According to Hermeticism, a branch of spiritual philosophy that dates back to the first century AD, there are seven Hermetic Principles that can help us to understand the laws that govern the universe. They were first outlined and famed by Hermes Trismegistus (Hermes the Thrice-Greatest), who was believed to have written the Emerald Tablet and the Corpus Hermeticum (two highly influential, ancient teachings).
Hermes Trismegistus' work would go on to influence Greek and Egyptian cultures, with both cultures adopting him as a god of wisdom, and a figure of Hermes Trismegistus can also be found in both Islamic and Baha'i writings as well. In short, he was known around the world as a philosopher of great knowledge and wisdom. 
Over time, the seven Hermetic Principles were passed along by word of mouth from teachers to students and eventually, one day in the early 20th century, the teachings were compiled into a book called The Kybalion, written by "The Three Initiates." Today, they remain an occult source of wisdom, separate from any religion but deeply ponderous and powerful nonetheless. And while the seven principles are just one way of understanding the universe, they aren't so constricting that they cannot be studied alongside other spiritual philosophies as well. So, let's take a look at what they are all about.
1. THE PRINCIPLE OF MENTALISM:
The All is Mind; The Universe is Mental.
This principle states that the universe is akin to a mental projection, it's like manifestation 101. What you perceive or think becomes your reality. For anything to be it must be preceded by a thought. God is consciousness or thought and the universe is a manifestation of the mind of God. We can harness the power of our minds to create the life we want to live. 
2. THE PRINCIPLE OF CORRESPONDANCE
As Above, so Below; as Below, so Above. 
What you send into the world returns to you. If you vibrate high you get high results, if you vibrate low you get poor result. It's kind of like karma or consequence but on a more consciously aware plane. 
3. THE PRINCIPLE OF VIBRATION
Nothing Rests; everything moves; everything vibrates. 
All things in the universe vibrate with physical and spiritual energy. These are in constant change and continual movement. We cannot afford to be attached to anything because nothing is ever in compete status, and by accepting change and movement we can vibrate along side the rhythm of life and swim with the current rather than against it. 
4. THE PRINCIPLE OF POLARITY 
Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled. 
A simple example of this hot and cold. Cold is just an absence of heat, and they're both one thing: temperature. Physical matter and spiritual energy are one and the same thing, with spiritual energy vibrating at a higher vibration. Love and hate are two ways of experiencing the same thing, it is our feelings and reactions that will determine how we perceive the world around us.
5. THE PRINCIPLE OF RHYTHM
Everything Flows, out and in; everything has tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.
Recognise the rhythm of life that is thrumming around you all of time. Your breath, your heartbeat, your pulse. The seasons, the cycles of the moon, the tides in the ocean. The plants and the animals respond without hesitation to these rhythms because they are in flow with the universe; find your flow and get in step with the rhythm of life. 
6. THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE OF EFFECT
Every Cause Has Its Effect; Every Effect Has Its Cause; everything happens according to law, chance is but a name for a law not recognised, there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the law. 
​Everything is connected through cause and effect, for each cause of one thing is merely the effect of another, and so it has been for all of time. Ask yourself, are you the cause or the effect?
Your thoughts and behaviour effect everything around you, consider what you are bringing to the table and what kind of influence you are having upon the world. 
7. THE PRINCIPLE OF GENDER 
Gender is in Everything; everything has masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes. 
Masculine and feminine energy exists in not only the physical plane but also the mental and spiritual planes as well.  The unity of both energies is essential for creation and harmony, and when we have a balance of both, we're better able to apply all the other principles together for maximum benefit. Accept yourself and understand that balance is the key for self mastery. 

These seven principles run deep, very deep and it can take a long time to fully understand and embody these as life practises. Each time that you return to the seven principles you will understand them in a different way, and that is how they are supposed to be interpreted, slowly and repetitively. And over time, they can help you to master your mind and your life as a whole, sweet and rewarding experience. 

LEMONADE
Release Date: 2016
Rating: M
Running Time: 65 mins 
More of a visual album than an actual movie, Beyoncé's Lemonade has been dubbed a revolutionary vision of Black feminism; and it left me in deep admiration for this powerful performer. 
Divided into eleven chapter, titles "Intuition", "Denial", "Anger", "Apathy", "Emptiness", "Accountability", "Reformation", "Hope" and "Redemption" the film uses poetry and prose written by British-Somali poet Warsan Shire as well as Beyoncé's music to serve as a visual accompaniment to her 2016 album also entitled Lemonade. 
Moving, powerful and deeply affecting, Lemonade delivers a jolt of energy and a sucker punch to the face. Miriam Bale for Billboard called Lemonade a film that is made by black women, stars black women and is for black woman, but trust me when I say that this is film is extremely enjoyable for all audiences and celebrates diversity and feminism in beautiful and magical ways that all women can embrace and relate to. 
This film changed the way that I saw Beyoncé forever and made me love her music all the more, it's a must see film for women everywhere. 
FINAL SAY: You betta call Becky with the good hair!
4 Chilli Peppers ​

It's the winter holidays - woo hoo! Two fabulous weeks of rest, recharge and recreation! The winter break is always most welcome because the dark days of the season seem to make everything a whole lot harder and much more bleak in general. I know that I don't exactly pounce out of bed with the same level of zest and zeal in the winter as I do during other seasons of the year and there is no denying that my body is loudly crying out for more sleep ins, more pots of delicious tea, more cosy movie nights, more whiskey-in-hand soaks in the tub, more cuddle up novel time and more comfort food. And you know what I like to say when my body cries out, of course you do -I say yes! And the next two weeks should allow me ample time to answer those calls and cries in buckets.
In general I really love to regulate in winter. Regulate and pamper my nervous system in ways that set me up for the next 6 months of the year.  This is a really lovely way to self care and reset as well and it is something that I have been mindfully practising in winter ever since Covid-19 hit. Lockdowns and illness are extremely depleting and I found five simple regulation methods that proved to be so affective and healing for me. Regulating yourself during the winter months is almost like performing a personal decluttering in a way, it sweeps out the cobwebs, allows space and time for calming and reflective practises and it helps you to re-align your spirit and energies.
There are five daily regulation practises that I employ during winter and using them has never done me any harm that's for sure. However, with all things that I write about on my blog, it's a thrash or trash scenario and you can choose your own adventure here. Try one to start with and move on from there, or go nuts with it and try all five at once like I do. However you go about this, I guarantee that you will definitely enjoy and benefit from any time that you spend regulating during winter. 
​The first regulation practise that I would recommend for you to add to your current regimen is to have some active time outdoors everyday.  A short walk outside is pure medicine for the nervous system. Try to get out when the sun is high in the sky because sunshine is also pure medicine on it's own, but if you can be surrounded by nature at the same time for a little forest bathing as well, all the better! Aim to get at least 30 minutes a day - rain, hail or shine, outdoors doing something. It could be in the garden, walking, playing with your kids in the yard, riding a bike. Find something that you like to do outside and commit to doing it every day during winter. 
The second regulation practise is to make your home as zen as possible. Declutter, put out calming stimuli and imagery, buy a couple of house plants, burn candles and oils that have winter based scents like clove and cinnamon and cosy up your couches and lounges with cuddly throws, blankets and pillows. Keep the lighting and the sound levels low and gentle and find some gentle and soothing music to play in the background when you are at home. Leave out books or magazines that you want to read on comfy seating to entice you to take a break  and engage in something gentle. Leave out wool and knitting needles to remind you to knit, buy good quality tea to remind you to brew a mindful cup and put out jigsaw puzzles that you can leisurely do over time. 
The third regulation practise is what I like to call treat yourself! Do something lovely, gentle and nurturing for yourself every single day. Have a bath, give yourself (or get) a manicure or pedicure, give yourself (or get) a facial, cook a delicious healthy meal, go and have a professional massage, go to the cinema, have coffee with a friend, make cocktails, take a nap, see a live show, eat out at a favourite restaurant, go to a museum, ride the roller coaster at Luna Park - just do something everyday that makes you feel good, alive, valuable and joyful and commit to doing it and making time for yourself. 
My fourth daily regulation hack is simply contemplation. The very underrated but oh so important act of just doing nothing much but chilling out and just being you. It can be meditation, napping, listening to music with your eyes closed, watching a documentary, drawing, painting or journaling. Whatever it is, you should be sitting or lying to do it and it should be done quietly and gently. Aim for 15-30 minutes to begin with and then try to get an hour a day of this good stuff into your day. Trust me when I say that contemplation time is life changing and will bring about heightened awareness, general calmness and overall wellbeing if it is done ritually and specifically. 
And my final daily regulation practise is to get back to basics. What are the basics? Eating well, sleeping well and feeling/ being well. This includes drinking more water, getting 7 hours of good quality sleep, taking multivitamins to stave off illness, going for a health check up at the doctors, getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist, doing cardio, walking 10,000 steps a day, cutting back on junk food and alcohol, stretching, shaking things off that no longer serve you and eating healthy fats.  These things are the foundation, the absolute fundamentals of regulation and general wellbeing, and even though they all seem simple enough, they are often quite overlooked; are you sure that you are doing them all yourself?
So there you have it, five pretty simple ways to regulate your nervous system and reboot your system during the harsher, colder and darker months of winter. However, no matter what you do or don't do with your winter months, please remember always take care of yourself and try to keep warm and stay well. 

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Release Date: 2022
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 139 mins 
Spanning multiverses and traversing multiple genres including black comedy, fantasy, martial arts, science fiction and even animation, Everything Everywhere All At Once is a hectic and action packed viewing experience that is pretty hard to define. Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, (collectively known as the "Daniels")  together they deliver a unique and at times insanely imaginative film that has to be seen to be truly understood. 
Evelyn, a Chinese laundromat owner that is struggling to connect with her current relationships, discovers that she alone can save the world by jumping into other existing universes and exploring the different lives that she has lived. 
This is easily the most creative and original exploration of complex and enduring relationships that I have ever experienced and for that reason, I really enjoyed it. However, it must be said that sometimes this film is overly convoluted and utterly ridiculous, but in general it just adds to the charm of the story, which is essentially all about compassion, loyalty and deeper understanding.
The cast is just terrific, especially Michelle Yeoh who masterfully demonstrates her abilities as both an excellent actress and a kick arse martial arts expert. Also, it was so enjoyable to see Ke Huy Quan on screen again, I don't think I've seen him since The Goonies and Indiana Jones days, and he is really likable as Evelyn's husband Waymond; and Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu also deserve a nod here for their fine efforts. 
Overall, this is a completely wacky ride but if you go in with an open-mind, you'll have a good time. 
FINAL SAY: I got bored one day and put everything on a bagel. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

The Queen's birthday long weekend could not have arrived at a more convenient time. Three days of wintery Enfield bliss was just what my flagging system needed and I spent much of the last few days bopping about in my flannelette PJ's, sipping alcoholic beverages and binge watching an absolute swag of TV and movies.  And I have to say that there has been a lot to enjoy on streaming services lately as they all seem to be scrambling over the top of each other to stream a multitude of good quality viewing opportunities. 
It is around this time every year that I like to offer my list of the best of the year so far to my faithful readers. Well, the best that I have watched anyway, I know for sure that there is a lot more out there to see than just what I put forward, but if I was recommending,  these are the TV programs and movies that I believe deserve your attention, your time and your energy so far.  So, in no particular order - 
TV SHOWS:

• Atlanta S3 - Drama SBS
• Our Flag Means Death - Comedy Foxtel
• Severance - Mystery/ Sci Fi Apple+
• EVIL S2 - Horror Stan 
• Ozark S4 -  Crime/ Drama Netflix 
• The Pentaverite - Comedy Netflix
• Peacemaker - Comedy/ Super Foxtel
• After Party - Mystery Apple+
• This is Going to Hurt - Docuseries Foxtel 
• Stranger Things S4 - Sci Fi Netflix 
• The Outlaws - Comedy/ Drama Prime
• Bloods S2 - Comedy Stan
• The Boys S3 -  Super Prime
• Pam and Tommy - Drama Disney
• Love, Death and Robots S3 - Sci Fi/ Animation Netflix
• Love on the Spectrum US - Reality Netflix
• Cursed Films S2 - Documentary Shudder 
• Lizzo's - Watch Out for the Big Grrrls - Reality Prime 
• Moon Knight - Super Disney 

MOVIES:

• The Batman - Super
• Fresh - Thriller 
• I Want You Back  - Rom/Com
• The Northman - Action 
• Nitram - Gritty 
• Everything, Everywhere All At Once - Fantasy 
• Hellbender - Horror 
• ​Spiderman - No Way Home -Super 

