{"id":9066,"date":"2014-03-02T05:00:59","date_gmt":"2014-03-02T10:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/?p=9066"},"modified":"2014-02-27T12:39:58","modified_gmt":"2014-02-27T17:39:58","slug":"the-vodka-icicle-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/2014\/03\/02\/the-vodka-icicle-award\/","title":{"rendered":"The Vodka Icicle Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ice<\/a>

Frozen vodka, with alcohol drained away. Point: it’s gotta be cold to freeze vodka. “Ice Brewed” Photo: Erik Buehler.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

It’s Academy Award season, the Hollywood gathering of decolletage and glitz, while we’re here in our long johns, bulky sweaters and hats with ear flaps.<\/p>\n

I say it’s time to set our own scene. Lay out the red carpet on a frozen lake, find a costume designer who knows about wool and wicking, and hand out a new film award: The Vodka Icicle.<\/p>\n

In the spirit of this northern answer to sun-drenched southern California, let’s build a list of films we love…set around or above the 45th parallel. (Locally, for your information, the 45th parallel passes through Rouses Point, NY and Alburgh, VT on Grand Isle.)<\/p>\n

If white is the color you associate with a particular movie, very likely it’s the snow you’re remembering and it’s probably eligible for the Icicle.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of my iconic northern-based films, in no particular order and definitely not comprehensive. These are just a few of the titles that come immediately to mind. Add your picks in the comment section below. We can fight over which movie deserves the first ever Vodka Icicle Award.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Nanook<\/a>

Nanook poster.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Nanook of the North<\/a>,<\/strong> 1922 Robert Flaherty silent classic about an Inuk man in the Canadian Arctic. Some say this movie suffered from an anthropological outsider perspective , but in its day, it was exceptional and did document a fading culture. Overall, still respected as a remarkable contribution to the world of film and may be the first commercially released documentary.<\/p>\n

Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner<\/a><\/strong>, 2002, Zacharias Kunuk. Jump ahead about 80 years for another innovation: what is considered “the first feature film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in Inuktitut<\/a>” (from the Wikipedia entry). What stayed with me from this film was the amazing barefoot, almost-naked run of the protagonist across the open Arctic snow. Voted one of the top 10 Canadian films of all time.<\/p>\n

Fargo<\/strong><\/a>, 1996, Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in North Dakota–part black comedy, part police procedural–winner of multiple awards at major festivals the year it was released. What I remember most vividly is a long shot of a snow-covered field with a barbed-wire fence that could have come straight out of our north country (okay, I also remember the gruesome use of the wood chipper).<\/p>\n

Into the Wild<\/a>, <\/strong>2007, written and directed by Sean Penn, based on the 1996 book by Jon Krakauer. I read and loved the book and went to see this movie reluctantly, but was very pleasantly surprised. I was particularly touched by the treatment of the young man whose life and death are chronicled in this true story. Most vivid image: the aerial pan of the Alaskan location where Christopher McCandless died.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Frozen<\/a>

Frozen River poster.<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Smilla’s Sense of Snow<\/a>, <\/strong>1997, Bille August. Another one based on a book (1992 novel by Peter Hoeg) that succeeds as well as the book. A thriller, mystery starring Julia Ormond, Gabriel Byrne and Richard Harris with lots of snow and northern water, filmed primarily in Greenland and Copenhagen.<\/p>\n

Gorky Park<\/strong><\/a>, 1983, Michael Apted. One more based on a book (1984 mystery by Martin Cruz Smith). This, too, was a great read and a terrific film. Lots of Russian snow.<\/p>\n

Frozen River<\/strong><\/a>, 2008, Courtney Hunt. Roger Ebert<\/a> gave this indy production a five-star rating. It’s set about as locally as it gets for us: on the Mohawk reservation straddling the U.S. and Canada. It’s a thriller and mystery on a landscape we all know.<\/p>\n

I’m going to stop here and let you pick up the thread. Maybe we’ll take a poll once you’ve had a chance to add your favorites to the nomination list for The Vodka Icicle. No contenders for the Icicle among this year’s\u00a0Academy Award nominations<\/a>\u00a0 — none of the nine best pictures are set above the 45th — but you’ll find all of the nominees in all categories on the link.<\/p>\n

Oh, and here’s a link to a story Brian Mann<\/a> did on the real Captain Phillips. The movie “Captain Phillips” as well as “12 Years A Slave” are both in the best picture nominations, and both have a regional connection–though neither is set on northern terrain.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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