• Home
  • Chilli Pepper Scale
  • The Early Research
  • Hall of Fame
    • The List
  • Genres
    • Drama
    • Horror, Thriller, Supernatural
    • Comedy
    • Action, Crime, War
    • Science Fiction, Super, Fantasy
    • Art House, Foreign
    • Gritty, Challenging, Documentary
    • Romance, Matters of the Heart
    • Kid Friendly
  • Blog
SPICYWATCH

Stalkers

16/12/2018

2 Comments

 
When people think of stalkers they think of famous people that are in the spotlight getting pursued by weirdos that send them creepy stuff like mutilated dolls in the mail or have creeps turning up at their houses in their underwear demanding a massage; but the truth about stalking is actually way more alarming and far more common than that.
It is only the celebrity stalkers that make it into the news, so we never really hear about all of the other stalking that goes on around us everyday. Turns out, that the real life everyday stalkers are actually very common and according to the National Centre for Victims of Crime statistics, one in 45 men and one in 12 women will be stalked by someone during their lifetime. How creepy is that? I bet you didn't know that there were that many people out in the world with stalker-ish qualities. I have to admit that I was pretty surprised when I read the statistics myself. So, obviously I wanted to know more about stalking, like why does a person stalk and how can you spot stalker behaviour before it gets out of control? 
From what I have read, a stalker's main objective is to induce fear which they try to incite through methods of harassment and intimidation. The official definition of a stalker is anyone that creates unwanted contact between two people that directly or indirectly communicates a threat or places the victim in fear, which means that stalkers can be intentional or unintentional in their actions. 75% of all stalkers personally know their victims, so if you do find yourself being stalked, odds are that you will know the perpetrator. 
Here are the seven types of stalkers to watch out for:
Domestic: A former spouse or paramour. This is the most prevalent type of stalking and can often manifest in the workplace. It also has the highest incident of putting  innocent bystanders at risk.
Lust: A serial predator that stalks victim after victim. Serial rapists and murderers often begin as lust stalkers. 
Love-Scorned: An acquaintance, coworker, neighbour etc. that desires an intimate relationship with the victim but is rebuffed.
Celebrity: Famous people stalker, aka. obsessive stranger. 
Political: A person who's stalking is motivated by their political beliefs.
Hit: A person hired to stalk and murder a person.
Revenge: An angry, aggrieved, resentful and vindictive person that is seeking payback.
Unfortunately, there is no reliable profile to predict who is likely to stalk. Some patterns have begun to emerge from research, and although these fall short of providing a reliable or conclusive checklist, what has been discovered so far is interesting to say the least. Clinical studies have discovered that a large percentage of stalkers are:
  • Unemployed or under-employed
  • In their late 30's to late 40's
  • High school and/or college graduates
  • More intelligent than other forms of criminals
  • Mostly male
  • Often delusional
  • Sometimes narcissistic
  • Usually antisocial 
Interestingly, in another study, most women said that they felt more afraid of being stalked by an unknown stranger than by someone that they knew. And I suppose that it is easier in some ways to see why an unknown predator would seem scarier, it makes them more unpredictable and mysterious. However, the truth is that the greatest danger of being stalked comes from the devil you know, not from the strangers, so don't get too complacent about odd behaviours in people that you already know. 
Some potentially stalking behaviours to pay attention to would include:
  • Someone who has an unnecessary need to contact you but still does, their contact levels will be persistent and incessant. They will use calls, text, emails or even visit in person more often than you feel comfortable with. 
  • Someone who seems clingy or keeps tabs on your goings on. They will always enquire about who you spend time with, where you are going and the details of your future plans. 
  • Someone who knows more about you than you have told them. This means that they have enquired about you to other people or researched you through the people you know and your online profiles. 
  • Someone who is socially awkward, says inappropriate things in large groups of people or is rude or mean to your friends. Many stalkers have these social traits. 
  • Someone who cannot respect your personal boundaries and tries to contact you at inappropriate times, even after you've asked them not to. 
  • Someone who drops in unannounced and hangs around when you don't want them to. 
  • Someone that becomes aggressive, annoyed or intimidating when you try to set up personal boundaries or if you decline an invitation that they have initiated. 
  • Someone that has left signs that they have been to your home, near your car, at your place of employment or on your social media accounts when you have not been there yourself. 
Above all else, if you do feel like you are being pursued or stalked by someone in any way then you really need to take action. Firstly, by telling the person clearly that you would like to be left alone, then by increasing your own personal security (eg. telling friends and family about the stalker, changing your phone number, getting your locks changed, adjusting your daily patterns, not being alone as much as possible) and then if your stalker still doesn't get the hint, then you need to alert the police.
Remember that stalkers are not emotionally stable people, and therefore you cannot rely on them to make the right decisions, so always protect yourself first and never approach them alone. Hopefully, you will never need to employ any of this information, but with many things of an insidious nature, prevention and early detection can be key. So, don't feel like you ever need to put up with being intimidated by someone who attempts to gain your attention and friendship through means of fear, harassment and aggression becasue that's called stalking and it's illegal. 
Picture
INGRID GOES WEST
Release Date: 2017
Rating: MA 15+ 
Running Time: 98 mins 

A black comedy/drama directed by Matt Spicer and written by Spicer and David Branson Smith that premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Ingrid Goes West is a smart and satirical look into the vapidity of social media and the deeply disturbing social problems that have developed as a consequence of everyone's obsession with it, making this film as concerning as it is enjoyable. 
Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) has a history of mental illness and social media stalking. She discovers Taylor (Elizabeth Olsen) on instagram and instantly becomes obsessed with her boho chic lifestyle, which prompts her to move to LA in an effort to insinuate herself into Taylor's life. 
Aubrey Plaza is dynamite as unstable Ingrid, and Elizabeth Olsen is perfectly cast as the vacuous Instagram junkie Taylor. This is a really watchable and modern take on the Single White Female stalker/thriller trope that will definitely leave you questioning how much you post on social media in the future. 
FINAL SAY: #iamingrid
4 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Cultural Genocide

2/12/2018

3 Comments

 
Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group. When we think about racial genocide we generally think about all of the indigenous communities that were horrifically and systematically murdered, removed or bred out of existence because of greed and intolerance.
Native people with advanced civilisations like the Mayans, the Aztecs, the Incas, the native Mexican tribes, the Apache, the Navajo, the Cherokee, the Yuki, the Indigenous Australian and African tribes, the New Zealand Maori and Inuit tribes were all severely diminished or even completely wiped out when the Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, British, Belgian and Russian explorers began to invade their lands.
These white invaders from across the seas came to rape, plunder and claim the land, at any cost. If they couldn't just overpower or kill the natives outright with brute force, which was often the case, then they crept in, in the most insidious of ways, spreading their diseases, destroying their crops and livelihood and abducting and enslaving their people, eventually destroying entire native cultures from the inside out.
And that, is genocide. And that is the stuff of history is it not? White man comes, white man takes and white man wonders why he is not trusted anymore. And we all like to tell ourselves that this is all just bad water under the bridge, that this type of thing does not happen anymore, that people have learnt from their mistakes and that genocide is not a modern construct but an ancient one. Well I hate to be the one to break it to you, but people haven't learned jack shit from their sordid and generally horrific past exploits because genocide has also feature heavily in the 20th century history as well, and in a lot of those cases, people have actually turned on each other, their very own people and it is just so disturbing. 
There were the atrocities of the Ottoman Empire/ Turkey when the Christian minorities of Armenia, Assyria and Greece were persecuted. There was the starvation of the Ukrainian people during the Soviet Famine of 1932. Then the mass deportation of Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians and the systematic slaying of Poles and ethnic cleansing of the Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1937-38.  There was the mass killings of the Chinese people by the Japanese in the Nanking massacre followed by The Holocaust - when the German Nazis murdered approximately 3.8 million Jewish people and performed an ethnic cleansing of the Slavic countries. Then there was a genocide that was carried out on the Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge regime led by Pol Pot in between 1974 and 1979, and the list just goes on and on.....Tibet, the Congo, Somalia, Chechnya, Myanmar, ISIL... I haven't even touched the sides here, there are literally billions of lives and cultures throughout history that have been destroyed through means of genocide. And genocide is still going on today, it is happening right now and the end is nowhere in sight. 
So what have we learned through all of this killing? What is the take away from all of this bloodshed and civil unrest? For some, they have learned nothing and maybe never will, but for many of us around the globe we have learned that no-one is safe from persecution and that only through a united global mindset will we ever be free from another genocide.
The positive is that most countries have now signed to a peace treaty and will not tolerate the inhumane treatment of any ethnic, religious or racial party; and that is a very good start. We now also place more emphasis on learning from the past and understanding our torn history as humans and supporting the liberation of depleted and destroyed cultures.
It is not okay to not own our history, it is ours, we must own it and learn from it if we are to get better, and I do believe that we can, but it's going to take time and patience and empathy and ownership of what has transpired. And quite frankly, not everyone is prepared to own the atrocities of their own heritage which is going to slow us all down quite a bit, but that doesn't mean that we can give up, it means that we have to push even harder to drive home the message that no-one's culture, religion, ethnicity or race makes them inferior to anyone else and that no-one ever has the right to take that very human right away from anyone else. We have seen enough genocide in our past, wouldn't it be nice to see a lot more liberation and fraternity in our future? 
Picture
JOHN LEGUIZAMO'S LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 90 mins

Colombian-American actor John Leguizamo brings his one man Broadway show to Netflix in this unmissable documentary about Latino history. Latin History for Morons earned a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Play on Broadway and is easily the most interesting chalk and talk history lesson that you will ever sit through.
When John's son falls victim to a white bully at a Manhattan private school for being Latino, John delves into his own history to try and identify the reasons for America's whitewashed historical recount and the hidden heros that have been sadly overlooked. 
The excruciatingly violent past of the indigenous people of America and South America is delivered here in an informative and effervescent way by Leguizamo who manages to illustrate all of the ugliness with a good speckle of humour and an engaging flair. However underneath it all, this is a harrowing tale about all of the native people that were slain and driven from their homes over the past 3000 years and the impact that is still being felt today as a consequence of that.
Everyone needs to see this, it is a powerful and thought provoking watch that offers a great overview into Hispanic culture for people (or morons like me) that don't know a lot about the topic. 
FINAL SAY: Violence is the lowest form of communication.
4 Chilli Peppers 
​

