Ok ... Vale Jane Russell!!! The star of motionless pictures ... motionless!!
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
Monday, 21 February 2011
That just makes it official!! - how a potential crappy day was salvaged!
Ok ... I hate to do this but I have never had a more unappetizing plate of Nasi Goreng Kampung than at our very first visit to Chilli Padi in Flemington. And let me just say that it is a really bad sign when M does not even finish his meal ... and our friends can certainly attest to this.
Look, on paper, this joint (despite being a chain of sorts) ticks all the right boxes. Located in Flemington, (which is slowly becoming Little Malaysia ... well I hope!), it has a reasonably extensive menu that includes a few offbeat touches like Ayam Petai. It has a showcase hotplate kitchen where Rotis can be made fresh, and the staff, going by the accents, are largely Malaysian, and this is not to be scoffed at.
Even before stepping into the restaurant proper I was already excited about the prospect of having Roti Jala, or net bread (the batter is extruded in a lacy pattern that forms a net). Roti Jala can be used as an alternative to Rice or Roti and is usually served with curry.
It was relatively speaking the shining light of the meal, although it should have come first as an entree (these little oversights are really starting to bug me!). Roti Jala is not something that is readily available in coffee shops (although you won't have much trouble finding some in the Arab Street area - try Kampong Glam Cafe for a start). Its more of a homecooked thing. But although the Jala at Chilli Padi itself was on the mark, the accompanying curry was limp and lifeless! Now even in Singapore these sorts of accompaniements can be watered down and on the cold end of the lukewarm spectrum ... but in comparison to the slop that arrived with my Jala ... well no further comment!
M's Asam Laksa arrived with a little plate of Hae ko on the side, which earned them a tick, BUT, the balance of the Laksa was all wrong!! Lets forgive them the use of tinned pineapple, but it was too strong a fish hit without the balance of the sweetness of tamarind. The noodles were way too thick and probably soaked up too much liquid in the cooking process. Instead of being refreshed in boiling water, they were probably left in there to soak. Not good!!
My Nasi Goreng Kampung came out gluggy and way too heavy on the sauce!!! It had the required ikan bilis, but where was the prawn flavour? And the chicken was tasteless!!! Oh and excuse me for going all Kanye on you but WHAT'S UP WITH THE DICED CARROTS???? It threw the Kampung taste completely out of whack! Angry much?? You bet. And don't let me get started on the 2 sticks of whatever passing as Satay.
Listen up all potential restaraunteurs who may be reading this blog, when you serve Malaysian food, the condiments are as important as the main ingredients. I should not have to ask you for some sambal!!! Especially if the words Authentic and Malaysian are being bandied around. Sambal should either have been spooned onto the plate, or brought out as a side dish.
Alright! my rant is over. We salvaged the day by going to the wonderful Sun Theatre (if you live in the region and haven't been .. why not???) to see The King's Speech, which was a lovely piece of fluff, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Colin Firth was adorable as usual, Helena Bottom Carter played her role with elan and Geoffrey Rush was surprisingly restrained. The only casting I'm still unsure of was Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII. I just can't get Felicia out of my head everytime he comes on screen. Oh and how old does Anthony Andrews look! I barely recognised him (he's responsible for what is still the most convincing vomit scene ever filmed in Brideshead Revisited).
M found a recording of the original speech on youtube and it was interesting to compare the 2. The original was longer and Bertie didn't have as many pauses, but I think you can hear Lionel in the background at one point.
We decided to stop by Sabroso ostensibly for one drink on the way home. However Jackie was tending bar and Trina eventually turned up so that one drink ended up being a few with the staff at closing. What was really exciting was finding out that I was possibly at Uni, maybe even sharing some classes, and staying at the same Halls of residence as Richenda Pritchard, who is the co-owner (well soon to be ex-owner) of Delizia Cucina.
We celebrated an anniversary at Delizia and the food was amazing. Its a shame that Richenda has decided to pack it in. She said that she needed a break and that it had been a tough 2 years. Here's hoping I bump into Richenda at Sabroso on a regular basis. I would love to keep track on what she does next.
If you're thinking of hurrying down there before the new owners take over, you're too late. Richenda and some of her staff were at Sabroso to toast their final night.
So peops out West, you need to support these places!!
(in an effort to be fair and balanced, please find a favourable and certainly a much more comprehensive review of Chilli Padi here - moral of the story is ... try it out and make your own mind up)
Look, on paper, this joint (despite being a chain of sorts) ticks all the right boxes. Located in Flemington, (which is slowly becoming Little Malaysia ... well I hope!), it has a reasonably extensive menu that includes a few offbeat touches like Ayam Petai. It has a showcase hotplate kitchen where Rotis can be made fresh, and the staff, going by the accents, are largely Malaysian, and this is not to be scoffed at.
Even before stepping into the restaurant proper I was already excited about the prospect of having Roti Jala, or net bread (the batter is extruded in a lacy pattern that forms a net). Roti Jala can be used as an alternative to Rice or Roti and is usually served with curry.
