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SPICYWATCH

Finding A Hidden Gem

30/1/2019

3 Comments

 
I love going to the movies or sitting down to watch a film and finding a hidden gem. Sometimes I get the most delightfully unexpected surprise from a movie that I wasn't expecting it from, and I just love it when that happens, it really spins my tyres! And it really doesn't happen as often as I would like, a lot of the time when I leave a cinema or get off the couch after a movie I am left with a rather underwhelmed kind of a feeling or even worse, I start to contemplate the hours that I just wasted and will never get back again!
Life is way too short to waste reading bad books, watching poor movies and wasting your precious and valuable free time having mediocre experiences. Especially cinematic ones, after all that's why you have me! I've already found heaps of hidden gems for you, so you can just relax and enjoy the movies that I consider to be the best (and unmissable) hidden gems that you may have accidentally missed or overlooked.
Now, don't feel bad about it, people actually miss a lot of top quality viewing experiences all of the time because smaller and independent movies just get squashed by blockbuster movies, and most people just aren't going to the movies to see small budget or independent films. They also aren't going to the cinema half as much as I am either I would imagine, so it's more than likely that you've missed some of these rippers along the way, not through any fault of your own, but just from a lack of exposure; but never fear....I've got your back!
In no particular order (and remember that my full reviews of these films are on their genre lists if you want more information), here are my top 20 picks for hidden gem movies that you may have missed: 
  1. The One I Love (Romance) 
  2. Don Jon (Drama)
  3. The Cabin in the Woods (Horror)
  4. The Only Lovers Left Alive (Art House)
  5. Short Term 12 (Drama)
  6. A Ghost Story (Art House)
  7. Wind River (Drama)
  8. Once (Foreign/Romance)
  9. Calvary (Art House/Foreign)
  10. Moon (sci-fi)
  11. Ingrid Goes West (Drama)
  12. Son of Rambow (Comedy)
  13. Sightseers (Foreign) 
  14. In the Mood for Love (Foreign)
  15. Young Adult (Drama)
  16. Beautiful Boy (Drama)
  17. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Drama)
  18. Youth (Drama)
  19. The Fall (Fantasy)
  20. The Grand Seduction (Comedy)
I have only been back at work for two days and I have already found my number one hidden gem movie of the year! How good is that? And when you are as movie obsessed as I am and constantly thirsting for quality entertainment, then that is something to get happy about!
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GREEN BOOK
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 130 mins

Green Book is my favourite feel good movie of the year! Directed by Peter Farrelly and based on the interviews that Nick Vallelonga had with his father and Don Shirley (as well as the letters that his father wrote to his mother from the road); this inspiring, touching, funny and at times deeply confronting tale is such a joyful watch. 
Don Shirley is a sophisticated African-American classical pianist in need of a driver with some muscle to take him on tour across the deep south of America in the 1960's. Don ends up hiring Tony 'Lip' Vallelonga for the job, a fast talking Italian-American bouncer that proves to be so much more than Don had bargained for when he hired him.
Named after The Negro Motorist Green Book, which was an actual mid-20th century guidebook for African-American travellers that was written by Victor Hugo Green to assist them in finding hotels and restaurants that would accept them, Green Book is rife with political and social injustice. However, underneath all of the ugliness there is a wonderful tale about friendship, acceptance and courage. 
Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali make the perfect odd couple as Tony and Don, delivering equal amounts of humour and heartfelt sincerity to their intriguing and evolving characters, and the real life story being delivered here is certainly one worth hearing. 
FINAL SAY: The world's full of lonely people afraid to make the first move. 
4 Chilli Peppers

3 Comments

Wringing Out the Final Hours

27/1/2019

2 Comments

 
It has been a hectic week since we returned from New Zealand and my final days of holiday bliss have just melted away in a busy flurry of activity. It has been a real mixed bag of emotions and experiences as well. I have laughed until I thought my chest would burst open from the hilarity, and on the other side of the coin I have wept tears of sadness at a funeral that I attended. Nothing like cramming as much as you can into the final days of a Summer break to really feel like you've milked every drop of time out of it all. 
I plunged into darkness in Melbourne at Dialogue in the Dark, a virtual blind experience that needs to be experienced to be truly understood. I indulged in a delicious Korean BBQ with my nephew and his family in Footscray and I also enjoyed a casual afternoon tea with my work colleagues on a lazy Sunday afternoon. On top of that I have organised Seth's return to school crap, which consists of uniform and book shopping; replenished our diminished food supplies at home, caught up on my TV series viewing, finished off two books and listened to the Triple J Hottest 100 for 2018. 
And now I have only one day left, a free day to get my headspace ready for the 2019 school year ahead. However, before I even think about work tomorrow I will probably spend my last free morning tucked up in bed with a new novel and a pot of good tea. My midday in downward facing dog enjoying my last long yoga and meditation session and my early afternoon in sweet oblivion on the couch watching something binge worthy on Netflix.
It's true that everything is going to begin all over again, but I am going to wringe as much me time out of my final hours of holiday time as I can. I am going to be out of reach for the next 24 hours so don't come looking for me, I'll be in the Land of the Lost! 
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LAND OF THE LOST 
Release Date: 2009
Rating: PG
Running Time: 102 mins 
A comical science fiction movie loosely based on the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series of the same name, Land of the Lost was slammed by critics and was even nominated for seven Golden Raspberry awards. But I really liked this movie, it was so silly that it didn't demand to be taken seriously, which I think a lot of people missed completely. 
A space time vortex, located at a run down theme park sucks scientist Rick Marshall, his assistant Holly and a redneck survivalist into an alternate world full of prehistoric creatures and aliens called Sleestaks. There only assistance comes in the form of a 'missing link' primate called Chaka, who assists them in survival until they can figure out a way to get home. 
This is intensely stupid cinema, and your mood will depend greatly on whether or not you get anything out of it. Will Ferrell and Danny McBride are always a bit hit and miss for me, but I think that this is one of the better comedies that they have done together. 
With a PG rating, at least you can watch it with the kids and they will definitely get a laugh out of it. 
FINAL SAY: Why do you have to be such an asshole Chaka?
3.5 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Kiwi Adventures

23/1/2019

4 Comments

 
Freshly back in Australia from our adventures in New Zealand, and what adventures we all had! I can honestly say that our family trip to New Zealand was one of the best trips that I have ever had overseas and now I am already keen to return and check out the New Zealand South Island as well.
The Gods truly blessed our trip and we had terrific and mostly mild weather for the entire duration, all of our Airbnb accommodations were even better than we had anticipated them to be and we managed to fit in everything that we had planned to do (and then some) without a hitch or a glitch along the way. And trust me when I say that we did plenty whilst we were there.
We only spent one night in Auckland before hitting the road for the Waitomo Caves to do the 'Black Labyrinth' glow-worm cave tour. This tour required us to don a wetsuit and caving gear, carry a flotation tube into the depths of the earth and then navigate ourselves through the uneven and dark terrain to see the glow worms that line the roof and walls of the caves. No-one told me that this tour would require me to leap backwards off waterfalls into water of an unknown depth in the dark whilst we were in the caves, if they had've I probably would've chickened out and then missed out on what turned out to be three of the funnest and most exhilarating hours of our entire trip.
For all of the initial fear, there was a tonne of fun to be had in those caves, and our guides were really helpful and knowledgeable and certainly  alleviated all of our concerns very quickly. The glow-worms are really dazzling and floating about in the dark water surrounded by their intense blue light is a pretty magical  and once in a lifetime experience.
We spent the next few days indulging in all of the exciting opportunities that Rotorua and the surrounding areas had to offer us. Which included a tour of Hobbiton (which made us all gung-ho to re-watch the trilogy again), a ride on a skyline gondola, some downhill luging, ziplining through the forests, kayaking on Lake Rotorua, zorbing (not for me thanks!), a Maori interactive experience and hangi (cooked in coals under the earth) dinner, a trip to see the thermal geysers and hot pools, a visit to a wildlife park to see a kiwi up close and personal (turns out that they are nocturnal birds, which I did not realise until I went to see one) and we also celebrated Seth's 14th birthday as well!
For the five days that we spent in Rotorua we stayed on the lake in a home owned by a movie lover like myself, which meant unlimited access to thousands of DVD's and also included a hot-tub, a daily visit from the resident swans and around an acre of immaculately landscaped gardens to explore, tough going I know, but someone had to do it!
From Rotorua we headed to the largest lake in New Zealand, Lake Taupo. Lake Taupo is large enough to fit Singapore inside of it! No shit, it's really that big! We went out on a yacht to take a look because there are some incredible Maori carvings out there that can only be reached by boat, and even though we sailed on the lake for the entire morning, we only saw around 6% of it. It has it's own horizon for goodness sake, it is absolutely massive! We had a lovely couple of days chilling out and enjoying our final days of lake life at Taupo. 
From there we headed down to our final destination of the trip, Wellington. The home of the vampires from What We Do in the Shadows and the city that Wellington Paranormal (one of my personally favourite TV shows) is based on. We stayed on the edge of the North Island in a flashy modern beach house that shares its neighbourhood with Peter Jackson. We kept our eyes open for any sign of him, but sadly he wasn't anywhere to be seen.
However, we did get to see a seal which was lazily sunning itself and hopping into the sea for a cool down swim off the rocks just across the road from our accommodation, which absolutely chuffed me! I haven't observed a large wild animal (without a handler) doing whatever it likes that close up before, usually you have to pay for those kinds of experiences, it was a real treat. There were also penguin nesting boxes there as well, but I think that the seal may have scared them away, so we didn't get to see them in action, but apparently they do cross the road regularly in that area because our Airbnb host told us to watch out for them. 
The coastline provided us with plenty of opportunities to collect abalone shells (paua shells), observe starfish and native sea life in the rock pools and also swim and snorkel. Our (I say our, but really it was mine) main priority whilst we were in Wellington was to visit the Weta Caves, which is a treasure trove of movie memorabilia and special effects information for movie geeks like me. I got a some great shots with the cave trolls from The Hobbit whilst I was there. And then in Wellington central we rode the city Cable Car to the peak of the city and strolled the botanical gardens taking in the incredible views and local flora. 
Fair to say that we were kept pretty busy, but it was a joyful level of busy. There was still ample time for sleeping in, eating out, shopping, meandering, meditating, late night movies and generally lollygagging in an awe-struck fashion at the incredible mountainous and green landscapes that we constantly engaged as we traversed the island. I have some incredible photographs of the amazing and altering terrain, it was so lush and made Australia look even more flat, arid and dry than I remembered it being when we left ten days ago, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't glad to be home again, because we all know that there is no place like home. 
Would I recommend a trip to the New Zealand North Island? Hell yes I would! Our family trip was worth every cent that we spent on it, we all had the best time in New Zealand and now we have a lifetime of memories of our time together to enjoy forever. It has been an unforgettable summer vacation  for us all.
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BOY
Release Date: 2010
Rating: M
Running Time: 87 mins 
Written and directed by Taika Waititi, Boy is a New Zealand coming-of-age comedy-drama, nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, it went on to become the highest grossing New Zealand film of all time at the local box office. With it's quirky style of comedy and darling child actors, Boy is sure to win a place in your heart. 
It's 1984 and eleven year old Boy, who is a devout Michael Jackson fan, is looking forward to the opportunity to get his know his estranged father. However, his father who has the parenting abilities of an unruly teenager, has only returned to searched for a bag of money that he buried on the home property some years ago. 
This film has been cast brilliantly, James Rolleston is perfectly cast as the colourful and imaginative character Boy, and Waititi does a fabulous job of being an irresponsible and pathetic role model for his two adoring sons. As much as I laughed, I cringed, because this is not only funny, but also truly poignant, touching and deeply moving cinema, delivered in a refreshingly new and artistic way. 
FINAL SAY: Wanna see some Michael Jackson dance moves? 
​3.5 Chilli Peppers

4 Comments

Run to Paradise

12/1/2019

2 Comments

 
Tomorrow we leave for New Zealand. As a huge heat wave hits Victoria we are escaping to the cooler and more manageable climates of Auckland, Rotorua and Wellington for the better part of 10 days. This family holiday has been in the making for the last two and a half years and I have excitedly planned and booked this self guided trip around the North Island with a lot of enthusiasm and loving detail. I have tried to encompass all of the things that our family have show an interest in exploring whilst we're in New Zealand, even the things that may be pushing me well outside of my comfort zone like spelunking (caving) and zip lining, which means that without a doubt this is going to be an epic family adventure for all of us. 
I am drawing the line at bungee jumping and zorbing though, happy for the kids to throw themselves off bridges and toss themselves down hills in giant plastic balls, but I am not willing to be involved in that kind of stuff and nonsense. The last thing that I need before I head back to work is a back injury, broken arm or leg or worse; no thank-you! I am going to leave the high impact action to the young and brave of heart, besides I am more than happy to wait out their high octane antics from the comfort of a good day spa with a glass of delicious New Zealand wine in my hand. Have at it kids, I'm happy to find my own fun! 
This trip will be especially significant for Zoe because this trip is her 21st birthday gift - finally coming to fruition! It's one thing to give someone plane tickets and spending money as a gift, it's another thing altogether to finally get on to that flight and have the chance to spend that money overseas. So needless to say, the anticipation is high and the excitement has reached fever pitch.
We are all super excited to be going over to New Zealand as a family for what will probably be the last big overseas holiday that we all have together for quite some time. Zoe has overseas destinations that she wants to explore with her fiance and Craig and I have a few big ticket items to get done out here that will occupy our spending money for a while as well, so it's hard to say when we will have an opportunity as good as this again. In light of that, we are all heading to New Zealand with our sights set on having an absolutely marvellous time.
​So I bid you all a fond farewell as I depart the country for a spell, I will without a doubt have wonderful tales to tell upon my return.
Just like Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, I am going on an adventure! Perhaps my most favourite adventure of all time and I cannot wait!
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THE FAVOURITE
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 121 mins 

An historical period drama/ black comedy directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. After winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 75th Venice International Film Festival where it had it's world premiere, The Favourite has since gone on to receive further critical acclaim, praise and accolades for it's screenplay, cinematography, music, costume design and the stellar performances of the three lead roles portrayed by Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. 
In 1708 whilst Britain is at War with France, Queen Anne (Colman) sits on the throne entertaining eccentric behaviours and struggling with her unpredictable emotions and eating patterns. Sarah Churchill (Weisz) offers the Queen counsel, advise and comfort in many and varied ways, and has always held the Queen's attentions and affections. That is until her impoverish cousin Abigail Hill (Stone) arrives and seeks to gain the Queen's affections and adorations over Sarah. An unspoken and vicious competition commences as the two women vie for the Queen's favour. 
I adore Yorgos Lanthimos as a director, he always brings a fresh and raw perspective to his storytelling and The Favourite may be my favourite of his movies so far. This film looks lush in every way, and the constant excessive indulgences really drive home the dreadfully wasteful and revoltingly spoilt lifestyles of the British Aristocracy of that period perfectly.
The acting is flawless and the three leads have been perfectly cast and the story is delivered in a wickly interesting way. Olivia Colman is looking mighty good for a Best Actress Oscar here, and Weisz and Stone bring a very real threat to the Academy Awards in their terrific support roles as well. This is unmissable stuff, a truly amazing cinematic experience. 
FINAL SAY: As it turns out, I'm capable of much unpleasantness. 
4.5 Chilli Peppers 
​

2 Comments

Age Gap Love

9/1/2019

4 Comments

 
Age gap is something that regularly comes up in random conversation and everyone pretty much has their own opinion around what is an acceptable age gap for a couple and what is not. To be honest, I generally don't give that much of a shit about age gap, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't find some age gap relationships a little over the top and somewhat cringe worthy. 
If you ask google what is an acceptable age gap it comes up with this interesting statement:
The rules state that by dividing your own age by two and then adding seven you can find the socially-acceptable minimum age of anyone you want to date. 
My first wondering about that statement is who actually created this so called 'rule' that they speak of? And their definition of a 'socially acceptable minimum age' is, in itself, an extremely grey area, I mean can people outside of this equation still be accepted into society or will they forever feel the sting of being ostracized for their forbidden passions? And why are they assuming that everyone wants to date someone younger than they are? What are the rules for older partners? 
If this statement is true then I could be dating a 29 year old which may not raise too many eyebrows, and if the same applies in reverse then I could also be dating a 73 year old, which may raise even more eyebrows. So, according to this google formula I can date anyone between 29 and 73 and no-one would be put out or offended, but if I started dating a 28 year old or a 74 year old, well that would just be getting freaky. 
I don't think that there really are any 'rules' around age gap dating, because we all know that love is love and that consenting adults have the right to date anyone that they want to. However, as I said earlier there are some age gap relationships that do make me feel uncomfortable. I don't think that people should be dating anyone that is the same age or younger than their own children, and I also don't think that people should date anyone older than their own biological parents either.
In my case, if I was to date someone around my children's age I would be seeing a 21 year old and if I was to date someone around my parents age then my partner would be in their 80's and I am not comfortable with either of those options. Now I know that everyone has their own personal boundaries around age gap dating, and I am not claiming that my choices are correct, I am simply stating that that is where I draw my line in the sand on age gap romances. 
Hollywood is notorious for putting massive age gaps in movies that no-one ever bats an eye at because they are usually younger women with older men; in fact an older man with a younger lady is generally not considered to be nearly as controversial as an older lady with a younger man is for some reason. Perhaps it is because we are conditioned to seeing more older men with younger women romance dynamics in cinema and as a result of that we have become conditioned to accepting it as normal. 
Here are some prime examples of older men with significantly younger women in romance films that defy the realms of acceptable, and yet no-one seemed too bothered about them at all:
Drew Barrymore and Tom Skerritt in Poison Ivy - 42 year gap
Kevin Spacey and Mena Suvari in American Beauty - 20 year gap
Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn in Love in the Afternoon - 28 year gap
Woody Allen and Mariel Hemingway in Manhattan - 26 year age gap
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in The Rum Diary - 23 year gap
Brad Pitt and Rose Byrne in Troy - 16 year gap
Gabriel Byrne and Winona Ryder in Little Women - 21 year gap
Richard Gere and Hilary Swank in Amelia - 25 year gap
Timothy Hutton and Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls - 21 year gap
Tom Cruise and Olga Kurylenko in Oblivion - 17 year gap
Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde in Third Person - 32 year gap
Denzel Washington and Lymari Nadal in American Gangster - 23 year gap
Hugh Laurie and Leighton Meester in The Oranges - 27 year gap
However, to be fair, Hollywood doesn't always get it wrong when it comes to age gap movies and there have been some truly tasteful and empowering age gap movies that are not only plausible but also liberating in terms of love and what both platonic and romantic love can look like. Some of my personal favourite recommendations are:
  • Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool - Jamie Bell and Annette Benning - 28 year gap
  • The Reader - Kate Winslet and David Kross - 21 year age gap
  • Harold and Maude - Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort - 52 year gap
  • Leon the Professional - Jean Reno and Natalie Portman - 33 year age gap
  • Lost in Translation - Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray - 34 year gap
  • The Graduate - Anne Bancroft and Dustin Hoffman- 10 year gap
  • Seeking a Friend for the End of the World -Steve Carell and Keira Knightley - 22 year gap
At the end of the day, everyone knows that age is really just a number and that it can never define what is acceptable in terms of real love and meaningful relationships. I suppose that it is important to not get hung up on the actual age gap in a relationship but rather to look deeper at the parameters of that love and whether or not it is respectful, meaningful, plausible and genuine, and if it is indeed all of those things, then who am I to judge? 
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FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL
Release Date: 2017
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 105 mins 

A touching biographical romance drama directed by Paul McGuigan and based on the memoir of the same name by Peter Turner, which tells of his relationship with the aging Academy Award-winning American actress Gloria Grahame.
In the 1970's, Peter Turner meets and falls in love with an older and extremely controversial Hollywood actress named Gloria Grahame. When she is taken ill, Gloria requests a stay at Peter's home in Liverpool, claiming that she can manage her illness on her own, with Peter and his family for support. 
I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to see a plausible and believably romantic  on screen relationship between a young man and an older woman. Generally films that have an 'older woman' love dynamic are quite lecherous and inappropriate, but this was genuinely lovely, mutual and quite beautiful in so many ways.
Annette Bening absolutely shines as Gloria Grahame, perfectly portraying all of the golden gorgeousness of a classic cinema starlet and Jamie Bell is roguishly handsome and convincingly enamoured by her throughout; and the two together are memorably delightful. This is terrific and deeply affecting romance tale that shouldn't be missed. 
FINAL SAY: Has anyone ever told you that you look like Lauren Bacall when you smoke? 
​4 Chilli Peppers

4 Comments

A New Year, A Fresh Start

6/1/2019

2 Comments

 
There is nothing like the turning over of a New Year to reinvigorate the spirits and to get you thinking about how far you've come and where you'd like to be going for the next twelve months. I used to be completely bonkers about setting myself huge goals at the beginning of each new year, I used to be the resolution queen once upon a time. I spent hours and hours stupidly exhausting myself trying to maintain new year's resolutions and 'upgrade' myself.  I have since wised up and discovered that the turning over of the calendar from the 31st of December to January 1st has little or no reflection on how your year is going to play out and whether you will or won't achieve your set goals. Real change requires effort of a more consistent and repetitive nature than just flogging yourself silly for a few months, real change can take much, much longer than a calendar year could ever provide. 
What I have found, through a process of diligent goal setting and also wild abandon of all goal setting and letting the wind blow me where it may in a devil may care type of fashion, is that if you want something bad enough you don't need to set yourself a resolution to do it, you will just do it. If it matters to you, if you can make it a priority, then you will make it happen.
Just like those people in your life that don't see you for a long time and use the pathetic excuse 'that they were just too busy' to get around to catching up (which is quite frankly a load of horseshit) because everyone is busy and that excuse is just ridiculous! If you really want to see someone then you will make it a priority and you will see them. And the same goes for any other goals that you set for yourself in life, if it matters enough to you, then  you will make it a priority, and I guarantee that if can do that, then you will make it happen.
You do not need to write it on a calendar or drunkenly shout it off a balcony at midnight on news years eve to make it happen, in fact those flimsy pledges rarely go anywhere anyway.  If you can make something a non-negotiable aspect of your life, then you will see your goals come to fruition. 
​And that, I believe, is the key to all of life's successes. Consistent, continual, conscientious prioritising is what you need to make your goals a reality. Making new year's resolutions and dreamy promises to yourself does not get shit done, but committing to making your goals non-negotiable and essential in your everyday life does. Trust me, it's true, you cannot go halfway on your dreams and life goals, but you also do not have to make everything happen in a twelve month time bracket either.
The reason that so many people fail when it comes to resolutions and personal goals is because they didn't want it bad enough in the first place and/or they wanted it too soon. Every major goal that I have achieved in my life has taken me years to attain, and has generally required a fair amount of upkeep to sustain as well. The good stuff takes work, there are no shortcuts. In order to make changes in your life for the better, you are required to commit and persevere, even when you want to quit, you have to persist and be 100% non-negotiable to meet that goal. 
In January of 2015 my new years resolution goals were:
  • Finish all of the reviews on my blog (I had 310 backlogged movies to review at that point)
  • Do half an hour of exercise a day
  • Drink more water
  • Meditate twice a week
  • Plan a get together once a month (with friends or family)
I set those goals for myself four years ago and I think that I have only just met them now, but again, I still have to work hard to maintain them. And there were also other major changes that I made to my life along the way to meeting those goals that I didn't write down or pledge to the world, I just made them a priority and was fiercely uncompromising with my efforts to achieve them.
I managed to quit smoking, started performing daily yoga and meditation practices, learnt to read and write Braille, maintained my daily journaling and also maintained my Spicywatch reviews and blog entries, and trust me when I tell you that sometimes, these things are hard to maintain. I too get busy, and  I want to cut corners and stop doing as much, but they are my life goals, they are things that I have made a priority in my life because I want to have a richer fuller life experience, and I will not compromise on my goals.
Real change takes time, a lot of time and a lot of consistent and continual effort. Unfortunately, personal upgrading is not just a flippant news year's resolution thing, it's a lot of hard work but it is also completely satisfying to set your sights on a better version of yourself and then achieve it. There is really no better feeling (apart from giving love and being loved) that I know of. So, yes, do set out to meet your life goals and push yourself forward, but do it realistically, knowing that it is going to take a lot of your time, effort and persistence to achieve and that what you set in motion in 2019 may not be your reality until 2025, and that that is okay as well....slow and steady wins the race my friends, so take your time and enjoy the ride! 
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UPGRADE
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+ 
Running Time: 100 mins 

A science fiction/ action film, written and directed by Leigh Whannell, that cleverly combines a plausible futuristic existence with high octane action sequences. Upgrade was my favourite action offering of 2018, and although at times it is unnecessarily gory and ultra violent (really don't know how this is only rated MA 15+ to be honest), the action sequences are stunningly played out, making this a real edge of your seat thrill ride from start to end. 
In the not too distant future, mechanic Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) and his wife are brutally mugged on the streets. His wife is murdered and Grey is left a depressed quadriplegic. He is given the opportunity to trial a new and secretive surgical implant called STEM. After being implanted into Grey's spine, STEM restores all motor function to his body, but also comes with some unexpected side effects and upgrade perks which enable Grey to avenge his wife's killers. 
Essentially this is a revenge movie wrapped up in a very attractive science fiction package, and I really liked the feel of it. From the uber chic sophistication of the rich and powerful to the gritty cyberpunk environments of the less fortunate, the details in this movie are impressive, and for the most part believable. 
Marshall-Green is terrific as Grey, allowing his body and facial expressions to play two different roles simultaneously, which impressed me greatly.  Also, the first player camera mode that the movie adopts from time to time is pure genius here, overall this is a really solid and original action movie, and it's definitely a worthy watch.
FINAL SAY: I cannot allow us to be killed. 
4 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

The Best Viewing Experiences of 2018

2/1/2019

5 Comments

 
That time has rolled around again, the time for me to collate all of my viewing efforts and put forward my recommendations for the best viewing choices of 2018. As I have mentioned before, quality television really dominated my time this year and I gave more 5 Chilli Pepper ratings to TV series than I gave to movies this year. To be honest, overall I do feel that the quality of movies this year was not as strong as it was in 2017, and I feel like I watched a lot more mediocre movies than I did last year as well, but sometimes that happens. 
In total I viewed 253 movies in 2018 and 133 TV series (some of which had several seasons). I have watched programs across every genre, and I can honestly say that there were excellent offerings in all of those genres in both movies and television. This year I am not going to list my least favorite viewings for 2018 because I have made myself a new years resolution to be more positive and to not focus on the negative things, so to list the worst things I saw in 2018 would be counterproductive to that resolution. Besides, as I have said before, even if I didn't love it, doesn't mean that someone else won't or that it is rubbish. At the end of the day, even the movies that we don't really enjoy have required a lot of time, money and effort to be produced; to shit on someone else's dream or vision is a pretty lousy thing to do, so I am choosing not to go there. 
I hope that you find something on these lists that you have not seen yet and can hopefully now explore. For full reviews of all of the recommended movies below, just go to the appropriate genre tab at the top of the page.
So without any further ado, here are my TOP MOVIE CHOICES (2018 release):  
  • ROMA - Foreign 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Hereditary - Horror 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Beautiful Boy - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Isle of Dogs - Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • BlacKkKlannsman  - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • A Star in Born - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Tale - Gritty 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Paddington 2 - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Avengers: Infinity War -  Super 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Upgrade - Science Fiction/ Action 4 Chilli Peppers  
  • John Leguizamo: Latin History for Morons - Documentary 4 Chilli Peppers 
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
  • A Quiet Place - Sci-Fi/ Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Annihilation - Sci-Fi 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Black Panther - Super 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Ready Player One - Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • The Breaker Upperers - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Searching - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Game Night - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Love, Simon - Romance 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Bohemian Rhapsody - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Blockers - Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Here are my top recommendations for pre- 2018 releases that I didn't see until 2018: 
  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame)
  • Bright Star - Romance 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Wind River - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Good Time - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Shape of Water - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Coco - Kid Friendly 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Mudbound - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Call Me by Your Name  - Romance 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Ingrid Goes West - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • Beasts of No Nation - Gritty 4 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Tunnel - Foreign 4 Chilli Peppers 
BEST TELEVISION SERIES of 2018: 
  • Master of None S2 - Comedy/ Drama 5 Chilli Peppers 
  • One Strange Rock - Documentary 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Atlanta S2 - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Sharp Objects - Crime 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Patrick Melrose - Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
  • Kidding - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Who is America? - Comedy/ Documentary 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Here and Now - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Maniac - Sci-Fi 4.5 Chilli Peppers
  • Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events S2 - Fantasy/ Kid Friendly 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Mosaic - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
  • The End of the Fucking World S1 - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Dirk Gently S2 - Fantasy 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Barry S1 - Crime/ Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
  • AHS - Apocalypse - Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Mr Inbetween - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - Documentary 4 Chilli Peppers
  • Just Another Immigrant - Comedy  4 Chilli Peppers
  • Mr Mercedes S1 - Crime  4 Chilli Peppers
  • Wanderlust - Drama  4 Chilli Peppers
  • The Miracle - Foreign  4 Chilli Peppers
  • Anne with an E S2 - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
  • Britannia S1 - Fantasy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Ash vs Evil Dead S3 - Horror/ Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Swedish Dicks S2 - Comedy/ Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Future Man - Sci-Fi/Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • GLOW S2 - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Detectorists S2 - Comedy/ Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Sabrina the Teenage Witch - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • Wellington Paranormal - Horror/Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
  • The Kominsky Method - Drama/ Comedy 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Picture
ROMA
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 135 mins
 
A semi-biographical drama that was written, co-produced, co-edited and directed by Alfonso Cuarón who based the film on his personal experiences growing up in Mexico City. ROMA won the coveted Golden Lion award at the 75th Venice International Film Festival where it had its world premiere, and has since received unanimous praise, critical acclaim and many other award nominations. 
Set during the 1970's, we follow the daily experiences of Cleo, a young Mexican maid and nanny. Cleo works for Sofia and Antonio (a couple whose relationship is clearly in peril) in their home in Colonia Roma, a suburb of Mexico City.  She loving cares their four children and Sofia's elderly mother; sharing their lives, their triumphs and their hardships as together they navigate the turbulent and politically charged environment that they are living in. 
This film is so beautiful to watch, shot in moody black and white and full of lingering contemplative scenes, this is a film for true movie lovers and I adored it. Everything feels completely genuine and although this is just a movie about everyday people doing everyday things, it is absolutely engrossing and deeply affecting in every way.
Yalitza Aparicio is wonderful as Cleo and she is richly supported by a strong and capable cast here. I expect to hear a lot of Oscar and Golden Globe Award buzz around this film, and every bit of it would be deserved. This would be one of my favourite movies of the year and it should not be missed! 
FINAL SAY: We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone. 
4.5 Chilli Peppers

5 Comments

    Author

    Hi, my name is Barb.
    I crave excellent, high quality viewing experiences. 
    ​Share in my addiction. 

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