Mel Gibson's Trying To Change His Image By Running For President

His plan is working...

You see Mel Gibson's been side...all highs and lows. Gibson winning 2 Oscars for Braveheart was a great peak, but then came the valleys, and then the peaks, and suddenly the peaks weren't high enough.

In addition, Mel Gibson, tired of the allegation of alcholism, anti-semitism, etc. has contrived a plan.

A life makeover and an effort to reach a new peak...the American presidency.

Who knows how "super tuesday" will workout for Mel Gibson and his "new life" in the upcoming primary...but his makeover might just be working.

After some minor plastic surgery (pushing out the cheek bones, tucking the ears, etc.) Mel Gibson has adopted his new look.

He hired a family, asked people to rewrite some history using obscure states like Utah and Massachusett's recent history and rewriting news stories and senate vote records. This was the most challenging part because the politicians and people in Washington rarely would ever consider doing anything unethical, but you know Mad Max and Lethal Weapon are non-partisan favorites.

The writer's strike is convinient...it has allowed him to hire the best writers to write him not only speechs and commercials, but to completly write a full life makeover script. The writers have been working hard, but Mel Gibson pays top dollar.

Let's see how Mel Gibson's writers will do tomorrow as the official writers of the Mitt Romney story.

Writers Strike Settlement Soon???

Cinematical reports that the Writer's Guild and major studios may be close to reaching an agreement...in times for the Oscars and a fall TV schedule. Apparently a newly outlined contract has been created based on the contract created with the directors guild a few weeks ago.

Are you ready for the writer's strike to be over? Has this stike affected you in anyway?

Were There Any Good, Non-Quirky, 80s Films?

I keep track of every movie I've ever seen, keeping it in a list by year.

As I've develved further back and tried to develop my movie pallet, my 1980s list are simply depressing.

You see the problem is, that once I delve past favorites like The Breakfast Club and Back To The Future, I realize that I've yet to see many films that were released in the 1980s that I think of as great timeless films.

In fact, most 80s films are so quirky they might as well be instantly considered period pieces, even if at the time they had every intention of being contemporary or non-script in their portrayl of time. From the horrible costumes, the irritating music, and the bizarre overly narrated screenplays, 80s films seem like the type of movies you are overly fond of, or simply disregard.

I recently watched The Accidental Tourist, a 1988 Lawrence Kasdan that in addition to winning Geena Davis an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress was also nominated for best picture, best adapted screenplay, and best original score (John Williams).

How did this film get nominated for best picture?

Similarly that same year Tom Hanks got nominated for best actor academy award for Big. I enjoyed Big, but best actor nominee (and also best original screenplay?) Maybe it was a creative "what if" type of movie at the time...but it just doesn't seem like "that type of film."

Maybe I shouldn't be critical like this, but when I saw The Sting (1973) for the first time this past year I thought, "Wow, what a great movie. Everyone should watch this, it's great." Similarly I had the same thought with Battle of Algiers when I saw it earlier this month.

Yet how come I would dread the thought of developing a top 10 list of my favorite non-quirky 80s films?

When I was a kid I didn't see The Goonies (1985), but later watched it as an adult. Having missed it in childhood, I found it to be one of the lamest movies ever. Yet people who saw it in the 80s loved it. I feel like that this might be part of the quirky nature of many 1980s films. (Think Trading Places, Spies Like Us, Clue, Flight of The Navigator, Three Amigos, Twins).

What movies from the 1980s are still watchable?

I'm willing to give 80s films I shot this year, but I need some help on some recommendations. I don't want to completly right off an entire decade of cinema.

SAG Awards & Soulja Boy

A many thanks to Grete for filling in this past week and sharing her SAG experiences with us. Her husband Jon got to be Russell Crowe for the evening and talking with Cuba Gooding Jr. Grete was siting in Kevin Bacon's seat and chilling with the cast of the office, and asking to get out of the way by Debra Messing, and wandering around the midst of Casey Affleck, Javier Bardem, Ryan Gosling, Tina Fey, and Ellen Page.

