iMushoo

Updated last March 15, 2010, 09:15 pm (Philippine Time)

After many had thought it was really Avatar who got it,”The Hurt Locker” won the top two prizes at Sunday's Academy Awards, taking home the best picture trophy and the best director honor for Kathryn Bigelow.

Bigelow, the producer of the filmbecame the first woman in the 82-year history of the Oscars to earn Hollywood's top prize for filmmakers.

"There's no other way to describe it. It's the moment of a lifetime," Bigelow said. "It's so extraordinary to be in the company of my fellow nominees, such powerful filmmakers, who have inspired me and I have admired, some of them for decades." Bigelow said.

Bigelow's film, which also won best picture, follows the dangerous daily existence of an Army bomb defusal team. It earned six Oscars, including one for Mark Boal's original screenplay, based on his time as a journalist embedded with such a unit.

Among those Bigelow and "The Hurt Locker" beat are ex-husband James Cameron and his sci-fi spectacle, "Avatar.", which many has expected to win the awards.

Cameron was seated right behind Bigelow at the Oscars and joined a standing ovation for her, clapping vigorously and saying, "Yes, yes," after she won.

Either movie would represent a first at the Oscars. James Cameron's "Avatar" would be the only science-fiction film ever to take home the best-picture prize. While war films have done well at the Oscars, Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" would be the first winner centered on the war on terror, a subject that has stirred little interest among movie audiences shell-shocked by news coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Links:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35752337/ns/entertainment-movies/

http://phreakaholic.com/info/oscar-academy-awards-2010-winners-list/

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/185551/avatar-hurt-locker-lead-expanded-oscar-parade

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/

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Updated last March 08, 2010, 9:23 pm (Philippine Time)

Amazing Grace is a movie that portrays the efforts of William Wilberforce against slave trade wherein Africans were ‘captured’ to forcefully make them slaves in plantations like sugar fields; and abolition that exist in the British Empire during the period of 1780’s and early 1980’s. Moreover, it also shows the accurate portrayal of the British abolitionists and their deeds before the 1801 Abolition Act.

Released (in the U.S) by Samuel Goldwyn Films, Roadside Attractions, Bristol Bay Productions presentation and others in the commemoration of the passing of the Bill that banned slave trade, an event that constitutes the climactic scene.

The title ‘Amazing Grace’ comes from the song, Amazing Grace itself from the mentor of Wilberforce, John Newton, the adviser of William in times of his sharp crossroads.

The main body of the movie was completely rooted on the slavery and the Abolition Act. What does not make clear is that the bill did not abolish slavery itself, which persist in Jamaica and other British colonies after 30 years.

Slave trade starts in the year 1472 wherein Portuguese negotiate the first slave trade agreement that also includes gold and ivory. By the end of the 19^th century, over 11 million Africans would arrive in the Americas than Europeans. In 1823, Wilberforce felt compassion of Africans that he addresses the persistence of the institution in his “Appeal in Behalf of the Negro Slaves in the West Indies”. Always on the religious moralist (he was Evangelical), Wilber looked at slaves showing generosity and a breaking heart unto them, quoted “we should treat with candour and tenderness the characters of the West India proprietors.” “Slavery was the almost destitution of religious and moral instruction among the slaves.”

For a movie about the British parliamentary process, Amazing Grace ‘gets all the clocks’. The movie balances the time with the Parliament, the meeting with the Wilberforce’s allies and the ‘jumps’ from time to time.; form past to present to future; which makes a vivid representation of the paces of the events.

The film revealed both Wilbur’s compassion as he fed dozens of poor, enough to cause his chief cook to almost have a breakdown and the soft spot for animals which merely means antislavery which was revealed in the beginning of the film as a horse is beaten nearly to death. In some places this shot is intensely violent neither visually or in dialogue. There is a relatively long sequence of extreme brutality and intense human misery. The inclusivity about the terrors faced by the slaves are somewhat effective in imparting the intensity of the evil they suffered. But it is not simply Wilberforce’s compassion that is at work here-that would be an insufferable cliché. The man reacts threateningly to Wilberforce’s intervention, he shows sympathy from Wilbur’s ‘pure reasons’ which appears to man’s interest. This is precisely what Wilberforce would go on to do as a member of the Parliament. He wants to explain to his countrymen the facts about slavery and abolition to let them do the right thing.

