LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: CELEBRATING ALASKA IN FILM
T
he Academy Awards may have lost some of the show’s excitement in recent years – ratings have declined and the Covid-19 pandemic has made going to movie theaters far less popular or feasible – but as they say in Hollywood, the show must go on. So as films like Belfast, The Power of the Dog and King Richard will vie for Best Picture honors on March 27, we thought it would be fun to honor the best films and actors/actresses who have appeared in films set (though not always filmed) in Alaska. Call it the Alask-Academy Awards. (We’re trying to stick with mostly outdoorsy movies, but there are some others that deserve a look!)
ALASKA BEAT TWEET OF THE MONTH
• Best Picture: Into the Wild (2007) This one made a few categories in our awards show, and quite frankly, could have made even more. The cinema story of Christopher McCandless, the college graduate who wanted to experience life off the grid, begins and ends in the Last Frontier, where living in an abandoned Fairbanks city bus in the isolated Interior along the Stampede Trail would be his final adventure. The entire movie is a beautifully produced tale of McCandless’s journey, the people who he touched along the way, and his ultimate undoing in the unforgiving Last Frontier. The scene where he shoots a moose, a desperately needed food source that goes awry, is one of several heartbreaking scenes in this great piece of cinema. • Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins, The Edge (1997) We admire actors who can be convincing no matter the role. Hence, Hopkins as a psychopathic but calculating serial killer (The Silence of the Lambs) but also as a wise old survivalist tasked with saving himself and his fellow passengers – one with sinister intentions – after an Alaskan plane crash. While filmed mostly in the Alberta, Canada, wilderness, The Edge indeed keeps viewers on the edge of their seats (more on the film’s ursine co-star later), with Hopkins’ calm demeanor, creativity and compassion for how humans handle themselves when thrust into a crisis situation shining brightest. (Honorable mention for Emile Hirsch playing McCandless in Into the Wild). • Best Supporting Actor: Robin Williams, Insomnia (2002) The late great funnyman Williams was an at times underappreciated movie star and
“ THEY SAID IT
Sometimes you think you know a bit about fishing…until you fish in Alaska! -@ChefMavro, Feb. 16
NOTABLE NUMBER
261,250 Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s all-gear catch target for Chinook salmon swimming in Southeast Alaska waters, continuing a run of poor seasons.
“Our Tribes deserve better. The EPA must provide Tribes, fishermen, and communities in the region the certainty that their way of life, cultural and spiritual identity, and the local economies are protected. That means, first and foremost, upholding their trust responsibility to the Tribes of Bristol Bay. EPA can and must work quickly to get back on track, the science is clear and they must finalize protections for our region.” -United Tribes of Bristol Bay executive director Alannah Hurley, reacting to the Environmental Protection Agency’s delay in determining whether or not to offer permanent protection to the region from mining interests. aksportingjournal.com | MARCH 2022
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
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