CINEMA BuzzFEED - 13 December 2013

Best Selfie of  2013

Best Selfie of 2013

Why do people take selfies?  Two reasons: Look At Me! or I Was Here!

Well, for me, the best selfie of the year (although you don't get to see a face) was taken by Astronaut Luca Parmitano on his space walk.  You see the void of space with the earth reflected on his visor.  You decide.


Let The Games Begin

The fun of picking the best films et. al. of 2013 has started and will culminate on March 2nd when the Oscars are presented.  Two of the most influential prognosticators are the American Film Institute and the Golden Globe nominations.

For 2013 the AFI's top 10 movies are:

American Hustle (Columbia/Sony)      Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)
Captain Phillips (Columbia/Sony)       Nebraska (Paramount)
Fruitvale Station (Weinstein)               Saving Mr. Banks (Disney)
Gravity (Warner Bros.)                        Twelve Years a Slave (Fox)
Her (Warner Bros.)                              The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)

According to the AFI, these films "best advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America's art form, inspire audiences and artists alike and/or make a mark on American society."

Prominent films excluded from the AFI list: The Hunger Games, The Butler, Blue Jasmine, Dallas Buyer Club, All Is Lost, and Labor Day.

The Golden Globes, which include both movies and TV shows, are much more extensive than the AFI selections.  Within their movie related nominations the Golden Globe include:

Best Drama, Comedy, or Musical:

American Hustle (Columbia/Sony)           Twelve Years a Slave (Fox)
Her (Warner Bros.)                                  Captain Phillips (Columbia/Sony)
Inside Llewyn Davis (CBS Films)            Gravity (Warner Bros.)
Nebraska (Paramount)                             Philomena (Weinstein)
The Wolf of Wall Street (Paramount)       Rush (Universal)

Best Actor:                                                            Best Actress:

Chiwetel Ejiofor - Twelve Years a Slave              Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Idria Elba - Mandela                                            Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips                              Judi Dench - Philomena
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club     Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
Robert Redford - All Is Lost                                 Kate Winslet - Labor Day

We still have the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the MTV Movie Awards, Scream Awards, and Golden Raspberry (Razzie) Awards that have yet to be posted, just to name several.

Behind The Curve - Big Time 

Whether the cinema industry, cable or broadcast TV, satellite company, cell phone or internet provider, or web-based retailer - communications law reform is desperately needed to take our society into the future. However, our behind-the-curve federal government is literally decades behind in terms of dealing with the communication issues confronting us.

A perfect example of this governmental incompetence is that it was just this past August that the House of Representatives voted to repeal the FCC requirement to report to Congress on the status of the telegraph. I'll repeat that.... the telegraph!  As of today, however, the Senate has yet to act, so the telegraph report obligation by the FCC is still required. 

Unfortunately for Congress, in the face of all their ineptitude, the digital domain progresses on, stopping for no-one, including the U.S. Government.  Communications delivery mechanisms are morphing and effect every facet of our lives, yet - current regulations are so antiquated it would be laughable if it were not such a serious matter. Congress watches (as spectators) as technology moves ahead: TV on tablets, movies distributed via satellite (and eventually the internet), gaming consoles as primary communication devices, cell phones as payment systems - digital technology moves relentlessly and ever forward. The Congress and Obama Administration need to enact legislation that frees up bandwidth, delineates the boundaries  of video distribution, addresses questions regarding cybersecurity and privacy protection and these are just several issues that need immediate legislative action.

CMG's take: The chances for progressive communications legislation before 2016 (and perhaps beyond) are nil; therefore, it is best that Congress and the Obama Administration just do as they have been doing - staying out of the way, reading the telegraph report, and letting technology and the marketplace dictate the future.                                                                    
Best
Jim Lavorato