A Good Day To Say Good-Bye

We didn’t exactly put the “fun” in funeral but if you have to say good-bye, it was a good day for it.

 

Sunday was the funeral for Andrea’s great aunt Emily. It was a sunny day, warm with the promise of spring but with a breeze cool enough to remind us it is still technically winter.

 

There was a bit of tension for me before the service. Greg, my brother in law, asked me a few days earlier if I could be a back up to sing at the funeral. Jim, the guy who was supposed to sing was also supposed to have surgery and may not be well enough to sing on Sunday.  I said sure, why not. Greg said that Grace, one of Emily’s relatives would be in touch with me. But I never heard anything from Grace so we went to the funeral  on the assumption that Jim was well enough to sing.

 

Jim was not well enough to sing.

 

Uh oh.

 

I have a couple of songs that I can go to fairly quickly. “Amazing Grace” is always a good go-to for a funeral. But was I in fact needed or not? Grace never said anything to me. Greg didn’t know anything.

 

So the service began. The minister got to the part where Jim was supposed to sing and he said that Jim was not able to be there but there was someone else who would be filling in?

 

Oh great. The minister isn’t sure?

 

There’s a moment of awkward silence and I wonder if there’s been some misunderstanding and Grace just assumed I would be singing. Am I supposed to stand up now and stride up the mike? “Amazing Grace” away?

 

Then a woman approached the pulpit and said she would be singing. She had a backing track and stuff and sang the song Jim was going to sing.

 

Yes, this was planned. I should be pissed that I was not in the loop and left hanging. On the other hand, I was relieved to be off the hook and she did a pretty good job. Better ‘n me. 

 

The minister did a good job too. He successfully evoked the joy and the love that everyone felt in Emily’s presence. Emily’s life was not without its sorrows and tragedies. But for all her losses, she made sure to let people in her presence know who much she loved them and treasured them.

 

Funerals are a time of sadness for the life that is no longer among us. But we can also find the joy of remembering the time that we shared in this life and the hope that something better awaits us beyond this life. 

Oscar Picks For 2018: The Shape of the Aftermath

So how did things go for my Oscar Picks For 2018? 

Well, not too bad.  Could've been better if I trusted my gut and not second guess myself. 

Just a reminder: Main choices are worth one point; back up choices are worth ½ point. I make picks for 9 categories. The most I can get would be 9 points for a maximum score of 100%. 

Best Actor - Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour

Best Actress - Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actor - Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Supporting Actress - Allison Janney, I, Tonya

Best Adapted Screenplay - Call Me By Your Name

Best Animated Feature - Coco

Best Director - Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

So far, so good. I'm 7 for 7 with my main picks. 

BUT......

Best Original Screenplay

I opted forThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri as my main pick with Get Out as my back up.  

Get Out won. What makes this particularly frustrating is I had originally had those reversed with Get Out as my main pick. But just before yesterday's post went live, I made another pass over various entertainment sites and in a moment of doubt, I switched them out. 

Best Picture

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was my main pick while The Shape of Water was my back up. Like I did with Best Original Screenplay, I went back and forth with this one. My gut said go with The Shape of Water but I opted for Three Billboards. 

Since my back ups won, that's only a half point for each, a total of 8 points out of 9 or a score of 89%.  

Oscar Picks For 2018

Tonight, The Oscars will be handled out for movies that I did not see. But as is my want, I am still prepared to offer my two cents on who will win. My assessments are not based on who I think should win but based on the buzz, the zeitgeist if you will, on who is expected to win. 

As in years past,  I will make a main pick which I will award myself a full point if it wins. I will also make a back up pick which gets me ½ point if that choice wins. 

Let’s start with Best Actor.

• Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
• Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
• Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
• Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
• Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.

From what I saw from the trailers for Roman J. Israel, Esq,. it looked like a major tour de force for Denzel but the movie hardly made a blip on the radar. Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread would probably be a solid lock for best actor if anyone had actually seen the film; decidedly tepid reviews for Phantom Thread have not helped. Also I think Daniel Day-Lewis’ announcement of his retirement from acting has not engendered any good will. What, Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer deign to grace us with the presence of his acting? Boo hoo. 

The tide seems to be leaning towards Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour. There’s something about playing Winston Churchill that brings the scenery chewing best out of an actor. John Lithgow devoured whole swathes of scenery in the first season of The Crown like it was an Easter ham. By all accounts, Oldman is appropriately irascible and forceful as Churchill facing down the blitzing Nazis attacking London in World War II.

So I’m giving this one to Gary Oldman for the Darkest Hour.

As a back up choice, maybe the Academy can drum up enough white liberal guilt to give the Best Actor award to

Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out. 

On to Best Actress. 

• Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
• Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
• Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
• Meryl Streep, The Post

I’m calling this one for Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. McDormand is a beloved actress with a  long record of quality character actor performances and so far this season, she has won most of the awards she’s been up for in this category. And the Academy does love an aggrieved mother fighting for justice.

For a back up pick, I’m going with Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water whose character is mute. The Academy also loves an acting challenge and gave the Best Actress statue to Holly Hunter for not speaking in The Piano a few years back.  

