Academy Award predictions (as of 11/28/16)

Even though the Academy Awards will be broadcast in late February, the season officially gets under way this week.  The first group of critics will give their year-end awards, and the Critic’s Choice Award nominations will be announced.  In honor of the start of the season, I want to give my early predictions—along with assumptions on who will win based on what we know right now.

Best Picture

Fences

Hell or High Water

Jackie

La La Land

Lion

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Silence

Or it could be:  Loving, Hidden Figures, Arrival, Sully, or Patriots Day

Predicted winner:  La La Land, which appears to be picking up steam.  This sort of film is the escapism that Hollywood is eager to embrace right now.

Best Director

Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Martin Scorsese, Silence

Or it could be:  Denzel Washington, Fences; Pablo Larrain, Jackie; Jeff Nichols, Loving; David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water; or Garth Davis, Lion

Predicted winner:  Damien Chazelle, La La Land.  Until the race shapes otherwise, I don’t have any reason to think that La La Land wouldn’t prevail here as well.

Best Actor

Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Joel Edgerton, Loving

Ryan Gosling, La La Land

Tom Hanks, Sully

Denzel Washington, Fences

Or it could be:  Andrew Garfield in either Hacksaw Ridge or Silence; Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic; Warren Beatty in Rules Don’t Apply; or Matthew McConaughey in Gold

Predicted winner:  Denzel Washington in Fences.  He won a Tony award for his performance in the play, and advance word on his performance is strong.  Casey Affleck is a good alternative, although I think he’s destined to finish in second.

Best Actress

Annette Bening, 20^th Century Women

Taraji P. Henson, Hidden Figures

Ruth Negga, Loving

Natalie Portman, Jackie

Emma Stone, La La Land

Or it could be:  Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins; Isabelle Huppert in Elle; Amy Adams in Arrival; Kate Beckinsale in Love & Friendship; or Jessica Chastain in Miss Sloane

Predicted winner:  Natalie Portman in Jackie, unless Emma Stone starts to pick up momentum.

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins

Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

Liam Neeson, Silence

Or it could be:  Peter Sarsgaard in Jackie; Dev Patel in Lion; Mykelti Williamson in Fences; Stephen Henderson in Fences; or Michael Shannon in Nocturnal Animals

Predicted winner:  I guess Liam Neeson, but nobody has seen his performance yet.  I’m not sure who would be an alternative.

Best Supporting Actress

Viola Davis, Fences

Greta Gerwig, 20^th Century Women

Naomie Harris, Moonlight

Nicole Kidman, Lion

Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

Or it could be:  Molly Shannon in Other People; Janelle Monae in Hidden Figures; Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures; Margo Martindale in The Hollars; or Lupita Nyong’o in Queen of Katwe

Predicted winner:  It looks like Viola Davis has this sewn up in November. 

Best Original Screenplay

Captain Fantastic

Hell or High Water

La La Land

Manchester by the Sea

Moonlight

Or it could be:  Zootopia, 20^th Century Women, Jackie, The Lobster, or Loving

Predicted winner:  Manchester by the Sea, but I could see it being Moonlight if they like it enough.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Arrival

Fences

Lion

Love & Friendship

Silence

Or it could be:  Hidden Figures, Sully, Indignation, Hacksaw Ridge, or Live By Night

Predicted winner:  Fences, unless Silence impresses.

Predicted winners in the other categories (except the shorts, because those are too unpredictable):

Best Editing:  La La Land (alt:  Silence)

Best Cinematography:  La La Land (alt:  Silence)

Best Costume Design:  Florence Foster Jenkins (alt:  Jackie)

Best Production Design:  La La Land (alt:  Silence)

Best Makeup and Hair:  Silence (alt:  Florence Foster Jenkins)

Best Visual Effects:  The Jungle Book (alt:  Rogue One)

Best Original Score:  Arrival (alt:  Jackie)

Best Original Song: “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana (alt: “City of Stars” from La La Land)

Best Foreign Language Film:  Toni Erdman (alt:  The Idol)

Best Animated Feature:  Zootopia (alt:  Moana)

Best Documentary Feature:  13^th (alt:  Weiner)

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (11/28 - 12/4)

Welcome back!  We’re t-minus 26 days until Christmas.  I had a break from work last week, so I decided to be a little productive with my movie-watching.  The only downside:  I ended up only reading one book—a graphic novel that took at most 30 minutes of my time to finish.

