My 2016 film favorites.

At last you say! It's May and Dan is finally revealing his favorites in film from last year.  I could not be more timely.

Well to start, here are the best of some of the best in behind the scenes in film 2016.

Best Visual Effects:  Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Editing: La La Land
Best Cinematography: Moonlight
Best Costumes: Jackie
Best Use of Sound: La La Land
Best Original Score: Moonlight
Best Art and Set Direction: La La Land

And now my favorites in twelve other movie categories in alphabetical order.
My 5 favorites animated films of 2016 were...
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Sausage Party
Zootopia

And my very favorite was.....Moana

My 5 favorite Foreign Lamguage films of the year were.....
The Handmaiden South Korea
Julieta Spain
The Salesman Iran
Tanna  Australia
Toni Erdmann Germany

And my very favorite was.....The Handmaiden South Korea

My 5 favorite Original Songs from a film were....
Another Day of Sun La La Land
Audition (The Fools Who Dream) La La Land
Can't Stop the Feeling Trolls
Try Everything Zootopia
We Know The Way Moana

And my very favorite was....Audition (The Fools Who Dream) La La Land

My 5 favorite Documentaries of the years were.....
I Am Not Your Negro
OJ: Made in America
13th
Tickled
Weiner

And my very favorite was....Weiner

The best 5 Supporting Male Actor performances were...
Mahershala Ali Moonlight
Ralph Fiennes A Bigger Splash
Lucas Hedges Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel Lion
Trevante Rhodes Moonlight

And my very favorite was....Mahershala Ali Moonlight

The 5 best performances by a Supporting Female Actor were...
Viola Davis Fences
Naomie Harris Moonlight
Nicole Kidman Lion
Janelle Monae Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams Manchester by the Sea

And my very favorite was...Viola Davis Fences

Best 5 best Original  Screenplays were...
La La Land
 Manchester by the Sea
Other People
20th Century Women
Zootopia

And my very favorite is....Manchester by the Sea

The 5 Best Adapted Screenplays were....
The Handmaiden
Hidden Figures
Lion
Loving
Moonlight

And my very favorite was...Moonlight



The 5 Best Directors of the years were.....
Damien Chazelle La La Land
Garth Davis Lion
Barry Jenkins Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan Manchester by the Sea
Chan-Wook Park The Handmaiden

And my very favorite was Barry Jenkins Moonlight

The 5 Best Lead Female actors were....
Annette Bening 20th Century Women
Isabelle Huppert Elle
Ruth Negga Loving
Natalie Portman Jackie
Emma Stone La La Land

And my very favorite was Annette Bening 20th Century Women

The 5 Best performances by a Lead Male Actor were...
Casey Affleck Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton Loving
Colin Farrell The Lobster
Ryan Gosling La La Land
Denzel Washington Fences

And my very favorite was Casey Affleck Manchester by the Sea

And finally the 10 best films of 2016 in rank order were....
10. The Handmaiden
9. Moana
8. La La Land
7. Loving
6. 20th Century Women
5. Hidden Figures
4. Weiner
3. Lion
2. Manchester by the Sea
and the Best Film of 2016 was....Moonlight



In Summary
Best Visual Effects:  Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Editing: La La Land
Best Cinematography: Moonlight
Best Costumes: Jackie
Best Use of Sound: La La Land
Best Original Score: Moonlight
Best Art and Set Direction: La La Land
Animated Film Moana
Foreign Film The Handmaiden
Documentary Weiner
Original Song Audition (The Fools Who Dream) La La Land
Original Screenplay Manchester by the Sea
Adapted Screenplay Moonlight
Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali Moonlight
Best Supporting Actress Fences
Best Director Barry Jenkins Moonlight
Lead Actress Annette Bening 20th Century Women
Lead Actor Casey Affleck Manchester by the Sea
Best Film of 2016 Moonlight

My Finalish Oscar predictions.

