C2 - THE JOURNAL, Thursday, January 7, 2010
Entertainment
PICKS OF THE WEEK
This week features the
release of three great films
that either didn't make it to
your local multiplex or, if
they did, didn't stay there
very long.
"Big Fan" -- Patton
Oswalt is best known for
his outrageously funny
stand-up comedy and as the
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Here it is a week into the
New Year; have you kept
your resolutions? If you
haven't don't be discour-
aged, some of us don't even
make them anymore!
I learned long ago that for
me, New Year resolutions
only supplied me with
more ammunition to prove
myself a failure. I sat as a
voice of Remy the Rat in ....... PattonOswalt-0oars in-:q3i9 Fan" ........... harsh judge of my progress
"Ratatouille." In "Big Fan,"
Oswalt proves that he is
capable of doing complex,
dramatic character work --
and his performance in this
movie is brilliant.
Oswalt plays a dude
named Paul, who works as
a ticket-taker in a parking
garage, is 35 years old and
still lives at home with his
mother. But most of all,
Paul is an obsessive New
York Giants fan. When a
chance meeting with the
team's star player leads
to Paul getting viscously
beaten by the player, Paul's
world crumbles and he
must make a choice: Does
he allow the police to pros-
ecute the man (meaning a
losing season for Paul's
beloved team?) or does he
come up with a deluded
plan that Just Might Work?
Watch and find out.
"Moon" -- I thought
"District 9" was the best
science-fiction movie of
2009; but coming in a close
second is "Moon," directed
by David Bowie's son,
Duncan Jones. "Moon"
stars Sam Rockwell as
Sam Bell, a poor schlub
pulling a three-year stint
on the moon maintaining an
automated mining station.
The three years without
compulsory nowadays for
films like this, she manages
to keep the emotional ten-
sion at such a high level,
there are moments when
human contact is beginning you actually feel like you're
to wear him down, and he with the guys on a mission.
misses his wife and little The acting is outstanding,
daughter terribly.
One day while on a rou-
tine inspection of one of
the harvesters, Sam makes
a disturbing and dangerous
discovery that leads him to
question his sanity -- and a
lot more.
"The Hurt Locker" -
- Jeremy Renner stars as
Staff Sergeant James, the
leader of a bomb disposal
unit stationed in Iraq.
James is an adrenaline
junkie, and his gung-ho,
reckless attitude toward
the job has the members of
his team so worried about
whether he's going to get
them killed, they actually
consider fragging him.
Director Kathryn Bigelow
does a masterful job of
directing this film. Despite
the shaky-cam cinematog-
raphy that seems almost
and most of all, this isn't
one of those preachy
movies about the war (pro
or con). It's just a gripping
story about men doing a
dangerous job -- and how
that mission affects them.
"The Hurt Locker" is one
of the best films of 2009.
Check it out.
TV SERIES
"Top Gear" The Complete
Season 11
"Top Gear" The Complete
Season 12
"Jon and Kate Plus Ei8ht:
Season 5 -- Big Changes"
"The Simpsons" The Com-
plete Twentieth Season
"ER" The Complete
Twelfth Season
"Robin Hood" Season
Three
"Becker" The Third
Season
(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.
through life. When I real-
ized we are instructed to
"examine" ourselves rather
than judge ourselves a yoke
was lifted from my spirit.
Lynn Harold Hough said,
"The tragedy of the world
is that men have given first
class loyalty to second class
causes and these causes
have betrayed them." This
I found to be true in many
areas of my life. Not always
were my causes second
class, sometimes I just
needed to find a different
way in.
Political and environmen-
tal activism left me disillu-
sioned as to my power to
generate change. Years
History Center
to present
Reeves' story
The Oklahoma His-
tory Center presents the
incredible story of Deputy
U.S. Marshal Bass
Reeves, one of the most
feared and respected U.S.
Marshals in Indian Terri-
tory. The program will be
held on Tuesday January
12, 2010 and features Art
Burton, author of Black
Gun Silver Star; Vaunda
Nelson, children's book
author of Bad News
for Outlaws; and Baridi
Nkokheli, Bass Reeves
re-enactor. There will be
a lecture from 1:30 p.m.
to 3:00 p.m. followed by
a book signing 3:00 p.m.
to 4:30 p.m. The public is
welcome and the program
is free. The Oklahoma
History Center is located
on NE 23rd
Street just east of the
State Capitol.
Bass was credited with
fourteen notches on his
gun as he served as a
Deputy U.S. Marshall
for Judge Isaac Parker's
U.S. Court in Fort
Smith, Arkansas. Bass
was a terror to outlaws
and desperados. The
fact that Reeves was an
African American who
had spent his early life
as a slave in Arkansas
and Texas makes his
accomplishments all the
more remarkable.
He was described as
honest and fearless, a
master of disguises, and
was fluent in native lan-
guages.
This special program
is funded in part by the
Oklahoma Humanities
Council (OHC) and the
National Endowment for
the Humanities (NEH).
Any views, findings
conclusions or recom-
mendations expressed in
this program do not nec-
essarily represent those of
OHC or NEH.
For more information,
contact Bruce Fisher at
(405) 522-5049 and by
email at brucefisher@o
khistory.org
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of protests, citizen watch
groups, even deliberate
disobedience resulting in
arrest seemed a massive
circle that each year brought
me (us) back to square one.
Nothing changed. I came
to realize I could only
influence those with whom
I interacted and still, change
was entirely up to them.
this world is not so much
where we stand as in what
direction we are moving."
In what direction are you
moving?
A clearly persuasive yet
anonymous voice penned
the following; I find it
a good yardstick of the
direction in which I am
moving.
"You will never be
sorry--
For thinking before acting,
For hearing before judg-
ing,
For forgiving your ene-
mies,
Ibeganto acceptmyposi=--For being vandid and
tion. My eyes opened to
the concept of exponential
change by influencing one
person to behave differ-
ently. My spiritual impact
may never measure up to
Billy or Ruth Graham's, but
I could bring a little piece of
God into many lives with a
simple smile, helping hand
or unexpected blessing. I
could not stop people from
using Malathion, but I could
show them safer alternatives
that are equally effective.
I urge you, for the
remainder of 2010, leave
your resolutions behind
and consider Oliver Wen-
dell Holmes' wisdom;
"I find the great thing in
frank,
For helping a fallen
brother,
For being honest in busi-
ness,
For thinking before speak-
ing,
For being loyal to your
church,
For standing by your prin-
ciples,
For stopping your ears to
gossip,
For bridling a slanderous
tongue,
For harboring only pure
thoughts,
For sympathizing with the
afflicted,
For being courteous and
kind to all."
Hootenanny at Hideaway this Friday
The Farm Couple will be
performing at The Hide-
away Pizza Place this Friday
evening from 7- 8:30pm.
Monica Taylor & Patrick
Williams have been play-
ing and singing their own
self-penned tunes and the
wonderful old country and
bluegrass, and mountain
songs they grew up on for
10 years together. Having
traveled throughout the
southern states and those
states around Oklahoma,
they now have their own
music careers but still get
together once a month
here in Stillwater for their
"Hootenanny at The Hide-
away !"
It's always a wonderful
time for families and folks
to gather and visit, eat the
best pizza in Oklahoma, and
listen to The Farm Couple
'render' a few tunes while
you eat supper! This show
is held in The Daily Grind
Coffehouse part of this
famous Oklahoma eating
establishment. There is
always a jam session held
after the concert for anyone
who'd like to join in... so
bring your instruments and
a hearty appetite for food
and music this Friday, Jan.
8th at 7pm.
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