First stop: Myspace, Then onto: Facebook, Get off at Twitter. I'm on the cyber-networking express

There's a new thing in town. It's all the rage. And now I've jumped on it.

In the past I have reported on my crippling addiction to Facebook. I'm a recovering addict and each day is another struggle. However, to combat an addiction, one addict will often find another addiction to harbor in doom with. And so, in the style of former alcoholics becoming over-eaters, I have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon.

What is Twitter you ask? It is a site that allows you to create a profile that allows you to update on what you're doing, and keep updated on other peoples lives. Twitter has been around for a while, but, as far as I'm concerned, Twitter is a new thing. It has only been within the last couple of weeks that I've first heard of this new social networking site. At first I didn't get it. It seems just like the update status feature on Facebook. But as I've been studying it a bit more, I think I'm getting the gist of it. It is all about what you're doing. And while I could have just been content with Facebook, joining Twitter proves a valuable exercise in my attempt to be rid of the Facebook addiction.

What has been the bane of my Facebook problem is that I was sick of constantly checking my home page to see if I was getting any love. The joy about Twitter: it's all about what you're doing, and what other people are doing, and less about the interaction between both. Not that you can't interact, but it doesn't seem to be the point of it all. Perhaps this is a godsend from heaven.

So as I ponder the existence of Twitter-dom, I will keep you updated. Is this just another step into the dark abyss of inner torment and hell or, is it a step up to Jesus, in his holy multi-media wonderment?

The joys of...

...Watching Television on DVD

It's a new technological age, and so it seems that there are certain changes that are taking shape and now becoming quite obvious to the techno-savvy eye. One thing that has specifically changed within the last 10 years is how television shows are accessed and digested. With DVD technology becoming less expensive, the consumption of our favourite television shows, and more notably, television shows we've yet to discover, have become cheaper and more accessible than ever before. This has lead to people watching the television shows on DVD as opposed to watching them live on television, and in some cases, television shows being altered in favour of DVD audiences.

Writers of Family Guy can be heard on many DVD commentaries noting which parts of an episode have been specifically written for the DVD and were cut from original airing on the FOX television network. This suggests that not only is there an auidence for DVD TV but that the creators of the shows are catering specifically for this audience and perhaps moving away from the traditional forms of exhibition.

So, why should you watch a TV show on DVD as opposed to watching it in real time on your own television? Well, firsly, everything is on your own time. You are your own programmer. You decide what shows are worthy of being broadcast in primetime hours, and not only that, but you can decide how many episodes you wish to view at the one time. You can have your own marathon if you choose. It's all up to you. And another benefit of owning your own TV series, is that you can repeat, pause, add subtitles and fast forward as much as your hearts desire.

In an article written in The Age (click here if you want to read more), creator of The Wire David Simon notes how the trend is turning with television shows being made in a different televisual world, where everything will turn into On Demand viewing, instead of viewers having to curb their lives around television programming.

I have been a fan of this new trend. I have discovered many gems that were many a time unavailable on normal network television. And even having the added bonus of cable does not ensure you will see the show you so called desire, unless you have some kind of electronic recording device. But still, owning DVD TV is the ultimate convienence of television consumption. Television shows like The Wire and Family Guy are finding their audiences within the DVD market, and not via network programming.

Of course this does not spell the end for television broadcasting. Nonetheless, television broadcasting will undoubtably change within the next 5-10 years. And this could very well allow for much easier consumption of television shows, much similar to DVD TV. I personally cannot wait! While the good ol' days of turning on your box at 8.30 on a Sunday night may become a thing of the past, hopefully we'll be able embrace the new age of technological television broadcasting.

10 reasons why you need to watch...30 ROCK

*Disclaimer, as I write this, I have only seen the first two seasons of 30 rock. I could go and watch it online, but I just cannot manage to do so. I cannot watch crappy quality youtube style videos of movies and television shows, not to put down those who do, it just personally does not work for me. But soon, I will have seen more and perhaps write an updated post of why you need to watch 30 rock.

10) Some have described 30 Rock as to be in the same style as Arrested Development. In some parts this is true; both have random subplots, and are shot as a single camera sitcom minus the laugh track. And both have received huge critical acclaim, with less than stellar ratings (audiences). However, I think 30 Rock is it's own show. It features it's own idiosyncratic characters, and has a style of it's own. I also get the feeling that 30 Rock may be lucky enough to go those few steps further than Arrested Development.

9) It's filmed in New York. So often we see these sitcoms based and shot on boring sets within the backdrop of boring Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. Bring on the much more interesting Big Apple.

