text:
THE KINGS OF SUMMER
Written by Chris Galletta
Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Starring Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias and Nick Offerman
Frank: My house, my rules. This ends today.
Joe: Yes it does.
Being a teenager grounded in your room in the summertime is practically torturous and makes you the king of absolutely nothing. Joe Toy (Nick Robinson) lost his mother recently and is struggling to fit in both at school and at home. The kids at school tease and bully him, while his father micromanages him in an attempt to control and guide him towards a supposedly stable life. Well, Joe is having none of this any longer. He is his own man, dammit, and he will make his own way in the world and he doesn't need anyone, least of all his dumb dad, to tell him how to do it. And so, he runs away one day and builds an makeshift house in a clearing in the woods outside of town with his two best buds, just like any real man would do. Together, they will be THE KINGS OF SUMMER.
Directed by "Funny or Die Presents" veteran, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, THE KINGS OF SUMMER is a charming and often quite funny indie film. It is however also, a tad forced here and there, a bit too slight here and there, and ultimately just undercooked enough to have left me somewhat underwhelmed. In part, my disconnect with the film stemmed directly from my interaction with the main character. Joe is such a typical teenager that at times, it is difficult to take him seriously as an actual character. Yes, his mother has passed away, and that has clearly left a gaping hole in his life, but he externalizes all of that anger and takes it out on the world around him, mostly focusing it on his father (played by Nick Offerman with great sincerity and earnestness). Does his father deserve his disdain? Of course not. I understand that Joe has to put this anger somewhere but when he aims it at those who don't warrant it, it isn't as easy to take his side.
I wanted to enjoy THE KINGS OF SUMMER more than I did. Although I find the concept of a boy wanting badly to grow up, who believes he is doing so by building what is essentially an elaborate treehouse and running away to it, to be quite telling and touching, the construction of this premise is too tenuous to be taken seriously. In fact, I was never quite sure whether Vogt-Roberts wanted me to take all of this seriously or not. On the one hand, the film works as a light comedy. On the other hand though, kids running away isn't a terribly funny topic. So when something serious like this is only occasionally treated with seriousness, the tone can be confusing and uneven. Coming of age means coming into your own and I feel THE KINGS OF SUMMER, and the team behind it, still has a little ways to go.
Written by Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling
Directed by Zal Batmanglij
Starring Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgard and Ellen Page
Sarah: Why is it self-righteousness goes hand in hand with resistance movements?
The new eco-thriller from the minds of up and coming screenwriting duo, Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling, entitled THE EAST, plays about as far east from the middle of the road as one can expect from a studio picture. And with it, Batmanglij and Marling make the leap from independent filmmakers - their first effort being the festival hit, SOUND OF MY VOICE - to full fledged Hollywood filmmakers, without sacrificing one bit of their independent spirit. It's a far cry from when they themselves lived the lives of nomads, hopping trains and eating discarded food out of dumpsters to survive. Had they never been there though, they might never have written THE EAST.
Marling also stars, just as she did in SOUND OF MY VOICE, in THE EAST, as Sarah, an undercover operative who infiltrates an anarchist group of eco-terrorists who live in some undisclosed woods. Her journey there was no simple one, mind you. To infiltrate this group, known as The East, Sarah had to convince them that she was just like them, that she rejected certain societal norms like having a home and a job to support said home. It also meant that she had to convince them that she was capable of going along with their plots to bring down giant corporations whose policies, practices and products were doing direct damage to the planet and its inhabitants for profit. Of course, in one of the film's few conventional leanings, the lines become muddied for Sarah when she begins to get close to the group and begins to see their point of view.
What gives THE EAST its edge is not the supposedly shocking revelation that people eat food from the bins in the back of the grocery store instead of buying it off of the shelves, but rather Britmanglij and Marling's ability not to pick sides. The company Sarah works for, which is led by a callous, Patricia Clarkson, follows whatever money that is thrown its way. It is not interested in doing any great good but rather will protect the interests of whoever can afford said protection. Meanwhile, The East is not so altruistic either. Naturally, the members are just people and people act upon their emotions. They have families and pasts that influence their decisions as well. In the end, THE EAST paints a rather tense but also rather bleak picture about the selfishness of humanity but in doing so, it just may open a few eyes to a whole other way of life.
THE HANGOVER PART THREE
THE HANGOVER PART III
Written by Todd Philips and Craig Mazin
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong
Stu: I told myself, I would never come back.
Phil: Don't worry, it all ends tonight.
Todd Phillips debuted THE HANGOVER franchise four years ago and ignited a fiery craze among buddy comedy fanatics everywhere. Unfortunately for Philips, everything he's given us since that initial introduction to those masters of destruction, the Wolf Pack, has been on par with actually feeling hung over. THE HANGOVER had some unexpected charm to it, fully embracing the notion that whatever happens in Vegas, absolutely has to stay in Vegas. After the horrible THE HANGOVER PART II took the action to Thailand, the whole gang has returned to where it all began for THE HANGOVER PART III, Las Vegas, Nevada, and for the better. Ending a trilogy requires a big bang, especially when the middle film was THE HANGOVER PART II. In the end, THE HANGOVER PART III lacks laughs, crosses lines that shouldn't be crossed, and is only slightly better than the last mess. That's a kind of bang, right?
If you've seen anything of the first two films, then you know that Zach Galifianakis's Alan is high maintenance, significantly inept, and always getting himself, and his friends, into serious trouble. Would it really be a HANGOVER movie if the entirety of the problem didn't stem from him again? After Alan is confronted and refuses to change his ways, the only thing that his brother-in-law, Doug (Justin Bartha) sees fit to do with him is send him into a rehabilitation centre. Unfortunately, due to Alan's resistance, fellow Wolf Packers, Stu (Ed Helms) and Phil (Bradley Cooper) must accompany him or he won't go. Cue expected mayhem. Remember when Alan bought roofies and drugged his friends in the first HANGOVER? Well, that's come back to bite them now. And so has the infamous, Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong). If the guys have learned anything at all over the years, it's that Chow shouldn't be trusted. The Wolf Pack never learns though so someone might finally want to wake up if they ever want to bring all the chaos to a close.
Phillips, who has penned and directed the entire trilogy, wanted to leave fans with something they would remember fondly, something they could savour after the Wolf Pack has gone away for good. THE HANGOVER PART III certainly leaves a distinct taste in your mouth, but by no means is it a good one. Think of the taste in your mouth after a night of binge drinking perhaps. Sure, there are some cheap laughs and a great line here and there, but there is also an awful lot that is just plain off putting, including an absurdly unnecessary amount of animal cruelty. What THE HANGOVER PART III does have going for it, is that it is at least a fitting end for this uneven trilogy. The conclusion does feel natural so at least there's that. Plain and simple though, a good comedy, like say, the original THE HANGOVER, for example, has many moments of hilarity without necessarily sacrificing character or plot. The fact is I've had head-splitting, vomit-filled hangovers that were funnier than THE HANGOVER PART III.
PS. If you still insist on seeing THE HANGOVER PART III, stick around after the credits. Funniest two minutes of the entire thing.
Guest Reviewer: Justin Waldman
@Jdubs12
Written by Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy
Directed by Richard Linklater
Starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy
Natalia: Just like our lives, we appear and we disappear and we are so important to some but we are just passing through.
*** SPOILERS APLENTY ***
The latest, and supposedly last, chapter in Richard Linklater's "Before" series, BEFORE MIDNIGHT, is both grander and darker then its predecessors. It is also a brilliantly fitting progression in Jesse and Celine's story, that will surely satisfy the millions of fans who have been desperate to find out what happened to their favorite couple since they last saw Jesse mulling over missing his plane out of Paris while longing, and lusting, for his muse in her living room. Another nine years has passed since that moment and Linklater takes what started as a modern fairy tale, and what then grew into a potentially devastating regret, and gives the audience the chance to see what might finally happen to Jesse and Celine when they don't have somewhere else to be before the sun rises or sets.
If you don't want to know what happens next for Jesse and Celine (again, naturally, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy), then read no further. As it turns out, Jesse did miss that plane that day in Paris, and he and Celine then embarked on a spree of passion that led to Jesse's divorce and subsequent loss of custody of his son, Hank (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick). Flash forward to nine years later and Jesse and Celine are living in Paris but on summer vacation in Greece, with Hank and their two twin girls of their own (Jennifer and Charlotte Prior). They have been together this entire time but the same witty banter that first drew them to each other still flows freely between them. The conversation has changed though. They now speak to each other like a functional couple that is negotiating at all times to ensure the future of the relationship and the future of their individual selves within that relationship. And of course, they have these lengthy chats while strolling through scenic Greece so there is plenty to feast on both visually and intellectually.
Without a concrete reason for them to part company at a specific time, Linklater explores a more organic desire within most of us to break free from another person, despite how much time we've spent with them and despite how much we may care about them. In that sense, BEFORE MIDNIGHT imposes its own more metaphoric deadline upon Jesse and Celine. Formally, the film ends at midnight, but midnight can also refer to the fairy tale romance coming to an end, with chariots turning back into pumpkins and gowns turning back into rags. Neither Jesse nor Celine would dispute that the other is, and always has been, the love of their lives, but Linklater doesn't allow them to have it all without fully realizing what all entails. In that sense, though their love may seem on the surface to be harder than it was 18 or 9 years ago, their love underneath that surface clearly goes deeper than either ever expected.
Click here to read my reviews of BEFORE SUNRISE and BEFORE SUNSET.
Written by Chris Morgan
Directed by Justin Lin
Starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez and Luke Evans
Brian: Maybe the Letty we once knew is gone
Dom: You don't turn your back on family, even when they do.
Director, Justin Lin took over the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise in 2006, with the overtly disappointing TOKYO DRIFT. Since the true horror of that experience, Lin has gone back to basics by delivering an adrenaline-filled plot that captures the essence of the FAST AND FURIOUS franchise. FAST AND FURIOUS 6 is a character driven tale of family and revenge, with loads of unspeakably insane action. This stretch of the franchise has been Lin's baby and he truly has done great things with it, especially considering his particularly rough start. Introducing a movie, then backtracking and doing a three-part prequel is a risky move. (Yes, the last three films are in fact prequels to TOKYO DRIFT.) The move paid off though as FAST AND FURIOUS 6 truly highlights what this ever-growing franchise is really about: fast cars, family, and the lengths we will go for those we love.
The original gang is finally reunited in FAST 6, as Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), the leader of this band of former criminals, is on a mission to find out what really happened to his ex-girlfriend, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), after the events of FAST AND FURIOUS (2009). The entire Toretto family, biological and extended, may have left their life of crime behind them, but a new threat has Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), a bounty hunter who once tracked Dom's gang, coming to Dom and friends for help. Hobbs needs them to assist in taking down Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), a wanted drug trafficker and killer. Shaw's team may appear more dynamic and prepared than Dom's but the only real question is who will emerge from the wreckage.
Chris Morgan, who has penned the last four FAST AND FURIOUS scripts, brings the series to new emotional heights, as he plays with this now familiar family by exploring the extremes in their dynamics and the intensity in their characters. Unfortunately, FAST AND FURIOUS 6 is a fangasm movie. Without the previous knowledge of TOKYO DRIFT and FAST AND FURIOUS (2009) you may be a little lost. What makes FAST AND FURIOUS 6 something of a love letter to the fans, is that it answers questions that have been pondered for years, connects missing dots, and brings back a strong, enjoyable storyline that was lacking last time out. This may be Lin's final instalment in the franchise, and he almost single handedly killed it in 2006, but he has certainly finished with a bang.
BEFORE SUNRISE / SUNSET
Written by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan
Written by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke
With BEFORE MIDNIGHT, Richard Linklater's unexpected next chapter in the lives of Jesse and Celine, just about to be released, there could be no better time to go back to see how a pairing that has touched so many out there got its start and where it has been since then.
I can't be certain but I doubt Linklater ever imagined when he met a girl and ended up spending the entire night walking around and talking with her so many years ago, that this event would not only become a film, but rather would become one of his defining works as a filmmaker and also go on to inspire cynical romantics around the globe to believe in possibilities once again. On paper, BEFORE SUNRISE is an experiment at best but on screen, thanks to the charming and somewhat surprisingly innocent performances by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, it is a reminder that love can happen when you least expect it. That being said, it is also a gift that can disappear almost as quickly as it appeared.
BEFORE SUNRISE is a tribute to happenstance. If it weren't for the obnoxious German couple arguing loudly on the train, Celine (Delpy) would never have changed seats and would most likely have never met Jesse (Hawke). Once they strike up a conversation, the exchange becomes a game to see how long they can keep the metaphorical ball in the air while they pass thoughts and ideas back and forth in an effort to impress and to connect.
And pass them, they do. After agreeing to keep each other company for one day in Venice before Jesse's plane leaves in the morning, they get off the train and spend the entire night walking around the beautiful city. It is actually quite fascinating to watch these two individuals carry on about philosophy and novels and art and love. You wait for an awkward silence big enough to take them out of the moment and remind them how ridiculous they're being but it never comes. Pulling this off is again testament to how natural Hawke and Delpy are with each other and themselves. It also doesn't hurt that the characters are in their early 20's and justifiably oblivious to how pedantic they come across.
During the course of their one evening together, they have many a moment that most couples with much more time with each other also have. They are shy but projecting confidence in the depth of their ideas. At times, they boost each other up, while at others, they tear each other down, almost without even realizing it. Their existence is particularly unique as their time together is both limited and entirely their own, given that they are both completely removed from anything they know and because his plane won't wait for him. As the evening progresses though, the reality that they may never see each other again begins to surface in both of their minds.
Their time together ends, just as it always had to, and we pick up with Jesse and Celine again nine years later in BEFORE SUNSET. This sequel was nominated for an Academy Award for its screenplay but I actually found it quite sparse compared to the first entry. Nine years after they met on the train, Jesse and Celine meet again in France, where Jesse is promoting his book that is based on their experience.
There are many things I like about the concept behind BEFORE SUNSET. Jesse and Celine and both nine years older than they were when they first met. Now in their early 30's, it is interesting to see what ideas are still at the forefront of their minds when they have a little more life experience to ground them more. We can also answer some questions that the previous film intentionally left up in the air, like did they sleep together or not that fateful night or did they see each other again six months later when they naively suggested they would do before parting ways.
There is much to catch up on but barely a moment to do so, which is my biggest complaint about this film. At a scant 80 minutes, the film unspools in near real time, allowing Celine to keep Jesse company, once again, before his plane has to leave. Only this time, he only has a little over an hour. While I'm sure this type of scenario could very well happen in reality, to force this restriction on these two characters feels somewhat punishing and leads me to wonder why Linklater even bothered reuniting them if he wasn't going to give them a chance to breathe.
All the same, their chemistry is still there and, to a large extent, neither character has fully let go of their romantic night together. That night has seemingly informed much of how they approach their romantic lives, with many of their experiences not measuring up with the ideas they've built up over time about just how grande that simple evening truly was. I mean, Jesse wrote a book about it; that's how obsessed he is with it. And of course, both have asked themselves countless times in their head, what if things had been different? What if they had tried instead of freezing that moment in time forever?
Linklater once again leaves Jesse and Celine's future up in the air, as Jesse sits in Celine's living room listening to play her guitar, with his departure time getting closer and closer. Will he make it to the airport on time? Will he catch a later flight and maybe stay the night? Will either one leave their current partners to finally find out what it might be like to be with the very idea of love they hold in their hearts? We will just have to watch BEFORE MIDNIGHT to find out I guess.
Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana and Benedict Cumberbatch
Kirk: That was a good fight.
Pike: Now, there's your problem right there.
The last time we caught up with the crew of the Starship Enterprise, a new audience was being introduced to some familiar characters who all had fresh faces. J.J. Abrams' first attempt to boldly go where in fact many had been before, genuinely felt like maybe no one had actually gone there before. The 2009 STAR TREK was an incredible success; Abrams deftly reinvigorated a franchise that many thought was completely played out. He brought in a brand new audience without entirely alienating the original fanbase, which is all the more impressive when you consider how much he changed some of the long established lore of the series. In the follow-up, STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, Abrams picks up where he left off and shows us that many of these young Star Fleet academy fledglings still have a thing or two to learn despite their success. The same can be said for Abrams himself.
Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) has just inherited the Enterprise after a rapid rise through the ranks of Star Fleet. His expedited journey to the captain's chair may now prove to be premature as we catch up with him, and his crew, breaking as many regulations as he can, all for the pursuit of what he personally believes to be what is right for everyone. Meanwhile, his commanding officer, and complicated best friend, Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), is facing the fact that though he may try to avoid emotion in most circumstances, he cannot control how others feel about him at the same time. Both must learn that their egos must be put aside from time to time to see what is going on around them and how it affects the people in their lives and, after they are both very briefly demoted and reassigned, they find themselves fighting alongside each other once again. This time, they will need to work hand in hand if they are ever going to defeat their new foe, the infamous Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch).
Original screenwriters, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, brought on frequent Abrams collaborator, Damon Lindelof (PROMETHEUS), to help bring STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS to a whole other level, with mixed results. On the one hand, as Kirk and Spock become more familiar with Khan and his plan, it becomes more and more difficult for them to discern the truth in their mission. Perhaps it is my lack of familiarity with the Trekkie history or perhaps it is Cumberbatch's incredible ability to disorient the viewer with his nearly impenetrable stoicism, but I was riveted throughout the film while trying to decipher just who to trust. That being said, Abrams also allows the film to make the most of some of its more manipulative moments, sometimes so much so that it almost takes away from the overall credibility of the project with obvious music cues and blatant foreshadowing. The missteps are minor but the crew best not get too comfortable in future voyages. I wouldn't want the final frontier to get any more mainstream then this.
Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan and Reese Witherspoon
Mud: It's a hell of a thing, a boat in a tree.
Do not be fooled. Just because you see Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon above the title, does not mean you are about to watch another mindless romantic comedy. I'm not sure about Witherspoon but it would appear that McConaughey is done with those, at least for now. MUD, the latest film by independent filmmaker, Jeff Nichols (TAKE SHELTER), is also the latest in a string of films where McConaughey is clearly challenging himself as an actor. Here, he has shed his pristine shine and looks like something that washed ashore years ago and hasn't bathed since. More importantly though, he is actually succeeding in his quest to reinvent himself and MUD may be his best work yet.
