Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Photo of the Day

Cosmopolitan Hotel, Las Vegas 2013

My Oscar Picks

Obviously I don't have a vote.  But if I did, here's how I would vote on the major categories in this year's Academy Awards competition:

Best Picture: I think 12 Years a Slave is not only the best movie of this year, but may be the most completely satisfying movie I've seen since The Thin Red Line in 1998.  Like the latter film, its power is simultaneously emotional, intellectual and artistic.  Such a combination is a rarity, so naturally I think it should win.  Having said that, I also have an immense amount of affection for Nebraska, and would not be too heartbroken if that took the prize.  In fact, this is the strongest field of contenders in memory (and I haven't even seen Gravity or Philomena yet), and several of the others might have been a favorite in a year that did not see the release of 12 Years a Slave

Best Director: Given what I wrote above, clearly Steve McQueen deserves this for 12 Years a Slave, and that's who I'm pulling for.  This is another strong field, and it doesn't even include the Coen Brothers, whose Inside Llewyn Davis was (to me) even better than I expected, and I had high hopes when I first heard about their intention to make a movie about the folk scene in Greenwich Village circa 1960.

Best Actor: Every one of the nominees did work good enough to win.  My sympathies are about evenly slip between Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), and Chiwetel Ojiofor (12 Years a Slave).

Best Actress:  The only one of these performances that I've seen is Amy Adams in American Hustle.  I thought she was great, so I'm pulling for her. 

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave: he was fantastic as a slave master completely corrupted by the system that bred him.

Best Supporting Actress: I'd be equally happy if either June Squibb (Nebraska) or Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) won this category. 

Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel's photography on Inside Llewyn Davis was truly evocative of both a time and place (I wasn't there, but it made me think of stuff I've seen from the era by Robert Frank and John Cassavetes, among others).  Since this is the only really big award the film is up for, I'm pulling for Delbonnel.

Screenwriting: For adapted screenplay, I'm hoping Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy take the prize for Before Midnight (another movie ignored in the other categories), and for original screenplay I'd like to see Bob Nelson take the prize for Nebraska

Note that these picks represent who or what I think deserve to win, not necessarily who or what will win. Please feel free to post a comment with your favorites. 


Monday, February 24, 2014

Photo of the Day

City Hall at Night, Buffalo 2013

This Week's Playlist and Podcast



Below you will find a listing of the songs played this week on Dr. John's Record Shelf.  Also, if you click here, you can listen to a complete podcast of the program. Enjoy!

Beat on the Mountain, Jason & the Scorchers
Stomp and Holler, Hard Working Americans
Trouble in Mind, Jon Langford & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts

Are You Okay, Dum Dum Girls
Misery, Big Troubles
Blue Line, Let's Active
Knives From Bavaria, Dean & Britta

Christine's Tune, Flying Burrito Brothers
West Texas Waltz, Joe Ely
Suspicious Minds, Waylon & Jessi
Watery Moonlight, Beachwood Sparks

Breathless, Jerry Lee Lewis
Ode to Rock, Manda & the Marbles
All the Way From Moscow, Jesse Malin & the St. Mark's Social
Limited By Stature, White Denim
Million $ Man, Imperial Teen

It Takes Two, Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston
The Message, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
Lady Madonna, Swamp Dogg

Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine, Sue Foley
New Kind of Kick, The Cramps
Otto, Replacements
That Man, Those Darlins

State of My Union, Long Ryders
I Want to Walk You Home, Fats Domino
Talk to You, Small Faces
The Late Great Cassiopia, Essex Green

Kool Thing, Sonic Youth
Convention '72, The Delegates
I Put a Spell On You, Screamin' Jay Hawkins

So Long, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

On the Street 17

The latest set of pictures in my ongoing attempt to try and get within shouting distance of the great work of Garry Winogrand and Saul Leiter (amongst outstanding street photographers).  The above shot was taken in Toronto, the others in and around Buffalo.

