The Late, Great Philip Seymour Hoffman

2 Feb
Philip Seymour Hoffman

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Is there any movie where Philip Seymour Hoffman’s presence didn’t make the movie better? I don’t think so. Both character actor and movie star, he is one of those actors whose breadth is hard to conceive of. In a 25 year career, he appeared in over 50 films. He was the Smithers to Lebowski’s Mr. Burns in “The Big Lebowski”, he was so smooth and cunning as Tom Cruise’s nemesis in Mission Impossible: III; he was a no-nonsense CIA officer in “Charlie Wilson’s War”. Was “Capote” his best role? Probably not. Yet in “Capote”, he delivers a truly chameleonic performance, showing the famously narcissistic Truman Capote in both flamboyant and quiet moments.

For me, two roles stand out as the most memorable by Philip Seymour Hoffman: first, Father Flynn in Doubt. The central conceit of the movie is that, just as the nuns at the heart of the film played by Amy Adams and Meryl Streep, we are doubtful as to whether Father Flynn has molested a young boy or not. Are you any clearer on the truth after watching the young priest’s face in this pivotal scene?

]

The other role is as Andy, one of two brothers who conspires to rob his parents’ jewelry store, in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Things go badly. Hoffman plays a a bully who manipulates a weak brother. He is one of the best things about this taut, suspenseful, criminally underrated thriller.

What a shame that we won’t see him in more movies. Rest in peace.

2013 in review

31 Dec

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,300 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 38 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Top 5 Movies of 2013

11 Dec
Spock

Spock

Ah, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! The streets are adorned with lights, passersby are wrapped head to toe in wool, and thoughts turn to the year that is about to pass us by. Favorite memories, trips I took, and of course, the movies I saw! I can pinpoint five movies that I saw this year that I truly, thoroughly enjoyed. Herewith, it’s the third annual (you loved the 2010 edition, the 2011 edition and the 2012 edition) top movies of the year list!

To the Wonder. Critics were pretty divided on this most recent Terrence Malick film. I think that Malick conveys the high of being in love, as well as the low of falling out of love, masterfully in this movie. I was well aware, as I sat watching the movie, that others may hate it. The constant narration. The lack of plot. The lack of dialogue. But one must go into a Malick film knowing that it is primarily about mood and visuals. The interplay between the beautiful Olga Kurylenko and the stoic Ben Affleck is almost like modern dance. We see them dance towards each other and then eventually dance away from each other. It is a wondrous, beautiful film.

Star Trek Into Darkness. I love a good action film- but only a good action film. Meaning that there are plenty of bad ones out there. I have no need for catchphrases such as “Yippie ky ay motherfucker”. Just give me a tightly-plotted, well-directed, well-acted, fast-paced story with visual effects that are impressive but that don’t overpower the story or verge on the ridiculous. I am not a big fan of Chris Pine, but I understand that he has to act within the confines of a character first played by the Dean of overacting, William Shatner. But Zachary Quinto to me is great as the logical Spock. J.J. Abrams is a skilled storyteller, and he directed the best action movie of the year.

Much Ado About Nothing. Speaking of skilled action movie directors, this is the first Joss Whedon movie that I had ever seen. I have never seen The Avengers, or Firefly, and was not into Buffy the Vampire Slayer back in the day. But I do have great fondness for Much Ado About Nothing, a Shakespearean comedy that I participated in when I was an adolescent. So I was very curious to see this modern adaptation. It was a wonderful adaptation, preserving the rambunctious spirit of Shakespeare’s play, honoring the dialogue, while making the modern update relevant. The whole movie was filmed at Whedon’s beautiful Hollywood Hills home, and the whole film has the air of a breezy, fun weekend with friends. If those friends included Nathan Filion!

The Heat. This is the funniest movie I saw this year. Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy complement each other perfectly as cops cracking a big case. This movie also gets big points for featuring Bill Burr and Demian Bichir in supporting roles, both actors I like. Melissa McCarthy should star in every new comedy, since she is a big ball of energy who is also blessed with perfect comedic timing. Couple that with Sandra Bullock playing uptight, which she does well, and you have a pretty awesome comedy.