3 Comments

Here Comes the Rain Again

21/11/2018

2 Comments

 
Just when you think that you have dealt with the worst of the weather for the year, another round of cold, windy and rainy days arrives, swiftly reminding me that I live in Western Victoria and that November is definitely no guarantee of clear skies and sunshine. However, to be completely fair and honest, it is actually quite nice to have a very decent excuse to pound the couch and catch up on a lot of television that I have stockpiled over the last few weeks, so the recent bout of bad weather hasn't really dampened my spirits that much at all. 
Quality television opportunities are arriving in buckets at the moment, and I am seriously struggling to keep up with the high volume of television series that have continually popped up over the last few months. Never in my life have I watched this much television before, and for good reason, there never used to be this much good television to indulge in! These days, that is certainly not the case, because as soon as I finish one series another six sprout up in it's place. It's like whacking the head off a hydra, the more that you cull the more that new ones seem to arise in their place and it is getting harder and harder to squeeze in as many movies as I would like now that I am getting snowed under with television. 
And I suppose that's why it is imperative to also be really discerning about which television programmes you put your time and energy into, because you can literally find yourself watching hours and hours of mediocre shit just because the show delivered a strong and promising pilot episode and now you feel compelled to see it through. Trust me, I have been roped into watching a number of TV series for that very reason, and I have since learnt that being faithful to a television series but not discerning about its actual content will waste hours of your life that you will never get back, so don't let a series hoodwink you into watching series upon series of tripe if it's not going anywhere, there's too much good stuff around these days to allow yourself to do that. 
Here's my top ten 'avoid at all costs' (aka. what a load of shit) television shows that are not worthy of yours (or anyones for that matter) time:
1. The Walking Dead - probably the most pitifully sad, dragged out, outdated garbage that is still being peddled to the masses. Woefully bad and shameful, I actually feel bad for the cast now, they even look bored delivering it.
2. Modern Family - I think that nine seasons of this has been rolled out now, and it is always the same formula. In nine years not one character has developed beyond who they were in season one, how is that even possible? Blah!
3. The Bachelor / The Bachelorette - why are people even watching shows like this? The premise is awful, the people despicable and the whole concept is deplorable, need I say more? 
4.The Exorcist - we did not need to go here, no one needed to go here, I went there...I really wish I hadn't! The movie is more than enough of that thanks very much, can't believe it got 2 seasons!
5.  Nailed It! - Any television show that has founded its name from a meme or Youtube channel is never worthy of your time, this is just pitiful viewing. The cakes on this show are bad for a reason, the bakers are fucking idiots! 
6. The Handmaid's Tale s2 - started out with some promise, and I was enjoying it, and then.....they totally dropped the ball and went for cheesy and unbelievably stupid story arcs that all had to involve torture or brutal death scenes. Season 1's boots were too big to fill. 
7. Snowfall - I sat through two full seasons of this show about drug dealers because I really liked the first two episodes. It did not get better than the first two episodes, but rather proceeded into a slow and arduous decline. I wasted hours hoping it would improve ...a waste of my time! 
8. American Survivor - if you thought that Australian survivor was getting sad, think again. American Survivor is gut wrenchingly sad, it is utterly unwatchable in every respect and quite possibly the saddest shit on modern television. 
9. No Tomorrow - I was sucked into watching this because it had good online reviews, it was also the last time that I allowed online reviews to dictate what I watch. Think fuzz feel good meets apocalypse and gets all kissy and convenient and you'll be in the wheelhouse. God it was bad. How it got good reviews still kills me. 
10. America's Next top Model - I admit that I got pulled back in this year and gave it another go, and I did love to hate all of the bitchy waifs as they fought their way to the top, but at the end of the day it is a dreadful show. Even when they are trying to be all forward thinking with plus size models and a controversial judging panel, everyone knows that the fashion industry is still as deep as a puddle and rife with terrible people. 
So there it is, my avoid at all costs television list. Hopefully you won't fall into any of those horrific and painful viewing experiences yourself!
Picture
THE JACKET
Release Date: 2005
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 103 mins 
A psychological thriller from British filmmaker John Maybury that is partly based on the Jack London novel The Star Rover. The Jacket seeks to explore the idea of a person having extra-corporeal time-travel when placed into an intolerably tight straight jacket. 
Gulf War veteran Jack Starks (Adrien Brody) suffers from amnesia and headaches. Whilst hitching in Vermont, he becomes entangled in the murder of a police officer and is wrongly accused of the crime and sent to a mental asylum. His 'experimental' therapy in the asylum involves being bound into a straight jacket and placed into a body drawer in the basement morgue. During his treatments, Jack experiences flashbacks and visions of the future, including a premonition of his own death in a few days time. Jack is now in a race against time, but the odds are stacked highly against him. 
I found this an intriguing watch, there are a lot of things going on, but it does chop around a lot, so if you aren't really paying attention you are going to get lost pretty quickly. The asylum is downright creepy and a lot of the film is shot between the mint green shades of the asylum's interior or the stark winter landscapes of the outside world, adding greatly to the feeling of depression and impending doom. 
FINAL SAY: No cuddle jacket for me thanks. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Men's Health Matters

11/11/2018

2 Comments

 
Men's health is an extremely neglected issue, especially in countries like Australia where the term 'Man Up' or 'Don't be a Pussy' are the staple when it comes to male wellbeing. However, the truth is that the stoic, strong and silent male stereotype that Aussie males have happily hung their hats upon for decades has actually been incredibly damning for men.
Australia now has an alarmingly high suicide rate, and 75% of those suicides are men between the ages 15-44, which means that more men die of suicide every year than from road accidents. Suicide has now become the 10th highest cause of death among men, which means that it is an issue that we can no longer afford to ignore. Just today, 6 Australia men will take their own lives, and we desperately need to get to the bottom of what is going on and why this is happening. 
The men that are taking their own lives come from all walks of life, they live in rural areas and cities, they are young and old and they have diverse employment, socio-economic statuses and cultural backgrounds, but they do have one thing in common, and that is the inability to reach out and share their troubles with others. Turns out that the strong male stereotype is so well ingrained that most men say that they are concerned or even afraid to show their true feelings, their worries, their anxieties and their burdens with others, even their closest family members and friends. This inability to share tends to push vulnerable men into drug and alcohol abuse, gambling addictions or other unhealthy outlets to try and cope with their emotions. 
Essentially we have as a culture, disempowered our men to talk about themselves and their problems. Men are struggling to allow themselves to be vulnerable for fear of being singled out as weak; the pull to be an 'Aussie bloke' who can shoulder any responsibility has overridden men's ability to adopt introspection and let their guard down, and the results of this are just catastrophic.
So what can we do about it? First and foremostly, we have to acknowledge that what we are doing isn't working and that we need to make some serious changes to the way that we deal with men and their health and wellbeing issues. Organisation like Gotcha4Life and Movember are supporting programs directed specifically at men and agree that the approach needs to be different. Empowering and encouraging men to have deeper conversations about what is going on with them when they experience a crisis in their lives is the best place to start. We must make room for men to be in touch with the human parts of themselves, which means that they need the space to share, cry, mourn and feel weak from time to time without the fear of negative judgement.
We need to stop telling blokes to harden up or man up and we need to be better listeners and show support and understanding. We need to educate ourselves about men and their unique set of challenges and the heavy unspoken expectations that are placed upon them from an early age. These traditions of expectation have become so ingrained in Australian culture that it is going to take time to loosen the shackles of those constraints for men, but we have to start somewhere because male suicide is on the rise not the decline in Australia. 
So start right away, tell the men in your life how much they mean to you and take more time to just sit and talk with them when you can. Allow time for them to bond with other men recreationally, and encourage them to spend time alone with other men so that they can learn to open up and share their thoughts and feelings in 'safe mate' circle of friends. Support and normalise emotional releases and remember that it is all of our responsibilities to make men feel valued, heard and supported so that they can face the challenges of their lives with dignity. Help men to understand that it is not only okay to feel weak, it is absolutely necessary sometimes, and that being an emotionless robot isn't of service to anyone.
It is time for us all to wave goodbye to the stoic Aussie male stereotype that we have all been conditioned to accept and expect for generations, because we know that we can all do a shitload better than that for our men. And I implore all men to reach out and share, because we are all here and ready to hear you and support you, and never forget that it's all gonna be okay, help is never too far away and it's totally okay to seek it out if you should need it. 
Picture
BEAUTIFUL BOY
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time 120 mins
 
It's been a while since I got all weepy at the cinema, but Beautiful Boy certainly provided me with plenty of heart wrenching material to weep over, and weep I did. Based on the best selling pair of memoirs (Beautiful Boy and Tweak) from father and son David and Nic Sheff and directed by Felix Van Groeningen, Beautiful Boy explores the difficult and ongoing struggles that families face when a child becomes a drug addict. 
David Sheff is horrified when he discovers that his son Nic has become addicted to methamphetamines. Over the course of several difficult years Nic's family bands together in what seems like a hopeless and agonising struggle, as they attempt to save Nic from his addiction and himself. 
This film is truly about enduring love and the absolutely powerless determination of a father's love for his mostly self destroying son. More of a journey than a movie, this film will touch and disturb you with it's unflinchingly ugly depictions of drug addiction and the harrowing struggles of a family that has been thrown into crisis because of that addiction. 
Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell deliver showcase performances that left an emotional imprint on me. Chalamet is fast becoming the 'one to watch' with his incredible onscreen presence and range, and he deserves to get some Oscar buzz for his efforts here. 
Perhaps the most terrifying message that is delivered in Beautiful Boy is that drugs don't discriminate; the addicts in the film all came from good homes with loving families, but meth clearly doesn't discriminate and even the most fortunate are not immune to it's powers. 
FINAL SAY: This isn't us! This is not who we are!
4.5 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

The Abolition of the Death Penalty

7/11/2018

2 Comments

 
I believe that the death penalty is an archaic and barbaric form of justice, in fact I do not believe that it is really a form of justice at all, it is a reaction to an act of violence with violence, and I think that it should be abolished worldwide. I ask you, how on earth can we ever achieve justice through more acts of injustice? 
I cannot understand it and I will never support it, for me the taking of any life, no matter how wretched that soul may be, goes against every fibre of my being and everything that I believe in. In a day and age where there are options for proper care and rehabilitation through correct practice and procedure, I think that we are far better equipped to deal with the ugliness of social misconduct than we have ever been before. Surely we can boast that we have evolved into a more civilised and humane culture that can bolster better consequences for the mentally unwell than just executing them?
In a recent episode of the television program Kidding, the main character meets the son of his penpal who just happens to be an inmate on death row. Through contact with this penpal we learn the truth about the lethal injection that is given to death row prisoners to euthanize them, and it really got me thinking about how deeply barbaric and horrific it would be to die in that way.
The so called 'painless' execution method is actually very far from painless and consists of a series of three lethal injections. The first of the three injections is an anesthetic called sodium thiopental, which is a fast acting barbiturate that depresses the activity of the central nervous system. This initial shot doesn't serve as a painkiller that numbs pain nerves, but instead it rapidly puts a person into a state of unconsciousness that's theoretically deep enough to make pain undetectable (note the word theoretically there). The assumption is that the drug will last long enough for the other two injections to be administered, but no-one alive has been able to substantiate that theory, so it's a grey area for sure. 
The second injection is pancuronium bromide which causes complete muscle paralysis, so even if the person being executed was in pain, they wouldn't be able to cry out or let anyone know that they were; and the injection also causes the respiratory system to go into arrest because the muscle of the diaphragm (the muscle that pulls air into the lungs) stops working, so odds are it hurts like a bitch. 
The last dosage to be administered is potassium chloride, which floods the heart with charged particles that interrupt its electrical signaling and stop it from beating. According to a study in the Journal of Forensic Science, the average length of time from the first injection to death is 8.4 minutes. Try and get your head around that, 8.4 minutes of possible pain and discomfort, maybe a lot longer, before you eventually die. It's a chilling thought, and not something that invokes a painless drifting off, as one may have imagined about lethal injection previously. It may be more humane than electrocution or a cyanide gas chamber, but let's not kid ourselves here, this is still a completely barbaric practice that needs to be abolished. 
And to top it all off, there are no real health professionals present when lethal injection procedures are administered because doctors and nurses are banned by their professional organisations from participating in executions since it goes against the moral code of health care professionals to be involved in such procedures. Surely that made you raise an eyebrow? 
And even though many countries have abolished the use of the death penalty, there are still 54 countries around the world that still have laws that sanction the use of capital punishment, and in some of those countries, the lethal injection would actually look like a good option considering the fact that they still use hanging, shooting, torture, flogging, firing squads and even stoning as a means of execution which is sometimes conducted publicly. I seriously shudder at the thought. 
An eye for an eye and the world goes blind, and I firmly believe that that is true. We cannot fight fire with fire and expect to survive the inferno ourselves, a life is a life and when others make poor choices we cannot simply put out their light, it is wrong and it is immoral. Anyone that supports the taking of a life for a life really needs to take a good hard look at what is motivating all of that hate in the first place, because in my opinion, it isn't natural to want to destroy your own kind. 
Picture
DEAD MAN WALKING
Release Date: 1995
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 122 mins
An American crime-drama, co-produced and directed by Tim Robbins who adapted the screenplay from the non-fiction book of the same name by Sister Helen Prejean C.S.J. This is an intelligent and genuinely devastating movie that explores the realities of corporal punishment in modern society. I recall thinking about this film for a long time after the credits had rolled; this is a deeply affecting tale. 
A nun (Susan Sarandon)  is called upon to offer comfort to a convicted murderer (Sean Penn) on death row. As their relationship develops, the nun wrestles with her feelings as she comes to understand the hardships of the murdered girl's family and also those of the killer awaiting execution. 
Sarandon and Penn are absolutely magnificent together, delivering harrowing and heartfelt performances. Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her considerable efforts, and Sean Penn won a Silver Berlin Bear Award, for portraying a character that will have you so completely appalled  but also so deeply disturbed about his upcoming  execution. This is high tension, emotionally challenging, gritty material, don't expect to not be affected. 
FINAL SAY: I just don't see the sense of killing people to say that killing people's is wrong. 
4.5 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Trick 'R Treat

