Why I blog

I blog for me. So I can capture moments in my life that I otherwise would forget. You see movies, art, etc are very important to me and I want other people to see what I see and share my thoughts.

We are born to experience life, but sometimes I think people are overwhelmed with so much that is going on that we forget just to go out and experience things. I push myself to go and experience as much as I can - mostly because if I didn't I would end up staying at home every night.

My philosophy with blogging isn't writing thousands of words why people should not or shouldn't do something, I get it, people are busy and have varied tastes. What I aim to do is to provide a succinct overview or judgement about what I have experienced.

But there is a catch - I will be honest. If the emperor has no clothes, then I will say it! Liking something for the sake of fashion or trend is not what I am about. That remains true for not liking something - you see just because I do not like something does not mean it is not well done or entertains others - I am not the be all and end all of what people find entertaining.

I am a small fish, in a small pond who just loves blogging about what I have done and what I have seen in my local area.

I was not always like this, going out and experiencing life. Besides being recently diagnosed with Autism - I have suffered a greatly from depression and anxiety. For as long as I can remember D & A has ruled my life - so much so that going out can be highly stressful.  I didn’t go out, I shunned all events - I missed out on life. There was nothing meaningful to blog except for the random thoughts going through my mind at a hundred miles an hour.

Writing and planning my blog gives me a lot of pleasure, but I do have a plan. I want to take my blog to another level where I have lots of people interested in life and who want to experience the brilliant things that I get to, despite my disabilities.

So my blog motivates me to experience life but hopefully it inspires others to take some time out there life to experience the different things that life has to offer.

Back to the Future 1 and 2 @ Hoyts Rewind

Well last saturday night I saw Back to the future 1 and 2 at Hoyts cinemas.

These movies are old and with the special effects are not as smooth as we have today BUT you know they are still great movies: entertaining and definitely worth watching again on the big screen.

In Search of Chopin

Well this was a two hour documentary about Chopin, his life and music. The only problem my eyes kept closing and I wanted to sleep. However I do not think this a reflection of the genius and new style of piano playing that Chopin introduced. It was more of a case that I was just tired. Late night and feeling run down. There was plenty of music for those who enjoy Chopin. I figure the only real problem with this is the visual. There is nothing really for your eye to focus on when they were playing snippets of his music (probably why I needed to close them so often).

What We Do in the Shadows

What We Do in the Shadows is a brilliant mockumentary about vampire who share a house in New Zealand.  It’s hard to choose a favourite among the flatmates of – the sexy Vladislav, the mum of the group Viago, bad boy Deacon or the ‘I just want more friends’ Peter.  The vampires make an unlikely human friend ‘Stu’ who they agree not to eat.

I could go on but I think it’s important for comedies not to give too much away, the most important thing is to watch it. Stay around for the closing credits – there are some funny moments.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) - review

Well I was one the first people to see The Hobbit and I have to say I was underwhelmed by it. There were some really good scenes with the dragon but I felt it was moving slowly, of course we all know The Hobbit could've been done in one three hour movie.

There was no real story arc for the second movie, I guess after Lord of the Rings one would expect to have a complete story arc for each of The Hobbit movies. Making movies with 3D viewing in mind also complicates the story - scenes you know were only placed in the movie for the 3D effect with little relevance to plot - although this is a criticism of all movies that have a 3D equivalent.

Hopefully the third instalment won't suffer from further degradation (remember the Godfather 3 - it was just the wrong feel for the franchise).

In the end you know you are going to see it because of the dragon and because it is The Hobbit - the scenic views are inspiring but I did not feel the 3D version was worth it, I am tempted to go to IMAX to see how it fairs there.

My Private Idaho

My Private Idaho on occasions feels so real, some of the dialogue (note I said some) gives you the impression that you are overhearing private conversations while sitting at a coffee shop. You feel like you are at the next table while they talk about first dates (not what you think), other confessions and talking over each other makes this feel like you are there in the thick of it.

This acting could not be completely different, with some fantastic acting from River Phoenix and not so great acting from Keanu Reeves. However Keanu I think has one of the best pieces of monologues in the film.
        SCOTT
               (under his breath)
               When I turn twenty-one, I don't want
               any more of this life. My mother and
               father will be surprised at the
               incredible change. It will impress
               them more when such a fuck up like
               me turns good than if I had been a
               good son all along. All the past
               years I will think of as one big

               vacation. At least it wasn't as
               boring as schoolwork. All my bad
               behavior I'm going to throw away to
               pay my debt. I will change when
               everybody expects it the least.

Phoenix is at his best in the camp scene.  Some of the sex scenes are weird but it was nice not to have everything in front of your face for a change. Subtly is a whole another art form. Worth seeing again.

Hermitage Revealed

I had no expectations when I went to see this documentary. What I found was a fantastic journey of Russian history through the life of the Hermitage.

The collection is huge and is kept in a architecturally beautiful and historic building. This film is a visual feast that continued to amaze.

What is really amazing is the way the curators at the Hermitage kept the collection safe during such a volatile history. It is a credit to those who looked after the collections at the Hermitage that the collection survived many revolutions, world wars and various leaders such as Stain etc and was not pillaged to pay for ideologies.

It is definitely worth seeing this film but I imagine there is nothing like the real thing, I for one has put it on my bucket list.