Roti Jala
It was relatively speaking the shining light of the meal, although it should have come first as an entree (these little oversights are really starting to bug me!). Roti Jala is not something that is readily available in coffee shops (although you won't have much trouble finding some in the Arab Street area - try Kampong Glam Cafe for a start). Its more of a homecooked thing. But although the Jala at Chilli Padi itself was on the mark, the accompanying curry was limp and lifeless! Now even in Singapore these sorts of accompaniements can be watered down and on the cold end of the lukewarm spectrum ... but in comparison to the slop that arrived with my Jala ... well no further comment!
M's Asam Laksa arrived with a little plate of Hae ko on the side, which earned them a tick, BUT, the balance of the Laksa was all wrong!! Lets forgive them the use of tinned pineapple, but it was too strong a fish hit without the balance of the sweetness of tamarind. The noodles were way too thick and probably soaked up too much liquid in the cooking process. Instead of being refreshed in boiling water, they were probably left in there to soak. Not good!!
My Nasi Goreng Kampung came out gluggy and way too heavy on the sauce!!! It had the required ikan bilis, but where was the prawn flavour? And the chicken was tasteless!!! Oh and excuse me for going all Kanye on you but WHAT'S UP WITH THE DICED CARROTS???? It threw the Kampung taste completely out of whack! Angry much?? You bet. And don't let me get started on the 2 sticks of whatever passing as Satay.
Listen up all potential restaraunteurs who may be reading this blog, when you serve Malaysian food, the condiments are as important as the main ingredients. I should not have to ask you for some sambal!!! Especially if the words Authentic and Malaysian are being bandied around. Sambal should either have been spooned onto the plate, or brought out as a side dish.
Alright! my rant is over. We salvaged the day by going to the wonderful Sun Theatre (if you live in the region and haven't been .. why not???) to see The King's Speech, which was a lovely piece of fluff, and thoroughly enjoyable.
Colin Firth was adorable as usual, Helena Bottom Carter played her role with elan and Geoffrey Rush was surprisingly restrained. The only casting I'm still unsure of was Guy Pearce as King Edward VIII. I just can't get Felicia out of my head everytime he comes on screen. Oh and how old does Anthony Andrews look! I barely recognised him (he's responsible for what is still the most convincing vomit scene ever filmed in Brideshead Revisited).
M found a recording of the original speech on youtube and it was interesting to compare the 2. The original was longer and Bertie didn't have as many pauses, but I think you can hear Lionel in the background at one point.
We decided to stop by Sabroso ostensibly for one drink on the way home. However Jackie was tending bar and Trina eventually turned up so that one drink ended up being a few with the staff at closing. What was really exciting was finding out that I was possibly at Uni, maybe even sharing some classes, and staying at the same Halls of residence as Richenda Pritchard, who is the co-owner (well soon to be ex-owner) of Delizia Cucina.
We celebrated an anniversary at Delizia and the food was amazing. Its a shame that Richenda has decided to pack it in. She said that she needed a break and that it had been a tough 2 years. Here's hoping I bump into Richenda at Sabroso on a regular basis. I would love to keep track on what she does next.
If you're thinking of hurrying down there before the new owners take over, you're too late. Richenda and some of her staff were at Sabroso to toast their final night.
So peops out West, you need to support these places!!
(in an effort to be fair and balanced, please find a favourable and certainly a much more comprehensive review of Chilli Padi here - moral of the story is ... try it out and make your own mind up)
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
The Sun is falling and it lies in Blood - Black Swan
Ok ... so we went and saw Aronofsky's oscar contender Black Swan. Looking him up on imdb, I've realised that the only other film of his that I have ever gelled with was Black Swan's predecessor, The Wrestler.
I never really got into Pi, though I did try my very best in order to fit in with the cool kids. Requiem for a Dream left me cold (pretty much everyone else slobbered over it around me), and credibility left the building for me during the double dildo (oh shock horror!) denouement. I didn't even bother with Below. And despite my perfect man being the headliner, what was up with the Fountain??
The Wrestler, on the other hand, was telling a story with genuine compassion and a refreshing lack of artifice. And I found it incredibly moving.
Natalie Portman's Nina in the Black Swan is the celluloid sister to Mickey Rourke's Randy in the Wrestler. Both fragile creatures trying to reconcile the allure of the spotlight with the quest of some kind of normalcy in their lives. Both consumed by the drive to achieve their goals, regardless of the cost and sacrifice that success entails.
Ballet is closer to Wrestling than you think. Both are physically demanding sports and every crunch, click, pull and tear is suitably amplified in Aronsofsky's companion pieces. Although a little more stylistic in structure, Black Swan successfully portrays, through some extremely claustrophobic close-ups, the gradual decline of its fractured protagonist.