31/10/2018

2 Comments

 
Trick 'r Treating on October 31st in Australia sure is a hotly contested topic. I heard some ladies at the hairdressers tonight going right off about it, they were saying that it is stupid and American and unseasonal and that if any kids knock on their doors looking for candy they will tell them to piss off! Woah, a bit harsh I thought. Sure, it isn't Autumn here when Halloween occurs which does make it a little un-pumpkin, chestnut and acorn friendly, but aside of that, it isn't actually American at all, it's Pagan and the bottom line is that it's fun! 
Kids love Halloween, they love dressing up and playing spooks and who wouldn't want to knock on peoples doors and get free lollies? Uh, it's frickin amazing and just because we never got to do it when we were kids doesn't mean that we shouldn't let them do it now. If you're going to use un-seasonal as your excuse for hating Trick 'r Treaters then boo to you, you're lame! I bet you still eat roasts at Christmas time even when it's hot and do all of the other Pagan based stuff the happens at Yuletide like  bringing an evergreen into your home and decorating it to welcome the coming spring....aka your Christmas Tree! That is not very seasonally appropriate is it? But it is fun, so we do it and Halloween shouldn't be any different. 
The ladies that were paying out Halloween tonight were also saying how sick it was to send your kids out for candy to strangers houses. Yes, sending your kids out to strangers houses for candy is sick, which is why 99% of the kids participating have an adult with them when they Trick 'r Treat. Safe and wholesome Halloween Trick 'r Treating can be orchestrated and seriously, if you were some Sweeney Todd type trying to lure kids into your home with candy to turn them into pies, you would hardly chose to do that on Halloween when there would be possible witnesses and the most easily traceable crime trail in all history would you? I bet that half of the people that say things like that wouldn't think twice about plopping their poor kids onto some unknown santa's lap at the mall for a happy snap would they? Are those kinds of strangers in red suits that hug unknown children at the mall better than the strangers that give out candy on Halloween? Doubtful, very bloody doubtful, but people only see what they want to see. 
We actually have a lot of little Trick 'r Treaters out here in Enfield ever year and it doesn't offend me in the least. They are often quite small and very enthusiastic and the vast majority of them are done and dusted by 7.30pm. They dress up like their lives depend on it, their faces painted and little plastic pumpkin bags in their hands, and they are always super grateful for the lollies that they receive. Some good samaritan mails everyone in our area an orange balloon to hang on their letterbox on the evening of Halloween and if you don't want to participate you just don't hang your balloon and if you run out of candy you just take your balloon down, pretty simple really. It's organised, it's optional and it's safe because all of the children are accompanied by an adult. Where is the harm in that? 
Sometimes I think that people just decide that they don't like Halloween because they can't be bothered, which essentially is fine, no-one says that you have to be bothered; but please stop making it out to be such a big horrible ordeal when it really isn't. Halloween to kids means fun, and well, even to some adults too if I'm being really honest about it, so stop being such bloody grumpy goblins, buy a few lollies and join in the fun as well, it's only one night of the year for goodness sake! 
Picture
SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
Release Date: 2007
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 116 mins 
My favourite of all Tim Burton's offerings, and a spectacular Gothic-horror musical of epic proportions. Adapted from the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's Tony award winning musical of the same name, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was met with unanimously positive reviews and enjoyed over 30 awards for it's dynamic and dark style.
This Victorian melodrama tells the tale of Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), an English barber that returns to London to seek his revenge upon the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). His lust for vengeance turns him quite mad and he ends up becoming a serial killer, systematically slitting the throats of all that come in for a shave with his straight razors. His accomplice, Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham-Carter) aids him in the disposal of the corpses, by mincing them up, putting them into pies and selling them to the public of London. 
This is a masterful tale of macabre and madness, as beautifully haunting as it is terribly disturbing. The cast are absolutely sensational, singing and acting their hearts out. The sets are bleak and morbidly depressing, a perfect setting for such a truly horrible tale, and the music is incredible. I can't say a bad thing about this film, I absolutely loved it, and as long you aren't too squeamish, you will too. 
FINAL SAY: Best pies in all of London. 
4.5 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Nothing is Too Big to Tell

14/10/2018

2 Comments

 
In our household, no topic is off the table when it comes to family discussions around the dinner table. This open dialogue between myself, my husband and our children has led to many interesting, sometimes awkward and often lengthy and involved banters over the years, and even though many people have raised an eyebrow in regards to how open we are about all topics in our home, I have been vigilant about instilling the values of open conversation and honesty when it comes to family exchanges. 
Because of this open dialogue around the dinner table, we have had what many people would call 'difficult' conversations with our children as they have discovered the truths and at times the ugly realities about the world, but we pride ourselves for never lying to them or hiding an unpleasant truth from them, and they have both turned out to be pretty well rounded and open minded individuals as a result of this.
​Both of my children knew the truth about their body parts, how lives are created and that some people are 'not quite right in the head' well before they even arrived at primary school. And before they left primary school they also knew about war, religion, genocide, enlightenment, rape, cults, incest, racism, paedophilia, discrimination, poverty, mental illness, hate crimes and all forms of artistic, spiritual and sexual expression. Neither of them have become unbalanced by any of this information, and neither of them now struggle to understand the complexities of the world. The truth about the world did not fuck them up or steal their innocence and they both had really normal happy childhoods. In fact, growing up they didn't have nearly as many troubles as their peers when it came to managing social situations or complicated issues and have always had a strong sense of social justice and ethical behaviour as a result of their developed global understanding. 
I worked hard to cultivate a mindset in my children 'that nothing is too big to tell, or too awkward to ask about.' And yes, it has lead to some 'hot' discussion and even some disagreements over the years (because with an open forum people will tend to debate and defend their formed opinions) but it has also meant that my children are always willing to talk to me, really talk to me. If something is going on they will always tell us about it and if something is happened that they don't understand or need clarification about, they will ask. And the conversation is still very lively around our dinner table and although we sometimes hit the hard topics, generally we share many relaxed and casual meals where the order of the day is much laughter and silliness. 
I am in no way saying that open-conversation is going to fly smoothly at everyone's dinner table, but having room for opinion and the comfort to ask questions is certainly not a bad thing to generate in any family. Being able to talk about anything, even the really tough stuff has certainly brought us closer together as a family and my kids have always been grateful for the honesty that they have received from us whilst they were in their formative years.
​I have never been able to think of a good reason to hide things from my children or to lie to them and I have never wanted to cultivate a relationship with my children that was steeped in deception or mistrust. I often wonder when I hear adults say that their children aren't ready to hear the truths about the world if it is just because they as adults aren't ready to deal with all of the ugliness themselves. All that I know for sure from my own experiences, is that nurturing a home where secrets are supported and lies necessitated will only lead to bitter resentments, disappointments and painful truths later on in life, and we all want a lot less of that for our children in the long run. 
Picture
THE TALE
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 114 mins

An American drama written and directed by Jennifer Fox and based on her memoirs about her own childhood sexual abuse and how it affected her relationships later in life. After premiering at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, The Tale went straight to television and aired on HBO in May, 2018. 
Jennifer, now a successful adult, receives an alarming call from her mother who has just discovered an essay that Jennifer wrote when she was 13. The essay outlines an illicit and inappropriate relationship that she had with two adults from her childhood. Keen to uncover the truth herself, Jennifer delves back into her past and the murky events surrounding the summer that she spent at an intensive horse riding camp with her enigmatic teacher Mrs G and their professional coach Bill. 
The Tale tackles a challenging, ugly and sensitive subject with a lot of grace and realism, and for that reason it is tremendously powerful and utterly disturbing at the same time. Laura Dern is incredible as adult Jennifer and Isabelle Nelisse gives a striking and memorable performance as 13 year old Jennifer. They are well supported by John Heard, Ellen Burstyn, Francis Conroy and Elizabeth Debicki who all deliver perfectly on this sickening tale of lost innocence and child exploitation. 
FINAL SAY: When I was a child, I was obsessed with changing myself.
​4 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

The Return

7/10/2018

1 Comment

 
And just like that, two weeks of holiday bliss has passed me by again. This time I got to do all of the things that I had set out to do at the beginning of the break. I read a novel, binge watched entire an TV series and saw some terrific movies, painted at the easel, went for a walk everyday, slept in, caught up with a some friends, chilled out with my kids, did yoga and meditation everyday, drank some good whiskey, replanted by garden beds and vegetable patch and just breathed in all of the fabulousness that a fortnight of respite can offer. For the first time ever, I did not run around, I did not make an extensive to do list, I did not chase anyone for a catch up; in fact I barely even left Enfield unless I absolutely had to, and it was one of the most peaceful breaks that I have enjoyed in some time. Above all else, I rested and I rebooted myself for the final and undoubtedly busiest term of the year which is probably the most important thing to do at this stage of the year. 
Finding grace and calm during the busier times of the year is always a challenge, so setting yourself up correctly at the launch pad is always a very wise choice. In 2007, Randy Pausch (a professor from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who had terminal cancer) made a final lecture, entitled Last Lecture, about the most important lessons that he had learned in his life. The lecture became an internet sensation, inspiring millions of people around the globe and spawned an international best-selling book that would be interpreted into 35 languages. In his lecture Randy eloquently says, among many other pearls of wisdom,  "we cannot change the cards that we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
The most resilient and impressive leaders of our time have used this philosophy to stay the the course and to show courage in the face of adversity. The people that use the most challenging times of their lives as valuable teaching moments (for themselves or others) are the wisest and strongest people. And the bottom line is, that in the struggle, there is real growth. And even though I would love to swan around in downward facing dog and wander about the Enfield forest every other afternoon, that is not the only way that my soul is going to get fed. By avoiding all contact, challenge and confrontation I am not really stretching my boundaries as a person and I am not really fulfilling my potential to make a difference. The struggle is important, the struggle is valuable and the struggle is necessary. 
So raise a glass to challenge, welcome some adversity into your life. Don't let it make you furious, let it keep you curious. Like I said in my previous writings, it's all about turning straw into gold and finding the joy in all states of being. Yes, there is a time for rest and relaxation, but there is also a time for action and progress and I recognise that the time for me to pick up my tools and continue with the work at hand has arrived, and I feel like I am ready and recharged for the task ahead. This time, I welcome the return.
Picture
THE DISASTER ARTIST 
Release Date: 2017
Rating: M
Running Time: 114 mins 

A biographical drama produced and directed by James Franco, who also plays the lead role of Tommy Wiseau in the movie. The Disaster Artist is based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's 2013 non-fiction book of the same name and chronicles the making of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 film The Room, which is widely considered to be one of the worst movies to have ever been made. 
19 year old Greg Sestero meets the mysterious and flamboyant character Tommy Wiseau at an acting class. A friendship is created and the two move to Los Angeles to pursuit acting careers together. After many failed auditions and casting attempts, Wiseau writes his own script entitled The Room and sets about making a movie himself. 
With his unending money supply, his strange European accent, his unusual temperament and his incredibly mysterious approach to his actual age and heritage, Tommy Wiseau may well be one of the weirdest and most deluded characters that Hollywood has ever spawned; and it does make for some riveting (albeit disturbing) viewing.
The Franco brothers make a formidable team here, with both James and Dave showcasing their talent and ease with each other perfectly. They are well supported by Ari Graynor, Zac Efron, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Jackie Weaver and Paul Scheer to name but a few and the overall effect is humorously catastrophic from start to end.  
FINAL SAY: Just because you want it doesn't mean it can happen. 
4 Chilli Peppers