Here they are and also who would get my vote if I had one on categories that I have seen all of the nominees.
Best Picture
Will win: La La Land
My choice: Moonlight

Best Actor
Will win: Denzel Washington but no one really knows.
My choice: Casey Affleck

Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Mahershala Ali
My choice: depending on the moment Ali or Lucas Hedges

Best Actress
Will win: Emma Stone
My choice: Ruth Negga

Best Supporting Actress
Will win: Viola Davis
My choice: Viola Davis

Animated Feature: Zootopia
Cinematography and Costumes La La Land

Best Director
Will win: Damien Chazelle La La Land
My choice: Barry Jenkins

Documentary Feature: OJ Made in America
Documentary Short: Joe's Violin

Editing: La La Land
Foreign Film: The Salesman
Makeup and Hair: Star Trek Beyond
Score: La La Land
Song: City of Stars La La Land
Production Design: La La Land
Animated Short: Pearl
Live short: Ennemis Interieurs
Sound editing: Hacksaw Ridge
Sound Mixing: La La Land
Visual effects: Jungle Book

Adapted Screenplay:
Will win: Moonlight
My choice: Moonlight

Original Screenplay:
Will win: Manchester by the Sea
My choice: Manchester by the Sea

Don't Call Her Gaga.

It started from the moment that Lady Gaga was announced as the Super Bowl halftime entertainment. The gnashing of teeth from conservatives. The rolling of eyes from the people who have never liked her anyway? Why was she going to be at America's biggest  football events and even more, what was she going to do during the halftime show to corrupt the children of America.

In these politically polarized times there were many stories written by the press up to the moment that she came on stage wondering what horrible disrespectful thing Lady Gaga was going to do to protest the  chaotic and disastrous first two weeks of the Trump presidency. Every one knew about Lady Gaga and knew  that she is one of those insane liberals who only expects kindness and respect to everyone. Oh the horror of it all!

And then she performed.

Here is what she did. She sang a couple patriotic verses that explained what America is about to be about.

Lady Gaga! How dare you?????

Then she broke into her hits. She did not disappoint. There wasn't anything especially controversial about her performance. Her breast didn't pop out. She did not decry Trump. But she did sing Born this Way.

Born this Way is one of her biggest hits and most people didn't bat an eye, but how many years ago would it have been controversial to sing a song about gay, bisexual and transgendered people being ok? There would have been a right wing media huff and puff about it only a few short years ago.  .  Only a few years ago that would have been a big deal for a football game audience that leans conservative. Only a few years ago that would have been controversial in Texas.

But almost no one batted an eye.  Thus is the power of Lady Gaga's career, and the impact she has had. From day one of what  could have easily just been a one hit wonder career, Lady Gaga has been unapologetic about being a mother figure to all of her little monsters. They are the people that society dismisses or mocks, but Lady Gaga never looks down on them and only lifted them up.  She lifted us all up.

Ultimately Lady Gaga's biggest statement she made was not making a big statement.  She didn't have to.  She's been making those kind of  statements for years, and on one of the biggest nights of her career everyone knew about the kinds of things she would protest against.  She was smart enough to know she didn't have to say anything.  Her impact had already seaped into the consciousness of people all over the world including viewers who weren't fans.  It also included  viewers who were perhaps haters.

Lady Gaga has made a difference to many young people's lives with her career, and on Super Bowl Sunday she perhaps had her greatest impact by just showing off her beautiful voice.

And to celebrate that voice I give you my three favorite tracks from every one of her solo albums.

The Fame:
1. Paparazzi
2.  Just Dance
3. Lovegame

The Fame Monster
1. Bad Romance
2 Dance in the Dark
3. Telephone

Born this way (the hardest one to only choose three!!!!)
1. You and I
2. Hair
3. Bloody Mary

Artpop (an underrated flop)
1. Gypsy
2. Dope
3. Donatella

Joanne
1. Grigio Girls
2. Million Reasons
3. A-yo

Cheers to many more great songs to come!

My Oscar Nomination predictions!

These are my predictions for  who will be nominated for an Oscar in 8 categories tomorrow morning. These are not my preferences but who I think will have their name called tomorrow.

