Wild, Wild, West

Most good things are worth having a thoughtful conversation over.  Movies are no different and neither are the subcategories within the movie world.  Tonight I re-watched, for probably the 50th time (at least), the greatest Western ever made.  I threw out a challenge, more out of the curiosity to see what others thought should be deserving enough of that title, and got a few responses.  Apologies to the fans of Young Guns II, Almost Heroes, and Bad Girls, but there are 5 movies that stand out amongst the greatest ever made in the category of Western.  

5. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Most movie critics will debunk the spaghetti western and not give it the time of day.  I am quite the opposite.  There is something to be said about the entire Man With No Name Trilogy.  The culmination of the entire trilogy is my favorite of the three films and it has everything a fan of a western would want.  What sets this ahead of the films below it is the soundtrack.  Not only the eerily familiar title track but the also popular Ecstasy of Gold that brings the film together at the end.  Eastwood is Eastwood but this movie puts him above his other performances

4. The Proposition

Here's the movie you probably have not seen yet but you need to...immediately.  The 2005 Australian film set in the Outback is not the typical western but it has all of the elements that make it one of the best.  Guy Pearce, who most will remember from his fantastic performance in LA Confidential, is a memorable protagonist caught between the grips of justice and the morals of murder.  Not giving anything away but his struggles with conscience help give the film depth at times when you think it will lose you. 

3. The Searchers

Some might view it as a sacrilege to only have one John Wayne movie in the top 5 for this category.  However, John Ford's masterpiece stands above all the rest.  The AFI has it listed as the number one western ever made, hence the reasoning of a mini-blog like this.  It is my favorite of all the classic westerns and one that can be embraced not only for its stunning cinematography, but for John Wayne not playing the typical John Wayne character.  Like all on this list, if you have not seen it; then you are most certainly missing out.

2. Blazing Saddles

Poke fun all you want at this choice but it is true.  Mel Brooks made the second greatest western ever.  If you look at the elements that make up a western, this one has them all, and then some.  The hilarity of this movie is what moved it up the list but all westerns have some sort of tongue in cheek play on the events going on.  The inside jokes and jabs at Hollywood are more relevant if you knew the times and those they were poking fun at but it still stands the test of time, remaining a movie I will watch if it is on.  

1. Unforgiven

This is what I watched tonight and will probably watch again a couple more times this year.  I love this movie.  It is dark, in your face, and real.  It makes you feel like you could be living in the times of Big Whiskey, Wyoming and amongst a town where if you are not in the sheriff's circle, you should probably not be there at all.  Every actor gives the performance of their career and it only adds to Clint's ability to shoot a beautiful movie.  

Hope you enjoyed my list and insight.  Feel free to comment or rebuke my selections.  I welcome all kinds of healthy debate.  And before you do insist on arguing, please give these titles a shot.  I do not think you will be disappointed.  

Breaking Backs: Mainstream Media's Attempt to Shut Us All Up

Quick, I want everyone to go out and tell grocery stores and magazine stands (do they even have those outside of airports and New York City streets?) to remove EVERY SINGLE COPY OF THE ECONOMIST from their shelves because they said that Saddam Hussein was a great dictator.  It's true.  In 2007, they said of Saddam that he was "one of the last of the 20th century's great dictators, but not the least in terms of egotism, or cruelty, or morbid will to power." Shame on them, right?  From a historian's perspective, absolutely not.  From a logical human being's perspective, no way.  But, from someone looking to make a story out of a sound byte and not the entire quote, The Economist should be banned right along with Catcher in the Rye and students in school should know what a horrible publication they are because they said that Saddam Hussein was a great dictator.

This level of absurdity is nothing new to the American media and it continued recently with the public outcry against Miami Marlins' manager Ozzie Guillen.  Guillen was quoted as saying that he "loved Fidel Castro" and immediately the streets of Miami had a flashback to the days of the Mariel Boatlift. If the educated people in this country bothered to read the rest of the quote (or try and find it since the media conveniently left it out of their stories), they would have seen that Guillen's admiration came from the fact that he could not believe the Cuban President (dictator to America) was still in power after all these years given the harsh conditions he placed his people under.  Guillen was suspended by his team for five games and held a press conference to not only apologize (a move that is now standard whenever someone says something that somebody else does not agree with), but to clarify his statements for the media since his original quote was lost in translation to those who can not imagine that it REALLY does say something about either the man or the system that Castro is still in power.  Jim Norton had a great tweet this morning in which he said "Why aren't Cubans who fled repressive Castro supporting the rights of Guillen to say something they don't agree with?"

