Book vomit

My laptop carked it last week. I've had old Humphrey for about 4.5 years. We've gone through two batteries and several laptop chargers. I'm taking him to a repair place on the weekend. I'll see how much of we can save but I think it might be time to find a new one. Liam's loaned me his old laptop, which I'm extremely grateful for.

During my forced computer sabbatical, I did lots of reading. I found sanity reading The Hunger Games trilogy. I know it's not the "coolest" thing to read at my age but I'm proud to say I fucking loved the series. I loved it so much that when I finished it, I moped for days feeling lost and heartbroken. I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so forlorn. I decided to calm myself down and watch the film.

Spoilers ahead, guys.

I think what's upset me the most is knowing everyone is irreparably scarred. In Harry Potter, Harry and co live 'happily ever after' when Voldemort dies. Katniss and co can't "go back". There is no going back: their homes have been destroyed and their relationships with each other become so strained.

Katniss and Gale had this beautiful friendship and despite the love they feel for each other, it's gone because Katniss will always associate Prim's death with Gale. I'm not upset Katniss doesn't end up with Gale; I'm upset that Katniss will never love Peeta the way he has always so fiercely loved her. Yes, I've fallen in love with Peeta Mellark (falling in love with fictional characters is kinda my thing). His love felt so big and Katniss could only return a fraction of affection because she felt obligated to. Perhaps he expected too much from her. They're both so battered that they can only end up together. How can they explain what happened to them to anyone else? How can anyone begin to understand what they went through? It's so wretched!

Anyway, I'm very glad the second film is coming out this year. We're gonna have some fun.

I'm currently reading The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. I've read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and watched both the Swedish and American films. I'm starting to feel the books are ruining the films for me. Is that even a thing? Can books ruin the film? It made all the twists less shocking, but I suppose it can happen when you watch a film before you read the book. I did find myself comparing the two films. Overall they're pretty similar but I think casting in the Swedish film was better than the American. However, Rooney Mara's portrayal of Lisbeth Salander felt truer to the book. While Noomi Rapace was great, she interpreted Salander as an anarchistic rebel. In a way, Salander is that but I always thought Salander was more subtle and less reactionary.

Maybe I should write a comparative essay, comparing the films and the book.

First blog post about my script

I posted a rather effective image on my work’s facebook page this afternoon. It was one of those inspirational images/posters, but not a lame and cheesy one that’s doing the facebook circuit.



I got this image off the website Creative Something. I find it useful because I’m always making excuses for not doing creative activities and this year I want to stop making excuses and start doing them.

So today I’m going to be a bit fearless. I’m going to write my first blog post about a script I’m working on. I think reflecting on the process will help clear my head a bit and aid in productivity.

The script has no title yet, but I call it The Roof because it sort of takes place on a roof. It’s still going through some rewrites, but it’s got potential. It’s a modest film about how a child watches her family go through grief. I think it’s sentimental without being sappy and it doesn’t try to solve anything. I’m at the stage where I might need a producer, but I’m not sure how I go about finding one. I certainly know a few producers but I don’t know if they’d be interested or if they’re even the right producer for it. I guess I should ask, but if anyone knows what the protocol is or has tips on finding a producer please leave a comment or send an email to choux.street[at]gmail[dot]com. I think I’m ready to start location scouting and holding auditions. I want to get this film to production stage by the end of the month.

I’ve shared my script with some close friends and they’ve given me some great feedback. I hope to get together with them again after my rewrites. I guess I should also ponder the whole “directing” aspect of the production. I’ve never directed anything, and frankly, I don’t think I’ve worked with any great directors so I don’t know what to model my practice on. Most of them seem to just wing it. I see directing as a very... unmethodical practice. I’m so used to editing and filming, which is more regimented than directing, but I might be completely wrong.