Books

Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen:  B.  If you’re a fan of the Sarah’s Scribbles comics (they appear on my Facebook feed all the time), you’ll like this bind-up of some of the better comic strips. 

Movies

O.J.: Made in America: A-.  I decided to use up one of my many unused vacation days watching that mammoth documentary everybody loves. And it is an excellent film that covers O.J. as a celebrity and a defendant in the biggest murder trial of our time. At nearly eight hours in length, the documentary covers plenty of ground without coming off as boring.

Allied: C. The visual effects are shoddy (every time someone gets shot in the head the effects look as effective as a video game from the late 90s), the typical Alan Silvestri score feels too inappropriate for the subject matter, and Brad Pitt's sleepwalking in the movie is so obvious that you can practically see his morning wood. It's your typical Robert Zumeckis movie; if you feel like turning off your brain for two hours to see an overly sentimental film where Marion Cotillard gives birth outside a hospital during an air raid, you could do worse.

Nocturnal Animals: C. I hated Amy Adams so much that at one point I made the comment to myself that her makeup was dumb. Tom Ford still hasn't impressed me as a director: he knows how to stage a scene to be aesthetically pleasing, but he hasn't figured out how to provide symbolism without hammering us over the head. Good God, that title sequence was painful! There's probably a good hour (the titular novel) that kept me riveted. If we could have gotten a straight telling of that story without all of the Amy Adams bullshit, I would have enjoyed it more. Thank God for Michael Shannon, whose sometimes hammy performance saves the film.

The Eagle Huntress: C+. There's not much to say about this one. It's beautiful to look at, has an obvious but effective message about female empowerment, and not only does the film depict the town's blatant misogyny towards women wanting to become an eagle hunter but the movie challenges the notion and rubs it in after the inevitable triumph.

Moana: B-. Infectious soundtrack; script thankfully breaks away from conventions. Still, it's not the most memorable film in the Disney canon. "How Far I'll Go" is a highlight all four times it's used; Lin-Manuel Miranda should go ahead and start rehearsing his Oscar acceptance speech.

Doctor Strange: C. I was given the opportunity to see this movie on a Saturday night. The alternative was tossing and turning in bed for a couple hours, so I thought I had little to lose. In hindsight, I should have opted for the restless night.  There's nothing offensively bad about the film: the visual effects are appealing; the acting isn't terrible (my girl Tilda showed everyone else up, but that was to be expected); it's just under two hours, so it's not needlessly long. That said, I feel like we missed the middle act of the film—it goes from character introductions and exposition to the showdown with the big bad without fully explaining why we should care about the stakes. At this point, the Marvel brand is so saturated and derivative as hell. I refuse to think that someone actually wrote a script for this movie; rather, there must have been a template on Microsoft Word.

Captain Fantastic: B+. I'm having a lazy Sunday so I picked up some titles on Redbox that I missed out on in theaters. The film is quite good. Viggo Mortensen breathes life in the complicated character, the script handles sensitive topics with tact, and it concludes with such warmth that I wanted to hug somebody…but I was home alone. The cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine" is the musical moment of the year (sorry, Moana and La La Land).

Hell or High Water: A-. Holy hell, what a tense thriller. All three men—Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, and Chris Pine—are exceptional at this cat-and-mouse film that would have been a straight No Country for Old Men rip-off if given to a less capable director or cast.  I might upgrade it to an A after I think about it some more, but that last scene felt completely unnecessary and slightly undercut how effective the script was at that point.

Here’s what I’m planning to read and watch this week.  After last week, I’m going to be a little more practical.  I’m already at 87 books on Goodreads this year, so I’m comfortable with scaling down the reading.

Books

One More Thing (Stories and Other Stories) by B.J. Novak:  Usually when I’m having trouble listening to audiobooks, I’ll pick a humorous book and it will do it for me.  I’m a fan of Novak’s comedy, so I thought I’d give this a thought.  Oh, hey—didn’t B.J. Novak write another book?  Well…

The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak:  This is a typical children’s book.  I’m wondering how well Novak will do with the format.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon:  For real this time.

Movies

Bad Moms:  I missed this in theaters, expecting it to disappear from our collective consciousness after opening weekend; the joke was on me, however, as the film unexpectedly grossed $100 million in the United States.  Apparently it’s also really funny—so I figure it’s worth a shot.

Captain America: Civil War:  I feel like I need to watch this movie at some point…

I plan on seeing other movies, but it depends on what is readily available this weekend.  

