The End

Thank you all for reading my posts here. I am ending this blog as my work is now on www.tallwriter.com. Please visit me there and I appreciate all your support. Thanks.

The Build-up/Tear Down

Our sin issues are a constant battle, but lately I've reflected on the "build-up/tear down" process. The celebrity tabloids. The political process. The gossip mills. Ideally, we would be a community who constantly supports each other; discusses our issues openly and stays impartial. We all know that does not happen because sin is in our world. God is our ultimate judge, but the way we can lash out at each other often baffles me. At first I tried to analyze my audience and probe them for constructive criticism. What are you seeing in me that I’m not? Why did you do that? Next I would try to explain. Here is the reason for that. I didn’t hear you say that. 

Now the situations occur naturally and resolve/remain as they must. I have to be right with God first. I don’t expect apologies or understanding nor hold hard grudges or seek retribution no matter the justification on either side. Then the sides come down. I have felt I channel that anger and ill will feelings in positive ways, but now don’t have to reserve it all anymore. I don’t have to remind myself of the slander, ridicule or absolute hate. I still try to look at my past without regret, but as a constant lesson and keep an open mind to the Holy Spirit’s workings. I constantly thank God for his support. It’s amazing to experience your limits then see God break through them with amazing grace, forgiveness, and uplifting comfort. Seek His love.

Most People Are Not Dependable

…We aren’t always worthy of trust and have to admit that. We don’t want to admit it. …we are fallible, imperfect, vulnerable, and mistake-prone plus every situation is different with varying demands and expectations. It’s healthy overall to admit/accept it and remind ourselves on a daily basis. Most people don’t want to disappoint other people and are positive about people coming to them for help and knowledge when/if they accept the call. 

Dependability bonds relationships in the social realm. Statistics and reputation Like anything, people can abuse dependability on both sides, which touches the realm of our constant power issues that touches everything else. Dependability deserves separate attention because it’s important. Keep your promises. No excuses. Be on time. Be responsible/credible. Be like an anchor. Never waver. Follow through. The only thing I can depend on 100% is God. His love is always faithful as we can confess all our wrongs to Him.  I can count on God for everything.

Oscar Contest

Try this year's Oscar contest now hosted here.

2015 Films I Want to See the Most

These ten films are my top theater candidates for this year:

·       Avengers: Age of Ultron

·       Inside Out

·       Jurassic World

·       Mad Max Fury Road

·       The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

·       Mission Impossible 5

·       Spectre

·       Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

·       Untilted Cold War thriller w/Tom Hanks, directed by S.Speilberg

·       War Room

I did not regret any of my 2014 choices! Feel free to investigate these choices on your own and let me know if you agree.

Football Fever in Ohio

Many people in the area are hoping the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Oregon Ducks in the NCAA college football championship Monday night, which results from the first modern college football playoff system. If you're an Ohio resident, then you definitely have some experience/views towards the game because it is impossible to avoid it. Anyone can get caught up in the sporting spirit. It can definitely be a community builder. I recently talked to store owners who had a limited supply "Buckeye" related items to offer customers. One seemed to feel ashamed that they didn't have more (we only have a cheerleading outfit and popcorn tin, which were both passed on to us)

I'm concentrating on the collective aspect of this phenomenon and how we identify items/media with our inner sporting spirit.

Being on the winning side, getting that exciting thrill, and reliving your own football experiences are other big aspects I have been discussing with others. My darling daughter thinks football is fun...sometimes and her legs hurt when she watches because she sits to much. She likes the "football players' scores". She thinks I like it watch it because it's long and I get to watch it night. She also likes the "pretty sparkles on the floor and the sun reflecting on the grass."

Personally, I haven't had a favorite sports team I actively cheer/support, but enjoy several overall sports and sports-related trips with family. I have too much other knowledge filling my head to devote the team to a favorite. I really enjoyed sports most when I was young and collected sports cards. I spent many hours preserving and perusing them, so I got to be an expert for a while. I met my goals of collecting 10,000 football, baseball, and basketball cards then stopped except for some rare purchases. They are stored now. Waiting for my sports interest to awake enough. Money and value was the initial motivator, but that changed fairly soon after. I feel everything gets revisited and refined in our lives and some point.

Oscar Nomination Picks

Here are my picks for this year's Oscars (a.k.a. Academy Awards) for films released in 2014!!

Look for prominent first-time nominees, possible double nominations, and a long-time cinematography nod.

Best Picture

"American Sniper"

"Boyhood"

"Birdman"

"Gone Girl"

"The Grand Budapest Hotel"

"The Imitation Game"

"Into The Woods"

"Selma"

"The Theory of Everything"

"Unbroken"

“Whiplash”, "Foxcatcher", and "Mr. Turner" miss out along with the blockbuster "Interstellar", but all will get nominations in other categories.

Best Director

Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Ava DuVernay, "Selma"

David Fincher, "Gone Girl"

Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"

Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Many famous names miss out this year including Clint Eastwood, "American Sniper"; Angelina Jolie, "Unbroken"; Mike Leigh, "Mr. Turner"; Rob Marshall, "Into The Woods" and Christopher Nolan, "Interstellar".

Best Actor

Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"

Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"

Michael Keaton, "Birdman"

David Oyelowo, "Selma"

Eddie Redmayne, "Theory of Everything"

Everyone here gets their first nomination. Ralph Fiennes is very close for his performance in "The Grand Budapest Hotel" as well as Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler" and Timothy Spall, "Mr. Turner".