My homework for this week:

- Do a few more rewrites
- Approach some producers who might be able to help me produce it
- Watch films that explore brother-sister relationships and father-children relationships, like Grave of the Fireflies and Little Miss Sunshine. If you have any suggestions, please let me know of them.
- Start paying more attention to housing

My thoughts this week in dot points

• Went to Longrain. The bartender there was very attractive. The beef peanut curry and deep-fried baby snapper were standouts. It cost us $54 each. I thought it was really expensive considering an expensive meal to me is $20 each. I think my friends generally like to do fine dining often. I have no idea how they get the money to eat at these expensive restaurants.
• I've been getting writing anxiety that's really paralysing. I basically can't write anything serious because I feel like whatever I type will be shit and people will judge my worth on my words. I haven't felt happy about my writing for about 2 and a half years. I think I'm scared to try. I feel very focused on how I write rather than the content and it really eats at me.
• I really need a haircut, but I really want long hair. I think I should at least get a fringe, and maybe dye my hair brassy blonde or something
• I had pho yesterday at Saigon Pho on Lygon st. It was one of the best pho noodle soups I've had in ages. I usually eat at Rice Papers on Swanston Street but their food I feel is slowly worsening. They no longer give their patrons lemon and chilli for their pho anymore! That's mandatory.
• There's a new hot dog place in the city called Pink Cafe Hot Dog. Even though their hot dogs don't look as nice as the ones at Snag Stand, I really want to try these, especially since their mini chilli dog is only $2
• I did a cheese quiz and failed miserably because I don't eat goat's cheese.
• I need to get a real job.
• I sometimes wish I was fashion blogger, but I don't think what I wear warrants a photograph on my blog.
• Going through my Kanye West phase. Like a boss.
• Early last year I met a camera assistant on set and he introduced me to this band called The Baseballs. They are this German band who do 50's renditions of top 40 songs. This one is pretty legit. Also who else thinks German is a very sexy language? It's very masculine, like a lumberjack and beards. And Michael Fassbender.
  
• My dad found an abandoned wild turtle in a house he was working at one day so we are now looking after this very shy wild turtle until my dad can take the turtle to a freshwater creek. I've been digging up worms in the garden. I love watching him eat worm. I let him go for a walk in the backyard. My shih tzu saw him and started shaking vigorously. I think she's scared of turtles.
• I'm going away with Liam next Friday to Port Fairy. I'm really excited about it.
• I saw Mission Impossible last weekend. It was fantastic. I really enjoyed it, partly because Simon Pegg offered great comedic relief, but mostly because Tom Cruise's hair was the perfect length and the teal silk suit he wears in Dubai is perfectly tailored. Plus, he's so buff.
• I think I should be less ashamed of my Cruise love.
• I can't wait for Rock of Ages
• I think I'm watching Mission Impossible 4 again tonight.

How was your week?

pins and needles

Last night I made last-minute plans to go see a film with Liam. It is not the best time to go see a film because most films want to open either on Boxing Day or a week before it to make money during the Christmas rush. There were only 4 films being screened at my local Village Cinemas, which is a decent cinema complex, and they were all released a good three weeks ago (except for Twilight but no one should have to endure that). What I found annoying was that I couldn't find a synopsis of the films anywhere. Brad Pitt was in something called 'Moneyball' and judging by the poster, it looked like a baseball film. Ick.
We eventually settled on 'In Time'.

I remember seeing the trailer for 'In Time' and thinking that it looked interesting, sans the Cillian Murphy connection. I received a $40 Village gift card on my birthday so I used it. Let me just say, going to the pictures nowadays is so expensive. We got 2 concession tickets, 2 choc tops and 1 small coke for $45. It's crazy expensive. I was lucky I had my voucher.

The film is set in the future where money is replaced with time. Each person stops aging at 25 and to survive, they need more time. Justin Timberlake plays Will Salas who lives in the ghettos and lives each day as it comes. He usually only has a couple of hours left before he heads to work to get some more. Long story short, a man with a century left wants to die so he gives Will all his time. Will goes into New Greenwich, the rich part of town, to win some more money. The Timekeepers (the police officers) think that Will killed the man who gave him all these hours and arrest him. It just gets crazy from there.

I really enjoyed the film. I thought the idea was fantastic that tied in well with all the Occupy stuff happening around the world. Cillian Murphy was in it which is usually a plus for me because I adore that man but he wore this long leather trench coat the WHOLE TIME and it was disgusting. Amanda Seyfried on the other hand looked amazing. Costume really had fun with her character. It was very minimalist. Nipped waists and very short hemlines accentuated Seyfried's stunning pins, paired with GORGEOUS heels: from black Louboutin-esque pumps, to heeled ankle boots. It was perfect. My favourite outfit was this crushed velvet dress, and I don't usually like velvet because they are unforgiving, like lycra and viscose.