8) Not only a feast for the eyes, but good entertainment for the brain, with a delightful play on words. For example: Jenna's indie movie The Rural Juror, Dr Spaceman (pronounced Spa-chem-an), Tracy Morgan's character Tracy Jordan goes by the alias of Stacy Morgan while on the run from the Black Crusaders. Hysterical.

7) The use of extraneous multimedia, such as using blatant product placement while claiming not to be at that level (*wink* I love Snapple!) Jenna's song Muffin Top, a hit in Israel and Belgium (hysterical lyrics here) and Tracy's movies - Fat Bitch & Honky Grandma Be Trippin'. And not to mention the countless movie references, including many an ode to Star Wars, and my personal favourite Godfather moment in 1x20 (Cleveland)

6) The Guest stars. I'm not going to even name drop. I want it to be a surprise. However, expect a lot of SNLalumni and as the show keeps going, the bigger the names get. (And a small hint, somebody resembling God even appears...*whispers* Oprah!) N.B. Carrie Fisher has been my favourite guest star so far in the hysterically funny episode "Rosemary's Baby".

5) Jenna Maloney, as played by Jane Krakowski (maybe you remember her as Elaine from Ally McBeal.) Poor Jenna is a bit of a stereotype here. Actress. Blonde. Dumb. Attention seeker. Vain. Egocentric. Desperate to be taken seriously. Never will be.

4) Alec Baldwin is hysterically funny as Network Exectuive Jack Donaghy. So entertaining to see Baldwin play the polar opposite of his famous political views. A staunch democrat playing a guilt ridden Catholic Republican. Just great!

3) 30 Rock is loosely based upon Tina Fey's (star, producer, writer and creator) real life job as first female head writer of variety comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live. If you've seen SNL then you'll want to see more, like a fly on the wall!

2) It's the writing. Each written line is gold, and its a collaborative effort between cast and the writers, but its just comedy gold that is being produced. And it's also fascinating to watch a show about writers and actors working together. Just watch!

1) See the genius of one of the most famous women in America, not to mention the funniest, smartiest, prettiest, super brainiest, poltical impersonating, starry eyed, dream girl. TINA FEY!!!!

A Year of Films.

Well, since the last posting back on boxing day, I've seen quite a lot of films in the award season buzz months. I always try and see as much as humanly possibly so I feel I can have a fair enough view of what should and shouldn't be up for awards. It's always fun, but now I start to wonder, what were my favourites of the 2008 films. Instead of making my judgements on the films that were released specifically in Australia in 2008, I'll make the judgements based on what I've seen within the last 12 months as my own version of the Oscars, which coincidentally features the same films that were eligible in Hollywood la la Land for all the important awards.

The competitors in contention (in alphabetical order) are (also known as all the 2008 films I saw):

Australia, Baby Mama, Body of Lies, Burn After Reading, Changeling, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspien, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, Doubt, Frozen River, Get Smart, The Happening, Happy-Go-Lucky, A History of my Sexual Failures, In Bruges, In Seach of a Midnight Kiss, Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda, The Love Guru, Madagascar 2, Mamma Mia, Milk, Rachel Getting Married, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Role Models, Quantum of Solace, Savage Grace, Sex and the City, Shutter, Slumdog Millionaire, Then She Found Me, Tropic Thunder, Trumbo, Twilight, Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Visitor, Wall-e, The Wrestler.

Best Film
As if I could just pick one. So it's a three way tie:
Doubt, Milk, and Vicky Christina Barcelona.
Best Male Actor
Sean Penn in Milk. Amazing performance. Such a versolite actor.
Best Female Actor
Meryl Streep in Doubt. Probably favouritism here, both for Streep and for nuns, but I loved her Sister Aloysius.
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. I hate that I'm cliche and agreeing with everyone else, but I cannot think of another contender.
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Rosemarie DeWitt in Rachel Getting Married. Absolutely stunning performance.
Best Director
Jonathan Demme for Rachel Getting Married. Such an unusual film, but Demme made something quite different and ultimately special.
Worst Film
The Happening. What the hell M. Night Shyamalan? Dishonourable mentions go to Mamma Mia and Body of Lies.
Most Disappointing Film
Twilight. I was expecting this to be my guilty pleasure film of the year. Not even. Quite disappointed.
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen for Vicky Christina Barcelona. He's back, but mind you, he never left.
Best Film from a New Filmmaker
In Search for a Midnight Kiss. So indie. So promising.
Most Overrated Film
Slumdog Millionaire. I'm not saying it wasn't a good film, I really liked it, but I'm so over hearing about it.
Most Overrated Performance
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder. Good comedic performance, but nothing worthy of award attention.
Most Underrated Film
In Bruges. What an amazing script with unforgettable performances.
Most Underrated Performance
Sally Hawkins in Happy-Go-Lucky. How was she snubbed for this performance? WTF?
Best Song used in a Film
Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler in The Wrestler. As crucial to Rourke's performance in the film. Just amazing. As for why it got snubbed from Oscars...well, who knows!?!
Best Male Comeback
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Hands down. Hard choice between him and Penn for best male performance of the year. He is the movie.
Best Female Comeback
Debra Winger in Rachel Getting Married. She's back and she shows why she should be. I want more!
Most Disturbing Film
Revolutionary Road. Not for the faint hearted...
Best Guilty Pleasure Film
The Dark Knight. For me, it's a guilty pleasure film, because I tend to liken the more dramatic stories, and less for the action films, but this one was just something else.

