Will's Book Nook: Documents that Changed the World Scribblings

 

This BBC Radio series features investigative journalists who unearth private papers, public records and primary sources that shed new light on historical events. For a history nut like me, this series makes me rethink some of the things I thought I knew, like British prisoner of war camps during World War II, that mistreated prisoners just as badly as the Nazis. Some of the prisoner's stories really resonated with me, because of my German heritage and how my ancestors were persecuted and killed in Nazi Germany. I give this series 5 out 5 Scribbles, because I don't think I've heard such in-depth reporting on events I thought I knew all about.  

We Were Right: CODA Wins!

 

CODA stands for Children of Deaf Adults

Last week we made an uniformed prediction that CODA would win Best Picture at the Oscars--uniformed, because none of us have actually seen the film! But we were right nonetheless! We all plan to watch it and are so proud of the disability community. 

Writer-Director Sian Heder said in a backstage interview after the win:

“This is a really big moment for the Deaf community. It’s a really big moment for the disability community. Marlee Matlin won an Oscar 35 years ago, and not that much has changed in Hollywood, so I want to thank the Academy for making that change. And I want to say to everyone in the Deaf community and everyone in the disability community that there’s a place for you here, your stories are important, and we need to make room. And this is one story, and let this one be the first of many, many films to come out of this beautiful community.” 

Way to go CODA! 

Top Ten: Mark's Favorite Characters from The Godfather

 

1.  Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando).
2.  Michael Corleone (Al Pacino).
3.  Sonny Corleone (James Caan).
4.  Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall).
5.  Capt.  McCluskey (Sterling Hayden).
6.  Jack Woltz (John Marley).
7.  Kay Adams (Diane Keaton).
8.  Connie Corleone (Talia Shire).
9.  Fredo Corleone (John Cazale).
10.  More Greene (Alex Rocco)

Will's Book Nook: Jeeves and Wooster Scribblings

 

The Jeeves and Wooster series was written by P.G. Wodehouse and was made into a popular show starring Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, but before that they were done as radio dramas on BBC Radio in the 70s and 80s. The series is about Bertie Wooster, a young man in the British upper class and his butler, Jeeves, who is incredibly intelligent. Most of the stories involve Bertie getting into trouble and Jeeves rescuing him. I really like some of the clever ways that Jeeves gets Bertie out of trouble, like keeping him from marrying gold-digging ladies. I give the Jeeves and Wooster series 5 out of 5 scribbles. The TV series is great, too!

Our Uninformed Oscar Predicitons

 

The Oscars are coming up on Sunday. We have only seen a few of the films nominated for Best Picture, but we still want to weigh in with our predictions! So here are our totally uninformed picks: 

Belfast: Will has actually seen this movie! He liked it, because it gave him insight into his Irish heritage. It's has been compared to Roma, which won a few years ago. We think that, while it's worth seeing, the Oscars will likely honor something less "familiar" to viewers.

CODA: As members of the disability community, this one is a strong pick for us. However, none of us have actually seen it! But we love the representation of the deaf community, particularly that the deaf characters are played by deaf actors.

Don't Look Up: Margaret enjoyed this one, and she loves satire, but she didn't feel like this one was Best Picture-worthy and the director (Adam McKay) has made better movies.   

Drive My Car: After the wins by Parasite and Roma, foreign films are finally getting their due. None of us have seen this one, either, but it is supposed to be just great.

Dune: Will and Margaret absolutely loved this one. Will appreciated the epic scale. It's also been said that the book is unfilmable, and David Lynch has failed to bring it to life in the past. This is only the first half of the story, but the stellar cast, including our favorites Oscar Isaac, Zendaya and Josh Brolin, beautiful visuals and amazing sound effects, won us over. The story can be seen as a little problematic, given the white savior storyline, but we will wait for the second installment to pass judgement on that. 

King Richard: Historically, biopics have been a solid Best Picture choice, and Will Smith has charisma for days. He's Will's favorite actor. Stories about overcoming adversity are also good picks for Best Picture Winner, but maybe not this year, given the competition. 

 Licorice Pizza: None of us have seen this one, and it's supposed to be great, but it has received some criticism due to the questionable age difference between the love interests. 

Nightmare Alley: We think this one is unlikely, given the mixed reviews. We love Guillermo de Toro, but he has made better films.

The Power of the Dog: This one has received the most buzz for top contender. Once again, none of us have seen it! We think this one could definitely win.

West Side Story: This energetic, updated and colorful production can't overcome its problematic storyline for these times.

Our Pick: We pick CODA, for its important representation of the disability community. None of us have actually seen it, but we think it has a really good shot. Our other two picks rounding out our top three, are Power of the Dog and Drive My Car. None of us have seen any of them!

Top Ten: Mark's Favorite Best Picture Winners from the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s

 

1.  Green Book (Universal)(2018)(3 Oscars).

2.  Moonlight (A24)(2016)(3 Oscars).

3.  The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)(2009)(6 Oscars).

4.  The Departed (Warner Bros. Pictures)(2006)(4 Oscars).

5.  The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Line Cinema)(2003)(11 Oscars).

6.  American Beauty (DreamWorks SKG)(1999)(5 Oscars).  

7.  Titanic (Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox)(1997)(11  Oscars).

8.  The English Patient (Miramax Films)(1996)(9 Oscars).

9.  Forrest Gump (Paramount Pictures)(1994)(6 Oscars).

10.  Schindler's List (Universal)(1993)(7 Oscars).

Happy International Women's Day!