Images from: refinery 29 and AmandaSeyfried.net

I also really liked the wig, but I did find it a little disconcerting at first because I'm so used to her as a luscious blonde. I want that hair. I think they could do no wrong with her outfits although I did wonder logistically how a) she could run so fast in those heels and how b) she pulled out these clothes out of thin air when on the run.

Oh man I totally saw the poster for Mission Impossible 4. I have to see that film, and watch all the other Mission Impossible films beforehand. It's just my excuse to fuel my, er, Tom Cruise "thing". Oh, and has anyone seen the third one? Because I have issues with how Phillip Seymour Hoffman dies in that one. He's this incredible villain/badass and dies he from a gunshot wound? He's such an epic character and deserves to be blown up in a helicopter or something. Also the third one sucked because it didn't make ANY sense. I just watched it for the, er, "candy".

God I am so wrong.

Bubbles

I'm trying to get back to my old sleeping patterns. Ever since I got back from overseas, I pass out before 11pm and wake up around 6am. This current sleeping arrangement is actually more productive than my old "sleep at 2am, wake up at 6am, snooze till 7am" thing. It's just really different and I don't bode well with change, regardless of how miniscule it is.

Being on a plane for a total for 2.5 days means that I've seen A LOT of films. I wouldn't normally watch that many because I get depressed, but when you're on a plane, what else can you do? So here is the list of films I saw on the plane, including a mini review. Go!

- Midnight in Paris: I was reluctant to see this one because the plot sounded a little "eh" but when I found out that Adrien Brody was in it, I couldn't not see it (yes, that is how I make my movie-watching decisions. I'm so shallow). It turned out to be quite good, and probably really fitting with my current disillusioned state. It's basically about this guy called Gil who is having trouble writing and trouble showing people his writing. He's in Paris with his fiancé, who hates it there, but he's mesmerized and in love with the city. He goes on these little walks at midnight and some awesome adventures ensue. It's a nice film, makes me think about how similar I can be to Gil.

- The Help: I saw this because I thought Ryan Gosling was in it. I remember Emma Stone was in a film where she gets to make out with Ryan Gosling so I thought this was the film. He wasn't in the film, but the film is amazing. Set in the 60s, it's about this young woman named Skeeter who is writing a book about the help in a Mississippi, who have to raise white children while their own children are stuck at home. There's a lot of racial tension between the rich white women and their maids, and Bryce Dallas Howard is amazing in it as the bigoted Hilly Hollbrook. It's funny and moving (spurs a range of emotions within you). Also, anyone else think Emma Stone and Chris Colfer look similar, like brother and sister similar?

- Monte Carlo: This is one of those Disney life swap films starring the latest tween hottie and in this case it is Selena Gomez, paired with Katie Cassidy and Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl reunion). It's not a very good film, but Selena Gomez does all right donning a posh British accent. It seems like one of those films either made for TV or should go straight to DVD.

- Friends with Benefits: This one was enjoyable, probably because Justin Timberlake is just so damn fine. But that was not why I watched it. I wanted something light after watching 'The Help' so I watched this. It's entertaining and Justin Timberlake is a pretty decent actor. It's about two friends who decide to have sex, no strings attached, and they end up falling for each other. I didn't catch the end of the film because I had to get off the plane so if anyone wants to spoil the ending for me, please do.

- Horrible Bosses: Again, goofy comedy to take my mind off things. It is actually really good. I really enjoyed this one. I suppose it's kind of like Superbad, except it's not really about getting laid before college. Basically, three friends are really sick of how badly their bosses treat them so they decide to kill their bosses. Except things obviously don't go as planned and it is goddamn HILARIOUS. Also Jennifer Aniston is in it and she's brilliant. I've never seen her as a non-Rachel before, so I enjoyed her performance.

- Scream 4: I was thinking "Was filming this film weird for Courtney Cox and David Arquette?" the whole time I was watching this. Although, they've been divorced for a couple of years so maybe they're just good friends now. Anyway, it was VERY Wes Craven and very much like all the Screams. It starred a very husky Hayden Panettiere and Emma Roberts, who I adore. I thought Emma Roberts was ace in it. It also had Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars), Shenae Grimes (Degrassi!), Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell, but they were only in it for like 5 seconds. It's not the best horror film I've ever seen. I still think the first Scream was the best one. I think it should be watched with the other three Screams at a slumber party or something. Also, anyone know what Neve Campbell has been up to? She was like the darling of the mid to late 90s.