I was glad to see the Ruby Dee win, I feel like the supporting actress race could leave room for some surprises come academy award time (Blanchett the frontrunner, Amy Ryan the critical award winner, and Ruby Dee the vetran picking up the awards at the end of the season...what will happen?)

While I didn't get to brush shoulders with some of the greatest actors in the business, I was able to spend time with wife's family and attend the wedding of a great friend.

Enjoy the video below of some of the groomsmen (I did not participate) as they attempt to dance to the song "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy.



If you can't get enough, here's two more clips. Groomsmen dancing to NSYNC's Bye Bye Bye Part 1 & Bye Bye Bye Part 2.

Laughed out loud.

"Never go with a hippie to a second location."
-Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) on '30 Rock'

SAG Awards Results

We're home! And we're tired. Though, it isn't because we had to run in and out of seats for our seatfilling stint at the Awards. We actually both had unoccupied seats from which we viewed the whole show without moving from table to table. Yay!

I was told by my friends Anthony and Allison that I was on-camera when "The Office" cast won for best ensemble in a TV Comedy... because I was sitting at their table! My husband Jon was "Russell Crowe" for the night, which he explains in the brief video he posted on his blog. And, like last year, I again made an extensive list of everyone I sat with, spoke with, and saw from a distance.

Overall, I didn't feel like there was as much excitement surrounding the show this year. Jon pointed out that it could be do to the lack of "freshness" in new television series. Because of the writers' strike that began late last Fall, several new shows haven't had enough time on-air to be nominated for awards. Hence, most of the television folks at the show were being nominated for the same categories as last year. We're fans of "Chuck" in particular - anyone else?

I'm surprised that with how few categories there are beyond the usual ones (i.e. actor/actress), they didn't go ahead and include the stunt performance winners during the show. Here is the complete list of tonight's winners:

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
'No Country for Old Men'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis, 'There Will Be Blood'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Julie Christie, 'Away From Her'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem, 'No Country for Old Men'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Ruby Dee, 'American Gangster'

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
'The Bourne Ultimatum'

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini, 'The Sopranos'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Edie Falco, 'The Sopranos'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin,'30 Rock'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey, '30 Rock'

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
'The Sopranos'

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
'The Office'

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Kline, 'As You Like It'

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Queen Latifah, 'Life Support'

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
'24'


How will these winners impact the decisions for the Academy Awards?

photo credit: Associated Press

SAG Awards on Sunday

Anyone plan to watch them? If so, you might see my husband and I scurrying in and out of celebrity seats. We're seatfillers! What this entails is lining up along the walls, being directed to vacated seats during breaks (or after someone's won an award), and jumping back out of them when the seat-holder returns. Last year, this meant seeing LOTS of recognizable faces (see my blog post or "sightings" list from SAG Awards 2007).

Who would be the most exciting person to sit near this year? Opinions? Personally, if the 3:10 to Yuma gang shows up for their nominated "best ensemble" award, I'd beeline my efforts to sit near Christian Bale. :)

By the way, this isn't RC... I've been asked to guest-post while he's out. Some of you readers may know me (Grete) personally, but for those who don't, feel free to glance at my blog. My husband and I have lived in L.A. for the past year and a half, and we quickly learned how to get a taste of the entertainment world for free. I'm not too weird. Really.

On the Death of Celebrities

You know those montages they show at the Academy Awards of the people who died the previous year?

My first memory of the montage was a very removed memory. I don't know that I recognized a single person in the film footage and the majority of people were old, many "behind the scenes" people, from movies I have never seen.

As I've become more aware of film, seen more "old movies," and kept up with the media world, not only do I recognize more names, faces, and films, but I also can recall those people dying through out the year.

(Mercurie's blog does an excellent job often composes post on those who have died through out the year.)

I've often thought about how weird it'll be to see the Academy montage with Tom Hanks in it, Will Smith, or Julie Roberts if I am blessed to outlive them. Sometimes when celebrities die, even though we don't know them, we have formed a unique intimacy with them over time. Even though they wouldn't miss you if you died, you certainly miss them, are shocked that death would take them, or intrigued at how these people and the people around them are effected by death.

