A Dissertation.

Keith Olbermann: "An American cry for help" (VIDEO)

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:00:00 +0000

Olbermann is usually a bit too partisan for me, but this is an amazingly personal and emotional 13-minute plea to the participants of tomorrow's health care summit..

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Support Doctors Without Borders in Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Just gave. In case you want to also:

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Coop's Top 10 Films of the Decade

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:29:00 +0000

I love acting, screenwriting, editing, anything film. Plain and simple. To close out the decade, I've committed to making a top ten list of those films that stood out in my mind as classics--the best of the best. There may be better films as defined by the critics, but these are the ones that did it for me.

Would it be cheating if I woke up tomorrow desperately needing to make changes?

I would love to see your top ten; so, get them posted and let's chat about the magic of the screen; let's discuss the power of the medium; hell, let's make a movie of our own. Call me.

1. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
2. Garden State (2004)
3. Wonder Boys (2000)
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
5. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
6. Into the Wild (2007)

7. Avatar (2009)
8. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
9. There Will Be Blood (2007)
10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

The films that made the above task nearly impossible:

Inglorious Bastards (2009)

V for Vendetta (2005)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
The Pianist (2002)
You Can Count on Me (2000)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
25th Hour (2002)
Gladiator (2000)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Memento (2000)
Purple Violets (2007)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Two Best Songs, in Film, of the Decade:
"Blowers Daughter" - Damian Rice - Closer
"Falling Slowly" from Once -- Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

A top ten actors-of-the-decade may follow.

(Facebook Link)
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(VIDEO) Move Your Money

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Certainly an interesting experiment, if nothing else.

Check your local community bank to see if moving your money makes sense for you and your family.

Also, a must read from A. Huffington:

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Film Trailer Vault: "To Save a Life"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 03:19:00 +0000

Good fodder for my bildungsroman masterpiece:

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Film Trailer Vault: "The Best of Youth"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:41:00 +0000

Looks amazing--all 6+ hours:

(A hat-tip to the Silver Fox!)
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(VIDEO) MakingOf: Director Terry Gilliam Talks About The Miracles of Filmmaking

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:01:00 +0000

Heath Ledger's last film was almost lost to The Vault:

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Film Trailer Vault: "Invictus"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Oscar watch for Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, and Clint Eastwood:

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Jeopardy Training (VIDEO): Flu Attack! How A Virus Invades Your Body

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Amazing how our bodies work:

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Film Trailer Vault: That Evening Sun

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Hal Holbrook--Oscar time!

Premise: An aging Tennessee farmer named Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) returns to his homestead and must confront a family betrayal, the reappearance of an old enemy, and the potential loss of his beloved farm.

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Film Trailer Vault: "Edge of Darkness"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:47:00 +0000

From the director of Casino Royale:

So what if it looks like Taken's cousin.
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Film Trailer Vault: "Me and Orson Welles"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:05:00 +0000

Big fan of director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset):

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My Take: Obama Receives Nobel Peace Prize

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 03:07:00 +0000

I'm confused by the constant preoccupation with pessimism. An American—our President of the United States—just won the Nobel Peace Prize and all people seem to be talking about is how undeserving he is; how he's all rhetoric; how embarrassing his receiving the award is. Did he seek this award? No. The international community has recognized one of our own for his promise and hope to transform America's role in the world: to seek peace; to lead the efforts toward nuclear non-proliferation; to bring the main players to the table to influence Israeli/Palestinian relations; to lay the foundation for climate change and a green revolution. Has he succeeded, yet? No—he hasn't even been in office for a year. But why would we not stand proud behind our president and help him re-establish America's great promise? After eight years of Bush crippling progress, we now have an opportunity to inspire and lead again.

There is a segment of our country—the extreme right; the talking heads on radio and TV; the truly ignorant—who hate the direction the world is going. They are on a coordinated mission to spread lies and deceit directed at anything resembling progress. We absolutely need to unite, but make no mistake about it: the days are numbered for those on the far right. Adapt respectfully or get out of the way. Good thing we are only talking about 20-22% of Americans or we would be getting into Civil War II territory.
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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Classic Films: The Third Man (trailer)

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Graham Greene. Orson Well. Yes please.

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Music Video: Gimme Shelter (acoustic)

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:12:00 +0000

Flawless acoustic of Gimme Shelter:

(Original version)
Hit-tip: @RyanCooper
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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

The Daily Show - Jon Krakauer (video)

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:05:00 +0000

What a heartbreaking story that absolutely needs telling. What to do with the McCrystal connection...

"Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild) explains how the Bush administration exploited Pat Tillman's death for political gain."

Book: "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman"

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Documentary Vault: The Future of Food (full length film)

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:01:00 +0000

Friday viewing:

Interesting documentary on the history and future of food.
Educate or die dumb.

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Ken Burns on Colbert (Hulu Video)

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:21:00 +0000

From PBS: In case you missed it, Ken Burns was a guest on the Colbert Report this week:

Video description: Ken Burns believes if America didn't have national parks, the Grand Canyon would be lined with mansions and Yosemite would be a gated community.

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Film Trailer Vault: "Brothers"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:47:00 +0000

I think we're in for an epic year of films. Impressive cast—to say the least:

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Film Trailer Vault: "An Education"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:23:00 +0000

Oscar Watch: Carey Mulligan and the always-masterful Peter Sarsgaard.

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"Visual Effects: 100 Years of Inspiration"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Just think what the next 100 years will bring...

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Thinly-sliced Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:23:00 +0000

(#web #technology)
New layout. New blogging strategy. New energy.
For about a year, now, I've had a feeling that blogs could be dying—not the case. A resurgence is coming. The Internet as we know it, dying? Now, that's a different story. The architecture and user habits of the current web are quickly becoming stale. As the Apples and Googles continues to bring together the best minds of the times—pushing out cheaper pocket brains and robustly simple netbooks—stiffly sitting in front of a computer surfing will be like that ancient time of sitting on a porch reading those rolled-up, rubberbanded, thinly-sliced trees our parents use to read on Sunday mornings. Blogs will have their place in the new Web—they just desperately need new branding (and a new name).
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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Six Sentences—"Wilted"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:54:00 +0000

Stay or go—just stop wasting space in the middle. We're given one shot; what's your point if not to color your time in shades of strength and strokes of pain? Carry on, people, there's nothing to see here, but a man who crept from one broken dream to another, stuck in molded memories of V-signs and wilted flowers. That's your legacy? Fight. Then, fight again.
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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Six Sentence Writing Exercise—"The Wanted-Man's Shack"

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:05:00 +0000

Describe what you see in this photo in six sentences.

For decades now, "The Wanted-Man's Shack" had been occupied by one ambitious transient after another. The redwooded escape was bare of hanging idols or cushioned distractions; a mattress, a knife, a blanket—only the essentials made up the tired space. Nailed to the door, were the rules: the playbook to change. A week is all it took. A forgotten drifter walks in; a clean slate walks out.

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Video Vault: New York, I Love You, John Hughes: A Documentary, The Boys Are Back

noreply@blogger.com (Blake N. Cooper) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:29:00 +0000

New York, I Love You

John Hughes: A Documentary

The Boys Are Back

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