- Bridesmaids: I was expecting this to be heaps funnier than what it was, which is my fault. I had one of those epiphany moments watching this one. I realised that I can be exactly like Annie when things are bad. I end up feeling sorry for myself and pitying myself which isn't productive. I think I should watch this film every time I have one of my "moods". Other than that, it is a very good film. Kristin Wiig and Chris O'Dowd are in it so that's a win. Plus I think everyone can relate to what Annie is going through since we all have friends who we grow apart from.

- The Hangover II: I didn't know what to expect with this one but it was very entertaining. I haven't seen the first one and I've been told that I should see the sequel as a film on its own, rather than a sequel. Everything made sense, and was funny. Zach Galifianakis is adorable and hilarious and everyone loves the psychosis that comes bottled in one of Ken Jeong's alter egos.

I also saw X Men: First Class and Transformers 3. Everyone probably knows how I feel about XM3 (what's not to love about James McAvoy?). I saw Transformers 3 in cinemas the day I got back from Thailand so I fell asleep half way through the film. I tried to watch it again on the plane but I feel asleep again so that might actually say something about the film.

Productivity. Ish.

I feel like today has been a decent day. I've found a couple of jobs and applied for them. Well, actually, I found two and one of them I actually found yesterday. There was this job advertised on the loop and it was just perfect for me. Something I could do with my eyes closed. The only problem was it was in Brisbane. I know I've mentioned that I am always willing to relocate somewhere for a job but I never thought of Brisbane. Nothing wrong with Brisbane but I just don't know what else is up there for me. But then again, I've never really been to Brisbane. I've only been to the museum so I guess it's not something I should write off. Hmm. I guess I should totally apply for it then.

Then there was this other job for SBS. They're looking for a Mandarin Part Time Producer, which I thought I could do all right in, although my Chinese is probably a bit shit but Liam's all game to help me somehow (he's learning Chinese at Uni but he's forgotten some of it. I guess we could be study buddies or something). Anyway, if anyone else is in need of a job, do go check it them out and apply.

My friend Susie is the most in the loop with the arts in Melbourne and she posted on twitter that buzzcuts were looking for volunteer reviewers for the Fringe Festival. As I've been quite keen to get back into writing and whatnot, I thought this was a great opportunity. Plus I've just watched 'Goodfellas' (AWESOME AWESOME FILM GO WATCH IT), so I might review 'Goodfellas' as part of my application (because they want you to submit a sample review). Seriously, any one out there who thinks this is awesome should totally apply!

I've also had my friend Stacey ask me to do some continuity work with a film she's producing which features a DANCING IRISH WOLFHOUND! I screamed when she told me. Even if I wasn't helping out on that shoot, I would have BEGGED her to let me hang out with the dog. I love dogs (in case you couldn't tell).



Oh and guess what else I did? I drove today. I don't know if I ever mentioned but I don't have my license. I'm still a wee ol' Learner and today was the first time in MONTHS that I've gone driving! It was a bit freaky at first because my dad isn't the best person to drive. He kept clutching onto the door handle/ledge. I would probably say that I'm getting better but my god changing lanes is the SCARIEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE. It was probably a bad idea to drive in peak hour traffic although it wasn't too bad.

I actually wanted to go to the park and take pictures of flowers or whatever but I just had so much cleaning to do! Plus I wanted to get dressed. I don't know about you but I don't get dressed on my days off. I just whip on my dressing gown and that's that. I do think that if I did get dressed, I would be more inclined to do things. Ah, I'll try that theory out tomorrow.

Anyway, this is one of those nothing blogs. I hope you all have a good weekend!

No one wants to hear about your diet

I resumed "exercise" yesterday after a week of absence due to my cough. I don't know what's wrong with me. I still have this cough, and in fact, I believe it has gotten worse as sometimes when I cough (ie. when I wake up at 3:30am for a coughing fit), I can't breath and I really have to will myself to try breathing deeply. It's scary and I really hope I don't have something like asthma because that would be annoying. On top of this, my ankle is being a shit. It's very swollen, although oddly enough, when I go for a job it doesn't hurt in the slightest. Perhaps that's good for the ankle? Somehow I doubt that.