The film is by no means perfect, and teeters a little too finely on the point of melodrama, but Natalie's performance is rivetting and the rush towards her transmogrification at the end left me on the edge and breathless.
So we pretty much know she is a sure thing for the oscar, but what about Mila Kunis!!! I wanted more of her on screen. I may very well have a girl crush!!!
I never really got into Pi, though I did try my very best in order to fit in with the cool kids. Requiem for a Dream left me cold (pretty much everyone else slobbered over it around me), and credibility left the building for me during the double dildo (oh shock horror!) denouement. I didn't even bother with Below. And despite my perfect man being the headliner, what was up with the Fountain??
The Wrestler, on the other hand, was telling a story with genuine compassion and a refreshing lack of artifice. And I found it incredibly moving.
Natalie Portman's Nina in the Black Swan is the celluloid sister to Mickey Rourke's Randy in the Wrestler. Both fragile creatures trying to reconcile the allure of the spotlight with the quest of some kind of normalcy in their lives. Both consumed by the drive to achieve their goals, regardless of the cost and sacrifice that success entails.
Ballet is closer to Wrestling than you think. Both are physically demanding sports and every crunch, click, pull and tear is suitably amplified in Aronsofsky's companion pieces. Although a little more stylistic in structure, Black Swan successfully portrays, through some extremely claustrophobic close-ups, the gradual decline of its fractured protagonist.
The film is by no means perfect, and teeters a little too finely on the point of melodrama, but Natalie's performance is rivetting and the rush towards her transmogrification at the end left me on the edge and breathless.
So we pretty much know she is a sure thing for the oscar, but what about Mila Kunis!!! I wanted more of her on screen. I may very well have a girl crush!!!
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Harry Belafonte
Ok ... in anticipation of going to the Tim Burton exhibition, here is what Tom Waits had to say of Harry Belafonte in Mojo July 2010.
"Harry Belafonte has always been with me. When I make records, I try to explore my own diversity no doubt inspired in part by my enduring exposure to Harry Belafonte. Calypsos, rumbas, shanties, work songs, lullabies, waltzes, ballads, jump tope songs; type of songs that exist in all cultures. In them, we can hear the common human experience we all share. Music travels on trade winds. It is the broadcasting of seeds. Belafonte's seeds grow out of my ears like potatoes ... He is one of standards by which I measure all singers."
"Harry Belafonte has always been with me. When I make records, I try to explore my own diversity no doubt inspired in part by my enduring exposure to Harry Belafonte. Calypsos, rumbas, shanties, work songs, lullabies, waltzes, ballads, jump tope songs; type of songs that exist in all cultures. In them, we can hear the common human experience we all share. Music travels on trade winds. It is the broadcasting of seeds. Belafonte's seeds grow out of my ears like potatoes ... He is one of standards by which I measure all singers."
Monday, 2 August 2010
You're waiting for a train; a train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you can't be sure. Yet it doesn't matter - because we'll be together.
Ok ... I believe it was a Smash Hits reviewer that once wrote that Annie Lennox could sing the telephone directory and he would still buy her record. I kinda feel the same way about Christopher Nolan in that he could cinematize said directory and I'd still purchase a ticket to see that movie.
Inception does not detract from this conviction. I know everyone is over the hype and there will be lots of you out there who will become detractors as a result, but lets not forget that this is a Big Budget hollywood extravaganza, and as extravaganzas go, this is intelligent, non-patronising movie making at its best.
There are some extremely clever stylistic allusions and the performances are strong ... yes even Leo's. Although I have yet to make my mind up re: Ellen Page. I couldn't stop thinking about Juno and that "Anyone else but You" song threatened to take over my brain each time she appeared on screen. But the Hans Zimmer score is so insistent and strangely effective in all its loud bombast and the plot so intriguing despite its somewhat infuriating, almost stubbornly variegated plot, that moments of distraction were almost non-existent.
There is an element of intellectual aggrandisement. Christopher does love to subvert logic and prove how he can cleverly resolve seemingly disparate threads into one complete emotional whole at the end. And bloody hell, he's good at it!! And along the way he gives you amazing CGI effects, thrilling action sequences, a bit of humour, a bit of emotional gravitas, socio-psycho-architectural theory, a plot that keeps you guessing right to the very end ... genius.
Inception does not detract from this conviction. I know everyone is over the hype and there will be lots of you out there who will become detractors as a result, but lets not forget that this is a Big Budget hollywood extravaganza, and as extravaganzas go, this is intelligent, non-patronising movie making at its best.
There are some extremely clever stylistic allusions and the performances are strong ... yes even Leo's. Although I have yet to make my mind up re: Ellen Page. I couldn't stop thinking about Juno and that "Anyone else but You" song threatened to take over my brain each time she appeared on screen. But the Hans Zimmer score is so insistent and strangely effective in all its loud bombast and the plot so intriguing despite its somewhat infuriating, almost stubbornly variegated plot, that moments of distraction were almost non-existent.