THE BATMAN
Release Date: 2022
Rating: M
Running Time: 176 mins
The latest offering in the DC comic world, The Batman directed by Matt Reeves plunges us back into the seedy underbelly of Gotham City in perhaps the most gothic and dark portrayal of Batman so far. It was universally praised by fans and critics alike for it performances, score and cinematography and quickly became one of the highest grossing films of 2022. 
A masked psychopath calling himself the Riddler begins a grisly killing spree across Gotham City, leaving notes for the Batman at every crime scene. Batman must try to uncover the true identity of the Riddler and put his diabolical plans to an end before more lives are lost. 
All of the original villains are back in action here with The Penguin, Cat woman and the Riddler all making an appearance and they are a far cry from their first portrayals in the Tim Burton originals. In fact the entire Batman franchise has shifted gear again; moving further into the realms of lavish noir and further from the comic book cheap thrills of its earlier days. 
Across the board the cast is fantastic, with notable efforts from Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Andy Serkis, John Turturro and Colin Farrell. Robert Pattinson has the lead role and portrays Batman with an entirely new level of broody emo that the character was missing from previous instalments. And although this is not my favourite Batman movie, I do think that Pattinson may be my favourite Batman to date. 
​Almost as good as The Dark Knight, and certainly as visually appealing, The Batman although clearly overlong, is a worthy and enjoyable superhero watch. 
FINAL SAY: Fear is a tool. When that light hits the sky, it's not just a call. It's a warning. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Spicywatch.com celebrated its eighth birthday last Saturday evening. And how she has grown over the years from a humble dozen or so movies reviews when I first launched her in May 2014 to the massive 933 reviews that she now has under her belt. In the 8 years that Spicywatch has been on the internet I have had over 130,000 hits and on average, good old Spicywatch manages to rustle  up around 3000 readers a month.
So naturally, I had to celebrate the wonderful and joyful occasion of Spicywatch's 8th birthday and invite some movie loving family and friends around to Enfield to share in the movie chatter. 
With the perfection and infinity of the number 8 in mind, I asked my guests to share a clip that they felt was perfect in some way.  It could be perfect in dialogue, scene, costume, lighting, atmosphere, composition or just perfectly memorable to them and something that they go back to time and time again. 
As it has been at every Spicywatch birthday occasion, we traversed all of the genres together; laughing, crying and remembering the movie moments that have stuck with us throughout the years. 
Here is a sampling of some of the movies that made it to the viewing arena for their perfect  and memorable scenes:

• The Fall
• Toy Story 3
• Everything Everywhere All at Once
• Pan's Labyrinth 
• Whale Rider
• Big Fish 
• Kill Bill 
• The Lord of the Rings 
• The Conjuring 2
• ​Samsara
• Moulin Rogue
• Marriage Story 
• Henry V
• House of Flying Daggers 
• The Lighthouse
• Soul
• Napoleon Dynamite
• The Great Gatsby
• Beautiful Creatures
• Fantastic Mr Fox 
• The Bourne Identity
• Mr Bean's Disaster Movie
• Shadow
• Rosemary's Baby
• Much Ado About Nothing 
• Dancer in the Dark
• Midsommar
• Suicide Squad 2
• The Great Beauty 
• Apocalypto 
• The Ghoulies 

Many thanks to the special people who gave up their Saturday evening and made the very cold journey out to Enfield to share the celebration of Spicywatch.com with me, your presence was a wonderful and treasured gift. Make sure that you keep on viewing because I am rounding the 1,000 review mark and we will definitely need to celebrate that when it happens! 

EIGHTH GRADE
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 94 mins
Written and directed by stand up comedian Bo Burnham, this coming-of-age tale had me squirming in my seat with it's accurate and embarrassingly memorable recount of early adolescence and teenage awkwardness. 
Kayla Day is completing her final week of eighth grade and preparing to enter high school. Shy and socially awkward, Kayla spends her free time making motivational videos on YouTube that get little to no views. Between navigating social media, school cliques, crushes and her clingy single father, Kayla is just trying to do her best to stay optimistic. 
This movie feels so genuine and real, the character of Kayla (played perfectly by Elsie Fisher) offers an accurate and unpolished version of early teenage awkwardness that was so desperately missing from the coming-of-age genre and it is delivered in such a fresh and plausible way. 
Although completely different in so many ways to my own adolescent experiences, there were still moments when I recognised the awkward longings and difficulties of Kayla as I watched; proving that teenagers are still just teenagers and that growing pains haven't changed all that much in 30 years. 
FINAL SAY: Growing up can be a little bit scary and weird. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Mother's Day always gets me thinking about all of the wonderful women that I have shared my time, my triumphs and my tribulations with. I reflect on the women that have inspired me with their wisdom, kindness, generosity, patience and genuine care, not only for me but also for the the world around them. In my mind, Mother's Day is not just about whether you are an actual mother or not, it's also about whether you are the type of women who can demonstrate the qualities of being a good mother to others. 
Some women may never actual become mothers themselves, but they spend a great deal of their time caring for others. They bring out the best in others, they inspire and engage us with their mere presence and they nurture and develop the wellbeing of others. If that isn't embodying the qualities of a mother then I don't know what is. However, what I do know is that you certainly do not need to carry a child in your womb to embody the essence of motherhood and become a role model or inspiration to others. 
According to psychologists, in order to be be a good mother (or parent) you need to have a few skills and traits. These traits (not surprisingly) have nothing to do with how much money you have, how big your house is or how many toys or designer clothes you can afford for your family. In fact, most of these traits come from the wellspring of emotional intelligence - you know the stuff that I am always banging on about on my blog? Yep, turns out that emotional intelligence not only makes you a great person, it also makes you a kick arse parent as well. So let's take a closer look at the top ten great parent traits.
1. Patience: a bit of a no-brainer right? As mothers we need to have patience in buckets. Kids are messy and noisy and are often really annoying as well and this requires the patience of a monk to navigate. If you aren't meditating yet, I suggest that you do asap!
2. Multi-tasking: this is a hotly contested topic these days, because mindfulness teaches us that doing lots of things at once isn't actually that good or productive, but whoever said that clearly hasn't had a couple of kids to wrangle! If you can't deal with lots of things going on that you mostly have zero control over then motherhood probably isn't for you! 
3. Encouraging: Just like adults, kids are riddled with self doubt and fear. They need a lot of propping up and guidance and they also need to learn early on that it is okay to make mistakes and get things totally wrong. Encouraging resilience instead of perfection is a terrific way to support your kids and be a super mum. 
4. Intelligence: Hard to teach them if you don't know yourself. Having mental, physical, emotional and social intelligence is not only going to make parenting a shitload easier, it's gonna make you a bloody legend! Get smart and be smart!
5. Flexibility: As a mother you will need to be adaptable and resilient. When kids are around things can (and will) change in a heartbeat and you need to be able to adapt and accept that whatever will be will be, just like Doris Day said. 
6. Leadership Skills: Okay, no matter how much you want to, you can't boss the kids around, but if you have strong leadership skills then your kids are more likely to want to do the right thing on their own steam without you having to bark orders at them like a drill instructor. With positive role modelling and leadership, children will generally be able to lead more efficiently themselves. 
7. Dependability: You have to be good to your word if you want to be a good mother. Kids can smell bullshit a mile away and they do not take kindly to being let down by wayward or unreliable adults. They will also be more honest and trustworthy teens if you set a good example in the early years.
8. Compassion: Kids need comfort, they need a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear to confide in. Regardless of whether they are wrong or right, Children need to feel like their parents are in their corner and their feelings need to be validated just like adults do, so offer compassion without the side of judgement or shame. 
9. A Sense of Humour: Laughter is the best medicine - it's true. Teach your children to laugh at the world, themselves and their worries. By keeping things light you will reduce the stress and anxieties of the world and allow your children to find the smile in any situation. 
10. Self Awareness: Kids have no idea how to act, mostly they just go with whatever they think will work at the time, often they are way off the mark. Many times they will just mimic whatever you do, or your reactions to situations so you need to have a handle on your own modelling and choices. Work on your own self awareness so that you can be the best role model for your children. 

Now have you got all that? Easy right? 
There is no doubt that being a good mother/parent is a tough gig that requires your utmost attention and effort, but my god - the rewards! The rewards of having a wonderful relationship with your children far outweighs any difficulty or challenge that may arise along the way.
And as I said earlier, I have experienced all of these beautiful and loving things from many other women in my life and some of those women are not even mothers yet. So don't despair if you never got these things from your own mother because there are millions of amazing, loving, generous and nurturing women in the world that can offer you all of these things and so much more. 
So go on, be a great mother, or be like a great mother, or be a great woman or better yet, be all of those things - just be great! And on that note I will say - Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women in  the world who give over of themselves to support, teach and nurture the lives of others. You are bloody amazing! 

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
Release Date: 2019 
Rating:  M
Running Time: 122 mins 
Every now and then, if you're lucky, you will happen upon a movie that is so enchanting and so beautiful that every frame feels like a piece of art, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is that movie. When it comes to romance, passion, adoration and fascination this historical French language film wins on all fronts, delivering something that is not only deeply contemplative but visually stunning as well. 
Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to paint a portrait of a troubled young woman named Heloise. Heloise's mother has been unsuccessful in getting her to pose for paintings and encourages Marianne to act as a hired companion to try and keep her portrait painting a secret. It is not long before Marianne becomes enchanted with Heloise, who is betrothed to another and the two women begin a controversial love affair.  
If you are looking for something that captures the subtilties and beauty of affection and love then this slow burning romance will sweep you away completely. It certainly swept me away, I was deeply moved by this film and really loved how powerful it made the simple act of observing another person. 
Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel are unforgettably gorgeous as the two intertwined women and they are well supported by Valeria Golino  and Luana Bajrami who portrays another convincingly troubled character named Sophie. The film depicts women in various states of joy and peril and it is all delivered perfectly through the poised eye of director Celine Sciamma. This is truly unforgettable film. 
FINAL SAY: When you're observing me, who do you think I'm observing?
5 Chilli Peppers ​

Everyone in our home has now popped out the other side of our gross Covid-19 experience and we are making solid attempts to resume some normality and get back into the groove of daily life again. A little easier said than done though, because the post-Covid drag is real and you do tend to wear out easily and feel like you want to lie down a lot more than you normally would. This tendency to want to get horizontal a lot more than you typically would is, as you would imagine, really inconvenient and not very conducive to getting shit done. This has proven to be really annoying for me because I generally like to burn the candle at both ends and get a lot of bang for my buck when it comes to my everyday routine. 
​Unfortunately, my post-covid body doesn't really seem to like 5.30am yoga and it certainly doesn't seem to like much of anything after 9.30pm in the evenings except sleeping.  It also seems highly reluctant about doing 10,000 steps a day and it isn't nearly as invested in meal preparation as it was pre-covid, which has made dinner, lunch and breakfast periods feel like their own form of fresh hell three times a day as I try to navigate even the simplest of tasks in the kitchen with a heady mixture of disinterest and exhaustion.
As a consequence, our meals have been basic at best, my fitness has dropped off and I am not beating the alarm with anything except my fist in the mornings at the moment. And it's fine, I know that this level of reduced energy is to be expected and is completely normal but I am quite impatient and I have found the frailties, fragilities and failings of my body genuinely frustrating. 
According to Tania Mucci-Elliot, a doctor and expert on infectious diseases, the reason that we feel so fatigued during and after Covid-19 is because our immune system goes into overdrive, releasing chemicals called cytokines that trigger inflammation, fever and tissue death. Covid-19 is a systemic illness and affects many parts of the body, such as the respiratory mucosa, the kidneys, the fat cells and even parts of the brain. After this type of stress response, your body needs to go into rest-and-recovery mode, which causes the severe post-covid fatigue that people complain about.
Basically it's like your body has just run a marathon and it needs to reset. Signs of fatigue and tiredness is the way that your body prompts you to rest and take a break and you need to respond by putting up your feet. So doctors are recommending lots of rest, lots of water to flush your system out and being super vigilant about leaving things that aren't a priority for the first few weeks after infection and just getting the important stuff done. 
Easier said then done for someone like me who usually likes to race about like a rocket, but I really don't have a lot of choice, my body isn't wiling to allow me to go much faster than a snail at the moment anyway, so feet up and chilling out as much as I can is what the doctor is ordering and who am I am to argue with the experts? 