MUD is a fairly straight forward, yet still solidly engaging, coming of age tale. Ellis (Tye Sheridan, fresh off his debut turn in THE TREE OF LIFE) is content with his simple life living with his parents along a river in Arkansas until one fateful week where everything changes. One minute, he's a normal teenage boy, getting himself into trouble by sneaking off to a neighbouring island at dawn to work on an abandoned boat he found in a tree. The next, he finds himself helping out a fugitive he meets on that island, named Mud (McConaughey). Mud is hiding out until he knows the coast is clear for him to reunite with his childhood sweetheart, Juniper (Reese Witherspoon, giving her best performance since WALK THE LINE), who is laying low at a motel in waiting. Their love is complicated and troubled to say the least but in Ellis's eyes, Mud's mission to be with her despite all obstacles is exactly the inspiration he needs, what with his parents just announcing that they are divorcing.
MUD reminds us that to come of age today does not have to mean getting lost is a barrage of social media and sexually explicit marketing ploys. And thanks to honest performances from the entire ensemble, which also includes Sam Shepard, Sarah Paulson and a hilarious turn from Nichols regular, Michael Shannon, we are also able to get away from the distractions of our supposedly modern lives and remember what it means to truly fight for love while having no idea whether or not it is truly worth fighting for.
CONTEST: THE KINGS OF SUMMER
WIN TICKETS TO SEE THE KINGS OF SUMMER IN CALGARY, OTTAWA & WINNIPEG!
Thanks to the great people at eOne Entertainment, Black Sheep Reviews has 10 double passes to give away to see Sundance sensation, THE KINGS OF SUMMER in Calgary, Ottawa and Winnipeg in the coming week. Here are the screening details:
Thursday, June 13, 7:00 @ Globe Cinemas
Monday, June 10, 7:00 @ Coliseum
Thursday, June 13, 7:00, Empire Grant Park 8
If you're interested in procuring one of these double passes for yourself, just follow these instructions:
1. Follow @blacksheeprevs on Twitter. Once you do, tweet your peeps about the contest and link back to this page. Make sure to tell me what city you want the passes for in your tweet. If you already follow @blacksheeprevs, there is a convenient button at the bottom of this post. Just click it and you're in!
2. Like Black Sheep Reviews on Facebook and share the group page with your friends or like the contest link itself. You must then send the Black Sheep page a message so that I can reply with the winning details. No message means no win! There is also a convenient Facebook button at the end of this post that will allow you to share the contest with your friends too.
One entry per person. Winners will be selected at random draw and you have until Sunday, June 9, at 12:00 PM (EST) to get your name in that draw. Only winners will be contacted.
Thank you again to eOne Entertainment. THE KINGS OF SUMMER is now playing in select cities, expanding on June 14. Here is the trailer:
Best of Black Sheep: STAR TREK
Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg and Leonard Nimoy
James T. Kirk: Who was that pointy-eared bastard?
How long has it been now? It seems like the last star date was light years ago, that a franchise that had been a cultural mainstay for decades had finally drifted into its final frontier. As the leagues of Trekkies grew older, it seemed that the obsession and admiration for Gene Roddenberry's benchmark science fiction work would soon die out but one Trekkie would not hear of it. J.J. Abrams, the man responsible for creating a new faction of avid followers with his twisted series, "Lost", stepped up to bring STAR TREK to this generation. The trick then became how to sell these classic characters to an audience that may widely know them solely as punch lines or wax statues while not shunning those who watched religiously and have had to wait seven years for a new installment. Abrams must be a master trickster then because his reboot feels alive and energized from start to finish. While making a movie to appease particular crowds, both new and old, Abrams has instead made a STAR TREK film everyone can get into.
I never cared much for the original "Star Trek" series and I was only a casual viewer of "The Next Generation". I have nothing against Trekkies but I most certainly am not one. And I also admit that the thing I was most curious about this film was how Abrams could make STAR TREK relevant again. He did it by owning it. From the very beginning, STAR TREK dives into intense drama. A Starfleet ship is under attack by a rogue Romulan ship that appears out of nowhere and looks like a tentacled mechanical monster. People are dying all around and the situation is grim but the result is instant immersement in an alternate reality that is unfathomable and yet entirely convincing. We proceed to bounce back and forth between Iowa and the planet, Vulcan, as if they were mere minutes apart. Beings, both human and alien, exist in both plains seamlessly and it suddenly isn't so difficult to relate. Even Michael Giacchino's score is triumphantly, boldly proclaiming a resounding pride for the project as a whole. STAR TREK makes no apologies for what it is and no concessions to be here now.
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman's screenplay is surprisingly concise given their studio background. They were faced with the challenge of reintroducing characters that are cultural icons without desecrating their origins. The truth is that bringing the whole cast of characters from the original Enterprise as is could never work today. They are simply too dated to keep up with today's pace. And while their new incarnations are much more limber, they also have their original values (and a few hilarious catchphrases) in tact. And Abrams did a fine job weaving the old and new into his fresh cast. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is a cocky self-assured womanizer but Pine plays him with a well-hidden insecurity in the back of his head as to what he truly can accomplish. Ohura (Zoe Saldana) is a beautiful and fiercely intelligent woman on a mission to succeed. And Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), the child of a Vulcan father and a human mother, is the most fascinating of them all. Quinto strikes the perfect balance of internal turmoil between honouring his Vulcan roots and indulging his human emotions. Perhaps most important though, the cast just seems to be enjoying every second of their time on deck.
Maybe I should just have a little more faith in reappropriating the past. This is the age of the geek after all so it shouldn't be so surprising to see this resurgence now. I haven't discussed the plot because it simply isn't necessary. Suffice it to say, it is intricate and tight and a lot more fun not to know where anything is going at any point in time. It is such a smooth ride that you can just sit back and enjoy the comfortable warp cruising speed. I didn't think he could do it but J.J. Abrams has boldly brought STAR TREK where no STAR TREK film has ever gone before … past the niche and to the masses.
(ps. is it wrong to think mr. spock is hot?)
Written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
Directed by Noah Baumbach
Starring Greta Gerwig, Mickey Sumner and Michael Zegen
Frances: It's sorta like they say there are all these other realities happening all around us but we can't perceive them. That's what I want in a relationship, in life ...
Noah Baumbach has a distinct voice as a director but that voice has been rather heavy handed as of late. This is one of the many reasons why his latest film, FRANCES HA, is such an incredible delight. It is whimsical and insightful and entirely adorable. It is perhaps his best work, as a director anyway, as the man can write a mean screenplay, since his Oscar-nominated THE SQUID AND THE WHALE. And I believe, this is in no small part due to the influence of his latest muse, Greta Gerwig.
Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay with Baumbach, and is also dating the director, plays Frances, a 27-year old amateur dancer, living in New York City and struggling to make it. She is, in theory, a total cliche. In reality though, Frances is a fascinating character that is brought to vivid life by Gerwig, in her most illustrious performance to date. When her best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner) gets the job, the man and the new apartment necessary to grow up already, Frances embarks on a meltdown that she is completely unaware of. Her struggle is told with so much subtlety and respect, making it very easy to love Frances, despite all of her obliviousness to her very real woes.
Baumbach shot FRANCES HA in stunning black and white, which grounds this otherwise light and airy experience, reminding us the whole time that Frances does have some serious decisions to make in her life. Before she gets there though, and the film is savvy enough not to be too specific about what she really figures out, if anything, we are treated to a charming, witty contemporary tale that dances as freely on screen as Frances does down the streets of Brooklyn. FRANCES HA is purely and simply a vibrant return to glory for Baumbach that will enchant all who are fortunate enough to see it.
Written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton
Owl Eyes: You won't find him. This house and everything in it is an elaborate disguise. Gatsby doesn't exist.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is generally considered by authorities on the subject to be one of the greatest American novels ever written, if not the greatest, and a cautionary tale on the more selfish aspects of the American dream. Before this year, it had been adapted for the screen four times, the most famous of which was made in 1974, directed by Jack Clayton, and starring Robert Redford as the title character, Jay Gatsby, a wealthy socialite and mystery to most who meet him. As effective and timeless as the novel is, the film versions have never resonated with that same weight or properly captured the souls of these seemingly soulless characters. Now, yet another attempt has been made to tame this beast of a work, by one of today's most vivid filmmakers, Baz Luhrmann, and with it, yet another filmmaker fails to capture what actually makes Gatsby great.
In many ways, Luhrmann would seem like the perfect choice to bring THE GREAT GATSBY back to life. The first half of the novel is all glamour and excess and parties that seem to go on for days at a time. If anyone knows how to party on screen, it's Luhrmann, whose previous films, like MOULIN ROUGE and ROMEO+JULIET, showcased some of the most chaotic and crafty festivities I've ever seen. In those examples though, he was still able to cut through the pandemonium to get to the crux of the characters. In his latest, and most expensive, extravaganza, he doesn't seem the least bit concerned with what's hiding underneath all the facade. In fact, at times, the elaborate guise he constructs feels forced and, worse yet, often stinks of overcompensation for a glaring lack of depth. Luhrmann has never been one for subtlety but his work has never felt so far removed from reality either. And when you're adapting a classic of this magnitude, missing the mark to this degree can almost be misconstrued as an insult to its legacy.
Luhrmann also seemed a good fit because of his ability to bridge the gap between the potentially dated and the contemporary. THE GREAT GATSBY is a commentary on class division and the social injustices suffered at the hands of the disenfranchised to allow for the excessive self-indulgence of the well to do. Given the current class issues faced by many Americans, I would have expected these comparisons to be glaringly obvious, but Luhrmann is too busy throwing money at the problem in hopes we don't notice (which is ironic really, but not all that engaging). There are certainly elements of THE GREAT GATSBY that work, from Leonardo DiCaprio's charismatic portrayal of the complex title character to the thrilling, and often thumping, soundtrack. Carey Mulligan is magnificent as Gatsby's love interest; Joel Edgerton is appropriately creepy as her philandering husband; and Tobey Maguire is, well, competent at least, as the film's narrator. The cast's grasp of the subject matter elevates the occasional scene past its visual pomp, but ultimately cannot sustain the bumpy ride. In some ways, I suppose highlighting how the parties were meant to mask the emptiness of the era, is actually authentic to Fitzgerald's message but, while hollowness on the page can often be haunting, on screen, it is often just hollow.
Best of Black Sheep: STORIES WE TELL
Written and Directed by Sarah Polley
Michael Polley: When you're in the middle of a story, it isn't a story at all. It's a confusion.
It isn't often that I feel the need to give a spoiler warning before discussing a documentary, but I feel there is no real way to discuss Sarah Polley's latest (and dare I say, greatest) film, STORIES WE TELL, without giving away the story itself. Polley decides to turn the camera inward, or as close to inward as is physically possible when you're still the one directing the film from behind the camera. In doing so, not only does she somehow avoid veering into the hyper-egotistical terrain the subject matter could very easily provide, but she also creates a beautiful film that explores perspective and how it shapes all of our lives. This is the work of a very brave filmmaker.
Polley is very guarded with her information at the onset of STORIES WE TELL, and when you find out why, it only stands to reason. It isn't quite clear what she's trying to show us at first but, little by little, and rather organically I might add, the film's structure takes shape. Polley is interviewing her siblings, or rather interrogating, as she puts it, and filming her father, Michael Polley, as he reads a story he wrote that involves his daughter. It is the story of Polley's youth, of her parents' relationship, and of their difficulties. More specifically though, and this is the spoiler part, it becomes clear at one point that this is the story of how Sarah was conceived out of wedlock.
By having everyone directly and indirectly involved in the film, including her actual birth father, whom I will let the film reveal to you in its own time, Polley is able to piece together a story from so many different sources. As if to acknowledge that she knows that there is no true way to get the real details of this story (as her mother died when Polley was 11), she cuts away to archival family footage of the period her mother would have had her affair, only to later reveal that this footage is staged with actors playing the parts of her parents. Add to this the inevitable filtering Polley has over the overall telling of this story as she sits in the editing room, and you have a crafty and discerning exploration of the art of storytelling itself .The true beauty of STORIES WE TELL though isn't the scandal or even the insight; no, what resonates most is to see the Polley family still together after surviving what was certainly a difficult story for all of them.
Written and Directed by Ramin Bahrani
Starring Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron and Kim Dickens
Irene Whipple: Why can't you be happy with what's right in front of you?
The world of genetically engineered seeds is about as intriguing a world as you would expect it to be. It's aging farmers covertly cleaning seeds so that they can be reused; it's men in suits following men in overalls, making sure they aren't reselling seeds that are not supposed to be resold. It's interesting from a historical perspective to see how the American farming industry has changed over the years from the backbone of the country to a corporate controlled and publicly traded commodity. To watch this on film though, is as exciting as say, watching corn grow. Fortunately for AT ANY PRICE, the latest film from independent filmmaker, Ramin Bahrani (GOODBYE SOLO), the farmer tending these particular fields is Dennis Quaid. His turn here as the modern farmer makes these doldrums at the very least watchable.
Henry Whipple (Quaid) does not share the same problems his father did when he was running the farm. He remembers being a kid and living on a family run farm where cows were milked and chickens laid eggs to sell at market. Now it's his turn to run the fourth generation farm and he can barely keep it all together. His relationship with his wife (Kim Dickens) is strained, to say the least. This might be because he is seeing a former flame (Heather Graham) on the side. One of his sons (Patrick Stevens) has already left their Iowa home to climb mountains, while the other (Zac Efron), is his only remaining hope to inherit the farm. Of course, he has no interest in doing so as he would rather race cars instead. Then there is the nasty business with the seed tampering of course. The manner in which Quaid balances all of this is quite impressive really. There is a smile on his face at all times but you can see his entire life falling apart in his eyes and hear it in his voice. It is certainly one of Quaid's finest performances, just not one of the best films to showcase it.
The rest of the AT ANY PRICE ensemble does a formidable job, including Efron, who continues to push himself, and expand his audience, with more marginal fare. This is Quaid's game to lose though and, while years of working his own fields have led to strong performances like this one, it is almost all AT ANY PRICE has going for it by the time the cows come home.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK +
Written and Directed by David O. Russell
Starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro
Pat Solitano: She is my friend with an F.
Danny: Capital F.
Pat Solitano: Yeah, for friend.
The one thing I took away from David O. Russell's SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is that you have to deal with the bad in order to get to the good stuff. Always focusing on the silver lining never gives you the opportunity to face your demons and allows them the chance to grow while you're looking the other way. Russell makes an apt point here as applying this theory to watching this film is really the only way to enjoy it.
There is one other thing I learned while watching this film, that Bradley Cooper has the potential to take on stronger, more dramatic parts. Cooper plays Pat Solitano, whom we meet moments before he exits a mental facility, where he is being treated for bipolar disorder, convincing himself aloud that he's better now. It is never really clear to either of his fantastically fussy parents, played by Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, whether he truly is any better but they take him in regardless. Meanwhile, it never needs to be made clear to Pat's new friend, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), because she is often just as messed up as he is. Together they learn to heal each other ... through amateur dance?
Considering how visceral Russell went last time out with his Oscar-nominated work on THE FIGHTER, I am genuinely surprised by how tame SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is. A fantastic ensemble elevates Russell's screenplay, with moments both touching and amusing, but never to the point where it breaks free of its more conventional trappings. But when you weigh the film's faults against it's own silver linings, its still worth the experience.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK BLU-RAY REVIEW
It is time for me to admit that when I first saw SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, I let my expectations get in the way of my enjoyment of the film. I've now had the chance to see it twice more since that initial screening, once again in theatres and once in my living room, and I think I might finally be getting what everyone else is. When the film won the prestigious People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, I was genuinely surprised. Months later though, the only shock I have left is at my own initial disbelief that it had won. Yes, it is a crowd pleaser, but it is also a very real and relatable story that is not often told on screen. The more I see it, the more I cannot help but fall in love with it and want to see it again and again. You can almost ignore everything I wrote about it initially (all the bad stuff, that is). SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is simply one of the best and one of the most endearing romantic comedies of all time.
I always enjoyed the charm this film exudes, which is of course thanks to its fantastic ensemble cast. As previously mentioned, this is the first time I've seen Bradley Cooper show signs of depth and growth. It is also the first time I've seen Robert De Niro truly bring his best in nearly 20 years. While I initially dismissed Jacki Weaver's performance as too minute to matter, I now see that she is the glue that holds this family together and how close she is to coming completely apart. And of course, there is Jennifer Lawrence. Of the film's 8 Oscar nominations, hers for Best Actress, is the only award the film won. Given the competition, it was the only award it had a decent shot of taking, but if it was going to win anything, I'm glad to see it was this one. Lawrence has repeatedly said in interviews that she never felt like she was playing someone with mental issues, but rather a woman who just lived her life honestly and more openly direct than other people. By not reducing her to a set of quirks and bouts of depression, she was able to craft an incredibly fierce and brave female lead, a rarity if there ever was on in this genre.
What I said then ... "A fantastic ensemble elevates Russell's screenplay, with moments both touching and amusing, but never to the point where it breaks free of its more conventional trappings."
And now? Well, clearly I was wrong. I've admitted as much already. Yes, it follows a conventional path, but it does so in such an unconventional way without ever sacrificing its romantic comedy roots or its characters' intentions. In fact, it honours convention while subverting it in the most subtle of fashions. Watch Pat and Tiffany's interactions again and you will see that every scene they have together furthers their relationship and bond without either one of them fully realizing it.
Cooper and Lawrence with director, Russell
Special Features: The Blu-Ray features are fairly standard fare but while we're going behind the scenes, we are privy to how much love there seemed to be involved in making SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. My initial disappointment with the picture was rooted in my expectations of writer/director, David O. Russell. This is his follow-up to THE FIGHTER, and I wanted it to be more raw but now I know the reality he drew from to form this world. His own son has been dealing with mental issues and mood swings for years now. Russell wanted to make this film to show his son, and people who find themselves in similar situations, that there is in fact a possibility of a silver lining, even for those who feel that their issues may keep them from ever feeling a connection with another person.
You can also learn Pat and Tiffany's entire dance routine, as taught to you by choreographer, Mandy Moore. How awesome is that?!
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK is available to rent or own now. Review copy provided by eOne Entertainment.
And now for something I rarely do, I am revising the film's grade to ...
And don't miss my oh so brief push for the film on CJAD 800 ...
THE ICEMAN
HEMINGWAY & GELLHORN
Frontrunners and Their Challengers Heading into the Heat of the Season - All of a sudden, the Oscar race is starting to feel more wide open. The reason for this is, I think, the extended time frame for voting. You can feel some ...


