Editor Stephen Parolini offers both of the options in the title. For humor, wit, irony, irreverence, and brilliance . . .
Father, you've given Stephen such amazing skills. Please continue to instruct and direct him as you go before him to make his paths straight. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The Academy Awards. It seems we either love them or hate them anymore. I rarely watch them nowadays. And usually I've only seen a handful of the nominees if that. "Movies aren't what they used to be" we often hear. And they're not. But really they are. They speak to and of our culture. What is said, how it's said, what it looks like to the moviemakers, and how it translates to film is the nexus of film making. If you have the money, you can make what you want and say what you want in film. And it seems the viewers have frequently disagreed on the nominees and the winners – wondering who these people are who select both.
It's similar to our novel selections and awards, isn't it? Those of us who read fiction - and write it - sometimes question the validity of the nominees.
So. The nominees are:
Best Picture
"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers "Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
"The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined
"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
George Clooney in "The Descendants"
Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis in "The Help"
Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"
Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
Octavia Spencer in "The Help"
Animated Feature Film
"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
"Rango" Gore Verbinski
Art Direction
"The Artist" Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
"Hugo" Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"Midnight in Paris" Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
"War Horse" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Cinematography
"The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
"Hugo" Robert Richardson
"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
"War Horse" Janusz Kaminski
Costume Design
"Anonymous" Lisy Christl
"The Artist" Mark Bridges
"Hugo" Sandy Powell
"Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor
"W.E." Arianne Phillips
Directing
"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" Alexander Payne
"Hugo" Martin Scorsese
"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick
Documentary (Feature)
"Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
"Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
Documentary (Short Subject)
"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
"God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
"Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione
"Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
Film Editing
"The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
"The Descendants" Kevin Tent
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker
"Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen
Foreign Language Film
"Bullhead" Belgium
"Footnote" Israel
"In Darkness" Poland
"Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
"A Separation" Iran
Makeup
"Albert Nobbs" Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
"The Iron Lady" Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
Music (Original Score)
"The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams
"The Artist" Ludovic Bource
"Hugo" Howard Shore
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias
"War Horse" John Williams
Music (Original Song)
"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
"Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Short Film (Animated)
"Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon
"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
"La Luna" Enrico Casarosa
"A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
"Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
Short Film (Live Action)
"Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
"Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
"The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George
"Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
"Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø
Sound Editing
"Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce
"Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
"War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
Sound Mixing
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
"Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
"Moneyball" Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
"War Horse" Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson
Visual Effects
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
"Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
"Real Steel" Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan
Writing (Original Screenplay)
"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi
Father, help each one who creates to know that you are the source of every good and perfect gift, that you are the inspiration behind creation, that each of us owes our abilities to you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Writers tend to make cases for this versus that. Literary v. Commercial. Genre v. Genre. Christian Fiction v. General Market Fiction. Rules v. Freedom. You get my drift. I think at the basic level we all understand that most things aren't captured in an either/or but in some form of acceptability for most.
You will not find me reading an Amish novel. For so many reasons. Regardless of my taste - or distaste - for them, I will not be found railing against them. I can usually muster a bit of a frustrated sigh at the massive numbers of them wondering if that many people really read that many versions of them. However, if they're popular, publish them. Although I did read Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker, I'm not a fan of zombie, vampire, or various weird monster novels, but, hey, for those who enjoy them, publish them.
As novelists, one of the most difficult things not to do is to compare ourselves to other writers. The idea is to establish our voice, write to the best of our abilities and to keep developing our work/craft while taking a hard look at our limitations and stretching ourselves to better our stories. If the industry imposes certain restrictions, wants to brand us, we must decide what hills to climb and battles to win. Comparison to others' actual writing is a no no because it serves no worthwhile purpose. We'll either crawl back in bed and curl into the fetal position under condemnation for lack of talent, or we'll adopt snobbish "good as them" attitudes and impress no one.