 




Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Monday, February 17, 2014

Photo of the Day

Tribute to Spain Rodriguez, Abandoned Freight Platform, Buffalo Central Terminal 2013

This Week's Playlist and Podcast


Below you will find a listing of the songs played this week on Dr. John's Record Shelf.  And, if you click here, you can listen to a podcast of the show. By the way, that link also provides access (via a menu on the right side of the page) to the previous three episodes, in case you missed them. 

Jubilee, Patti Smith
Too Much of One Thing, The Go-Betweens
Ribbons and Chains, Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3

Too Stubborn to Fold, Wheels on Fire
Whiskey Woman, Flamin' Groovies
Yonder Comes a Freight Train, Laura Cantrell
Raleigh & Spencer, American Ambulance

Alright Guy, Todd Snider
Louisiana Man, Bobbie Gentry
Wall-Eyed Girl, Ass Ponys
Phone Calls, Vancougar

Give Back the Key to My Heart, Uncle Tupelo
Rock Me Gently, Andy Kim
Roll On, Thea Gilmore
Flat Foot Flewzy, NRBQ

Gravity Talks, Green on Red
Rockaway, Clutters
Opelousas (Sweet Relief), Maria McKee
Country Death Song, Violent Femmes

I Wish It Would Rain, Temptations
Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Nina Simone
One Way Street, The Cobras
Mr Soul, Everly Brothers

Pounds and Hundreds, Otis Redding
Hokey Pokey, Richard & Linda Thompson
Second Song, TV On the Radio
Gravity's Bringing Us Down, Beulah

Blues Run the Game, Jackson C. Frank
So Long, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Three Portraits

My nieces Helen (above) and Emma (below) are often on the move, meaning I get a lot of blurry pictures of them.  Their brother Nik (bottom) is easier to catch at rest, but sometimes I mess up pictures of him too. But with a little cropping and sepia tint, sometimes those blurry shots end up looking pretty good (I think).  



Friday, February 14, 2014

Carnival Shots

This is a set of photos taken over the last couple of summers at one or another of the various fairs, fests, and carnivals I visited.  It's kind of enjoyable to take pictures of folks having fun.






Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Monday, February 10, 2014

Photo of the Day

Helen in a Fez, 2012

Playlist and Podcast 140209



This week on Dr. John's Record Shelf we paid tribute to the life and legacy of Pete Seeger, one of the most singular figures in the history of American music and culture.  Below is a list of the songs played on the program, and if you click here you can listen to a podcast of the show.

Oh Freedom, Pete Seeger
Hard Ain't It Hard, Weavers
Goofin' Off Suite, Pete Seeger

Hard Travelin', Woodie Guthrie
Ramblin' Boy, Tom Paxton
What Did You Learn in School Today? Pete Seeger
Ringing of Revolution, Phil Ochs

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine, Weavers
Chase the Rising Sun, Journeymen
Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Kingston Trio
If I Had a Hammer, Trini Lopez

Turn Turn Turn, The Byrds
You Were On My Mind, We Five
Mail Myself to You, Pete Seeger
Green Green, New Christy Minstrels
We Shall Overcome, Bruce Springsteen

A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall, Pete Seeger
Corrina Corinna, Bob Dylan
John Riley, Joan Baez
Dear Mr. President, Almanac Singers

Roll On Columbia, Pete Seeger
Hoodoo Voodoo, Billy Bragg & Wilco
Darkest Hour, Arlo Guthrie
Sinner Man, Pete Seeger

Little Boxes, Pete Seeger
Gonna Be an Engineer, Peggy Seeger
The Arkansas Traveller, New Lost City Ramblers
Dink's Song, Pete Seeger
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, Pete Seeger

So Long It's Been Good to Know Yuh, Weavers

Friday, February 7, 2014

Unintentional But Interesting

Sometimes I take a picture and for one reason or another it doesn't turn out the way I intend, or has some obvious technical problem.  That doesn't mean, however, that such shots don't turn out to be interesting nonetheless (sometimes with a little Photoshop help).  Here are some examples of what I mean.