Allen Academy traces its beginnings to Madison Academy, founded by Mississippians John H. and Rivers O. Allen in Madisonville, Texas in 1886. Founded as an elementary and secondary school for boys and girls, it became Madison College in 1895 and then Allen Academy in 1896.
The Allen brothers moved their school to Bryan because of the town's growing rail connections, its central location between Houston, Waco, Dallas, and Austin, and because they envisioned their school becoming a preparatory school for the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College. Several prominent citizens of Bryan encouraged the move and helped establish Allen Academy as a boarding school for boys in 1899. The school quickly earned a reputation as an outstanding college preparatory school.
In 1917, thirty years after its founding and with the coming of World War I, Allen once again adapted to the needs of the times: military training was added to the academy's academic programs. Over more than 60 years, Allen Academy earned a reputation unmatched by any other military school in Texas and unbeaten by any military preparatory school in the nation. Between 1922 and 1983, Allen Academy and its Corps of Cadets earned the United States Army's highest rating as an Honor Military School with Distinction.
In the late 1980's, Allen purchased 40 acres of land on the corner of Highway 1179 and Boonville Road in Bryan. Given the social change of the previous two decades, 1986 saw the end of the Academy's military training and by 1988, the school had returned to its founders' original concept of a college preparatory school for both boys and girls.
The century old dream of our pioneer educators is alive. Allen Academy's heritage is exciting, grand, and epic in triumph. Mirroring our history, our school's future is one of innovation and vision.