Christian writers struggle as much as any – perhaps more – because we know what should and shouldn't be done in our mental exercises. We're perfectionists, dreamers, lazy, procrastinators, unrealistic, pragmatic, highly organized, or just plain out in space. We come in all shapes and sizes, ages and genders. We write in the midnight hours or in the pre-dawn hours – and every hour in between. Or we write nothing, staring at white screens or blank papers for minutes, hours, days, weeks. We write excellence, we write well, good, mediocre, and, yes, poorly. We love editing, we hate editing. We love to write. We hate to write. We recognize a call from God and are compelled to compose. We dread failure. We expect success. We have no clue what will happen to our work. We only know we must write.
In the end it isn't this versus that. It's do what you're supposed to do as ordained by God and see where He takes you. It might be next door or it might be to David Letterman. Just do what you're told. By God, for God, to God. We're His handywork, mess, blessing, and let's hope not curse.
Father, take me on the journey you've mapped out for me. Help me to stay on that particular path. You haven't called me to walk on someone else's toes. Thank you for what you have for me. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Those of you who visit here regularly know there's a good reason when I'm not posting. So this time it's because at 8:30 Thursday (19th) morning the power went off. The weight of ice encased branches and temperatures holding steady between 30 and 32 degress kept the effects of the freezing rain from producing a quick fix to the ensuing downed power lines. Here are a few impressions from what turned out to be three days without electricity . . .
Thursday, Day One
Seeing the trees, shrubs, and previous fallen snow on the ground encased in frozen crystal resembled looking at gaudy shoulder-tickler earrings or ornaments hanging from a fancy chandelier. Even the young trees bent in geriatric poses strained to hold themselves up. Branches crashed from 100 foot heights in roaring spectacles as the Cottonwoods let go of their old limbs on a bi-hourly schedule. Whooshes heard from every direction as branches flew to earth from alders, maples, and evergreens. Small and huge debris litter the yards and pasture.
Ice pelted the air in tiny wet drops continuing to add weight to overburdened structures.
Fear gripped the horses as they stood out in the weather away from trees when their shelter would've been safer. When they came in to an early dinner with extra portions, they shivered with icicles dangling from their tales like forgotten Christmas decorations. The dog shuddered at every sound of breaking branches and grew clingy as a wet T-shirt.
Quick to get the fire started, I didn't anticipate more than a few hours without power but I knew this two-story home would chill quickly without heat. With one fireplace and no insert, this would be our warmth for the next few days.
(More snow followed the freezing rain and added more difficulty to the various crews who'd been prepared for snow but not for ice. Power continued to go out all over the Greater Seattle area and there are still some small pockets who have yet to get the blessings of electricity back in their homes.)
I drive my husband to work because I'm the one with the 4 X 4 Explorer, and he's the one with the hot rod pickup. I pick him up after he's returned from driving in similar conditions for his previous trip across the state and back plus now this here.
Friday, Day Two
We've hauled the mattress out to the family room in front of the fireplace, and I'd wake every couple of hours to feed the flames, making sleep sketchy and incomplete.
I send my husband off to work with my rig to remain at home in front of the fire, making sure it gets fed. It becomes a greedy beast.
It's quieter this day, and finally the dog allows us some space. The horses seem less fearful since the branches aren't flying from the air and trees aren't toppling over. They routinely go inside their shed to eat and are content to take their time there before going back into the elements.
The temperature isn't climbing.
I'm grateful for our home, our vehicles, the minimal damage which could've been so much worse. Mostly we have downed fence and some trees damaged. Nothing serious. I'm also grateful for another novel to read, one I'm enjoying in spite of the uptight protagonist. I'm starting to relate . . .
Walking out to feed the horses, I step into the almost knee-deep mud, snow, ice remnants, the sucking substance nearly pulling my rubber boot off and leaving me precariously tipped forward with three flakes of alfalfa in my hand and my balance threatening to abandon me. I manage to stay upright and wish I could justify swearing again and quickly repent of the thought. Horses fed, I scowl back to the house where it isn't really warm except in front of the fire.
Power lights up properties not too far behind us, and I covet their electricity figuring we can't be far behind. But we are. Different grids. The power company is jammed with calls and has no estimates for when any area will be fixed. Yet the people behind us have power. Lots of it.