So far, I've lost almost 4 kg. I'm pretty proud but no one has noticed! I know, I know, who cares what people think. But you know, if I can tell that I've lost weight, surely someone else can too! But then again, I have been wearing a lot of layers because it's fucking freezing these days. At least my trainer has noticed. That's good. I've become really used to eating the foods I've been eating, and the portions and whatnot. I think when this is over, I will continue eating what I eat for lunch. It's always a tuna salad, but it's tasty, and it's going to save me a lot of money anyway so I'm going to keep that up.

I think on my birthday, I'm going to just eat anything I like. I'm keen on seeing the new X men film (I look forward to the James McAvoy overdose) that day and then off to bimbo's for some yummy pizza.



ARGH. How good is the trailer? Shivers. Everywhere. Maybe I should like... attempt a career in trailer editing. WHOA.

But honestly, I'm so keen for that movie. I only found out about it when my boyfriend and I were watching Source Code (also, that one's not too bad) and the trailers were shown. I think we're planning to watch the 3rd Transformers film in Bangkok. Apparently their cinemas are amazing, so that's pretty awesome.

I'M SO EXCITED!

Miso

I'm at uni digitising tapes for a documentary. I've logged all of them and now they are capturing. I have to say, doing this today, I really do feel like tape is becoming )or perhaps it already is) obsolete. For the past couple of months, the majority of projects I've been involved in have recorded straight onto a hard drive or memory stick. It's just so fast. When I log and capture, everything is in real time. That's always frustrating, especially when you have 7 tapes that go for 35 minutes each. That's my whole day gone! But, whatever. It's good to know how to do it. Even transferring clips from a hard drive, it's good to appreciate good and clear labeling.

I used to do some transcribing for this documentary as well but the producer wants to do it herself so she can familiarize herself with the footage. That's fair enough. I'm not really a huge fan of transcribing. It's just so tedious sometimes. One 20 minute clip can take ages to transcribe, especially when the camera is following the subject as he or she is talking with people and whatnot. It gets pretty difficult, but someone's gotta do it. I don't mind it too much though because it means I can work from home.

Anyway, enough of this talk about editing and digitising. I wanted to look into something I discovered last night. I have twitter and one of the many people I follow has been using this site called Miso. And no, it is not something food related. I wish.

Miso seems to be this new kind of social networking platform that combines the best in facebook and twitter with film and television. I don't have an account yet (and I'll explain why later) but from what I browsed on the website and from what I watched on their videos, it seems to be a place for people to share what it is they are watching. For example, if I was watching How I Met Your Mother right now, I could go into my Miso account and "check-in" to watch a film. You pretty much post that you are watching a particular film. I suppose people who are your friends on the website can comment on it and you even write reviews for whatever it is you are watching. You can link your Miso account to your twitter and your facebook and that way, people know what you are watching.



The reason why I don't have an account (yet)is probably because I feel the purpose of Miso is really to tell your core group of friends what you are watching and within your little "tribe, you can have little discussions about films. I love all of that, however, I don't know if I can convince my friends to join and check-in every time they watch a film. I mean, it's really no different to posting a status update about what film you are watching. I mean, I would get an account just to test it out. I'm game to try new internet things. I mean, this is my guess from what I can observe on the website. I might trial it for a week and see what my thoughts are after.

Do you use Miso? What are your thoughts?

What's not to like about James Marsden?

Has anyone else noticed that while James Marsden is a sumptuously good looking man, he's always playing the role of the rebound-esque guy. Aside from 27 Dresses (mind you, the only reason I saw this film was because Marsden was in it. Then I saw what shoes he was wearing and I felt horrified that wardrobe allowed that to happen. He was wearing those sneakers that should only be paired with gym clothes and nothing else. Gasp indeed), he's always playing the role of the guy whose girlfriend ditches him for another dude because that other dude is her true love. He's always the nice guy that gets dumped because the woman loves someone else. Allow me to demonstrate:

Enchanted



Despite Marsden's heroic attempts to bring Amy Adams back to their cartoon world so they can have their true love's first kiss, Adams' heart is won over by McDreamy himself, Patrick Dempsey.

The Notebook



Marsden tries really hard to win Rachel McAdams' heart and even though he was rich, handsome and absolutely wonderful and not at all a dickhead, McAdams still carried a burning torch for Ryan Gosling.

X-Men



OK I didn't like how we never really got to see Marsden's eyes in this film. Anyway, this time Marsden is all hunky like a superhero and when Famke Janssen, his GF, falls a bit in love with Hugh Jackman but then dies, he's über depressed. She comes back to life (somehow) and she kinda kills him. Sad.