Blue Jasmine. What can I say about this movie that I didn’t already say in my praise of Cate Blanchett? She does what she does best, ably guided by Woody Allen’s direction. We get to see several shots of San Francisco, both the famous postcard views and the lesser-known areas. We get to see an actress lead an ensemble cast that includes Louis C.K. in a semi-dramatic role and Alec Baldwin at his smarmy best. We get to see what happens when a woman bases her self-worth on how the men in her life value her. All in all, highly recommended.

Guy Code and Rape Culture

2 Dec

brosSometimes you’re multitasking, reading something online and watching something on TV simultaneously, and it all seems to line up perfectly. Here I am, reading about how the prosecution of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston for rape has been stalled, and I’m watching a program on MTV2 called Guy Code. The latter was due to curiosity after hearing a young male co-worker talk about the show; I figured if it resonated with him it would be interesting to see. Think of me as an anthropologist who wants to keep up with what the kids are watching. So I watched the half hour show of thoroughly unremarkable comedy, all unoriginal insights into being young, privileged and male. That old word from my undergrad days, heteronormativity, came to mind.

“Guy Code” assumes that the guys in the viewing audience are straight, and that women are satellites revolving around their sun. The few female commentators are highly made up, with big fake breasts, and the sexy baby tone of voice that is endemic to young girls nowadays. The dilemmas the bros face include hitting on chicks, getting chicks to sleep with you, dealing with your bro’s chick, bringing your chick home to bang, etc. Yes, this show probably makes twenty-something life seem idyllic to hormonal 13 year olds watching at home, and many of the situations dealt with are indeed a part of life for young men in their early to mid-twenties. But…is this it? Are women so foreign that they need to be decoded? Do these bros not have female friends, girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, sisters, coworkers, teammates, cousins…in short, women in their cohort with whom they are not sexual?

No, it is understood that a dude has to do what a dude has to do to get laid. And if he’s leading his team to a national championship? Hush hush and look the other way. Boys will be boys.

 

Video

Girls Who Read

15 Nov

Yup, sounds like me!

Tags: ,

Loyalty in the Age of LinkedIn

3 Nov

The small company that I work is hiring for a senior position, and I have been tasked with doing initial phone interviews with candidates. This includes talking to candidates who applied through LinkedIn, through Monster.com, and through a recruiting firm. We had a brief conference call with the recruiting firm, and they discussed finding candidates who are not necessarily actively looking for new opportunities but who can be persuaded. Now, I am realistic enough to know that this is because recruiting firms need to place candidates successfully in order to get paid. But the recruiter’s discussion of peeling away job candidates who are otherwise happy (or seemingly so) at their current positions made me wonder if there can be any loyalty in the age of LinkedIn.

And I say this not just from the point of view of one who interviews candidates for my current employer. I am on LinkedIn and have been contacted by recruiters numerous times. I imagine that the advent of LinkedIn has revolutionized the world of professional headhunting, making it easier to find potential candidates. As someone who has been contacted, I can say that some of the offers have been quite intriguing. Some just didn’t pan out, while others  were for companies and jobs that were clearly not a good fit. And yet every day seemingly content professionals are pulled away from their jobs for greener pastures.

I remember going to the company picnic for my Dad’s employer when I was a kid. He worked for that employer for I don’t know how many years. My mother worked for hers for 26 years. Back then, there was an implicit understanding between employer and employee. The employee worked hard and was rewarded with promotions and steady employment. That era and its stability are over. Professionals are now more like free agents, ready to jump ship for the best offer and highest bidder. As free agency liberated professional athletes to make as much money as they could and not be stuck under the yoke of the same team, so too are we all now freer than professionals in the recent past, of my parents’ era. This is mostly a good development. If employers want to retain their best people, like a good coach or a good agent, they must ensure that their best players are too happy and well-paid to consider leaving for greener pastures. Or else recruiters will be the ones who benefit.