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (11/21 - 11/27)

I ended up watching six films and reading five books last week.  I’m going to gradually slow down on the reading for the rest of the year (I’m already past what I read last year), but I’m going to keep up the movie watching so that I don’t have to scramble in January/February.

Here’s what I did last week:

Books

Egghead by Bo Burnham:  C+.  I’ve been a fan of Bo’s comedy since I discovered his YouTube channel in 2008.  Sure, there are plenty of times where I’m shaking my head at his jokes—he enjoys provoking people with offensive humor—but I generally find him clever.  The poetry in Egghead is more of the fratboy variety, but at times Bo still proves to be a wordsmith. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling (writing as “Newt Scamander”):  C+.  There really isn’t much to this guidebook, outside of the notations by Harry, Ron and Hermione.  It’s actually pretty dry in general—which makes it a little harder to get through.  You definitely don’t need to read this before seeing the movie (more on that later).

Point Your Face at This:  Drawings by Demetri Martin:  C+.  You can copy and paste what I said about Bo Burnham’s book, although I think I discovered Demetri in 2006 or 2007 while perusing Comedy Central.

Fences by August Wilson:  A-.  I really enjoyed this play and how the characters developed throughout.  The banter between husband and wife, and later husband and son, is on point and conveys topics of faith, coming of age, race relations, and the patriarchy better than most novels do.  The character of Troy is one I won’t soon forget.

101 Things to Definitely Not Do If You Want to Get a Chick by Will Forte:  D.  This is the fourth time I perused a bookstore before a movie and saw this staring at me, so I took a half hour out of my day to read this comic.  While I’m a fan of Will Forte’s, I don’t think I ever cracked a smile while reading this.

Movies

20^th Century Women:  B+.  The ensemble is divine, as they all work well as a cohesive unit, while all having their individual moments:  Bening is touching; Gerwig takes the traditional Manic Pixie Dream Girl character and gives it genuine pathos; Elle Fanning continues to prove that she’s the most talented Fanning; newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann has the presence of a veteran. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Annette Bening's performance is sitting in my mind after nearly a week: she plays up the warmth of the character without her typical loudness—which is great for us, but I think an Oscar win for her work is entirely out of the question. I liken the movie’s humor to The Royal Tenenbaums having a monogamous relationship with Almost Famous, but straying one night to sleep with Beginners.  I can’t wait to see this again.

La La Land:  A-.  First thing’s first:  this film is gorgeous!  The production design is top notch; the costume design (mostly on Emma Stone’s character) isn’t too brash and works well in context; the choreography is perfect.  I went with a friend who wasn’t a fan of the tonal shifts and with Emma Stone’s singing, but I disagree on both criticisms:  the tonal shifts after the first 20-30 minutes fit with the changing of seasons, and Stone’s singing is appropriate given her character.  Admittedly, this is another case of a character acting as a crutch since the actor playing the part isn’t a classically trained singer (see also: Renee Zellweger in Chicago, or Natalie Portman in Black Swan for a non-musical example).  Honestly, I’m impressed by both Stone and Gosling and how the marquee actors were able to lose themselves in the demanding roles.  Sure, there may be a few qualms with the screenplay—and ultimately Damien Chazelle writes himself in a corner and can only end the film the way he did—but I thought the songs were pleasant, it was well acted, and it was expertly designed.  I can’t wait to see this again.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:  C.  Ever since I read the Harry Potter books, it became clear to me that the books were at a high level and the movies were significantly lower, in my estimation.  Still, I went into this film excited because J.K. Rowling was the screenwriter.  The technical aspects are well done, and I liked some of the characters (Tina is no Hermione but as the smart sidekick she’ll do in a pinch; Jacob Kowalski’s character arc is adorable).  Other than that, the film was a chore to get through.  I’m hoping Rowling and company changes the formula a little if four more films in this universe are forthcoming.

Indignation:  B.  It starts off like your typical coming-of-age film, but ends up as a punch in a gut.  Even as the film got progressively darker, I didn’t think it was going to conclude on such a bleak note that seems to suggest that conformity is probably a safer route. 

Loving:  B-.  I’m wishy-washy on the film as a whole:  it’s a bit too dry and procedural, however I appreciated the attempt to keep the focus on the couple in quiet moments instead of focusing on loud courtroom scenes; Joel Edgerton will have plenty of fans because of his performance, but I found him too stoic and was left wanting more; Ruth Negga was quietly devastating. 