text:
Posts tagged louise seger
(Culpeper Times) CURTAIN CALLS: Still crazy for 'Patsy Cline'
One thing sets this production apart from countless other Patsy Cline tributes: the fortuitous pairing of Carter Calvert in the title role and Sally Struthers as Louise. What could be a pleasantly pastel evening of mildly amusing narrative and great songs is now a kick-to-the-head, thousand-watt star power night of music and comedy.
James Davis June 12, 2018 Riverside Center for the Performing Artsalways patsy cline, theatre review, culpeper times, maggie lawrence, sally struthers, carter calvert, louise seger, patsy cline, ted swindley, producing artistic director, patrick a'hearn, riverside center, fredericksburg virginia, stafford virginia, best of broadway in virginia
DC Metro Theatre Arts Review: 'Always Patsy Cline' at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
Riverside Center for the Performing Arts and Producing Artistic Director Patrick A'Hearn present Always Patsy Cline. Created by Ted Swindley, the show is inspired by the true story of an unlikely friendship between Cline and a Houston-based fan named Louise Seger, and gets its title from the sign-off of the letters between Patsy and Louise, from which the material is based. Carter Calvert and Sally Struthers make a perfect duo as Patsy and Louise, their dynamic onstage chemistry having ripened over a span of seven years (and counting!) touring together in these roles.
James Davis June 12, 2018 Riverside Center for the Performing Artsalways patsy cline, theatre review, carter calvert, sally struthers, louise seger, patsy cline, david galligan, patrick a'hearn, producing artistic director, riverside center, fredericksburg virginia, stafford virginia, best of broadway in virginia, season 21
Free Lance-Star: 'Always ... Patsy Cline' is a heart-warmer and a hoot
Meeting your favorite singer is a dream for many, but for one lucky fan that became a reality and turned into a cherished friendship.
"Always … Patsy Cline," now onstage at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts, shares the true story about how one divorced mother of two formed a special bond with a country music legend.
Playwright Ted Swindley weaves together more than 25 songs into this incredibly heartwarming and surprisingly funny show, starring Broadway actress Carter Calvert as the Winchester-born singer and TV icon Sally Struthers as super fan Louise Seger.
James Davis June 12, 2018 Riverside Center for the Performing Artsalways patsy cline, theatre review, gail choochan, the free lance-star, ted swindley, carter calvert, sally struthers, patsy cline, louise seger, david galligan, patrick a'hearn, producing artistic director, riverside center, stafford virginia, fredericksburg virginia, best of broadway in virginia
Sally Struthers and Carter Calvert preview Always...Patsy Cline with Town Talk's Ted Schubel
Listen to Carter Calvert (Patsy Cline) and Sally Struthers (Louise Seger) preview our current production of Always...Patsy Cline at Riverside alongside Producing Artistic Director, Patrick A'Hearn and Town Talk's Ted Schubel (NewsTalk 1230 WFVA).
Always...Patsy Cline runs now through July 15, 2018. Tickets are available via our website or by calling our box office at 540-370-4300!
James Davis June 12, 2018 always patsy cline, ted swindley, ted schubel, NewsTalk1230, wfva, carter calvert, patsy cline, sally struthers, louise seger, patrick a'hearn, producing artistic director, riverside center, fredericksburg virginia, stafford virginia, best of broadway in virginia
Free Lance-Star: Fall to pieces with 'Always ... Patsy Cline' at Riverside Center
The new show at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is a love fest on many levels.
For starters, it zooms in on Winchester-bred country music icon Patsy Cline. How can you not love her?
Secondly, it stars the always wonderful Sally Struthers as well as her equally bedazzling counterpart Carter Calvert. Glad we have your attention!
And third, well, there are positive vibes galore and we'll touch more on that in a bit.
"Always ... Patsy Cline," a musical play about Cline's unique bond with Houston fan Louise Seger, owns the Riverside stage through July 15.
James Davis June 12, 2018 Riverside Center for the Performing Artsalways patsy cline, sally struthers, carter calvert, louise seger, patsy cline, david galligan, patrick a'hearn, producing artistic director, ted swindley, riverside center, season 21, fredericksburg virginia, stafford virginia, best of broadway in virginia
DC Metro Theatre Arts: Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, VA, Presents 'Always…Patsy Cline'
Emmy Award-winning actress Sally Struthers returns for her fifth engagement at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as Louise Seger in Always…Patsy Cline opening on May 16. She will be joined by Broadway veteran Carter Calvert starring as Patsy Cline. Both ladies are no strangers to these roles and most recently performed in the show together at the North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh. Located at 95 Riverside Parkway, Fredericksburg, Virginia, performances will run until July 15.
James Davis June 12, 2018 Riverside Center for the Performing Artsalways patsy cline, sally struthers, carter calvert, louise seger, patsy cline, david galligan, patrick a'hearn, producing artistic director, riverside center, season 21
BWW Washington DC: Emmy Award Winner Sally Struthers Returns To Riverside
Emmy Award-winning actress Sally Struthers returns for her fifth engagement at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, Virginia as Louise Seger in Always Patsy Cline opening on May 16th. She will be joined by Broadway veteran, Carter Calvert starring as Patsy Cline. Both ladies are no strangers to these roles and most recently performed in the show together at the North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh. Located at 95 Riverside Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA, performances will run until July 15th.
James Davis June 12, 2018 Riverside Center for the Performing Artsalways patsy cline, sally struthers, carter calvert, louise seger, patsy cline, david galligan, patrick a'hearn, producing artistic director, ted swindley
BWW Norfolk: Sally Struthers Returns for A Fifth Engagement at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
Emmy Award-winning actress Sally Struthersreturns for her fifth engagement at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts in Fredericksburg, Virginia as Louise Seger in Always Patsy Cline opening on May 16th. She will be joined by Broadway veteran, Carter Calvert starring as Patsy Cline. Both ladies are no strangers to these roles and most recently performed in the show together at the North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh. Located at 95 Riverside Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA, performances will run until July 15th.
James Davis June 12, 2018 Riverside Center for the Performing Artsalways patsy cline, sally struthers, carter calvert, louise seger, ted swindley, david galligan, patrick a'hearn, producing artistic director, riverside center, stafford virginia, best of broadway in virginia, season 21