ROCKETMAN 
Release Date: 2019
Rating: MA 15+ 
Running Time: 121 mins 
A musical biography film directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall and based on the life of singer/ songwriter Elton John. Rocketman received huge critical acclaim and a number of awards largely due to Taron Egerton's incredible portrayal of John, but also for the unique and creative use of music, costume design and engaging choreography. 
At an addiction rehabilitation session, Elton John recounts the events of his life from childhood to present day. Through a series of musical numbers Elton recalls his troubling childhood, his rise to fame, his struggles with addiction, his relationship to best friend Bernie Taupin and his often traumatic love life. 
​Taron Egerton is dynamite as Elton John, delivering a powerhouse and mesmerising performance. The entire film feels fresh and original in structure and delivery, which is why I felt like it was more art house than drama, but to be clear there is plenty of drama going on here. The music is hypnotically good and it was almost impossible to not sing along with some of the numbers as I watched.
Like all good musical tributes you're left with a sense of just how much great music Elton John has delivered to the world. However I also found this film quite sad because it so clearly highlights how no amount of fame or money can ever fill some very deep holes that some performers seem to harbour inside of themselves, and Elton John's story certain demonstrates that. 
​FINAL SAY: You've got to kill the person you were born to be in order to become the person you want to be. 
​3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

I've always loved films that don't follow a linear path. I love strange and eccentric films, honestly, I think that I like 'strange and eccentric' anything really but movies, music and literature that pushes the boundaries has always had a special place in my heart. 
Who doesn't like a bit of bizarre and surreal speckled into their everyday lives? Well, I'm sure there are actually quite a lot people who don't like material that challenges, confuses or disturbs them, but boy, they are really missing out on all of the fun, aren't they? Some of my favourite films of all time are weird as hell!
Some film makers and directors have practically specialised in producing absurd, unusual and inexplicable films, they've made a household name for themselves out of it. Take David Lynch, Harmony Korine, David Cronenberg or Yorgos Lanthimos to name but a few. If people weren't into weird, then these guys would never had made it big in Hollywood. And I for one, love to ask myself 'what the fuck did I just see?' after viewing a movie because then I know that what I have seen will leave me thinking. It will leave me pondering for days, going back to it in my mind and turning it over like an unsolvable puzzle box. 
And isn't that what we want from artistic and creative film making? Something that makes us think, something that will stretch our boundaries and push our limits. Well, maybe you don't, perhaps I am part of a small group of weirdos that does enjoy this type of cinema, but over the years I have reviewed an array of edgy, unusual, confronting and just plain weird films. Films that weren't just odd, but were, in my opinion also very, very good. And today I am sharing the pick of the litter here for you. 
If you are looking for something quite left of centre but also deeply engaging, then I suggest that you take a look at these beauties.
Full reviews can be found in the appropriate genre list tab. 
ART HOUSE/ MUSICAL/ INTERNATIONAL

• The Lighthouse
• Sorry to Bother You 
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 
• The Killing of a Sacred Deer 
• Dave Made a Maze
• Swiss Army Man 
• The Lobster
• The Mermaid
• The Brand New Testament
• The Skin I Live In
• Kung Fu Hustle 
• I Heart Huckabees 
• Dogville
• Mulholland Drive
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch
• Being John Malkovich
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 
• Pi
• Delicatessen 
• Wild at Heart 
• Blue Velvet 

GRITTY/ CHALLENGING

• Titane
• Swallow
• Mother!
• Enter the Void
• Dogtooth
• Requiem for a Dream
• Irreversible 
• Dancer in the Dark
• Gummo

HORROR

• Saint Maud
• Possessor
• Midsommar
• Mandy
• Hereditary 
• Susperia
• A Dark Song
• The Neon Demon
• Kill List
• Martyrs
• Jacob's Ladder

SCIENCE FICTION/ FANTASY

• Color Out of Space
• Vivarium
• Annihilation
• The Cell
• The Endless
• Predestination
• Under the Skin
• Melancholia
• The Fall
• The Fountain
• Mirrormask
• Donnie Darko
• eXistenZ
• 2001: A Space Odyssey 

​TITANE
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 108 mins 
A French language film written and directed by Julia Ducournau that got tongues wagging, not just because it won the 2021 Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, but also for its intense, jaw dropping concepts and striking imagery. 
Alexia, a dancer with a metal plate in her head due to a childhood accident, has an unusual affinity with cars. She also has an affinity to killing and does so ruthlessly. However, after a sexual encounter with a vehicle (yep, you read that right, a car) she finds herself pregnant and on the run from the law.  Alexia decides to take on the persona of a child that went missing a decade ago in an attempt to go into hiding. The lost boy's father Vincent, a lonely fire captain, is also desperate for a new beginning and he takes Alexia in and allows her to charade as his son. 
This is a seriously provocative and original film. However, it is also not an easy watch by any stretch. There is a lot of graphic body horror and some deeply disturbing depictions that some people may find too much. However, for all of its ugliness, Titane is really about desperate, lost people that genuinely crave love and meaningful relationships, which makes it equal parts distressing and emotional. 
Agathe Rousselle is giving everything here as Alexia and spends much of the movie involved in awkward, weird and revolting interludes. Vincent Lindon brings the term 'damaged' to new light with his misogynistic firefighter crew antics and desperate need to hold back the ravages of time on his body. 
There's a lot to like and also a lot not to like in Titane. I suggest that you see it for yourself and be the judge. 
FINAL SAY: It's very solid. It's titanium. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

I failed to write on my blog last week because I was doing a major overhaul of my review materials. Not only did I re-sort all of my reviews into chronological order, I also did a massive statistical review of my website. This was hours of work, but also a labour of love. 
In total, I now have 888 reviews completed on Spicywatch and only 60 unreviewed films left in my catch up (back log) of movies to review. That may sound like a lot of reviews to catch up on, but when you have managed to already do so many, it is actually quite manageable and it will give me a project to work on over the Summer break. 
My wish list of movies that I would like to see is, in contrast to my 'to review' list, ridiculously long with 493 movies currently starring, and it just continues to grow longer and longer by the day. I have to admit that I may never actually get around to seeing all of the films that I would like to see in this lifetime, but at least I will never run out of viewing options. 
Below is statistical break down of the reviews that I have joyfully completed on my website so far, which may not be that interesting to you but was very interesting for me as the reviewer. I clearly watch a lot more Horror, Drama and Art House movies than any other genres and when it comes to Romance films, I obviously struggle to find ones that I like enough to review. 
I have reviewed movies that span across a 100 year gap and most of the films that I have enjoyed enough to review have been between 1997 and 2020.
I cannot accurately estimate how many movies I have actually seen in my lifetime, however if I use my statistics from the last five years as a base line and only count the last 20 years then I think that I can safely guess that I have already seen around 5,500 films to date, with only 880 of those making it onto my lists so far. 
​At this point it would also be fair to say that I probably only like around 16% of what I actually watch, which I think probably makes me a pretty fussy reviewer!
Anyway, as always thanks for your continued readership and I hope that placing my reviews in chronological order on their genre lists will make them more user friendly for you to peruse in the future. Happy viewing!
DRAMA:
Total - 130 
Oldest Film - Citizen Kane 1941
Newest Film - Nomadland 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2014
HORROR, THRILLER, SUPERNATURAL:
Total - 113 
Oldest Film - Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror 1922
Newest Film - Fear Street Trilogy 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2016
COMEDY:
Total - 92
Oldest Film - Duck Soup 1933
Newest Film - JoJo Rabbit 2019
​Year with the most reviews - 2007
ACTION, CRIME, WAR:
Total - 101
Oldest Film - Seven Samurai 1954
Newest Film - Nobody 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2019
SCIENCE FICTION, SUPER, FANTASY:
Total - 110
Oldest Film - It's A Wonderful Life 1946
Newest Film - Love and Monsters 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2017
ART HOUSE, MUSICAL, INTERNATIONAL:
Total - 112
Oldest Film - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Oldest film reviewed) 1920
Newest Film - Another Round 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2004
GRITTY, CHALLENGING, DOCUMENTARY:
Total - 95
Oldest Film - Deliverance 1972
Newest Film - Swallow 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2010 and 2011
ROMANCE, MATTERS OF THE HEART:
Total - 68
Oldest Film - My Fair Lady 1964
Newest Film - Palm Springs 2020
​Year with the most reviews - 2013
KID FRIENDLY:
Total - 67
Oldest Film - Wizard of Oz 1939
Newest Film - Cruella 2021
​Year with the most reviews - 2009 and 2016 

​THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
Release Date: 1920
Rating: PG
Running Time: 67 mins 
Considered the quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema, this classic silent movie is arguably the first horror film to have ever been made, and although it may not have the same clout that it had back in it's day, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari still has punch when it comes to unnerving its audience. 
A man retells his horrifying experiences after meeting Dr. Caligari at a town fair. Dr Caligari has a cabinet that contains a creepy somnambulist that can predict the future, but Dr. Caligari's arrival has also brought about a series of grisly murders to the town.  
There is a stark and twisted visual style to this movie that is absolutely amazing. Sets are askew, landscapes are jagged and the characters are all ghostly white with big black eyes. It is easy to see where Tim Burton may have gotten inspiration, because the odd angles and oblique lines are uncannily similar. 
Since you can watch the entire movie on YouTube for free these days, there is no excuse for not having seen this masterpiece of German cinema. I think it is a movie that everyone should make an effort to see for its vision and uniqueness, there really is nothing else like it. 
FINAL SAY: Dr. Caligari, you are one twisted sicko! 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

You could easily be forgiven for thinking that the world is in complete anarchy right now. Ever since COVID-19 spread it's grimy infectious fingers across the globe, it does feel like we have been in a state of constant drama and tragedy around the world. It has literally been one thing after another, just a continuous barrage of hateful behaviour, natural disaster and pandemic mayhem on mass. It has put everyone into a constant state of flight or fight and it is becoming increasingly hard to find any peace, joy or whimsy in the world at the moment.  However, as I enter my 8th lockdown at the same time as my spring holiday break commences I am determined to embrace my own happiness and find some genuine joy over the next two weeks. 
What do you do when the world goes mental around you and you've been wrangling with your own bonkers feelings lately as well? Well, honestly, you just have to go in. You have to focus on what you can control and that means a complete re-focus on the only thing that you can ever really control - yourself! You just have to throw your hands up in to the air, admit that you cannot change anything and go completely inwards and refocus on making the most of your own self. 
There is nothing like a huge dose of worldwide panic and mayhem to make you really feel like withdrawing from society and going into self preservation mode and that is exactly what I am going to be doing. Self preserving, self assessing, self guiding, self healing and most importantly pushing the button on self awareness and self control. And doing that has nothing to do with being selfish or self involved, in fact it is the complete opposite of that. I am doing the only wise thing that can be done right now, taking care of me so that I can take care of others. 
I've got it pretty great compared to so many people on the planet right now. I am healthy, I have had my COVID vaccinations, I get to lockdown in my lovely and comfortable home with plenty of good food, great company and all the creature comforts that I could ever need for a couple of weeks. That makes me one of the most fortunate people in the world. And let's not forget that I also don't have any hang ups, hates or general annoyances in my life right now because I got all of my personal gripes and issues off my chest and dealt with my demons a fortnight ago. So I literally feel completely liberated and free from burden at a time when the world appears to be falling apart all around me.
Is that weird?
Is that stupid?
Is that ignorant? 
No, it's none of those things.
It is deeply liberating and peaceful and unashamedly wonderful to be able to find joy and release at a time like this. And I say that without any malice or judgement towards anyone who isn't feeling like that and I also say it with love and understanding that not everyone is sailing through these choppy waters with a lotus flower in their teeth, sashaying about and proclaiming to be carefree and joyful. All I ask is that you don't judge or condemn me for deciding to flick the switch on my mood and mindset around the current dreadfully grim state of the world right now. 
It's not that I don't care, I do care but I am also powerless to change anything.  And I do not need to fight something that I really just need to accept. I accept that there are things that are happening in the world that are dreadful and unfair and confronting, but I also accept that I am for whatever reason very fortunate in many ways but also powerless to do anything about it. So I am shifting my own thinking and focusing on my own positive vibes. I am focusing on building my own positive energies which I am going to send out into the world. And I do hope that the people that need them the most catch will some of those vibes and find some joy in their lives again soon as well. 
Finding joy is the only think that really matters anyway -it's the meaning of life for goodness sake, so learn to accept what you can't change and learn to manage yourself. It's probably the best thing that most of us can do for the world right now. 

DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT
Release Date: 2018
Rating: M
Running Time: 114 mins 
An art house, comedy-drama directed by Gus Van Sant and based upon the memoir of the same name by John Callahan; Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot was an unexpectedly inspiring and enjoyable watch. This film left me with a delightfully warm and life affirming feeling, and it also delivered some of the strongest performances of the year as well.
Alcoholic cartoonist  John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes a paraplegic after a  drunken car accident. Now Callahan has to try and discover new meaning and purpose in his life as an artist, an alcoholic and a paraplegic. 
It's the genuine and heartfelt way that this film is delivered that sticks with you.  The cast are so good and so believable and the onscreen relationships feel plausible and committed. Joaquin Phoenix is a powerhouse here and he is extremely well supported by Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and Jack Black. In fact Jonah Hill's performance is so amazing that he virtually eclipses Phoenix whenever they are onscreen together, that man can seriously deliver tenderness and compassion!
I just loved this film. I loved the hopefulness, the humanity and the life affirming conversations and considerations that occurred throughout. It's a delightful story that is definitely worth a look. 
FINAL SAY: It is hard teaching people faith.
4 Chilli Peppers ​

It's no secret that everyone loves a big block bluster movie or even a sleeper hit or some kind of movie that is mainstream and easy and people have heard about it through word of mouth. These types of films can be great and I cannot deny that I really adore it when a movie becomes a sleeper hit in particular. However, there are so many fabulous movies that just slip thought the cracks of people's viewing and get missed all together because not enough people are talking about them.
Well, I am talking about them, constantly! More than likely annoyingly to a lot of people. I would recommend movies to people at last a dozen or more times a week and often people will say things to me like "I haven't even heard of that movie" or "Really? I thought that film looked a bit weird/ strange/ arty / scary for me to see." And it honestly kills me because a huge number of movies that never get seen are absolutely gold, some of the best and they not only deserve to be talked about,  they most definitely deserve to be seen as well.  
Below I have listed my top 10 'You Really Should Be Talking About This Film - and Probably Will Be After You Watch it' for each genre on Spicywatch.com. These are films that are very deserving of your time and attention and in my opinion (for what it's worth) definitely should've gotten a lot more attention than they did. They are not block busters or sleeper hits, they are mostly films that flew under the radar, which means that you could easily have missed them but you really shouldn't have. They are not new, in fact many are old and could probably be streamed on many different platforms for free these days. 
Full reviews can be found on the genre lists should you require more information.
Happy viewing!
DRAMA:

1. Ingrid Goes West 
2. Jungle 
3. Youth 
4. Locke
5. Short Term 12 
6. Don Jon 
7. Eighth Grade 
8. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
9. Brothers 
10. The Station Agent

​HORROR:

1. The Vigil
2. The Lodge
3. Saint Maud
4. Mandy 
5. Frailty
6. Here Alone
7. A Dark Song
8. The House of the Devil
9. Creep
10. Hell House LLC

ACTION/CRIME/WAR:

1. Uncut Gems
2. The King
3. Good Time
4. The Bad Batch
5. Prisoners
6. End of Watch 
7. Glory
8. Children of Men
9. The Thin Red Line
10. Blood Simple

COMEDY:

1. Instant Family
2. Fighting With My Family
3. The Breaker Upperers
4. Game Night
5. Spy
6. The Grand Seduction
7. In Bruges
8. Son of Rambow
9. Kung Pow! Enter the Fist!
10. Tucker and Dale vs Evil

SCIENCE FICTION/ FANTASY:

1. Save Yourselves!
2. Predestination 
3. Moon
4. Upgrade
5. The Endless
6. Melancholia
7. Ex Machina
8. Under the Skin
9. These Final Hours
10. Sunshine 

ART HOUSE/ MUSICAL/ INTERNATIONAL:

1. The Great Beauty
2. Me and You and Everyone We Know 
3. Once
4. A Ghost Story
5. Black is King 
6. Sightseers
7. Somewhere
8. 20,000 Days on Earth
9. Kung Fu Hustle 
10. Only Lovers Left Alive 

GRITTY/ DOCO/ CHALLENGING

1. Swallow
2. The Nightingale
3. The Tale
4. Chasing Coral
5. The Weight of Elephants
6. Tyrannosaur
7. Dogtooth
8. Metal Skin
9. Birth
10. Fishtank

ROMANCE/ MATTERS OF THE HEART:

1. Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
2. Blue Jay
3. What If
4. Man Up
5. The One I Love
6. Bright Star
7. Labor Day
8. Ruby Sparks
9. Chasing Amy
10. Your Sister's Sister

KID FRIENDLY:

1. The Willoughbys
2. Klaus
3. Isle of Dogs
4. The Little Prince
5. Kubo and the Two Strings
6. The Boy and The Beast
7. Paranorman
8. 9
9. Hoodwinked!
10. Hugo 

Spicywatch.com has just celebrated its seventh birthday! And how she has grown over the years from a humble dozen or so movies reviews when I first launched her in May 2014 to the massive 873 reviews that she now has under her belt. In the 7 years that Spicywatch has been on the internet I have had over 100,000 hits and on average, good old Spicywatch manages to rustle  up around 2500- 6500 readers a month.
So naturally, I had to celebrate the wonderful and joyful occasion of Spicywatch's 7th birthday, especially since last year I couldn't really do anything significant due to COVID-19.  So in the spirit of all things seven, I asked my guests to investigate the 7 Deadly Sins of gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust and envy and then choose their favourite clips from any or all of those categories to share. 
The event was a small but meaningful gathering and everyone had clearly done their research because we traversed the genres like never before. To give you some idea of the range of the movies that had a clip in the mix, check out this movie list of just some that I can recall from last night's line up. 
GLUTTONY:

• Mathilda
• Austin Powers 
• Spirited Away
• Chocolat
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Stand by Me
• The History of the World (Monty Python) 

PRIDE:

• American Psycho 
• Citizen Kane 
• Monty Python - The Holy Grail 
• The Joker 

ENVY:

• Fatal Attraction
• Eyes Wide Shut
• Howl's Moving Castle
• Moulin Rogue 
• Zoolander 
• Black Swan

LUST:

• Death Proof
• The Devil's Advocate 
• What We Do in the Shadows 
• The Witches of Eastwick
• Fatal Attraction 
• Team America 
• American Beauty 

SLOTH:

• Trainspotting
• The Goonies 
• The Big Lebowski
• Avengers: Endgame 

WRATH:

• Raging Bull
• The Shining
• Maleficent
• Office Space 
• The Lighthouse 
• Revolutionary Road
• Punch Drunk Love 
• Brothers 
• Kill Bill Vol 2
• Silver Linings Playbook

GREED:

• The Hobbit 
• There Will Be Blood
• Casino
• The Nightmare Before Christmas 
• Pocahontas 
• The Mummy 
• Marie Antoinette 

Many thanks to the few incredible souls that braved the weather to celebrate Spicywatch's birthday with me and thanks to all of my loyal readers that continue to check in, read my reviews, leave comments and support the growth of my little blog. 

I love animated movies and contrary to what a lot of people think, they are not all made with only children in mind; in fact some animations are so adult that kids shouldn't go anywhere near them because they are so violent, crass and controversial. 
As graphic animation styles and techniques continue to develop, animated films continue to go from great looking to downright stunning. However, some older animations still hold up by todays standards, especially if they had kick arse storylines or a unique voice in their own right. 
And it is for all of these reasons that I really struggled to come up with a top ten animated films of all time list because there are clearly way more then ten amazing films to put on an animated list. So instead of a top ten, I have just created a list of what I consider to be the best animated offerings across the board order. Some of  them are stop motion, some are computer generated, some are adult and some are for big and small kids alike. 
What these movies do all have in common is that they are all true works of vision and genius and none of them should be overlooked or missed. They all scored at least 4 Chilli Peppers or more from me and you can find their full reviews right here on the Spicywatch genre lists - which I have added in brackets for you. 
So here is my list of what I believe to be - feature animated movies at their finest:

• Soul - 5 Chilli peppers  (Hall of Fame) 
• Kubo and the Two Strings  - 5 Chilli peppers  (Hall of Fame) 
• Fantastic Mr Fox -  5 Chilli peppers  (Hall of Fame) 
• Toy Story Series - 4.5 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse - 4.5 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright )
• The Jungle Book - 4.5 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Inside Out - 4.5 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Isle of Dogs  - 4.5 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Spirited Away  -  4.5 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Monsters Inc - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Onward - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Finding Nemo/ Dory - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Klaus - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Persepolis - 4 Chilli Peppers (Arthouse)
• Despicable Me - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• WALL-E -  4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Waking Life - 4 Chilli Peppers (Arthouse)
• Coco - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Southpark - Bigger, Longer and Uncut - 4 Chilli Peppers (Comedy)
• Akira - 4 Chilli Peppers (Arthouse)
• Shrek - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Paddington 2 - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Coraline - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Moana - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• ​Zootopia - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• The Boy and the Beast -  4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• The Lego Movie - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)
• Mary and Max - 4 Chilli Peppers (Arthouse)
• A Christmas Carol - 4 Chilli Peppers (The Kids are Alright)

AKIRA 
Release Date: 1988
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 124 mins 
This Japanese animated post-apocalyptic action film is widely considered to be one of the best science fiction animation films of all time. Directed by Katsuhiro Ohtomo who also wrote the film with Izo Hashimoto, Akira was pivotal in launching the Japanese cyberpunk subgenre and had a massive impact on popular culture worldwide, paving the way for the growth of anime and Japanese pop culture in the Western world.  
It is 2019, 31 years after the nuking of Tokyo and another threat is looming. After a secret military project goes wrong, a rogue biker gang member discovers that he has been altered and is unable to manage the extraordinary changes that are happening to him. A few brave teenagers and a group of child psychics attempt to stop the threat and restore order to the already torn down city.  
Akira is a dark and violent offering that is both visually pleasing and dazzlingly original in it's presentation. The age of this movie has not affected its impact at all and although it is insanely convoluted and incredibly strange, it is also a visionary work of art that deserves at least one viewing in everyone's lifetime. 
FINAL SAY: There must be a future that we can choose for ourselves. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

By definition, mantra is a Sanskrit word that means a sacred utterance of numerous sounds, syllables or words. Many languages have mantras that are believed to hold religious, magical or spiritual powers. In modern and westernised spiritual practises, the word mantra has become the mainstream word for intention, but in truth mantra and intention are quite different.
The word mantra can be broken down into two words. The first being 'man' which means mind and 'tra' which means transport or vehicle. In other words a mantra is an instrument for moving your mind from one state of being into another. It is a way of triggering a shift in your mindset, which is clearly quite different from setting an intention. 
Just like planting a seed into fertile soil to get the best results, when you plant your mantra over and over in your mind you will also get the best results. Basically, you need to shift your consciousness to more abundant patterns of thinking by repeating your mantra to yourself during meditation, times of focus or when the need to 'shift gears' arises. The key to a successful mantra is all in the repetition. 
When you undertake a course in transcendental meditation with a qualified practitioner, you are given a personal mantra which is usually in the form of a 2 or 3 syllable chant. However, you don't have to go to a professional to set yourself a mantra or chant, you just have to find a saying, sound or group of words that transport your mind to a better or higher frequency of thinking and feeling. 
I have had many mantras over the years. Some have been short and sweet and yet still very effective like "I am strong" "I am focused" and "I can let go." Others have been chants or chimes, bells or transcendental vibration noises. Most recently I have adopted the following mantra:
"Where attentions goes, energy flows"
I say the first three words on the inhale and the last two on the exhale when meditating. However, I have used this mantra to help others as well by gently reminding them about what they are pouring their energy into and whether it deserves as much of their attention and energy as they are giving it. I say this to myself when I feel like I am entering a power struggle, beginning to play into some else's drama or getting caught up in  negative thought patterns about someone else, myself or a situation. 
At the end of the day, a mantra is supposed to bring you back to simplicity, which if done correctly, will support you in protecting your energy as well, which is what I wrote about in my last blog post. We live in a complex world and it is so easy to get lost in all of the details. Having a mantra can help you to keep circling back to a simplistic approach to life and to help you to focus on those things that inspire and truly make you happy, so why not give it a go and create your own mantra, what have you got to lose? 

BLACK IS KING
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M
Running Time: 85 mins 
There is no disputing that Beyoncé is not everyone's cup of tea, but after Lemonade I was more than willing to have a look at Black is King and I was definitely not disappointed. 
A musical and visual album that was directed, written and produced by Beyoncé herself, the film serves as a visual companion to the 2019 album The Lion King: The Gift, a tie-in album curated by Beyoncé for The Lion King. 
The story revolves around a young African prince that is exiled from his kingdom after his father passes away. When he becomes a man, he embarks on a journey to discover his true identity and purpose. He is protected and guided by his ancestors and eventually reclaims his rightful place upon the throne again. 
The music, dances, costumes, themes and sets are all simply divine and the overall experience is a complete transcendence into sight, sound and spirit. There is a lot to love here, and if like me you are a fan of artistic expression and creativity, you will love this as well. 
FINAL SAY: Find Your Way
​4 Chilli Peppers ​