On the subject of Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, Bill Murray used to have a bit on Saturday Night Live where he declared, “No one gives a damn about these.” I wish I didn’t because if I ever have a major hiccup on my Oscar picks, its usually in the supporting acting categories 

• Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
• Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
• Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
• Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Like his co-star Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell has been running the awards season table with his turn in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Also like McDormand, Rockwell has a long record of quality character actor roles.

I really don’t feel strongly about a back up pick. I would almost go with Christopher Plummer who famously reshot of all of Kevin Spacey’s bits for All the Money in the World. But so far, I’ve not seen a lot of award season love for this performance. 

• Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
• Allison Janney, I, Tonya
• Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
• Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
• Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Let’s give this one to Allison Janney in I, Tonya. I loved Allison in The West Wing and in her current TV series, Mom. And if the Academy loves an aggrieved mother fighting for justice in a leading role, they go nuts for a crazy mother in a supporting role.

Along those same lines, I’ll pick Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird as my back up.  

For Best Original Screenplay

• The Big Sick
• Get Out
• Lady Bird
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Let’s assume Three Billboards keeps up its award season romp ‘n’ stomp and wins for Best Original Screenplay.   

Let’s climb out on a limb and pick the script for Get Out as my back up.  

Among the contenders for Best Adapted Screenplay. 

• The Disaster Artist
• Logan
• Molly’s Game
• Mudbound
• Call Me By Your Name

Only Call Me By Your Name seems to have any cache as a potential winner so I’ll make it my main pick.

For a back up, let’s give it up for the “comic book movie” and give some props to Logan.  

For Best Director: 

• Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
• Jordan Peele, Get Out
• Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
• Paul Thomas Anderson, Phantom Thread
• Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water

The fact that Patty Jenkins is NOT on this list for Wonder Woman is a travesty.

Of the people who are on the list, I going with Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water as my main pick. This looks like a very distinctive movie, completely unlike anything else on the board.

For a back up pick, let’s stick it to The Man and go with Jordan Peele for Get Out.  

And on to Best Picture 

• Call Me By Your Name
• Darkest Hour
• Dunkirk
• Get Out
• Lady Bird
• Phantom Thread
• The Post
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

There are a lot of film critics would like to see Get Out win this thing. But I think the battle comes down to Three Billboards which has won everything so far and The Shape of Water which is just different enough to pique the curiosity of Academy voters and seems to have some momentum going into Sunday evening.

Main pick: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Back up: The Shape of Water

Oh, one more pick: Best Animated Feature

• The Boss Baby
• The Breadwinner
• Coco
• Ferdinand
• Loving Vincent

I think we can all agree that if Boss Baby does not win Best Animated Feature, there is no god.

If my daughter is reading this right now, let me show you what she’s seeing right now.

!@^&_____________________________________
!@#____________________________________^&
________________________________________&

!@^_____________________________________&
!@______________________________________^

OK, OK. I’m just kidding. Best Animated Feature must go, can only go to Coco.

There is NO back up choice.

So to summarize, here are my choices for this year’s Oscars along with back up picks. (Main choices are worth one point; back up choices are worth ½ point.)

Best Actor

• Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
• Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out

Best Actress

• Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water

Best Supporting Actor

• Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World

Best Supporting Actress

• Allison Janney, I, Tonya
• Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Best Original Screenplay

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Get Out

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Call Me By Your Name
• Logan

Best Director

• Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
• Jordan Peele, Get Out

Best Picture

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• The Shape of Water

: Best Animated Feature

• Coco
• NO back up pick 
  
  
  
  I’ll be back tomorrow with a round up of how I did.
  
  Until next time, remember to be good to one another and save me the aisle seat. 

It's Blog Anniversary Time

Hi there! Welcome to I’m So Glad My Suffering Amuses You, the internet’s 3^rd greatest producer of corn glucose derivatives.

 

No, that does not mean anything.

 

Anyway, today is March 2^nd which is the anniversary of this blog. My first post was made on Saturday, March 2, 2013 so today is the 5^th anniversary of I’m So Glad My Suffering Amuses You or ISGMSAY for short but is pronounced “Throatwarbler Mangrove”. 

 

No, that too does not mean anything either. 

 

The mission of this blog remains unchanged which is to post about whatever damn thing pops into my mind about Doctor Who, comic books, Doctor Who, what a dumbass Donald Trump is, Doctor Who, whatever random thing happened in my life and, on occasion, Doctor Who.

 

Posting to ISGMSAY is not always been easy, particularly over the last year. This time last year, I was still reeling from the triple whammy of my mother’s death, my shattered elbow and my stroke. Reviewing some of the posts from that time period is a bit of a challenge with some non-sensical, pain medication influenced text. 

 

I think I’m still dealing with fall out of all that. Last September, I actually pulled the plug on this furshluginer thing with the full intention that my time as a blogging type of  blog person was done. It was hard for me to focust to string together a number of sentences in a row. But I find that words that stay in my brain and don’t get put down on a screen can be quite annoying.  

 

So we’re still here.

 

So happy 5^th anniversary to I’m So Glad My Suffering Amuses You, your internet home for post-modern transcendentalism and the 15 minute oil change.

Thank you for dropping by and remember to be good to one another.