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Optimizing Our Nature
The Sweet House
254 E. Fulton
Grand Rapids, MI 49503 United States
Jeff Seaver
Email: jeff@cfimichigan.org
The topic for this meeting was Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Optimizing Our Nature and was presented by FA member Robert W. Collins, PhD, PC. Dr. Collins began by comparing/contrasting the grand scope of the evolutionary view, which encompasses the change and adaptation of species through geological time spans with that of what Cognitive Behavior Therapy (hereafter rendered as CBT) addresses.
About Robert Collins, PhD
Robert W. Collins, PhD received his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Indiana University's Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences in Bloomington, Indiana. He was a former President of the Michigan Psychological Association and has written and presented on eliminative disorders in children for lay, psychological, and medical audiences. He was on the faculty of GVSU and an invited professor to the University of Western Australia in Perth. He has been a long time member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Inquiry (CFI) and has led a Café Inquiry in Grand Rapids for two years. You will often see him accompanied by his wife of 47 years, Sherron. He loves his semi-retirement in which he can devote more time in the role of an educator on critical thinking and secular values.


text:
Tigmanshu Dhulia Remembers His NSD Buddy and the Star of His First Film Haasil, Irrfan Khan
19 days after Irrfan Khan handed away after a chronic battle with most cancers, the nation nonetheless mourns the legendary actor. What stood out in most tributes is how his loss felt private to everybody. Irrfan was the individuals's hero, he regarded like them, he talked like them and no quantity of worldwide recognition may ever take away his humility.
This was partially as a result of his profession shone with roles that stood out from all the things that his contemporaries have been doing. Be it the Nationwide Award-winning Paan Singh Tomar or perhaps a movie like Thank You, his script sense all the time appeared impeccable.
Tigmanshu Dhulia, who directed him in critically acclaimed roles in Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, Haasil, and Charas, gave an perception to why Irrfan selected sure roles. Their friendship goes again 34 years since they have been college students of Nationwide Faculty of Drama (NSD) in Delhi.
"Naturally, when an actor begins his profession at the moment, he's on the lookout for a giant break. So, as a result of Irrfan was someone who had spent a whole lot of time coaching himself as an actor, he was sensible sufficient to not be impatient and waste that complete time which is spent skilling his horns by leaping in a task which was flimsy, or didn't have a lot beat. He was sensible sufficient to do this when he began his profession," says Tigmanshu.
He provides, "I believe that paid off as a result of no matter movies he did earlier have been all with good administrators. With Govind Nahlani, Mira Nair, even in small roles like Buddhadev Dasgupta's Ek Physician Ki Maut. After which, he labored with pals he knew and had confidence in, like me and Vishal (Bharadwaj). He all the time form of did initiatives, which he thought would make some noise."
The director had taken to Twitter on Could 16th to commemorate the 17th anniversary of Haasil and shared the title of the movie had come to him in Irrfan's rented condo. He additionally mentioned that the movie was an ode to their three decade-long friendship.
I keep in mind the title got here to my thoughts at his rented evershine nagar flat…brainstorming twenty years in the past…Haasil. It completes 17 years right this moment, a movie which is an ode to our friendship of 34 years and it'll by no means finish…you'll all the time information me my good friend
— Tigmanshu Dhulia (@dirtigmanshu) Could 15, 2020
Tigmanshu mentioned, "Haasil was a really robust movie to make and a really robust movie to launch additionally. And proper from after I bought the thought until when the movie was launched, Irrfan was part of the journey. He had religion within the movie. When he noticed the primary minimize, he mentioned this character shouldn't be going to die quickly. Which was so true."
When Irrfan had obtained his first Nationwide Award for Paan Singh Tomar in 2013, he had mentioned that his journey was filled with disappointments as he had hoped to win one for the position of Ranvijay Singh in Haasil.
When requested if Irrfan obtained the popularity he deserved late in life, Tigmanshu mentioned, "I do not know what was happening in his thoughts. At first, the wrestle for him was additionally very arduous. He was able to reaching way more. No matter he did obtain internationally, no person, no Indian actor has achieved a lot. That is an enormous leap from the opposite modern actors."
"He didn't get the Nationwide Award as a result of I had a combat with the producer. So out of revenge, he (producer) didn't ship it (Haasil) for the Nationwide Awards, which was an enormous blow. I'm certain Irrfan would have gotten it in 2004. In order that delay of 9 years, I believe that's what he should be speaking about," Tigmanshu concluded.
Comply with @Information18Films for extra
Previous article'Selfish To Ask Both OTT and Multiplexes To Go Down Together'
Next articleNag Ashwin Suggests Serving Liquor in Movie Theaters to Increase Footfalls, Twitter Disagrees
CBI को मामला सौंपने के बाद SIT की फ्लाइट से सुशांत बिहार लौटे
Vidyut Jammwal Shares Quirky Video Tutorial on How to Cut a Lemon with a...
Paatal Lok Review: Jaideep Ahlawat Leads This Brilliantly Written Show With Conviction
This Throwback Pic Of Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan Is The Best Thing On...