The meter is running on your life, right now, in this very moment, in every moment that you have ever lived and breathed, it has been running.  When a meter is running we know that it means that a cost or expense is accumulating urging us to make a decision or pay the fare. However, when it comes to our actual lives, we rarely if ever consider the amount of time that we have already used up or how much we still have on the meter and at our disposal. 
I am fairly sure that if I told you that your meter was going to run out in say a month, or even six months to a year that you would definitely start to look at your life very differently. You'd possibly make some radical changes to the way that you do things, reprioritise your life and desperately try to milk as much out of the time that you left on the meter or even attempt to reverse it or change that outcome somehow. But you would never have done any of that without the threat of your meter running out on you. 
Big surprise here, your meter is actually running out. And I am not saying that to try and make you feel insecure, hysterical or paranoid, I'm telling you because it is completely and utterly true. All of our meters are running out, they were from the day that we arrived. Mine is, yours is,  everyone's is. None of us, not even the rich, famous and intellectual are going to be able to cheat the sands of time and no-one in the history of all of humanity has been able to live forever. Unfortunately, we all have an expiry date and although that is going to be different for everyone, it is going to be inevitable. 
So, with that in mind let's have a look at how you can enjoy a long and healthy life according to the people that have kept their meters running for so long that they are now called centenarians. Centenarians are people that have lived for 100 years or more, they have survived pandemics, depressions, financial crisis, war and loss; and yet they have emerged almost unscathed, and their resilience offers us all a first hand perspective into the secrets of longevity. Unsurprisingly, there really are some very common dominators in the lives of all centenarians and I believe that these commonalities are clearly the recipe for a long life and a great way to keep your own meter running. 
​Firstly, people who have lived long lives have been cheerful most of their lives. Sure, you can't avoid getting burnt by life every now and again and even the best of us face financial difficulty, loss, illness, failed relationships and stress, but it is how we deal with those setbacks that determines our happiness. Most centenarians have supportive families and friends and a community around them that they are actively involved in. They have powerful, protective social structures that buffer and care for them. So the work that you do to build meaningful relationships with your family and friends is never wasted time, it's actually essential to your own longevity. 
Most centenarians claim that they have managed to stay cheerful by never comparing themselves to others. They all have positive mindsets that are devoid of jealousy, envy and resentment. They are living their best lives every day and taking joy in all of the little things and not getting hung up on the petty stuff. They also swear by removing toxic relationships from their lives. People who are not trustworthy should go first, followed by anyone that continuously hurts your feelings, belittles you or makes you feel unlovable. It's very simple really, only keep people in your life that lift you up, respect and value you as you are, otherwise they will be a scourge on your life meter. 
No surprises here, but centenarians also have a healthy diet, however they also like to consumed one or two alcoholic beverages a day, usually as a night cap of some sort. They all imbibe in moderation, never overindulge and rarely, if ever, smoke. None of them have ever had a gym membership but all of them have lead very active lifestyles. Most centenarians walk every day, some of them still taking up to 10,000 steps a day. Most of them take in other regular gentle exercise like swimming, yoga or tai chi and generally keep busy by tending to their own yards, doing their own shopping and maintaining their own homes. 
Almost all centenarians have hobbies that give them pleasure. Undertaking something relaxing and enjoyable that you do without looking for gain or return is paramount to these people's lives. And finally, they all kept a tight budget and never, ever spent more than they earned. A lot of them have never even owned a credit card and have always saved for a rainy day.  Being financially sound and not having to worry about money is a great way to keep stress levels low and to eliminate unnecessary worry  and uncertainly about the future. 
However, let's be honest, there is really no one way to ensure that your meter will keep running for a very long time because life is risky and unpredictable and all any of us can really do is hope for the best and try to be our best. However, there is no denying that the recipe for long life outlined above by our beloved centenarians certainly does seem like a great and logical place to start if you are trying to get more mileage on the meter.
​Whether you adopt or adapt any of these tips is of course completely up to you, and no matter your choices, I do wish you all a long, prosperous and healthy life with a meter that runs for at least 100 years or more!

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Release Date: 2021
Rating: MA 15+ 
Running Time: 113 mins 
An American crime thriller that was written, produced and directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. This boldly provocative thriller received generally favourable critical acclaim for it's dynamic writing and Carey Mulligan's committed and strong portrayal of a woman that has been wronged. 
Cassie Thomas (Mulligan) is exacting her revenge upon the people that were involved in a vicious attack on her best friend and she is also taking down a few other douche bags along the way. 
It's the terrific mix of dark humour and appallingly abhorrent assholes getting their comeuppances that makes this film so great. Mulligan is at her absolute best here as Cassie, a character that has tenacity and personality in bucket loads and it was just so fantastic to see a female delivering some kick arse vengeance in such colourful and unique ways. 
The supporting cast are also strong here with Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Laverne Cox and Clancy Brown all rounding out the story and making it something genuinely memorable and deeply affecting. 
FINAL SAY: Can you guess what every woman's worst nightmare is?
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Normally at this time of the year I would have been able to recount all of the wonderful things that I did and the people that I shared my time with throughout the year, and write a really amazing blog post reminiscing about those events; this year however - not so much! To say that 2020 was a difficult year would be a massive understatement, but for those of you that are out there reading this, well at least we survived it right?
Equally it was a strange year of cinema to say the least! I cannot deny that the viewing opportunities in 2020 grew wider and faster than anyone (even myself) could possibly have kept up with. However, this year I only watched 185 movies in total, which does sound like a lot but it was actually 30 less than I watched in 2019. This was mainly due to the quality of the films on offer, which in opinion were not nearly as consistently great as they were in 2019 and I found myself wading through a lot mediocre movies this year. 
However, television was a whole other ball game, and I watched 153 television series (some of which were more than one series of catch up as well) which was a lot more TV than I viewed in 2018 or 2019, so it all balances out to the same amount of couch smashing in the end and still translates to me being a serious media addict. 
You will notice that there are a lot of TV series listed below that got 4 chilli peppers or more, certainly more than movies did and that is simply because there were a lot more excellent TV experiences to be had this year. The influx of genuinely high level television in 2020 was literally never ending and because of COVID19 lockdowns across the globe we were given the best TV streaming opportunities that we have ever had before. My 'to see' list is pages long these days as I struggle to keep ahead of the game and the movie reviews that I still need to add to my blog, but alas it is a labour of love and I have enjoyed every moment of media escapism that I have indulged in this year. 
2020, just like 2019 managed to deliver greatness across all genres, for which I am very grateful. The international films, independent films and animated films were amazingly good this year and it was great to see so many excellent films and series from those genres. And so, without further ado....here is my selection for the best viewing experiences of 2020. 
BEST MOVIES (2020 release):
Soul - Kids  5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers 
Sound of Metal - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Onward - Kids  4 Chilli Peppers
Black is King - Musical  4 Chilli Peppers
The Vast of Night - Sci-Fi   3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Invisible Man - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
The Willoughbys - Kids  3.5 Chilli Peppers
His House - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Colour Out of Space - Sci -Fi  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Da 5 Bloods - War 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Enola Holmes  - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Deadwood: The Movie - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Save Yourselves! - Sci-Fi/ Comedy   3.5 Chilli Peppers

2020 HONOURABLE MENTIONS:
The Platform - Gritty/ International  3 Chilli Peppers
Swallow - Gritty 3 Chilli Peppers
Palm Springs -  Romance/ Comedy 3 Chilli Peppers 
Vivarium - Sci-Fi 3 Chilli Peppers 
#Alive - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers
American Murder: The Family Next Door - Doco 3 Chilli Peppers 
Relic - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers 

Here are my top recommendations for pre-2020 releases that I didn't see until 2020:
1917 - War 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame) 
Parasite - International 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Shadow - International 4.5 Chilli Peppers
The Nightingale - Gritty  4 Chilli Peppers
Uncut Gems - Crime 4 Chilli Peppers
The Lighthouse - Art House  4 Chilli Peppers
The Farewell - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
Burning - International 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Ford v Ferrari - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Chasing Coral - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Peanut Butter Falcon - Drama 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Mid90s - Drama   3.5 Chilli Peppers
Zombieland 2: Double tap - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers
Dr Sleep - Horror 3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Rocketman - Musical  3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Gentlemen - Crime 3.5 Chilli Peppers
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - Crime  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Hail Satan? - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
3 Identical Strangers - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
Mystify: Michael Hutchence - Doco  3.5 Chilli Peppers
The Lodge - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers
The Night Eats the World - Horror 3 Chilli Peppers

BEST TELEVISION SERIES 2020:
Succession S2 -  Drama 5 Chilli Peppers
Ozark S3 - Crime 5 Chilli Peppers
Lovecraft Country - Horror 5 Chilli Peppers
This Country S3 - Comedy 5 Chilli Peppers
Raised by Wolves - Sci- Fi 4.5 Chilli Peppers
The Queen's Gambit - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers
The Mandalorian - Sci-Fi 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Better Call Saul S5 - Crime 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
Morning Wars - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
I May Destroy You - Drama 4.5 Chilli Peppers 
DEVS - Sci-Fi  4 Chilli Peppers 
The Magicians S5 - Sci-Fi 4 Chilli Peppers
The Great - Period Drama 4 Chilli Peppers 
What We Do in the Shadows S2 - Horror/Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
Mythic Quest - Comedy/Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Kidding S2 - Art House 4 Chilli Peppers
Awkwafina is Nora from Queens - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
The Boys S2 - Super 4 Chilli Peppers
Ramy S2 - Comedy/ Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
The Haunting of Bly Manor -  Horror 4 Chilli Peppers
The Undoing - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
Wayne - Crime/ Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
Unorthodox - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers
​It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S14 - Comedy 4 Chilli Peppers
High Fidelity - Drama 4 Chilli Peppers

2020 TV HONOURABLE MENTIONS: ​
Ratched - Thriller  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
SEE - Sci- Fi  3.5 Chilli Peppers 
Avenue 5 - Sci-Fi/ Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Dave - Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers
The Servant - Thriller  3 Chilli Peppers
 The Umbrella Academy S2- Fantasy 3 Chilli Peppers
The Third Day - Thriller  3 Chilli Peppers 
After Life S2 - Comedy  3 Chilli Peppers 
Killing Eve S3 - Crime  3 Chilli Peppers 
Breeders - Comedy  3.5 Chilli Peppers 

I recently found out that I am a number four in the Enneagram system of personality types. Number Four types are Individualists, they are creative and unique and are defined by their sense of being special and different from other people - which trust me, is not nearly as cool as it may sound.
There are nine different personality types and you can easily take a 10 minute online test to determine which type you are - just click on this link to take the test now: www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test
The word Enneagram derives from the Greek words Ennea meaning nine and Gramma meaning something that is drawn or written, and each of the nine personality types is defined by a particular core belief about how the world works. No one really knows the exact origin of the Enneagram, but we do know it has an eclectic history. Some assume ancient roots in Babylon around 4,500 years ago while others place the origin in classical Greek philosophy around 2,500 years ago. The model has been attributed to the Jewish Kabbalah, Christian mysticism and Sufism, a mystical form of Islam. Dante apparently had very good knowledge of the Enneagram since the characters in The Divine Comedy correspond largely to the Enneagram types.
What we do know, is that the modern Enneagram system is the work of the contemporary author Georg Ivanovich Gurdjieff, a mystic and spiritual teacher who introduced the model as a spiritual symbol in the 1930s then brought it to the Western shores in the 1960s. Most researchers today tend to focus on the psychological rather than the religious side of the Enneagram, drawing comparisons with other personality models like the Myers-Briggs system.
The core belief systems of an Enneagram personality type shape your worldview and the perspective through which you experience your environment and the people around you. Our core beliefs are not necessarily incorrect, but they can be limiting. By better understanding your Enneagram type and how it colors your perceptions, you can apparently broaden your perspective and learn to approach situations in a more effective way. 
Understanding your Enneagram type helps you to understand why you behave or react in the ways that you do. Each type has a set of core beliefs that motivates them to take particular actions and guides them to make certain decisions. Knowing your Enneagram type can also help you to understand how and why other people react the way that they do in certain situations. By describing how each type adapts and responds to both stressful and supportive situations, the Enneagram shows opportunities for personal development and provides a foundation for the understanding of others.
Today it is mostly used for personal self-knowledge and personal development, offering a powerful tool for self-mastery, conflict resolution, team dynamics, leadership and emotional intelligence. Because it identifies opportunities for development in each individual type, it has become widely used in areas such as counseling, psychotherapy, business development, parenting and education. 
But in all seriousness, you can just decide for yourself whether or not you feel any connection to your personality type after you've taken the test and found out what your type is. And even if you gain nothing from taking the test and think that it is all a big load of malarkey, it's still a bit of fun and a good time filler on a rainy Sunday afternoon. 
Big shout out to all my fellow #4 Individualists out there - keep on being your unique beautiful selves!

PERSEPOLIS
Release Date: 2007
Rating: M
Running Time: 96 mins
An Iranian-French-American animated movie based on Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. After tying for the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, writer and director Marjane Satrapi said in her acceptance speech "Although this film is universal, I wish to dedicate the prize to all Iranians." Satrapi's story reached a wide audience, educating the masses about the Iranian revolution, touching people's hearts and creating waves of controversy as well. 
Persepolis is essentially a coming of age story about an outspoken and unique Iranian girl named Marjane. Marjane grows up amidst the Islamic revolution and is eventually sent away by her family to make a better life for herself in Vienna. 
Produced in moody black and white, and delivered with highly stylized visual flair, this film works on so many levels. Marjane is really no different than any other teenager trying to find their way in the world, she just happens to have seen a lot more brutality and inequality in her time. This is certainly no fairy tale, but it is hopeful, and there is  a great deal of clarity to be gleaned about the realities of the Islamic revolution from this beautifully presented political drama. 
FINAL SAY: Never forget who you are and where you're from. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