When I found out Heath Ledger died yesterday, I didn't believe it. I wanted to verify it with real news stories which were beginning to flood over the Internet. In a way it paralyzed me at first. Ledger was young, born in 1979! He had one of his biggest roles wrapped up in Batman: The Dark Knight. I was excited for Leger's performance as soon as it was announced, and now it's a bitter thought.

I think about when Brad Delp committed suicide last year and said "I am a lonely soul" in his short suicide note. I think of the messages of Oliver Stone's film I recently wrote on, and sometimes what we want the most is what destroys us.

I wish people would search for faith. I wish people would search for hope. I wish people would search for love. And when they search, I want them to find. That they may find faith, hope, and love.

Whether it's the montages of celebrities, or the obituaries in the paper, I wish the names and faces would bring feeling of sorrow and loss of those who died of natural causes, rather than taken out of this world prematurely. Especially those feeling that the need to remove themselves from this world.

Heath, I don't know what to say about your death, other than I hope those you left behind will find what you did not.

Academy Award Nomination Day!!

Academy Award nominees have just been announced. The big initial shockers and discussions is Laura Linney got nominated (in the spot normally thought to belong to Angelina Jolie), the Atonement DID get nominated for best picture, Jason Reitman scored his first directing nod for Juno, and Tommy Lee Jones got nominated for In the Valley of Elah. And Surf's Up sneaks in for an animation nod.

Looking closer, there will be certain thoughts to come about the Original Song catagory which saw Enchanted receiving 3 of the 5 nods.

Also little love for Sweeney Todd or Into the Wild which both received 3 nods each.

Here's how I faired on my predictions:

I had a 5/5 predictions correct in: Best Picture, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Cinemotography

I had a 4/5 prediction correct in: Lead Actress, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, Original Score, Sound Editing

I had disappointing 3/5 for: Best Director, Lead Actor, Documentary, Film Editing, Sound Mixing, Costume Design

I horrible 2/5 for: Best Foreign Language Film, Orginal Song

Plus, 2/3 in Animated film & Visual Effects, and 1/3 in Makeup.

Official Count: As I count There Will Be Blood & No Country For Old Men lead with 8 nods, and Michael Clayton and Atonement trail just behind with 7 nods. Ratatoille has 5 nods, while Juno and The Diving Bell and The Butterfly trail behind with 4 nods.

I Wasn't Going to but I can't Resist - some Academy Awards Predictions

I was avoiding this, thinking there 10 billion people doing this, and I don't need to replicate what everyone else is doing because no one really cares what I predict. But, I just can't refrain. I'll keep it short.

Picture: No Country for Old Men, Michael Clayton, Juno, Atonement, There Will Be Blood (other real potentials: Into the Wild, Diving Bell & The Butterfly, Sweeney Todd)

Director: Coen Bros (No Country), PT Anderson (There Will Be Blood), Julian Schnabel (Diving Bell), Sean Penn (Into the Wild), Joe Wright (Atonement). (With so many potential movies the directors and pictures surely won't match 1-to-1, we could see Tim Burton, Tony Gilroy, or Ridley Scott).

Lead Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Viggo Mortesen (Eastern Promises), Denzel Washington (American Gangster), Ryan Gosling (Lars and The Real Girls)

Lead Actress: Julie Christie (Away from Her), Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose), Ellen Page (Juno), Angelina Jolie (A Mighty Heart), Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth)

Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck (Assasination of Jesse James), Javier Bardem (No Country), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton), Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild), Philip Seymore Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War)

Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchet (I'm Not Here), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton), Ruby Dee (American Gangster), Catherine Keener (Into The Wild).

