-time wife and Hollywood legend Janet Leigh.

A sad tragedy

Human carelessness caused the death of 7 elephants, including two baby elephants:

A speeding goods train crushed seven elephants to death in eastern India after the animals tried to rescue two calves that got stuck in the tracks, conservation officials said on Thursday.

The baby elephants became trapped as a herd was crossing the line in a densely forested area in the northern district of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal state late Wednesday night.

"Five elephants died immediately on the track while two others succumbed to their injuries on Thursday morning," said Atanu Raha, West Bengal's chief forest conservator.

The adults had crowded around the stricken calves to protect them when they were hit, he added. The two calves were among the dead.

Traffic was suspended overnight and the surviving members of the herd were still at the scene in the morning, watching over the dead and injured, he said.

More than 20 elephants had died in a little over a year in the area, which is a known corridor for the wild animals, the official said.

He said the train was traveling at 70 kilometers (43 miles) an hour when the speed limit was restricted to a maximum of 40kmph (25mph).

Link here.

The ageless hamburger

Seems like someone at McDonald’s has found a way to defy ageing!!

McDonald's Hamburgers Don't Age

Things that are made from organic material age and decay, especially when they stop being alive. A piece of home-baked bread, say, left on your kitchen counter, will get moldy relatively fast. Lord knows what some ground beef would smell like after a week. But the artist Sally Davies has been photographing one McDonald's hamburger and fries every day for 137 days. They look basically exactly the same.

Day 1:

Day 137:

How can the food sold at McDonald’s not rot away like normal food?  What do they add to it to keep it looking fresh for over 4 MONTHS?!?!

And how can whatever they add to it not adversely affect one’s body?

Link here.

The oil spill aftermath

Massive fish kills seem to happen more frequently and be much larger than usual, and since they occur in areas of the Gulf of Mexico that were soaked in oil, the BP oil spill is clearly to blame, no matter how hard they spin it.

Look at this picture:

It looks like the cracked pavement of some road, but it’s really millions of dead fish.

From Mother Nature Network:

In the South, the local news is packed with firsthand accounts of fisherman pulling in nets of dead, oil-soaked crabs, recreational boaters bumping into dead dolphins, and (pictured above) massive fish kills that extend as far as the eye can see.

The fish kill in Bayou Chaland last week occurred only days after an oil-soaked tide hit the marshes, but the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries declared that there is no connection, and that the kill resulted from unseasonably warm weather.

The thing is, its always unseasonably warm in Louisiana in September. And while government officials are quick to point out that fish kills are common in Louisiana, none of those officials would deny the unusual characteristics of this event.

Fish kills, when they happen, generally consist of a hundred or so of one particular species. In this kill the numbers are in the millions, consisting of nearly every known species — from crabs and stingrays to eels and myriad fish species. Even a dead sperm whale (from a resident population that was said to have lived near the Macondo Well location) was found in the water.

BP and the government officials who seem to be covering for them would have us believe that the worst of the oil spill is over, but it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. It will be decades before the marsh ecosystems of Louisiana will truly recover. So let's stop pretending it's not BP's fault.

From Fox8Live.com:

After the discovery of more dead fish in Plaquemines parish, the third in a week, parish president Billy Nungesser is demanding federal involvement when it comes to testing the waters in the parish hit by heavy oil.

"This whole area yesterday was full of dead fish, you can see now with the tide moving, they're moving around and being put in other places, But I mean it's causing us some concern about the number of fish that are turning up out here dead, and the frequency of that," said P.J. Hahn.

P.J. says fish kills are normal during this time of the year. What's not normal is how frequent swaths of dead fish are turning up, in area's once heavily oiled. Square miles of dead fish.

"Now millions of dead fish that have turned up in the area, and a variety: catfish, redfish, speckled trout we saw, it's just a number of varieties of fish," said Hahn.

The fish kill in Bayou Robinson is not too far from the previous two in Bay Joe Wise and Bay Chaland, and even though Wild Life and Fisheries has blamed the other fish kills on low tides and high temperatures, causing low oxygen levels, the parish still questions whether they could be related to the oil spill.

Something tells me we’ll hear countless more stories like these in the coming years.

The depletion of nature’s resources

Yet another discouraging story regarding our treatment of the planet’s gifts:

A study in Nature has concluded that as oceans warmed, phytoplankton—the tiny organisms that form the crucial first level of the entire marine food chain—were disappearing.

In the oceans, ubiquitous microscopic phototrophs (phytoplankton) account for approximately half the production of organic matter on Earth…. We observe declines in eight out of ten ocean regions, and estimate a global rate of decline of ~1% of the global median per year.

