February 4, 2016

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Entertainment February 4, 2016

Today in Movie Culture: The Best Movie Endings of All Time, Tarkovsky's Influence On 'The Revenant' and More

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Movie Comparisons of the Day:

The Petrick highlights 17 shots/scenes from The Revenant and shows them side by side with similar shots/scenes in films by Andrei Tarkovsky (via Cinematic Montage Creators):

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Reimagined Movie of the Day:

Artist Jake Rowlands created this reworking of Star Wars as a samurai movie for a CG+ competition. See more at Live for Films.

Mashup of the Day:

If you’ve never gotten into Doctor Who, perhaps this Star Wars: The Force Awakens style trailer for the reboot’s first season will grab you (via Geek Tyrant):

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Video Essay of the Day:

The School of Life looks into how and why grown-up moviegoers cry during the loveliest moments in cinema:

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Vintage Image of the Day:

Mary Carlisle, who turned 102 yesterday, gets a check up from regular leading man Bing Crosby in 1938’s Doctor Rhythm:

Filmmaker in Focus:

The following video essay celebrates the “ma” or calm of Hayao Miyazaki‘s movies:

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Visual List of the Day:

CineFix counts down the 10 best closing shots of all time, including the endings of 2001, Fight Club, Inception, Stalker and Casablanca:

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Alternate Endings of the Day:

Speaking of movie endings, what if all movies just ended once their title was spoken? Here’s what a few, including Face/Off, would look like (via Devour):

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Fan Theory of the Day:

Is the ending of Galaxy Quest really an evil government reality show? That’s the theory presented in this io9 video:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

Today is the 40th anniversary of the release of Paul Mazursky‘s Next Stop, Greenwich Village. Watch the original trailer for the movie, which co-stars Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum and features a very young uncredited Bill Murray, below.

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Business February 4, 2016

With Oil Prices Languishing, Shell Reports 80 Percent Drop In Earnings

Royal Dutch Shell reported an 80 percent drop in earnings in 2015, but says it will still press ahead with the proposed mega-merger with BG Group plc.

Royal Dutch Shell reported an 80 percent drop in earnings in 2015, but says it will still press ahead with the proposed mega-merger with BG Group plc. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP hide caption

toggle caption Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

On Thursday, Shell released its full year report that showed an 80 percent drop in earnings from 2014 to 2015. The company’s earnings fell steeply from $19 billion in 2014 to $3.84 billion in 2015.

“We are making substantial changes in the company, reorganising our Upstream, and reducing costs and capital investment, as we refocus Shell, and respond to lower oil prices,” CEO of Royal Dutch Shell Ben Van Beurden said in a statement.

Part of this restructuring includes moving forward with a plan announced last April to buy the BG Group for about $70 billion in cash and shares. The move was hailed as one of the biggest energy mergers in at least a decade.

“The completion of the BG transaction, which we are expecting in a matter of weeks, marks the start of a new chapter in Shell, rejuvenating the company, and improving shareholder returns,” Van Beurden said.

While Shell’s shrinking earnings are staggering, the company isn’t alone. Slumping oil prices are affecting other industry behemoths like BP, Exxon and Chevron.

As the Two-Way reported, BP reported on Tuesday a 91 percent drop in earnings for the fourth quarter of 2015 and a 51 percent drop for the year.

Exxon and Chevron, too, saw their yearly earning cut by half. Exxon’s earnings fell by 50 percent from $16.2 billion in 2015 compared with $32.5 billion in 2014. Chevron’s CEO cited low crude oil prices to explain why the company’s revenue dropped from $19.2 billion to $4.6 billion.

“Our 2015 earnings were down significantly from the previous year, reflecting a nearly 50 percent year-on-year decline in crude oil prices,” said Chairman and CEO John Watson.

While the lower gas prices may be taking a toll on oil companies, it’s generally good news for people at the pump. But, NPR’s Chris Arnold warns, while lower oil and gas prices helps U.S. consumers save money, it could spell trouble for the U.S. economy overall. Chris explained why on All Things Considered last week:

“Jim Bianco, president of Bianco Research in Chicago, evokes an old adage: ‘The day that the price of oil falls, you might not like the reason.’

“He says a slowdown in China and elsewhere around the world is driving down the price of oil along with other commodities such as copper, aluminum and zinc.

“So at least part of the reason oil prices have crashed, Bianco says, goes beyond the oil market itself and the boom in production of oil in the U.S. It’s part of a larger global slowdown. And some investors are worried that slowdown will hurt the U.S., too.

“‘The fear is it’s part of a larger whole,’ Bianco says. ‘You cannot look at it in a vacuum.’

“So far, there isn’t a lot of evidence that the U.S. is getting dragged down by all the trouble abroad. Job growth remains pretty solid. The economic recovery is continuing. And some analysts think we might see a bigger boost from cheaper energy later this year.”

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Health February 4, 2016

House Hearing Probes The Mystery Of High Drug Prices That 'Nobody Pays'

Nancy Retzlaff, chief commercial officer for Turing Pharmaceuticals, was asked how much the drug Daraprim costs at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
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Nancy Retzlaff, chief commercial officer for Turing Pharmaceuticals, was asked how much the drug Daraprim costs at the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Members of Congress at a Thursday hearing wrestled with questions about why the prices of some old drugs are rising so fast.