Original Screenplay: Juno, Michael Clayton, Lars and the Real Girls, Ratatouille, The Savages

Adapated Screenplay: Atonement, Diving Bell and The Butterfly, No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Into The Wild

Animated: Ratatoille, Simpsons, Persopolis

Documentary: Sicko, No End in Sight, Taxi to the Dark Side, Please Vote For Me, The Rape of Europa

Foreign Film: Austria (The Counter), Russia (12), Brazil (The Year My Parents Went On Vacation), Serbia (The Trap), Italy (The Unknown)

Cinemotography: Roger Deakins (Assassination of Jesse James), Deakins (No Country), Elswit (There Will Be Blood), Kaminsky (Diving Bell), McGarvey (Atonement)

Editing: No Country, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, Atonement, Diving Bell

Art Direction: Sweeney Todd, Atonement, There Will Be Blood, His Dark Materials, Pirates of The Caribbean

Original Score: Marianelli (Atonement), Iglesias (Kite Runner), Giacchino (Ratatouille), Beltrami (3:10 to Yuma), Despalt (Lust, Caution)

Original Song: That's How You Know (Enchanted), Grace is Gone (Grace is Gone), Come So Far (Got So Far to Go) (Hairspray), Guaranteed (Into The Wild), Falling Slowly (Once)

Sound Mixing: Transformers, No Country For Old Men, Into the Wild, Bourne Ultimatum, Sweeney Todd

Sound Editing: Transformers, Bourne Ultimatum, 300, No Country For Old Men, Ratatouille

Visual Effects: 300, Transformers, His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass

Costume Design: Atonement, Sweeney Todd, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Hairspray, Assassination of Jesse James

Make-up: Sweeney Todd, 300, La Vie En Rose

Documentary/Animated/Live Actions Shorts: I don't care

Other Oscar Predictions Floating Around: Barry, Stale Popcorn, 2 Reels, Film Chair, Nick's Flick Picks, Scott Freeman, Toby Hostility, Filmatelist, Stereo Sanctity, Film Experience, Oscar Igloo, Sijmen's Oscar Experiment, Cinematically Correct, and if you have predictions posted, let me know!

First Thoughts on The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

Critical raves and awards, 2 Golden Globe wins, many guild nominations, and various top 10 lists, and all I can think is how do you make a two hour motion picture about a man who can't move any bone or muscle in his body except for one eye lid.

Ever since I first wrote about Jean-Dominique Bauby and the movie The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, I've been curious...how will they make this movie? What will it be like? How can this be good?

I got a chance to finally see the Diving Bell and the Butterfly this weekend, and I did think it was excellent. Julian Schnabel (Before Night Falls) does an excellent job directing this very unique project, and I fully anticipate a best director Oscar nod later this week.

The project is certainly on the artistic side, so the best picture nod seems less likely to me, although I've seen plenty of people predict it's nomination.

The story is fantastic and has the unique magic that only a real story can have...yet screenwriter Ronald Harwood (Oscar winner, The Pianist) writes this in such a stimulating and artful way. It has you asking "What does it mean to live?" On top of all the profoundness of It's A Wonderful Life, except instead of George Bailey seeing his life dead, you see Bauby seeing the people in his life respond to his paralysis, and yet with no practical way to respond and interact with them.

Also Janusz Kaminski's cinematography is incredible, I'm sure this project is a dream project for him to add to impressive filming of Saving Private Ryan & Schindler's List.

I imagine this film will be far more engaging on a big screen than a little one, so if you're interested and not to scared of artful foreign cinema with flashbacks and dream sequences, I highly encourage seeking out a viewing when and where it's available.

Must See Film: The Battle of Algiers

It's not too often that I assign I required viewing, but this film is worthy of making it an assignment for StrangeCulture readers.

The Battle of Algiers (Battaglia di Algeri, La) is a movie that came out over 40-years ago, first showing in the US in 1967, directed by Italian film maker Gillo Pontecorvo.

This film deals with the Algerian war against the French Colonist (1854-1962). The war was fought between the French colonial power and the National Liberation Front (FLN).

The majority of the story takes place in the Casbah of Algiers and focuses on the Arab Nationalist trying to be freed from the French colonial power. Yet, while the film focuses on these Arab extremist, the film does not necessarily suggest that they are in the right, and the French are in the wrong. In fact, there's no clear good guy/bad guy relationship in the film, namely because you see crimes and justice compromised on both sides.

There is some harrowing scenes where you see the French using torture tactics, and the FLN extremist starting terrorist cells that bring about civilian causalities all in the name of freedom and liberation.

I strongly recommend this film for three reasons.

