The Grammy Awards 2015

In my opinion, this year's crop of Grammy nominees is relatively weak.  I do not think the major categories have five-way races--more like two-way races between two far ahead front runners. The one constant at the top of all four major categories is Sam Smith.  I think he will come away with multiple Grammys on Sunday.

Best New Artist
Sam Smith will win. No contest.

Song of the Year
Sam Smith's Stay With Me will win and deserves to. Perennial Grammy favorite Taylor Swift is in the race with Shake If Off, but it is unlikely that she will top Smith.

Record of the Year 
Again, Sam Smith's Stay With Me with its unique gospel-inspired sound will and should win.  Perhaps Sia can challenge him with her hit Chandelier but it is unlikely.

Album of the Year
This could be a potentially interesting race.  I do not think Sam Smith will sweep all four categories. Beyonce with her fantastic self-titled surprise album is my pick to win as she should.  However, she is hurt by the fact that Drunk in Love was shut out of the Song and Record categories.  If Beyonce does not win, Sam Smith probably will.

Update: I scored 3/4, missing on Album of the Year when Beck's Morning Phase pulled the upset.  

The Giver (2014)

The movie is never quite as good as the book.  This movie never really captures the essence of the Newbery Medal winning book for which it is based. Lois Lowry creates a world of her own imagination, rich with detail.  This "perfect" world eliminates choice through a strict set of rules, creating a society of equality, sameness.  To start off, Jonas narrates the rules of the society.  But he does not explain to the audience what this society is about, only scratching the surface of the Lowry's creation. For those who have not read the book, they are thrown into this utopia/dystopia without the proper background.  Hollywood created a love story where there is none, not understanding that the people in the society are not capable of love.  Even the ending is slightly different (read: worse), not leaving room for audience interpretation.

The dialogue moves very quickly, with characters almost speaking over each other with little pause in between responses.  It comes off as almost robotic.  Maybe the director was going for flat to depict the lack of emotions, because even the incomparable Meryl Streep (whose role does not appear prominently in the book) and Jeff Bridges gives uninspired performances.

It is a very short film and the plot moves very quickly, so the audience is not given much time to digest anything.  But in that short time, there is some really beautiful cinematography.  The contrast of the black-and-white and the vibrant colors is stunning, and the flow of memories produce some incredible images.  In conclusion, read the book.