1 Comment

Customer Service

16/9/2018

2 Comments

 
I did something this week that I have never done before in my life, I asked to speak to a manager about poor customer service. Being a person who used to work in the service industry myself, I think that I am pretty lenient when it comes to customer service. I understand that no-one can be at their best 100% of the time and I am usually reasonably accommodating to that fact. I normally would never request to speak a store manager to complain or 'dob' in a worker for their poor service, but on Friday at a well known Australian supermarket chain, I did. And I did it because of the disgraceful service that I received from not one, but two of their staff. 
Let me tell you exactly what occurred. I was in the fresh produce section and realised that there were no produce plastic bags on the rolls in the area that I was in, none in that entire row actually, and I stopped a young female staff member as she was scooting past me and asked -'excuse me, there are no plastic bags in this aisle, could I please get some more?' She did not speak to me, but held out a hand and pointed to another staff member at the other end of the isle, which I found extremely rude for a start. Then when I started to approach the other staff member that she had directed me towards, she quickly wheeled her cart out the back and was gone. Hmmmmm....okay, clearly not the best customer service day at this supermarket, but I just laughed and turned to Seth and commented to him that it was a 'not my job - not my problem' situation and went on with my shopping. 
That was when I overheard the young female staff member that I had first approached at the end of another produce isle, casually bitching to a fellow staff member about how rude all of the customers were today and how she was tired of our surly behaviour. They were both laughing and agreeing and then the first female walked away and the one that she was moaning to came to my end of the produce section. I'm not going to lie here, I was actually pretty annoyed at this stage and I approached the new female staff member and calmly said 'Hello, I was wondering if we could get some plastic bags on the rolls down this isle because there aren't any. I did already ask the young lady that was busy bitching to you down the other end about how surly the customers are today, but she didn't even have the respect to speak to me.'
At first the girl looked shocked, she shifted from foot to foot and then she laughed and said 'we don't have any more bags,' and then she turned her back to me and went on with stacking the fruit. I went on to say, 'you are joking, are you seriously trying to tell me that there aren't any replacement produce bags in this supermarket?' and she then replied to me in a very condescending tone.... now wait for it because this was the when the pin popped out of my grenade, 'there's some in other isles you know, just go and get one from the other end of the produce section.' And that was it, I was just absolutely livid...I felt really really angry, I was triggered, it was like a bomb went off in me. For some reason this simple chain of events had really got me cross, cross enough to go to another staff member and ask to speak to a manager. 
I would like to point out that in spite of me feeling exceptionally cross, I did not yell and I did not abuse anyone, I just calmly told the manager what had happened, and I stated that the young ladies had made me feel extremely unwelcome in the store and that the customer service standards were absolutely appalling. And get this, while I was telling the manager my story, the two young ladies that had just made me feel like crap were standing together in the produce section eyeballing me, whispering behind their hands and giggling, which I also pointed out to the manager in the hope that they would get a decent arse kicking for being so flippant and rude. 
Easily the worst customer service that I have ever had in my life - EVER! And after speaking to the manager who just seemed as ill equipped and lost as his dreadful produce girls, I went home and got onto the supermarket website and made another formal complaint. I was on a roll! And like I said, I would normally just let things go, but I have never felt so mistreated in a shopping environment in my entire life, and considering the fact that I didn't even shout, demand or abuse anyone, then the treatment that I got was totally uncalled for as well. 
I am hoping that this is just an isolated incident and that it isn't an illustration of how low customer service standards have fallen recently, because if I had to put up with that shit every time that I went out shopping, then I would just start to shop online. Talk about ruining a person's zen on a Friday afternoon, it was not a nice start to my weekend at all!
Picture
THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
Release: 1997
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 144 mins 
Based on the mystery thriller novel of the same name by Andrew Neiderman, The Devil's Advocate builds tension and curiosity with it's subtle supernatural occurrences and fascinating character study. 
An aspiring defense lawyer named Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves) lands the job of dreams heading a high powered law firm for the mysterious and persuasive figure head, John Milton (Al Pacino).  However soon after moving to New York to take up his role, his beautiful wife Mary Ann (Charlize Theron) becomes plagued by nightmares and visions that are warping her sense of reality. Kevin's career and social status is blossoming, and as Mary Ann's state continues to decline, Kevin is forced to address the possibility that Milton and his high powered position could have anything to do with Mary Ann's sudden madness. 
This is truly a story about morality and the struggle of the soul, and the obvious references to John Milton's poem Paradise Lost are impossible to ignore. The premise of Milton's poem is about the fall of man and the temptations of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan; and Al Pacino's character is even called John Milton. At one point Reeves even quotes directly from the poem saying "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." 
I really enjoyed the subtle and insidious tone of this film, it isn't reliant on effects or intense horror imagery to get your mind ticking over, it's a very good of example of psychological horror. Lots of dialogue to absorb and some extremely easy to miss imagery that if you pay attention will add a lot to your viewing experience. 
FINAL SAY: I'm a surprise, they don't see me coming. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Living With Your Decisions

12/9/2018

1 Comment

 
In life we are constantly faced with a series of choices and decisions. Some of those choices are simplistic and really don't require any deep thinking on our behalf, they are the no-brainer choices that we make everyday on autopilot, mundane things like 'what will I have for breakfast today, toast or cereal?' And other times the decisions that lay ahead of us are profoundly life altering, and making a choice one way or another can seriously alter the way that our lives will play out. 
There is nothing that any of us can do to avoid facing the fork in the road from time to time. Sometimes we feel ready to make changes and we are happy to discover a crossroad up ahead, and then other times we feel completely ill equipped to choose any of the roads that we are presented with; but the roads rise up to meet us nonetheless and in turn force us to decide our fate.
With decision making (like all choices) there are consequences, and we all want to avoid any bad ones as much as we can and carry our choices with us for the long haul. We all need to be able to live with our decisions, but sometimes things are not as clear cut as we would like them to be and we can find ourselves tossing around in bed at night, anguishing over the 'what ifs' and 'why did I's' that life sometimes dishes out to us. 
So, how do you live with the bad choices that you've made? How do you move on from a poor decision or a dreadful consequence? Well, you just do really, because you have to. It's either that or let it eat away at you until you are just a big ball of anxiety and self loathing and no-one wants to be either of those things. But living with the decisions that you make, good or bad, is certainly easier said than done, and I am yet to meet anyone that doesn't have any regrets about some of the choices that they have made in their past.
And I guess that there is something seriously comforting in that knowledge; that all of us do have regrets and that all of us do make mistakes from time to time. And just knowing that it is okay to do stupid things, say stupid things and make horrific mistakes from time to  time and then put them behind us and move on with our lives is good stuff to know. It's one thing that we all have in common, and in accepting our flaws, faults and mistakes, we can better accept the flaws, faults and mistakes of others as well. It's all part of the process of finding the whole self and getting a little better at 'life-ing.'
However, that being said, I do believe that one should always try to avoid making horrific choices as often as possible as well. Just because we all make mistakes doesn't mean that we should all throw caution to the wind making decisions without thought or in disregard to all consequence. Quite the opposite really, I believe that all choices should be made mindfully and purposefully; with longevity, community and humility always being at the forefront of any choice. An extra day of pondering can allow a lifetime of regret to become a lifetime of happiness, and that is certainly something to consider.
I once read that you should never make decisions when you're angry or elated because neither are sustainable feelings, and I do think that most of the bad choices that I have made in my life were generally during either my angry or elated moments. So I think that there is definitely some sound advice to be found in that little slice of wisdom, and any advice that can leads us to a guilt free, calm and settled lifestyle is good advice in my eyes.
​Even though there is no magic formula when it comes to the best life choices, just remember to always sleep on any big decisions and never allow yourself to feel rushed or pressed to make a big life decision. As for the little stuff, let that shit go, if it isn't going to matter in six months from now, then it isn't worth losing sleep over, let it slide off you like water off a duck's back. And anything that happened more than six months ago is well and truly over, so make peace with your mistakes, own them, learn from them and move on knowing that you just got a little bit better. 
Picture
THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER
Release Date: 2017
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 125 mins 

A psychological thriller, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and based on the ancient Greek play Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides. Like all Lanthimos movies, you never walk away without feeling slightly scathed by what you have just seen, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer is certainly no exception to that rule. 
Steven Murphy is a successful heart surgeon that appears to have it all. However, when a former patient's son, that he has taken under his wing, becomes malicious and vengeful towards his family, things take a very sudden turn for the worse. 
The storyline just gets curiouser and curiouser as it progresses and a lot of the behaviours are odd and deeply disturbing to say the least, but that is what makes this film so compellingly different from other thrillers. In a weird kind of way, this movie is also extremely hypnotic, and it is just overflowing with metaphors and unanswered questions.
​Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell and Barry Keoghan are disturbingly good here, and their solid performances are definitely one of the film's major strengths. 
FINAL SAY: If you dig a hole in the yard, better make it a big one. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

1 Comment

Mental Wellness

6/9/2018

2 Comments

 
Mental wellness is something that most of us will struggle with at some point in our lives. Even the most seemingly 'put together' people have lapses into the world of imbalanced thought and mental challenge from time to time, they are just a lot better at hiding it from everyone. However, whatever walk of life you are from, whatever your background is, whatever your social standing is, you will inevitably, at some point, feel not so fantastic, wonder what the hell you are doing with your life and question whether you are operating at your best. 
It's completely normal to not feel 100% mentally balanced all of the time, hell some people lead very regular lives and feel mostly mentally unwell a lot of the time, it's just not something that a lot of people feel comfortable about proclaiming to the world, because no-one really wants to appear like they haven't got their shit together. However, letting pride dictate how we deal with our mental health issues is archaic and unproductive to societal wellness and we really need to strive to move away from that outdated and counterproductive mindset. We all really need to know, that it is totally okay to not feel okay all of the time. 
​As time rolls on and the methods of researching mental health improve, we are learning how to diagnose, treat and support each with our mental wellness; the old school shame and stigma that was attached to mental health is now being shed and people are feeling more comfortable to come forward, share their stories and be honest about how they are feeling, and in turn receive better support than they ever have been able to before. 
It is a brave new world when it comes to mental health. Gone are the days of closet depression and hidden anxieties as people are now learning to recognize and own their individual mental wellness levels. More people than ever before are seeking treatment and support and we are slowly but surely learning tolerance, detection, prevention and intervention that will definitely set us up for a brighter future together in the coming years.
And the real work surrounding mental wellness is something that we need to be vigilant about every day.  Each of us must make an effort to recognize the signs within ourselves that tell us when our levy has run dry or we have met our own personal limits. And those limits are unique for everyone, and we must respect that and support that understanding. We must become ninjas at recognizing when we are at the top of our game and when we may be feeling weak. When we are at our peak, we have an obligation to assist those that may be feeling weak, and when we are weak we need to feel safe and secure enough to seek support from the strong. We all owe it to each other to be tolerant, supportive and unwavering in our commitment to our own mental health and our support of the wellness of others. 
R U OK? Day is coming up on Thursday September 13th,  which is a national day dedicated to reminding us that we need to check in with each other and support each other with mental wellness. Don't forget to check in with your friends, family, work colleagues and community on that day, and every other day that you can when you are feeling strong enough to support the wellbeing of others. Mental health is the responsibility of us all and it's not something that we can ever afford to ignore. 
Picture
UNSANE
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 98 mins 

An intriguing psychological thriller from director Steven Soderbergh that was created in secret and shot entirely on an iPhone 7 Plus. Since premiering at the Berlin International Film Festival, Unsane has been successfully making us all feel like we are just a bunch of untalented hacks! When a director can produce something this good with just an iPhone 7, you have to be impressed, and I am sure that we are now going to see a string of movies shot in the same fashion, all struggling to match up to this first impressive effort. 
Sawyer Valentini has been wrestling with her mental wellness after being relentlessly pursued by a stalker. She makes an appointment with a counselor at the Highland Creek Behavioural Centre and unknowingly commits herself to being admitted. Sawyer believes that her stalker is working at the facility in an attempt to get closer to her, which escalates her counselor's desire to extend her stay. 
Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard and Juno Temple star in this mysterious tale, and although it's not the best thriller that I have ever seen, it certainly kept me interested and I couldn't help admiring how much an iPhone managed to enhance the overall effect and claustrophobic feeling of the movie. 
FINAL SAY: I'm not fucking crazy! 
3 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Staying Zen When You Don't Feel Like It

29/8/2018

4 Comments

 
When you work with children and hit the seven to eight week mark of the third term of the year, you have really hit that part of the year that tests your fortitude in so many ways. The weather relentlessly teases you with hints of the coming spring by supplying glorious afternoons where the sting of the sun can be languished in, only to slap you down again in the evenings with night temperatures plummeting below zero and freezing up the pipes and windscreens of everyone in town.
The children that you work with now know you well enough to exactly estimate where your line in the sand is in regards to behaviour tolerance,  and they will now also feel compelled to do their very best to see if they can nudge that line just one more inch across in their favour. It is also a time when, no matter where you may be working, the honeymoon is truly over. The rest and recharge from the last break that you had has completely worn off and been replaced with a dull sense of fatigue, repetition and lack of personal down time that forces you to work extra hard to maintain your sense of zen and not turn into a whinge or a tyrant. 
This is the time of the year when yoga, meditation, excellent whiskey and movie marathons become absolutely imperative to one's good health and wellbeing. A day of PJ's and couch time, lengthy sessions on Pinterest, long dinner dates with friends, hours hunched over sketchbooks, long hot bubble baths with saucy novels and endless cups of coffee are all necessary solutions to combat the negative effects of too many children over too many days. 
Self preservation of one's zen is absolutely key when it comes to the hard yards of the back end of a winter term. You have to find what it is that makes you feel happy and more resilient, and you have do that thing to death. Do it as often as you can and for as long as you can, whenever you get the chance to. Finding what makes you shine when you don't feel very shiny is so very important, because we all have days when we just want to punch stuff and get shouty, but it's not ever okay to do that; especially if you're working around children! So save yourself the bloody knuckles, the heartache and the worry and learn to stay zen, even when you really don't feel like it. 
Picture
LOGAN
Release Date: 2017
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 135 mins 