There is an element of intellectual aggrandisement. Christopher does love to subvert logic and prove how he can cleverly resolve seemingly disparate threads into one complete emotional whole at the end. And bloody hell, he's good at it!! And along the way he gives you amazing CGI effects, thrilling action sequences, a bit of humour, a bit of emotional gravitas, socio-psycho-architectural theory, a plot that keeps you guessing right to the very end ... genius.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Evil Dead - plasticined
Ok ... thanks to popbitch ... here is Evil Dead - summized in 60 secs.
Evil Dead done in 60 seconds with CLAY - 2010 from Lee Hardcastle on Vimeo.
Evil Dead done in 60 seconds with CLAY - 2010 from Lee Hardcastle on Vimeo.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Whats that smell ... where can I get one??
OK ... I'm falling asleep at my desk and then "old skool nylons in my hair bangles up my arm" madonna comes on and perks everything up. But I have such a yearning for tights, pumps and oversized jumpers ...
Too cool Michelle Pfeiffer ... and weren't we all (albeit for a very brief moment) in love with Maxwell Caulfield?
Too cool Michelle Pfeiffer ... and weren't we all (albeit for a very brief moment) in love with Maxwell Caulfield?
Friday, 1 January 2010
Avatar - the mouths we could feed
Ok ... so we just watched Avatar in all its 3D Imax glory. A film reputed to have cost about 500 million smackeroos!
For those without a conscience, all that moolah translates wonderfully on screen. The CGI is near perfect and the 3D thrills are jaw droppingly splendid. Some of the set pieces are a marvel to behold ... when Jake falls into the water, the drag of the tide is palpable ... when Jake chooses his Leonoptery the flight scene that ensues is gut-wrenchingly believable ...
The story itself is nothing new. Its Miliary Might and Corporate Vigour against Mother Earth and all its pantheistic variants. Unfortunately, the predictable Hollywood ending will have you believe any kind of balance can only be redressed by acts of nihilistic violence, transparently disguised as the good forces of nature winning over Man's inherent tendency to corrupt and destroy.
This is dissappointing. Am I being too precious about it all? Well ... go see it ... I recommend you do. And certainly on an IMAX screen in 3D ... then let me know if I am misguided in saying that Violence won out in the end ... but just don't accuse me of oversimplifying things ... not when we're talking about a Hollywood blockbuster like this.
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Comments:
Temasek wrote:
ERM WHY????!!!!!!!! SHOULD I BE EXCITED???!!! Should I be sending out the invitations already? Email me!!
13 Jan
dan cope wrote:
Can't go past bombay saphire. What are you doing on the 19th Feb???? Are you still in the city for workies?
12 Jan
Temasek wrote:
Time for a G & T (hendricks of course) ... erm by the way ... where were you when I was discovering the pleasures of hendricks and a sloe gin fizz?? NOT HERE!! Thats where!!
12 Jan
dan copewrote:
We saw it on a little screen no bigger than a iphone really really far away. Canberra for you hey. I loved it. I understand totally what you saying and i think money is wasted. Sam W though was great and his lady friend was just great, well her voice. I am now waiting to see what J cameron will do with the profits, not to mention the games, merchandising, blah blah. He should be made to give 20% of these profits to indigineous popluations world wide for the destruction that has been done to their native lands in the search for oil etc.. oh don't get me started.. i need a drink now..
12 Jan
For those without a conscience, all that moolah translates wonderfully on screen. The CGI is near perfect and the 3D thrills are jaw droppingly splendid. Some of the set pieces are a marvel to behold ... when Jake falls into the water, the drag of the tide is palpable ... when Jake chooses his Leonoptery the flight scene that ensues is gut-wrenchingly believable ...
The story itself is nothing new. Its Miliary Might and Corporate Vigour against Mother Earth and all its pantheistic variants. Unfortunately, the predictable Hollywood ending will have you believe any kind of balance can only be redressed by acts of nihilistic violence, transparently disguised as the good forces of nature winning over Man's inherent tendency to corrupt and destroy.
This is dissappointing. Am I being too precious about it all? Well ... go see it ... I recommend you do. And certainly on an IMAX screen in 3D ... then let me know if I am misguided in saying that Violence won out in the end ... but just don't accuse me of oversimplifying things ... not when we're talking about a Hollywood blockbuster like this.
__________________________________________________________________________________
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Comments:
Temasek wrote:
ERM WHY????!!!!!!!! SHOULD I BE EXCITED???!!! Should I be sending out the invitations already? Email me!!
13 Jan
dan cope wrote:
Can't go past bombay saphire. What are you doing on the 19th Feb???? Are you still in the city for workies?
12 Jan
Temasek wrote:
Time for a G & T (hendricks of course) ... erm by the way ... where were you when I was discovering the pleasures of hendricks and a sloe gin fizz?? NOT HERE!! Thats where!!