(1) Entertainment Value: You will enjoy this film. It's plot is not so far off from what makes up the system of story-telling that you'd find in Alias, 24, or Jason Bourne film. The opening sequence begins with a man being tortured and giving up valuable information. Shortly afterwards the story flashes back to years earlier as the story is neatly and suspensefully unpacked, with action and special effects gallore.

(2) Relevancy To History and Current Events: I've discussed to some degree previously about the ideas of extraordinary rendition and torture as it relates to entertainment and politics. This film opens up ideas on torture for sure. It also deals strongly with the concepts of terrorism and elevation of terrorist acts, specifically as they relate to the Muslim world. As we live in a world that is currently fighting a "War on Terror" I can think of know single film I've seen that open up and unpacks these ideas better the Battle of Algiers. While the film deals directly in a documentary-like presentation of the real events of Algieria's liberation it also deals so poignantly about these other topics that are still relevant today. Also, this film paints such an interesting picture of what was going on in Africa post-WWII. This film speaks far more volumes than simply telling the story of terrorist/liberator/criminal/hero Ali La Pointe.

(3) Fantastic Film Making: Everything in this film is first rate. The special effects of the bombings look so real, the way the camera grabs the faces and expressions of the actors makes the characters seem so real, the music by always talented Ennio Morricone is perfect, and pacing and feel are great. But more than that, it all just seems so real. You would think you were watching real footage of the actual events when you're watching this film. There is nothing that seems staged, it just all fits together so perfectly.

If you haven't seen this movie, it's a must watch film. I wish there were more films like this.

StrangeCultureBlog.com Is Alive

I previously mentioned that with the money I would get from google adsense, one of my thoughts was to park my blog at a domain that was not a blogspot address. I also mentioned the unavailability (and non-use) of StrangeCulture.com (very sad).

But Adam said it wouldn't be that hard...and that's all I needed to hear.

But I decided to be American and spend some of that adsense money before I actually received it (I'm thinking the check is in the mail, right?). And I bought up the website StrangeCultureBlog.com

(Anthony I couldn't really go with a .edu but thanks for the compliment, and Mercurie I waffled on whether or not to go with the info extension, but I didn't know if people would remember it).

You can continue to link to and visit it's current home on blogspot, or it's new address...they both direct to the same place. (In fact, look above at your address bar...it should have directed you to the knew site without even knowing it, assuming you're not using a reader...in which case, nevermind)

ALSO... if you're one of the people who complain because they can't check the blog at work because blogspots are blocked...then hopefully I've also helped fix that problem for you as well!

If you have questions about how to do this yourself, feel free to e-mail me, it really wasn't that hard (just like Adam said), nor very expensive ($1.99 the first year).

Also thanks to those who occasionally notice a adsense link that appeals to them and clicks! But more importantly, thanks for visiting, reading, and linking to StrangeCulture!

2nd Blogaversary

Today marks StrangeCulture's 2 year blogaversary!

It all started Jan 17, 2006.

Since then I've written over 600 post of various length, content and popularity. (Last years blogaversary post can be found here)

Some of My Favorite from year 2:

• Becky Fischer's Yoke In Jesus Camp
• Corporations, Psychopaths, Jesus and our Souls
• Reconciling Personal Thoughts on Spirituality and the Paranormal
• Vomit Enducing Summer Movies (2007 edition)
• Manufactured Authenticity: Seeking Both Excellence and Honesty
• Inspiration Overload
• Thinking about Extraordinary Rendition
• 2 Simultaneous Homemade Ratatouille Experiences
• Let's Go To The Movies???
• Dis-Hope in Luis Buñuel's Viridiana
• superpowers never possessed by a character on heroes (or by any other superhero/villain)
• Good vs. Evil & Jesus

Some Special First Time Series From This Past Year:

• The Reel (Real) People Series
• Foreign into Film Parts Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI & VII

My Ultimate Favorite Experience on Strange Culture this past year:

• Film + Faith blog-a-thon

This next year I want to see StrangeCulture develop even further...expect to see changes in the next couple days, including a new web address coming soon!

Thanks for reading, commenting, linking and coming back for more!