Hugh Jackman reprises his role of Wolverine for the very last time in Logan, and what a swan song it is! Revered by critics and superhero fans alike, Logan does not fail to entertain with its heartfelt sentiments of a failing mutant as he struggles through his final days on earth.
In the dystopian future of 2029, mutants are almost completely wiped out. At a remote outpost in Mexico, Logan attempts to keep a low profile as he cares for the now severely ailing Professor X. Their belief that they are the last of their kind is shattered when they become entangled with a young mutant female that is on the run from the authorities. 
Produced by Marvel Entertainment, Logan took over $611 million at box offices worldwide, making it the fourth highest grossing movie of 2017. And I have to be honest here, this is a terrific homage to all things X-Men which I found extremely and surprisingly entertaining.
Dafne Keen is absolutely amazing as the young fugitive mutant Laura; adorable and lethal in equal measures, and Hugh Jackman is at his best as the ailing 'old timer' mutant Logan, bringing something perfectly human to the Wolverine character for the very first time. The MA 15+ rating is completely necessary due to the graphic and high level violence fight scenes, but this film is more adult than the other X-Men movies for so many other reasons as well, and it is certainly a feather in the cap of the X-Men juggernaut franchise, and hopefully a sign of more adult super movies to come.  
FINAL SAY: Bad shit happens to people I care about.
4 Chilli Peppers

4 Comments

Finding Common Ground

22/8/2018

2 Comments

 
Last night I went to see BlacKkKlansman at the cinema, which I really enjoyed and felt was very 'of the moment' given the climate of racial tensions around the globe at the moment. The movie really got me thinking about how undeniably evident it is that we have such a long way to go when it comes to tolerance, equality and prejudice, and I feel really overwhelmed by the amount of hate that still exists in our so called civilised and evolved world. And all of that hate does pose some concerning questions around the true nature of how evolved we really are. 
I only recently discovered that it is frowned upon to use the term #alllivesmatter. I must have been living under a rock for the last 3 years, because I had always believed that it was a slogan associated with a person's respect for every living thing -  equally - every human, every animal and every plant - EVERYTHING LIVING! But apparently that hippy theory of mine is definitely not the case. 
To use or support #alllivesmatter is considered deeply offensive because white people have used it as a form of racial slander against the #blacklivesmatter campaign, which in turn created further tensions and stirred up more hate and fighting, and now there is no way that I can use that term in good conscience.
I am so naive about the whole topic that I literally had no idea that it was even racially linked! I genuinely do believe that all lives matter but I am definitely not going to use that term again because for one thing, I am white and for another, I am afraid that I will offend someone unintentionally if I do use it. I am most certainly not at a racist, and I would not like to be mistaken for one just because I ignorantly misused the term #alllivesmatter. 
​There is just no room in this world for all of the hate and all of the tension that is occurring on a daily basis. There is absolutely nothing to be gained from everyone pointing out how different we all are from each other all of the time, what we really should be working harder to do is to find more common ground. We are all more alike than we are unalike, and when it comes to this beautiful planet of ours we really are all on the same side. 
We need to unite and together we need to march for peace not power. We need to celebrate our differences and empower each other to love and most importantly to heal from a very fractured past. We need to learn to stand tall side by side, against tyranny and oppression, and find peaceful ways to move forwards together with our energies firmly invested on nurturing our planet...but we all know that we are not even close to achieving that goal right now. 
While our planet, the one place that we all share together and the one thing that we all have in common withers beneath our feet, we - the people of the globe, would still rather fight and disempower and hate and rape and pillage and steal and condemn; and honestly it just breaks my heart that we are still so damn disillusioned and blinded that we can't see how easy it would be to just love one another instead.
Call me a hippy, call me a dreamer and yes, I suppose that I am both of those things, but you cannot deny that the world would be a far better place to live if we could all just move forward together with a greater purpose. I would love to see that happen in my lifetime, but in reality I am happy to plan and work towards it happening in my grandchildren's; because like I said, we've got a long way to go and the work needs to start now. 
Picture
BLACKKKLANSMAN
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 135 mins

A biographical drama directed by Spike Lee and based on the 2014 memoir Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth. I was unsuspectingly lured to the cinema by what appeared to be a pretty amusing trailer for this film, but trust me when I say that a lot of what is happening in this movie is anything but funny. There is certainly a very serious and important message being conveyed in BlacKkKlansman and after premiering at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival the movie has gone on to receive great critical praise for its ultra-relevant subject material. 
In the 1970's, an African American Detective at Colorado Springs police department sets out to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. 
With a sharp script and stellar performances from John David Washington (Denzel Washington's son) as Ron Stallman, Adam Driver as Detective Flip Zimmerman and Topher Grace as David Duke, BlacKkKlansman is gripping from start to end. The 70's have been captured perfectly here from the clothes, the language, the film production and even the style of screen shot, this film has been thoughtfully and authentically produced, and I was completely absorbed throughout every moment.
​This is a movie that people are going to be talking about after they have seen it, and so they should, it is excellent and definitely a must see for 2018. 
FINAL SAY: Power to the People!
4 Chilli Peppers

2 Comments

Annie, Go Get Your Gun! And Toss it on the Fire!

12/8/2018

1 Comment

 
The issue of gun control in the US is certainly a hotly contended one. America is completely unique from the rest of the world when it comes to their right to bear arms, because that right is constitutionally protected, and the American people steadfastly defend that right, even when it flies in the face of what is safe, logical and reasonable.
Although many Americans heatedly debate their constitutional right to bear arms, it turns out that they are actually bearing a shit tonne more arms than anywhere else in the world. In fact when it comes to owning firearms, no-one even comes close to the US when it comes to guns per capita, and the statistics are really quite alarming. 
Recently shared data from the Small Arms Survey listed the top ten countries with the most guns per head of the population. Below is the list from that survey with the number of firearms per 100 residents listed beside each country.
1. USA - 112.6
2. Serbia - 75.6
3. Yemen 54.8
4. Switzerland - 45.7
5. Cyprus - 36.4
6. Saudi Arabia - 35
7. Iraq - 34.2
8. Uruguay - 31.8
9. Sweden - 31.6
10. Norway - 31.3
The US is not only the leader on that list by a very long margin, but they also have more than one gun per person in their country! The only country that even comes close to the US is Serbia, but its firearm habit is part of a hangover from the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 90's and subsequent wars, and although I am condoning the fact that almost 76 people out of every 100 Serbians has a gun, at least there have been reasons to substantiate why there are so many guns in their country. 
Americans vehemently stand by their right to own firearms and defend themselves, however with the continuous onslaught of mass shootings claiming the lives of young and innocent victims, isn't it a moral and social obligation that the US reform their guns laws and enforce stricter purchasing and ownership laws?
In democratic countries where the incidence of gun ownership is much tighter, we also see a massive reduction in gun related deaths, it's hardly rocket science! Currently, Australia only has 1.4 homicides by firearm per one million people and America has 29.7, the highest in the world. Also, when you consider that Americans only make up 4.4% of the entire world population but own almost half of the guns around the world, well....it doesn't take a genius to see that there is a problem there does it?
Since 2012 there have been more than 1,600 people killed in the US in mass shooting incidents, and if you average out the number of shootings that occurred in 2015 alone (355) with the number of days in a year, it equates to there being more than one mass shooting per day in the US alone. That probably makes the it one of the most unsafe countries in the world doesn't it?
Come on America, wake and smell the coffee....countries with less guns and tighter gun laws have less gun related deaths, it's that simple. It is time to amend your constitution and drag your gun laws and restrictions kicking and screaming into the next millennium. Your steadfast commitment to bear arms is making your country unsafe, unappealing and unapproachable and unless you are going into a War of the Worlds alien attack type scenario any time soon, more than one gun per capita is just outrageously excessive and completely unnecessary. It's not too late to throw down your guns America and make a movement towards something more peaceful, united and humanitarian; there's never been a better time than right now.
Picture
ATTACK THE BLOCK
Release Date: 2011
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 88 mins
A British science fiction-comedy, written and directed by Joe Cornish and produced by Big Talk Pictures, better known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.  Attack the Block received mainly positive reviews upon it's release and quickly became a cult classic, largely due to it's clever mix of witty street dialogue, excellent visual effects and popular electro-dance music.
A group of tough teenagers from a South London housing estate find themselves in a violent turf war against some malevolent aliens on Guy Fawkes night. 
Most of the roles are played by virtually unknown actors, and they make a very interesting mixed bag of thugs; everyone from a local crime lord and assorted gang members to the local drug dealer gets a look in here. Nick Frost has a small role, but it is really the teens that steal the show as they defend their home from the vicious marauders in true British street style. 
FINAL SAY: Big alien gorilla wolf motherfuckers, I swear. 
3 Chilli Peppers

1 Comment

Not Just Another Movie

22/7/2018

0 Comments

 
Sometimes we want to watch simple movies that follow a pretty linear storyline and allow us to zone out or forget about our troubles. And then other times we want to watch something challenging, deep and meaningful; something a bit grittier that we can really sink our teeth into. Sometimes I really hunger for a movie that will challenge my thinking, push me out of my comfort zone or educate me in some way. If I come away from a film with a fresh perspective or some kind of new learning about a certain topic then I feel particularly pleased with my viewing choice. 
I have heard people refer to these influential and affecting movies as 'movies that matter' but it is pretty irrelevant what title you want to give them, it is what you take away from these movies that make them genuinely important and relevant. These movies can occur in any genre, and they are the types of movies that stick with you long after the credits have stopped rolling. They are not always 5 Chilli Peppers (Hall of Fame) material because they are not always easy to watch or easy to recommend to other people to watch because in short, they are not just another movie, they are 'an experience.' And there are some exceptionally good ones out there that I believe that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime. 
Here is a list of 20 movie experiences (in no particular order) that had a profound effect on me when I saw them for the first time, and although they may not all be 5 Chilli Peppers, they are most definitely important, relevant, thought provoking and absolutely worth seeing.
  1. Mother! - Challenging/ Art House/ Gritty (4.5 Chilli Peppers)
  2. The White Helmets - Documentary (4 Chilli Peppers)
  3. Born into Brothels - Documentary (4 Chilli Peppers) 
  4. Samson and Delilah - Challenging/Drama (4 Chilli Peppers)
  5. Requiem for a Dream - Gritty/ Drama (4 Chilli Peppers)
  6. The Thin Red Line - War (4.5 Chilli Peppers)
  7. Into the Abyss - Documentary (4 Chilli Peppers)
  8. Bowling for Columbine - Documentary (4.5 Chilli Peppers) 
  9. An Inconvenient Truth Pt 1 and Pt 2 - Documentary (3.5 Chilli Peppers)
  10. Apocalypse Now - War (4.5 Chilli Peppers)
  11. Dead Man Walking - Gritty/Crime/ Drama (4.5 Chilli Peppers)
  12. The Elephant Man - Challenging/ Drama (4.5 Chilli Peppers) 
  13. Melancholia - Art House (5 Chilli Peppers)
  14. The Great Beauty - Foreign/ Drama (5 Chilli Peppers) 
  15. A Ghost Story - Art House ( 4.5 Chilli Peppers) 
  16. 20,000 Days on Earth - Art House/ Documentary (3.5 Chilli Peppers) 
  17. Downfall - Foreign/ War (4 Chilli Peppers)
  18. Baraka and Samsara - Documentaries (4.5 Chilli Peppers)
  19. The Last Temptation of Christ - Art House (3.5 Chilli Peppers) 
  20. Schindler's List - War (4.5 Chilli Peppers) 
By no means are these easy viewing choices, remember that I did say that I like to be challenged by some of my movie choices, and these are all definitely challenging on some level. However, if you haven't already made the time to see these films then I would highly recommend that you do.
Full reviews of all of the above mentioned movies can be found on their respective genre lists on Spicywatch.com (under the genre drop down tab) should you require any further information.  
And I wish you well with your 'challenging' aka 'movies that matter' viewing adventures.  
Picture
DOWNFALL
Release Date: 2004
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 156 mins 

