Makes me wanna wreck it

This past Academy Awards ceremony has been mentioned before on this blog, however another grave issue still needs to be addressed- and this time it isn't the mistreatment of the VFX community.

This time, it's personal.

To put it bluntly, there is no way Brave should have won the Oscar for Best Animated feature, and this is coming from someone who adores Pixar.

No one is saying Brave was not an aesthetically gorgeous movie- one look at the animation sequence of Merida's hair alone is very impressive- but up against films like Wreck-it Ralph and Paranorman, beautiful hair should not have been enough.

Take a look at Paranorman. Hand-crafted stopmotion animation combined with a colorful assembly of dynamic characters, filmed frame-by-frame over the course of 2 1/2 years. And that was just filming- the actual idea of the story was perfected over the course of 16 years! It was also the first stop-motion film to ultilize full-color 3D printers for replacement animation, allowing greater working speed and quality.

Paranorman was just as gorgeous as Merida's hair, if not moreso, and relayed a message of anti-bullying, where the outsider is not just the hero, but ultimately celebrated for his differences.

Wreck-it Ralph, one of my favorite movies of all time, was also more suited to the award than Brave. Iterations of this movie's concept have been discussed at Disney since the late 1980's, and the thoughtfulness and caution in creating this movie the right way is obvious in how fantastic the result is.

Scale models of Sugar Rush locations were made out of candy and photographed, then incorporated into the animation of the movie so that each piece of candy would have the right qualities to their sheen. That is amazing.

So much thought was put into the design and purpose of each character- the voice actors' mannerisms were even reflected in their characters!  But even if the animation wasn't as beautiful as it was, the film's writing is perhaps the best Disney has done in a while. The entire plot is centered on the "villain" and his desire to be good enough. Ralph's character development is so flawless, I lack the words to describe it. Without spoiling anything, Wreck-it Ralph highlights the message that we are all good enough, and we all have the potential to be a hero. I'm not ashamed to say I saw the film 4 times in theaters.

Now to the item of debate.

While Brave was very pretty, there were many flaws that should have eliminated it from the winner's circle. For one thing, Brenda Chapman, the woman that conceived the film and would have been Pixar's first female director, was replaced during filming, unsettling much of the production's flow. The Celtic mythology represented in the film as being fairly important, was left unexplored- focusing only on the "will o' the wisps" and nothing else.

Additionally, the movie's tagline "If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?" means absolutely nothing, as Merida's decision at the climax of the movie isn't to do anything surprising or interesting, but to directly follow the wisps- whose purpose is to lead you to your fate.

While Norman and Ralph both grow as characters through a series of challenging events, Merida remains stagnant and exactly the same at the end of the film as the beginning. She simply overcomes an argument with her mother and learns the value of compromise.

To be fair to Brave, Pixar did rewrite their animation system for the first time in 25 years for that movie, and the presence of a romance-resisting female protagonist is very important and similarly underrepresented- especially in movies directed at children.

For the latter fact alone (well, and the fact that the man accepting the award for Brave was wearing a kilt at the ceremony), I will accept the reality of Brave winning the Oscar. But I won't be 100% happy about it.

Oscar Snubs and Flubs Over History

We've all had that moment while watching the Oscars, when we just go huh? We shout "He won?" or "How did she not win?!" It makes us mad and we should get over it, but before we do, let's go over a few of the most controversial Oscar wins and losses that we still can't understand.

Head to Head(Those who won over those who should have)

1. Forrest Gump over Pulp Fiction(Best Picture, 1994)

I honestly did love Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, but I don't see the movie as Oscar worthy.

2. Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan(Best Picture, 1998)

I never saw the former, but it shocks me that this Tom Hanks film didn't get the award.

3. Crash over Brokeback Mountain(Best Picture, 2004)

Ummm...Confuse me?

4. The English Patient over Jerry Maguire(Best Picture, 1996)

Again, I never saw the former, but it's pretty obvious Jerry Maguire was better.

 Snubs

1. Judy Garland for The Wizard of Oz(1939)

It shocked me that she didn't win anything for her amazing/legendary performance.