Teriyaki for dinner from part of the area behind us that has power.
Flashlights in service.
Earlier to bed for all of us knowing I must feed the gaping mouth of the fireplace. Sleep proceeds in fits and starts.
No shower. Sigh. I'm surprised my hair doesn't feel dirty. I'm glad I got my shower in Thursday before the hot water was gone.
Saturday, Day Three
Feed the fire. Feed the horses. Daylight brings hope somehow. I chide myself about being thankful because I truly am.
Husband and son take off to find . . . more wood and borrow a generator. And food: pizza and salad this night. Wood gathered. Generator set up. Strong enough to run the fridge and TV, the small freezer in the garage and a few lights. Feed the fire. A little normalcy.
8:30 PM: The power's on. I want to shout for joy. Generator is turned off. Slowly things are plugged in and operational. We are truly grateful as the house warms to the welcome hummm of the furnace. I stoke the fire and know I can let it go out. The washing machine chugs a full load followed by the dryer.
Confessions of a 21st century electricity, running water and indoor plumbing loving woman: my only real meltdown came Saturday afternoon when a severe attack of irritation clawed at my senses and created serious crabbiness. So unnecessary but I fell prey to it and gave into it and am not proud of it, but I overcame it.
This is my ice storm saga. And why I couldn't post . . . Thank you for listening.
Father, you were gracious to my struggle. I'm thankful that you forgive. I'm thankful for all the multiple blessings in my life and know that so many have so little. Forgive me for acting selfishly and complaining when I did. And thank you for loving me in spite of my grumbling. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
Psalm 63:1 (NIV)
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Psalm136:1 (NIV)
You can always count on Kristen Heitzmann to come up with an unusual plot. While being one of the absolute best at writing UST into her fiction, she also invents some odd characters and plots to go with them. Indelible, published by Waterbrook Press, is no exception.
Indelible takes place in the same high country town as her last novel, Indivisible, and some of the same townspeople contribute to this story. Although Indelible easily stands alone, having read Indivisible adds an extra dimension to the landscape and personality of the story.
For those of you who've watched the new television series "Unforgettable", one premise of Indelible will be somewhat familiar even though sculptor Natalie Reeve in Kristen's novel has what is known as an "eidetic" memory. Images she sees directly get caught in her mind's eye and, if intense enough, must be worked out in her clay to gain freedom from their stark impressions.
Natalie meets former celebrity Gold Medalist skier Trevor MacDaniel when her young nephew is snatched by a cougar as she, her brother Aaron and his wife Paige, and little Cody go for a hike in the rugged high country just outside the town of Redford after setting up Natalie's studio next to Trevor's and his longtime best friend and partner Whit's high-country outfitters store. Trevor pulls off a miraculous rescue of the boy though there's significant damage done to the little tike's arm.
Because of the striking rescue and traumatic event, Natalie sculpts the image of Trevor's heroics in a grand lifelike statue. She sees beyond the physical facial and bodily features to capture the underlying characteristics of who people are at their core. Although she is known for her mixed medium nature sculptures, her rendering of faces reveal her innermost gifts with the clay.
When Trevor begins to understand Natalie's condition and gets over his aversion to being truly "seen", after a few poor reactions to her insights, he decides to pursue a relationship with her – something he hasn't attempted or felt worthy of doing since a tragedy occurred in his young life for which he blames himself.
There are two simmering dynamics intermingled with the story of Trevor and Natalie. One reveals the antagonist who covets and identifies with the text of Paradise Lost, the headings of "his" chapters give quotes from the book. We're only shown glimpses of his strange garb and shocking appearance, and his intentions lead us to believe he's evil. The second dynamic occurs every time Trevor, Whit, and his wife Sara and infant son get together which happens regularly. Although the antagonist seems the most threatening of the two, the triangle of Trevor, Whit, and Sara is the most disturbing. At least to me. The two best friends of his youth with him through the tragic event now play a strange role in his adult life.