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis Fences
Naomi Harris Moonlight
Nicole Kidman Lion
Octavia Spencer Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams Manchester by the Sea

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali Moonlight
Jeff Bridges Hell or High Water
Hugh Grant Florence Foster Jenkins
Lucas Hedges Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel Lion

Best Original Screenplay
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
Zootopia

Best Adapted Screenplay
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight

Best Actor
Casey Affleck Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling La La Land
Viggo Mortensen Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington Fences

Best Actress
Amy Adams Arrival
Isabelle Huppert Elle
Natalie Portman Jackie
Emma Stone La La Land
Meryl Streep Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Director
Damien Chazelle La La Land
Garth Davis Lion
Barry Jenkins Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan Manchester by the Sea
Denis Villeneuve Arrival

and I believe the nominees for Best Picture will be
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

No Chances for Trump!

Let me be clear from the start.  What I am about to say is NOT about the fact that I am sore loser and you might not have  voted for who I wanted you to vote for.  Absolutely not.   What I am about to say is about who you DID vote for (if you were a Trump voter).

The nerve some of you have to tell anyone that they should give Trump a chance! Trump had his chance in a very long Presidential campaign, and just when you thought he couldn't go lower he surprised and went even lower. He squandered his chance.   No friend ,I will not give this man a chance.   When someone shows me their true self, I believe it.   And your President showed his true self  to me over and over again.

No, I cannot give him a chance because in my gut when I know something is very wrong, I am going to listen to my gut easily over your Fox News fried mind.  The thing I keep going back to is wondering when Hitler came to power if the people who supported him also told people to give him a chance.   Good  job there! History doesn't disappear.  Even for Trump.

No, Trump may not be the next Hitler, but again if my gut and history tells me that he may be, I am going to listen to my gut.  If you voted for Trump this is maybe the one thing  I really want you to read.   Whether or not you actually liked him or not and voted for him, you bear a small piece of responsibility for every action he takes during his term just as I did for the last 8 years of the decisions of President Obama.  If Trump does great amazing thing, you get to celebrate that, but if he does any of the awful hate filled things that he promised to do, you bear some responsibility for them, and I hope you feel that guilt every time you look at me in the eyes.

I've been most disappointed with some of my Christian friends and let me be clear: I. Am.A. Christian. Too.  The hardest part of all of this is that Trump was the Christian choice.  Christians allegedly have some grip on the teachings of Christ!

Wait! stop there!  Hillary was dishonest because Benghazi and emails and all these things that Rush Limbaugh told me!

No one is perfect certainly, but straight out of Trump's mouth and out of his Twitter account came evil things about Muslims, people from Mexico, and immigrants In general. He belittled women, he admitted to being ok with sexually assaulting women, he surrounded himself with people who mean to harm gay people, and  he made fun of a disabled person.  It's all there. Rachel Maddox didn't tell me he did these things. I saw or heard him do it.  I could go on for days, but if you are a follower of Christ at all then You  understand that he did all of those things to God's children.  Why do you not have a problem with that? Again, by don't you have a problem with that? 

But yes there was Benghazi and those emails and all those other terrible things Sean Hannity told you that Hillary did.

I can answer that for some of you.   It's his alleged stance on abortion because for some that is all you care about. And  I get it. We may not agree on this issue, but abortion is a complicated matter and it isn't something anyone likes regardless of which side you stand on.  But I am going to give you a news flash here: Roe vs. Wade  was made law over 43 years ago.  In that time there have been now 6 Republican presidents serving all or part of their term and none of them have made significant inroads to overturning in.  Now why is that? Because you are a pawn.  They know you will keep coming out to vote for them as long as it is law.  They aren't really interested in ever overturning it because if they do,  your vote may start going elsewhere.  Think about that. Please.

I'll close by repeating what I started with.   Donald Trump will get no chances from me as President of the USA. I accept the election outcome,  but I do not accept him as someone who represents me as an American to the world.  I will work with  the plurality of Americans to see that his time as President is as short as possible.  I will not give him a chance.  And my question is: why will you?

