Post Meridiem

... very post meridiem.

Well, at least they're in their PJs

True to form, cmat 2k7 kept its intrepid crew and young competitors up past their responsible bedtimes to finish sometime around 10:30 or 11 pm. It's somewhat lurid the sort of things I've learned about what this year's crew had to overcome to stage it. New leadership at the 'MAP has apparently been a little unkind to the event, upset over the absent (or perhaps VERY delinquent) tournament report from last year. Consequences of this included drastic cuts in the hospitality budget that discouraged attendance of at least a few would-be officials known to your correspondent.

This put a lesser official like me in the unique position to judge the Nandu events this year, mixed in haphazardly with far more qualified ex-professionals. A fascinating but ultimately excruciating duty as always, the Nandu system reminds me of something some Soviet-era bureaucrat might devise. I escaped many of its technicalities by going for the B-category, which in many ways seems a kind of throwback to traditional-style judging based on more nebulous terms like 'spirit' and 'intent'. By now subjectivity is something I revel in, so I got the hang of things pretty quickly. Subjective as it was, my B-category cohort and I were in pretty good agreement for the majority of routines.

One thing I've become pretty aggravated with is how so many routines today have large pauses that have no stylistic function beyond setting up some snazzy trick. I miss flow, kids. Flow is where the rhythm comes out, and rhythm, like in music, goes a long way towards defining the accents and flavor of a particular style. I can't help but wonder if the Nandu system's rigid requirements for certain difficulties is discouraging that kind of aesthetic. At the very least B category is there as a kind of hedge against such dogged technicality.

After party in the Free Republic of Berkeley was chaotic, uninterrupted by law enforcement, and as always, remarkably responsible. It's become such the cliche for me to consider not going to these events, but I ultimately end up having a terrific time and always come out impressed in some way.

Misnomers

I don't tend to get colds, but when I do, it's a doozy. Being cooped up at home the last few days hasn't been much help, so I'm hoping the semi-fresh air and semi-bright sunshine out here at Strada will do me some good, disease-vectoring be damned.

Belated topic: Oscars. My giddy, incoherent babble aside about the company's win, I had planned on writing a bit about the movies, but never got around to finishing anything. So here goes.

I don't think anybody's really 'into' the Oscars per se, but it seems everybody has an opinion. I finally put my actual money where my proverbial mouth was and took a dive into the office pool(1) this year. Looking down the ballot, I felt the same queasy cluelessness about some categories that I did about some offices and measures on a far more important ballot last November.

It made me wonder if the actual voters are similarly underinformed. While the vetting process is performed by the tradesmen, the final decision rests on the oxymoronic wisdom of the voting-eligible mobs. Much like me, I figure a good number of people don't manage to see many of the films on the list and go purely by hunches and buzz.

Which is probably why I did so well, all things considered. I tied for second in a pool of 17, correctly guessing 14 of the winners. My proudest picks were for the animated categories, which I felt most informed on and where I made resolute, independent choices that bucked the majority. It seems the animated short category is one in which looking too polished has become a bit of a handicap, explaining last year's "The Moon and the Son" and this year's "Danish Poet". I enjoyed the entries from the likes of Blue Sky and Pixar, but one can't help but feel like this isn't really a category for multi-million dollar animation studios.

I actually hadn't seen Happy Feet, but I know most people were disappointed in Cars, and that Happy Feet had exceeded a lot of people expectations as a film, so it was worth the risk.

In the other categories, I'm not sure how it compared to the previous, but there was a real problem I had this year motivating myself to even watch most of the Oscar-worthy films. I've rarely seen a collection of such outwardly depressing movies in a long time.

General Spoiler Warning: S/he dies in the end

A recap, in ascending order of mood (sorry about the length):

The 'tween
When a film opens with a 12-year-old collapsed, bleeding, and gasping for breath, you gotta figure your discomfort is the least of its concerns. Keep that in mind pretty much anytime the antagonist is on screen in Pan's. I wouldn't say I so much enjoyed this film as I appreciated it deeply, even if I had to forgive some bits of melodrama and "don't go in there" moments of the kind you're used to seeing in b-horror matinees. A bit of a shock it lost Best Foreign, but I didn't see the winner, so I can't say.

Children of Mobs
Never saw the original HK film, but I doubt I'd like it as much as I liked Departed. I can't imagine how I could've dealt with a version of this where, instead of the slicingly-vulgar rapid-fire barbs from Mr. Wahlberg, you got some lame toilet gag haltingly interjected into an exchange as HK films are so wont to do. On second-viewing, I felt the length more, but it was a sensible pick for Best D. Best P was a little dubious, I felt.

Man's Labyrinth
Maybe this was a bit over-hyped to me, but Children of Men strikes me as a film that gets most of its mileage from a really great premise. I liked it, but outside of the setup, you've got to admit it's kind of a conventional run-and-hide-and-getaway kind of film. Much of the hub-bub seems to come from some brilliant casting (in the narrative sense as much as performing) that's inspired all kinds of allegories for contemporary issues. Some people cried bloody murder, but I think it was rightfully panned in some categories.

The Imparted
The significance of Princess Di's untimely passing in '97 is one of those things I'll have to appreciate without feeling directly, a view which is actually sympathetic to the title character in Queen. With all the little bubbles people enclose themselves in (both public figures and increasingly, regular citizens), I found a lot to like about this story that attempted to explain actions seemingly inexplicable at the time. Mirren's gold tchotchke was well-earned in this one.

Stop that! Cultural Learnings of CO2 for Make Benefit Glorious Planet of Earth-istan
Yes, you in particular may not need to see Inconvenient Truth. The movement had you at 'Greenhouse Effect'. But if you just want to see a good movie, you should want to see it. Think of it this way: this is a film that managed to portray Gore, who probably gelled today's stereotype of the wooden Democratic presidential candidate, as a brilliant, witty, and passionate orator. If that's not deserving of an Oscar, then I don't know what is. The song was a surprise winner, but shouldn't have been -- the three songs for Dreamgirls undoubtedly split the vote, leaving the underdog the victor. Really kicked myself over that one, especially since I didn't see Dreamgirls and randomly picked one of its songs. (And for the umpteenth time, Gore didn't win the Oscar, it was the filmmaker Davis Guggenheim. It's staggering how many reputable outlets keep saying that, mostly as part of a lame joke or segue.)

Little-missed Funtime
Everybody's seen this. Everybody's talked about this. Everybody. I don't think there's much left to be said, but I guess I'm obligated to lamely say that it is indeed brilliant and had people literally rolling in the aisles at the theater when we saw it. If you didn't catch it, make the effort to find find Baron Cohen's acceptance speech (for actor in comedy or musical) at the Golden Globes. (Catch it before the lawyers do -- It's not on youtube anymore!). It would've been awesome to see what he would have pulled if it had taken screenplay, but I can't quite say it would've come on merit.

An Inconvenient Trip
I had the benefit of having this over-hyped and then over-trashed for me so I'd say I took Sunshine on a mostly even keel. I enjoyed it, but I can't say it was outstanding. Unique is what I sincerely hope are scripted contestants and antics at the the pageants, but other than that, it was seemed kind of a typical dysfunctional family comedy. It seemed to deserve some kind of award, but I can't say what in particular. The two that it did get all managed to surprise me.

1) There wasn't a company-wide pool or anything, just one a bunch of us put together.