Sunday, January 25, 2009

Dark Knight left in the shadows.....where it should be

So I was just on my website's forums http://powertriostudios.proboards103.com/index.cgi and I found an interesting topic. http://powertriostudios.proboards103.com/index.cgi?board=movies&action=display&thread=97&page=1 The main topic of argument is that the "Dark Knight" didn't win anything at the academy awards. Many people are outraged as most believe it to be an incredible feat in cinematography and it grossed ridiculous amounts of money. In many ways I agree.

Those who know me probably know I hold this movie extremely high, one of my favorites if not the favorite. I believe it deserves alot of recognition. That being said I say this. I never cared for academy awards, Oscars, Globes, or anything really of that nature. It’s a really fake cheesy thing. Don't get me wrong, it would be a great honor to get one but in truth it doesn't really matter. A great movie is a great movie regardless if it gets an award or grossed in the high millions of dollars. Maybe it’s because I’m still only an independent film maker and money making is not a realization but awards like that mean little to me.

It draws up the great question of why do we do what we do? In the terms of art, writing, movies, what are we hoping to accomplish? Is the goal to make money because if that is true than the Dark Knight beats almost everybody in that category (Stupid Titanic). Though that may be true in the business world that "Money" is the key and only factor, many fans see other aspects of the movie. Personally it’s more about telling a good story or leaving an impact. Though the genre may not be to everyone's taste, you would be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't call it entertaining. Entertaining check. And I quote from such great movie "It’s not about money....it’s about sending a message" In this aspect the Dark Knight wins again. What I got from this movie in terms of ideas and thought have stayed with me long after I saw it. Maybe it’s because it runs along the same thinking as I do but it really helped reinforce my thinking and philosophies.

So what you have is a financial behemoth that entertained +90% of the people who watched it and gave us wonderful things to think about. But sadley no awards. Suoyi (so)? In almost every category that counts it wins big time. Why does it matter that it didn't win a made up award? I think of the movie Hook. Many critics hated it but yet everyone remembers it and loves it. To me it’s almost cooler that the Dark Knight didn't win. It goes right with the whole feel of the movie. Batman is no winner, he just does what he needs to do whether it is glamours or not. He gets the job done and by Joker he did just that. The Dark Knight is too cool for such an award. Yeah it been great if it got it but at least in my opinion, its cooler that it didn't. When I write or do art I really don’t care if it becomes known, makes money, or gets an award. I do it because I love it and I hope one day to move someone. If I can reach into someone and talk to them on a deeper level with my work then I’m much more of a success than any amount money or awards could bring me... though awards and money would be nice. Take care everyone.

~Love~

Friday, January 23, 2009

Come and check it out!

One of my English teachers recently had her book published "Cradle Song" and will be having a reading here at SIUE. This is the information on the school’s website.
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Poet Stacey Lynn Brown To Read From Her Work Jan. 29 At SIUE
(EDWARDSVILLE, Ill.) Stacey Lynn Brown of Edwardsville, author of the poetry collection Cradle Song (C&R Press, 2009), will read from her work at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, in the Maple-Dogwood Room, on the second floor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Morris University Center. The reading is free and open to the public and copies of Ms. Brown’s new poetry collection will be available for purchase.
Brown, who recently joined the SIUE English Language and Literature faculty as a lecturer in creative writing, has been lauded for her new work: “The complicated inheritances of race relations, Southern identity, white superiority, and unheralded bonds between black and white folk are explored in this brutally candid sequence of poems that unflinchingly elevates and portrays Gaither’s humanity, pain and struggle into the realm of folklore.”
Major memories grow more interesting again and we imagine rising up into a better shared story.”
A native of Atlanta, Brown studied at Emory University, Oxford University, and The University of Oregon, where she received an MFA in Poetry. A poet, playwright, and essayist, her work has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies. Poems from Cradle Song were recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. For more information about the Jan. 29 event, contact Valerie Vogrin by phone, (618) 650-2063, or by e-mail: vvogrin@siue.edu.
Jackson, author of Hoops (W.W. Norton & Co., 2006), wrote about Cradle Song: “Here’s a cycle of poems that feels perfectly timed for our current American moment, as conversations and
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Please come out and I’m sure you’ll have a great time. She’s really awesome and has a nifty way with words that and its FREE. Free makes everything taste better. Take care.... I guess this will be my first blog..... I should do more. Also check this sight out its grand!
http://www.powertriostudios.com/

~Love~