I know that I recently wrote a blog post all about Intuition vs Logic and I have since enjoyed some lengthy and interesting discussion with friends around that topic; and this is because there seems to be some misunderstanding around the difference between intuition and instinct, and which of those we should be listening to. In my previous post I said that you should be careful of always choosing to go with your intuition over your logic and I cited some pretty valid reasons for that, but when it comes to listening to your instincts it's a whole other ball game because overriding your instincts can be much, much harder indeed. 
Your intuition is that feeling that you get, almost like an inner voice or sixth sense that makes you think that something may feel like a good or bad opportunity. Your instinct however is not a feeling, it's an innate hardwired natural tendency to behave or react in a certain way and it's far more primordial than your intuition. Your instinct is part of your biological make up which is why it can be very difficult to override. Unlike your intuitive thoughts which are created when your brain perceives a neural pathway, your instincts are a motor response that are initiated by your whole body in response to an external stimuli. 
Our instincts are what have kept us alive as human beings for thousands of years, they are produced by a biological force that makes us react to hunger and thirst, it's what drives us to use our bowels, blink, sleep, have sex, reproduce and above all else - survive. Over time we have managed to hone our instincts so that we can manage them in more refined and appropriate ways, but all of us still have them and not all of us have evolved to a point where we can manage or control them very well.
Suppressing your most basic instincts can not only be useful but also completely necessary if you want to get along in the modern world. It would be completely inappropriate to jump every person's bones that aroused a sexual instinct within you, and although there probably was a time in history when this was a useful instinct to employ in order to sustain human kind, these days it would obviously be extremely frowned upon and you'd probably end up in jail. Also managing other social/emotional instincts like our instinct of fight or flight, which may not always be an appropriate response in every situation has been replaced with more refined methods of negotiation and modern logic now, so there is no need for anyone to run screaming out of a room when they feel affronted or afraid anymore. 
However, those fight or flight instincts can still come in mighty handy when it comes to certain survival situations and there are hundreds of human experiences that we would still be using the method with, and it would be saving our skin to do so.  In general, ignoring all of your instincts is pretty unwise because our instincts are important innate behaviours that we learned and practised for a reason - as humans we all need them, but some of our human instincts that we have developed over time are not only useless now but they could even cause the eventual the downfall of humankind if we can't fight against them.
Our strongest human instinct, the one that overrides everything is our survival instinct. Because of this super strong survival instinct that all humans have, we have also developed a few less than attractive instincts in order to keep the flock safe and humans alive. The worst of those are denial, revenge and greed. Due to the extreme scarcity of resources for early man, greed was a form of survival. Being honesty also didn't feed anyone and neither did forgiveness, so denial and revenge were ways to establish pecking order, strengthen loyalties and ensure that a tribe survived. Unfortunately, many of us are still employing these shithouse instincts into our lives today and the results have been damning to say the least. Many people are still instinctively in denial about many modern issues like food shortages, lack of clean drinking water, global warming, pollution, disease, overpopulation... the list goes on and on and the reason for this denial is often fed by greed and revenge. And even though we do not need to employ these basic instincts to protect the herd anymore, many of us still do and the results are devastating on a global scale. 
So, in short it is fair to say that we should, just like our intuition, listen to our logic and sound modern thinking before we allow ourselves to be overcome by our often outdated biological instincts. We as humans pride ourselves in being the leaders of this planet, and in doing so we have an obligation to behaviour in a more refined and dignified manner than some of our instincts would like us to because if we don't, then we are really no better than the animals that we say we are going to protect. Don't be a slave to your instincts, use them when you need to but be aware that some of them are totally archaic knee jerk reactions that you can learn to control and replace with more evolved and humanitarian choices. 

You don't need to have religious calling, become a devout Buddhist monk or start drinking the Kool Aid with a local cult to feel like you are tapping into a higher power. In fact, your true higher power really doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with religion or any organised belief systems because tapping into your higher power is really just about finding out about what motivates, stimulates, activates and energises your life; and that is going to look different for everyone. 
So many people attribute the term 'higher power' to a power that is greater than ourselves and I respectfully say to them that I strongly disagree. From my experience, this is most certainly not the case for everyone. Many, many people are able to tap into a higher vibration or version of themselves without having any firm or fixed ideas around an existential God or deity. And I firmly believe that it is just as correct to call this inner attunement 'tapping into a higher power' and that is the kind of higher power that I am going to be discussing today - your internal higher power; but if it makes you feel more comfortable to look outside of yourself for that then by all means, go for it!
In order to become more attuned to your higher self, you do need to be willing to go within. This may take the form of meditation, contemplation or for religious people - prayer, whatever you're doing, you need to quiet the mind, still the body and calm the inner voices so that you get beneath all of the hum and noise that you are so used to hearing all of the time. You're looking for a deep dive into the seat of yourself because what you are attempting to do is connect with the deepest parts of your subconscious and really listen to the most raw parts of yourself. This voice, the one that lies deep within you, is your higher power.
But why bother trying to tap into this 'higher power' anyway? It all just sounds like a lot of sitting around and zoning out right? Well, in all honesty, when you do manage to find that voice that I spoke of earlier, it will help you to understand yourself a whole lot better. It will help you to heal old hurts, open your mind, help yourself and others and teach you to be more loving and accepting of differences and mistakes. Becoming more attuned to yourself will allow you to identify patterns in your behaviours, root out problems in your life and best of all solve them as well. And just to really put the icing on the cake, your higher power will also help you to love yourself unconditionally. 
I know that some people will think that this is all just spiritual mumbo-jumbo, but it really isn't. You do not need to be spiritual or believe in any kind of God to be able to attune to your own rhythms and subconscious energies. If everyone spent more time tending their own gardens and less time worrying about what was going on in anyone else's, trust me - it would be a much brighter and calmer world overall. So don't look elsewhere, I say look within to unlock, unfurl and understand who you really are. Everyone deserves a higher love and a link to their higher self but knowing that you don't have to go outside of yourself to get that is really one of the most empowering things that anyone could know. 
Get started right away, learn to listen to your body, tune into your feelings and pay attention to your thoughts. Attune to your higher power and start to love yourself on a whole new and more deeply empowering level. You truly deserve nothing less than that and I honestly do believe that. 
The COVID -19 pandemic has made it absolutely impossible for anyone to travel anywhere for quite some time, so why not invest some time in a little inner travel? What have you got to lose? And it is completely free!
​I do encourage and sincerely wish you well on your explorations to find your higher power; remember to travel softly, be super kind to yourself and really take your time...and above all else - enjoy the journey!

THE LIGHTHOUSE
Release Date: 2019
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 110 mins 
A psychological thriller, directed and produced by Robert Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Max Eggers. Shot in black and white and delivered in a nearly square 1.19:1 ratio, The Lighthouse is a deeply affecting and sinister watch that blurs the lines between horror, art house, mythology and edge of your seat thriller. 
Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) undertakes a four week contract as a lighthouse keeper on an isolated island off the coast of New England under the guidance of veteran 'wickie' Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe). As the days stretch into weeks the men succumb to the madness of isolation, the intolerably cruel conditions and the often erratic and irritable behaviours of one another. 
Pattinson and Dafoe are absolutely brilliant here, delivering Oscar worthy, powerhouse performances and going to incredible lengths to create something that is so unforgettably dark and unsettling that I found myself thinking about it for days after.
Steeped in superstition and folklore, the story takes some unexpected turns as it delves into some seriously controversial territory like loneliness, alcoholism, toxic masculinity and hidden identity. The Lighthouse is undoubtedly the most unforgettable movie of the year and will definitely be shocking audiences for many years to come. 
FINAL SAY: Let Neptune strike ye Dead, Winslow!
4 Chilli Peppers ​

Sometimes in life we believe that we can detect patterns. These patterns can be seen in the way that we ritualistically do things or in the way that we behaviour or react to certain things or even in the behaviours and reactions of others if we are really observant. And sometimes we can even believe that we see patterns in external or unrelated things; and when this happens a lot it can actually be a problem or even a sign of mental unwellness. 
The term apophenia is used to diagnose a condition when people have a tendency to mistakenly perceive patterns or connections between completely unrelated things. Coined by psychiatrist Klaus Conrad in his 1958 publication on the beginning stages of schizophrenia, he defined it as the "unmotivated seeing of connections accompanied by a specific feeling of abnormal meaningfulness." 
People that suffer from apophenia will seek patterns in all kinds of random information. Many gamblers actually suffer from this condition, believing that they can see patterns in lottery numbers, card games and roulette wheels, this type of apophenia is often called "gambler's fallacy."
One more common form of apophenia that we all suffer from is pareidolia and it is when we perceive patterns in visual and auditory stimuli. A common example of this might be to see a shape in the clouds or a face within an inanimate object. Think about all of the people who flocked to see images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary on a piece of toast or a block of wood; these items are terrific examples of pareidolia. And who hasn't seen the man in the moon? We all know what pareidolia feels like and most of us can see the patterns and dismiss them as mere coincidence, but some of us actually cannot. 
As humans we all have a need for order, and in general most of us will choose order and predictability over chance and chaos every time. This tendency does push us to see patterns everywhere, even when they do not exist. So when does seeing or hearing patterns become a problem? Well, at the end of the day, thinking that you have found the face of God in your cereal is not really going to hurt anyone, but making false pattern predictions a lot can be extremely dangerous to your wellbeing and overall safety. Experts recommend that if you are experiencing any of the following pattern recognition errors regularly, you may actually have apophenia. So let's take a look at what those pattern recognition errors are:

• Hearing hidden messages when you play recordings backwards.
• Seeing Godlike images in inanimate objects regularly. 
• Hearing voices or messages in ticking clocks or other repetitive noises. 
• Believing in jinx items or behaviours. 
• All superstitious beliefs and behaviours. 
• Seeing 'signs' in mundane things eg. 11:11 on a clock face. 
• Unwaveringly beliefs in conspiracy theories and unproven ideas. 

Hmmm, turns out that seeing Jesus in your cereal may not be so innocuous after all. So, next time that you find yourself laying on your back thinking that you just saw a dragon fly past in the clouds, spare a thought for the people that suffer from crippling apophenia and can't control their beliefs in patterns. Consider just how difficult a life like that must actually be. What we see as a fun way to pass a moment on a sunny afternoon, is actually an obsession for some poor individuals and having no ability to separate patterns from the randomness of life must be extremely frustrating. This is definitely one of the rare moments when I am truly grateful for the utterly random and unpredictable quality of my own life. 

You are enough. What does that mean exactly? We all want to feel like we are enough, but what does it mean to actually be enough. Well, I can tell you now that it does not mean that you have been assessed, made the grade or finally been considered to be worthy enough to have earned the label of "enough" as many people would think that it does. It also does not mean that you have worked hard enough, pushed hard enough, tried enough or done enough, it actually means none of those things. 
You are enough simply means that you are enough. Right now, as you are right at this moment, you are enough. It means that you are exactly where you are meant to be and for now that is enough, however it does not mean that you are everything, perfect or complete which is something that people seem to get very confused about when they hear that they are enough. 
For some reason, people think that "enough" is some zone of completion or perfection, which is absolutely crazy. For a start there is no such thing as perfection. Perfection is completely subjective and in my opinion generally overrated. Also, since you are a human being, you can never ever be "completed" because you are a work in progress for your entire life and you will never stop growing, learning and evolving, and why on earth would you want to anyway? If being enough really was perfection and completion then it would actually be some kind of personal made hell in the form of stagnation and delusion, so no - being enough has nothing to do with being perfect or competed. 
Being enough is really about just being you. You with all of your messy imperfections, your hang ups and your beautiful broken bits that make you who you are, and also having an awareness that it's perfectly okay to be all of those things. Being enough is knowing that aiming for perfection is a form of self made insanity and thinking that you're perfect is delusional and believing you're 'all done' is seriously mental and definitely limiting. 
You are enough means that you know that you don't have to strive to prove your worth because you know that you have worth. You also don't have to question if you are loveable because you already know that you are. It means that you know without a shadow of  doubt that you can be brave enough to be more open, honest, true, authentic, free, connected, purposeful and intentional in how you present yourself and behave, and it's all good to do so. Being enough means that you can have pride in all aspects of yourself, you don't compare yourself to anyone, you have no need to feel insecure about who you are and you also know that you don't need to judge or compete with anyone because all of those behaviours are pointless and will only slow down your overall progress.
​And do you know why you know all of that?
Because you are enough, that's why.
And don't you forget it! 

I think that everyone would like to think that they are leading a meaningful life, but in truth a lot of people actually appear to spend their entire lives in various states of dissatisfaction. From conversations that I have had with various people about their quality of life and from the articles, books and information that I have read, it seems to me that regardless of the fact that most of the people in question are living reasonably wealthy and social lifestyles, many of them are still feel like they are lacking purpose, fulfillment and direction in their lives. So what is happening here? Why are people feeling this level of meaninglessness when they already have everything that they could ever need?  
The answer to this is really very simple. People that feel like their lives are meaningless are usually failing to recognise what matters, and instead of appreciating and focusing on what they have, they spend most of their time focusing on what they believe to be missing from their current reality. This kind of thinking draws a person away from an appreciation mindset and leads them into thinking that they are going without, thus leading them into a state of dissatisfaction or meaninglessness. 
What constitutes a meaningful life has been a topic that philosophers have argued for centuries. The 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that the question itself is meaningless because in the midst of living, we're in no position to discern whether our lives matter, and stepping outside of the process of existence to answer is impossible. Other god- centred philosophers believe that only a deity can provide purpose and meaning to life. Naturalists philosophers would argue that there is no absolute truth when discussing value around life meaning because one person may say that creativity is the answer, and another may say virtue; and in truth they could both be correct. And subjective philosophers believe that the value of a life's meaningfulness is made up only by our minds and therefore is subject to change at any moment. 
And for some people these truths are the way that they find meaning in their lives. In fact none of these theories are incorrect, because they would all still fit into the theory that life's meaning can be found by refocusing your mindset upon the things in your life that you already have and seeing them as meaningful aspects. For some people that could be their relationship to a deity or God, for some it may be their creativity or virtuosity and for others it could be a sliding scale of elements that are continuously altered by life experiences like the people we meet, the places we go and the new ideas and concepts that we engage in. As long as you are focused on those things as meaningful and not continuously looking at what is missing from your current existence them you can and will feel like you are living a meaningful life. 
Sure, it seems pretty simplistic and that's because it is. If you can condition yourself to look at all of the things that already exist in your life then you can most definitely become empowered by that thinking. By removing habits of comparison, jealousy, longing, searching and escaping from your life and replacing them with habits of gratitude, appreciation, awareness, fulfilment and self focus, you can drastically increase your ability to recognise that you are already living a very meaningful life right at this moment. Yes, you are living a very meaningful life right at this moment; wherever you are, whoever you are and whatever you are doing, your life has meaning and purpose.
So, in conclusion and in answer to my opening question, what is a meaningful life? I believe that the answer is that all life is meaningful, you just have to focus on what you already have. So please, go out and appreciate all that you have right now and enjoy your beautiful and meaningful life!