The polio virus is continuing to disappear from the face of the earth. As most of you know, I am a member of Rotary. In 1985, Rotary started PolioPlus to eradicate polio worldwide. Up until 2 years ago, there were only 3 countries left that were endemic to polio (sources of new wild virus).
On July 24, 2014, Nigeria started the 3 year period to prove it was now polio free. A country needs to have ZERO new cases for 3 years to be declared polio free. Because of certain political issues, there was a sense that Nigeria was one of the countries that would never be polio free since vaccinating against the polio virus was frowned upon by the government.
CLICK HERE to read an article about the current status in Nigeria. IT IS VERY GOOD NEWS!!!!
There are only 19 new cases of polio worldwide since January 1, 2016. This donw from over 300,000 new cases every year before 1985.


text:
April 2018: Fire Raged at FiberTech, Two Arrested In Arson Murder, Loogootee Woman Pleads Guilty to Fatal Accident, Interim Director Named at North Lawrence Career Center
(UNDATED) – In April a fire raged at Fibertech, a Bloomington couple was arrested for murder and arson following a February fire, a second person was arrested after a 7-week-old baby was injured, a Loogootee woman pleaded guilty to causing a fatal accident that killed her mother, and an interim director was named at North Lawrence Career Center.
Also in April, Bloomington firefighter arrested on felony charges of sexual misconduct with a minor and Marla Inman Inducted into Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Marla Inman Eltrevoog Was Inducted In Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
A class of 12 women was welcomed as the newest inductees into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame at the organization's 17th Women's Awards Banquet on Saturday, April 28 including Bedford North Lawrence Marla Inman Eltrevoog.
They were:
Marla (Inman) Eltrevoog, Bedford North Lawrence High School, Class of 1992
Cara (Gullion) Alfele, Scottsburg High School, Class of 1988
Linda (Allen) Bamrick, Roncalli High School, Class of 1980
Tricia Cullop, North Knox High School, Class of 1989
Jennifer (Cole) Davis, Valparaiso High School, Class of 1989
Shannon Freeman-Frogge, Jay County High School, Class of 1986
Cheri (Shanebrook) Gilbert, Woodlan High School, Class of 1972
Cindy Lamping, Batesville High School, Class of 1991
Vicki Lander, Evansville Bosse High School, Class of 1987
Beth Piepenbrink-Schwecke, Mooresville High School, Class of 1979
Dana Drew Shaw, Valparaiso High School, Class of 1990
Indiana Fever Silver Medal Award
Bud Shippee, Seymour 1970
In addition to these inductees, recognizes were 18 women as members of the Hall's 2018 Silver Anniversary Team identifying their spot as top graduating high school seniors of 25 years ago. The 1993 state champion Kokomo Lady Kats were honored 25 years after their state title.
Kelly Dennis and Terry Johnson were presented with the Center Circle Officials Award, recognizing their contributions as longtime officials.
The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame's Annual Women's Awards Banquet was Saturday, April 28 at the Primo Banquet Hall.
Helicopters to Drop Water, Residents Told To Stay Inside, Large Fire Still Blazes At Fibertech
The Air National Guard out of Shelbyville brought in a helicopter to drop water on a blaze that raged at FiberTech. The water was obtained from the Rogers Group quarry on State Road 60.
But the aerial support did not extinguish the blaze. Following several water drops (more than 550 gallons each), it became evident the wind was too strong and dispersing the water. Crews began using heavy equipment to relocate the mulch to a nearby wetland to help the fire dissolve.
Marion Township Fire Department set up an Incident Command Center and advised residents north of Mitchell to Yockey Road and those between State Road 37 and Meridian Road to stay inside, and others were told to avoid the area because of the heavy smoke.
Due to a plume of smoke reaching north into the North Lawrence Community Schools area, personnel affiliated with the Lawrence County Emergency Management System, the Indiana State Fire Marshall, and Superintendent Gary Conner felt it was necessary to close schools for the safety of students and staff. All after-school activities and sporting events and practices were canceled. Mitchell Community Schools were also closed.
The community pulled together providing water, Gatorade, food, and rags for the firefighters to wipe off their faces or towels to ice down for them to keep cool while battling the raging fire.
Valerie Luchauer, Lawrence County's emergency management director, also requested Mitchell residents living north of Main Street and west of the north-south bound railroad tracks to "shelter in place" and to wait for further instructions.
There was zero visibility because of the thick smoke.
Marion Township Rural Fire Department Chief Paul Gillespie says the fire started in stacked mulch piles.
"All the mulch piles caught on fire because they decided to stack the crap sky high," Gillespie added.
Firefighters from every department in the county and Orange County were on site battling the blaze. High winds were hampering firefighters battling the fire and spreading the dark smoke, making it a hazard for drivers.
It took days to extinguish the blaze.
Officials say more than 50 people sought treatment at emergency rooms because of smoke-related complaints.
"The smoke was extremely dangerous," Chief Gillespie added. "The levels were at 300 parts per million for carbon monoxide. If your detector goes off in your house and there are nine parts per million, we tell you to evacuate. There were also high levels of benzene and trace amounts of ammonia in the smoke."
Chief Gillespie says the fire ranked in the top three of the worst logistical situations he's worked.
Bloomington Couple Arrested For Murder, Arson Following February Fire
A Monroe County man was arrested in California on warrants related to a death investigation and fire on February 10 near Bloomington on Handy Road.
Firefighters found 85-year-old Lerae Bush dead inside of her home.
49-year-old Noel Montes Cazares, AKA "Giovanni Bush", was arrested on charges of murder, arson, neglect of a dependent and obstruction of justice.
On February 10th, rescue crews and investigators were called to 5601 Handy Road by a neighbor at approximately 11:29 a.m. Upon their arrival, Perry-Clear Creek Fire Protection District found the home engulfed in flames.
Investigators also found Giovanni Bush outside the burning home.
Bush told investigators his mother died inside the structure and that he had been unsuccessful in trying to get her out of the home. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Investigators located documents at the scene belonging to Noel Montes Cazares along with a photo that possibly appeared to be the same as Giovanni Bush, leading investigators to question his true identity. The suspect indicated the deceased female was his mother, although investigators could find no records to confirm their relationship. Family members later told detectives that to their knowledge, Lerae Bush never had children.
Subsequent investigation determined Lerae Bush suffered dementia and Alzheimer's disease and was dependent on Noel Montes Cazares for food, transportation, and clothing. Detectives found no source of employment for Cazares and the residence in which she died had no functioning utilities.
He "advised that he had left the residence early on Feb. 10, 2018, to purchase Starbucks coffee and two donuts at Jack's Donuts, because his mother loved donuts," the report says. He said that when he returned, he observed: "white, wispy smoke coming off of the metal roof of the residence." He went inside and saw a fire to his right, which he attempted to smother with a piece of paneling, noting there was waist-high black smoke in the room.
He told police he found Bush sitting upright on the couch, and that when he tried to pick her up, she was "too slippery." He said he knew she was dead by the "look on her face." He left her there.
An autopsy showed she died from carbon monoxide intoxication from smoke and was alive when the fire began.
Investigators determined the fire began in the living room area, where they believe Cazares took combustibles and started the fire. Investigators do not believe gasoline was used but were unable to rule out any other type of flammable liquid.
The fire started between where Bush was sitting and the doors, preventing her from leaving. The smoke and fire caused "Bush to become quickly disoriented, possibly burned, and kept her from being able to escape the home," the report stated.
The 733-square-foot building was bare. There were no working appliances, no cabinets, no stove, no refrigerator, and firefighters found no food. The room was furnished with a sectional couch, an ottoman and a large television. There were two heating units and a single plastic water bottle.
The investigation later revealed a trust agreement in the name of Lerae Bush with one beneficiary, which had been removed and replaced with the name of Giovanni Bush.
Detectives tracked down Bush's next of kin, a first cousin in Texas, who said that "10 million dollars of wealth was an extreme understatement of Lerae Bush's financial value," their report said. The cousin said Bush had accrued "an unknown amount of real estate properties across the United States, and assets in artwork and collectibles of high value in addition to her financial assets." She said Bush had no children and that she had never heard of Cazares.
Later in the month police made a second arrest in the case, arresting Cazares' girlfriend – 44-year-old Misty Allen of Bloomington, on charges of assisting a criminal and obstruction of justice.
Second Person Arrested After 7-Week-Old Baby Injured
In April, Bedford Police arrested a second person after a 7-week-old baby was injured in April 2017.
25-year-old Joseph Glover of Heltonville is facing neglect of a dependent charge. Earlier in March, police arrested 24-year-old Cassandra Longest of Bedford on a felony count of child neglect relating to the same case. Both have pleaded not guilty to the crime. Glover's jury trial is scheduled for May 13, 2019.
According to a Lawrence Superior Court 1 probably cause affidavit, on April 14, 2017, Bedford Police officers were called to St. Vincent Dunn Hospital after a baby was being treated for bruising and swelling to the head, multiple skull fractures, and rib fractures.
The baby was rushed to Riley Hospital in Indianapolis, where medical staff determined the injuries occurred during two separate incidents.
Longest told Bedford Police, she had left her baby in the care of her live-in boyfriend Joseph Glover multiple times between April 11 and April 14, 2017, while she was at work.
Longest told police that on April 11, Glover texted her saying he had almost dropped the baby. Longest told police she noticed a bruise on the child's face, which her boyfriend told her was from catching the baby by the head.
Police say Longest nor Glover took the baby for medical treatment.
Longest then told police that on April 14, 2017, she had attempted to enter the baby's room and found it locked. She told police she eventually got into the room and noticed more bruises and swelling on the baby's face. Grover asked Longest not to take the child for treatment.
According to the affidavit, Longest told police she allowed Grover to care for the child even though she knew he was taking drugs at the time.
Loogootee Woman Pleads Guilty to Causing Fatal Accident that Killed her Mother
A Loogootee woman pleaded guilty to causing the fatal accident that resulted in the death of her mother.
According to Daviess County Superior Court records, 40-year-old Heather Christmas pleaded guilty to one count of operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of 0.15 percent or greater causing death in a negotiated plea deal.
Police say Heather Dawn Christmas, also known as Heather Carrico, was arrested after Daviess County Sheriff's Department received a call on February 16, 2017, around 8:30 p.m. reporting a vehicle was submerged in West Boggs Lake near County Road 1200 East, just south of St. Mary's Road.
When police arrived, they found one person still inside the 2005 Ford Taurus and immediately entered the water and pulled 62-year-old Joyce D. Christmas, of Loogootee, out of the vehicle.
Emergency crews rushed Joyce Christmasto Daviess Community Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Joyce was an employee of Buehler's Buy-Low grocery deli in Loogootee.
Police say Heather Christmas was driving the Ford Taurus north on County Road 1200 East when the car left the roadway, striking multiple cable barriers before going down an embankment and into West Boggs Lake.
Heather Christmas was able to get out of the vehicle.
Police say Heather Christmas had a blood-alcohol level of 0.25 percent following the accident.
Director Of North Lawrence Career Center
North Lawrence Community School officials announced Steve Fisher as the interim director of the North Lawrence Career Center.
Fisher was asked to fill the position after the Technical Education Division of Indiana Department of Education was asked to conduct an extensive audit of all aspects of the North Lawrence Career Center program.
North Lawrence Career Center Director Glenn Weil and counselor Kim Magness were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into irregularities in vocational program reporting.
The center serves students from five area districts in addition to North Lawrence – Shoals, Mitchell, Orleans, Medora, and Brownstown.
Oolitic Fall Festival Took On A New Name And New Location
The Oolitic Fall Festival was renamed the Salt Creek Fall Festival and was held at Salt Creek Flea Market, 101 Oolitic Road.
The change stems from a decision of the Oolitic town council to discontinue the festival as an event held by the town of Oolitic according to Heather Machida, Salt Creek Fall Festival organizer.
The Salt Creek Fall Festival took place October 4th – 6th and will include a car show, food, vendors, Salt Creek Fall Festival Queen and Mini Miss Pageant, trunk or treat, carnival rides and live music and a Haunted Trail.
Town Of Orleans Geared Up For 50th Anniversary Of Dogwood Festival
The Town of Orleans prepared for the 50th anniversary of the Dogwood Festival April 21-28.
There was a weeklong party celebrating 50 years of fun and memories with the theme Celebrating the Blossom for a Season-Celebrating the Memories for a Lifetime says Robert F. Henderson, Executive Director Orleans Chamber of Commerce
The Chamber played host to more than 40 events including some special pre-festival events such as popularTown-Wide Yard Sale and the main "Fun-raiser" of the year, the Silent Auction.
Mitchell Man, Firefighter Arrested On Felony Charges Of Sexual Misconduct With A Minor And Child Solicitation
A Bloomington Fire Department captain was arrested on felony charges of sexual misconduct with a minor and child solicitation.
Bloomington police arrested 44-year-old Robert Sears of Mitchell after police say a detective pretended to be a 14-year-old girl and lured Sears to a late-night meeting at a girls' sleepover where the detective said there would be no parental supervision.
Sears has been a member of the Bloomington Fire Department for 20 years.
According to Bloomington Police Deputy Chief Joe Qualters, school officials reported a 14-year-old girl might be having inappropriate relations with a 19-year-old man she met on the social media website Whisper.
A detective found messages on the girl's cellphone that began in February with a man who said he "worked 24-hour shifts at the fire department" and instructed the girl to erase their messages, according to a news release.
"Some of the communication from Sears were quite vulgar and graphic in describing sexual activity," Qualters says.
A detective, posing as the 14-year-old girl, led Sears to believe she was spending the night at a friend's house, and that no parents would be home. Sears then asked if he could sneak into the house. The conversation then turned sexual in natureand the detective posing at the girl instructed Sears to buy condoms and gave him the address of where the sleepover would be.
Police conducted surveillance near the address at a house off Sare Road. Officers pulled over a truck that drove by the home slowly – twice. The driver was Sears. Police found Sears had brought condoms.
During a police interview, Sears admitted he drove to Bloomington from Mitchell and stopped to purchase condoms on the way "for purposes of possibly having sex with one or both of the juveniles."
"He also indicated to engaging in sexual activity with the 14-year-old on two previous occasions in Bloomington, including a motel, and at Griffy Lake."
Sears entered a plea of not guilty in Monroe Circuit Court 2. Sears is planning to use an insanity defense.
Sears has since resigned from the fire department.
Previous Story: May 2018: Rainbolt Sentenced To Prison For Murder of Blake Box-Skinner, Two Huntingburg Women Arrested In Death of Elderly Man
Next Story: March 2018: Paoli Youth Football President Arrested For Child Pornography, Woman Pleads Not Guilty To Child Neglect, Joseph Backenstone Charged With Murder, William Abel Sentenced To 80 Years