I'm back!

Hello there bloggers.

Happy 2009! It has been almost two months since my last blog. It's shameful really. I've had a lot of time off, and while the creative juices should have been following, I've been suffering from writer's anxiety and block instead. I wish I could have said that I've been holidaying in Hawaii instead, but the plain simple truth is that something took a hold of my writing. I even got a laptop in the process, which should have made it easier to write more frequently, but NO. So throwing caution to the wind and everything else aside, I am going to try and write everyday, or as close to as I can bare. What will result from this daily eventful blogging? I don't know. Perhaps I shall write about movies again, perhaps other things will come out. Right now, I cannot say if I can be bothered trying to sound the slightest bit professional or journalistic, but here goes nothing. And enjoy the new look!

I do slightly lie when I say I wrote nothing. So here is something I wrote at the start of the year.

Friday 16th January, 2.37am

There is something about the new calendar year that makes everything fresh. A new year has started and therefore so can a new life. Divorcees and heartbroken sad cases everywhere hold onto the idea that this will be the time where everything will get better and fall into place. But when you think about it, it's just another day. And what a difference a day can make, so it seems.

Everywhere I look, I hear '2009 will be the year' and 'change is on my side in 09' and more endless and similar expressions that keep me wondering, is 2009 really the year of change? At the start of each new calendar year there is a three week period (sometimes extending longer) where people can freely make these statements without seeming too crazy or pathetic.

However, these hopeful optimists everywhere (especially those who have gone through a particular crappy year) are living either one of two possible realities. Option A is that these hopeful optimists actually believe that the new year will bring happiness, prosperity and love, all because of the turning of time. Or, the more likely of these options is Option B, where desperation can become so helpless that any idea of the prospect of happiness, prosperity and love coming to fruition will do.

I have become a frequent visitor of Option A, but it seems that I am residing in the residence of Option B for the time being. I would like to believe that simply because the calendar year has passed over, inner contentment will follow and that mystically everything is on my side. However, I find it unreasonable and illogical to believe that this reality is solely a result of the stars. This is what I'm pertaining to, with the whole 'it's predetermined by some kind of unseeable force.'

But don't get me wrong, I am a kind of spiritual guy. And in fact, I even bought a book of how to master the art of happiness by the Dali Lama. As a result of the purchase, I would go as far as saying that simply by rubbing the book, I feel the effects immediately. Despite all of these proclamations and affirmations, I cannot stop hearing the little cynical voice that rears its ugly head and says "what if this is all bull?"

And maybe it is all bull. But there is that wonderful three week period that allows for the window of opportunity and hope, where all the past mistakes and failures of the previous year and wiped away, leaving a clean palate to start with. And maybe this year will be the year of change, god knows I need it. And so as the three week window comes to a close, I will try to see the glass as half full and hope for the best. I figure that will work until around January 22.

A Curious Case of...

Well, after attending a preview screening over a week ago, I shall now write a post about the recent release "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". I warn you now that there could be spoilers within this article, so perhaps go and see the film before you read ahead. I am not a fan of the reviewers who go out there and spoil little details about a film. But I am not a fan of film reviewers in general. A puzzling statement? Perhaps, as I am indeed doing something similar, but its the "I hate this film and consquently you will too" film reviews, and the whole snobbery that goes along with it. Oh well, thats out of the system. And now for some hypocritical writings:

Months before its release, Ben Button has been touted as one of the years best (and by some critics) one of the decades best. So let's just say that this film is a tad beyond anticipated. Immediate award season buzz can often disappoint audiences when the eyes actually hit the screen, however, I can only say that Ben Button is truly one heartbreakingly beautiful story.