Our culture is working against the freedoms they try and protect and they do not even realize it.  Here are some historical facts.  Abraham Lincoln could have cared less about freeing slaves; he was more concerned with the preservation of the Union.  Adolf Hitler returned Germany to the world power it was before World War I in just a few short years.  Saddam Hussein was an anti-Soviet leader in the Middle East and the United States liked that in the middle of the Cold War.  Fidel Castro rose to power behind a revolution in a country that was being used as a stash house and money laundromat for organized crime figures of the 50's and early 60's.  Each of these men hold some sort of place in the history books.  It usually depends on who is writing the history as to how they are viewed.  Lincoln was one of the greatest Presidents that this country has ever seen.  Hitler was one of the worst mass murderers the world will ever know.  Saddam was right behind him.  And Castro has not been worried about by many in the United States since the end of The Cuban Missile Crisis.

Ozzie Guillen said something he believed in.  His complete thought and quote was not far off from a logical truth.  Given the fact that those of us raised in a democratic society have been led to believe our entire lives that anything that is not a democracy is evil, it is not hard to see why the mainstream media was so quick to jump down Ozzie's throat and condemn him for his remarks.  Ozzie has said that he does not agree with Castro's politics.  Coming from Venezuela (another country that is led by a "dictator"), the historian in me tends to think that Ozzie understands what it takes for the men in power to remain in power under different forms of government.  The United States was quick to implement a term limit for the President after Franklin Roosevelt was re-elected twice just in case someone like him ever came along again gained so much popularity that the idea of a "dictator-esque" democracy could not present itself.

In closing I will say something that you may not agree with.  I love Ozzie Guillen.  I love the fact that he says what is on his mind, whether I agree with it or not.  I abhor the fact that the mainstream media makes people afraid to say what they think anymore, just because it might offend someone or someone else might have a dissenting opinion.  To me, the art of conversation and logical debate are a lost art and those in the media who want to be the next one to break the big story or take the partial quote that will light up the front page are to blame.  Shame on you.

And the Academy Award goes to...-2012 Edition

For the second year in a row,  I have managed to see all nine of the Best Picture nominees before the Oscars telecast.  In doing so, I feel somewhat qualified to offer an opinion and my humble selections of who should take home Oscar gold tonight.  It was an odd year for movies and there were several films that offered similar stories.  Overall, it was a fun year to watch and the show tonight will hopefully not disappoint.  If it does, there is always Twitter and 140 character outbursts that will likely happen no matter what. 

Here we go...

I'll start with the screenplays since without one, you can't necessarily have a movie. 

Best Adapted Screenplay- I think this will be one of the awards that goes to The Descendants.  The story was fantastic but one of the driving things that kept this movie in check was the dialogue.  Hugo could upset and take this category but I am not sure how keen Oscar is going to be on Scorsese venturing away from being Scorsese.  The long shot-Moneyball (no pun intended)

Best Original Screenplay- Somehow, and I truly do not understand it to say the least, this will go to The Artist.  If anyone can explain how a silent film wins a screenplay award, they will have the honor of shining Billy Crystal's dome during commercial breaks. I would like to see Midnight in Paris take this but think that Woody thumbed his nose at Hollywood this year and they will not take kindly.  The long shot-Margin Call

Best Original Score-This is one of the no-brainer picks for the night and will definitely go to The Artist, and rightfully so.  Music drove the film and this will be a deserved pick.  The long shot-Hugo

Best Animated Feature Film-  I am not a fan of this category in the least but did see a few.  Based on what I saw and the buzz, I think this will go to Rango.  Not going to pick a long shot because I think this category was added to make the broadcast longer. 

Now for some of the exciting awards...sorry if you were looking for the make-up or costume picks.  You must have me confused with someone else...

Best Supporting Actor-I start with this one because it is another of the locks for the ceremony tonight.  Christopher Plummer will win for his fantastic role in Beginners.  He has won the Golden Globe, the Screen Actor, and the Spirit Award already and Oscar should follow suit.  If I had to pick, I would say the long shot would be Jonah Hill for Moneyball.

Best Supporting Actress-Not a stone-cold lock, but I am going to be surprised if Octavia Spencer does not win for her role in The Help.  She was perfect for the role and she executed.  She also lent the film comedic relief, making her a little more memorable than her counterpart nominee Jessica Chastain.  The long shot- Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids.

Best Actor-I am going to split the difference between the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors and go with George Clooney in The Descendants.  I loved his role in this and in The Ides of March and Clooney continues to take chances outside of the box and will hopefully be rewarded.  The long shot- Brad Pitt for Moneyball.