FRANCES HA
Release Date: 2012
Rating: MA 15+
Running: 86 mins
You aren't going to really like anyone all that much in this movie. You aren't going to be blown away with a rich and intriguing story line. And you aren't going to be changed emotionally by seeing this movie; and that is because this film is not setting out to do those things. 
Frances Ha is a movie about the unbearable lightness of being, about everyday people - most of whom are pretty annoying and self involved. It's about the shitty everyday stuff that happens, mostly of little consequence and mostly in transition, but completely unavoidable in life and also part of the rich tapestry that gives life real meaning. 
We follow Frances (Greta Gerwig) as she flows through relationships, friendships, employment and homelessness as she tries to establish a career and a life for herself in New York as a dancer. Frances is impulsive, honest and dreamy in her approach to life and her story offers a fresh perspective on the nothingness that is living. 
Shot in a broody black and white and sensitively directed by Noah Baumbach, I think a lot of people will sadly overlook this film which would be a damn shame because it's message is so unique.
FINAL SAY: I like things that look like mistakes. 
3 Chilli peppers ​

The 92nd Academy Awards aired on Monday and of course I was glued to the television for the duration. I love all of the glitz and glamour and particularly enjoyed the brilliant opening routine which gave homage to some of the excellent movies of 2019 that didn't make the final nomination cut like Us, Midsommar, Queen and Slim and Dolemite is My Name. 
I cannot express my joy at seeing the floral 'Midsommar' dress on Janelle Monae as she declared "Tonight, we celebrate all the amazing talent in this room. We celebrate all of the women who directed phenomenal films and I'm so proud to stand here as a black queer artist, telling stories. Happy Black History Month." 
And what a wonderful night it was all around with Parasite smashing it out of the park with four Oscar wins, including Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. Turns out that when the South Koreans arrive at the Academy Awards, they mop the floors with their opponents. And good for them, Parasite was easily one of the best movies of 2019, and I for one have been advocating for more foreign film appreciation for decades, so it's about time really.
Now we just need another female to win a Best Director Oscar because that hasn't happened since Kathryn Bigelow broke the mould and won one in 2010 for The Hurt Locker, and it's been a mighty dry category for females ever since as well; here's hoping 2020 will change all that again. 
However, enough of my own agenda, let's just get onto the very worthy Oscar winners for 2019, my congratulations and sincere appreciation to you all!
Best Picture:
“Parasite”
Lead Actor:
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Lead Actress:
Renee Zellweger, “Judy”
Supporting Actor:
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Supporting Actress:
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Director:
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”
Animated Feature:
“Toy Story 4,”  Josh Cooley
Animated Short:
“Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry
Adapted Screenplay:
“Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi
Original Screenplay:
“Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han
Cinematography:
“1917,” Roger Deakins
Best Documentary Feature:
“American Factory,” Julia Riechert, Steven Bognar
Best Documentary Short Subject:
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger
Best Live Action Short Film:
“The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry
Best International Feature Film:
“Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho
Film Editing:
“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
Sound Editing:
“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester
Sound Mixing:
“1917” Stuart Wilson
Production Design:
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh
Original Score:
“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir
Original Song:
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”
Makeup and Hair:
“Bombshell” Kazuhiro Tsuji
Costume Design:
“Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran
Visual Effects:
“1917” Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuchy, Greg Butler.

One thing that you really miss about being on holidays is being able to dictate when you will sleep. I freely admit that I was regularly indulging in the odd siesta over the summer holidays and was often staying up very late and sleeping in until all kinds of unprofessional hours, but hey that's what the holidays are for! However, now that I am back at work  and once again a slave to the clock, it has occurred to me that in order to fulfil my hectic and busy lifestyle choices that something has to give, and for me the first thing to be sacrificed is my sleep. 
Sleep could be seen as a very silly thing to sacrifice, or a very smart one depending on who you are. And I suppose that the most obvious question that gets raised when someone starts to toy with cutting back on their sleep is just how much sleep do you actually need to survive? Notice that I said survive there and not thrive? Well, I suppose what I really mean is how much sleep do we need to still be considered high functioning? And the results of my research may surprise you.
In general, the average adult requires between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night; however (and this is a pretty big however), everyone actually requires a different amount depending on their individual genetic makeup. And furthermore, you can actually condition your body to function well on as little as 5 hours sleep per night. Yes, really, 5 hours of sleep a night and the secret to doing this lies not in the hours of sleep that you get, but in the quality of sleep that you are getting during those 5 hours of sleep. 
When assessed, it was found that people who can thrive on 5 or 6 hours of sleep and still feel bright and ready to face the day are generally getting very high quality sleep when they are sleeping. They spend less time tossing and turning, more time in REM sleep when they are out and are generally able to relax on a whim if required to do so. For example, these people would be able to drop into a deep meditation mode easily or engage in reading a book in very noisy situations. However, let's be very real about this, being able to go without sleep and survive on only 5 hours of rest every day is a superhuman feat and before you commit to cutting your sleep down to radically small amounts it is also worth considering the side effects of having too little quality sleep in your life. 
Apart from constantly feeling like a crap sandwich, a lack of sleep has also been linked to obesity, heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, none of which are very alluring at all are they? And there are also some significant signs that you're not getting enough quality sleep that you can keep an eye out for like feeling moody or depressed, getting dizzy, suffering from breakouts and illnesses, having dark rings around your eyes, gaining weight, craving junk food, drinking more caffeine and forgetfulness.  
Experts say that if you take more than 30 minutes to get sleep at night and always feel tired when you wake up then you are more than likely depriving your body of quality sleep. And it is also worth noting that the hormones in your body that control hunger and stress are also regulated by sleep, so odds are that if you're not sleeping enough you're going to be stressing out a lot and generally eating too much.
Everyone knows that sleep deprivation is an incredibly effective and insidious form of torture that attacks your deep biological functions and will eventually cause irreparable mental and physical health complications over time if continued; so do I recommend cutting your sleep back to fit more into your life? Well no, at least not for anyone else...but for me in the interim, I feel reasonably confident that the 6 to 6.5 hours of sleep that I allow myself to have each night is sustaining me just fine. However, I could have already wrecked my brain by now and have absolutely no idea what the hell I am saying, so please don't take my word for it! Go and experiment on yourself and your own sleep patterns to work out what your 'golden and ideal' amount of sleep hours is- you'll definitely have a perfect point, that much I do know for sure, but only you will be able to determine where that is.
In the meantime, make sure that you consider Dr Michael Breus' (from thesleepdoctor.com) recommendations for the perfect bedtime ritual to get more bang for your buck when you are asleep - and sweet dreams everyone!
1. Clean yourself -eg, take a shower, or at least wash your face, brush your teeth, floss and put on clean PJ's.
2. Keep your linen fresh and clean and where possible allow fresh air to circulate your room. 
3. Avoid eating for at least an hour before sleep. 
4. Commit to the same bedtime each night so that you establish a routine.
5. Drink a warm non-caffeinated beverage.
6. Turn off screens at least one hour before retiring.
7. Meditate.
8. Ensure that you have a dark quiet room or use eye shades and ear plugs. 
9. Practise deep breathing and stretching before getting into bed. 
10. Don't fight the sleep, if you're wrestling your sheets or tossing about, get up and make a warm drink and restart your ritual again. Remember that 2 hours of restful sleep is better than 4 hours of restlessness. 

The Academy Awards (or Oscars) are officially Hollywood's biggest awards 'night of nights.' They serve to award movie makers, directors and actors who have reached a pinnacle of excellence in their careers. To even receive an Oscar nomination is huge deal in Hollywood, and unlike the Golden Globes that celebrate television and film excellence, the Academy Awards are solely focused on recognising achievements of excellence in film.
The categories at the Oscars span much further than acting and directing, and also offer recognition for all of the creative and technical work that goes on behind the scenes when movies are made. From costuming, sound, cinematography, visual effects and cinema shorts, the Academy Awards are the most prestigious and coveted of all of the Hollywood award events, and even though I never miss the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards or the Critics Choice Awards, the Oscars are easily my favourite awards ceremony to watch every year. 
If you should wish to see the Academy Awards ceremony yourself this year, it will be broadcasting live on Channel Seven from 12pm on Monday 10th February, with an encore airing at 7.30pm for those of you who, like myself, will be at work during the day of the ceremony. 
And this year, the Academy Award nominees are as follows:
Best Picture:
“Ford v Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite”
Lead Actor:
Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
Lead Actress:
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”
Renee Zellweger, “Judy”
Supporting Actor:
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Supporting Actress:
Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Director:
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”
Animated Feature:
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” Dean DeBlois
“I Lost My Body,” Jeremy Clapin
“Klaus,” Sergio Pablos
“Missing Link,” Chris Butler
“Toy Story 4,”  Josh Cooley
Animated Short:
“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva
“Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry
“Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan
“Memorable,” Bruno Collet
“Sister,” Siqi Song
Adapted Screenplay:
“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian
“Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi
“Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
“Little Women,” Greta Gerwig
“The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten
Original Screenplay:
“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson
“Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach
“1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino
“Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han
Cinematography:
“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Joker,” Lawrence Sher
“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke
“1917,” Roger Deakins
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson
Best Documentary Feature:
“American Factory,” Julia Rieichert, Steven Bognar
“The Cave,” Feras Fayyad
“The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa
“For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
Best Documentary Short Subject:
“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger
“Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas
“St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
“Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix
Best Live Action Short Film:
“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur
“Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat
“The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry
“Saria,” Bryan Buckley
“A Sister,” Delphine Girard
Best International Feature Film:
“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
“Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly
“Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar
“Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho
Film Editing:
“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
“The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles
“Joker,” Jeff Groth
“Parasite,” Jinmo Yang
Sound Editing:
“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester
“Joker,” Alan Robert Murray
“1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman
“Star Wars: The Rise of SkyWalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord
Sound Mixing:
“Ad Astra”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Joker”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Production Design:
“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves
“Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova
“1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh
“Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram, and Cho Hee
Original Score:
“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir
“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat
“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman
“1917,” Thomas Newman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams
Original Song:
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”
“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”
“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”
“Stand Up,” “Harriet”
Makeup and Hair:
“Bombshell”
“Joker”
“Judy”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”
“1917”
Costume Design:
”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson
“Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo
“Joker,” Mark Bridges
“Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips
Visual Effects:
“Avengers Endgame”
“The Irishman”
“1917”
“The Lion King”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