All movies about Nazi Germany are hard going, and for that reason I was tempted to put this film onto my gritty list, or even my war list, but given the nature of this movie, I felt that it was best left in the foreign film section.
Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Academy Award in 2004, Downfall depicts the final 10 days of Adolf Hitler's rule over Nazi Germany in 1945. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and written and produced by Bernd Eichinger, the movie is based on several historical recounts of that actual period in time, and it is engrossing in the most disturbing ways. 
Most of the movie is set within the Berlin bunkers, as we watch Hitler's downfall and horror as he realises that he has lost the war, and also the loyalties of many of his trusted advisors and associates. 
I felt absolutely no sympathy for Hitler or the Nazi's as I watched this movie, in fact I felt a sense of genuine pleasure to see that their final days were so incredibly stressful and confrontational. Bruno Ganz is unbelievably good in the role of Adolf Hitler, portraying both the influential and charismatic side of Hitler's personality as well as the unhinged madman with equal accuracy and fervor.
Watching a monster like Hitler squirm around in the bunkers for over two and a half hours isn't going to be to everyone's taste, but this is a movie that most definitely needs to be seen. Not only for its illuminating and detailed account and its incredible acting, but mostly because seeing someone so powerfully infamous and deeply detestable being utterly degraded and reduced to the standards of a mere mortal, is really very satisfying indeed.
FINAL SAY: Bullseye!
4 Chilli Peppers

0 Comments

You Think You Know People

11/7/2018

5 Comments

 
You think that you know people....but you never really do. We allow ourselves to believe that we know our family, our spouses and our friends pretty well because we like to think that we do, but the reality of that is actually quite different. When you spend a lot of a time with a person you like to think that you get a sense of who they are, what they believe in and what they stand for, but essentially we are all just compartmentalising people and putting them into pigeon holes that we feel comfortable with, and that does not necessarily portray who they really are at all. 
According to Nicholas Epley, author of "Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel and Want," you probably don't know anyone nearly as well as you think you do. And you may also have a poor idea of how they'd assess you. Essentially, we fundamentally view ourselves from a very different perspective than other people do because we have a ton of information about ourselves. Based on that, we understand ourselves far better than others, and we also make our assessment on others based on that inner understanding of ourselves; which is where the problem lies. We automatically assume that other people are wired like we are, which is of course so very far from the truth; just because you are looking at the same thing, doesn't mean that you are seeing the same thing, and that leads to a lot of misinterpretation and heartache. 
Trust me when I say that I have been seriously deceived by people in the past that I wrongly believed that I knew really well. I have been utterly flabbergasted by the things that people who I truly loved and cared about, people that I thought were part of my tribe, have been cruel enough to do and say without a second thought. People that I trusted and defended and fought to protect, people that I thought felt the same way about me, but it was all just an illusion of love, they never really cared for me at all, in fact they hated me and the worst part of all was that I didn't even know how much they hated me. I completely misread these people and made a wrong assessment about who they were and how they felt about me. 
I cannot tell you how damaged that misinterpretation has left me as a person. You don't ever get over a hurt that deep, not ever. And I have been forever changed by my past experiences in ways that I wish that I hadn't, because I really miss feeling like I can trust people and open up to them, but I will never be able to completely trust like that ever again now. When you love people with all of the love that you have to give and they hurt you so viciously, there is really no coming back from that. All that is left in their place now is a raging sense of injustice and a shattering awareness that you can never really know anyone, no matter how much you want to think that you do. Assuming that people are feeling the things that you want them to feel is the most foolhardy thing in the world to do and I never want to go through that in this lifetime again. 
Once bitten, twice shy they say, and I am now tremendously shy, perhaps to the point of paranoid, but I have certainly learned that there is a huge difference between knowing someone and thinking that you know someone, and I will not make that mistake or get too comfortable with anyone like that, ever again.
Picture
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS
Release Date: 2016
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 117 mins 

How on earth did Amy Adams not get nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role in 2016? It is mind boggling to me, given the strength of her performance here and also in Arrival, but I digress, let's get back to the movie at hand.
I have to say, I loved this movie, I absolutely loved it. Writer/ director Tom Ford has married together a unique blend of intrigue and drama that really worked for me, and although I know that this film is not going to appeal to everyone's taste, there is no denying that it will get under their skin one way or another. 
A wealthy artist and gallery owner finds her life turned upside down when an ex-lover contacts her after a 19 year hiatus and presents her with a violent and upsetting manuscript that is dedicated to her. 
The movie plays out with three storylines running at the same time, which added a lot more complexities and layers to an already exceptionally heavy and emotional script. This is thinking man's drama at its best, beautifully shot and deeply compelling and thank goodness, the most original film of 2016 by a long mile. All of the actors, not just Adams, are all flawless. Jake Gyllenhaal is the best that I have seen him in years, Michael Shannon delivers as brilliantly as he always does and Aaron Taylor-Johnson gives new meaning to the word creepy. 
Expect it to stick with you, because it's one of those kinds of films.
FINAL SAY: When you love someone you have to be careful with it, you might never get it again.
4.5 Chilli Peppers
 

5 Comments

Glamorizing the Seedy Shit

20/6/2018

0 Comments

 
Hollywood blockbuster movies have a way of making everything look glamorous, accessible and generally fun, even when they are actually promoting activities that are morally corrupt and/or highly illegal. There are literally countless films that glorify criminals for being absolute scumbags and we generally all buy into it, watching these movies and thinking how great life would be if we had the chance to be successful jewelry or car thieves, because it always looks so cool and even quite fun on the big screen. Think Baby Driver, Logan Lucky, Casino, American Ultra, Blow or Ocean's 8, I mean being bad never looked so good, right?
Movie producers are so damn good at glamorizing all kinds of seedy shit that they can just about fool anyone into thinking that anything (regardless of how genuinely unappealing it really is) is fun, fresh, interesting or even desirable. 
One movie in particular that people seem to really love (women especially) in spite of its clearly seedy message and utterly implausible outcomes (and I gotta say it really grinds my gears) is Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts. I absolutely despise that movie, it's my least favourite movie of all time by a long mile and I cannot tell you how many times some poor misguided woman has told me about how much they love that movie and how many times they have rewatched it because it is so romantic and blah...blah...blah... And then they always look so shocked when I give them my synopsis of the movie.
I like to point out that Julia Roberts basically plays a desperate whore in the movie Pretty Woman who took up prostitution because (apparently) she was shitty at everything else. She literally walks the streets with her crack whore best friend peddling sex for money to strange men. Richard Gere (her love interest) is obviously a dodgy as all fuck businessman that regularly picks up whores off the street, which is how he meets Roberts after he 'just happens' to be in the red light district and decides to give her a go. Gere decides to keep Roberts around to use for sex as he sees fit over the course of the next week (which he pays for in advance) after she gives him a clearly pretty good blowjob. Over the course of that week of paid sexworker employment, Roberts suffers from some unexplainable stockholm syndrome bullshit and decides that she loves Gere, which (apparently) has nothing do with his ridiculous stream of unending money that he likes to throw around. Her blowjobs are clearly insanely good, so Gere decides to keep Roberts on permanently, in a full time (without pay) sexworker capacity, and boom - it's happily ever after! And that is meant to be romantic? WTF? Worst movie EVER people, please stop watching this steaming shitpile and calling it good and/or romantic, it's toxic Hollywood bullshit! 
In fact, a lot of crime, war, action and yes, even romance movies actually do glamourize some pretty low brow stuff like organised crime, prostitution, theft, arms dealing, drug dealing, infidelity, harassment and misogyny and we often don't even bat an eye when we are watching it, in fact we like it, it looks dangerously cool. And I totally admit, I do like watching some pretty seedy shit, but you do have to draw the line somewhere.
So, if I ever, and I mean ever, start calling movies about prostitutes with stockholm syndrome deeply romantic, please do promptly slap me upside the head and tell me to shut the fuck up! 
Picture
OCEAN'S 8
Release Date: 2018
Rating: M
Running Time: 111 mins

A spin-off of Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy and proof that women can do heist comedies just as well as the men can. Ocean's 8  is directed by Gary Ross and written by Ross and Olivia Milch and offers viewers an easy 'feel good' ride with an entertaining all star cast.
Debbie Ocean, younger sister of the late Danny Ocean, gets paroled and plans a once in a lifetime heist that involves stealing a $150 million dollar Cartier necklace. To pull it all off, Debbie will require the assistance of a team of eight female criminals. 
​The cast in this is just dynamite and the onscreen chemistry of the lead actresses is what really carries this film. Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Awkwafina and Helena Bonham Carter join forces perfectly as the eight criminal masterminds, and although the storyline fails to brings anything new to the table, I still thought that Ocean's 8 was a more than watchable 'chick flick' experience. 
FINAL SAY: You would've loved it. 
3 Chilli Peppers 
​

0 Comments

Rising Up

13/6/2018

0 Comments

 
Finally I am coming out of the fog of sickness and starting to feel a lot more like my old self again. My energy levels are rising, my positivity has returned and I am loving having enough energy to enjoy daily yoga and meditation practises all over again. With just over two weeks until the winter school holiday break this rise from the ashes has come at just the right moment and by the time the break kicks in I expect to be completely rejuvenated and primed for a terrific holiday.
Everything seems twenty times harder when you're not feeling very well and I had really forgotten just how bloody inconvenient illness is. Even the simplest of tasks can appear to be pretty insurmountable when your rocking around feeling like a crap sandwich; I seriously have a newfound respect for people that suffer from ongoing health complications, it is just so bloody awful being sick! 
It is pretty easy to take your health and wellbeing for granted, which I was clearly doing because I was completely bowled over by how ridiculously weak and exhausted I became over such a short amount of time. I went from having the constitution of a clydesdale horse to being as weak as a kitten over a few short weeks and it wasn't the most pleasant experience that I have ever had, I can tell you that.
I can't even recall another time in my life when I slept as much as I did in the last three weeks. I reckon I was giving grannies a run for their money with the amount of snoozing I was putting in. Never before have I spent every night after dinner on the couch, falling asleep with my head on Craig's lap by 8pm and having to get him to 'put me to bed' like I was an infant! What a sad-o! And then, to add insult to injury, I wasn't even able to get up in the morning at the other end because I still felt like I was tired. It was so crapola! I didn't do anything interesting or fun for days and days; just work, eat and sleep (and whine - I did a fair amount of that). What a sad existence it was! 
Well I am sure glad to be leaving all of that behind in the rear view mirror; and if that was a glimpse into what old age is going to be like, then I am NOT looking forward to it one bit! I think that it is important to build up your health and general wellbeing while you're still young enough to do it, because the prospect of sleeping away my latter years and mostly feeling lousy and weak does not appeal to me at all. If anything, this sickness has made me super determined to get my health into really good order, because I really don't want another serve of whatever it was that I have just had, or anything like it, ever again! 
Picture
DEATH PROOF
Release Date: 2007
Rating: R 18+ 
Running Time: 114 mins
Easily the best of the Grindhouse offerings, this is a slice of retro brilliance from Tarantino. The unconventional techniques used in this film will transport you straight back the 1970's with it's rough cutaways and gritty film quality. The costumes and soundtrack add greatly to the general vibe of the movie, giving it an all around unsettling polish that works perfectly.
The story follows the events of two separate groups of girls as they are pursued by the psychopathic Stuntman Mike, portrayed with a creepy cool by Kurt Russell. Russell does a stellar job in this clear come back role, bringing all of the maniacal behaviours of Mike to reality in a gripping and hypnotic fashion.  
The movie is teaming with sexy starlets, it wouldn't be Grindhouse if it wasn't, but it also has a wonderful 'power to the women' element that should not  be overlooked. Stunt woman Zoe Bell will impress every man in the audience with her game of "Ship's Mast" and Vanessa Ferlito will have them shifting in their seats with her lap dance to The Coasters Down in Mexico. 
FINAL SAY: Butterfly. The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
4 Chilli Peppers

