My Entertainers of 2004 - Posted 1/14/2005
Was 2004 the most passionate, polarizing year for culture? Probably.....

Part III: My Oscars - Posted 5/2/2004
A brief rundown of the films, actors, technicians and cinematistes who I felt were worthy of recognition last year

Top Ten films of 2003 - Posted 5/1/2004
You know the drill!!!!!!!!!

“Ten” Performances of 2003 That I Loved: Part I of my retrospective of the year 2003 - Posted 5/1/2004
I’m writing these mini essays with the hope of spotlighting my favourite things on screen (and in entertainment) this year. So up first: the performances!

5th Annual Message Board Awards - Posted 5/1/2004
Here they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rules for the 5th Annual Message Board Awards - Posted 2/22/2004
Self Explanatory: The rules for our message board awards!!!

"Don't Play it For Real": Meaning in David Lynch's Fantasia, Mulholland Drive - Posted 11/25/2003
Another FMS essay. Longer this time, and it makes less sense. But it was fun to write, and it's nice to have more things up on my portion of the website, so here ya go!

Masculin/Feminin: Gender Roles in Hable Con Ella - Posted 11/18/2003
I wrote this essay for my film studies class; I figured that I'd post it here after it was marked (I got a B+ by the way). I apologize the "high-falutin" language, but it really isn't that bad

The First Annual Message Board Awards - Posted 5/9/2003
First off, I want to apologize to everyone for not getting these out a lot sooner. April was terribly hectic (exams and moving), and now I’ve been spending time job hunting, etc. Plus, catching up on TV and stuff. Without further ado, here are our awards (and nominees) in various categories.

My Top Ten Films for 2002 - Posted 1/9/2003
I trust no explanation is necessary. All that I have is an apology; I will try my hardest to update this more frequently, and with better articles. I am entering a challenging semester, and obviously, my current priority is school. That said, thanks for your patience, and here is my Top Ten Films for 2002

Best Picture, 2002 (again) - Posted 11/13/2002
Why not? The oscar race is heating up.

My Top Ten of 1997 - Posted 8/27/2002
My Picks for the top ten films of 1997, with short reviews.

Why I like Who I like - Posted 6/21/2002
This is a short description of why I like those I do.

The Hitchcock Oscars - Posted 6/16/2002
Alfred Hitchcock was a masterful director. Though he was known primarily for his well-constructed thrillers, he often imbued his films with a delightful wit. He got career high performances from actors such as Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Joan Fontaine. Here is my opinion on his finest achievements, Oscar style. (winners starred).

So, who will make it?? - Posted 5/28/2002
Due to the enormous load of free time I have, I made predictions on who will be nominated next year for the oscars. So, without further ado, are my predictions for Best Picture, Actor, and Actress

Who, What, Where, When, and Why?? - Posted 5/23/2002
An Introduction to my ramblings.

ABOUT ARKAAN SEMERE ...

Arkaan Semere was first introduced to films when he was seven, the day his mother took him to see Beauty and the Beast in theatres. However, he wasn't fully engrossed in the cinema until grade 8, where he stumbled upon a copy of Leonard Maltin's movie review book. And that was it, he was hooked. After spending money on films like never before (sometimes, he would rent five movies a week; this is what happens when one doesn't have friends). The final turning points happened in the same year. First, he joined Jason O'Brien's Academy Awards Egroup, where he found many like minded individuals who enjoyed debating the relative merits of The Thin Red Line vs Saving Private Ryan, etc. Secondly, he stumbled across the classic cinema realm, for both English Language and Foreign film masterpieces.

As a writer, he has published poetry in two anthologies, and managed to complete the International Baacalaureate program only slightly unhinged (though friends might disagree, now that he has friends). He is attending the University of Alberta, in the undergraduate Bioinformatics program (currently ... He changes his mind a lot). He enjoys all forms of entertainment (reading, theatre, and of course, films), as well as writing, playing tennis (though only sporadically) and intelligent debating. He used to enjoy math, but he got over that illness after first year calculus.

Arkaan Semere can be reached via e-mail at asemere@ualberta.ca.


A Word From Jason O'Brien ...
Even before I officially brought Arkaan Semere on board as OscarWorld's second contributing editor in May of 2002, he had already become an invaluable resource for this web site, via his literate and thoughtful discussions on film and the Oscars on our online message board. He also dutifully tabulates all the top ten lists we all submit at year end time on the message board to get a consensus of what we all think were the year's best films. I feel that Arkaan provides a perfect balance to the commentary on this website, bringing a younger perspective to film and the Oscars, as well as living outside the United States, to provide a different perspective.