Since 1950, the study found, the oceans have lost 40 percent of their phytoplankton. As these organisms account for the production of half the earth’s organic matter, this is not good. It’s like finding out that there’s half as much money in all the earth’s banks as we thought there was. But of course it’s worse than that. No one knows for sure what happens when the oceans are diminished like this—that’s the point. We’re in a new and dangerous place, without a clue.

Very scary news.  Almost half of the basic food in the oceans is gone.  When the other half is gone as well, what will fish (and marine mammals) feed on?  And when they start to die of starvation in large numbers, what will the millions (billions?) of people whose diet is based on fish eat?

Pandorum

Attracted to this title primarily by the always eye pleasing Dennis Quaid, the sweetly handsome Ben Foster and the insanely hot Cam Gigandet, Pandorum didn’t disappoint as a movie overall.

The gist: when Foster is suddenly reawakened from his cryo-sleep, the spaceship he boarded years earlier seems adrift and on the verge of structural collapse.  On top of that, it’s also overrun by a race of super-strong, vicious, carnivorous aliens who brutally hunt down any human being they encounter.  His job is to save the ship in order to save anyone else left alive, but a cryo-sleep-induced memory loss doesn’t help.

While the concept might sound trite, the script is overall quite original and well developed.  The cast does a good job and the moody photography helps the very good makeup and visual effects.

I checked out the special features on the DVD and one of the deleted scenes was the usual sequel-setup one now routinely appended to virtually every Hollywood production.  Thankfully, it ended up on the cutting room floor since it wouldn’t have added anything to the story and it would have ruined the ending.  After all, if they want to do a sequel, they have plenty of reasons to do it anyway.

A nice sci-fi movie that I would recommend.

Grade: 7

The Orphanage

The Orphanage tells the story of a family who moves into what used to be the orphanage where the mother spent her childhood only to discover that a lot of mysterious events that happened a long time ago are still unresolved.

A rather welcome addition to the thriller/horror genre, The Orphanage is quite original and avoids all the gore that’s become the staple of the genre or late, opting instead for a more old-school approach that limits what we are shown and plays with the audience’s anxiety.

The cast does a pretty good job, especially Belén Rueda, on whose shoulders the whole movie rests.  Of note are also the photography, with its dark tones, and the direction of Juan Antonio Bayona, who gained international fame thanks to this movie.

Grade: 7

Ban Ki-moon speaks up for us

The United Nations chief called on every country to abolish laws that discriminate against gays and lesbians:

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called on countries to abolish laws that discriminate against gays and lesbians.

The U.N. Secretary-General says cultural concerns cannot justify discriminating against people because of their sexual orientation.

Dozens of countries around the world, particularly in Africa and Asia, prohibit same-sex relations.

Observers said they were unusually strong words on the subject from the head of the global body.

Link.

The Hangover

A surprise hit from the summer of 2009, The Hangover lives up to its expectations and delivers some solid laughs thanks to a tightly flowing script and solid performances from newly minted hottie Bradley Cooper and veteran character actors Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis.

The three, together with the handsome Justin Bartha, head to Las Vegas for Bartha’s bachelor party where countless odd adventures are recounted in bits and pieces while our three heroes try to locate their missing friend in time for his wedding.

As for the supporting players, Jeffrey Tambor and Ken Jeong are very good, while Heather Graham is just average -- what happened to her? She seemed like a rising star just a few years back… --, but the one who really looks like he’s trying to hard is Mike Tyson.  I understand he’s trying to rehabilitate his image but I can’t see him having a bright future in Hollywood.

Given the success of the movie and Hollywood’s obsession with milking anything that works, a sequel is already in the works, but while I wouldn’t mind watching Cooper in just about anything, I cringe at the thought of how quickly they’ll screw this up.

Grade: 8

Heavenly Creatures

I was looking forward to watching Heavenly Creatures because it’s the movie that put the very talented Peter Jackson on the map and also introduced us to the great Kate Winslet.  Unfortunately, I cannot say I was too impressed with it.

The movie gets extra credit for being based on a true story, which makes what happened that much more terrible, but overall I found it pretty weak.

The screenplay isn’t badly written and the acting is impressive, not only from Winslet, but from Melanie Lynskey, her partner in crime, and Sarah Peirse, who plays Lynskey’s mother.

The visual effects and makeup are quite good for what was, I’m sure, a fairly low budget, but whenever there was a “fantasy” sequence, I always felt somewhat jolted out of the film.

Like I said, the elements are pretty much all there, but something’s missing and I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly, but I wasn’t impressed.

Grade: 6

The easy way out

This t-shirt says it all about our addiction to medication.