0 Comments

Couch Bashing

10/6/2018

0 Comments

 
The Queen's birthday long weekend has offered us all (especially old sicky me) an opportunity to batten down the hatches and focus on some rest, relaxation and that third and most important 'R' of all - realignment. After over a week of dragging myself out of bed and going to work feeling like a slapped together crap sandwich because of continually waking up in the middle of the night with either a feverish sweat or in a fit of coughing, I have finally reached the illustrious embrace of a long weekend.  
All week I have had this overwhelming feeling that the world and all of its trappings were way too big and awful for me, and that everything that I came up against was incredibly insurmountable. Of course this is just a side effect of being unwell and not getting enough rest, but that doesn't make it any less pleasant. So, I was literally holding out all week for this long weekend, propelling myself along in the knowledge that if just got through the week then I would be able to take a three day hiatus from all responsibility and the need to wander any further than the couch and the bed.
So I soldiered on as the Codral cold and flu tablets told me to do and then promptly fell into a heap on the couch on Friday night and have spent an extraordinary amount of time there ever since. And I don't even feel robbed of my long weekend because not only do I need to spend three days on the couch I also want to spend three days on the couch. I literally do not want to do anything, even making a coffee and a toasted sandwich seems like an unnecessary use of my time. The only thing that I want to do this weekend is rest, relax and realign, which for me involves many movies, some ipad, a few naps, a little yoga, a bit of journaling, a spot of reading and a lot of cuddles from my cat. Everything else is ...meh...not necessary, it can wait. 
For the first time ever in my life, I actually said no to catching up with friends this weekend, which I never do. Generally a long weekend means lots of quality catch up time with friends for me. A coffee here, a trip to the cinema there, a dinner date; I am usually happily booked up to the wazoo when the breaks happen, but this time I had to listen to my body which was screaming at me for some couch time and decline some really lovely invitations from dear friends. I have to say, it wasn't easy to say no and choose me first, it's not something that I am used to doing, but it was absolutely necessary. Sometimes saying no isn't selfish, it really is necessary and perhaps that is the biggest lesson that this whole illness has taught me. 
At times, choosing yourself is the only way to thrive in this world. Our bodies are actually sending us signals all of the time but we are often too busy to receive them, either that or we just ignore them anyway. We generally tend to give our thoughts and nagging sense of responsibility a lot more consideration than our real feelings (physical or mental) and I think that much to my own detriment, I am often quite guilty of doing that.
Mindful practises are exceptionally handy for tuning yourself back into you when things get pear shaped, but let's be honest, no-one is being very mindful when they are sick and usually everything just goes to the window (including your zen) when you're unwell. And that is why this weekend has been so important for me, it's a chance to get everything back in order all over again and reboot my flagging system. I am hoping that by Tuesday morning at 8.25am when I pull back into the carpark at work that I will feel ready to face the world once again, somewhat rejuvenated and much more healthy than I left last week, fingers crossed!
Oh, and on side note, in my pursuit of light-hearted couch dwelling entertainment this weekend, I did come across a little hidden gem. If you get the chance to hit he couch yourself anytime soon, I recommend that you check it out. 
Picture
GAME NIGHT
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 100 mins 

A crime/ mystery/ black comedy directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein that delivers something fresh and genuinely interesting to the comedy genre. Loaded with unexpected twists and amusing scenarios, you can expect a fun ride from Game Night's fast pace and witty characters. 
Super competitive Max (Jason Bateman) and Annie (Rachel McAdams) take weekly game nights with their group of tight friends very seriously. When Max's brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) turns up after a long hiatus and proposes a new and exciting game night challenge for the group, the stage is set for a night of heavy competition like no other. 
In all honesty, the less you know about this movie the better. I had no idea what to expect when I watched it and I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun this movie actually was. Game Night will never be regarded as side splitting humour, but it is truly entertaining and most definitely worth a look. 
FINAL SAY: Charades? That's some cute full-circle bullshit. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

0 Comments

In Sickness and In Health

6/6/2018

0 Comments

 
Lord may the people that I love forgive me for my crappy, moody, snappy, intolerant, angry and miserably sick temperament this week. I am utterly exhausted and spent in every single way and I am also still so damn sick, sick, sick! I cannot even recall the last time that I felt this shithouse, because I am pretty sure that I would have wiped it completely from my memory. I mean who would want to remember a time when they felt this dreadful? This lurgy that I have contracted has the staying power of an unwanted houseguest and it is one nasty bitch! 
And I tell you that the hits, well they just keep on coming this week! From work to home there hasn't been a lot of rainbows to enjoy lately, just a constant deluge of drama and mishap. However, to be fair, I do have the constitution and coping skills of a three year old at the moment, so I am certainly not at my strongest, my most sound or my most logical at present, so things may not be as bad as I am imagining them to be.
Let's see, I haven't had a good night's sleep in four days, I've been pushed well outside of my comfort zone at work, it feels like I have a brick planted firmly on my chest, I have a constant cough that will not respond to anything that I've thrown at it, I've offended the people that I care about because I am a cantankerous sick bitch, I sound like Bonnie Tyler after a ten day bender and just to add a cherry to this already very festering pie, it's my time of the month as well. Yep, I am not exaggerating or imagining this, things are definitely leaning towards fucking horrible. 
You really know how sweet you had it when shit like this happens. Right now I would kill for a decent night's sleep and for the pain in my chest to relent. I would like to speak without feeling like an 80 year old smoker and most of all I would really like an easy day, but alas....we can't always get what we want. So for now, my family has to put up with me being a total psycho, my body has to put up with feeling like it has been run over by a semitrailer and I need to keep looking towards the horizon because I just know that brighter days are coming. 
Picture
SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER 
Release Date: 1993 
Rating: M
Running Time: 93 mins 
I think that Mike Myers was at his peak in this movie, I really liked his multi-role antics, especially his extremely blunt and mostly drunken father character that just had me rolling on the floor with laughter. 
Charlie the poet has had a string of unsuccessful relationships when he meets Harriet. Harriet appears to be the girl of Charlie's dreams. However, Charlie soon begins to suspect that Harriet may actually be a serial killer that is on the run from the law for killing all of her previous husbands. 
This is outrageously silly stuff, and although it's not going to be to everyone's taste, I just adored all of the zany antics and late night bad poetry readings. Watch it with an open mind and be in the mood for madness. 
FINAL SAY: A piper is down!
3.5 Chilli Peppers

0 Comments

A Crappy Constitution

3/6/2018

0 Comments

 
I have succumbed to the dreaded lurgy that is floating around at the moment and it is just horrid! Started off on Friday night with a lovely bout of nausea followed by explosive vomiting, then came the headaches, then came the body aches and now I have the phlegmy, coughy, grossy and mostly miserable tail end of it to content with. The thing that I most pissed off about is that it has dominated my weekend, two entirely wasted days of sickness. I've spent 90% of the weekend in bed sleeping and for someone like me that likes to milk as much out of my day, this has been a real test.
The most that I have done this weekend was a 4 hour game of Risk with Craig and Seth which was actually exhausting, so that should put things into perspective for you. For anyone that doesn't know what Risk is, it's a strategy board game where the most physical aspect is rolling three dice at one time, and that exhausted me! I am so pitiful that I had to quit the game, I couldn't even finish it, how sad is that?
Last year I prided myself in not even getting a sniffle for the entire year, in fact I haven't had a really significant head cold or a flu for over two years now, and I never take the free immunisation that I am offered at school every year. However, this year, ever since dentist death had a go at my teeth and annihilated me, I have fallen prey to every little germ that has come my way. Which basically means that that horrific incident with my teeth has completely destroyed all of my immunity and I now have a crappy constitution and I am not happy about that at all! 
After working in schools for over a decade I have built up a pretty good level of immunity, I rarely get sick and if I do it is never for very long. I have always been able to dodge most of the sickness bullets when they have been flying around and the only time that I have really gotten unwell in the past five years was because of my IBS, which I have also managed really well over the last twelve months.
Needless to say, because I am not used to being to being sick. I have never really been a very good sick person. I always forget just how lousey it feels to be sick and then when it happens to me I am always deeply shocked by how crappy and low I am. Being sick sucks so much, it is just the pits. I really don't like my body when it doesn't function very well, it stands in the way of my plans! 
Well there is nothing for it, I must relent and allow my failing system a chance to reboot, but I cannot deny that I am extremely unhappy about it and even more annoyed with that terrible dentist for mucking up my generally 'racehorse strong' constitution, and to think that it is only the beginning of Winter! At this rate who knows what I will be like in a month from now? Fingers crossed that I am getting the worst of it over and done with early! 
Picture
28 DAYS LATER 
Release Date: 2002
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 113 mins 
Director Danny Boyle hits another home run with 28 Days Later. In this fast paced and action packed horror we find ourselves in a world rife with a very aggressive and highly contagious virus that is giving people the 'rage' disease. Unlike other plague movies, we actually get to know the origin of the outbreak; not that that seems to be helping anyone though, because four weeks on from initial infection and the entire world is full of blood-thirsty crazies.
The story follows Jim (Cillian Murphy) who has the misfortune of waking up from his coma on infection day 28. Clearly the world has altered, seeing an empty Piccadilly Circus is certainly not typical; and Jim soon finds that he is again fighting for his life. He joins forces with a small group of survivors in an effort to find sanctuary from the rising hordes. 
This is gripping and terrifying viewing, the story line is more plausible than most epidemic films which gives it a realistic and sinister edge. And unlike a multitude of similar films, there is a definitive ending which was much appreciated. Great edgy horror, a must see.
FINAL SAY: It's something in the blood. 
4.5 Chili Peppers

0 Comments

Beating the Winter Blues

13/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Every year around the end of Autumn and the beginning of Winter I suffer from a bit of mild depression. Not a throw myself from the nearest building kind of depression, more of a self doubting, self loathing and melancholic period that always seems to appear at the same time of the year. The darker, wetter and colder days seem to also bring with them an air of despair and uncertainty that leaves me feeling out of tune with everything and everyone. I can feel my resilience and tolerance faltering and my usually optimistic demeanor becomes somewhat surley and pessimistic. During these moments I have to fight the urge to run and hide under a blanket somewhere, far away from the world and all of it's noisy responsibilities and complications. 
It's a strange and unnamable feeling that makes me want to retreat, and stranger still is the fact that I am never really sure of what I am actually retreating from. Generally I am a bit over-emotional, super sensitive, easily angered and melodramatic at these times of the year, it's kind of like PMS on steroids and its not a lot of fun for me or the people around me. And what really gets to me about it all, is why? Why do I have these periods in my life and why are they so cyclic? 
Perhaps it is because of the crappy weather, maybe it's because of the stockpile of bills that come at this time of the year that need to be paid, maybe it's because I am just a little run down from being unwell and overwhelmed by the demands of my everyday routine, and then maybe it is actually just a combination of all of those things. Whatever the reason, I do know one thing for sure, it always and I mean always occurs around this time of the year.
Last year around this time I had a particularly difficult time with depression and I felt it more completely than I had in previous years. I had a total dark night of the soul and was actually really concerned about some of the thoughts that I was entertaining. I went to a really dark place and it lasted for way too long. I also had a massive and incredibly painful falling out with my siblings at this time last year, and they have all since become estranged to me, and maybe the hurt of that feels particularly raw at this time of the year and adds to my melancholy. However, I would be lying if I said that it was any one particular thing that made me feel the early winter blues so intensely. 
However, it is not all doom and gloom! By recognising this pattern of self doubt and inner turmoil, I have become a lot better at managing it. Through meditation and yoga practises I have learnt to curb my personal negativity and anxiety because I can now recognize what is happening a lot earlier on. I also know with great certainty that these melancholic moments are transient and fleeting and that I do not have to engage with them when they occur. I no longer need to feed and clothe my personal demons everytime that I get anxious or worried, I can just recognise them and then let them go quietly back into the night. I also recognise that everyone has times in their lives that are rife with anxiety and uncertainty and that I am not alone in my struggles and that it is all a normal part of any growth cycle to fall over every now and then. 
I can now bravely acknowledge that I do get blues from time to time, but it doesn't define who I am and that I don't have to let it take hold of me. Like a quiet passenger on the bus of life I can simply notice these feelings as I pass them by, waving farewell to them before they even get a chance to take hold of me. And that is big part of what surviving your own depression and dark thoughts is like really. You know that these times and thoughts are going to come around every now and again, but like negative people that are hard to have around, you just have to choose to not engage them.
Sometimes that requires a lot of strength, a lot more than you think that you can muster up, but essentially you can. You really can, in spite of whatever your head may be telling you, and just as winter arrives every year, so too does summer and the most powerful thing to remember to help you to get yourself out of a funk like this is that nothing ever lasts forever. It's all transient and it's all fleeting, and you don't have to stay in the moment any longer then you choose to, you can let go at any time, at any moment, just let it pass you by. 
Picture
BETTY BLUE 
Release Date: 1986
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 120 mins 
This French language film by director Jean-Jacques Beineix verges into the realms of gritty with it's disturbing portrayal of mental illness. 
A handyman and maintenance guy named Zorg lives a quiet and peaceful existence; until he meets Betty. Betty is sexy, wild and utterly unpredictable and Zorg becomes fascinated with her. But the more time that Zorg that spends with Betty, the quicker that he realizes that she is actually insane and totally out of control. 
Beatrice Dalle is hauntingly beautiful and disturbed as Betty; and in short this movie will leave you feeling a bit battered after the effect. Not a pretty ride. 
FINAL SAY: The forecast was for storms. 
3 Chilli Peppers