History has its eyes on you.

One on One: My reflections of the life and music of George Michael

I liked George Michael from the first time I saw him.  In America it began with Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.  And aside from my coveting his Choose Life T Shirt, I found something instantly relatable about him. It wasn't a physical attraction as it was for other gay kids and teens of that time.  I was actually more attracted to his Wham collaboratorAndrew Ridgeley.    I think it was because for whatevever boldness and honesty he brought out in his lyrics that he always held us at a distance like he had a secret.  I think maybe it was his always sad eyes. This was relatable as a fearful gay kid growing up in Wyoming.  I always could look into George Michael's eyes in his video and know that there was something about him than was just like me-even if it was unspoken at the time.

When I drove home this last Christmas evening to hear that George Michael has passed away it was devastating but unfortunately not surprising.  For all of the obituaries praising him, I remember that it had not always been the case.  There were times where the world was very cruel to George Michael.  I had actually been surprised this tragedy hasn't happened sooner.  There are those in the world that always seem a little bit too sensitive for the cruelty of the world and George Michael despite his tough words in interviews he always seemed to be  a bit of a soft and kind soul.  The kind that the world often chews up and spits outs.

Almost 10 years ago I was lucky enough to see George Michael in concert in what would be his last tour of the United States.  The tour had been the tail end of all the problems he had with substance abuse and his arrest for public indecency.  He seems very vulnerable.  I frankLy  expected that the concert would not happen because his behavior had become somewhat erratic at the time.  Fortunately he did performer, and I was able to see this amazing performer live.  He did not disappoint.

As we left the show, I heard some concert goers who were obviously unfamiliar with  his music beyond the Wham! and Faith hits talking  about their disappointment that he didn't sing more of his Wham! output.  I really like a lot of  his later music so naturally I just rolled my eyes at them. George Michael always tried to live life and his career on his own terms despite the pressure to do other wise. I will definitely miss him.

Here are my choices for Twleve of George Michael's and Wham!'s best recordings in no particular order.

Everything She Wants Wham!
Too Funky!
Freedom 90
Careless Whisper Wham!
One More Try
Praying for Time *My personal favorite
I knew you were waiting for me (a duet with Aretha Franklin)
Heal the World
Different Corner Wham!
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (featuring Elton John)
I Can't make You Love Me (remake of Bonnie Raiit's song)
Jesus to a Child

Make one big change in 2017!

How are your New Years resolutions going after one week into 2017? Most people have probably forgotten they made them.  I don't make resolutions, but I did decide to try something different this year. I think  Making one big change is a lot easier to manage than a list of resolutions.     I've decided during the work week days to stay away from take out and restaurant food.   For personal reasons, I got into the habit of eating out and doing take out a lot in 2016, and I definitely put on some weight because of it.  So I am now taking a look to see what a difference it makes if I stay away from those usually unhealthy choices. .   I started  it last week, and I already had several pounds fall away.

The problem is that if  I don't have a healthy option  to replace it, I'll likely just go back to my bad food habit.   (Especially because I have no intention of giving up beer during the week).  So I decided to look into some food delivery services.  I tried Blue Apron last summer, and I definitely felt the difference because their food selections is much more healthy than a pub!

However, after awhile I realized that I wasn't going to be motivated to cook a time consuming meal  after a long day at work. So I have started looking into services that deliver fully  prepared meals.   I currently ordered 7 meals from the first one I am Trying this week.  It's vegan, and I chose it because it was the least expensive of the ones that deliver to my area.  I have no intention of becoming vegan and hope to find a service with meat meals soon. Even if these services are kind of expensive up front, they are still a lot cheaper than a week of eating out.

Regardless, if I stick with it, I am guessing that changing this habit is going to make a significant improvement to my health.  Everything else I'm keeping pretty much the same.   I'm just making this one big change for 2017!


I will keep you updated as I progress!