Click to enlarge:

Hope in the fight against HIV?

At last some good news in the decades long fight against this terrible disease:

Loyola University researchers have identified the key components of a protein called TRIM5a that destroys HIV in rhesus monkeys.

The finding could lead to new TRIM5a-based treatments that would knock out HIV in humans, said senior researcher Edward M. Campbell, PhD, of Loyola University Health System.

[…]

In 2004, other researchers reported that TRIM5a protects rhesus monkeys from HIV. The TRIM5a protein first latches on to a HIV virus, then other TRIM5a proteins gang up and destroy the virus.

Humans also have TRIM5a, but while the human version of TRIM5a protects against some viruses, it does not protect against HIV.

Researchers hope to turn TRIM5a into an effective therapeutic agent. But first they need to identify the components in TRIM5a that enable the protein to destroy viruses. “Scientists have been trying to develop antiviral therapies for only about 75 years,” Campbell said. “Evolution has been playing this game for millions of years, and it has identified a point of intervention that we still know very little about.”

Let’s hope they succeed.  It’s about time that we beat this monster.

The rise of the superbugs

Worrisome news in the fight against pathogens:

An infectious-disease nightmare is unfolding: A new gene that can turn many types of bacteria into superbugs resistant to nearly all antibiotics has sickened people in three states and is popping up all over the world, health officials reported Monday.

The U.S. cases and two others in Canada all involve people who had recently received medical care in India, where the problem is widespread. A British medical journal revealed the risk last month in an article describing dozens of cases in Britain in people who had gone to India for medical procedures.

[…]

Scientists have long feared this — a very adaptable gene that hitches onto many types of common germs and confers broad drug resistance.

"It's a great concern," because drug resistance has been rising and few new antibiotics are in development, said Dr. M. Lindsay Grayson, director of infectious diseases at the University of Melbourne in Australia. "It's just a matter of time" until the gene spreads more widely person-to-person, he said.

[…]

What can people do?

Don't add to the drug resistance problem, experts say. Don't pressure your doctors for antibiotics if they say they aren't needed, use the ones you are given properly, and try to avoid infections by washing your hands.

The gene can spread hand-to-mouth, which makes good hygiene very important.

It's also why health officials are so concerned about where the threat is coming from, said Dr. Patrice Nordmann, a microbiology professor at South-Paris Medical School. India is an overpopulated country that overuses antibiotics and has widespread diarrheal disease and many people without clean water.

"The ingredients are there" for widespread transmission, he said. "It's going to spread by plane all over the world."

Very scary indeed.  If a superbug attacks you, you have no defenses.  And if the medicines we know fail to kill it?  Than what?

The BP well is dead

Finally, yesterday BP cemented the oil well in the Gulf of Mexico that caused the biggest man made environmental catastrophe in the history of the world:

The well that spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico is finally dead, but residents will be feeling the pain for years to come.

A permanent cement plug sealed BP's well nearly 2.5 miles below the sea floor, five agonizing months after an explosion sank a drilling rig and led to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the federal government's point man on the disaster, said Sunday that BP's well "is effectively dead" and posed no further threat to the Gulf. Allen said a pressure test to ensure the cement plug would hold was completed at 5:54 a.m. CDT.

But there is still plenty of oil in the water, and some continues to wash up on shore. Many people are still struggling to make ends meet with some waters still closed to fishing. Shrimpers who are allowed to fish are finding it difficult to sell their catch because of the perception — largely from people outside the region — that the seafood is not safe to eat. Tourism along the Gulf has also taken a hit.

What happens next to the millions of life forms whose biosphere has been wrecked can only be guessed.

Saturno Contro

I’ve appreciated Ferzan Ozpetek’s work since his first effort, Hamam (Steam: The Turkish Bath).  The follow up, Le Fate Ignoranti (The Ignorant Fairies), was a lot better and his La Finestra di Fronte (Facing Windows) was absolutely great. It was therefore only natural that I would have to check out his Saturno Contro (Saturn in Opposition).

Once again, Ozpetek creates a charming, warm, inviting portrayal of a group of friends and their many interactions, both before and after a dramatic event changes the world as they know it.

The script is good and deals with a topic very dear to any gay person, [SPOILER ALERT] what happens when your lover dies and you have very little saying in the eyes of the government? [/SPOILER ALERT] But it’s developed intelligently and tactfully.

The cast features many of the usual players in an Ozpetek movie, which ends up being refreshing since it’s like seeing old friends getting together again.

The score, always a very important element in an Ozpetek creation, once again feels like one of the characters.

A very good movie that made me long for the warm circle of friends I left behind when I moved to this country to follow my heart.

Grade: 8