Trading in gold is a process that happened for centuries. The precious metal is indeed a rare product. Trading gold commodities can be done online through CFDs, contract for difference, are hereby made agreements with parties. Through these agreements need to be in it, not really acted so you will not get the precious possession. Plus500 CFD Service have a competitive trading platform with low spread costs.
When do you purchase gold?
There are several online brokers where you can invest online. Investing is a process that is seen as security around uncertain times in the economy. That is mainly because the price of this metal lately rises significantly. This makes trading is the best option that you can choose as Forex trader in uncertain financial times or lesser periods. Trading in gold often determined by the media, as this fact announce a bad period, investments in gold will increase significantly. Because the demand for gold over huge increases, the price of the precious metal gold course also rises.
An ideal opportunity to see as being trader – in a relatively short period – to earn a lot of money in economic bad times. Whether the demand for gold than actually long remain high is obviously unknown. The price increases of gold remain solely occur when investors believe in a lesser period. When the economy exhibits positive figures, the gold price and the demand for gold significantly. Trading in gold has a drawback, namely that your return on investment is not particularly high. You are really dependent on the interim return achieved what you realize what during slower periods. So it is important to respond to these slower periods so you can achieve in the online precious metal investment gains.
Despite that, the trading of gold also has many benefits, including the demand of gold in countries and continents such as China and Africa. Reducing the price of gold also rises. Nevertheless, the economic conditions are not optimal, so the price rise of gold remains significantly high. The trading and investing in gold today is the day still optimal option to choose about earning money. The actual gold investing, please contact one of the Forex brokers websites. But of course you can also invest in Forex, silver and commodities.
If you are looking for a broker you can trust, please check our review about online brokers. We have best experience in Plus500 CFD Service, as they are listed in the United Kingdom and therefore authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This gives some confidence, doesn't it?


The Twins lost the rubber game of their 3-game set in Houston on Wednesday night as they were shut down by the still-dominant Justin Verlander.
Remember when Verlander lost velocity in his early 30s and everyone thought he was on the down-swing? Yeah, me neither.
Kohl Stewart gets the call to start tonight's game in Houston.
Since the Minnesota Twins played a doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, their starting rotation was thrown off the rails in terms of the actual "rotation" part with both Jose Berrios and Martin Perez staring during the doubleheader. This left the Twins with a decision to make regarding how they would handle today's game: either call up a starter or go with a bullpen day.
The 15 players trying to make their way up - or back - to Minnesota.
Was Eddie Rosario the best player in the AL last week? He didn't win any awards, but maybe should have. Kyle and Cooper put their heads together to come up with three potential trades for relievers the Twins could make. An update on Gabriel Moya's rehab as he moves towards returning to the bullpen Alex Bregman is a really good baseball player, and proved it by leading the Astros over the Twins last night.
On the bright side, Rosario set a new Twins record.
The Minnesota Twins came into tonight looking to prove that they mean business in this year's campaign by taking a series from the strong Houston Astros. The Astros, who had lost three in a row before tonight, were looking to get back on track and make tomorrow night's game the rubber match of the series.
One would think five homers in two days would win it.
What do you want to talk about today, friends?
Our friends at The Crawfish Boxes answered some questions about the Astros. Zach talked about the great baseball tradition of the doubleheader. Twins won in Houston last night. Recap here!
This past Saturday, the Twins had some doubleheader fun in Baltimore: 28 hits, 22 runs, 11 home runs and (most importantly) 2 victories. About as good of a double-dip at the ballpark as can be had.
As we have done for the last few, less familiar, opponents we asked some questions of our sister SBNation site. Representing The Crawfish Boxes, Bilbos and mhatter106 both got involved in answering my questions, and did a great job with it! If you want to see my answers to their questions, click here to head over to TCB.
Flip, obviously! This isn't a hard question!
Carlson_MnTwins recapped last night's game, a joyous Easter affair that capped of a sweep of the Orioles. After losing to a really bad team, the Twins just swept a REALLY bad team. Now they'll go face a really good team, so who knows what will happen. TJ told us a chillingly inspirational tale of an Easter morale boosting exercise gone wrong, gone RIGHT. 100% Factual reporting too, that.
The offense slumped, but the clutch pitching showed up.
Twins win! The Easter Weekend was full of joy for the Twins and their fans as they finish off a sweep of the Baltimore Orioles.
A morale boosting gesture goes wrong, then right.
They say fear is a great motivator—and for one Twin, it appears that is true.
Multiple sources in the Twins clubhouse have told us that the Easter Bunny made an appearance in the Twins clubhouse prior to Saturday's first game.
Kyle Gibson reportedly found an Easter Bunny costume on Ebay, and ordered it as a morale boosting measure for the team after a rough series with Toronto.