Some would say Amazing Grace is a normal lesson not a movie. Religion was also certainly suffused but it is not a ‘religious film’. Most of it deals with politics and the treatment of it in those years. Issues and consequences appear consequently in the heart of the character’s motivation.

On the case of John Newton who writes the song ‘Amazing Grace’, gives definition to the phrase “I was blind but now I see”. Newton plotted ships to carry 20, 000 slaves from Africa then became a staunch of abolishing slave trade as “20, 000 ghosts haunted him”. This theme of light and darkness is taken up in the narrative in the story of John Newton. It was ironically shown as the prominent line when he loses his sight but speaks to Wilberforce of his real ability to ‘see’, given him by God. John’s characteristic towers strength, harrowing doubts and personal guilt was indeed stated clearly in the film the powerful illustration of each person’s need for a Savior.

While the film could be used as an educational tool, it bears disturbingly dark and bitter tales and portrayals of terror suffered by African abductees.

The film shows the transition of Britain from societies in which a small aristocracy rules without the immense effect of public influence. This is in great part a manifestation of the world changing effects of Protestantism; Amazing Grace shows that relationship by depicting the central place of Wilberforce’s evangelical zeal in motivating his entirely quixotic ambition to end the slave trade throughout the British Empire. (S.T Karnick, 2007)

Wilberforce’s aspiration opposes everyone’s interest to keep slavery in keeping it going because it ingrain’s British economy. Hence, at first there is overwhelming opposition to Wilberforce’s ambitious proposal. He has to struggle for years before he can even get close to victory. The members of the Parliament, otherwise has a fear in such a basic change that they have thought it will bring vast social disorder, poverty and catastrophic defeat in an imminent war with the French.

The radicals, represented by Clarkson, are too impatient to accept gradual change. They want an immediate transformation of English society such as that the entire aristocracy will be thrown out immediately as it happening to France. (S.T Karnick, 2007).

On the other hand, Wilberforce and his allies are looking on ways with equal detoriation of liberty and order. Clarkson argues to a change in the order of the French Revolution while Wilbur points out that prudence and justice must be in an orderly way. However, a perfect liberalism would be a hard star to catch.

The most startling thing in the film is its vivid illustration of the Christian foundations of liberalism. Both William’s life and efforts against slavery is balancely illustrated. However, the ‘real’ people’s movement especially the working class upon the issue was not clearly seen in the way of the body of the film, instead it was ‘embodied’ through 300, 000 of names and signature which William used during the 1^st debates. On the other hand, tension between reason and compassion was, however, clearly equalized in harmony of theme o0f the event. In any particular case, it is up to the body of believers to find where the two come together, in the greatest balance of liberty and order in which human condition was made consisted and endurable.

Amazing Grace shows motivations through politics with the color of religious pessimism. Furthermore, the film seldom strays outside the Parliament or from Wilberforce’s country estate [William was wealthy]. However, the situation in the country and members of the government and the system itself was definitely seen in the film and in such it can be an effective use for interaction and development of people, politics and administration.

Links:

http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace

U.S. Library of Congress Amazing Grace collection

Cowper & Newton Museum in Olney, England

Amazing Grace: Some Early Tunes Anthology of the American Hymn-Tune Repertory

The Mythology Begins.

From the director of Harry Potter Chris Columbus lies another fantasy-adventure film called “The Lightning Thief”. This film gains for over $71,215,000 in Canada and in US.

Starring; Logan Lerman, Brandon T Jackson, Alexander Daddario, Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman.

The story comes from the 21^st century, when god’s of Mount Olympus and some monsters suddenly exist to the real world. From the Greek Mythology text that will bring out of the comfort zone of a young man in high school named Percy Jackson. Because of Zeus lightning torch has been stolen, Percy will be the main suspect. Another disturbing scene is the unexpected disappearance of his mother. Soon Percy will discover that he is a demi-god (his father is Poseidon), he will find himself caught between the battling titans of Mount Olympus. With the help from his 2 friends, they will get on to cross-country adventure to catch the true lightning thief, and save her mom. More unravel mystery was that they are more powerful than the gods.