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk:  C.  I didn’t hate this movie.  I walked in with the lowest expectations that I have in a long time, so maybe that helped.  I enjoyed the moral dilemma and the social commentary on the expectations people have towards those in the military.  Among the large cast, Kristen Stewart probably works the best, even though her role is brief.  Still, at times the way the scenes are written and edited are misguided at best—and the film builds up to the titular halftime show, which is easily the worst scene of the film.  I’m curious to read the book and see how well it works in comparison.

And here’s what I plan on reading and watching this week.

Books

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon:  I was a fan of Everything Everything, and if I recall correctly from her interview at Bookcon, the narrative of this book takes place throughout the course of a day.  This condense plot intrigues me even more!

Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel:  For real this time.

Triangles by Ellen Hopkins:  I was encouraged to given Ellen Hopkins another try (I hated Crank), so I thought I’d try one of her adult books. 

Movies

Hell or High Water:  I missed it in theaters; luckily it comes out on video tomorrow.

O.J.: Made in America:  I have a break from work later on this week, otherwise I don’t think I’d have the energy to tackle this seven-hour documentary. 

Rules Don’t Apply:  I’ve always found Howard Hughes an interesting figure in history, so I’m game. 

Moana:  Of course.

I may try to see others.  The indie theaters in St. Louis haven’t updated their schedules for the Thanksgiving weekend yet, so I’m not sure what’s available.

"The Edge of Seventeen" movie review

Before I talk about The Edge of Seventeen, I want to quickly discuss Hailee Steinfeld’s career trajectory, which I find interesting.  Hailee made her movie debut in 2010’s True Grit, which was a commercial and critical success; she earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance—a rarity for a debut.  Following this, the 13-year-old took a short break from acting and went into modeling for an Italian designer.  Hailee did return to acting in 2013, with varying success:  I liked her in Begin Again; the way her character is used in The Homesman (itself a terrible film) creeped me out; Pitch Perfect 2 was a terrible, godawful movie but Hailee wasn’t bad in it. 

None of the post-True Grit work is particularly interesting; what does fascinate me, however, is that in conjunction with Pitch Perfect 2, Hailee pursued a singing career.  Her debut single, “Love Myself,” is a song about masturbating masquerading as a female empowerment song; the song did well for a debut, peaking in the top 40.  Hailee is currently in the top 20 with her follow-up single, “Starving,” which is just as suggestive.

I didn’t know that I was starving till I tasted you

Don’t need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo

By the way, by the way, you do things to my body

I didn’t know that I was starving till I tasted you

I’m just saying:  it’s rare that an Academy Award nominated actress takes this career trajectory. 

Anyway, let’s talk about The Edge of Seventeen.  Hailee plays Nadine, a high school junior who is going through her fair share of teenage angst:  her father died unexpectedly just two years prior; her mother (played by Kyra Sedgwick) clearly prefers Nadine’s twin brother, Darian (Blake Jenner, unrelated to those Jenners); and Nadine walks in on her twin getting a handjob from her best friend, Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), which causes tension between the three.  To make matters even more dire, Nadine is attracted to an upperclassman who doesn’t know that she exists; meanwhile, Nadine has caught the attention of an awkward classmate named Erwin (Hayden Szeto).  Luckily for her (and unluckily for him), Nadine takes every opportunity to vent to her history teacher, Mr. Bruner (Woody Harrelson).

This movie plays out exactly as you’d expect.  Does the tension between mother and daughter get resolved?  Is Nadine’s friendship with Krista over forever?  Will the upperclassman notice Nadine, or will she end up with Erwin?  I think we already know the answers to these questions.

On the plus side, while the script is derivative of every teenage movie ever made, the dialogue is quite funny.  Hailee plays off Woody Harrelson well, and she has similar success with the rest of the actors.  Honestly, Hailee is the glue that holds this movie together in an inoffensive mold.  Sure, we know where the story is leading us, but during the film’s hour and a half running time, I didn’t mind the ride.

Note:  Last year I saw a forgettable teen movie called The Duff, wherein every character was played by someone in their late 20s or early 30s.  At the time of The Edge of Seventeen’s release, Hailee Steinfeld is 19, Haley Lu Richardson is 21, and Blake Jenner is 24.  Nadine’s two love interests—Alexander Calvert and Hayden Szeto—are 26 and 31, respectively.  I suppose if you want to see a Hollywood production where the young characters are being played by age appropriate actors, you’ll have to catch Stranger Things.