Indelible allows us an inside view of the awkward yet strong and witty Natalie Reeve, the driven and valiant but guilt-ridden Trevor MacDaniel, and current flashes of important characters from Indivisible. The lack of definition for the threesome's friendship (Trevor, Whit, and Sara) kept me wondering why neither of these tough guys would step up and handle the possessive and domineering Sara.
Conclusions: The ending to this novel felt abrupt and the late heroics a bit contrived and predictable. Suspense and romance minimal, faith issues subtle like background music (outside of the dark references from Paradise Lost implicating the war between God and evil), the trademark unique characters carrying the story and making the time spent reading it not wasted.
Father, you've given Kristen such ability, her own perspective and voice. I pray you would continue to bless her with unique stories and may she honor you with all she does. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
I'm thinking of starting a new blog with the above title. What do ya think? Actually, I'm just kidding. However, most of my blog readers are not fans of romance novels. And you know what? Most of the time neither am I.
So what does that mean for a female writer who pens love stories? Who digs romance, only not the chick flick, sappy, fluff stuff. How does the kind of subtle and not-so-hidden passion I love to write find its audience?
If you figure it out, let me know . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TecKw_gJQPg
Father, you are the author of love, life, and romance. Help me to show it from your perspective. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Faith is often something we have for others. We believe in them and for them, and we pray accordingly. We know God is working in their lives and issues, and we sense answers on their way.
When it comes to ourselves, well . . . Not so much. Why is that? I can't answer that for you, but I can tell you the root of it for me lies somewhere in that personal worth tangle. Somewhere in that condemnation thing. Somewhere in that I don't deserve it realm. And, yes, I know where those taunts originate. I do. However, that doesn't make them seem any less valid.
Some of us have little bundles of baggage. Others of us pack around loaded trunks. We all come equally to the Cross and are equally welcomed by our Lord. Still. Sin has consequences and regret has no age limit.
I'm a writer now. I always have been. Detours allowed life to be lived before writing that first novel. Several followed with more underway. Determining the course God had and has for me has been clear at times and silenced at others. I wait, and I write.
Sometimes we stand at a four-way stop and peer in each direction. Where to go next looms. Perhaps we know which road we'd like to take, but that journey presents an ominous warning. We step out of the way in case anyone comes up behind us. We wait. Staring.
Empty.
And praying.
Father, whatever we lack, we're supposed to ask you for it. Increase my faith and help my unbelief in those certain matters. I'm desperate for you, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Monday arrives with the decimating loss in the playoff games for football fans of Denver, New Orleans, Houston, and Green Bay. Favorites and long shots tasted the bitterness of defeat, the oppressive looming off season in which they will relive their mistakes, fumbles, poor passes, dropped passes, bad calls, and the final scores. Coaches will change, players will get traded or bought, retire, and/or find themselves with new teams or without jobs. For the remaining short time of the football season, those who planned to play will sit.
Competition is stiff, sometimes unpredictable, and always difficult at its best. Giving one's best effort isn't always enough. Balls flip out of hands, are pulled from bodies, zing through the air like missles missing their targets, and can land in the grasp of the enemy. A perfectly orchestrated play goes irreversibly errant. The quickness of one juke, slant, slip, or slide can give the ball away or cause a limb to come undone. The crash of helmets can leave silence or buzzing, stinging, starry moments, or momentary blackness.
Football. Some will never get the attraction. The rest of us will miss it and hope for better teams, look forward to the draft, training camp, and pre-season. We'll hope for a better year, know it'll take more than one to produce a truly good team, but we hang in there because we love the game. Crazy. But we do.
It won't be long and all the hype will quiet. The Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, MVP, and everything else will still. Oh, the talking heads will continue with their prejudiced predictions and irritate devoted fans everywhere, but fans will not be deterred, and the new season will eventually regenerate enthusiasm as men run, pass, catch, and kick that pigskin. The best of the best: the NFL.
Father, thank you for all the amazing gifts you give to mankind. I wish they all knew that you gave them their gifts and talents. Please bless those who do with closer relationships with you and lead those to you who have yet to know you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
"I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."
Jeremiah 17:10 (NIV)