0 Comments

Getting Too Exclusive

9/5/2018

0 Comments

 
When you work in a niche market, sell an exclusive product or deliver something that no-one else is really offering you become at risk of being too damn exclusive for your own good. In fact you can become a difficult, egotistical douchebag quite quickly if you are not being somewhat self aware and taking into account the needs and feelings of your clientele or target audience.
We have all seen it happen to professionals, especially entertainers. You find yourself enamoured by some new flavour of the month, you buy their album or go to see their latest film and you allow yourself to think that they are really cool because of their singing, acting or dancing. But then, you see them on television being interviewed or on some talk show like Graeme Norton and you think to yourself - what a fucking dickhead!
It totally taints the way that you saw them and you realise that all of that fame has totally gone to their heads and that they have succumbed to the "getting too exclusive" virus, and yep, now you actually really don't like them at all anymore. And it's not just because they're dickheads, it's also because they fooled you into thinking that they were someone else and you almost feel betrayed by that and you most definitely feel let down. 
Well, from my experience, you don't need to be rich or famous to be getting too exclusive for your own good. In fact I have found that if people or even organisations feel like they have the monopoly over something then they tend to take on air of exclusivity very bloody quickly indeed and it can leave people feeling alienated and on the outer rim. And I am speaking from some very recent personal experiences that I have encountered where I have felt like I was banging my head against a brick wall to get anywhere because I wasn't in the 'know' enough to be given the respect that I deserved. 
I'm not going to really get into it because these organisations are reputable and do have some terrific people working for them and I don't want to tar everyone with the same dirty brush here, but if you or your business, or your organisation starts to get so exclusive that you are alienating people and making them feel like shit, then you are getting way too exclusive for your own good.
There is a terrific quote by Malcolm S. Forbes that says: You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. 
Pretty good words to live by I reckon and certainly not a part of the mindset of the all too exclusive people of this world that's for sure!
Picture
PATTI CAKE$
Release Date: 2017
Rating: M
Running Time: 109 mins

A musical drama directed by Geremy Jasper that screened in the US Dramatic Competition section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Patti Cake$ throws some new light onto what is essentially an underdog storyline, which is made all the more enjoyable through the rap music that brings them all together. 
Patricia Dombrowski is an overweight white woman from New Jersey who is seeking fame and fortune in the rap industry. She is both torn down and raised higher by the various relationships that she has  in her life and must rely on her own tenacity to push passed her haters.
It is the group of downtrodden misfits and their passion for rap music that raises this movie out of the realms of mediocrity. Danielle Macdonald is a tour de force as Patti and brings so much determination and gusto to her character that you just can't stop rooting for the underdog and getting caught up in all of the hopeful dreaming.
Patti Cake$ is certainly not a life changer, but it is an enjoyable, warm and inspiring watch. 
FINAL SAY: Act your age. Act your race. 
​3 Chilli Peppers

0 Comments

A Pain Like No Other

6/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Toothache really is in a realm all by itself. This week I had a pretty tough week, so tough that I let my entire routine go out of the window because I had to. I was in excruciating pain for days and even though the worst of it is over, I am still basically like a cantankerous bear with a splinter in it's paw. I didn't eat, didn't sleep longer than a two hour stretch, didn't do yoga or meditation, didn't practise any of my usual lessons or even (God forbid) complete a blog. What I did do, between my work hours was moan, groan and lay about on the couch drugged out of my mind watching bullshit TV and hating my life.
How did I get this way? Well let me tell you a little story about heartache and the loss of God....just kidding...it wasn't actually that bad. Let me tell you about the time that a dentist butchered me though....
On Saturday of last week I went to the dentist for my routine six month clean and scale. I didn't have any concerns about my teeth and I was in really good health. I was however seeing a dentist that I wouldn't usually see, which would turn out to be one of my worst errors in judgement ever. My usual dentist has a life of luxury and only works 4 days a week from 9am to 3pm, which renders him pretty much useless to the working class society, so I thought I would do the right thing and not take time off for a routine clean and scale that I would just go to another dentist at the same practise, after all it was for a 20 min check-up not a root canal.
Anyway, this new dentist, let's call him Dr Slaughter, had me in the chair for an hour. He x-rayed, poked about and gave me a very thorough deep clean, which at the time I thought, okay great, obviously I needed all that. And even though I didn't enjoy it, I figured that I must have needed the extra invasive cleaning and told myself that I was getting value for money. 
The first day after the cleaning I was fine, and the second I was mildly uncomfortable, but I have had periodontal work so a little oral discomfort is not foreign to me. By Tuesday, shit was getting real and I had started to take Panadol and Nurofen on two hourly rotations. Let me point out that I NEVER take cope dope, not ever, it has to be serious for me to even go there.
Anyway Tuesday night, no dinner and a little sleep - too much pain. Wednesday I had to travel to Melbourne for a work PD, almost 3 hours each way, that was a long day with a lot of pain, drugged myself with over-the-counter remedies to an illegal level and soldiered on. Picked at a couple of things, didn't sleep again and woke up to thumping, pounding, shooting pains and nausea on Thursday. After being so tired and so empty and so exhausted for so many days I finally crumbled. Tears and tears, I gave in and made an appointment to see the dentist, my usual dentist. 
After some inspection and another lot of x-rays, he confirmed that my teeth were excellent, but some of my gums were so inflamed that they were higher that my teeth in my mouth. Well, that explained the pain alright. Toothache, or in this case, deep gum pain is a special hell all of its own. I have not felt so worn down, unwell, exhausted or overwhelmed by pain since I was in labour over thirteen years ago. It was BAD, so bad. I even had another good cry at the dentist's office and he felt so sorry for me that he called me at home (after hours) the next day to check on me. 
So my teeth were fine, it was a gum problem. I had to be referred to a periodontal expert to have a look as well, but even he was confused because the x-rays looked good. After examining my swollen and agonisingly tender mouth he concurred with what my dentist had said and also believed that some type of bacteria had entered my mouth during or just after the cleaning process when my gums were open, and that Dr Slaughter had caused trauma to my gum area by being too invasive. Basically I had a secondary infection of a fierce kind, one that required strong antibiotics and even stronger pain killers, which my dentist happily prescribed to me. 
Being keen to get some pain relief I went in hard on the drugs, which did give me a most welcomed nights sleep, but did also cause me to violently chunder into the garden on Friday morning after I took too many of them and then tried to drink a coffee. Live and learn. I am a bit of a prescription drug lightweight, and when you never have them, they work really well. So this weekend I have basically been lying about half out of my skull on pain relief and doing as little as possible. The antibiotics are working beautifully and everyday I get a significant reduction in pain and discomfort, so hallelujah to that! 
The lesson in all of this is? Don't ever go to a strange dentist, just organise the time off and see your usual one. Well, that's my take away from all of that anyway. Make an appointment at the slightest hint of 'after' pain before you start to contemplate self-surgery like I was and most importantly don't let one butcher put you off of going to the dentist forever, which is going to be my biggest hurdle now. Honestly, the thought of a dental check up right just sends shivers of dread straight down my spine! 
Thank God for Marvel, who was delivering another delightful instalment of super this weekend, honestly the distraction couldn't have arrived at a better time, and what a mighty fine distraction is was!
Picture
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 160 mins 

Marvel just keeps on raising the bar, and you would think that after 18 movies about various Marvel superheros that things would be getting a bit stale, but no! Avengers: Infinity War is proof that even though we think that we have seen enough superhero movies, we obviously haven't, because they just keep on getting better.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, this latest offering had an absolutely massive ensemble cast, with all of our favourite Marvel superheroes coming together to fight shoulder to shoulder against the worst super villain that we have seen so far.
Thanos is gathering all of the Infinity Stones in the galaxy together, which will make him indestructible and capable of wiping out entire universes. The Avengers, The Guardians of the Galaxy and some other free agent superheroes like Spiderman, Dr Strange, Vision and Black Panther, must pool their resources together if they want to stand a chance against the almighty power of Thanos.
Clearly this is going to be a two part saga, with this first offering leaving everyone in the balance and on the edge of their seats. Like all of The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy movies, there's tonnes of action and loads of humour as well, making the fast paced adventure interesting and immensely enjoyable. As far as a sequel goes, Marvel just take my money, because I will definitely be lining up for more of that action! 
FINAL SAY: Kick names, take ass. 
​4 Chilli peppers

0 Comments

Human Enhancements

25/4/2018

0 Comments

 
Whilst perusing Pinterest yesterday an advertisement popped up for Neuralink's new 'Smart Drug' which is basically a mind enhancement medication, which is now on the market and being promoted by Elon Musk who is offering free trials. These revolutionary tablets apparently improve a person's mental performance, problem solving abilities, concentration, efficiency and memory by (aka. up to) 97%, which sounds way too good to be true doesn't it? 
However, people that have trialled the drug are claiming that all of the above is true and more, in fact the people that took them said that they felt more focused and calm than they could have ever imagined that they would ever be, but to be honest I do wonder how much of a mess they were to begin with. Regular users are quoted as saying outrageously sensationalised statements like "it makes me into a Godlike sponge" whatever the fuck that means, or "I have never felt so engaged and capable before" which does sound positive, but again probably way too good to be true. 
There is absolutely no doubt that the idea of optimising yourself is appealing on many levels, but on a more realistic level, I also have a million questions to ask about these wonder tablets. Firstly, and foremostly, what the hell is in these tablets? Who or what have they tested them on? What are the long term effects of taking these kinds of enhancers? Are they addictive? And what happens if you just stop taking them?
I have watched way too many science fiction movies where people in the future quite innocently start to take human enhancing drugs only to wake up with something god awful growing out of them or one day just realising that they have totally lost their minds and the idea of eating their pet cat seems completely plausible. Yes, everyone wants to gets smarter, better, faster, stronger but no sane person wants to be a human guinea pig. 
However, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't curious and maybe even a little keen to try them for myself, but then on the other hand I do feel sad that we all feel so compelled to be continually pushing and stretching our personal limits as humans. I mean this is really just another prime example of us not being enough isn't it? Is this hunger to be more and perform better actually driving us further away from our own true natures as human beings? What will the world look like if we are all operating at a genius level anyway? And what happens to the people that choose not to get on board, or cannot afford to get onboard because the tablets will clearly come with a hefty price tag? Will being 'super smart' only be for the rich or elite? And how is that going to be fair?
Nope, there are too many unanswered questions for me at this point and there are way too many variables that I have serious concerns about before I am willing to get on board with this 'smart drug' of the future. I am all for enhancing the quality of life that I live and I am most definitely all about being alert and active, but I am not sure that being 97% more focused is really what I need in my life right now. If I was 97% more alert than I am already, then I think that my head would explode. If anything, I think that I need to get about 50% less focused!
However, regardless of how you feel about the progression that is being made in the field of human enhancements, they are occurring and it is absolutely inevitable that they are going to become a part of all of our futures, whether we choose to engage in it or not, and I do wonder a lot about what that future will look like for us all. 
Picture
ANNIHILATION
Release Date: 2018
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 115 mins

A science fiction/ thriller, written and directed by Alex Garland and based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer. Annihilation was released on Netflix, which in some ways was a total tragedy for the potential of the movie because it would have been quite spectacular and probably even more enjoyable on the big screen. However that being said, this is still a solid science fiction thriller that delivers lots of intrigue and  a striking visual impact. 
A group of military scientists enter into 'The Shimmer' - a mysterious, expanding, bubble-like quarantined area. The sole survivor from the last entry mission has fallen into a coma, so it is up to this new group of willing hopefuls to uncover the secret of 'The Shimmer' before it gets any larger. 
This film had me genuinely curious because the script is original and quite unpredictable and the creatures within 'The Shimmer' were so inventive. It was also really pleasing to see a team of exclusively female scientists picking up where the men had previously failed, and tackling some unknown evil shit all by themselves - woohoo, go girl power! 
The cast is excellent, with Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac and Jennifer Jason Leigh all bringing quality performances to a complex science fiction/ thriller which is by no means an easy feat. Annihilation is definitely worth a look for lovers of creepy and original science fiction. 
FINAL SAY: It's not destroying...It's making something new. 
​3.5 Chilli peppers

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

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

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Art House
    Comedy
    Disasters
    Drama
    Eating Out
    Fantasy
    Foreign
    Gatherings
    Gritty / Documentary
    Horror
    Kid Friendly
    Life
    Mum Stuff
    Romance
    Science Fiction
    TV
    War

    Archives

    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
Photo used under Creative Commons from Crysco Photography