Rating:  C+

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (11/14 - 11/20)

Last week was the final week of the St. Louis International Film Festival, so I took advantage in seeing four more films—bringing my total that I saw this year at nine films, a new record for me.  Other than that, I’m blaming my reading slump on the presidential election results; I haven’t been able to concentrate on reading much since then, and the books I had to read were a graphic novel and a stage play.

Here’s what I read and watched last week:

Books

If I Stay by Gayle Forman:  C+.  I listened to this on audiobook, otherwise I’d probably still be reading it.  I enjoyed the premise and setup to the novel, but unfortunately the novel gets repetitive and cumbersome while stuck in the narrator’s headspace. 

Doug the Pug:  King of Pop Culture by Leslie Mosier:  I’m not giving this a letter grade.  I explained why in my review. 

Movies

Arrival:  B-.  Amy Adams is terrific in the lead role, and the visual effects are stunning.  My quips with the film lie in the script:  the plot contrivances that lead to the main character’s involvement felt silly, and the plot twist didn’t work as well for me as the director intended. 

Toni Erdmann:  A.  I desperately needed a laugh following the election results, and this film didn’t disappoint.  Toni Erdmann is able to handle broad, sophomoric humor and familial drama without coming off as overwrought and saturated in sentimentality.  This is my new favorite film of the year.

Long Live Death:  C+.  Fans of Dexter will appreciate the premise, but the cat and mouse serial killer film felt a little too by-the-numbers for me.

The Red Turtle:  B.  I avoided advanced knowledge of the film, so I wasn’t aware that it was without dialogue (barring some exclamations throughout).  The animation was terrific, and the film progresses well even without much plot. 

Jackie:  B-.  Natalie Portman’s much anticipated performance doesn’t disappoint.  I had a slight problem with her accent in the opening scenes, but it quickly evened out and felt appropriate.  My main problem with the film is in its structuring:  despite two framing devices, the film jumps from scene to scene with reckless abandon, edited to the bone to play off Portman’s strengths.  Also, the film suffers from ending fatigue, which is ironic since the 100 minute Jackie felt longer than the 163 minute Toni Erdmann.

I’m hoping to get out of my slump this week—but then again, I’m already at 81 books read for the year, so I can afford the break.

Books

Fences by August Wilson:  For real this time.  It’s due back at the library tomorrow, so I’ll have to finish it tonight.

Egghead by Bo Burnham:  Every now and then, I’ll decide it’s worth my time to binge watch some Bo Burnham videos on YouTube.  I wasn’t aware that Bo had published a book of poetry a couple years ago…

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling (writing as "Newt Scamander"):  Maybe.  The short story isn’t actually required reading before watching the film, so I may skip it.

Movies

20^th Century Women:  Another advanced screening; one of these days I’ll write a post about how easy it is to get invited to advanced screenings.  I’m excited to get some of the likely Oscar contenders out the way before December, that way I don’t have to rush and see everything in January/February. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them:  I’m cautiously optimistic, considering the advanced notice from critics.  At the very least, I’m hoping for something better than The Cursed Child.

Loving: [insert what I said seeing Oscar contenders before January here]

American Pastoral:  This may or may not happen, if I have a couple of hours this weekend.  The trailer excited me; the word of mouth made it obvious that this was a missable film. 

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk:  I was really rooting for this movie a couple months ago!  The studio all but trashed it, halting its intended awards push when advanced word was that the film sucked.  I may hold off on this one for a bit.

"Doug the Pug: King of Pop Culture" book review

First attempt at a review:

Dog.

Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog.

Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog.

Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog.

Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog.

Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog.

Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog. Dog.

Dog.

Rating:  Dog/Dog

***

Second attempt at a review:

No.

I’m not going to do it.  I’m not going to review the Doug the Pug picture book, Doug the Pug: King of Pop Culture.  I’m not going to review it because to do so would be to put more effort into writing an analysis on something that was thrown together in ten minutes.  No, I'm not claiming that the poses and captions were half-assed; rather, they were originally posted on Doug's instagram account, and they are merely re-purposed in book form for a quick buck. 

My sister got me hooked on Doug the Pug early last year by linking me to the Facebook page.  It’s always a good way to kill some time:  along with the adorable pictures of Doug in awkward situations, there will be weekly videos clips, most of them parodies of popular movies or TV shows.  I find it amazing that Leslie Mosier—Doug’s handler—could quit her full-time job and work as the pug’s manager.  I hope it’s a business venture that lasts several more years.