Superman Returns



I haven't seen this one but Marsden totally plays the role of Kate Bosworth's future hubby and I'm going to assume that she ends up falling in love with Superman and forfeiting her engagement. It's hard to say no to superman. Oh shit. I just read the wikipedia page for Superman Returns. She doesn't leave Marsden for Superman, but we all fucking know they're bloody meant to be together.

Anyway. That's all I've got.

Note to self:

So, I'm feeling frustrated and angry right now. It's like this: you can't "make it" just by looking for jobs on Screen Hub or eJobs or Mumbrella. Sure, they're good for things like money and stuff, but really, when you want to "make it" you just have to take the initiative and do it yourself. You have ideas for a short film that will blow people's minds? Don't fucking wait till you've "made it" because that's not going to happen until you get your fucking arse out there and make shit happen.

I'm finding it hard right now to "make" anything. I want to write things, but I keep second guessing things. My problem right now is I just need to do things. I need to do something. I can't just hang around and be like, "oh when am I going to be discovered?" because no one wants to know you when you're not doing anything.

Just fucking do something.

Camera help!

OH DILEMMA!



Seriously, though, I actually have a bit of an issue and I would very much like any kind of Diana/Holga/SLR/Vintage camera buyer's help. I'm thinking of buying a Diana camera but I'm concerned about the cost of film and the cost of printing. I was looking at cameras on ebay and they cost roughly around the $50-$80 mark (which isn't bad, considering it's "free shipping"). But I just don't know if it's actually cheaper to buy them from an op shop (and that's only IF they have any in stock).

Then there's the issue of what kind of film to buy. I've found a place around Carlton that sells 120 film and that's all cool, but it also depends on where the film gets developed. Plus, I want to know if you can use 35 film in the 120 film (I'm assuming that's a big fucking no but I need to ask anyway).

My dilemma is, do I buy a Diana that uses 35 film and costs around $68, or a holga that uses 120 film and costs around $52?

Guidlines to Harmonious Living Now That I Don't Have a Job or Uni

1) I must watch at least one movie I've never seen before every day

2) I must at least write one short story everyday. It doesn't matter if it's crap. It's to get myself writing

That is all.

My friend Susie has notified me of Hel Looks and it's fun flicking though the photos of trendy individuals from Helsinki, and reading about what inspires their style. Although, there are some WEIRD things that inspire people, but that's cool. It's just amusing.

Inception Review/Spoiler/Pervefest

I watched 'Inception' last night for the second time. I think when I saw it for the first time I just thought it was amazing. Probably because to have someone even think of a story line such as that is incredible on its own (but the my partner showed me this poem by Edgar Allen Poe that I believe could have been Christopher Nolan's inspiration for the film). Actually, I think I remember reading an interview with Ken Watanabe where he said he actually didn't think much of the script, but signed on to act in it because he trusted Nolan, probably because he's already worked with Nolan in 'Batman Begins'. I think. This may or may not be true. Maybe I'm confusing some kind of dream with reality. Maybe I read this interview in a dream. But I doubt it. I'm pretty sure Watanabe didn't like the script, or at least, it wasn't well written enough. OK, now I feel compelled to find this interview to prove I'm not insane.

OK. So I've found an interview with both Ken Watanabe and Cillian Murphy (with gorgeous pictures of both actors). They both admit that the script was really difficult to understand and that they trusted Nolan because he's such a visual person.

Actually, speaking of Watanabe and Murphy, I want to say that both actors are amazing. They are just the few most talented actors ever and I thought the roles they played in the film did not do their talent any justice. It's like watching Daniel Craig in 'The Jacket' and then watching him in 'Quantum of Solace'. If you watched 'Quantum of Solace' first, you wouldn't even know how brilliant Craig is as an actor. That's how I feel about Watanabe and Murphy's roles in 'Inception'. Sure they were necessary characters, but aren't really good characters. However, when I think about the other characters in the film, I don't think they were all that complex. I think with a film like 'Inception' you can't have your characters be so complex because the plot is so complex on its own. You just need to make sure they are plausible characters, and I think all of them are.