Here's a shout out to all of the directors that have given me a memorable viewing experience at some point in my lifetime. This list is designed to give credit to my favourite director's work and offer homage to their incredible efforts. I have also cited my favourite movie offering from each director as well, just in case you wanted to know where I thought that they had put down their best work thus far. 
What made me really happy when I was compiling this list was just how varied, vast and interesting the styles of direction are that I have been fortunate enough to experience, but what made me really sad was the lack of female directors that made this list. Clearly, the role of director is still a very male dominated field in Hollywood. I did happen to notice that all of the best movie nominations at the Golden Globes this year were all for male directors. And the saddest thing of all about this is, that it is not at all indicative of female directorial ability or talent in any way, shape or form, what it is indicative of is the lack of opportunities for upcoming female directors, and that is something that really needs to change.
Some of the best movies and television programs that I have seen over the last few years were both written and directed by women. Women have incredible and engaging stories to tell both in front of and behind the camera, and I for one would like to see more of them in the future. So, please make sure that you too are making an effort to see more movies that have been directed women in a show of support for all of the female directing pioneers that are out there telling their stories and sharing their visions in a very male dominated industry. 
So without any further ado, here are my favourite movie directors (in no particular order other than my recall ability) and my favourite movies that they have brought to life on screen. 
David Lynch - A true visionary in every sense, he's the man behind Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man and Eraserhead. Lynch is known for his surrealist cinema stylings and deeply original point of view.
BEST MOVIE: Mulholland Drive
Wes Anderson - The king of quirk with a distinct visual style and amusing narrative. He's delivered gems like The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel and has produced two incredible stop motion children's animations as well, one of which is on my Hall of Fame.
BEST MOVIE: Fantastic Mr Fox
Lars von Trier- A Danish director and scriptwriter that has had a long and controversial career. Basically he seems to enjoy destroying beautiful things in all of his films, which are gritty and damning. He's responsible for Nymphomaniac, Antichrist, Dancer in the Dark and Dogville, which all left a mark on me. 
BEST MOVIE: Melancholia
Jason Reitman - Reitman seems to 'get' women and understand difficult relationship dynamics, and his films certainly portray that knowledge. He brought us Juno, Up in the Air, Tully and Young Adult which were all exceptionally good. 
BEST MOVIE: Labor Day 
Taika Waititi - A clever New Zealand comedy filmmaker who always seems to get the right balance between poignancy and laughs in his films. He's the funny guy behind Moana (he wrote the first screenplay), What We Do in the Shadows, Eagle vs Shark, Boy and most recently Jojo Rabbit. 
BEST MOVIE: Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Peter Jackson - Jackson is responsible for all of the journeys that I took in darkened cinemas to Middle Earth, I bloody love ya Peter! Besides the all of the LOTR's and The Hobbits, he is also the man behind King Kong, The Lovely Bones and the incredible documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. 
BEST MOVIE: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
John Hughes - Hughes pretty much dictated everything that I became obsessed with in my teens. From bad boys to '80's fashion Hughes could do no wrong. I have rewatched Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles and Weird Science countless times, they're absolute classics. 
BEST MOVIE: The Breakfast Club
Stanley Kubrick  - Probably one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, Kubrick has crossed so many genres that his body of work is dizzying! He gave us giants like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Spartacus and A Clockwork Orange. 
BEST MOVIE: Eyes Wide Shut
Alejandro González Iñárritu - With a flair for telling the most compelling international stories about the human condition, this highly acclaimed Mexican director gave us some unforgettable cinematic experiences like Birdman, Amores Perros, 21 Grams and The Revenant. 
BEST MOVIE: Babel
Oliver Stone - A controversial director that has been accused of being a conspiracy theorist. He actually wrote the script for Scarface (which was directed by Brian De Palma) and also gave us Platoon, The Doors, Born on the Fourth of July and Wall Street. 
BEST MOVIE: Natural Born Killers
Michel Gondry - A French director that uses strong visual themes and compositions (often called Mise-en-scene)  to tell a story. Because of this, Gondry's movies are visually striking and are often considered to be art house or avante-garde. He gave us The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind and most recently the brilliant  television series Kidding. 
BEST MOVIE: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Guillermo del Toro - A visionary fantasy director from Mexico who creatively brings monsters and mythical creatures to life in his films. Generally science fiction, horror or fantasy based, del Toro gave us some amazing otherworldly journeys through The Shape of Water, Hellboy and Crimson Peak.
BEST MOVIE: Pan's Labyrinth
Danny Boyle - This British director delivers equal measures of intense action and sincere emotion into everything that he does.  He's tried his hand at many genres and kept us gripped with Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, The Beach and more recently, Yesterday.
BEST MOVIE: Slumdog Millionaire
Sam Mendes - The buzz around this director has been huge this year, given the success of 1917. However, let's not forget all of his other epic offerings like American Beauty, Skyfall and Revolutionary Road.
BEST MOVIE: 1917 
James Wan  - An Australian-Malaysian director who rose to prominence after he co-created the Saw film franchise. Since then he has been scaring the pants off people with memorable horror films like The Conjuring, Insidious and Annabelle films.
BEST MOVIE: The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case
Greta Gerwig - Actress and filmmaker, Gerwig collaborated with her partner (who is also a director) Noah Baumbach on several films before she kicked off her solo directing career in 2017 with Lady Bird. Since then, Gerwig has become a respected and predominant modern Hollywood director. 
BEST MOVIE: Little Women
Ridley Scott - I feel like I grew up watching Ridley Scott action and science fiction films. He's been entertaining me for decades and he's had some mind blowingly great movies like Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and American Gangster. 
BEST MOVIE: The Martian
Michael Moore - A controversial American documentary filmmaker that gets up in everyone's face; love him or hate him, Michael Moore is hard to ignore. He's hit some very high notes with Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko and Where to Invade Next. 
BEST MOVIE: Bowling for Columbine
Guy Ritchie - Before he married Madonna, Ritchie was making heaps of kick arse British gangster movies that were really funny and very entertaining.  He has just recently gone back to doing that again with The Gentlemen, but let's not forget that he also did Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, RocknRolla and believe it or not, the 2019 live action version of Aladdin. 
BEST MOVIE: Snatch
Jim Jarmusch - The patron saint of independent cinema since the '80's, Jarmusch's films are really arty, really cool, very edgy and hypnotically contemplative. He gave us Paterson, Deadman and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai. 
BEST MOVIE: Only Lovers Left Alive
Steven Soderbergh - When Soderbergh made Unsane in 2018 and filmed it all on his iphone he made us feel like we were wasting our lives! He's a pioneer of independent cinema and his body of work is incredibly impressive; he gave us Contagion, Erin Brockovich and the Ocean's franchise. 
BEST MOVIE: Logan Lucky 
Christopher Nolan - He probably got a bit pigeon-holed for a while due to his Batman trilogy efforts (which I also loved) but let's not forget that he also gave us other memorable epics like Inception, Dunkirk and Memento. 
BEST MOVIE: Interstellar
Sam Raimi - Raimi terrified audiences in the 80's with The Evil Dead and then enchanted them in the early 2000's with Spiderman so it would be fair to say that his work is varied and vast. He also gave us some very noteworthy cult horror movies like Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell and Don't Breathe.
BEST MOVIE: The Evil Dead
Clint Eastwood - He blew everyone away when he started directing and acting in a string of extremely good and Oscar worthy movies, which he is still doing to this day. The man's got some serious talent and gave us gems like  Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River.
BEST MOVIE: Unforgiven
Tim Burton - No-one does eccentric gothic horror and fantasy films better than Burton, he is the master! He has a style that is all his own, and with a lot of help from wife Helena Bonham Carter and actor Johnny Depp he's given us fantastical romps into magical fantasy worlds that have included Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Beetlejuice, Big Fish, Edward Scissorhands and Alice in Wonderland. 
BEST MOVIE: Sweeney Todd
Ang Lee - A visionary and a genuinely beautiful storyteller. It's rare for me not to get choked up when I watch an Ang Lee movie, they are just so deeply affecting. He gave us the gorgeous Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi and The Ice Storm. 
BEST MOVIE: Brokeback Mountain
Sofia Coppola - Daughter of Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia has proven her worth as a director in her own right by delivering thoughtful explorations of female relationships and genuine, modern impressions of the human experience. She was responsible for The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette and The Beguiled. 
BEST MOVIE: Lost in Translation
Judd Apatow -An American comedy director that started out producing and developing the television show Freaks and Geeks in the late 90's. He went on to direct Trainwreck, The 40-year-old Virgin and Knocked Up and also write some of the funniest movies that I have ever seen. 
​BEST MOVIE: Superbad
Alfred Hitchcock - The most influential and extensively studied filmmaker in the history of cinema, how could I possibly leave Hitchcock off my list? He's been giving audiences thrills and chills for years, and he still is with his extensive repertoire of thriller classics like North by Northwest, The Birds, Rear Window and Vertigo.
BEST MOVIE: Psycho
David Fincher - Ever since I saw The Game in 1997 I became interested in seeing more of Fincher's work. He's delivered a strong, controversial and impactful body of work and was responsible for Seven, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network and Gone Girl.
BEST MOVIE: Fight Club
Paolo Sorrentino - An Italian director with an eye for truly beautiful and meaningful cinema. His films are absolute masterpieces and offer viewers moments of contemplation and glimpses of magic - I am obsessed with his work. He's responsible for Youth and This Must Be the Place. 
BEST MOVIE: The Great Beauty.
Joel and Ethan Coen - Genius brothers who bring something fresh, quirky and unique to the screen every time.  Their repertoire is so vast and so excellent that I really struggled to pick my favourite because they delivered The Big Lebowski, Blood Simple, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Fargo, Raising Arizona, Burn After Reading and True Grit, all of which were exceptionally great.
BEST MOVIE: No Country For Old Men
Alfonso Cuaron - A critically acclaimed Mexican director with an impeccable body of high quality work that crosses just about every genre of cinema including thriller, fantasy, science fiction and drama. Thanks Cuaron for giving us truly unforgettable moments like Y Tu Mama Tambien, Gravity and Children of Men.
BEST MOVIE: Roma
Francis Ford Coppola - Widely considered to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Coppola practically had an all out nervous breakdown whilst filming Apocalypse Now in 1979. His commitment to 'getting the film right' has led people to see him a visionary of cinema. He gave us such giants as The Godfather trilogy, Bram Stoker's Dracula and The Outsiders. 
BEST MOVIE: Apocalypse Now
Quentin Tarantino - Known for his uber violent, non-linear storylines that contain extended dialogue, huge ensemble casts and loads of Pop Culture references, Tarantino has a style that is all his own. Many of his films pay homage to all of his own cinematic loves, especially Japanese martial arts, kung fu movies, spaghetti westerns and Italian horror. He's the man behind the following cinematic  juggernauts - Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Django Unchained, Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2, Death Proof and The Hateful Eight.
BEST MOVIE: Inglourious Basterds
Martin McDonagh - Considered to be the most acclaimed living Irish- British playwright, McDonagh caught my attentions when he made In Bruge, and then delivered again with Seven Psychopaths in 2012. But we all know him best for his amazing 2017 offering that made my Hall of Fame.
BEST MOVIE: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Kathryn Bigelow - Spreading herself across a wide range of genres, Bigelow is not afraid to grapple the big topics. She is forging the way for future female directors with her stellar repertoire which includes Zero Dark Thirty, Near Dark and Point Break.
BEST MOVIE: The Hurt Locker
Darren Aronofsky - A director with a flair for delivering surreal, melodramatic and often disturbing content in his movies. Audiences often seem divided on Aronofsky's material, but I think that he is one of the most talented filmmakers of his generation. He brought us Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream, Pi, The Fountain and Mother!
BEST MOVIE: The Wrestler
Steven Spielberg - Okay, I know that he can be cheesy as hell, but when he gets it right - he really gets it right. There's a reason that Spielberg is still filling cinemas, the man knows how to make a movie. Besides I was virtually raised on Spielberg's material. He gave us E.T., Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Ready Player One, Schindler's List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, War of the Worlds and Jaws. 
BEST MOVIE: A.I. 
Tarsem Singh - An Indian director that creates films that are a complete immersion and a true feast for the senses. Stunning and absolutely unforgettable, I love his vision and wish that he would make more movies. Singh gave us Immortals, The Cell and Mirror Mirror.
BEST MOVIE: The Fall
Paul Thomas Anderson - Contemplative and filled with flawed and desperate characters, Anderson's movies explore dysfunctional families, alienation and loneliness and they are deeply affecting. He delivered some of my favourite cinematic experiences like Magnolia, Boogie Nights and Punch Drunk Love.
BEST MOVIE: There Will Be Blood.
Martin Scorsese - An American director best known for his gangster and crime movies, he is widely considered to be one of the most influential directors of the New Hollywood era. He tends to cast the same actors in many of his movies, and he has a long professional relationship with Robert De Niro. Scorsese gave us Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, The Departed, Raging Bull and most recently The Irishman. 
BEST MOVIE: Casino
David Cronenberg - Sometimes called the 'Baron of Blood' due to his visceral body horror movies. Cronenberg has made films that people never forget that they have seen, because they are so grotesque! It's really no surprise that I love his work! He gave us The Fly, Videodrome and  Scanners.
BEST MOVIE: eXistenZ
Alexander Payne -  One of the best filmmakers of all time, Payne's movies are full of dark humour and satirical depictions of a dysfunctional modern America. He's the man behind Sideways, About Schmidt and Nebraska.
BEST MOVIE: The Descendants
Jennifer Kent - Kent made her directorial debut in 2014 with the haunting film The Babadook. She is an Australian director that is willing to handle sensitive and disturbing material. Her 2018 movie The Nightingale caused waves due to it's graphic content, but I thought that it was one of the best film of that year. 
BEST MOVIE: The Nightingale
Roman Polanski - I wish that someone that wasn't a pedophile had directed Rosemary's Baby because it's definitely one of my favourite movies of all time. But the love ends there Roman because you're just not a good guy. 
BEST MOVIE: Rosemary's Baby 
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: aka 'I still love ya'

• Terrence Malick - The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life, total game changers.
• Brian de Palma - Carrie and Scarface, enough said. 
• Dario Argento - 1977 Suspiria, nothing has come close to matching it in crazy colour design and stylised macabre.
• Neill Blomkamp - District 9 was next level genius, can we get more of that please? 
• Baz Luhrmann - Absolutely loved the Red Curtain Trilogy, and let's not forget The Great Gatsby or Australia. 
• Duncan Jones - you had me at Moon.
• Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea, one of the most affecting movies I've ever seen.
• Woody Allen - actually I really don't love ya - NOT at all, you're a weirdo and you're a creep! However, I cannot deny that Blue Jasmine, Annie Hall, Mighty Aphrodite and Vicky Cristina Barcelona were all worthy watches.