That said, it was inevitable for the Doug the Pug brand to get its own book; the brand already has calendars, shirts, and every other conceivable tie-in. 

What is there to say about a picture book?  The typography is fun to look at, and the colors are crisp.  Otherwise, the pictures are all the ones you can see for free online—and the captions are silly puns for songs and movies that came out years ago (i.e. “Now you’re just some bunny that I used to know”). 

Still, the dog is cute.

I refuse to rate this—not because it’s just a picture book, but because there’s nothing to analyze.  The only thing I can say about this book, which is neither positive nor negative, is that it exists.

Here's what I plan on reading and watching this week (11/7 - 11/13)

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"Hacksaw Ridge" film review

To call Mel Gibson a controversial figure in Hollywood is to make an understatement as large as to suggest that contracting an STD is only a slight inconvenience.  Even if I steer clear of the drunken anti-Semitic rant (and the recent comments ten years later which won’t help his case) and focus squarely on Gibson as a director, his films are polarizing:  Braveheart won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, but critics chided the unnecessary homophobia, the historical inaccuracies, and the other shortcomings associated with the plot and acting; The Passion of the Christ became the most successful rated R movie of all time, but critics cried foul on the extensive violence and questioned Gibson’s tact.   

Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson’s comeback as a director, is faring well with critics.  The antiwar film is being praised for showing a portrait of courage we don’t typically see in films—that of a pacifist, who enlists during World War II as a medic.  Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) is so adamant about not participating in violence that he refuses to pick up a gun, risking a court-martial from his superiors for not obeying orders. 

While I agree with the critical consensus that it’s refreshing to see a pacifist as the protagonist in a Hollywood production—and I’m glad that the filmmakers don’t cop out from this premise halfway through—I’m not sold with the execution of the film.  Desmond’s pacifist morals are shown to the audience early in the film:  a young Desmond gets into a fight with his brother and gets a little too violent—striking his brother in the head with a brick, knocking him unconscious.  After apologizing to his mom, Desmond looks at the Ten Commandments hanging in the living room and vows to honor the commandments and never physically assault anyone again.

As the plot progresses, the character development is left on the cutting room floor. When Desmond decides to serve in the war as a medic, it's only because the plot says so, not based on a natural reaction shown to the audience. When Desmond's father stands up for his son's convictions during the court-martial scene, it's a drastic about-face from the character (Desmond's little brother, who enlists months beforehand, is kicked out of the house by the father during a family dinner for volunteering to serve in the army). Yet, beyond a meaningful look by the father (played by Hugo Weaving), the development is lost on the audience.

Speaking of the brother, the film promptly removes him from the narrative after being kicked out during dinner.  Did he die during battle?  Did he regret his decision to serve in the military?  Did he ever reconcile with his father?  These are questions left unanswered.  (I just looked up the real Hal Doss and not only did he live through the war, he outlived the rest of his family.)

As far as the acting goes, this isn’t the best platform for a measured performance.  Andrew Garfield is acceptable as Desmond, but he plays the character as a deer caught in the headlights in the first half of the film and doesn’t get the opportunity to show off his acting prowess in the second half.  I'm convinced Vince Vaughn, who plays the sergeant on Desmond’s squad, was told to watch Full Metal Jacket three times in a row in lieu of being given direction that he can use.  The other cast members are adequate, but they are all one-dimension characters who are designated antagonists to Desmond throughout, just so they can have the inevitable “I was so wrong about you, Desmond” moment in the climax.

The big set piece in the second half of the film—the Battle of Okinawa—is essentially an extended fight scene.  As a piece of choreography, it is impressive; as an edited piece of film, it fails:  the film cuts away at an alarming speed, leaving the carnage to become the faceless violence that Desmond Doss would certainly object to.

My biggest complaint with Hacksaw Ridge is that its screenplay is lacking the cohesiveness and credibility needed to make the film compelling to both Christians and non-believers.  I won’t reveal the ending, but afterwards the film spends at least three minutes interviewing the people who fought during the war, and they corroborate the film’s accuracy.  I can’t recall the last time a film needed to explicitly state that the actions taken happened in reality.  Perhaps if the filmmakers took the time to develop the characters, they wouldn’t need to be so defensive.

Grade:  D+