The main gist of Ben Button is that Brad Pitt is born an old man and ages backwards, meeting Cate Blanchett as a young girl, and then again later on "meeting in the middle", thus creating an unusual situation of Brad Pitt getting younger as Cate Blanchett grows older. I've heard that apparently half of the budget was spent of the CGI aging effects. And lets just say that to this film, these effects have the utmost significance, adding slight plausibility to the unbelieveable story. Roger Ebert, gave the film a little 2 1/2 stars out of the usual 4 that most Oscar bound films receive. He went on about the impracticle idea of how someone could age backwards. Now, we do know that Mr. Ebert has been in and out of hospital lately, and so perhaps this could be a fair reason for such a comment. Because it's not like films and stories are a creation of fiction. According to Mr. Ebert, films must be heavily plausible. So, I guess according to Mr. Ebert, there would be a lot of film that must be baloney. Perhaps every Disney movie ever made.

Ben Button was originally a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, yonks ago, and that's just the start of the amazing crew behind this film. You've got an adaptation by Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, co writer of Munich), David Fincher as director (Fight Club, Zodiac) and a wonderful score by Alexandre Desplat (The Queen). Acting snaps go to the quite wonderful cast of Brad Pitt (he has an innocent, boyish romantic charm about him in this), Cate Blanchett (wonderful by default as always) Taraji P. Henson (absolute scene stealer!) Tilda Swinton (what is it about this woman that makes her fascinating?) and Julia Ormond (that girl from the remake of Sabrina...where the hell did she go?).

Watching this 3 hour epic, which did not feeling that long, was a feast for the romantic at heart. The story was so beautiful, and piecing together the pieces make you realise how well this film was made. Snaps go to the cinematographer and Fincher, and just everyone in general. This highly successful collaborative effort is an example of what happens when everything goes right.

But after writing this, I wonder what substance does it add? I criticise reviews, and consequently make some myself. Hypocrisy leads to guilt, but I just needed to get this out there. If you can get anything from reading this, I hope it is to see THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

Reviews

Now, you see, I could be really smart and conscientious and write a really professional looking review. However, I cannot be bothered. And so, in its place comes....

BODY OF LIES As a cinema student, I find it hard to switch off from theories and ideas and such that circulate in class. Bad habit or good habit? Who knows, but let's just say that the words Post Apocalyptic Cinema kept ringing through my ears during this film. I could go on to explain why this was the case, (i.e. giving you a brief synopsis). However, I will not waste the time. I went into this film without seeing a trailer and without hearing much word about it, which can often be the best way to go into a film. Instead, I went into this film with the hopes of another good Russell Crowe/Ridley Scott collaboration with the added bonus of Leo DiCarprio. Well, perhaps that was too much to expect. Gladiator was amazing, but was I honestly expecting more gold. And it failed to deliver. I'm not going to go into heavy detail with plot criticisms or even any other criticisms. But this was not my film. The ideas were too complicated and confusing. Dialogue was derivative and simple. Acting was fine, but the first ten minutes should have the tagline of "watch Leonardo wear a fake beard and pretend to be Fidel Castro." I just trailed off, so much to the point where I did fall asleep. So, unless you enjoy complicated and nonsensical stories with a tiny bit of terrorism, co-ercion and themes of betrayal and trust, etc., stay away from BODY OF LIES.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE The same night, after seeing Body of Lies, I went and saw the new Bond. Going in, I was pretty sure that Bond would look good at best compared to Body of Lies, and I was not disappointed. In fact, I will go as far to say that I loved it. Perhaps even more than Casino Royale. Which is a big statement, and one that would require another viewing of each film, but to me, it was perfect. The only exception being that it was a tad too long, but that can be forgiven. It was just the perfect Bond film. It has all you need. The enenemy, the hero (still, with a bit of edge, but less edgy than in the previous), the helper (M), the sultry Bond girl and a fast paced script with well handled direction. One thing that I've almost forgotten about was the Bond song. I was looking forward to what the Jack White/Alicia Keys collaboration would sound like, and let's just say that I was sitting there, quite sadden and disappointed in the Bond opening titles. So many times now, we have seen such classic songs with such classic artists. Live and Let Die, Goldfinger, GoldenEye. It's not easy to get the Bond song right, but when it works, oh boy, does it work. And it did not in Quantum of Solace. And what does Quantum of Solace even mean? I understand that oil and water played a part of the film, but it still escapes me. However, despite the crappy song, I was pleased to see the names of Paul Haggis (co-writer) and Marc Forster (director) in the opening. They did a wonderful job, as did Craig himself. I won't go on much more, but this was the perfect popcorn action film for me, who is not a huge action afficiendao. And that is saying something!