Much of the session held by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was dominated by Martin Shkreli, the bad-boy former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals who earned notoriety by raising the price 5,000 percent for the drug Daraprim, a treatment for toxoplasmosis.

Shkreli — who has been indicted on unrelated securities charges and pleaded not guilty — invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions. As the hearing went on, he smirked, rolled his eyes and chuckled. Afterward, he insulted the committee members on Twitter.

Hard to accept that these imbeciles represent the people in our government.

— Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) February 4, 2016

Committee member Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., tweeted back.

You know what’s sort of cool @MartinShkreli? That I represent the people and you are under federal indictment. https://t.co/acQvPEuPrT

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 4, 2016

Once Shkreli left Thursday’s hearing, lawmakers grilled other witnesses about rising drug prices.

The seemingly simple question about how much Daraprim costs in the real world proved pretty tricky to pin down.

Listen for yourself as Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., asked Turing’s Chief Commercial Officer Nancy Retzlaff how much Daraprim costs. The response is enough to make us feel like imbeciles.

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Rep. Welch ask Turing’s Nancy Retzlaff about Daraprim pricing

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Sports February 4, 2016

Quitting The Gridiron When Football Runs Through The Family

Garrison Pennington (right, No. 42) tackles a player during Albany High School's 2014-2015 season — the last he would play.
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Garrison Pennington (right, No. 42) tackles a player during Albany High School’s 2014-2015 season — the last he would play. Courtesy of Ned Purdom hide caption

toggle caption Courtesy of Ned Purdom

I’m from a football family. The guys all play, including my dad, my brother, my uncle and me. I was even named after a former 49ers player, Garrison Hearst.

My parents were at every game I played. From the field, if I looked toward sidelines, they’d be there, either cheering or taking pictures. My mom took lots of videos on her iPhone from the bleachers at one of my games.

Last summer, I started thinking about quitting. My grades were slipping. And I felt like I was making big sacrifices for a sport that I couldn’t see myself playing beyond high school. What’s all of this time and energy for? I dreaded bringing it up to my parents, but they surprised me.

Pennington, named after former San Francisco 49er Garrison Hearst, says he misses football, but he is looking forward to finding the same kind of satisfaction — without the risks.

Pennington, named after former San Francisco 49er Garrison Hearst, says he misses football, but he is looking forward to finding the same kind of satisfaction — without the risks. Jenny Bolario/Youth Radio hide caption

toggle caption Jenny Bolario/Youth Radio

“Privately, I was just stressed out. Football was not fun anymore,” said my dad, Jed Pennington.

“Every Friday night, like, there was the games, and you guys would go out and hang out with your friends,” he continued. “And then mom and I would go out and have dinner. And part of that dinner was just a sigh of relief that there wasn’t an injury that night.”

My parents had been so supportive at my games. It never crossed my mind that they were worried sick. My dad says the low point was watching my brother get a concussion on the field.

“That one was horrible, he wanted to play, and he thought he could play,” my dad recalls. “And that was a really hard argument to have with him, because this was his long-term well-being and health.”

Although football is dangerous, it’s still very important to my family. We watch games on the weekends and keep up with the latest roster changes. So far the controversy around football hasn’t stopped us from enjoying the sport.

I talked to my brother Michael, who was MVP and captain of our high school football team about his experience playing.

Garrison's older brother, Michael (far right), suffered a concussion playing football and also ended up quitting the sport. The brothers are shown here with cousin Sayyid Dawan (left) and aunt Lizzie Pennington.

Garrison’s older brother, Michael (far right), suffered a concussion playing football and also ended up quitting the sport. The brothers are shown here with cousin Sayyid Dawan (left) and aunt Lizzie Pennington. Courtesy of Pennington Family hide caption

toggle caption Courtesy of Pennington Family

“Hell yeah, it’s dangerous, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun,” Michael said. “It’s just something that you have to do if you’re OK with taking the risk.”

I also asked him what he remembers about his concussion.

“I didn’t notice anything right away,” he recalled. “I finished the game, and I felt fine, just a little bit dizzy. But that night I felt like I was about to throw up so badly. And then the next day I took the practice SAT and I could barely remember how to write my name.”

My brother and I both decided to quit football. And we’re not the only ones.

If you look at the latest stats, there are almost 26,000 fewer high school football players today than there were in the 2008-2009 school year, according to figures from the National Federation of State High School Associations, or NFHS.

It was also 2009 when the NFL formally acknowledged the connection between football and the long-term effects of concussions.

Bob Colgate, the NFHS’ director of sports and sports medicine, won’t cite any one reason for why football participation is down.

“There may be knee injuries, ankle injuries, there may be arm injuries,” Colgate said. “I mean it is a contact sport, so the injuries that could evolve through the participation in that sport may be something that an individual does not want to look at.”

Sometimes I think back to my time on the field and I miss it. Football was such a big part of my life. But if I can find the satisfaction I got from football without taking the same risks, I’m going to do that instead.

It certainly pleases my dad.

“I’m very happy for our time as a football family,” he said. “But I’m also very relieved that it’s over.”

And with two years left of high school, I still have time to do something worthwhile other than football.

Garrison Pennington is a 17-year-old high school junior in Albany, Calif. This story was produced by Youth Radio.

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