Re: Sales are evil!

I did it again. It seems that I am physically incapable of not buying things at sales.
Especially if I have been wanting them for a long time.
And they are extremely cheap.
And have lots of special features.
And some even have double discs.
Sigh.

Oh well, now I just won't be allowed to buy any more books or DVDs for a long time.

(The last Harry Potter book is of course excused from this rule)

Tristan & Isolde

I don't really understand why, but I just didn't enjoy Tristan & Isolde as much as I hoped I would. I wanted to like it, I really did. It had all the right elements - an epic story, a beautiful medieval setting, sword fights and a director that has a flair for costume dramas (The Count of Monte Cristo), but by the end I just felt a bit, well, apathetic I suppose. It's like I just didn't really care what happened to most of the characters.

The one notable exception was Rufus Sewell's Lord Marke. I'm so used to him playing the stereotypical villain, that the sympathetic nature of his character as well as his tender yet powerful portrayal here was a pleasant surprise.

I didn't really know much about the story going in, except that it is compared to Romeo & Juliet and is also a Wagner opera, and thus would probably have a suitably tragic ending. This version deviates somewhat from the original, but that is to be expected, since there is so many versions of the legend already. It goes for a more 'historical' approach, similar to 'King Arthur', and dispenses with all the magical/mystical elements.

Perhaps the problem was the lead actor, James Franco. I actually noticed his accent faltering at stages (usually I'm too engrossed in the story to notice things like that on a first viewing) and even though he looked the part, he just didn't have enough screen presence or charisma to carry a big film like this. He was just too stoic. I think in the end, Melot's death had a bigger impact on me than Tristan's. That can't be right, can it?
However, I did enjoy Thomas Sangster as the young Tristan.

Another thing that bothered me was the music. It wasn't necessarily bad, it was just completely unmemorable. I honestly can't even remember there being any music, other than in the dancing scenes. I know that a lack of music can be very powerful, the shining examples being 'Before Sunset' and the Buffy episode 'The Body', but epics like this needs a powerful score. In some movies the music plays as important a part as any of the actors, leaving the main theme spinning in your head for hours after the end credits have rolled. Here that grandness is just missing, taking with it a lot of the emotion.

One thing that really bothered me was the fact there is no known antidote to pufferfish poison, tetrodotoxin. It does cause paralysis and hypotension (low blood pressure), so a victim could appear dead, but this is also usually followed by respiratory failure, so it is unlikely that they would survive in that state for very long. I'm also not too sure how a medieval Irish warrior would have obtained such a poison.

Another thing is that the early medieval timeframe for the movie makes it impossible for Isolde to be able to read John Donne's "The Good Morrow," since it is a work of the 17th century.

I'm sure the movie might not be as bad as this review is making it seem. My hopes for a film to equal the likes of Gladiator and Braveheart was just misplaced, and because of that the problems in the production just bothered me more than usual. Oh, well.

So long, Serenity

It's official.

At the last minute the distributors of Serenity decided not to release it in South Africa at all! Both Nu Metro and Ster Kinekor confirmed it.

After the huge marketing campaigns they launched everywhere else, they not only don't bother to do any marketing here, but they also decide we're not allowed to see it on the big screen.

Excuse me as I go and fume in the corner...

New Lifeforms

This 3D animation is absolutely amazing!

“Sixes Last” was created by 1st Ave Machine as a music video for the artist Alias.

"It is about how artificiality is creeping into the modern day world. We were looking at a merge between synthetic biology, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and what could spawn from them."

The style is great and I'm really impressed with their ability to motion track with the moving camera, so that technology and nature blend together seamlessly.

Some of the creatures even reminded me of the plant life in 'The Dark Crystal'!

Serenity is coming!

After ages of looking for and not finding any information on when Serenity in coming to South Africa, the nice people at Nu Metro were kind enough to let me know that it is due for release on 18 November!

I still have a bit of waiting to do, but I'm just so excited!

(Just in case you don't know, Serenity is based on the Joss Whedon TV series, Firefly.)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable film. It is the most remarkable, certainly the most successful (albeit the only) film ever to come out of the great production company that was DNA. It has been in "development hell" for more than two decades and was finally green lit shortly after Douglas Adams' untimely death.

Of course, all the lines I had hoped for wasn't in there. That would be impossible and probably not that much fun to watch anyway. There is some new material too, but after all, each incarnation is expected to blatantly contradict it's predecessor. The main thing is that it is still Douglas Adams' script, and it shows.

This is definitely a film for fans and it's not extremely newbie friendly, but since I am a huge fan this did not bother me one bit and even gave me a little bit of smug satisfaction at 'getting' it.

Martin Freeman is an inspired choice as the face of a slightly bewildered Arthur Dent, but that was obvious from the start. I was a bit concerned when I heard Mos Def was playing Ford, but now I'm convinced. He was great! And Alan Rickman providing his nasal drones to Marvin the Paranoid Android worked to near perfection.

I loved the jumpy earth to space pullback which unveils the immensity of the planet-trashing Vogon fleet hanging there exactly like bricks don't. And then the earth disappeared with a 'Whomp'

There is an Apple logo on the side of Deep Thought.
The Heart of Gold looks like a webcam.
Douglas Adams' nose is used as decoration in Humma Kavula's office.
Those poor jeweled crabs!

I know there is a lot of bad or luke warm reviews of this movie, but I loved it. Yes it has a slow pace and some of it is highly indulgent - but it's almost impossible not to get caught up in the infectious madness that shimmies across the screen.

And 'Don't Panic' will undoubtedly be written in large friendly letters on the cover of my DVD set when I get it.

Women's Day

Yesterday was just a really great day.

I was awoken by the the sun creeping lazily over my bed - no horrible renditions of 'Sugarplum Fairy' to scare me into consciousness. Then after a nice languid cup of tea and a few pages of Waifs and Strays, it was off to Brooklyn to take advantage of half price Tuesday at Ster Kinekor.

We ended up watching first Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (A lot of fun) and then The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Even better). Inbetween we went to the new Chocolaterie (yes, almost like the one in Chocolat) to have huge mugs of the most devine hot chocolate I have ever tasted (basically hot milk with what tasted like hazelnut truffles melted in it). After all, what else are you supposed to drink after watching so much melted chocolate on screen?

This was followed by cocktails at Java Café with some friends, that turned into hashbrowns and java coffe (filter coffee with condensed milk), that turned into caramel cheesecake ... yum.

That night we even had a rainstorm - which means that spring is probably on it's way!

And like the ad said 'Absence of a National Men's Day - Priceless!'

Grocery Star Wars

Watch the movie here

In the spirit of my previous post, and because of all the Star Wars craziness at work lately, I just had to post this.

It features Obi Wan Cannoli, Ham Solo, Lord Tader and my favourite, Chewbroccoli.

May the farm be with you.

Episode III

I work for such a cool company.

My boss took all of us out to see the first show of Revenge of the Sith this morning.

And he bought us each an actionfigure that is now proudly displayed on top of our monitors. Obi Wan kept toppling off at unexpected and inoppurtune moments, causing minor heart attacks around the office.

I might be a geek, but I'm lovin' it!

The Village

I myself am highly allergic to spoilers. I thought this movie was brilliant and of course I want to rave about a few things, but since M Night Shyamalan's trademark usually is the twisty ending, I would not want to ruin for anybody that which I have so enjoyed. So go and treat yourself to a great cinematic experience before you read the following...


One of this movie's biggest flaws is probably the marketing. The trailers and posters create the expectation of a terror filled thrillride. Instead this is a movie about terror. And emotion. I am just really glad that I didn't go to see this movie with too many preconceived expectations.

The thing that struck me most about this movie was its use of colour. From the start the slightly washed out colours create the perfect atmosphere for this idyllic rural community. This image is strengthened by the costumes and Like one of those old sepia photographs, there is a warmth to the imagery. But everything is completely devoid of red.
Red is the Bad colour. It attracts them. So the brightness of the flashes of red does seem alien and out of place like they should.

A lot of people are complaining that they figured out what twist was coming early on.But there are more than one, and even though I did figure out some of the hints just before the actual revelation, it was still satisfying. And that is one of the things I like - the subtle hints all through the movie that makes a repeat viewing a must. Small things like Noah's ramblings and giggles (Adrian Brody really is an amazing actor), or the conversation about the supposed 'coyote' take on a much greater meaning when seen in the full context. One of the quotes that sums it up best appears in the very beginning of the movie.

Edward Walker : [part of a table grace] We are grateful for the time we have been given.

And I really enjoyed the director's reflective cameo at the end.

But my biggest shock came from the knife scene. Lucius is explaining his engagement to the 'innocent' Noah, talking about there being different kinds of love. Then the camera slowly pans down to reveal the knife in his gut...

Before Sunset

This movie has no musical score. I watched an entire movie, without realizing there wasn't any emotionally manipulative music in the background. Don't get me wrong, I'm a complete sucker for movie soundtracks, but I was so enthralled by the characters that I had to read a review on IMDB before I noticed it.

I saw Before Sunrise for the first time 6 years ago, and like them, I can't remember every detail of what happened on that day. Like them, I'm older now, perhaps a bit more cynical. But I still remember the feeling it evoked in me...

In this movie there are no drama, no action, no special effects, not even much of a plot. Nothing superfluous. It is just one long conversation between two people who had made a connection 9 years before, and are still feeling the effects of that one night. These two people open up to each other unequivocally and talk about life, love, and desire. Their dialogue is intelligent and thought provoking. You feel like you're part a conversation, not listening to actors recite their lines on screen.

And there is no resolution at the end. At least nothing more specific than Nina Simone in the background.