 

March is Women's History Month and today is International Women's Day. Here are some ways to celebrate:

1. Read a biography or watch a biopic about an important woman in history.

2. Share an important woman or women in your life with your community. 

3. Donate or volunteer in support of a woman-led organization.

4. Shop at women-owned businesses in the month of March.

5. Attend the annual Women's March.

Top Ten: Mark's Favorite Best Picture Winners from the 60s, 70s and 80s

 

1.  Driving Miss Daisy (Warner Bros. Pictures)(1989)(4 Oscars).

2.  The Last Emperor (Columbia)(1987)(9 Oscars).

3.  Amadeus (Orion Pictures)(1984)(8 Oscars).

4.  Gandhi (Columbia)(1982)(8 Oscars). 

5.  The Deer Hunter (Universal)(1978)(5 Oscars).

6.  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (United Artists)(1975)(5 Oscars).

7.  The Sting (Universal)(1973)(7 Oscars). 

8.  My Fair Lady (Warner Bros. Pictures)(1964)(8 Oscars).

9. Lawrence of Arabia (Columbia)(1962)(7 Oscars).

10. West Side Story (United Artists)(1961)(10 Oscars).

 

Will's Book Nook: Ronan Boyle Series Scribblings

 

The Ronan Boyle book series by Thomas Lennon, better known as a comedian and star of Reno 911, is about a detective who works with the Irish police on special cases involving magical creatures. I really liked the sense of humor and the wimpiness of the main character. You expect him to be strong and brave, but he is neither of those things. He gets by on his smarts and his knowledge of magical creatures. One of my favorite adventures involves leprechauns who Ronan interrogates about a stolen pot of gold. One of the best things about the audio book is that the author reads his own book. He has excellent comedic timing. I give it 5 out of 5 scribbles for the weirdness and laugh out loud moments. I especially enjoyed a second listen and got many of the references that I missed the first time around.  

Will's Book Nook: Foul Play Scribblings

Foul Play is a BBC radio game show that ran for 4 seasons. Mystery writers are challenged to solve a murder using the old time radio techniques of different voices and sound effects. Two actors act out various characters, who are then questioned about the murder by the writers. One episode is about horse racing. The champion horse racer takes a dive and winds up murdered. I really liked one of the actor's Irish accents. I think he did a really good job. It's always fun when one of the characters breaks under the pressure of the questioning. The show's record holder for "fastest deduction" is held by a writer who used to be a police constable. After a second listen, I would give this program 5 out of 5 scribbles. There were some details I missed the first time around!

Daylight Savings Time: Pros & Cons

Everyone seems to have an opinion about Daylight Savings Time, and most people do not care for it. We all know the adage of "spring forward, fall back," where we set the clock forward an hour each spring, and set it back an hour in the fall. This was first proposed in 1784 by Benjamin Franklin. Thanks a lot, Ben! But it actually wasn't put into practice until 1908 in Canada, and there has been debate about it ever since.

Pros

• More light! By setting the clock forward in the spring, workers have an extra hour of daylight to enjoy after their workday activities, particularly after school activities and sporting events. 
  
• Decreased energy consumption. Some supporters claim that more activity during daylight hours reduces the need for lighting and heating, but this is heavily disputed.
• Stay the course. We have been doing this for over 100 years, so a change now would be disruptive. However, a minority of the world practices DST, so it would only be difficult for the few.

Cons

• Circadian rhythms (sleep patterns) are notoriously difficult to change, so many people wind up being sleepy and/or tired until the fall.
•  Some studies show an increase traffic accidents and other accidents involving heavy machinery during the spring. 
• It's unpopular! A whopping 70% of Americans in a 2019 poll prefer not to switch back and forth, although there is disagreement about whether to stick with Standard Time or DST year round. A small majority prefer Standard Time. 
• Not everyone in the world follows the DST schedule, and it is confusing! Even in the US, there are two states that don't participate: Arizona and Hawaii. 

So what do we do about this problem? While it might be tricky for a year or two, the countries that participate in DST would likely get used to the new schedule fairly quickly. As to the issue of light in the fall versus the spring, one idea would be to end the work day an hour earlier in the spring. There is already a large discussion about the 5 day work week and a lack of productivity where workers are tired and burned out, so getting out of work or school a little earlier for half the year might actually help. Unfortunately, we should all get ready to "spring forward" again on March 13.

Top Ten: Mark's Favorite Best Picture Winners from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s

 

1.  Ben-Hur (MGM)(1959)(11 Oscars)

2.  Gigi (MGM)(1958)(9 Oscars)

3.  On the Waterfront (Columbia)(1954)(8 Oscars)

4.  From Here to Eternity (Columbia)(1953)(8 Oscars)

5.  All About Eve (20th Century-Fox)(1950)(6 Oscars)

6.  The Best Years of Our Lives (Samuel Goldwyn Productions)(1946)(7 Oscars)

7.  Casablanca (Warner Bros. Pictures)(1943)(3 Oscars)

8.  Gone with the Wind (Selznick International Pictures)(1939)(8 Oscars)

9.  The Great Ziegfeld (MGM)(1936)(3 Oscars)

10.  It Happened One Night (Columbia)(1934)(5 Oscars)