12 Jan
dan copewrote:
We saw it on a little screen no bigger than a iphone really really far away. Canberra for you hey. I loved it. I understand totally what you saying and i think money is wasted. Sam W though was great and his lady friend was just great, well her voice. I am now waiting to see what J cameron will do with the profits, not to mention the games, merchandising, blah blah. He should be made to give 20% of these profits to indigineous popluations world wide for the destruction that has been done to their native lands in the search for oil etc.. oh don't get me started.. i need a drink now..
12 Jan
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Elementary Dr Watson!!
Ok ... only able to get front seats at the 3D Imax Avatar experience, we decided to come back another day for it and opted to give Sherlock Holmes (the guy ritchie rockarolla version) a look in instead.
Can I actually say that Ritchie is the UK's Tarrantino equivalent? Except for maybe the fact that the latter has a better grasp on European cinema in all its forms. But Ritchie can be fun when he's not too bloated with his own laddish self importance. A boast down at your very own pub does not quite translate onto screen no matter what your cub-by mates say.
Thankfully this is for the most part an enjoyable celluloid experience. The look is expensive, the set pieces well choreagraphed and the pace is for the most part competently edited.
Robert Downey Jr is his usual excellent self, but this is not a revelatory performance by any means. But the camaraderie between him and an unusually restrained Jude Law is palpable.
The ubiquitous Rachel McAdams provides the romantic interest but lets face it we really only watched this for Jude Law ... No?? Haters!!!
Can I actually say that Ritchie is the UK's Tarrantino equivalent? Except for maybe the fact that the latter has a better grasp on European cinema in all its forms. But Ritchie can be fun when he's not too bloated with his own laddish self importance. A boast down at your very own pub does not quite translate onto screen no matter what your cub-by mates say.
Thankfully this is for the most part an enjoyable celluloid experience. The look is expensive, the set pieces well choreagraphed and the pace is for the most part competently edited.
Robert Downey Jr is his usual excellent self, but this is not a revelatory performance by any means. But the camaraderie between him and an unusually restrained Jude Law is palpable.
The ubiquitous Rachel McAdams provides the romantic interest but lets face it we really only watched this for Jude Law ... No?? Haters!!!
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Basterds (sic) one and "tulip sniffing canal foraging hemp loving" all!!!!
Ok ... I think someone's taken one fucked up hit ... and he's smiling as he kicks your arse out of the door ... wishing you a nice weekend whilst he contemplates shoring up his coffers at the expense of families who face an uncertain future ahead of them .... there was a reason we hated dealing with that particular p ... they're all tarred with the same brush ...
So what balm to soothe these raw and festering wounds? .. well a day at the movies of course ... well a lovely lunch and then a movie.
Now I hate to say this but I do have to give props to Tarrantino ... he is in many ways a consummate film maker .. he appeals to movie maker and buff alike ... but more importantly he gets the BOS (bums on seats). Even though everytime I see him in pics or on the telly I want to punch him out ... you have to give the man his dues ... putting aside his foray into grindcore (which, I have to say, seen in the right contextual frame of mind, actually works), all is forgiven with his latest and I think his greatest ... Inglourious Basterds.
Believe it or not, this is a restrained affair compared to QT's previous efforts. No one does violence like QT, but what sets him apart from other run of the mill purveyors of "cool" cinema is his handle on tension ... and if tension is what you crave in a movie then the opening scenes at Monsieur LaPadite's farm are a tour de force ... and it does not let up till the final scene with Apache Raine and Col.Landa.
The acting is of course top notch but the women in this movie are luminescent!!! Paricularly Melanie Laurent as the avenging jewish angel Shosanna:
And Diane Kruger as double agent German Actress Bridget vin Hammersmark ... german has never sounded so mellifluous and sweet:
I'm sure there are oscar nods for this film already but it would be poor form if Christoph Waltz does not get a look in ... you'll understand why when you see the movie ... nuff said ... if you haven't seen it, go go go ... and if you are in the vicinity, nothing beats watching a movie at the Sun Theatre in Yarraville:
Its almost like being in gold class ... the comfy leather couches and the fact that the candy counter is licensed and you can bring your beverages in ...
It was a lovely afternoon and exactly what the doctor ordered ... monday will be interesting nonetheless!! Again, think happy thoughts for me peops!! (oh and for TN who is a kind reader and soon to be my partner in the unemployment line ... haha!).
And here's another pic of Denis Menochet (Msr LaPadite) ... erm why ... just because!!!
(PS - I did have the actual trailer on here but the gods of DMCA were not happy and Temasek has been served!! - Anyhoo, I'm sure you can find it on other tubing sites if you so desire)
Friday, 7 August 2009
Vale John Hughes
Ok ... if you were a child of the 80s ... and I mean a real child of the 80s ... then you would have seen/heard of/listened to a song from/copied an outfit off or wished you could get your hands on an outfit off one of John Hughes' movies ... you would have lusted after the first real celebreity fanta pants Molly Ringwald (if you were slightly off kliter),
or lusted after Andrew MacCarthy (at least until you see him in a love scene with Ally Sheedy - they're spooning and you can't tell whose arm is whose - WRONG!!) You'd even have a 20 sec moment of indiscretion with Judd Nelson, (maybe its the floppy hair .. who knows - I wasn't really an Emilio Estevez fan and Anthony Michael Who ... c'mon!)
... and Ducky!! OMG he was the nerd but girlfriend was always dressed mighty fine!!
Thank you John Hughes for shaping my teenage intellect and giving visual vent to all the angst and desires of this particularly lonely schoolboy wrapped up in his books, magazines and records, completely terrified of the world outside his shared bedroom walls.
10 Aug
or lusted after Andrew MacCarthy (at least until you see him in a love scene with Ally Sheedy - they're spooning and you can't tell whose arm is whose - WRONG!!) You'd even have a 20 sec moment of indiscretion with Judd Nelson, (maybe its the floppy hair .. who knows - I wasn't really an Emilio Estevez fan and Anthony Michael Who ... c'mon!)
... and Ducky!! OMG he was the nerd but girlfriend was always dressed mighty fine!!
Thank you John Hughes for shaping my teenage intellect and giving visual vent to all the angst and desires of this particularly lonely schoolboy wrapped up in his books, magazines and records, completely terrified of the world outside his shared bedroom walls.
MUST SEE:
(i) Breakfast Club
(ii) Pretty in Pink
(iii) Sixteen Candles
Have yourself an 80s video weekend ... go on ... in honour of this influential director. (oh and I've not mentioned Ferris Bueller's Day Off ... I don't need to, do I? I mean you have seen it ... wait a minute ... what you haven't?? Seriously? And why the fuck not .. rectify this sitch ASAP!!!)
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Comments:
dan cope wrote:
Kt little and i watched so many john hughes films we actually thought Judd Nelson was one of the gang. Oh the hair, the attitude.. loved it.. What ever happened to mr hughes?
Monday, 27 July 2009
Is Anime so last season??
Ok is anime really so last season? I was caught perusing the anime aisle at the local stereoreo emporium and was asked whether I was into anime in an incredulous tone ... and I belive there was even a postcript of a snigger ... hypercritical poncy bitch, I swear!!
But whatevs haters, thanks to my local asian keeling on a customs knife edge of a dvd store, I scored:
(i) the last Miyazaki, which I have mentioned previously. It is cutenss overload but in such a brilliant way ... and it certainly encapsulates a particular child hood fantasy of mine of having my house and its surrounds covered in water ...
(ii) latest Studio IG offering "The Skycrawlers" - as expected the animation is top notch, the situations at once normal and at once inscrutable ... initial premise is promising, but some may find too much dialogue and "atmos" not enuff action ... I am preparing myself to be dissappointed.
(iii) a HK/China offering from 2008 - Storm Riders Clash of the Evils - this is really all over the place ... it kinda just starts and then forges ahead on some kind of steroid speedball ... I'm having touble keeping up ... and I'm starting to not really care ... still it could be your cuppa.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Mit Bruno ins Gold Klasse - Alles Klar??
Ok ... so really apart from IMAX, the only other way to go is to see a movie at Gold Class.
... the plush seats, your own hostess with the mostest ... press buttons for personalised service ... I mean really ... this is what flying 1st class must be like!! Oh to be of the monied class!!
Anyhoo, I'd already been to a screening of Bruno with M's band ... a whole bunch of sniping queens taking up the last 4 rows at the Nova ... interesting to compare the laugh points between that audience and the one from work ... some of the, lets say, more "experienced" amongst us were actually laughing the hardest ... although A had to leave the theatre for a bit when Bruno was being slapped around by the MISF (or Mother I'd be Scared to Fuck) at the Swingers party he crashes.
I found the baby celeb parents the hardest to stomach ... the lengths they were prepare to allow their babehs to go to just to get the gig ... unbelievable ... lipo-suction? Science Experiments? Crucifixion? Nice one America!! Oh and those PR twins and dafur ... are youse for real?
After the movie it was off to Fiesta's for mexican food and rounds of tequila shots and roided up margaritas .. I realise I work with crazy people ... y'all crazee betches!!
I will be kind and not post any incriminating pics ... also I think its a matter of time before someone finds out and Yes!! All fingers will then be pointing at you TN!! So here's a blurred shot of yours truly with peg on head ... and the inspiration for this madness!!
Post-script: - had a great time at D's birthday freezing me tits off in the beer garden at Wesley Anne on a particularly icy wintry Melbourne nite. Top marks babe!! AND I finally got to meet DB, and all I can say is I can see why!!! Oh and I hate being put on the spot, and I was!
Post-post-script: - seeing the Michael Nyman band on Tuesday night and got my tix for Chicago, so when you're good to mamma ...
Monday, 18 May 2009
Proud to be an Australian?
Ok ... this movie has been hyped to the max ... and has the critics' artsy g-strings in knots ... and a 5 star rating from the inimitable David and Margaret ... now we all remember Russian Ark ... so as I have said before .. pinch of salt, pinch of salt!
HOWEVER ... Everyone should see this movie ... Everyone!!! You want to talk about indigenous rights ... or you have a strong opinion of what needs to be done ... watch this movie first ... and then lets talk!! Samson and Delilah!
HOWEVER ... Everyone should see this movie ... Everyone!!! You want to talk about indigenous rights ... or you have a strong opinion of what needs to be done ... watch this movie first ... and then lets talk!! Samson and Delilah!
Wednesday, 13 May 2009
Locked In
Ok ... I've recently watched the Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
I hate to admit it but I had weepy eyes!! This locked in syndrome thing sounds trully horrific, and I'm not sure I would have had the strength to cope, which makes this true story so wonderfully inspiring even while it is depressingly sad.
Jean-Dominique Bauby (or Jean-Do to his mates) was the editor of Elle magazine Paris. So he had the life!! And it was all taken away in a matter of seconds, what presented as a stroke turned out to be a rare condition called Locked in Syndrome. Effectively, Jean-Do was paralysed from head to toe. The only movement he had was in his eyelids. Hence the reference to a Diving Bell, which is what he likened his condition to. They had to sew one of his eyelids up as the lubricatry ducts were simply not functioning. Amazingly with the help of a therapist, they developed a means of communication, so Jean-Do winked a special alphabet, that resulted in his autobiography, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Julian Schnabel helmed this beautiful project with such finesse, grace and diginity, so many inspiring moments, like the icebergs melting, and Jean-Do talking to his father played with incredible authenticity by Max von Sydow whilst giving him a shave, his ex wife having to translate a conversation between the bedridden Jean-Do and the woman who came between them ... too good!!
I believe that Jean-Do endured this for only another 2-3 years before passing ... but what he left behind will resonate with us humans for a long time to come ... this is a story about the human spirit ... its not always pretty ... but it can be indomitable!
I hate to admit it but I had weepy eyes!! This locked in syndrome thing sounds trully horrific, and I'm not sure I would have had the strength to cope, which makes this true story so wonderfully inspiring even while it is depressingly sad.
Jean-Dominique Bauby (or Jean-Do to his mates) was the editor of Elle magazine Paris. So he had the life!! And it was all taken away in a matter of seconds, what presented as a stroke turned out to be a rare condition called Locked in Syndrome. Effectively, Jean-Do was paralysed from head to toe. The only movement he had was in his eyelids. Hence the reference to a Diving Bell, which is what he likened his condition to. They had to sew one of his eyelids up as the lubricatry ducts were simply not functioning. Amazingly with the help of a therapist, they developed a means of communication, so Jean-Do winked a special alphabet, that resulted in his autobiography, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Julian Schnabel helmed this beautiful project with such finesse, grace and diginity, so many inspiring moments, like the icebergs melting, and Jean-Do talking to his father played with incredible authenticity by Max von Sydow whilst giving him a shave, his ex wife having to translate a conversation between the bedridden Jean-Do and the woman who came between them ... too good!!
I believe that Jean-Do endured this for only another 2-3 years before passing ... but what he left behind will resonate with us humans for a long time to come ... this is a story about the human spirit ... its not always pretty ... but it can be indomitable!
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Monster Mash!
Ok ... let me just perpetuate the hype ... but it is Spike Jonz!! So its gotta be good ... right??
Now if we can only get Chris Cunningham to dip his toes in the feature film world ... I'm sure I heard that he was working on a horror movie ... what ever happened to that?
Where the Wild things are ... Trailer
Now if we can only get Chris Cunningham to dip his toes in the feature film world ... I'm sure I heard that he was working on a horror movie ... what ever happened to that?
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Hopeless Emptiness
Ok ... the kitchen sink drama par excellence!!
I've just seen "Revolutionary Road"
I'm seeing D and CC tomorrow night and I'm hoping they've both seen it as I'm dying to chat to someone about it. Needless to say M fell asleep, but I don't think he could cope with it. Its pretty tough going and touched waaayy too many chords I'm afraid. Thank god this was bolstered by a pretty good saturday as saturdays go, and a slap bang meal ... or I don't think I could have coped either.
There's an element of melo-drama in this, but somehow you accept it on the basis of its historical context, it being the 50s and all .. similar sort of sitch with Mad Men ... but thats early 60s .. still. However, I sometimes think alot of the repression is imagined. I certainly have no first hand experience of the 50s, but I have had first hand experience of repression ... and you know what ... you cope!! You find ways around it. You get out there and express!! Because if you let it all get on top of you ... you may never ever leave your home!!
(ok ... I'm kinda of working my way through this ... so I'm just typing as I think .. bear with me)
On the flip side, I also saw Slumdog Millionaire.
You've read the hype and probably know more about this movie despite not having seen it then movies that you have actually watched. It does deserve most of the accolades. Everyone loves a good rags to riches story ... and I think it achieves what it set out to do ... a bollywood movie, but one that does not shirk from displaying the abject poverty that the vast majority of indians live in ... I know people like to say its a feel good movie, but this is the uncomfortable part for me ... because really, these conditions are just not right ... not when there's also so much money floating round ... shouldn't we be jumping up and down and being angry and galvanised!!! Shouldn't my heart be breaking a little ... instead of rolling eyes at another bollywood routine .. I mean did we really need it?? Is this meant to soften the blow?? Are we meant to go away with the notion that really things aren't so bad after all?
Is it the movie ... or is it me?
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
you never know what's comin for you
Ok ... so we just spent the better part of the afternoon watching an old man regress into a child in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:
As with all short stories, and indeed the short story form, structure is the sword of damocles that hangs tenuously over the plot ... given the temporal nature of the story, we know what the inevitable end is and are in some ways already prepared for this as an audience from the minute we walk into the darkened theatre and the opening frames flicker onto the screen ...
What happens in between is the art of both screenwriter and director ...
Since Fight Club burst so frenetically onto our screens, I have always been prepared to give David Finch a soupcon of my time and intellectual energy ... until now.
This is technically an amazing and beautiful film ... make up artists and CGI experts deserve all the accolades in the book as the final look of the film was never intrusive or a distraction ... the acting is solid and New Orleans is a beautiful city ... or should I say was(?) ...
But, and I am sure you will hear this time and time again, the film is really too long!! And the arc, is not so much a cyclonic wave, but a gentle rise on an otherwise calm ocean ... yes we live and love and have moments of regret, passion, joy and hardship ... but these are universal truths and would be the same regardless of whether we age forwards naturally, or as this film seems to posit, age backwards freakishly.
And this is the problem I have with this story ... what exactly has turning the conventions of time achieved? How has it made me see anything in a different light?
I need my friend D to watch this and for us to sit down and discuss it over a glass of wine ... perhaps that would afford me some clarity ...
So if you have a spare 2 and a whole bit hours, have a look ... you may find it worth your time. But I think I would like to have my afternoon back ...
As with all short stories, and indeed the short story form, structure is the sword of damocles that hangs tenuously over the plot ... given the temporal nature of the story, we know what the inevitable end is and are in some ways already prepared for this as an audience from the minute we walk into the darkened theatre and the opening frames flicker onto the screen ...
What happens in between is the art of both screenwriter and director ...
Since Fight Club burst so frenetically onto our screens, I have always been prepared to give David Finch a soupcon of my time and intellectual energy ... until now.
This is technically an amazing and beautiful film ... make up artists and CGI experts deserve all the accolades in the book as the final look of the film was never intrusive or a distraction ... the acting is solid and New Orleans is a beautiful city ... or should I say was(?) ...
But, and I am sure you will hear this time and time again, the film is really too long!! And the arc, is not so much a cyclonic wave, but a gentle rise on an otherwise calm ocean ... yes we live and love and have moments of regret, passion, joy and hardship ... but these are universal truths and would be the same regardless of whether we age forwards naturally, or as this film seems to posit, age backwards freakishly.
And this is the problem I have with this story ... what exactly has turning the conventions of time achieved? How has it made me see anything in a different light?
I need my friend D to watch this and for us to sit down and discuss it over a glass of wine ... perhaps that would afford me some clarity ...
So if you have a spare 2 and a whole bit hours, have a look ... you may find it worth your time. But I think I would like to have my afternoon back ...
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Report back to me when it makes sense
Ok .. so we and the H's went to see the latest cohen offering "Burn after reading" at the Nova. Whilst not overwhelmingly fantastic, the film had its moments ... some classic lines ... great performances ... twists and turns ... ultra violence (of course) ... but really how adorable is Brad Pitt in this!!! (and I'm no brad pitt starluster thats for sure)
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Crikey Moses!!
Ok ... so the folly that is Luhrman's Austalia has finally been previewed.
The Age says "meh"!
The Herald Sun says "You beauty!!"
Who would you trust?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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Comments:
Temasek wrote:
Ok .. david and margaret it is!!!
I am already over this movie and it hasn't even hit its general release schedule!!!
18 Nov
Claire wrote:
Tough call... I'll wait for a third opinion. I don't care for the Herald Sum, but I can't f***ing STAND Jimbo Schembri!!!!
18 Nov
The Age says "meh"!
The Herald Sun says "You beauty!!"
Who would you trust?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Comments:
Temasek wrote:
Ok .. david and margaret it is!!!
I am already over this movie and it hasn't even hit its general release schedule!!!
18 Nov
Claire wrote:
Tough call... I'll wait for a third opinion. I don't care for the Herald Sum, but I can't f***ing STAND Jimbo Schembri!!!!
18 Nov
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