Best Actress-Again, I will split the difference between the Globes and the Actors but side on the latter and say Viola Davis will win for her role in The Help.  I will admit that I only saw her performance, along with Rooney Mara's in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but Oscar loves Meryl Streep.  Hopefully this year, they get it right.  The long shot-Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs (why? Because you just googled Albert Nobbs)

Best Director-It should be clear where I stand with my winner for Best Picture by saying that I think Alexander Payne should be given the trophy tonight.  Payne has had an already successful career and now more fans of The Descendants are going to go back and watch some of his earlier work.  The long shots-Terrence Malick and Martin Scorsese for Tree of Life and Hugo 


Best Picture- Again, I have seen them all.  I say, without a doubt, it was The Descendants this year.  It wasn't as though I did not like, nor understand why The Artist has received so much praise, but I just think that The Descendants left me the most satisfied as a movie-goer.  Doing that with such an overwhelming subject matter is hard to do and I think the producers, writers, director, and actors did it the best.  For fun, here are my rankings of the nine nominees:

1) The Descendants
2) Moneyball
3) The Help
4) Midnight in Paris
5) The Artist
6) Hugo
7) Tree of Life
8) War Horse
9) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (still cannot figure out why this was even nominated)


So sit back, grab the popcorn and enjoy the show.  Follow me on Twitter if you dare @CoryWStephens.  I'll be live tweeting my thoughts (as dangerous as that may be) during the show.  Thanks for reading!!

 

Hack Job

Last week I submitted a letter to the editor of The Gainesville Sun regarding how the school board chose to devote part of their meeting last week.  That letter was published this morning and can be found here: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120124/OPINION02/120129895/1017?p=2&tc=pg

For those who do not want to click on the link (and after you see how bad they butcher my letter and hide my argument, I would urge you not to), here is the text of what THEY chose to print.

Last Tuesday night the School Board agenda had an item restricting teachers from providing candy as an incentive in their classroom.

While most can understand the health benefits of this action, my frustration lies more with the fact that the School Board continues to micromanage; now all the way down to telling teachers what is an acceptable form of incentive to their students.

I wonder if the board, or the teachers who offer such incentives, know what the greatest reward to their students should be: Their education.

It is quite possible that living in the times of FCAT and teaching to the test, that may no longer be the case.

There needs to be a movement away from the “what's in it for me” mentality and more toward employing teachers who can provide the education necessary to their students without any added incentives.

Now I completely understand that letters need to be trimmed to fit and edited for grammatical reasons one way or the other, but I urge you to read my actual letter.  What you will find is a direct and purposeful attack on the state of education not only in our state, but our country.  The Gainesville Sun has chosen to cut it up and make it look like not only do I not know what I am talking about from personal experience, but that I do not know the first thing about education.  Here is my original letter:

The state of affairs within the educational system in our county was hurt once again Tuesday night when there was time on the school board agenda given to an immediate initiative forbidding teachers from providing candy as an incentive in their classroom.  While most can understand the health benefits of this action, my frustration lies more with the fact that the school board continues to micromanage; now all the way down to telling teachers what is an acceptable form of incentive to their students. Time is being devoted at board meetings to the harmful effects of candy while the greater issue, a reliance on incentives themselves in order to induce student performance, is not mentioned.

I wonder if the board or the teachers in the district who offer such incentives have ever mentioned what the greatest reward to their students should be, and that is their education.  It is quite possible that living in the times of FCAT and teaching to the test, that may no longer be the case.  In order for the country to continue to be competitive with the rest of the world, there needs to be a movement away from the “what’s in it for me” mentality instilled upon the current generation and more towards employing teachers able to provide the education necessary to their students without any added incentives.  

I should have known better than to trust a media outlet not to twist my words around to protect a failing institution, but I wanted to get my point out there and with only a few people reading my blog entries; the local newspaper seemed like a good place to start.  I cannot wait for someone to write in and defend the school board based on the fact that The Gainesville Sun left me vulnerable in this argument, instead of pinning the responsibility on those who run the system. 

America's Wake Up Call

For far too long, the United States of America has been enduring an era of gross bipartisanship that does not show any signs of stopping anytime soon.  The line has been drawn and far be it from either side to make an attempt, let alone have a desire, to cross it.  This was and continues to be the country that most are familiar with.  You are either a Democrat or a Republican and there is no gray area.  The days of patriotism are in the past.  Politicians today slander the good name of this country in order to gain popularity and respect amongst their party and with the hopes of drawing a few voters from the other side. 