The story line is pretty sick. I mean, sure it takes AGES to get into the actual inception, but the start of the film is completely necessary. First of all, while Ariadne is training and learning the ropes of extraction (P to the S, how do you pronounce Ariadne?), it's really us learning how their job works. Ariadne sort of is the link between us as the view and the rest of the team in the film: while she's learning, we learn with her. She's curious about Cobb's past and so are we: Arthur and Eames know their boundaries with him, but not Ariadne so we really need her to ask all the questions we want to know. We're the only ones that know Cobb is having trouble suppressing his memory of Mal. Plus, who doesn't love Ellen Page (please don't comment saying YOU don't like Ellen Page). I still prefer her in 'Juno' and 'Whip It' but that's probably because I really love 'Whip It' and Drew Barrymore.

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is that Saito is meant to have hired Cobb and co as a tester to see how good they are are what they do, and while they fail their task, Saito is impressed nonetheless and hires them anyway. Well, first of all, I have no recollection of something like this happening. Not even remotely. I'm assuming that the conversation in the helicopter was meant to explain all of this but I don't think it's done very well. Maybe I'm just dumb. Please explain this to me if you thought it made sense.

OK. So I've been pretty good and serious about the film. I HAVE TO talk about Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. 'Inception' has such a good looking cast, I would be wrong to not talk about how good looking they all are. I just want to say the first time I saw the trailer to 'Inception' I knew I had to watch it, not because the trailer was so awesome I had to watch it, but because Cillian Murphy is in it. Everyone should know by now that I carry a forever-burning torch for Cillian Murphy. It was lucky that 'Inception' was good too.



You know, I have to admit that I never really thought Joseph Gordon-Levitt to be all that babe until I saw 'Inception'. I thought he looked really cute in 'Ten Things I Hate About You', but Heath Ledger was more attractive to me. But bloody oath, JGL was gorgeous in this film! I think it might have been all that gravity-defying wall climbing. Muchos Masculine. Plus there's just something about him that says he doesn't take himself too seriously and is up for a bit of fun re: dancing scene in '500 Days of Summer'



As for Tom Hardy, um English Bad Boy much? That's what James Bond should be, really. There was something really hot about him eat nuts with Cobb. I find Eames easily the most irresistible out of all the 'Inception' characters.



SIGH.


I love this photo of Ken Watanabe and Cillian Murphy. It's so cute! Plus, can you believe Watanabe is like 50??? INSANE. He looks bloody young!

Banter

You know, I'm massively lost for words. I just don't know what the purpose of this blog is. I think I'm going to use it to review films and, you know, share photos of food (BECAUSE FOOD IS KING). I just don't care about fashion any more. I don't give a shit about what people are wearing any more. I want quality writing. I want humour. I want writing that has a point. But with that said, I'm not going to shun fashion blogs. I just feel like I'm beyond making mine some kind of fashion blog, especially since fashion blogs take a bit more effort plus, uh, knowledge about fashion, which, I've come to realise, is something I don't possess much of.

I also think my rewatching of How I Met Your Mother episodes has made me dumb and fat in the head. Like really fatigued. Tomorrow I'm going to try to stop watching the show. I have this idea, this "content producer" idea that I think would be really awesome. I don't want to say too much about it right now. I'd like to email Susie and discuss it with her and see what she thinks. But it's pretty much going to be a film festival of some kind. I just need to start small. And I need permission from the Quin sisters. THAT'S ALL I'M GOING TO SAY.

Maybe.

I watched Inception tonight. Perhaps a review tomorrow? I will try my darnest to make it an actual review (whatever that means). But I can't guarantee that I won't ogle loudly.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One - Review/Pervefest

Look, I'm not gonna lie. I fucking loved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One. Fucking loved it. In fact, it was the most intense Harry Potter film to date. Even though I knew what was coming, I still flinched, gasped, giggled, bawled (I actually started crying two minutes into the film. Somehow, Hermione obliviating her parents' memories reduced me to a burst pipe,) gripped my date's arm and smooshed my eyes into his shoulder because Bathilda Bagshot scared the shit out of me.

It was awesome.

Also, how weird was the whole Harry-Hermione-making-out thing that came out of the locket? It was like... so sexual, which was obviously the point, considering the locket was there to mess with Ron's mind. But still, it was pretty sexy. I mean they looked kinda naked and awkward.

Speaking of sexual, I really couldn't get over just how gorgeous Jason Isaacs looked in the film. I remember thinking Lucius Malfoy was an epic babe when I watched Chamber of Secrets, but because I was about 13 or 14 years old when I watched it, I felt wrong thinking that about him. Now that I'm a mature 21-year-old, I can ogle loudly. Oh that's a gross phrase. Point is, Lucius Malfoy never looked sexier with his long blonde hair, one hand clutching a goblet of fine wine, showing a bit of neck:



Ergh. You know what's wrong? Jason Isaacs is probably older than my parents. As is Alan Rickman. Speaking of Alan Rickman, I wish he was in the film a bit longer, but I guess he'll be in the second installment so that's something to look forwards to.

Oh no. This "review" has become a list of really hot men who are kinda old.

ALSO. HOW HOT WAS THE HEAD SNATCHER? I thought he was quite babe. I actually thought he was Daniel Johns and squealed to my partner that Daniel Johns was in the film. Oh shit this has really become less about the film and too much about the hot actors in it. I have to stop this. This always happens when I watch a film. I always let the hotness of the actors persuade me to like the film. That's what happened to Batman Begins (if it helps, the film is awesome, but only the first time you watch it).

ANYWAY!



Aside from being a perve fest for me, the film was great. I just loved it. I'm a huge fan of the books and I'm SO GLAD they decided to cut out Lupin's "I'm-not-ready-to-be-a-father/let-me-come-with-you-guys-on-your-journey" moment. When I read that in the book I just felt like it was very out of character. I understand that these are terrifying and uncertain times but Lupin would never cave so pathetically like he did. Harry was right to tell him to fuck off.

What I am disappointed about is the role Kreature plays in the film. Kreature and his relationship to Regulas Black really touched me and when they cut out that really emotional moment for the film, it disappointed me. But then again when I think about it, it's not at all something that can be done in film without it being cheesy.

OH! And Dobby. That was another tear-jerking moment. My partner thought it was funny that I cried so much during the film. Whatever, he's never read the book. He can't possibly imagine what any of us are going through.

All I can say now is bring on Part Two! I'm most excited for this. And when the film ends, I'm going to cry because it will officially mean Harry Potter is truly finished.

Io sonno molto triste

Last night I went to see the new Facebook movie. It was all right. The review is below. I went with my partner. Afterwards we went and had dinner at Indolicious, which is a nice little Indonesian-Malaysian joint. I ordered the Char Kway Tiao (it was fairly average) and my partner ordered grilled chicken with some kind of curry/satay sauce. Very nice. Then we had dessert at MyCube (it's like really cool because it's like board games heaven. My partner doesn't really like it there but I love it and figured dessert there would be ace). He ordered some ice cream and a beer. I ordered their famous panda pannacotta with a hot chocolate. That was probably a bad move because the panda pannacotta was totally really sweet! But it was super delicious! It was a soft, creamy, vanilla pannacotta that had a moat of this crazy sweet syrup which I think is called gulu melaka (it's a palm sugar syrup). Paired together, it was almost a biscuity taste. Divine indeed.



So the facebook movie, aka 'The Social Network".



I don't know if I liked it all that much to be honest. It's pretty much about how Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg, who stands up to be more than just a Michael Cera look-alike) started facebook and how he got in a lot of legal trouble from not only the Winklevoss twins (played by the GORGEOUS Armie Hammer), but his bestfriend and business partner Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield).

I didn't like the character of Zuckerberg (he's sexist and arrogant, obsessively ambitious and childish), and that's fine. I think when you feel an emotion towards a character, it's a really good pat on the shoulder for the writer, director and actor: they created a great character. That's all good. The issue was that while Zuckerberg is a crap person, they use Rashida Jones' character, who is set up to be this perceptive observer, to make Zuckerberg seem like just a decent guy who is misunderstood.

This is when I will bring in the issues about sexism around the film. People say that all the female characters, aside from Rashida Jones and Zuckerberg's ex, are "skanky" lasses. I don't have a hug problem with that.

The issue is this:

When you have Zuckerberg calling his ex a bitch, setting up a website that compares women's hotness, and then at the end of the film, presenting him as a misunderstood guy who's actually not the ass hole his ex calls him, and is actually just a nice but socially inept guy, that's when it is/seems sexist. They're just defending him and, in a way, defending him being sexist, saying it's actually OK because he is just a socially inept nerd.

That's how I see it as being sexist. What are your views?

Aside from this, I enjoyed everyone's performances, I liked that Armie Hammer played both Winklevoss twins, and I love that JT plays a psychotic and manic Sean Parker (it's ironic that he plays the Napster creator).