From my part of the hemisphere

stigma

2009-10-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

Noun
pl stigmas or stigmata

1. a mark of social disgrace: a stigma attached to being redundant
2. stigmata Christianity marks resembling the wounds of the crucified Christ, believed to appear on the bodies of certain people

Proud =D

2009-09-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

I don't even know the difference between 'classical' and digital styles of film-making and even I knew that something was up with Public Enemies. It was a disappointment but thanks, Schembri, I now know exactly why.
You're right, the picture took away from the costumes, set and overall feel of the era. But I think Michael Mann was trying to push this film above that of the regular cinematic experience; it was like he was trying to make it more realistic, harsher, a bit more documentary, and (I can't believe I'm saying this but) also a bit more 'raw'. Sometimes it was like he was distancing the audience on purpose.
While it can be interesting to watch and some might consider this as "pushing the limits of the medium", I think the most important and profound aspect of cinema, or any art form, is its ability to make people feel. Yes, experimentation is worth praise and recognition; though, it's often hard to determine whether it was successful or not because if the whole point was to be strange and daring then whether people approve really doesn't matter.
But if Michael Mann wants to make a film that will have a lasting place in people, (like another Departed or Children of Men) then experimentation should not take priority over that and with Public Enemies, it did.
I personally felt that the extreme close-ups actually took away from the intensity of the scenes. I remained strangely apathetic and objective throughout the whole movie.

Schembri note: Thank you for this terrific letter.

Fine Lines

2009-07-10T23:30:00.001-07:00

A small space means the world of difference between "a part" and "apart".

Asylum seekers blow-up

2009-04-19T04:24:00.000-07:00

Some of these comments really pissed me off
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/comments/0,22023,25350618-661,00.html

Here's my two cents:
Do you know what's especially funny about all this discriminatory "go back to your OWN country" crap people are slinging? It's not just that most of them are probably descendents of the very convicts (like the criminals they're accusing these asylum seekers of being) that invaded Aboriginal land and maimed their way of life. No. What's even funnier is that these are probably also the very same people who supported our "very Australian" invasion of other countries (Iraq, Afghanistan...), causing the very violence, blood-shed and terror that half of these asylum seekers are running from. And don't pretend that what we did could be justified by a stupid tabloid-label: the war on terror.

IF YOU GAVE PERMISSION FOR US TO INVADE THEIR COUNTRY, WHAT AUDACITY DO YOU HAVE TO SHUT THEM OUT OF OURS?! And call them criminals for that matter?! Or cowards?! Do I see any of you taking a holiday to Pakistan?!

It's starting to...

2008-07-28T03:43:00.000-07:00

suck; not having people read or comment on my semi-published exercises of free speech.

A lack of audience completely defeats the purpose. So please, if you're out there reader, let me know. Don't turn me into a commie.

Bzzzzzz

2008-07-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

If you tasered someone and that someone was holding onto you, would you get shocked too?

Midlife crisis

2008-07-21T03:39:00.000-07:00

It's strange that a 40 year old is what we call "middle-aged". I've always thought 20 was it, that mid point, high point, peak, that central point of which the rest of your life revolves around. When you're a teen, you're pre-middle-aged and just itching for uni, a hole of an apartment and sweet sweet independence. When you're 30, you're post-middle-aged and reminiscent of those wild wild years. I guess technically, my definition would mean death at 40.

40 just doesn't seem... like it should be the middle age. I mean, I get that life doesn't end when you start using Olay's anti-aging cream, just look at George Clooney (i could... all day long). But what comes after 40?

50, 60, 70, 80... years of dementia, old-age obesity, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, clogged arteries, heart attacks, strokes, baby food, diaper rash... FOR FORTY MORE YEARS?! That's not a life.

I guess that's why I'm so freaked out about reaching 20, like the 39s are about the big 4-o. It feels like half my life is over and I know you middle-aged women would shun me for saying such a thing but it's true. I'm nervous about my middle-agedness. I want it so much to be the best decade of my life.

Cheese!

2008-07-21T03:38:00.000-07:00

I can say cheese without smiling!

what do you make of that?

Aspersion

2008-07-19T03:09:00.000-07:00

a slanderous remark, or the act of slandering; a slur or calumny; a sprinkling of holy water
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aspersion

Baptism marks the beginning of a lifetime of slandering.

Thought for the Day

2008-06-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

There's a fine line between being persistent and self-destructing.

(Warning! May contain Spoilers!) Miss Pettigrew lives to see another day

2008-06-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

Yes she does. Contrary to what the actual film title suggests, Miss Pettigrew does get her own happily ever after and it is not just that one day in which she actually lives. I believe she actually does live happily in love to a ripe old age (if she was old at the beginning, she was certainly not ripe). So no, there is no wistful end in which we leave the cinema nostalgic after the screen slowly faded into black as Miss Pettigrew walked down an empty street in London in her finest apparel. Of course not! This is a screwball comedy!
And for that, I am grateful. 'Miss Pettigrew lives for another day' may have a typical ending and a romantic-comedy-template of a plot but sometimes we have to stop being an uptight cliched anti-conformist shunning everything that is unoriginal. I was feeling lighthearted today and to tell you the truth, when I read about Miss Pettigrew, I really could not tell if Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams) would end up with the 'devoted pianist' or the 'hostile night club owner' ('phil the impressionable junior impresario' was obviously out of the question) but maybe that's just because I'm still a young'un chasing after hopefully-reformable bad boys. Besides, I found it a challenge for this one to reinforce our monogamous romanticisms when Miss Lafosse had 3 boyfriends on the side. Somehow, it did. Yay!
I believe that film is not just an art of story telling but also a form of escapism. Now, I don't mean to sound I'm suffering from Star Trek Mania but I think one of the best things about film is its ability to submerge us in another place, another time, another 'reality'. Miss Pettigrew did that. Aside from already being in love with big band jazz and fashions before my time, I lived in Miss Pettigrew, loved it for its fast-paced buzz and hated it for lasting just an hour and a half.

Which Sex and the City character embodies your style the most?

2008-06-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

Carrie is me when she's in Paris or vintage.

Samantha is me when I want to step back in time, whether I'm reminiscing Hollywood's golden days in gowns, 80s-era caftans and figure hugging dresses or riding in a Porsche convertible with my shades and headscarf. Samantha has the me that embodies that classy 'darling I always know better' confidence and cinematic style.

Charlotte is me when she's not preppy or ladylike but classic and timeless in a vintage sundress or that little black dress. She radiates me when alone, independent and strong in trackies and a high pony-tail.

Miranda is me when she steps it up and plays hot mama.

Which is your favourite Keira Knightley film and why?

2008-06-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

Pride & Prejudice may not have been all that original or one of a kind but the beautiful fragility of each scene, the fabrics of the 19th century, the score that inspired wonder in the simple life, the frivolity and humour of each character and Keira Knightley's portrayal of the intelligent and lively Elizabeth Bennet easily persuaded me to pick up Jane Austen's classic paperback version (which, if you knew me, would be extremely out of character). Who said it was mandatory to read the book before seeing the movie? Keira Knightley's film splashed colour onto an otherwise dull and exhausting book for a modern, barely Gen-Y, material girl who previously could not see why the older women of her generation swooned over Mr Darcy with those sideburns. Pride and Prejudice has not only prompted the expansion of my literary horizons and my growing familiarity with a British TV network known as the BBC but has also sprouted my appreciation for all things before my time. All of this which, I hope, will mould me into a fine young woman, much like Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Bennet, who in time may find her own Mr Darcy. Yes, Pride and Prejudice has to be my favourite Keira Knightley film.