El Amor en la Era de Facebook

17 Oct

En qué momento de una nueva relación se agrega a la otra persona en Facebook? A la medida que nuestras vidas se viven en línea, conocemos a gente en línea, y vamos conociéndonos mejor en línea también. A veces, tras conocer a alguien, uno (el otro) quiere agregarnos como amiga en Facebook. Para mí, se puede caer en esta trampa fácilmente. Es la trampa de creer que le conoces- porque puedes ver que le gustan los 49er’s, que asistió a UCLA, que le gusta ver The Walking Dead, que hace poco fue a Yosemite. Pero quiero saber esas cosas porque surgieron en el transcurso de una conversación, y no porque los vi en su Facebook.

Yo estoy totalmente a favor de no ser amigos inmediatamente. Quizás estoy viviendo en el pasado, pero lo veo como un atajo, una solución fácil de entrar en los vericuetos en la vida de uno. Si sé qué hiciste el fin de semana pasado, pues quiero saberlo porque me lo dijiste, no porque lo vi en tu perfil; las mismas fotos que vieron tu tía en Filadelfia y tus amigos del cole. Sin embargo, he encontrado en mi experiencia personal que a los hombres les gusta ser amigos virtuales inmediatamente. Les gustan los atajos, porque así se evitan momentos torpes. Conocer a los amigos de él? Ya es más fácil que nunca. Pero Facebook es un foro público. Lo que se publica se publica para todos los que se componen nuestra red personal- familia, colegas, maestros, ex novios, amigos de toda la vida y nuevos amigos, mientras que iniciar una relación se trata de conocerse de modo mas íntimo.

Cuando digo íntimo no hablo de sexo. Hablo de intimidad emocional, lo que viene de tiempo pasado juntos, y no de los personajes ideales que mostramos a los demás. Sí, en las primeras citas es así, presetamos nuestros lados preferidos, pero para profundizar la relación hay que empezar de cero. Empezando como amigos en Facebook, tomamos un atajo. Hay que ir mas lentamente.

My Favorite Episode of Breaking Bad

15 Oct
Peekaboo

Peekaboo

I have finally watched the entire series of Breaking Bad, a feat I accomplished in two and a half weeks. Do I have a favorite episode? Well, “Peekaboo”, Season 2, Episode 6, is one episode that I think really encompasses what the show is all about.

Like the episode “Fly”, this one has a claustrophobic feel, all taking place inside the filthy home of two methheads. Throughout the episode, Jesse tries to get money back from an addict who goes by the name Spooge. Yet he alternately waits patiently for the methheads, a married couple, to come to their senses, while looking after their son, giving the episode its title (Jesse plays peekaboo with the unresponsive boy). The episode drags a bit, and yet it ends with a surprising act of violence. Spooge gets his head crushed by an ATM he is trying to bust open. His drug-addled wife does the honors.This episode is significant because we see the soft spot that Jesse has for children, which will be a key motif moving forward. But many people talk about the violence wrought by Walter White, and as evidence they list the crash of Wayfarer flight 51, Walt watching Jane die as the life sputtered out of her, the flashy deaths of Tuco Salamanca and Gus Fring.

But from the moment he decided to cook meth, a decision made rather impulsively, Walt contributed to the destruction of lives through drug addiction. We get a glimpse of addiction in Hank’s visit to the Crystal Palace, but it is only in Peekaboo that we see up close the effects of Walt’s choice to make himself a vital link in the meth food chain. A neglected, dirty little boy. A mother and father who can do nothing but get high. The casual violence with which Spooge dies. This is what Walt got into. Many debate when Walt went over to the dark side and became evil. I am not the Breaking Bad fan who watches and “roots” for Walt. I watch and am fascinated by the destruction, both large scale and small, that Walt unleashes. Large scale, like killing Gus Fring and being indirectly responsible for Hank’s murder. Small scale, like the millions of lives ruined by meth addiction.