Best Actress

Jennifer Aniston, "Cake"

Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"

Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"

Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Aniston gets her first nomination along with Jones and Pike beating out great competition like Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"; Amy Adams, "Big Eyes", Emily Blunt, "Into The Woods" and Shailene Woodley, "The Fault In Our Stars".

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall, "The Judge"

Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"

Edward Norton, "Birdman"

Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"

J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Simmons gets his first nod. It would be great to see Andy Serkis make history for "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", but I’m sticking with this worthy group.

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"

Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"

Emma Stone, "Birdman"

Meryl Streep, "Into The Woods"

Tilda Swinton, "Snowpiercer"

Stone and Arquette are great first-timers. Jessica Chastain, "A Most Violent Year"; Laura Dern, "Wild" and Rene Russo, "Nightcrawler" are close runner-ups.

Original Screenplay

Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Damien Chazelle, "Whiplash"

Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, "Birdman"

Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"

Paul Webb, "Selma"

Dan Gilroy, "Nightcrawler" and Mike Leigh, "Mr. Turner" come close and so do two great comedic works by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, "The LEGO Movie" and Chris Rock, "Top Five".

Best Adapted Screenplay

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson, "Unbroken"

Gillian Flynn, "Gone Girl"

Nick Hornby, "Wild"

Anthony McCarten, "The Theory of Everything"

Graham Moore, "The Imitation Game"

Great works here with honorable mentions for Jason Hall, "American Sniper"; Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland, "Still Alice" and Joon-ho Bong, Kelly Masterson, "Snowpiercer".

Best Animated Film

"Big Hero 6"

"The Boxtrolls"

"How To Train Your Dragon 2"

"The LEGO Movie"

"The Tale of Princess Kaguya"

Close calls for "The Book of Life” and "Rocks in My Pockets" while amazing “Big”, “LEGO” and “Dragon 2” constitute the main competition.

Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins, "Unbroken"

Emmanuel Lubezki, "Birdman"

Dick Pope, "Mr. Turner"

Hoyte Van Hoytema, "Interstellar"

Robert D. Yeoman, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Deakins gets his twevlth nomination (and hopefully finally a win) with close calls for Jeff Cronenweth, "Gone Girl" and Bradford Young, "Selma".

Best Foreign Language Film

"Force Majeure" (Sweden)

"Ida" (Poland)

"Leviathan" (Russia)

"Timbuktu" (Mauritania)

"Wild Tales" (Argentina)

Best Documentary Feature

“The Case against 8”

“CitizenFour”

“Last Days in Vietnam”

“Virunga”

“Life Itself”

Best Film Editing

Sandra Adair, "Boyhood"

Douglas Crise, "Birdman"

Tom Cross, "Whiplash"

William Goldenberg, "The Imitation Game"

Lee Smith, "Interstellar"

Best Production Design

Nathan Crowley, Garry Fettis & Paul Healy, "Interstellar"

Suzie Davies & Charlotte Watts, "Mr. Turner"

Maria Djurkovic, "The Imitation Game"

Dennis Gassner & Anna Pinnock, "Into The Woods"

Adam Stockhausen & Anna Pinnock, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Best Costume Design

Colleen Atwood, "Into The Woods"

Milena Canonero, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"

Jacqueline Durran, "Mr. Turner"

Anushia Nieradzik, “Belle”

Anna B. Sheppard, "Maleficent"

Best Original Score

Alexandre Desplat, "The Imitation Game" and "Unbroken"

Johann Johannsson, "The Theory of Everything"

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, "Gone Girl"

Hans Zimmer, "Interstellar"

Best Original Song

"Lost Stars" (Begin Again)

"Glory" (Selma)

"Opportunity" (Annie)

“I'm Not Gonna Miss You” (Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me)

"Everything Is Awesome" (The Lego Movie)

Best Visual Effects

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"

"Godzilla"

"Guardians of the Galaxy"

"The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies"

"Interstellar"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

"Foxcatcher"

"Guardians of the Galaxy"

"Maleficent"

Best Sound Mixing

"American Sniper"

"Fury"

"Interstellar"

"Into The Woods"

"Unbroken"

Best Sound Editing

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"

"Godzilla"

"Guardians of the Galaxy"

"Interstellar"

 “Whiplash”

Best of 2014 Songs

My best songs of 2014:

• “I Love You” – Chris Parnell & Mya Rudolph
• “All of Me” –John Legend
• “Pompeii” – Bastille
• “Blue Moon”-Beck
•  “Pair of Wings” – Justin Timberlake
• “Oceans (Where My Feet May Fail)” – Hillsong United
• “We Believe” – newsboys
• “Fix My Eyes” – For King & Country
• “Waking Light” – Beck
• “Frankie Fell in Love” – Bruce Springsteen

Best Films of 2014

My best films of 2014

• Big Hero 6
• Boyhood
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Grand Budapest Hotel
• Interstellar
• The LEGO Movie
• Unbroken
• X-Men: Days of Future Past

Best Video Games of 2014

Here are my top 10 video games of 2014:

Destiny

Disney Infinity v2.0

Hyrule Warriors

Just Dance 2015

LittleBigPlanet 3

Madden NFL 15

Mario Kart 8

The Sims 4

Super Smash Bros.

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition