Her Majestys a pretty nice girl but she doesn't have a lot to say.

Happy Queen's Birthday Long Weekend, All. How did you spend yours?

My friend Jaz and I walked over to the part near my apartment and had a healthy picnic with tasty dips with veggies and corn chips, a few Oreos and some yummy fruit juice. Today was the first lovely sunny day in a while, and it was so nice to be able to go outside without a jacket and numerous cardigans on in order to stay warm.

Yesterday I went to see X-Men First Class with Stevie. Totally impressed! Perhaps it was the eye-candy, or perhaps the movie was just really well directed, probably both. Much higher quality than X-Men 3 or Wolverine, in my opinion, which makes me glad. Loved the Hugh Jackman cameo, Wolverine is so awesome and baddass.

And finally, a picture of two Corgis on a treadmill, in honour of The Queen since she loves corgis so much and we think she's a pretty tops lady.

picture credits: 1, 2, 3, 4

Babies and Scallops, Scallops and Babies - Lauren's Week

Welcome to my first post of the ‘what Lauren has been doing’ type. I’m sure you all have been eagerly anticipating it is as much as we all waited excitedly for 6:01pm on Saturday*, Rapture Fail jokes in hand and twitter as our joke dispenser.

I could only think of one really, really share worthy topic today, but it’s so worth it you won’t even notice that it looks like I’ve only done one awesome thing all week (believe me, the week has been filled with awesome, but there’s a big difference between awesome to do and awesome to blog about, isn’t there?).

Babies

I cannot even find words for how much I enjoyed this movie. After reading about it in a cinema newsletter last week and watching the trailer I knew I had head along and see this one of the big screen. As a bonus, it had been far too long since I’d enjoyed some simple time out by myself (one of my favourite things), so I blocked out Sunday afternoon as Lauren Time, headed a couple of suburbs out to my favourite cinema, got a iced bun from the bakery and settled in for what I expected to be a very cute experience.

Babies follows the lives of four babies from around the world, through infancy to their first birthday. There is Mari from Japan, Ponijaro from Namibia, Bayar from Mongolia and Hattie from the USA. The best part of this film is that there is no language, occasionally mum or dad might speak or sing to the baby, but words really play a tiny to no part in a viewer’s understanding of what’s going on. It’s all about simple observation and celebrates the specialness of each moment in the babies’ live.

This film is very special. It is a remarkable tool for re-opening our minds which can sometimes fall closed and become too judgemental, and I’d urge anybody, whether they are interested in having their own children or not, regardless of whether they actually ‘like children’, to see it. I as though Babies served for me as a soft prod into remembering how small the section of the world that I live in is, and how ok it is that everybody else around me is living in a slightly different way. There were two families in the cinema for my session, one couple with their own new little bub and two mothers with a collection of seven kids between them, and it was lovely seeing the children react to the quiet lessons they were being taught about acceptance, understanding and empathy.

Babies made me laugh, made me cry and made me think. Watch the trailer below. Then see it.



* The Rapture was supposed to occur in Australia at 6pm on Saturday afternoon. I’m pretty glad it didn’t, because all week I had been planning to get the most amazing potato scallops with my friend Sophie, and all week I had been imagining how good they were going to be, but we were running slightly late and at 6pm hadn’t quite made it to the fish and chips place. I would have been pretty put out if I’d held off scallop time for so long and then Lucifer had been all, “You shall not have scallops! Raaw!” So I’m happy.

Watching All The Tom Cruise Movies Ever Made: An Update

Awhile ago I posted about my New Year’s Resolution to Watch Every Tom Cruise Movie Ever Made. Well, I thought it was time for an update as to how that was actually going.

When I told friends and family about my awesome resolution, people scoffed. “You could do that in a week!” they cried. I laughed right back at them, knowing that they were severely underestimating my capacity to get sidetracked. So far I have watched three of the thirty-five, but fear not, I’m a long haul kinda gal and am in no way inexperienced at sprinting to the end of races or year long movie marathons. 

The three films I chose to watch first were chosen because of perceived epicness and convenience and will be judged accordingly. 

A Few Good Men 

A Few Good Men has a crazy cast. Before I had the pleasure of viewing for myself, when I thought of the movie I thought of Tom, obviously, and Jack Nicholson. Did I think of Kevin Bacon? Demi Moore? Christopher Guest? No. Because no one had ever bothered to mention the epicness of A Few Good Men’s credits. Shame on you society. 

The film was actually being shown on New Year’s Day night on television, and taking it as a sign that my resolutions were well aligned with the universe’s mystical workings, I decided to stay home and watch. Was this a convenient choice? Nope. A Few Good Men is a long, long, long movie. Made longer by ad breaks and my post New Year’s sleepiness, I can’t say I really enjoyed the experience of falling asleep slowly only to jerk awake to the image of Tom Cruise drunkenly blubbering or Jack Nicholson taking part in a spit-spreading competition. I do remember, though, hazily thinking that if I was awake it would probably have been quite a good film, so there’s some points there.

Final Judgement: Epic? YES. Convenient? No.

Best Moment: The moment when you think Tom might just dump Demi for a uniformed Kevin Bacon.

Worst Moment: Every time Demi Moore sighed, shook her head, and offered up absolutely no ideas. Way to win it for the girls, Demi. 

The Outsiders 

It should be noted that Tom Cruise is hardly in this movie. Also hardly appearing are Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and Tom Waits. Patrick Swayze is cool and gets a few more lines. 

It’s an odd movie, kind of seamless and a little short on the plot detail. Things just…happen…in The Outsiders, and the movie tries very little to explain itself. It’s refreshing, but also a little perplexing at the same time. I watched it while I was holed up in my apartment for a week, not able to leave due to the crazy-time floods, and so maybe my cabin fever was starting to set in while I watched. I kind of liked it and kind of didn’t, and I think it’s one I’d recommend to people just to watch their faces crease confusedly as mine did. 

Final Judgement - Epic: In terms of very minor roled supporting cast? Yes. Convenient: If you’re stranded in your house while infesty water rises and slowly swallows your for days on end, sure, why not. 

Best Moment: I’m not sure, did I like any moments?
 

Worst Moment: Ditto. 

Top Gun

I watched it, I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t buy the T-shirt. To be honest, I don’t think the phrase over-hyped could be better applied to any other phenomenon. Have they just used the same footage of planes flying and crashing and flying and flying over and over and over again? I think so. Do all of the bits that look really good on ‘Top Ten Movie Moments Ever’ clips make absolutely no sense in context? None whatsoever. Why do people like this movie??

Final Judgement - Epic Rating: This film is pretty epically repetitive. Convenience: Not very if you’re already afraid of flying. 

Best Moment: “They were abused children”. This made me laugh. Funny character’s name is Goose. After this my laughter switched subtly from with the movie to at the movie.

Worst Moment: The sex scene. Okay, so some people think it’s hot. And maybe I would have thought so if I hadn’t been so completely taken out of the moment at the point where she started licking his chin. WHY DID SHE DO THAT? WHO DOES THAT? DO YOU DO THAT? I DON’T!

Book Review: Never Let Me Go

“You’re waiting, even if you don’t quite know it, waiting for the moment when you realise that you really are different to them; that there are people out there, like Madame, who don’t hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you – of how you were brought into this world and why – and who dread the idea of your hand brushing against theirs.” (p. 36)

Lauren's Opinion:

 

Never Let Me Go is the story of a group of children, their growing up and their dealing with the expectations that life has for them. The thing is these children aren’t quite normal children and their lives, while at first seemingly regular, are far different from anything we could imagine.

This book is slow and heartbreaking and Ishiguro crafts the words so delicately that at times the prose nears poetic. The central idea of the plot is made early on and quite clearly. I know as a reader I understood it quickly, but it’s an idea so horrifying to really comprehend that I still spent the whole story hoping that I was wrong.

Narrated by central character Kathy H, her account of her childhood and adolescence is tragically cheerful and the description she gives of the English countryside, her school buildings and friends is stunning. Ishiguro is a master of creating intelligent characters with great psychological depth, and from the seemingly incidental characters like Moira B and Jenny B, to the supporting leads Tommy and Ruth, he has obviously taken great care to bring these people to life.  

I first heard about Never Let Me Go when Kater posted about it on All This Happiness, and after reading her review and watching the film trailer I couldn’t believe this book hadn’t caused more hype in my world, though judging by the string of awards it won and was nominated for, it obviously did in the book world. The film is finally being released here today (!) and I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I’d really recommend that anyone who wants to see the film get a hold of the book first, though from all accounts the movie version is just as wonderful.

A look at the film trailer, just to whet your appetite:  

Ell-Leigh's Opinion:

Ishiguro tells the story with such precision and subtlety, creating the world of a young schoolgirl with such wisdom it’s as if he had grasped it straight from reality. The tension builds delicately and remains as a shadow informing each moment. The characters are so relatable and truthful that the questions of ethics and morality affect deeply, all the while the full extent of the reality isn’t yet known. It’s a book so complexly and beautifully written it’s difficult to piece together sentences about it, it’s a book that will both satisfy and confront you. It is brilliant, a precious gem.

 

So You're Talking 'Bout a Resolution*

New Year’s resolutions. I like them. No matter how many statistics people wave in my face about the number that are not kept, swept out of mind on Jan 2 like the dust I sometimes ever so casually sweep underneath my dishwasher, I still like the idea that at least once a year the majority of people take a step back in order to really have a look at their lives. I like it that people take a moment to think about changing things for the better. Call me old fashioned, naive or too romantic, I just can’t help thinking that this can’t be a bad thing.

This year, I’ve made some pretty big resolutions of my own. Some are private, so I won’t be sharing, but some are just plain awesome and I feel almost obligated to divulge, in case you want to join in on all the fun for yourself. So, without further ado, I reveal to you my most awesome resolution idea to date:

Watch All The Tom Cruise Movies Ever Made (™**)

There is only one word needed to describe this resolution: Winner. This is the perfect resolution. It has everything people try to achieve when making resolutions, all rolled into one. Let me break it down for you:

Self Improvement: Tom Cruise. Whatever you think of him, there’s no denying he’s been in quite a few of the classic modern films. And, just as reading the classics is considered to improve the mind, having a first hand knowledge of classic movies is increasingly considered valuable in many social circles. You know those friends you have who sit down once a week and have their own private ‘film festivals’, then casually (constantly) drop into conversation the names of all the films they’ve ever seen? By Watching All The Tom Cruise Movies Ever Made™, you’re actually doing the same thing, but you’re not being a wanker about it, you’re maybe just watching one(more on my personal views of Tom later).

When watching Tom’s movies, you will access a surprisingly wide cross section of Western film. You experience the work of great directors, view stunning performances by many other actors besides Tom and hear some of the best loved sound tracks of all time. Tom is not limited by genre or quality, he is not bound by style or substance. Tom is a man for all movies, and all movies is what we want to get a handle on.

Fun: The ultimate goal of this resolution is to watch thirty-six movies with one common variable in one year. Enough. Said.

Giving Back: How will Watching All The Tom Cruise Movies Ever Made™ help you to give back to the world in which we all live? With the best medicine ever prescribed: laughter. Before you know it you’ll be the funny guy/gal at the office, quoting Tom Cruise movies with hilarious timing, being all “You can’t handle the truth!” in your colleagues faces.

Also, I assume you’ll of course be watching all these movies in a legal way that you'll have to put out for financially…and some of the money made from your movie watching will eventually work its way back to Tom himself, a man many call a basket case in desperate need of help. Therefore in the eyes of those people, you’ll be a saint for pitching in, right?

For my conclusion, in case I haven’t convinced you enough, I want leave you with this video made by someone who goes simply by the name Tomsessed, a person with much more Tom Cruise experience than even I ever hope to have. May we all one day be this dedicated to a cause.

*I know it’s a fair way after New Year’s now, but I always feel like no one really kicks off the year in earnest until March, so it might be time to re-think the old annual goals anyway.

**One day when Watching All The Tom Cruise Movies Ever Made™ becomes a form of social therapy, I just want to be recognised as being a pioneer in the field…

I'd Like To Thank The Academy...

(Warning: There will be spoilers.)

So it’s that time of year again, when the makers of the films we loved in the past year get together to drink, be merry and award each other statues while looking flawlessly beautiful. Hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, this year’s Oscars seemed to go off without any drama (pun intended) except perhaps the ironically placed ‘f’ word in Melissa Leo’s speech which wasn’t censored in channel 9’s daytime screening, whoopsy. So here is a tangled web of my thoughts on the nominated films I’ve seen, followed by their Oscar results.

The Social Network

The Social Network is the epic bromance that apparently ‘defines our generation’. Gorgeously shot, The Social Network is far more than just a movie about Facebook, with a stunning soundtrack and a script brimming with witty dialogue that is mostly delivered - very quickly - by Jesse Eisenberg’s Zuckerberg (iceburg?). Andrew Garfield is delightful as Eduardo, Zuckerberg’s heartbroken “one friend” and is also, might I just add, great on the eyes. Oh, and Justin Timberlake was pretty good in it too… He should make another album now.

Nominations: Best Picture, Best Writing (adapted) (win), Best cinematography, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Original Score (win), Best Editing (win), Best Sound Mixing.

Inspires the following: a comment about it in your Facebook status… ooh, meta.

The King’s Speech

Colin Firth playing a king who overcomes a speech impediment partly through the use of repetitive swearing? Yes please! With Helena Bonham-Carter as his charming queen and Queensland’s own Geoffery Rush as his hero/speech therapist/glorified speech and drama teacher? Hells yeah! Although I have to say, despite his brilliant, flawless performance in this movie, which I’m going to assume will win him the best actor Oscar (if it doesn’t I might cry), I think his performance in A Single Man (which he was also nominated for best actor in) was probably more Oscar worthy, however that is just my opinion (…my opinion is basically that Colin Firth deserves all the awards ever, period).

Nominations: Best Picture (win), Best Actor (win), Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Direction(win), Best Writing (directly for screen), Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Mixing.

Inspires the following: a movie marathon of all of the movies Colin Firth has ever been in ever. Except maybe Bridget Jones 2.

Black Swan

There is so much to love about this film; Natalie Portman descending into madness, gorgeous ballet, pretty costumes, Mila Kunis. The whole film is made of beautiful layers and the story delicately weaves elements of the horror genre in with an authentic realism seamlessly. It’s close to being perfect, in my opinion.

Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress (win), Best Direction, Best Editing.

Inspires the following: well, it inspired this video: Black Swan Make Up Tutorial

Inception

If it isn’t the Best Film of the year according to the Academy, surely it was “the freaking coolest”. Mind blowing, pun intended (I intend many puns), to say the least, this film was complex, beautiful and almost too clever to actually exist (if it does, actually exist…). The cast was simply brilliant, and the direction was some of the finest of the year. Definitely one of the best films made recently, I'll be getting that one on dvd as soon as funds allow. And Joseph Gordon Levitt has come a long way from 3^rd Rock from the Sun, am I right? BABE.

Nominations: Best Picture, Best Writing (directly for screen), Best Cinematography (win), Best Art Direction, Best Sound Editing (win), Best Visual Effects (win), Best Original Score,

Inspires the following: Incredibly crazy, vivid dreams for the following few days. Mine included flying to India to see a wacky theatre piece by a dude I don’t even really like. And then I woke up. OR DID I?

I didn’t write about Toy Story 3, which deservedly won Best Animated Feature, mostly because I didn’t want to be turned into the blubbering mess I always become when I think about that film. Secondly, I was a little disappointed that “I See The Light” from Tangled didn’t win Best Original Song, because it’s a gorgeous song, and I admit I got a little teary at that point in the film… Animated movies tend to make me lose all emotional control and weep openly despite being in a public place. I have a problem. Admitting it is the first step to recovery.

I only saw The Kids Are Alright a few days ago, and it really blew me away; I was entirely unsurprised that it was nominated in so many categories. There have been some really beautiful films recently that deal with gay and lesbian issues and it makes me really glad that I live in a time where movies like Milk, A Single Man and The Kids Are Alright can be, not only made, but watched by a wide audience and appreciated for the art they are.

The Oscars themselves left me with a feeling of joy. Yes, I am the kind of movie nerd who is filled with happiness by award shows, but this is why. I could’ve just as easily been born into Jane Austen’s time (I have the front-curly-rest-straight hair for it) or in the dark ages, or in the future when giant, laser-eyed, cockroaches keep humans as their slaves/pets. But I wasn’t – I live not only in a time of amazing films with special effects that are only increasingly true in their portrayal of reality, in a time of such brilliant performers as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman’s abs… but also in a time where the host of the Oscars can live-Tweet backstage, where within minutes of the ceremony I can re-watch the speeches from my desk and gawk at the gorgeous red carpet fashions with hundreds of others on the internet. Of all of the time that planet earth has been in existence, I got to be so lucky as to live now.

And for that, I’d like to thank the Academy.