When Jon Huntsman nobly bowed out of the race for the White House this morning, the hope and chance of a candidate willing to put party allegiance aside for the betterment of the country went with it.  The more I read about Governor Huntsman, the more I was excited that for the first time that I was going to vote for a candidate who had what it was going to take to restore the trust of the American people.  Having the opportunity to meet him and hear him speak to the voters was something special.  Being able to volunteer in New Hampshire and spreading the word and awareness amongst my friends on Facebook and Twitter has been an honor.  It is one I continue to look forward to doing in the future should he decide to run again.

With the candidate I was going to vote for out of the race, I am now where I started after the 2008 election.  I do not know who I am going to vote for in November.  I know that I do not like either of the candidates that the media is forcing us to choose from.  I understand that there is a focus and an agenda of the Republican party to want to vote for anyone as long as they are not Barack Obama.  That sentiment is why I feel that the political process has lost its mind and is no longer valid.  Americans on both sides are content to vote for someone because they have a letter next to their name, whether it be a “D” or “R”.  Americans are lazy and want things in the simplest form and for most, there is nothing more simple than the choice between Democrat and Republican. 

Wake up America because this is how we ended up in the situation we are in now.  For too long the country idly voted based along party lines without doing any real homework into who the candidates were and what they actually stood for.  This happens every election and it is going to take a movement, a revolution of thinking, in order to change the ways of the past.  Before I strongly endorsed Jon Huntsman, I made sure I read everything I could about him.  Then I wanted to see him in person and judge for myself whether or not he was being a politician or if he was being himself.  From what I gathered and one of the reasons I liked him so much was because he was as real as one could hope for. 

I know, unfortunately more than most, that this country is not functioning properly.  I am a recent college graduate who is now unemployed thanks to a system that rewards tenure.  The education system in this country is broken and needs to be fixed.  Not only are the lives of hardworking Americans being effected, the future of this country is in jeopardy when tenured teachers, who are only still teaching in order to make it to their retirement, are being favored over someone who could be more qualified to inspire the kids to want to make their lives better than what they see.  The United States is raising a generation based on an either/or system and they will see it at its worst over the next eleven months.

Between now and November I will do the responsible thing and listen, research, and make an informed decision on my own.  I am not going to bow to a will of a political party just because they do not like the other guy.  That being said, everyone in Washington needs to go.  Nothing is being accomplished for the American people anymore and we need leaders willing to do what is necessary to bring this country back to the level of greatness that the founders had in mind when they decided the status quo way of doing things had run its course. 

...so close

I really don't have the words right now.  The post below that I made somewhat secretly (really not publicizing it) is not irrelevant to those who were around this team as much and more than I was this season.

It was heartbreaking tonight...this team was something special to me and something special to the Gator Nation. Be proud and use this year as a stepping stone for that next level.

Go Gators...

For the Gators...

This is the year.

From where I sat for more than two thirds of the matches this season, I was privileged enough to witness a transformation.  I watched a team grow up right before my eyes and I do not think they know it just yet.  The message all season was to be better in December than in September.  Deep down, this team took that message to heart.

This is the year.

Sunday night was more bitter than sweet on many different levels.  While I personally realized that my 2011 radio campaign was in the books, the team I was fortunate enough to work found out they were going to be traveling for the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament.  In my experiences of watching collegiate athletics, I have never seen a team get bent over like this team was Sunday night.  The more I reflected, the more I knew it was not going to be an issue.  At this point it does not matter where the match is being played, this team will be there.

This is the year.

The last month of volleyball was one for the ages and I had a front row seat.  I saw seniors taking leadership roles on and off the court, motivating and willing their team to victory.  I saw something that had not been done in over ten years at this school.  I saw comeback after comeback, followed by sheer and utter domination of opponents.  By the time the regular season I ended, I saw a group ready for the next level.

This is the year.

What I hope this team realizes and my humble message to them is that no matter who the opponent, they have what it takes to win six in a row.  I have watched you all at your highest highs and lowest lows.  When you play with the intensity that you have over the last month, there is a fire that surrounds this team that nobody is going to be able to put out.  Go and play like the bad asses I know you are and show the country what Florida Volleyball is all about.  Do not focus on the possibility that each match could be the last but rather how each match is still making you better for the next.  Dig deep and remember how it felt in Baton Rouge to finally break through and win a match after dropping the first set.  Go even deeper and bring back the feelings of the insane comeback in Fayetteville.  Play with the intensity and drive that you brought back into the O'Connell Center for Georgia, Auburn and South Carolina. 

This is the year.

Not winning the SEC was the best thing to ever happen to this team.  You all started playing with more guts and determination once the focus was on being where you are right now.  While you travel to another team's campus and gym, remember that the Gator Nation is everywhere.  Summon the strength of those who walked onto the court before you and leave behind a legacy of memories for those that will follow you when your time at Florida is through. 

Six matches...this is the year.