2. Ben Affleck as Best Director for Argo

This is a great movie and I do agree that Affleck should have won.

3. Javier Bardem and Judi Dench for Skyfall(and the film itself for Best Picture)

For the level of crazy Bardem brought to the movie, he deserved something.

Flub

1 and only. Rocky (Best Picture, 1977)

I can't be the only one who sees this doesn't make sense.

Now that we've taken a trip to the past to shake our heads at the idiot voters, let's move forward and save our next hissy fit for the Oscars to come.

Everybody Needs a Hobby

While we know many celebrities for the roles they played in television or film, the books they wrote, or the music they sang, a fair few individuals went the extra step in productivity and became inventors as well. Not all of the inventions stuck, but a surprising number survived the test of time and even inspired a couple of modern creations. Here's a short list of celebrities who you may not have realized shared this trait, as well as the ideas they birthed. 

Hedy Lamarr

Along with fellow inventor George Antheil, this famous actress came up with what is now essentially known as Wi-fi. In 1940, a discussion between the two friends about radio-controlled torpedoes resulted in Lamarr's suggestion of "frequency hopping." This idea was patented as a "Secret Communication System" but the invention was largely ignored due to its use of player-piano technology to alternate frequencies (something Antheil feared stigmatized them to the military.) Eventually, someone else was able to replicate and improve the technology, and the military got its act together, realizing that music could be weaponized too, just in time for Lamarr and Antheil's old patent to run out. in any case, the next time you watch Samson and Delilah on your iPad or similarly wireless device, be sure to thank the leading lady who developed the technology to make it possible.  

Zeppo Marx

Zeppo, the youngest of the famed Marx brothers, invented both a "cardiac pulse rate monitor" and a "method and watch mechanism" to track and regulate the speed of a heartbeat. What's better is that it would sense the change in speed with an electric cell-powered magnet, and would sound an alarm if it sensed a dramatic increase in the user's heart rate. Zeppo also invented a "vapor delivery pad for distributing of moist heat," or more appealingly titled: the heating pad. Clearly heart rate monitors have been useful for health and exercise-related purposes, but the heating pad has been similarly successful. As opposed to the previous method of wringing out hot towels, the heating pad is a much more efficient way to soothe patients' muscles or injuries. 

Marlon Brando

Sometimes when you get older, you get bored. In 2002, actor Marlon Brando patented a "drumhead tensioning device and method," which is essentially an automatic drum tuner. That's actually pretty handy.

Robert A. Heinlein

Famous science fiction writer and inventor of: the waterbed. After spending extended time in a hospital bed for pulmonary tuberculosis in the 1930's, Heinlein decided he would have much rather enjoyed his stay in something more comfortable. He drew up detailed plans and began including waterbeds in his stories, though the first waterbed wasn't made until many years later.

Innovation Nation

I'm not tech savvy and probably never will be. That's why I love gadgets that are simple but still useful. Because the "fans" of this blog are mostly college students, I've come up with a list of goodies that make college life a little easier.

1. iTwin(from $69)

These USB drives are great for sharing information. Plug them each into separate computers, and you will be able to share files.

2. Water Powered Alarm Clock($11.99)

With this device, your alarm clock can run on water, beer, soda, coffee, you get the picture. The great price and the feeling you get from helping the environment will help you sleep at night.

3. Voltaic Converter Solar Backpack(from $189)

You wouldn't ever have to look for an outlet again, with this solar charged backpack. 

4. Wink Glasses(under $430)

The idea behind these glasses is to keep you awake by making you refocus. They will be available for purchase August 10.

5. Livescribe Pulse SmartPen($144.99)

Great for the avid note-taker, this pen will record what you write or say! 

A Piece of the Pi

Many people have been complaining about Seth MacFarlane's job hosting the Oscars the other night- a complaint I have found personally exaggerated and overly critical- but hardly anyone has mentioned the much more important topic, the protest movement that occurred Oscar night called "A Piece of the Pi."

Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee, won four Oscars, including the Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. Four men went up to accept the award, and to the observant viewer, one might have noticed that the "hurry up and finish" music started playing rather quickly. This may have been intentional, as many believe the Academy was trying to prevent attention being called to the large group of protesters picketing the ceremony outside. The protest was in support of the visual effects studio called "Rhythm and Hues," and the four men accepting the award were likely to give it mention since without Rhythm and Hues, they wouldn't even have had a movie. 

Several weeks ago, the VFX studio Rhythm and Hues filed for bankruptcy and had to lay off around 250 employees. As of February 17th, Life of Pi has made over $111,000,000 at the box office, and won very many awards to boot- yet the very people who created the movie have yet to be paid or recognized for their work.

In fact, when one of the men accepting the Oscar for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, Bill Westenhofer, was unable to make mention of the studio directly responsible for his success, Twitter blew up.

But why has this happened? Well, apparently the poor state of the VFX industry has something to do with it. With overseas competition, domestic VFX houses must survive on less than 5% profit margin, and as a result, bankruptcy is quite common. 

As for why the Academy has chosen to cover up this great injustice rather than provide any sort of solution or publicity, that is a mystery.

Getting Laid

     If it's ever happened to you, then you know how it feels. Your bosses sit you down in their office, make small talk and watch you squirm. "Is it bad?" I asked my manager while we waited for another manager to join us. "Here's the thing," she started with. It was bad. I was being laid off. I cried. I need a job to pay rent! "It's nothing personal," my managers told me. "Everyone has said kind things about you, and you've never gotten a complaint," one said as she tried to comfort me. Too many people go through the terrifying experience of being laid off.
   
      Even some of the biggest and best liked companies have to go through budget-cuts. It's affecting a lot of us now. Think of these numbers from businessinsider.com. The unemployment rate raised 7.9 percent in 2012, Yahoo! announced their plan to cut 2,000 employes(14.18% of its employees), Colgate-Palmolive Co. plans to cut 2,316 employees(6%), Google plans to let go of 4,000 Motorola employees(12.9%), PepsiCo plans 8,700 cuts(2.93%), and Hewlitt-Packard plans to can a whopping  29,000 employees(8.3%).

                                                    





Getting laid off is hard and something too many people are currently going through. If big companies like these are having financial issues, then who is actually doing well? It's really hard to bring yourself back up after being laid off, but a situation like this can sometimes lead you to where you're supposed to be. These recognizable names know being laid off was a blessing in disguise.

1. Michael Bloomberg

After being laid off when his company was bought out, Bloomberg used his severance check to create his own financial services company. He's a billionaire now, by the way.















2. J.K. Rowling

Rowling got laid off of her secretarial job and used her severance check to support her as she took time to write a book series. You know what I'm talking about, right?


3. Marc Jacobs

From one fashion company(Perry Ellis) to the next(I'm sure I don't have to spell it out).




Lay offs can happen to the best of us, but sometimes it can make us better. For more information on lay offs that paid off, go to

 http://www.onlinedegreeshub.com/blog/2011/10-famous-people-who-flourished-after-being-laid-off/

(I do not own any of the pictures in this post)

Social Media Squared

As the definition of mainstream popculture has shifted to include (and even focus on) "the internet" over the past 20 odd years, movies and television shows have adapted similarly. The overwhelming majority of modernly-set media will show the presence of social media in at least one way, showing that change is really rather inescapable. Here are some examples of movies or television shows in which social media plays a leading role:

The Social Network

Obviously, this Best Picture nominee wouldn't even exist without Facebook, as it's about...the birth of Facebook, the most globally-used social media site to date. 

Catfish

This is a film about a New York City romance facilitated through the internet, especially Facebook. This movie is an interesting look into how much of our interpersonal communication and relationships have been affected through our online identities and hobbies.

99% Film

http://www.99percentfilm.com/

A film about the Occupy Wall Street movement is going to be created by 99 different award-winning filmmakers. The recent movement took off, largely with the help of twitter to spread awareness and information. 

The Social Media Film Festival

This international film festival lists this as its mission statement: 

"The Social Media Film Festival is an international film festival with films about social media, social change and technology.  It’s more than a film festival. It’s a movement. Being Social. Going Global!"

As we continue to evolve our technology, I wonder how social media's presence will also continue to evolve. It is certainly hard to ignore.