11 Reasons Internet Listicles Are Easy Click Bait

8 Oct
Click Here

Click Here

I’m gonna come out and say something I should be ashamed of: I read the HuffingtonPost. Wow, admitting it feels good. Yes, the site is one of the most visited in America, so someone’s visiting Arianna’s big old blog aggregator, but who really admits it? I mean the site doesn’t have a distinct personality, really, it is all things to all people. But if there is one thing that the HuffPost excels at, and that gets me clicking like crazy, it is listicles.

Here’s an experiment. Let’s list the articles on the homepage with numbered lists in the title: 5 Things Rich People Do! 25 Things Every Woman Must Know! 9 Things People Over 50 Never Want to Hear! 7 Ways to Eat Good on a Hood Budget! 10 Ways Science is Suffering Under Government Shutdown! Now admit, the number in the title of each of these articles reassures you and tells you hey, I won’t take much of your time. You won’t be scrolling endlessly to read me. You’ll get some info and you’ll be on your way.

Let’s face it, listicles are the fast food of content consumption. They leave you feeling briefly satisfied afterwards, but mostly wanting something more nourishing later. For true nourishment, I suggest The New Yorker or a good novel. And in ode to listicles and the marketers who love them, here is a totally random, tongue-in-cheek list I made for your immediate satisfaction. 11 reasons listicles are total click bait:

  • Google has a special algorithm that reads bullet points alone.
  • Numbered lists should ideally be a prime number. Bonus points for odd numbers.
  • Each bullet point should be short and sweet. Ideally two sentences made up of around 8 words.
  • You should count the number of words in each bullet point. This adds unnecessary bullet points.
  • You should also use a bullet point to link back to a previous post. See how I did that?
  • Go ahead and link to random outside content. Links links links!
  • Be topical. Yes, it will lose value in the long-term, but in the short term, being super topical makes you now and of the moment. So, Miley Cyrus government shutdown Oktoberfest!
  • Some of your points will be really useful and/or insightful, but let’s face it, you have space to fill. You need some filler. So go ahead and just fill a bullet point with bla bla bla.
  • Lastly, end on a positive note. Your reader should have learned a little teeny tiny bit about something- say, that rich people don’t buy without first comparison shopping!- and then let them go on their merry way.

Working with Millennials

29 Sep
World's best entry level employee

World’s best entry level employee

I work with several millennials, and one of them recently shared this Wall Stree Journal article with me. “Older Workers Should Think Young”, it urges. I really don’t know why she shared it with me, because as I read it all I could think was, these young brats need to stop thinking so highly of themselves and learn to listen to their elders.

I have read that millennials are considered to be those between the ages of 18 and 34. Well, I don’t know who came up with this estimate, but I am 32, and I definitely don’t consider myself a millennial. I feel closer to the generation known as Generation X, the kids of the Baby Boomers (my parents boomed late). And the reason why I don’t relate to millennials is that I remember a time before the internet. It’s as simple as that. But I think that there are some characteristics of the Millennial generation that set them apart. Thinking that the world revolves around them is one.

This is the generation that records every waking thought and perception with Instagram, Snapchat, iChat, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and whichever social network will come to replace them. For me social networking is about community and sharing; for the young twenty somethings it’s about me me me. So how does this relate back to the topic of working with millenniala? The WSJ article states that older workers need to learn from the twenty something millennials who surround them at work. Let their hair down, so to speak. But to presume that older, experienced workers need to learn from their colleagues with zero experience is rather arrogant. Yes, maybe older workers aren’t fluent in social media, but I respect professionals with experience, especially those who have managed to make themselves successful and relevant in this age of youth-obsessed work culture. If an older worker is still around at your place of work, don’t presume to know better than them. Listen to older colleagues, and you may learn a thing or two.  Yes, I believe listening to older people can be beneficial. I guess I really am not a millennial after all.

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →