With everyone at work thrashing around like cut snakes and with barely a spare moment to think, I felt that it would be a good idea to rally the troops and go out for dinner and a movie. It has been way too long since I stepped into the dark comfort of a cinema, and lord knows that I have withdrawals if I don't get to the movies at least once a month. So with the need for distraction on high alert we ventured out; but there was one thing that I had completely forgotten about, and that was the dreaded 'O' week carry on! 
Yes, every year around late February this shit occurs, the latest influx of Uni students decide to make total cocks of themselves, parading drunkenly from venue to venue and suddenly Ballarat becomes the smallest place on earth. 
For some reason, and I can't even think of one good one; it appeared that every university student within a 50 km radius of The Regent Cinema had decided to go and see 50 Shades of Grey, of all things! As if they even need more hornying up! Judging by the amount of vomit in the streets at 10pm I wouldn't have imagined that many of them would've required a great deal of coercion to drop their inhibitions and slide between the sheets, or onto the Sturt Street bandstand. 
Perhaps it was indeed 50 Shades of Grey that made them throw up in the first place, that is a very real possibility. Serves them right, surely a bunch of bright young hopefuls could come up with a better way to celebrate 'O' week than stooping to that debacle. 
For fuck sake 'O' weekers, do something grand and even slightly memorable. Getting slammed and yacking up in the street after a crappy movie is soon to become just another Saturday night affair for half of you. Or even better; surprise us all and don't even bother to go out and get shitfaced - do us all a favour - stay in and contemplate whether you've made the right choice before your HECS debt kicks in, sounds like a plan to me! 

WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY
Release Date: 2015
Rating: PG
Running Time: 95 mins
Written and produced by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, the creators of the successful BBC series Outnumbered; What We Did on Our Holiday  plays out in pretty much the same vein, following the antics of  a couple bringing up their three children. 
Doug (David Tennet) and Abi (Rosamund Pike) are going through a rather messy separation when they are forced to travel to Scotland to celebrate Doug's terminally ill father's 75th birthday. The couple decide to keep their separation a secret to avoid any undue stress, but with three children on board, secrets become very difficult to keep. 
This film is really more about the children's opinions and behaviours than it is about adults, that being said, the scenes that the children share with their ailing grandfather are easily the best parts of the movie. Underneath all of the comedy there is a clear message about  valuing your life and loving what you have. 
The three children actors do a great job of their quite hilarious roles, and Billy Connelly is at his best as the no bullshit - tell it like it is- grandfather. A lot of laughs to enjoy, and with a PG rating,  it makes for great family viewing. 
FINAL SAY: In the end, none of it matters. 
3 Chili Peppers

Chinese New Year celebrations were in full swing this weekend at our house. Gathering together with my best friend, Zoe's best friend and her partner and all of my enthusiastic clan, we hit the kitchen in a big way and created a feast of epic Asian proportions. 
We made 90 pork and beef gyoza, created Chinese rice and noodle dishes, feasted on coconut tapioca pudding and gorged on banana fritters. All things Chinese were on the menu; including laughing Buddha beers, peach and lychee beers, green tea cocktails and of course, Chinese fortune cookies. 
For the Year of the Sheep we burned red and gold candles, hung up red paper lanterns and donned the chopsticks to feast the night away, rounding it all out with a viewing of House of Flying Daggers for some authentic martial arts action.
The weather was balmy and perfect for outdoor sunset watching. You just have to love a celebration that embraces so much red, so much great food and an excuse to get your martial arts action on. A fabulous gathering that's for sure!

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS 
Release Date: 2004
Rating: M
Running Time: 118 mins
A magical glimpse of history and a spectacular visual feast from director Yimou Zhang. This film delivers a delightful mix of drama, fantasy-action, adventure and romance, making it a must see for fans of martial arts movies, especially if you like a decent story line along side your action. 
Set during the reign of the Tang Dynasty in China, an underground rebel organization called 'The House of the Flying Daggers' has formed to oppose the corrupt government. Two government officials are assigned the task of capturing an exotic blind member of The Daggers, and through gaining her trust, discover the whereabouts of The Daggers secret lair. 
The cast are all ridiculously good looking in this; Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau and Ziyi Zhang have all been endowed with insanely unfair genetics, all managing to look like their about to step onto the next Benetton shoot even when they are being tortured or stabbed. 
Lots of plot twists and intrigue to be had here, but it is the amazing colour explosions, exquisite costumes and eye popping landscapes that really make this film a winner.  
FINAL SAY: To be free like the wind. 
3 Chili Peppers

It is interesting to observe what people define as stress in their lives. Some people have the divine ability to see the positives in challenges, to embrace the tough times and to forge ahead even in the most inclement weather. Other people crumble faster than than a shitty cake and quickly buckle at the first sight of extra commitment or the need to stretch themselves. 
The worst of these kinds of people are those that find fault in everything and rarely come up with any results or solutions to the everyday hurdles and obstacles that we all face in our day to day lives. I have no time for the drama mongers and the nay sayers of the world. Life is hard enough, we all have our crosses to bear and everyone is just doing their best to get through it all, pointing out all of the imperfections just makes things so much harder.
Winston Churchill once said - You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. I think that is an extremely eloquent quote. You never will get anywhere is you spend all of your time picking crap and losing focus. 
Best to just get on with things I say, push on, be strong, rise to the occasion and make the best of what you've got. It's never going to be easy, everything worth doing is going to present challenges, but you can't let a little squeeze grind you down. 
Somewhere in the world there is someone that wishes that they had the problems that you have now, try to keep that in perspective and be grateful for the chance to learn and grow and change, we really are the privileged ones. 

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE 
Release Date: 2006
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 101 mins
This black comedy/drama has the best mix of laugh out loud humour and poignant  heartfelt struggle that I have ever seen in a film. A break out directorial debut from husband and wife team Jonathon Dayton and Valerie Faris, Little Miss Sunshine quickly received critical acclaim and was nominated for four Academy Awards and won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature in 2006. 
Wannabe pageant queen Olive (Abigail Breslin) has landed herself an opportunity to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. Her dysfunctional family join her on a cross-country road trip in an old and unreliable VW wagon, facing many obstacles along the way. 
This is a wacky collection of characters thrown together in their one common goal of getting Olive to the pageant. Toni Collette delivers as Olive's hopeful mother, Steve Carrell is great as the suicidal uncle, Paul Dano fulfills his role as the depressed brother and Alan Arkin makes a hilarious grandpa. But it is young Abigail Breslin's stellar performance as Olive that really epitomizes the spirit of this movie, which is to never give up on your dreams. A truly wonderful watch. 
FINAL SAY: She's a very freaky girl! 
4 Chili Peppers

Caught up with my eldest sister this weekend, whom I haven't seen since September last year. It was nice to be able to sit back and have a chat, clearly there was a lot to catch up on. It wasn't long before our conversation turned to a woman that meant a great deal to us as kids, our grandmother. Our amazing nanna that showered us with love and attention and the biggest hugs you could ever imagine. How we desperately miss her presence in our lives. 
Some of my best memories of childhood come from the time that I spent with my nan; she was always happy to see us and would clutch us tightly to her ample bosom and kiss us hard all over the face. She was never afraid to demonstrate her love for us whenever she had the chance. She loved to spoil us with treats and trips to the local shopping centre for small gifts and even a visit to the delicatessen wasn't complete without a slice of good polish sausage in hand upon exit.
Everyday at nan's was an adventure, and she let us kids do pretty much whatever took our fancy, which was so very different to our regimented lifestyles at home. I can recall having extravagant baths with entire bottles of bubble bath poured into them - bubbles to the roof in the middle of day - anytime I wanted! She also let me snack on the good treats between meals, eat whatever I wanted from her garden (those poor strawberries never stood a chance) and no space was off limits. She took me with her to all of her friends houses and they were also really nice to me and I got play in their yards with their pets and I was always included in their coffee and conversations at the table. And, they were all really good cooks, so the food was always really delicious. 
She taught me to love life, to live it to the full, to be comfortable in my skin and to never be afraid to show how I feel. She also taught me that small efforts yield big results and that it was okay to be noisy and silly and that dirty jokes were funny! We all certainly lost a lot when she left this life, she was a special very  lady.
I miss you nan xxx

WILD
Release Date: 2014
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 115 mins 
Based on Cheryl Strayed's 2012 memoir entitled Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, we follow one woman's solo hike over more than a thousand miles of deserted and difficult terrain in attempt to heal herself from a sketchy past.
Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) cannot deal with loss of her beloved mother (Laura Dern) and after years of reckless and dangerous behaviour that destroys her marriage; she decides to set off on an arduous journey in an attempt to heal her hurt and become the woman that her mother always wanted her to be. 
This is an emotionally charged movie, filled with the best and the worst kinds of people. Witherspoon delivers a convincingly strong and touching performance, landing herself an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Laura Dern follows suit gaining a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her delightful portrayal of a positive and carefree mother. 
A wonderful story and definitely a worthy watch.
FINAL SAY: She was my first love. 
4 Chili Peppers. 

The honeymoon has ended and the reality of being back at work has kicked into gear. It's all early mornings, dreaded school time traffic and a series of unwanted commitments....blah, blah, blah. Basically the same daily grind that all people suffer from when they have to work for a living. 
I often allow myself to daydream about what it would be like to win the lottery and to never have to work another day in my life. This is a pleasant imagining that will never, and could never, come to fruition given the fact that I never purchase lottery tickets, but hey, a girl's allowed to dream right? 
I just love imagining how I would spend all of my time if I had the luxury (and the cash) to do whatever took my fancy. Good Lord - I would be such a lush I think! Probably get pissy and try and write a best seller that I would never actually need to finish because I was so filthy rich. And I would definitely travel a lot; I'd always be jet-setting around to some far flung corner of the globe to have some ridiculously opulent experience that I would never have had the opportunity to do before I got so insanely loaded. 
And then the guilt of being a rich asshole would kick in and I would start to feel bad and need to do charity work and donate money for fear of leaving a strikingly bad karmatic debt on my next life. Probably donate an organ and go on religious pilgrimage......ha! AS IF! 
The truth is that I would do a lot more of what I love to do with the people I love, and yes of course I wouldn't work for the man anymore. I'd work when I wanted to and there is a massive difference between having to work  and choosing to work - a massive difference that most of us will never get to experience. But it is fun to imagine a life like that sometimes. 

WISH I WAS HERE
Release Date: 2014
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 106 mins
This second offering from Zach Braff had pretty big shoes to fill, given the brilliance of Garden State which I thoroughly enjoyed; and although it wasn't as good as it's predecessor, it was still an enjoyable and often touching watch. 
Struggling actor Aidan Bloom (Braff) has no direction in his life. He's married, he has two children but he has no idea what he is doing. When Aiden's ailing father is given a seriously short amount of time to live and can no longer offer Aiden's family financial support, Aiden is forced to address the current state of his life and his failing relationships with those that matter the most. 
There were some really great moments between the characters in the movie and although at times it was a tad sappy, it was easy to digest and reasonably well put together. Young Joey King was fabulous as Grace Bloom, and she was probably my favourite thing about the entire movie. Not a life changer, but a sweet story none the less. 
FINAL SAY: Fuck the swear jar! 
3 Chili Peppers 

Some people have a lust for luxury and the finer things in life. Others only care for perfections and beautiful things, and then other people opt for clean, simple and uncomplicated existences. I myself have always been drawn to bizarre things; often things that others dismiss as ugly or displeasing are the things that really spin my wheels. Not immoral things, just unusual things. 
I believe that I am actually attracted to imperfections; I love things that fall outside of the square or that cannot be defined. I have always spent more of my time pondering about the unknown things in life than the known. I think that men with crooked teeth and busted faces are handsome and I  like to be challenged by my choices of music, art and cinema. 
I love to see people break out of their molds or stereotypes, I like to watch the envelope being pushed and I get excited at the prospect of revolution. I'm fascinated by all things esoteric and mystical in nature because they are so generally undefinable, and I find the superstitions and traditions of other cultures provides the driving force behind my wanderlust. 
That doesn't mean that I don't also enjoy predictability, comfort and peaceful perfections, I very much do - but if it's a little quirky too - well that's all good with me. Some of the best things that I have experienced in my life have happened because I've been open to the weird and willing to travel upon the road less taken. It has never made me better than anyone to be this way, but it has given me a tonne more opportunities, of that I am sure. 
I certainly love life on the quirky side, it's mostly strange and wonderful all at once and I am never ever bored. When you're open to almost anything, you have a lot of options!

BIRDMAN
Release Date: 2014
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 119 mins 
Mexican film director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu delivers another powerhouse piece of cinema that is superbly written, originally filmed and perfectly cast. 
This is the come back movie that Michael Keaton has been waiting for, and boy has he re-arrived! If Michael Keaton doesn't get the Oscar for his performance in Birdman, then the world just isn't functioning the way that it should be, because he is nothing short of stellar.
Actor Riggan Thomson (Keaton) hasn't felt success in over 20 years since his superhero Birdman series of blockbuster movies ended. In an attempt to make a come back, Riggin decides to pour all of his money and energies into a self written Broadway production called What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. However, there are a number of things going on behind the scenes that are pushing Riggin to his limits, forcing him to wonder if he has made the right decision and if the show will ever get off the ground.
Every actor is solid here, taking on completely foreign territory with style and charisma. Edward Norton is psychopathically compelling, Emma Stone is a convincingly strung out, Naomi Watts is annoyingly conflicted and Zach Galifianakis is as far away from funny as he's ever been. 
This is really intelligent cinema; the script is peppered with philosophy and contemplation, the entire movie plays as one long continuous shot and the actors are all bringing their A game to deliver a truly unique experience to the viewers. It is incomparable to anything I have seen before, and I thought about it for days after I saw it, this is one that is either going to capture you up completely or leave you frustrated. Either way, it's a brilliant slice of cinema that will certainly generate a lot of conversation. 
FINAL SAY: There's a whole world out there where people fight to be relevant every day.
4.5 Chili Peppers

It is hard to say when I fell in love with cinema and movies in general. My parents have always been avid movie watchers, and I did watch many classic movies with them when I was growing up and for as long as I can recall I have been a sucker for a good story. I have always enjoyed escaping into the realms of fiction and vicariously observing the lives of others, but at what point did I become obsessed with watching movies? 
I remember the first movie that I ever saw at the cinema was the animated version of Charlottte's Web, which I think I enjoyed but didn't adore, I was only about four years old.  But the first feature length, non-animated movie that I ever saw was ET - the Extra Terrestrial and I do remember feeling utterly moved and emotionally involved with the story about a boy and his alien friend that was just trying to get home. Perhaps it was that early emotional encounter that started my love of cinema. I do recall mum and I sobbing into a tissue and feeling utterly distraught, and I think that it would be more than fair to say that  cinema has always been an emotional outlet for me. 
A good movie can do so many things, it can make you laugh or cry, but even more than that, it can give you a place to escape to for a couple of hours. It can educate, entertain and enthrall, and let's not forget the visual and auditory stimulation! Yep, it is fair to say that I am a movie addict. I wouldn't even dare to try put a figure on just how many movies I have actually seen, well into the thousands I imagine. And for every piece of shit that I have watched, I have equally viewed a lot of gold - hence the need for Spicywatch.com. It would be unfair of me to not share all of my viewing gold with the world, besides like all addicts I need to be able to justify my addiction in some way! 

ET - The EXTRA TERRESTRIAL 
Release Date: 1982
Rating: PG
Running Time: 115 mins
Director Steven Spielberg made himself into a household name after the mass success of ET. ET was even nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award,  which is virtually unheard of when it comes to science fiction films, and although it didn't win, it did take out four other Oscars that year including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Original Score. 
A little alien is accidentally left behind by his spaceship and finds himself alone in a very strange world called Earth. 10 year old Elliot discovers the alien and after befriending him, decides to help ET to fulfil his mission of returning home. The two become so connected that Elliot starts to feel what ET feels, including the discomfort of being stuck here on Earth. 
This is the ultimate otherworldly buddy movie, deeply moving and in true Spielberg fashion, hammed up with cuteness to within an inch of it's life. Bottom line, it is a great family movie that will touch many hearts for years to come. 
FINAL SAY: Phone home
3.5 Chili Peppers

It's official, the school term has commenced and all of the excitement of a brand new school year is well underway. The smell of fresh stationary fills the air, the shine of un-scuffed linoleum squeaks under foot and the perfectly sharpened tips of many unused pencils are all lined up in anticipation of the children's return on Monday. 
There is something quite wonderful about the beginning of new school year. The well groomed children arriving with tanned and eager faces, filing in through the front door on that very first morning filled with a heady mixture of fear and hope. And for some, it's an all important chance to make a fresh start, make a new friend or get a better mark on their next report. It's different for every kid, some can't wait to get back, others can't wait for the next lot of holidays; and I think that if I am being really honest about it, it is also that way for some of the staff. 
I will never forget my first day of Prep, only four years old and supremely under socialised. After having spent most of my pre-school years playing alone in the chook sheds and vegie patches of every Ukrainian resident in Ardeer, I was overwhelmed by the variety of things that were on offer at school. Paints, pencils, playdough, brightly coloured papers and scissors, clag and most excitingly BOOKS! Not just any books either; these were huge, big, bright and highly illustrated books. 
I loved school instantly, and in particular I fell in love with the library. I recall slipping off to the library after school one day in Prep. This was not something I was encouraged to do, it was something I just chose to do, chose to do instead of walking home, which led to everyone to believe that I had been abducted. They found me some hours later thanks to a school cleaner that got a quite a start when she stumbled upon me sitting in a comfy beanbag reading Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar around 5pm. Well, it was a bloody good read, all those holes to poke your fingers into - riveting! It is still one of my favourite kids books and I can still get lost for hours with a good book in a beanbag, so nothing has changed there. 
And I guess I still love a lot about school too, or I wouldn't still be in one. As a kid it was a place of routine, predictability and adults that actually wanted to talk you, it was a good place to be. And although not all of my school days were perfect, I do have some very fond memories of primary school, especially the first day back with perfect plaits, shiny shoes, new exercise books and super pointy grey lead HB pencils. Ah school days, some of us just never grow out of it! 

UNDER THE SKIN
Release Date: 2013
Rating: R 18+ 
Running Time: 108 mins 
Jonathon Glazer, director of Sexy Beast and Birth delivers yet another thought provoking and mesmerising movie with his latest offering, Under the Skin. Based on Michel Faber's 2000 novel of the same name, this is unlike any other Sci-Fi that I have encountered; this is an intensely visceral and almost completely visually driven story line that had me literally perched on the edge of my seat. 
A mysterious and other-worldly lady appears to be hunting the streets for potential male prey, however each encounter leads her to question her own motivations and eventually to seek out a deeper understanding of the world around her. 
Scarlett Johansson is brilliant as the mostly silent and eerie mysterious woman;  this is the grittiest and oddest thing that I have ever seen her do, and she really delivers well. 
Overall, this is bold and beautiful film making, and for that reason it's not going to be everyone's cuppa tea. It's a slow burner, you'll be left with unanswered questions and haunted by some of the more confronting scenes; but in my mind it was a slice of Sci-Fi greatness. 
FINAL SAY: Deep Under the Skin and into the mind. 
4 Chili Peppers