In its opening weekend, the film ranked number 2 and from just first week of releasing the movie, the film gained $40 million, consisting 40% of its "$95 million budget". The film made a worldwide total of $166,795,311 after 18 days of release.

Rank for number one as the top of the up coming movies for 2010 followed by the Last Air bender Avatar the Movie.

Depression kills. And listening to a composition from a depressed song writer makes you even more depressed. Reader, do not bother listening to this song.

Sarah Mclachlan - 04 Gloomy Sunday Mp3

Hungarian compositor Rezso Serres wrote this song after trying to make a living as a song writer but kept failing miserably.

One afternoon, things finally came to a head. Seress and his fiancée had a fierce row over his utter failure as a composer, and the couple parted with angry words.

The song was written on a Sunday, after Seress played a strange melancholy on his piano ivories under a gloomy sky. Seress sent his composition off to a music publisher and waited for acceptance with a lot more hope than he usually had in his heart. But it was not accepted because of the strange music and the highly depressing rhythym.

The song was sent off again to another publisher, and this time it was accepted. The music publisher told Seress that his song would soon be distributed to all the major cities of the world. The young Hungarian was ecstatic.

But a few months after Gloomy Sunday was printed, there were a numbers of strange occurrences that were allegedly sparked off by the new song. In Berlin, Germany, a young man requested a band to play Gloomy Sunday, and after the number was performed, the man went home and blasted himself in the head with a revolver after complaining to relatives that he felt severely depressed by the melody of a new song which he couldn't get out of his head. That song was Gloomy Sunday.

Several suicides were soon reported, all the reasons were said to be because of the song 'Gloomy Sunday' . But, at the end of the 1930s, when the world war struck the globe, Rezso Seress' song was quickly forgotten in the global catastrophe, but is still available to listen to, for those who wants to be struck by what the world knew as the Hungarian suicide song.

Sunday is gloomy,
My hours are slumberless
Dearest the shadows
I live with are numberless
Little white flowers
Will never awaken you
Not where the black coaches
Sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thoughts
Of ever returning you
Wouldn't they be angry
If I thought of joining you?

Gloomy sunday

Gloomy is sunday,
With shadows I spend it all
My heart and i
Have decided to end it all
Soon there'll be candles
And prayers that are said I know
But let them not weep
Let them know that I'm glad to go
Death is no dream
For in death I'm caressin' you
With the last breath of my soul
I'll be blessin' you

Gloomy sunday

Dreaming, I was only dreaming
I wake and I find you asleep
In the deep of my heart here
Darling I hope
That my dream never haunted you
My heart is tellin' you
How much I wanted you
Gloomy sunday

Updated: March 1, 2010, 07: 36 pm (Philippine Time)

Not only children but adults will surely enjoy ‘Alice in Wonderland’ now, for this March of the year, the ‘innovative’ version of the movie will be released for everyone’s pleasure.

An 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll’s classic children tale, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ will be shot 3-D and performance capture technology and performance capture technology similar to that used for “Beowulf”.

This movie about fantasy adventure film is directed by Tim Burton.

The story is about Alice, a little girl who tumbles down in to Wonderland after following a big white Rabbit. There she will begin her adventures where she will meat violent Hearts Queen, the Lachrymose Mock Turtle, the laconic chess cat and the hookah smoking caterpillar. She will also experience great changes in size, swimming in the pool of her own tears and attending the maddest of tea parties.

Mia Wasikowska plays the role of Alice, alongside Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts.

The film will be released in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D and is also expected to be seen on cinemas on March 5, 2010.

Links:

• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, (abridged) 1920 New York publication, HTML
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, plain text
• Alice's Adventures Under Ground, HTML with facsimiles of original manuscript pages, and illustrations by Carroll
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice%27s_Adventures_in_Wonderland