text:
Chamber Music Concerto
Biography by Joseph Stevenson
Natalia Gutman came from a musical family. She was born in Kazan, Kazakhstan, at a time when the city was packed with the many Russian intelligentsia and artists who had been evacuated before the advance…
Biography ↓
Discography ↓
Songs ↓
Related ↓
Artist Biography by Joseph Stevenson
Natalia Gutman came from a musical family. She was born in Kazan, Kazakhstan, at a time when the city was packed with the many Russian intelligentsia and artists who had been evacuated before the advance of Hitler's troops. Her family included a long line of musicians: Her grandfather, Anisim Berlin, was a violinist who had been taught by the great pedagogue Leopold Auer; her grandmother was also a violinist and studied not only with Auer but also with Joachim; and her stepfather, Roman Sapozhnikov, is a cellist and well-known in Russia for his studies in teaching repertoire for the instrument.
She overheard her stepfather's pupils take their lessons when she was a very small girl. When she received a small-size cello for her fifth birthday, she took to it right away. Her father initially taught her, but in a short time her progress was so rapid that she was accepted into the Gnessin Music School, one of the leading music institutions for youngsters in Russia. Her first teacher was Sergei Aslamazyan. After three years, she graduated to Galina Kosolupova, one of the Institute's finest teachers. After another year, Gutman went on to the Moscow Conservatory, but retained Kosolupova as her teacher for the entire five years, which she considers especially important in her development. After graduation, she had an additional four years of post-graduate work with the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. As she was finishing her schooling, she started making prestigious concert appearances and entered major competitions. She won the first prizes in Moscow's Tchaikovsky Competition and the Dvorák Competition in Prague.
For a considerable period of time, her concert appearances in the West were rare; she tended to stay home while her husband, the famous violinist Oleg Kagan, did more touring. In 1980, the two of them played the Brahms Double Concerto at the Edinburgh Festival with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov, which was her British debut.
Beginning with the end of the 1980s she stepped up her international appearances, and has regularly attended the Crystal Palace Cello festivals. In 1985 she was particularly praised for a London performance of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante for cello and orchestra; Robert Henderson of the Daily Telegraph said that not even Rostropovich could have surpassed it.
Gutman has an interest in the modern repertoire, including the Lutoslawski concerto and music of Alfred Schnittke. She considers extensive, regular, and thorough practice sessions to be essentials and unfailingly repeats the standard scale exercises. She does this with concentration, learned of necessity when her three children were young. She and her husband frequently perform chamber music and were frequently joined by eminent pianist Sviatoslav Richter until his death. She finds chamber music to be the most rewarding aspect of her life as a cellist.


It was a historic night, but not one Canada would like to remember. For the fist time, Finland has defeated Canada in IIHF play. Canada is now 0-2 after losing to the U.S. in their first preliminary game then falling to Finland 4-3 yesterday.
The U.S. women's national team will defend their 2016 IIHF world championship gold medal in Plymouth, Michigan. While you wouldn't suspect the No. 1 ranked team in the world would still have many firsts to check off their bucket list, winning gold on their home turf is one of them.


Addictions hurt families. Looking for hope? Is there someone you care about that needs help? RU Recovery Program is a Biblically based, Christ-centered, recovery program, designed to rescue, recover, and restore those in addictive behaviors with the power found only in Jesus Christ.
RU Recovery meets every Friday at 7 pm.
For more info go to www.addictionsprogram.com or call show contact info ext. 112.


text:
Q: How to interpret the output of choicemodelr (rhierMnlRwMixture) in R My Problem
I just started using the R library 'choicemodelr' and succeded in getting some beta values as a solution. But I wonder how do I assign these values to the specific attribute-levels. As a result I only get values for A1B1, A1B2, A1B3,... etc. How does this generic output generally connect to my Design?
Didn't find a hint in the documentation. Neither for the choicemodelr libraray, nor the bayesm library (rhierMnlRwMixture) to which it is connected to. I hope you can help me with this one.
Thanks in advance,
Phil
to illustrate this, some code and output:

my code in R
# loading neccesary librarys
library(bayesm)
library(MASS)
library(lattice)
library(Matrix)
library(ChoiceModelR)
library(XLConnect)

#DATENSATZ:
setwd("C:/DATA/CBC/")   # set workingdirectory
.Workbook <- loadWorkbook("DataCBC-R2.xls")
data <- data.frame(readWorksheet(.Workbook, "DataCBC-R"))
remove(.Workbook)

#set parameter for calculation
R = 50000 #Total Iterations of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo
use = 100 #Iterations for Paramerter-Estimation

#Parameter of datainput
none = TRUE #TRUE, if the questionaire has a none-Option but is not coded in the data
xcoding = c(0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1) #0=nominal scale; 1=metric scale

#Parameter dataoutput
save = TRUE #TRUE saves the calculated parameters
keep = 500 #number of random parameter draws to save (thinnig Parameter)

mcmc = list (R=R, use=use)
options = list(none=none, save=save, keep=keep, restart=restart)

#final calculation of the betas
out = choicemodelr(data, xcoding, mcmc = mcmc, demos = demos, options = options, constraints = constraints)

I get the following Output (excerpt):
Resp    A1B1    A1B2    A1B3    A1B4    A2B1    A2B2    NONE
001 -2,56   -6,54   -18,49  27,59   -1,74   1,74    -1,94
002 -3,18   -6,52   -19,79  29,49   0,50    -0,50   -0,58

Hope that piece of information helps. Let me know, if you need further information.

A: Here is the input data:
respondent  choice-set  stimulus   Attr. Color  Attr. Shape  Choice
1           1           1          1            2            1
1           1           2          3            1            0
1           1           3          2            1            0
1           2           1          1            2            4
1           2           2          3            1            0
1           2           3          2            1            0
1           3           1          4            1            3
1           3           2          1            2            0
1           3           3          3            1            0
1           4           1          2            1            2
...        ...         ...        ...          ...          ...

A: Find the complete answer at cross validated (where it should have been in the first place): https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/85362/how-to-interpret-the-output-of-choicemodelr-rhiermnlrwmixture-in-r/86102#86102

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


EquiTeam partners with developers, brokers and owners to help build equity in retail assets, including neighborhood, community, power shopping centers, and single-tenant retail buildings.
Our team of experienced, dedicated professionals understands that each project is important to both the owner and the tenant and that success is ensuring that that property is designed and completed cost effectively and on time. We pride ourselves on being proactive, anticipating challenges and finding ways to deliver your project as you expect regardless of any changes that need to be made along the way.
First, many of our retail clients involve us in an assessment of the property to get our perspective on how to take the concept and apply it to the actual property that will be renovated or built ground-up. This allows us to understand our client's needs and expectations and provides EquiTeam with an opportunity to bring value before the project begins, by making recommendations that will bring costs down without sacrificing quality and/or streamlining the process and time to complete.
Experienced Superintendents who work exclusively with our retail clients. They relocate to the community where your project will be and manage the project through completion.


text:
var DataFetcher = require('./data-fetcher');
var api = require('./api');
var React = require('react/addons')
var cx = React.addons.classSet
var Promise = require('es6-promise').Promise
var marked = require('marked')
var Editor = require('./editor')
var _ = require('lodash')
var moment = require('moment')

var Post = React.createClass({
  mixins: [DataFetcher((params) => {
    return {
      post: api.post(params.postId),
      tagsAndCategories: api.tagsAndCategories()
    }
  })],

  getInitialState: function () {
    return {
      updated: moment()
    }
  },

  componentDidMount: function () {
    this._post = _.debounce((update) => {
      var now = moment()
      api.post(this.props.params.postId, update).then(() => {
        this.setState({
          updated: now
        })
      })
    }, 1000, {trailing: true, loading: true})
  },

  handleChange: function (update) {
    var now = moment()
    api.post(this.props.params.postId, update).then((data) => {
      this.setState({
        tagsAndCategories: data.tagsAndCategories,
        post: data.post,
        updated: now
      })
    })
  },

  handleChangeContent: function (text) {
    if (text === this.state.raw) {
      return
    }
    this.setState({
      raw: text,
      updated: null,
      rendered: marked(text)
    })
    this._post({_content: text})
  },

  handleChangeTitle: function (title) {
    if (title === this.state.title) {
      return
    }
    this.setState({title: title});
    this._post({title: title})
  },

  handlePublish: function () {
    if (!this.state.post.isDraft) return
    api.publish(this.state.post._id).then((post) => {
      this.setState({post: post})
    });
  },

  handleUnpublish: function () {
    if (this.state.post.isDraft) return
    api.unpublish(this.state.post._id).then((post) => {
      this.setState({post: post})
    });
  },

  dataDidLoad: function (name, data) {
    if (name !== 'post') return
    var parts = data.raw.split('---');
    var raw = parts.slice(1).join('---').trim();
    this.setState({
      title: data.title,
      initialRaw: raw,
      raw: raw,
      rendered: data.content
    })
  },

  render: function () {
    var post = this.state.post
    if (!post || !this.state.tagsAndCategories) {
      return Loading...
    }
    var permaLink = '/' + post.path
    return Editor({
      post: this.state.post,
      raw: this.state.initialRaw,
      wordCount: this.state.raw ? this.state.raw.split(' ').length : 0,
      isDraft: post.isDraft,
      updated: this.state.updated,
      title: this.state.title,
      rendered: this.state.rendered,
      previewLink: permaLink,
      onChange: this.handleChange,
      onChangeContent: this.handleChangeContent,
      onChangeTitle: this.handleChangeTitle,
      onPublish: this.handlePublish,
      onUnpublish: this.handleUnpublish,
      tagsAndCategories: this.state.tagsAndCategories,
    })
  }
});

module.exports = Post;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub